sumed
the inheritance of his fathers, and all those who were sufferers by
such misery, were the friends of this perverse man.' Horace, Juvenal,
Persius, Cicero, and other writers, attest the fact of Roman gambling
most eloquently, most indignantly.

The Romans had 'lotteries,' or games of chance, and some of their prizes
were of great value, as a good estate and slaves, or rich vases; others
of little value, as vases of common earth, but of this more in the
sequel.

Among the Gothic kings who, in the fulness of time and accomplishments,
'succeeded' to that empire, we read of a Theodoric, 'a wise and valiant
prince,' who was 'great lover of dice;' his solicitude in play was only
for victory; and his companions knew how to seize the moment of his
success, as consummate courtiers, to put forward their petitions and
to make their requests. 'When I have a petition to prefer,' says one of
them, 'I am easily beaten in the game that I may win my cause.'(8) What
a clever contrivance! But scarcely equal to that of the _GREAT_ (in
politeness) Lord Chesterfield, who, to gain a vote for a parliamentary
friend, actually submitted to be _BLED!_ It appears that the voter was
deemed very difficult, but Chesterfield found out that the man was a
doctor, who was a perfect Sangrado, recommending bleeding for every
ailment. He went to him, as in consultation, agreed with the man's
arguments, and at once bared his arm for the operation. On the point of
departure his lordship 'edged' in the question about the vote for his
friend, which was, of course, gushingly promised and given.

(8) Sed ego aliquid obsecraturus facile vincor; et mihi tabula perit ut
causa salvetur.--Sidonius Apollinaris, _Epist_.

Although there may not be much Gothic blood among us, it is quite
certain that there is plenty of German mixture in our nation--taking
the term in its very wide and comprehensive ethnology. Now, Tacitus
describes the ancient stout and valiant Germans as 'making gaming with
a die a very serious occupation of their sober hours.' Like the
'everlasting Negro,' they, too, made their last throw for personal
liberty, the loser going into voluntary slavery, and the winner selling
such slaves as soon as possible to strangers, in order not to have
to blush for such a victory! If the 'nigger' could blush, he might
certainly do so for the white man in such a conjuncture.

At Naples and other places in Italy, at least in former times, the
boatmen u