A very dangerous weapon: a sword whose blade is sharpened on both sides can cut or penetrate bodies easily and instantly at the slightest contact. This type of sword is also known from the Christian and Islamic religions. Besides being a fatal weapon against infidels, it is, first and foremost, organised in a dual way: it separates good from bad – and, to the present day, this is also expressed in its obvious ambivalence.

For an 18th century woman to use this weapon as a threat shows that this naturalist and member of the Blue Stockings Society had a great deal of self-confidence.

Margaret Cavendish