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      The Gaming Table, Vol. I by Andrew Steinmetz
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The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gaming Table:  Its Votaries and Victims, by 
Andrew Steinmetz

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org


Title: The Gaming Table:  Its Votaries and Victims
       Volume I (of II)

Author: Andrew Steinmetz

Release Date: November 29, 2009 [EBook #466]
Last Updated: February 6, 2013

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GAMING TABLE ***




Produced by Mike Lough, and David Widger






</pre>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <h1>
      THE GAMING TABLE:
    </h1>
    <h2>
      ITS VOTARIES AND VICTIMS,
    </h2>
    <h3>
      In all Times and Countries, especially in England and in France.
    </h3>
    <h4>
      IN TWO VOLUMES.&mdash;VOL. I.
    </h4>
    <h2>
      By Andrew Steinmetz, Esq.,
    </h2>
    <blockquote>
      <p>
        Of The Middle Temple, Barrister-At-Law; First-Class Extra Certificate
        School Of Musketry, Hythe; Late Officer Instructor Musketry, The Queens
        Own Light Infantry Militia.
      </p>
      <p>
        Author Of 'The History Of The Jesuits,' 'Japan And Her People,' 'The
        Romance Of Duelling,' &amp;C., &amp;C.
      </p>
    </blockquote>
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br /> 'The sharp, the blackleg, and the knowing one,<br /> Livery or
      lace, the self-same circle, run; <br /> The same the passion, end and means
      the same&mdash;<br /> Dick and his Lordship differ but in name.' <br />
      <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <blockquote>
      <p>
        TO HIS GRACE
      </p>
      <p>
        The Duke of Wellington, K.G. THIS WORK IS DEDICATED, WITH PERMISSION, BY
        HIS GRACE'S MOST DEVOTED SERVANT
      </p>
      <p>
        THE AUTHOR.
      </p>
    </blockquote>
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <h2>
      PREFACE.
    </h2>
    <p>
      To the readers of the present generation much of this book will,
      doubtless, seem incredible. Still it is a book of facts&mdash;a section of
      our social history, which is, I think, worth writing, and deserving of
      meditation.
    </p>
    <p>
      Forty or fifty years ago&mdash;that is, within the memory of many a living
      man&mdash;gambling was 'the rage' in England, especially in the
      metropolis. Streets now meaningless and dull&mdash;such as Osendon Street,
      and streets and squares now inhabited by the most respectable in the land&mdash;for
      instance, St James's Square, THEN opened doors to countless votaries of
      the fickle and capricious goddess of Fortune; in the rooms of which many a
      nobleman, many a gentleman, many an officer of the Army and Navy,
      clergymen, tradesmen, clerks, and apprentices, were 'cleaned out'&mdash;ruined,
      and driven to self-murder, or to crimes that led to the gallows. 'I have
      myself,' says a writer of the time, 'seen hanging in chains a man whom a
      short time before I saw at a Hazard table!'
    </p>
    <p>
      History, as it is commonly written, does not sufficiently take cognizance
      of the social pursuits and practices that sap the vitality of a nation;
      and yet these are the leading influences in its destiny&mdash;making it
      what it is and will be, at least through many generations, by example and
      the inexorable laws that preside over what is called 'hereditary
      transmission.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Have not the gambling propensities of our forefathers influenced the
      present generation?....
    </p>
    <p>
      No doubt gambling, in the sense treated of in this book, has ceased in
      England. If there be here and there a Roulette or Rouge et Noir table in
      operation, its existence is now known only to a few 'sworn-brethren;' if
      gambling at cards 'prevails' in certain quarters, it is 'kept quiet.' The
      vice is not barefaced. It slinks and skulks away into corners and holes,
      like a poisoned rat. Therefore, public morality has triumphed, or, to use
      the card-phrase, 'trumped' over this dreadful abuse; and the law has done
      its duty, or has reason to expect congratulation for its success, in
      'putting down' gaming houses.
    </p>
    <p>
      But we gamble still. The gambling on the Turf (now the most uncertain of
      all 'games of chance') was, lately, something that rang through and
      startled the entire nation. We gamble in the funds. We gamble in endless
      companies (limited)&mdash;all resulting from the same passion of our
      nature, which led to the gambling of former times with cards, with dice,
      at Piquet, Basset, Faro, Hazard, E O, <i>Roulette</i>, and <i>Rouge et
      Noir</i>. At a recent memorable trial, the Lord Chief Justice of England
      exclaimed&mdash;'There can be no doubt&mdash;any one who looks around him
      cannot fail to perceive&mdash;that a spirit of speculation and gambling
      has taken hold of the minds of large classes of the population. Men who
      were wont to be satisfied with moderate gain and safe investments seem now
      to be animated by a spirit of greed after gain, which makes them ready to
      embark their fortunes, however hardly gained, in the vain hope of
      realizing immense returns by premiums upon shares, and of making more than
      safe and reasonable gains. We see that continually.' In fact, we may not
      be a jot better morally than our forefathers. But that is no reason why we
      should not frown over the story of their horrid sins, and, 'having a good
      conscience,' think what sad dogs they were in their generation&mdash;knowing,
      as we do, that none of us at the present day lose <i>FIFTY OR A HUNDRED
      THOUSAND POUNDS</i> at play, at a sitting, in one single night&mdash;as
      was certainly no very uncommon 'event' in those palmy days of gaming; and
      that we could not&mdash;as was done in 1820&mdash;produce a list of <i>FIVE
      HUNDRED</i> names (in London alone) of noblemen, gentlemen, officers of
      the Army and Navy, and clergymen, who were veteran or indefatigable
      gamesters, besides 'clerks, grocers, horse-dealers, linen-drapers,
      silk-mercers, masons, builders, timber-merchants, booksellers, &amp;c.,
      &amp;c., and men of the very lowest walks of life,' who frequented the
      numerous gaming houses throughout the metropolis&mdash;to their ruin and
      that of their families more or less (as deploringly lamented by Captain
      Gronow), and not a few of them, no doubt, finding themselves in that
      position in which they could exclaim, at <i>OUR</i> remonstrance, as
      feelingly as did King Richard&mdash;
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">

          'Slave! I have set my life upon a <i>CAST</i>,
          And I will stand the <i>HAZARD OF THE DIE!</i>'

