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by motives more honourable, more the heart saddens while listening

to the impatient inquiries of many who are soon deprived of their dearest hopes by the information

ORIGIN AND DESIGN OF CARDS.

ABOUT the year 1300, cards were invented to divert Charles the VI. then king of France, who was fallen into a melancholy disposition.

powerful, than interest itself. Whenever a new levy is made for the army, a given number (according to the state's necessity) is ta- that another country contains their ken from every five hundred vas-offspring: perhaps another world. sals capable of bearing arms. Most of the villages have been thus deprived of some of their inhabitants, and it is with the affectionate hope of again seeing their different relatives, that many aged men accompany these frozen caravans. St. Petersburgh is the extent of That they were not in use their views. The knowledge of before, appears highly probable. that city and of their own village, First, Because no cards are to be bounds their geographic acquire- seen in any painting, tapestry, ments; it is thither all their wishes &c. more ancient than the precedtend; for to that spot alone, they ing period, but are represented in falsely believe, is fixed the object many works of ingenuity, since of their fond solicitude. Ignorant that age. Secondly, No prohibiof any particular corps, and only tions relative to cards, by the conscious that it is a soldier they king's edicts, are mentioned, seek, under the liveliest impres-although some few years before a sion of expectation and affection, most severe one was published, they momentarily look for the forbidding, by name, all manner blessing of again embracing a son, of sports and pastimes, in order a brother, or some other near and that the subjects might exercise beloved kinsman. Actuated by themselves in shooting with bows similar feelings, hundreds of sol- and arrows, and be in a condition diers are seen going from group to oppose the English. Now it is to group, searching for their own not to be presumed, that so luring parents among these patriarchal a game as cards would have been strangers. To the observation of a omitted in the enumeration, had benevolent individual, these scenes they been in use. e Thirdly, In all are delightful. Nothing can be the ecclesiastical canons, prior to more affecting than to witness the said time, there occurs no their joyful meetings; fathers em- mention of cards; although, twenty bracing their sons; brothers their years after that date, card-playing brothers. But expressions of dis- was interdicted the clergy by a appointment frequently excite Gallican synod. About the same more distressing sympathies; and time is found, in the account-book

Dutch call the French word carreaux, stieneen, stones and diamonds, from the form. Trefle, the trefoil leaf, or clover grass (corruptly called clubs) alludes to the husbandmen and peasants. How this suit came to be called

of the king's cofferer, the following charge: “Paid for a pack of painted leaves, bought for the king's amusement, three livres." Printing and stamping being then not discovered, the cards were painted, which made them so dear. Thence, in the above synodical clubs I cannot explain, unless canons, they are called pagilla borrowing the game from the pictæ, painted little leaves. Spaniards, who have bastos (staves Fourthly, About thirty years after or clubs) instead of the trefoil, we this, came a severe edict against gave the Spanish signification to cards in France; and another by the French figure, The history of Emanuel, duke of Savoy; only the four kings, which the French permitting the ladies this pastime, in drollery sometimes call the pro spinulis for pins and needles. cards, is David, Alexander, Cæsar, The inventor proposed by the and Charles, (which the names figure of the four suits, or colours, were then, and still are, on the as the French call them, to repre- French cards). These respectable sent the four states, or classes of names represent the four celebrated men in the kingdom. By the monarchies of the Jews, Greeks, cœurs (hearts) are meant, the Romans, and Franks under Chargens se chœur, choir-men, or lemangne. or lemangne. By the queens are inecclesiastics; and therefore the tended Argine, Esther, Judeth, Spaniards, who certainly received and Pallas [names retained by the the use of cards from the French, French cards] typical of birth, have copas or chalices, instead of piety, fortitude, and wisdom, the hearts. The nobility, or prime qualifications residing in each military part of the kingdom, are person. Argine is an anagram represented by the ends or points for Regina, queen by descent, of lances or pikes, and our igno- By the knaves were designed the rance of the meaning or resem- servants to knights [for knave blance of the figure induced us to originally meant only servant; and call them spades. The Spaniards in an old translation of the Bible, have espades (swords) in lieu of St. Paul is called the knave of pikes, which is of similar import. Christ]; but French pages and By diamonds, are designed the valets, now indiscriminately used order of citizens, merchants, and by various orders of persons, were tradesmen, carreaux, (square formerly only allowed to persons stones, tiles, or the like). The of quality, esquires, [esquiers] Spaniards have a coin, dineros, shield or armour bearers. Others which answers to it; and the fancy that the knights themselves

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were designed by those cards, because Hogier and Lahire, two names in the French cards, were famous knights at the time cards were supposed to be invented.

The following is said to be an original Letter from Lady Craven, to one of her Theatrical female friends, who asked how she liked her change of situation.

MY DEAR T*****

speak of it---"As you Like it ;" and if you are disappointed call me a "Country Girl" "Too Friendly by Half."---With such charms as you possess; I know all that you want is "The Will.” ---Once married you may, quite in the fashion, act as you choose; and if your spouse proves “A Provoked Husband," why you may take your own "Revenge,' and make him a "Suspicious one."---If now (notwithstanding all I have said) you remain obstinate and single, I hope, as "Time's

No doubt you are interested in the question by asking me so soon my opinion of "Matrimony"---it a Tell-tale," I may present an would be "Love's Labour Lost," additional inducement. indeed if I disliked it in the

"Honey Moon."--If you continue such a prude, as to retain your

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Adieu, your's, &c.

