ry minister, mentioned
by Fuller. 'I remember,' he says, 'in my time (about the middle of the
seventeenth century), a country minister preached at St Mary's, from
Rom. xii. 3,--"As God has DEALT to every man the measure of faith." In
a fond imitation of Latimer's sermon he followed up the metaphor
of DEALING,--that men should PLAY ABOVE-BOARD, that is, avoid all
dissembling,--should not POCKET CARDS, but improve their gifts and
graces,--should FOLLOW SUIT, that is, wear the surplice, &c.,--all which
produced nothing but laughter in the audience. Thus the same actions
by several persons at several times are made not the same actions, yea,
differenced from commendable discretion to ridiculous absurdity.
And thus he will make but bad music who hath the instruments and
fiddlesticks, but none of the "resin" of Latimer.'

The habit of card-playing must have been much confirmed and extended by
the marriage of Philip of Spain with our Queen Mary, whose numerous and
splendid retinue could not but bring with them that passionate love of
cards which prevailed in the Spanish court.

It seems also probable that the cards then used (whatever they might
have been before) were of Spanish form and figure, in compliment to the
imperious Philip; since even to this day the names of two Spanish suits
are retained on English cards, though without any reference to their
present figure. Thus, we call one suit spades, from the Spanish
espada, 'sword,' although we retain no similitude of the sword in the
figure,--and another clubs, in Spanish, bastos, but without regard to
the figure also.

Old Roger Ascham, the tutor of Queen Elizabeth, gives us a picture
of the gambling arts of his day, as follows:--How will they use these
shiftes when they get a plaine man that cannot skill of them! How they
will go about, if they perceive an honest man have moneye, which list
not playe, to provoke him to playe! They will seek his companye; they
will let him pay noughte, yea, and as I hearde a man once saye that he
did, they will send for him to some house, and spend perchaunce a crowne
on him, and, at last, will one begin to saye: "at, my masters, what shall
we do? Shall every man playe his twelve-pence while an apple roste in
the fire, and then we will drincke and departe?" "Naye" will another
saye (as false as he), "you cannot leave when you begin, and therefore I
will not playe: but if you will gage, that every man as he hath lost his
twelve-pence, sha