</pre>
    <p>
      Nor is gaming as yet extinct among us. Every now and then a batch of
      youngsters is brought before the magistrates charged with vulgar 'tossing'
      in the streets; and every now and then we hear of some victim of genteel
      gambling, as recently&mdash;in the month of February, 1868&mdash;when 'a
      young member of the aristocracy lost L10,000 at Whist.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Nay, at the commencement of the present year there appeared in a daily
      paper the following startling announcement to the editor:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Sir,&mdash;Allow me, through the columns of your paper, to call the
      attention of the parents and friends of the young officers in the
      Channel-fleet to the great extent gambling is carried on at Lisbon. Since
      the fleet has been there another gambling house has been opened, and is
      filled every evening with young officers, many of whom are under 18 years
      of age. On the 1st of January it is computed that upwards of L800 was lost
      by officers of the fleet in the gambling houses, and if the fleet is to
      stay there three months there will soon be a great number of the officers
      involved in debt. I will relate one incident that came under my personal
      notice. A young midshipman, who had lately joined the Channel fleet from
      the Bristol, drew a half-year's pay in December, besides his quarterly
      allowance, and I met him on shore the next evening without money enough to
      pay a boat to go off to his ship, having lost all at a gambling house.
    </p>
    <p>
      Hoping that this may be of some use in stopping the gambling among the
      younger officers, I remain, yours respectfully, AN OFFICER.'(1)
    </p>
    <p>
      (1) Standard, Jan. 12, 1870.
    </p>
    <p>
      In conclusion, I have contemplated the passion of gaming in all its
      bearings, as will be evident from the range of subjects indicated by the
      table of contents and index. I have ransacked (and sacked) hundreds of
      volumes for entertaining, amusing, curious, or instructive matter.
    </p>
    <p>
      Without deprecating criticism on my labours, perhaps I may state that
      these researches have probably terminated my career as an author.
      Immediately after the completion of this work I was afflicted with a
      degree of blindness rendering it impossible for me to read any print
      whatever, and compelling me to write only by dictation.
    </p>
    <p>
      ANDREW STEINMETZ. <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <h2>
      Contents
    </h2>
    <p>
      <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE. </a><br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0002">
      <b>THE GAMING TABLE.</b> </a><br />
    </p>
    <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto">
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          THE UNIVERSAL PASSION OF GAMING; OR, GAMING ALL THE WORLD OVER
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING AMONG THE ANCIENT HINDOOS.&mdash;A HINDOO LEGEND AND ITS
          MODERN
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING AMONG THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS, PERSIANS, AND GREEKS
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMING AMONG THE ANCIENT ROMAN EMPERORS
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING IN FRANCE IN ALL TIMES
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF MODERN GAMING IN ENGLAND
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING IN BRIGHTON IN 1817
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING AT THE GERMAN BATHING-PLACES.&mdash;&mdash;
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING IN THE UNITED STATES
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          LADY GAMESTRESSES
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          GAMBLING POETS, SAVANTS, PHILOSOPHERS, WITS, AND STATESMEN
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          REMARKABLE GAMESTERS&mdash;&mdash;MONSIEUR CHEVALIER
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII. &nbsp;&nbsp;</a>
        </td>
        <td>
          THE LOTTERIES AND THEIR BEWILDERMENTS
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. </a>
        </td>
        <td>
          THE LAWS AGAINST GAMING IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES
        </td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>
        </td>
      </tr>
    </table>
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <h1>
      THE GAMING TABLE.
    </h1>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER I. THE UNIVERSAL PASSION OF GAMING; OR, GAMING ALL THE WORLD OVER.
    </h2>
    <p>
      A very apt allegory has been imagined as the origin of Gaming. It is said
      that the Goddess of Fortune, once sporting near the shady pool of Olympus,
      was met by the gay and captivating God of War, who soon allured her to his
      arms. They were united; but the matrimony was not holy, and the result of
      the union was a misfeatured child named Gaming. From the moment of her
      birth this wayward thing could only be pleased by cards, dice, or
      counters.
    </p>
    <p>
      She was not without fascinations, and many were her admirers. As she grew
      up she was courted by all the gay and extravagant of both sexes, for she
      was of neither sex, and yet combining the attractions of each. At length,
      however, being mostly beset by men of the sword, she formed an unnatural
      union with one of them, and gave birth to twins&mdash;one called DUELLING,
      and the other a grim and hideous monster named SUICIDE. These became their
      mother's darlings, nursed by her with constant care and tenderness, and
      her perpetual companions.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Goddess Fortune ever had an eye on her promising daughter&mdash;Gaming;
      and endowed her with splendid residences, in the most conspicuous streets,
      near the palaces of kings. They were magnificently designed and elegantly
      furnished. Lamps, always burning at the portals, were a sign and a
      perpetual invitation unto all to enter; and, like the gates of the
      Inferno, they were ever open to daily and nightly visitants; but, unlike
      the latter, they permitted <i>EXIT</i> to all who entered&mdash;some
      exulting with golden spoil,&mdash;others with their hands in empty
      pockets,&mdash;some led by her half-witted son Duelling,&mdash;others
      escorted by her malignant monster Suicide, and his mate, the demon
      Despair.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Religion, morals, virtue, all give way, And conscience dies, the
      prostitute of play. Eternity ne'er steals one thought between, Till
      suicide completes the fatal scene.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Such is the <i>ALLEGORY</i>;(2) and it may serve well enough to represent
      the thing in accordance with the usages of civilized or modern life; but
      Gaming is a <i>UNIVERSAL</i> thing&mdash;the characteristic of the human
      biped all the world over.
    </p>
    <p>
      (2) It appeared originally, I think, in the Harleian Miscellany. I have
      taken the liberty to re-touch it here and there, with the view to
      improvement.
    </p>
    <p>
      The determination of events by 'lot' was a practice frequently resorted to
      by the Israelites; as, by lot it was determined which of the goats should
      be offered by Aaron; by lot the land of Canaan was divided; by lot Saul
      was marked out for the Hebrew kingdom; by lot Jonah was discovered to be
      the cause of the storm. It was considered an appeal to Heaven to determine
      the points, and was thought not to depend on blind chance, or that
      imaginary being called Fortune, who,
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     '&mdash;&mdash;With malicious joy,
     Promotes, degrades, delights in strife,
     And makes a <i>LOTTERY</i> of life.'
</pre>
    <p>
      The Hindoo Code&mdash;a promulgation of very high antiquity&mdash;denounces
      gambling, which proves that there were desperate gamesters among the
      Hindoos in the earliest times. Men gamed, too, it would appear, after the
      example set them by the gods, who had gamesters among them. The priests of
      Egypt assured Herodotus that one of their kings visited alive the lower
      regions called infernal, and that he there joined a gaming party, at which
      he both lost and won.(3) Plutarch tells a pretty Egyptian story to the
      effect, that Mercury having fallen in love with Rhea, or the Earth, and
      wishing to do her a favour, gambled with the Moon, and won from her every
      seventieth part of the time she illumined the horizon&mdash;all which
      parts he united together, making up <i>FIVE DAYS</i>, and added them to
      the Earth's year, which had previously consisted of only 360 days.(4)
    </p>
    <p>
      (3) Herod. 1. ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      (4) Plutarch, <i>De Isid. et Osirid.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      But not only did the gods play among themselves on Olympus, but they
      gambled with mortals. According to Plutarch, the priest of the temple of
      Hercules amused himself with playing at dice with the god, the stake or
      conditions being that if he won he should obtain some signal favour, but
      if he lost he would procure a beautiful courtesan for Hercules.(5)
    </p>
    <p>
      (5) <i>In Vita Romuli</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the numerous nations of the East dice, and that pugnacious little bird
      the cock, have been and are the chief instruments employed to produce a
      sensation&mdash;to agitate their minds and to ruin their fortunes. The
      Chinese have in all times, we suppose, had cards&mdash;hence the absurdity
      of the notion that they were 'invented' for the amusement of Charles VI.
      of France, in his 'lucid intervals,' as is constantly asserted in every
      collection of historic facts. The Chinese invented cards, as they invented
      almost everything else that administers to our social and domestic
      comfort.(6)
    </p>
    <p>
      (6) Observations on Cards, by Mr Gough, in Archaeologia, vol. viii. 1787.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Asiatic gambler is desperate. When all other property is played away,
      he scruples not to stake his wife, his child, on the cast of a die or on
      the courage of the martial bird before mentioned. Nay more, if still
      unsuccessful, the last venture he makes is that of his limbs&mdash;his
      personal liberty&mdash;his life&mdash;which he hazards on the caprice of
      chance, and agrees to be at the mercy, or to become the slave, of his
      fortunate antagonist.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Malayan, however, does not always tamely submit to this last stroke of
      fortune. When reduced to a state of desperation by repeated ill-luck, he
      loosens a certain lock of hair on his head, which, when flowing down, is a
      sign of war and destruction. He swallows opium or some intoxicating
      liquor, till he works himself up into a fit of frenzy, and begins to bite
      and kill everything that comes in his way; whereupon, as the aforesaid
      lock of hair is seen flowing, it is lawful to fire at and destroy him as
      quickly as possible&mdash;he being considered no better than a mad dog. A
      very rational conclusion.
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course the Chinese are most eager gamesters, or they would not have
      been capable of inventing those dear, precious killers of time&mdash;cards,
      the EVENING solace of so many a household in the most respectable and
      'proper' walks of life. Indeed, they play night and day&mdash;until they
      have lost all they are worth, and then they usually go&mdash;and hang
      themselves.
    </p>
    <p>
      If we turn our course northward, and penetrate the regions of ice
      perpetual, we find that the driven snow cannot effectually quench the
      flames of gambling. They glow amid the regions of the frozen pole. The
      Greenlanders gamble with a board, which has a finger-piece upon it,
      turning round on an axle; and the person to whom the finger points on the
      stopping of the board, which is whirled round, 'sweeps' all the 'stakes'
      that have been deposited.
    </p>
    <p>
      If we descend thence into the Western hemisphere, we find that the passion
      for gambling forms a distinguishing feature in the character of all the
      rude natives of the American continent. Just as in the East, these savages
      will lose their aims (on which subsistence depends), their apparel, and at
      length their personal liberty, on games of chance. There is one thing,
      however, which must be recorded to their credit&mdash;and to our shame.
      When they have lost their 'all,' they do not follow the example of our
      refined gamesters. They neither murmur nor repine. Not a fretful word
      escapes them. They bear the frowns of fortune with a philosophic
      composure.(7)
    </p>
    <p>
      (7) Carver, <i>Travels</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      If we cross the Atlantic and land on the African shore, we find that the
      'everlasting Negro' is a gambler&mdash;using shells as dice&mdash;and
      following the practice of his 'betters' in every way. He stakes not only
      his 'fortune,' but also his children and liberty, which he cares very
      little about, everywhere, until we incite him to do so&mdash;as, of
      course, we ought to do, for every motive 'human and divine.'
    </p>
    <p>
      There is no doubt, then, that this propensity is part and parcel of 'the
      unsophisticated savage.' Let us turn to the eminently civilized races of
      antiquity&mdash;the men whose example we have more or less followed in
      every possible matter, sociality, politics, religion&mdash;they were all
      gamblers, more or less. Take the grand prototypes of Britons, the Romans
      of old. That gamesters they were! And how gambling recruited the ranks of
      the desperadoes who gave them insurrectionary trouble! Catiline's 'army of
      scoundrels,' for instance. 'Every man dishonoured by dissipation,' says
      Sallust, 'who by his follies or losses at the gaming table had consumed
      the inheritance of his fathers, and all those who were sufferers by such
      misery, were the friends of this perverse man.' Horace, Juvenal, Persius,
      Cicero, and other writers, attest the fact of Roman gambling most
      eloquently, most indignantly.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Romans had 'lotteries,' or games of chance, and some of their prizes
      were of great value, as a good estate and slaves, or rich vases; others of
      little value, as vases of common earth, but of this more in the sequel.
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the Gothic kings who, in the fulness of time and accomplishments,
      'succeeded' to that empire, we read of a Theodoric, 'a wise and valiant
      prince,' who was 'great lover of dice;' his solicitude in play was only
      for victory; and his companions knew how to seize the moment of his
      success, as consummate courtiers, to put forward their petitions and to
      make their requests. 'When I have a petition to prefer,' says one of them,
      'I am easily beaten in the game that I may win my cause.'(8) What a clever
      contrivance! But scarcely equal to that of the <i>GREAT</i> (in
      politeness) Lord Chesterfield, who, to gain a vote for a parliamentary
      friend, actually submitted to be <i>BLED!</i> It appears that the voter
      was deemed very difficult, but Chesterfield found out that the man was a
      doctor, who was a perfect Sangrado, recommending bleeding for every
      ailment. He went to him, as in consultation, agreed with the man's
      arguments, and at once bared his arm for the operation. On the point of
      departure his lordship 'edged' in the question about the vote for his
      friend, which was, of course, gushingly promised and given.
    </p>
    <p>
      (8) Sed ego aliquid obsecraturus facile vincor; et mihi tabula perit ut
      causa salvetur.&mdash;Sidonius Apollinaris, <i>Epist</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Although there may not be much Gothic blood among us, it is quite certain
      that there is plenty of German mixture in our nation&mdash;taking the term
      in its very wide and comprehensive ethnology. Now, Tacitus describes the
      ancient stout and valiant Germans as 'making gaming with a die a very
      serious occupation of their sober hours.' Like the 'everlasting Negro,'
      they, too, made their last throw for personal liberty, the loser going
      into voluntary slavery, and the winner selling such slaves as soon as
      possible to strangers, in order not to have to blush for such a victory!
      If the 'nigger' could blush, he might certainly do so for the white man in
      such a conjuncture.
    </p>
    <p>
      At Naples and other places in Italy, at least in former times, the boatmen
      used thus to stake their liberty for a certain number of years. According
      to Hyde,(9) the Indians stake their fingers and cut them off themselves to
      pay the debt of honour. Englishmen have cut off their ears, both as a
      'security' for a gambling loan, and as a stake; others have staked their
      lives by hanging, in like manner! Instances will be given in the sequel.
    </p>
    <p>
      (9) De Ludis Orient.
    </p>
    <p>
      But leaving these savages and the semi-savages of the very olden time, let
      us turn to those nearer to our times, with just as much religious truth
      and principle among them as among ourselves.
    </p>
    <p>
      The warmth with which 'dice-playing' is condemned in the writings of the
      <i>Fathers</i>, the venerable expounders of Christianity, as well as by
      'edicts' and 'canons' of the Church, is unquestionably a sufficient proof
      of its general and excessive prevalence throughout the nations of Europe.
      When cards were introduced, in the fourteenth century, they only added
      fuel to the infernal flame of gambling; and it soon became as necessary to
      restrain their use as it had been that of dice. The two held a joint
      empire of ruin and desolation over their devoted victims. A king of France
      set the ruinous example&mdash;Henry IV., the roue, the libertine, the
      duellist, the gambler,&mdash;and yet (historically) the <i>Bon Henri</i>,
      the 'good king,' who wished to order things so that every Frenchman might
      have a <i>pot-au-feu</i>, or dish of flesh savoury, every Sunday for
      dinner. The money that Henry IV. lost at play would have covered great
      public expenses.
    </p>
    <p>
      There can be no doubt that the spirit of gaming went on acquiring new
      strength and development throughout every subsequent reign in France; and
      we shall see that under the Empire the thing was a great national
      institution, and made to put a great deal of money as 'revenue' into the
      hands of Fouche.
    </p>
    <p>
      But the Spaniards have always been, of all nations, the most addicted to
      gambling. A traveller says:&mdash;'I have wandered through all parts of
      Spain, and though in many places I have scarcely been able to procure a
      glass of wine, or a bit of bread, or any of the first conveniences of
      life, yet I never went through a village so mean and out of the way, in
      which I could not have purchased a pack of cards.' This was in the middle
      of the seventeenth century, but I have no doubt it is true at the present
      moment.
    </p>
    <p>
      If we can believe Voltaire, the Spaniards were formerly very generous in
      their gaming. 'The grandees of Spain,' he says, 'had a generous
      ostentation; this was to divide the money won at play among all the
      bystanders, of whatever condition.
    </p>
    <p>
      Montrefor relates that when the Duke of Lerma, the Spanish minister,
      entertained Gaston, brother of Louis XIII., with all his retinue in the
      Netherlands, he displayed a magnificence of an extraordinary kind. The
      prime minister, with whom Gaston spent several days, used to put two
      thousand louis d'ors on a large gaming-table after dinner. With this money
      Gaston's attendants and even the prince himself sat down to play. It is
      probable, however, that Voltaire extended a single instance or two into a
      general habit or custom. That writer always preferred to deal with the
      splendid and the marvellous rather than with plain matter of fact.
    </p>
    <p>
      There can be little doubt that the Spaniards pursued gaming in the vulgar
      fashion, just as other people. At any rate the following anecdote gives us
      no very favourable idea of Spanish generosity to strangers in the matter
      of gambling in modern times; and the worst of it is the suitableness of
      its application to more capitals than one among the kingdoms of Europe.
      'After the bull-feast I was invited to pass the evening at the hotel of a
      lady, who had a public card-assembly.... This vile method of subsisting on
      the folly of mankind is confined in Spain to the nobility. None but women
      of quality are permitted to hold banks, and there are many whose
      faro-banks bring them in a clear income of a thousand guineas a year. The
      lady to whom I was introduced is an old countess, who has lived nearly
      thirty years on the profits of the card-tables in her house. They are
      frequented every day, and though both natives and foreigners are duped of
      large sums by her, and her cabinet-junto, yet it is the greatest house of
      resort in all Madrid. She goes to court, visits people of the first
      fashion, and is received with as much respect and veneration as if she
      exercised the most sacred functions of a divine profession. Many widows of
      great men keep gaming-houses and live splendidly on the vices of mankind.
      If you be not disposed to play, be either a sharper or a dupe, you cannot
      be admitted a second time to their assemblies. I was no sooner presented
      to the lady than she offered me cards; and on my excusing myself, because
      I really could not play, she made a very wry face, turned from me, and
      said to another lady in my hearing, that she wondered how any foreigner
      could have the impertinence to come to her house for no other purpose than
      to make an apology for not playing. My Spanish conductor, unfortunately
      for himself, had not the same apology. He played and lost his money&mdash;two
      circumstances which constantly follow in these houses. While my friend was
      thus playing <i>THE FOOL</i>, I attentively watched the countenance and
      motions of the lady of the house. Her anxiety, address, and assiduity were
      equal to that of some skilful shopkeeper, who has a certain attraction to
      engage all to buy, and diligence to take care that none shall escape the
      net. I found out all her privy-counsellors, by her arrangement of her
      parties at the different tables; and whenever she showed an extraordinary
      eagerness to fix one particular person with a stranger, the game was
      always decided the same way, and her good friend was sure to win the
      money.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In short, it is hardly possible to see good company at Madrid unless you
      resolve to leave a purse of gold at the card-assemblies of their
      nobility.'(10)
    </p>
    <p>
      (10) 'Observations in a Tour through Spain.'
    </p>
    <p>
      We are assured that this state of things is by no means 'obsolete' in
      Spain, even at the present time. At the time in question, however, the
      beginning of the present century, there was no European nation among which
      gaming did not constitute one of its polite and fashionable amusements&mdash;with
      the exception of the <i>Turks</i>, who, to the shame of Christians,
      strictly obeyed the precepts of Mahomet, and scrupulously avoided the
      'gambling itch' of our nature.
    </p>
    <p>
      In England gambling prevailed during the reign of Henry VIII.; indeed, it
      seems that the king was himself a gamester of the most unscrupulous sort;
      and there is ample evidence that the practice flourished during the reign
      of Elizabeth, James I., and subsequently, especially in the times of
      Charles II. Writing on the day when James II. was proclaimed king, Evelyn
      says, 'I can never forget the inexpressible luxury and profaneness, gaming
      and all dissoluteness, and as it were total forgetfulness of God (it being
      Sunday evening) which this day se'nnight I was witness of, the king
      sitting and toying with his concubines, Portsmouth, Cleaveland, and
      Mazarine, &amp;c., a French boy singing love-songs, in that glorious
      gallery, whilst about twenty of the great courtiers and other dissolute
      persons were at Basset round a large table; a bank of at least L2000 in
      gold before them, upon which two gentlemen who were with me made
      reflections with astonishment. Six days after all was in the dust!'
    </p>
    <p>
      The following curious observations on the gaming in vogue during the year
      1668 are from the Harleian Miscellany:
    </p>
    <p>
      'One propounded this question, "Whether men in ships at sea were to be
      accounted amongst the living or the dead&mdash;because there were but few
      inches betwixt them and drowning?" The same query may be made of
      gamesters, though their estates be never so considerable&mdash;whether
      they are to be esteemed rich or poor, since there are but a few casts at
      dice betwixt a person of fortune (in that circumstance) and a beggar.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Betwixt twelve and one of the clock a good dinner is prepared by way of
      ordinary, and some gentlemen of civility and condition oftentimes eat
      there, and play a while for recreation after dinner, both moderately and
      most commonly without deserving reproof. Towards night, when ravenous
      beasts usually seek their prey, there come in shoals of hectors,
      trepanners, gilts, pads, biters, prigs, divers, lifters, kidnappers,
      vouchers, mill kens, piemen, decoys, shop-lifters, foilers, bulkers,
      droppers, gamblers, donnakers, crossbiters, &amp;c., under the general
      appellation of "rooks;" and in this particular it serves as a nursery for
      Tyburn, for every year some of this gang march thither.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Would you imagine it to be true&mdash;that a grave gentleman, well
      stricken in years, insomuch as he cannot see the pips of the dice, is so
      infatuated with this witchery as to play here with others' eyes,&mdash;of
      whom this quibble was raised, "Mr Such a one plays at dice by the ear."
      Another gentleman, stark blind, I have seen play at Hazard, and surely
      that must be by the ear too.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Late at night, when the company grows thin, and your eyes dim with
      watching, false dice are often put upon the ignorant, or they are
      otherwise cozened, with topping or slurring, &amp;;c.; and, if you be not
      vigilant, the box-keeper shall score you up double or treble boxes, and,
      though you have lost your money, dun you as severely for it as if it were
      the justest debt in the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There are yet some genteeler and more subtle rooks, whom you shall not
      distinguish by their outward demeanour from persons of condition; and who
      will sit by a whole evening, and observe who wins; and then, if the winner
      be "bubbleable," they will insinuate themselves into his acquaintance, and
      civilly invite him to drink a glass of wine,&mdash;wheedle him into play,
      and win all his money, either by false dice, as high fulhams,(11) low
      fulhams, or by palming, topping, &amp;c. Note by the way, that when they
      have you at the tavern and think you a sure "bubble," they will many times
      purposely lose some small sum to you the first time, to engage you more
      freely to <i>BLEED</i> (as they call it) at the second meeting, to which
      they will be sure to invite you.
    </p>
    <p>
      (11) It appears that false dice were originally made at <i>Fulham;</i>
      hence so called, high and low fulhams; the high ones were the numbers 4,
      5, 6.
    </p>
    <p>
      'A gentleman whom ill-fortune had hurried into passion, took a box and
      dice to a side-table, and then fell to throwing by himself; at length he
      swears with an emphasis, "D&mdash;e, now I throw for nothin;, I can win a
      thousand pounds; but when I lay for money I lose my all."
    </p>
    <p>
      'If the house find you free to box, and a constant caster, you shall be
      treated below with suppers at night, and caudle in the morning, and have
      the honour to be styled, "a lover of the house," whilst your money lasts,
      which certainly will not be long.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Most gamesters begin at small games, and by degrees, if their money or
      estates hold out, they rise to great sums; some have played first all
      their money, then their rings, coach and horses, even their wearing
      clothes and <i>perukes;</i> and then, such a farm; and at last, perhaps a
      lordship.
    </p>
    <p>
      'You may read in our histories, how Sir Miles Partridge played at dice
      with King Henry the Eighth, for Jesus Bells (so called), which were the
      greatest in England, and hung in a tower of St Paul's church, and won
      them; whereby he brought them to ring in his pocket; but the ropes
      afterwards catched about his neck; for, in Edward the Sixth's days, he was
      hanged for some criminal offences.(12)
    </p>
    <p>
      (12) The clochier in Paul's Churchyard&mdash;a bell-house, four square,
      builded of stone, with four bells; these were called <i>Jesus</i> Bells.
      The same had a great spire of timber, covered with lead, with the image of
      St Paul on the top, but was pulled down by Sir Miles Partridge, Kt, in the
      reign of Henry VIII. The common speech then was that he did set L100 upon
      a cast at dice against it, and so won the said clochier and bells of the
      king. And then causing the bells to be broken as they hung, the rest was
      pulled down, and broken also. This man was afterwards executed on Tower
      Hill, for matters concerning the Duke of Somerset, in the year 1551, the
      5th of Edward VI.&mdash;Stowe, B. iii. 148.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Sir Arthur Smithhouse is yet fresh in memory. He had a fair estate, which
      in a few years he so lost at play, that he died in great want and penury.
      Since that Mr Ba&mdash;, who was a clerk in the Six-Clerks Office, and
      well cliented, fell to play, and won by extraordinary fortune two thousand
      pieces in ready gold; was not content with that, played on, lost all he
      had won, and almost all his own estate; sold his place in the office, and
      at last marched off to a foreign plantation, to begin a new world with the
      sweat of his brow; for that is commonly the destiny of a decayed gamester&mdash;either
      to go to some foreign plantation, or to be preferred to the dignity of a
      <i>box-keeper</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is not denied but most gamesters have, at one time or other, a
      considerable run of winning, but such is the infatuation of play, I could
      never hear of a man that gave over a winner&mdash;I mean, to give over so
      as never to play again. I am sure it is <i>rara avis</i>, for if you once
      "break bulk," as they phrase it, you are in again for all. Sir Humphry
      Foster had lost the greatest part of his estate, and then playing, as it
      is said, <i>FOR A DEAD HORSE</i>, did, by happy fortune, recover it again;
      then gave over, and wisely too.'(13)
    </p>
    <p>
      (13) Harleian Misc. ii. 108.
    </p>
    <p>
      The sequel will show the increase of gambling in our country during the
      subsequent reigns, up to a recent period.
    </p>
    <p>
      Thus, then, the passion of gaming is, and has ever been, universal. It is
      said that two Frenchmen could not exist even in a desert without <i>QUARRELLING;</i>
      and it is quite certain that no two human beings can be anywhere without
      ere long offering to 'bet' upon something. Indolence and want of
      employment&mdash;'vacuity,' as Dr Johnson would call it&mdash;is the cause
      of the passion. It arises from a want of habitual employment in some
      material and regular line of conduct. Your very innocent card-parties at
      home&mdash;merely to kill <i>TIME</i> (what a murder!) explains all the
      apparent mystery! Something must be substituted to call forth the natural
      activity of the mind; and this is in no way more effectually accomplished,
      in all indolent pursuits, than by those <i>EMOTIONS AND AGITATIONS</i>
      which gambling produces.
    </p>
    <p>
      Such is the source of the thing in our <i>NATURE;</i> but then comes the
      furious hankering after wealth&mdash;the desire to have it without <i>WORKING</i>
      for it&mdash;which is the wish of so many of us; and <i>THIS</i> is the
      source of that hideous gambling which has produced the contemptible
      characters and criminal acts which are the burthen of this volume.
    </p>
    <p>
      We love play because it satisfies our avarice,&mdash;that is to say, our
      desire of having more; it flatters our vanity by the idea of preference
      that fortune gives us, and of the attention that others pay to our
      success; it satisfies our curiosity, giving us a spectacle; in short, it
      gives us the different pleasures of surprise.
    </p>
    <p>
      Certain it is that the passion for gambling easily gets deeply rooted, and
      that it cannot be easily eradicated. The most exquisite melody, if
      compared with the music of dice, is then but discord; and the finest
      prospect in nature only a miserable blank when put in competition with the
      attractions of the 'honours' at a rubber of Whist.
    </p>
    <p>
      Wealth is the general centre of inclination. Whatever is the ultimate
      design, the immediate care is to be rich. No desire can be formed which
      riches do not assist to gratify. They may be considered as the elementary
      principles of pleasure, which may be combined with endless diversity.
      There are nearer ways to profit than up the steeps of labour. The prospect
      of gaining speedily what is ardently desired, has so far prevailed upon
      the passions of mankind, that the peace of life is destroyed by a general
      and incessant struggle for riches. It is observed of gold by an old
      epigrammatist, that to have is to be in fear; and to want it is to be in
      sorrow. There is no condition which is not disquieted either with the care
      of gaining or keeping money.
    </p>
    <p>
      No nation has exceeded ours in the pursuit of gaming. In former times&mdash;and
      yet not more than 30 or 40 years ago&mdash;the passion for play was
      predominant among the highest classes.
    </p>
    <p>
      Genius and abilities of the highest order became its votaries; and the
      very framers of the laws against gambling were the first to fall under the
      temptation of their breach! The spirit of gambling pervaded every inferior
      order of society. The gentleman was a slave to its indulgence; the
      merchant and the mechanic were the dupes of its imaginary prospects; it
      engrossed the citizen and occupied the rustic. Town and country became a
      prey to its despotism. There was scarcely an obscure village to be found
      wherein this bewitching basilisk did not exercise its powers of
      fascination and destruction.
    </p>
    <p>
      Gaming in England became rather a science than an amusement of social
      intercourse. The 'doctrine of chances' was studied with an assiduity that
      would have done honour to better subjects; and calculations were made on
      arithmetical and geometrical principles, to determine the degrees of
      probability attendant on games of mixed skill and chance, or even on the
      fortuitous throws of dice. Of course, in spite of all calculations, there
      were miserable failures&mdash;frightful losses. The polite gamester, like
      the savage, did not scruple to hazard the dearest interests of his family,
      or to bring his wife and children to poverty, misery, and ruin. He could
      not give these over in liquidation of a gambling debt; indeed, nobody
      would, probably, have them at a gift; and yet there were instances in
      which the honour of a wife was the stake of the infernal game!.... Well
      might the Emperor Justinian exclaim,&mdash;'Can we call <i>PLAY</i> that
      which causes crime?'(14)
    </p>
    <p>
      (14) Quis enim ludos appellet eos, ex quibus crimina oriuntur?&mdash;<i>De
      Concept. Digest</i>. II. lib. iv. Sec. 9.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
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    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER II. GAMBLING AMONG THE ANCIENT HINDOOS.&mdash;A HINDOO LEGEND AND
      ITS MODERN
    </h2>
    <p>
      PARALLEL.
    </p>
    <p>
      The recent great contribution to the history of India, published by Mr
      Wheeler,(15) gives a complete insight into this interesting topic; and
      this passage of the ancient Sanskrit epic forms one of the most wonderful
      and thrilling scenes in that most acceptable publication.
    </p>
    <p>
      (15) The History of India from the Earliest Ages. By J. Talboys Wheeler.
      Vol. I.&mdash;The Vedic Period and the Maha Bharata.
    </p>
    <p>
      As Mr Wheeler observes, the specialties of Hindoo gambling are worthy of
      some attention. The passion for play, which has ever been the vice of
      warriors in times of peace, becomes a madness amidst the lassitude of a
      tropical climate; and more than one Hindoo legend has been preserved of
      Rajas playing together for days, until the wretched loser has been
      deprived of everything he possessed and reduced to the condition of an
      exile or a slave.
    </p>
    <p>
      But gambling amongst the Hindoos does not appear to have been altogether
      dependent upon chance. The ancient Hindoo dice, known by the name of
      coupun, are almost precisely similar to the modern dice, being thrown out
      of a box; but the practice of loading is plainly alluded to, and some
      skill seems to have been occasionally exercised in the rattling of the
      dice-box. In the more modern game, known by the name of pasha, the dice
      are not cubic, but oblong; and they are thrown from the hand either direct
      upon the ground, or against a post or board, which will break the fall,
      and render the result more a matter of chance.
    </p>
    <p>
      The great gambling match of the Hindoo epic was the result of a conspiracy
      to ruin Yudhishthira, a successful warrior, the representative of a mighty
      family&mdash;the Pandavas, who were incessantly pursued by the envy of the
      Kauravas, their rivals. The fortunes of the Pandavas were at the height of
      human prosperity; and at this point the universal conception of an
      avenging Nemesis that humbles the proud and casts down the mighty, finds
      full expression in the Hindoo epic. The grandeur of the Pandavas excited
      the jealousy of Duryodhana, and revived the old feud between the Kauravas
      and the former. Duryodhana plotted with his brother Duhsasana and his
      uncle Sakuni, how they might dispossess the Pandavas of their
      newly-acquired territory; and at length they determined to invite their
      kinsmen to a gambling match, and seek by underhand means to deprive
      Yudhishthira of his Raj, or kingdom.(16)
    </p>
    <p>
      (16) The old Sanskrit words <i>Raj</i>, 'kingdom,' and Raja, 'king,' are
      evidently the origin of the Latin <i>reg-num, reg-o, rex, regula</i>,
      'rule,' &amp;c, reproduced in the words of that ancient language, and
      continued in the derivative vernaculars of modern names&mdash;<i>re, rey,
      roy, roi, regal, royal, rule</i>, &amp;c. &amp;c.
    </p>
    <p>
      It appears from the poem that Yudhishthira was invited to a game at
      coupun; and the legend of the great gambling match, which took place at
      Hastinapur, is related as follows:
    </p>
    <p>
      'And it came to pass that Duryodhana was very jealous of the <i>Rajasuya</i>
      or triumph that his cousin Yudhishthira had performed, and he desired in
      his heart to destroy the Pandavas, and gain possession of their Raj. Now
      Sakuni was the brother of Gandhari, who was the mother of the Kauravas;
      and he was very skilful in throwing dice, and in playing with dice that
      were loaded; insomuch that whenever he played he always won the game. So
      Duryodhana plotted with his uncle, that Yudhishthira should be invited to
      a match at gambling, and that Sakuni should challenge him to a game, and
      win all his wealth and lands.
    </p>
    <p>
      'After this the wicked Duryodhana proposed to his father the Maharaja,
      that they should have a great gambling match at Hastinapur, and that
      Yudhishthira and his brethren should be invited to the festival. And the
      Maharaja was glad in his heart that his sons should be friendly with the
      sons of his deceased brother, Pandu; and he sent his younger brother,
      Vidura, to the city of Indra-prastha to invite the Pandavas to the game.
      And Vidura went his way to the city of the Pandavas, and was received by
      them with every sign of attention and respect. And Yudhishthira inquired
      whether his kinsfolk and friends at Hastinapur were all well in health,
      and Vidura replied, "They are all well." Then Vidura said to the Pandavas:&mdash;"Your
      uncle, the Maharaja, is about to give a great feast, and he has sent me to
      invite you and your mother, and your joint wife, to come to his city, and
      there will be a great match at dice-playing." When Yudhishthira heard
      these words he was troubled in mind, for he knew that gaming was a
      frequent cause of strife, and that he was in no way skilful in throwing
      the dice; and he likewise knew that Sakuni was dwelling at Hastinapur, and
      that he was a famous gambler. But Yudhishthira remembered that the
      invitation of the Maharaja was equal to the command of a father, and that
      no true Kshatriya could refuse a challenge either to war or play. So
      Yudhishthira accepted the invitation, and gave commandment that on the
      appointed day his brethren, and their mother, and their joint wife should
      accompany him to the city of Hastinapur.
    </p>
    <p>
      'When the day arrived for the departure of the Pandavas they took their
      mother Kunti, and their joint wife Draupadi, and journeyed from
      Indra-prastha to the city of Hastinapur. And when they entered the city
      they first paid a visit of respect to the Maharaja, and they found him
      sitting amongst his Chieftains; and the ancient Bhishma, and the preceptor
      Drona, and Karna, who was the friend of Duryodhana, and many others, were
      sitting there also.
    </p>
    <p>
      'And when the Pandavas had done reverence to the Maharaja, and
      respectfully saluted all present, they paid a visit to their aunt
      Gandhari, and did her reverence likewise.
    </p>
    <p>
      'And after they had done this, their mother and joint wife entered the
      presence of Gandhari, and respectfully saluted her; and the wives of the
      Kauravas came in and were made known to Kunti and Draupadi. And the wives
      of the Kauravas were much surprised when they beheld the beauty and fine
      raiment of Draupadi; and they were very jealous of their kinswoman. And
      when all their visits had been paid, the Pandavas retired with their wife
      and mother to the quarters which had been prepared for them, and when it
      was evening they received the visits of all their friends who were
      dwelling at Hastinapur.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Now, on the morrow the gambling match was to be played; so when the
      morning had come, the Pandavas bathed and dressed, and left Draupadi in
      the lodging which had been prepared for her, and went their way to the
      palace. And the Pandavas again paid their respects to their uncle the
      Maharaja, and were then conducted to the pavilion where the play was to
      be; and Duryodhana went with them, together with all his brethren, and all
      the chieftains of the royal house. And when the assembly had all taken
      their seats, Sakuni said to Yudhishthira:&mdash;"The ground here has all
      been prepared, and the dice are all ready: Come now, I pray you, and play
      a game." But Yudhishthira was disinclined, and replied:&mdash;"I will not
      play excepting upon fair terms; but if you will pledge yourself to throw
      without artifice or deceit, I will accept your challenge." Sakuni said,&mdash;"If
      you are so fearful of losing, you had better not play at all." At these
      words Yudhishthira was wroth, and replied:&mdash;"I have no fear either in
      play or war; but let me know with whom I am to play, and who is to pay me
      if I win." So Duryodhana came forward and said:&mdash;"I am the man with
      whom you are to play, and I shall lay any stakes against your stakes; but
      my uncle Sakuni will throw the dice for me." Then Yudhishthira said,&mdash;"What
      manner of game is this, where one man throws and another lays the stakes?"
      Nevertheless he accepted the challenge, and he and Sakuni began to play.
    </p>
    <p>
      'At this point in the narrative it may be desirable to pause, and
      endeavour to obtain a picture of the scene. The so-called pavilion was
      probably a temporary booth constructed of bamboos and interlaced with
      basket-work; and very likely it was decorated with flowers and leaves
      after the Hindoo fashion, and hung with fruits, such as cocoa-nuts,
      mangoes, plantains, and maize. The Chieftains present seem to have sat
      upon the ground, and watched the game. The stakes may have been pieces of
      gold or silver, or cattle, or lands; although, according to the legendary
      account which follows, they included articles of a far more extravagant
      and imaginative character. With these passing remarks, the tradition of
      the memorable game may be resumed as follows:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'So Yudhishthira and Sakuni sat down to play, and whatever Yudhishthira
      laid as stakes, Duryodhana laid something of equal value; but Yudhishthira
      lost every game. He first lost a very beautiful pearl; next a thousand
      bags, each containing a thousand pieces of gold; next a piece of gold so
      pure that it was as soft as wax; next a chariot set with jewels and hung
      all round with golden bells; next a thousand war elephants with golden
      howdahs set with diamonds; next a lakh of slaves all dressed in good
      garments; next a lakh of beautiful slave girls, adorned from head to foot
      with golden ornaments; next all the remainder of his goods; next all his
      cattle; and then the whole of his Raj, excepting only the lands which had
      been granted to the Brahmans.(17)
    </p>
    <p>
      (17)'A lakh is a hundred thousand, and a crore is a hundred lakhs, or ten
      millions. The Hindoo term might therefore have been converted into English
      numerals, only that it does not seem certain that the bards meant
      precisely a hundred thousand slaves, but only a very large number. The
      exceptional clause in favour of the Brahmans is very significant. When the
      little settlement at Indra-prastha had been swelled by the imagination of
      the later bards into an extensive Raj, the thought may have entered the
      minds of the Brahmanical compilers that in losing the Raj, the Brahmans
      might have lost those free lands, known as inams or jagheers, which are
      frequently granted by pious Rajas for the subsistence of Brahmans. Hence
      the insertion of the clause.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Now when Yudhishthira had lost his Raj, the Chieftains present in the
      pavilion were of opinion that he should cease to play, but he would not
      listen to their words, but persisted in the game. And he staked all the
      jewels belonging to his brothers, and he lost them; and he staked his two
      younger brothers, one after the other, and he lost them; and he then
      staked Arjuna, and Bhima, and finally himself; and he lost every game.
      Then Sakuni said to him:&mdash;"You have done a bad act, Yudhishthira, in
      gaming away yourself and becoming a slave. But now, stake your wife,
      Draupadi, and if you win the game you will again be free." And
      Yudhishthira answered and said:&mdash;"I will stake Draupadi!" And all
      assembled were greatly troubled and thought evil of Yudhishthira; and his
      uncle Vidura put his hand to his head and fainted away, whilst Bhishma and
      Drona turned deadly pale, and many of the company were very sorrowful; but
      Duryodhana and his brother Duhsasana, and some others of the Kauravas,
      were glad in their hearts, and plainly manifested their joy. Then Sakuni
      threw the dice, and won Draupadi for Duryodhana.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then all in that assembly were in great consternation, and the Chieftains
      gazed upon one another without speaking a word. And Duryodhana said to his
      uncle Vidura:&mdash;"Go now and bring Draupadi hither, and bid her sweep
      the rooms." But Vidura cried out against him with a loud voice, and said:&mdash;"What
      wickedness is this? Will you order a woman who is of noble birth, and the
      wife of your own kinsman, to become a household slave? How can you vex
      your brethren thus? But Draupadi has not become your slave; for
      Yudhishthira lost himself before he staked his wife, and having first
      become a slave, he could no longer have power to stake Draupadi." Vidura
      then turned to the assembly and said:&mdash;"Take no heed to the words of
      Duryodhana, for he has lost his senses this day." Duryodhana then said:&mdash;"A
      curse be upon this Vidura, who will do nothing that I desire him."
    </p>
    <p>
      'After this Duryodhana called one of his servants, and desired him to go
      to the lodgings of the Pandavas, and bring Draupadi into the pavilion. And
      the man departed out, and went to the lodgings of the Pandavas, and
      entered the presence of Draupadi, and said to her:&mdash;"Raja
      Yudhishthira has played you away, and you have become the slave of Raja
      Duryodhana: So come now and do your duty like his other slave girls." And
      Draupadi was astonished at these words, and exceedingly wroth, and she
      replied:&mdash;"Whose slave was I that I could be gambled away? And who is
      such a senseless fool as to gamble away his own wife?" The servant said:&mdash;"Raja
      Yudhishthira has lost himself, and his four brothers, and you also, to
      Raja Duryodhana, and you cannot make any objection: Arise, therefore, and
      go to the house of the Raja!"
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then Draupadi cried out:&mdash;"Go you now and inquire whether Raja
      Yudhishthira lost me first or himself first; for if he played away himself
      first, he could not stake me." So the man returned to the assembly, and
      put the question to Yudhishthira; but Yudhishthira hung down his head with
      shame, and answered not a word.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then Duryodhana was filled with wrath, and he cried out to his servant:&mdash;"What
      waste of words is this? Go you and bring Draupadi hither, that if she has
      aught to say, she may say it in the presence of us all." And the man
      essayed to go, but he beheld the wrathful countenance of Bhima and he was
      sore afraid, and he refused to go, and remained where he was. Then
      Duryodhana sent his brother Duhsasana; and Duhsasana went his way to the
      lodgings of Draupadi and said:&mdash;"Raja Yudhishthira has lost you in
      play to Raja Duryodhana, and he has sent for you: So arise now, and wait
      upon him according to his commands; and if you have anything to say, you
      can say it in the presence of the assembly." Draupadi replied:&mdash;"The
      death of the Kauravas is not far distant, since they can do such deeds as
      these." And she rose up in great trepidation and set out, but when she
      came near to the palace of the Maharaja, she turned aside from the
      pavilion where the Chieftains were assembled, and ran away with all speed
      towards the apartments of the women. And Duhsasana hastened after her, and
      seized her by her hair, which was very dark and long, and dragged her by
      main force into the pavilion before all the Chieftains.
    </p>
    <p>
      'And she cried out:&mdash;"Take your hands from off me!" But Duhsasana
      heeded not her words, and said:&mdash;"You are now a slave girl, and slave
      girls cannot complain of being touched by the hands of men."
    </p>
    <p>
      'When the Chieftains thus beheld Draupadi, they hung down their heads from
      shame; and Draupadi called upon the elders amongst them, such as Bhishma
      and Drona, to acquaint her whether or no Raja Yudhishthira had gamed away
      himself before he had staked her; but they likewise held down their heads
      and answered not a word.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then she cast her eye upon the Pandavas, and her glance was like the
      stabbing of a thousand daggers, but they moved not hand or foot to help
      her; for when Bhima would have stepped forward to deliver her from the
      hands of Duhsasana, Yudhishthira commanded him to forbear, and both he and
      the younger Pandavas were obliged to obey the command of their elder
      brother.
    </p>
    <p>
      'And when Duhsasana saw that Draupadi looked towards the Pandavas, he took
      her by the hand, and drew her another way, saying:&mdash;"Why, O slave,
      are you turning your eyes about you?" And when Karna and Sakuni heard
      Duhsasana calling her a slave, they cried out:&mdash;"Well said! well
      said!"
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then Draupadi wept very bitterly, and appealed to all the assembly,
      saying:&mdash;"All of you have wives and children of your own, and will
      you permit me to be treated thus? I ask you one question, and I pray you
      to answer it." Duhsasana then broke in and spoke foul language to her, and
      used her rudely, so that her veil came off in his hands. And Bhima could
      restrain his wrath no longer, and spoke vehemently to Yudhishthira; and
      Arjuna reproved him for his anger against his elder brother, but Bhima
      answered:&mdash;"I will thrust my hands into the fire before these
      wretches shall treat my wife in this manner before my eyes."
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then Duryodhana said to Draupadi:&mdash;"Come now, I pray you, and sit
      upon my thigh!" And Bhima gnashed his teeth, and cried out with a loud
      voice:&mdash;"Hear my vow this day! If for this deed I do not break the
      thigh of Duryodhana, and drink the blood of Duhsasana, I am not the son of
      Kunti!"
    </p>
    <p>
      'Meanwhile the Chieftain Vidura had left the assembly, and told the blind
      Maharaja Dhritarashtra all that had taken place that day; and the Maharaja
      ordered his servants to lead him into the pavilion where all the
      Chieftains were gathered together. And all present were silent when they
      saw the Maharaja, and the Maharaja said to Draupadi:&mdash;"O daughter, my
      sons have done evil to you this day: But go now, you and your husbands, to
      your own Raj, and remember not what has occurred, and let the memory of
      this day be blotted out for ever." So the Pandavas made haste with their
      wife Draupadi, and departed out of the city of Hastinapur.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then Duryodhana was exceedingly wroth, and he said to his father, "O
      Maharaja, is it not a saying that when your enemy hath fallen down, he
      should be annihilated without a war? And now that we had thrown the
      Pandavas to the earth, and had taken possession of all their wealth, you
      have restored them all their strength, and permitted them to depart with
      anger in their hearts; and now they will prepare to make war that they may
      revenge themselves upon us for all that has been done, and they will
      return within a short while and slay us all: Give us leave then, I pray
      you, to play another game with these Pandavas, and let the side which
      loses go into exile for twelve years; for thus and thus only can a war be
      prevented between ourselves and the Pandavas." And the Maharaja granted
      the request of his son, and messengers were sent to bring back the
      brethren; and the Pandavas obeyed the commands of their uncle, and
      returned to his presence; and it was agreed upon that Yudhishthira should
      play one game more with Sakuni, and that if Yudhishthira won the Kauravas
      were to go into exile, and that if Sakuni won, the Pandavas were to go
      into exile; and the exile was to be for twelve years, and one year more;
      and during that thirteenth year those who were in exile were to dwell in
      any city they pleased, but to keep themselves so concealed that the others
      should never discover them; and if the others did discover them before the
      thirteenth year was over, then those who were in exile were to continue so
      for another thirteen years. So they sat down again to play, and Sakuni had
      a set of cheating dice as before, and with them he won the game.
    </p>
    <p>
      'When Duhsasana saw that Sakuni had won the game, he danced about for joy;
      and he cried out:&mdash;"Now is established the Raj of Duryodhana." But
      Bhima said, "Be not elated with joy, but remember my words: The day will
      come when I will drink your blood, or I am not the son of Kunti." And the
      Pandavas, seeing that they had lost, threw off their garments and put on
      deer-skins, and prepared to depart into the forest with their wife and
      mother, and their priest Dhaumya; but Vidura said to Yudhishthira:&mdash;"Your
      mother is old and unfitted to travel, so leave her under my care;" and the
      Pandavas did so. And the brethren went out from the assembly hanging down
      their heads with shame, and covering their faces with their garments; but
      Bhima threw out his long arms and looked at the Kauravas furiously, and
      Draupadi spread her long black hair over her face and wept bitterly. And
      Draupadi vowed a vow, saying:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      '"My hair shall remain dishevelled from this day, until Bhima shall have
      slain Duhsasana and drank his blood; and then he shall tie up my hair
      again whilst his hands are dripping with the blood of Duhsasana."'
    </p>
    <p>
      Such was the great gambling match at Hastinapur in the heroic age of
      India. It appears there can be little doubt of the truth of the incident,
      although the verisimilitude would have been more complete without the
      perpetual winning of the cheat Sakuni&mdash;which would be calculated to
      arouse the suspicion of Yudhishthira, and which could scarcely be indulged
      in by a professional cheat, mindful of the suspicion it would excite.
    </p>
    <p>
      Throughout the narrative, however, there is a truthfulness to human
      nature, and a truthfulness to that particular phase of human nature which
      is pre-eminently manifested by a high-minded race in its primitive stage
      of civilization.
    </p>
    <p>
      To our modern minds the main interest of the story begins from the moment
      that Draupadi was lost; but it must be remembered that among that ancient
      people, where women were chiefly prized on sensual grounds, such stakes
      were evidently recognized.
    </p>
    <p>
      The conduct of Draupadi herself on the occasion shows that she was by no
      means unfamiliar with the idea: she protested&mdash;not on the ground of
      sentiment or matrimonial obligation&mdash;but solely on what may be called
      a technical point of law, namely, 'Had Yudhishthira become a slave before
      he staked his wife upon the last game?' For, of course, having ceased to
      be a freeman, he had no right to stake her liberty.
    </p>
    <p>
      The concluding scene of the drama forms an impressive figure in the mind
      of the Hindoo. The terrible figure of Draupadi, as she dishevels her long
      black hair, is the very impersonation of revenge; and a Hindoo audience
      never fails to shudder at her fearful vow&mdash;that the straggling
      tresses shall never again be tied up until the day when Bhima shall have
      fulfilled his vow, and shall then bind them up whilst his fingers are
      still dripping with the blood of Duhsasana.
    </p>
    <p>
      The avenging battle subsequently ensued. Bhima struck down Duhsasana with
      a terrible blow of his mace, saying,&mdash;'This day I fulfil my vow
      against the man who insulted Draupadi!' Then setting his foot on the
      breast of Duhsasana, he drew his sword, and cut off the head of his enemy;
      and holding his two hands to catch the blood, he drank it off, crying out,
      'Ho! ho! Never did I taste anything in this world so sweet as this blood.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This staking of wives by gamblers is a curious subject. The practice may
      be said to have been universal, having furnished cases among civilized as
      well as barbarous nations. Of course the Negroes of Africa stake their
      wives and children; according to Schouten, a Chinese staked his wife and
      children, and lost them; Paschasius Justus states that a Venetian staked
      his wife; and not a hundred years ago certain debauchees at Paris played
      at dice for the possession of a celebrated courtesan. But this is an old
      thing. Hegesilochus, and other rulers of Rhodes, were accustomed to play
      at dice for the honour of the most distinguished ladies of that island&mdash;the
      agreement being that the party who lost had to bring to the arms of the
      winner the lady designated by lot to that indignity.(18)
    </p>
    <p>
      (18) Athen. lib. XI. cap. xii.
    </p>
    <p>
      There are traditions of such stakes having been laid and lost by husbands
      in <i>England;</i> and a remarkable case of the kind will be found related
      in Ainsworth's 'Old Saint Paul's,' as having occurred during the Plague of
      London, in the year 1665. There can be little doubt that it is founded on
      fact; and the conduct of the English wife, curiously enough, bears a
      striking resemblance to that of Draupadi in the Indian narrative.
    </p>
    <p>
      A Captain Disbrowe of the king's body-guard lost a large sum of money to a
      notorious debauchee, a gambler and bully, named Sir Paul Parravicin. The
      latter had made an offensive allusion to the wife of Captain Disbrowe,
      after winning his money; and then, picking up the dice-box, and spreading
      a large heap of gold on the table, he said to the officer who anxiously
      watched his movements:&mdash;'I mentioned your wife, Captain Disbrowe, not
      with any intention of giving you offence, but to show you that, although
      you have lost your money, you have still a valuable stake left.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I do not understand you, Sir Paul,' returned Disbrowe, with a look of
      indignant surprise.
    </p>
    <p>
      'To be plain, then,' replied Parravicin, 'I have won from you two hundred
      pounds&mdash;all you possess. You are a ruined man, and as such, will run
      any hazard to retrieve your losses. I give you a last chance. I will stake
      all my winnings&mdash;nay, double the amount&mdash;against your wife. You
      have a key of the house you inhabit, by which you admit yourself at all
      hours; so at least I am informed. If I win, that key shall be mine. I will
      take my chance of the rest. Do you understand me now?'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I do,' replied the young man, with concentrated fury. 'I understand that
      you are a villain. You have robbed me of my money, and would rob me of my
      honour.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'These are harsh words, sir,' replied the knight calmly; 'but let them
      pass. We will play first, and fight afterwards. But you refuse my
      challenge?'
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is false!' replied Disbrowe, fiercely, 'I accept it.' And producing a
      key, he threw it on the table. 'My life is, in truth, set on the die,' he
      added, with a desperate look; 'for if I lose, I will not survive my
      shame.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'You will not forget our terms,' observed Parravicin. 'I am to be your
      representative to-night. You can return home to-morrow.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Throw, sir,&mdash;throw,' cried the young man, fiercely.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Pardon me,' replied the knight; 'the first cast is with you. A single
      main decides it.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Be it so,' returned Disbrowe, seizing the bow. And as he shook the dice
      with a frenzied air, the bystanders drew near the table to watch the
      result.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Twelve!' cried Disbrowe, as he removed the box. 'My honour is saved! My
      fortune retrieved&mdash;Huzza!'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Not so fast,' returned Parravicin, shaking the box in his turn. 'You were
      a little hasty,' he added, uncovering the dice. 'I am twelve too. We must
      throw again.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'This is to decide,' cried the young officer, rattling the dice,&mdash;'Six!'
    </p>
    <p>
      Parravicin smiled, took the box, and threw <i>TEN</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Perdition!' ejaculated Disbrowe, striking his brow with his clenched
      hand. 'What devil tempted me to my undoing?... My wife trusted to this
      profligate!... Horror! It must not be!'
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is too late to retract,' replied Parravicin, taking up the key, and
      turning with a triumphant look to his friends.
    </p>
    <p>
      Disbrowe noticed the smile, and, stung beyond endurance, drew his sword,
      and called to the knight to defend himself. In an instant passes were
      exchanged. But the conflict was brief. Fortune, as before, declared
      herself in favour of Parravicin. He disarmed his assailant, who rushed out
      of the room, uttering the wildest ejaculations of rage and despair.
    </p>
    <p>
      * * * * * * The winner of the key proceeded at once to use. He gained
      admittance to the captain's house, and found his way to the chamber of his
      wife, who was then in bed. At first mistaken for her husband Parravicin
      heard words of tender reproach for his lateness; and then, declaring
      himself, he belied her husband, stating that he was false to her, and had
      surrendered her to him.
    </p>
    <p>
      At this announcement Mrs Disbrowe uttered a loud scream, and fell back in
      the bed. Parravicin waited for a moment; but not hearing her move, brought
      the lamp to see what was the matter. She had fainted, and was lying across
      the pillow, with her night-dress partly open, so as to expose her neck and
      shoulders. The knight was at first ravished with her beauty; but his
      countenance suddenly fell, and an expression of horror and alarm took
      possession of it. He appeared rooted to the spot, and instead of
      attempting to render her any assistance, remained with his gaze fixed upon
      her neck. Rousing himself at length, he rushed out of the room, hurried
      down-stairs, and without pausing for a moment, threw open the street door.
      As he issued from it his throat was forcibly griped, and the point of a
      sword was placed at his breast.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was the desperate husband, who was waiting to avenge his wife's honour.
    </p>
    <p>
      'You are in my power, villain,' cried Disbrowe, 'and shall not escape my
      vengeance.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'You are already avenged,' replied Parravicin, shaking off his assailant&mdash;'<i>YOUR
      WIFE HAS THE PLAGUE</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The profligate had been scared away by the sight of the 'plague spot' on
      the neck of the unfortunate lady.
    </p>
    <p>
      The husband entered and found his way to his wife's chamber. Instantaneous
      explanations ensued. 'He told me you were false&mdash;that you loved
      another&mdash;and had abandoned me,' exclaimed the frantic wife.
    </p>
    <p>
      'He lied!' shouted Disbrowe, in a voice of uncontrollable fury. 'It is
      true that, in a moment of frenzy, I was tempted to set you&mdash;yes, <i>YOU</i>,
      Margaret&mdash;against all I had lost at play, and was compelled to yield
      up the key of my house to the winner. But I have never been faithless to
      you&mdash;never.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Faithless or not,' replied his wife bitterly, 'it is plain you value me
      less than play, or you would not have acted thus.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Reproach me not, Margaret,' replied Disbrowe. 'I would give worlds to
      undo what I have done.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Who shall guard me against the recurrence of such conduct?' said Mrs
      Disbrowe, coldly. 'But you have not yet informed me how I was saved!'
    </p>
    <p>
      Disbrowe averted his head.
    </p>
    <p>
      'What mean you?' she cried, seizing his arm. 'What has happened? Do not
      keep me in suspense? Were you my preserver?'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Your preserver was the plague,' rejoined Disbrowe, mournfully.
    </p>
    <p>
      The unfortunate lady then, for the first time, perceived that she was
      attacked by the pestilence, and a long and dreadful pause ensued, broken
      only by exclamations of anguish from both.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Disbrowe!' cried Margaret at length, raising herself in bed, 'you have
      deeply, irrecoverably injured me. But promise me one thing.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I swear to do whatever you may desire,' he replied.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I know not, after what I have heard, whether you have courage for the
      deed,' she continued. 'But I would have you kill this man.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I will do it,' replied Disbrowe.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Nothing but his blood can wipe out the wrong he has done me,' she
      rejoined. 'Challenge him to a duel&mdash;a mortal duel. If he survives, by
      my soul, I will give myself to him.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Margaret!' exclaimed Disbrowe.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I swear it,' she rejoined,' and you know my passionate nature too well to
      doubt I will keep my word.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'But you have the plague!'
    </p>
    <p>
      'What does that matter? I may recover.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Not so,' muttered Disbrowe. 'If I fall, I will take care you do not
      recover.... I will fight him to-morrow,' he added aloud.
    </p>
    <p>
      About noon on the following day Disbrowe proceeded to the Smyrna
      Coffee-house, where, as he expected, he found Parravicin and his
      companions. The knight instantly advanced towards him, and laying aside
      for the moment his reckless air, inquired, with a look of commiseration,
      after his wife.
    </p>
    <p>
      'She is better,' replied Disbrowe, fiercely. 'I am come to settle accounts
      with you.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I thought they were settled long ago,' returned Parravicin, instantly
      resuming his wonted manner. 'But I am glad to find you consider the debt
