ADVERTISEMENT. THE very high reputation which Hoyle's Games have deservedly maintained for nearly a century, has led to innumerable Editions of his Treatises-all, as the phrase is, "revised," "corrected," "much improved," and "considerably enlarged." But it seems to have escaped the observation of his numerous Editors, that Hoyle wrote for those who were previously in some measure acquainted with the mode of playing the various games of which he treats, and that his Work was intended rather to enlighten the already instructed, than to instruct the wholly uninitiated. In this Edition, an attempt has been made-successfully, it is confidently hoped to incorporate the "Reading made Easy" with the "Grammar" and "Philosophy" of Cards-in other words, to give such a plain and perspicuous description of each game, the cutting for deal to scoring the last point, as will enable the person who never saw a pack of cards, by perusing the three or four prefatory pages, and the treatise on the game he wishes to acquire a knowledge of, to understand its principles, and, with a little practice, to play it well. from A number of new Games, never before published, have been inserted in the present Edition, among which may be mentioned the fashionable game of Ecarte, freely translated from the French treatise, with "Catch the Ten," or Scotch Whist, and the Irish game of "Five and Ten;" besides several new Round Games, and varieties of some of the old ones. E. T. Edin. 1st April, 1838. |