D.

old opinion of "Marriage à la The Derivation, &c. of some of the

Mode," and still consider it as
foolish, I would advise you by all
means to catch the "Folly as it
Flies," provided you hit upon
some sober spark who has sown
his "Wild Oats"--"Trial's all,"
you know-----however, if upon
"Review" shouldn't like the
you
state, why you may cause "The
Devil to Pay" in the "School
for Scandal;" and of course the
result of your 66
Wedding Day"
will then form a very pretty
"Winter's Tale"! Thus, at all
events, like a fashionable
you will "Raise the Wind."
not "Wonder" at my trifling, for
you know "Laugh when you Can"
has been ever my maxim. But to
be serious---follow my advice---in

woman,

Do

Three Week's after Marriage'

principal Buildings and Streets in London and Westminster :

Ald-Gate, i. e. Old Gate, was one of the four original gates of the city, being mentioned in King Edgar's reign

in 967.

1609.

The late Gate was rebuilt in

Aldermanbury was so called from the mayor and alderman holding their berry or court, in a hall which formerly stood on the east side of that street, till the New Berry Court, or Guildhall that now is, was finished.

Ave-mary Lane was so called in the

Popish times, from text-writers and bead-makers who dwelt there.

Bank of England was begun to be built in 1732, and finished in 1734.

Bloomsbury was anciently a village named Lomsbury, in which were the king's stables, till they were burnt in 1354.

Blossom's-Inn, Lawrance-Lane, was so called fron having for its sign St.

Lawrance, the deacon, in a border of
Blossoms, or flowers.

Covent (i. e. Convent) Garden, was formerly a Garden belonging to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster.

It was granted in 1552 to John, Earl of Bedford.

Fenchurch-street took its name from

a fenny, or moorish ground, so made by a stream (called Lang-bourn) that formerly passed through it,

Humour.

Telling Wonders.-A person had been relating many incredible stories, when professor En

Grace Church-street, formerly call-gel, who was present, in order to ed Grass Church-street, was so called from Grass or Herbs sold there.

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repress his impertinence, said, "But, Sir, all this amounts to

very little, when I can assure you, that the celebrated organist, Abbè Vogler, once imitated a thunder storm so well that for miles round the country, all the milk turned sour."

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The second sixth, twice

The third sixth, once

.

9,600

384,000

256,000

128,000

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Professional Toasts. - The

school masters of London held a meeting in the year 1794, and after dinner the following toasts were given from the chair, with three times three:

Addition to the whigs!
Subtraction from the tories!
Multiplication to the friends of peace!
3,200 Division to its enemies!.
Reduction to abuses!

Rule of Three to King, Lords, and
Commons!

Practice to reformation!

128,000

Total produce of a single fly, in one summer

2,080,320

Discount to the national debt!

Fellowship to the patriots

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The Law and the Prophets. A dispute about precedence once arose between a Bishop and a Judge, and, after some altercation, the latter thought he should quite confound his opponent by quoting the following passage:"For on these two hang all the Law and the Prophets." Do you not see," said the Lawyer, in triumph, "that even in this passage of Scripture, we are mentioned first?" I grant you," says the Bishop, "you hang first."

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The Advantage of having a Vote.-An honest John Bull travelling through Germany, on arriving at the gate of a city, was requested to describe himself; not knowing exactly what designation to apply to himself, he answered that he was 66 an Elector of Middlesex.” As an Elector in Germany is rather a more important personage than those who bear that honourable title in England, the Germans immediately threw open their gates, and the guard turned out, and did military honours to the English Elector!

Duke of Chandos, to assist at the performance of an Oratorio in the chapel of Whitechurch, such was the throng of company, that no provisions were to be procured at the Duke's house. On going to the Chandos' Arms, in the town of Edgeware, we made our way into the kitchen, were we found nothing but a solitary leg of mutton on the spit. This, the waiter informed us, was bespoke by a party of gentlemen. The Doctor, rubbing his elbow, (his usual manner) says to me, "I'll have that mutton; give me a fiddle string." He took the fiddle-string, cut it in pieces, and privately sprinkling it over the mutton, walked out of the kitchen. Then waiting very patiently till the waiter had served it up, he heard one of the gentlemen exclaim, "Waiter! this meat is full of maggots: take it away." This was what the Doctor, who was on the watch, expected— "Here, give it me."-O, Sir!' says the waiter, you can't eat it ; 'tis full of maggots.'- -"Never mind," cries the Doctor, "fiddlers have strong stomachs." So bearing it away, and scraping off the fiddle-strings, we made a hearty dinner on the apparently maggotty mutton.

6

A gentleman having a horse that started and broke his wife's neck, a neighbouring 'squire told him, he wished to purchase it for his wife to ride upon. "No says the other, "I will not sell it-I intend to

Anecdote of Dr. Arne.-The writer of this article having many years ago accompanied the Doctor to Cannons, the seat of the late | marry again myself!".

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