The French writer Saint-Foix wins a verbal duel without fighting a physical one!

>Once you’d fought your quote of duels and established your reputation for courage, you could afford to be more selective. Saint-Foix, for instance, a writer who managed to pen spirited condemnations of duels while fighting them happily and often, told an officer of the Guard that he smelled like a goat. When the officer challenged him, he replied, “Put up your sword, you fool. If you kill me you will not smell any better, and if I kill you, you will soon smell much worse.” He’d paid for his quip and his arrogance in advance. Those still on their way up had to accept. _______________________ **Source:** Holland, Barbara. “III. Starting a Fight.” Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling From Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk. Bloomsbury, 2004. 38-9. Print. _______________________ **Further Reading:** [Germain-François Poullain de Saint-Foix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germain-Fran%C3%A7ois_Poullain_de_Saint-Foix) _______________________ **If you enjoy this type of content, please consider donating to my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/HistoryLockeBox)!**