DESPERATIONATGAMINGHOUSES。

Themostparticularinspectionwasmadeoftheplayer’spersonbythegaminghousekeeper’sspies，andevenhisdresswasstrictlyobserved。Hewasobliged，beforeenteringthesaloon，todeposithisgreatcoatandcane，whichmightperchanceaffordtheintroductionofsomeWEAPON；andtheeleganceofthecoveringdidnotsavehimfromthehumiliationofhavingittakenfromhimatthedoor。Theattemptswhichweresometimesmadeonthelivesofthebankersledtotheseprecautions——liketheindignitieswhicharepractisedonlyinprisonsforthesecurityoftheunhappyinmates。Itiscertainthatgamesters，reducedtodesperation，andontheeveofcommittingsuicide，haveconveyedintotheseplacesinfernalmachineswithanintentionofdestroyingatoncetheircruelplunderersandthemselves。

’DEVILISHDOINGSINA"HELL。"’

In’DoingsinLondon，’aworkpublishedaslatelyastheyear1850，wefindunderthisstartlingtitleastrangestory。

’Ascandaloussceneofviolence，whichoftenhappensattheseplaces，butseldombecomespubliclyknown，onaccountofthedisgraceattendingexposures，occurredlatelyatalow"hell"inKingStreet，StJames’s。Agentlemanwhohadlostconsiderablesumsofmoneyatvarioustimes，announcedhisfulldeterminationnevertocometoaplaceofthesortagainwithmoney。Hisvisits，therefore，werenolongerwanted，andsoordersweregiventotheportersnottoadmithimagain。Abouttwoo’clockonasubsequentnight，whichhappenedtobeSaturday，hesoughtadmittance，andwasrefused。Awarmaltercationensuedinthepassagebetweenhimandtheporters，whichbroughtdownsomeoftheproprietors。Oneofthem——apowerfulman——abankruptbutcher——struckhimatremendousblow，whichbrokethebridgeofhisnose，coveredhisfacewithblood，andknockedhimdown。Ongettinguphewasknockeddownagain。Hearoseoncemore，andinstantlyreceivedanotherblow，whichwouldhavelaidhimuponhisback，butoneoftheportersbythistimehadgotbehindhim，andashewasfallingstruckhimatthebackofhishead，whichsenthimuponhisface。Thewatchhadnowarrived，intowhosehandsthekeeperofthe"hell"andtheporterweregiven。Atthewatch-housetheywereorderedtofindbail。Thegentlemanwasthenaboutquitting，whenhewassuddenlycalledback。Acertainlittlelawyer，whoalternatelyprosecutesanddefendskeepersofgaminghouses，wassentfor。Hewhisperedtotheex-butchertochargethegentlemanwithstealinghishandkerchiefandhat，which，itwasalleged，hadbeenlostintheaffray。Thoughnothingwasfounduponthegentleman，whodesiredtobesearched，thispreposterousandgroundlesschargewastaken，andthehellitesadmittedtobail；butthegentlemanwhohadbeensocruellybeaten，beingchargedwithafelonyonpurposetocausehisdetention，andthepowerheldbymagistratestotakebailindoubtfulcasesnotextendingtonight-constables，hewaslockedupbelowwithtwowretcheswhohadstolenlead，andfivedisorderlies——hisfaceamassofbloodandbruises——andtheredetainedtillMondaymorning，inamostpitiablecondition。Themagistratebeforewhomthepartyappearedonthatday，understandingthattheaffairtookplaceatagaminghouse，dismissedbothcomplaints，leavingthepartiestotheirremedyatthesessions。’

GAFFING。

GaffingisorwasoneofthetenthousandmodesofswindlingpractisedinLondon。Formerlyitwasagameinverygreatvogueamongthemacers，whocongregatednightlyatthe’flashhouses。’

Oneoftheseisdescribedasfollows:——ThisgafferlaughedagreatdealandwhistledMoore’smelodies，andextractedmusicfromadealtablewithhiselbowandwrist。Whenhehidahalf-penny，andaflatcried’head’forL10，a’tail’wassuretoturnup。Oneofhismodesofcommandingtheturn-upwasthis:hehadahalf-pennywithtwoheads，andahalf-pennywithtwotails。

Whenhegaffed，hecontrivedtohavebothhalf-penceunderhishand，andlongpracticeenabledhimtocatchupinthewrinklesormusclesofitthehalf-pennywhichitwashisinteresttoconceal。If’tail’wascalleda’head’appeared，andthe’tail’

half-pennyrandownhiswristwithastonishingfidelity。Thisingeniousfellowoftenwon200or300sovereignsanightbygaffing；butthelandlordandothermen，whowereprivytotherobbery，and’pitchedthebabycard’(thatis，encouragedtheloserbyshambetting)，alwayscameinforthe’regulars，’thatis，theirshareoftheplunder。

Thisgaffercontrivedto’bilk’alltheturnpikesinthekingdom。

Ingoingtoafightortoarace-course，whenhereachedaturnpikeheheldashillingbetweenhisfingers，andsaidtothegatekeeper——’Here，catch，’andmadeamovementofthehandtowardstheman，whoendeavouredtocatchwhathesaw。Theshilling，however，byabackwardjerk，randownthesleeveofthecoat，asifithadlifeinit，andthegate-keeperturnedroundtolookinthedust，whenthetallgafferdroveon，saying——’Keepthechange。’

Ayoungfellow，whopreviouslywasamarkeratabilliard-table，andwhohadtheappearanceofasoft，inexperiencedcountry-lad，wasanothergreathandatgaffing。Therewasastrongadhesivepowerinhishand，andsuchexquisitesensibilityaboutit，thathecouldascertainbydroppinghispalm，evenuponaworn-outhalf-pennyorshilling，whatsidewasturnedup。Indeed，soperfectamasterwasheofthesciencethatBreslawcouldneverhavedonemoreuponcardsthanhecoulddowithapairof’grays’

(gaffing-coins)。

Awell-knownmacer，whowascelebratedforslippingan’oldgentleman’(alongcard)intothepack，andwastheinheritorbybirthofallthepropensitiesofthisdescription，althoughtheinheritancewasequallydividedbetweenhisbrotherandhimself，gotholdofayoungfellowwhohadL170inhispocket，andintroducedhimtooneofthe’cock-and-hen’housesnearDruryLaneTheatre，well-primedwithwine。Gaffingbegan，andthebilliard-markerbeforedescribedwaspitcheduponto’do’thestranger。Themacer’pitchedthebabycard，’andofcourselost，aswellastheunfortunatevictim。HehadborrowedL10ofthelandlord，whowastocomeinforthe’regulars；’butwhenallwasover，thebilliard-markerrefusedtomakeanydivisionofthespoil，oreventoreturntheL10whichhadbeenlosttohimin’bearingup’thecull。Thelandlordpressedhisdemanduponthemacer，who，infact，wasprivatelyreimbursedbythemarker；buthewascoollytoldthatheoughtnottoallowsuchimproperpracticesinhishouse，andthatthesumwasnotrecoverable，thetransactionbeingillegal。

Howthesespuriouscoinsareprocuredisaquestion；butIamassuredthattheyarestillinuseandoftenmadetodoserviceatpublic-housesandotherplaces。

TOMMYDODD。

Thisisamodeofgamblingverymuchinvogueatthepresenttime。Itisoftenplayedatpublic-housesamongpartiestodecidewhoistopaythereckoning。Eachpartyturnsdownahalf-penny，and，onuncoveringit，thematterisdecidedasin’headsortails。’Ofcoursethisexpeditiousmethodisalsousedingamblingformoney。Notlongagoaretiredtradesman，happeningtobeinapublic-house，wheresuchthingswereconnivedat，allowedhimselftobeinducedtoplayatTommyDoddwithtwolowsharpers。Theysooneasedhimofallthecashhehadabouthim。Abrightidea，however，occurredtohim。’Stopabit，’hesaid，’Imusthavemyrevenge。JustwaittillIgohomeformoremoney。’Thesharperswererejoicedattheidea，andrubbedtheirhandswithdelight，whilstthetradesmanwent，astheyfeltsure，onlytobringmoremoneyintotheir’till。’Themanmadeallhaste，forhewasdeterminedtohavehisrevenge，andsoonreturnedwithalargebagofmoney，whichheclinkedonthetable。

Hefirstpulledoutsomecoppers，tellingthemtochoosefromthelotthecoinstheywouldplaywith。Theyassented，althoughtheydidnotseem’muchtolikeit。’’Andnow，’saidthetradesman，’let’ssettobusiness。’

Thegameproceededwithalternatesuccessonbothsides；butthetradesmanwentonDOUBLINGTHESTAKESEVERYTIME，WHETHERHELOST

ORWON，and，ofcourse，atlengthcompletelybroketheirbank，andwentoffwiththeirmoney。

GAMBLINGATTHEWINEANDOYSTERROOMS，OR’SALOONS。’

Thegamblingwhichwascarriedonintheprivateroomsofthewineandoysterhouses，aboutthirtyyearsago，andperhapslater，wasjustsuchasthatwhichhadsolongflourishedinthelowvicinityofStJames’s。Indeed，theconstantfrequentersoftheformerhadattainedthemostprofoundknowledgeoftheartofrobbingattheWestEndgaminghouses。Theblacklegsvisitedthesaloonseverynight，inordertopickupnewacquaintancesamongtheyoungandinexperienced。Theywerepolite，well-dressed，gentlemanlikepersons；andiftheycouldtraceanything’soft’inthecountenanceofanewvisitor，theirwitswenttoworkatoncetoestablishanacquaintancewithhim。Winewasseta-going，andcardswereproposed。Themasteroftheconcernsoonprovidedaroom，andplayadvanced，accompaniedbythecertaintyoflosstotheunfortunatestranger。Butiftheinvitationtoplaywasrejected，theymadeanotherplantuponhim。Theruffiansattackedhimthroughapassionofadifferentkind。Theygavethewordtooneoftheirfemale’pals，’whothrewherselfinhisway，andprevaileduponhimtoaccompanyhertoHER

establishment。Inthemorningthe’gentleman，’whoinvainhadsolicitedhimtoplayatthesaloonthenightbefore，wouldcall——justtopay’afriendlyvisit。’Cardswereagainspokenof，andagainproposed，withtheadditionalrecommendationofthe’lady，’whoofferedtobethepartnerofherfriendinthegame。

