[346] "Toutefois sans venir à telles sortes de blasphèmes, nous en trouvons de forts sauvages au langage Italien: dont aucuns semblent plutost sortir de la bouche de diables que d'hommes. Du nombre desquels est un que j'ouy proférer à Rome par un prestre, lequel sera recité en son lieu. Mais on luy peut bien donner pour compagnon un qui fût proféré à Venise par un Italien, non prestre, mais seculier, en jouant aux cartes en la maison d'un ambassadeur du Roy. Ce blasphème est tel: 'Venga 'l cancaro ad lupo.' Quel si grand mal y-a-t-il ici? dira quelqu'un. Le grand mal est en ce que ceci se disoit par une figure, qui s'appelle aposiopese ou retinenca, en lieu de (comme depuis on cogneut) 'Venga 'l cancaro, ad lupo che non manjiò christo quando era agnello.' Or l'appelloit il agnello, ayant esgard à ce qui est dict en S. Jean, 'Ecce agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi.'" [347] The author of 'A Short Essay on the Folly of Gaming,' reprinted from the Dublin Intelligencer, in 1734, speaking of the loss of temper at cards and dice, says: "If any one doubts the truth of this position, I refer him to the Groom-Porter's, and other public tables, where the virtuosos of the gaming science are daily and nightly to be seen. If blasphemy, cursing, swearing, duelling, running of heads against the wall, throwing hats and wigs in the fire, distortions of the countenance, biting of nails, burning of cards, breaking of dice-boxes, can be called a loss of temper, they are to be found there in the highest degree."--He concludes his essay with the following warning: "I shall close these cursory reflections with a useful remark of Plato's, viz. that the Dæmon Theuth was the inventor of Dice; and the vulgar have it by tradition that cards are the Devil's books; therefore I cannot but say that after this information given, if gamesters will not desist, they are undoubtedly at the Devil's devotion." [348] An Essay upon Gaming, in a Dialogue between Callimachus and Dolomedes. By Jeremy Collier, M.A. 1713. [349] This title is taken from the 14th verse of the xxxivth Psalm: "Depart from evil, and do good." The names of the speakers, Eldad and Medad, are from Numbers, xi, 26. [350] Eldad, in replying to this portion of Medad's argument, observes that Play is not to be compared with commerce or trade, which supplies men with things necessary or useful, and that in fair trade both the buyer and the seller are benefited. [351] Eldad, in answer to this tirade, observes that no blessing can attend the gains of such an unfeeling character, and that his money will go as it has come. Out of a thousand, he says, there is not one who succeeds in such speculations, and that we daily see many reduced to poverty by them. Trade and commerce supplying us with useful articles are to be distinguished from speculations which partake of the nature of gaming.