Sir Richard Branson vs Stephen Colbert, Duelling Titans square off and prepare for battle.

Never draw your sword without good reason; never sheath it without your honor.

A most recent Duel challenge was made and accepted
In the year of our Lord, 2009, in the month of May, on thy day of 8
Sir DICK Branson vs His Heavenly Might, The Colbert
Read upon these details here

Colbert-Branson Duel
colbertnation.com

The Code of Dueling

INTRODUCTION

Inhabitants of Castle Marrach may decide to resolve their serious disputes by a duel (also known as an encounter, or passage of arms). A duel is one-on-one combat between persons of honor, with a specific set of conditions agreed to by both parties. Duelling is governed by the Duelling Code, sometimes known as the Code Duello. Duels are fought to express, protect and restore one s honor, the honor of someone one feels bound to protect, or (unofficially) to build a reputation as a duelist. A duel is only possible when there has been an insult or a slight to someone s honor. Any word, action, intention, or gesture, which injures the self-esteem, sensibility, or reputation of another, is for this person an affront. Duels are most emphatically not acts of revenge or retribution at least not according to the Duelling Code. Duelling is sometimes considered a ceremony of the cult of honor, an entirely unofficial, un-organized but real group nebulously composed of all persons with the right and the duty of demanding satisfaction in a duel. Allegations of misconduct by prospective or actual duelists and seconds, with regard to their participation in a duel, may be inquired into by the Masters of the Court of Honor, three respected, perceptive and impartial persons. These Masters are skilled with weapons, fully conversant with the rules, precedents, and spirit of the Duelling Code, and have some not-well-defined authority in the area of personal honor. If someone issues a challenge and is refused, the Court of Honor can be appealed to for a ruling on the honor of the refusal. The Court also answers questions touching on the manner and practice of duelling; their decisions may be appealed to the Lord Chancellor. Violations of the spirit and rules of the Duelling Code will (if detected and reported) result in censure by (at least) the Masters of the Court of Honor. Appeals to the Queen may be made regarding the decisions of the Lord Chancellor. Within Castle Marrach, the Queen, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Marshal, the Lord Treasurer, and the Lord Chamberlain are the premier honor lords of the Court.

HOW DUELS ARE BEGUN

Two persons have or imagine a quarrel upon some point. One of them, feeling their honor to be insufferably transgressed upon, says something like, "Sir, a gentle person cannot accept that insult there are any number of acceptable phrasings for the challenge. Persons issuing a challenge are termed the injured party or person, as they claim to have suffered some damage to their reputation, veracity, pedigree, person, etc; they are also said to have requested or demanded satisfaction. Being manhandled without permission is often considered the minimum insult that will lead to a duel, but each person is the best judge of his or her own honor. For a challenge to be made, the challenger must consider whoever is challenged to be worthy of it specifically, in a position to provide satisfaction in a duel. Stating that one will not issue a challenge due to the unworthy nature of the person giving offense is tantamount to saying the person is not honorable (and hence not worthy of attending Her Majesty s court, as an honored guest, courtier, knight, noble, or otherwise). Challenges need not be delivered in person. In fact, if the challenge does not follow immediately upon the act that gave offense, the offended party (i.e., the challenger) should obtain the services of one or more seconds, to convey his or her challenge rather than delivering it in person. Challenges may not be delivered in writing; written challenges have many opportunities for error. The seconds may convey written statements by the principals, but they themselves must confirm that the challenge has been received, and whether it has been accepted. The challenged party may accept or reject the challenge. If the challenge is accepted, then from that point until the duel is fought the two parties to the dispute should avoid each other socially. They are both parties to the dispute, in rather the same sense that litigants in a court of law are parties to a suit.

WHEN DUELLING IS IMPERMISSIBLE

The Queen or Her Lords may forbid persons to make or receive challenges for some period of time, or from some person, or from a category of persons, etc. Encounters with persons of widely (OOC: OB denizens challenging Lords, for
instance) different social rank are possible, but may result in loss of favor or even punishment for one or both parties; certainly persons of high rank are under no obligation to accept challenges from those of a widely lower rank. Persons married to each other; persons not physically fit; and persons in close family relation to each other may not enter into a duel. The Queen may from time to time issue restrictions upon encounters by her subjects; for instance, in time of war, duelling may be forbidden entirely.

