The rosary is a particular arrangement of the cards, according to certain words in a sentence, which is learnt by heart. In other words, it is a sort of mnemonics, or artificial memory, to enable people to cheat at play. There are several sorts of "chapelets," more or less ingenious. The best are those which recall to one's mind a feeling, a thought, or even only an amusing combination.

One of the oldest rosaries consists of two Latin verses, every word in each of which represents one of the fifty-two cards of a pack—

which may be translated thus:

These thirteen cards are also arranged according to their suits, namely—spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds, as follows:

• 1. Unus (ace) of spades,
• 2. Quinque (five) of hearts,
• 3. Novem (nine) of clubs,
• 4. Famulus (knave) of diamonds,
• 5. Sex (six) of spades,

and so on, by following the words of the rosary and the suit, to the last card.

I will now give a sentence or rosary, for the thirty-two cards used in the game of Piquet—

Or—

Which means—

In this, as well as in the preceding example, the cards are classed according to their suits, as above described; only, at the end of the rosary after the queen, instead of putting the suit which follows, for the king which comes after, they arrange so that the king and queen should be of the same suit. Were this not done, one would require four kings of spades, four tens of hearts, &c., &c. The following example will show what I mean:

Arrangement of a Rosary of Thirty-two Cards:

• 1. The king of spades.
• 2. The ten of hearts.
• 3. The eight of clubs.
• 4. The nine of diamonds.
• 5. The knave of spades.
• 6. The ace of hearts.
• 7. The seven of clubs.
• 8. The queen of diamonds.
• 9. The king of diamonds.
• 10. The ten of spades.
• 11. The eight of hearts.
• 12. The nine of clubs.
• 13. The knave of diamonds.
• 14. The ace of spades.
• 15. The seven of hearts.
• 16. The queen of clubs.
• 17. The king of clubs.
• 18. The ten of diamonds.
• 19. The eight of spades.
• 20. The nine of hearts.
• 21. The knave of clubs.
• 22. The ace of diamonds.
• 23. The seven of spades.
• 24. The queen of hearts.
• 25. The king of hearts.
• 26. The ten of clubs.
• 27. The eight of diamonds.
• 28. The nine of spades.
• 29. The knave of hearts.
• 30. The ace of clubs.
• 31. The seven of diamonds.
• 32. The queen of spades.

It must be remembered that, when the cards are thus arranged, however often the pack is cut, the order of the cards remains the same.

When a Greek has substituted a pack of cards, arranged À chapelet for another, and has made a false shuffle which does not alter them, he will easily know what cards his adversary holds, by looking at his own hand.

For example at ÉcartÉ, if he holds—

• The eight of hearts,
• The nine of clubs,
• The queen of clubs,
• The king of clubs,
• The ten of diamonds;

He will know that his adversary has—

• The king of diamonds,
• The ten of spades,
• The knave of diamonds,
• The ace of spades,
• The seven of hearts.

The turn-up card will be the eight of spades; and knowing all the other cards which follow after this, he can demand or refuse them, as he judges best.

It is, at the games of Vingt-et-un, Baccarat, and Lansquenet, that this cheating is the most dangerous, as well as the most easily accomplished. The packs are changed beforehand, and even though they may be really properly shuffled, it will be some time before the order of the cards is completely altered. Some few cards may be displaced, but the Greek manages to play on, and to know the card which is coming, by having seen the one which precedes it.