The Combatt betwixt the Lord Bruce, and Sr: Edward Sackvill

A mounseiur mounseiur Sackvill I: that amme in Fraunce, heare howe much yow Attribute to yor: selfe in this tyme, that I haue given the world leave to Ringe yor: prayses, and ffor mee the truest Alminacke to tell yow howe much I sufferr, And yf yow call to Memorye, when I gave yow my hand last, I tould yow I reserved the harte ffor a truer Reconcillyacion, Nowe by that noble gentleman my Love once spoke, and comme, and doe him Right, that could Recyte the Tryalls yow owe yor: Birth, and Countrye, were I not Conffident yor. honnor: gives yow the same Courage to doe mee Right, that it did to doe mee wronge, Bee Mr: of yor: owne weapons, and tyme, the place wheresoever I will wayte on yow, By doeinge this, yow shall shorten Revenge, and cleare the ydle opinyon the worlde hath of both our honnors: Edward Bruce A Mounseiur A mounseiur mounseiur Le Baron de Kinlosse:

As: it shalbee allwayes ffarre from mee to seeke a Quarrell, soe will I bee allwayes readye to meete with any that desire to make Tryall of my vallour by soe ffayer a Course as yow Re quyer, a meanes whereof yor: selfe shalbee, whoe wthin a Moneth shall receyve a stricte Accompte of tyme, place, and weapon, where, yow shall ffinde mee Readye disposed to give yow honnoble: satisfaccion, by him that shall Conducte yow thether, In the meane tyme, bee as secrett of the Appointemte: as it seemes yow are desirous of it: Edward Sackvill

A mounseiur mounseiur Le Baron de Kinlosse

I: amme readye att Tergose, a Towne in Zealand, to give yow that satisfaccion yor: sworde cann Render yow, Accompanyed with a Worthie gentleman ffor my second, in degree a knight, And ffor yor: commeinge I will not Lymitte yow a peremptorye daye, Butt desire yow to make a deffinyte and speedye Repayer, ffor yor: owne honnor: and ffeare of prevention, untill wch tyme untill which tyme yow shall ffinde mee there, Tergose, the, 10th: of August, 1613: Edward Sackvill

A mounseiur mounseiur Sackvill: I haue Receyved yor: Lettre, by your: Man, and acknowe= ledge yow haue dealte noblye with mee, And nowe I comme with possible hast to meete yow: Edward Bruce

Sir Edward Sackvill his Relacion of the ffight, Betwene him and the Lord Bruce: Worthie: Sr: as I ame not ignorante (soe ought I to bee sencible) of the Falce Aspertions Authorlesse Toungues haue layde uppon mee, in the Reportes of the unffortunate passage, latelye happened, Betwene the Lord Bruce, and my selfe, which as they are spread heere, soe maye I iustlye ffeare they Raigne alsoe where yow are, There are There: are butt Two wayes to Resolue doubtes, of this nature, By oath, or by sworde, The ffirst is due to Magistrates, and Communicable to ffrindes, Theother to such, as Maliciouslye slaunder, and impudentlye deffend their Assertion, yor: Love, not my meritt Assures mee, yow hould mee yor: ffrinde, wch I esteeme I amme much desirous to Retayne, doe thereffore the Right to understand the truth of that, and in my behalfe to infforme others, whoe eyther are, or maye bee inffected with sinister Rumors. much priudicyall to that ffayer opinyon I desire to hould amongst all worthie Personns, And on the ffaith of a gentleman the Relacion I shall give, is neyther more nor lesse, Then the Bare truth:

The: inclosed Contaynes the ffirst Citacion, sent mee from Paris, by a Scottishe gent’, whoe delivered it me in Darbisheire att my ffather in Lawes howse,

