three or four years' play here, they impoverished so many
families, that Parliament enacted a suppression of both games,
with severe penalties. The two games are, therefore, of
historical interest, and deserve an explanation.

Basset was a sort of lottery. The dealer who kept the bank at
Basset, having the sole disposal of the first and last card, and
other considerable privileges in dealing the cards, had a much
greater prospect of gaining than those who played. This was a
truth so acknowledged in France that the king, by public edict,
ordered that the privilege of a talliere, or banker at Basset,
should only be allowed to the 'chief cadets,' or sons of
noblemen--supposing that whoever kept the bank must, in a very
short time, acquire a considerable fortune.

In this game there was: 1. The Talliere, the banker, who laid
down a sum of money to answer every winning card which might turn
up. 2. The Croupiere, the assistant of the former, standing by
to supervise the losing cards,--so that when there were many at
play he might not lose by overlooking anything which might turn
up to his profit. 3. The Punter, or every player. 4. The Fasse,
that is, the first card turned up by the talliere, by which he
gained half the value of the money laid upon every card of THAT
SORT by the punters or players. 5. The Couch, which was the
first stake that every punter laid upon each card-- every player
having a book of 13 cards before him, upon which he must lay his
money, more or less, according to his fancy. 6. The Paroli: in
this, whoever won the couch, and intended to go on for another
advantage, crooked the corner of his card, letting his money lie,
without being paid the value by the talliere. 7. The Masse,