      unpaid.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Disbrowe lifted the cane he held in his hand, and struck the knight with
      it forcibly on the shoulder. 'Be that my answer,' he said.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I will have your life first, and your wife afterwards,' replied
      Parravicin fiercely.
    </p>
    <p>
      'You shall have her if you slay me, but not otherwise,' retorted Disbrowe.
      'It must be a mortal duel.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'It must,' replied Parravicin. 'I will not spare you this time. I shall
      instantly proceed to the west side of Hyde Park, beneath the trees. I
      shall expect you there. On my return I shall call on your wife.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I pray you do so, sir,' replied Disbrowe, disdainfully.
    </p>
    <p>
      Both then quitted the Coffee-house, Parravicin attended by his companions,
      and Disbrowe accompanied by a military friend, whom he accidentally
      encountered. Each party taking a coach, they soon reached the ground, a
      retired spot completely screened from observation by trees. The
      preliminaries were soon arranged, for neither would admit of delay. The
      conflict then commenced with great fury on both sides; but Parravicin, in
      spite of his passion, observed far more caution than his antagonist; and
      taking advantage of an unguarded movement, occasioned by the other's
      impetuosity, passed his sword through his body. Disbrowe fell.
    </p>
    <p>
      'You are again successful,' he groaned, 'but save my wife&mdash;save her!'
    </p>
    <p>
      'What mean you?' cried Parravicin, leaning over him, as he wiped his
      sword.
    </p>
    <p>
      But Disbrowe could make no answer. His utterance was choked by a sudden
      effusion of blood on the lungs, and he instantly expired.
    </p>
    <p>
      Leaving the body in care of the second, Parravicin and his friends
      returned to the coach, his friends congratulating him on the issue of the
      conflict; but the knight looked grave, and pondered upon the words of the
      dying man. After a time, however, he recovered his spirits, and dined with
      his friends at the Smyrna; but they observed that he drank more deeply
      than usual. His excesses did not, however, prevent him from playing with
      his usual skill, and he won a large sum from one of his companions at
      Hazard.
    </p>
    <p>
      Flushed with success, and heated with wine, he walked up to Disbrowe's
      residence about an hour after midnight. As he approached the house, he
      observed a strangely-shaped cart at the door, and, halting for a moment,
      saw a body, wrapped in a shroud, brought out. Could it be Mrs Disbrowe?
      Rushing forward to one of the assistants in black cloaks, he asked whom he
      was about to inter.
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is a Mrs Disbrowe,' replied the coffin-maker. 'She died of grief,
      because her husband was killed this morning in a duel; but as she had the
      plague, it must be put down to that. We are not particular in such
      matters, and shall bury her and her husband together; and as there is no
      money left to pay for coffins, they must go to the grave without them.'
    </p>
    <p>
      And as the body of his victim also was brought forth, Parravicin fell
      against the wall in a state of stupefaction. At this moment, Solomon
      Eagle, the weird plague-prophet, with his burning brazier on his head,
      suddenly turned the corner of the street, and, stationing himself before
      the dead-cart, cried in a voice of thunder&mdash;'Woe to the libertine!
      Woe to the homicide! for he shall perish in everlasting fire! Woe! woe!'
    </p>
    <p>
      Such is this English legend, as related by Ainsworth, but which I have
      condensed into its main elements. I think it bids fair to equal in
      interest that of the Hindoo epic; and if it be not true in every
      particular, so much the better for the sake of human nature.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER III. GAMBLING AMONG THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS, PERSIANS, AND GREEKS.
    </h2>
    <p>
      Concerning the ancient Egyptians we have no particular facts to detail in
      the matter of gambling; but it is sufficient to determine the existence of
      any special vice in a nation to find that there are severe laws
      prohibiting and punishing its practice. Now, this testimony not only
      exists, but the penalty is of the utmost severity, from which may be
      inferred both the horror conceived of the practice by the rulers of the
      Egyptians, and the strong propensity which required that severity to
      suppress or hold it in check. In Egypt, 'every man was easily admitted to
      the accusation of a gamester or dice-player; and if the person was
      convicted, he was sent to work in the quarries.'(19) Gambling was,
      therefore, prevalent in Egypt in the earliest times.
    </p>
    <p>
      (19) Taylor, <i>Ductor Dubitantium</i>, B. iv. c. 1.
    </p>
    <p>
      That gaming with dice was a usual and fashionable species of diversion at
      the Persian court in the times of the younger Cyrus (about 400 years
      before the Christian era), to go no higher, is evident from the anecdote
      related by some historians of those days concerning Queen Parysatis, the
      mother of Cyrus, who used all her art and skill in gambling to satiate her
      revenge, and to accomplish her bloodthirsty projects against the murderers
      of her favourite son. She played for the life or death of an unfortunate
      slave, who had only executed the commands of his master. The anecdote is
      as follows, as related by Plutarch, in the Life of Artaxerxes.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There only remained for the final execution of Queen Parysatis's
      projects, and fully to satiate her vengeance, the punishment of the king's
      slave Mesabetes, who by his master's order had cut off the head and hand
      of the young Cyrus, who was beloved by Parysatis (their common mother)
      above Artaxerses, his elder brother and the reigning monarch. But as there
      was nothing to take hold of in his conduct, the queen laid this snare for
      him. She was a woman of good address, had abundance of wit, and <i>EXCELLED
      AT PLAYING A CERTAIN GAME WITH DICE</i>. She had been apparently
      reconciled to the king after the death of Cyrus, and was present at all
      his parties of pleasure and gambling. One day, seeing the king totally
      unemployed, she proposed playing with him for a thousand <i>darics</i>
      (about L500), to which he readily consented. She suffered him to win, and
      paid down the money. But, affecting regret and vexation, she pressed him
      to begin again, and to play with her&mdash;<i>FOR A SLAVE</i>. The king,
      who suspected nothing, complied, and the stipulation was that the winner
      was to choose the slave.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The queen was now all attention to the game, and made use of her utmost
      skill and address, which as easily procured her victory, as her studied
      neglect before had caused her defeat. She won&mdash;and chose Mesabetes&mdash;the
      slayer of her son&mdash;who, being delivered into her hands, was put to
      the most cruel tortures and to death by her command.
    </p>
    <p>
      'When the king would have interfered, she only replied with a smile of
      contempt&mdash;"Surely you must be a great loser, to be so much out of
      temper for giving up a decrepit old slave, when I, who lost a thousand
      good <i>darics</i>, and paid them down on the spot, do not say a word, and
      am satisfied."'
    </p>
    <p>
      Thus early were dice made subservient to the purposes of cruelty and
      murder. The modern Persians, being Mohammedans, are restrained from the
      open practice of gambling. Yet evasions are contrived in favour of games
      in the tables, which, as they are only liable to chance on the 'throw of
      the dice,' but totally dependent on the 'skill' in 'the management of the
      game,' cannot (they argue) be meant to be prohibited by their prophet any
      more than chess, which is universally allowed to his followers; and,
      moreover, to evade the difficulty of being forbidden to play for money,
      they make an alms of their winnings, distributing them to the poor. This
      may be done by the more scrupulous; but no doubt there are numbers whose
      consciences do not prevent the disposal of their gambling profits nearer
      home. All excess of gaming, however, is absolutely prohibited in Persia;
      and any place wherein it is much exercised is called 'a habitation of
      corrupted carcases or carrion house.'(20)
    </p>
    <p>
      (20) Hyde, <i>De Ludis Oriental</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      In ancient Greece gambling prevailed to a vast extent. Of this there can
      be no doubt whatever; and it is equally certain that it had an influence,
      together with other modes of dissipation and corruption, towards
      subjugating its civil liberties to the power of Macedon.
    </p>
    <p>
      So shamelessly were the Athenians addicted to this vice, that they forgot
      all public spirit in their continued habits of gaming, and entered into
      convivial associations, or formed 'clubs,' for the purposes of dicing, at
      the very time when Philip of Macedon was making one grand 'throw' for
      their liberties at the Battle of Chaeronea.
    </p>
    <p>
      This politic monarch well knew the power of depravity in enervating and
      enslaving the human mind; he therefore encouraged profusion, dissipation,
      and gambling, as being sure of meeting with little opposition from those
      who possessed such characters, in his projects of ambition&mdash;as
      Demosthenes declared in one of his orations.(21) Indeed, gambling had
      arrived at such a height in Greece, that Aristotle scruples not to rank
      gamblers 'with thieves and plunderers, who for the sake of gain do not
      scruple to despoil their best friends;'(22) and his pupil Alexander set a
      fine upon some of his courtiers because he did not perceive they made a
      sport or pastime of dice, but seemed to be employed as in a most serious
      business.(23)
    </p>
    <p>
      (21) First Olynthia. See also Athenaeus, lib. vi. 260.
    </p>
    <p>
      (22) Ethic. Ad Nicomachum, lib. iv.
    </p>
    <p>
      (23) Plutarch, <i>in Reg. et Imp. Apothegm</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      The Greeks gambled not only with dice, and at their equivalent for <i>Cross
      and Pile</i>, but also at cock-fighting, as will appear in the sequel.
    </p>
    <p>
      From a remark made by the Athenian orator Callistratus, it is evident that
      desperate gambling was in vogue; he says that the games in which the
      losers go on doubling their stakes resemble ever-recurring wars, which
      terminate only with the extinction of the combatants.(24)
    </p>
    <p>
      (24) Xenophon, <i>Hist. Graec</i>. lib. VI. c. iii.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER IV. GAMING AMONG THE ANCIENT ROMAN EMPERORS.
    </h2>
    <p>
      In spite of the laws enacted against gaming, the court of the Emperor
      Augustus was greatly addicted to that vice, and gave it additional
      stimulus among the nation. Although, however, he was passionately fond of
      gambling, and made light of the imputation on his character,(25) it
      appears that in frequenting the gambling table he had other motives
      besides mere cupidity. Writing to his daughter he said, 'I send you a sum
      with which I should have gratified my companions, if they had wished to
      play at dice or <i>odds and evens</i>.' On another occasion he wrote to
      Tiberius:&mdash;'If I had exacted my winnings during the festival of
      Minerva; if I had not lavished my money on all sides; instead of losing
      twenty thousand sestercii (about L1000), I should have gained one hundred
      and fifty thousand (L7500). I prefer it thus, however; for my bounty
      should win me immense glory.'(26)
    </p>
    <p>
      (25) Aleae rumorem nullo modo expavit. Suet. in Vita Augusti.
    </p>
    <p>
      (26) Sed hoc malo: benignitas enim mea me ad coelestem gloriam efferet. <i>Ubi
      supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      This gambling propensity subjected Augustus to the lash of popular
      epigrams; among the rest, the following:
    </p>
    <p>
      Postquam bis classe victus naves perdidit, Aliquando ut vincat, ludit
      assidud aleam.
    </p>
    <p>
      'He lost at sea; was beaten twice, And tries to win at least with dice.'
    </p>
    <p>
      But although a satirist by profession, the sleek courtier Horace spared
      the emperor's vice, contenting himself with only declaring that play was
      forbidden.(27) The two following verses of his, usually applied to the
      effects of gaming, really refer only to <i>RAILLERY.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      (27) Carm. lib. III. Od. xxiv.
    </p>
    <p>
      Ludus enim genuit trepidum certamen et iram; Ira truces inimicitias et
      funebre bellum.(28)
    </p>
    <p>
      (28) Epist. lib. I. xix.
    </p>
    <p>
      He, however, has recorded the curious fact of an old Roman gambler, who
      was always attended by a slave, to pick up his dice for him and put them
      in the box.(29) Doubtless, Horace would have lashed the vice of gambling
      had it not been the 'habitual sin' of his courtly patrons.
    </p>
    <p>
      (29) Lib. II. Sat. vii. v. 15.
    </p>
    <p>
      It seems that Augustus not only gambled to excess, but that he gloried in
      the character of a gamester. Of himself he says, 'Between meals we played
      like old crones both yesterday and today.'(30)
    </p>
    <p>
      (30) Inter coenam lusimus (gr gerontikws) et heri et hodie.
    </p>
    <p>
      When he had no regular players near him, he would play with children at
      dice, at nuts, or bones. It has been suggested that this emperor gave in
      to the indulgence of gambling in order to stifle his remorse. If his
      object in encouraging this vice was to make people forget his
      proscriptions and to create a diversion in his favour, the artifice may be
      considered equal to any of the political ruses of this astute ruler, whose
      false virtues were for a long time vaunted only through ignorance, or in
      order to flatter his imitators.
    </p>
    <p>
      The passion of gambling was transmitted, with the empire, to the family of
      the Caesars. At the gaming table Caligula stooped even to falsehood and
      perjury. It was whilst gambling that he conceived his most diabolical
      projects; when the game was against him he would quit the table abruptly,
      and then, monster as he was, satiated with rapine, would roam about his
      palace venting his displeasure.
    </p>
    <p>
      One day, in such a humour, he caught a glimpse of two Roman knights; he
      had them arrested and confiscated their property. Then returning to the
      gaming table, he exultingly exclaimed that he had never made a better
      throw!(31) On another occasion, after having condemned to death several
      Gauls of great opulence, he immediately went back to his gambling
      companions and said:&mdash;'I pity you when I see you lose a few
      sestertii, whilst, with a stroke of the pen, I have just won six hundred
      millions.'(32)
    </p>
    <p>
      (31) Exultans rediit, gloriansque se nunquam prosperiore alea usum. Suet.
      in <i>Vita Calig</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      (32) Thirty millions of pounds sterling. The sestertius was worth 1<i>s</i>.
      3 3/4<i>d</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Emperor Claudius played like an imbecile, and Nero like a madman. The
      former would send for the persons whom he had executed the day before, to
      play with him; and the latter, lavishing the treasures of the public
      exchequer, would stake four hundred thousand sestertii (L20,000) on a
      single throw of the dice.
    </p>
    <p>
      Claudius played at dice on his journeys, having the interior of his
      carriage so arranged as to prevent the motion from interfering with the
      game.
    </p>
    <p>
      From that period the title of courtier and gambler became synonymous.
      Gaming was the means of securing preferment; it was by gambling that
      Vitellius opened to himself so grand a career; gaming made him
      indispensable to Claudius.(33)
    </p>
    <p>
      (33) Claudio per aleae studium familiaris. Suet.in Vita Vitelli.
    </p>
    <p>
      Seneca, in his Play on the death of Claudius, represents him as in the
      lower regions condemned to pick up dice for ever, putting them into a box
      without a bottom!(34)
    </p>
    <p>
      (34) Nam quotiens missurus erat resonante fritillo, Utraque subducto
      fugiebat tessera fundo. <i>Lusus de Morte Claud. Caesar</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Caligula was reproached for having played at dice on the day of his
      sister's funeral; and Domitian was blamed for gaming from morning to
      night, and without excepting the festivals of the Roman calendar; but it
      seems ridiculous to note such improprieties in comparison with their
      habitual and atrocious crimes.
    </p>
    <p>
      The terrible and inexorable satirist Juvenal was the contemporary of
      Domitian and ten other emperors; and the following is his description of
      the vice in the gaming days of Rome:
    </p>
    <p>
      'When was the madness of games of chance more furious? Now-a-days, not
      content with carrying his purse to the gaming table, the gamester conveys
      his iron chest to the play-room. It is there that, as soon as the gaming
      instruments are distributed, you witness the most terrible contests. Is it
      not mere madness to lose one hundred thousand sestertii and refuse a
      garment to a slave perishing with cold?'(35)
    </p>
    <p>
      (35) Sat. I. 87.
    </p>
    <p>
      It seems that the Romans played for ready money, and had not invented that
      multitude of signs by the aid of which, without being retarded by the
      weight of gold and silver, modern gamblers can ruin themselves secretly
      and without display.
    </p>
    <p>
      The rage for gambling spread over the Roman provinces, and among barbarous
      nations who had never been so much addicted to the vice as after they had
      the misfortune to mingle with the Romans.
    </p>
    <p>
      The evil continued to increase, stimulated by imperial example. The day on
      which Didius Julianus was proclaimed Emperor, he walked over the dead and
      bloody body of Pertinax, and began to play at dice in the next room.(36)
    </p>
    <p>
      (36) Dion Cass. <i>Hist. Rom</i>. l. lxxiii.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the end of the fourth century, the following state of things at Rome is
      described by Gibbon, quoting from Ammianus Marcellinus:
    </p>
    <p>
      'Another method of introduction into the houses and society of the
      "great," is derived from the profession of gaming; or, as it is more
      politely styled, of play. The confederates are united by a strict and
      indissoluble bond of friendship, or rather of conspiracy; a superior
      degree of skill in the "tessarian" art, is a sure road to wealth and
      reputation. A master of that sublime science who, in a supper or assembly,
      is placed below a magistrate, displays in his countenance the surprise and
      indignation which Cato might be supposed to feel when he was refused the
      praetorship by the votes of a capricious people.'(37)
    </p>
    <p>
      (37) Amm. Marcellin. lib. XIV. c. vi.
    </p>
    <p>
      Finally, at the epoch when Constantine abandoned Rome never to return,
      every inhabitant of that city, down to the populace, was addicted to
      gambling.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER V. GAMBLING IN FRANCE IN ALL TIMES.
    </h2>
    <p>
      CHARLES VI. and CHARLES VII.&mdash;The early French annals record the
      deeds of haughty and idle lords, whose chief occupations were tormenting
      their vassals, drinking, fighting, and gaming; for most of them were
      desperate gamblers, setting at defiance all the laws enacted against the
      practice, and outraging all the decencies of society. The brother of Saint
      Louis played at dice in spite of the repeated prohibitions of that
      virtuous prince. Even the great Duguesclin gamed away all his property in
      prison.(38) The Duc de Touraine, brother of Charles VI., 'set to work
      eagerly to win the king's money,' says Froissart; and transported with joy
      one day at having won five thousand livres, his first cry was&mdash;<i>Monseigneur,
      faites-moi payer</i>, 'Please to pay, Sire.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (38) Hist. de Dugueselin, par Menard.
    </p>
    <p>
      Gaming went on in the camp, and even in the presence of the enemy.
      Generals, after having ruined their own fortunes, compromised the safety
      of the country. Among the rest, Philibert de Chalon, Prince d'Orange, who
      was in command at the siege of Florence, under the Emperor Charles the
      Fifth, gambled away the money which had been confided to him for the pay
      of the soldiers, and was compelled, after a struggle of eleven months, to
      capitulate with those whom he might have forced to surrender.(39)
    </p>
    <p>
      (39) Paul. Jov. <i>Hist</i>. lib. xxix.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the reign of Charles VI. we read of an Hotel de Nesle which was famous
      for terrible gaming catastrophes. More than one of its frequenters lost
      their lives there, and some their honour, dearer than life. This hotel was
      not accessible to everybody, like more modern gaming <i>salons</i>, called
      <i>Gesvres</i> and <i>Soissons;</i> its gate was open only to the
      nobility, or the most opulent gentlemen of the day.
    </p>
    <p>
      There exists an old poem which describes the doings at this celebrated
      Hotel de Nesle.(40) The author, after describing the convulsions of the
      players and recording their blasphemies, says:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      (40) The title of this curious old poem is as follows:&mdash;'C'est le dit
      du Gieu des Dez fait par Eustace, et la maniere et contenance des Joueurs
      qui etoient a Neele, ou etoient Messeigneurs de Berry, de Bourgogne, et
      plusieurs autres.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Que maints Gentils-hommes tres haulx Y ont perdu armes et chevaux, Argent,
      honour, et Seignourie, Dont c'etoit horrible folie.
    </p>
    <p>
      'How many very eminent gentlemen have there lost their arms and horses,
      their money and lordship&mdash;a horrible folly.'
    </p>
    <p>
      In another part of the poem he says:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      Li jeune enfant deviennent Rufien, Joueurs de Dez, gourmands et plains
      d'yvresse, Hautains de cuer, et ne leur chant en rien D'onneur, &amp;c.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There young men become ruffians, dice-players, gluttons, and drunkards,
      haughty of heart, and bereft of honour.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Still it seems that gaming had not then confounded all conditions, as at a
      later period. It is evident, from the history and memoirs of the times,
      that the people were more given to games of skill and exercise than games
      of chance. Before the introduction of the arquebus and gunpowder, they
      applied themselves to the practice of archery, and in all times they
      played at quoits, ninepins, bowls, and other similar games of skill.(41)
    </p>
    <p>
      (41) Sauval, <i>Antiquites de Paris</i>, ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      The invention of cards brought about some change in the mode of amusement.
      The various games of this kind, however, cost more time than money; but
      still the thing attracted the attention of the magistrates and the clergy.
      An Augustinian friar, in the reign of Charles VII., effected a wonderful
      reformation in the matter by his preaching. At his voice the people lit
      fires in several quarters of the city, and eagerly flung into them their
      cards and billiard-balls.(42)
    </p>
    <p>
      (42) Pasquier, <i>Recherche des Recherches</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      With the exception of a few transient follies, nothing like a rage for
      gambling can be detected at that period among the lower ranks and the
      middle classes. The vice, however, continued to prevail without abatement
      in the palaces of kings and the mansions of the great.
    </p>
    <p>
      It is impossible not to remark, in the history of nations, that delicacy
      and good faith decline in proportion to the spread of gambling. However
      select may be the society of gamesters, it is seldom that it is exempt
      from all baseness. We have seen a proof of the practice of cheating among
      the Hindoos. It existed also among the Romans, as proved by the 'cogged'
      or loaded dice dug up at Herculaneum. The fact is that cheating is a
      natural, if not a necessary, incident of gambling. It may be inferred from
      a passage in the old French poet before quoted, that cheats, during the
      reign of Charles VI., were punished with 'bonnetting,'(43) but no instance
      of the kind is on record; on the contrary, it is certain that many of the
      French kings patronized and applauded well-known cheats at the gaming
      table.
    </p>
    <p>
      (43) Se votre ami qui bien vous sert En jouant vous changeoit les Dez,
      Auroit-il pas <i>Chapeau de vert</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      LOUIS XI.&mdash;Brantome says that Louis XI., who seems not to have had a
      special secretary, being one day desirous of getting something written,
      perceived an ecclesiastic who had an inkstand hanging at his side; and the
      latter having opened it at the king's request, a set of dice fell out.
      'What kind of <i>SUGAR-PLUMS</i> are these?' asked his Majesty. 'Sire,'
      replied the priest, 'they are a remedy for the Plague.' 'Well said,'
      exclaimed the king, 'you are a fine <i>Paillard</i> (a word he often
      used); '<i>YOU ARE THE MAN FOR ME</i>,' and took him into his service; for
      this king was fond of bon-mots and sharp wits, and did not even object to
      thieves, provided they were original and provocative of humour, as the
      following very funny anecdote will show. 'A certain French baron who had
      lost everything at play, even to his clothes, happening to be in the
      king's chamber, quietly laid hands on a small clock, ornamented with
      massive gold, and concealed it in his sleeve. Very soon after, whilst he
      was among the troop of lords and gentlemen, the clock began to strike the
      hour. We can well imagine the consternation of the baron at this
      contretemps. Of course he blushed red-hot, and tightened his arm to try
      and stifle the implacable sound of detection manifest&mdash;the <i>flagrans
      delictum</i>&mdash;still the clock went on striking the long hour, so that
      at each stroke the bystanders looked at each other from head to foot in
      utter bewilderment.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The king, who, as it chanced, had detected the theft, burst out laughing,
      not only at the astonishment of the gentlemen present, who were at a loss
      to account for the sound, but also at the originality of the stunning
      event. At length Monsieur le Baron, by his own blushes half-convicted of
      larceny, fell on his knees before the king, humbly saying:&mdash;"Sire,
      the pricks of gaming are so powerful that they have driven me to commit a
      dishonest action, for which I beg your mercy." And as he was going on in
      this strain, the king cut short his words, exclaiming:&mdash;"The <i>PASTIME</i>
      which you have contrived for us so far surpasses the injury you have done
      me that the clock is yours: I give it you with all my heart."'(44)
    </p>
    <p>
      (44) Duverdier, <i>Diverses Lecons</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      HENRY III.&mdash;In the latter part of the sixteenth century Paris was
      inundated with brigands of every description. A band of Italian gamesters,
      having been informed by their correspondents that Henry III. had
      established card-rooms and dice-rooms in the Louvre, got admission at
      court, and won thirty thousand crowns from the king.(45)
    </p>
    <p>
      (45) Journal de Henri III.
    </p>
    <p>
      If all the kings of France had imitated the disinterestedness of Henry
      III., the vice of gaming would not have made such progress as became
      everywhere evident.
    </p>
    <p>
      Brantome gives a very high idea of this king's generosity, whilst he
      lashes his contemporaries. Henry III. played at tennis and was very fond
      of the game&mdash;not, however, through cupidity or avarice, for he
      distributed all his winnings among his companions. When he lost he paid
      the wager, nay, he even paid the losses of all engaged in the game. The
      bets were not higher than two, three, or four hundred crowns&mdash;never,
      as subsequently, four thousand, six thousand, or twelve thousand&mdash;when,
      however, payment was not as readily made, but rather frequently compounded
      for.(46)
    </p>
    <p>
      (46) Henry III. was also passionately fond of the childish toy <i>Bilboquet</i>,
      or 'Cup and Ball,' which he used to play even whilst walking in the
      street. Journal de Henri III., i.
    </p>
    <p>
      There was, indeed, at that time a French captain named La Roue, who played
      high stakes, up to six thousand crowns, which was then deemed exorbitant.
      This intrepid gamester proposed a bet of twenty thousand crowns against
      one of Andrew Doria's war-galleys.
    </p>
    <p>
      Doria took the bet, but he immediately declared it off, in apprehension of
      the ridiculous position in which he would be placed if he lost, saying,&mdash;'I
      don't wish that this young adventurer, who has nothing worth naming to
      lose, should win my galley to go and triumph in France over my fortune and
      my honour.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon, however, high stakes became in vogue, and to such an extent that the
      natural son of the Duc de Bellegarde was enabled to pay, out of his
      winnings, the large sum of fifty thousand crowns to get himself
      legitimated. Curiously enough, it is said that the greater part of this
      sum had been won in England.(47)
    </p>
    <p>
      (47) Amelot de la Houss. <i>Mem. Hist</i>. iii.
    </p>
    <p>
      HENRY IV.&mdash;Henry IV. early evinced his passion for gaming. When very
      young and stinted in fortune, he contrived the means of satisfying this
      growing propensity. When in want of money he used to send a promissory
      note, written and signed by himself, to his friends, requesting them to
      return the note or cash it&mdash;an expedient which could not but succeed,
      as every man was only too glad to have the prince's note of hand.(48)
    </p>
    <p>
      (48) Mem. de Nevers. ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      There can be no doubt that the example of Henry IV. was, in the matter of
      gaming, as in other vices, most pernicious. 'Henry IV.,' says Perefixe,
      'was not a skilful player, but greedy of gain, timid in high stakes, and
      ill-tempered when he lost.' He adds rather naively, 'This great king was
      not without spots any more than the sun.'(49)
    </p>
    <p>
      (49) Hist. de Henri le Grand.
    </p>
    <p>
      Under him gambling became the rage. Many distinguished families were
      utterly ruined by it. The Duc de Biron lost in a single year more than
      five hundred thousand crowns (about L250,000). 'My son Constant,' says
      D'Aubigne, 'lost twenty times more than he was worth; so that, finding
      himself without resources, he abjured his religion.'
    </p>
    <p>
      It was at the court of Henry IV. that was invented the method of speedy
      ruin by means of written vouchers for loss and gain&mdash;which simplified
      the thing in all subsequent times. It was then also that certain Italian
      masters of the gaming art displayed their talents, their suppleness, and
      dexterity. One of them, named Pimentello, having, in the presence of the
      Duc de Sully, appealed to the honour which he enjoyed in having often
      played with Henry IV., the duke exclaimed,&mdash;'By heavens! So you are
      the Italian blood-sucker who is every day winning the king's money! You
      have fallen into the wrong box, for I neither like nor wish to have
      anything to do with such fellows.' Pimentello got warm. 'Go about your
      business,' said Sully, giving him a shove; 'your infernal gibberish will
      not alter my resolve. Go!'(50)
    </p>
    <p>
      (50) Mem. de Sully.
    </p>
    <p>
      The French nation, for a long time agitated by civil war, settled down at
      last in peace and abundance&mdash;the fruits of which prosperity are often
      poisoned. They were so by the gambling propensity of the people at large,
      now first manifested. The warrior, the lawyer, the artisan, in a word,
      almost all professions and trades, were carried away by the fury of
      gaming. Magistrates sold for a price the permission to gamble&mdash;in the
      face of the enacted laws against the practice.
    </p>
    <p>
      We can scarcely form an idea of the extent of the gaming at this period.
      Bassompierre declares, in his Memoirs, that he won more than five hundred
      thousand livres (L25,000) in the course of a year. 'I won them,' he says,
      'although I was led away by a thousand follies of youth; and my friend
      Pimentello won more than two hundred thousand crowns (L100,000). Evidently
      this Pimentello might well be called a <i>blood-sucker</i> by Sully.(51)
      He is even said to have got all the dice-sellers in Paris to substitute
      loaded dice instead of fair ones, in order to aid his operations.
    </p>
    <p>
      (51) In the original, however, the word is piffre, (vulgo) 'greedy-guts.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Nothing more forcibly shows the danger of consorting with such bad
      characters than the calumny circulated respecting the connection between
      Henry IV. and this infamous Italian:&mdash;it was said that Henry was well
      aware of Pimentello's manoeuvres, and that he encouraged them with the
      view of impoverishing his courtiers, hoping thereby to render them more
      submissive! Nero himself would have blushed at such a connivance.
      Doubtless the calumny was as false as it was stupid.
    </p>
    <p>
      The winnings of the courtier Bassompierre were enormous. He won at the Duc
      d'Epernon's sufficient to pay his debts, to dress magnificently, to
      purchase all sorts of extravagant finery, a sword ornamented with diamonds&mdash;'and
      after all these expenses,' he says, 'I had still five or six thousand
      crowns (two to three thousand pounds) left, <i>TO KILL TIME WITH</i>, pour
      tuer le temps.'
    </p>
    <p>
      On another occasion, and at a more advanced age, he won one hundred
      thousand crowns (L50,000) at a single sitting, from M. De Guise,
      Joinville, and the Marechal d'Ancre.
    </p>
    <p>
      In reading his Memoirs we are apt to get indignant at the fellow's
      successes; but at last we are tempted to laugh at his misery. He died so
      poor that he did not leave enough to pay the twentieth part of his debts!
      Such, doubtless, is the end of most gamblers.
    </p>
    <p>
      But to return to Henry IV., the great gambling exemplar of the nation. The
      account given of him at the gaming table is most afflicting, when we
      remember his royal greatness, his sublime qualities. His only object was
      to <i>WIN</i>, and those who played with him were thus always placed in a
      dreadful dilemma&mdash;either to lose their money or offend the king by
      beating him! The Duke of Savoy once played with him, and in order to suit
      his humour, dissimulated his game&mdash;thus sacrificing or giving up
      forty thousand pistoles (about L28,000).
    </p>
    <p>
      When the king lost he was most exacting for his 'revanche,' or revenge, as
      it is termed at play. After winning considerably from the king, on one
      occasion, Bassompierre, under the pretext of his official engagements,
      furtively decamped: the king immediately sent after him; he was stopped,
      brought back, and allowed to depart only after giving the 'revanche' to
      his Majesty. This 'good Henri,' who was incapable of the least
      dissimulation either in good or in evil, often betrayed a degree of
      cupidity which made his minister, Sully, ashamed of him;&mdash;in order to
      pay his gaming debts, the king one day deducted seventy-two thousand
      livres from the proceeds of a confiscation on which he had no claim
      whatever.
    </p>
    <p>
      On another occasion he was wonderfully struck with some gold-pieces which
      Bassompierre brought to Fontainebleau, called <i>Portugalloises</i>. He
      could not rest without having them. Play was necessary to win them, but
      the king was also anxious to be in time for a hunt. In order to conciliate
      the two passions, he ordered a gaming party at the Palace, left a
      representative of his game during his absence, and returned sooner than
      usual, to try and win the so much coveted <i>Portugalloises</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Even love&mdash;if that name can be applied to the grovelling passion of
      Henry IV., intensely violent as it was&mdash;could not, with its sensuous
      enticements, drag the king from the gaming table or stifle his despicable
      covetousness. On one occasion, whilst at play, it was whispered to him
      that a certain princess whom he loved was likely to fall into other arms:&mdash;'Take
      care of my money,' said he to Bassompierre, 'and keep up the game whilst I
      am absent on particular business.'
    </p>
    <p>
      During this reign gamesters were in high favour, as may well be imagined.
      One of them received an honour never conceded even to princes and dukes.
      'The latter,' says Amelot de la Houssaie, 'did not enter the court-yard of
      the royal mansions in a carriage before the year 1607, and they are
      indebted for the privilege to the first Duc d'Epernon, the favourite of
      the late king, Henry III., who being wont to go every day to play with the
      queen, Marie de Medicis, took it into his head to have his carriage driven
      into the court-yard of the Louvre, and had himself carried bodily by his
      footmen into the very chamber of the queen&mdash;under the pretext of
      being dreadfully tormented with the gout, so as not to be able to stand on
      his legs.'(52)
    </p>
    <p>
      (52) Mem. Hist. iii.
    </p>
    <p>
      It is said, however, that Henry IV. was finally cured of gambling. <i>Credat
      Judaeus!</i> But the anecdote is as follows. The king lost an immense sum
      at play, and requested Sully to let him have the money to pay it. The
      latter demurred, so that the king had to send to him several times. At
      last, however, Sully took him the money, and spread it out before him on
      the table, exclaiming&mdash;'There's the sum.' Henry fixed his eyes on the
      vast amount. It is said to have been enough to purchase Amiens from the
      Spaniards, who then held it. The king thereupon exclaimed:&mdash;'I am
      corrected. I will never again lose my money at gaming.'
    </p>
    <p>
      During this reign Paris swarmed with gamesters. Then for the first time
      were established <i>Academies de Jeu</i>, 'Gaming Academies,' for thus
      were termed the gaming houses to which all classes of society beneath the
      nobility and gentility, down to the lowest, rushed in crowds and
      incessantly. Not a day passed without the ruin of somebody. The son of a
      merchant, who possessed twenty thousand crowns, lost sixty thousand. It
      seemed, says a contemporary, that a thousand pistoles at that time were
      valued less than a <i>sou</i> in the time of Francis I.
    </p>
    <p>
      The result of this state of things was incalculable social affliction.
      Usury and law-suits completed the ruin of gamblers.
    </p>
    <p>
      The profits of the keepers of gaming houses must have been enormous, to
      judge from the rents they paid. A house in the Faubourg Saint-Germain was
      secured at the rental of about L70 for a fortnight, for the purpose of
      gambling during the time of the fair. Small rooms and even closets were
      hired at the rate of many pistoles or half-sovereigns per hour; to get
      paid, however, generally entailed a fight or a law-suit.
    </p>
    <p>
      All this took place in the very teeth of the most stringent laws enacted
      against gaming and gamesters. The fact was, that among the magistrates
      some closed their eyes, and others held out their hands to receive the
      bribe of their connivance.
    </p>
    <p>
      LOUIS XIII.&mdash;At the commencement of the reign of Louis XIII. the laws
      against gaming were revived, and severer penalties were enacted.
      Forty-seven gaming houses at Paris, which had been licensed, and from
      which several magistrates drew a perquisite of a pistole or half a
      sovereign a day, were shut up and suppressed.
    </p>
    <p>
      These stringent measures checked the gambling of the 'people,' but not
      that of 'the great,' who went on merrily as before.
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course they 'kept the thing quiet'&mdash;gambled in secret&mdash;but
      more desperately than ever. The Marechal d'Ancre commonly staked twenty
      thousand pistoles (L10,000).
    </p>
    <p>
      Louis XIII. was not a gambler, and so, during this reign, the court did
      not set so bad an example. The king was averse to all games of chance. He
      only liked chess, but perhaps rather too much, to judge from the fact
      that, in order to enable him to play chess on his journeys, a chessboard
      was fitted in his carriage, the pieces being furnished with pins at the
      bottom so as not to be deranged or knocked down by the motion. The reader
      will remember that, as already stated, a similar gaming accommodation was
      provided for the Roman Emperor Claudius.
    </p>
    <p>
      The cup and ball of Henry III. and the chessboard of Louis XIII. are
      merely ridiculous. We must excuse well-intentioned monarchs when they only
      indulge themselves with frivolous and childish trifles. It is something to
      be thankful for if we have not to apply to them the adage&mdash;Quic-quid
      delirant reges plectuntur Achivi&mdash;'When kings go mad their people get
      their blows.'
    </p>
    <p>
      LOUIS XIV.&mdash;The reign of Louis XIV. was a great development in every
      point of view, gaming included.
    </p>
    <p>
      The revolutions effected in the government and in public morals by
      Cardinal Richelieu, who played a game still more serious than those we are
      considering, had very considerably checked the latter; but these resumed
      their vigour, with interest, under another Cardinal, profoundly imbued
      with the Italian spirit&mdash;the celebrated Mazarin. This minister,
      independently of his particular taste that way, knew how to ally gaming
      with his political designs. By means of gaming he contrived to protract
      the minority of the king under whom he governed the nation.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Mazarin,' says St Pierre, 'introduced gaming at the court of Louis XIV.
      in the year 1648. He induced the king and the queen regent to play; and
      preference was given to games of chance. The year 1648 was the era of
      card-playing at court. Cardinal Mazarin played deep and with finesse, and
      easily drew in the king and queen to countenance this new entertainment,
      so that every one who had any expectation at court learned to play at
      cards. Soon after the humour changed, and games of chance came into vogue&mdash;to
      the ruin of many considerable families: this was likewise very destructive
      to health, for besides the various violent passions it excited, whole
      nights were spent at this execrable amusement. The worst of all was that
      card-playing, which the court had taken from the army, soon spread from
      the court into the city, and from the city pervaded the country towns.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Before this there was something done for improving conversation; every
      one was ambitious of qualifying himself for it by reading ancient and
      modern books; memory and reflection were much more exercised. But on the
      introduction of gaming men likewise left of tennis, billiards, and other
      games of skill, and consequently became weaker and more sickly, more
      ignorant, less polished, and more dissipated.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The women, who till then had commanded respect, accustomed men to treat
      them familiarly, by spending the whole night with them at play. They were
      often under the necessity of borrowing either to play, or to pay their
      losings; and how very ductile and complying they were to those of whom
      they had to borrow was well known.'
    </p>
    <p>
      From that time gamesters swarmed all over France; they multiplied rapidly
      in every profession, even among the magistracy. The Cardinal de Retz tells
      us, in his Memoirs, that in 1650 the oldest magistrate in the parliament
      of Bordeaus, and one who passed for the wisest, was not ashamed to stake
      all his property one night at play, and that too, he adds, without risking
      his reputation&mdash;so general was the fury of gambling. It became very
      soon mixed up with the most momentous circumstances of life and affairs of
      the gravest importance. The States-general, or parliamentary assemblies,
      consisted altogether of gamblers. 'It is a game,' says Madame de Sevigne,
      'it is an entertainment, a liberty-hall day and night, attracting all the
      world. I never before beheld the States-general of Bretagne. The
      States-general are decidedly a very fine thing.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The same delightful correspondent relates that one of her amusements when
      she went to the court was to admire Dangeau at the card-table; and the
      following is the account of a gaming party at which she was present:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      '29th July, 1676.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I went on Saturday with Villars to Versailles. I need not tell you of the
      queen's toilette, the mass, the dinner&mdash;you know it all; but at three
      o'clock the king rose from table, and he, the queen, Monsieur, Madame,
      Mademoiselle, all the princes and princesses, Madame de Montespan, all her
      suite, all the courtiers, all the ladies, in short, what we call the court
      of France, were assembled in that beautiful apartment which you know. It
      is divinely furnished, everything is magnificent; one does not know what
      it is to be too hot; we walk about here and there, and are not incommoded
      anywhere:&mdash;at last a table of reversi(53) gives a form to the crowd,
      and a place to every one. <i>THE KING IS NEXT TO MADAME DE MONTESPAN</i>,
      who deals; the Duke of Orleans, the queen, and Madame de Soubise; Dangeau
      and Co.; Langee and Co.; a thousand louis are poured out on the cloth&mdash;there
      are no other counters. I saw Dangeau play!&mdash;what fools we all are
      compared to him&mdash;he minds nothing but his business, and wins when
      every one else loses: he neglects nothing, takes advantage of everything,
      is never absent; in a word, his skill defies fortune, and accordingly
      200,000 francs in ten days, 100,000 crowns in a fortnight, all go to his
      receipt book.
    </p>
    <p>
      (53) A kind of game long since out of fashion, and now almost forgotten;
      it seems to have been a compound of Loo and Commerce&mdash;the <i>Quinola</i>
      or <i>Pam</i> was the knave of hearts.
    </p>
    <p>
      'He was so good as to say I was a partner in his play, by which I got a
      very convenient and agreeable place. I saluted the king in the way you
      taught me, which he returned as if I had been young and handsome&mdash;I
      received a thousand compliments&mdash;you know what it is to have a word
      from everybody! This agreeable confusion without confusion lasts from
      three o'clock till six. If a courtier arrives, the king retires for a
      moment to read his letters, and returns immediately. There is always some
      music going on, which has a very good effect; the king listens to the
      music and chats to the ladies about him. At last, at six o'clock, they
      stop playing&mdash;they have no trouble in settling their reckonings&mdash;there
      are no counters&mdash;the lowest pools are five, six, seven hundred louis,
      the great ones a thousand, or twelve hundred; they put in five each at
      first, that makes one hundred, and the dealer puts in ten more&mdash;then
      they give four louis each to whoever has Quinola&mdash;some pass, others
      play, but when you play without winning the pool, you must put in sixteen
      to teach you how to play rashly: they talk all together, and for ever, and
      of everything. "How many hearts?" "Two!" "I have three!" "I have one!" "I
      have four!" "He has only three!" and Dangeau, delighted with all this
      prattle, turns up the trump, makes his calculations, sees whom he has
      against him, in short&mdash;in short, I was glad to see such an excess of
      skill. He it is who really knows "le dessous des cartes."
    </p>
    <p>
      'At ten o'clock they get into their carriages: <i>THE KING, MADAME DE
      MONTESPAN</i>, the Duke of Orleans, and Madame de Thianges, and the good
      Hendicourt on the dickey, that is as if one were in the upper gallery. You
      know how these calashes are made.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The queen was in another with the princesses; and then everybody else,
      grouped as they liked. Then they go on the water in gondolas, with music;
      they return at ten; the play is ready, it is over; twelve strikes, supper
      is brought in, and so passes Saturday.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This lively picture of such frightful gambling, of the adulterous triumph
      of Madame de Montespan, and of the humiliating part to which the queen was
      condemned, will induce our readers to concur with Madame de Sevigne, who,
      amused as she had been by the scene she has described, calls it
      nevertheless, with her usual pure taste and good judgment, <i>l'iniqua
      corte</i>, 'the iniquitous court.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Indeed, Madame de Sevigne had ample reason to denounce this source of her
      domestic misery. Writing to her son and daughter, she says:&mdash;'You
      lose all you play for. You have paid five or six thousand francs for your
      amusement, and to be abused by fortune.'
    </p>
    <p>
      If she had at first been fascinated by the spectacle which she so
      glowingly describes, the interest of her children soon opened her eyes to
      the yawning gulf at the brink of the flowery surface.
    </p>
    <p>
      Sometimes she explains herself plainly:&mdash;'You believe that everybody
      plays as honestly as yourself? Call to mind what took place lately at the
      Hotel de la Vieuville. Do you remember that <i>ROBBERY?</i>'
    </p>
    <p>
      The favour of that court, so much coveted, seemed to her to be purchased
      at too high a price if it was to be gained by ruinous complaisances. She
      trembled every time her son left her to go to Versailles. She says:&mdash;'He
      tells me he is going to play with his young master;(54) I shudder at the
      thought. Four hundred pistoles are very easily lost: <i>ce n'est rien pour
      Admete et c'est beaucoup pour lui</i>.(55) If Dangeau is in the game he
      will win all the pools: he is an eagle. Then will come to pass, my
      daughter, all that God may vouchsafe&mdash;<i>il en arivera, ma fille,
      tout ce qu'il plaira a Dieu</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (54) The Dauphin.
    </p>
    <p>
      (55) 'It is nothing for Admetus, but 'tis much for him.'
    </p>
    <p>
      And again, 'The game of <i>Hoca</i> is prohibited at Paris <i>UNDER THE
      PENALTY OF DEATH</i>, and yet it is played at court. Five thousand
      pistoles before dinner is nothing. That game is a regular cut-throat.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Hoca was prodigiously unfavourable to the players; the latter had only
      twenty-eight chances against thirty. In the seventeenth century this game
      caused such disorder at Rome that the Pope prohibited it and expelled the
      bankers.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Italians whom Mazarin brought into France obtained from the king
      permission to set up <i>Hoca</i> tables in Paris. The parliament launched
      two edicts against them, and threatened to punish them severely. The
      king's edicts were equally severe. Every of offender was to be fined 1000
      livres, and the person in whose house Faro, Basset, or any such game was
      suffered, incurred the penalty of 6000 livres for each offence. The
      persons who played were to be imprisoned. Gaming was forbidden the French
      cavalry under the penalty of death, and every commanding officer who
      should presume to set up a Hazard table was to be cashiered, and all
      concerned to be rigorously imprisoned. These penalties might show great
      horror of gaming, but they were too severe to be steadily inflicted, and
      therefore failed to repress the crime against which they were directed.
      The severer the law the less the likelihood of its application, and
      consequently its power of repression.
    </p>
    <p>
      Madame de Sevigne had beheld the gamesters only in the presence of their
      master the king, or in the circles which were regulated with inviolable
      propriety; but what would she have said if she could have seen the
      gamblers at the secret suppers and in the country-houses of the
      Superintendent Fouquet, where twenty 'qualified' players, such as the
      Marshals de Richelieu, de Clairembaut, &amp;c., assembled together, with a
      dash of bad company, to play for lands, houses, jewels, even for
      point-lace and neckties? There she would have seen something more than
      gold staked, since the players debased themselves so low as to circumvent
      certain opulent dupes, who were the first invited. To leave one hundred
      pistoles, ostensibly for 'the cards,' but really as the perquisite of the
      master of the lordly house; to recoup him when he lost; and, when they had
      to deal with some unimportant but wealthy individual, to undo him
      completely, compelling him to sign his ruin on the gaming table&mdash;such
      was the conduct which rendered a man <i>recherche</i>, and secured the
      title of a fine player!
    </p>
    <p>
      It was precisely thus that the famous (or infamous) Gourville,
      successively valet-de-chambre to the Duc de la Rochefoucault, hanged in
      effigy at Paris, king's envoy in Germany, and afterwards proposed to
      replace Colbert&mdash;it was thus precisely, I say, that Gourville secured
      favour, 'consideration,' fortune; for he declares, in his Memoirs, that
      his gains in a few years amounted to more than a million. And fortune
      seems to have cherished and blessed him throughout his detestable career.
      After having made his fortune, he retired to write the scandalous Memoirs
      from which I have been quoting, and died out of debt!(56)
    </p>
    <p>
      (56) Mem. de Gourville, i.
    </p>
    <p>
      France became too narrow a theatre for the chevaliers d'industrie and all
      who were a prey to the fury of gambling. The Count de Grammont, a very
      suspicious player, turned his talents to account in England, Italy, and
      Spain.
    </p>
    <p>
      This same Count de Grammont figured well at court on one occasion when
      Louis XIV. seemed inclined to cheat or otherwise play unfairly. Playing at
      backgammon, and having a doubtful throw, a dispute arose, and the
      surrounding courtiers remained silent. The Count de Grammont happening to
      come in, the king desired him to decide it. He instantly answered&mdash;'Sire,
      your Majesty is in the wrong.' 'How,' said the king, 'can you decide
      before you know the question?' 'Because,' replied the count, 'had there
      been any doubt, all these gentlemen would have given it in favour of your
      Majesty.' The plain inference is that this (at the time) great world's
      idol and Voltaire's god, was 'up to a little cheating.' It was, however,
      as much to the king's credit that he submitted to the decision, as it was
      to that of the courtier who gave him such a lesson.
    </p>
    <p>
      The magnanimity of Louis XIV. was still more strikingly shown on another
      gambling occasion. Very high play was going on at the cardinal's, and the
      Chevalier de Rohan lost a vast sum to the king. The agreement was to pay
      only in <i>louis d'ors;</i> and the chevalier, after counting out seven or
      eight hundred, proposed to continue the payment in Spanish pistoles. 'You
      promised me <i>louis d'ors</i>, and not pistoles,' said the king. 'Since
      your Majesty refuses them,' replied the chevalier, 'I don't want them
      either;' and thereupon he flung them out of the window. The king got
      angry, and complained to Mazarin, who replied:&mdash;'The Chevalier de
      Rohan has played the king, and you the Chevalier de Rohan.' The king
      acquiesced.(57)
    </p>
    <p>
      (57) Mem. et Reflex., &amp;e., par M. L. M. L. F. (the Marquis de la
      Fare).
    </p>
    <p>
      As before stated, the court of the Roman Emperor Augustus, in spite of the
      many laws enacted against gambling, diffused the frenzy through Rome; in
      like manner the court of Louis XIV., almost in the same circumstances,
      infected Paris and the entire kingdom with the vice.
    </p>
    <p>
      There is this difference between the French monarch and the Roman emperor,
      that the latter did not teach his successors to play against the people,
      whereas Louis, after having denounced gaming, and become almost disgusted
      with it, finished with established lotteries. High play was always the
      etiquette at court, but the sittings became less frequent and were
      abridged. 'The king,' says Madame de Sevigne, 'has not given over playing,
      but the sittings are not so long.'
    </p>
    <p>
      LOUIS XV.&mdash;At the death of Louis XIV. three-fourths of the nation
      thought of nothing but gambling. Gambling, indeed, became itself an object
      of speculation, in consequence of the establishment and development of
      lotteries&mdash;the first having been designed to celebrate the
      restoration of peace and the marriage of Louis XIV.
    </p>
    <p>
      The nation seemed all mad with the excitement of play. During the minority
      of Louis XV. a foreign gamester, the celebrated Scotchman, John Law,
      having become Controller-General of France, undertook to restore the
      finances of the nation by making every man a player or gamester. He
      propounded a <i>SYSTEM;</i> he established a bank, which nearly upset the
      state; and seduced even those who had escaped the epidemic of games of
      chance. He was finally expelled like a foul fog; but they ought to have
      hanged him as a deliberate corrupter. And yet this is the man of whom
      Voltaire wrote as follows: 'We are far from evincing the gratitude which
      is due to John Law.(58) Voltaire's praise was always as suspicious as his
      blame. Just let us consider the tendency of John Law's 'system.' However
      general may be the fury of gambling, <i>EVERYBODY</i> does not gamble;
      certain professions impose a certain restraint, and their members would
      blush to resort to games the turpitude of which would subject them to
      unanimous condemnation. But only change the <i>NAMES</i> of these games&mdash;only
      change their <i>FORM</i>, and let the bait be presented under the sanction
      of the legislature: then, although the <i>THING</i> be not less vicious,
      nor less repugnant to true principle, then we witness the gambling ardour
      of savages, such as we have described it, manifesting itself with more
      risk, and communicated to the entire nation&mdash;the ministers of the
      altar, the magistracy, the members of every profession, fathers, mothers
      of families, without distinction of rank, means, or duties.... Let this
      short generalization be well pondered, and the conclusion must be reached
      that this Scotch adventurer, John Law, was guilty of the crime of treason
      against humanity.
    </p>
    <p>
      (57) Nous sommes loin de la reconnoissance qui est due a Jean Law. Mel. de
      Litt., d'Hist., &amp;c. ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      John Law, whom the French called <i>Jean Lass</i>, opened a gulf into
      which half the nation eagerly poured its money. Fortunes were made in a
      few days&mdash;in a few <i>HOURS</i>. Many were enriched by merely lending
      their signatures. A sudden and horrible revolution amazed the entire
      people&mdash;like the bursting of a bomb-shell or an incendiary explosion.
      Six hundred thousand of the best families, who had taken <i>PAPER</i> on
      the faith of the government, lost, together with their fortunes, their
      offices and appointments, and were almost annihilated. Some of the
      stock-jobbers escaped; others were compelled to disgorge their gains&mdash;although
      they stoutly and, it must be admitted, consistently appealed to the
      sanction of the court.
    </p>
    <p>
      Oddly enough, whilst the government made all France play at this John Law
      game&mdash;the most seductive and voracious that ever existed&mdash;some
      thirty or forty persons were imprisoned for having broken the laws enacted
      against games of chance!
    </p>
    <p>
      It may be somewhat consolatory to know that the author of so much calamity
      did not long enjoy his share of the infernal success&mdash;the partition
      of a people's ruin. After extorting so many millions, this famous gambler
      was reduced to the necessity of selling his last diamond in order to raise
      money to gamble on.
    </p>
    <p>
      This great catastrophe, the commotion of which was felt even in Holland
      and in England, was the last sigh of true honour among the French. Probity
      received a blow. Public morality was abashed. More gaming houses than ever
      were opened, and then it was that they received the name of <i>Enfers</i>,
      or 'Hells,' by which they were designated in England. 'The greater number
      of those who go to the watering-places,' writes a contemporary, 'under the
      pretext of health, only go after gamesters. In the States-general it is
      less the interest of the people than the attraction of terrible gambling,
      that brings together a portion of the nobility. The nature of the play may
      be inferred from the name of the place at which it takes place in one of
      the provinces&mdash;namely, <i>Enfer</i>. This salon, so appropriately
      called, was in the Hotel of the king's commissioners in Bretagne. I have
      been told that a gentleman, to the great disgust of the noblemen present,
      and even of the bankers, actually offered to stake his sword.
    </p>
    <p>
      'This name of <i>Enfers</i> has been given to several gaming houses, some
      them situated in the interior of Paris, others in the environs.
    </p>
    <p>
      'People no longer blush, as did Caligula, at gambling on their return from
      the funeral of their relatives or friends. A gamester, returning from the
      burial of his brother, where he had exhibited the signs of profound grief,
      played and won a considerable sum of money. "How do you feel now?" he was
      asked. "A little better," he replied, "this consoles me."
    </p>
    <p>
      'All is excitement whilst I write. Without mentioning the base deeds that
      have been committed, I have counted four suicides and a great crime.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Besides the licensed gaming houses, new ones are furtively established in
      the privileged mansions of the ambassadors and representatives of foreign
      courts. Certain chevaliers d'industrie recently proposed to a gentleman of
      quality, who had just been appointed plenipotentiary, to hire an hotel for
      him, and to pay the expenses, on condition that he would give up to them
      an apartment and permit them to have valets wearing his livery! This base
      proposal was rejected with contempt, because the Baron de &mdash;&mdash;
      is one of the most honourable and enlightened men of the age.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The most difficult bargains are often amicably settled by a game. I have
      seen persons gaming whilst taking a walk and whilst travelling in their
      carriages. People game at the doors of the theatres; of course they gamble
      for the price of the ticket. In every possible manner, and in every
      situation, the true gamester strives to turn every instant to profit.
    </p>
    <p>
      'If I relate what I have seen in the matter of play during sleep, it will
      be difficult to understand me. A gamester, exhausted by fatigue, could not
      give up playing because he was a loser; so he requested his adversary to
      play for him with his left hand, whilst he dozed off and slept! Strange to
      say, the left hand of his adversary incessantly won, whilst he snored to
      the sound of the dice!
    </p>
    <p>
      'I have just read in a newspaper,(59) that two Englishmen, who left their
      country to fight a duel in a foreign land, nevertheless played at the
      highest stakes on the voyage; and having arrived on the field, one of them
      laid a wager that he would kill his adversary. It is stated that the
      spectators of the affair looked upon it as a gaming transaction.
    </p>
    <p>
      (59) Journal de Politique, Dec. 15, 1776.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In speaking of this affair I was told of a German, who, being compelled
      to fight a duel on account of a quarrel at the gaming table, allowed his
      adversary to fire at him. He was missed.
    </p>
    <p>
      He said to his opponent, "I never miss. I bet you a hundred ducats that I
      break your right or left arm, just as you please." The bet was taken, and
      he won.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I have found cards and dice in many places where people were in want of
      bread. I have seen the merchant and the artisan staking gold by handfuls.
      A small farmer has just gamed away his harvest, valued at 3000
      francs.'(60)
    </p>
    <p>
      (60) Dusaulx, <i>De la Passion du Jeu</i>, 1779.
    </p>
    <p>
      Gaming houses in Paris were first licensed in 1775, by the lieutenant of
      police, Sartines, who, to diminish the odium of such establishments,
      decreed that the profit resulting from them should be applied to the
      foundation of hospitals. Their number soon amounted to twelve; and women
      were allowed to resort to them two days in the week. Besides the licensed
      establishments, several illegal ones were tolerated, and especially styled
      <i>enfers</i>, or 'hells.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Gaming having been found prolific in misfortunes and crimes, was
      prohibited in 1778; but it was still practised at the court and in the
      hotels of ambassadors, where police-officers could not enter. By degrees
      the public establishments resumed their wonted activity, and extended
      their pernicious effects. The numerous suicides and bankruptcies which
      they occasioned attracted the attention of the <i>Parlement</i>, who drew
      up regulations for their observance, and threatened those who violated
      them with the pillory and whipping. The licensed houses, as well as those
      recognized, however, still continued their former practices, and breaches
      of the regulations were merely visited with trivial punishment.
    </p>
    <p>
      At length, the passion for play prevailing in the societies established in
      the Palais Royal, under the title of <i>clubs</i> or <i>salons</i>, a
      police ordinance was issued in 1785, prohibiting them from gaming. In
      1786, fresh disorder having arisen in the unlicensed establishments,
      additional prohibiting measures were enforced. During the Revolution the
      gaming-houses were frequently prosecuted, and licenses withheld; but
      notwithstanding the rigour of the laws and the vigilance of the police,
      they still contrived to exist.
    </p>
    <p>
      LOUIS XVI. TILL THE PRESENT TIME.&mdash;In the general corruption of
      morals, which rose to its height during the reign of Louis XVI., gambling
      kept pace with, if it did not outstrip, every other licentiousness of that
      dismal epoch.(61) Indeed, the universal excitement of the nation naturally
      tended to develope every desperate passion of our nature; and that the
      revolutionary troubles and agitation of the empire helped to increase the
      gambling propensity of the French, is evident from the magnitude of the
      results on record.
    </p>
    <p>
      (61) It will be seen in the sequel that gambling was vastly increased in
      England by the French 'emigres' who sought refuge among us, bringing with
      them all their vices, unchastened by misfortune.
    </p>
    <p>
      Fouche, the minister of police, derived an income of L128,000 a year for
      licensing or 'privileging' gaming houses, to which cards of address were
      regularly furnished.
    </p>
    <p>
      Besides what the 'farmers' of the gaming houses paid to Fouche, they were
      compelled to hire and pay 120,000 persons, employed in those houses as <i>croupiers</i>
      or attendants at the gaming table, from half-a-crown to half-a-guinea a
      day; and all these 120,000 persons were <i>SPIES OF FOUCHE!</i> A very
      clever idea no doubt it was, thus to draw a revenue from the proceeds of a
      vice, and use the institution for the purposes of government; but,
      perhaps, as Rousseau remarks, 'it is a great error in domestic as well as
      civil economy to wish to combat one vice by another, or to form between
      them a sort of equilibrium, as if that which saps the foundations of order
      can ever serve to establish it.'(62) A minister of the Emperor Theodosius
      II., in the year 431, the virtuous Florentius, in order to teach his
      master that it was wrong to make the vices contribute to the State,
      because such a procedure authorizes them, gave to the public treasury one
      of his lands the revenue of which equalled the product of the annual tax
      levied on prostitution.(63)
    </p>
    <p>
      (62) Nouv. Heloise, t. iv.
    </p>
    <p>
      (63) Novel. Theodos. 18.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the restoration of the Bourbons, it became quite evident that play
      in the Empire had been quite as Napoleonic in its vigour and dimensions as
      any other 'idea' of the epoch.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following detail of the public gaming tables of Paris was published in
      a number of the <i>Bibliotheque Historique</i>, 1818, under the title of
      'Budget of Public Games.'
    </p>
    <p>
      STATE OF THE ANNUAL EXPENSES OF THE GAMES OF PARIS.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
  These 20 Tables are divided into nine houses, four of which are
  situated in the Palais Royal.
</pre>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
  To serve the seven tables of <i>Trente-et-un</i>, there are:&mdash;francs
  28 Dealers,    at 550 fr. a month, making . . . . 15,400
  28 Croupiers,  at 380. . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10,640
  42 Assistants, at 200. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,400

