{"id":1930,"date":"2019-10-30T20:07:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T18:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/?p=1930"},"modified":"2019-10-30T20:07:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T18:07:44","slug":"tales-french-duels-blame-italians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/tales-french-duels-blame-italians\/","title":{"rendered":"Tales of the French duels: Blame the Italians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please see the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/tales-french-duels\" target=\"_blank\">introduction of this series<\/a> for more information on the authors and context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like all his contemporaries, Brant\u00f4me witnessed the change of duels from very formal, public affairs to private hidden encounters. In this excerpt, he attributes this new habits to the example of the Italians, specifically the Neapolitans. He makes other points that I have found notable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The lack of armour is called out by other authors. Brant\u00f4me is original here in that he does not appear to find it a big problem, given that you&#8217;re fighting for your life either way;<\/li><li>The weapons are expected to be those found on the spot, which makes it likely that no true equality was ensured;<\/li><li>Not only are these unofficial, unsanctionned fights, but there was a habit of seconds (and thirds) to join the fight, instead of just ensuring equity. Several subsequent accounts confirm this. I am not currently able to confirm that Brant\u00f4me is right in attributing that particular habit to Neapolitans as well. At the very least it was his perception.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"esc_spoiler\"><div class=\"esc_spoiler_header\" data-esc-spoiler-show=\"(Click to show)\" data-esc-spoiler-hide=\"(Click to hide)\">Transcription<\/div><div class=\"esc_spoiler_content\"><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[Apr\u00e8s la premi\u00e8re partie d\u00e9crivant des combats judiciaires]<\/p>\n<p>Or, laissons ces contes puisque la pratique n&#8217;en est plus par le sainct Concile de Trente. L&#8217;on s&#8217;advisa \u00e0 Naples (et s&#8217;use fort aujourd&#8217;huy) d&#8217;une autre mani\u00e8re de combats, qui se font par appels et seconds, hors des villes, aux champs, aux forests, et entre les hayes et buissons, d&#8217;o\u00f9 estoit venu ce mot: combattere \u00e0 la mazza. Moy, curieux, j&#8217;ai demand\u00e9 d&#8217;austresfois \u00e0 gens biens experts en ces combats et mots chevaleresques la derivation du mot. Ils m&#8217;ont dict, dans Naples mesme, que matta en espaignol vaut autant \u00e0 dire que buisson ou haye, et en langage Napolitain s&#8217;appelle mazza, corrompu, mais pourtant vient et d\u00e9rive de l\u00e0 pour la longue habitude de frequentation de jadis entre les Napolitains et Espaignols qui ont est\u00e9s bons maistres autresfois ; et pour s&#8217;appeller ainsy aux champs, entre les buissons, \u00e0 l&#8217;escart, pour se battre, on disoit combattere \u00e0 la mazza. Ils m&#8217;en ont dict autres raisons pour ceste derivation, que je laysseray pour prendre ceste-cy. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Or, les combats \u00e0 la mazza sont est\u00e9s fort desapprouv\u00e9s par les docteurs duellistes anciens, pour beaucoup de raisons, dont l&#8217;une estoit : d&#8217;autant que ces combats se faisoient sans aucunes armes deffensives, ny couvrant le corps, ce que l&#8217;on requiert fort en camp clos pour beaucoup de raisons que les escrivains duellistes escrivent, mais seulement avecques l&#8217;esp\u00e9e et la cappe, ou \u00e0 la dague, qui ne sont estim\u00e9es armes deffensives, d&#8217;autant que d&#8217;elles-mesmes ne couvrent le corps, si-non en tant que la dext\u00e9rit\u00e9 de la personne le permet : et la raison pourquoy ces duellistes veulent le corps couvert, est qu&#8217;ils disent qu&#8217;autrement est combattre en bestes brutes, et qui se vont precipiter \u00e0 la mort comme bestes. Cela va bien, et est bon ; mais en quelque maniere que ce soit, quand on vient l\u00e0, ou couvert, ou descouvert, il y faut venir r\u00e9solu, ou mourir ou vaincre ; davantage, ceux sont plus \u00e0 estimer qui vont au combat plus charg\u00e9s de brave courage que de lourdes masses d&#8217;armes, l\u00e0 o\u00f9 il y a tant d&#8217;abus, comme j&#8217;ay dict cy-devant. Mais, tout ainsy que la querelle est prise, selon ainsy se doit-elle demesler et vuider, sans aller emprunter tant de diversit\u00e9 et sortes d&#8217;armes, sinon celles qui se sont trouv\u00e9es sur le point du differend, ou la cappe, ou l&#8217;esp\u00e9e, ou la dague et l&#8217;esp\u00e9e, fust sans estre couvert ; et telle est l&#8217;opinion d&#8217;aucuns gallans hommes ; et si, au