CHAPTER IX. EARLY DUELS IN ITALY, SPAIN, GERMANY, NORTHERN EUROPE, BELGIUM, AND ICELAND. 1. ITALY. وو DURING the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Italy teemed with treatises on "the noble art and science of duelling, which was held up to the admiration of the world in the most elegant language; and it is among the Italians that we hear of the most atrocious duels and the disreputable tricks and ruses with which expert, but dishonourable, combatants have triumphed in the deadly encounter. The celebrated Jarnac, or hamstring cut, was an Italian invention, taught to Châtaigneraye, before mentioned, by an Italian master of fence. There were regular professors of the scienza cavalleresca, and Alberic Balbiano, Constable of Naples, instituted a military order, under the patronage of St. George, for the due maintenance of this honourable pursuit. One Michael Angelo Cara vaggio, an artist,-not the great Michael, of course,made it a practice to challenge all the critics of his productions. He sought out endless quarrels, was obliged to fly to Malta, and, having killed a critic in Rome, finally ended his days in abject poverty on the highroad. BAYARD AND DON ALONZO DE SOTO MAYOR. Whilst the French army was engaged in Italy, during the reign of Louis XII., Bayard routed a party of Spaniards, and with his own hands made prisoner of Don Alonzo de Soto Mayor. The generous chevalier treated his prisoner in the best manner possible, giving him a fine suite of apartments in the castle, with the utmost freedom on parole, which the Spaniard solemnly promised. But a fortnight after he made his escape, only, however, to be caught again by the vigilant French troopers. Of course, Bayard could not trust him again, and confined him to a tower, but without any other indignity. Don Alonzo, although conscious of having necessitated the precaution, thought proper to complain of the treatment and conduct of his captor. Bayard was highly offended, and immediately sent him a challenge to mortal combat, either on foot or on horseback, and with any arms he might select. A challenge on such grounds must surprise us, but it emanated naturally from the chivalric sentiments then in vogue, and Bayard had, it seems, determined to maintain the integrity of his character as a knight fearless and reproachless (sans peur et sans reproche). Therefore it was quite natural that he should wish to kill the Spaniard who had dared to tarnish his reputation. Soto Mayor accepted the challenge. On the appointed day, Bayard, although suffering from ague, was the first to reach the spot fixed upon for the duel, mounted on a magnificent charger, and clad in white. He sent to inform the Spaniard of his arrival, but the latter declined to fight on horseback, claiming the right of dictating the terms of the combat, and insisted upon fighting on foot. Bayard instantly consented, and Don Alonzo made appearance. As soon as Bayard saw him approaching, he fell on his knees, put up a prayer, kissed the ground with great humility, and then rose and advanced to meet his opponent. It does not appear that the Spaniard really believed that he would be called upon to fight for so stupid a cause, for his first words to the pious and bloodthirsty knight were -- "Señor de Bayardo, what do you want with me?" "I want to defend my honour," replied the Chevalier sans peur et sans reproche. No doubt, Bayard drew at the same moment, and of course the Spaniard followed his example, and they set to. Soon, however, Bayard discovered that Don Alonzo was practising one of the tricks of the noble art, by instantly covering his face as soon as he had delivered his thrusts, which were parried. Bayard was equal to the occasion; and when Don Alonzo made another thrust, instead of parrying in the usual way, he allowed the thrust to glance forward, and instantly drove his point into the throat of his oppo nent. Don Alonzo, with the Chevalier's point sticking in his throat, immediately closed with his opponent, when a struggle ensued, in which both fell to the ground. In this position, Bayard drew his dagger, and thrusting it into the nose of Don Alonzo, exclaimed, "Surrender, or you are a dead man.” But it was all over with the unfortunate Spaniard ; he never uttered a word, dying on the spot. The chronicler assures us that Bayard was much grieved at the result, "for the good Chevalier would have given a hundred thousand crowns to have overcome the Spaniard alive”—and this notwithstanding the cut-throat thrust he had delivered. "Nevertheless," continues the chronicler, "the Chevalier, thankful for the grace that God had vouchsafed him, fell upon his knees, thanked God most humbly, kissed the ground three times, and then dragging and delivering the dead body of his enemy to the second of the latter, he asked him "if he had done enough." "Rather too much, Señor de Bayardo, for the honour of Spain," replied the second. The good Chevalier coolly observed, "You know that I have a right to do as I like with the body. However, I give it up to you, and I wish the result had been otherwise,-my honour being untarnished." The Spaniards carried off their champion, with lamentations, and the French escorted theirs with the sounds of clarions and trumpets." Such was the chivalric duel between the Chevalier Bayard (sans peur et sans reproche) and Don Alonzo de Soto Mayor. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Italy continued to be the teacher and exemplar of the nations in the art of killing people, and nowhere was the practice more rife than in Piedmont. All edicts, proclamations, and denunciations were of no avail against the practice of duelling, until Prince MelfeCaracciolli, the viceroy of Piedmont for Francis I., hit upon a scheme which was most successful in mitigating the evil. The bridge over the Po at Turin was the favourite resort of duellists; and the viceroy ordained that the only part of it on which they might fight was -the parapet, with the strict prohibition of attempting to save any one who might fall into the river. Duels were frequent in Savoy, especially among the grandees of the land; but one of them received a reply to a challenge, which was highly creditable to the wit and good sense of his offender. Amadeus V., called the Great, sent a challenge to Humbert II., who replied to his herald as follows: "My friend, tell your master that the virtue of a prince does not consist in strength of body; and that if he wishes to boast so much of his strength, nerve, |