  SERVICE FOR THE NINE ROULETTES AND ONE PASSE-DIX.

  80 Dealers,    at 275 fr. a month . . . . . . . . 22,000
  60 Assistants, at 150. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,000

  SERVICE OF THE CRAPS, BIRIBI, AND HAZARD,
  12 Dealers,    at 300 fr. a month. . . . . . . . . 3,600
  12 Inspectors, at 120 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,440
  10 Aids,      at 100. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,000
  6 Chefs de Partie at the principal houses, at
  700 fr. a month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,200

  3 Chefs de Partie for the Roulettes, at
  500 fr. a month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,500
  20 Secret Inspectors, at 200 fr. a month. . . . . .4,000
  1 Inspector-General, at . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,000
  130 Waiters, at 75 fr. a month. . . . . . . . . . .9,750
  Cards a month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,500
  Beer and refreshments, a month. . . . . . . . . . .3,000
  Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,500
  Refreshment for the grand saloon, including two
  dinners every week, per month . . . . . . . . . 12,000
  Total expense of each month . . . .113,930
  &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;-
  Multiplied by twelve, is. . . . . . . . . . . .1,367,160
  Rent of 10 Houses, per annum. . . . . . . . . . .130,000
  Expense of Offices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,000
  &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;-
  Total per annum. . . . . . . . . 1,547,160
  If the `privilege' or license is . . . . . . . 6,000,000
  If a bonus of a million is given for six years, the
  sixth part, or one year, will be . . . . . . . 166,666

  &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;-
  Total expenditure . . . . . . . .7,713,826
  The profits are estimated at, per month,. . . . .800,000
  &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;-
  Which yield, per annum, . . . . . . . . . . . .9,600,000
  Deducting the expenditure . . . . . . . . . . .7,713,826
  &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;-
  The annual profits are. . . . . . . . . . . fr.1,886,174
  &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;-
  Thus giving the annual profit at L7860 sterling.

  We omit the profits resulting from the watering-places,
  amounting to fr. 200,000.
</pre>
    <p>
      One of the new conditions imposed on the Paris gaming houses is the
      exclusion of females.
    </p>
    <p>
      Thus, at Paris, the Palais Royal, Frascati, and numerous other places,
      presented gaming houses, whither millions of wretches crowded in search of
      fortune, but, for the most part, to find only ruin or even death by
      suicide or duelling, so often resulting from quarrels at the gaming table.
    </p>
    <p>
      This state of things was, however, altered in the year 1836, at the
      proposition of M. B. Delessert, and all the gaming houses were ordered to
      be closed from the 1st of January, 1838, so that the present gambling in
      France is on the same footing as gambling in England,&mdash;utterly
      prohibited, but carried on in secret.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER VI. THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF MODERN GAMING IN ENGLAND.
    </h2>
    <p>
      It seems that the rise of modern gaming in England may be dated from the
      year 1777 or 1778.
    </p>
    <p>
      Before this time gaming appears never to have assumed an alarming aspect.
      The methodical system of partnership, enabling men to embark large capital
      in gambling establishments, was unknown; though from that period this
      system became the special characteristic of the pursuit among all classes
      of the community.
    </p>
    <p>
      The development of the evil was a subject of great concern to thoughtful
      men, and one of these, in the year 1784, put forth a pamphlet, which seems
      to give 'the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure.'(64)
    </p>
    <p>
      (64) The pamphlet (in the Library of the British Museum) is entitled:&mdash;'Hints
      for a Reform, particularly of the Gaming Clubs. By a Member of Parliament.
      1784.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'About thirty years ago,' says this writer, 'there was but one club in the
      metropolis. It was regulated and respectable. There were few of the
      members who betted high. Such stakes at present would be reckoned very low
      indeed. There were then assemblies once a week in most of the great
      houses. An agreeable society met at seven o'clock; they played for crowns
      or half-crowns; and reached their own houses about eleven.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There was but one lady who gamed deeply, and she was viewed in the light
      of a phenomenon. Were she now to be asked her real opinion of those
      friends who were her former <i>PLAY</i>-fellows, there can be no doubt but
      that they rank very low in her esteem.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In the present era of vice and dissipation, how many females attend the
      card-tables! What is the consequence? The effects are too clearly to be
      traced to the frequent <i>DIVORCES</i> which have lately disgraced our
      country, and they are too visible in the shameful conduct of many ladies
      of fashion, since gambling became their chief amusement.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There is now no society. The routs begin at midnight. They are painful
      and troublesome to the lady who receives company, and they are absolutely
      a nuisance to those who are honoured with a card of invitation. It is in
      vain to attempt conversation. The social pleasures are entirely banished,
      and those who have any relish for them, or who are fond of early hours,
      are necessarily excluded. Such are the companies of modern times, and
      modern people of fashion. Those who are not invited fly to the <i>Gaming
      Clubs</i>&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      "To kill their idle hours and cure <i>ennui!</i>"
    </p>
    <p>
      'To give an account of the present encumbered situation of many families,
      whose property was once large and ample, would fill a volume. Whence
      spring the difficulties which every succeeding day increases? From the <i>GAMBLING
      CLUBS</i>. Why are they continually hunted by their creditors? The reply
      is&mdash;the <i>GAMBLING CLUBS</i>. Why are they obliged continually to
      rack their invention in order to save appearances? The answer still is&mdash;the
      <i>GAMBLING CLUBS!</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      'The father frequently ruins his children; and sons, and even grandsons,
      long before the succession opens to them, are involved so deeply that
      during their future lives their circumstances are rendered narrow; and
      they have rank or family honours, without being able to support them.
    </p>
    <p>
      'How many infamous villains have amassed immense estates, by taking
      advantage of unfortunate young men, who have been first seduced and then
      ruined by the Gambling Clubs!
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is well known that the old members of those gambling societies exert
      every nerve to enlist young men of fortune; and if we take a view of the
      principal estates on this island, we shall find many infamous <i>CHRISTIAN</i>
      brokers who are now living luxuriously and in splendour on the wrecks of
      such unhappy victims.
    </p>
    <p>
      'At present, when a boy has learned a little from his father's example, he
      is sent to school, to be <i>INITIATED</i>. In the course of a few years he
      acquires a profound knowledge of the science of gambling, and before he
      leaves the University he is perfectly fitted for a member of the <i>GAMING
      CLUBS</i>, into which he is elected before he takes his seat in either
      House of Parliament. There is no necessity for his being of age, as the
      sooner he is ballotted for, the more advantageous his admission will prove
      to the <i>OLD</i> members.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Scarcely is the hopeful youth enrolled among these <i>HONOURABLE</i>
      associates, than he is introduced to Jews, to annuity-brokers, and to the
      long train of money-lenders. They take care to answer his pecuniary calls,
      and the greater part of the night and morning is consumed at the <i>CLUB</i>.
      To his creditors and tradesmen, instead of paying his bills, he offers a
      <i>BOND</i> or <i>ANNUITY</i>. He rises just time enough to ride to
      Kensington Gardens; returns to dress; dines late; and then attends the
      party of gamblers, as he had done the night before, unless he allows
      himself to be detained for a few moments by the newspaper, or some
      political publication.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Such do we find the present fashionable style of life, from "his Grace"
      to the "Ensign" in the Guards. Will this mode of education rear up heroes,
      to lead forth our armies, or to conduct our fleets to victory? Review the
      conduct of your generals abroad, and of your statesmen at home, during the
      late unfortunate war, and these questions are answered.(65)
    </p>
    <p>
      (65) Of course this is an allusion to the American War of Independence and
      the political events at home, from 1774 to 1784.
    </p>
    <p>
      'At present, tradesmen must themselves be gamblers before they give credit
      to a member of these clubs; but if a reform succeeds they will be placed
      in a state of security. At present they must make <i>REGULAR</i> families
      pay an enormous price for their goods, to enable them to run the risk of
      never receiving a single shilling from their gambling customers.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Such is the picture of the times in question, drawn by a contemporary; and
      it may be said that private reckless and unscrupulous political
      machinations were the springs and fountains of all the calamities that
      subsequently overflowed, as it were, the 'opening of the seals' of doom
      upon the nation.
    </p>
    <p>
      Notwithstanding the purity of morals enjoined by the court of George III.,
      the early part of his reign presents a picture of dissolute manners as
      well as of furious party spirit. The most fashionable of our ladies of
      rank were immersed in play, or devoted to politics: the same spirit
      carried them into both. The Sabbath was disregarded, spent often in cards,
      or desecrated by the meetings of partisans of both factions; moral duties
      were neglected and decorum outraged. The fact was, that a minor court had
      become the centre of all the bad passions and reprehensible pursuits in
      vogue. Carlton House, in Pall Mall, which even the oldest of us can barely
      remember, with its elegant open screen, the pillars in front, its low
      exterior, its many small rooms, its decorations in vulgar taste, and, to
      crown the whole, its associations of a corrupting revelry,&mdash;Carlton
      House was, in the days of good King George, almost as great a scandal to
      the country as Whitehall in the time of improper King Charles II.(66) The
      influence which the example of a young prince, of manners eminently
      popular, produced upon the young nobility of the realm was most disastrous
      in every way and ruinous to public morality.
    </p>
    <p>
      (66) Wharton, 'The Queens of Society.' Mem. of <i>Georgiana, Duchess of
      Devonshire.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      After that period, the vast license given to those abominable engines of
      fraud, the E.O. tables,(67) and the great length of time which elapsed
      before they met with any check from the police, afforded a number of
      dissolute and abandoned characters an opportunity of acquiring property.
      This they afterwards increased in the low gaming houses, and by following
      up the same system at Newmarket and the other fashionable places of
      resort, and finally by means of the lottery, that mode of insensate
      gambling; till at length they acquired a sum of money nothing short of <i>ONE
      MILLION STERLING</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      (67) So called from the letters E and O, the turning up of which decided
      the bet. They were otherwise called <i>Roulette</i> and <i>Roly Poly</i>,
      from the balls used in them. They seem to have been introduced in England
      about the year 1739. The first was set up at Tunbridge and proved
      extremely profitable to the proprietors.
    </p>
    <p>
      This enormous wealth was then used as an efficient capital in carrying on
      various illegal establishments, particularly gaming houses, the expenses
      of a first-rate house being L7000 per annum, which were again employed as
      the means of increasing these ill-gotten riches.
    </p>
    <p>
      The system was progressive but steady in its development. Several of these
      conspicuous members of the world of fashion, rolling in their gaudy
      carriages and associating with men of high rank and influence, might be
      found on the registers of the Old Bailey, or had been formerly occupied in
      turning, with their own hands, E.O. tables in the public streets.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following <i>Queries</i>, which are extracted from the <i>Morning Post</i>
      of July the 5th, 1797, throw considerable light upon this curious subject,
      and show how seriously the matter was regarded when so public a
      denunciation was deemed necessary and ventured upon:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Is Mr Ogden (now the Newmarket oracle) the same person who,
      five-and-twenty years since, was an annual pedestrian to Ascot, covered
      with dust, amusing himself with "<i>PRICKING in the</i> belt," "<i>HUSTLING</i>
      in the hat," &amp;c., among the lowest class of rustics, at the inferior
      booths of the fair?
    </p>
    <p>
      'Is D-k-y B&mdash;n who now has his snug farm, the same person who, some
      years since, <i>DROVE A POST CHAISE</i> for T&mdash;y, of Bagshot, could
      neither read nor write, and was introduced to <i>THE FAMILY</i> only by
      his pre-eminence at cribbage?
    </p>
    <p>
      'Is Mr Twycross (with his phaeton) the same person who some years since
      became a bankrupt in Tavistock Street, immediately commenced the Man of
      Fashion at Bath, kept running horses, &amp;c., <i>secundum artem?</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      'Is Mr Phillips (who has now his town and country house, in the most
      fashionable style) the same who was originally a linen-draper and bankrupt
      at Salisbury, and who made his first <i>family entre</i> in the
      metropolis, by his superiority at <i>Billiards</i> (with Captain Wallace,
      Orrell, &amp;c.) at Cropley's, in Bow Street?
    </p>
    <p>
      'Was poor carbuncled P&mdash;e (so many years the favourite decoy duck of
      <i>THE FAMILY</i>) the very barber of Oxford, who, in the midst of the
      operation upon a gentleman's face, laid down his razor, swearing that he
      would never shave another man so long as he lived, and immediately became
      the hero of the card table, the <i>bones</i>, the <i>box</i>, and the <i>Cockpit?</i>'
    </p>
    <p>
      Capital was not the only qualification for admission into the Confederacy
      of Gambling. Some of the members were taken into partnership on account of
      their dexterity in 'securing' dice or 'dealing' cards. One is said to have
      been actually a sharer in every 'Hell' at the West-End of the Town,
      because he was feared as much as he was detested by the firms, who had
      reason to know that he would 'peach' if not kept quiet. Informers against
      the illegal and iniquitous associations were arrested and imprisoned upon
      writs, obtained by perjury&mdash;to deter others from similar attacks;
      witnesses were suborned; officers of justice bribed; ruffians and
      bludgeon-men employed, where gratuities failed; personal violence and even
      assassination threatened to all who dared to expose the crying evil&mdash;among
      others, to Stockdale, the well-known publisher of the day, in Piccadilly.
    </p>
    <p>
      Then came upon the nation the muddy flood of French emigrants, poured
      forth by the Great Revolution&mdash;a set of men, speaking generally,
      whose vices contaminated the very atmosphere.
    </p>
    <p>
      Before the advent of these worthies the number of gambling houses in the
      metropolis, exclusive of those so long established by subscription, was
      not more than half-a-dozen; but by the year 1820 they had increased to
      nearly fifty. Besides <i>Faro</i> and <i>Hazard</i>, the foreign games of
      <i>Macao, Roulette, Rouge et Noir</i>, &amp;c., were introduced, and there
      was a graduated accommodation for all ranks, from the Peer of the Realm to
      the Highwayman, the Burglar, and the Pick et.
    </p>
    <p>
      At one of the watering-places, in 1803, a baronet lost L20,000 at play,
      and a bond for L7000. This will scarcely surprise us when we consider that
      at the time above five hundred notorious characters supported themselves
      in the metropolis by this species of robbery, and in the summer spread
      themselves through the watering-places for their professional operations.
      Some of them kept bankers, and were possessed of considerable property in
      the funds and in land, and went their <i>circuits</i> as regularly as the
      judges. Most excellent judges they were, too, of the condition of a
      'pigeon.'
    </p>
    <p>
      In a great commercial city where, from the extent of its trade,
      manufacture, and revenue, there must be an immense circulation of
      property, the danger is not to be conceived of the allurements which were
      thus held out to young men in business having the command of money, as
      well as the clerks of merchants, bankers, and others. In fact, too many of
      this class proved, at the bar of justice, the consequence of their resort
      to these complicated scenes of vice, idleness, extravagance, misfortune,
      and crime. Among innumerable instances are the following:&mdash;In 1796, a
      shopman to a grocer in the city was seduced into a gaming party, where he
      first lost all his own money, and ultimately what his master had intrusted
      him with. He hanged himself in his bed-room a few hours afterwards.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the same year, Lord Kenyon in summing up a case of the kind said:&mdash;'It
      was extremely to be lamented that the vice of gambling had descended to
      the very lowest orders of the people. It was prevalent among the highest
      ranks of society, who had set the example to their inferiors, and who, it
      seemed, were too great for the law. I wish they could be punished. If any
      prosecutions are fairly brought before me, and the parties are justly
      convicted, whatever may be their rank or station in the country&mdash;though
      they should be the first ladies in the land&mdash;they shall certainly
      exhibit themselves in the pillory.'
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1820, James Lloyd, one of the harpies who practised on the credulity of
      the lower orders by keeping a <i>Little Go</i>, or illegal lottery, was
      brought up for the twentieth time, to answer for that offence. This man
      was a methodist preacher, and assembled his neighbours together at his
      dwelling on a Saturday to preach the gospel to them, and the remainder of
      the week he was to be found, with an equally numerous party, instructing
      them in the ruinous vice of gambling. The charge was clearly proved, and
      the prisoner was sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the same year numbers of young persons robbed their masters to play at
      a certain establishment called Morley's Gambling House, in the City, and
      were ruined there. Some were brought to justice at the Old Bailey; others,
      in the madness caused by their losses, destroyed themselves; and some
      escaped to other countries, by their own activity, or through the
      influence of their friends.
    </p>
    <p>
      A traveller of the coachmakers, Messrs Houlditch of Long Acre, embezzled
      or applied to his own use considerable sums of money belonging to them. It
      appeared in evidence that the prisoner was sent by his employers to the
      Continent to take orders for carriages; he was allowed a handsome salary,
      and was furnished with carriages for sale. The money he received for them
      he was to send to his employers, after deducting his expenses; but instead
      of so doing, he gambled nearly the whole of it away. The following letter
      to his master was put in by way of explanation of his career:&mdash;'Sir,&mdash;The
      errors into which I have fallen have made me so hate myself that I have
      adopted the horrible resolution of destroying myself. I am sensible of the
      crime I commit against God, my family, and society, but have not courage
      to live dishonoured. The generous confidence you placed in me I have
      basely violated; I have robbed you, and though not to enrich myself, the
      consciousness of it destroys me. Bankruptcy, poverty, beggary, and want I
      could bear&mdash;conscious integrity would support me: but the ill-fated
      acquaintance I formed led me to those earthly hells&mdash;gambling houses;
      and then commenced my villainies and deceptions to you. My losses were not
      large at first; and the stories that were told me of gain made me hope
      they would soon be recovered. At this period I received the order to go to
      Vienna, and on settling at the hotel I found my debts treble what I had
      expected. I was in consequence compelled to leave the two carriages as a
      guarantee for part of the debt, which I had not in my power to discharge.
      I had hoped such success at Vienna as would enable me to state all to you;
      but disappointment blasted every hope, and despair, on my return to Paris,
      began to generate the fatal resolution which, at the moment you read this,
      will have matured itself to consummation. I feel that my reputation is
      blasted; no way left of re-imbursing the money wasted, your confidence in
      me totally destroyed, and nothing left to me but to see my wife and
      children, and die. Affection for them holds me in existence a little
      longer. The gaming table again presented itself to my imagination as the
      only possible means of extricating myself. Count Montoni's 3000 francs,
      which I received before you came to Paris, furnished me with the means&mdash;my
      death speaks the result! After robbery so base as mine, I fear it will be
      of no use for me to solicit your kindness for my wretched wife and forlorn
      family. Oh, Sir, if you have pity on them and treat them kindly, and do
      not leave them to perish in a foreign land, the consciousness of the act
      will cheer you in your last moments, and God will reward you and yours for
      it tenfold. Their sensibilities will not cause them to need human aid.
      Thus I shall be threefold the murderer. I thank you for the kindness you
      have rendered me; and I assure your brother that he has, in this dreadful
      moment, my ardent wishes for his welfare here and hereafter. I have so
      contrived it that you will see a person at the Prince's tomorrow, who will
      interpret for you. In mentioning my fate to him, you will not much serve
      your own interest by blackening my character and memory. I subjoin the
      reward of my villainies and the correct balance of the account. Count
      Edmond's regular bills I have not received; his valet will give you them;
      the others are in a pocket-book, which will be found on my corpse
      somewhere in the wood of Boulogne.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Signed, W. KINSBY.'
    </p>
    <p>
      It appears, however, that the gentleman changed his mind and did not
      commit suicide, but surrendered at the Insolvent Debtor's Court to be
      dealt with according to law, which was a much wiser resolution.
    </p>
    <p>
      To the games of Faro, Hazard, Macao, Doodle-do, and Rouge et Noir, more
      even than to horse-racing, many tradesmen, once possessing good fortunes
      and great business, owed their destruction. Thousands upon thousands have
      been ruined in the vicinity of St James's. It was not confined to youths
      of fortune only, but the decent and respectable tradesman, as well as the
      dashing clerk of the merchant and banker, was ingulfed in its vortes.
    </p>
    <p>
      The proprietors of gaming houses were also concerned in fraudulent
      insurances, and employed a number of clerks while the lotteries were
      drawing, who conducted the business without risk, in counting-houses,
      where no insurances were taken, but to which books were carried, as well
      as from the different offices in every part of the town, as from the <i>Morocco-men</i>,
      who went from door to door taking insurances and enticing the poor and
      middling ranks to adventure.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was gambling, and not the burdens of the long war, nor the revulsion
      from war to peace, that made so many bankruptcies in the few years
      succeeding the Battle of Waterloo. It was the plunderers at gaming tables
      that filled the gazettes and made the gaols overflow with so many victims.
    </p>
    <p>
      A foreigner has advanced an opinion as to the source of the gambling
      propensity of Englishmen. 'The English,' says M. Dunne,(68) 'the most
      speculative nation on earth, calculate even upon future contingences.
      Nowhere else is the adventurous rage for stock-jobbing carried on to so
      great an extent. The fury of gambling, so common in England, is
      undoubtedly a daughter of this speculative genius. The <i>Greeks</i> of
      Great Britain are, however, much inferior to those of France in cunning
      and industry. A certain Frenchman who assumed in London the title and
      manners of a baron, has been known to surpass all the most dexterous
      rogues of the three kingdoms in the art of robbing. His aide-de-camp was a
      kind of German captain, or rather <i>chevalier d'industrie</i>, a person
      who had acted the double character of a French spy and an English officer
      at the same time. Their tactics being at length discovered, the baron was
      obliged to quit the country; and he is said to have afterwards entered the
      monastery of La Trappe,' where doubtless, in the severe and gloomy
      religious practices of that terrible penitentiary, he atoned for his past
      enormities.
    </p>
    <p>
      (68) 'Refexions sur l'Homme.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Till near the commencement of the present century the favourite game was
      Faro, and as it was a decided advantage to hold the Bank, masters and
      mistresses, less scrupulous than Wilberforce, frequently volunteered to
      fleece and amuse the company. But scandal having made busy with the names
      of some of them, it became usual to hire a professed gamester at five or
      ten guineas a night, to set up a table for the evening, just as any
      operatic professional might now-a-days be hired for a concert, or a
      band-master for a ball.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Faro gradually dropped out of fashion; Macao took its place; Hazard was
      never wanting; and Whist began to be played for stakes which would have
      satisfied Fox himself, who, though it was calculated that he might have
      netted four or five thousand a year by games of skill, complained that
      they afforded no excitement.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Wattier's Club, in Piccadilly, was the resort of the Macao players. It
      was kept by an old <i>maitre d'hotel</i> of George IV., a character in his
      way, who took a just pride in the cookery and wines of his establishment.
    </p>
    <p>
      'All the brilliant stars of fashion (and fashion was power then)
      frequented Wattier's, with Beau Brummell for their sun. 'Poor Brummell,
      dead, in misery and idiotcy, at Caen! and I remember him in all his glory,
      cutting his jokes after the opera, at White's, in a black velvet
      great-coat, and a cocked hat on his well-powdered head.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Nearly the same turn of reflection is suggested as we run over the names
      of his associates. Almost all of them were ruined&mdash;three out of four
      irretrievably. Indeed, it was the forced expatriation of its supporters
      that caused the club to be broken up.
    </p>
    <p>
      'During the same period (from 1810 to 1815 or thereabouts) there was a
      great deal of high play at White's and Brookes', particularly at Whist. At
      Brookes' figured some remarkable characters&mdash;as Tippoo Smith, by
      common consent the best Whist-player of his day; and an old gentleman
      nicknamed Neptune, from his having once flung himself into the sea in a
      fit of despair at being, as he thought, ruined. He was fished out in time,
      found he was not ruined, and played on during the remainder of his life.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The most distinguished player at White's was the nobleman who was
      presented at the Salons in Paris as Le Wellington des Joueurs (Lord
      Rivers); and he richly merited the name, if skill, temper, and the most
      daring courage are titles to it. The greatest genius, however, is not
      infallible. He once lost three thousand four hundred pounds at Whist by
      not remembering that the seven of hearts was in! He played at Hazard for
      the highest stakes that any one could be got to play for with him, and at
      one time was supposed to have won nearly a hundred thousand pounds; but <i>IT
      ALL WENT</i>, along with a great deal more, at Crockford's.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There was also a great deal of play at Graham's, the Union, the Cocoa
      Tree, and other clubs of the second order in point of fashion. Here large
      sums were hazarded with equal rashness, and remarkable characters started
      up. Among the most conspicuous was the late Colonel Aubrey, who literally
      passed his life at play. He did nothing else, morning, noon, and night;
      and it was computed that he had paid more than sixty thousand pounds for
      card-money. He was a very fine player at all games, and a shrewd, clever
      man. He had been twice to India and made two fortunes. It was said that he
      lost the first on his way home, transferred himself from one ship to
      another without landing, went back, and made the second. His life was a
      continual alternation between poverty and wealth; and he used to say, the
      greatest pleasure in life is winning at cards&mdash;the next greatest,
      losing!
    </p>
    <p>
      'For several years deep play went on at all these clubs, fluctuating both
      as to amount and locality, till by degrees it began to flag. It had got to
      a low ebb when Mr Crockford came to London and established the celebrated
      club which bore his name.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Some good was certainly produced by the system. In the first place,
      private gambling (between gentleman and gentleman), with its degrading
      incidents, is at an end. In the second place, this very circumstance
      brings the worst part of the practice within the reach of the law. Public
      gambling, which only existed by and through what were popularly termed <i>hells</i>,
      might be easily suppressed. There were, in 1844, more than twenty of these
      establishments in Pall Mall, Piccadilly, and St James's, called into
      existence by Crockford's success.'(69)
    </p>
    <p>
      (69) Private MS. (Edinburgh Review, vol. LXXX).
    </p>
    <p>
      Whilst such was the state of things among the aristocracy and those who
      were able to consort with them, it seems that the lower orders were
      pursuing 'private gambling,' in their 'ungenteel' fashion, to a very sad
      extent. In 1834 a writer in the 'Quarterly' speaks as follows:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Doncaster, Epsom, Ascot, and Warwick, and most of our numerous
      race-grounds and race-towns, are scenes of destructive and universal
      gambling among the lower orders, which our absurdly lax police never
      attempt to suppress; and yet, without the slightest approach to an
      improperly harsh interference with the pleasures of the people, the
      Roulette and E.O. tables, which plunder the peasantry at these places for
      the benefit of travelling sharpers (certainly equally respectable with
      some bipeds of prey who drive coroneted cabs near St James's), might be
      put down by any watchful magistrate.'(70)
    </p>
    <p>
      (70) Quarterly Review, vol. LII.
    </p>
    <p>
      I fear that something similar may be suggested at the present day, as to
      the same notorious localities.
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Sala, writing some years ago on gambling in England, said:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'The passion for gambling is, I believe, innate; but there is, happily, a
      very small percentage of the population who are born with a propensity for
      high play. We are speculative and eagerly commercial; but it is rare to
      discover among us that inveterate love for gambling, as gambling, which
      you may find among the Italians, the South American Spaniards, the
      Russians, and the Poles. Moro, Baccara, Tchuka&mdash;these are games at
      which continental peasants will wager and lose their little fields, their
      standing crops, their harvest in embryo, their very wives even. The
      Americans surpass us in the ardour of their propitiation of the gambling
      goddess, and on board the Mississippi steamboats, an enchanting game,
      called <i>Poker</i>, is played with a delirium of excitement, whose
      intensity can only be imagined by realizing that famous bout at "catch him
      who can," which took place at the horticultural <i>fete</i> immortalized
      by Mr Samuel Foote, comedian, at which was present the great <i>Panjandrum</i>
      himself, with the little round button at top, the festivities continuing
      till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of the company's boots.
    </p>
    <p>
      'When I was a boy, not so very long&mdash;say twenty years&mdash;since,
      the West-end of London swarmed with illicit gambling houses, known by a
      name I will not offend your ears by repeating.
    </p>
    <p>
      On every race-course there was a public gambling booth and an abundance of
      thimble-riggers' stalls. These, I am happy to state, exist no longer; and
      the fools who are always ready to be plucked, can only, in gambling, fall
      victims to the commonest and coarsest of swindlers; skittle sharps,
      beer-house rogues and sharpers, and knaves who travel to entrap the unwary
      in railway carriages with loaded dice, marked cards, and little squares of
      green baize for tables, and against whom the authorities of the railway
      companies very properly warn their passengers. A notorious gambling house
      in St James's Street&mdash;Crockford's,&mdash;where it may be said,
      without exaggeration, that millions of pounds sterling have been diced
      away by the fools of fashion, is now one of the most sumptuous and best
      conducted dining establishments in London&mdash;the "Wellington." The
      semipatrician Hades that were to be found in the purlieus of St James's,
      such as the "Cocoa Tree," the "Berkeley," and the "stick-shop," at the
      corner of Albemarle Street&mdash;a whole Pandemonium of rosewood and
      plate-glass dens&mdash;never recovered from a razzia made on them
      simultaneously one night by the police, who were organized on a plan of
      military tactics, and under the command of Inspector Beresford; and at a
      concerted signal assailed the portals of the infamous places with
      sledge-hammers. At the time to which I refer, in Paris, the Palais Royal,
      and the environs of the Boulevards des Italiens, abounded with magnificent
      gambling rooms similar to those still in existence in Hombourg, which were
      regularly licensed by the police, and farmed under the municipality of the
      Ville de Paris; a handsome per-centage of the iniquitous profits being
      paid towards the charitable institutions of the French metropolis. There
      are very many notabilities of the French Imperial Court, who were then <i>fermiers
      des jeux</i>, or gambling house contractors; and only a year or two since
      Doctor Louis Veron, ex-dealer in quack medicines, ex-manager of the Grand
      Opera, and ex-proprietor of the "Constitutionnel" newspaper, offered an
      enormous royalty to Government for the privilege of establishing a
      gambling house in Paris. But the Emperor Napoleon&mdash;all ex-member of
      Crockford's as he is&mdash;sensibly declined the tempting bait. A
      similarly "generous" offer was made last year to the Belgian Government by
      a joint-stock company who wanted to establish public gaming tables at the
      watering-places of Ostend, and who offered to establish an hospital from
      their profits; but King Leopold, the astute proprietor of Claremont, was
      as prudent as his Imperial cousin of France, and refused to soil his hands
      with cogged dice.
    </p>
    <p>
      The lease of the Paris authorized gaming houses expired in 1836-7; and the
      municipality, albeit loath to lose the fat annual revenue, was induced by
      governmental pressure not to renew it; and it is asserted that from that
      moment the number of annual suicides in Paris very sensibly decreased. "It
      is not generally known," as the penny-a-liners say, "that the Rev. Caleb
      Colton, a clergyman of the Church of England, and the author of "Lacon," a
      book replete with aphoristic wisdom, blew his brains out in the forest of
      St Germains, after ruinous losses at Frascati's, at the corner of the Rue
      Richelieu and the Boulevards, one of the most noted of the <i>Maisons des
      Jeux</i>, and which was afterwards turned into a <i>restaurant</i>, and is
      now a shawl-shop.(71) Just before the revolution of 1848, nearly all the
      watering-places in the Prusso-Rhenane provinces, and in Bavaria, and
      Hesse, Nassau, and Baden, contained Kursaals, where gambling was openly
      carried on. These existed at Aix-la-Chapelle, Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden, Ems,
      Kissengen, and at Spa, close to the Prussian frontier, in Belgium. It is
      due to the fierce democrats who revolted against the monarchs of the
      defunct Holy Alliance, to say that they utterly swept away the
      gambling-tables in Rhenish-Prussia, and in the Grand Duchy of Baden. Herr
      Hecker, of the red republican tendencies, and the astounding wide-awake
      hat, particularly distinguished himself in the latter place by his
      iconoclastic animosity to <i>Roulette</i> and <i>Rouge et Noir</i>. When
      dynastic "order" was restored the Rhine gaming tables were re-established.
      The Prussian Government, much to its honour, has since shut up the
      gambling houses at that resort for decayed nobility and ruined livers,
      Aix-la-Chapelle. A motion was made in the Federal Diet, sitting at
      Frankfort, to constrain the smaller governments, in the interest of the
      Germanic good name generally, to close their <i>tripots</i>, and in some
      measure the Federal authorities succeeded. The only existing continental
      gaming houses authorized by government are now the two Badens, Spa (of
      which the lease is nearly expired, and will not be renewed), Monaco
      (capital of the ridiculous little Italian principality, of which the
      suzerain is a scion of the house of "Grimaldi"), Malmoe, in Sweden, too
      remote to do much harm, and HOMBOURG. This last still flourishes greatly,
      and I am afraid is likely to flourish, though happily in isolation; for,
      as I have before remarked, the "concession" or privilege of the place has
      been guaranteed for a long period of years to come by the expectant
      dynasty of Hesse-Darmstadt. "<i>C'est fait</i>," "It is all settled," said
      the host of the Hotel de France to me, rubbing his hands exultingly when I
      mentioned the matter. But, <i>Quis custodiet custodes?</i> Hesse-Darmstadt
      has guaranteed the "administration of Hesse-Hombourg, but who is to
      guarantee Hesse-Darmstadt? A battalion of French infantry would, it seems
      to me, make short work of H. D., lease guarantees, Federal contingent, and
      all. I must mention, in conclusion, that within a very few years we had,
      if we have not still, a licensed gaming house in our exquisitely moral
      British dominions. This was in that remarkably "tight little island" at
      the mouth of the Elbe, Heligoland, which we so queerly possess&mdash;Puffendorf,
      Grotius, and Vattel, or any other writers on the <i>Jus gentium</i>, would
      be puzzled to tell why, or by what right. I was at Hamburg in the autumn
      of 1856, crossed over to Heligoland one day on a pleasure trip, and lost
      some money there, at a miniature <i>Roulette</i> table, much frequented by
      joyous Israelites from the mainland, and English "soldier officers" in
      mufti. I did not lose much of my temper, however, for the odd, quaint
      little place pleased me. Not so another Roman citizen, or English
      travelling gent., who losing, perhaps, seven-and-sixpence, wrote a furious
      letter to the "Times," complaining of such horrors existing under the
      British flag, desecration of the English name, and so forth. Next week the
      lieutenant-governor, by "order," put an end to <i>Roulette</i> at
      Heligoland; but play on a diminutive scale has since, I have been given to
      understand, recommenced there without molestation.
    </p>
    <p>
      (71) Mr Sala is here in error. Colton was a prosperous gambler throughout,
      and committed suicide to avoid a surgical operation. A notice of the Rev.
      C. Colton will be found in the sequel.
    </p>
    <p>
      'We gamble in England at the Stock Exchange, we gamble on horse-races all
      the year round; but there is something more than the mere eventuality of a
      chance that prompts us to the <i>enjeu;</i> there is mixed up with our
      eagerness for the stakes the most varied elements of business and
      pleasure; cash-books, ledgers, divident-warrants, indignation meetings of
      Venezuelan bond-holders, coupons, cases of champagne, satin-skinned horses
      with plaited manes, grand stands, pretty faces, bright flags, lobster
      salads, cold lamb, fortune-telling gipsies, barouches-and-four, and "our
      Aunt Sally." High play is still rife in some aristocratic clubs; there are
      prosperous gentlemen who wear clean linen every day, and whose names are
      still in the Army List, who make their five or six hundred a year by
      Whist-playing, and have nothing else to live upon; in East-end
      coffee-shops, sallow-faced Jew boys, itinerant Sclavonic jewellers, and
      brawny German sugar-bakers, with sticky hands, may be found glozing and
      wrangling over their beloved cards and dominoes, and screaming with
      excitement at the loss of a few pence. There are yet some occult nooks and
      corners, nestling in unsavoury localities, on passing which the policeman,
      even in broad daylight, cannot refrain from turning his head a little
      backwards&mdash;as though some bedevilments must necessarily be taking
      place directly he has passed&mdash;where, in musty back parlours, by
      furtive lamplight, with doors barred, bolted, and sheeted with iron, some
      wretched, cheating gambling goes on at unholy hours. Chicken-hazard is
      scotched, not killed; but a poor, weazened, etiolated biped is that once
      game-bird now. And there is Doncaster, every year&mdash;Doncaster, with
      its subscription-rooms under authority, winked at by a pious corporation,
      patronized by nobles and gentlemen supporters of the turf, and who are
      good enough, sometimes, to make laws for us plebeians in the Houses of
      Lords and Commons. There is Doncaster, with policemen to keep order, and
      admit none but "respectable" people&mdash;subscribers, who fear Heaven and
      honour the Queen. Are you aware, my Lord Chief-Justice, are you aware, Mr
      Attorney, Mr Solicitor-General, have you the slightest notion, ye
      Inspectors of Police, that in the teeth of the law, and under its very
      eyes, a shameless gaming-house exists in moral Yorkshire, throughout every
      Doncaster St Leger race-week? Of course you haven't; never dreamed of such
      a thing&mdash;never could, never would. Hie you, then, and prosecute this
      wretched gang of betting-touts, congregating at the corner of Bride Lane,
      Fleet Street; quick, lodge informations against this publican who has
      suffered card-playing to take place, raffles, or St Leger sweeps to be
      held in his house. "You have seen a farmer's dog bark at a beggar, and the
      creature run from the cur. There thou might'st behold the great image of
      authority: a dog's obeyed in office." You have&mdash;very well. Take crazy
      King Lear's words as a text for a sermon against legislative
      inconsistencies, and come back with me to Hombourg Kursaal.'
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER VII. GAMBLING IN BRIGHTON IN 1817.
    </h2>
    <p>
      The subject of English gambling may be illustrated by a series of events
      which happened at Brighton in 1817, when an inquiry respecting the gaming
      carried on at the libraries led to many important disclosures.
    </p>
    <p>
      It appears that a warrant was granted on the oath of a Mr William Clarke,
      against William Wright and James Ford, charged with feloniously stealing
      L100. But the prosecutor did not appear in court to prove the charge. It
      was quite evident, therefore, that the law had been abused in the
      transaction, and the magistrate, Sergeant Runnington, directed warrants to
      be issued for the immediate appearance of the prosecutor and Timothy
      O'Mara, as an evidence; but they absconded, and the learned Sergeant
      discharged the prisoners.
    </p>
    <p>
      The matter then took a different turn. The same William Wright, before
      charged with 'stealing' the L100, was now examined as a witness to give
      evidence upon an examination against Charles Walker, of the Marine
      Library, for keeping an unlawful Gaming House.
    </p>
    <p>
      This witness stated that he was engaged, about five weeks before, to act
      as <i>punter</i> or player (that is, in this case, a sham player or decoy)
      to a table called <i>Noir, rouge, tout le deux</i> (evidently a name
      invented to evade the statute, if possible), by William Clarke, the
      prosecutor, before-mentioned; that the table was first carried to the back
      room of Donaldson's Library, where it continued for three or four days,
      when Donaldson discharged it from his premises.
    </p>
    <p>
      He said he soon got into the confidence of Clarke, who put him up to the
      secrets of playing. The firm consisted of O'Mara, Pollett, Morley, and
      Clarke. There was not much playing at Donaldson's. Afterwards the table
      was removed into Broad Street, but the landlady quickly sent it away. It
      was then carried to a room over Walker's Library, where a rent was paid of
      twelve guineas per week, showing plainly the profits of the speculation.
    </p>
    <p>
      Several gentlemen used to frequent the table, among whom was one who lost
      L125.
    </p>
    <p>
      Clarke asked the witness if he thought the person who lost his money was
      rich? And being answered in the affirmative, it was proposed that he,
      William Wright, should invite the gentleman to dinner, to let him have
      what wine he liked, and to spare no expense to get him drunk.
    </p>
    <p>
      The gentleman was induced to play again, and endeavour to recover his
      money. As he had nothing but large bills, to a considerable amount, he was
      prevailed on to go to London, in company with the witness, who was to take
      care and bring him back. One of the firm, Pollett, wrote a letter of
      recommendation to a Mr Young, to get the bills discounted at his broker's.
      They returned to Brighton, and the witness apprized the firm of his
      arrival. They wanted him to come that evening, but the witness <i>TOLD THE
      GENTLEMAN OF HIS SUSPICIONS</i>&mdash;that during their absence a <i>FALSE
      TABLE</i> had been substituted.
    </p>
    <p>
      The witness, however, returned to his employers that evening, when the
      firm advanced him L100, and Ford, another punter of the sort, L100, to
      back with the gentleman as a blind&mdash;so that when the signal was given
      to put upon black or red, they were to put their stakes&mdash;by which
      means the gentleman would follow; and they calculated upon fleecing him of
      five or six thousand pounds in the course of an hour. According to his own
      account, the witness told the gentleman of this trick; and the following
      morning the latter went with him, to know if this nefarious dealing has
      been truly represented.
    </p>
    <p>
      On entering the library they met Walker, who wished them better success,
      but trembled visibly. At the door leading into the room porters were
      stationed; and, as soon as they entered, Walker ordered it to be bolted,
      for the sake of privacy; but as soon as the gentleman ascended the dark
      staircase, he became alarmed at the appearance of men in the room, and
      returned to the porter, and, by a timely excuse, was allowed to pass.
    </p>
    <p>
      At this table Clarke generally dealt, and O'Mara played. It was for not
      restoring the L100 to the firm that the charge of felony was laid against
      the witness&mdash;after the escape of the gentleman; but an offer of L100
      was made to him, after his imprisonment, if he would not give his evidence
      of the above facts and transactions.
    </p>
    <p>
      The evidence of the other witness, Ford, confirmed all the material facts
      of the former, and the gentleman himself, the intended victim,
      substantiated the evidence of Wright&mdash;as to putting him in possession
      of their nefarious designs.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the gentleman found that he had been cheated of the L125, he went to
      Walker to demand back his money. Walker, in the utmost confusion, went
      into the room, and returned with a proposal to allow L100. This he
      declined to take, and immediately laid the information before Mr Sergeant
      Runnington.
    </p>
    <p>
      The learned Sergeant forcibly recapitulated the evidence, and declared
      that in the whole course of his professional duties he had never heard
      such a disclosure of profligacy and villainy, combined with every species
      of wickedness. In a strain of pointed animadversion he declared it to be
      an imperative duty,&mdash;however much his private feelings might be
      wounded in seeing a reputable tradesman of the town convicted of such
      nefarious pursuits,&mdash;to order warrants to be issued against all
      parties concerned as rogues and vagrants.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the next hearing of the case the court was crowded to excess; and the
      mass of evidence deposed before the magistrates threw such a light on the
      system of gambling, that they summarily put a stop to the Cobourg and Loo
      tables at the various public establishments.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the first examination, the 'gentleman' before mentioned, a Mr
      Mackenzie, said he had played <i>Rouge et Noir</i> at Walker's, and had
      lost L125. He saw O'Mara there, but he appeared as a player, not a banker;
      the only reason for considering him as one of the proprietors of the
      table, arose from the information of the witnesses Wright and Ford.
    </p>
    <p>
      On this evidence, Mr Sergeant Runnington called on O'Mara and Walker for
      their defence, observing that, according to the statements before him,
      there appeared sufficient ground for considering O'Mara as a rogue and
      vagabond; and for subjecting Mr Walker to penalties for keeping a house or
      room wherein he permitted unlawful games to be played. O'Mara affirmed
      that the whole testimony of Wright and Ford with respect to him was false;
      that he had been nine years a resident housekeeper in Brighton, and was
      known by, and had rendered essential services to, many respectable
      individuals who lived in the town, and to many noble persons who were
      occasional visitors. He seemed deeply penetrated by the intimation that he
      could be whipped, or otherwise treated as a vagabond; and said, that if
      time were allowed him to collect evidence, and obtain legal assistance, he
      could disprove the charge, or at least invalidate the evidence of the two
      accusers.
    </p>
    <p>
      In consequence of these representations, the case was adjourned to another
      day, when, so much was the expectation excited by the rumour of the
      affair, that at the opening of the court the hall was crowded almost to
      suffocation, and all the avenues were completely beset.
    </p>
    <p>
      O'Mara appeared, with his counsel, the celebrated Mr Adolphus&mdash;the
      Ballantyne of his day&mdash;of Old Bailey renown and forensic prowess.
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Sergeant Runnington very obligingly stated to Mr Adolphus the previous
      proceeding, directed the depositions to be laid before him, and allowed
      him time to peruse them. Mr Adolphus having gone through the document,
      requested that the witnesses might be brought into court, that he might
      cross-question them separately; which being ordered, Wright was first put
      forward&mdash;the man who had received the L100, enlightened the Mr
      Mackenzie, and who was charged with feloniously stealing the above amount.
    </p>
    <p>
      After the usual questions, very immaterial in the present case, but
      answered, the witness went on to say that, O'Mara called at his lodgings
      and said, if he (Wright) could not persuade Mr Mackenzie to come from
      London, he was not to leave him, but write to him (O'Mara), and he would
      go to town, and win all his money. He had, on a former occasion, told the
      witness, that he could win all Mackenzie's money at child's play&mdash;that
      he could toss up and win ninety times out of one hundred; he had told both
      him and Ford, that if they met with any gentleman who did not like the
      game of <i>Rouge et Noir</i>, and would bring them to his house, he was
      always provided with cards, dice, and backgammon tables, to win their
      money from them.
    </p>
    <p>
      The learned counsel then cross-questioned the witness as to various
      matters, in the usual way, but tending, of course, to damage him by the
      answers which the questions necessitated&mdash;a horrible, but, perhaps,
      necessary ordeal perpetuated in our law-procedure. In these answers there
      was something like prevarication; so that the magistrate, Mr Sergeant
      Runnington, asked the witness at the close of the examination, whether he
      had any previous acquaintance with the gentlemen who had engaged him at
      half-a-crown a game, and then so candily communicated to him all their
      schemes? He said, none whatever. 'But,' said the Sergeant, 'you were in
      the daily habit of playing at this public table for the purpose of
      deceiving the persons who might come there?' The witness answered&mdash;'I
      was.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The witness Ford fared no better in the cross-examination, and Mr Sergeant
      Runnington, at its close, asked him the same question that he had
      addressed to Wright, respecting his playing at the table, and received the
      same answer.
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Mackenzie did not appear, and there was no further evidence. Mr
      Adolphus said that if he were called upon to make any defence for his
      client upon a charge so supported, he was ready to do it; but, as he must
      make many observations, not only on the facts, but on the <i>LAW</i>, he
      was anxious if possible to avoid doing so, as he did not wish to say too
      much about the law respecting gaming before so large and mixed an
      audience.(72)
    </p>
    <p>
      (72) See Chapter XI. for the views of Mr Adolphus here alluded to.
    </p>
    <p>
      Two witnesses were called, who gave evidence which was damaging to the
      character of Ford, stating that he told them he was in a conspiracy
      against O'Mara and some other moneyed men, from whom they should get three
      or four hundred pounds, and if witness would conceal from O'Mara his
      (Ford's) real name, he should have his share of the money, and might go
      with him and Wright to Brussels.
    </p>
    <p>
      After hearing these witnesses, Mr Sergeant Runnington, without calling on
      Mr Adolphus for any further defence of his client, pronounced the judgment
      of the Bench.
    </p>
    <p>
      He reviewed the transaction from its commencement, and stated the
      impression, to the disadvantage of O'Mara, which the tale originally told
      by the two witnesses was calculated to make. But, on hearing the
      cross-examination of those witnesses, and seeing no evidence against the
      defendant but from sources so impure and corrupt&mdash;recollecting the
      severe penalties of the Vagrant Acts, and sitting there not merely as a
      judge, but also exercising the functions of a jury, he could not bring
      himself to convict on such evidence. The witnesses, impure as they were,
      were <i>NOT SUPPORTED BY MR MACKENZIE IN ANY PARTICULAR</i>, except the
      fact of his losing money, at a time when O'Mara did not appear as a
      proprietor of the table, but as a player like himself. O'Mara must
      therefore be discharged; but the two witnesses would not be so fortunate.
      From their own mouths it appeared that they had been using subtle craft to
      deceive and impose upon his Majesty's subjects, by playing or betting at
      unlawful games, and had no legal or visible means of gaining a livelihood;
      the court, therefore, adjudged them to be rogues and vagabonds, and
      committed them, in execution, to the gaol at Lewes, there to remain till
      the next Quarter Sessions, and then to be further dealt with according to
      law. A short private conference followed between the magistrates and Mr
      Adolphus, the result of which was that Mr Walker was not proceeded
      against, but entered into a recognizance not to permit any kind of gaming
      to be carried on in his house.
    </p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER VIII. GAMBLING AT THE GERMAN BATHING-PLACES.&mdash;&mdash;
    </h2>
    <h3>
      BADEN AND ITS CONVERSATION HOUSE.
    </h3>
    <p>
      Baden-Baden in the season is full of the most exciting contrasts&mdash;gay
      restaurants and brilliant saloons, gaming-tables, promenades, and theatres
      crammed with beauty and rank, in the midst of lovely natural scenery, and
      under the shade of the pine-clad heights of the Hercynian or Black Forest&mdash;the
      scene of so many weird tales of old Germany&mdash;as for instance of the
      charming <i>Undine</i> of De la Mothe Fouque.
    </p>
    <p>
      But among the seducing attractions of Baden-Baden, and of all German
      bathing-places, the Rouge-et-noir and Roulette-table hold a melancholy
      pre-eminence,&mdash;being at once a shameful source of revenue to the
      prince,&mdash;a rallying point for the gay, the beautiful, the
      professional blackleg, the incognito duke or king,&mdash;and a vortex in
      which the student, the merchant, and the subaltern officer are, in the
      course of the season, often hopelessly and irrevocably ingulfed.
      Remembering the gaming excitement of the primitive Germans, we can
      scarcely be surprised to find that the descendants of these northern races
      poison the pure stream of pleasure by the introduction of this hateful
      occupation. It is, however, rather remarkable that all foreign visitors,
      whether Dutch, Flemish, Swede, Italian, or even English, of whatever age
      or disposition or sex, 'catch the frenzy' during the (falsely so-called)
      <i>Kurzeit</i>, that is, <i>Cure-season</i>, at Baden, Ems, and Ais.
    </p>
    <p>
      Princes and their subjects, fathers and sons, and even, horrible to say,
      mothers and daughters, are hanging, side by side, for half the night over
      the green table; and, with trembling hands and anxious eyes, watching
      their chance-cards, or thrusting francs and Napoleons with their rakes to
      the red or the black cloth.
    </p>
    <p>
      No spot in the whole world draws together a more distinguished society
      than may be met at Baden; its attractions are felt and acknowledged by
      every country in Europe. Many of the <i>elite</i> of each nation may
      yearly be found there during the months of summer, and, as a natural
      consequence, many of the worst and vilest follow them, in the hope of
      pillage.
    </p>
    <p>
      Says Mrs Trollope:&mdash;'I doubt if anything less than the evidence of
      the senses can enable any one fully to credit and comprehend the spectacle
      that a gaming-table offers. I saw women distinguished by rank, elegant in
      person, modest, and even reserved in manner, sitting at the Rouge-et-noir
      table with their rateaux, or rakes, and marking-cards in their hands;&mdash;the
      former to push forth their bets, and draw in their winnings, the latter to
      prick down the events of the game. I saw such at different hours through
      the whole of Sunday. To name these is impossible; but I grieve to say that
      two English women were among them.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The Conversationshaus, where the gambling takes place, is let out by the
      Government of Baden to a company of speculators, who pay, for the
      exclusive privilege of keeping the tables, L11,000 annually, and agree to
      spend in addition 250,000 florins (L25,000) on the walks and buildings,
      making altogether about L36,000. Some idea may be formed from this of the
      vast sums of money which must be yearly lost by the dupes who frequent it.
      The whole is under the direction of M. Benazet, who formerly farmed the
      gambling houses of Paris.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
      'On trouve ici le jeu, les livres, la musique,
     Les cigarres, l'amour, les orangers,
     Le monde tantot gai, tantot melancholique,
     Les glaces, la danse, et les cochers;
      De la biere, de bons diners,
     A cote d'arbre une boutique,
     Et la vue de hauts rochers.
         Ma foi!'


