Part 25 (1/2)
To this description of Sparkle, the whole company listened with attention and delight, frequently interrupting him with bursts of laughter. Tea was handed round, and then cards introduced. Young Mortimer and Merrywell seemed to take but little interest in the play, and evidently discovered their anxiety to be liberated, having some other object in view. Mortimer felt no great portion of pleasure in pa.s.sing his time with his uncle, the Colonel, nor with his sister, Lady Lovelace, who was a perfect model of London affectation; besides, his friend Mr. Merrywell, who was to him what Tom Dashall and Sparkle had been to Tallyho, had made an engagement to introduce him to some of his das.h.i.+ng acquaintances in the West. Nods and winks were interchanged between them, and could not but be noticed by Tom and Bob, though Sparkle was so intent upon the amus.e.m.e.nts of the moment, and the company of the lovely Caroline, as to appear immoveable.
Mr. Merrywell at length stated that he must be compelled to quit the party. Young Mortimer also apologized; for as he and his friend were engaged for an early excursion in the morning, he should take a bed at his habitation, in order to be fully prepared. This was the first step to breaking up the party.
Merrywell called Sparkle on one side, saying he had something of importance to communicate. It was twelve o'clock, and the gentlemen, after taking a formal leave of the ladies and the Colonel, and a promise on the part of Sparkle to meet them again the next morning at twelve, to escort them to the Exhibition, left the house.
”I am really happy,” said Merrywell to Sparkle as they pa.s.sed the door, ”to have had the honour of this introduction, and shall have much pleasure in becoming better acquainted with Mr. Sparkle, who, though personally unknown to me, his name and fame are familiar.
~190~~Mr. Mortimer and myself are going to take a review of the neighbourhood of St. James's, probably to shake an elbow.”
”Excellent,” said Tom; ”here is a fine opportunity for Mr. Tallyho to take a like survey, and, if agreeable, we will join the party. Though I am by no means a friend to gaming, I conceive it necessary that every person should see the haunts of its votaries, and the arts they make use of, in order to avoid them.”
”You are right, and therefore let us have a peep at them.” With this they 'walk'd on, listening with attention to the following lines, which were recited by Sparkle:
”Behold yon group, fast fix'd at break of day, Whose haggard looks a sleepless night betray, With stern attention, silent and profound, The mystic table closely they surround; Their eager eyes with eager motions join, As men who meditate some vast design: Sure, these are Statesmen, met for public good, For some among them boast of n.o.ble blood: Or are they traitors, holding close debate On desp'rate means to overthrow the State?
For there are men among them whose domains And goods and chattels lie within their brains.
No, these are students of the blackest art That can corrupt the morals or the heart; Yet are they oft in fas.h.i.+on's ranks preferred, And men of honour, if you take their word.
But they can plunder, pillage, and devour, More than poor robbers, at the midnight hour; Lay deeper schemes to manage lucky hits, Than artful swindlers, living by their wits.
Like cunning fowlers, spread th' alluring snare, And glory when they pluck a pigeon bare.
These are our gamesters, who have basely made The cards and dice their study and their trade.”{1}
1 Gaming is generally understood to have been invented by the Lydians, when they were under the pressure of a great famine. To divert themselves from dwelling on their sufferings, they contrived the b.a.l.l.s, tables, &c. and, in order to bear their calamity the better, were accustomed to play for the whole day together, without interruption, that they might not be rack'd with the thought of food, which they could not obtain. It is not a little extraordinary that this invention, which was originally intended as a remedy for hunger, is now a very common cause of that very evil.
~191~~”True,” said Merry well, as Sparkle concluded, though he did not like the satire upon his own favourite pursuit; ”those delineations are correct, and the versification good, as far as it applies to the worst species of the gaminghouse.”
”O,” said Tom, ”then pray, Sir, which is the worst?”
”Nonsense,” said Sparkle, ”there is neither worse nor best; these h.e.l.ls are all alike. _Sharks, Greeks, Gamblers, Knowing Ones, Black-legs, and Levanters_, are to be met with at them all, and _they meet to bite one another's heads off_.”
”An admirable description, truly, of the company you are about to introduce us to, Gentlemen,” said Tallyho.