CONDITIONS FOR A DUEL

There are several conditions to be met before a duel can be fought:

Approval or sanction by the authorities is not required; however, duelling without approval can result in social disfavor, censure by the Court of Honor, or actual punishment (loss of status, position, rank, or privileges). The consent of both parties is absolutely required. Deadly combat without the consent of all parties is regarded as murder. Seconds or friends must make at least a pro forma attempt at reconcilement, and must arrange the conditions of the duel. The offer and acceptance of an apology brings the challenge to an end. A delay of at least one day (from the challenge to the actual combat); duels fought with less than a day s delay are viewed with disfavor. Challenges must be issued or communicated within two days of the challenging party becoming aware of the offense (which might, of course, be years after the commission of the offense itself). If more time passes, the nature of the offense cannot have been unbearable, and the affront is said to have expired.

ON SECONDS

No duel may be fought in Castle Marrach without at least one second for each party. A second is some other person, also capable of providing satisfaction, who agrees to act on behalf of one (and only one) of the parties to a duel. The terms representative or friend are sometimes also used to designate seconds. The second has two duties: to the person he or she is seconding, and to the Duelling Code. This censure can fall equally heavily or in some cases, more heavily upon the seconds. If a second cannot not both fairly represent his or her principal, and also the Duelling Code, he or she should withdraw, and the duel should be re-arranged with a new second. There is no requirement that a second actually be a friend, or even an acquaintance, of his or her principal. Persons should not serve as seconds if there would be some substantial conflict of interest involved; also, the spouses, parents, and children of a duelist should not serve as his or her second.

SANCTION FOR FORMAL DUELS

Each party to the dispute chooses a second (presumably a friend); the seconds call together upon some competent authority an honor lord of the Queen s Court, or the Queen herself. The Chamberlain is most often conveniently available for this, but the Chancellor, the Lord Marshal, or the Lord Treasurer are each also empowered to sanction duels. The Chamberlain (or other sanctioning authority):
-- asks the seconds who the parties to the duel are; asks whether any attempt has been made for reconcilement;
-- ensures the parties are not barred from duelling (due to hierarchical, social, legal, physical, etc. conditions);
-- enquires and consents as to the form of the duel (the weapons to be used, any strange variant rules, and the desired outcome death or wounding, or some number of wounds, a cry for quarter, or some other measurable or detectable finish); -- enquires and consents to any victory or defeat conditions involving Castle Marrach s court or society (i.e., changes to official positions);
-- enquires and consents to the time and place of the encounter and issues instructions to prepare the site if need be;
-- instructs and charges the seconds to see that no chicanery takes place, and to carry out their duties as representatives of the Court of Honor at the duel;
-- instructs and charges the seconds to contact an authority as soon as possible if there is some obstacle to the duel proceeding, or if one of the parties wishes to withdraw; formally approves the duel, with the restrictions agreed to previously;
-- advises the seconds to have the principals put their affairs in order; causes some form of notice of the duel to be made public. This notice will include the names of the participants, and their seconds; the time and date of the duel; and some of the elements of form.

Persons may wish, as suggested, to put their affairs in order prior to taking part in a duel. They should certainly not carry items of great personal value into a duel, as there is a chance they may lose them if the duel is lost.

PUTTING ONE'S AFFAIRS IN ORDER

Persons wishing to produce registered wills should arrange to have their testament taken down and filed with a Court Clerk (or the Royal Archivist). Other wills and testaments, not filed in the archives, may not be enforced by the Chancery. The Court Clerk may also be willing to hold messages for delivery after a person s demise.

BEGINNING THE DUEL

If the parties to the quarrel, and their seconds, are present at the time and place agreed, someone will bring weapons to the seconds (although the parties may possess and use weapons of their own, if they agree). The seconds and all other parties should avoid standing in the "middle before the duel begins, and the armed duelists should stand in the "middle of the area, room, or whatever. The seconds may (or may not) keep things organized, advise spectators to step back, etc.; they should (but don t have to) ask the duelists if they can yet be reconciled, etc.; but their duties are not enforced they must merely be present in the room. Once the duelists have taken up their positions [command: duel name], and each saluted the other with their weapons, the duel begins, and cannot be interrupted by the spectators; the spectators and seconds should not enter the "middle of the area. Duelists may, if they wish, conduct a full salute a bow to the audience, followed by a salute to the opponent. The duel as an affair of honor still begins from when both duelists have saluted their opponent.

