was never taught at once all the arts, and all the niceties of gaming. Every paffion must be schooled by long habit into caution, and phlegm; the very countenance must be taught proper difcipline; and he who would practice this art with fuccefs, must practice on his own constitution, all the severities of a martyr, without any expectation of the reward. It is evident therefore every beginner must be a dupe, and can only be expected to learn his trade by loffes, disappointments, and dishonour. If a young gentleman therefore begins to game, the commencements are fure to be to his difadvantage; and all that he can promise himself is, that the company he keeps, tho' fuperior in fkill, are above taking advantage of his ignorance, and unacquainted with any finifter arts to correct fortune. But this however is but a poor hope at beft, and what is worse, most frequently a falfe one. In general, I might almost have faid always, those who live by gaming, are not behold to chance alone for their fupport, but take every ad vantage vantage which they can practise without danger of detection. I know many are apt to say, and I have once said so myself, that after I have fhuffled the cards, it is not in the power of a fharper to pack them; but at prefent I can confidently affure your Lordship, that such reasoners are deceived. I have feen men both in Paris, the Hague, and London, who, after three deals, could give whatever hands they pleased to all the company. However, the ufual way with fharpers is to correct fortune thus but once in a night, and to play in other respects without blunder or mistake, and a perfeverance in this practice always balances the year in their favour. It is impoffible to enumerate all the tricks and arts practifed upon cards; few but have seen thofe bungling poor fellows who go about at coffee-houfes perform their clumsy feats, and yet, indifferently as they are verfed in the trade, they often deceive us; when fuch as these are poffeffed of fo much art, what must not those be, who have been bred up to gaming from their infancy, whofe hands are not like those mentioned above, rendered callous by labour, who have continual practice in the trade of deceiving, and where the eye of the fpectator is lefs upon its guard. Let the young beginner only reflect, by what a variety of methods it is poffible to cheat him, and perhaps it will check his confidence. His antagonists may act by figns and confederacy, and this he can never detect; they may cut to a particular card after three or four hands have gone about, either by having that card pinched, or broader than the reft, or by having an exceeding fine wire thruft between the folds of the paper, and just peeping out Or the cards Or the cards may be chalked with particular marks, which none but the sharper can understand, or a new pack may be flipped in at a proper opportunity. I have known myself in Paris, a fellow thus detected with a tin cafe, containing two packs of cards concealed within his shirt fleeve, and which, by means of a spring, threw the cards ready packed at the edge. into his hands. These and an hundred other arts may be practifed with impunity, and efcape detection. The great error lies in imagining every fellow with a laced coat to be a gentleman. The addrefs and tranfient behaviour of a man of breeding are easily acquired, and none are better qualified than gamefters in this respect. At first, their complaifance, civility, and apparent honour is pleafing, but upon examination, few of them will be found to have their minds fufficiently stored with any of the more refined accomplishments, which truly characterize the man of breeding. This will commonly ferve as a criterion to distinguish them, tho' there are other marks which every young gentleman of fortune fhould be apprized of. A sharper, when he plays, generally handles and deals the cards aukwardly like a bunglers he advances his bets by degrees, and keeps his antagonist in fpirits by fmall advantages and alternate fuccefs at the beginning; to fhew all his force at once, would but fright the bird he intends to decoy; he talks of honour and virtue, and his being a gentleman, and that he knows great men, and mentions his coal mines, and his estate in the country; he is totally divefted of that mafculine confidence, which is the attendant of real fortune; he turns, yields, affents, fmiles, as he hopes will be most pleasing to his destined prey; he is afraid of meeting a shabby acquaintance, particularly if in better company; as he grows richer, he wears finer cloaths; and if ever he is feen in an undress, it is most probable he is without money; fo that feeing a gamefter growing finer each day, is a certain symptom of his success. The young gentleman who plays with fuch men for confiderable fums, is fure to be undone, and yet we feldom fee, even the rook himself make a fortune. A life of gaming muft neceffarily be a life of extravagance, parties of this kind are formed in houses, where the whole profits are confumed, and while those who play, mutually |