_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 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._ CHAP. XVI. An account of Play, with several remarkable Occurrences. T_hus I have told you what you must expect, and now I shall inform you what to do; but if e’re you think to be complete in this occult Art, you must by frequent trials reduce my Theory into your Practice._