Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-04-28

other occasion. The most perfect strange,
as sure of their 6ensfeeat offices, al the yerv
FIRST word OF requesting-upon such ri.
fling obligation as TO give hand 10 an ac,
! of assassination, or TO look on as friend
while it is perpetr az, would be so IN.
genteel, SO churlisll, 20 iliiberaI So On
they 60. often with very little acquaintance
either with the man or the matter. The
honor of the undertaking is fighting, with.
out knowing or caring tor what, or for O.,
against whom; and the less they know a.
bout the matter, the more honorable ue
deed. The necessity is irresistabe-,,
too pious to be evated, according to their
notions-it is to be presumed, that tits m,
father who is TO be kiled-or that gu, o;
politeness, they would not ask the man +.
be present.
Imust repeat it, | like the second wose
still than the principal-because | abb,r.
man that can hate at first sight, and murder
ertempore. In the hearlless complaisanee
of the second, there seems to me sometime
more truly dIsgraceful, as well as diaboE.
cal even than in the fury and turbulen, Ma.
Lightly of the principal: something that ar.
CUES greater contempt ofthe human race.
TO shew all the dire effects of enyepomed
rage, without the external symptoms ofpas.
sion, is the most refined philosophy Of
butcher-it makes a beast of an enemy
and knocks fellow creature on the head
for some frivolous cause of quarrel, as I'm
feelingly as if he were an OK.
Although am willing to grant that (ta-
king ground on the erroneous principle On
which this detestable practice is so often
justified, namely, the preservation of cha
racter from the imputation of cowardicel
military men rather less unjusti6abIe than
any others, for the same reason that a mer.
chant is more excusable for revcnging by
action at law an attack upon his integrity
and credit, yet military men themselves
can not be held guiltless who practice il.
No man in his senses can doubt OF the inei.
hcacy of duelling as constituent in the mi.
litary character, who considers that in the
Prussian army the practice was more than
half a century ago put down by Frederick
the Gr0at-and that in the British army it
has long ceased to exist Whether either
of those is less formidable in the field forit,
the military operations in Europe, which
closed al Waterloo, will bear everlasting
testimony.
! fear that much of the error in circula-
ton respecting this point, is owing to
want of discriminating faculties in the per-
sons concerned. 1t has, ever since l re-
member, been remarked, that, distracted
from the folly of the act itself, men who are
prone to rioting, bullying, duelliDg, and
exciting public attention to their proves,
are by nature eminently stupid. How ex.
quisitely has Shakespeare, following, as
they say, Homer, lin my opinion rather
going before him. made the characters in
his Trolus and Cresida display the thick
skulled yalor Of Ajax.
"Thou sodden witted lord thou hast no
more brain in thy head than have in my
elbows; an ass may tutor thee Thou sour
Wy valiant ass! thou art here put to watch
Trojans; and thou art bought and sold A.
mong those of wit, like Barbarian slave"
So says the railing Thersites-But what
says the wise Ulysses why this
f." Heavens what man is here! very horse,
" That has he knows not what"
And again Thersites--
=" Ajax goes up and down the field ask
ing for himself.
achilles. How so?
Ihersites. He must fight singly to.mo-
row with Hector and is so propheticaly
proud of an heroical cudgelling, that lie
raves in saying nothing.
.4chtlles. How can that be
Ihersites. Why, he stalks up and dow
like peacock, stride and a stand: AMI
initiates like an hostess that hath no artl-
metic but her brain to SET down her reckon
ing bites his lip with polite regard, IS
who should say-there were wit in tbs
head, an 'twould out: And 50 there is bu
It lies as coldly in him as fire in flint
which will not show without knocking.
.achilies. Come, thou shalt bear letter
to him straight.