Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing CardsChatto, William Andrew
History
Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards
Chatto, William Andrew
Playing cards -- History
Though Mr. Barrington has not assigned any grounds for supposing that
Whist was the same game as that which was formerly called Trumps,
or Trump, it is not unlikely that he was induced to suggest the
possibility of their being the same from his having read, in 'The
Compleat Gamester,' that Whist differed but little from the game called
English Ruff and Honours, and in consequence of his having learnt,
from Cotgrave's Dictionary, that Ruff and Trump were the same.[194]
He says, in a note, that "In 1664, a book was published, entitled 'The
Compleat Gamester,' which takes no notice of Whisk." Though it be true
that "Whisk" is not named in the first edition of the book--printed in
1674, not 1664--yet the following passage, distinctly asserting that
Whist was then a common game in all parts of England, appears in the
second edition published in 1680.
"Ruff and Honours (by some called Slam), and Whist, are games so common
in England, in all parts thereof, that every child almost, of eight
years, hath a competent knowledge in that recreation; and therefore
I am more unwilling to speak anything more of them than this, that
there may be a great deal of art used in dealing and playing at these
games, which differ very little one from the other." In the 'Memoirs
of the most Famous Gamesters, from the reign of Charles II, to that of
Queen Anne,' 1714, a sharper named Johnson, who was hanged in 1690,
is mentioned as having excelled in the art of securing honours for
himself and partner when dealing at Whist; and in the works of Taylor
the Water-poet, printed in 1630, Whisk is mentioned among the games at
which the prodigal squanders his money:
"The prodigalls estate like to a flux,
The Mercer, Draper, and the Silkman sucks:
The Taylor, Millainer, Dogs, Drabs, and Dice,
Trey-trip, or Passage, or the Most-at-thrice.
At Irish, Tick-tacke, Doublets, Draughts, or Chesse,
He flings his money free with carelessnesse:
At Novum, Mumchance, Mischance (chuse ye which),
At One-and-thirty, or at Poor-and-rich,
Ruffe, Slam, Trump, Noddy, Whisk, Hole, Sant, New-cut.
Unto the keeping of four Knaves he'll put
His whole estate; at Loadum or at Gleeke,
At Tickle-me quickly, he's a merry Greek;
At Primifisto, Post-and payre, Primero,
Maw, Whip-her-ginny, he's a lib'ral hero;
At My-sow pigg'd: but (reader, never doubt ye)
He's skill'd in all games, except Looke about ye.
Bowles, Shove-groat, Tennis, no game comes amiss,
His purse a nurse for anybody is;
Caroches, Coaches, and Tobacconists,
All sorts of people freely from his fists
His vaine expenses daily sucke and soake,
And he himself suckes only drinke and smoake.
And thus the Prodigall, himselfe alone,
Gives sucke to thousands, and himself sucks none."[195]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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