THE DUEL ITSELF

During the duel, the combatants must remain in the room, but they may move about the room. Duels are normally assumed to be conducted with the generic sword; some persons possess and may use rapiers, sabers, cutlasses, short swords, backswords, schiavone, small swords, two-handed swords, bastard swords, etc. The Court of Honor can decide if the use of unequal or unusual weapons in a duel is a violation of the Duelling Code. The Court of Honor might admit other weapons that might be become available; these might include the foil, scimitar, single-stick, great stick, etc.

In a duel to first blood, a single wound ends the bout and the duel itself. In duels of a more serious nature, the fighting ceases momentarily when a wound is received; the seconds may wish to enquire if the principals can or wish to continue. If a continuation is agreed to, the duellists re-engage [duel and salute as usual; a duel to the death might thus consist of as many as eight bouts].

FINISH OF THE DUEL

In a formal duel, the passage of arms is completed when either the agreed-upon conditions are met, one of the combatants surrenders [command: surrender], one of the combatants leaves the room, or both of the seconds agree to end the duel [although this is not enforced by the system]. [A bad connection should not result in a lost duel. The seconds are responsible for observing their principals; if they think too much time has gone by without any communication, they may wish to call out some notice of this. Honorable duelists should not take advantage of inconvenienced opponents in this situation.]

PRACTICE

For the practice of swordplay within the Castle, the practice room, armory, and various open courtyards are normally employed. Practice may also take place in the guard rooms, the quarters of the Winter Watch, or the personal room of any guest. Blunted or rebated weapons are normally used in practice. Opponents move to the middle of the room, salute, and begin; no seconds are required. In a friendly bout one where no blood is to be shed the duelists may acknowledge a hit ("Your point, ser ) by extending their empty hand, palm uppermost, to their opponent [possible command: "extend my left hand briefly ]. Challenges from newly-arrived guests may be honorably refused until they prove themselves able to give and receive satisfaction "Duelling is for those worthy of it, my dear ; however, non-fatal duelling is certainly possible before then, if only as practice.

INFORMAL AND UNSANCTIONED DUELS

If an immediate or sub rosa duel is felt to be needed, the parties to the dispute should still choose seconds. The seconds negotiate the nature of the duel when and where, and to what lengths; they also will have to obtain weapons by some method or other. An informal or unsanctioned duel may incur the wrath of the Queen s officials, or the Court of Honor, or both, or neither. Much depends on the circumstances, and on how much the affair deviated from fair and traditional duelling. Combat without seconds is almost never recognized as a proper duel; it is no more or no less than combat, proper in some circumstances but not in others. The Queen and the Court of Honor do not look with favor on common murder.

MASTERS OF THE COURT OF HONOR

Currently, the Masters of the Court of Honor are:

Lord Bernier;
Sir Anselm; and
Dame Petronille.

"Stand now and raise your glasses, let us by the world be seen, Good health and heaven's grace attend you, VIVIENNE OUR QUEEN."

UPDATES

As rulings are made by Her Majesty or the Court of Honor respecting the conduct of encounters of honor, the text of this book will be mysteriously updated.

RULES OF THE CODE

The Irish Code Duello was drawn up by gentlemen delegates at the Clonmel Summer Assizes in 1777, and recommended for use generally in Ireland. England and the rest of Europe also followed this code with some variation, as did America.

This code could still be useful today for parents and teachers -- just arm the kids with paint guns and let them go at it.

Rule 1. The first offense requires the first apology, though the retort may have been more offensive than the insult. Example: A tells B he is impertinent, etc. B retorts that he lies; yet A must make the first apology because he gave the first offense, and then (after one fire) B may explain away the retort by a subsequent apology.

Rule 2. But if the parties would rather fight on, then after two shots each (but in no case before), B may explain first, and A apologize afterward.

N.B. The above rules apply to all cases of offenses in retort not of stronger class than the example.

Rule 3. If a doubt exist who gave the first offense, the decision rests with the seconds; if they won't decide, or can't agree, the matter must proceed to two shots, or to a hit, if the challenger require it.

Rule 4. When the lie direct is the first offense, the aggressor must either beg pardon in express terms; exchange two shots previous to apology; or three shots followed up by explanation; or fire on till a severe hit be received by one party or the other.

