9. Return your partner's lead, not the adversary's; and if you had only three originally, play the best; but you need not return it immediately when you win with the king, queen, or knave, and have only small ones; or when you hold a good sequence, have a strong suit, or have five trumps.

M. p. 27; H. p. 39; Ed. p. 74.

10. Do not lead from ace queen or ace knave. M. p. 14; H. p. 41; Ed. p. 172.

11. Do not lead an ace unless you have a king. M. p. 15; H. p. 41; Ed. p. 168, 199.

12. Do not lead a thirteenth card unless trumps are out. M. p. 15; Ed. P. 171.

13. Do not trump a thirteenth card, unless you are a last player, or want the lead.

M. p. 10, 15; H. p. 61; Ed. p. 172.

14. Keep a small card to return your partner's lead.

M. p. 16

15. Be cautious in trumping a card when strong in trumps, particularly if you have a strong suit.

M. p. 11, 17; H. p. 40.

16. Having only a few small trumps, make them when you can.

M. p. 14; H. p. 39.

17. If your partner refuses to trump a suit of which he knows you have not the best, lead your best trump.

18. When you hold all the remaining trumps, play one, and then try to put the lead in your partner's hand.

M. p. 17; H. p. 41; Ed. p. 176.

19. Remember how many of each suit are out, and what is the best card left in each hand.

H. p. 72.

20. Never force your partner if you are weak in trumps, unless you have a renounce, or can ensure the odd trick.

M.p 10; H. p. 49.

21. When playing for the odd trick, be cautious of trumping out, especially if your partner is likely to trump a suit; and make all the tricks you can early, and avoid finessing.

M. p. 15; H. p. 39.

22. If you take a trick and have a sequence, win it with the lowest.

M. p. 20.

SECOND HAND.

23. Having ace, king, and small ones, play a small one, if strong in trumps, but the king if weak; and having ace, king, queen, or knave only, with a small one, play the small

one.

H. 44, 51; Ed. p. 171.

THIRD HAND.

24. Having ace and queen, play the queen, and if it wins, return the ace, and in all other cases play the best, if your partner leads a small one.

Ed. p. 174.

25. Neglect not to make the odd trick, when in your power.

H. 40, 66, 67.

26. Attend to the score, and play the game accordingly. D. p. 112, 113; Ed. p. 157.

27. Retain the card turned up as long as possible.

D. p. 100.

28. When in doubt, win the trick.

H. p. 40.

WHIST.

PREFATORY CHAPTER.

Age cannot wither it, nor custom stale
Its infinite variety.

We do not purpose in treating of this noble game to offer any new theories, or promote any novel systems. That such will arise in process of time, there can be little doubt; for Whist admits of endless variety. According to an article on "Probability" in the Library of Useful Knowledge, it appears that if the entire population of the world were to deal packs of cards, whist-fashion, never quitting their employment, and thus continue for a hundred millions of years, accomplishing sixty deals every hour, they would not have exhausted one hundred thousandth part of the essentially different ways in which fifty-two cards can be distributed in equal numbers in four divisions. The possible combinations are almost beyond arithmetic, and absolutely out of the reach of words: the figures are thus given: 16,250, 563, 659, 176, 029, 962, 568, 164, 794, 000, 749, 006, 367, 006, 400: a pretty little array of numbers, the sum whereof is left to the reader's readiness in logarithms. These pages will treat of the game as it now exists; borrowing from the best authorities of the past, and from the chef d'œuvres of modern science, as communicated by the most distinguished players of the present day. A few preliminary words may not be deemed irrelevant.

Little is at present known of the origin of Whist. It is however in evidence that it was in vogue nearly two centuries ago in this country; the land most probably of its birth. Ruff and Honours (alias Slam) and Whist," says Cotton, (printed 1680) "are games so commonly known in England, in all parts thereof, that every child of eight years old hath a competent knowledge of that recreation-these games differ very

little from one another." In 1715, Pope thus addressed Martha Blount in one of his epistles:

Some squire, perhaps, you take delight to rack
Whose game is Whist: whose drink, a toast in sack:
Whose laughs are hearty, though his jests are coarse:
Who loves you best of all things-but his horse.

An early mention of the game occurs in the "Beaux Stratagem" (published in 1707), when Mrs. Sullen thus apostrophizes the delights of a rural life: "Country pleasures! racks and torments! Dost think, child, that my limbs were made for leaping of ditches and clambring over styles? or that my parents, wisely foreseeing my future happiness in country pleasures, had early instructed me in the rural accomplish. ment of drinking fat ale, playing at Whist, and smoking tobacco with my husband?"

Thomson, in his Seasons, introduces it as the Squire's autumnal resource against ennui.

To cheat the thirsty moments, Whist awhile
Walk'd his dull round, amid a cloud of smoke,
Wreathed, fragrant, from the pipe.

Sir Roger de Coverley was in the habit every Christmas of sendag a string of hog's puddings, and a pack of cards to every poor family in his parish."

66

A modern French writer on this game has the following conjecture as to its origin "It is well known," he says, “ that the Peers of the Three Kingdoms after having spoken all day and a portion of the night in parliament on state affairs, found a mute game necessary to rest their wearied tongues, and that hence sprung Whist!"

The first edition of Hoyle was published in 1743. At that period he gave instructions in Whist for a guinea a lesson, and most probably it then began to be a scientific game, and has gone on advancing to its present perfection. There are many authorities existing for the opinion, that it was not till the latter part of the eighteenth century, that Whist, as it is now played, was known among us. According to Daines Barrington, who had his information from a player much advanced in years, it was not played upon recognized

* Swift alludes to it as a favourite pastime for clergymen. He says ⚫ the clergymen used to play at whist and swabbers."