Theconsequencewasinevitable。Manyyoungnoblemenandgentlemenwereplunderedbythisscheme，ofhundreds，nay，ofthousandsofpounds。Toescapewithoutlosswasimpossible。

Theypackedanddistributedthecardswithsuchamazingdexterity，thattheycouldgiveaman，asitwere，whatevercardstheypleased。

CARDSTHATWOULDBEATTHED——LHIMSELF！

Anumberofsharpersweredetectedinatrickbywhichtheyhadwonenormoussums。AnEcarteparty，consistingofanobleman，acaptaininthearmy，anArmeniangentleman，andanIrishgentleman，satdowninoneoftheprivatechambersattachedtooneofthelargewineandshell-fishrooms。TheArmenianandtheIrishmanwerepartners，andwerewonderfullysuccessful；indeed，soextraordinarywastheirluckinturningupcards，thatthecaptain，whohadbeeninthetownforsometime，suspectedtheintegrityofhiscompetitors，and，accordingly，handledthecardsveryminutely。Hesoondiscoveredthattherewasan’oldgentleman’(acardsomewhatlargerandthickerthantherestofthepack，andinconsiderableuseamongtheLEGS)inthemidstofthem。Thecaptainandhispartnerexclaimedthattheywererobbed，andthecardsweresealedup，andreferredtoacard-

makerforhisopinion。

’Theoldsaying，’saidthereferee，’thatTHECARDSWOULDBEAT

THECARD-MAKER，wasnevermoretruethanitisinthisinstance，forthispackwouldbeatnotonlyme，buttheveryd——lhimself；

thereisnotonlyanOLDGENTLEMAN，butanOLDLADY(acardbroaderthantherest)amongstthem。’

Thetwo’gentlemen’wereimmediatelyaccusedoftheimposition，buttheyfeignedignoranceofthefraud，refusedtoreturnafarthingofthe’swag，’and，intheirturn，chargedtheloserswithhavinggotupthestoryinordertorecoverwhattheyhadfairlylost。

GENEROSITY(？)OFAGAMINGHOUSEKEEPER。

AyoungWestIndianchancedonenighttoenteroneofthegaminghousesinLondon，andbegantryinghischanceatRoulette。

Fortunefavouredhimatfirst，andhewonaboutahundredpounds。

Insteadofleavingoffheonlybecamethemoreexcitedbyhissuccess，whenhisluckbegantochange，andhelostandlostuntilhestakedthelastcoinhehadinhispocket。Hethenpawnedtothemasterofthetablesuccessivelyeveryringandtrinkethehad，formoneytocontinuethestakes。Allinvain。

Hisluckneverreturned；andhemadehiswaydown-stairsinamoodwhichmaywellbeimagined。Butwhatwashissurprisewhenthemasterofthetablecamerunningafterhim，saying——’Sir，thesethingsmaybevaluabletoyou——domethefavourtotakethemwithyou。NexttimeIhopeyouwillbemorelucky，’andreturnedallhisringsandtrinkets。

Themoonwasshiningbrightlyatthetime，andtheyoungmansworebyit，thathewouldneveragainenteragaminghouse，andhekepthisoath。Ofcoursethegenerositywasbutadecoytoenticetheyouthtofurtherruin。

HOSPITALITYOFGAMINGHOUSES，ANDPOPULARITYOFCITYMENATTHEM。

JosephAtkinsonandhiswife，whoformanyyearskeptagaminghouseatNo。15underthePiazza，CoventGarden，gavedailymagnificentplaydinners，——cardsofinvitationforwhichweresenttotheclerksofmerchants，bankers，andbrokersinthecity。AtkinsonusedtosaythathelikedCITIZENS——whomhecalledFLATS——betterthananyoneelse，forwhentheyhadDINED

theyplayedfreely，andaftertheyhadlostalltheirmoneytheyhadcredittoborrowmore。WhenhehadCLEANEDTHEMOUT，whenTHEPIGEONSWERECOMPLETELYPLUCKED，theyweresenttosomeoftheirsolventfriends。Afterdinnerplaywasintroduced，and，tilldinnertimethenestday，differentgamesatcards，dice，andEOwerecontinuallygoingon。

THETRAFFICINHUSHMONEY。

TheophilusBellasis，aninfamouscharacter，waswellknownatBowStreet，wherehehadbeenchargedwithbreakingintothecounting-houseofSirJamesSanderson，Bart。BellasiswassometimesclerkandsometimesclienttoJohnShepherd，anattorneyofBowStreet；whileatothertimesShepherdwasprosecutorofthosewhokeptgaminghouses，andBellasisattorney。SirWilliamAddington，themagistrate，wassowellawarethatthesetwomencommencedprosecutionssolelyforthepurposeofHUSHMONEY，thatherefusedtoact。TheJosephAtkinsonjustmentionedatonetimegavethemL100，atanotherL80；andinthiswaytheyhadamassedanimmensesum，andundertook，foraspecificamount，todefendkeepersofgaminghousesagainstallprosecutions！

WALKINGOFFWITHAL200BANK-NOTE。

Therunawaysonofanextensivelinen-draperwenttoagaminghouseinKingStreet，andpocketedaL200bank-notefromthetable。Hewasnotkickedout，becauseitwouldnotbesafefortheproprietorsofthesehousestoruntheriskofgettinginvolvedinlaw；buthewascivillywalkeddown-stairsbythemasteroftheestablishment，whoforbadhimthehouseevermore。

Thedashingyouth，however，putboththemoneyandtheaffrontinhispocket，andwasonlytoothankfultogetawayinsogoodaplight。

PERQUISITESOFGAMBLINGHOUSEWAITERS。

AwaiterinoneofthegamblinghousesinStJames’sStreetreceivedinChristmasboxesaboveL500。Anobleman，whohadinthecourseofaweekwonL80，000，gavehimL100ofhiswinnings。

Hewassaidtohaveactuallyborrowedofthewaiterthemoneywhichledtohisextraordinarysuccess！

PAULROUBEL。

PaulRoubelwasagaminghousekeeper，whoseemstohavebeenanexceptiontohisclass，accordingtothefollowingaccount:——’A

foreigneronceappliedforthesituationofcroupieratoldPaulRoubel’s，statingashisqualificationthathecouldcutorturnupwhatevercardhepleased。Theoldman(forhewasnearlyeighty，andaverygoodheartyfellowinhisway)declinedtheoffer，saying——"Youaretoocleverforme；mycustomersmusthavesomechance！"ItistrueRoubelkeptagamblinghouse；butitisalsotruethatfewmeninhigherwalksoflifepossessedakinderheart，orahandwhichopenedmorefreelyormoreliberallytothecallsofhumanity！Peacebetohismanes！’

TITLEDGREEKS，OR’DECOYS。’

Inallthegaminghousesofanynotetherewereunprincipledandrecklesspersonspaidbythehellites，employedinvariouscapacities，andforvariouspurposes。Sometimestheyplayedfortheproprietorsagainstanyonewhochosetoputdownhismoney；

atothertimes，whentherewerenootherindividualsplayingatall，theypretendedtobestrangersthemselves，andgotupshamgameswiththeproprietors，withtheviewofpractisingadeceptiononanystrangerswhomightbeintheroom，andbythatmeansinducingthemtoputdowntheirmoney。Theyweredressedinthemostfashionablemanner，alwaysexhibitingaprofusionofjewellery，andlivingingreatsplendourwhentheyhaveanyparticularpersonintheireye，inthevarioushotelsthroughouttown。[50]

[50]Grant，SketchesinLondon。

Insomecases，inthehigherclassofgamingestablishments，theGreeks，ordecoys，beingmenoftitleorconsiderablestandinginsociety，didnotreceiveafixedsalaryforseducingyoungmenoffortune，butbeingineverycaseveryneedymen，theynominallyborrowed，fromtimetotime，largesumsofmoneyfromthehell-

keepers。Itwas，however，perfectlyunderstoodonbothsidesthattheamountsoborrowedwasnevertoberepaid。[51]

[51]Grant，Ubisupra。

WHYCHEATSWERECALLEDGREEKS。

M。Robert-Houdinsaysthatthisapplicationoftheterm’Greek’

originatedfromacertainmodernGreek，namedApoulos，whointhereignofLouisXIV。wascaughtcheatingatcourt，andwascondemnedto20yearsatthegalleys。Ithinkthisaveryimprobablederivation，andunnecessarywithal。Aristotleofold，asbeforestated，rankedgamesters’withthievesandplunderers，whoforthesakeofgaindonotscrupletodespoiltheirbestfriends。’WeafterwardsfindthembearingjustasbadacharacteramongtheRomans。SaysJuvenal——

Graeculusesuriensincoelumjusseris，ibit。

’BidthehungryGreektoheaven，toheavenhegoes。’

DrJohnsontranslatedthewords，’Bidhimtoh——l，toh——lhegoes’——whichiswrong。ADIFFICULTYisimplied，andeverybodyknowsthatitiseasiertogotothelatterplacethantheformer。ItmeansthataneedyGreekwascapableofdoinganything。LordByronprotestedthathesawnodifferencebetweenGreeksandJews——ofcourse，meaning’Jews’intheoffensivesenseoftheword。Amonggamblersthetermwaschieflyappliedto’decoys。’

GAMINGTABLESLANGANDMANOEUVRES。

CaptainSharp。Acheatingbully，whoseofficeitwastobullyany’Pigeon，’who，suspectingroguery，refusedtopaywhathehadlost。

StHugh’sbones。Dice。Abaleofbardcinquedeuces；abaleofflatcinquedeuces；abaleofflatsizeaces；abaleofbardcatertreys；abaleofflatcatertreys；abaleofFulhams；abaleoflightgraniers；abaleofgordes，withasmanyhighmenandlowmenforpassage；abaleofdemies；abaleoflongdiceforevenorodd；abaleofbristles；abaleofdirectcontraries，——namesoffalsedice。

