A Game of Cards

THE FOLLOWING CURIOUS ARTICLE IS TAKEN FROM AN ENGLISH NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR, 1773 and is called the “Perpetual Almanac of the Soldier’s Prayer Book”, by Risand Dane a private soldier belonging to the 42nd Regiment, who was taken before the mayor of Glasgow for playing cards during divine service.

Being sternly reprimanded for this act, the soldier explained as follows, beginning with the ace: “It reminds me there, is but one God. When 1 see the duce, it reminds me of the Father and son. When I see the three it reminds me of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The four‑spot reminds me of the four evangelists: Matthew Mark, Luke and John. The Five reminds me of the five wise virgins who trimmed their lamps, there were ten, but five were foolish.