E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Swords Prohibited.
Gaming ran high at Bath, and frequently led to disputes and resort to the sword, then generally carried by well-dressed men. Swords were therefore prohibited by Nash in the public rooms; still they were worn in the streets, when Nash, in consequence of a duel fought by torchlight by two notorious gamesters, made the rule absolute—“That no swords should on any account be worn in Bath.”
