[Manchester,] 9 June 1858 

Dear Moor, 

I return Lassalle’s letter herewith.* Borchardt had already told 
me on Saturday with a look of triumph that our little Jew Braun 
had been in a brawl. It’s extremely useful to know these details. As 
for our opinion, it’s as clear as day that, by making so despicable 
an attempt on a person’s life, both the gentlemen, the Intendantur- 
rat no less than the Assessor, have adopted in toto the standpoint of 
the bludgeon, and that the only duel one might engage in with 
such laddies has already taken place during the brawl itself. If 2 
chaps waylay a third and both of them set on him, I don’t believe 
that any duelling code in the world would permit a subsequent 
duel with such riff-raff. If Mr Fabrice intended forcibly to 
provoke a duel by means of the horse-whip affair, either Mr Bor 
mann ought to have looked on purely passively as a witness, or 
his presence was altogether superfluous. But when two men 
simultaneously set upon one, then we are dealing with canaille” for 
whom honour and Fai pay do not exist and who have given proof 
that 4 Fair puet cannot be fought with them. Indeed one would run 
the risk of being treacherously murdered. 

So much for my own and Lupus’ opinion, if we are to take the 
duelling code as the basis in law. 

a See this volume, p. 319. - » rabble 

172. Marx to Lassalle. 10 June 1858 32) 

This apart we share your view that 1. duels are, on the whole, 
untimely for revolutionaries just now and 2. that Lassalle, having 
declared himself unequivocally against duelling ‘on principle’, 
would be greatly discredited were he now to engage in a duel. 

So far as we are concerned, therefore, you can safely go ahead 
and tell our Ephraim Artful? not to fight but rather tranquilly 
restore his ‘unshakable determination’ with the help of the bottle, 
take the moon by the horns again as soon as may be and risk 
annihilation for the hundred and first tme. As to the discovery 
that he appears to possess an adequate store of vanity, silence is, I 
think, the best form of congratulation. 

Did you read the story about Fould’s son’? He decamped to 
London with Mademoiselle Valérie‘ of the Gymnase and 1,600,000 
francs. His old man‘ wrote to Pélissier and told him that he 
should au cas de besoin, user d’autorité.© Pélissier invited the loving 
couple to déjeuner' and told them: Je vous donne ma bénédiction and 
wrote to the old man: Que voulez-vous? Les jeunes gens seront toujours 
de jeunes gens!" Whereat old Fould became the laughing-stock of 
Paris. 

Your 
F. E.