Do。Tocheat。

Doneup。Ruined。

Down-hills。Falsedicewhichrunlow。

Elbow-shaker。Agamester。

Fulhams。Loadeddice。

Fuzz。Toshufflecardsclosely:tochangethepack。

Game。Bubbles，Flats，Pigeons。

GullGropers。Usurerswholendmoneytogamesters。

Greeks。Cheatsatplay。

Hedge。Tosecureabetbybettingontheotherside。

HighJinks。AgamblerwhodrinkstointoxicatehisPigeon。

Hunting。Drawingintheunwary。

Main。Anynumberonthedicefromfivetonine。

Paum。Tohideacardordie。

Pigeons。Dupesofsharpersatplay。

Vincent’sLaw。Theartofcheatingatcards，bythebanker，whoplaysbooty，Gripe，whobets，andtheVincent，whoischeated。

Thegainiscalledtermage。

Vowel。TogiveanI。O。U。inpayment。

Up-hills。Falsedicewhichrunhigh。

SPECIMENOFAQUASIGAMINGHOUSECIRCULAR。

’SIR，——Ihopeyouwilljoinwiththerestoftheparishionersinrecommendingwhatfriendsyoucantomyshops。Theyshallhavegoodcandlesandfairplay。Sir，weareanotgangofswindlers，LikeotherGamingHouses，Wearemenofcharacter。

OurPartyis，TomCarlos——aliasPistol，NedMogg，——fromCharingCross，UnionClarke，——

{ThebestintheworldatAFrenchman，{

{sleightofhand。

MypoorBrother，andMeltingBilly，YourhumbleServant。

TotheChurch-Wardens，Overseers，andeachrespectableinhabitantintheParish。’

Acardwasenclosed，asfollows:——

’****

GamingHouseKeeper，and********toTheHonourableHouseofCommonsNo。7and8****St，StJames’s。’

ThiscircularwassenttoStockdale，thepublisher，in1820，whopublisheditwiththenamesinasteriskssuppressed。Itwasevidentlyintendedtoexposesomedoingsinhighplaces。

CHAPTERVIII。

THEDOCTRINEOFPROBABILITIESAPPLIEDTOGAMBLING。

Adistinctionmustbemadebetweengamesofskillandgamesofchance。Theformerrequireapplication，attention，andacertaindegreeofabilitytoinsuresuccessinthem；whilethelatteraredevoidofallthatisrational，andareequallywithinthereachofthehighestandlowestcapacity。Tobesuccessfulinthrowingthediceisoneofthemostfickleachievementsofficklefortune；andthereforetheprincipalgameplayedwiththemisveryproperlyandemphaticallycalled’Hazard。’Itrequires，indeed，someexertionofthementalpowers，ofmemory，atleast，andaturnforsuchdiversions，toplaywellmanygamesatcards。

Nevertheless，itisoftenfoundthatthosewhodosogivenofurtherproofsofsuperiormemoryandjudgment，whilstpersonsofsuperiormemoryandjudgmentnotunfrequentlyfailegregiouslyatthecard-table。

Thegamesterofskill，ingamesofskill，mayatfirstsightseemtohavemoreadvantagethanthegamesterofchance，ingamesofchance；andwhilecardsareplayedmerelyasanamusement，thereisnodoubtthatarecreationismorerationalwhenitrequiressomedegreeofskillthanone，likedice，totallydevoidofallmeaningwhatever。Butwhenthepleasurebecomesabusiness，andamatterofmeregain，thereismoreinnocence，perhaps，inaperfectequalityofantagonists——whichgamesofchance，fairlyplayed，alwayssecure——thanwhereonepartyislikelytobeanovermatchfortheotherbyhissuperiorknowledgeorability。

Nevertheless，evengamesofchancemaybeartfullymanaged；andthemostapparentlycasualthrowofthedicebemadesubservienttothepurposesofchicaneryandfraud，aswillbeshowninthesequel。

Inthematterofskillandchancethenatureofcardsismixed，——

mostgameshavinginthembothelementsofinterest，——sincethesuccessoftheplayermustdependasmuchonthechanceofthe’deal’asonhisskillinplayingthegame。Buteventhechanceofthedealisliabletobepervertedbyallthetricksofshufflingandcutting——nottomentionhowthehonourableplayermaybedeceivedinathousandwaysbythecraftofthesharper，duringtheplaying，ofthecardsthemselves；consequentlyprofessedgamblersofalldenominations，whethertheirgamesbeofapparentskillormerechance，maybeconfoundedtogetherorconsideredinthesamecategory，asbeingequallymeritoriousandequallyinfamous。

UnderthenameoftheDoctrineofChancesorProbabilities，averylearnedscience，——muchinvoguewhenlotterieswereprevalent，——hasbeenappliedtogamblingpurposes；andinspiteoftheobviousabstrusenessofthescience，itisnotimpossibletogivethegeneralreaderanideaofitsprocessesandconclusions。

Theprobabilityofaneventisgreaterorlessaccordingtothenumberofchancesbywhichitmayhappen，comparedwiththewholenumberofchancesbywhichitmayeitherhappenorfail。

Wherefore，ifweconstituteafractionwhereofthenumeratorbethenumberofchanceswherebyaneventmayhappen，andthedenominatorthenumberofallthechanceswherebyitmayeitherhappenorfail，thatfractionwillbeaproperdesignationoftheprobabilityofhappening。Thus，ifaneventhas3chancestohappen，and2tofail，thenthefraction3/5willfairlyrepresenttheprobabilityofitshappening，andmaybetakentobethemeasureofit。

Thesamemaybesaidoftheprobabilityoffailing，whichwilllikewisebemeasuredbyafractionwhosenumeratoristhenumberofchanceswherebyitmayfail，andthedenominatorthewholenumberofchancesbothforitshappeningandfailing；thustheprobabilityofthefailingofthateventwhichhas2chancestofailand3tohappenwillbemeasuredbythefraction2/5。

Thefractionswhichrepresenttheprobabilitiesofhappeningandfailing，beingaddedtogether，theirsumwillalwaysbeequaltounity，sincethesumoftheirnumeratorswillbeequaltotheircommondenominator。Now，itbeingacertaintythataneventwilleitherhappenorfail，itfollowsthatcertainty，whichmaybeconceivedunderthenotionofaninfinitelygreatdegreeofprobability，isfitlyrepresentedbyunity。

Thesethingswillbeeasilyapprehendedifitbeconsideredthatthewordprobabilityincludesadoubleidea；first，ofthenumberofchanceswherebyaneventmayhappen；secondly，ofthenumberofchanceswherebyitmayeitherhappenorfail。IfIsaythatI

havethreechancestowinanysumofmoney，itisimpossiblefromthebareassertiontojudgewhetherIamlikelytoobtainit；butifIaddthatthenumberofchanceseithertoobtainitormissit，isfiveinall，fromthiswillensueacomparisonbetweenthechancesthatareforandagainstme，wherebyatruejudgmentwillbeformedofmyprobabilityofsuccess；whenceitnecessarilyfollowsthatitisthecomparativemagnitudeofthenumberofchancestohappen，inrespectofthewholenumberofchanceseithertohappenortofail，whichisthetruemeasureofprobability。

Tofindtheprobabilityofthrowinganaceintwothrowswithasingledie。Theprobabilityofthrowinganacethefirsttimeis1/6；whereof1/isthefirstpartoftheprobabilityrequired。

Iftheacebemissedthefirsttime，stillitmaybethrownonthesecond；buttheprobabilityofmissingitthefirsttimeis5/6，andtheprobabilityofthrowingitthesecondtimeis1/6；

thereforetheprobabilityofmissingitthefirsttimeandthrowingitthesecond，is5/6X1/6=5/36andthisisthesecondpartoftheprobabilityrequired，andthereforetheprobabilityrequiredisinall1/6+5/36=11/36。

Tothiscaseisanalogousaquestioncommonlyproposedaboutthrowingwithtwodiceeithersixorsevenintwothrows，whichwillbeeasilysolved，provideditbeknownthatsevenhas6

chancestocomeup，andsix5chances，andthatthewholenumberofchancesintwodiceis36；forthenumberofchancesforthrowingsixorseven11，itfollowsthattheprobabilityofthrowingeitherchancethefirsttimeis11/36，butifbotharemissedthefirsttime，stilleithermaybethrownthesecondtime；buttheprobabilityofmissingboththefirsttimeis25/36，andtheprobabilityofthrowingeitherofthemonthesecondis11/36；thereforetheprobabilityofmissingbothofthemthefirsttime，andthrowingeitherofthemthesecondtime，is25/36X11/36=275/1296，andthereforetheprobabilityrequiredis11/36+275/1296=671/1296，andtheprobabilityofthecontraryis625/1296。

Amongthemanymistakesthatarecommittedaboutchances，oneofthemostcommonandleastsuspectedwasthatwhichrelatedtolotteries。Thus，supposingalotterywhereintheproportionoftheblankstotheprizeswasasfivetoone，itwasverynaturaltoconcludethat，therefore，fiveticketswererequisiteforthechanceofaprize；andyetitisdemonstrablethatfourticketsweremorethansufficientforthatpurpose。Inlikemanner，supposingalotteryinwhichtheproportionoftheblankstotheprizeisasthirty-ninetoone(aswasthelotteryof1710)，itmaybeprovedthatintwenty-eightticketsaprizeisaslikelytobetakenasnot，which，thoughitmaycontradictthecommonnotions，isneverthelessgroundeduponinfallibledemonstrations。

WhenthePlayoftheRoyalOakwasinuse，somepersonswholostconsiderablybyit，hadtheirlosseschieflyoccasionedbyanargumentofwhichtheycouldnotperceivethefallacy。Theoddsagainstanyparticularpointoftheballwereoneandthirtytoone，whichentitledtheadventurers，incasetheywerewinners，tohavethirty-twostakesreturned，includingtheirown；insteadofwhich，astheyhadbuttwenty-eight，itwasveryplainthat，onthesingleaccountofthedisadvantageoftheplay，theylostone-eighthpartofallthemoneyplayedfor。Butthemasteroftheballmaintainedthattheyhadnoreasontocomplain，sincehewouldundertakethatanyparticularpointoftheballshouldcomeupintwoandtwentythrows；ofthishewouldoffertolayawager，andactuallylaiditwhenrequired。Theseemingcontradictionbetweentheoddsofoneandthirtytoone，andtwenty-twothrowsforanychancetocomeup，soperplexedtheadventurersthattheybegantothinktheadvantagewasontheirside，andsotheywentonplayingandcontinuedtolose。

