A Letter from Mr. *** in Tunbridge, to Lord in London; found among the Papers of Mr. Nash, and prepared by him for the prefs.

MY LORD,

HAT I forefaw has arrived, poor

W Jenners, after lofing all his fortune,

has shot himself through the head. His loffes to Bland were confiderable, and his playing foon after with Spedding contributed to haften his ruin. No man was ever more enamour'd of play, or underftood it lefs. At whatever game he ventured his money, he was most usually the dupe, and ftill foolishly attributed to his bad luck, thofe misfortunes that entirely proceeded from his want of judgment.

After finding that he had brought on himself irreparable indigence and contempt, his temper, formerly fo fprightly, began to grow gloomy and unequal; he grew more fond of folitude, and more liable to

take

take offence at fuppofed injuries; in fhort, for a week before he shot himself, his friends were of opinion, that he meditated fome fuch horrid defign. He was found in his chamber fallen on the floor, the bullet having glanced on the bone, and lodged behind his right eye.

You remember my Lord, what a charming fellow this deluded man was once. How benevolent, juft, temperate, and every way virtuous; the only faults of his mind arofe from motives of humanity; he was too eafy, credulous, and good-natured, and unable to refift temptation, when recommended by the voice of friendship. These foibles the vicious and the needy foon perceived, and what was at first a weakness they foon perverted into guilt; he became a gamester, and continued the infamous profeffion, 'till he could support the miseries it brought with it no longer.

I have often been not a little concerned to see the first introduction of a young man of fortune to the gaming-table. With

what

1

what eagerness his company is courted by the whole fraternity of fharpers, how they find out his most latent wishes, in order to make way to his affections by gratifying them; and continue to hang upon him with the meaneft degree of condefcenfion. The youthful dupe no way fufpecting, imagines himself furrounded by friends and gentlemen, and incapable of even suspecting that men of fuch feeming good sense, and fo genteel an appearance, should deviate from the laws of honour, walks into the fnare, nor is he undeceived till schooled by the feverity of experience.

As I fuppofe no man would be a gamester unless he hoped to win, fo I fancy it would be eafy to reclaim him, if he was once effectually convinced, that by continuing to play he must certainly lose. .Permit me, my Lord, to attempt this tafk, and to fhew, that no young gentleman by a year's run of play, and in a mixed company, can poffibly be a gainer.

Let

Let me fuppofe in the first place, that the chances on both fides are equal, that there are no marked cards, no pinching, shuffling, nor hiding; let me suppose that the players also have no advantage of each other in point of judgment, and still further let me grant, that the party is only formed at home, without going to the ufual expenfive places of refort frequented by gamefters. Even with all thefe circumstances in the young gamefter's favour, it is evident he cannot be a gainer. With equal players after a year's continuance of any particular game it will be found, that, whatever has been played for, the winnings on either fide are very inconfiderable, and most commonly nothing at all. Here then is a year's anxiety, pain, jarring, and fufpenfe, and nothing gained; were the parties to fit down and profeffedly play for nothing, they would contemn the propofal, they would call it trifling away time, and one of the most infipid amusements in nature; yet in fact, how do equal players differ; it is allowed that little or nothing can be gained; but much is loft; our youth, our time, thofe moments that may be laid

out

out in pleasure or improvement are foolishly fquandered away, in toffing cards, fretting at ill luck, or, even with a run of luck in our favour, fretting that our winnings are so small.

I have now stated gaming in that point of view in which it is alone defenfible, as a commerce carried on with equal advantage and lofs to either party, and it appears, that the lofs is great, and the advantage but fmall. But let me fuppofe the players not to be equal, but the fuperiority of judgment in our own favour. A perfon who plays under this conviction, however, muft give up all pretenfions to the approbation of his own mind, and is guilty of as much injuftice, as the thief who robbed a blind man, because he knew he could not fwear to his perfon.

But in fact, when I allowed the fuperiority of skill on the young beginner's fide, I only granted an impoffibility. Skill in gaming, like skill in making a watch, can only be acquired by long and painful induftry. The most fagacious youth alive

was