Having gotten him to the Tavern he is sure to wheadle him into Play, and by hook or by crook (as we use to say) he is sure to winn some if not all his money; and that he may not be suspected for not playing squarely he will (if he be sure of his bubble) loose considerably sometimes, but in the long run he is sure to recover it again. I was several times so served but they could do no good upon me; yet notwithstanding that by my frequent practice I had gain’d a great deal of skill and crafty knowledge in the Dice, I lost, spent, and consumed all my moneys, and therefore I shall advise all to detest this abominable kind of life; if the most certain loss of your money will do it: I do undertake to demonstrate that any one with constant play upon the square shall be looser at the years end. I have heard it very confidently aver’d by an eye witness that three Gentlemen sate down at twelve penny Inn and Inn; each of them drew three pound a piece in two houres time, the box had four pounds of the money. And that I may further perswade all men from gaming, consider how few there are if any who have gotten an Estate by play, but how many thousand antient and worthy families have been ruined and destroyed thereby. It is confest there is no constant gamester but at one time or other hath a considerable run of winning; but such is the infatuation of play, that I could never hear of any that could give over when they were well. I have known those have gotten many hundreds of pounds, and have rested a while with an intention never to play more; but by over perswasion, having broke bulk, as they term it, were in again for all and lost it. Besides if a man hath a good parcel of money ’tis extreme folly to play whether himself or another shall be possessor thereof; if his stock be small it is downright madness to hazard that the loss whereof shall reduce a man to beggery. Moreover if you were but sensible of the anguish that is upon that mans spirit the next morning, having slept upon the loss of his money now irrecoverable, it would deter any one from ever medling with the cursed cause of so much vexation and trouble; what I now say is the product of wofull experience. ————_Experto credo Roberto._ To conclude, having lost all my money, I began to grow miserably poor, to prevent the further increase of my wants I sought out my old Master whom I found upon the _Royal Exchange_, upon our going off for joy to see me, carryed me to a Tavern where I acquainted him with all my Land Travels since my leaving him, and assuring him I was weary of living longer ashore, he advised me to go with him, and he would make me his mate, I gladly contented and in that quality I sail’d with him for _Guinney_.