Thedoctrineofchancestendstoexplodethelong-standingsuperstitionthatthereisinplaysuchathingasLUCK，goodorbad。Ifbysayingthatamanhasgoodluck，nothingmoreweremeantthanthathehasbeengenerallyagaineratplay，theexpressionmightbeallowedasveryproperinashortwayofspeaking；butiftheword’goodluck’beunderstoodtosignifyacertainpredominantquality，soinherentinamanthathemustwinwheneverheplays，oratleastwinoftenerthanlose，itmaybedeniedthatthereisanysuchthinginnature。Theassertersofluckmaintainthatsometimestheyhavebeenverylucky，andatothertimestheyhavehadaprodigiousrunofbadluckagainstthem，whichwhilstitcontinuedobligedthemtobeverycautiousinengagingwiththefortunate。Theyaskedhowtheycouldlosefifteengamesrunningifbadluckhadnotprevailedstrangelyagainstthem。Butitisquitecertainthatalthoughtheoddsagainstlosingsomanytimestogetherbeverygreat，namely，32，767to1，——yetthePOSSIBILITYofitisnotdestroyedbythegreatnessoftheodds，therebeingONEchancein32，768thatitmaysohappen；thereforeitfollowsthatthesuccessionoflostgameswasstillpossible，withouttheinterventionofbadluck。

Theaccidentoflosingfifteengamesisnomoretobeimputedtobadluckthanthewinning，withonesingleticket，thehighestprizeinalotteryof32，768ticketsistobeimputedtogoodluck，sincethechancesinbothcasesareperfectlyequal。Butifitbesaidthatluckhasbeenconcernedinthelattercase，theanswerwillbeeasy；forletussupposelucknotexisting，oratleastletussupposeitsinfluencetobesuspended，——yetthehighestprizemustfallintosomehandorother，notasluck(for，bythehypothesis，thathasbeenlaidaside)，butfromthemerenecessityofitsfallingsomewhere。

Amongthemanycuriousresultsoftheseinquiriesaccordingtothedoctrineofchances，istheprodigiousadvantagewhichtherepetitionofoddswillamountto。Thus，’supposingIplaywithanadversarywhoallowsmetheoddsof43to40，andagreeswithmetoplaytill100stakesarewonorlostoneitherside，onconditionthatIgivehimanequivalentforthegainIamentitledtobytheadvantageofmyodds；——thequestionis，whatI

amtogivehim，supposingweplayataguineaastake？Theansweris99guineasandabove18shillings，[52]whichwillseemalmostincredible，consideringthesmallnessoftheodds——43to40。Nowlettheoddsbeinanyproportion，andletthenumberofstakesplayedforbeneversogreat，yetonegeneralconclusionwillincludeallthepossiblecases，andtheapplicationofittonumbersmaybeworkedoutinlessthanaminute’stime。’[53]

[52]Theguineawasworth21s。6d。whentheworkquotedwaswritten。

[53]DeMoivre，DoctrineofChances。

Thepossiblecombinationsofcardsinahandasdealtoutbychancearetrulywonderful。IthasbeenestablishedbycalculationthataplayeratWhistmayholdabove635thousandmillionsofvarioushands！Sothat，continuallyvaried，at50

dealsperevening，for313evenings，or15，650handsperannum，hemightbeabove40millionsofyearsbeforehewouldhavethesamehandagain！

Thechanceisequal，indealingcards，thateveryhandwillhaveseventrumpsintwodeals，orseventrumpsbetweentwopartners，andalsofourcourtcardsineverydeal。Itisalsocertainonanaverageofhands，thatnothingcanbemoresuperstitiousandabsurdthantheprevailingnotionsaboutluckorill-luck。Fourpersons，constantlyplayingatWhistduringalongvoyage，werefrequentlywinnersandloserstoalargeamount，butasfrequentlyat’quits；’andattheendofthevoyage，afterthelastgame，oneofthemwasminusonlyonefranc！

Thechanceofhavingaparticularcardoutof13is13/52，or1

to4，andthechanceofholdinganytwocardsis1/4of1/4or1/16。Thechancesofagamearegenerallyinverselyasthenumbergotbyeach，orasthenumbertobegottocompleteeachgame。

Thechancesagainstholdingseventrumpsare160to1；againstsix，itis26to1；againstfive，6to1；andagainstfournearly2to1。Itis8to1againstholdinganytwoparticularcards。

Similarcalculationshavebeenmaderespectingtheprobabilitieswithdice。Thereare36chancesupontwodice。

Itisanevenchancethatyouthrow8。Itis35to1againstthrowinganyparticulardoublets，and6to1againstanydoubletsatall。Itis17to1againstthrowinganytwodesirednumbers。

Itis4to9againstthrowingasinglenumberwitheitherofthedice，soastohitablotandenter。Againsthittingwiththeamountoftwodice，thechancesagainst7，8，and9are5to1；

against10are11to1；against11are17to1；andagainstsixes，35to1。

Theprobabilitiesofthrowingrequiredtotalswithtwodice，dependonthenumberofwaysinwhichthetotalscanbemadeupbythedice；——2，3，11，or12canonlybemadeuponewayeach，andthereforethechanceisbut1/36；——4，5，9，10maybemadeuptwoways，or1/8；——6，7，8threeways，or1/12。Thechanceofdoubletsis1/36，thechanceofPARTICULARdoublets1/216。

Themethodwaslargelyappliedtolotteries，cock-fighting，andhorse-racing。Itmaybeaskedhowitispossibletocalculatetheoddsinhorse-racing，whenperhapsthejockeysinagreatmeasureknowbeforetheystartwhichistowin？

Inanswertothisaquestionmaybeproposed:——SupposeItossupahalf-penny，andyouaretoguesswhetheritwillbeheadortail——mustitnotbeallowedthatyouhaveanequalchancetowinastolose？Or，ifIhideahalf-pennyunderahat，andIknowwhatitis，haveyounotasgoodachancetoguessright，asifitweretossedup？MyKNOWINGITTOBEHEADcanbenohindrancetoyou，aslongasyouhavelibertyofchoosingeitherheadortail。Inspiteofthisreasoning，therearepeoplewhobuildsomuchupontheirownopinion，thatshouldtheirfavouritehorsehappentobebeaten，theywillhaveittobeowingtosomefraud。

Thefollowingfactismentionedasa’paradox。’

IthappenedatMalden，inEssex，intheyear1738，thatthreehorses(andnomorethanthree)startedforaL10plate，andtheywereallthreedistancedthefirstheat，accordingtothecommonrulesinhorse-racing，withoutanyquibbleorequivocation；andthefollowingwasthesolution:——Thefirsthorseranontheinsideofthepost；thesecondwantedweight；andthethirdfellandbrokeafore-leg。[54]

[54]Cheany’sHorse-racingBook。

Inhorse-racingtheexpectationofaneventisconsideredasthepresentvalue，orworth，ofwhatsoeversumorthingisdependingonthehappeningofthatevent。Thereforeiftheexpectationonaneventbedividedbythevalueofthethingexpected，onthehappeningofthatevent，thequotientwillbetheprobabilityofhappening。

ExampleI。Supposetwohorses，AandB，tostartforL50，andthereareevenbetsonbothsides；itisevidentthatthepresentvalueorworthofeachoftheirexpectationswillbeL25，andtheprobabilities25/50or1/2。For，iftheyhadagreedtodividetheprizebetweenthem，accordingasthebetsshouldbeatthetimeoftheirstarting，theywouldeachofthembeentitledtoL25；butifAhadbeenthoughtsomuchsuperiortoBthatthebetshadbeen3to2inhisfavour，thentherealvalueofA’sexpectationwouldhavebeenL30，andthatofB’sonlyL20，andtheirseveralprobabilities30/50and20/50。

ExampleII。Letussupposethreehorsestostartforasweepstake，namely，A，B，andC，andthattheoddsare8to6A

againstB，and6to4BagainstC——whataretheodds——AagainstC，andthefieldagainstA？Answer:——2to1AagainstC，and10

to8，or5to4thefieldagainstA。ForA’sexpectationis8

B’sexpectationis6

C’sexpectationis4——

18

Butifthebetshadbeen7to4AagainstB；andevenmoneyB

againstC，thentheoddswouldhavebeen8to7thefieldagainstA，asshowninthefollowingscheme:——

7A

4B

4C——

15

Butasthisisthebasisuponwhichalltherestdepends，anotherexampleortwomayberequiredtomakeitasplainaspossible。

ExampleIII。Supposethesamethreeasbefore，andthecommonbets7to4AagainstB；21to20(or’goldtosilver’)BagainstC；wemuststateitthus:——7guineasto4AagainstB；and4

guineastoL4，BagainstC；whichbeingreducedintoshillings，theschemewillstandasfollows:——

147A’sexpectation。

81B’sexpectation。

80C’sexpectation——

311

Bywhichitwillbe164to147thefieldagainstA，(somethingmorethan39to35)。Now，ifwecomparethiswiththelastexample，wemayconcludeittoberight；forifithadbeen40to35，thenitwouldhavebeen8to7，exactlyasinthelastexample。But，assomepersonsmaybeatalosstoknowwhythenumbers39and35areselected，itisrequisitetoshowthesamebymeansoftheSlidingRule。Set164uponthelineAto147

uponthesliderB，andthenlookalongtillyouseetwowholenumberswhichstandexactlyoneagainsttheother(orasnearasyoucancome)，which，inthiscase，youfindtobe39onA，standingagainst35onthesliderB(verynearly)。Butas164/311and147/311areinthelowestterms，therearenolessnumbers，inthesameproportion，as164to147，——39and35beingthenearest，butnotquiteexact。

ExampleIV。Therearefourhorsestostartforasweepstake，namely，A，B，C，D，andtheyaresupposedtobeasequallymatchedaspossible。Now，MrSlyhaslaid10guineasAagainstC，andalso10guineasAagainstD。LikewiseMrRiderhaslaid10guineasAagainstC，andalso10guineasBagainstD。AfterwhichMrDicelaidMrSly10guineasto4thathewillnotwinbothhisbets。Secondly，helaidMrRider10guineasto4thathewillnotwinbothhisbets。

Now，wewishtoknowwhatMrDice’sadvantageordisadvantageis，inlayingthesetwolast-mentionedwagers。

