e it is possible to look to literature to glean some information, it is important to take that information and look beyond the myth for a more complete picture.
             The duel evolved through centuries. Some form of the duel can be found in almost any society at any given time. In biblical times, there is the well known battle of David and Goliath and even in the American old west there were shoot-outs at high noon on main street. The duel that we are examining for the purpose of this paper is the institution as it is found in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the forms of it that led up to it in earlier ages. There are several different definitions that apply to this phenomenon, but most that reflect some bias for the time that they were stated, for even in the minds of those who practiced the living duel, there was a dichotomy surrounding it. One definition comes from Francois Billacois' book The Duel, where the author states that the duel was "a fight between two or several individuals...equally armed, for the purposes of proving either the truth of a disputed question or the valor, courage and honour of each combatant." (5) This was an encounter between two men who both claimed to be just. The duel's purpose was to decide who the victor in the dispute would be, either using rapiers, swords, or pistols. There was a challenger and an offended party, with the offended party commonly being allowed to choose the weapons that would be used to fight with. One party would usually end up dead at the end of the battle, but not always. Sometimes the victor would spare the life of the other party, instilling more honor upon himself. The reasons behind duels were so numerous that it would be impossible to list all, but several reasons did include women, long standing rivalries, politics, legal cases, and honour. (Billacois 77) Honour was probably the most important reason, for even if a duel was fought for another reason,...