Note 148 — Chapter IX · GAMBLING AND SPECULATION.

These professional swindlers belonged to all classes of society, and some who died in this reign have left names behind them: St. Evremont, Beau Fielding, Macartney, who was Lord Mohun's second in his celebrated duel with the Duke of Hamilton, and the Marquis de Guiscard, who stabbed Harley, the Earl of Oxford. Their Lives, and many others, are given by Lucas,[148] from whom I shall only borrow one example, to show the equality that play made between the different social grades. Bourchier died in 1702, so that he just comes within this reign. 'Being at the Groom Porter's, he flung one Main with the Earl of Mulgrave for 500 Pounds, which he won; and his Honour looking wistly at him, quoth he, I believe I shou'd know you. Yes (reply'd the Winner) your Lordship must have some Knowledge of me, for my Name is Dick Bourchier, who was once your Footman. Whereupon his Lordship supposing he was not in a Capacity of paying 500 Pounds in case he had lost, cry'd out, A Bite, A Bite. But the Groom Porter assuring his Lordship that Mr. Bourchier was able to have paid 1,000 Pounds provided his Lordship had won such a Summ, he paid him what he plaid for, without any farther Scruple.'