First，theprobabilityofMrSly’swinningbothhisbetsis1/3

of14guineas；andMrDice’sexpectationis2/3of14guineas，orL916s。，whichbeingdeductedfromhisownstake(10guineas)，thereremains14s。，whichishisdisadvantageinthatbet。

Secondly，MrRider’sexpectationofwinninghistwobetsis1/4，and，therefore，MrDice’sexpectationofthe14guineas，is3/4，orL110s。6d。，fromwhichdeduct10guineas(hisownstake)，andthereremains10s。6d。，hisadvantageinthisbet，——whichbeingdeductedfrom14s。(hisdisadvantageintheother)，thereremains3s6d。，hisdisadvantageinpayingboththesebets。

Theseexamplesmaysufficetoshowtheworkingofthesystem；

regulartablesexistadaptedtoallcases；andtherecanbenodoubtthatthosewhohaverealizedlargefortunesbyhorse-racingmanagedtodosobyuniformlyactingonsomesuchprinciples，aswellasbyavailingthemselvesofsuch’valuableinformation’asmaybesecured，beforeeventscomeoff，bythosewhomakehorse-racingtheirbusiness。

Thesamesystemwasapplied，andwithstillgreaterprecision，toCock-fighting，toLotteries，Raffles，Backgammon，Cribbage，Put，AllFours，andWhist，showingallthechancesofholdinganyparticularcardorcards。Thus，itis2to1thatyourpartnerhasnotonecertaincard；17to2thathehasnottwocertaincards；31to26thathehasnotoneofthemonly；and32to25

(or5to4)thathehasoneorboth——thatis，whentwocardsareinquestion。Itis31to1thathehasthreecertaincards；7to2thathehasnottwo；7to6thathehasnotone；13to6thathehaseitheroneortwo；5to2thathehasone，two，orthreecards；thatis，whenthreecardsareinquestion。

Withregardtothedealerandhispartner，itis57，798to7176

(betterthan8to1)thattheyarenotfourbyhonours；itis32，527to32，448(oraboutanevenbet)thattheyarenottwobyhonours；itis36，924to25，350(or11to7nearly)thatthehonourscount；itis42，237to22，737(or15to8nearly)thatthedealerisnothingbyhonours。[55]

[55]Proctor，TheSportsman’sSureGuide。Lond。A。D。1733。

Suchisageneralsketchofthelargesubjectincludedunderthetermofthecalculationofprobabilities，whichcomprisesnotonlythechancesofgamesofhazard，insurances，lotteries，&c。，butalsothedeterminationoffutureeventsfromobservationsmaderelativetoeventsofthesamenature。Thissubjectofinquirydatesonlyfromthe17thcentury，andoccupiedthemindsofPascal，Huygens，Fermot，Bernouilli，Laplace，Fourier，Lacroix，Poisson，DeMoivre；andinmoremoderntimes，Cournot，Quetelet，andProfessorDeMorgan。

Inthematterofbetting，orinestimatingthe’odds’inbetting，ofcourseanacquaintancewiththemethodmustbeofsomeservice，andtherecanbenodoubtthatprofessionalgamestersendeavouredtomasterthesubject。

M。Robert-Houdin，inhisamusingwork，LesTricheriesdesGrecsdevoilees，haspropoundedsomegamingaxiomswhichareatleastcuriousandinteresting；theyarepresentedasthoseofaprofessionalgamblerandcheat。

1。’Everygameofchancepresentstwokindsofchanceswhichareverydistinct，——namely，thoserelatingtothepersoninterested，thatis，theplayer；andthoseinherentinthecombinationsofthegame。’

Intheformerthereiswhatmustbecalled，forthewantofabettername，’goodluck’or’badluck，’thatis，somemysteriouscausewhichattimesgivestheplaya’run’ofgoodorbadluck；

inthelatterthereistheentiredoctrineof’probabilities’

aforesaid，which，accordingtoM。Houdin’sgaminghero，maybecompletelydiscardedforthefollowingaxiom:——

2。’Ifchancecanbringintothegameallpossiblecombinations，thereare，nevertheless，certainlimitsatwhichitseemstostop。Such，forinstance，asacertainnumberturninguptentimesinsuccessionatRoulette。Thisispossible，butithasneverhappened。’

Neverthelessamostremarkablefactisonrecord。In1813，aMrOgdenbetted1000guineastoONEguinea，thatcallingsevenasthemain，thecasterwouldnotthrowthatnumbertentimessuccessively。Wonderfultorelate！thecasterthrewsevenninetimesfollowing。ThereuponMrOgdenofferedhim470guineastobeoffthebet——whichherefused。Thecastertooktheboxagainandthrewnine，——andsoMrOgdenwonhisguinea！[56]Inthiscasethereseemstohavebeennosuspicionwhateverofunfairdicebeingused。

[56]SeymourHarcourt，TheGamingCalendar。

3。’Inagameofchance，theoftenerthesamecombinationhasoccurredinsuccession，thenearerwearetothecertaintythatitwillnotrecuratthenextcastorturnup。Thisisthemostelementaryofthetheoriesonprobabilities；itistermedtheMATURITYOFTHECHANCES。’

’Hence，’accordingtothisgreatauthority，’aplayermustcometothetablenotonly"inluck，"buthemustnotriskhismoneyexceptingattheinstantprescribedbytherulesofthematurityofthechances。’

Foundedonthistheorywehavethefollowingpreceptsforgamesters:——

1。’Forgaming，preferRoulette，becauseitpresentsseveralwaysofstakingyourmoney[57]——whichpermitsthestudyofseveral。

[57]’Pair，impair，passe，manque，andthe38numbersoftheRoulette，besidesthedifferentcombinationsofPOSITION’and’maturities’together。

2。’Aplayershouldapproachthegamingtableperfectlycalmandcool——justasamerchantortradesmanintreatyaboutanyaffair。

Ifhegetsintoapassion，itisalloverwithprudence，alloverwithgoodluck——forthedemonofbadluckinvariablypursuesapassionateplayer。

3。’Everymanwhofindsapleasureinplayingrunstheriskoflosing。

4。’Aprudentplayer，beforeundertakinganything，shouldputhimselftothetesttodiscoverifheis"invein"——inluck。Inalldoubt，youshouldabstain。’

Irememberacuriousincidentinmychildhood，whichseemsmuchtothepointofthisaxiom。Amagnificentgoldwatchandchainweregiventowardsthebuildingofachurch，andmymothertookthreechances，whichwereataveryhighfigure，thewatchandchainbeingvaluedatmorethanL100。Oneofthesechanceswasenteredinmyname，oneinmybrother’s，andthethirdinmymother’s。Ihadtothrowforheraswellasmyself。Mybrotherthrewaninsignificantfigure；formyselfIdidthesame；but，oddlyenough，IrefusedtothrowformymotheronfindingthatI

hadlostmychance，sayingthatIshouldwaitalittlelonger——

ratheracuriouspieceofprudenceforachildofthirteen。Therafflewaswiththreedice；themajorityofthechanceshadbeenthrown，and34wasthehighest。AfterdecliningtothrowIwentonthrowingthediceforamusement，andwassurprisedtofindthateverythrowwasbetterthantheoneIhadintheraffle。I

thereuponsaid——’NowI’llthrowformamma。’Ithrewthirty-six，whichwonthewatch！Mymotherhadbeenalargesubscribertothebuildingofthechurch，andthepriestsaidthatmywinningthewatchforherwasquitePROVIDENTIAL。AccordingtoM。

Houdin’sauthority，however，itseemsthatIonlygotinto’vein’——buthowIcametopauseanddeferthrowingthelastchance，hasalwayspuzzledmerespectingthisincidentofmychildhood，whichmadetoogreatanimpressionevertobeeffaced。

5。’Therearepersonswhoareconstantlypursuedbybadluck。

TosuchIsay——NEVERPLAY。

6。’Stubbornessatplayisruin。

7。’RememberthatFortunedoesnotlikepeopletobeoverjoyedatherfavours，andthatshepreparesbitterdeceptionsfortheimprudent，whoareintoxicatedbysuccess。’

Sucharethechiefaxiomsofamostexperiencedgamester，andM。

Houdinsumsupthewholeintothefollowing:——

8。’Beforeriskingyourmoneyatplay，youmustdeeplystudyyour"vein"andthedifferentprobabilitiesofthegame——termedthematurityofthechances。’

M。Robert-HoudingotallthispreciousinformationfromagamesternamedRaymond。Itappearsthatthefirstmeetingbetweenhimandthismanwasatasubscription-ball，wherethesharpermanagedtofleecehimandotherstoaconsiderableamount，contrivingadexterousescapewhendetected。HoudinafterwardsfellinwithhimatSpa，wherehefoundhiminthegreatestpoverty，andlenthimasmallsum——topractisehisgrandtheoriesasjustexplained——butwhichhelost——whereuponHoudinadvisedhim’totakeupalessdangerousoccupation。’HethenappearstohaverevealedtoHoudintheentertainingparticularswhichformthebulkofhisbook，sodramaticallywritten。AyearafterwardsHoudinunexpectedlyfellinwithhimagain；butthistimethefellowwastransformedintowhathecalled’ademi-

millionnaire，’havingsucceededtoalargefortunebythedeathofhisbrother，whodiedintestate。AccordingtoHoudinthefollowingwastheman’sdeclarationattheauspiciousmeeting:——

’Ihave，’saidRaymond，’completelyrenouncedgaming。Iamrichenough，andcarenolongerforfortune。Andyet，’headdedproudly，’ifInowcaredforthething，howIcouldBREAKthosebloatedbanksintheirpride，andwhatagloriousvengeanceI

couldtakeofBADLUCKanditsinflexibleagents！Butmyheartistoofullofmyhappinesstoallowthesmallestplaceforthedesireofvengeance。’

Averyproperspeech，unquestionably，andrenderedstillmoreedifyingbyM。Houdin’sassurancethatRaymond，athisdeaththreeyearsafter，bequeathedthewholeofhisfortunetovariouscharitableinstitutionsatParis。

Withregardtotheman’sgamingtheories，however，itmaybejustaswelltoconsiderthefact，thatverymanycleverpeople，aftercontrivingfinesystemsandschemesforruininggamingbanks，have，asM。Houdinremindsus，onlysucceededinruiningthemselvesandthosewhoconformedtotheirprecepts。

