Piers was quite seriously ill for the last few years of his life , not that he let it hold him back much .
Piers maintained close contact with Piers ' fencing friends , old and not - so - old , to the end .
Piers was quite seriously ill for the last few years of his life , not that he let it hold him back much , but he maintained close contact with his fencing friends , old and not - so - old , to the end .