   'We find here gambling, books, and music,
   Cigars, love-making, orange-trees;
   People or gay or melancholic,
   Ices, dancing, and coachmen, if you please;
   Beer, and good dinners; besides these,
   Shops where they sell not <i>on tic;</i>
   And towering rocks one ever sees.'
</pre>
    <p>
      'How shall I describe,' says Mr Whitelocke, 'to my readers in language
      sufficiently graphic, one of the resorts the most celebrated in Europe; a
      place, if not competing with Crockford's in gorgeous magnificence and
      display, at least surpassing it in renown, and known over a wider sphere?
      The metropolitan pump-room of Europe, conducted on the principle of
      gratuitous admittance to all bearing the semblance of gentility and
      conducting themselves with propriety, opens its Janus doors to all the
      world with the most laudable hospitality and with a perfect indifference
      to exclusiveness, requiring only the hat to be taken off upon entering,
      and rejecting only short jackets, cigar, pipe, and meerschaum. A room of
      this description, a temple dedicated to fashion, fortune, and flirtation,
      requires a pen more current, a voice more eloquent, than mine to trace,
      condense, vivify, and depict. Taking everything, therefore, for granted,
      let us suppose a vast saloon of regular proportions, rather longer than
      broad, at either end garnished by a balcony; beneath, doors to the right
      and left, and opposite to the main entrance, conduct to other apartments,
      dedicated to different purposes. On entering the eye is at once dazzled by
      the blaze of lights from chandeliers of magnificent dimensions, of lamps,
      lustres, and sconces. The ceiling and borders set off into compartments,
      showered over with arabesques, the gilded pillars, the moving mass of
      promenaders, the endless labyrinth of human beings assembled from every
      region in Europe, the costly dresses, repeated by a host of mirrors, all
      this combined, which the eye conveys to the brain at a single glance,
      utterly fails in description. As with the eye, so it is with the ear; at
      every step a new language falls upon it, and every tongue with different
      intonation, for the high and the low, the prince, peer, vassal, and
      tradesman, the proud beauty, the decrepit crone, some fresh budding into
      the world, some standing near the grave, the gentle and the stern, the
      sombre and the gay, in short, every possible antithesis that the eye, ear,
      heart can perceive, hear, or respond to, or that the mind itself can
      imagine, is here to be met with in two minutes. And yet all this is no
      Babel; for all, though concentrated, is admirably void of confusion; and
      evil or strong passions, if they do exist, are religiously suppressed&mdash;a
      necessary consequence, indeed, where there can be no sympathy, and where
      contempt and ridicule would be the sole reciprocity. In case, however, any
      such display should take place, a gendarme keeps constant watch at the
      door, appointed by government, it is true, but resembling our Bow-street
      officers in more respects than one.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Now that we have taken a survey of the brilliant and moving throng, let
      us approach the stationary crowd to the left hand, and see what it is that
      so fascinates and rivets their attention. They are looking upon a long
      table covered with green cloth, in the centre of which is a large polished
      wooden basin with a moveable rim, and around it are small compartments,
      numbered to a certain extent, namely 38, alternately red and black in
      irregular order, numbered from one to 36, a nought or zero in a red, and a
      double zero upon the black, making up the 38, and each capable of holding
      a marble. The moveable rim is set in motion by the hand, and as it
      revolves horizontally from east to west round its axis, the marble is
      caused by a jerk of the finger and thumb to fly off in a contrary
      movement. The public therefore conclude that no calculation can foretell
      where the marble will fall, and I believe they are right, inasmuch as the
      bank plays a certain and sure game, however deep, runs no risk of loss,
      and consequently has no necessity for superfluously cheating or deluding
      the public. It also plays double, that is, on both sides of the wheel of
      fortune at once.
    </p>
    <p>
      'When the whirling of both rim and marble cease, the latter falls, either
      simultaneously or after some coy uncertainty, into one of the
      compartments, and the number and colour, &amp;c., are immediately
      proclaimed, the stakes deposited are dexterously raked up by the croupier,
      or increased by payment from the bank, according as the colour wins or
      loses. Now, the two sides or tables are merely duplicates of one another,
      and each of them is divided something like a chess-board into three
      columns of squares, which amount to 36; the numbers advance arithmetically
      from right to left, and consequently there are 12 lines down, so as to
      complete the rectangle; as one, therefore, stands at the head, four stands
      immediately under it, and so on. At the bottom lie three squares, with the
      French marks 12 p&mdash;12 m&mdash;12 d, that is, first, middle, third
      dozen. The three large meadows on either side are for red and black, pair
      and odd, miss and pass&mdash;which last signify the division of the
      numbers into the first and second half, from 1 to 18, and from 19 to 36,
      inclusive. If a number be staked upon and wins, the stake is increased to
      six times its amount, and so on, always less as the stake is placed in
      different positions, which may be effected in the following ways&mdash;by
      placing the piece of gold or silver on the line (<i>a cheval</i>, as it is
      called), partly on one and partly on its neighbour, two numbers are
      represented, and should one win, the piece is augmented to eighteen times
      the sum; three numbers are signified upon the stroke at the end or
      beginning of the numbers that go across; six, by placing the coin on the
      border of a perpendicular and a horizontal line between two strokes; four,
      where the lines cross within; twelve numbers are signified in a two-fold
      manner, either upon the column where the figures follow in the order of
      one, four, seven, and so on, or on the side-fields mentioned above; these
      receive the stake trebled; and those who stake solely upon the colour, the
      two halves, or equal and odd, have their stake doubled when they win. Now,
      the two zeros, that is, the simple and compound, stand apart and may be
      separately staked upon; should either turn up, the stake is increased in a
      far larger proportion.
    </p>
    <p>
      'To render the game equal, without counting in the zeros and other
      trifles, the winner ought to receive the square of 36, instead of 36.
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is a melancholy amusement to any rational being not infatuated by the
      blind rage of gold, to witness the incredible excitement so repeatedly
      made to take the bank by storm, sometimes by surprise, anon by stealth,
      and not rarely by digging a mine, laying intrenchments and opening a fire
      of field-pieces, heavy ordnance, and flying artillery; but the fortress,
      proud and conscious of its superior strength, built on a rock of adamant,
      laughs at the fiery attacks of its foes, nay, itself invites the storm.
    </p>
    <p>
      'For those classes of mankind who possess a little more prudence, the game
      called <i>Trente-et-un</i>, and <i>Quarante</i>, or <i>Rouge et Noir</i>
      are substituted.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The lord of the temple or establishment pays, I believe, to government a
      yearly sum of 35,000 florins (about L3000) for permission to keep up the
      establishment. He has gone to immense expense in decorating the building;
      he pays a crowd of croupiers at different salaries, and officers of his
      own, who superintend and direct matters; he lights up the building, and he
      presides over the festivities of the town&mdash;in short, he is the patron
      of it all. With all this liberality he himself derives an enormous
      revenue, an income as sure and determined as that of my Lord Mayor
      himself.'(73)
    </p>
    <p>
      (73) City of the Fountains, or Baden-Baden. By R. H. Whitelocke.
      Carlsruhe, 1840.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Baden season begins in May; the official opening takes place towards
      the close of the spring quarter, and then the fashionable world begins to
      arrive at the rendezvous.
    </p>
    <p>
      It cannot be denied that everything is right well regulated, and apart
      from the terrible dangers of gambling, the place does very great credit to
      the authorities who thrive on the nefarious traffic. Perfect order and
      decency of deportment, with all the necessary civilities of life, are
      rigorously insisted on, and summary expulsion is the consequence of any
      intolerable conduct. If it so happens that any person becomes obnoxious in
      any way, whatever may be his or her rank, the first intimation will be&mdash;'Sir,
      you are not in your place here;' or, 'Madame, the air of Baden does not
      suit you.' If these words are disregarded, there follows a summary order&mdash;'You
      must leave Baden this very day, and cross the frontiers of the Grand Duchy
      within twenty-four hours.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Sala, in his novel 'Make your Game,'(74) has given a spirited
      description of the gambling scenes at Baden.
    </p>
    <p>
      (74) Originally published in the 'Welcome Guest.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Whilst I write there is exhibited at the Egyptian Hall, London, Dore's
      magnificent picture of the <i>Tapis Vert</i>, or Life in Baden-Baden, of
      which the following is an accurate description:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'The <i>Tapis Vert</i> is a moral, and at the same time an exceedingly
      clever, satire. It is illustrative of the life, manners, and predilections
      and pursuits of a class of society left hereafter to enjoy the manifold
      attractions of fashionable watering-places, without the scourge that for
      so many years held its immoral and degrading sway in their sumptuous
      halls.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In one of these splendid salons the fashionable crowd is eagerly pressing
      round an oblong table covered with green cloth (<i>le tapis vert</i>),
      upon which piles of gold and bank-notes tell the tale of "<i>noir perd et
      la couleur gagne</i>," and vice versa. The principal group, upon which
      Dore has thrown one of his powerful effects of light, is lifelike, and
      several of the actors are at once recognized. Both croupiers are
      well-known characters. There is much life and movement in the silent
      scene, in which thousands of pounds change hands in a few seconds. To the
      left of the croupier (dealer), who turns up the winning card, sits a
      finely-dressed woman, who cares for little else but gold. There is a
      remarkable expression of eagerness and curiosity upon the countenance of
      the lady who comes next, and who endeavours, with the assistance of her
      eye-glass, to find out the state of affairs. The gentleman next to her is
      an inveterate <i>blase</i>. The countenance of the old man reckoning up
      needs no description. Near by stands a lady with a red feather in her hat,
      and whose lace shawl alone is worth several hundred pounds&mdash;for Dore
      made it. The two female figures to the left are splendidly painted. The
      one who causes the other croupier to turn round seems somewhat
      extravagantly dressed; but these costumes have been frequently worn within
      the last two years both at Baden and Hombourg. The old lady at the end of
      the table, to the left, is a well-known habituee at both places. The
      bustling and shuffling eagerness of the figures in the background is
      exceedingly well rendered.
    </p>
    <p>
      'As a whole, the <i>Tapis Vert</i> is a very fine illustration of real
      life, as met with in most of the leading German watering-places.'(75)
    </p>
    <p>
      (75) 'Illustrated Times.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'At the present moment,' says another authority, writing more than a year
      ago, 'there are three very bold female gamblers at Baden. One is the
      Russian Princess &mdash;&mdash;, who plays several hours every day at <i>Rouge
      et Noir</i>, and sometimes makes what in our money would be many hundreds,
      and at others goes empty away. She wins calmly enough, but when luck is
      against her looks anxious. The second is the wife of an Italian
      ex-minister, who is well known both as an authoress and politician. She
      patronizes <i>Roulette</i>, and at every turn of the wheel her money
      passes on the board. She is a good gambler&mdash;smirking when she wins,
      and smirking when she loses. She dresses as splendidly as any of the dames
      of Paris. The other night she excited a flutter among the ladies assembled
      in the salons of the "Conversation" by appearing in a robe flaming red
      with an exaggerated train which dragged its slow length along the floor.
      But the greatest of the feminine players is the Leonie Leblanc. When she
      is at the <i>Rouge et Noir</i> table a larger crowd than usual is
      collected to witness her operation. The stake she generally risks is 6000
      francs (L240), which is the maximum allowed. Her chance is changing: a few
      days back she won L4000 in one sitting; some days later she lost about
      L2000, and was then reduced to the, for her, indignity of playing for
      paltry sums&mdash;L20 or thereabouts.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the more recent chronicles, the <i>Figaro</i> gives the following
      account of the close of the campaign of a gaming hero, M. Edgar de la
      Charme, who, for a number of days together, never left the gaming-room
      without carrying off the sum of 24,000 francs.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The day before yesterday, M. de la Charme, reflecting that there must be
      an end even to the greatest run of luck, locked his portmanteau, paid his
      bill, and took the road to the railway station, accompanied by some of his
      friends. On reaching the wicket he found it closed; there were still
      three-quarters of an hour to pass before the departure of the train. "I
      will go and play my parting game," he exclaimed, and, turning to the
      coachman, bade him drive to the Kursaal. His friends surrounded him, and
      held him back; he should not go, he would lose all his winnings. But he
      was resolute, and soon reached the Casino, where his travelling dress
      caused a stir of satisfaction among the croupiers. He sat down at the <i>Trente-et-quarante</i>,
      broke the bank in 20 minutes, got into his cab again, and seeing the
      inspector of the tables walking to and fro under the arcades, he said to
      him, in a tone of exquisite politeness, "I could not think of going away
      without leaving you my P.P.C."'
    </p>
    <p>
      SPA.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The gambling houses of Spa are in the Redoute, where <i>Rouge et Noir</i>
      and <i>Roulette</i> are carried on nearly from morning to night.
    </p>
    <p>
      The profits of these establishments exceed L40,000 a year. In former times
      they belonged to the Bishop of Liege, who was a partner in the concern,
      and derived a considerable revenue from his share of the ill-gotten gains
      of the manager of the establishment, and no gambling tables could be set
      up without his permission.'(76)
    </p>
    <p>
      (76) Murray's Handbook for Travellers on the Continent.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The gambling in Spa is in a lower style than elsewhere. The croupiers
      seem to be always on the look-out for cheating. You never see here a pile
      of gold or bank notes on the table, as at Hombourg or Wiesbaden, with the
      player saying, "Cinquante louis aux billet," "Cent-vingt louis a la
      masse," and the winnings scrupulously paid, or the losings raked carefully
      away from the heap. They do not allow that at Spa; there is an order
      against it on the wall. They could not trust the people that play, I
      suppose, and it is doubtful if the people could trust the croupiers. The
      ball spins more slowly at <i>Roulette</i>&mdash;the cards are dealt more
      gingerly at <i>Trente-et-quarante</i> here than elsewhere. Nothing must be
      done quickly, lest somebody on one side or other should try to do somebody
      else. Altogether Spa is not a pleasant place to play in, and as, moreover,
      the odds are as great against you as at Ems, it is better to stick to the
      promenade <i>de sept heures</i> and the ball-room, and leave the two
      tables alone. Outside it is cheery and full of life. The Queen of the
      Belgians is here, the Duke of Aumale, and other nice people. The breeze
      from the hills is always delicious; the Promenade Meyerbeer as refreshing
      on a hot day as a draught of iced water. But the denizens, male and
      female, of the <i>salons de jeu</i> are often obnoxious, and one wishes
      that the old Baden law could be enforced against some of the gentler sex.
    </p>
    <p>
      'By way of warning to any of your readers who propose to visit the tables
      this summer, will you let me tell a little anecdote, from personal
      experience, of one of these places&mdash;which one I had perhaps better
      not say. I took a place at the Roulette table, and had not staked more
      than once or twice, when two handsomely dressed ladies placed themselves
      one on either side of me, and commenced playing with the smallest coins
      allowed, wedging me in rather unpleasantly close between them. At my third
      or fourth stake I won on both the colour and a number, and my neighbour on
      the right quietly swept up my coins from the colour the instant they were
      paid. I remonstrated, and she very politely argued the point, ending by
      restoring my money. But during our discussion my far larger stake, paid in
      the mean while, on the winning number, had disappeared into the pocket of
      my neighbour on the left, who was not so polite, and was very indignant at
      my suggestion that the stake was mine. An appeal to the croupier only
      produced a shrug of the shoulders and regret that he had not seen who
      staked the money, an offer to stop the play, and a suggestion that I
      should find it very difficult to prove it was my stake. The "plant"
      between the two women was evident. The whole thing was a
      systematically-planned robbery, and very possibly the croupier was a
      confederate. I detected the two women in communication, and I told them
      that I should change my place to the other side of the table where I would
      trouble them not to come. They took the hint very mildly, and could afford
      to do so, for they had got my money. The affair was very neatly managed,
      and would succeed in nearly every case, especially if the croupier is, as
      is most probable, always on the side of the ladies.'
    </p>
    <p>
      HOMBOURG.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In 1842 Hombourg was an obscure village, consisting of the castle of the
      Landgraf, and of a few hundred houses which in the course of ages had
      clustered around it. Few would have known of its existence except from the
      fact of its being the capital of the smallest of European countries. Its
      inhabitants lived poor and contented&mdash;the world forgetting, by the
      world forgot. It boasted only of one inn&mdash;the "Aigle"&mdash;which in
      summer was frequented by a few German families, who came to live cheaply
      and to drink the waters of a neighbouring mineral spring. That same year
      two French brothers of the name of Blanc arrived at Frankfort. They were
      men of a speculative turn, and a recent and somewhat daring speculation in
      France, connected with the old semaphore telegraph, had rendered it
      necessary for them to withdraw for a time from their native land. Their
      stock-in-trade consisted in a Roulette wheel, a few thousand francs, and
      an old and skilful croupier of Frascati, who knew a great deal about the
      properties of cards. The authorities of the town of Frankfort, being dull
      traders, declined to allow them to initiate their townsmen into the
      mysteries of cards and Roulette, so hearing that there were some strangers
      living at Hombourg, they put themselves into an old diligence, and the
      same evening disembarked at the "Aigle." The next day the elder brother
      called upon the prime minister, an ancient gentleman, who, with a couple
      of clerks, for some L60 a year governed the Landgrafate of Hombourg to his
      own and the general satisfaction. After a private interview with this
      statesman the elder Blanc returned poorer in money, but with a permission
      in his pocket to put up his Roulette wheel in one of the rooms of the inn.
      In a few months the money of the innocent water-drinkers passed from their
      pockets into those of the brothers Blanc. The ancient man of Frascati
      turned the wheel, and no matter on what number the water-drinkers risked
      their money, that number did not turn up. At the close of the summer
      season a second visit was made to the prime minister, and the Blancs
      returned to Frankfort with an exclusive concession to establish games of
      hazard within the wide spreading dominions of the Landgraf. For this they
      had agreed to build a kursaal, to lay out a public garden, and to pay into
      the national exchequer 40,000 florins (a florin is worth one shilling and
      eight-pence) per annum. Having obtained this concession, the next step was
      to found a company. Frankfort abounds in Hebrew speculators, who are not
      particular how they make money, and as the speculation appeared a good
      one, the money was soon forthcoming. It was decided that the nominal
      capital was to be 400,000 florins, divided into shares of 100 florins
      each. Half the shares were subscribed for by the Hebrew financialists, and
      the other half was credited to the Blancs as the price of their
      concession. During the winter a small kursaal was built and a small garden
      planted; the mineral well was deepened, and flaming advertisements
      appeared in all the German newspapers announcing to the world that the
      famous waters of Hombourg were able to cure every disease to which flesh
      is heir, and that to enable visitors to while away their evenings
      agreeably a salon had been opened, in which they would have an opportunity
      to win fabulous sums by risking their money either at the game of <i>Trente
      et Quarante</i> or at <i>Roulette</i>. From these small beginnings arose
      the "company" whose career has been so notorious. It has enjoyed
      uninterrupted good fortune. During the twenty-six years that have elapsed
      since its foundation, a vast palace dedicated to gambling has been built,
      the village has become a town, well paved, and lighted with gas; the
      neighbouring hills are covered with villas; about eighty acres have been
      laid out in pleasure-grounds; roads have been made in all directions
      through the surrounding woods; the visitors are numbered by tens of
      thousands; there are above twenty hotels and many hundred excellent
      lodging-houses.'(77)
    </p>
    <p>
      (77) Correspondent of <i>Daily News.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      'Let those who are disposed to risk their money inquire what is the
      character of the managers, and be on their guard. The expenses of such an
      enormous and splendid establishment amount to L10,000, and the shares have
      for some years paid a handsome dividend&mdash;the whole of which must be
      paid out of the pockets of travellers and visitors.'(78)
    </p>
    <p>
      (78) Murray, <i>ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Sala in his interesting work, already quoted, furnishes the completest
      account of Hombourg, its Kursaal, and gambling, which I have condensed as
      follows:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'In Hombourg the Kursaal is everything, and the town nothing. The
      extortionate hotel-keepers, the "snub-nosed rogues of counter and till,"
      who overcharge you in the shops, make their egregious profits from the
      Kursaal. The major part of the Landgrave's revenue is derived from the
      Kursaal; he draws L5000 a year from it. He and his house are sold to the
      Kursaal; and the Board of Directors of the Kursaal are the real sovereigns
      and land-graves of Hesse Hombourg. They have metamorphosed a miserable
      mid-German townlet into a city of palaces. Their stuccoed and frescoed
      palace is five hundred times handsomer than the mouldy old Schloss, built
      by William with the silver leg. They have planted the gardens; they have
      imported the orange-trees; they have laid out the park, and enclosed the
      hunting-grounds; they board, lodge, wash, and tax the inhabitants; and I
      may say, without the slightest attempt at punning, that the citizens are
      all <i>Kursed</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In the Kursaal is the ball or concert-room, at either end of which is a
      gallery, supported by pillars of composition marble. The floors are
      inlaid, and immense mirrors in sumptuous frames hang on the walls. Vice
      can see her own image all over the establishment. The ceiling is superbly
      decorated with bas-reliefs in <i>carton-pierre</i>, like those in Mr
      Barry's new Covent Garden Theatre; and fresco paintings, executed by
      Viotti, of Milan, and Conti, of Munich; whilst the whole is lighted up by
      enormous and gorgeous chandeliers. The apartment to the right is called
      the <i>Salle Japanese</i>, and is used as a dining-room for a monster <i>table
      d'hote</i>, held twice a day, and served by the famous Chevet of Paris.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There is a huge Cafe Olympique, for smoking and imbibing purposes,
      private cabinets for parties, the monster saloon, and two smaller ones,
      where <i>FROM ELEVEN IN THE FORENOON TO ELEVEN AT NIGHT, SUNDAYS NOT
      EXCEPTED, ALL THE YEAR ROUND</i>, and year after year&mdash;(the
      "administration" have yet a "<i>jouissance</i>" of eighty-five years to
      run out, guaranteed by the incoming dynasty of Hesse Darmstadt), knaves
      and fools, from almost every corner of the world, gamble at the ingenious
      and amusing games of <i>Roulette</i>, and <i>Rouge et Noir</i>, otherwise
      <i>Trente et Quarante</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There is one table covered with green baize, tightly stretched as on a
      billiard-field. In the midst of the table there is a circular pit, coved
      inwards, but not bottomless, and containing the Roulette wheel, a
      revolving disc, turning with an accurate momentum on a brass pillar, and
      divided at its outer edge into thirty-seven narrow and shallow pigeon-hole
      compartments, coloured alternately red and black, and numbered&mdash;not
      consecutively&mdash;up to thirty-six. The last is a blank, and stands for
      <i>Zero</i>, number <i>Nothing</i>. Round the upper edge, too, run a
      series of little brass hoops, or bridges, to cause the ball to hop and
      skip, and not at once into the nearest compartment. This is the regimen of
      Roulette. The banker sits before the wheel,&mdash;a croupier, or payer-out
      of winnings to and raker in of losses from the players, on either side.
      Crying in a voice calmly sonorous, "<i>Faites le Jeu, Messieurs</i>,"&mdash;"Make
      your game, gentlemen!" the banker gives the wheel a dexterous twirl, and
      ere it has made one revolution, casts into its Maelstrom of black and red
      an ivory ball. The interval between this and the ball finding a home is
      one of breathless anxiety. Stakes are eagerly laid; but at a certain
      period of the revolution the banker calls out&mdash;"<i>Le Jeu est fait.
      Rien ne va plus</i>,"&mdash;and after that intimation it is useless to lay
      down money. Then the banker, in the same calm and impassable voice,
      declares the result. It may run thus:&mdash;"<i>Vingt-neuf, Noir, Impair,
      et Passe," "Twenty-nine, Black, Odd, and Pass the Rubicon</i>" (No. 18);
      or, "<i>Huit, Rouge, Pair, et Manque</i>," "Eight, Red, Even, and <i>NOT</i>
      Pass the Rubicon."
    </p>
    <p>
      'Now, on either side of the wheel, and extending to the extremity of the
      table, run, in duplicate, the schedule of <i>mises</i> or stakes. The
      green baize first offers just thirty-six square compartments, marked out
      by yellow threads woven in the fabric itself, and bearing thirty-six
      consecutive numbers. If you place a florin (one and eight-pence)&mdash;and
      no lower stake is permitted&mdash;or ten florins, or a Napoleon, or an
      English five-pound note, or any sum of money not exceeding the maximum,
      whose multiple is the highest stake which the bank, if it loses, can be
      made to pay, in the midst of compartment 29, and if the banker, in that
      calm voice of his, has declared that 29 has become the resting place of
      the ball, the croupier will push towards you with his rake exactly
      thirty-three times the amount of your stake, whatever it might have been.
      You must bear in mind, however, that the bank's loss on a single stake is
      limited to eight thousand francs. Moreover, if you have placed another sum
      of money in the compartment inscribed, in legible yellow colours, "<i>Impair</i>,"
      or Odd, you will receive the equivalent to your stake&mdash;twenty-nine
      being an odd number. If you have placed a coin on <i>Passe</i>, you will
      also receive this additional equivalent to your stake, twenty-nine being
      "Past the Rubicon," or middle of the table of numbers&mdash;18. Again, if
      you have ventured your money in a compartment bearing for device a lozenge
      in outline, which represents black, and twenty-nine being a black number,
      you will again pocket a double stake, that is, one in addition to your
      original venture. More, and more still,&mdash;if you have risked money on
      the columns&mdash;that is, betted on the number turning up corresponding
      with some number in one of the columns of the tabular schedule, and have
      selected the right column&mdash;you have your own stake and two others;&mdash;if
      you have betted on either of these three eventualities, <i>douze premier,
      douze milieu</i>, or <i>douze dernier</i>, otherwise "first dozen,"
      "middle dozen," or "last dozen," as one to twelve, thirteen to
      twenty-four, twenty-five to thirty-six, all inclusive, and have chanced to
      select <i>douze dernier</i>, the division in which No. 29 occurs, you also
      obtain a treble stake, namely, your own and two more which the bank pays
      you, your florin or your five-pound note&mdash;benign fact!&mdash;metamorphosed
      into three. But, woe to the wight who should have ventured on the number
      "eight," on the red colour (compartment with a crimson lozenge), on
      "even," and on "not past the Rubicon;" for twenty-nine does not comply
      with any one of these conditions. He loses, and his money is coolly swept
      away from him by the croupier's rake. With reference to the last chances I
      enumerated in the last paragraph, I should mention that the number <i>EIGHT</i>
      would lie in the second column&mdash;there being three columns,&mdash;and
      in the first dozen numbers.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There are more chances, or rather subdivisions of chances, to entice the
      player to back the "numbers;" for these the stations of the ball are as
      capricious as womankind; and it is, of course, extremely rare that a
      player will fix upon the particular number that happens to turn up. But he
      may place a piece of money <i>a cheval</i>, or astride, on the line which
      divides two numbers, in which case (either of the numbers turning up) he
      receives sixteen times his stake. He may place it on the cross lines that
      divide four numbers, and, if either of the four wins, he will receive
      eight times the amount of his stake. A word as to <i>Zero</i>. Zero is
      designated by the compartment close to the wheel's diameter, and zero, or
      blank, will turn up, on an average, about once in seventy times. If you
      have placed money in zero, and the ball seeks that haven, you will receive
      thirty-three times your stake.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The twin or elder brother of <i>Roulette</i>, played at Hombourg, <i>Rouge
      et Noir</i>, or <i>Trente et Quarante</i>, is thus described by Mr Sala:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'There is the ordinary green-cloth covered table, with its brilliant
      down-coming lights. In the centre sits the banker, gold and silver in
      piles and <i>rouleaux</i>, and bank-notes before him. On either hand, the
      croupier, as before, now wielding the rakes and plying them to bring in
      the money, now balancing them, now shouldering them, as soldiers do their
      muskets, half-pay officers their canes, and dandies their silk umbrellas.
      The banker's cards are, as throughout all the Rhenish gaming-places, of
      French design; the same that were invented, or, at least, first used in
      Europe, for crazy Charles the Simple. These cards are placed on an
      inclined plane of marble, called a <i>talon</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The dealer first takes six packs of cards, shuffles them, and distributes
      them in various parcels to the various punters or players round the table,
      to shuffle and mix. He then finally shuffles them, and takes and places
      the end cards into various parts of the three hundred and twelve cards,
      until he meets with a <i>court card</i>, which he must place upright at
      the end. This done, he presents the pack to one of the players to cut, who
      places the pictured card where the <i>dealer</i> separates the pack, and
      that part of the pack beyond the pictured card he places at the end
      nearest him, leaving the pictured card at the bottom of the pack.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The dealer then takes a certain number of cards, about as many as would
      form a pack, and, looking at the first card, to know its colour, puts it
      on the table with its face downwards. He then takes two cards, one red and
      the other black, and sets them back to back. These cards are turned, and
      displayed conspicuously, as often as the colour varies, for the
      information of the company.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The gamblers having staked their money on either of the colours, the
      dealer asks, "<i>Votre jeu est-il fait?</i>" "Is your game made?" or, "<i>Votre
      jeu est-il piet?</i>" "Is your game ready?" or, "<i>Le jeu est pret,
      Messieurs</i>," "The game is ready, gentlemen." He then deals the first
      card with its face upwards, saying "<i>Noir;</i>" and continues dealing
      until the cards turned exceed thirty points or pips in number, which
      number he must mention, as "<i>Trente-et-un</i>," or "<i>Trente-six</i>,"
      as the case may be.
    </p>
    <p>
      'As the aces reckon but for one, no card after thirty can make up forty;
      the dealer, therefore, does not declare the <i>tens</i> after <i>thirty-one</i>,
      or upwards, but merely the units, as one, two, three; if the number of
      points dealt for <i>Noir</i> are thirty-five he says "<i>Cinq</i>."
    </p>
    <p>
      'Another parcel is then dealt for <i>rouge</i>, or <i>red</i>, and with
      equal deliberation and solemnity; and if the players stake beyond the
      colour that comes to <i>thirty-one</i> or nearest to it, he wins, which
      happy eventuality is announced by the dealer crying&mdash;"<i>Rouge gagne</i>,"
      "Red wins," or "<i>Rouge perd</i>," "Red loses." These two parcels, one
      for each colour, make a <i>coup</i>. The same number of parcels being
      dealt for each colour, the dealer says, "<i>Apres</i>," "After." This is a
      "doublet," called in the amiable French tongue, "<i>un refait</i>," by
      which neither party wins, unless both colours come to <i>thirty-one</i>,
      which the dealer announces by saying, "<i>Un refait Trente-et-un</i>," and
      he wins half the stakes posted on both colours. He, however, does not take
      the money, but removes it to the middle line, and the players may change
      the <i>venue</i> of their stakes if they please. This is called the first
      "prison," or <i>la premiere prison</i>, and, if they win their next event,
      they draw the entire stake. In case of another "<i>refait</i>," the money
      is removed into the third line, which is called the second prison. So you
      see that there are wheels within wheels, and Lord Chancellor King's
      dictum, that walls can be built higher, but there should be no prison
      within a prison, is sometimes reversed.
    </p>
    <p>
      When this happens the dealer wins all.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The cards are sometimes cut for which colour shall be dealt first; but,
      in general, the first parcel is for <i>black</i>, and the second for <i>red</i>.
      The odds against a "<i>refait</i>" turning up are usually reckoned as 63
      to 1. The bankers, however, acknowledge that they expect it twice in three
      deals, and there are generally from twenty-nine to thirty-two coups in
      each deal. The odds in favour of winning several times are about the same
      as in the game of Pharaon, and are as delusive. 'He who goes to Hombourg
      and expects to see any melodramatic manifestation of rage, disappointment,
      and despair in the losing players, reckons without his host. Winners or
      losers seldom speak above a whisper; and the only sound that is heard
      above the suppressed buzz of conversation, the muffled jingle of the money
      on the green cloth, the "sweep" of the croupiers' rakes, and the ticking
      of the very ornate French clocks on the mantel-pieces, is the impassibly
      metallic voice of the banker, as he proclaims his "<i>Rouge perd</i>," or
      "<i>Couleur gagne</i>." People are too genteel at Hombourg-von-der-Hohe to
      scream, to yell, to fall into fainting fits, or go into convulsions,
      because they have lost four or five thousand francs or so in a single
      coup.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I have heard of one gentleman, indeed, who, after a ruinous loss, put a
      pistol to his head, and discharging it, spattered his brains over the
      Roulette wheel. It was said that the banker, looking up calmly, called out&mdash;'<i>Triple
      Zero,' 'Treble Nothing</i>,'&mdash;a case as yet unheard of in the tactics
      of Roulette, but signifying annihilation,&mdash;and that, a cloth being
      thrown over the ensanguined wheel, the bank of that particular table was
      declared to be closed for the day. Very probably the whole story is but a
      newspaper <i>canard</i>, devised by the proprietors of some rival gaming
      establishment, who would have been delighted to see the fashionable
      Hombourg under a cloud.
    </p>
    <p>
      'When people want to commit suicide at Hombourg, they do it genteelly;
      early in the morning, or late at night, in the solitude of their own
      apartments at the hotels. It would be reckoned a gross breach of good
      manners to scandalize the refined and liberal administration of the
      Kursaal by undisguised <i>felo-de-se</i>. The devil on two <i>croupes</i>
      at Hombourg is the very genteelest of demons imaginable. He ties his tail
      up with cherry-coloured ribbon, and conceals his cloven foot in a
      patent-leather boot. All this gentility and varnish, and elegant veneering
      of the sulphurous pit, takes away from him, if it does not wholly
      extinguish, the honour and loathing for a common gaming-house, with which
      the mind of a wellured English youth has been sedulously imbued by his
      parents and guardians. He has very probably witnessed the performance of
      the "Gamester" at the theatre, and been a spectator of the remorseful
      agonies of Mr Beverly, the virtuous sorrows of Mrs B., and the dark
      villanies of Messieurs Dawson and Bates.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The first visit of the British youth to the Kursaal is usually paid with
      fear and trembling. He is with difficulty persuaded to enter the accursed
      place. When introduced to the saloons&mdash;delusively called <i>de
      conversation</i>, he begins by staring fixedly at the chandeliers, the
      ormolu clocks, and the rich draperies, and resolutely averts his eyes from
      the serried ranks of punters or players, and the Pactolus, whose sands are
      circulating on the green cloth on the table. Then he thinks there is no
      very great harm in looking on, and so peeps over the shoulder of a
      moustached gamester, who perhaps whispers to him in the interval between
      two coups, that if a man will only play carefully, and be content with
      moderate gains, he may win sufficient&mdash;taking the good days and the
      evil days in a lump&mdash;to keep him in a decent kind of affluence all
      the year round. Indeed, I once knew a croupier&mdash;we used to call him
      Napoleon, from the way he took snuff from his waistcoat pocket, who was in
      the way of expressing a grave conviction that it was possible to make a
      capital living at Roulette, so long as you stuck to the colours, and
      avoided the Scylla of the numbers and the Charybdis of the Zero. By
      degrees, then, the shyness of the neophyte wears off. Perhaps in the
      course of his descent of Avernus, a revulsion of feeling takes place, and,
      horror-struck and ashamed, he rushes out of the Kursaal, determined to
      enter its portals no more. Then he temporizes; remembers that there is a
      capital reading-room, provided with all the newspapers and periodicals of
      civilized Europe, attached to the Kursaalian premises. There can be no
      harm, he thinks, in glancing over "Galignani" or the "Charivari," although
      under the same roof as the abhorred <i>Trente et Quarante;</i> but, alas!
      he finds <i>Galignani</i> engaged by an acrid old lady of morose
      countenance, who has lost all her money by lunch-time, and is determined
      to "take it out in reading," and the <i>Charivari</i> slightly clenched in
      one hand by the deaf old gentleman with the dingy ribbon of the Legion of
      Honour, and the curly brown wig pushed up over one ear, who always goes to
      sleep on the soft and luxurious velvet couches of the Kursaal
      reading-room, from eleven till three, every day, Sundays not excepted. The
      disappointed student of home or foreign news wanders back to one of the
      apartments where play is going, on. In fact, he does not know what to do
      with himself until table-d'hote time. You know what the moral bard, Dr
      Watts says:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      "Satan finds some mischief still, For idle hands to do."
    </p>
    <p>
      The unfledged gamester watches the play more narrowly. A stout lady in a
      maroon velvet mantle, and a man with a bald head, a black patch on his
      occiput, and gold spectacles, obligingly makes way for him. He finds
      himself pressed against the very edge of the table. Perhaps a chair&mdash;one
      of those delightfully comfortable Kursaal chairs&mdash;is vacant. He is
      tired with doing nothing, and sinks into the emolliently-cushioned <i>fauteuil</i>.
      He fancies that he has caught the eye of the banker, or one of the
      gentlemen of the <i>croupe</i>, and that they are meekly inviting him to
      try his luck. "Well, there can't be much harm in risking a florin," he
      murmurs. He stakes his silver-piece on a number or a colour. He wins, we
      will say, twice or thrice. Perhaps he quadruples his stake, nay,
      perchance, hits on the lucky number. It turns up, and he receives
      thirty-five times the amount of his <i>mise</i>. Thenceforth it is all
      over with that ingenuous British youth. The Demon of Play has him for his
      own, and he may go on playing and playing until he has lost every florin
      of his own, or as many of those belonging to other people as he can beg or
      borrow. Far more fortunate for him would it be in the long run, if he met
      in the outset with a good swinging loss. The burnt child <i>DOES</i> dread
      the fire as a rule; but there is this capricious, almost preternatural,
      feature of the physiology of gaming, that the young and inexperienced
      generally win in the first instance. They are drawn on and on, and in and
      in. They begin to lose, and continue to lose, and by the time they have
      cut their wise teeth they have neither sou nor silver to make their
      dearly-bought wisdom available.
    </p>
    <p>
      'At least one-half of the company may be assumed to be arrant rascals&mdash;rascals
      male and rascals female&mdash;<i>chevaliers d'industrie</i>, the
      offscourings of all the shut-up gambling-houses in Europe, demireps and <i>lorettes</i>,
      single and married women innumerable.'
    </p>
    <p>
      In the course of the three visits he has paid to Hombourg, Mr Sala has
      observed that 'nine-tenths of the English visitors to the Kursaal, play;'
      and he does not hesitate to say that the moths who flutter round the
      garish lamps at the Kursaal Van der Hohe, and its kindred Hades, almost
      invariably singe their wings; and that the chaseer at <i>Roulette</i> and
      <i>Rouge</i>, generally turn out edged tools, with which those incautious
      enough to play with them are apt to cut their fingers, sometimes very
      dangerously.
    </p>
    <p>
      The season of 1869 in Hombourg is thus depicted in a high class newspaper.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Never within the memory of the oldest inhabitant (who in this instance
      must undoubtedly be that veteran player Countess Kisselef) has the town
      witnessed such an influx of tourists of every class and description.
      Hotels and lodging-houses are filled to overflowing. Every day imprudent
      travellers who have neglected the precaution of securing rooms before
      their arrival return disconsolately to Frankfort to await the vacation of
      some apartment which a condescending landlord has promised them after much
      negotiation for the week after next. The morning promenade is a wonderful
      sight; such a host of bilious faces, such an endless variety of eccentric
      costumes, such a Babel of tongues, among which the shrill twang of our
      fair American cousins is peculiarly prominent, could be found in no other
      place in the civilized world. A moralist would assuredly find here
      abundant food for reflection on the wonderful powers of self-deception
      possessed by mankind. We all get up at most inconvenient hours, swallow a
      certain quantity of a most nauseous fluid, and then, having sacrificed so
      much to appearances, soothe our consciences with the unfounded belief that
      a love of early rising and salt water was our real reason for coming here,
      and that the gambling tables had nothing whatever to do with it. Perhaps,
      in some few instances, this view may be the correct one; some few
      invalids, say one in a hundred, may have sought Hombourg solely in the
      interest of an impaired digestion, but I fear that such cases are few and
      far between; and, as a friend afflicted with a mania for misquotation
      remarked to me the other day, even "those who come to drink remain to
      play."
    </p>
    <p>
      'Certainly the demon of Rouge et Noir has never held more undisputed sway
      in Hombourg than in the present season; never have the tables groaned
      under such a load of notes and rouleaux. It would seem as if the gamblers,
      having only two or more years left in which to complete their ruin, were
      hurrying on with redoubled speed to that desirable consummation, and where
      a stake of 12,000 francs is allowed on a single coup the pace can be made
      very rapid indeed. High play is so common that unless you are lucky enough
      to win or rich enough to lose a hundred thousand francs at least, you need
      not hope to excite either envy or commiseration. One persevering
      Muscovite, who has been punting steadily for six weeks, has actually
      succeeded in getting rid of a million of florins. As yet there have been
      no suicides to record, owing probably to the precautionary measures
      adopted by a paternal Administration. As soon as a gambler is known to be
      utterly cleared out he at once receives a visit from one of M. Blanc's
      officials, who offers him a small sum on condition he will leave the town
      forthwith; which viaticum, however, for fear of accidents, is only handed
      to him when fairly seated in the train that bears him away, to blow out
      his brains, should he feel so inclined, elsewhere. One of the most
      unpleasant facts connected with the gambling is the ardour displayed by
      many ladies in this very unfeminine pursuit: last night out of twenty-five
      persons seated at the Roulette table I counted no fewer than fifteen
      ladies, including an American lady with her two daughters!
    </p>
    <p>
      'The King of Prussia has arrived, and, with due deference to the official
      editors who have described in glowing paragraphs the popular
      demonstrations in his honour, I am bound to assert that he was received
      with very modified tokens of delight. There was not even a repetition of
      the triumphal arch of last year; those funereal black and white flags,
      whose sole aspect is enough to repress any exuberance of rejoicing, were
      certainly flapping against the hotel windows and the official flagstaffs,
      but little else testified to the joy of the Hombourgers at beholding their
      Sovereign. They manage these things better in France. Any French <i>prefet</i>
      would give the German authorities a few useful hints concerning the cheap
      and speedy manufacture of loyal enthusiasm. The foreigners, however, seem
      determined to atone amply for any lack of proper feeling on the part of
      the townspeople. They crowd round his Majesty as soon as he appears in the
      rooms or gardens, and mob the poor old gentleman with a vigour which taxes
      all the energies of his aides-de-camp to save their Royal master from
      death by suffocation. Need I add that our old friend the irrepressible
      "'Arry" is ever foremost in these gentlemanlike demonstrations?
    </p>
    <p>
      'Of course the town swarms with well-known English faces; indeed, the
      Peers and M.P.s here at present would form a very respectable party in the
      two Houses. We are especially well off for dukes; the <i>Fremdenliste</i>
      notifies the presence of no fewer than five of those exalted personages. A
      far less respectable class of London society is also, I am sorry to say,
      strongly represented: I allude to those gentlemen of the light-fingered
      persuasion whom the outer world rudely designate as pickpockets. This
      morning two gorgeously arrayed members of the fraternity were marched down
      to the station by the police, each being decorated with a pair of bright
      steel handcuffs; seventeen of them were arrested last week in Frankfort at
      one fell swoop, and at the tables the row of lookers-on who always
      surround the players consists in about equal proportions of these gentry
      and their natural enemies&mdash;the detectives. Their booty since the
      beginning of the season must be reckoned by thousands. Mustapha Fazyl
      Pasha had his pocket picked of a purse containing L600, and a Russian lady
      was lately robbed of a splendid diamond brooch valued at 75,000
      francs.(79)
    </p>
    <p>
      (79) Pall Mall Gazette, Aug. 1869.
    </p>
    <p>
      But the days of the Kursaal are numbered, and the glories or infamies of
      Hombourg are doomed.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The fiat has gone forth. In five years(80) from this time the "game will
      be made" no longer&mdash;the great gambling establishment of Hombourg will
      be a thing of the past. The town will be obliged to contend on equal terms
      with other watering-places for its share of the wool on the backs of
      summer excursionists.
    </p>
    <p>
      (80) In 1872.
    </p>
    <p>
      'As most of the townspeople are shareholders in this thriving concern, and
      as all of them gain either directly or indirectly by the play, it was
      amusing to watch the anxiety of these worthies during the war between
      Austria and Prussia. Patriotism they had none; they cared neither for
      Austrian nor Prussian, for a great Germany nor for a small Germany. The
      "company" was their god and their country. All that concerned them was to
      know whether the play was likely to be suppressed. When they were annexed
      to Prussia, at first they could not believe that Count Bismarck, whatever
      he might do with kings, would venture to interfere with the "bank." It was
      to them a divine institution&mdash;something far superior to dynasties and
      kingdoms....
    </p>
    <p>
      'For a year the Hombourgers were allowed to suppose that their "peculiar
      institution" was indeed superior to fate, to public opinion, and to
      Prussia; but at the commencement of the present year they were rudely
      awakened from their dreams of security. The sword that had been hanging
      over them fell. The directors of the company were ordered to appear before
      the governor of the town, and they were told that they and all belonging
      to them were to cease to exist in 1872, and that the following arrangement
      was to be made respecting the plunder gained until that date. The
      shareholders were to receive 10 per cent. on their money; 5000 shares were
      to be paid off at par each year, and if this did not absorb all the
      profits, the surplus was to go towards a fund for keeping up the gardens
      after the play had ceased. By this means, as there are now 36,000 shares,
      25,000 will be paid off at par, and the remaining 11,000 will be
      represented by the buildings and the land belonging to the company, which
      it will be at liberty to sell to the highest bidder. Since this decree has
      been promulgated the Hombourgers are in despair. The croupiers and the
      clerks, the Jews who lend money at high interest, the Christians who let
      lodgings, all the rogues and swindlers who one way or another make a
      living out of the play, fill the air with their complaints.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Although no doubt individuals will suffer by the suppression of public
      play here, it is by no means certain that the town itself will not be a
      gainer by it. Holiday seekers must go somewhere. The air of Hombourg is
      excellent; the waters are invigorating; the town is well situated and easy
      of access by rail; living is comparatively cheap&mdash;a room may be had
      for about 18<i>s</i>. a week, an excellent dinner for 2<i>s</i>.;
      breakfast costs less than a shilling. Hombourg is now a fixed fact, and if
      the townspeople take heart and grapple with the new state of things&mdash;if
      they buy up the Kursaal, and throw open its salons to visitors; if they
      keep up the opera, the cricket club, and the shooting; if they have good
      music, and balls and concerts for those who like them, there is no reason
      why they should not attract as many visitors to their town as they do
      now.'(81)
    </p>
    <p>
      (81) Correspondent of <i>Daily News.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      AIX-LA-CHAPELLE.
    </p>
    <p>
      The gaming at Aix-la-Chapelle is equally desperate and destructive. 'A
      Russian officer of my acquaintance,' says a writer in the Annual Register
      for 1818, 'was subject, like many of his countrymen whom I have known, to
      the infatuation of play to a most ridiculous excess. His distrust of
      himself under the assailments which he anticipated at a place like
      Aix-la-Chapelle, had induced him to take the prudent precaution of paying
      in advance at his hotel for his board and lodging, and at the
      bathing-house for his baths, for the time he intended to stay. The
      remaining contents of his purse he thought fairly his own; and he went of
      course to the table all the gayer for the license he had taken of his
      conscience. On fortune showing him a few favours, he came to me in high
      spirits, with a purse full of Napoleons, and a resolute determination to
      keep them by venturing no more; but a gamester can no more be stationary
      than the tide of a river, and on the evening he was put out of suspense by
      having not a Napoleon left, and nothing to console but congratulation on
      his foresight, and the excellent supper which was the fruit of it.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Towards the end of the last century Aix-la-Chapelle was a great rendezvous
      of gamblers. The chief banker there paid a thousand louis per annum for
      his license. A little Italian adventurer once went to the place with only
      a few louis in his pocket, and played crown stakes at Hazard. Fortune
      smiled on him; he increased his stakes progressively; in twenty-four hours
      won about L4000. On the following day he stripped the bank entirely,
      pocketing nearly L10,000. He continued to play for some days, till he was
      at last reduced to a single louis! He now obtained from a friend the loan
      of L30, and once more resumed his station at the gaming table, which he
      once more quitted with L10,000 in his pocket, and resolved to leave it for
      ever. The arguments of one of the bankers, however, who followed him to
      his inn, soon prevailed over his resolution, and on his return to the
      gaming table he was stripped of his last farthing. He went to his
      lodgings, sold his clothes, and by that means again appeared at his old
      haunt, for the half-crown stakes, by which he honourably repaid his loan
      of L30. His end was unknown to the relater of the anecdote, but 'ten to
      one,' it was ruin.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the same place, in the year 1793, the heir-apparent of an Irish Marquis
      lost at various times nearly L20,000 at a billiard table, partly owing to
      his antagonist being an excellent calculator, as well as a superior
      player.
    </p>
    <p>
      A French emigrant at Aix-la-Chapelle, who carried a basket of tarts,
      liqueurs, &amp;c., for regaling the gamesters, put down twenty-five louis
      at <i>Rouge et Noir</i>. He lost. He then put down fifteen, and lost
      again; at the third turn he staked ten; but while the cards were being
      shuffled, seeming to recollect himself, he felt all his pockets, and at
      length found two large French crowns, and a small one, which he also
      ventured. The deal was determined at the ninth card; and the poor wretch,
      who had lost his all, dashed down his basket, started from his seat,
      overturning two chairs as he forced the circle, tore off his hair, and
      with horrid blasphemies, burst the folding doors, and rushing out like a
      madman, was seen no more.
    </p>
    <p>
      Another emigrant arrived here penniless, but meeting a friend, obtained
      the loan of a few crowns, nearly his all. With these he went to the rooms,
      put down his stake, and won. He then successively doubled his stakes till
      he closed the evening with a hundred louis in his pocket. He went to his
      friend, and with mutual congratulations they resolved to venture no more,
      and calculated how long their gains would support them from absolute want,
      and thus seemed to strengthen their wise resolution.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next night, however, the lucky gambler returned to the room&mdash;but
      only to be a spectator, as he firmly said. Alas! his resolution failed
      him, and he quitted the tables indebted to a charitable bystander for a
      livre or two, to pay for his petty refreshments.
    </p>
    <p>
      It is said that the annual profit to the bankers was 120,000 florins, or
      L14,000.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The very name of Aix-la-Chapelle,' says a traveller, 'makes one think (at
      least, makes me think) of cards and dice,&mdash;sharks and pigeons. It has
      a "professional odour" upon it, which is certainly not that of sanctity. I
      entered the Redoute with my head full of sham barons, German Catalinas,
      and the thousand-and-one popular tales of renowned knights of the green
      cloth,&mdash;their seducing confederates, and infatuated dupes.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The rooms are well distributed; the saloons handsome. A sparkling of
      ladies, apparently (and really, as I understood) of the best water, the <i>elite</i>,
      in short, of Aix-la-Chapelle, were lounging on sofas placed round the
      principal saloon, or fluttering about amidst a crowd of men, who filled up
      the centre of the room, or thronged round the tables that were ranged on
      one side of it.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The players continued their occupation in death-like silence, undisturbed
      by the buzz or the gaze of the lookers-on; not a sound was heard but the
      rattle of the heaped-up money, as it was passed from one side of the table
      to the other; nor was the smallest anxiety or emotion visible on any
      countenance.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The scene was unpleasing, though to me curious from its novelty.
    </p>
    <p>
      Ladies are admitted to play, but there were none occupied this morning. I
      was glad of it; indeed, though English travellers are accused of carrying
      about with them a portable code of morality, which dissolves or stiffens
      like a soap-cake as circumstances may affect its consistency, yet I
      sincerely believe that there are few amongst us who would not feel shocked
      at seeing one of the gentler sex in so unwomanly a position.'(82)
    </p>
    <p>
      (82) Reminiscences of the Rhine, &amp;c. Anon.
    </p>
    <p>
      WIESBADEN.
    </p>
    <p>
      The gambling here in 1868 has been described in a very vivid manner.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Since the enforcement of the Prussian Sunday observance regulations,
      Monday has become the great day of the week for the banks of the German
      gambling establishments. Anxious to make up for lost time, the regular
      contributors to the company's dividends flock early on Monday forenoon to
      the play-rooms in order to secure good places at the tables, which, by the
      appointed hour for commencing operations (eleven o'clock), are closely
      hedged round by persons of both sexes, eagerly waiting for the first deal
      of the cards or the initial twist of the brass wheel, that they may try
      another fall with Fortune. Before each seated player are arranged precious
      little piles of gold and silver, a card printed in black and red, and a
      long pin, wherewith to prick out a system of infallible gain. The
      croupiers take their seats and unpack the strong box; rouleaux&mdash;long
      metal sausages composed of double and single florins,&mdash;wooden bowls
      brimming over with gold Frederics and Napoleons, bank notes of all sizes
      and colours, are arranged upon the black leather compartment, ruled over
      by the company's officers; half-a-dozen packs of new cards are stripped of
      their paper cases, and swiftly shuffled together; and when all these
      preliminaries, watched with breathless anxiety by the surrounding
      speculators, have been gravely and carefully executed, the chief croupier
      looks round him&mdash;a signal for the prompt investment of capital on all
      parts of the table&mdash;chucks out a handful of cards from the mass
      packed together convenient to his hand&mdash;ejaculates the formula,
      "Faites le jeu!" and, after half a minute's pause, during which he
      delicately moistens the ball of his dealing thumb, exclaims "Le jeu est
      fait, rien ne va plus," and proceeds to interpret the decrees of fate
      according to the approved fashion of Trente et Quarante. A similar scene
      is taking place at the Roulette table&mdash;a goodly crop of florins, with
      here and there a speck of gold shining amongst the silver harvest, is
      being sown over the field of the cloth of green, soon to be reaped by the
      croupier's sickle, and the pith ball is being dropped into the revolving
      basin that is partitioned off into so many tiny black and red niches. For
      the next twelve hours the processes in question are carried on swiftly and
      steadily, without variation or loss of time; relays of croupiers are laid
      on, who unobtrusively slip into the places of their fellows when the hours
      arrive for relieving guard; the game is never stopped for more than a
      couple of minutes at a time, viz., when the cards run out and have to be
      re-shuffled. This brief interruption is commonly considered to portend a
      break in the particular vein which the game may have happened to assume
      during the deal&mdash;say a run upon black or red, an alternation of coups
      (in threes or fours) upon either colour, two reds and a black, or <i>vice
      versa</i>, all equally frequent eccentricities of the cards; and the
      heavier players often change their seats, or leave the table altogether
      for an hour or so at such a conjuncture. Curiously enough, excepting at
      the very commencement of the day's play, the <i>habitues</i> of the Trente
      et Quarante tables appear to entertain a strong antipathy to the first
      deal or two after the cards have been "re-made." I have been told by one
      or two masters of the craft that they have a fancy to see how matters are
      likely to go before they strike in, as if it were possible to deduce the
      future of the game from its past! That it is possible appears to be an
      article of faith with the old stagers, and, indeed, every now and then odd
      coincidences occur which tend to confirm them in their creed. I witnessed
      an occurrence which was either attributable (as I believe) to sheer
      chance, or (as its hero earnestly assured me) to instinct. A fair and
      frail Magyar was punting on numbers with immense pluck and uniform ill
      fortune. Behind her stood a Viennese gentleman of my acquaintance, who
      enjoys a certain renown amongst his friends for the faculty of prophecy,
      which, however, he seldom exercises for his own benefit. Observing that
      she hesitated about staking her double florin, he advised her to set it on
      the number 3. Round went the wheel, and in twenty seconds the ball tumbled
      into compartment 3 sure enough. At the next turn she asked his advice, and
      was told to try number 24. No sooner said than done, and 24 came up in due
      course, whereby Mdlle L. C. won 140 odd gulden in two coups, the amount
      risked by her being exactly four florins. Like a wise girl, she walked off
      with her booty, and played no more that day at Roulette. A few minutes
      later I saw an Englishman go through the performance of losing four
      thousand francs by experimentalizing on single numbers. Twenty times
      running did he set ten louis-d'ors on a number (varying the number at each
      stake), and not one of his selection proved successful. At the "Thirty and
      Forty" I saw an eminent diplomatist win sixty thousand francs with
      scarcely an intermission of failure; he played all over the table, pushing
      his rouleaux backwards and forwards, from black to red, without any
      appearance of system that I could detect, and the cards seemed to follow
      his inspiration. It was a great battle; as usual, three or four smaller
      fish followed in his wake, till they lost courage and set against him,
      much to their discomfiture and the advantage of the bank; but from first
      to last&mdash;that is, till the cards ran out, and he left the table&mdash;he
      was steadily victorious. In the evening he went in again for another heavy
      bout, at which I chanced to be present; but fortune had forsaken him; and
      he not only lost his morning's winnings, but eight thousand francs to
      boot. I do not remember to have ever seen the tables so crowded&mdash;outside
      it was thundering, lightening, and raining as if the world were coming to
      an end, and the whole floating population of Wiesbaden was driven into the
      Kursaal by the weather. A roaring time of it had the bank; when play was
      over, about which time the rain ceased, hundreds of hot and thirsty
      gamblers streamed out of the reeking rooms to the glazed-in terrace, and
      the next hour, always the pleasantest of the twenty-four here and in
      Hombourg&mdash;at Ems people go straight from the tables to bed,&mdash;was
      devoted to animated chat and unlimited sherry-cobbler; all the "events" of
      the day were passed in review, experiences exchanged, and confessions
      made. Nobody had won; I could not hear of a single great success&mdash;the
      bank had had it all its own way, and most of the "lions," worsted in the
      fray, had evidently made up their minds to "drown it in the bowl." The
      Russian detachment&mdash;a very strong one this year&mdash;was especially
      hard hit; Spain and Italy were both unusually low-spirited; and there was
      an extra solemnity about the British Isles that told its own sad tale.
      Englishmen, when they have lost more than they can afford, generally take
      it out of themselves in surly, brooding self-reproach. Frenchmen give vent
      to their disgust and annoyance by abusing the game and its myrmidons. You
      may hear them, loud and savage, on the terrace, "Ah! le salle jeu! comment
      peut-on se laisser eplucher par des brigands de la sorte! Tripot, infame,
      va! je te donne ma malediction!" Italians, again, endeavour to conceal
      their discomfiture under a flow of feverish gaiety. Germans utter one or
      two "Gotts donnerwetterhimmelsapperment!" light up their cigars, drink a
      dozen or so "hocks," and subside into their usual state of ponderous
      cheerfulness. Russians betray no emotion whatever over their calamities,
      save, perhaps, that they smoke those famous little 'Laferme' cigarettes a
      trifle faster and more nervously than at other times; but they are
      excellent winners and magnificent losers, only to be surpassed in either
      respect by their old enemy the Turk, who is <i>facile princeps</i> in the
      art of hiding his feelings from the outer world.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The great mass of visitors at Wiesbaden this season, as at Hombourg,
      belong to the middle and lower middle classes, leavened by a very few
      celebrities and persons of genuine distinction. There are a dozen or two
      eminent men here, not to be seen in the play-rooms, who are taking the
      waters&mdash;Lord Clarendon, Baron Rothschild, Prince Souvarof, and a few
      more&mdash;but the general run of guests is by no means remarkable for
      birth, wealth, or respectability; and we are shockingly off for ladies. As
      a set-off against this deficiency, it would seem that all the aged,
      broken-down courtesans of Paris, Vienna, and Berlin have agreed to make
      Wiesbaden their autumn rendezvous. Arrayed in all the colours of the
      rainbow, painted up to the roots of their dyed hair, shamelessly <i>decolletees</i>,
      prodigal of "free" talk and unseemly gesture, these ghastly creatures,
      hideous caricatures of youth and beauty, flaunt about the play-rooms and
      gardens, levying black-mail upon those who are imprudent enough to engage
      them in "chaff" or badinage, and desperately endeavouring to hook
      themselves on to the wealthier and younger members of the male community.
      They poison the air round them with sickly perfumes; they assume titles,
      and speak of one another as "cette chere comtesse;" their walk is
      something between a prance and a wriggle; they prowl about the terrace
      whilst the music is playing, seeking whom they may devour, or rather whom
      they may inveigle into paying for their devouring: and, <i>bon Dieu!</i>
      how they do gorge themselves with food and drink when some silly lad or
      aged roue allows himself to be bullied or wheedled into paying their scot!
      Their name is legion; and they constitute the very worst feature of a
      place which, naturally a Paradise, is turned into a seventh hell by the
      uncontrolled rioting of human passions. They have no friends&mdash;no
      "protectors;" they are dependent upon accident for a meal or a piece of
      gold to throw away at the tables; they are plague-spots upon the face of
      society; they are, as a rule, crassly ignorant and horribly cynical; and
      yet there are many men here who are proud of their acquaintance, always
      ready to entertain them in the most expensive manner, and who speak of
      them as if they were the only desirable companions in the world!
    </p>
    <p>
      'Amongst our notabilities of the eccentric sort, not the least singular in
      her behaviour is the Countess C&mdash;&mdash;o, an aged patrician of
      immense fortune, who is as constant to Wiesbaden as old Madame de K&mdash;&mdash;f
      is to Hombourg on the Heights. Like the last-named lady, she is daily
      wheeled to her place in the Black and Red temple, and plays away for eight
      or nine hours with wonderful spirit and perseverance. She has with her a
      <i>suite</i> of eight domestics; and when she wins (which is not often),
      on returning to her hotel at night, she presents each member of her
      retinue with&mdash;twopence! "not," as she naively avows, "from a feeling
      of generosity, but to propitiate Fortune." When she loses, none of them,
      save the man who wheels her home, get anything but hard words from her;
      and he, happy fellow, receives a donation of six kreutzers. She does not
      curse the croupiers loudly for her bad luck, like her contemporary, the
      once lovely Russian Ambassadress; but, being very far advanced in years,
      and of a tender disposition, sheds tears over her misfortunes, resting her
      chin on the edge of the table. An edifying sight is this venerable dame,
      bearing an exalted title, as she mopes and mouths over her varying luck,
      missing her stake twice out of three times, when she fain would push it
      with her rake into some particular section of the table! She is very
      intimate with one or two antediluvian diplomatists and warriors, who are
      here striving to bolster themselves up for another year with the waters,
      and may be heard crowing out lamentations over her fatal passion for play,
      interspersed with bits of moss-grown scandal, disinterred from the social
      ruins of an age long past: Radetzky, Wratislaw (le beau sabreur), the two
      Schwarzenbergs (he of Leipsic, and the former Prime Minister), Paul
      Eszterhazy, Wrangel, and Blucher were friends of her youth; judging from
      her appearance, one would not be surprised to hear that she had received a
      "poulet" from Baron Trenck, or played whist with Maria Theresa. She has
      outlived all human friendships or affections, and exists only for the
      chink of the gold as it jingles on the gaming table. I cannot help
      fancying that her last words will be "Rien ne va plus!" She is a great and
      convincing moral, if one but interpret her rightly.'(83)
    </p>
    <p>
      (83) Daily Telegraph, Aug. 15, 1868.
    </p>
    <p>
      The doom of the German gaming houses seems to be settled. They will all be
      closed in 1872, as appears by the following announcement:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'The Prussian government, not having been able to obtain from the lessees
      of the gaming tables at Wiesbaden, Ems, and Hombourg their consent to
      their cancelling of their contracts, has resolved to terminate their
      privileges by a legislative measure. It has presented a bill to the
      Chamber of Deputies at Berlin, fixing the year 1872 as the limit to the
      existence of these establishments, and even authorizing the government to
      suppress them at an earlier period by a royal ordinance. No indemnity is
      to be allowed to the persons holding concessions.'&mdash;<i>Feb</i>. 23,
      1868.
    </p>
    <p>
      A London newspaper defends this measure in a very successful manner.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Prussia has declared her purpose to eradicate from the territories
      subject to her increased sway, and from others recognizing her influence,
      the disgrace of the <i>Rouge et Noir</i> and the Roulette table as public
      institutions. Her reasoning is to the effect that they bring scandal upon
      Germany; that they associate with the names of its favourite
      watering-places the appellation of "hells;" that they attract swindlers
      and adventurers of every degree; and that they have for many a year past
      been held up to the opprobrium of Europe. For why should this practice be
      a lawful practice of Germany and of no other country in Europe? Why not in
      France, in Spain, in Italy, in the Northern States, in Great Britain
      itself? Let us not give to this last proposition more importance than it
      is worth. The German watering-places are places of leisure, of trifling,
      of <i>ennui</i>. That is why, originally, they were selected as
      encampments by the tribes which fatten upon hazards. But there was another
      reason: they brought in welcome revenues to needy princes. Even now, in
      view of the contemplated expurgation, Monaco is named, with Geneva, as
      successor to the perishing glories of Hombourg, Wiesbaden, and the great
      Baden itself. That is to say, the gamblers, or, rather, the professionals
      who live upon the gambling propensities of others, having received from
      Prussia and her friends notice to quit, are in search of new lodgings.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The question is, they being determined, and the accommodation being not
      less certainly ready for them than the sea is for the tribute of a river,
      will the reform designed be a really progressive step in the civilization
      of Europe? Prussia says&mdash;decidedly so; because it will demolish an
      infamous privilege. She affirms that an institution which might have been
      excusable under a landgrave, with a few thousand acres of territory, is
      inconsistent with the dignity and, to quote continental phraseology, the
      mission of a first-class state. Here again the reasoning is
      incontrovertible. Of one other thing, moreover, we may feel perfectly
      sure, that Prussia having determined to suppress these centres and sources
      of corruption, they will gradually disappear from Europe. Concede to them
      a temporary breathing-time at Monaco; the time left for even a nominally
      independent existence to Monaco is short: imagine that they find a fresh
      outlet at Geneva; Prussia will have represented the public opinion of the
      age, against which not even the Republicanism of Switzerland can long make
      a successful stand. Upon the whole, history can never blame Prussia for
      such a use either of her conquests or her influence. Say what you will,
      gambling is an indulgence blushed over in England; abroad, practised as a
      little luxury in dissipation, it may be pardoned as venial; habitually,
      however, it is a leprosy. And as it is by habitual gamblers that these
      haunts are made to flourish, this alone should reconcile the world of
      tourists to a deprivation which for them must be slight; while to the
      class they imitate, without equalling, it will be the prohibition of an
      abominable habit.'(84)
    </p>
    <p>
      (84) Extracts from a 'leader' in the Standard of Sept. 4, 1869.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER IX. GAMBLING IN THE UNITED STATES.
    </h2>
    <p>
      It is not surprising that a people so intensely speculative, excitable,
      and eager as the Americans, should be desperately addicted to gambling.
      Indeed, the spirit of gambling has incessantly pervaded all their
      operations, political, commercial, and social.(85) It is but one of the
      manifestations of that thorough license arrogated to itself by the nation,
      finding its true expression in the American maxim recorded by Mr Hepworth
      Dixon, so coarsely worded, but so significant,&mdash;'Every man has a
      right to do what he <i>DAMNED</i> pleases.'(86)
    </p>
    <p>
      (85) In the American correspondence of the Morning Advertiser, Feb. 6,
      1868, the writer says:&mdash;'It was only yesterday (Jan. 24) that an
      eminent American merchant of this city (New York) said, in referring to
      the state of affairs&mdash;"we are socially, politically, and commercially
      demoralized."'
    </p>
    <p>
      (86) 'Spiritual Wives.'&mdash;A work the extraordinary disclosures of
      which tend to show that a similar spirit, destined, perhaps, to bring
      about the greatest social changes, is gaining ground elsewhere than in
      America.
    </p>
    <p>
      Although laws similar to those of England are enacted in America against
      gambling, it may be said to exist everywhere, but, of course, to the
      greatest extent in the vicinity of the fashionable quarters of the large
      cities. In New York there is scarcely a street without its gambling house&mdash;'private,'
      of course, but well known to those who indulge in the vice. The ordinary
      public game is Faro.
    </p>
    <p>
      High and low, rich and poor, are perfectly suited in their requirements;
      whilst at some places the stakes are unlimited, at others they must not
      exceed one dollar, and a player may wager as low as five cents, or
      twopence-halfpenny. These are for the accommodation of the very poorest
      workmen, discharged soldiers, broken-down gamblers, and street-boys.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I think,' says a recent writer,(87) 'of all the street-boys in the world,
      those of New York are the most precocious. I have seen a shoe-black, about
      three feet high, walk up to the table or 'Bank,' as it is generally
      called, and stake his money (five cents) with the air of a young
      spendthrift to whom "money is no object."'
    </p>
    <p>
      (87) 'St James's Magazine,' Sept., 1867.
    </p>
    <p>
      The chief gambling houses of New York were established by men who are
      American celebrities, and among these the most prominent have been Pat
      Hern and John Morrissey.
    </p>
    <p>
      PAT HERN.
    </p>
    <p>
      Some years ago this celebrated Irishman kept up a splendid establishment
      in Broadway, near Hauston Street. At that time his house was the centre of
      attraction towards which 'all the world' gravitated, and did the thing
      right grandly&mdash;combining the Apicius with the Beau Nash or Brummell.
      He was profusely lavish with his wines and exuberant in his suppers; and
      it was generally said that the game in action there, <i>Faro</i>, was
      played in all fairness. Pat Hern was a man of jovial disposition and
      genial wit, and would have adorned a better position. During the
      trout-fishing season he used to visit a well-known place called Islip in
      Long Island, much frequented by gentlemen devoted to angling and fond of
      good living.
    </p>
    <p>
      At Islip the equally renowned Oby Snedecker kept the tavern which was the
      resort of Pat Hern and his companions. It had attached to it a stream and
      lake to which the gentlemen who had the privilege of the house were
      admitted. Mrs Obadiah Snedecker, the buxom wife of 'mine host,' was famous
      for the exquisite way in which she cooked veal cutlets. There were two
      niggers in the establishment, named Steve and Dick, who accompanied the
      gentlemen in their angling excursions, amusing them with their stolidity
      and the enormous quantity of gin they could imbibe without being more than
      normally fuddled.
    </p>
    <p>
      After fishing, the gentlemen used to take to gambling at the usual French
      games; but here Pat Hern appeared not in the character of gambler, but as
      a private gentleman. He was always well received by the visitors, and
      caused them many a hearty laugh with his overflowing humour. He died about
      nine years ago, I think tolerably well off.
    </p>
    <p>
      JOHN MORRISSEY.
    </p>
    <p>
      John Morrissey was originally a prize-fighter,&mdash;having fought with
      Heenan and also with Yankee Sullivan, and lived by teaching the young
      Americans the noble art of self-defence. He afterwards set up a 'Bar,' or
      public-house, and over this he established a small Faro bank, which he
      enlarged and improved by degrees until it became well known, and was very
      much frequented by the gamblers of New York. He is now, I believe, a
      member of Congress for that city, and immensely wealthy. Not content with
      his successful gambling operations in New York, he has opened a splendid
      establishment at the fashionable summer resort of Saratoga, consisting of
      an immense hotel, ballrooms, and gambling-rooms, and is said to have a
      profit of two millions of dollars (about L400,000) during the season.(88)
      He is mentioned as one of those who pay the most income tax.
    </p>
    <p>
      (88) <i>Ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Morrissey's gambling house is in Union Square, and is said to be
