All injuries are reduced to two kindes, and are either by wordes or deedes. In the first, he that offereth the injurie ought to bee the Challenger: in the later, hee that is injuried: Example, Caius sayth to Seius that hee is a traitour: unto which Seius aunswereth by giving the lie: were uppon ensueth, that the charge of the Combat falleth on Caius, because hee is to maintaine what hee sayd, and therefore to challenge Seius. Now when an injurie is offered by deede, then do they proceed in this manner. Caius striketh Seius, giveth him a boxe on the eare, or some other waie hurteth him bu some violent meanes: Where with Seius offended, saith unto Caius, that hee hath used violence towards him, or that hee hath dealt injuriouslie with him, or that hee hath abused him, or some such manner of saying. Whereunto Caius aunswereth, Thou lyest: whereby Seius is forced to challenge Caius, and to compell him to fight, to maintaine the injurie which he had offered him. The summe of all therefore, is in the cases of honour, that hee unto whome the lie is wrongfullie given, ought to challenge him that offereth that dishonour, and by the swoorde to prove himselfe no lyer.
There bee manie that delighting to finde faulte with that which is sette downe by others, bee it never so truely and exactly perfourmed, will in this case also seeke to overthrowe the rules which I have above alleadged concerning Challenging and Defending, opposing manye Argumentes and objections, which I thinke frivolous to trouble the Reader with all, and therfore wyll neyther rehearse them heere, nor spende so much labour in vaine as to aunswere them, considering that men but of meane capacitie will be able to discerne and judge of the small reason that they are grounded uppon. For who is ther that seeth not, how beit some men finer witted than endued with valour and courage, will by multiplication of speeches give cause of greater offence, and therby give the other occasion to challenge the combat rather than to do it themselves. Yet that notwithstanding the true and perfect manner of proceeding in cases of honour is, that whosoever offereth injurie by deede, as striking, beating, or otherwise hurting anie man, ought presently without anie further debate or questioning, to be challenged to the Combat, unlesse hee refuse the same by making satisfaction for the offence or offered injurie.
And in injuries offered by worde, no respect ought to bee had of all
the wordes which by aunsweres and replies are mutiplied, (as when one saith,
Thou lyest, the other answereth with the same wordes, and the first replieth,
with thou liest also, and so maie perchaunce make a fraie with wordes only,
which foolish and childish manner of proceeding cannot but bee misliked
of by Gentlemen of reputation) but to whome so ever the lie is univslye
and wrongfully given, unto him shall it belong to become Challenger, by
Armes to maintaine what he spake or did, whereupon the lie was given him.
Last modified: November 09, 1998