combats \u00e0 outrance precedens que j&#8217;ay dict s&#8217;exer\u00e7oient peu de courtoisies, en combats de la mazza et d&#8217;appels il s&#8217;en est trouv\u00e9 et veu aussy peu, et se sont peu practiqu\u00e9es ; mais (qui pis est) en tel combats de la mazza \u00e0 Naples, il y avoit tousjours (ou le plus souvent) des appellans ou seconds, lesquels, voyans battre leurs compaignons, s&#8217;entredisoient entr&#8217;eux (bien qu&#8217;ils n&#8217;eussent debat aucun ensemble mais plustost amyti\u00e9 que hayne) : &#8220;Et que faisons-nous, nous autres, pendant que nos amys et compaignons se battent ? Vrayment, il nous fait beau veoyr ne servir icy que de spectateurs \u00e0 les veoyr entretuer ! Battons-nous comme eux.&#8221; Et sans autre cerimonie se battoient et s&#8217;entretuoient bien souvent tous quatre. Cela estoit plus de gayet\u00e9 de coeur que de subject et d&#8217;animosit\u00e9.<br \/>\n<cite>Brant\u00f4me, <a href=\"https:\/\/gallica.bnf.fr\/ark:\/12148\/bpt6k206350p\/f312.image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Discours sur les Duels<\/em>, p. 308-310<\/a><\/cite>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>[After the first part describing judicial combat]<br>Let us leave these accounts there since the practice is no more by the holy Council of Trent. In Naples another form of combat has been invented (and is much used today), done by calls and seconds, out of the cities, in the fields, in the forests, between hedges and bushes, from which came the word: combattere \u00e0 la mazza. I have been curious myself and asked before to people experts in these fights and knightly words how the word was derived. They told me, in Naples itself, that matta in Spanish means as much as bush or hedge, and in Napolitan language is called mazza, corrupted, but still comes from there from the long habit of frequentation between the Neapolitans and the Spanish, who were their good masters formerly ; and to call themselves to the fields, between the bushes and out of the way, in order to fight, they have been saying \u00e0 la mazza. They told me other reasons for this derivation, that I will leave to take this one.<\/p><p>Fights \u00e0 la mazza have been strongly disapproved of by ancient doctors in duelling, for many reasons, one being that these fights are done without any defensive weapon, nor cover for the body, which is much required in the lists for many reasons that the duellist writers write about, but only with sword and cape, or dagger, which are not deemed defensive arms, because they do not guarantee the body by themselves, only to the degree that the skill of the person allows: and the reason why these duellists want the body covered, is that they say that otherwise the fight is akin to that of savage beasts, which throw themselves to death like animals. This is all well and good; but whatever the manner, when the moment comes, covered or not, there is need to be resolute to win or die; more, they should be praised who get in combat loaded more with bravery than a heavy mass of weapons, the latter being the occasion of so many abuses that I have described earlier. But, in the circumstances in which the quarrel emerges, thus must it be settled, without having to deal with such diversity of weapons, only those that were found in the place of the disagreement, be it the cape, the sword, or the sword and dagger, even without armour ; and such is the opinion of many galiant men. And if in the fights to the death that I have described previously there have been rare signs of mercy, in the fights \u00e0 la mazza or by calls little has been seen as well. Worse, in such fights \u00e0 la mazza in Naples, there were always (or most of the time) callers or seconds, who seeing their companions fight got used to telling each other (although they had no cause to debate between them, rather friendship than hate): &#8220;And what will we do ourselves, while our friends and companions are fighting? Really, it would be quite a sight that we would serve only as spectators to see them kill one another ! Let us fight like they do.&#8221; And without more ceremony, they would fight together and quite often end up all four dead. This is more by their fancy than because of animosity. <\/p><cite>Brant\u00f4me, <a href=\"https:\/\/gallica.bnf.fr\/ark:\/12148\/bpt6k206350p\/f312.image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Discours sur les Duels<\/em>, p. 308-310<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An excerpt of Brant\u00f4me&#8217;s Discours sur les Duels, tracing the origins of the new duelling habits to Naples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[40,83,105],"class_list":["post-1930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales-of-the-french-duels","tag-duel","tag-italian","tag-naples"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}