      magnificently furnished and distinguished by the most princely
      hospitality. At all hours of the day or night tables are laid out with
      every description of refreshment, to which all who visit the place are
      welcome.
    </p>
    <p>
      This is a remarkable feature in the American system. At all 'Bars,' or
      public-houses, you find provided, free of charge, supplies of cheese,
      biscuits, &amp;c., and sometimes even some savoury soup&mdash;which are
      often resorted to by those unfortunates who are 'clean broke' or 'used
      up,' with little else to assuage the pangs of hunger but the everlasting
      quid of tobacco, furiously 'chawed.' Another generous feature of the
      American system is that the bar-man does not measure out to you, after our
      stingy fashion, what drink you may require, but hands you the tumbler and
      bottle to help yourself, unless in the case of made drinks, such as
      'mint-juleps,' &amp;c. However, you must drink your liquor at a gulp,
      after the Yankee fashion; for if you take a sip and turn your back to the
      counter, your glass will disappear&mdash;as it is not customary to have
      glasses standing about. Morrissey's wines are very good, and always
      supplied in abundance.
    </p>
    <p>
      Almost every game of chance is played at this establishment, and the
      stakes are very high and unlimited. The visitors are the wealthy and wild
      young men of New York, and occasionally a Southern-looking man who,
      perhaps, has saved some of his property, being still the same professional
      gambler; for it may be affirmed that all the Southern planters were
      addicted to gambling.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The same flocks of well-dressed and fashionable-looking men of all ages
      pass in and out all through the day and night; tens of thousands of
      dollars are lost and won; the "click" of the markers never ceases; all
      speak in a low tone; everything has a serious, quiet appearance. The
      dealers seem to know every one, and nod familiarly to all who approach
      their tables. John Morrissey is occasionally to be seen, walking through
      the rooms, apparently a disinterested spectator. He is a short, thick-set
      man, of about 40 years, dark complexion, and wears a long beard, dresses
      in a slovenly manner, and walks with a swagger. Now and then he approaches
      the table; makes a few bets, and is then lost in the crowd.'(89)
    </p>
    <p>
      (89) <i>Ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      OTHER GAMING-HOUSES.
    </p>
    <p>
      The same writer furnishes other very interesting facts.
    </p>
    <p>
      'After the opera-house and theatres are closed, Morrissey's gambling house
      becomes very full; in fact, the best time to see it to advantage is about
      two or three o'clock in the morning.
    </p>
    <p>
      'A little below the New York Hotel, and on the opposite side of Broadway,
      there is a gambling house, not quite so "respectable" as the one I have
      been describing; here the stakes are not below a dollar, and not more than
      twenty-five; there are no refreshments gratis, and the rooms are not so
      well furnished. The men to be seen gaming in this house differ but very
      little in appearance from those in Union Square, but there seems to be
      less discipline amongst them, and more noise and confusion. It is a rare
      thing to see an intoxicated man in a gambling house; the door-keepers are
      very particular as to whom they admit, and any disturbance which might
      call for the interference of the police would be ruinous to their
      business. The police are undoubtedly aware of everything going on in these
      houses, and do not interfere as long as everything goes on quietly.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Now and then a clerk spends his employer's money, and if it is discovered
      where he lost it then a <i>RAID</i> is made by the police in force, the
      tables and all the gaming paraphernalia are carried off, and the
      proprietors heavily fined.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I witnessed a case of this: a young man in the employment of a commission
      merchant appropriated a large sum of his employer's money, and lost it at
      Faro. He was arrested, and confessed what he had done with it. The police
      at once proceeded to the house where the Faro bank was kept, and the
      scene, when it was known that the police were below, beggars description.
      The tables were upset, and notes and markers were flying about in all
      directions. Men, sprawling and scrambling on the floor, fought with one
      another for whatever they could seize; then the police entered and cleared
      the house, having arrested the owners of the bank. This was in one of the
      lowest gaming houses, where "skin" games (cheating games) are practised.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In the gambling house in Broadway, near the New York Hotel, I have often
      noticed a young man, apparently of some 18 or 20 years of age, fashionably
      dressed, and of prepossessing appearance. On some days he would play very
      high, and seemed to have most remarkable luck; but he always played with
      the air of an old gamester, seeming careless as to whether he won or lost.
      One night he lost so heavily that he attracted the notice of all the
      players; every stake of his was swept away; and he still played on until
      his last dollar was lost; then he quietly walked out, whistling a popular
      Yankee air. He was there next day <i>MINUS</i> his great-coat and watch
      and chain&mdash;he lost again, went out and returned in his shirt sleeves,
      having pawned his coat, studs, and everything he could with decency divest
      himself of. He lost everything; and when I next saw him he was selling
      newspapers in front of the post-office!
    </p>
    <p>
      'The mania for gambling is a most singular one. I have known a man to win
      a thousand dollars in a few hours, and yet he would not spend a dollar to
      get a dinner, but when he felt hungry he went to a baker's shop and bought
      a loaf of bread, and that same night lost all his money at Roulette.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There is another house on the corner of Centre and Grand Streets, open
      during night and day. The stakes here are the same as in the one in
      Broadway, and the people who play are very much the same&mdash;in fact,
      the same faces are constantly to be met with in all the gambling houses,
      from the highest to the lowest. When a gambler has but small capital, he
      will go to a small house, where small stakes are admissible. I saw a man
      win 50 or 60 dollars at this place, and then hand in his checks (markers)
      to be cashed. The dealer handed him the money, and said&mdash;"Now you go
      off, straight away to Union Square, and pay away all you have won from
      here to John Morrissey. This is the way with all of them; they never come
      here until they are dead broke, and have only a dirty dollar or so to
      risk." There was some truth in what he said, but notwithstanding he
      managed to keep the bank going on. There is a great temptation to a man
      who has won a sum of money at a small gambling house to go to a higher
      one, as he may then, at a single stake, win as much as he could possibly
      win if he had a run of luck in a dozen stakes at the smaller bank.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In No. 102, in the Bowery, there is one of the lowest of the gaming
      houses I have seen in the Empire city. The proprietor is an Irishman; he
      employs three men as dealers, and they relieve one another every four
      hours during the day and night. The stakes here are of the lowest, and the
      people to be seen here of the roughest to be found in the city. The game
      is Faro, as elsewhere.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In this place I met an old friend with whom I had served in the army of
      Northern Virginia, under General Lee, in his Virginia campaign of 1865. He
      told me he had been in New York since the end of the war, and lived a very
      uncertain sort of life. Whatever money he could earn he spent at the
      gaming table. Sometimes he had a run of luck, and whilst it lasted he
      dressed well, and stopped at the most expensive hotels. One night he would
      sleep at the Astor House; and perhaps the next night he would not be able
      to pay for his bed, and would stay all night in the parks. Strange to say,
      hundreds live in this way, which is vulgarly called "scratching" in New
      York. I afterwards saw my friend driving an omnibus; and when I could
      speak to him, I found that he was still attending the banks with every
      cent he earned!
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is amusing to watch the proprietor of this place at the Bowery; he has
      a joke for every one he sees. "Hallo, old sport!" he cries, "come and try
      your luck&mdash;you look lucky this evening; and if you make a good run
      you may sport a gold watch and chain, and a velvet vest, like myself."
      Then to another, "Young clear-the-way, you look down at the mouth
      to-night! Come along and have a turn&mdash;and never mind your supper
      tonight." In this way the days and nights are passed in those gambling
      houses.'
    </p>
    <p>
      There is also in New York an association for the prevention of gambling.
      The society employs detectives to visit the gambling saloons, and procure
      evidence for the suppression of the establishments.
    </p>
    <p>
      It is the business of these agents also to ascertain the names and
      occupations of those who frequent the gambling rooms, and a list of the
      persons thus detected is sent periodically to the subscribers to the
      society, that they may know who are the persons wasting their money, or
      perhaps the money of their employers, in gambling. Many large houses of
      business subscribe.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the month of August the society's agents detected among the gamblers 68
      clerks of mercantile houses, and in the previous six months reported 623
      cases. It is stated that there are in New York and Brooklyn 1017 policy
      and lottery offices, and 163 Faro banks, and that their net annual gains
      are not less than 36,000,000 dollars.
    </p>
    <p>
      AMERICAN GAMBLERS.
    </p>
    <p>
      At American gambling houses 'it is very easy,' says the same writer, 'to
      distinguish the professional from the ordinary gambler. The latter has a
      nervous expression about the mouth, and an intense gaze upon the cards,
      and altogether a very serious nervous appearance; while the professional
      plays in a very quiet manner, and seems to care but little how the game
      goes; and his desire to appear as if the game was new to him is almost
      certain to expose him to those who know the manoeuvre.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Previous to the struggle for independence in the South, there were many
      hundreds of gamblers scattered through the Southern towns, and the
      Mississippi steam-boats used to abound with them. In the South, a gambler
      was regarded as outside the pale of society, and classed with the
      slave-trader, who was looked upon with loathing by the very same men who
      traded with him; such was the inconsistency of public opinion.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The American gambler differs from his European brethren in many respects.
      He is very frequently, in education, appearance, and manner, a gentleman,
      and if his private history were known, it would be found that he was of
      good birth, and was at one time possessed of considerable fortune; but
      having lost all at the gambling table, he gradually came down to the level
      of those who proved his ruin, and having no profession nor means of
      livelihood left to him, he adopted their mode of life.
    </p>
    <p>
      'On one occasion I met a brother of a Southern General (very famous in the
      late war and still a wealthy man) who, at one time, was one of the richest
      planters in the State of Louisiana, and is now acting as an agent for a
      set of gamblers to their gaming houses. After losing everything he had, he
      became a croupier to a gambling house in New Orleans, and afterwards plied
      his trade on the Mississippi for some years; then he went into Mexico, and
      finally to New York, where he opened a house on his own account.
    </p>
    <p>
      'During the war he speculated in "greenbacks," and lost all his ill-gotten
      gains, and had to descend to his present position.'(90)
    </p>
    <p>
      (90) <i>Ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      AMERICAN GAMES:&mdash;DRAW POKER, OR BLUFF.
    </p>
    <p>
      Draw Poker, or Bluff, is a favourite game with the Americans. It is played
      by any number of persons, from four to seven; four, five, or six players
      are preferred; seven are only engaged where a party of friends consists of
      that number, and all require to be equally amused.
    </p>
    <p>
      The deal is usually determined by fixing on a card, and dealing round,
      face upwards, until such card appears. The dealer then places in the pool
      an <i>Ante</i>, or certain agreed-upon sum, and proceeds to deal to each
      person five cards. The player next to the dealer, before looking at his
      cards, has the option of staking a certain sum. This is called the
      'blind,' and makes him the elder hand, or last player; and when his turn
      comes round he can, by giving up his first stake, withdraw from the game,
      or, if he pleases, by making good any sum staked by a previous player,
      raise the stakes to any sum he pleases, provided, of course, that no limit
      has been fixed before sitting down. The privilege of raising or doubling
      on the <i>blind</i> may be exercised by any one round the table, provided
      he has not looked at his cards. If no intervening player has met the
      original <i>blind</i>, that is, staked double the sum, this must be done
      by all who wish to play, and, of course, must be made good by the last
      player. Each person then looks at his cards, and decides on his plan of
      action. It should be understood that every one, except the <i>blind</i>,
      may look at his cards in his turn before deciding if he will meet the <i>blind</i>.
      Before speaking of the manner of drawing it will be better to give the
      relative value of the hands, which will much simplify the matter, and make
      it more easily understood. Thus: four aces are the best cards that can be
      held; four kings next, and so on, down to four twos; four cards of the
      same value beating anything except four of a higher denomination.
    </p>
    <p>
      The next best hand is called a <i>full</i>, and is made up thus:&mdash;three
      aces and a pair of sixes; three nines and pair of twos; in fact, any three
      cards of the same value and a pair constitute a full hand, and can only be
      beaten by a full hand of a higher denomination or fours. The next hand
      that takes precedence is a <i>flush</i>, or five cards of one colour;
      after this comes <i>threes</i>, vis., three cards all of the same value,
      say, three aces, kings, queens, and so on, downwards (the two remaining,
      being odd ones, are of no value). The next is a sequence, as five
      following cards, for instance, nine, eight, seven, six, five; it is not
      necessary they should all be of one colour, as this, of course, would
      constitute a <i>flush</i>. Next come two pairs, say, two knaves and two
      fives; and, last of all, is a single pair of cards. Having explained the
      value of the hands, let us show how you endeavour to get them. The bets
      having been made, and the <i>blind</i> made good or abandoned, or given
      up, the dealer proceeds to ask each player in his turn how many cards he
      wants; and here begins the first study of the game&mdash;<i>TO KNOW WHAT
      TO THROW AWAY</i> in order to get in others to make the hand better if
      possible. Your hand may, of course, be so utterly bad as to make it
      necessary to throw away the whole five and draw five new ones; this is not
      very likely, as few players will put a stake in the pool unless, on
      looking first at his cards, he has seen something, say a pair, to start
      with. We will suppose he has this, and, of course, he throws away three
      cards, and draws three in place of them. To describe the proper way to
      fill up a hand is impossible; we can but give an instance here and there
      to show the varying interest which attaches to the game;&mdash;thus, you
      may have threes in the original hand dealt; some players will throw away
      the two odd cards and draw two more, to try and make the hand fours, or,
      at least, a full; while a player knowing that his is not a very good hand,
      will endeavour to <i>DECEIVE</i> the rest by standing out, that is, not
      taking any fresh cards; of course all round the table make remarks as to
      what he can possibly have.
    </p>
    <p>
      It is usually taken to be a sequence, as this requires no drawing, if
      originally dealt. The same remark applies to a <i>flush;</i> two pairs or
      four to a flush, of course, require one card to make them into good hands,
      a player being only entitled to draw once; and the hands being made good,
      the real and exciting part of the game begins. Each one endeavours to keep
      his real position a secret from his neighbours. Some put on a look of calm
      indifference, and try to seem self-possessed; some will grin and talk all
      sorts of nonsense; some will utter sly bits of <i>badinage;</i> while
      others will study intently their cards, or gaze at the ceiling&mdash;all
      which is done merely to distract attention, or to conceal the feelings, as
      the chance of success or failure be for or against; and then begins the
      betting or gambling part of the game. The player next the <i>blind</i> is
      the first to declare his bet; in which, of course, he is entirely governed
      by circumstances. Some, being the first to bet, and having a very good
      card indeed, will 'bet small,' in hopes that some one else will see it,
      and 'go better,' that is, bet more, so that when it comes round to his
      turn again he may see all previous bets, and bet as much higher as he
      thinks proper; for it must be borne in mind that a player's first bet does
      not preclude him from coming in again if his first bet has been raised
      upon by any player round the table in his turn; but if once the original
      bet goes round and comes to the <i>blind</i>, or last player, without any
      one going better, the game is closed, and it becomes a <i>show of hands</i>,
      to see who takes the pool and all the bets. This does not often happen, as
      there is usually some one round the table to raise it; but my informant
      has seen it occur, and has been highly amused at watching the countenance
      of the expectant <i>small better</i> at having to show a fine hand for a
      mere trifle. Some players will, in order to conceal their method of play,
      occasionally throw their cards among the waste ones and abandon their
      stakes; this is not often done; but it sometimes happens where the stakes
      have been small, or the player has been <i>trying a bluff</i>, and has
      found some one whom he could not <i>bluff off</i>. The foregoing is a
      concise account of the game, as played in America, where it is of
      universal interest, and exercises great fascination. It is often played by
      parties of friends who meet regularly for the purpose, and instances can
      be found where fortunes have been lost in a night.
    </p>
    <p>
      The game of Pokers differs from the one just described, in so far that the
      players receive only the original five cards dealt without drawing fresh
      ones, and must either play or refuse on them. In this game, as there are
      more cards, as many as ten persons can play.
    </p>
    <p>
      LANSQUENET.(91)
    </p>
    <p>
      Lansquenet is much played by the Americans, and is one of the most
      exciting games in vogue.
    </p>
    <p>
      The dealer or banker stakes a certain sum, and this must be met by the
      nearest to the dealer first, and so on. When the stake is met, the dealer
      turns up two cards, one to the right,&mdash;the latter for himself, the
      former for the table or the players. He then keeps on turning up the cards
      until either of the cards is matched, which constitutes the winning,&mdash;as,
      for instance, suppose the five of diamonds is his card, then should the
      five of any other suit turn up, he wins. If he loses, then the next player
      on the left becomes banker and proceeds in the same way.
    </p>
    <p>
      (91) This name is derived from the German '<i>landsknecht</i>' ('valet of
      the fief'), applied to a mercenary soldier.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the dealer's card turns up, he may take the stake and pass the bank;
      or he may allow the stake to remain, whereat of course it becomes doubled
      if met. He can continue thus as long as the cards turn up in his favour&mdash;having
      the option at any moment of giving up the bank and retiring for that time.
      If he does that, the player to whom he passes the bank has the option of
      continuing it at the same amount at which it was left. The pool may be
      made up by contributions of all the players in certain proportions. The
      terms used respecting the standing of the stake are, 'I'll see' (<i>a moi
      le tout)</i> and <i>Je tiens</i>. When <i>jumelle</i> (twins), or the
      turning up of similar cards on both sides, occurs, then the dealer takes
      half the stake.
    </p>
    <p>
      Sometimes there is a run of several consecutive winnings; but on one
      occasion, on board one of the Cunard steamers, a banker at the game turned
      up in his own favour I think no less than eighteen times. The original
      stake was only six-pence; but had each stake been met as won, the final
      doubling would have amounted to the immense sum of L3,236 16<i>s</i>.!
      This will appear by the following scheme:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      L s. d. L s. d. 1st turn up 0 0 6 10th turn up 12 16 0 2nd,, 0 1 0 11th,,
      25 12 0 3rd,, 0 2 0 12th,, 51 4 0 4th,, 0 4 0 13th,, 102 8 0 5th,, 0 8 0
      14th,, 204 16 0 6th,, 0 16 0 15th,, 409 12 0 7th,, 1 12 0 16th,, 819 4 0
      8th,, 3 4 0 17th,, 1,618 8 0 9th,, 6 8 0 18th,, 3,236 16 0
    </p>
    <p>
      In fair play, as this is represented to have been, such a long sequence of
      matches must be considered very remarkable, although six or seven is not
      unfrequent.
    </p>
    <p>
      Unfortunately, however, there is a very easy means by which card sharpers
      manage the thing to perfection. They prepare beforehand a series of a
      dozen cards arranged as follows:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      1st Queen 6th Nine 2nd Queen 7th Nine 3rd Ten 8th Ace 4th Seven 9th Eight
      5th Ten 10th Ace
    </p>
    <p>
      Series thus arranged are placed in side pockets outside the waistcoat,
      just under the left breast. When the sharper becomes banker he leans
      negligently over the table, and in this position his fingers are as close
      as possible to the prepared cards, termed <i>portees</i>. At the proper
      moment he seizes the cards and places them on the pack. The trick is
      rendered very easy by the fact that the card-sharper has his coat buttoned
      at the top, so that the lower part of it lies open and permits the
      introduction of the hand, which is completely masked.
    </p>
    <p>
      Some sharpers are skilful enough to take up some of the matches already
      dealt, which they place in their <i>costieres</i>, or side-pockets above
      described, in readiness for their next operation; others keep them
      skilfully hidden in their hand, to lay them, at the convenient moment,
      upon the pack of cards. By this means, the pack is not augmented.(92)
    </p>
    <p>
      (92) Robert Houdin, 'Les Tricheries des Grecs devoilees.'
    </p>
    <p>
      In France the stakes commence at 5 francs; and it may be easily imagined
      how soon vast sums of money may change hands if the players are determined
      and reckless.
    </p>
    <p>
      EUCHRE.
    </p>
    <p>
      This is also a game much played in the States. I suppose it is a Yankee
      invention, named by one of their learned professors, from the Greek (gr
      euceis) (eucheir), meaning 'well in the hand' or 'strong'&mdash;a very
      appropriate designation of the game, which is as follows:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      In this game all the cards are excluded up to the sixes,&mdash;seven being
      the lowest in the Euchre pack. Five cards are dealt out, after the usual
      shuffling and cutting, with a turn-up, or trump. The dealer has the
      privilege of discarding one of his cards and taking up the trump&mdash;not
      showing, however, the one he discards. The Knave is the best card in the
      game&mdash;a peculiar Yankee 'notion.' The Knave of trumps is called the
      Right Bower, and the other Knave of the <i>same colour</i> is the Left
      Bower. Hence it appears that the nautical propensity of this great people
      is therein represented&mdash;'bower' being in fact a sheet anchor. If both
      are held, it is evident that the <i>point</i> of the deal is decided&mdash;since
      it results from taking three tricks out of the five; for, of course, the
      trump card appropriated by the dealer will, most probably, secure a trick,
      and the two Knaves must necessarily make two. The game may be five or
      seven points, as agreed upon. Euchre is rapid and decisive, and,
      therefore, eminently American.
    </p>
    <p>
      FLY LOO.
    </p>
    <p>
      Some of the games played by the Americans are peculiar to themselves. For
      instance, vast sums of money change hands over Fly Loo, or the attraction
      existing between lumps of sugar and adventurous flies! This game is not
      without its excitement. The gamblers sit round a table, each with a lump
      of sugar before him, and the player upon whose lump a fly first perches
      carries off the pool&mdash;which is sometimes enormous.
    </p>
    <p>
      They tell an anecdote of a 'cute Yankee, who won invariably and immensely
      at the game. There seemed to be a sort of magical or mesmeric attraction
      for the flies to his lump. At length it was ascertained that he touched
      the lump with his finger, after having smeared it with something that
      naturally and irresistibly attracts flies whenever they can get at it. I
      am told that this game is also played in England; if so, the parties must
      insist upon fresh lumps of sugar, and prevent all touching.
    </p>
    <p>
      The reader will probably ask&mdash;what next will gamblers think of
      betting on? But I can tell of a still more curious source of gambling
      infatuation. In the <i>Oxford Magazine</i>,(93) is the following
      statement:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      (93) Vol. V.
    </p>
    <p>
      'A few days ago, as some sprigs of nobility were dining together at a
      tavern, they took the following conceit into their heads after dinner. One
      of them observing a maggot come from a filbert, which seemed to be
      uncommonly large, attempted to get it from his companion, who, not
      choosing to let it go, was immediately offered five guineas for it, which
      was accepted. He then proposed to run it against any other two maggots
      that could be produced at table. Matches were accordingly made, and these
      poor reptiles were the means of L500 being won and lost in a few minutes!'
    </p>
    <p>
      THE CRIMES OF AMERICAN GAMBLERS.
    </p>
    <p>
      Suicides, duels, and murders have frequently resulted from gambling here
      as elsewhere. Many of the duels in dark rooms originate in disputes at the
      gaming table. The combatants rush from play to an upper or adjoining room,
      and settle their difference with revolver-shots, often fatal to both.
    </p>
    <p>
      One of these was a serio-comic affair which is perhaps worth relating. Two
      players had a gambling dispute, and resolved to settle it in a dark room
      with pistols. The door was locked and one of them fired, but missed. On
      this the other exclaimed&mdash;'Now, you rascal, I'll finish you at my
      leisure.' He then began to search for his opponent. Three or four times he
      walked stealthily round the room&mdash;but all in vain&mdash;he could not
      find his man; he listened; he could not hear him breathe. What had become
      of him? 'Oh!' at length he exclaimed&mdash;'Now I've got you, you &mdash;&mdash;
      sneak&mdash;here goes!' 'Hold! Hold!' cried a voice from the chimney,
      'Don't fire! I'll pay you anything.&mdash;Do take away that &mdash;&mdash;
      pistol.' In effect his adversary held the muzzle of his pistol close to
      the seat of honour as the fellow stood stuffed up the chimney!
    </p>
    <p>
      'You'll pay, will you?' said the former; 'Very well&mdash;800 dollars&mdash;is
      't a bargain?'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Yes, yes!' gasped the voice in the chimney.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Very well,' rejoined the tormentor, 'but just wait a bit; I must have a
      voucher. I'll just cut off the bottom of your breeches by way of voucher.'
      So saying he pulled out his knife and suited the action to the words.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Now get down,' he said, 'and out with the money;' which was paid, when
      the above-named voucher was returned to the chimney-groper.
    </p>
    <p>
      The town of Vicksburg, on the Mississippi, was formerly notorious as the
      rendezvous of all sorts of desperadoes. It was a city of men; you saw no
      women, except at night; and never any children. Vicksburg was a sink of
      iniquity; and there gambling raged with unrestricted fury. It was always
      after touching at Vicksburg that the Mississippi boats became the
      well-known scene of gambling&mdash;some of the Vicksburghers invariably
      getting on board to ply their profession.
    </p>
    <p>
      On one occasion, one of these came on board, and soon induced some of the
      passengers to proceed to the upper promenade-deck for gambling. Soon the
      stakes increased and a heap of gold was on the table, when a dispute
      arose, in the midst of which one of the players placed his hand on the
      stake. Thereupon the Vicksburg gambler drew his knife and plunged it into
      the hand of the former, with a terrible imprecation.
    </p>
    <p>
      Throughout the Southern States, as before observed, gambling prevailed to
      a very great extent, and its results were often deplorable.
    </p>
    <p>
      A planter went to a gambling house, accompanied by one of his negroes,
      whom he left at the door to wait his return. Whilst the master was
      gambling the slave did the same with another whom he found at the door.
      Meanwhile a Mexican came up and stood by looking at the game of the
      negroes. By-and-by one of them accused the other of cheating, which was
      denied, when the Mexican interposed and told the negro that he saw him
      cheat. The latter told the Mexican that he lied&mdash;whereupon the
      Mexican stabbed him to the heart, killing him on the spot.
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon the negro's master came out, and on being informed of the affair,
      turned to the Mexican, saying&mdash;'Now, sir, we must settle the matter
      between us&mdash;my negro's quarrel is mine.' 'Agreed,' said the Mexican;
      they entered the house, proceeded to a dark room, fired at each other, and
      both were killed.
    </p>
    <p>
      About six and twenty years ago there lived in New York a well-to-do
      merchant, of the name of Osborne, who had an only son, who was a partner
      in the concern. The young man fell in love with the daughter of a Southern
      planter, then on a visit at New York, to whom he engaged himself to be
      married, with the perfect consent of all parties concerned.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the return of the planter and his daughter, young Osborne accompanied
      them to Mobile. On the very night of their arrival, the planter proposed
      to his intended son-in-law to visit the gaming table. They went; Osborne
      was unlucky; and after some hours' play lost an immense amount to the
      father of his sweetheart. He gave bills, drawn on his house, in payment of
      the debt of honour.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the following morning the planter referred to the subject, hinting that
      Osborne must be ruined.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Indeed, I am!' said the young man; 'but the possession of your daughter
      will console me for the calamity, which, I doubt not, I shall be able to
      make up for by industry and exertion.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'The possession of <i>MY</i> daughter?' exclaimed the planter; 'do you
      think I would marry my daughter to a beggar? No, no, sir, the affair is
      ended between you&mdash;and I insist upon its being utterly broken off.'
      Such was the action of the heartless gambler, rendered callous to all
      sentiments of real honour by his debasing pursuit.
    </p>
    <p>
      Young Osborne was equal to the occasion. Summoning all his powers to
      manfully bear this additional shock of fate, he calmly replied:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'So be it, sir, as you wish it. Depend upon it, however, that my bills
      will be duly honoured'&mdash;and so saying he bowed and departed, without
      even wishing to take leave of his betrothed.
    </p>
    <p>
      On returning to New York Osborne immediately disclosed the transaction to
      his father, who, in spite of the utter ruin which impended, and the
      brutality of the cause of the ruin, resolved to meet the bills when due,
      and maintain the honour of his son&mdash;whatever might be the
      consequences to himself.
    </p>
    <p>
      The bills were paid; the concern was broken up; old Mr Osborne soon died
      broken-hearted; and young Osborne went as clerk to some house of business
      in Wall Street.
    </p>
    <p>
      A year or so passed away, and one day a lady presented herself at the old
      house of Osborne&mdash;now no longer theirs&mdash;inquiring for young
      Osborne. She was directed to his new place of business; being no other
      than his betrothed, who loved him as passionately as ever, and to whom her
      father had accounted for the non-fulfilment of the engagement in a very
      unsatisfactory manner. Of course Osborne could not fail to be delighted at
      this proof of her devotedness; the meeting was most affectionate on both
      sides; and, with the view of coming to a decision respecting their future
      proceedings, they adjourned to an hotel in the vicinity. Here, whilst
      seated at a table and in earnest conversation, the young lady's father
      rushed in, and instantly shot down Osborne, who expired at his feet. With
      a frantic shriek the poor girl fell on the body of her betrothed, and
      finding a poniard or a knife concealed in his breast, she seized it,
      instantly plunged it into her heart, and was soon a corpse beside her
      lover.
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER X. LADY GAMESTRESSES.
    </h2>
    <p>
      The passions of the two sexes are similar in the main; the distinctions
      between them result less from nature than from education. Often we meet
      with women, especially the literary sort, who seem veritable men, if not
      so, as the lawyers say, 'to all intents and purposes;' and often we meet
      with men, especially town-dandies, who can only be compared to very
      ordinary women.
    </p>
    <p>
      Almost all the ancients had the bad taste to speak ill of women; among the
      rest even that delightful old Father 'of the golden mouth,' St
      Chrysostom.(94) So that, evidently, Dr Johnson's fierce dictum cannot
      apply universally&mdash;'Only scoundrels speak ill of women.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (94) Hom. II.
    </p>
    <p>
      Seneca took the part of women, exclaiming:&mdash;'By no means believe that
      their souls are inferior to ours, or that they are less endowed with the
      virtues. As for honour, it is equally great and energetic among them.'
    </p>
    <p>
      A foreign lady was surprised at beholding the equality established between
      the men and women at Sparta; whereupon the wife of Leonidas, the King of
      Sparta, said to her:&mdash;'Do you not know that it is we who bring forth
      the men? It is not the fathers, but the mothers, that effectually form the
      heart.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Napoleon seems to have formed what may be called a professional estimate
      of women. When the demonstrative Madame de Stael asked him&mdash;evidently
      expecting him to pay her a compliment&mdash;'Whom do you think the
      greatest woman dead or alive?' Napoleon replied, 'Her, Madame, <i>WHO HAS
      BORNE MOST SONS</i>.' Nettled by this sarcastic reply, she returned to the
      charge, observing, 'It is said you are not friendly to the sex.' Napoleon
      was her match again; 'Madame,' he exclaimed, 'I am passionately fond of my
      wife;' and off he walked. Assuredly it would not mend matters in this
      world (or the next) if all men were Napoleons and all women de Staels.
    </p>
    <p>
      If we consider the question in other points of view, have there been,
      proportionally, fewer celebrated women than illustrious men? fewer great
      queens than truly great kings? Compare, on all sides, the means and the
      circumstances; count the reigns, and decide.
    </p>
    <p>
      The fact is that this question has been argued only by tyrannical or very
      silly men, who found it difficult to get rid of the absurd prejudices
      which retain the finest half of human nature in slavery, and condemn it to
      obscurity under the pretext that it is essentially corrupted. Towards the
      end of the 15th century a certain demented writer attempted to prove that
      women do not even deserve the title of reasonable creatures, which in the
      original sounds oddly enough, namely, <i>probare nititur mulieres non
      homines esse</i>. Another, a very learned Jesuit, endeavoured to
      demonstrate that women have no souls! Some say that women surpass us in
      wickedness; others, that they are both worse and better than men.
    </p>
    <p>
      That morbid wretch, Alexander Pope, said, 'Every woman is at heart a
      rake;' and a recent writer in the <i>Times</i> puts more venom in the
      dictum by saying, 'Every woman is (or likes) at heart a rake.' Both these
      opinions may be set down as mere claptrap, witty, but vile.
    </p>
    <p>
      But a truce to such insults against those who beautify the earth; <i>THEIR</i>
      vices cannot excuse ours. It is we who have depraved them by associating
      them with excesses which are repugnant to their delicacy. The contagion,
      however, has not affected all of them. Among our 'plebeians,' and even
      among nobility, many women remind us of the modesty and courage of those
      ancient republican matrons, who, so to speak, founded, the manners and
      morals of their country; and among all classes of the community there are
      thousands who inspire their husbands with generous impulses in the battle
      of life, either by cheering words of comfort, or by that mute eloquence of
      duties well fulfilled, which nothing can resist if we are worthy of the
      name of men. How many a gambler has been reformed by the tender appeals of
      a good and devoted wife. 'Venerable women!' one of them exclaims, 'in
      whatever rank Heaven has placed you, receive my homage.' The gentleness of
      your souls smooths down the roughness of ours and checks its violence.
      Without your virtues what would we be? Without YOU, my dear wife, what
      would have become of me? You beheld the beginning and the end of the
      gaming fury in me, which I now detest; and it is not to me, but to you
      alone, that the victory must be ascribed.'(95)
    </p>
    <p>
      (95) Dusaulx, <i>De la Passion du Jeu</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      A very pretty anecdote is told of such a wife and a gaming husband.
    </p>
    <p>
      In order to simplify the signs of loss and gain, so as not to be
      overburdened with the weight of gold and silver, the French players used
      to carry the representation of their fortunes in small boxes, more or less
      elegant. A lady (who else could have thought of such a device?), trembling
      for the fate of her husband, made him a present of one of these dread
      boxes. This little master-piece of conjugal and maternal affection
      represented a wife in the attitude of supplication, and weeping children,
      seeming to say to their father&mdash;<i>THINK OF US!</i>....
    </p>
    <p>
      It is, therefore, only with the view of avenging good and honourable
      women, that I now proceed to speak of those who have disgraced their sex.
    </p>
    <p>
      I have already described a remarkable gamestress&mdash;the Persian Queen
      Parysatis.(96)
    </p>
    <p>
      (96) Chapter III.
    </p>
    <p>
      There were no gamestresses among the Greeks; and the Roman women were
      always too much occupied with their domestic affairs to find time for
      play. What will our modern ladies think, when I state that the Emperor
      Augustus scarcely wore a garment which had not been woven by his wife, his
      sister, or grand-daughters.(97)
    </p>
    <p>
      (97) Veste non temere alia quam domestica usus est, ab uxore et filia
      nepotibusque confecta. Suet. in Vita Augusti.
    </p>
    <p>
      Although deeply corrupted under Nero and the sovereigns that resembled
      him, the Roman women never gambled among themselves except during the
      celebration of the festival of the Bona Dea. This ceremonial, so often
      profaned with licentiousness, was not attended by desperate gambling. The
      most depraved women abstained from it, even when that mania was at its
      height, not only around the Capitol, but even in the remainder of the
      Empire.
    </p>
    <p>
      Contemporary authors, who have not spared the Roman ladies, never
      reproached them with this vice, which, in modern times, has been
      desperately practised by women who in licentiousness vied with Messalina.
    </p>
    <p>
      In France, women who wished to gamble were, at first, obliged to keep the
      thing secret; for if it became known they lost caste. In the reign of
      Louis XIV., and still more in that of Louis XV., they became bolder, and
      the wives of the great engaged in the deepest play in their mansions; but
      still a gamestress was always denounced with horror. 'Such women,' says La
      Bruyiere, 'make us chaste; they have nothing of the sex but its garments.'
    </p>
    <p>
      By the end of the 18th century, gamestresses became so numerous that they
      excited no surprise, especially among the higher classes; and the majority
      of them were notorious for unfair play or downright cheating. A stranger
      once betted on the game of a lady at a gaming-table, who claimed a stake
      although on a losing card. Out of consideration for the distinguished
      trickstress, the banker wished to pay the stranger as well; but the latter
      with a blush, exclaimed&mdash;'Possibly madame won, but as for myself, I
      am quite sure that I lost.'
    </p>
    <p>
      But if women cheated at play, they also frequently lost; and were often
      reduced to beggary, or to what is far viler, to sacrifice, not only their
      own honour, but that of their daughters.
    </p>
    <p>
      Gaming sometimes led to other crimes. The Countess of Schwiechelt, a young
      and beautiful lady from Hanover, was much given to gambling, and lost
      50,000 livres at Paris. In order to repair this great loss, she planned
      and executed the robbery of a fine coronet of emeralds, the property of
      Madame Demidoff. She had made herself acquainted with the place where it
      was kept, and at a ball given by its owner the Hanoverian lady contrived
      to purloin it. Her youth and rank in life induced many persons to solicit
      her pardon; but Buonaparte left her to the punishment to which she was
      condemned. This occurred in 1804.
    </p>
    <p>
      In England, too, the practice of gambling was fraught with the worst
      consequences to the finest feelings and best qualities of the sex. The
      chief danger is very plainly hinted at in the comedy of <i>The Provoked
      Husband</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>Lord Townley</i>.&mdash;'Tis not your ill hours that always distract
      me, but, as often, the ill company that occasions those hours.
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>Lady Townley</i>.&mdash;Sure I don't understand you now, my lord. What
      ill company do I keep?
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>Lord Townley</i>.&mdash;Why, at best, women that lose their money, and
      men that win it; <i>or, perhaps, men that are voluntary bubbles at one
      game, in hopes a lady will give them fair play at another.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      'The facts,' says Mr Massey,(98) 'confirm the theory. Walpole's Letters
      and Mr Jesse's volumes on George Selwyn and his Contemporaries, teem with
      allusions to proved or understood cases of matrimonial infidelity; and the
      manner in which notorious irregularities were brazened out, shows that the
      offenders did not always encounter the universal reprobation of society.
    </p>
    <p>
      (98) History of England, ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Whist was not much in vogue until a later period, and was far too
      abstruse and slow to suit the depraved taste which required unadulterated
      stimulants.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The ordinary stakes at these mixed assemblies would, at the present day,
      be considered high, even at the clubs where a rubber is still allowed.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The consequences of such gaming were often still more lamentable than
      those which usually attended such practices. It would happen that a lady
      lost more than she could venture to confess to her husband or father. Her
      creditor was probably a fine gentleman, or she became indebted to some
      rich admirer for the means of discharging her liabilities. In either
      event, the result may be guessed. In the one case, the debt of honour was
      liquidated on the old principle of the law-merchant, according to which
      there was but one alternative to payment in purse. In the other, there was
      likewise but one mode in which the acknowledgment of obligation by a fine
      woman would be acceptable to a man of the world.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'The pernicious consequences of gambling to the nation at large,' says
      another writer, 'would have been intolerable enough had they been confined
      to the stronger sex; but, unfortunately, the women of the day were equally
      carried away by this criminal infatuation. The disgusting influence of
      this sordid vice was so disastrous to female minds, that they lost their
      fairest distinction and privileges, together with the blushing honours of
      modesty. Their high gaming was necessarily accompanied with great losses.
      If all their resources, regular and irregular, honest and fraudulent, were
      dissipated, still, <i>GAME-DEBTS MUST BE PAID!</i> The cunning winner was
      no stranger to the necessities of the case. He hinted at <i>commutations</i>&mdash;which
      were not to be refused.
    </p>
    <p>
      "So tender these,&mdash;if debts crowd fast upon her, She'll pawn her <i>VIRTUE</i>
      to preserve her <i>HONOUR!</i>"
    </p>
    <p>
      Thus, the last invaluable jewel of female possession was unavoidably
      resigned. That was indeed the forest of all evils, but an evil to which
      every deep gamestress was inevitably exposed.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Hogarth strikingly illustrated this phase of womanhood in England, in his
      small picture painted for the Earl of Charlemont, and entitled '<i>Picquet,
      or Virtue in Danger</i>.' It shows a young lady, who, during a <i>tete-a-tete</i>,
      had just lost all her money to a handsome officer of her own age. He is
      represented in the act of returning her a handful of bank-bills, with the
      hope of exchanging them for another acquisition and more delicate plunder.
      On the chimney-piece are a watch-case and a figure of Time, over it this
      motto&mdash;<i>Nunc</i>, 'Now!' Hogarth has caught his heroine during this
      moment of hesitation&mdash;this struggle with herself&mdash;and has
      expressed her feelings with uncommon success.
    </p>
    <p>
      But, indeed, the thing was perfectly understood. In the <i>Guardian</i>
      (No. 120) we read:&mdash;'All play-debts must be paid in specie or by
      equivalent. The "man" that plays beyond his income pawns his estate; the
      "woman" must find out something else to mortgage when her pin-money is
      gone. The husband has his lands to dispose of; the wife her person. Now
      when the female body is once dipped, if the creditor be very importunate,
      I leave my reader to consider the consequences.'....
    </p>
    <p>
      A lady was married when very young to a noble lord, the honour and
      ornament of his country, who hoped to preserve her from the contagion of
      the times by his own example, and, to say the truth, she had every good
      quality that could recommend her to the bosom of a man of discernment and
      worth. But, alas! how frail and short are the joys of mortals! One
      unfortunate hour ruined his darling visionary scheme of happiness: she was
      introduced to an infamous woman, was drawn into play, liked it, and, as
      the unavoidable consequence, she was ruined,&mdash;having lost more in one
      night than would have maintained a hundred useful families for a
      twelvemonth; and, dismal to tell, she felt compelled to sacrifice her
      virtue to the wretch who had won her money, in order to recover the loss!
      From this moment she might well exclaim&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Farewell the tranquil mind! farewell content!'
    </p>
    <p>
      The affectionate wife, the agreeable companion, the indulgent mistress,
      were now no more. In vain she flattered herself that the injury she had
      done her husband would for ever remain one of those secrets which can only
      be disclosed at the last day. Vengeance pursued her steps, she was lost;
      the villain to whom she had sacrificed herself boasted of the favours he
      had received. The fatal report was conveyed to her injured husband. He
      refused to believe what he thought impossible, but honour obliged him to
      call the boaster to the field. The wretch received the challenge with much
      more contentment than concern; as he had resolution enough to murder any
      man whom he had injured, so he was certain, if he had the good fortune to
      conquer his antagonist, he should be looked upon as the head of all modern
      bucks and bloods&mdash;esteemed by the men as a brave fellow, and admired
      by the ladies as a fine gentleman and an agreeable rake. The meeting took
      place&mdash;the profligate gambler not content with declaring, actually
      exulted in his guilt. But his triumph was of short date&mdash;a bullet
      through the head settled his account with this world.
    </p>
    <p>
      The husband, after a long conflict in his bosom, between justice and
      mercy, tenderness and rage, resolved&mdash;on what is very seldom
      practised by an English husband&mdash;to pardon his wife, conceal her
      crime, and preserve her, if possible, from utter destruction. But the
      gates of mercy were opened in vain&mdash;the offender refused to receive
      forgiveness because she had offended. The lust of gambling had absorbed
      all her other desires. She gave herself up entirely to the infamous
      pursuit and its concomitants, whilst her husband sank by a quick decay,
      and died the victim of grief and anguish.(99)
    </p>
    <p>
      (99) Doings in London.
    </p>
    <p>
      Of other English gamestresses, however, nothing but the ordinary success
      or inconveniences of gambling are recorded. In the year 1776, a lady at
      the West End lost one night, at a sitting, 3000 guineas at Loo.(100)
      Again, a lady having won a rubber of 20 guineas from a city merchant, the
      latter pulled out his pocket-book, and tendered L21 in bank notes. The
      fair gamestress, with a disdainful toss of the head, observed&mdash;'In
      the great houses which I frequent, sir, we always use gold.' 'That may be,
      madam,' said the gentleman, 'but, in the <i>LITTLE</i> houses which I
      frequent, we always use paper.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (100) Annual Register.
    </p>
    <p>
      Goldsmith mentions an old lady in the country who, having been given over
      by her physician, played with the curate of the parish to pass the time
      away. Having won all his money, she next proposed playing for the funeral
      charges to which she would be liable. Unfortunately, the lady expired just
      as she had taken up the game!
    </p>
    <p>
      A lady who was desperately fond of play was confessing herself. The priest
      represented, among other arguments against gaming, the great loss of time
      it occasioned. 'Ah!' said the lady, 'that is what vexes me&mdash;so much
      time lost in shuffling the cards!'
    </p>
    <p>
      The celebrated Mrs Crewe seems to have been fond of gaming. Charles James
      Fox ranked among her admirers. A gentleman lost a considerable sum to this
      lady at play; and being obliged to leave town suddenly, he gave Fox the
      money to pay her, begging him to apologize to the lady for his not having
      paid the debt of honour in person. Fox unfortunately lost every shilling
      of it before morning. Mrs Crewe often met the supposed debtor afterwards,
      and, surprised that he never noticed the circumstance, at length
      delicately hinted the matter to him. 'Bless me,' said he, 'I paid the
      money to Mr Fox three months ago!' 'Oh, you did, sir?' said Mrs Crewe
      good-naturedly, 'then probably he paid me and I forgot it.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This famous Mrs Crewe was the wife of Mr Crewe, who was created, in 1806,
      Lord Crewe. She was as remarkable for her accomplishments and her worth as
      for her beauty; nevertheless she permitted the admiration of the
      profligate Fox, who was in the rank of her admirers, and she was a
      gamestress, as were most of the grand ladies in those days. The lines Fox
      wrote on her were not exaggerated. They began thus:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Where the loveliest expression to features is join'd, By Nature's most
      delicate pencil design'd; Where blushes unhidden, and smiles without art,
      Speak the softness and feeling that dwell in the heart, Where in manners
      enchanting no blemish we trace, But the soul keeps the promise we had from
      the face; Sure philosophy, reason, and coldness must prove Defences
      unequal to shield us from love.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Nearly eight years after the famous election at Westminster, when she
      personally canvassed for Fox, Mrs Crewe was still in perfection, with a
      son one-and-twenty, who looked like her brother. The form of her face was
      exquisitely lovely, her complexion radiant. "I know not," Miss Burney
      writes, "any female in her first youth who could bear the comparison. She
      <i>uglifies</i> every one near her."
    </p>
    <p>
      'This charming partisan of Fox had been active in his cause; and her
      originality of character, her good-humour, her recklessness of
      consequences, made her a capital canvasser.'(101)
    </p>
    <p>
      (101) Wharton, <i>The Queens of Society.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      THE GAMBLING BARROW-WOMEN.
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1776 the barrow-women of London used generally to carry dice with them,
      and children were induced to throw for fruit and nuts.
    </p>
    <p>
      However, the pernicious consequences of the practice beginning to be felt,
      the Lord Mayor issued an order to apprehend all such offenders, which
      speedily put an end to such street-gambling. At the present day a sort of
      roulette is used for the same purpose by the itinerant caterers to the
      sweetmeat and fruit-loving little ones.
    </p>
    <p>
      GAMESTRESSES AT BADEN-BADEN.
    </p>
    <p>
      Mrs Trollope has described two specimens of the modern gamestresses at the
      German watering-places, one of whom seems to have specially attracted her
      notice:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'There was one of this set,' she says, 'whom I watched, day after day,
      during the whole period of our stay, with more interest than, I believe,
      was reasonable; for had I studied any other as attentively I might have
      found less to lament.
    </p>
    <p>
      'She was young&mdash;certainly not more than twenty-five&mdash;and, though
      not regularly nor brilliantly handsome, most singularly winning both in
      person and demeanour. Her dress was elegant, but peculiarly plain and
      simple,&mdash;a close white silk bonnet and gauze veil; a quiet-coloured
      silk gown, with less of flourish and frill, by half, than any other
      person; a delicate little hand which, when ungloved, displayed some
      handsome rings; a jewelled watch, of peculiar splendour; and a countenance
      expressive of anxious thoughtfulness&mdash;must be remembered by many who
      were at Baden in August, 1833. They must remember, too, that, enter the
      rooms when they would, morning, noon, or night, still they found her
      nearly at the same place at the <i>Rouge et Noir</i> table.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Her husband, who had as unquestionably the air of a gentleman as she had
      of a lady, though not always close to her, was never very distant. He did
      not play himself, and I fancied, as he hovered near her, that his
      countenance expressed anxiety. But he returned her sweet smile, with which
      she always met his eye, with an answering smile; and I saw not the
      slightest indication that he wished to withdraw her from the table.
    </p>
    <p>
      'There was an expression in the upper part of her face that my blundering
      science would have construed into something very foreign to the propensity
      she showed; but there she sat, hour after hour, day after day, not even
      allowing the blessed sabbath, that gives rest to all, to bring it to her;&mdash;there
      she sat, constantly throwing down handfuls of five-franc pieces, and
      sometimes drawing them back again, till her young face grew rigid from
      weariness, and all the lustre of her eye faded into a glare of vexed
      inanity. Alas! alas! is that fair woman a mother? God forbid!
    </p>
    <p>
      'Another figure at the gaming table, which daily drew our attention, was a
      pale, anxious old woman, who seemed no longer to have strength to conceal
      her eager agitation under the air of callous indifference, which all
      practised players endeavour to assume. She trembled, till her shaking hand
      could hardly grasp the instrument with which she pushed or withdrew her
      pieces; the dew of agony stood upon her wrinkled brow; yet, hour after
      hour, and day after day, she too sat in the enchanted chair. I never saw
      age and station in a position so utterly beyond the pale of respect. I was
      assured she was a person of rank; and my informant added, but I trust she
      was mistaken, that she was an <i>ENGLISH</i> woman.'(102)
    </p>
    <p>
      (102) Belgium and Western Germany, in 1833.
    </p>
    <p>
      GAMING HOUSES KEPT BY LADIES.
    </p>
    <p>
      There is no doubt that during the last half of the last century many
      titled ladies not only gambled, but kept gaming houses. There is even
      evidence that one of them actually appealed to the House of Lords for
      protection against the intrusion of the peace officers into her
      establishment in Covent Garden, on the plea of her Peerage! All this is
      proved by a curious record found in the Journals of the House of Lords, by
      the editor of the <i>Athenaeum</i>. It is as follows:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Die Lunae, 29 Aprilis, 1745.&mdash;<i>Gaming</i>. A Bill for preventing
      the excessive and deceitful use of it having been brought from the
      Commons, and proceeded on so far as to be agreed to in a Committee of the
      whole House with amendments,&mdash;information was given to the House that
      Mr Burdus, Chairman of the Quarter Sessions for the city and liberty of
      Westminster, Sir Thomas de Veil, and Mr Lane, Chairman of the Quarter
      Sessions for the county of Middlesex, were at the door; they were called
      in, and at the Bar severally gave an account that claims of privilege of
      Peerage were made and insisted on by the Ladies Mordington and Casselis,
      in order to intimidate the peace officers from doing their duty in
      suppressing the public gaming houses kept by the said ladies. And the said
      Burdus thereupon delivered in an instrument in writing under the hand of
      the said Lady Mordington, containing the claim she made of privilege for
      her officers and servants employed by her in her said gaming house. And
      then they were directed to withdraw. And the said instrument was read as
      follows:&mdash;"I, Dame Mary, Baroness of Mordington, do hold a house in
      the Great Piazza, Covent Garden, for and as an Assembly, where all persons
      of credit are at liberty to frequent and play at such diversions as are
      used at other Assemblys. And I have hired Joseph Dewberry, William
      Horsely, Ham Cropper, and George Sanders as my servants or managers (under
      me) thereof. I have given them orders to direct the management of the
      other inferior servants (namely): John Bright, Richard Davis, John Hill,
      John Vandenvoren, as box-keepers,&mdash;Gilbert Richardson, housekeeper,
      John Chaplain, regulator, William Stanley and Henry Huggins, servants that
      wait on the company at the said Assembly, William Penny and Joseph Penny
      as porters thereof. And all the above-mentioned persons I claim as my
      domestick servants, and demand all those privileges that belong to me as a
      peeress of Great Britain appertaining to my said Assembly. M. MORDINGTON.
      Dated 8th Jan., 1744."
    </p>
    <p>
      'Resolved and declared that no person is entitled to privilege of Peerage
      against any prosecution or proceeding for keeping any public or common
      gaming house, or any house, room, or place for playing at any game or
      games prohibited by any law now in force.'
    </p>
    <p>
      That such practice continued in vogue is evident from the police
      proceedings subsequently taken against
    </p>
    <p>
      THE FAMOUS LADY BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.
    </p>
    <p>
      This notorious gamestress of St James's Square, at the close of the last
      century, actually slept with a blunderbuss and a pair of pistols at her
      side, to protect her Faro bank.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the 11th of March, 1797, her Ladyship, together with Lady E. Lutterell
      and a Mrs Sturt, were convicted at the Marlborough Street Police-court, in
      the penalty of L50, for playing at the game of Faro; and Henry Martindale
      was convicted in the sum of L200, for keeping the Faro table at Lady
      Buckinghamshire's. The witnesses had been servants of her Ladyship,
      recently discharged on account of a late extraordinary loss of 500 guineas
      from her Ladyship's house, belonging to the Faro bank.(103)
    </p>
    <p>
      (103) The case is reported in the Times of March 13th, 1797. One cannot
      help being struck with the appearance of the Times newspaper at that
      period&mdash;70 years ago. It was printed on one small sheet, about equal
      to a single page of the present issue, and contained four pages, two of
      which were advertisements, while the others gave only a short summary of
      news&mdash;no leader at all.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the same year, the croupier at the Countess of Buckinghamshire's one
      night announced the unaccountable disappearance of the cash-box of the
      Faro bank. All eyes were turned towards her Ladyship. Mrs Concannon said
      she once lost a gold snuff-box from the table, while she went to speak to
      Lord C&mdash;. Another lady said she lost her purse there last winter. And
      a story was told that a certain lady had taken, <i>BY MISTAKE</i>, a cloak
      which did not belong to her, at a rout given by the Countess of &mdash;&mdash;.
      Unfortunately a discovery of the cloak was made, and when the servant
      knocked at the door to demand it, some very valuable lace which it was
      trimmed with had been taken off. Some surmised that the lady who stole the
      cloak might also have stolen the Faro bank cash-box.
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon after, the same Martindale, who had kept the Faro bank at Lady
      Buckinghamshire's, became a bankrupt, and his debts amounted to L328,000,
      besides 'debts of honour,' which were struck off to the amount of
      L150,000. His failure is said to have been owing to misplaced confidence
      in a subordinate, who robbed him of thousands. The first suspicion was
      occasioned by his purchasing an estate of L500 a year; but other purchases
      followed to a considerable extent; and it was soon discovered that the
      Faro bank had been robbed sometimes of 2000 guineas a week! On the 14th of
      April, 1798, other arrears, to a large amount, were submitted to, and
      rejected by, the Commissioners in Bankruptcy, who declared a first
      dividend of one shilling and five-pence in the pound.(104)
    </p>
    <p>
      (104) Seymour Harcourt, <i>Gaming Calendar.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      This chapter cannot be better concluded than with quoting the <i>Epilogue</i>
      of 'The Oxonian in Town,' 1767, humorously painting some of the mischiefs
      of gambling, and expressly addressed to the ladies:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Lo! next, to my prophetic eye there starts A beauteous gamestress in the
      Queen of Hearts. The cards are dealt, the fatal pool is lost, And all her
      golden hopes for ever cross'd. Yet still this card-devoted fair I view&mdash;Whate'er
      her luck, to "<i>honour</i>" ever true. So tender there,&mdash;if debts
      crowd fast upon her, She'll pawn her "virtue" to preserve her "honour."
      Thrice happy were my art, could I foretell, Cards would be soon abjured by
      every belle! Yet, I pronounce, who cherish still the vice, And the pale
      vigils keep of cards and dice&mdash;'Twill in their charms sad havoc make,
      ye fair! Which "rouge" in vain shall labour to repair. Beauties will grow
      mere hags, toasts wither'd jades, Frightful and ugly as&mdash;the <i>QUEEN
      OF SPADES</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER XI. GAMBLING POETS, SAVANTS, PHILOSOPHERS, WITS, AND STATESMEN.
    </h2>
    <p>
      Perhaps the stern moralist who may have turned over these pages has
      frowned at the facts of the preceding chapter. If so, I know not what he
      will do at those which I am about to record.
    </p>
    <p>
      If it may be said that gamesters must be madmen, or rogues, how has it
      come to pass that men of genius, talent, and virtue withal, have been
      gamesters?
    </p>
    <p>
      Men of genius, 'gifted men,' as they are called, are much to be pitied.
      One of them has said&mdash;'Oh! if my pillow could reveal my sufferings
      last night!' His was true grief&mdash;for it had no witness.(105) The
      endowments of this nature of ours are so strangely mixed&mdash;the events
      of our lives are so unexpectedly ruled, that one might almost prefer to
      have been fashioned after those imaginary beings who act so <i>CONSISTENTLY</i>
      in the nursery tales and other figments. Most men seem to have a double
      soul; and in your men of genius&mdash;your celebrities&mdash;the battle
      between the two seems like the tremendous conflict so grandly (and
      horribly) described by Milton. Who loved his country more than Cato? Who
      cared more for his country's honour? And yet Cato was not only unable to
      resist the soft impeachments of alcohol&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      Narratur et prisci Catonis Saepe mero caluisse virtus&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      but he was also a dice-player, a gambler.(106)
    </p>
    <p>
      (105) Ille dolet vere qui sine teste dolet. Martial, lib. I.
    </p>
    <p>
      (106) Plutarch, <i>Cato.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      Julius Caesar did not drink; but what a profligate he was! And I have no
      doubt that he was a gambler: it is certain that he got rid of millions
      nobody knew how.
    </p>
    <p>
      I believe, however, that the following is an undeniable fact. You may find
      suspicious gamesters in every rank of life, but among men of genius you
      will generally, if not always, find only victims resigned to the caprices
      of fortune. The professions which imply the greatest enthusiasm naturally
      furnish the greater number of gamesters. Thus, perhaps, we may name ten
      poet-gamesters to one savant or philosopher who deserved the title or
      infamy.
    </p>
    <p>
      Coquillart, a poet of the 15th century, famous for his satirical verses
      against women, died of grief after having ruined himself by gaming. The
      great painter Guido&mdash;and a painter is certainly a poet&mdash;was
      another example. By nature gentle and honourable, he might have been the
      most fortunate of men if the demon of gambling had not poisoned his
      existence, the end of which was truly wretched.
    </p>
    <p>
      Rotrou, the acknowledged master of Corneille, hurried his poetical
      effusions in order to raise money for gambling. This man of genius was but
      a spoilt child in the matter of play. He once received two or three
      hundred <i>louis</i>, and mistrusting himself, went and hid them under
      some vine-branches, in order not to gamble all away at once. Vain
      precaution! On the following night his bag was empty.
    </p>
    <p>
      The poet Voiture was the delight of his contemporaries, conspicuous as he
      was for the most exquisite polish and inexhaustible wit; but he was also
      one of the most desperate gamesters of his time. Like Rotrou, he
      mistrusted his folly, and sometimes refrained. 'I have discovered,' he
      once wrote to a friend, 'as well as Aristotle, that there is no beatitude
      in play; and in fact I have given over gambling; it is now seven months
      since I played&mdash;which is very important news, and which I forgot to
      tell you.' He would have died rich had he always refrained. His relapses
      were terrible; one night he lost fifteen hundred pistoles (about L750).
    </p>
    <p>
      The list of foreign poets ruined by gambling might be extended; whilst, on
      the other hand, it is impossible, I believe, to quote a single instance of
      the kind among the poets of England,&mdash;perhaps because very few of
      them had anything to lose. The reader will probably remember Dr Johnson's
      exclamation on hearing of the large debt left unpaid by poor Goldsmith at
      his death&mdash;'Was ever poet so trusted before!'...
    </p>
    <p>
      The great philosophers Montaigne and Descartes, seduced at an early age by
      the allurements of gambling, managed at length to overcome the evil,
      presenting examples of reformation&mdash;which proves that this mania is
      not absolutely incurable. Descartes became a gamester in his seventeenth
      year; but it is said that the combinations of cards, or the doctrine of
      probabilities, interested him more than his winnings.(107)
    </p>
    <p>
      (107) Hist. des Philos. Modernes: <i>Descartes</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      The celebrated Cardan, one of the most universal and most eccentric
      geniuses of his age, declares in his autobiography, that the rage for
      gambling long entailed upon him the loss of reputation and fortune, and
      that it retarded his progress in the sciences. 'Nothing,' says he, 'could
      justify me, unless it was that my love of gaming was less than my horror
      of privation.' A very bad excuse, indeed; but Cardan reformed and ceased
      to be a gambler.
    </p>
    <p>
      Three of the greatest geniuses of England&mdash;Lords Halifax, Anglesey,
      and Shaftesbury&mdash;were gamblers; and Locke tells a very funny story
      about one of their gambling bouts. This philosopher, who neglected
      nothing, however eccentric, that had any relation to the working of the
      human understanding, happened to be present while my Lords Halifax,
      Anglesey, and Shaftesbury were playing, and had the patience to write
      down, word for word, all their discordant utterances during the phases of
      the game; the result being a dialogue of speakers who only used
      exclamations&mdash;all talking in chorus, but more to themselves than to
      each other. Lord Anglesey observing Locke's occupation, asked him what he
      was writing. 'My Lord,' replied Locke, 'I am anxious not to lose anything
      you utter.' This irony made them all blush, and put an end to the game.
    </p>
    <p>
      M. Sallo, Counsellor to the Parliament of Paris, died, says Vigneul de
      Marville, of a disease to which the children of the Muses are rarely
      subject, and for which we find no remedy in Hippocrates and Galen;&mdash;he
      died of a lingering disease after having lost 100,000 crowns at the gaming
      table&mdash;all he possessed.
    </p>
    <p>
      By way of diversion to his cankering grief, he started the well-known <i>Journal
      des Savans</i>, but lived to write only 13 sheets of it, for he was
      wounded to the death.(108)
    </p>
    <p>
      (108) Melanges, d'Hist. et de Litt. i.
    </p>
    <p>
      The physician Paschasius Justus was a deplorable instance of an
      incorrigible gambler. This otherwise most excellent and learned man having
      passed three-fourths of his life in a continual struggle with vice, at
      length resolved to cure himself of the disease by occupying his mind with
      a work which might be useful to his contemporaries and posterity.(109) He
      began his book, but still he gamed; he finished it, but the evil was still
      in him. 'I have lost everything but God!' he exclaimed. He prayed for
      delivery from his soul's disease;(110) but his prayer was not heard; he
      died like any gambler&mdash;more wretched than reformed.
    </p>
    <p>
      (109) 'De Alea, sive de curanda in pecuniam cupiditate,' pub. in 1560.
    </p>
    <p>
      (110) Illum animi morbum, ut Deus tolleret, serio et frequenter optavit.
    </p>
    <p>
      M. Dusaulx, author of a work on Gaming, exclaims therein&mdash;'I have
      gambled like you, Paschasius, perhaps with greater fury. Like you I write
      against gaming. Can I say that I am stronger than you, in more critical
      circumstances?'(111)
    </p>
    <p>
      (111) La Passion du Jeu.
    </p>
    <p>
      What, then, is that mania which can be overcome neither by the love of
      glory nor the study of wisdom!
    </p>
    <p>
      The literary men of Greece and Rome rarely played any games but those of
      skill, such as tennis, backgammon, and chess; and even in these it was
      considered 'indecent' to appear too skilful. Cicero stigmatizes two of his
      contemporaries for taking too great a delight in such games, on account of
      their skill in playing them.(112)
    </p>
    <p>
      (112) Ast alii, quia praeclare faciunt, vehementius quam causa postulat
      delectantur, ut Titius pila, Brulla talis. De Orat. lib. iii.
    </p>
    <p>
      Quinctilian advised his pupils to avoid all sterile amusements, which, he
      said, were only the resource of the ignorant.
    </p>
    <p>
      In after-times men of merit, such as John Huss and Cardinal Cajetan,
      bewailed both the time lost in the most innocent games, and the disastrous
      passions which are thereby excited. Montaigne calls chess a stupid and
      childish game. 'I hate and shun it,' he says, 'because it occupies one too
      seriously; I am ashamed of giving it the attention which would be
      sufficient for some useful purpose.' King James I., the British Solomon,
      forbade chess to his son, in the famous book of royal instruction which he
      wrote for him.
    </p>
    <p>
      As to the plea of 'filling up time,' Addison has made some very pertinent
      observations:&mdash;'Whether any kind of gaming has ever thus much to say
      for itself, I shall not determine; but I think it is very wonderful to see
      persons of the best sense passing away a dozen hours together in shuffling
      and dividing a pack of cards, with no other conversation but what is made
      up of a few game-phrases, and no other ideas but those of black or red
      spots ranged together in different figures. Would not a man laugh to hear
      any one of his species complaining that life is short?'
    </p>
    <p>
      Men of intellect may rest assured that whether they win or lose at play,
      it will always be at the cost of their genius; the soul cannot support two
      passions together. The passion of play, although fatigued, is never
      satiated, and therefore it always leaves behind protracted agitation. The
      famous Roman lawyer Scaevola suffered from playing at backgammon; his head
      was always affected by it, especially when he lost the game, in fact, it
      seemed to craze him. One day he returned expressly from the country merely
      to try and convince his opponent in a game which he had lost, that if he
      had played otherwise he would have won! It seems that on his journey home
      he mentally went through the game again, detected his mistake, and could
      not rest until he went back and got his adversary to admit the fact&mdash;for
      the sake of his <i>amour propre</i>.(113)
    </p>
    <p>
      (113) Quinctil., <i>Instit. Orat</i>. lib. XI. cap. ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      'It is rare,' says Rousseau, 'that thinkers take much delight in play,
      which suspends the habit of thinking or diverts it upon sterile
      combinations; and so one of the benefits&mdash;perhaps the only benefit
      conferred by the taste for the sciences, is that it somewhat deadens that
      sordid passion of play.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Unfortunately such was not the result among the literary and scientific
      men, in France or England, during the last quarter of the last century.
      Many of them bitterly lamented that they ever played, and yet played on,&mdash;going
      through all the grades and degradations appointed for his votaries by the
      inexorable demon of gambling.
    </p>
    <p>
      BEAU NASH.
    </p>
    <p>
      Nature had by no means formed Nash for <i>beau</i>. His person was clumsy,
      large, and awkward; his features were harsh, strong, and peculiarly
      irregular; yet even with these disadvantages he made love, became an
      universal admirer of the sex, and was in his turn universally admired. The
      fact is, he was possessed of, at least, some requisites of a 'lover.' He
      had assiduity, flattery, fine clothes&mdash;and as much wit as the ladies
      he addressed. Accordingly he used to say&mdash;'Wit, flattery, and fine
      clothes are enough to debauch a nunnery!' This is certainly a fouler
      calumny of women than Pope's
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
    'Every woman is at heart a rake.'
</pre>
    <p>
      Beau Nash was a barrister, and had been a remarkable, a distinguished one
      in his day&mdash;although not at the bar. He had the honour to organize
      and direct the last grand 'revel and pageant' before a king, in the Hall
      of the Middle Temple, of which he was a member.
    </p>
    <p>
      It had long been customary for the Inns of Court to entertain our monarchs
      upon their accession to the crown with a revel and pageant, and the last
      was exhibited in honour of King William, when Nash was chosen to conduct
      the whole with proper decorum. He was then a very young man, but succeeded
      so well in giving satisfaction, that the king offered to give him the
      honour of knighthood, which, however, Nash declined, saying:&mdash;'Please
      your Majesty, if you intend to make me a knight, I wish it may be one of
      your poor knights of Windsor; and then I shall have a fortune at least
      able to support my title.'
    </p>
    <p>
      In the Middle Temple he managed to rise 'to the very summit of second-rate
      luxury,' and seems to have succeeded in becoming a fashionable <i>recherche</i>,
      being always one of those who were called good company&mdash;a professed
      dandy among the elegants.
    </p>
    <p>
      No wonder, then, that we subsequently find him Master of the Ceremonies at
      Bath, then the theatre of summer amusements for all people of fashion. It
      was here that he took to gambling, and was at first classed among the
      needy adventurers who went to that place; there was, however, the great
      difference between him and them, that his heart was not corrupt; and
      though by profession a gamester, he was generous, humane, and honourable.
    </p>
    <p>
      When he gave in his accounts to the Masters of the Temple, among other
      items he charged was one&mdash;'For making one man happy, L10.' Being
      questioned about the meaning of so strange an item, he frankly declared
      that, happening to overhear a poor man declare to his wife and large
      family of children that L10 would make him happy, he could not avoid
      trying the experiment. He added, that, if they did not choose to acquiesce
      in his charge, he was ready to refund the money. The Masters, struck with
      such an uncommon instance of good nature, publicly thanked him for his
      benevolence, and desired that the sum might be doubled as a proof of their
      satisfaction.
    </p>
    <p>
      'His laws were so strictly enforced that he was styled "King of Bath:" no
      rank would protect the offender, nor dignity of station condone a breach
      of the laws. Nash desired the Duchess of Queensberry, who appeared at a
      dress ball in an apron of point-lace, said to be worth 500 guineas, to
      take it off, which she did, at the same time desiring his acceptance of
      it; and when the Princess Amelia requested to have one dance more after 11
      o'clock, Nash replied that the laws of Bath, like those of Lycurgus, were
      unalterable. Gaming ran high at Bath, and frequently led to disputes and
      resort to the sword, then generally worn 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 law absolute, "That no swords should, on
      any account, be worn in Bath."'(114)
    </p>
    <p>
      (114) The Book of Days, Feb. 3.
    </p>
    <p>
      About the year 1739 the gamblers, in order to evade the laws against
      gaming, set up E O tables; and as these proved very profitable to the
      proprietors at Tunbridge, Nash determined to introduce them at Bath,
      having been assured by the lawyers that no law existed against them. He
      therefore set up an E O table, and the speculation flourished for a short
      time; but the legislature interfered in 1745, and inflicted severe
      penalties on the keepers of such tables. This was the ruin of Nash's
      gambling speculation; and for the remaining sixteen years of his life he
      depended solely on the precarious products of the gaming table. He died at
      Bath, in 1761, in greatly reduced circumstances, being represented as
      'poor, old, and peevish, yet still incapable of turning from his former
      manner of life.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'He was buried in the Abbey Church with great ceremony: a solemn hymn was
      sung by the charity-school children, three clergymen preceded the coffin,
      the pall was supported by aldermen, and the Masters of the Assembly-Rooms
      followed as chief mourners; while the streets were filled and the
      housetops covered with spectators, anxious to witness the respect paid to
      the venerable founder of the prosperity of the city of Bath.'(115)
    </p>
    <p>
      (115) The Book of Days, Feb. 3.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following are the chief anecdotes told of Beau Nash.
    </p>
    <p>
      A giddy youth, who had resigned his fellowship at Oxford, brought his
      fortune to Bath, and, without the smallest skill, won a considerable sum;
      and following it up, in the next October added four thousand pounds to his
      former capital. Nash one night invited him to supper, and offered to give
      him fifty guineas to forfeit twenty every time he lost two hundred at one
      sitting. The young man refused, and was at last undone.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Duke of B&mdash;&mdash; loved play to distraction. One night,
      chagrined at a heavy loss, he pressed Nash to tie him up from deep play in
      future. The beau accordingly gave his Grace one hundred guineas on
      condition to receive ten thousand whenever he lost that amount at one
