At Salisbury he comes acquainted with a young man, who relates to him the Breviate of his life, and instructs him in the most usual Games at Dice, with all the subtle deceivers that belong to them, and the dangers that attend them, with a short account of their Practitioners.

My Reputation in this City increased daily, so that I was now at liberty to pick and choose my company, I mean from the middle sort of people, which I knew how to delude, whereas I was not so ignorant, but that men of better breeding and learning would by my discolouring, Sea-faring hands, and illiterate tongue find out the imposture of my crafty pretences. I had a sufficient stock of confidence to manage those natural parts which some (flatteringly I doubt) highly commended. The younger sort of People were the Persons I selected to associate my self withal, and had in that little time gain’d so large an interest in them, that he offered me too little, I should have thought, that would think to buy my propriety therein for an hundred a year. Hunting and Hawking were my dayly Recreations; when we returned home, Drinking and Whoring were our nightly exercises; and because I was a stranger as I had the preheminence in most things, so I always paid the least share of any in the reckoning.

There was one strange Gentleman who usually accompanied us, whom I particularly observed to have more than common qualifications; quick-witted, well spoken, sung incomparably, but had the repute of a notorious Gamester; and well he might, for he had bit both City and Countrey of considerable sums, so that now being generally known for a Rook, none durst play with him, yet fancied his company very much. This Gentleman I singled out, and discourst him throughly as to every thing: And that I might engage him to a greater freedom, I forged several lies, charging him with secrecy; this seeming unbosoming my self obliged him to give me an account of what he was, and for what reasons he came there in this manner.

Sir, said he, I was formerly an Apprentice in London, and by reason of my Masters covetous and ill nature and severity from him, I had not served him two years e’re I was upon the ramble, (a term of Art frequently used amongst us;) my Parents with some charge and much intreaty sawdred up this first crack; but this sore was not so well cured, but by reason of the inward corruption it broke out again, and now was the Malady worse than ever, for my Master would not receive me on any terms, notwithstanding the various perswasions of my friends for that purpose. My Relations seeing this, and being throughly perplex’t exercised all their passions on me, and instead of reducing me, took a course to ruine and destroy me: for they seemingly cast me out of all favour, which I judged to be real, and having no other dependance than my Wits (my poverty having frighted all my former friends from coming near me,) I resolved for a sustenance to make what use I could of them.

As long as my money lasted, I frequented all places for Gaming exercises, and now and then some Bawdy-houses, in which I had goten a large acquaintance; but having spent all I had, I could get no credit among them, only in one house, where they had so much credulity to believe my Lies to be infallible Truths, and that I should receive in a little time those several Sums were due to me abroad, and would have the honesty to pay my large account. Money not coming as they expected, laid an Action on my back, and threw me into Goal, where I suffered more than tongue can utter; but I shall not disclose the name of this Gaoler, since I shall give you an account of some lines I wrote on him whilst I was his Prisoner, which were these;

In this stinking place I stayed so long till I was almost starved, yet though I had nothing to feed on, I had daily a thousand which fed on me. The Daughter of my merciless Creditor hearing the miserableness of my condition gave me a visit, and supplyed me with some Money for the present, and repeating her visits, pity did at last turn into affection; this Love soon seeded into Matrimony; for she was her Mothers Darling, and could perswade her to anything, and so it proved, for she so prevailed, that I was discharged of my Debt, Fees paid, new Cloaths bought, and we incontinently marryed. I knew her to be a Whore, but necessity forced me to do what I did, or I must have perisht.

My Wife on the Bridal night expected no new thing from me, but a new fashioned duty; for she told me, if I expected to command, I was grosly mistaken; that she raised me not out of that Tomb I must have lain buryed in to my lives end, for that purpose, she knew how to rule her own affairs without my assistance, however she could not but acknowledge that man was a necessary implement in a Family, if it were but to cloak his Wives imperfections; To be short, Sir, I was only a Titular master, but a real Pimp and Cuckold; I bore all with a world of patience, still waiting an opportunity to get what I could, and march off: which fell out as happily as I could wish; for the House was noted to be a place of debauchery, and whilst my mother in Law was condemned for a damn’d Bawd, and my Wife for an errant piece of impudenceimpudence, I was pityed by all as one drawn in and undone by them both.

Officers in fine seised them; and carried them to Bridewel, being both safe from interrupting my fixed resolution, I ransackt the house, taking what Moneys I found, and selling what would yield me any, I betook my self to this place, the remoteness whereof from my former habitation affording me a very convenient refuge. Whilst I have been in these parts I have not expended my time idly; for in Gaol and elsewhere I have learned most knacks in playing I have ever heard of, and have practiced them in many places very advantagiously, for I was a while of a Gang that stroled all the Countrey over, to all the great Fairs in England, resorting thither as constantly, as such Tradesmen who make it their business to observe them, exercising their cheating faculties on all they can pick up fit for their company: the reason why they go three or four in Company, is, that if any contest in playing should arise, or any opposition should be made, they may be the better able to defend their Roguery. Besides, if they should miss of a prize, and be smoakt as Gamesters, they are then strong enough for mischiefs of another nature, as Padding, Ken-milling, &c. and indeed let me tell you, there is no profest Villain which hath not a very great insight in Gaming, and know not only what advantages naturally accrue from every Game, but know how to make them when occasion shall require.

