{The best in the world at A Frenchman,{ {sleight of hand. My poor Brother, and Melting Billy, Your humble Servant. To the Church-Wardens, Overseers, and each respectable inhabitant in the Parish.' A card was enclosed, as follows:-- '**** Gaming House Keeper, and **** **** to The Honourable House of Commons No. 7 and 8 **** St, St James's.' This circular was sent to Stockdale, the publisher, in 1820, who published it with the names in asterisks suppressed. It was evidently intended to expose some doings in high places. CHAPTER VIII. THE DOCTRINE OF PROBABILITIES APPLIED TO GAMBLING. A distinction must be made between games of skill and games of chance. The former require application, attention, and a certain degree of ability to insure success in them; while the latter are devoid of all that is rational, and are equally within the reach of the highest and lowest capacity. To be successful in throwing the dice is one of the most fickle achievements of fickle fortune; and therefore the principal game played with them is very properly and emphatically called 'Hazard.' It requires, indeed, some exertion of the mental powers, of memory, at least, and a turn for such diversions, to play well many games at cards. Nevertheless, it is often found that those who do so give no further proofs of superior memory and judgment, whilst persons of superior memory and judgment not unfrequently fail egregiously at the card-table. The gamester of skill, in games of skill, may at first sight seem to have more advantage than the gamester of chance, in games of chance; and while cards are played merely as an amusement, there is no doubt that a recreation is more rational when it requires some degree of skill than one, like dice, totally devoid of all meaning whatever. But when the pleasure becomes a business, and a matter of mere gain, there is more innocence, perhaps, in a perfect equality of antagonists--which games of chance, fairly played, always secure--than where one party is likely to be an overmatch for the other by his superior knowledge or ability. Nevertheless, even games of chance may be artfully managed; and the most apparently casual throw of the dice be made subservient to the purposes of chicanery and fraud, as will be shown in the sequel.