      sitting. The duke soon lost eight thousand at Hazard, and was going to
      throw for three thousand more, when Nash caught the dice-box, and
      entreated the peer to reflect on the penalty if he lost. The duke desisted
      for that time; but ere long, losing considerably at Newmarket, he
      willingly paid the penalty.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the Earl of T&mdash;&mdash; was a youth he was passionately fond of
      play. Nash undertook to cure him. Conscious of his superior skill, he
      engaged the earl in single play. His lordship lost his estate, equipage,
      everything! Our generous gamester returned all, only stipulating for the
      payment of L5000 whenever he might think proper to demand it. Some time
      after his lordship's death, Nash's affairs being on the wane, he demanded
      it of his heirs, <i>WHO PAID IT WITHOUT HESITATION</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Nash one day complained of his ill luck to the Earl of Chesterfield,
      adding that he had lost L500 the last night. The earl replied, 'I don't
      wonder at your <i>LOSING</i> money, Nash, but all the world is surprised
      where you get it to lose.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'The Corporation of Bath so highly respected Nash, that the Chamber voted
      a marble statue of him, which was erected in the Pump-room, between the
      busts of Newton and Pope; this gave rise to a stinging epigram by Lord
      Chesterfield, concluding with these lines:
    </p>
    <p>
      "The <i>STATUE</i> placed these busts between Gives satire all its
      strength; <i>WISDOM</i> and <i>WIT</i> are little seen, But <i>FOLLY</i>
      at full length."'(116)
    </p>
    <p>
      (116) The Book of Days, Feb. 3.
    </p>
    <p>
      THE EARL OF CHESTERFIELD.
    </p>
    <p>
      Walpole tells us that the celebrated Earl of Chesterfield <i>LIVED</i> at
      White's Club, gaming, and uttering witticisms among the boys of quality;
      'yet he says to his son, that a member of a gaming club should be a cheat,
      or he will soon be a beggar;' an inconsistency which reminds one of old
      Fuller's saw&mdash;'A father that whipt his son for swearing, and swore
      himself whilst he whipt him, did more harm by his example than good by his
      correction.'
    </p>
    <p>
      GEORGE SELWYN.
    </p>
    <p>
      The character of Selwyn,' says Mr Jesse, 'was in many respects a
      remarkable one. With brilliant wit, a quick perception of the ridiculous,
      and a thorough knowledge of the world and human nature, he united
      classical knowledge and a taste for the fine arts. To these qualities may
      be added others of a very contradictory nature. With a thorough enjoyment
      of the pleasures of society, an imperturbable good-humour, a kind heart,
      and a passionate fondness for children, he united a morbid interest in the
      details of human suffering, and, more especially, a taste for witnessing
      criminal executions. Not only was he a constant frequenter of such scenes
      of horror, but all the details of crime, the private history of the
      criminal, his demeanour at his trial, in the dungeon, and on the scaffold,
      and the state of his feelings in the hour of death and degradation, were
      to Selwyn matters of the deepest and most extraordinary interest. Even the
      most frightful particulars relating to suicide and murder, the
      investigation of the disfigured corpse, the sight of an acquaintance lying
      in his shroud, seem to have afforded him a painful and unaccountable
      pleasure. When the first Lord Holland was on his death-bed he was told
      that Selwyn, who had lived on terms of the closest intimacy with him, had
      called to inquire after his health. "The next time Mr Selwyn calls," he
      said, "show him up; if I am alive I shall be delighted to see him, and if
      I am dead he will be glad to see me." When some ladies bantered him on his
      want of feeling in attending to see the terrible Lord Lovat's head cut off&mdash;"Why,"
      he said, "I made amends by going to the undertaker's to see it sewed on
      again." And yet this was the same individual who delighted in the first
      words and in the sunny looks of childhood; whose friendship seems to have
      partaken of all the softness of female affection; and whose heart was
      never hardened against the wretched and depressed. Such was the "original"
      George Selwyn.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This celebrated conversational wit was a devoted frequenter of the gaming
      table. Writing to Selwyn, in 1765, Lord Holland said:&mdash;'All that I
      can collect from what you say on the subject of money is, that fortune has
      been a little favourable lately; or may be, the last night only. Till you
      leave off play entirely you must be&mdash;in earnest, and without irony&mdash;<i>en
      verite le serviteur tres-humble des evenements</i>, "in truth, the very
      humble servant of events."'
    </p>
    <p>
      His friend the Lord Carlisle, although himself a great gambler, also gave
      him good advice. 'I hope you have left off Hazard,' he wrote to Selwyn;
      'if you are still so foolish, and will play, the best thing I can wish you
      is, that you may win and never throw crabs.(117) You do not put it in the
      power of chance to make you them, as we all know; and till the ninth miss
      is born I shall not be convinced to the contrary.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (117) That is, aces, or ace and deuce, twelve, or seven. With false dice,
      as will appear in the sequel, it was impossible to throw any of these
      numbers, and as the caster always called the main, he was sure to win, as
      he could call an impossible number: those who were in the secret of course
      always took the odds.
    </p>
    <p>
      Again:&mdash;'As you have played I am happy to hear you have won; but by
      this time there may be a <i>triste revers de succes</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Selwyn had taken to gaming before his father's death&mdash;probably from
      his first introduction to the clubs. His stakes were high, though not
      extravagantly so, compared with the sums hazarded by his contemporaries.
      In 1765 he lost L1000 to Mr Shafto, who applied for it in the language of
      an 'embarrassed tradesman.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'July 1, 1765.
    </p>
    <p>
      'DEAR SIR,&mdash;I have this moment received the favour of your letter. I
      intended to have gone out of town on Thursday, but as you shall not
      receive your money before the end of this week, I must postpone my journey
      till Sunday. A month would have made no difference to me, had I not had
      others to pay before I leave town, and must pay; therefore must beg that
      you will leave the whole before this week is out, at White's, as it is to
      be paid away to others to whom I have lost, and do not choose to leave
      town till that is done. Be sure you could not wish an indulgence I should
      not be happy to grant, if it my power.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Nor was this the only dun of the kind that Selwyn had 'to put up with' on
      account of the gaming table. He received the following from Edward, Earl
      of Derby.(118)
    </p>
    <p>
      (118) Edward, twelfth Earl of Derby, was born September 12, 1752, and died
      October 21, 1834. He married first, Elizabeth, daughter of James, sixth
      Duke of Hamilton, who died in 1799, and secondly, the celebrated actress,
      Miss Farren, who died April 23, 1829.
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>The Earl of Derby to George Selwyn</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Nothing could equal what I feel at troubling you with this disagreeable
      note; but having lost a very monstrous sum of money last night, I find
      myself under the necessity of entreating your goodness to excuse the
      liberty I am taking of applying to you for assistance. If it is not very
      inconvenient to you, I should be glad of the money you owe me. If it is, I
      must pay what I can, and desire Brookes to trust me for the remainder. I
      repeat again my apologies, to which I shall beg leave to add how very
      sincerely I have the honour to be, my dear sir,
    </p>
    <p>
      'Your most obedient humble servant, 'DEBBY.
    </p>
    <p>
      This is the very model of a dun, and proves how handsomely such ugly
      things can be done when one has to deal with a noble instead of a plebeian
      creditor.
    </p>
    <p>
      But Selwyn had not only to endure such indignities, but also to inflict
      them, as appears by the following letter to him from the Honourable
      General Fitzpatrick, in answer to a dun, which, we are assured, was
      'gentle and moderate.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'I am very sorry to hear the night ended so ill; but to give you some idea
      of the utter impossibility of my being useful on the occasion, I will
      inform you of the state of my affairs. I won L400 last night, which was
      immediately appropriated by Mr <i>Martindale</i>, to whom I still owe
      L300, and I am in Brookes' book for thrice that sum. Add to all this, that
      at Christmas I expect an inundation of clamorous creditors, who, unless I
      somehow or other scrape together some money to satisfy them, will
      overwhelm me entirely. What can be done? If I could coin my heart, or drop
      my blood into drachms, I would do it, though by this time I should
      probably have neither heart nor blood left. I am afraid you will find
      Stephen in the same state of insolvency. Adieu! I am obliged to you for
      the gentleness and moderation of your dun, considering how long I have
      been your debtor.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Yours most sincerely, 'R. F.'(119)
    </p>
    <p>
      (119) Apud <i>Selwyn and his Contemporaries</i> by Jesse.
    </p>
    <p>
      Selwyn is said to have been a loser on the whole, and often pillaged.
      Latterly he appears to have got the better of his propensity for play, if
      we may judge from the following wise sentiment:&mdash;'It was too great a
      consumer,' he said, 'of four things&mdash;time, health, fortune, and
      thinking.' But a writer in the <i>Edinburgh Review</i> seems to doubt
      Selwyn's reformation; for his initiation of Wilberforce occurred in 1782,
      when he was 63; and previously, in 1776, he underwent the process of
      dunning from Lord Derby, before-mentioned, and in 1779 from Mr Crawford
      ('Fish Crawford,' as he was called), each of whom, like Mr Shafto, 'had a
      sum to make up'&mdash;in the infernal style so horridly provoking, even
      when we are able and willing to pay. However, as Selwyn died comparatively
      rich, it may be presumed that his fortune suffered to no great extent by
      his indulgence in the vice of gaming.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following are some of George Selwyn's jokes relating to gambling:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      One night, at White's, observing the Postmaster-General, Sir Everard
      Fawkener, losing a large sum of money at Piquet, Selwyn, pointing to the
      successful player, remarked&mdash;'See now, he is robbing the <i>MAIL!</i>'
    </p>
    <p>
      On another occasion, in 1756, observing Mr Ponsonby, the Speaker of the
      Irish House of Commons, tossing about bank-bills at a Hazard table at
      Newmarket&mdash;'Look,' he said, 'how easily the Speaker passes the
      money-bills!'
    </p>
    <p>
      A few months afterwards (when the public journals were daily containing an
      account of some fresh town which had conferred the freedom of its
      corporation in a gold box on Mr Pitt, afterwards Earl of Chatham, and the
      Right Honourable Henry Bilson Legge, his fellow-patriot and colleague),
      Selwyn, who neither admired their politics nor respected their principles,
      proposed to the old and new club at Arthur's, that he should be deputed to
      present to them the freedom of each club in a <i>dice-box</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      On one of the waiters at Arthur's club having been committed to prison for
      a felony&mdash;'What a horrid idea,' said Selwyn, 'he will give of us to
      the people in Newgate!'
    </p>
    <p>
      When the affairs of Charles Fox were in a more than usually embarrassed
      state, chiefly through his gambling, his friends raised a subscription
      among themselves for his relief. One of them remarking that it would
      require some delicacy in breaking the matter to him, and adding that 'he
      wondered how Fox would take it.' 'Take it?' interrupted Selwyn, 'why, <i>QUARTERLY</i>,
      to be sure.'(120)
    </p>
    <p>
      (120) Jesse, <i>George Selwyn and his Contemporaries.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      LORD CARLISLE.
    </p>
    <p>
      This eminent statesman was regarded by his contemporaries as an able, an
      influential, and occasionally a powerful speaker.
    </p>
    <p>
      Though married to a lady for whom in his letters he ever expresses the
      warmest feelings of admiration and esteem; and surrounded by a young and
      increasing family, who were evidently the objects of his deepest
      affection, Lord Carlisle, nevertheless, at times appears to have been
      unable to extricate himself from the dangerous enticements to play to
      which he was exposed. His fatal passion for play&mdash;the source of
      adventitious excitement at night, and of deep distress in the morning&mdash;seems
      to have led to frequent and inconvenient losses, and eventually to have
      plunged him into comparative distress.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In recording these failings of a man of otherwise strong sense, of a high
      sense of honour, and of kindly affections, we have said the worst that can
      be adduced to his disadvantage. Attached, indeed, as Lord Carlisle may
      have been to the pleasures of society, and unfortunate as may have been
      his passion for the gaming table, it is difficult to peruse those passages
      in his letters in which he deeply reproaches himself for yielding to the
      fatal fascination of play, and accuses himself of having diminished the
      inheritance of his children, without a feeling of commiseration for the
      sensations of a man of strong sense and deep feeling, while reflecting on
      his moral degradation. It is sufficient, however, to observe of Lord
      Carlisle, that the deep sense which he entertained of his own folly; the
      almost maddening moments to which he refers in his letters of
      self-condemnation and bitter regret; and subsequently his noble victory
      over the siren enticements of pleasure, and his thorough emancipation from
      the trammels of a domineering passion, make adequate amends for his
      previous unhappy career.'(121)
    </p>
    <p>
      (121) Jesse, <i>George Selwyn and his Contemporaries</i>, ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      Brave conquerors, for so ye are, Who war against your own affections, And
      the huge army of the world's desires.
    </p>
    <p>
      Lady Sarah Bunbury, writing to George Selwyn, in 1767, says:&mdash;'If you
      are now at Paris with poor C. (evidently Carlisle), who I dare say is now
      swearing at the French people, give my compliments to him. I call him poor
      C. because I hope he is only miserable at having been such a <i>PIGEON</i>
      to Colonel Scott. I never can pity him for losing at play, and I think of
      it as little as I can, because I cannot bear to be obliged to abate the
      least of the good opinion I have always had of him.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Oddly enough the writer had no better account to give of her own husband;
      she says, in the letter:&mdash;'Sir Charles games from morning till night,
      but he has never yet lost L100 in one day.'(122)
    </p>
    <p>
      (122) This Lady Sarah Bunbury was the wife of Sir Charles Bunbury, after
      having had a chance of being Queen of England, as the wife of George III.,
      who was passionately in love with her, and would have married her had it
      not been for the constitutional opposition of his privy council. This
      charming and beautiful woman died in 1826, at the age of 82. She was
      probably the last surviving great-granddaughter of Charles II.&mdash;Jesse,
      <i>Ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      About the year 1776 Lord Carlisle wrote the following letter to George
      Selwyn:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'MY DEAR GEORGE, 'I have undone myself, and it is to no purpose to conceal
      from you my abominable madness and folly, though perhaps the particulars
      may not be known to the rest of the world. I never lost so much in five
      times as I have done to-night, and am in debt to the house for the whole.
      You may be sure I do not tell you this with an idea that you can be of the
      least assistance to me; it is a great deal more than your abilities are
      equal to. Let me see you&mdash;though I shall be ashamed to look at you
      after your goodness to me.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This letter is endorsed by George Selwyn&mdash;'After the loss of
      L10,000.' He tells Selwyn of a set which, at one point of the game, stood
      to win L50,000.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Lord Byron, it is almost needless to remark, was nearly related to Lord
      Carlisle. The mother of Lord Carlisle was sister to John, fourth Lord
      Byron, the grandfather of the poet; Lord Carlisle and Lord Byron were
      consequently first cousins once removed. Had they happened to have been
      contemporaries, it would be difficult to form an idea of two individuals
      who, alike from tastes, feelings, and habits of life, were more likely to
      form a lasting and suitable intimacy. Both were men of high rank; both
      united an intimate knowledge of society and the world with the ardent
      temperament of a poet; and both in youth mingled a love of frolic and
      pleasure with a graver taste for literary pursuits.'
    </p>
    <p>
      CHARLES JAMES FOX.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the midst of the infatuated votaries of the gaming god in England,
      towers the mighty intellectual giant Charles James Fox. Nature had
      fashioned him to be equally an object of admiration and love. In addition
      to powerful eloquence, he was distinguished by the refinement of his taste
      in all matters connected with literature and art; he was deeply read in
      history; had some claims to be regarded as a poet; and possessed a
      thorough knowledge of the classical authors of antiquity, a knowledge of
      which he so often and so happily availed himself in his seat in the House
      of Commons. To these qualities was added a good-humour which was seldom
      ruffled,&mdash;a peculiar fascination of manner and address,&mdash;the
      most delightful powers of conversation,&mdash;a heart perfectly free from
      vindictiveness, ostentation, and deceit,&mdash;a strong sense of justice,&mdash;a
      thorough detestation of tyranny and oppression,&mdash;and an almost
      feminine tenderness of feeling for the sufferings of others.
      Unfortunately, however, his great talents and delightful qualities in
      private life rendered his defects the more glaring and lamentable; indeed,
      it is difficult to think or speak with common patience of those injurious
      practices and habits&mdash;that abandonment to self-gratification, and
      that criminal waste of the most transcendent abilities which exhausted in
      social conviviality and the gaming table what were formed to confer
      blessings on mankind.
    </p>
    <p>
      So much for the character of Fox, as I have gathered from Mr Jesse;(123)
      and I continue the extremely interesting subject by quoting from that
      delightful book, 'The Queens of Society.'(124) 'With a father who had made
      an enormous fortune, with little principle, out of a public office&mdash;for
      Lord Holland owed the bulk of his wealth to his appointment of paymaster
      to the forces,&mdash;and who spoiled him, in his boyhood, Charles James
      Fox had begun life <i>AS A FOP OF THE FIRST WATER</i>, and squandered
      L50,000 in debt before he became of age. Afterwards he indulged recklessly
      and extravagantly in every course of licentiousness which the profligate
      society of the day opened to him. At Brookes' and the Thatched House Fox
      ate and drank to excess, threw thousands upon the Faro table, mingled with
      blacklegs, and made himself notorious for his shameless vices. Newmarket
      supplied another excitement. His back room was so incessantly filled with
      Jew money-lenders that he called it his Jerusalem Chamber. It was
      impossible that such a life should not destroy every principle of honour;
      and there is nothing improbable in the story that he appropriated to
      himself money which belonged to his dear friend Mrs Crewe, as before
      related.
    </p>
    <p>
      (123) George Selwyn and his Contemporaries, ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      (124) By Grace and Philip Wharton.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Of his talents, which were certainly great, he made an affected display.
      Of his learning he was proud&mdash;but rather as adding lustre to his
      celebrity for universal tastes. He was not at all ashamed, but rather
      gloried in being able to describe himself as a fool, as he does in his
      verses to Mrs Crewe:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      "Is't reason? No; that my whole life will belie; For, who so at variance
      as reason and I? Is't ambition that fills up each chink in my heart, Nor
      allows any softer sensation a part? Oh! no; for in this all the world must
      agree, <i>ONE FOLLY WAS NEVER SUFFICIENT FOR ME</i>."
    </p>
    <p>
      'Sensual and self-indulgent&mdash;with a grossness that is even patent on
      his very portrait (and bust), Fox had nevertheless a manner which
      enchanted the sex, and he was the only politician of the day who
      thoroughly enlisted the personal sympathies of women of mind and
      character, as well as of those who might be captivated by his profusion.
      When he visited Paris in later days, even Madame Recamier, noted for her
      refinement, and of whom he himself said, with his usual coarse ideas of
      the sphere of woman, that "she was the only woman who united the
      attractions of pleasure to those of modesty," delighted to be seen with
      him! At the time of which we are speaking the most celebrated beauties of
      England were his most ardent supporters.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The election of 1784, in which he stood and was returned for Westminster,
      was one of the most famous of the old riotous political
      demonstrations..... Loving <i>hazard</i> of all kinds for its own sake,
      Fox had made party hostility a new sphere of gambling, had adopted the
      character of a demagogue, and at a time when the whole of Europe was
      undergoing, a great revolution in principles, was welcomed gladly as "The
      Man of the People." In the beginning, of the year he had been convicted of
      bribery, but in spite of this his popularity increased.... The election
      for Westminster, in which Fox was opposed by Sir Cecil Wray, was the most
      tempestuous of all. There were 20,000 votes to be polled, and the opposing
      parties resorted to any means of intimidation, or violence, or persuasion
      which political enthusiasm could suggest. On the eighth day the poll was
      against the popular member, and he called upon his friends to make a great
      effort on his behalf. It was then that the "ladies' canvass" began. Lady
      Duncannon, the Duchess of Devonshire, Mrs Crewe, and Mrs Damer dressed
      themselves in blue and buff&mdash;the colours of the American
      Independents, which Fox had adopted and wore in the House of Commons&mdash;and
      set out to visit the purlieus of Westminster. Here, in their enthusiasm,
      they shook the dirty hands of honest workmen, expressed the greatest
      interest in their wives and families, and even, as in the case of the
      Duchess of Devonshire and the butcher, submitted their fair cheeks to be
      kissed by the possessors of votes! At the butcher's shop, the owner, in
      his apron and sleeves, stoutly refused his vote, except on one condition&mdash;"Would
      her Grace give him a kiss?" The request was granted; and the vote thus
      purchased went to swell the majority which finally secured the return of
      "The Man of the People."
    </p>
    <p>
      'The colouring of political friends, which concealed his vices, or rather
      which gave them a false hue, has long since faded away. We now know Fox as
      he <i>WAS</i>. In the latest journals of Horace Walpole his inveterate
      gambling, his open profligacy, his utter want of honour, is disclosed by
      one of his own opinion. Corrupted ere yet he had left his home, whilst in
      age a boy, there is, however, the comfort of reflecting that he outlived
      his vices which seem to have "cropped out" by his ancestral connection in
      the female line with the reprobate Charles II., whom he was thought to
      resemble in features. Fox, afterwards, with a green apron tied round his
      waist, pruning and nailing up his fruit trees at St Ann's Hill, or amusing
      himself innocently with a few friends, is a pleasing object to remember,
      even whilst his early career occurs forcibly to the mind.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Peace, then, to the shade of Charles James Fox! The three last public acts
      which he performed were worthy of the man, and should suffice to prove
      that, in spite of his terrible failings, he was most useful in his
      generation. By one, he laboured to repair the outrages of war&mdash;to
      obtain a breathing time for our allies; and, by an extension of our
      commerce, to afford, if necessary, to his country all the advantages of a
      renovated contest, without the danger of drying up our resources. By
      another, he attempted to remove all legal disabilities arising out of
      religion&mdash;to unite more closely <i>THE INTERESTS OF IRELAND WITH
      THOSE OF ENGLAND;</i> and thus, by an extension of common rights, and a
      participation of common benefits, wisely to render that which has always
      been considered the weakest and most troublesome portion of our empire, at
      least a useful and valuable part of England's greatness among the nations.
      Queen Elizabeth's Minister, Lord Burleigh, in the presence of the 'Irish
      difficulty' in his day, wished Ireland at the bottom of the sea, and
      doubtless many at the present time wish the same; but Fox endeavoured to
      grapple with it manfully and honestly, and it was not his fault that he
      did not settle it. The vices of Fox were those of the age in which he
      lived; had he been reserved for the present epoch, what a different
      biography should we have to write of him! What a helmsman he might be at
      the present time, when the ship of Old England is at sea and in peril!
    </p>
    <p>
      It appears from a letter addressed by Lord Carlisle to Lady Holland (Fox's
      mother) in 1773, that he had become security for Fox to the amount of
      fifteen or sixteen thousand pounds; and a letter to Selwyn in 1777, puts
      the ruinous character of their gaming transactions in the strongest light.
      Lord Ilchester (Fox's cousin) had lost thirteen thousand pounds at one
      sitting to Lord Carlisle, who offered to take three thousand pounds down.
      Nothing was paid. But ten years afterwards, when Lord Carlisle pressed for
      his money, he complained that an attempt was made to construe the offer
      into a <i>remission</i> of the ten thousand pounds:&mdash;'The only way,
      in honour, that Lord Ilchester could have accepted my offer, would have
      been by taking some steps to pay the L3000. I remained in a state of
      uncertainty, I think, for nearly three years; but his taking no notice of
      it during that time, convinced me that he had no intention of availing
      himself of it. Charles Fox was also at a much earlier period clear that he
      never meant to accept it. There is also great injustice in the behaviour
      of the family in passing by the instantaneous payment of, I believe, five
      thousand pounds, to Charles, won at the same sitting, without any
      observations. <i>At one period of the play I remember there was a balance
      in favour of one of these gentlemen (but which I protest I do not
      remember) of about fifty thousand</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
      At the time in question Fox was hardly eighteen. The following letter from
      Lord Carlisle, written in 1771, contains highly interesting information
      respecting the youthful habits and already vast intellectual pre-eminence
      of this memorable statesman:&mdash;'It gives me great pain to hear that
      Charles begins to be unreasonably impatient at losing. I fear it is the
      prologue to much fretfulness of temper, for disappointment in raising
      money, and any serious reflections upon his situation, will (in spite of
      his affected spirits and dissipation) occasion him many disagreeable
      moments.' Lord Carlisle's fears proved groundless in this respect. As
      before stated, Fox was always remarkable for his sweetness of temper,
      which remained with him to the last; but it is most painful to think how
      much mankind has lost through his recklessness.
    </p>
    <p>
      Gibbon writes to Lord Sheffield in 1773, 'You know Lord Holland is paying
      Charles Fox's debts. They amount to L140,000.'(125)
    </p>
    <p>
      (125) Timbs, <i>Club Life in London</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      His love of play was desperate. A few evenings before he moved the repeal
      of the Marriage Act, in February, 1772, he had been at Brompton on two
      errands,&mdash;one to consult Justice Fielding on the penal laws, the
      other to borrow L10,000, which he brought to town at the hazard of being
      robbed. He played admirably both at Whist and Piquet,&mdash;with such
      skill, indeed, that by the general admission of Brookes' Club, he might
      have made four thousand pounds a-year, as they calculated, at these games,
      if he could have confined himself to them. But his misfortune arose from
      playing games of chance, particularly at Faro.
    </p>
    <p>
      After eating and drinking plentifully, he would sit down at the Faro
      table, and invariably rose a loser. Once, indeed, and once only, he won
      about eight thousand pounds in the course of a single evening. Part of the
      money he paid to his creditors, and the remainder he lost almost
      immediately.
    </p>
    <p>
      Before he attained his thirtieth year he had completely dissipated
      everything that he could either command or could procure by the most
      ruinous expedients. He had even undergone, at times, many of the severest
      privations incidental to the vicissitudes that attend a gamester's
      progress; frequently wanting money to defray the common daily wants of the
      most pressing nature. Topham Beauclerc, who lived much in Fox's society,
      declared that no man could form an idea of the extremities to which he had
      been driven to raise money, often losing his last guinea at the Faro
      table. The very sedan-chairmen, whom he was unable to pay, used to dun him
      for arrears. In 1781, he might be considered as an extinct volcano,&mdash;for
      the pecuniary aliment that had fed the flame was long consumed. Yet he
      even then occupied a house or lodgings in St James's Street, close to
      Brookes', where he passed almost every hour which was not devoted to the
      House of Commons. Brookes' was then the rallying point or rendezvous of
      the Opposition, where Faro, Whist, and supper prolonged the night, the
      principal members of the minority in both Houses met, in order to compare
      their information, or to concert and mature their parliamentary measures.
      Great sums were then borrowed of Jews at exorbitant premiums.
    </p>
    <p>
      His brother Stephen was enormously fat; George Selwyn said he was in the
      right to deal with Shylocks, as he could give them pounds of flesh.
    </p>
    <p>
      Walpole, in 1781, walking up St James's Street, saw a cart at Fox's door,
      with copper and an old chest of drawers, loading. His success at Faro had
      awakened a host of creditors; but, unless his bank had swelled to the size
      of the Bank of England, it could not have yielded a half-penny apiece for
      each. Epsom too had been unpropitious; and one creditor had actually
      seized and carried off Fox's goods, which did not seem worth removing.
      Yet, shortly after this, whom should Walpole find sauntering by his own
      door but Fox, who came up and talked to him at the coach window, on the
      Marriage Bill, with as much <i>sang-froid</i> as if he knew nothing of
      what had happened. Doubtless this indifference was to be attributed quite
      as much to the callousness of the reckless gambler as to anything that
      might be called 'philosophy.'
    </p>
    <p>
      It seems clear that the ruling passion of Fox was partly owing to the lax
      training of his father, who, by his lavish allowances, not only fostered
      his propensity to play, but had also been accustomed to give him, when a
      mere boy, money to amuse himself at the gaming table. According to
      Chesterfield, the first Lord Holland 'had no fixed principles in religion
      or morality,' and he censures him to his son for being 'too unwary in
      ridiculing and exposing them.' He gave full swing to Charles in his youth.
      'Let nothing be done,' said his lordship, 'to break his spirit, the world
      will do that for him.' At his death, in 1774, he left him L154,000 to pay
      his debts; it was all 'bespoke,' and Fox soon became as deeply pledged as
      before.(126)
    </p>
    <p>
      (126) Timbs, ubi supra. There is a mistake in the anecdote respecting
      Fox's duel with Mr Adam (not Adams), as related by Mr Timbs in his amusing
      book of the Clubs. The challenge was in consequence of some words uttered
      by Fox in parliament, and not on account of some remark on Government
      powder, to which Fox wittily alluded, after the duel, saying&mdash;'Egad,
      Adam, you would have killed me if it had not been Government powder.' See
      Gilchrist, Ordeals, Millingen, Hist. of Duelling, ii., and Steinmetz,
      Romance of Duelling, ii.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following are authentic anecdotes of Fox, as a gambler.
    </p>
    <p>
      Fox had a gambling debt to pay to Sir John Slade. Finding himself in cash,
      after a lucky run at Faro, he sent a complimentary card to the knight,
      desiring to discharge the claim. Sir John no sooner saw the money than he
      called for pen and ink, and began to figure. 'What now?' cried Fox. 'Only
      calculating the interest,' replied the other. 'Are you so?' coolly
      rejoined Charles James, and pocketed the cash, adding&mdash;'I thought it
      was a <i>debt of honour</i>. As you seem to consider it a trading debt,
      and as I make it an invariable rule to pay my Jew-creditors last, you must
      wait a little longer for your money.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Fox once played cards with Fitzpatrick at Brookes' from ten o'clock at
      night till near six o'clock the next morning&mdash;a waiter standing by to
      tell them 'whose deal it was'&mdash;they being too sleepy to know.
    </p>
    <p>
      On another occasion he won about L8000; and one of his bond-creditors, who
      soon heard of his good luck, presented himself and asked for payment.
      'Impossible, sir,' replied Fox; 'I must first discharge my debts of
      honour.' The bond-creditor remonstrated, and finding Fox inflexible, tore
      the bond to pieces and flung it into the fire, exclaiming&mdash;'Now, sir,
      your debt to me is a <i>debt of honour</i>.' Struck by the creditor's
      witty rejoinder, Fox instantly paid the money.(127)
    </p>
    <p>
      (127) The above is the version of this anecdote which I remember as being
      current in my young days. Mr Timbs and others before him relate the
      anecdote as follows:&mdash;'On another occasion he won about L8000; and
      one of his bond-creditors, who soon heard of his good luck, presented
      himself and asked for payment.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Impossible, sir,' replied Fox 'I must first discharge my debts of
      honour.' The bond-creditor remonstrated. 'Well, sir, give me your bond.'
      It was delivered to Fox, who tore it in pieces and threw it into the fire.
      'Now, sir,' said Fox, 'my debt to you is a debt of honour;' and
      immediately paid him.
    </p>
    <p>
      Now, it is evident that Fox could not destroy the document without
      rendering himself still more 'liable' in point of law. I submit that the
      version in the text is the true one, conforming with the legal requirement
      of the case and influencing the debtor by the originality of the
      performance of the creditor.
    </p>
    <p>
      Amidst the wildest excesses of youth, even while the perpetual victim of
      his passion for play, Fox eagerly cultivated his taste for letters,
      especially the Greek and Roman historians and poets; and he found
      resources in their works under the most severe depressions occasioned by
      ill-successes at the gaming table. One morning, after Fox had passed the
      whole night in company with Topham Beauclerc at Faro, the two friends were
      about to separate.
    </p>
    <p>
      Fox had lost throughout the night, and was in a frame of mind approaching
      to desperation. Beauclerc's anxiety for the consequences which might ensue
      led him to be early at Fox's lodgings; and on arriving he inquired, not
      without apprehension, whether he had risen. The servant replied that Mr
      Fox was in the drawing-room, when Beauclerc walked up-stairs and
      cautiously opened the door, expecting to behold a frantic gamester
      stretched on the floor, bewailing his losses, or plunged in moody despair;
      but he was astonished to find him reading a Greek Herodotus.
    </p>
    <p>
      On perceiving his friend's surprise, Fox exclaimed, 'What would you have
      me do? I have lost my last shilling.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Upon other occasions, after staking and losing all that he could raise at
      Faro, instead of exclaiming against fortune, or manifesting the agitation
      natural under such circumstances, he would lay his head on the table and
      retain his place, but, exhausted by mental and bodily fatigue, almost
      immediately fall into a profound sleep.
    </p>
    <p>
      Fox's best friends are said to have been half ruined in annuities given by
      them as securities for him to the Jews. L500,000 a-year of such annuities
      of Fox and his 'society' were advertised to be sold at one time. Walpole
      wondered what Fox would do when he had sold the estates of his friends.
      Walpole further notes that in the debate on the Thirty-nine Articles,
      February 6, 1772, Fox did not shine; nor could it be wondered at. He had
      sat up playing at Hazard, at Almack's, from Tuesday evening, the 4th, till
      five in the afternoon of Wednesday, the 5th. An hour before he had
      recovered L12,000 that he had lost; and by dinner, which was at five
      o'clock, he had ended losing L11,000! On the Thursday he spoke in the
      above debate, went to dinner at past eleven at night; from thence to
      White's, where he drank till seven the next morning; thence to Almack's,
      where he won L6000; and between three and four in the afternoon he set out
      for Newmarket. His brother Stephen lost L11,000 two nights after, and
      Charles L10,000 more on the 13th; so that in three nights the two brothers&mdash;the
      eldest not <i>twenty-five</i> years of age&mdash;lost L32,000!(128)
    </p>
    <p>
      (128) Timbs, <i>ubi supra.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      On one occasion Stephen Fox was dreadfully fleeced at a gaming house at
      the West End. He entered it with L13,000, and left without a farthing.
    </p>
    <p>
      Assuredly these Foxes were misnamed. <i>Pigeons</i>&mdash;dupes of
      sharpers at play&mdash;would have been a more appropriate cognomen.
    </p>
    <p>
      WILBERFORCE AND PITT.
    </p>
    <p>
      These eminent statesmen were gamesters at one period of their lives. When
      Wilberforce came to London in 1780, after his return to Parliament, his
      great success signalized his entry into public life, and he was at once
      elected a member of the leading clubs&mdash;Miles' and Evans', Brookes',
      Boodle's, White's, and Goosetree's. The latter was Wilberforce's usual
      resort, where his friendship with Pitt&mdash;who played with
      characteristic and intense eagerness, and whom he had slightly known at
      Cambridge&mdash;greatly increased. He once lost L100 at the Faro table.
    </p>
    <p>
      'We played a good deal at Goosetree's,' he states, and I well remember the
      intense earnestness which Pitt displayed when joining in these games of
      chance. He perceived their increasing fascination, and soon after
      abandoned them for ever.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Wilberforce's own case is thus recorded by his biographers, on the
      authority of his private Journal:&mdash;'We can have no play to-night,'
      complained some of the party at the club, 'for St Andrew is not here to
      keep bank.' 'Wilberforce,' said Mr Bankes, who never joined himself, 'if
      you will keep it I will give you a guinea.' The playful challenge was
      accepted, but as the game grew deep he rose the winner of L600. Much of
      this was lost by those who were only heirs to fortunes, and therefore
      could not meet such a call without inconvenience. The pain he felt at
      their annoyance cured him of a taste which seemed but too likely to become
      predominant.
    </p>
    <p>
      Goosetree's being then almost exclusively composed of incipient orators
      and embryo statesmen, the call for a gambling table there may be regarded
      as a decisive proof of the universal prevalence of the vice.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The first time I was at Brookes',' says Wilberforce, 'scarcely knowing
      any one, I joined, from mere shyness, in play at the Faro tables, where
      George Selwyn kept bank. A friend, who knew my inexperience, and regarded
      me as a victim decked out for sacrifice, called to me&mdash;"What,
      Wilberforce, is that you?" Selwyn quite resented the interference, and,
      turning to him, said in his most expressive tone, "Oh, sir, don't
      interrupt Mr Wilberforce, he could not be better employed."
    </p>
    <p>
      Again: 'The very first time I went to Boodle's I won twenty-five guineas
      of the Duke of Norfolk. I belonged at this time to five clubs&mdash;Miles'
      and Evans', Brookes', Boodle's, White's, and Goosetree's.'
    </p>
    <p>
      SIR PHILIP FRANCIS.
    </p>
    <p>
      Sir Philip Francis, the eminent politician and supposed author of the
      celebrated 'Letters of Junius,' was a gambler, and the convivial companion
      of Fox. During the short administration of that statesman he was made a
      Knight of the Bath. One evening, Roger Wilbraham came up to the Whist
      table, at Brookes', where Sir Philip, who for the first time wore the
      ribbon of the Order, was engaged in a rubber, and thus accosted him.
      Laying hold of the ribbon, and examining it for some time, he said:&mdash;'So,
      this is the way they have rewarded you at last; they have given you a
      little bit of red ribbon for your services, Sir Philip, have they? A
      pretty bit of red ribbon to hang about your neck; and that satisfies you,
      does it? Now, I wonder what I shall have. What do you think they will give
      me, Sir Philip?' The newly-made knight, who had twenty-five guineas
      depending on the rubber, and who was not very well pleased at the
      interruption, suddenly turned round, and looking at him fiercely,
      exclaimed, 'A halter, and be,' &amp;c.
    </p>
    <p>
      THE REV. CALEB C. COLTON.
    </p>
    <p>
      Unquestionably this reverend gentleman was one of the most lucky of
      gamesters&mdash;having died in full possession of the gifts vouchsafed to
      him by the goddess of fortune.
    </p>
    <p>
      He was educated at Eton, graduated at King's College, Cambridge, as
      Bachelor of Arts in 1801, and Master of Arts in 1804, and obtained a
      fellowship, having also a curacy at Tiverton, held conjointly. Some six
      years after he appeared in print as a denouncer of a 'ghost story,' and in
      1812, as the author of 'Hypocrisy,' a satirical poem, and 'Napoleon,' a
      poem. In 1818 he was presented by his college to the vicarage of Kew with
      Petersham, in Surrey. Two years after he established a literary reputation&mdash;lasting
      to the present time&mdash;by the publication of a volume of aphorisms or
      maxims, under the title of 'LACON; or, Many Things in Few Words.' This
      work is very far from original, being founded mainly on Lord Bacon's
      celebrated Essays, and Burdon's 'Materials for Thinking,' La Bruyiere, and
      De la Rochefoucault; still it is highly creditable to the abilities of the
      writer. It has passed through several editions; and even at the present
      time its only rival is, 'The Guesses at Truth,' although we have numerous
      collections of apothegmatic extracts from authors, a class of works which
      is not without its fascination, if readers are inclined to <i>THINK.</i>(129)
    </p>
    <p>
      (129) The first work I published was of this kind, and entitled, 'Gems of
      Genius; or, Words of the Wise, with extracts from the Diary of a Young
      Man,' in 1838.
    </p>
    <p>
      Two years after he returned to his 'Napoleon,' which he republished, with
      extensive additions, under the new title of 'The Conflagration of Moscow.
    </p>
    <p>
      It would appear that Colton at this period gave in to the fashionable
      gaming of the day; at any rate, he dabbled deeply in Spanish bonds, became
      involved in pecuniary difficulties, and, without investigating his affairs
      closely&mdash;which might have been easily arranged&mdash;he absconded.
    </p>
    <p>
      He subsequently made appearance, in order to retain his living; but in
      1828 he lost it, a successor being appointed by his college. He then went
      to the United States of America; what he did there is not on record; but
      he subsequently returned to Europe, went to Paris, took up his abode in
      the Palais Royal, and&mdash;devoted his talents to the mysteries of the
      gaming table, by which he was so successful that in the course of a year
      or two he won L25,000!
    </p>
    <p>
      Oddly enough, one of his 'maxims' in his Lacon runs as follows: 'The
      gamester, if he die a martyr to his profession, is doubly ruined. He adds
      his soul to every other loss, and, by the act of suicide, renounces earth,
      to forfeit heaven.'
    </p>
    <p>
      It has been suggested that this was writing his own epitaph, and it would
      appear so from the notices of the man in most of the biographies; but
      nothing could be further from the fact. Caleb Colton managed to <i>KEEP</i>
      his gambling fortune, and what is more, devoted it to a worthy purpose.
      Part of his wealth he employed in forming a picture-gallery; and he
      printed at Paris, for private distribution, an ode on the death of Lord
      Byron. He certainly committed suicide, but the act was not the gamester's
      martyrdom. He was afflicted by a disease which necessitated some painful
      surgical operation, and rather than submit to it, he blew out his brains,
      at the house of a friend, at Fontainebleau, in 1832.(130)
    </p>
    <p>
      (130) Gent. Mag. New Month. Mag. Gorton's Gen. Biograph. Dict.
    </p>
    <p>
      BEAU BRUMMELL.
    </p>
    <p>
      This singular man was an inveterate gambler, and for some time very
      'lucky;' but the reaction came at last; the stakes were too high, and the
      purses of his companions too long for him to stand against any continued
      run of bad luck; indeed, the play at Wattier's, which was very deep,
      eventually ruined the club, as well as Brummell and several other members
      of it; a certain baronet now living, according to Captain Jesse, is
      asserted to have lost ten thousand pounds there at <i>Ecarte</i> at one
      sitting.(131)
    </p>
    <p>
      (131) Life of Beau Brummell.
    </p>
    <p>
      The season of 1814 saw Brummell a winner, and a loser likewise&mdash;and
      this time he lost not only his winnings, but 'an unfortunate ten thousand
      pounds,' which, when relating the circumstance to a friend many years
      afterwards, he said was all that remained at his banker's. One night&mdash;the
      fifth of a most relentless run of ill-luck&mdash;his friend Pemberton
      Mills heard him exclaim that he had lost every shilling, and only wished
      some one would bind him never to play again:&mdash;'I will,' said Mills;
      and taking out a ten-pound note he offered it to Brummell on condition
      that he should forfeit a thousand if he played at White's within a month
      from that evening. The Beau took it, and for a few days discontinued
      coming to the club; but about a fortnight after Mills, happening to go in,
      saw him hard at work. Of course the thousand pounds was forfeited; but his
      friend, instead of claiming it, merely went up to him and, touching him
      gently on the shoulder, said&mdash;'Well, Brummell, you may at least give
      me back the ten pounds you had the other night.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the members who indulged in high play at Brookes' Club was Alderman
      Combe, the brewer, who is said to have made as much money in this way as
      he did by brewing. One evening whilst he filled the office of Lord Mayor,
      he was busy at a full Hazard table at Brookes', where the wit and the
      dice-box circulated together with great glee, and where Beau Brummell was
      one of the party. 'Come, Mash-tub,' said Brummell, who was the <i>caster</i>,
      'what do you <i>set?</i>' 'Twenty-five guineas,' answered the Alderman.
      'Well, then,' returned the Beau, 'have at the mare's pony' (a gaming term
      for 25 guineas). He continued to throw until he drove home the brewer's
      twelve ponies running; and then getting up, and making him a low bow,
      whilst pocketing the cash, he said&mdash;'Thank you, Alderman; for the
      future I shall never drink any porter but yours.' 'I wish, sir,' replied
      the brewer, 'that every other blackguard in London would tell me the
      same.'(132)
    </p>
    <p>
      (132) Jesse, <i>ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following occurrence must have caused a 'sensation' to poor Brummell.
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the members of Wattier's Club was Bligh, a notorious madman, of whom
      Mr Raikes relates:&mdash;'One evening at the Macao table, when the play
      was very deep, Brummell, having lost a considerable stake, affected, in
      his farcical way, a very tragic air, and cried out&mdash;"Waiter, bring me
      a flat candlestick and a pistol." Upon which Bligh, who was sitting
      opposite to him, calmly produced two loaded pistols from his coat pocket,
      which he placed on the table, and said, "Mr Brummell, if you are really
      desirous to put a period to your existence, I am extremely happy to offer
      you the means without troubling the waiter." The effect upon those present
      may easily be imagined, at finding themselves in the company of a known
      madman who had loaded weapons about him.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Brummell was at last completely beggared, though for some time he
      continued to hold on by the help of funds raised on the mutual security of
      himself and his friends, some of whom were not in a much more flourishing
      condition than himself; their names, however, and still more, their
      expectations, lent a charm to their bills, in the eyes of the usurers, and
      money was procured, of course at ruinous interest. It is said that some
      unpleasant circumstances, connected with the division of one of these
      loans, occasioned the Beau's expatriation, and that a personal altercation
      took place between Brummell and a certain Mr M&mdash;, when that gentleman
      accused him of taking the lion's share.
    </p>
    <p>
      He died in utter poverty, and an idiot, at Caen, in the year 1840, aged 62
      years. Brummell had a very odd way of accounting for the sad change which
      took place in his affairs. He said that up to a particular period of his
      life everything prospered with him, and that he attributed good luck to
      the possession of a certain silver sixpence with a hole in it, which
      somebody had given him years before, with an injunction to take good care
      of it, as everything would go well with him so long as he did, and the
      reverse if he happened to lose it. The promised prosperity attended him
      for many years, whilst he held the sixpence fast; but having at length, in
      an evil hour, unfortunately given it by mistake to a hackney-coachman, a
      complete reverse of his previous good fortune ensued, till actual ruin
      overtook him at last, and obliged him to expatriate himself. 'On my asking
      him,' says the narrator, 'why he did not advertise and offer a reward for
      the lost treasure; he said, "I did, and twenty people came with sixpences
      having holes in them to obtain the promised reward, but mine was not
      amongst them!" And you never afterwards,' said I, 'ascertained what became
      of it? "Oh yes," he replied, "no doubt that rascal Rothschild, or some of
      his set, got hold of it."' Whatever poor Brummell's supernatural
      tendencies may have generally been, he had unquestionably a superstitious
      veneration for his lost sixpence.
    </p>
    <p>
      TOM DUNCOMBE.
    </p>
    <p>
      Tom Duncombe graduated and took honours among the greatest gamblers of the
      day. Like Fox, he was heir to a good fortune&mdash;ten or twelve thousand
      a year&mdash;the whole of which he managed to anticipate before he was
      thirty. 'Tom Duncombe ran Charles Fox close. When Mr Duncombe, sen., of
      Copgrove, caused his prodigal son's debts to be estimated with a view to
      their settlement, they were found to exceed L135,000;(133) and the hopeful
      heir went on adding to them till all possibility of extrication was at an
      end. But he spent his money (or other people's money), so long as he had
      any, like a gentleman; his heart was open like his hand; he was generous,
      cordial, high-spirited; and his expectations&mdash;till they were known to
      be discounted to the uttermost farthing&mdash;kept up his credit, improved
      his social position, and gained friends. "Society" (says his son) "opened
      its arms to the possessor of a good name and the inheritor of a good
      estate. Paterfamiliases and Materfamiliases rivalled each other in
      endeavouring to make things pleasant in their households for his
      particular delectation, especially if they had grown-up daughters;
      hospitable hosts invited him to dinner, fashionable matrons to balls;
      political leaders sought to secure him as a partisan; <i>DEBUTANTES</i> of
      the season endeavoured to attract him as an admirer; <i>TRADESMEN THRONGED
      TO HIS DOORSTEPS FOR HIS CUSTOM</i>, and his table was daily covered with
      written applications for his patronage." <i>Noblesse oblige;</i> and so
      does fashion. The aspirant had confessedly a hard time of it. "He must be
      seen at Tattersall's as well as at Almack's; be more frequent in
      attendance in the green-room of the theatre than at a <i>levee</i> in the
      palace; show as much readiness to enter into a pigeon-match at Battersea
      Red House, as into a flirtation in May Fair; distinguish himself in the
      hunting-field as much as at the dinner-table; and make as effective an
      appearance in the park as in the senate; in short, he must be everything&mdash;not
      by turns, but all at once&mdash;sportsman, exquisite, gourmand, rake,
      senator, and at least a dozen other variations of the man of fashion,&mdash;his
      changes of character being often quicker than those attempted by certain
      actors who nightly undertake the performance of an entire <i>dramatis
      personae</i>."'
    </p>
    <p>
      (133) It will be remembered that when Fox's debts were in like manner
      estimated they amounted to L140,000: the coincidence is curious. See ante.
    </p>
    <p>
      Tommy Duncombe was not only indefatigable at Crockford's, but at every
      other rendezvous of the votaries of fortune; a skilful player withal, and
      not unfrequently a winner beyond expectation. One night at Crockford's he
      astonished the house by carrying off sixteen hundred pounds. He frequently
      played at cards with Count D'Orsay, from whom, it is said, he invariably
      managed to win&mdash;the Count persisting in playing with his pleasant
      companion, although warned by others that he would never be a match for
      'Honest Tommy Duncombe.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Tom Duncombe died poor, but, says his son, 'rich in the memory of those
      who esteemed him, as Honest Tom Duncombe.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Perhaps the best thing the son could have done was to leave his father's
      memory at rest in the estimation of 'those who esteemed him;' but having
      dragged his name once more, and prominently, before a censorious world, he
      can scarcely resent the following estimate of Tom Duncombe, by a
      well-informed reviewer in the <i>Times</i>. Alluding to the concluding
      summary of the father's character and doings, this keen writer passes a
      sentence which is worth preserving:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Much of this would do for a patriot and philanthropist of the highest
      class&mdash;for a Pym, a Hampden, or a Wilberforce; or, we could fancy, a
      son of Andrew Marvell, vowing over his grave "to endeavour to imitate the
      virtues and emulate the self-sacrificing patriotism of so estimable a
      parent, and so good a man." But we can hardly fancy, we cannot leave, a
      son of Duncombe in such a frame of mind. We cannot say to <i>HIM</i>&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      Macte nova virtute, puer; sic itur ad astra. "In virtue renewed go on;
      thus to the skies we go."
    </p>
    <p>
      We are unfeignedly reluctant to check a filial effusion, or to tell
      disagreeable truths; but there are occasions when a sense of public duty
      imperatively requires them to be told.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Why did this exemplary parent die poor? When did he abandon the
      allurements of a patrician circle? He died poor because he wasted a fine
      fortune. If he abandoned a patrician circle, it was because he was tired
      of it, or thought he could make a better thing of democracy. If he
      conquered his passions, it was, like St Evremond&mdash;by indulging them.
    </p>
    <p>
      '"Honest Tom Duncombe!" We never heard him so designated before except in
      pleasantry. "As honest as any man living, that is an old man, and not
      honester than I." We cannot go further than Verges; it is a stretch of
      charity to go so far when we call to mind the magnificent reversion and
      the French jobs. A ruined spendthrift, although he may have many good
      qualities, can never, strictly speaking, be termed honest. It is absurd to
      say of him that he is nobody's enemy but his own&mdash;with family,
      friends, and tradespeople paying the penalty for his self-indulgence. He
      must be satisfied to be called honourable&mdash;to be charged with no
      transgression of the law of honour; which Paley defines as "a system of
      rules constructed by people of fashion, and calculated to facilitate their
      intercourse with one another, <i>AND FOR NO OTHER PURPOSE</i>."
    </p>
    <p>
      'There was one quality of honesty, however, which "honest Tom Duncombe"
      did possess. He was not a hypocrite. He was not devoid of right feeling.
      He had plenty of good sense; and it would have given him a sickening pang
      on his death-bed to think that his frailties were to be perpetuated by his
      descendants; that he was to be pointed out as a shining star to guide,
      instead of a beacon-fire to warn. "No," he would have said, if he could
      have anticipated this most ill-chosen, however well-intentioned, tribute,
      "spare me this terrible irony. Do not provoke the inevitable retort. Say
      of me, if you must say anything, that I was not a bad man, though an
      erring one; that I was kindly disposed towards my fellow-creatures; that I
      did some good in my generation, and was able and willing to do more, but
      that I heedlessly wasted time, money, health, intellect, personal gifts,
      social advantages and opportunities; that my career was a failure, and my
      whole scheme of life a melancholy mistake."'(134)
    </p>
    <p>
      (134) <i>Times</i>, Jan. 7, 1868.
    </p>
    <p>
      This is a terrible rejoinder to a son endeavouring to raise a monument to
      his beloved and respected parent. But, if we will rake up rottenness from
      the grave&mdash;rottenness in which we are interested&mdash;we must take
      our chance whether we shall find a Hamlet who will say, 'Alas! poor
      Yorick!' and say <i>NO MORE</i> than the musing Dane upon the occasion.
    </p>
    <p>
      WAS THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON A GAMESTER?
    </p>
    <p>
      A few years after the battle of Waterloo there appeared a French work
      entitled '<i>L'Academie des Jeux</i>, par Philidor,' which was soon
      translated into English, and here published under the title of 'Rouge et
      Noir; or, the Academies.' It was a denunciation of gambling in all its
      varieties, and was, no doubt, well-intentioned. There was, however, in the
      publication the following astounding statement:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Not long ago the carriage of the heir-apparent to the T***** of England,
      in going to his B****'s levee, was arrested for debt in the open street.
      That great captain, who gained, if not laurels, an immense treasure, on
      the plains of Wa****oo, besides that fortune transmitted to him by the
      English people, was impoverished in a few months by this ignoble passion.'
    </p>
    <p>
      There can be no doubt that the alleged gambling of the great warrior and
      statesman was the public scandal of the day, as appears by the duke's own
      letters on the subject, published in the last volume of his <i>Dispatches</i>.
      Even the eminent counsel, Mr Adolphus, thought proper to allude to the
      report in one of his speeches at the bar. This called forth the following
      letter from the duke to Mr Adolphus:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      '17 Sept., 1823. 'The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to Mr
      Adolphus, and encloses him the "Morning Chronicle" of Friday, the 12th
      instant, to which the duke's attention has just been called, in which Mr
      Adolphus will observe that he is stated to have represented the duke as a
      person <i>KNOWN SOMETIMES TO PLAY AT HAZARD, WHO MIGHT BE COMMITTED AS A
      ROGUE AND VAGABOND</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The duke concludes that this paper contains a correct statement of what
      Mr Adolphus said upon the occasion, and he assures Mr Adolphus that he
      would not trouble him upon the subject if circumstances did not exist
      which rendered this communication desirable.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Some years have elapsed since the public have been informed, <i>FROM THE
      VERY BEST AUTHORITY</i>, that the duke had totally ruined himself at play;
      and Mr Adolphus was present upon one occasion when a witness swore that he
      had heard the duke was constantly obliged to sell the offices in the
      Ordnance himself, instead of allowing them to be sold by others!! The duke
      has suffered some inconvenience from this report in a variety of ways, and
      he is anxious that at least it should not be repeated by a gentleman of
      such celebrity and authority as Mr Adolphus.
    </p>
    <p>
      'He therefore assures Mr Adolphus that in the whole course of his life he
      never won or lost L20 at any game, and that he never played at Hazard, or
      any game of chance, in any public place or club, nor been for some years
      at all at any such place.
    </p>
    <p>
      'From these circumstances, Mr Adolphus will see that there is no ground
      for making use of the duke's name as an example of a person <i>KNOWN
      SOMETIMES TO PLAY AT HAZARD, WHO MIGHT BE COMMITTED AS A ROGUE AND
      VAGABOND</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>Mr Adolphus to Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Percy Street, 21st Sept., 1823.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Mr Adolphus has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of a note from his
      Grace the Duke of Wellington, and would have done so yesterday, but was
      detained in court till a late hour in the evening. Mr Adolphus is
      extremely sorry that any expression used by him should have occasioned a
      moment's uneasiness to the Duke of Wellington. Mr Adolphus cannot deny
      that the report in the "Chronicle" is accurate, so far as it recites his
      mere words; but the scope of his argument, and the intended sense of his
      expression, was, that if the Vagrant Act were to receive the extensive
      construction contended for, the most illustrious subject of the realm
      might be degraded to the condition of the most abject and worthless, for
      an act in itself indifferent&mdash;and which, until the times had assumed
      a character of affected rigour, was considered rather as a proof of good
      society than as an offence against good order. Mr Adolphus is, however,
      perfectly sensible that his illustration in his Grace's person was in all
      respects improper, and, considering the matters to which his Grace has
      adverted, peculiarly unfortunate Mr Adolphus feels with regret that any
      public expression of his sentiments on this subject in the newspapers
      would not abate, but much increase, the evil. Should an opportunity ever
      present itself of doing it naturally and without affectation, Mr Adolphus
      would most readily explain, in speaking at the bar, the error he had
      committed; but it is very unlikely that there should exist an occasion of
      which he can avail himself with a due regard to delicacy. Mr Adolphus
      relies, however, on the Duke of Wellington's exalted mind for credit to
      his assurance that he never meant to treat his name but with the respect
      due to his Grace's exalted rank and infinitely higher renown.'
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>To Mr Adolphus</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Woolford, 23rd Sept., 1823.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to Mr Adolphus, and
      assures Mr Adolphus that he is convinced that Mr Adolphus never intended
      to reflect injuriously upon him. If the duke had believed that Mr Adolphus
      could have entertained such an intention he would not have addressed him.
      The duke troubles Mr Adolphus again upon this subject, as, in consequence
      of the editor of the "Morning Chronicle" having thought proper to advert
      to this subject in a paragraph published on the 18th instant, the duke has
      referred the paper of that date and that of the 12th to the Attorney and
      Solicitor-general, his counsel, to consider whether the editor ought not
      to be prosecuted.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The duke requests, therefore, that Mr Adolphus will not notice the
      subject in the way he proposes until the gentlemen above mentioned will
      have decided upon the advice which they will give the duke.'(135)
    </p>
    <p>
      (135) 'Dispatches,' vol. ii. part i.
    </p>
    <p>
      The result was, however, that the matter was allowed to drop, as the duke
      was advised by his counsel that the paragraph in the "Morning Chronicle,"
      though vile, was not actionable. The positive declaration of the duke,
      'that in the whole course of his life he never won or lost L20 at any
      game, and that he never played at Hazard, or any game of chance, in any
      public place or club, nor been for some years at all at any such place,'
      should set the matter at rest. Certainly the duke was afterwards an
      original member of Crockford's Club, founded in 1827, but, unlike Blucher,
      who repeatedly lost everything at play, 'The Great Captain,' as Mr Timbs
      puts it, 'was never known to play deep at any game but war or
      politics.'(136)
    </p>
    <p>
      (136) Club Life in London.
    </p>
    <p>
      This remarkable deference to private character and public opinion, on the
      part of the Duke of Wellington, is in wonderful contrast with the easy
      morality of the Old Bailey advocate, Mr Adolphus, who did not hesitate to
      declare gambling 'an act in itself indifferent&mdash;and which, until the
      times had assumed a character of <i>AFFECTED</i> rigour, was considered
      rather as a proof of good society than as an offence against good order.'
      This averment of so distinguished a man may, perhaps, mitigate the horror
      we now feel of the gambling propensities of our ancestors; and it is a
      proof of some sort of advancement in morals, or good taste, to know that
      no modern advocate would dare to utter such a sentiment.
    </p>
    <p>
      Other great names have been associated with gambling; thus Mr T. H.
      Duncombe says, speaking of Crockford's soon after its foundation:&mdash;'Sir
      St Vincent Cotton (Lord Combermere), Lord Fitzroy Somerset (Raglan), the
      Marquis of Anglesey, Sir Hussey Vivian, Wilson Croker, <i>Disraeli</i>,
      Horace Twiss, Copley, George Anson, and George Payne <i>WERE PRETTY SURE
      OF BEING PRESENT</i>, many of them playing high.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Respecting this statement the <i>Times'</i>(137) reviewer observes:&mdash;'We
      do not know what the Chancellor of the Exchequer will say to this. Mr
      Wilson Croker (who affected great strictness) would have fainted away. But
      the authority of a writer who does not know Sir St Vincent Cotton (the
      ex-driver of the Brighton coach) from Sir <i>Stapleton</i> Cotton (the
      Peninsular hero) will go for little in such matters; and as for Copley,
      Lord Lyndhurst (just then promoted from the Rolls to the Woolsack), why
      not say at once that he attended the nocturnal sittings at Crockford's in
      his robes.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (137) Jan. 7, 1868.
    </p>
    <p>
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    <h2>
      CHAPTER XII. REMARKABLE GAMESTERS. &mdash;&mdash;MONSIEUR CHEVALIER.
    </h2>
    <p>
      Monsieur CHevalier, Captain of the Grenadiers in the first regiment of
      Foot Guards, in the time of Charles II. of England, was a native of
      Normandy. In his younger days he was page to the Duchess of Orleans; but
      growing too big for that service, he came to England to seek his fortune,
      and by some good luck and favour became an ensign in the first regiment of
      Foot Guards. His pay, however, being insufficient to maintain him, he felt
      compelled to become a gamester, or rather to resort to a practice in which
      doubtless he had been early initiated at the Court of France; and he
      managed so well that he was soon enabled to keep up an equipage much above
      his station.
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the 'bubbles' who had the misfortune to fall into Chevalier's hands,
      was a certain nobleman, who lost a larger sum to him than he could
      conveniently pay down, and asked for time, to which Chevalier assented,
      and in terms so courteous and obliging that the former, a fortnight after,
      in order to let him see that he remembered his civility, came one morning
      and told Chevalier that he had a company of Foot to dispose of, and if it
      was worth his while, it should be at his service. Nothing could be more
      acceptable to Chevalier, who at once closed for the bargain, and got his
      commission signed the same day. Besides the fact that it was a time of
      peace, Chevalier knew well that the military title of Captain was a very
      good cloak to shelter under.
    </p>
    <p>
      He knew that a man of no employment or any visible income, who appears and
      lives like a gentleman, and makes gaming his constant business, is always
      suspected of not playing for diversion only; and, in short, of knowing and
      practising more than he should do.
    </p>
    <p>
      Chevalier once won 20 guineas from mad Ogle, the Life-guardsman, who,
      understanding that the former had bit him, called him to account,
      demanding either his money back, or satisfaction in the field. Chevalier,
      having always courage enough to maintain what he did, chose the latter.
      Ogle fought him in Hyde Park, and wounded him through the sword arm, and
      got back his money. After this they were always good friends, playing
      several comical tricks, one of which is as follows, strikingly
      illustrating the manners of the times.
    </p>
    <p>
      Chevalier and Ogle meeting one day in Fleet Street jostled for the wall,
      which they strove to take of each other, whereupon words arising between
      them, they drew swords, and pushed very hard at one another; but were
      prevented, by the great crowd which gathered about them, from doing any
      mischief. Ogle, seeming still to resent the affront, cried to Chevalier,
      'If you are a gentleman, pray follow me.' The French hero accepted the
      challenge; so going together up Bell Yard and through Lincoln's Inn, with
      some hundreds of the mob at their heels, as soon as the seeming
      adversaries were got into Lincoln's Inn Fields, they both fell a running
      as fast as they could, with their swords drawn, up towards Lord Powis's
      house, which was then building, and leaped into a saw-pit. The rabble
      presently ran after them, to part them again, and feared mischief would be
      done before they could get up to them, but when they arrived at the
      saw-pit, they saw Chevalier at one side of it and Ogle at the other,
      sitting together as lovingly as if they had never fallen out at all. And
      then the mob was so incensed at this trick put upon them, that had not
      some gentlemen accidentally come by, they would have knocked them both on
      the head with brickbats.
    </p>
    <p>
      Chevalier had an excellent knack at cogging a die, and such command in the
      throwing, that, chalking a circle on a table, with its circumference no
      bigger than a shilling, he would, at above the distance of one foot, throw
      a die exactly into it, which should be either ace, deuce, trey, or what he
      pleased.
    </p>
    <p>
      Aubrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford, was a great gambler of the time, and often
      practised dice-throwing in his shirt during the morning until he fancied
      himself in luck, when he would proceed to try his fortune with Chevalier;
      but the dexterity of the latter always convinced the earl that no
      certainty lies on the good success which may be fancied as likely to
      result from play in jest. Chevalier won a great deal of money from that
      peer, 'who lost most of his estate at gaming before he died, and which
      ought to be a warning to all noblemen.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Chevalier was a skilful sharper, and thoroughly up in the art and mystery
      of loading dice with quicksilver; but having been sometimes detected in
      his sharping tricks, he was obliged 'to look on the point of the sword,
      with which being often wounded, latterly he declined fighting, if there
      were any way of escape.' Having once 'choused,' or cheated, a Mr
      Levingstone, page of honour to King James II., out of 50 guineas, the
      latter gave the captain a challenge to fight him next day behind Montague
      House&mdash;a locality long used for the purpose of duelling. Chevalier
      seemingly accepted the challenge, and next morning, Levingstone going to
      Chevalier's lodging, whom he found in bed, put him in mind of what he was
      come about. Chevalier, with the greatest air of courage imaginable, rose,
      and having dressed himself, said to Levingstone&mdash;'Me must beg de
      favour of you to stay a few minutes, sir, while I step into my closet
      dere, for as me be going about one desperate piece of work, it is very
      requisite for me to say a small prayer or two.' Accordingly Mr Levingstone
      consented to wait whilst Chevalier retired to his closet to pray; but
      hearing the conclusion of his prayer to end with these words&mdash;'Me
      verily believe spilling man's blood is one ver' great sin, wherefore I
      hope all de saints will interced vid de Virgin for my once killing
      Monsieur de Blotieres at Rochelle,&mdash;my killing Chevalier de Cominge
      at Brest,&mdash;killing Major de Tierceville at Lyons,&mdash;killing
      Lieutenant du Marche Falliere at Paris, with half a dozen other men in
      France; so, being also sure of killing him I'm now going to fight, me hope
      his forcing me to shed his blood will not be laid to my charge;'&mdash;quoth
      Levingstone to himself&mdash;'And are you then so sure of me? But I'll
      engage you shan't&mdash;for if you are such a devil at killing men, you
      shall go and fight yourself and be &mdash;&mdash;.' Whereupon he made what
      haste he could away, and shortly Chevalier coming out of the closet and
      finding Levingstone not in the room, was very glad of his absence.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Some time after, Chevalier was called to account by another gentleman.
      They met at the appointed hour in Chelsea Fields, when Chevalier said to
      his adversary&mdash;'Pray, sir, for what do we fight?' The gentleman
      replied&mdash;'For honour and reputation.' Thereupon Chevalier pulling a
      halter out of his pocket, and throwing it between him and his antagonist,
      exclaimed&mdash;'Begar, sir, we only fight for dis one piece of rope&mdash;so
      e'en <i>WIN IT AND WEAR IT</i>.' The effect of this jest was so great on
      his adversary that swords were put up, and they went home together good
      friends.
    </p>
    <p>
      Chevalier continued his sharping courses for about fourteen years, running
      a reckless race, 'sometimes with much money, sometimes with little, but
      always as lavish in spending as he was covetous in getting it; until at
      last King James ascending the throne, the Duke of Monmouth raised a
      rebellion in the West of England, where, in a skirmish between the
      Royalists and Rebels, he was shot in the back, and the wound thought to be
      given by one of his own men, to whom he had always been a most cruel,
      harsh officer, whilst a captain of the Grenadiers of the Foot Guards. He
      was sensible himself how he came by this misfortune; for when he was
      carried to his tent mortally wounded, and the Duke of Albemarle came to
      visit him, he said to his Grace&mdash;'Dis was none of my foe dat shot me
      in the back.' 'He was none of your friend that shot you,' the duke
      replied.
    </p>
    <p>
      So dying within a few hours after, he was interred in a field near Philip
      Norton Lane, as the old chronicler says&mdash;'much <i>UN</i>lamented by
      all who knew him.'(138)
    </p>
    <p>
      (138) Lucas, <i>Memoirs of Gamesters and Sharpers</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      JOHN HIGDEN.
    </p>
    <p>
      This gambler, who flourished towards the end of the 17th century, was
      descended from a very good family in the West of England. In his younger
      days he was a member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, but
      his inclinations being incompatible with close study of the law, he soon
      quitted the inns of court and went into the army. He obtained not only a
      commission in the first regiment of Boot Guards, but a commission of the
      peace for the county of Middlesex, in which he continued for three or four
      years as Justice Higden. He was very great at dice; and one night he and
      another of his fraternity going to a gaming house, Higden drew a chair and
      sat down, but as often as the box came to him he passed it, and remained
      only as a spectator; but at last one of the players said to him pertly,
      'Sir, if you won't play, what do you sit there for?' Upon which Higden
      snatched up the dice-box and said, 'Set me what you will and I'll throw at
      it.' One of the gentlemen set him two guineas, which he won, and then set
      him four, which he 'nicked' also. The rest of the gentlemen took the part
      of the loser, and set to Higden, who, by some art and some good luck, won
      120 guineas; and presently, after throwing out, rose from the table and
      went to his companion by the fireside, who asked him how he durst be so
      audacious as to play, knowing he had not a shilling in his pocket? One of
      the losers overhearing what was said, exclaimed, 'How's that&mdash;you had
      no money when you began to play?' 'That's no matter,' replied Higden, 'I
      have enough <i>NOW;</i> and if you had won of me, you must have been
      contented to have kicked, buffeted, or pumped me, and you would have done
      it as long as you liked. Besides, sir, I am a soldier, and have often
      faced the mouths of thundering cannons for <i>EIGHT SHILLINGS A DAY</i>,
      and do you think I would not hazard the tossing of a blanket for the money
      I have won to-night?'
    </p>
    <p>
      'All the parties wondered at his confidence, but he laughed heartily at
      their folly and his good fortune, and so marched off with a light heart
      and a heavy purse.' Afterwards, 'to make himself as miserable as he could,
      he turned poet, went to Ireland, published a play or two, and shortly
      after he died very poor, in 1703.'(139)
    </p>
    <p>
      (139) <i>ubi supra.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      MONSIEUR GERMAIN.
    </p>
    <p>
      This gambler was of low birth, his parents keeping an ordinary in Holland,
      where he was born, as stated by the old chronicler, 'in the happy
      Revolution of 1688.'
    </p>
    <p>
      His career is remarkable on account of his connection with Lady Mary
      Mordaunt, wife of 'the Duke of Norfolk, who, proving her guilty of
      adultery, was divorced from her. She then lived publicly with Germain.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This Germain was the first to introduce what was called the <i>Spanish
      Whist</i>, stated to be 'a mere bite, performed after this manner:&mdash;Having
      a pack of cards, the four treys are privately laid on the top of them,
      under them an ace, and next to that a deuce; then, letting your adversary
      cut the cards, you do not pack them, but deal all of them that are cut
      off, one at a time, between you; then, taking up the other parcel of
      cards, you deal more cards, giving yourself two treys and a deuce, and to
      the other persons two treys and an ace, when, laying the remainder of the
      cards down&mdash;wherein are allowed no trumps, but only the highest cards
      win&mdash;so they are but of the same suit, whilst you are playing, giving
      your antagonist all you can, as though it is not in your power to prevent
      him. You seem to fret, and cry you have good <i>put-cards;</i> he, having
      two treys and an ace, will be apt to lay a wager with you that you cannot
      have better than he; then you binding the wager, he soon sees his mistake.
      But in this trick you must observe to put the other three deuces under
      yours when you deal.'
    </p>
    <p>
      It seems that this Monsieur Germain is not only remarkable for the above
      precious addition to human knowledge, but also on account of his
      expertness at the game of <i>Ombre</i>, celebrated and so elegantly
      described by Pope in his 'Rape of the Lock.'
    </p>
    <p>
      He appears to have lived with the Duchess of Norfolk ever after the
      divorce; and he died a little after Lady Mary, in 1712, aged 46
      years.(140)
    </p>
    <p>
      (140) <i>ubi supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      TOM HUGHES.
    </p>
    <p>
      This Irishman was born in Dublin, and was the son of a respectable
      tradesman. Falling into dissipated company, he soon left the city to try
      his fortune in London, where he played very deep and very successfully.
    </p>
    <p>
      He threw away his gains as fast as he made them, chiefly among the frail
      sisterhood, at a notorious house in those days, in the Piazza, Covent
      Garden. He frequented Carlisle House in Soho Square, and was a proprietor
      of E O tables kept by a Dr Graham in Pall Mall.
    </p>
    <p>
      He had a rencontre, in consequence of a dispute at play, and was wounded.
      The meeting took place under the Piazza, and his antagonist's sword struck
      a rib, which counteracted its dangerous effect.
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon afterwards he won L3000 from a young man just of age, who made over
      to him a landed estate for the amount, and he was shortly after admitted a
      member of the Jockey Club.
    </p>
