No incident in this nobleman’s life has been represented more to his disadvantage, and is in itself more interesting than the following.  The account which is here inserted was sent to a friend by the duke’s express order.

A Scots peer with whom both the duke, and the duchess lived in great intimacy in Italy, happening to come to Paris, when the duke was there, they renewed their acquaintance and friendship, and for some time continued with mutual freedom, till the duke had reason to believe from what he heard from others, that the peer had boasted favours from the duchess of Wharton.

This instance of wanton vanity, the duke could not help resenting, though he often declared since the quarrel, that he never had the least suspicion of the duchess’s honour.  He resolved therefore very prudently to call the Scots lord to an account, without letting him know it was for the duchess or so much as mentioning her name; accordingly he took occasion to do it in this manner.

It happened that the duke of Wharton and his lordship met at a lady’s whom they mutually visited, and the duke dropping his glove by chance, his lordship took it up, and returned it to the duke; who thereupon asked him if he would take it up in all it’s forms?  To which his lordship answered, yes, my lord, in all its forms.

Some days after, the duke gave a ball at St. Germains, to which he invited the Scots nobleman, and some person indiscretely asked his grace whether he had forbid the duchess’s dancing with lord C——.  This gave the duke fresh reason to believe that the Scots peer had been administring new grounds for his resentment, by the wantonness of calumny.  He dissembled his uneasiness for the present, and very politely entertained the company till five o’clock in the morning, when he went away without the ceremony of taking leave; and the next news that was heard of him was from Paris, from whence he sent a challenge to lord C——­d, to follow him to Flanders.

The challenge was delivered by his servant, and was to this effect:  ’That his lordship might remember his saying he took up his glove in all its forms, which upon mature reflexion, his grace looked upon to be such an affront, as was not to be born, wherefore he desired his lordship to meet him at Valenciennes, where he would expect him with a friend and a pair of pistols; and on failure of his lordship’s coming his grace would post him, &c.

The servant who delivered the letter, did not keep its contents a secret; and lord C——­d was taken into custody, when he was about setting out to meet his grace.  All that remained then for his lordship to do, was to send a gentleman into Flanders, to acquaint the duke with what happened to him.  His grace upon seeing the gentleman, imagining him to be his lordship’s second, spoke to him in this manner; ’Sir, I hope my lord will favour me so far as to let us use pistols, because the wound I received in my foot before Gibraltar, in some measure disables me from the sword.’  Hereupon the gentleman replied with some emotion, ’My lord duke, you might chuse what you please; my lord C——­d will fight you with any weapon, from a small pin to a great cannon; but this is not the case, my lord is under an arrest, by order of the duke of Berwick.’