”I don't understand Greeks, h.e.l.ls, and Black-legs,” said Mortimer, ”and should like an explanation.”
”With all my heart,” replied Sparkle--”_h.e.l.l_ is the general t.i.tle now given to any well-known gaming-house, and really appears to be well chosen; for all the miseries that can fall to the lot of human nature, are to be found in those receptacles of idleness, duplicity, and villany. Gaming is an estate to which all the world has a pretence, though few espouse it who are willing to secure either their estates or reputations: and these h.e.l.ls may fairly be considered as so many half-way houses to the Fleet or King's Bench Prisons, or some more desperate end. The love of play is the most incurable of insanities: robbery, suicide, and the extensive ruin of whole families, have been known to proceed from this unfortunate and fatal propensity.
”_Greeks, Gamblers, Knowing Ones, and Black-legs_, are synonimous terms, applied to the frequenters of the modern h.e.l.ls, or Gaming-houses, and may be distinguished from the rest of society by the following peculiarities in pursuits and manners.
”The _Greeks_ of the present day, though they may not lay claim to, or boast of all the attributes of the _Greeks_ of antiquity, must certainly be allowed to possess that quality for which the latter were ever so celebrated, namely, _cunning and wariness_: for although no modern Greek can be said to have any resemblance to Achilles, Ajax, Patroclus, or Nestor, in point of courage, strength, fidelity, or wisdom, he may nevertheless boast of being a close copier of the equally renowned chief of Ithaca. You will find him in most societies, habited like a gentleman; ~192~~his clothes are of the newest fas.h.i.+on, and his manners of the highest polish, with every appearance of candour and honour; while he subsists by unfair play at dice, cards, and billiards, deceiving and defrauding all those with whom he may engage; disregarding the professions of friends.h.i.+p and intimacy, which are continually falling from his lips.
”To become a good _Greek_ (which, by the way, is a contradiction) it will be found necessary to follow these instructions:
”In the first place, lie should be able to command his temper; he should speak but little, and when he does mingle in conversation, he should most decidedly deprecate play, as a source of the greatest evil that can prey upon society, and elucidate its tendencies by striking examples which are well known to himself, and which are so forcibly impressed upon his recollection, that he is determined never to play deep again, but has no objection to a sociable and friendly game now and then, just to pa.s.s the time away a little agreeably. By this means he may readily mark down his man, and the game once in view, he should not appear too eager in the pursuit of it, but take good care, as the proverb says, to give a sprat, in order to catch a herring. This should be done by allowing some temporary success, before he make a final hit.
”There is perhaps no art which requires so much of continual practice as that of _Greekery_. It is therefore necessary, that the professor should frequently exercise himself in private with cards and dice, in order that his digits may be trained to a proper degree of agility, upon which the success of his art princ.i.p.ally depends. He should also be accustomed to work with some younger man than himself, who, having once been a pigeon, is become a naute, that is enlightened and will not peach--consequently, he serves as an excellent decoy to others.
”To ascertain the property of the pigeon he intends to pluck, is another essential requisite; and when this important information is obtained, (which should be before he commences operations) he should affect the utmost liberality as to time, &c. and make a show of extending every honourable facility to his opponent, even by offers of pecuniary a.s.sistance; by which means, (if he should be fortunate enough to have it accepted) he may probably, by good management, obtain a legal ~193~~security from him, and thus be enabled to fasten on his prey whenever he pleases.
”The t.i.tle of a military man, such as Captain, is very useful to the Greek, as it introduces him well to society, and if he has once held a commission in the army, so much the better. If not, it can be a.s.sumed, so that if any unpleasant regimental peculation should be introduced, he may place his hand on the left side of his breast, declare he is astonished and alarmed at the calumnious spirit of the times, shake his head, and interlard his conversation with common-place e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns; such as the following--Indeed--No--Why I know Harry very well--he's a bit of a blood--can it be possible--I should not have thought it--bless my heart--exactly so--good G.o.d--a devilish good joke tho'--that's very true, says I--so says he, &c. &c.
”A Greek should be a man of some personal courage, never shrink from a row, nor be afraid to' fight a duel. He should be able to bully, bl.u.s.ter, swagger and swear, as occasion may require; nay, in desperate cases, such us peaching, &c. he should not object even to a.s.sa.s.sination.