    <p>
      His fortune now changed, and falling into the hands of Old Pope, the
      money-lender, he was not long before he had to transfer his estate to him.
    </p>
    <p>
      After many ups and downs he became an inmate of the spunging-house of the
      infamous Scoldwell, who was afterwards transported. He actually used his
      prison as a gaming house, to which his infatuated friends resorted; but
      his means failed, his friends cooled, and he was removed 'over the water,'
      from which he was only released by the Insolvent Act, with a broken
      constitution. Arrest soon restored him to his old habitation, a lock-up
      house, where he died so poor, a victim to grief, misery, and disease, that
      he did not leave enough to pay for a coffin, which was procured by his
      quondam friend, Mr Thornton, at whose cost he was buried. Perhaps more
      than half a million of money had 'passed through his hands.'
    </p>
    <p>
      ANDREWS, THE GREAT BILLIARD-PLAYER.
    </p>
    <p>
      Andrews was reckoned so theoretically and practically perfect at the game
      of Billiards that he had no equal except Abraham Carter, who kept the
      tables at the corner of the Piazza, Russell Street, Covent Garden.
    </p>
    <p>
      He one night won of Colonel W&mdash;&mdash;e about a thousand pounds; and
      the Colonel appointed to meet him next day to transact for stock
      accordingly. Going in a hackney-coach to the Bank of England for this
      purpose, they tossed up who should pay for the coach. Andrews lost&mdash;and
      positively on this small beginning he was excited to continue betting,
      until he lost the whole sum he had won the night before! When the coachman
      stopped he was ordered to drive them back again, as they had no occasion
      to get out!
    </p>
    <p>
      Thus, in a few years, Hazard and other games of chance stripped him of his
      immense winnings at Billiards, and he had nothing left but a small
      annuity, fortunately for him so settled that he could not dispose of it&mdash;though
      he made every effort to do so!
    </p>
    <p>
      He afterwards retired in the county of Kent, and was heard to declare that
      he never knew contentment when wallowing in riches; but that since he was
      compelled to live on a scanty pittance, he was one of the happiest men in
      the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      WHIG MIDDLETON.
    </p>
    <p>
      Whig Middleton was a tall, handsome, fashionable man, with an adequate
      fortune. He one night had a run of ill-luck at Arthur's, and lost about a
      thousand guineas. Lord Montford, in the gaming phrase, asked him what he
      would do or what he would not do, to get home? 'My lord,' said he,
      'prescribe your own terms.'
    </p>
    <p>
      'Then,' resumed Lord Montford, 'dress directly opposite to the fashion for
      ten years. Will you agree to it?' Middleton said that he would, and kept
      his word. Nay, he died nine years afterwards so unfashionably that he did
      not owe a tradesman a farthing&mdash;left some playing debts unliquidated,
      and his coat and wig were of the cut of Queen Anne's reign.
    </p>
    <p>
      Lord Montford is said to have died in a very different but quite
      fashionable manner.
    </p>
    <p>
      CAPTAIN CAMPBELL.
    </p>
    <p>
      Captain Campbell, of the Guards, was a natural son of the Duke of &mdash;&mdash;.
      He lost a thousand guineas to a Shark, which he could not pay. Being
      questioned by the duke one day at dinner as to the cause of his dejection,
      he reluctantly confessed the fact. 'Sir,' said his Grace, 'you do not owe
      a farthing to the blackguard. My steward settled with him this morning for
      <i>TEN</i> guineas, and he was glad to take them, only saying&mdash;"I was
      damned far North, and it was well it was no worse."'
    </p>
    <p>
      WROTHESLY, DUKE OF BEDFORD.
    </p>
    <p>
      Wrothesly, Duke of Bedford, was the subject of a conspiracy at Bath,
      formed by several first-rate sharpers, among whom were the manager of a
      theatre, and Beau Nash, master of the ceremonies. After being plundered of
      above L70,000 at Hazard, his Grace rose in a passion, put the dice in his
      pocket, and intimated his resolution to inspect them. He then retired into
      another room, and, flinging himself upon a sofa, fell asleep.
    </p>
    <p>
      The winners, to escape disgrace, and obtain their money, cast lots who
      should pick his pockets of the loaded dice, and introduce fair ones in
      their place. The lot fell on the manager of the theatre, who performed his
      part without discovery. The duke inspected the dice when he awoke, and
      finding them correct, renewed his party, and lost L30,000 more.
    </p>
    <p>
      The conspirators had received L5000, but disagreed on its division, and
      Beau Nash, thinking himself ill-used, divulged the fact to his Grace, who
      saved thereby the remainder of the money. He made Nash a handsome present,
      and ever after gave him his countenance, supposing that the secret had
      been divulged through pure friendship.
    </p>
    <p>
      THE DUKE OF NORFOLK.
    </p>
    <p>
      A similar anecdote is told of another gamester. 'The late Duke of
      Norfolk,' says the author of 'Rouge et Noir,' writing in 1823, 'in one
      evening lost the sum of L70,000 in a gaming house on the right side of St
      James's Street: suspecting foul play, he put the dice in his pocket, and,
      as was his custom when up late, took a bed in the house. The blacklegs
      were all dismayed, till one of the worthies, who is believed to have been
      a principal in poisoning the horses at Newmarket, for which Dan Dawson was
      hanged, offered for L5000 to go to the duke's room with a brace of pistols
      and a pair of dice, and, if the duke was awake, to shoot him, if asleep to
      change the dice! Fortunately for the gang, the duke "snored," as the agent
      stated, "like a pig;" the dice were changed. His Grace had them broken in
      the morning, when, finding them good, he paid the money, and left off
      gambling.'(141)
    </p>
    <p>
      (141) Rouge et Noir; the Academicians of 1823.
    </p>
    <p>
      GENERAL OGLE: A BOLD STROKE.
    </p>
    <p>
      A few weeks before General Ogle was to sail for India, he constantly
      attended Paine's, in Charles Street, St James's Square. One evening there
      were before him two wooden bowls full of gold, which held L1500 guineas
      each, and L4000 in rouleaus, which he had won.
    </p>
    <p>
      When the box came to him, he shook the dice and with great coolness and
      pleasantry said&mdash;'Come, I'll either win or lose seven thousand upon
      this hand. Will any gentleman set on the whole? <i>SEVEN</i> is the main.'
      Then rattling the dice once more, cast the box from him and quitted it,
      the dice remaining uncovered.
    </p>
    <p>
      Although the General did not think this too large a sum for one man to
      risk at a single throw, the rest of the gentlemen did, and for some time
      the bold gamester remained unset.
    </p>
    <p>
      He then said&mdash;'Well, gentlemen, will you make it up amongst you?'
    </p>
    <p>
      One set him 500 guineas, another 500. 'Come,' said he, 'whilst you are
      making up the money I'll tell you a story.' Here he began&mdash;but
      perceiving that he was at last completely set for the cast, stopt short&mdash;laid
      his hand on the box, saying&mdash;'I believe I am completely set,
      gentlemen?' 'Yes, sir, and Seven is the main,' was the reply. The General
      threw out, and lost! Seven thousand guineas!
    </p>
    <p>
      Then with astonishing coolness he took up his snuff-box and smiling
      exclaimed&mdash;'Now, gentlemen, if you please, I'll finish my story.'
    </p>
    <p>
      HORACE WALPOLE.
    </p>
    <p>
      There can be no doubt that Horace Walpole was an inveterate gambler,
      although he managed to keep always afloat and merrily sailing&mdash;for he
      says himself:&mdash;'A good lady last year was delighted at my becoming
      peer, and said&mdash;"I hope you will get an Act of Parliament for putting
      down Faro." As if I could make Acts of Parliament! and could I, it would
      be very consistent too in me, who for some years played more at Faro than
      anybody.'(142)
    </p>
    <p>
      (142) Letters, IX.
    </p>
    <p>
      THE EARL OF MARCH.
    </p>
    <p>
      This extraordinary and still famous personage, better known as the Duke of
      Queensberry, was the 'observed of all observers' almost from his boyhood
      to extreme old age. His passions were for women and the turf; and the
      sensual devotedness with which he pursued the one, and the eccentricity
      which he displayed in the enjoyment of both, added to the observation
      which he attracted from his position as a man of high rank and princely
      fortune, rendered him an object of unceasing curiosity. He was deeply
      versed in the mysteries of the turf, and in all practical and theoretical
      knowledge connected with the race-course was acknowledged to be the most
      accomplished adept of his own time. He seems also to have been a skilful
      gamester and player of billiards. Writing to George Selwyn from Paris in
      1763, he says:&mdash;'I won the first day about L2000, of which I brought
      off about L1500. All things are exaggerated, I am supposed to have won at
      least twice as much.' In 1765 he is said to have won two thousand louis of
      a German at billiards. Writing to Selwyn, Gilly Williams says of him: 'I
      did not know he was more an adept at that game than you are at any other,
      but I think you are both said to be losers on the whole, at least Betty
      says that her letters mention you as pillaged.'
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the numerous occasions on which the name of the Duke of Queensberry
      came before the public in connection with sporting matters, may be
      mentioned the circumstance of the following curious trial, which took
      place before Lord Mansfield in the Court of King's Bench, in 1771. The
      Duke of Queensberry, then Lord March, was the plaintiff, and a Mr Pigot
      the defendant. The object of this trial was to recover the sum of five
      hundred guineas, being the amount of a wager laid by the duke With Mr
      Pigot&mdash;whether Sir William Codrington or <i>OLD</i> Mr Pigot should
      die first. It had singularly happened that Mr Pigot died suddenly the <i>SAME
      MORNING</i>, of the gout in his head, but before either of the parties
      interested in the result of the wager could by any possibility have been
      made acquainted with the fact. In the contemporary accounts of the trial,
      the Duke of Queensberry is mentioned as having been accommodated with a
      seat on the bench; while Lord Ossory, and several other noblemen, were
      examined on the merits of the case. By the counsel for the defendant it
      was argued that (as in the case of a horse dying before the day on which
      he was to be run) the wager was invalid and annulled. Lord Mansfield,
      however, was of a different opinion; and after a brief charge from that
      great lawyer, the jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff for five
      hundred guineas, and he sentenced the defendant to defray the costs of the
      suit.(143)
    </p>
    <p>
      (143) Jesse, George Selwyn and his Contemporaries, vol. i. p. 194.
    </p>
    <p>
      This prince of debauchees seems to have surpassed every model of the kind,
      ancient or modern. In his prime he reproduced in his own drawing-room the
      scene of Paris and the Goddesses, exactly as we see it in classic
      pictures, three of the most beautiful women of London representing the
      divinities as they appeared to Paris on Mount Ida, while he himself,
      dressed as the Dardan shepherd holding a <i>GILDED</i> apple (it should
      have been really golden) in his hand, conferred the prize on her whom he
      deemed the fairest. In his decrepit old age it was his custom, in fine
      sunny weather, to seat himself in his balcony in Piccadilly, where his
      figure was familiar to every person who was in the habit of passing
      through that great thoroughfare. Here (his emaciated figure rendered the
      more conspicuous from his custom of holding a parasol over his head) he
      was in the habit of watching every attractive female form, and ogling
      every pretty face that met his eye. He is said, indeed, to have kept a
      pony and a servant in constant readiness, in order to follow and ascertain
      the residence of any fair girl whose attractions particularly caught his
      fancy! At this period the old man was deaf with one ear, blind with one
      eye, nearly toothless, and labouring under multiplied infirmities. But the
      hideous propensities of his prime still pursued him when all enjoyment was
      impossible. Can there be a greater penalty for unbridled licentiousness?
    </p>
    <p>
      MR LUMSDEN.
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Lumsden, whose inveterate love of gambling eventually caused his ruin,
      was to be seen every day at Frascati's, the celebrated gambling house kept
      by Mme Dunan, where some of the most celebrated women of the <i>demi-monde</i>
      usually congregated. He was a martyr to the gout, and his hands and
      knuckles were a mass of chalk-stones. He stuck to the <i>Rouge et Noir</i>
      table until everybody had left; and while playing would take from his
      pocket a small slate, upon which he would rub his chalk-stones until blood
      flowed. 'Having on one occasion been placed near him at the <i>Rouge et
      Noir</i> table, I ventured,' says Captain Gronow, 'to expostulate with him
      for rubbing his knuckles against his slate. He coolly answered, "I feel
      relieved when I see the blood ooze out."'
    </p>
    <p>
      Mr Lumsden was remarkable for his courtly manners; but his absence of mind
      was astonishing, for he would frequently ask his neighbour <i>WHERE HE WAS</i>!
      Crowds of men and women would congregate behind his chair, to look at 'the
      mad Englishman,' as he was called; and his eccentricities used to amuse
      even the croupiers. After losing a large fortune at this den of iniquity,
      Mr Lumsden encountered every evil of poverty, and died in a wretched
      lodging in the Rue St Marc.(144)
    </p>
    <p>
      (144) Gronow, <i>Last Recollections.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      GENERAL SCOTT, THE HONEST WINNER OF L200,000.
    </p>
    <p>
      General Scott, the father-in-law of George Canning and the Duke of
      Portland, was known to have won at White's L200,000, thanks to his
      notorious sobriety and knowledge of the game of Whist. The general
      possessed a great advantage over his companions by avoiding those
      indulgences at the table which used to muddle other men's brains. He
      confined himself to dining off something like a boiled chicken, with toast
      and water; by such a regimen he came to the Whist table with a clear head;
      and possessing as he did a remarkable memory, with great coolness of
      judgment, he was able honestly to win the enormous sum of L200,000.
    </p>
    <p>
      RICHARD BENNET.
    </p>
    <p>
      Richard Bennet had gone through every walk of a blackleg, from being a
      billiard sharper at a table in Bell Alley until he became a keeper or
      partner in all the 'hells' in St James's. In each stage of his journey he
      had contrived to have so much the better of his competitors, that he was
      enabled to live well, to bring up and educate a large legitimate family,
      and to gratify all his passions and sensuality. But besides all this, he
      accumulated an ample fortune, which this inveterate gamester did actually
      possess when the terriers of justice overtook and hunted him into the
      custody of the Marshal of the Court of Queen's Bench. Here he was
      sentenced to be imprisoned a certain time, on distinct indictments, for
      keeping different gaming houses, and was ordered to be kept in custody
      until he had also paid fines to the amount, we believe, of L4000. Bennet,
      however, after undergoing the imprisonment, managed to get himself
      discharged without paying the fines.
    </p>
    <p>
      DENNIS O'KELLY.
    </p>
    <p>
      Dennis O'Kelly was the Napoleon of the turf and the gaming table. Ascot
      was his elysium. His horses occupied him by day and the Hazard table by
      night. At the latter one night he was seen repeatedly turning over a <i>QUIRE
      OF BANK NOTES</i>, and a gentleman asked him what he was looking for, when
      he replied, 'I am looking for a <i>LITTLE ONE</i>.' The inquirer said he
      could accommodate him, and desired to know for what sum. Dennis O'Kelly
      answered, 'I want a FIFTY, or something of <i>THAT SORT</i>, just to set
      the <i>CASTER</i>. At this moment it was supposed he had seven or eight <i>THOUSAND</i>
      pounds in notes in his hand, but not one for less than a <i>HUNDRED!</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      Dennis O'Kelly always threw with great success; and when he held the box
      he was seldom known to refuse throwing for <i>ANY SUM</i> that the company
      chose to set him. He was always liberal in <i>SETTING THE CASTER</i>, and
      preventing a stagnation of trade at the <i>TABLE</i>, which, from the
      great property always about him, it was his good fortune very frequently
      to deprive of its last floating guinea, when the box of course became
      dormant for want of a single adventurer.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was his custom to carry a great number of bank notes in his waistcoat
      pocket, twisted up together, with the greatest indifference; and on one
      occasion, in his attendance at a Hazard table at Windsor, during the
      races, being a <i>STANDING</i> better and every chair full, a person's
      hand was observed, by those on the opposite side of the table, just in the
      act of drawing two notes out of his pocket. The alarm was given, and the
      hand, from the person behind, was instantly withdrawn, and the notes left
      sticking out. The company became clamorous for taking the offender before
      a magistrate, and many attempted to secure him for the purpose; but
      Captain Dennis O'Kelly very philosophically seized him by the collar,
      kicked him down-stairs, and exultingly exclaimed, ''Twas a <i>SUFFICIENT
      PUNISHMENT</i> to be deprived of the pleasure of keeping company with <i>JONTLEMEN</i>.'
    </p>
    <p>
      A bet for a large sum was once proposed to this 'Admirable Crichton' of
      the turf and the gaming table, and accepted. The proposer asked O'Kelly
      where lay his <i>ESTATES</i> to answer for the amount if he lost?' 'My
      estates!' cried O'Kelly. 'Oh, if that's what you <i>MANE</i>, I've a <i>MAP</i>
      of them here'&mdash;and opening his pocket-book he exhibited bank notes to
      <i>TEN TIMES</i> the sum in question, and ultimately added the <i>INQUIRER'S</i>
      contribution to them.
    </p>
    <p>
      Such was the wonderful son of Erin, 'Captain' or 'Colonel' Dennis O'Kelly.
      One would like to know what ultimately became of him.
    </p>
    <p>
      DICK ENGLAND.
    </p>
    <p>
      Jack Tether, Bob W&mdash;r, Tom H&mdash;ll, Captain O'Kelly, and others,
      spent with Dick England a great part of the plunder of poor Clutterbuck, a
      clerk of the Bank of England, who not only lost his all, but robbed the
      Bank of an immense sum to pay his 'debts of honour.'
    </p>
    <p>
      A Mr B&mdash;, a Yorkshire gentleman, proposed to his brother-in-law, who
      was with him, to put down ten pounds each and try their luck at the 'Hell'
      kept by 'the Clerks of the Minster,' in the Minster Yard, next the Church.
      It was the race-week. There were about thirteen Greeks there, Dick England
      at their head. Mr B&mdash; put down L10. England then called 'Seven the
      main&mdash;if seven or eleven is thrown next, the Caster wins.' Of course
      Dick intended to win; but he blundered in his operation; he <i>LANDED</i>
      at six and the other did not answer his hopes. Yet, with matchless
      effrontery, he swore he had called <i>SIX</i> and not seven; and as it was
      referred to the majority of the goodly company, thirteen <i>HONEST
      GENTLEMEN</i> gave it in Dick England's favour, and with him divided the
      spoil.
    </p>
    <p>
      A Mr D&mdash;, a gentleman of considerable landed property in the North,
      proposed passing a few days at Scarborough. Dick England saw his carriage
      enter the town, and contrived to get into his company and go with him to
      the rooms. When the assembly was over, he prevailed on Mr D&mdash; to sup
      with him. After supper Mr D&mdash; was completely intoxicated, and every
      effort to make him play was tried in vain.
    </p>
    <p>
      This was, of course, very provoking; but still something must be done, and
      a very clever scheme they hit upon to try and 'do' this 'young man from
      the country.' Dick England and two of his associates played for five
      minutes, and then each of them marked a card as follows:&mdash;'D&mdash;
      owes me one hundred guineas,' 'D&mdash; owes me eighty guineas;' but Dick
      marked <i>HIS</i> card&mdash;'I owe D&mdash;thirty guineas.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The next day, Mr D&mdash; met Dick England on the cliff and apologized for
      his excess the night before, hoping he had given no offence 'when drunk
      and incapable.' Having satisfied the gentleman on this point, Dick England
      presented him with a thirty-guinea note, which, in spite of contradiction,
      remonstrance, and denial of any play having taken place, he forced on Mr D&mdash;
      as his <i>FAIR WINNING</i>&mdash;adding that he had paid hundreds to
      gentlemen in liquor, who knew nothing of it till he had produced the
      account. Of course Mr D&mdash; could not help congratulating himself at
      having fallen in with a perfect gentleman, as well as consoling himself
      for any head-ache or other inconvenience resulting from his night's
      potation. They parted with gushing civilities between them.
    </p>
    <p>
      Soon afterwards, however, two other gentlemen came up to Mr D&mdash;, whom
      the latter had some vague recollection of having seen the evening before,
      in company with Dick England; and at length, from what the two gentlemen
      said, he had no doubt of the fact, and thought it a fit opportunity to
      make a due acknowledgment of the gentlemanly conduct of their friend, who
      had paid him a bet which he had no remembrance of having made.
    </p>
    <p>
      No mood could be better for the purpose of the meeting; so the two
      gentlemen not only approved of the conduct of Dick, and descanted on the
      propriety of paying drunken men what they won, but also declared that no
      <i>GENTLEMAN</i> would refuse to pay a debt of honour won from him when
      drunk; and at once begged leave to 'remind' Mr D&mdash; that he had lost
      to them 180 guineas! In vain the astounded Mr D&mdash; denied all
      knowledge of the transaction; the gentlemen affected to be highly
      indignant, and talked loudly of injured honour. Besides, had he not
      received 30 guineas from their friend? So he assented, and appointed the
      next morning to settle the matter.
    </p>
    <p>
      Fortunately for Mr D&mdash;, however, some intelligent friends of his
      arrived in the mean time, and having heard his statement about the whole
      affair, they 'smelt a rat,' and determined to ferret it out. They examined
      the waiter&mdash;previously handing him over five guineas&mdash;and this
      man declared the truth that Mr D&mdash; did not play at all&mdash;in fact,
      that he was in such a condition that there could not be any real play.
      Dick England was therefore 'blown' on this occasion. Mr D&mdash; returned
      him his thirty guineas, and paid five guineas for his share of the supper;
      and well he might, considering that it very nearly cost him 150 guineas&mdash;that
      is, having to receive 30 guineas and to pay 180 guineas to the Greeks&mdash;profit
      and loss with a vengeance.
    </p>
    <p>
      Being thus 'blown' at Scarborough, Dick England and his associates
      decamped on the following morning.
    </p>
    <p>
      He next formed a connection with a lieutenant on half pay, nephew to an
      Irish earl. With this lieutenant he went to Spa, and realized something
      considerable; but not without suspicion&mdash;for a few dice were missed.
    </p>
    <p>
      Dick England returned to London, where he shortly disagreed with the
      lieutenant. The latter joined the worthy before described, Captain
      O'Kelly, who was also at enmity with Dick England; and the latter took an
      opportunity of knocking their heads together in a public coffee-room, and
      thrashing them both till they took shelter under the tables. Dick had the
      strength of an ox, the ferocity of a bull-dog, and 'the cunning of the
      serpent,' although what the latter is no naturalist has ever yet
      discovered or explained.
    </p>
    <p>
      The lieutenant determined on revenge for the thrashing. He had joined his
      regiment, and he 'peached' against his former friend, disclosing to the
      officers the circumstance of the dice at Spa, before mentioned; and, of
      course, upset all the designs of Dick England and his associates. This
      enraged all the blacklegs; a combination was formed against the
      lieutenant; and he was shot through the head by 'a brother officer,' who
      belonged to the confraternity.
    </p>
    <p>
      The son of an earl lost forty thousand pounds in play to Dick England; and
      shot himself at Stacie's Hotel in consequence&mdash;the very night before
      his honourable father sent his steward to pay the 'debt of honour' in full&mdash;though
      aware that his son had been cheated out of it.
    </p>
    <p>
      But the most extraordinary 'pass' of Dick England's career is still to be
      related&mdash;not without points in it which make it difficult to believe,
      in spite of the evidence, that it is the same 'party' who was concerned in
      it. Here it is.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the <i>Gentleman's Magazine</i>, in Gilchrist's Collection of British
      Duels, in Dr Millingen's reproduction of the latter, the following account
      occurs:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Mr Richard England was put to the bar at the Old Bailey, charged with the
      "wilful murder" of Mr Rowlls, brewer, of Kingston, in a duel at
      Cranford-bridge, June 18, 1784.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Lord Derby, the first witness, gave evidence that he was present at Ascot
      races. When in the stand upon the race-course, he heard Mr England
      cautioning the gentlemen present not to bet with the deceased, as he
      neither paid what he lost nor what he borrowed. On which Mr Rowlls went up
      to him, called him rascal or scoundrel, and offered to strike him; when Mr
      England bid him stand off, or he would be obliged to knock him down;
      saying, at the same time&mdash;"We have interrupted the company
      sufficiently here, and if you have anything further to say to me, you know
      where I am to be found." A further altercation ensued; but his Lordship
      being at the other end of the stand, did not distinctly hear it, and then
      the parties retired.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Lord Dartrey, afterwards Lord Cremorne, and his lady, with a gentleman,
      were at the inn at the time the duel was fought. They went into the garden
      and endeavoured to prevent the duel; several other persons were collected
      in the garden. Mr Rowlls desired his Lordship and others not to interfere;
      and on a second attempt of his Lordship to make peace, Mr Rowlls said, if
      they did not retire, he must, though reluctantly, call them impertinent.
      Mr England at the same time stepped forward, and took off his hat; he said&mdash;"Gentlemen,
      I have been cruelly treated; I have been injured in my honour and
      character; let reparation be made, and I am ready to have done this
      moment." Lady Dartrey retired. His Lordship stood in the bower of the
      garden until he saw Mr Rowlls fall. One or two witnesses were called, who
      proved nothing material. A paper, containing the prisoner's defence, being
      read, <i>the Earl of Derby, the Marquis of Hertford, Sir Whitbread, jun.,
      Colonel Bishopp, and other gentlemen</i>, were called to his character.
      They all spoke of him as a man of <i>decent gentlemanly deportment</i>,
      who, instead of seeking quarrels, was studious to avoid them. He had been
      friendly to Englishmen while abroad, and had rendered some service to the
      military at the siege of Newport.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Mr Justice Rooke summoned up the evidence; after which the jury retired
      for about three quarters of an hour, when they returned a verdict of
      "manslaughter."
    </p>
    <p>
      'The prisoner having fled from the laws of his country for twelve years,
      the Court was disposed to show no lenity. He was therefore sentenced to
      pay a fine of one shilling, and be imprisoned in Newgate twelve months.'
    </p>
    <p>
      This trial took place in the year 1796, and the facts in evidence give a
      strange picture of the times. A duel actually fought in the garden of an
      inn, a noble lord close by in a bower therein, and his lady certainly
      within <i>HEARING</i> of the shots, and doubtless a spectator of the
      bloody spectacle. But this is not the point,&mdash;the incomprehensible
      point,&mdash;to which I have alluded&mdash;which is, how Lord Derby and
      the other gentlemen of the highest standing could come forward to speak to
      the character of <i>DICK ENGLAND</i>, if he was the same man who killed
      the unfortunate brewer of Kingston?
    </p>
    <p>
      Here is <i>ANOTHER</i> account of the matter, which warrants the doubt,
      although it is fearfully circumstantial, as to the certain identity:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'Mr William Peter le Rowles, of Kingston, brewer, was habitually fond of
      play. On one occasion he was induced&mdash;when in a state of intoxication&mdash;to
      play with Dick England, who claimed, in consequence, winnings to the
      amount of two hundred guineas. Mr le Rowles utterly denied the debt, and
      was in consequence pursued by England until he was compelled to a duel, in
      which Mr le Rowles fell. Lord Dartrey, afterwards Lord Cremorne, was
      present at Ascot Heath races on the fatal occasion, which happened in
      1784; and his evidence before the coroner's inquest produced a verdict of
      wilful murder against Dick England, who fled at the time, but returned
      twelve years afterwards, was tried, and found guilty of manslaughter only.
      He was imprisoned for twelve months. England was strongly suspected of
      highway robberies; particularly on one occasion, when his associate, F&mdash;,
      was shot dead by Col. P&mdash; on his return from the Curragh races to the
      town of Naas. The Marquis of Hertford, Lords Derby and Cremorne, Colonels
      Bishopp and Wollaston, and Messrs Whitbread, Breton, &amp;c., were
      evidences in the trial.'(145)
    </p>
    <p>
      (145) <i>The Gaming Calendar</i>, by Seymour Harcourt.
    </p>
    <p>
      It may seem strange that such a man as Dick England could procure such
      distinguished 'witnesses to character.' The thing is easily explained,
      however. They knew the man only as a turf companion. We can come to no
      other conclusion,&mdash;remembering other instances of the kind. For
      example, the case of Palmer, convicted for the poisoning of Cooke. Had
      Palmer been on his trial merely for fighting a fatal duel; there can be no
      doubt that several noblemen would have come forward to give him a good
      character. I was present at his trial, and saw him <i>BOW TO ONE, AT
      LEAST, OF OUR MOST DISTINGUISHED NOBLEMEN</i> when the latter took his
      seat near the judge, at the trial. There was a <i>TURF ACQUAINTANCESHIP</i>
      between them, and, of course, all 'acquaintanceship' may be presumed upon,
      if we lay ourselves open to the degradation.
    </p>
    <p>
      The following is a curious case in point. A gentleman of the highest
      standing and greatest respectability was accosted by a stranger to whom he
      said&mdash;'Sir, you have the advantage of me.' 'Oh!' rejoined the former,
      'don't you remember when we used to meet at certain parties at Bath many
      years ago?' 'Well, sir,' exclaimed the gentleman, 'you may speak to me
      should you ever again meet me at certain parties at Bath, but nowhere
      else.'
    </p>
    <p>
      MAJOR BAGGS.
    </p>
    <p>
      This famous gamester died in 1792, by a cold caught in 'a round-house,' or
      place of detention, to which he had been taken by Justice Hyde, from a
      gaming table.
    </p>
    <p>
      When too ill to rise out of his chair, he would be carried in that chair
      to the Hazard table.
    </p>
    <p>
      He was supposed to have been the utter ruin of above forty persons at
      play. He fought eleven duels.
    </p>
    <p>
      THE DUC DE MIREFOIX.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Duc de Mirefois was ambassador at the British Court, and was extremely
      fond of chess. A reverend gentleman being nearly his equal, they
      frequently played together. At that time the clergyman kept a petty
      day-school in a small village, and had a living of not more than twenty
      pounds a-year. The French nobleman made uncommon interest with a noble
      duke, through whose favour he obtained for his reverend protege a living
      of about L600 per annum&mdash;an odd way of obtaining the 'cure of souls!'
    </p>
    <p>
      A RECLAIMED GAMBLER'S ACCOUNT OF HIS CAREER.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Some years since I was lieutenant in a regiment, which the alarm and
      policy of administration occasioned to be quartered in the vicinity of the
      metropolis, where I was for the first time. A young nobleman of very
      distinguished family undertook to be my conductor. Alas! to what scenes
      did he introduce me! To places of debauchery and dens of destruction. I
      need not detail particulars. From the lures of the courtesan we went to an
      adjoining gaming room. Though I thought my knowledge of cards superior to
      those I saw play that night, I touched no card nor dice. From this my
      conductor, a brother officer, and myself adjourned to Pall Mall. We
      returned to our lodgings about six o'clock in the morning.
    </p>
    <p>
      'I could think of nothing but Faro's magic centre, and longed for the next
      evening, when I determined to enter that path which has led so many to
      infamy, beggary, and suicide. I began cautiously, and for some time had
      reason to be satisfied with my success. It enabled me to live expensively.
      I made golden calculations of my future fortune as I improved in skill. My
      manuals were treatises on gaming and chances, and no man understood this
      doctrine better than I did. I, however, did not calculate the disparity of
      resisting powers&mdash;my purse with <i>FIFTY</i> guineas, and the Faro
      bank with a hundred thousand. It was ruin only which opened my eyes to
      this truism at last.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Good meats, good cooking, and good wines, given gratis and plenteously,
      at these houses, drew many to them at first, for the sake of the society.
      Among them I one evening chanced to see a clerical prig, who was incumbent
      of a parish adjoining that in which my mother lived. I was intoxicated
      with wine and pleasure, when I, on this occasion, entered a haunt of ruin
      and enterprising avarice in Pall Mall. I played high and lost in
      proportion.
    </p>
    <p>
      'The spirit of adventure was now growing on me every day. I was sometimes
      very successful. Yet my health was impaired, and my temper soured by the
      alternation of good and bad fortune, and my pity or contempt for those
      with whom I associated. From the nobleman, whose acres were nightly
      melting in the dice box, there were adventurers even to the <i>UNFLEDGED
      APPRENTICE</i>, who came with the pillage of his unsuspecting master's
      till, to swell the guilty bank of Dame N&mdash; and Co. Were the
      Commissioners of Bankruptcy to know how many citizens are prepared for
      them at those houses, they would be bound to thank them.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Many a score of guineas have I won of tradesmen, who seemed only to turn
      an honest penny in Leadenhall Street, Aldgate, Birchin Lane, Cornhill,
      Cheapside, Holborn, the Borough, and other eastern spots of industry; but
      I fleeced them only for the benefit of the Faro bank, which is sure,
      finally, to absorb the gain of all. Some of the croupiers would call their
      gold <i>GIFTS OF THE WISE MEN OF THE EAST;</i> others termed their guineas
      <i>COCKNEY COUNTERS!</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      'One night I had such a run of luck in the Hazard room, which was rather
      thinly attended, that I won everything, and with my load of treasure
      collected from the East and West, nay, probably, some of it from <i>Finchley
      Common</i> and <i>Hounslow Heath</i>, I went, in the flush of success, to
      attack the Faro bank.
    </p>
    <p>
      'It was my determination, however, if fortune favoured me through the
      night, never to tempt her more. For some hours I proceeded in the torture
      of suspense, alternately agitated by hope and fear&mdash;but by five
      o'clock in the morning I attained a state of certainty similar to that of
      a wretch ushered into the regions of the damned. I had lost L3500 guineas,
      which I had brought with me from the Hazard table, together with L2000
      which the bank advanced me on my credit. There they stopped; and, with an
      apathy peculiar to themselves, listened to a torrent of puerile abuse
      which I vented against them in my despair.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Two days and two nights I shut myself up, to indulge in the most racking
      reflections. I was ruined beyond repair, and I had, on the third morning,
      worked myself up to resort for relief to a loaded pistol. I rang for my
      servant to bring me some gunpowder, and was debating with myself whether
      to direct its force to my brain or my heart, when he entered with a
      letter. It was from Harriet &mdash;&mdash;. She had heard of my
      misfortunes, and urged me with the soul and pen of a heroine, to fly the
      destructive habits of the town, and to wait for nine months, when her
      minority would expire, and she would come into the uncontrolled possession
      of L1700. With that small sum she hoped my expenses, talents, and domestic
      comfort, under her housewifery, would create a state of happiness and
      independence which millions could not procure in the mad career which I
      had pursued.
    </p>
    <p>
      'This was the voice of a guardian angel in the moment of despair. In her
      next, at my request, she informed me that the channel of her early and
      minute information was the clerical prig, her neighbour and admirer, who
      was related to one of the croupiers at &mdash;&mdash;, and had from him a
      regular detail of my proceedings.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Soothed by the magic influence of my virtuous Harriet, instead of calling
      the croupier to account, I wrote to the proprietors of the bank, stating
      my ruined condition, and my readiness to sell my commission and pay them
      what I could. These gentlemen have friends in every department. They
      completed the transfer of my lieutenancy in two days, and then, in their
      superabundant humanity, offered me the place of croupier in an inferior
      house which they kept near Hanover Square. This offer I declined; and
      after having paid my tradesman's bill, I left London with only eleven
      guineas in my pocket. I married the best of women, my preserver, and have
      ever since lived in real comfort and happiness, on an income less than one
      hundred pounds a year.'
    </p>
    <p>
      A SURPRISE.
    </p>
    <p>
      A stranger plainly dressed took his seat at a Faro table, when the bank
      was richer than usual. After some little routine play, he challenged the
      bank, and tossed his pocket-book to the banker that he might be satisfied
      of his responsibility. It was found to contain bills to an immense amount;
      and on the banker showing reluctance to accept the challenge, the stranger
      sternly demanded compliance with the laws of the game. The card soon
      turned up which decided the ruin of the banker. 'Heaven!' exclaimed an old
      infirm Austrian officer, who had sat next to the stranger&mdash;'the
      twentieth part of your gains would make me the happiest man in the
      universe!' The stranger briskly answered&mdash;'You shall have it, then;'
      and quitted the room. A servant speedily returned, and presented the
      officer with the twentieth part of the bank, adding&mdash;'My master
      requires no answer, sir,' and went out. The successful stranger was soon
      recognized to be the great King of Prussia in disguise.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013">
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    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER XIII. THE LOTTERIES AND THEIR BEWILDERMENTS.
    </h2>
    <p>
      If we are to believe Pere Menestrier, the institution of Lotteries is to
      be found in the Bible, in the words&mdash;'The <i>LOT</i> causeth
      contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty,' Prov. xviii. 18. Be
      that as it may, it is certain that lotteries were in use among the ancient
      Romans, taking place during the <i>Saturnalia</i>, or festivities in
      honour of the god Saturn, when those who took part in them received a
      numbered ticket, which entitled the bearer to a prize. During the reign of
      Augustus the thing became a means of gratifying the cupidity of his
      courtiers; and Nero used it as the method of distributing his gifts to the
      people,&mdash;granting as many as a thousand tickets a day, some of them
      entitling the bearers to slaves, ships, houses, and lands. Domitian
      compelled the senators and knights to participate in the lotteries, in
      order to debase them; and Heliogabalus, in his fantastic festivities,
      distributed tickets which entitled the bearers to camels, flies, and other
      odd things suggested by his madness. In all this, however, the distinctive
      character of modern lotteries was totally absent: the tickets were always
      gratuitous; so that if the people did not win anything, they never lost.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the Middle Ages the same practice prevailed at the banquets of feudal
      princes, who apportioned their presents economically, and without the fear
      of exciting jealousy among the recipients, by granting lottery tickets
      indiscriminately to their friends. The practice afterwards descended to
      the merchants; and in Italy, during the 16th century, it became a
      favourite mode of disposing of their wares.
    </p>
    <p>
      The application of lotteries by paid tickets to the service of the state
      is said to have originated at Florence, under the name of 'Lotto,' in
      1530; others say at Genoa, under the following circumstances:&mdash;It had
      long been customary in the latter city to choose annually, by ballot, five
      members of the Senate (composed of 90 persons) in order to form a
      particular council. Some persons took this opportunity of laying bets that
      the lot would fall on such or such senators. The government, seeing with
      what eagerness the people interested themselves in these bets, conceived
      the idea of establishing a lottery on the same principle, which was
      attended with such great success, that all the cities of Italy wished to
      participate in it, and sent large sums of money to Genoa for that purpose.
    </p>
    <p>
      To increase the revenues of the Church, the Pope also was induced to
      establish a lottery at Rome; the inhabitants of which place became so fond
      of this species of gambling, that they often deprived themselves and their
      families of the necessaries of life, that they might have money to lay out
      in this speculation.
    </p>
    <p>
      The French borrowed the idea from the Italians. In the year 1520, under
      Francis I., lotteries were permitted by edict under the name of <i>Blanques</i>,
      from the Italian <i>bianca carta</i>, 'white tickets,'&mdash; because all
      the losing tickets were considered <i>BLANKS;</i>&mdash;hence the
      introduction of the word into common talk, with a similar meaning. From
      the year 1539 the state derived a revenue from the lotteries, although
      from 1563 to 1609 the French parliament repeatedly endeavoured to suppress
      them as social evils. At the marriage of Louis XIV. a lottery was
      organized to distribute the royal presents to the people&mdash;after the
      fashion of the Roman emperor. Lotteries were multiplied during this reign
      and that of Louis XV. In 1776 the Royal Lottery of France was established.
      This was abolished in 1793, re-established at the commencement of the
      Republic; but finally all lotteries were prohibited by law in 1836,&mdash;excepting
      'for benevolent purposes.' One of the most remarkable of these lotteries
      'for benevolent purposes' was the 'Lottery of the Gold Lingots,'
      authorized in 1849, to favour emigration to California. In this lottery
      the grand prize was a lingot of gold valued at about L1700.
    </p>
    <p>
      The old French lottery consisted of 90 numbers, that is, from No. 1 to No.
      90, and the drawing was five numbers at a time. Five wheels were
      established at Paris, Lyons, Strasbourg, Bordeaus, and Lille. A drawing
      took place every ten days at each city. The exit of a single number was
      called <i>extrait</i>, and it won 15 times the amount deposited, and 70
      times if the number was determined; the exit of two numbers was called the
      <i>ambe</i>, winning 270 times the deposit, and 5100 times if the number
      was determined;&mdash;the exit of three numbers was called the <i>terne</i>,
      winning 5500 times; the <i>quaterne</i>, or exit of four numbers, won
      75,000 times the deposit. In all this, however, the chances were greatly
      in favour of the state banker;&mdash;in the <i>extrait</i> the chances
      were 18 to 15 in his favour, vastly increasing, of course, in the
      remainder; thus in the <i>ambe</i> it was 1602 against 270; and so on.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first English lottery mentioned in history was drawn in the year 1569.
      It consisted of 400,000 lots, at 10<i>s</i>. each lot. The prizes were
      plate; and the profits were to go towards repairing the havens or ports of
      this kingdom. It was drawn at the west door of St Paul's Cathedral. The
      drawing began on the 10th of January, 1569, and continued incessantly, <i>DAY
      AND NIGHT</i>, till the 6th of May following.(146) Another lottery was
      held at the same place in 1612, King James having permitted it in favour
      of 'the plantation of English colonies in Virginia.' One Thomas Sharplys,
      a tailor of London, won the chief prize, which was '4000 crowns in fair
      plate.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (146) The printed scheme of this lottery is still in the possession of the
      Antiquarian Society of London.
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1680, a lottery was granted to supply London with water. At the end of
      the 17th century, the government being in want of money to carry on the
      war, resorted to a lottery, and L1,200,000 was set apart or <i>NAMED</i>
      for the purpose. The tickets were all disposed of in less than six months,
      friends and enemies joining in the speculation. It was a great success;
      and when right-minded people murmured at the impropriety of the thing,
      they were told to hold their tongues, and assured that this lottery was
      the very queen of lotteries, and that it had just taken Namur!(147)
    </p>
    <p>
      (147) This town was captured in 1695, by William III.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the same time the Dutch gave in to the infatuation with the utmost
      enthusiasm; lotteries were established all over Holland; and learned
      professors and ministers of the gospel spoke of nothing else but the
      lottery to their pupils and hearers.
    </p>
    <p>
      From this time forward the spirit of gambling increased so rapidly and
      grew so strong in England, that in the reign of Queen Anne private
      lotteries had to be suppressed as public nuisances.
    </p>
    <p>
      The first <i>parliamentary</i> lottery was instituted in 1709, and from
      this period till 1824 the passing of a lottery bill was in the programme
      of every session. Up to the close of the 18th century the prizes were
      generally paid in the form of terminable, and sometimes of perpetual,
      annuities. Loans were also raised by granting a bonus of lottery tickets
      to all who subscribed a certain amount.
    </p>
    <p>
      This gambling of annuities, despite the restrictions of an act passed in
      1793, soon led to an appalling amount of vice and misery; and in 1808, a
      committee of the House of Commons urged the suppression of this ruinous
      mode of filling the national exchequer. The last public lottery in Great
      Britain was drawn in October, 1826.
    </p>
    <p>
      The lotteries exerted a most baneful influence on trade, by relaxing the
      sinews of industry and fostering the destructive spirit of gaming among
      all orders of men. Nor was that all. The stream of this evil was immensely
      swelled and polluted, in open defiance of the law, by a set of artful and
      designing men, who were ever on the watch to allure and draw in the
      ignorant and unwary by the various modes and artifices of '<i>insurance</i>,'
      which were all most flagrant and gross impositions on the public, as well
      as a direct violation of the law. One of the most common and notorious of
      these schemes was the insuring of numbers for the next day's drawing, at a
      <i>premium</i> which (if legal) was much greater than adequate to the
      risk. Thus, in 1778, when the just premium of the lottery was only 7<i>s</i>.
      6<i>d</i>., the office-keepers charged 9<i>s</i>., which was a certain
      gain of nearly 30 per cent.; and they aggravated the fraud as the drawing
      advanced.
    </p>
    <p>
      On the sixteenth day of drawing the just premium was not quite 20<i>s</i>.,
      whereas the office-keepers charged L1 4<i>s</i>. 6<i>d</i>., which clearly
      shows the great disadvantage that every person laboured under who was
      imprudent enough to be concerned in the insurance of numbers.(148)
    </p>
    <p>
      (148) Public Ledger, Dec. 3, 1778.
    </p>
    <p>
      In every country where lotteries were in operation numbers were ruined at
      the close of each drawing, and of these not a few sought an oblivion of
      their folly ill self-murder&mdash;by the rope, the razor, or the river.
    </p>
    <p>
      A more than usual number of adventurers were said to have been ruined in
      the lottery of 1788, owing to the several prizes continuing long in the
      wheel (which gave occasion to much gambling), and also to the desperate
      state of certain branches of trade, caused by numerous and important
      bankruptcies. The suicides increased in proportion. Among them one person
      made herself remarkable by a thoughtful provision to prevent
      disappointment. A woman, who had scraped everything together to put into
      the lottery, and who found herself ruined at its close, fixed a rope to a
      beam of sufficient strength; but lest there should be any accidental
      failure in the beam or rope, she placed a large tub of water underneath,
      that she might drop into it; and near her also were two razors on a table
      ready to be used, if hanging or drowning should prove ineffectual.
    </p>
    <p>
      A writer of the time gives the following account of the excitement that
      prevailed during the drawing of the lottery:&mdash;'Indeed, whoever wishes
      to know what are the "blessings" of a lottery, should often visit
      Guildhall during the time of its drawing,&mdash;when he will see thousands
      of workmen, servants, clerks, apprentices, passing and repassing, with
      looks full of suspense and anxiety, and who are stealing at least from
      their master's time, if they have not many of them also robbed him of his
      property, in order to enable them to become adventurers. In the next
      place, at the end of the drawing, let our observer direct his steps to the
      shops of the pawnbrokers, and view, as he may, the stock, furniture, and
      clothes of many hundred poor families, servants, and others, who have been
      ruined by the lottery. If he wish for further satisfaction, let him attend
      at the next Old Bailey Sessions, and hear the death-warrant of many a
      luckless gambler in lotteries, who has been guilty of subsequent theft and
      forgery; or if he seek more proof, let him attend to the numerous and
      horrid scenes of self-murder, which are known to accompany the closing of
      the wheels of fortune each year:(149) and then let him determine on "the
      wisdom and policy" of lotteries in a commercial city.'
    </p>
    <p>
      (149) A case is mentioned of two servants who, having lost their all in
      lotteries, robbed their master; and in order to prevent being seized and
      hanged in public, murdered themselves in private.
    </p>
    <p>
      The capital prizes were so large that they excited the eagerness of hope;
      but the sum secured by the government was small when compared with the
      infinite mischief it occasioned. On opening the budget of 1788, the
      minister observed in the House of Commons, 'that the bargain he had this
      year for the lottery was so very good for the public, that it would
      produce a gain of L270,000, from which he would deduct L12,000 for the
      expenses of drawing, &amp;c., and then there would remain a net produce of
      L258,000.' This result, therefore, was deemed extraordinary; but what was
      that to the extraordinary mischief done to the community by the
      authorization of excessive gambling!
    </p>
    <p>
      Some curious facts are on record relating to the lotteries.
    </p>
    <p>
      Until the year 1800 the drawing of the lottery (which usually consisted of
      60,000 tickets for England alone) occupied forty-two days in succession;
      it was, therefore, about forty-two to one against any particular number
      being drawn the first day; if it remained in the wheel, it was forty-one
      to one against its being drawn on the second, &amp;;c.; the adventurer,
      therefore, who could for eight-pence insure the return of a guinea, if a
      given number came up the first day, would naturally be led, if he failed,
      to a small increase of the deposit according to the decrease of the chance
      against him, until his number was drawn, or the person who took the
      insurance money would take it no longer.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the inquiry respecting the mendicity of London, in 1815, Mr Wakefield
      declared his opinion that the lottery was a cause of mendicity; and
      related an instance&mdash;the case of an industrious man who applied to
      the Committee of Spitalfields Soup Society for relief; and when, on being
      asked his profession, said he was a '<i>Translator</i>'&mdash;which, when
      <i>TRANSLATED</i>, signifies, it seems, the art of converting old boots
      and shoes into wearable ones; 'but the lottery is about to draw, and,'
      says he, 'I have no sale for boots or shoes during the time that the
      lottery draws'&mdash;the money of his customers being spent in the
      purchase of tickets, or the payment of 'insurances.' The 'translator' may
      have been mistaken as to the cause of his trade falling off; but there can
      be no doubt that the system of the lottery-drawing was a very infatuating
      mode of gambling, as the passion was kept alive from day to day; and
      though, perhaps, it did not create mendicity, yet it mainly contributed,
      with the gin-shops, night-cellars, obscure gambling houses, and places of
      amusement, to fill the <i>PAWNBROKERS</i>' shops, and diminish the profits
      of the worthy 'translator of old shoes.'(150)
    </p>
    <p>
      (150) This term is still in use. I recently asked one of the craft if he
      called himself a translator. 'Yes, sir, not of languages, but old boots
      and shoes,' was the reply.
    </p>
    <p>
      This reasoning, however, is very uncertain.
    </p>
    <p>
      The sixteenth of a lottery ticket, which is the smallest share that can be
      purchased, has not for many years been sold under thirty shillings, a sum
      much too large for a person who buys old shoes 'translated,' and even for
      the 'translator' himself, to advance; we may therefore safely conclude
      that the purchase of tickets is not the mode of gambling by which
      Crispin's customers are brought to distress.
    </p>
    <p>
      A great number of foreign lotteries still exist in vigorous operation.
      Some are supported by the state, and others are only authorized; most of
      them are flourishing. In Germany, especially, lotteries are abundant;
      immense properties are disposed of by this method. The 'bank' gains, of
      course, enormously; and, also of course, a great deal of trickery and
      swindling, or something like it, is perpetrated.
    </p>
    <p>
      Foreign lottery tickets are now and then illegally offered in England. A
      few years ago there appeared an advertisement in the papers, offering a
      considerable income for the payment of one or two pounds. Upon inquiry it
      was found to be the agency of a foreign lottery! These tempting offers of
      advertising speculators are a cruel addition to the miseries of
      misfortune.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hamburg lottery seems to afford the most favourable representation of
      the system&mdash;as such&mdash;because in it all the money raised by the
      sale of tickets is redistributed in the drawing of the lots, with the
      exception of 10 per cent. deducted in expenses and otherwise; but nothing
      can compensate for the pernicious effects of the spirit of gambling which
      is fostered by lotteries, however fairly conducted. They are an
      unmitigated evil.
    </p>
    <p>
      In the United States lotteries were established by Congress in 1776, but,
      save in the Southern States, heavy penalties are now imposed on persons
      attempting to establish them.
    </p>
    <p>
      I need scarcely say that lotteries, whether foreign or British, are
      utterly forbidden by law, excepting those of Art Unions. The operations of
      these associations were indeed suspended in 1811; but in the following
      year an act indemnified those who embarked in them for losses which they
      had incurred by the arrest of their proceedings; and since that time they
      have been <i>TOLERATED</i> under the eye of the law without any express
      statute being framed for their exemption. It is thought, however, that
      they tend to keep up the spirit of gambling, and therefore ought not to be
      allowed even on the specious plea of favouring 'art.'
    </p>
    <p>
      <i>PRIVATE</i> lotteries are now illegal at Common Law in Great Britain
      and Ireland; and penalties are also incurred by the advertisers of <i>FOREIGN</i>
      lotteries. Some years ago it became common in Scotland to dispose of
      merchandise by means of lotteries; but this is specially condemned in the
      statute 42 Geo. III. c. 119. An evasion of the law has been attempted by
      affixing a prize to every ticket, so as to make the transaction resemble a
      legal sale; but this has been punished as a fraud, even where it could be
      proved that the prize equalled in value the price of the ticket. The
      decision rested upon the plea that in such a transaction there was no
      definite sale of a specific article. Even the lotteries; for Twelfth
      Cakes, &amp;c., are illegal, and render their conductors liable to the
      penalties of the law. Decisive action has been taken on this law, and the
      usual Christmas lotteries have been this year (1870) rigorously prohibited
      throughout the country. It is impossible to doubt the soundness of the
      policy that strives to check the spirit of gambling among the people; but
      still there may be some truth in the following remarks which appeared on
      the subject, in a leading journal:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      'We hear that the police have received directions to caution the promoters
      of lotteries for the distribution of game, wine, spirits, and other
      articles of this description, that these schemes are illegal, and that the
      offenders will be prosecuted. These attempts to enforce rigidly the
      provisions of the 10 and 11 William III., c. 17, 42 George III., c. 119,
      and to check the spirit of speculation which pervades so many classes in
      this country may possibly be successful, but as a mere question of
      morality there can be no doubt that Derby lotteries, and, in fact, all
      speculations on the turf or Stock Exchange, are open to quite as much
      animadversion as the Christmas lotteries for a little pig or an aged
      goose, which it appears are to be suppressed in future. Is it not also
      questionable policy to enforce every law merely because it is a law,
      unless its breach is productive of serious evil to the community? If every
      old Act of Parliament is rummaged out and brought to bear upon us, we fear
      we shall find ourselves in rather an uncomfortable position.
    </p>
    <p>
      We cannot say whether or not the harm produced by these humble lotteries
      is sufficient to render their forcible suppression a matter of necessity.
      They certainly do produce an amount of indigestion which of itself must be
      no small penalty to pay for those whose misfortune it is to win the
      luxuries raffled for, but we never yet heard of any one being ruined by
      raffling for a pig or goose; and if our Government is going to be paternal
      and look after our pocket-money, we hope it will also be maternal and take
      some little interest in our health. The sanitary laws require putting into
      operation quite as much as the laws against public-house lotteries and
      skittles.'
    </p>
    <p>
      No 'extenuating circumstances,' however, can be admitted respecting the
      notorious racing lotteries, in spite of the small figure of the tickets;
      nay this rather aggravates the danger, being a temptation to the
      thoughtless multitude. One of these lotteries, called the Deptford Spec.,
      was not long ago suppressed by the strong arm of the law; but others still
      exist under different names. In one of these the law is thought to be
      evaded by the sale of a number of photographs; in another, a chance of
      winning on a horse is secured by the purchase of certain numbers of a
      newspaper struggling into existence; but the following is, perhaps, the
      drollest phase of the evasion as yet attempted:
    </p>
    <p>
      'Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding <i>count the number of
      the beast</i>.'&mdash;Rev., chap. xiii.
    </p>
    <p>
      'NICKOLAS REX.&mdash;"LUCKY" BANQUETS.
    </p>
    <p>
      'HIS SATANIC MAJESTY purposes holding a series of Banquets, Levees, and
      DRAWING ROOMS at Pandemonium during the ensuing autumn, to each of which
      about 10,000 of his faithful disciples will be invited. H. S. M. will, at
      those drawing-rooms and receptions, <i>NUMBER</i> a lot of beasts, and
      distribute a series of REWARDS, varying in value from L100 to 10<i>s</i>.
      of her Britannic Majesty's money.
    </p>
    <p>
      'Tickets One Shilling each, application for which must be made <i>BY
      LETTER</i> to His S. Majesty's Chamberlain, &amp;c. &amp;c. The LAST <i>DRAWING-ROOM</i>
      of this season will be held a few days before the Feast of the CROYDON
      STEEPLECHASES, &amp;c. &amp;c.
    </p>
    <p>
      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014">
      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      CHAPTER XIV. THE LAWS AGAINST GAMING IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES.
    </h2>
    <h3>
      1. ANCIENT ROME.
    </h3>
    <p>
      In ancient Rome all games of chance, with the exception of five which had
      relation to bodily vigour, were absolutely prohibited in public or
      private. The loser could not be sued for moneys lost, and could recover
      what he might have paid, such right being secured to his heirs against the
      heirs of the winner, even after the lapse of 30 years' prescription.
      During 50 years after the loss, should the loser or his heirs neglect
      their action, it was open to any one that chose to prosecute, and chiefly
      to the municipal authorities, the sum recovered to be expended in that
      case for public purposes. No surety for the payment of money for gambling
      purposes was bound. The betting on lawful games was restricted to a
      certain amount, beyond which the loser could recover moneys paid, and
      could not be sued for the amount. A person in whose house gambling had
      taken place, if struck or injured, or if robbed on the occasion thereof,
      was denied redress; but offences of gamblers among themselves were
      punishable. Blows or injuries might be inflicted on the gambling house
      keeper at any time and anywhere without being penal as against any person;
      but theft was not exempted from punishment, unless committed at the time
      of gambling&mdash;and not by a gambler. Children and freedmen could
      recover their losses as against their parents and patrons.
    </p>
    <p>
      Cicero, in his second Philippic, speaks of a criminal process (<i>publicum
      judicium</i>) then in force against gamblers.
    </p>
    <p>
      The laws of ancient Rome were, therefore, very stringent on this subject,
      although, there can be no doubt, without much effect.
    </p>
    <p>
      2. FRANCE.
    </p>
    <p>
      At the time of the French Revolution warlike games alone conferred the
      right of action, restricted, however, in cases of excessive losses; games
      of strength and skill generally were lawful, but were considered as not
      giving any right of action; games of mere chance were prohibited, but
      minors alone were allowed to recover moneys lost.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the present law of France no judicial action is allowed for gambling
      debts and wagers, except in the case of such games as depend upon bodily
      skill and effort, foot, horse, and chariot races, and others of the like
      nature: the claim may be rejected if the court considers it excessive; but
      moneys paid can never be recovered unless on the ground of fraud. The
      keepers of gaming houses, their managers or agents, are punishable with
      fine (100 to 6000 francs) and imprisonment (two to six months), and may be
      deprived of most of their civil rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      3. PRUSSIA.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the Prussian Code all games of chance, except when licensed by the
      state, are prohibited. Gaming debts are not the subjects of action; but
      moneys paid cannot be sued for by losers. Wagers give a right of action
      when the stakes consist of cash in the hands of a third person; they are
      void if the winner had a knowledge of the event, and concealed it. Moneys
      lent for gambling or betting purposes, or to pay gambling or betting
      debts, cannot be sued for. Gaming house keepers and gamblers are
      punishable with fine; professed gamblers with imprisonment. Occasional
      cheating at play obliges to compensation; professed swindlers at play are
      punishable as for theft, and banished afterwards. Moneys won from a
      drunken man, if to a considerable amount, must be returned, and a fine
      paid of equal value.
    </p>
    <p>
      4. AUSTRIA.
    </p>
    <p>
      In Austria no right of action is given either to the winner or the loser.
      All games of chance are prohibited except when licensed by the state.
      Cheating at play is punished with imprisonment, according to the amount of
      fraudulent gain. Playing at unlawful games, or allowing such to take place
      in one's house, subjects the party to a heavy fine, or in default, to
      imprisonment.
    </p>
    <p>
      5. ITALY.
    </p>
    <p>
      The provisions of the Sardinian Civil Code are similar to those of the
      French, giving an action for moneys won at games of strength or skill&mdash;when
      not excessive in amount; but not allowing the recovery of moneys lost,
      except on the ground of fraud or <i>MINORITY</i>, a provision taken from
      the <i>OLD</i> French law.
    </p>
    <p>
      6. BAVARIA.
    </p>
    <p>
      By the Bavarian Code games of skill, and of mixed skill and chance, are
      not forbidden. The loser cannot refuse to pay, nor can he recover his
      losses, provided the sport be honestly conducted, and the stakes not
      excessive, having regard to the rank, character, and fortune of the
      parties. In cases of fraudulent and excessive gaming, and in all games of
      mere chance, the winner cannot claim his winnings, but must repay the
      loser on demand. In the two latter cases (apparently) both winner and
      loser are liable to a fine, equal in amount,&mdash;for the first time of
      conviction, to one-third of the stakes; for the second time, to
      two-thirds; and for the third time, to the whole: in certain cases the
      bank is to be confiscated. Hotel and coffee-house keepers, &amp;c., who
      allow gambling on their premises, are punished for the first offence by a
      fine of 50 florins; for the second, with one of 100 florins; for the
      third, with the loss of the license. The punishment of private persons for
      the like offence is left to the discretion of the judge. <i>UNLAWFUL</i>
      games may be <i>LEGALIZED</i> by authority; but in such case, fraud or
      gross excess disables the winner from claiming moneys won, renders him
      liable to repayment, and subjects him to arbitrary punishment. <i>IMMORAL</i>
      wagers are void; and <i>EXCESSIVE</i> wagers are to be reduced in amount.
      Betting on indifferent things is not prohibited, nor even as to a known
      and certain thing&mdash;when there is no deception. No wager is void on
      account of mere disparity of odds. Professed gamblers, who also cheat at
      play, and their accomplices, and the setters-up and collectors of
      fictitious lotteries, are subject to imprisonment, with hard labour, for a
      term of from four to eight years.
    </p>
    <p>
      Although, therefore, cheating gamblers are liable to punishment in
      Bavaria, it is evident that gambling is there tolerated to the utmost
      extent required by the votaries of Fortune.
    </p>
    <p>
      7. SPAIN.
    </p>
    <p>
      Wagers appear to be lawful in Spain, when not in themselves fraudulent, or
      relating to anything illegal or immoral.
    </p>
    <p>
      8. ENGLAND.
    </p>
    <p>
      In England some of the forms of gambling or gaming have been absolutely
      forbidden under heavy penalties, whilst others have been tolerated, but at
      the same time discouraged; and the reasons for the prohibition were not
      always directed against the impropriety or iniquity of the practice in
      itself;&mdash;thus it was alleged in an Act passed in 1541, that for the
      sake of the games the people neglected to practise <i>ARCHERY</i>, through
      which England had become great&mdash;'to the terrible dread and fear of
      all strange nations.'
    </p>
    <p>
      The first of the strictly-called Gaming Acts is one of Charles II.'s
      reign, which was intended to check the habit of gambling so prevalent
      then, as before stated. By this Act it was ordered that, if any one shall
      play at any pastime or game, by gaming or betting with those who game, and
      shall lose more than one hundred pounds on credit, he shall not be bound
      to pay, and any contract to do so shall be void. In consequence of this
      Act losers of a less amount&mdash;whether less wealthy or less profligate&mdash;and
      the whole of the poorer classes, remained unprotected from the cheating of
      sharpers, for it must be presumed that nobody has a right to refuse to pay
      a fair gambling debt, since he would evidently be glad to receive his
      winnings. No doubt much misery followed through the contrivances of
      sharpers; still it was a salutary warning to gamesters of the poorer
      classes&mdash;whilst in the higher ranks the 'honour' of play was equally
      stringent, and, I may add, in many cases ruinous. By the recital of the
      Act it is evident that the object was to check and put down gaming as a
      business profession, 'to gain a living;' and therefore it specially
      mulcted the class out of which 'adventurers' in this line usually arise.
    </p>
    <p>
      The Act of Queen Anne, by its sweeping character, shows that gaming had
      become very virulent, for by it not only were all securities for money
      lost at gaming void, but money actually paid, if more than L10, might be
      recovered in an action at law; not only might this be done, within three
      months, by the loser himself, but by any one else&mdash;together with
      treble the value&mdash;half for himself, and half for the poor of the
      parish. Persons winning, by fraudulent means, L10 and upwards at any game
      were condemned by this Act to pay five times the amount or value of the
      thing won, and, moreover, they were to 'be deemed infamous, and suffer
      such corporal punishment as in cases of wilful perjury.' The Act went
      further:&mdash;if persons were suspected of getting their living by
      gaming, they might be summoned before a magistrate, required to show that
      the greater portion of their income did not depend upon gaming, and to
      find sureties for their good behaviour during twelve months, or be
      committed to gaol.
    </p>
    <p>
      There were, besides, two curious provisions;&mdash;any one assaulting or
      challenging another to a duel on account of disputes over gaming, should
      forfeit all his goods and be imprisoned for two years; secondly, the royal
      palaces of St James's and Whitehall were exempted from the operation of
      this statute, so long as the sovereign was actually resident within them&mdash;which
      last clause probably showed that the entire Draconian enactment was but a
      farce. It is quite certain that it was inoperative, and that it did no
      more than express the conscience of the legislature&mdash;in deference to
      <i>PRINCIPLE</i>, 'which nobody could deny.'
    </p>
    <p>
      After the lapse of many years&mdash;the evil being on the increase&mdash;the
      legislature stirred again during the reign of George II., and passed
      several Acts against gaming. The games of Faro, Basset, Hazard, &amp;c.,
      in fact, all games with dice, were proscribed under a penalty of L200
      against the provider of the game, and L50 a time for the players. Roulette
      or Roly Poly, termed in the Act 'a certain pernicious game,' was
      interdicted, under the penalty of five times the value of the thing or sum
      lost at it.
    </p>
    <p>
      Thus stood the statute law against gaming down to the year 1845, when, in
      consequence of the report of the select committee which sat on the
      subject, a new enactment was promulgated, which is in force at the present
      time.
    </p>
    <p>
      It was admitted that the laws in force against gaming were 'of no avail to
      prevent the mischiefs which may happen therefrom;' and the lawgivers
      enacted a comprehensive measure on the subject. Much of the old law&mdash;for
      instance, the prohibition of games which interfered with the practice of
      <i>ARCHERY</i>&mdash;was repealed; also the Acts of Charles II., of Queen
      Anne, and a part of that of George II.&mdash;Gaming houses, in which a
      bank is kept by one or more of the players, or in which the chances of
      play are not alike favourable to the players&mdash;being declared
      unlawful, as of old. Billiards, bagatelle, or 'any game of the kind'
      (open, of course, to legal discussion), may be played in private houses,
      or in licensed houses; but still, in the case of licensed houses of public
      resort, the police may enter at any time to see that the law is complied
      with. 'Licensed for Billiards' must be legibly printed on some conspicuous
      place near the door and outside a licensed house. Billiards and like games
      may not be played in public rooms after one, and before eight, o'clock in
      the morning of any day, nor on Sundays, Christmas Day, Good Friday, nor on
      any public fast or thanksgiving. Publicans whose houses are licensed for
      billiards must not allow persons to play at any time when public-houses
      are not allowed to be open.
    </p>
    <p>
      'In order to constitute the house a common gaming house, it is not
      necessary to prove that any person found playing at any game was playing
      for any money, wager, or stake. The police may enter the house on the
      report of a superintendent, and the authority of a commissioner, without
      the necessity of an allegation of two householders; and if any cards,
      dice, balls, counters, tables, or other instruments of gaming be found in
      the house, or about the person of any of those who shall be found therein,
      such discovery shall be evidence against the establishment until the
      contrary be made to appear. Those who shall appear as witnesses, moreover,
      are protected from the consequences of having been engaged in unlawful
      gaming.'(151)
    </p>
    <p>
      (151) Chambers's Cyclopaedia, Art. Gambling.
    </p>
    <p>
      The penalty of cheating at any game is liability to penal servitude for
      three years&mdash;the delinquent being proceeded against as one who
      obtains money under false pretences. Wagers and bets are not recoverable
      by law, whether from the loser or from the wager-holder; and money paid
      for bets may be recovered in an action 'for money received to the
      defendant's use.' All betting houses are gaming houses within the meaning
      of the Act, and the proprietors and managers of them are punishable
      accordingly.
    </p>
    <p>
      The existing law on the gaming of horse-racing is as follows. Bets on
      horse-races are illegal; and therefore are not recoverable by law. In
      order to prevent the nuisance which betting houses, disguised under other
      names, occasioned, a law was passed in 1853, forbidding the maintenance of
      any house, room, or other place, for betting; and by the new Metropolitan
      Traffic Regulation Act, now in force, any three persons found betting in
      the street may be fined five pounds each 'for obstructing the
      thoroughfare'&mdash;a very odd reason, certainly, since it is the <i>BETTING</i>
      that we wish to prevent, as we will not permit it to be carried on in any
      house, &amp;c. These <i>LEGAL</i> reasons are too often sadly out of
      place. Any constable, however, may, without a warrant, arrest anybody he
      may see in the act of betting in the street.
    </p>
    <p>
      The laws relating to horse-racing have undergone curious revisions and
      interpretations. 'The law of George II.'s reign, declaring horse-racing to
      be good, as tending to promote the breed of fine horses, exempted
      horse-races from the list of unlawful games, provided that the sum of
      money run for or the value of the prize should be fifty pounds and
      upwards, that certain weights only might be used, and that no owner should
      run more than one horse for the same prize, under pain of forfeiting all
      horses except the first. Newmarket, and Black Hambledon in Yorkshire, are
      the only places licensed for races in this Act, which, however, was also
      construed to legalize any race at any place whatever, so long as the
      stakes were worth fifty pounds and upwards, and the weights were of the
      regulated standard. An Act passed five years afterwards removed the
      restrictions as to the weights, and declared that any one anywhere might
      start a horse-race with any weights, so long as the stakes were fifty
      pounds or more. The provision for the forfeiture of all horses but one
      belonging to one owner and running in the same race was overlooked or
      forgotten, and owners with perfect impunity ran their horses, as many as
      they pleased, in the same race. In 1839, however, informations were laid
      against certain owners, whose horses were claimed as forfeits; and then
      everybody woke up to the fact that this curious clause of the Act of
      George II. was still unrepealed. The Legislature interfered in behalf of
      the defendants, and passed an Act, repealing in their eagerness not merely
      the penal clauses of the Act, but the Act itself, so far as it related to
      horse-racing. Now, it was supposed that upon the Act of the thirteenth of
      George II. depended the whole legality of horse-racing, that the Act of
      the eighteenth of George II. was merely explanatory of that statute,
      which, being repealed, brought the practice again within the old law,
      according to which it was illegal. By a judgment of the Court of Common
      Pleas it was decided, however, that the words of the eighteenth of George
      II. were large enough to legalize all races anywhere for fifty pounds and
      upwards, and that the Act was not merely an explanatory one. Upon this
      basis rests the existing law on the subject of horse-racing. Bets,
      however, as before stated, on horse-races are still as illegal as they are
      on any of the forbidden games&mdash;that is to say, they are outside the
      law; the law will not lend its assistance to recover them.'(152)
    </p>
    <p>
      (152) <i>Ubi Supra</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      The extent to which gambling has been carried on in the street by boys was
      shown by the following summary laid before the Committee of the House of
      Commons on Gaming, in 1844:&mdash;
    </p>
    <p>
      Boys apprehended for gaming in the streets&mdash;
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
                      Convicted.  Discharged.
   1841....   305....    68....   237
   1842....   245....    66....   179
   1813....   329....   114....   185
              &mdash;&mdash;      &mdash;&mdash;      &mdash;&mdash;
              879       278       601
</pre>
    <p>
      Only recently has any effectual check been put to this pernicious
      practice. It is however enacted by the New Gaming Act, that&mdash;'Every
      person playing or betting by way of wagering or gaming in any street,
      road, highway, or other open and public place to which the public have or
      are permitted to have access, at or with any table or instrument of
      gaming, or any coin, card, token, or other article used as an instrument
      of gaming or means of such wagering or gaming, at any game or pretended
      game of chance, shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond within the true
      intent and meaning of the recited Act, and as such may be punished under
      the provision of that Act.'
    </p>
    <p>
      On this provision a daily paper justly remarks:&mdash;'A statute very much
      needed has come into force. Persons playing or betting in the streets with
      coins or cards are now made amenable to the 5th George IV., c. 83, and may
      be committed to gaol as rogues and vagabonds. The statutes already in
      force against such rogues and vagabonds subject them, we believe, not only
      to imprisonment with hard labour, but also to corporal punishment. In any
      case the New Act should, if stringently administered, speedily put a stop
      to the too common and quite intolerable nuisance of young men and boys
      sprawling about the pavement, or in corners of the wharves by the
      waterside, and playing at "pitch-and-toss," "shove-halfpenny," "Tommy
      Dodd," "coddams," and other games of chance. Who has not seen that
      terrible etching in Hogarth's "Industry and Idleness," where the idle
      apprentice, instead of going devoutly to church and singing out of the
      same hymn-book with his master's pretty daughter, is gambling on a
      tombstone with a knot of dissolute boys? A watchful beadle has espied the
      youthful gamesters, and is preparing to administer a sounding thwack with
      a cane on the shoulders of Thomas Idle. But the race of London beadles is
      now well-nigh extinct; and the few that remain dare not use their switches
      on the small vagabonds, for fear of being summoned for assault. It is to
      be hoped that the police will be instructed to put the Act sharply in
      force against the pitch-and-toss players; and, in passing, we might
      express a wish that they would also suppress the ragged urchins who turn
      "cart-wheels" in the mud, and the half-naked girls who haunt the vicinity
      of railway stations and steamboat piers, pestering passengers to buy
      cigar-lights.'
    </p>
    <p>
      END OF VOL. I. <br /> <br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /> <br />
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">





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