of the lottery. This continues till the fund is all drawn out, after which each player examines what he has won, and the stakes are paid in money by him who drew the lottery; whose business it is to collect and divide it.

If the party should last too long, instead of giving only one card to each, for his ticket, you may give two, three, or even four, one after the other, according as you would have the party continue; the increasing the value of the lots likewise, helps greatly to shorten the party.

Another method is, to take at random three cards out of one of the packs, and place them face downward, on a board or in a bowl on the table for the prizes, then every player purchases from the other pack any number of cards for tickets as may be most agreeable, paying a fixed sum or certain quantity of counters for each, which sums or counters are put in different proportions on the three prizes to be gained by those who happen to have purchased corresponding cards, and such that happen not to be drawn are continued till the next deal.

This game may be played with a single pack, by separating the same into two divisions, each containing a red and black suit.

COMMERCE.

Of this there are two distinct methods of playing, the new and the old mode. The new way is played by any number of persons, from three to twelve, with a complete pack of 52 cards, bearing the same import as at Whist, only the ace is reckoned as eleven. Every player has a certain quantity of counter's on which a fixed value is put, and each, at every fresh deal, lays down one for the stake. Sometimes the game is continued until, or finished when, one of the players has lost all the counters given at the commencement; but in order to prevent it from being spun out to an unpleasant length, or concluded too soon, it is often customary to fix the duration to a determinate number of tours or times, that the whole party shall deal once each completely round.

After determining the deal, the dealer, styled also the banker, shuffles the pack, which is to be cut by the left hand player; then three cards, either altogether or one by one, at

the dealer's pleasure, are given to each person, beginning on the right hand, but none are to be turned up. If the pack proves false, or the deal wrong, or should there be a faced card, then there must be a fresh deal.

At this game are three parts: 1st, That which takes place of all others, called the tricon, or three cards of the same denomination, similar to pair-royal at Cribbage: 2dly, the next in rank is the sequence, or three following cards of the same suit, like tierce at Piquet: and lastly, the point, being the greatest number of pips on two or three cards of a suit in any one hand; of all which parts the highest disannuls the lower. After the cards have been dealt round, the banker enquires, "Who will trade?" which the players beginning with the eldest hand, usually and separately answer by saying, "For ready money," or "I barter." Trading for money is giving a card and a counter to the banker, who places the card under the stock or remainder of the pack styled the bank, and returns in lieu thereof another card from the top. The counter is profit to the banker, who consequently trades with the stock free from expense. Barter is exchanging a card without pay with the next right hand player, which must not be refused, and so on, the players trade alternately, till one of them obtains the object aimed at, and thereby stops the Commerce; then all shew their hands, and the highest tricon, sequence, or point wins the pool. The player who first gains the wished for tricon, &c., should shew the same immediately, without waiting till the others begin a fresh round, and if any one chooses to stand on the hand dealt, and shew it without trading, none of the junior players can trade that deal, and if the eldest hand stands, then of course no person can trade.

The banker always ranks as eldest hand, in case of neither tricon or sequence, when the game is decided by the point. Whenever the banker does not gain the pool, then he is to pay a counter to that player who obtains the same, and if the banker possesses tricon, sequence, or point, and does not win the pool, because another player has a better hand, then he is to give a counter to every player.

Commerce the old way is played by several persons together, every one depositing a certain sum in the pool, and receiving three fish or counters a piece, on which a value is fixed; as suppose sixpences are pooled, the counters then may be

rated at 1d. or 1d. each, so as to leave a sum for that player who gains the final sweep. After determining the deal, three cards, begining on the left hand, are given to every player, and as many turned up on the board by one at a time.

This game is gained, as at the other, by pairs, sequences, or flushes, and should the three cards turned up be such as the dealer approves of, he may, previous to looking at the hand dealt to himself, take them so turned up in lieu of his own, but then must abide by the same, and cannot afterwards exchange any during that deal. All the players, begining with the eldest hand, may in rotation change any card or cards in their possession for such as lie turned up on the table, striving thereby to make pairs-royal, sequences, or flushes, and so on round again and again, till all have refused to change, or are satisfied, but every person once standing cannot change again that deal. Finally the hands are all shewn, and the possessor of the highest pair-royal, &c., or the eldest hand if there are more than one of the same value, takes the sum agreed upon out of the pool, and the person having the worst hand, puts one fish or counter therein, called "Going up." The player, whose three are first gone off, has the liberty of purchasing one more, called, "Buying a Horse," for a sum as agread, usually onethird of the original stake, to be put into the pool. After that, every player, whose fish are all gone, sits by till the game is concluded, which finishes by the person who continues the longest on the board, thereby gaining the pool or final sweep.

