DRAMAS OF THE CARD TABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13727, 18 April 1908, Page 5 (Supplement)

DRAMAS OF THE CARD TABLE.

"Gaming," save old Cotton in his " Compleat Gamester," "is an enchanting witchery, gotten between idleness and avarice: ' and ever since cards were introduced into Europe, during the loth and 14th centuries, card-games have been perhaps the favourite means of gratifying the well-nigh univei&al craving. There seem.*. in fact, to be inevitably in the mind of man some sort of superstitious respect for the verdict of these painted pasteboards, whose use in one form or another is and has been general in all nations and all ages. They are the very signs and symbols of the Goddess of Luck, and therefore seem to fascinate especially those engaged in pursuits where chance is bound to play a part, so that it will often be found matter of history that those who play a desperate game, be it Jove, intrigue, or war, are specially ready to test their fortunes on the turn of the cards. Such games may, at times, have had their effect on history. An overwrought brain, a strained state of the nerves, may very readily be vividly impressed by the result of such consultations of the oracle; and the state of depression or of vigorous hope thus induced may easily decide the crisis one way or the other. GAMBLING IN ART. It is in matters of private import, however, that the dramatic aspects of gaming most strongly present themselves; and many such incidents have from time to time appealed to the imagination of the artist. Iu Mr. Orchardmen's celebrated picture, " Hard Hit," we see a young 18th century gahaiit, who has evidently lost heavily at cards, withdrawing from the game in which he has nothing left to risk, with a lightness and bravado which barely hides the despair beneath the mask. Who can tell what may be the last dark act of this (all too common in those days) drama of the card-table"' Lately the Hon. John Collier contributed to the Royal Academy Exhibition a picture of a modern gambling scene, which, as a sort- of problem picture, created much discussion. " The Cheat" represented two ladies and two gentlemen at cards, at the moment when an accusation of cheating has just been made by one of the fair gamblers. There was a difference of opinion as to the identity of accuser and accused ; but there seems no doubt that the lady who has just leaped to her feet has Hung out at last a charge which she has long been burning to utter. THK INTRODUCTION OF CARDS. One of the earliest stories relating to cards is in connection with their first introduction into France in the reign of Charles VI. The unfortunate king, having lost his reason through a "coup de soleil," a pack of cards was devised for his amusement, and some of these are believed to be still in existence.

In early days, however, cards were not in very general use, at any rate in England, and it was not until the days of the Restoration that card-playing began to be very greatly in vogue, It is a.curious phenomenon that games of cards are the most frequent solace of those in misfortune and suspense, and it teems likely enough that the Court of Charles 11. brought back with them a fondness for high play from their impecunious exile in France. SOME DRAMATIC EPISODES. In the Restoration period we read of some remarkable incidents at the cardtables, and Mr. Pepys records one or two such. " Among others Mr. Creed and Captain Ferrers tell me the stories of my Lord Duke of Buckingham's and my Lord's falling out at Havre-de-Grace at cards, they two and my Lord St. Albans playing. The Duke did, to my Lord's dishonour, often say that he did, in his conscience, know the contrary to what he then said about the difference at cards; and so did take tip the money that he should have lost to my Lord, which, my Lord resenting, said nothing then, but that he doubted not but 'there were ways enough to got his money of him. So they parted that night: and my Loid sent Sir R. Stay nor. the next morning, to the Duke to know whether he did remember what he said last night, and whether lie would own it with his sword and a second, which he said he would, and so both sides agreed. But my Lord St. Albans and the Queen and Ambassador Montagu did waylay them at their lodgings till the difference was made up, to my Lord's honour, who hath got great reputation thereby.'' Further, he gives a graphic description of " the gaining at the Groome Porter's," the groom-porter being an. official of {lie Royal household, among whose duties were the providing of cards and dice, and settling disputes in gaming matters. ANECDOTES OF THE CARD-TABLE. Memoirs and letters of the early 18th century abound in anecdotes of the cardtable, and one of the most remarkable features of that period was the prevalence of gambling among the gentler sex. Cardplaying with some of these ladies was a terrible mania. It was the passion of their lives, and Horace Walpole ha* an, anecdote to the effect that " Lord Besborough and Lord Dillon, playing atquinze t'other night with Miss Pelham, and happening to laugh, ' she flew into a passion, and said, 'It was terrible to play with boys 'And our two ages together,' said Lord Dillon, 'make up about a hundred and forty.'" Towards the close of the 18th century this phase reached its height in the celebrated faro banks of certain ■ladies of fashion, one of whom, Lady Buckinghamshire, is said to have slept with a blunderbuss and a pair of pistols ready to hand, to protect- her "bank!" Gillray has a well-known print, entitled Modern Hospitality, or a Friendly Party in High Life." In this Lady Archer is represented with rouleaux of gold and bank-notes before her, smiling, as she shows her cards, with the remark: "The knave wins all!" The Prince of Wales, sitting next her, has just lost his last piece, and with raised eyebrows expresses his wonder at the luck. Lady Buckinghamshire, who has staked double, looks annoyed at- her losses, as also does Fox, whose last three pieces have just gone the way of the rest. We learn from a newspaper of 1802 that " in a pleasant village near the Metropolis, noted for its constant ' tea and turn-out' parties, the extortion of ' Card Money' has risen to such a pitch that it was no unusual thing for the lady of the house upon the breaking up of a tabic, to immediately examine the sub-cargo of the candlestick, and, previous to trie departure of her guests, proclaim aloud the lamentable defalcation of a pitiful shilling, which they might, perchag.ee, 'have forgot to contribute.'-

REGENCY MANNERS. An amusing story is told of Charles James Fox, who owed a gambling debt to Hit- John Lade. He was prepared to discharge the claim, when Sir John, calling for pen and ink, began to calculate the interest. "1 thought," said Fox, "this was a debt of honour. As you seeni to consider it a trading debt, and as 1 make it an invariable rule to pay my Jew creditors last, you must wait a little longer for your money In. the Regency days there were many clubs where high play was the order of the cLay (and night), notably White's, the Cocoa-Tree, Almack's (later Brookes'), and Watiere. The favourite game at Watier's was macao. " Upon one occasion," says Captain Gronow, "Jack Bourverie was losing large sums, and became very irritable; Eta ikes (a noted dandy) laughed at Bottverie, and attempted to amuse us with some of his stale jokee ; upon which Bouverie threw his play bowl, with the few counters it contained, at Raikes' head: unfortunately, it struck him, and made the city dandy angry, but no serious results followed this open insult. " Few of the Regency gamblers were to generous as the notorious Serope Davie?, who "once, by a remarkable run ot good luck, completely ruined a young man who, having just attained his majority and his fortune, was about to be married. Scrope, touched by his despair, entered into conversation with him, and ended by giving him back all he had lost, upon a promise that he would never play again." Generally, however, a fortune once lost was tost for ever, and one sympathises somewhat with a certain English half-pay colonel who, having lost at play in Paris every farthing he possessed, ' placed a canister full of fulminating powder under the table, and blew up gamblers, table, cards, counters, and all. Due is tempted to think that it is a fate which those richly deserve who are content, under the guise of friendly intercourse, to allow, and profit by. a wealthy young man's progress to hopeless penury. *