queen, ten, &c. play the king; but should it pass, do not follow the lead, for the ace may be kept up by an enemy [See pages 59 and 63, maxims 15 and 9; and page 68, rule 21]-king, knave and small ones, lead the lowest ; but if with only one small card, do not venture except it is your partner's suit, then play king and knave;-queen, knave, and one, lead queen; but when with two, or more, the lowest [See page 8, rules 24 and 32; pages 59 and 63, maxims 16, 11 and 12]-queen, ten and two, or queen and three small ones, play the lowest-queen or knave, with only two, the highest. It is equal whether you lead up to or through an ace, not quite so to a king, but disad vantageous when to the queen turned up. [See pages 16 and 17, games 1 to 4; pages 64 and 65, maxims 17, &c.] After leading two rounds of trumps, should you remain, even with three, but the best in an adversary's hand, lead a small one to avoid stopping your partner's suit as well as to gain the tenace. Some proficients often play a king second hand, others but seldom, though none should in that situation put on either queen, knave or ten.

Should you hold a good hand at the beginning of a game, or when the opponents are greatly advanced, play boldly, otherwise cautiously: be particular both in what you play as in what you throw away, 'tis often of bad consequence to put down the superior card of two, and remember that finesses are usually proper in trumps; and if strong in them, finesses may then be ventured in other suits.

Always trump uncertain leads [See page 3, rules 10 and 12] and also 13th cards 2d hand when weak, but never if strong in trumps, except to stop a see-saw; and unless when your left hand

adversary appears powerful in trumps, or your friend evidently intends to force you, although you hold an honour, or even a ten, and three other trumps, do not hastily overtrump an opponent, especially if you possess a strong suit that might be brought in by the long trump, or which trump may hinder an enemy from bringing in his suit. Reversing this last rule, will instruct you when to force the antagonist.

Generally force the strong, sometimes the weak, but never both adversaries; and if ever your friend refuses to trump an opponent's certain winning card, play trumps soon as you can obtain the lead: likewise should you hold a powerful suit, show that previous to leading trump, unless you possess great strength in them: also, with ace and three more trumps it is often wrong to win the first or second lead in the same, unless your partner trumps a suit, though, when circumstances demand two certain leads in trumps, play the ace; otherwise except either you have or believe your friend has a strong suit, do not trump out with less than six; [See page 70, rule 39] or when, although weak in them, you are strong in other suits, or if the opponents play from weak suits, or for the reason stated in maxim 6th, at page 63.

Do not force your partner except you are strong in trumps [See page 29, case 7; and page 68 maxim 17]-or when he has led from a single card, or shows a weak game; or, if you are likely either to save or gain an odd trick, or particular point; or when great strength of trumps ap pears against you; or, if there is a probability of a see-saw; or, when your friend has been forced, and did not lead trump out [See page 29, case 8; and page 68, maxim 16]—or, possessing

the commanding card with small ones of your enemy's suit, of which your friend is entirely without, then force him with the low cards, and keep the commanding one till the last.

When strong in trumps you hold ace, king, and two more of the right-hand adversary's lead, either pass it the first time, or win with the ace, and force your partner by going on with the suit: should you be weak in trumps, gain the trick with the ace, but do not continue the suit; also in case the right-hand opponent returns his friend's lead immediately, you, if possessed of the remaining best card and a small one of that suit, should play the small one, but when weak in trumps do not hazard this in other suits; likewise if powerful in trumps, inform your friend as early as you can, [See page 28, case 1] and when last player, you having a sequence, should take a small trump with the highest, and directly lead the lowest [See page 35, rule 10] and moreover, when strong, except in case of a see-saw, do not trump the second best of a suit led by your friend, but throw away a losing card.

When an enemy holds three or four trumps, and you retain the best only, do not lead that, because it may be more advantageously employed to stop the other opponent's strong suit; but when both your antagonists possess trumps, and your friend is without any, then take out two for

one.

Should a good player throw away a small card, and refuse to trump, the opponent may conclude that he is powerful in trumps, with another strong and one weaker suit; and if an honour is thrown away, then it is probable he holds only two suits, one of them trumps; in such a situation the opponent should force him, and avoid leading

trump, but give his own friend a chance to make

Upon winning your friend's lead with a queen, do not return the same, except it is trump, as certainly the ace or king is with your right hand antagonist; and though it is usually proper to return a partner's lead of trumps, be cautious of doing so, after he has played a nine, ten, or other doubtful card, and when your friend has led trumps of his own accord, should you hold ace, king, and two others, play three rounds; but, if because you have shewn strength in them, he leads an equivocal card, pass it the first time.

Good players seldom lead either nine or ten, except from a sequence up to the king, or from nine, ten, knave, and king, or when best of a weak suit, not exceeding three in number: when ever your partner so leads originally, and you hold an honour with only one more, put on the honour, but do not act so when with two or more, except with ace and small cards, then always take it.

Should your friend lead ace, queen, of a suit in which you have king and two more, take the queen to avoid stopping the suit: likewise always play to his lead the lowest of a sequence in order to inform him, and frequently win your enemies' leads with the highest in hopes of deceiving them : for the same reasons keep the turned up card long as possible when the friend leads trump, but act differently when an opponent is the leader. [See page 26, rule 3; and page 69, maxim 28.] When your partner leads a 13th card [See page 69, rule 22] while most of the trumps are in hand, it is usually a hint for you to play a good trump thereon, and with only three of his lead in any suit

return the highest, with four the lowest; [See page 67, rule 8] also whenever you hold only an indifferent hand, always sacrifice it to your partner.

Should the right-hand opponent call, and your friend lead through him, you possessing ace or king, with a nine and small trumps, may then finesse the nine. [See page 37, rule 19.]

When any one of the party calls before his time, it is often a hint to the friend to lead his best trump; [See page 35, case 11] and that friend should show whether he is powerful or weak in them, that in the first instance the player may preserve his own strong suit entire, or throw away from it, and keep guard on those of the adversaries in the latter situation. Every player should also, at other times, with reference to his own hand, keep guard on the enemies' suits when he is weak in trumps, or throw away from them when strong, and always discard from the friend's powerful suit.

If you hold ace, knave and a small trump, finesse the knave to your partner's lead; also, when strong in trumps, act similarly in any suit, and except one trick saves or gains a particular point, constantly pass your friend's ten in every suit where you possess ace, knave, and another.

When twelve cards of the same suit remain, and your friend leads after ten rounds have been played, should you possess king, ten, and another, and have acquired six tricks, you can win the odd one however the cards may lie: should your right hand opponent put on queen or knave, play the king; if a smaller, the ten; but when you have only five tricks, play the king. [See page 38, rule 22.]

Many persons holding tierce-major, lead king, and afterwards queen; this method is often the