Ets’ilestunjoueurquivivedesonpain，Onenvoittouslesjoursmillemourirdefaim。

’IfONEplayertherebethatcanlivebyhisgain，Therearethousandsthatstarveandstriveeverinvain！’

CHAPTERIX。

THEHISTORYOFDICEANDCARDS。

Theknightsofhazardanddevoteesofchance，wholiveinandbytherattleofthebox，littleknow，orcare，perhaps，towhomtheyareindebtedfortheinventionoftheirfavouritecube。

Theywillsolacethemselves，nodoubt，onbeingtoldthattheyarepursuingadiversionofthehighestantiquity，andwhichhasbeenhandeddownthroughallcivilizedaswellasbarbarousnationstoourowntimes。

Theterm’cube，’whichisthefigureofadie，comesoriginallyfromtheArabicword’ca’b，’or’ca’be，’whencetheGreeksderivedtheircubos，andcubeia，whichisusedtosignifyanysolidfigureperfectlysquareeveryway——suchasthegeometricalcube，thedieusedinplay，andthetempleatMecca，whichisofthesamefigure。ThePersicnamefor’die’is’dad，’andfromthiswordisderivedthenameofthethinginSpanish，Portuguese，andItalian，namely，dado。IntheoldFrenchitisdet，inthepluraldets；inmodernFrenchdeanddez，whenceourEnglishname’die，’anditsplural’dies，’or’dice。’

Platotellsusthatdiceandgamingoriginatedwithacertaindemon，whomhecallsTheuth，whichseemsverymuchliketheoriginalpatronymicofourTeutonicraces，alwaysfamousfortheirgamblingpropensity。TheGreeksgenerally，however，ascribedtheinventionofdicetooneoftheirrace，namedPalamedes，asortofuniversalgenius，whohituponmanyothercontrivances，amongtherest，weightsandmeasures。ButthisworthylivedinthetimesoftheTrojanwar，andyetHomermakesnomentionofdice——theastragaloinamedbythepoetbeingmerelyknuckle-bones。Dice，however，arementionedbyAristophanesinhiscomedies，andsoitseemsthattheinventionmustbeplacedbetweenthetimesofthetwopoets，thatis，about2300yearsago。Atanyratethecubeordiehasbeeninuseasaninstrumentofplay，atleast，duringthatperiodoftime。

Thegreatantiquity，therefore，ofthedieasaninstrumentofpastimeisunquestionable，andthegeneralreasonassignedforitsinventionwastheamusementandrelaxationofthemindfromthepressureofdifficulties，orfromthefatiguesandtoilsofprotractedwar。Indeed，oneconjectureis，thatgamingwasinventedbytheLydianswhenunderthepressureofagreatfamine；todivertthemselvesfromtheirsufferingstheycontriveddice，balls，tables，&c。Thisseems，however，ratherabadjoke。

TheafflictedJobasks——’Canamanfillhisbellywiththeeastwind？’Andwecanimaginethatplentyoftobaccotosmokeand’chaw’wouldmitigatethepangsofstarvationtoanarmyinthefield，ashasbeenseriouslysuggested；butyoumightjustaswellpresentasoldierwithastoneinsteadofbread，asinvitehimtoamusehimselfwithdice，oranythingelse，toassuagethepangsofhunger。

Bethatasitmay，timesoonmaturedthisinstrumentofrecreationintoanengineofdestruction；andtheintendedpalliativeofcareandlabourhasprovedthefosteringnurseofinnumerableevils。Thisdiminutivecubehasusurpedatyrannyovermankindformorethantwothousandyears，andcontinuesatthisdaytoruletheworldwithdespoticsway——levellingalldistinctionsoffortuneinaninstantbythefiatofitssingleturn。

TheuseofdicewasprobablybroughtintothisislandbytheRomans，ifnotbeforeknown；itbecamemorefrequentinthetimesofourSaxonancestry，andhasprevailedwithalmostunimpairedvigourfromthosedaystoourown。

TheAstragalosoftheGreeksandTalusoftheRomanswere，asbeforestated，nothingbuttheknuckle-bonesofsheepandgoats，numbered，andusedforgaming，beingtossedupintheairandcaughtonthebackofthehand。Twopersonsplayedtogetheratthisgame，usingfourbones，whichtheythrewupintotheairoremptiedoutofadice-box(fritillus)，observingthenumbersoftheoppositesides。Thenumbersonthefoursidesofthefourbonesadmittedofthirty-fivedifferentcombinations。Thelowestthrowofallwasfouraces；butthevalueofthethrowwasnotinallcasesthesumofthefournumbersturnedup。ThehighestinvaluewasthatcalledVenus，inwhichthenumberscastupwerealldifferent；thesumofthembeingonlyfourteen。Itwasbyobtainingthisthrow，hencecalledbasilicus，that’theKingoftheFeast’wasappointedbytheRomans。Certainotherthrowswerecalledbyparticularnames，takenfromthegods，heroes，kings，courtesans，animals；altogetherthereweresixty-foursuchnames。Thus，thethrowconsistingoftwoacesandtwotreys，makingeight，wasdenominatedStesichorus。Whentheobjectwassimplytothrowthehighestnumber，thegamewascalledpleistobolinda，aGreekwordofthatmeaning。Whenapersonthrewthetali，heofteninvokedeitheragodorhismistress。

Dicewerealsomadeofivory，bone，orsomeclose-grainedwood，especiallyprivetligustristesserisutilissima，Plin。H。N。)。

Theywerenumberedasatpresent。

Arsacides，KingoftheParthians，presentedDemetriusNicator，amongotherpresents，withgoldendice——itissaid，incontemptforhisfrivolouspropensitytoplay——inexprobationempuerilislevitatis。’[58]

[58]JustiniHist。，lib。xxxviii。9。9。

DicearealsomentionedintheNewTestament，whereoccursthewordcubeia(Eph。iv。14)，(’theonlywordfor"gambling"usedintheBible’)，awordinverycommonuse，amongPaul’skithandkin，for’cube，’’dice，’’dicery，’anditoccursfrequentlyintheTalmudandMidrash。TheMishnadeclaresunfiteitheras’judgeorwitness，’’acubea-player，ausurer，apigeon-flier(betting-man)，avendorofillegal(seventh-year)produce，andaslave。’Amitigatingclause——proposedbyoneoftheweightiestlegalauthorities，totheeffectthatthegamblerandhiskinshouldonlybedisqualified’iftheyhavebutthatoneprofession’——isdistinctlynegativedbythemajority，andtheruleremainsabsolute。Theclassicalwordforthegamblerordice-player，cubeutes，appearsaramaizedinthesamesourcesintosomethinglikekubiustis，asthefollowingcuriousinstancesmayshow:WhentheAngel，afterhavingwrestledwithJacoballnight，askshimtolethimgo，’forthedawnhasrisen’(A。V。，’thedaybreaketh’)，Jacobismadetoreplytohim，’Artthou，then，athieforakubiustis，thatthouartafraidoftheday？’

TowhichtheAngelreplies，’No，Iamnot；butitismyturnto-

day，andforthefirsttime，tosingtheAngelicHymnofPraiseinHeaven:letmego。’InanotherTadmudicalpassageanearlybiblicalcriticisdiscussingcertainarithmeticaldifficultiesinthePentateuch。ThushefindsthenumberofLevites(inNumbers)todiffer，whensummedupfromthesingleitems，fromthatgiveninthetotal。Worsethanthat，hefindsthatallthegoldandsilvercontributedtothesanctuaryisnotaccountedfor，and，clinchinghisargument，hecries，’Is，then，yourmasterMosesathieforakubiustis？Orcouldhenotmakeuphisaccountsproperly？’Thecriticistheninformedofacertaindifferencebetween’sacred’andothercoins；andhefurthergetsalessoninthematterofLevitesandFirstborn，whichsilenceshim。Again，theTalmuddecidesthat，ifamanhaveboughtaslavewhoturnsouttobeathieforakubiustis，——whichhasherebeenerroneouslyexplainedtomeana’manstealer，’——hehasnoredress。Hemustkeephim，asheboughthim，orsendhimaway；

forhehasboughthimwithallhisvices。

Regardingthetranslation’sleight’intheA。V。，thisseemsacorrectenoughrenderingofthetermasfarastheSENSEofthepassagegoes，andcomesverynearthemanyancienttranslations——’nequitia，’’versutia，’’inanislabor，’’vanaetinepta(？)subtilitas，’&c。，oftheFathers。Lutherhas’Schalkheit，’——awordthemeaningofwhichathistimedifferedconsiderablyfromouracceptationoftheterm。TheThesaurustakesPaul’scubeia(s。v。)moreliterally，tomean’inaleahominum，i。e。，incertisilliscasibusquibusjactanturhomines。’[59]

[59]E。DeutsehintheAthenaeumofSept。28，1867。

Theancienttali，markedandthrownasabovedescribed，werealsousedinDIVINATION，justasdiceareatthepresentday；anddoubtlesstheinterpretationswerethesameamongtheancients——

forallsuperstitionsarehandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationwithwondrousfidelity。Theprocedureiscuriousenough，termed’theartoftellingfortunesbydice。’

Threedicearetakenandwellshakenintheboxwiththelefthand，andthencastoutonaboardortableonwhichacircleispreviouslydrawnwithchalk；andthefollowingarethesupposedpredictionsofthethrows:——