After: it ffollowes my then Aunsweare returned him by the same Bearer,

The: next is, my Accomplishemte: of my ffirst promise, beinge a particuler Assignacion of place, and weapon, which I sent by a servante of myne by Post from Rotterdam, assoone as I landed there: The Receipte of wch., ioyned with an acknoweledgmte: of my of my to ffayer Carryage to the deceased Lord, is Testiffyed by the last, which Periodes the Busines, till wee mett at Tergose in Zealand, it beinge a place Allotted for Randevous, where hee accompanyed wth Mr: Cranfforde an Englishe gentleman, For, his second, a Chirurgeon, and a Man, Arryved with all the speede hee could, and there haveinge once Ren= dered himselfe, I Addressed my second, Sr: John Heydon, to lett him understand, that nowe all ffollowinge should bee donne by Conscent, As Conscerninge the Tearmes whereon wee should ffight, As alsoe the place, To our secondes wee gave power ffor their Appointemtes, whoe Agreed wee should goe to Antwerpe, ffrom thence to Bargen=up=zome, where in the middwaye, butt a village devides the States Territoryes ffrom the Archdukes, and there was the destined stage, to the ende that haveinge ended, hee that could might prsentlye exempt himselfe ffrom the Justice of the Countrye, by Retyreinge into the domynion not offended:

Itt: was ffurther Concluded, that in Case any should ffall, or slipp: that then the Combatt should Cease, and hee whose yll ffortune had soe subiected him, was to acknoweledge his lyfe to haue been in theothers handes, Butt in Case one partyes sworde should Breake (Because that could onely Chaunce by hazard) It was agreed that theother should take noe advaun tage advauntage, Butt eyther then bee made ffrindes, or els by even Tearmes goe to it agayne;

Thus: theise Conclusions beinge by each of them Related to his partye, were by both of us Approved, and Assented to, accordinglye, wee embarcqued, ffor Antwerpe, And by reasonn my Lord (as I Conceyve because hee could not handsomelye wthout daunger of discoverye) had not payred his sworde, I sent him att Paris, one of the same length but twyce as Broade, My second excepted against it, and Advised mee to Match myne owne, and sent him the Choyce. which I obayed (it beinge as yow knowe the Challengers: privelidge to ellect the weapon), Att that deliverye of the swordes (wch was perfformed by Sr: John Heydon, It pleased the Lord Bruce to Choose myne owne, and then past expectacion, hee tould Sr: John Heydon, that hee ffounde himselfe soe farre behinde hand, as a little of my Bloode, would not serve his turne, And thereffore hee was nowe Resolued to haue mee alone, Because hee knewe, (ffor I will use his owne wordes) that soe worthie a gentleman, and my ffrinde could not endure to stande by, and see him doe that hee must to satisfye himselfe, and his honnor:

Heereunto: Sr: John Heydon Replyed, that such intencions, weere Bloodye, and Butcherlye, ffarr unfittinge unfittinge soe noble a Personage, whoe should desire to bleed ffor Reputacion , not ffor lyfe, wthall Addinge hee thought himselfe Iniured, beinge comme this ffar, nowe to bee prohibited ffrom the executeinge those honnoble: offyces hee came ffor:

The: Lord ffor Aunsweare onely Reitterated his fformer Resolucion:

Whereuppon: Sr: John leavinge him the sworde hee had ellected, delivered mee theother, wth his determinacion, The wch, (not matter but manner) soe moved mee, Although to my Remembraunce I had not of a longe tyme eaten more Liberallye then att dynner, and thereffore unffitt ffor such an Accion, seeinge the Chirurgeons hould a wounde uppon a ffull stomacke much more daungerous then otherwise, I requested my second to Certiffye him, I would presentlye decyde the difference, and thereffore hee should ymediatelye meete mee on horsbacke, onely wayted on by our Chirurgeons they beinge unarmed:

Together: wee Rode, (But one beffore theother somme twelve score) aboute some two Englishe Myles, and there passion haveinge soe weake an enemye to Assayle, as my direction, my passion easely becamme victor, and useinge hir power made mee obedyent to hir Comaundemte: I beinge verely madde with Anger, the Lord, the Lord Bruce should thirst after my lyfe, with a kind of Assurednes, seeinge I had come soe farr, and needleslye to give him leave to Regayne his lost Reputacion, I Badd him alight, which with all willingnes hee quicklye graunted, and there in a Meadowe (Anckle deepe in water att the least) Biddinge ffarewell to our dublettes, in our shirtes began to Charge each other, haveinge affore Com= maunded our Chirurgeons to wthdrawe themselves a prettye distaunce ffrom us, Coniureinge them besides, as they respected our favors: or their owne saffetyes, not to stirre, Butt sufferr us to execute our pleasures, wee beinge fullye resolued, (god fforgive us) to dis= patch each other by what meanes wee could:

I: made a Thrust att him myne enemye, But was shorte, and in draweinge Backe myne Arme, I receyved agreate wounde, with a Blowe thereon, wch I interpreted as a Rewarde ffor my shorte shooteinge, Butt in Revenge, I prest it to him, though I then mist him alsoe, And then receyvinge a wounde in my Right papp, which past levell through my Bodye, and almost to my Backe, and there wee wrestled ffor the two greatest, and dearest prises wee could ever expect, Tryall for honnor: and lyfe; In which wrestlinge, my hande haveinge butt an ordinarye glove on it) lost one of hir Servantes Servantes (though the meanest:) which hunge by the skinne, And to sight yett remayneth as beffore, and I amme putt in hope, one daye to haue the use alsoe, Butt att last Breathlesse (yett keepinge our houldes) there past on both sides Proposicions of quittinge each others sworde, Butt when Amitye was dead, Con= ffidence could not lyve, and whoe should quitt ffirst, was the question, which on neyther parte, eyther would perffourme; Restriveinge a ffresh, with a Kicke, and a Wrinche together, I ffreed my longe Captived Weapon, which incontinentlye Levyeinge att his throate, (beinge Mr: still of his) I demaunded yf hee would Aske his lyfe, or yeild his sworde, wch both (though in that emyment daunger) hee Bravelye denyed , to doe, My selfe beinge wounded and ffeelinge losse of Bloode (haveinge three Con= duites Runninge in mee) Begann to make mee fainte, and hee Couragiouslye persistinge not to Accorde to eyther of my proposicions, Remembraunce of his fformer Bloodye desire, and ffeelinge my prsent estate, I stroke att his harte, Butt with his avoydinge mist him agayne, yett past through the Bodye, and draweinge thorough my sworde, Repast it through agayne through another place, when he Cryed, Oh I amme slayne, secondinge his speech, with all the fforce hee had to cast mee, Butt beinge to weake, after I had deffended his Assaulte, I easelye becamme Mr: Mr: of him, layeinge him on his Backe, when beinge over him, I redemaunded yf hee would Request his lyfe, Butt it seemed hee prized it not att soe deare a Rate, as to bee behouldinge ffor it, Bravely Replyeinge hee scorned it, which Aunsweare of his was soe noble, and worthie, as I protest, I could not ffinde in my harte to offerr him any more vyo= lence, onely keepinge him downe till att length his Chirurgeon a ffarr of Cryed out, hee would ymedi= atlye dye, yf his woundes were not stopped, where= uppon I asked, yf hee desired his Chirurgeon should comme, which hee Accepted of, and soe beinge drawne a waye I never offerred to take his sworde ffrom him, Accomptinge it inhumaine to Robb a dead Man ffor soe I Counted him to bee)

Thus: theis ended, I Retyred to my Chirurgeon, in whose Armes, After I had Remayned a while, ffor wante of Bloode, I lost my sight, and with all, (as I then thought) my lyfe alsoe; Butt sytronge water, and his dilligence quicklye Recovered mee, when I escaped a greate daunger, ffor my Lordes Chirurgeon, when noe Bodye dreamte of it, Ranne ffull att mee, wth his Lordes sworde and had not myne with my sworde interposed himselfe, I had been slayne by those base handes, Although the Lord Bruce, welteringe in his owne Bloode, and past expectacion of lyfe, Con= fformable Confformable to his fformer Courage which was un= doubtedlye noble, Cryed out, Rascall hould thie handes:

Soe: maye I prosper, as I haue dealt sinceerelye wth yow in this Relacion, which I praye yow, wth the inclosed Lettre, deliver to my Lord Chamberleyne, And soe, &ces : Lovyane the viijth: of September, 1613:

Yours: &ces Edward Sackvill: