Note 347 — Chapter V · THE MORALITY OF CARD-PLAYING.

The author of 'A Short Essay on the Folly of Gaming,' reprinted from the Dublin Intelligencer, in 1734, speaking of the loss of temper at cards and dice, says: "If any one doubts the truth of this position, I refer him to the Groom-Porter's, and other public tables, where the virtuosos of the gaming science are daily and nightly to be seen. If blasphemy, cursing, swearing, duelling, running of heads against the wall, throwing hats and wigs in the fire, distortions of the countenance, biting of nails, burning of cards, breaking of dice-boxes, can be called a loss of temper, they are to be found there in the highest degree."—He concludes his essay with the following warning: "I shall close these cursory reflections with a useful remark of Plato's, viz. that the Dæmon Theuth was the inventor of Dice; and the vulgar have it by tradition that cards are the Devil's books; therefore I cannot but say that after this information given, if gamesters will not desist, they are undoubtedly at the Devil's devotion."