The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-09-20
The Pack Of Cards.


The following curious broadside is taken
from an English newspaper of the year
l744, and is there called cards Spiritu-
lied, or the perpetual Almanac Of Soldiers
PRAYER Book; - giving an account of Rich
ard Lane. private Belonging toAthe 47th
regiment of foot, who was taken before the
mayor of the town Of GLASGOW, for playing
at cards during divine service:
The sergeant commanded the soldier ia
church. When the parson had repeated
the prayers and taken his text, those who
had bible took it out but Richard had
neither bible nor common prayer book, but
pulling out pack of cards, he spread them
out before him. He first looked at one of
the cards and then at another. The sar-
geant of the company saw him, and said
Richard, put up the cards, this is no
place for them"
"Neyer mind that" said Richard.
When the service was over the constable
took Richard prisoner, and brought him be-
fore the mayor.
"Wen," saws the mayor, "what for have
you brought this soldier p
.sFor playing cards at church. .
| swell, soldier, whet have you to say for
yourself ?" so Hx -
Much, sir, | hope"
| III
more than ever a man was punished. =
| 81 have been," said the soldier, about
six weeks on the march. l have, had but
little to subsist upon. have neither bible
nor common prayer book. | have nothing
| but pack of cards, and [ hope to satisfy
your worship of the purity Of my inten-
| tions.' 9sis' j
! VERY good" said the mayor fi..
| He counts the cards. Then spreading
them out before the mayor, be began with
the ace
e"When see the ace it reminds me that
there is one God. 58a .oe.
| When 1 see the deuce, it reminds me of
the Father and the Son.
| When [ see the tray, it reminds me Of
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 5a@s
When | see the four, it reminds me of
the four Evangalists that preached-yiz
| Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. I
When [ see the five, it reminds me Of the
five Wise Virgins that trimmed their
lamps. There were ten, but FIVE were wise,
and five were foolish, and were shut out.
/ When [ see the six, it reminds me that
in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth.
When I see the eight, it reminds me of
| the eight righteous persons who were saved
| when God drowned the world-Viz: Noah
and his wife, his three sons and their
! wives.
/ When [ see the nine, it reminds me of
! the nine Lepers that there were ceansed
| by our Savior. There were ten, bat nine
/ never returned thanks. r.. f.,
! When | see the ten, it reminds me of the
| Ten Commandments which God handed
down to Moses on table stone.
4 l al l., j.. II
! the Great King Of Heaven, which is God
! Almighty.
! When | see the queen, it reminds me Of
the Queen of Sheba, who went to hear the
wisdom of Solomon; for she was as wise a
woman as he was a man. She brought
with her fifty girls and fifty boys, all dressed
in boys apparel, for the king Solomon to
| tell which were boys and which were girls
| King Solomon sent for water for them to
wash themselves, and the girls washed to
the elbows, and the boys only to the wrists,
so king Solomon told by that. G.
well, said the mayor, ''you have Civ
en- description of every card in the pack
but one es zat Ra5 ~
(which is that ~ said the soldier.
! '"Ihe knave," said the mayor .,i... &.
81 will give your honor description OF
that, too, if you will not be angry. t
Il will not if you will not term me the
knaye, said the mayor.
'Well, said the soldier, ''the greatest
knaye [ know, is the soldier that brought
NE here
81 do not know" said the mayor,
whether he is the greatest knave or not,
but know he is the greatest fool.
when | count the number of spots in
a pack of cards, find three hundred and
sixty ,fye-as many days as there are in "a
year.
When | count the number of cards in a
pack, find there are flty-two--as many
weeks as there are in a year. And fnd
four suits-the number of weeks in q
| month. i4'
| find there are twelve picture cards in a
pack, representing the number of months
| ina year; and on counting the tricks, |
find thirteen-the number of weeks in a
| quarter. Soyop see, sir, the pack OF cards
serves for a bible, almanac, and common
| prayer book to me. ,f ,ta4.