Abstract
In 1712 two members of the House of Parliament in London - the Duke of Hamilton and Lord Mohun - had a disastrous encounter. These individuals had had a lawsuit pending for 11 years, and as a consequence were not the best of friends. While discussing their case with a legal court officer, the Duke of Hamilton commented that one of the case witnesses who was favorable to Lord Mohun had neither truth nor justice in him. Lord Mohun's reaction to this derogatory comment was to suggest that the witness had as much truth and justice as the Duke of Hamilton. The Duke made no reply to this quip, and in leaving he courteously saluted the Lord, and no one suspected the seriousness of the animosity. That evening a messenger from Lord Mohun twice tried to find the Duke to challenge him to a duel. The messenger finally found him in a tavern and delivered the message. The Duke accepted the challenge, and the encounter was set for two days later at 7 a.m. on Sunday, the 15th of November, in Hyde Park. As was the usual practice, assistants in the duel - called seconds - were appointed.