Three，apleasingsurprise；four，adisagreeableone；five，astrangerwhowillproveafriend；six，lossofproperty；seven，undeservedscandal；eight，meritedreproach；nine，awedding；

ten，achristening，atwhichsomeimportanteventwilloccur；

eleven，adeaththatconcernsyou；twelve，aletterspeedily；

thirteen，tearsandsighs；fourteen，bewarethatyouarenotdrawnintosometroubleorplotbyasecretenemy；fifteen，immediateprosperityandhappiness；sixteen，apleasantjourney；

seventeen，youwilleitherbeonthewater，orhavedealingswiththosebelongingtoit，toyouradvantage；eighteen，agreatprofit，riseinlife，orsomedesirablegoodwillhappenalmostimmediately，fortheanswerstothedicearesaidtobefulfilledwithinninedays。Tothrowthesamenumbertwiceatonetrialshowsnewsfromabroad，bethenumberwhatitmay。Ifthedicerolloverthecircle，thenumberthrowngoesfornothing，buttheoccurrenceshowssharpwordsimpending；andiftheyfallontheflooritisblows。Inthrowingthediceifoneremainonthetopoftheother，’itisapresentofwhichyoumusttakecare，’

namely，’alittlestranger’athand。

Twosingularfactsthrowlightonthekindofdiceusedsome100

and150yearsago。Inanoldcribbagecard-box，curiouslyornamented，supposedtohavebeenmadebyanamateurinthereignofQueenAnne，andnowinmypossession，Ifoundadiewithoneendfashionedtoapoint，evidentlyforthepurposeofspinning——

similartothemodernteetotum。Withthesamelotatthesalewhereitwasbought，wasapackofcardsmadeofivory，aboutaninchandahalfinlengthandoneinchinwidth——inotherrespectsexactlylikethecardsoftheperiod。

Again，itisstatedthatintakingupthefloorsoftheMiddleTempleHall，abouttheyear1764，nearly100pairsofdicewerefound，whichhaddropped，ondifferentoccasions，throughthechinksorjointsoftheboards。Theywereverysmall，atleastone-thirdlessthatthosenowinuse。Certainlythebenchersofthosetimesdidnotkeeptheflooroftheirmagnificenthallinaverydecentcondition。

Acuriousfactrelatingtodicemayherebepointedout。Eachofthesixsidesofadieissodottedornumberedthatthetopandbottomofeverydie(takentogether)make7；forifthetoporuppermostsideis5，thebottomoroppositesidewillbe2；andthesameholdsthrougheveryface；therefore，letthenumberofdicebewhatitmay，theirtopandbottomfaces，addedtogether，mustbeequaltothenumberofdicemultipliedby7。Inthrowingthreedice，if2，3，and4arethrown，making9，theircorrespondingbottomfaceswillbe5，4，and3，making12，whichtogetherare21——equaltothethreedicemultipliedby7。

CARDS。

Theoriginofcardsisasdoubtfulasthatofdice。AllthatweknowforcertainisthattheywerefirstusedintheEast。Somethinkthatthefiguresatfirstusedonthemwereofmoralimport:theHindooandChinesecardsarecertainlyemblematicinaveryhighdegree；theformerillustratethetenavatars，orincarnationsofthedeityVishnu；andtheso-called’paper-

tickets’oftheChinesetypifythestars，thehumanvirtues，and，indeed，everyvarietyofsubject。SirWilliamJoneswasconvincedthattheHindoogameofChaturaji——thatis，’theFourRajahsorKings’——aspeciesofhighly-complicatedchess——wasthefirstgermofthatparti-colouredpasteboard，whichhasbeentheruinofsomanymodernfortunes。ApackofHindoostanicards，inthepossessionoftheRoyalAsiaticSociety，andpresentedtoCaptainCromlineSmithin1815，byahighcasteBrahman，wasdeclaredbythedonortobeactually1000yearsold:’Nor，’saidtheBrahman，’cananyofusnowplayatthem，fortheyarenotlikeourmoderncardsatall。’Neither，indeed，dotheybearanyremarkableresemblancetoourown——thepackconsistingofnolessthaneightsortsofdiverscolours，thekingsbeingmounteduponelephants，andviziers，orsecondhonours，uponhorses，tigers，andbulls。Moreover，thereareothermarksdistinguishingtherespectivevalueofthecommoncards，whichwouldpuzzleourclub-quidnuncsnotalittle——suchas’apine-appleinashallowcup，’andasomethinglikeaparasolwithoutahandle，andwithtwobrokenribsstickingthroughthetop。TheChinesecardshavetheadvantageoverthoseofHindoostanbybeingoblonginsteadofcircular。

Itwasnotbeforetheendofthe14thcenturythatcardsbecameknowninEurope；anditisacuriousfactthattheFrenchclergytookgreatlytocard-playingaboutthattime——theirfavouritegamebeingtheratherungenteel’AllFours，’asnowreputed；fortheywerespeciallyforbiddenthatpastimebytheSynodofLangresin1404。

TheancientcardsofbothSpainandFrance，particularlythe’court-cards，’exhibitstrongmarksoftheageofchivalry；butherewemayobservethatthewordiswrittenbysomeancientwriters，’coate-cards，’evidentlysignifyingnomorethanfiguresinparticulardresses。Thegivingpre-eminenceorvictorytoacertainsuit，bythenameof’trump，’whichisonlyacorruptionoftheword’triumph，’isastrongtraitofthemartialideasoftheinventorsofthesegames。Sothat，iftheChinesestartedtheidea，itseemsclearthattheFrenchandSpanishimproveduponitandgaveitaplainsignificance；andthereisnoreasontodoubtthatcardswereactuallyemployedtoamuseCharlesVI。

inhismelancholyanddejection。

Thefoursuitsofcardsaresupposedtorepresentthefourestatesofakingdom:——1。Thenobilityandgentry；2。Theecclesiasticsorpriesthood；3。Thecitizensorcommercialmen；

4。ThepeasantryorHusbandmen。ThenobilityarerepresentedintheoldSpanishcardsbytheespada，orsword，corruptedbyusinto’spades，’——bytheFrenchwithpiques，’pikesorspears。’

Theecclesiasticalorderispointedoutbycopas，orsacramentalcups，whicharepaintedinoneofthesuitsofoldSpanishcards，andbycoeurs，or’hearts，’onFrenchcards，asinourown——therebysignifyingchoir-men，gensdechoeur，orecclesiastics——fromchoeurdel’eglise，’thechoirofthechurch，’thatbeingesteemedthemostimportantpartortheHEART

ofthechurch。

TheSpaniardsdepictedtheircitizensorcommercialmenunderdineros，asmallcoin，anemblemverywelladaptedtotheproductiveclasses；theFrenchbycarreaux，squaresorlozenges——importing，perhaps，unityofinterest，equalityofcondition，regularityofmanners，andtheindispensabledutyofthisclassofmentodealwithoneanother’onthesquare。’TheSpaniardsmadebastos，orknottyclubs，theemblemofthe’boldpeasantry，’takenprobablyfromthecustomthattheplebeianswerepermittedtochallengeorfighteachotherwithsticksandquarter-stavesonly，butnotwiththesword，oranyarmscarriedbyagentleman；whiletheFrenchpeasantrywerepointedoutundertheideasofhusbandry，namely，bythetrefles，trefoilorclover-grass。SomuchfortheSUITS。

Withregardtothedepictedfiguresofcards，eachnationlikewisefolloweditsowninventions，thoughgroundedinbothonthoseideasofchivalrywhichthenstronglyprevailed。TheSpanishcardsweremadetocarrytheinsigniaandaccoutrementsoftheKingofSpain，theaceofdenerosbeingemblazonedwiththeroyalarms，supportedbyaneagle。TheFrenchornamentedtheircardswithfleursdelis，theirroyalemblem。TheSpanishkings，inconformitytothemartialspiritofthetimeswhencardswereintroduced，wereallmountedonhorseback，asbefittedgeneralsandcommanders-in-chief；buttheirnextincommand(amongthecards)waselcaballo，theknight-errantonhorseback——fortheoldSpanishcardshadnoqueens；andthethirdinorderwasthesoto，orattendant，thatis，theesquire，orarmour-beareroftheknight——allwhichwasexactlyconformabletothoseideasofchivalrywhichruledtheage。ItissaidthatDavid(kingofspades)，tormentedbyarebelliousson，istheemblemofCharlesVII。，menacedbyhisson(LouisXI。)，andthatArgine(queenofclubs)istheanagramofRegina，andtheemblemofMaried’Anjou，thewifeofthatprince；thatPallas(queenofspades)representsJoanofArc，theMaidofOrleans；thatRachel(queenofdiamonds)isAgnesSorel；lastly，thatJudith(queenofhearts)istheQueenIsabeau。TheFrenchcallthequeensatcardsdames。

Thefourknaves(calledinFrench，valetsorvarlets)arefourvaliantcaptains——OgierandLancelot，thecompanionsofCharlemagne，HectordeGallard，andLahire，thegeneralsofCharlesVII。Theremainderofthepackequallypresentsasortofmartialallegory；theheartisbravery；thespade(espad，’sword’)andthediamond(carreau，thatis，asquareorshield)

arethearmsofwar；theclub(inFrenchtrefle，’trefoil’)istheemblemofprovisions；andtheace(inFrenchas，fromtheLatinaes，’coin’)istheemblemofmoney——thesinewsofwar。

Inaccordancewiththisallegoricalmeaning，thefunctionoftheaceismostsignificant。Itleadscaptiveeveryothercard，queenandkingincluded——thusindicatingtheomnipotenceofgoldormammon！

’Tothemightygodofthisnetherworld——

Tothespiritthatroamswithbannerunfurl’dO’ertheEarthandtherollingSea——

Andhathconquer’dalltohisthraldomWherehiseyehathglancedorhisfootstepsped——

Whohathpoweralikeo’erthelivinganddead——

Mammon！[59]Isingtothee！

[59]SteinmetzOdetoMammon。

Somesaythatthefourkingsrepresentthosefamouschampionsofantiquity——David，Alexander，JuliusCaesar，andCharlemagne；andthatthefourqueens，Argine，Pallas，Esther，andJudith，aretherespectivesymbolsofmajesty，wisdom，piety，andfortitude；andtherecanbenodoubt，ifyoulookattentivelyonthequeensofapackofcards，youwilleasilydiscerntheappropriateexpressionsofalltheseattributesinthefacesofthegrotesqueladiesthereindepicted。Thevalets，orattendants，whomwecallknaves，arenotnecessarily’rascals，’butsimplyservantsroyal；

atfirsttheywereknights，asappearsfromthenamesofsomeofthefamousFrenchknightsbeingformerlypaintedonthecards。

Thusapackofcardsistrulyamonumentoftheoldentime——thedaysofchivalryanditsnumberlessassociations。

InadditiontothedetailsIhavegiveninthepreviouschapterrespectingtheprobabilityofholdingcertaincards，thereareafewothercuriousfactsconcerningthem，whichitmaybeinterestingtoknow。

