a criminal connexion with his mother-in-law was a liar and a
coward!" Every eye was turned to the dauphin and La Chataigneraie, when
the latter stood forward and asserted, that De Jarnac had himself avowed
that such was the fact, and he would extort from his lips another
confession of it. A case like this could not be met or rebutted by any
legal proof, and the royal council ordered that it should be decided by
single combat. The king, however, set his face against the duel,[59] and
forbade them both, under pain of his high displeasure, to proceed any
further in the matter. But Francis died in the following year, and the
dauphin, now Henry II., who was himself compromised, resolved that the
combat should take place.

[59] Although Francis shewed himself in this case an enemy to
duelling, yet in his own case he had not the same objection.
Every reader of history must remember his answer to the
challenge of the Emperor Charles V. The Emperor wrote that he
had failed in his word, and that he would sustain their
quarrel single-handed against him. Francis replied, that he
lied--_qu'il en avait menti par la gorge_, and that he was
ready to meet him in single combat whenever and wherever he
pleased.

The lists were prepared in the court-yard of the chateau of St.
Germain-en-Laye, and the 10th of July, 1547, was appointed for the
encounter. The cartels of the combatants, which are preserved in the
_Memoires de Castelnau_, were as follow:

"_Cartel of Francois de Vivonne, lord of la Chataigneraie_.

"SIRE,

"Having learned that Guy Chabot de Jarnac, being lately at Compiegne,
asserted that whoever had said that he boasted of having criminal
intercourse with his mother-in-law was wicked and a wretch, I, sire, with
your good will and pleasure, do answer that he has wickedly lied, and will
lie as many times as he denies having said that which I affirm he did say;
for I repeat, that he told me several times, and boasted of it, that he
had slept with his mother-in-law.

"FRANCOIS DE VIVONNE."

To this cartel De Jarnac replied:

"SIRE,

"With your good will and permission, I say, that Francois de Vivonne has
lied in the imputation which he has cast upon me, and of which I spoke to
you at Compiegne. I therefore entreat you, sire, most humbly, that you be
pleased to grant us a fair field, tha