BRAG.

THIS is taken from the text of Seymour-whose quaint spirit and phrases are singularly suited to the subject.

At this game, the whole pack is dealt round the table to all who are desirous to share in the gain and diversion. As many play at it as the cards will hold out to supply; he dealing three a-piece to each of the gamesters at one time, turning up the last card all round, belonging to every one present.

Each gamester is to put down three stakes, one for each card, as much, or as little as the humours of the company will consent to; whether three guineas, three crowns, three shillings, three sixpences, or what other stakes, according to their

qualities and purposes, is thought convenient: And this being done, the manner of playing the game is as follows:

The best card turned up in the dealing round, in its degree, beginning from ace, king, queen, knave, and so downwards, through all the cards of the players, wins the first stake; and the person who has the luck to have it dealt him, is to demand it from the rest; who pay it accordingly, unless the ace of diamonds be turned up amongst them; which if shewn, by a superior authority in the game, is to be preferred, and wins the stake. And observe, that though the eldest hand, who has an ace, carries it from the rest by a kind of descent, yet the ace of diamonds, by the aforesaid authority, even in the youngest hand which is the last card that is dealt, wins the stake from any other turned up before.

The next principal matter, and the main thing by which the second stake is to be won, is called the Brag, which, by the ingenuity of its management, gives the game its denomi nation. The nature of it is, that you are to endeavour to impose upon the judgment of the rest who play, and particularly on the person who chiefly offers to oppose you, by boasting of cards in your hand, whether pairs-royal, pairs or others, that are better than his or hers who plays against you. The best cards you can have really to brag of, are a pair-royal of aces, the next of kings, queens, &c. A pair-royal of any sort winning from any pair of the best sort, as a pair of any sort wins of any other cards that are not pairs.

But here you are to observe, that the witty ordering of this brag, is the most pleasant part of the game; for those who by fashioning their looks and gestures, can give a proper air to their actions, as will so deceive an unskilful antagonist, that sometimes a pair of fives, trays, or duces, in such a hand, with the advantage of his composed countenance, and subtle manner of over-awing the other, shall out-brag a much greater pairroyal, and win the stakes with great applause and laughter on his side from the whole company.

The knave of clubs, is here, as principal a favorite as at Loo, and makes a pair with any other card in hand, or with any other two cards a pair-royal, and is often in this game very necessary, to advance the credit of the brag, to him who has the assurance of imposing upon the company; and by such convenient confidence, the advantage of winning the second stake.

The third stake is won by the person who first makes up the cards in his hand thirty-one, each ace, king, queen, knave, &c. going for ten, and drawing from the pack, as is usual in that game: or, instead of the thirty-one, if his fortune will not oblige him, the nearest to it may win, he having the privilege to draw, or not to draw, as he pleases, according as he finds it convenient. by the cards that are in his hand; for if he draws out, he loses his third stake.

Some very nice players at this game make the nine of diamonds a second favorite card, with the knave of clubs, to make a pair-royal of aces; so that those two joined with one natural ace, shall win from any pair-royal of kings, queens, knaves, or any other cards, but a pair-royal of natural aces.

The person who is so lucky to win all the three stakes, is to be rewarded by the whole company of gamesters round the table, with three stakes more, if they play the strictness of the game; which necessarily makes the winnings and losings amount to a considerable sum of money. But very often our modern gamesters waive this particular, and out of a decent regard to their pockets, content themselves with the satisfaction of the pleasure of the brag, rather than trust to the uncommon good fortune of winning the three stakes, from the rest of the disappointed company.

The deal is to go round from person to person; and by the different management of the brag, you may find very great diversion, some doing it so awkwardly, with so little cunning, and so ill an address, that the defects or value of their game will presently be discovered, whilst others with a more artful assurance, and by their subtle management, will wittily banter and impose upon their adversaries, and seldom fail of their designed profit.

It is not fair for any of the gamesters, that sit near him who makes the brag, to peep into his hand, or by any mute sign or token to give the opposer any knowledge of the cards that he has in his hand; because it may chance that the oppositions. natural to this game, may draw on a considerable sum of money, to be staked down, each of the two who are concerned, valuing his own cards, and lessening those of his antagonist, as he thinks he has reason.

A very notable damage, occasioned by one person's peeping into another's hand, I once chanced to be a spectator of.