from each antagonist; mats two; double mats three:

4. A Purchase in hearts: two from each; mats four; double mats six.

N.B. Pay two for the purchased-king, when the suit is in hearts.

5. A Solo, common suit: two from each; mats three; double mats four.

6. A Solo in hearts: four from each; mats six; double mats eight.

7. A Vole, common suit, with a friend: the game and five a piece out of the pool; and from the adversaries two a piece; if mats three; double mats four.

8. A Vole in hearts: the game and ten each out of the pool; four a piece from the adversaries; with mats six; double mats eight.

9. A Purchase-vole, common suit: the game and ten out of the pool; three from each adversary; mats four; double mats five.

10. A Purchase-vole in hearts: the game and twenty out of the pool; six a piece from the opponents; mats eight; double mats ten.

11. A Solo-vole, common suit: the game and twenty out of the pool, six from each antagonist; mats seven; double mats eight.

12. A Solo-vole in hearts: the game and forty out of the pool; twelve from each adversary; mats fourteen; double mats sixteen.

13. A Baste in hearts: pay two a piece to the board, and put four more out of the pool; if the next game be in hearts, take double out of the pool, but if in a common suit, only what lies upon the table, excepting the aces; always pay double to a baste if it happens to be an eight board, and when basted with a friend-called, pay eight a piece, making the next a sixteen board; should

another baste succeed, pay thirty-twe, and the next sixty-four.

N. B. In common suits never take any more than what lies on the table, excepting the aces, nor pay more for a baste unless in hearts, and then in that suit always pay and receive double.

A Baste off the board is always paid out of the pool; if in playing alone you are basted off, upon an eight or sixteen board, the adversaries are to receive four or eight a piece, and so on in proportion to the baste upon the table, but if in hearts double.

A Lost-vole in hearts: pay four to cach adver

sary.

A Lost-vole with mats: four, that is, two to the two the adversaries should otherwise pay you.

A Lost-vole with double mats: the four to be returned you were to have received.

THE

107

GAME OF PIQUET.

PIQUET is played by two persons, with thirtytwo cards: the ace, king, queen, knave, ten, nine, eight, and seven of each suit. The ace is the superior, and equal to eleven points; the king ranks above the queen, and the queen above the knave, &c. The three court cards are each equal to ten points; the ten, ten; the nine, nine; and so of the rest, each counting for as many points as it hath pips.

The game consists of 101 points; to begin which, shuffle the pack of cards; then the two players are to cut, the lowest of which deals, as there is a great advantage in being elder hand. The dealer then shuffles the cards, and presents them to his adversary, who may also shuffle, but the dealer must have the last shuffle, and then give them to be cut by his adversary; but if he should scatter them, or cut but one off, or leave but one at the bottom, the dealer may mix and shuffle them again; this done, the dealer is to give twelve a-piece, by two at a time, and the eight cards which remain must be played upon the table, and are called the talon or stock.

In this game there are three chances, viz. the repique, the pique, and the capot, all which may

be made in one deal; as thus, suppose one of the players hath four tierce-majors, his point good, and he eldest hand: he begins by counting three for his point, twelve for his four tierce-majors, which make fifteen; fourteen for the four aces, fourteen kings and fourteen for queens, with sixty for the repique, make one hundred and seventeen, thirteen in playing the cards, are one hundred and thirty, and forty for the capot, is one hundred and seventy: this stroke, perhaps, has never happened; but it is just if it ever doth.

To pique the adversary, you must be elder hand; for if youngest, your adversary counts one for the first card he plays, and then you having counted twenty-nine in hand, even if you then take the first trick, will not authorise you to count sixty, but only thirty.

The carte blanche precedes every thing, then follow the point, the huitiémes, the septiémes, the sixièmes, the quints, the quarts, the tierces, the four aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens; the three aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens follow next; then the points gained in playing the cards; and the last is the ten for winning the cards, or the forty for the capot. After sorting the cards, the first thing to be considered is, whether you have a Carte Blanche, if so, let your adversary discard, and then when he is going to take in, lay your twelve cards on the table, counting them one after another.

The players having examined their hands, the elder hand takes not more than five cards which seem the least necessary for his advantage, and laying them aside, takes as many from the talon or heap left; and the youngest hand may lay out three, and take in three from the talon.

In discarding, the first intention in skilful

players is, to gain the cards, and to have the point, which most commonly engages them to keep in that suit, of which they have the most cards, or that which is their strongest; for it is convenient to prefer, sometimes forty-one in one suit to forty-four in another, in which a quint is not made; sometimes, even having a quint, it is more advantageous to hold the forty-one, where if one card only is taken it may make it a quintmajor, gain the point, or the cards, which could not have been done by holding the forty-four, at least without an extraordinary take-in. Also endeavour, in laying out, to get a quatorze, that is, four aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens, each of which counts for fourteen, and is therefore called a quatorze; the fourteen aces hinder the counting fourteen kings, &c. and by that authority you may count a lesser quatorze, as of tens, although your adversary may have fourteen kings, &c. because the stronger (viz. the aces) annuls the weaker and also, in the want of a lesser quatorze, you may count three aces, three kings, three queens, three knaves, or three tens. Three aces are better than three kings; and he who has them may by virtue thereof count his three tens, although the adversary may have three kings; in favour of a quatorze you count not only any lesser quatorze, but also all the threes which you have, except of nines, eights, and sevens. The same is to be observed in regard to the huitiémes, septiémes, sixiémes, quints, quarts, and tierces, to which the player must have regard in his discarding, so that what he takes in may make them for him.

The Point being selected, the eldest hand declares what it is, and asks if it is good: if his