so nonsensically pleasant? “One idle day I ventured into one of these _Gaming Houses_, where I found an _Oglio of Rakes_ of several Humours and Conditions met together. Some of them had never a Penny left them to bless their Heads with. One that had play’d away even his Shirt and Cravat, and all his Clothes but his Breeches, stood shivering in a Corner of the Room, and another comforting him, and saying, _Damme_ Jack, whoever thought to see thee in a State of Innocency: cheer up, Nakedness is the best Receipt in the World against a Fever; and then fell a Ranting as if Hell had broke loose that very Moment.... I told my friend, instead of _Academies_ these places should be called _Cheating Houses_: Whereupon a Bully of the _Blade_ came strutting up to my very Nose, in such a Fury, that I would willingly have given half the Teeth in my Head for a Composition, crying out, Split my Wind Pipe, Sir, you are a Fool, and don’t understand _Trap_, the whole World’s a Cheat.” In the reigns of Charles II., James II., William III., and Queen Anne were many notorious gamblers, such as Count Konigsmarck, St Evremont, Beau Fielding, Col. Macartney, who was Lord Mohun’s second in his celebrated duel with the Duke of Hamilton, and the Marquis de Guiscard, who stabbed Harley, Earl of Oxford. There is a little book by Theophilus Lucas,[10] which gives a more or less accurate life of notorious gamblers of those days; amongst them there is a notice of Col. Panton, of whom Lucas says: “There was no Game but what he was an absolute Artist at, either upon the Square, or foul Play: as at _English Ruff and Honours_, _Whist_, _French Ruff_, _Gleek_, _L’Ombre_, _Lanterloo_, _Bankafalet_, _Beast_, _Basset_, _Brag_, _Piquet_: he was very dextrous also at _Verquere_, _Tick-tack_, _Grand Trick-track_, _Irish_ and _Back-Gammon_; which are all Games play’d within Tables; and he was not Ignorant of _Inn and Inn_, _Passage_ and _Draughts_, which are Games play’d without the Tables. Moreover, he had great skill at _Billiards_ and _Chess_; but, above all, his chief game was at _Hazard_, at which he got the most Money; for, in one Night, at this Play, he won as many thousand pounds as purchased him an Estate of above £1500 _per Annum_, insomuch as he built a whole Street near _Leicester-fields_, which, after his own name, he called _Panton Street_. After this good Fortune, he had such an Aversion against all manner of Games, that he would never handle Cards nor Dice again, but liv’d very handsomely on his Winnings to his dying Day, which was in the year 1681.”