Rule 5. As a blow is strictly prohibited under any circumstances among gentlemen, no verbal apology can be received for such an insult. The alternatives, therefore -- the offender handing a cane to the injured party, to be used on his own back, at the same time begging pardon; firing on until one or both are disabled; or exchanging three shots, and then asking pardon without proffer of the cane.

If swords are used, the parties engage until one is well blooded, disabled, or disarmed; or until, after receiving a wound, and blood being drawn, the aggressor begs pardon.

N.B. A disarm is considered the same as a disable. The disarmer may (strictly) break his adversary's sword; but if it be the challenger who is disarmed, it is considered as ungenerous to do so.

In the case the challenged be disarmed and refuses to ask pardon or atone, he must not be killed, as formerly; but the challenger may lay his own sword on the aggressor's shoulder, then break the aggressor's sword and say, "I spare your life!" The challenged can never revive the quarrel -- the challenger may.

Rule 6. Reconciliation can take place till after two discharges each, or a severe hit; after which B may beg A's pardon humbly for the blow and then A may explain simply for the lie; because a blow is never allowable, and the offense of the lie, therefore, merges in it. (See preceding rules.)

N.B. Challenges for undivulged causes may be reconciled on the ground, after one shot. An explanation or the slightest hit should be sufficient in such cases, because no personal offense transpired.

Rule 7. But no apology can be received, in any case, after the parties have actually taken ground, without exchange of fires.

Rule 8. In the above case, no challenger is obliged to divulge his cause of challenge (if private) unless required by the challenged so to do before their meeting.

Rule 9. All imputations of cheating at play, races, etc., to be considered equivalent to a blow; but may be reconciled after one shot, on admitting their falsehood and begging pardon publicly.

Rule 10. Any insult to a lady under a gentleman's care or protection to be considered as, by one degree, a greater offense than if given to the gentleman personally, and to be regulated accordingly.

Rule 11. Offenses originating or accruing from the support of ladies' reputations, to be considered as less unjustifiable than any others of the same class, and as admitting of slighter apologies by the aggressor: this to be determined by the circumstances of the case, but always favorable to the lady.

Rule 12. smallsword, or couteau de chasse, the rule is -- first t draw, first sheath, unless blood is drawn; then both sheath, and proceed to investigation.

Rule 13. No dumb shooting or firing in the air is admissible in any case. The challenger ought not to have challenged without receiving offense; and the challenged ought, if he gave offense, to have made an apology before he came on the ground; therefore, children's play must be dishonorable on one side or the other, and is accordingly prohibited.

Rule 14. Seconds to be of equal rank in society with the principals they attend, inasmuch as a second may either choose or chance to become a principal, and equality is indispensible.

Rule 15. Challenges are never to be delivered at night, unless the party to be challenged intend leaving the place of offense before morning; for it is desirable to avoid all hot-headed proceedings.

Rule 16. The challenged has the right to choose his own weapon, unless the challenger gives his honor he is no swordsman; after which, however, he can decline any second species of weapon proposed by the challenged.

Rule 17. The challenged chooses his ground; the challenger chooses his distance; the seconds fix the time and terms of firing.

Rule 18. The seconds load in presence of each other, unless they give their mutual honors they have charged smooth and single, which should be held sufficient.

Rule 19. Firing may be regulated -- first by signal; secondly, by word of command; or thirdly, at pleasure -- as may be agreeable to the parties. In the latter case, the parties may fire at their reasonable leisure, but second presents and rests are strictly prohibited.

Rule 20. In all cases a miss-fire is equivalent to a shot, and a snap or non-cock is to be considered as a miss-fire.

Rule 21. Seconds are bound to attempt a reconciliation before the meeting takes place, or after sufficient firing or hits, as specified.

Rule 22. Any wound sufficient to agitate the nerves and necessarily make the hand shake, must end the business for that day.

Rule 23. If the cause of the meeting be of such a nature that no apology or explanation can or will be received, the challenged takes his ground, and calls on the challenger to proceed as he chooses; in such cases, firing at pleasure is the usual practice, but may be varied by agreement.

Rule 24. In slight cases, the second hands his principal but one pistol; but in gross cases, two, holding another case ready charged in reserve.

Rule 25. Where seconds disagree, and resolve to exchange shots themselves, it must be at the same time and at right angles with their principals, thus:

If with swords, side by side, with five paces interval.

--from The Duel: A History of Duelling, Robert Baldick, Chapman and Hall Ltd., London, 1965; Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., London, 1970. ISBN 0 600 32837 6

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