Thereisadifferenceintheeyesoftwooftheknaves——thoseofdiamondsandhearts，moreapparentintheoldpatterns，suggestingtheinferencethattheyareblind。Thishasbeenmadethebasisofacardtrick，astowhichtwoofthefourknavespresentingthemselveswouldbeselectedasservants。Ofcoursetheblindoneswouldberejected。Abetissometimesproposedtotheunwary，atWhist，butoneofthepartywillhaveinhishand，afterthedeal，onlyoneofasuit，ornoneofasuit。Thebetshouldnotbetaken，asthisresultveryfrequentlyhappens。

Lastly，thereisanarithmeticalpuzzleofthemoststartlingeffecttobecontrivedwithapackofcards，asfollows。Letapartymakeupparcelsofcards，beginningwithanumberofpipsonanycard，andthencountinguptotwelvewithindividualcards。Inthefirstpartofthetrickitmustbeunderstoodthatthecourtcardscountasten，allothersaccordingtothepips。

Thus，akingputdownwillrequireonlytwocardstomakeup12，whereastheacewillrequire11，andsoon。Now，whenalltheparcelsarecompleted，theperformerofthetrickrequirestoknowonlythenumberofparcelsthusmade，andtheremainder，ifany，todeclareafteramomentarycalculation，theexactnumberofpipsonthefirstcardslaiddown——totheastonishmentofthosenotinthesecret。Infact，thereisnopossiblearrangementofthecards，accordingtothismethod，whichcanpreventanadeptfromdeclaringthenumberofpipsrequired，afterbeinginformedofthenumberofparcels，andtheremainder，ifany。Thisstartlingperformancewillbeexplainedinasubsequentchapter——amusingcardtricks。

Cardsmustsoonhavemadetheirwayamongourcountrymen，fromthegreatintercoursethatsubsistedbetweenEnglandandFranceaboutthetimeofthefirstintroductionofcardsintothelatterkingdom。IfthedinofarmsinthereignofourfifthHenryshouldseemunfavourabletotheimitationofanenemy’sprivatediversions，itmustberememberedthatFrancewasatthatperiodunderthedominionofEngland，thattheEnglishlivedmuchinthatcountry，andconsequentlyjoinedintheamusementsoftheprivatehour，aswellasinthepublicdangersofthefield。

Verysoon，however，theevilconsequencesoftheirintroductionbecameapparent。OnewouldhavethoughtthatinsuchatumultuousreignathomeasthatofoursixthHenry，therecouldnothavebeensomuchusemadeofcardsastohaverenderedthemanobjectofpublicapprehensionandgovernmentalsolicitude；butarecordappearsinthebeginningofthereignofEdwardIV。，afterthedepositionoftheunfortunateHenry，bywhichplayingcards，aswellasdice，tennis-balls，andchessmen，wereforbiddentobeimported。

Ifthistendedtochecktheiruseforatime，thesubsequentSpanishconnectionwiththecourtofEnglandrenewedanacquaintancewithcardsandaloveforthem。ThemarriageofPrinceArthurwiththeInfantaCatherineofArragon，broughtonanintimacybetweenthetwonations，whichprobablyincreasedcard-playinginEngland，——itbeingadiversiontowhichtheSpaniardswereextremelyaddictedatthatperiod。

Cardswerecertainlymuchinuse，andallideasconcerningthemveryfamiliartothemindsoftheEnglish，duringthereignofHenryVIII。，asmaybeinferredfromaremarkablesermonofthegoodbishopLatimer。ThissermonwaspreachedinStEdward’schurch，Cambridge，ontheSundaybeforeChristmasday，1527，andinthisdiscoursehemaybesaidtohave’dealt’outanexpositionofthepreceptsofChristianityaccordingtothetermsofcard-playing。’Nowyehaveheardwhatismeantbythis"firstcard，"andhowyououghtto"play"withit，Ipurposeagainto"deal"untoyou"anothercardalmostofthesamesuit，"fortheybeofsonighaffinitythatonecannotbewell"played"withouttheother，&c。’’Itseems，’saysFuller，’thathesuitedhissermonrathertotheTIME——beingaboutChristmas，whencardsweremuchused——thantothetext，whichwastheBaptist’squestiontoourLord——"Whoartthou？"——takingtherebyoccasiontoconformhisdiscoursetothe"playingatcards，"makingthe"hearttriumph。"’

Thisbluntpreachingwasinthosedaysadmirablyeffectual，butitwouldbeconsideredridiculousinours——exceptfromthelipsofsuchoriginalgeniusesasMrSpurgeon，whohituponthisveinandmadeafortuneofsoulsaswellasmoney。Heis，however，inimitable，andanyattemptatenteringintohisdomainwouldprobablyhavethesameresultasthatwhichattendedanimitationofLatimerbyacountryminister，mentionedbyFuller。

’Iremember，’hesays，’inmytime(aboutthemiddleoftheseventeenthcentury)，acountryministerpreachedatStMary’s，fromRom。xii。3，——"AsGodhasDEALTtoeverymanthemeasureoffaith。"InafondimitationofLatimer’ssermonhefollowedupthemetaphorofDEALING，——thatmenshouldPLAYABOVE-BOARD，thatis，avoidalldissembling，——shouldnotPOCKETCARDS，butimprovetheirgiftsandgraces，——shouldFOLLOWSUIT，thatis，wearthesurplice，&c。，——allwhichproducednothingbutlaughterintheaudience。Thusthesameactionsbyseveralpersonsatseveraltimesaremadenotthesameactions，yea，differencedfromcommendablediscretiontoridiculousabsurdity。Andthushewillmakebutbadmusicwhohaththeinstrumentsandfiddlesticks，butnoneofthe"resin"ofLatimer。’

Thehabitofcard-playingmusthavebeenmuchconfirmedandextendedbythemarriageofPhilipofSpainwithourQueenMary，whosenumerousandsplendidretinuecouldnotbutbringwiththemthatpassionateloveofcardswhichprevailedintheSpanishcourt。

Itseemsalsoprobablethatthecardsthenused(whatevertheymighthavebeenbefore)wereofSpanishformandfigure，incomplimenttotheimperiousPhilip；sinceeventothisdaythenamesoftwoSpanishsuitsareretainedonEnglishcards，thoughwithoutanyreferencetotheirpresentfigure。Thus，wecallonesuitspades，fromtheSpanishespada，’sword，’althoughweretainnosimilitudeoftheswordinthefigure，——andanotherclubs，inSpanish，bastos，butwithoutregardtothefigurealso。

OldRogerAscham，thetutorofQueenElizabeth，givesusapictureofthegamblingartsofhisday，asfollows:——Howwilltheyusetheseshifteswhentheygetaplainemanthatcannotskillofthem！Howtheywillgoabout，iftheyperceiveanhonestmanhavemoneye，whichlistnotplaye，toprovokehimtoplaye！Theywillseekhiscompanye；theywilllethimpaynoughte，yea，andasIheardeamanoncesayethathedid，theywillsendforhimtosomehouse，andspendperchaunceacrowneonhim，and，atlast，willonebegintosaye:at，mymasters，whatshallwedo？Shalleverymanplayehistwelve-pencewhileanapplerosteinthefire，andthenwewilldrinckeanddeparte？"

"Naye"willanothersaye(asfalseashe)，"youcannotleavewhenyoubegin，andthereforeIwillnotplaye:butifyouwillgage，thateverymanashehathlosthistwelve-pence，shallsitdowne，Iamcontente，forsurelyeIwouldWinnenomanne’smoneyehere，butevenasmuchaswouldepayformysupper。"Thenspeakeththethirdetothehonestemanthatthoughtnottoplay:——"What？Willyouplayyourtwelve-pence？"Ifheexcusehim——"Tush！man！"willtheothersaye，"stickenotinhonestecompanyfortwelve-pence；

Iwillbeareyourhalfe，andhereismymoneye。"Noweallthisistomakehimtobeginne，fortheyknoweifhebeoncein，andbealoser，thathewillnotstickeathistwelve-pence，buthopethevertogetitagaine，whilesperhappeshewillloseall。

Theneveryoneofthemsettethhisshiftesabroache，somewithfalsedyse，somewithsettlingofdyse，somewithhavingoutlandishsilvercoynesguilded，toputawayeatatimeforgoodgolde。Then，iftherecomeathingincontroversye，mustyoubejudgedbythetable，andthenfarewellthehonesteman’sparte，forheisbornedowneoneverysyde。’

Itisevidentfromthisgraphicdescriptionoftheprocess，thatthevillanyofsharpershasbeeneverthesame；foroldRoger’saccountofthematterinhisdayexactlytallieswithdailyexperienceatthepresenttime。

Theloveofcard-playingwascontinuedthroughthereignofElizabethandJamesI。，[60]andinthereignofthelatterithadreachedsohighapitchthattheaudiencesusedtoamusethemselveswithcardsattheplay-house，whiletheywerewaitingforthebeginningoftheplay。ThesamepracticeexistedatFlorence。Ifthethingbenotdoneatthepresentday，somethinganalogousprevailsinourrailwaycarriagesthroughoutthekingdom。Itissaidthatprofessedcard-sharperstakeseason-ticketsonallthelines，andthatagreatDEALofmoneyismadebythegentrybydupingunwarytravellersintoagameorbybetting。

[60]KingJames，theBritishSolomon，althoughhecouldnot’abide’tobacco，anddenounceditinafurious’Counterblaste，’

couldnot’utterlycondemn’play，or，ashecallsit，’fittinghouse-pastimes。’’Iwillnot，’hesays，’agreeinforbiddingcards，dice，andotherlikegamesofHazard，’andentersintoanargumentforhisopinion，whichisscarcelyworthquoting。SeeBasiliconDoron——aprodigyofroyalfatuity——buttheperfect’exponent’ofthecharacteristicsoftheStuartroyalraceinEngland。

Thereisnoreasontosupposethatthefondnessforthisdiversionabated，exceptduringtheshort’trumportriumphofthefanaticsuit’——inthehardtimesofOldOliver——whenundoubtedlycardswerestyled’thedevil’sbooks。’But，indeed，bythattimetheyhadbecomeanengineofmuchfraudanddestruction；sothatoneoftheearlyactsofCharlesII。’sreigninflictedlargepenaltiesonthosewhoshouldusecardsforfraudulentpurposes。