Since my coming hither I have very illy managed my successes; for I have won too many times without the interposition of one single loss of my own, which hath raised in my Gamesters a suspition of me not to be taken off; by which means I have lost all future hopes of bubbling them any more; But since, Sir, you stand fair in their good opinion, if you please to let me share with you, I shall inform you not only with my Art, but also furnish you with Tools which shall effect our design and increase our store. But before I shall encourage you to learn that which I now propound for your profit, give me leave to acquaint you with the inconveniencies, dangers, and perplexities which attend Gaming, lest hereafter you condemn me for your rash learning that which you would have trampled under your feet, had you known the many dangerous concomitants which continually wait thereon.

To speak generally, Gaming is an enchanting Witchery begot betwixt a couple of Devils, Idleness and Avarice: it so infatuates man, that it renders him incapable of prosecutingprosecuting his more serious affairs, and makes him to quarrel with his condition though ever so good: if he wins, the success so elevates him, that his mad joys carry him to the height of all excesses; if he loses, his misfortune plunges him to the bottom of Despair. Oh how I have seen a man cast up his eyes, as if he intended to call Heaven to account for its injustice, in not giving him that Cast he so much desires. Nay, I heard one of no small note in an ordinary publickly invoke the Devil, (upon his throwing at all, that is, all the men lies on the Table) that he would turn up Five, which was his Chance, and he should have his Soul for the next throw, an expression enough to make the hair of the vilest reprobate to stand on end.

It was said of one, that nec bonam, nec malam fortunam ferre potest, that both in good and bad fortune he was ever restles. Marcellus could neither be quiet as Conquerour, nor overcome. Thus such is the damn’d itch of Play, Gamesters are never satisfyed winning or loosing, if they win, they hope to increase their storestore, if they loose their Money they hope to recover it again.

The question was wittily propounded by one, whether Men in a Ship at Sea were to be accounted inter mortuos, vel vivos, among the living, or the dead, because there were but few Inches between them and drowning. The QuÆre is not improper to be made of great Gamesters, though their Estates be never so considerable, whether they are to be esteemed Divites vel Pauperis, poor or rich, since there are but a few Casts at Dice betwixt a person of Fortune, (in that circumstance) and a Begger.

Now if you intend to be a Gamster, what ever your success be, you must bear it Æquo animo, neither raised or depressed; but I will assure you that it is a difficult matter so to do, for this course of life will try your patience. Would it not mad you to have so strange a fortune, as with a very small Sum to run up to Eighteen hundred pounds, and loose it again with his small stock in less than three days? I knew one with Fifty Shillings, win Five hundred pounds of his own at one time in his life, and thereupon putting himself into a Garb not mis-becoming an Earl, played again, the Dice ran against him, lost every penny he had, or could borrow; hereupon he grew stark mad, and hang’d himself in his own Bed-cord. There are as many examples of this nature as would stuff a Quire of Paper, and as many as would fill a Ream of such who having had fair Estates, in few years have lost them at Play, and dyed in want and Penury. I have heard it credibly reported, that a Gentleman belonging to the Six Clerks Office, who was only well clientedwho was only well cliented, but had a good Estate of his own, and by him always a considerable sum of Money; this Gentleman was invited to play by some young Gallants that had a great desire to be fingring his Jacobus’s with whom he engaged, and by extraordinary fortune won two thousand pieces of Gold, was not content with that round sum, but plaid on, lost all, with his own Estate, sold his place in the Office; and lost that too; at last, through excessive grief, he transported himself to a Forreign Plantation, where, if his discontent dispatch him not, he must be forced to Hoe for a livelihood. This commonly is the destiny of a decayed Gamester, if not this, he is seldom preferr’d higher than to the dignity of a Box keeper.

Lastly, before you take the Dice in your hand, think of drawing your Sword before you leave off Playing; for should you play upon the Square, you will be suspected by those that loose, you have knapt, or put the change of the Dice upon them; then right or wrong they will quarrel with you, more for the vexation of the loss, than for any just cause they had for so doing: If you do not fall together by the ears then in the very heat, you will have affronts enough to engage you in the Field next morning, upon some trifling insignificant occasion, deem’d as a punctilio of Honour, or else timely put up those abuses which will occasion you to be scorn’d and slighted, and at last pist on as you walk the streets by every Party Coat coloured Skip-kennel.