The clergy, especially in the West of England, were formerly devoted to whist. About the beginning of the century there was a whist club in a country town of Somersetshire, composed mostly of clergymen, that met every Sunday evening in the back parlour of a barber. Four of these were acting as pall bearers at the funeral of a reverend brother, when a delay occurred from the grave not being ready, or some other cause; and the coffin was set down in the chancel. By way of whiling away the time, one of them produced a pack of cards from his pocket, and proposed a rubber.' The rest gladly assented, and they were deep in their game, using the coffin as their table, when the sexton came to announce that the preparations were complete. We have carefully verified the fact that they played long whist, and we suspect that whist has been less popular This story (it is to be hoped apocryphal) was currently told of the writer's uncle, the Rev. Richard Abraham, Vicar of Ilminster and Chaffcombe; a man distinguished by learning and wit. It was he who, on being nominated to his living by Lord North, preached his first sermon on the text, 'Promotion cometh not from the east, or the west, neither from the south.' He resided mostly at Bath, on the plea of ill health, and frequently helped to form the cardtable of Mrs. Beadon, the wife of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. 'Mr. Abraham,' said the Bishop, one morning, 'it strikes me that, if you are well enough to sit up half the night playing whist, you must be well enough to do duty at your living.' 'My Lord,' was the reply, Mrs. Beadon will tell you that late whist acts as a tonic or restorative to dyspeptic people with weak nerves.' The lady at once made the case her own; and her power over her right reverend lord was so well established that the diocese credited her with the entire distribution of his patronage. After his death, she became well known to the world of Mayfair by her Sunday whist parties, which rivalled those of Lady Tancred and the old Lady Salisbury who was burnt. in the church since the introduction of short, by reason of its inferior gravity. The principle is indicated by Sydney Smith in his qualified defence of angling: 'I give up fly-fishing: it is a light, volatile, dissipated pursuit. But ground-bait, with a good steady float that never bobs without a bite, is an occupation for a bishop, and in no way interferes with sermon-making.' We have seen short whist played by a member of the episcopal body, and a very eminent one, the venerable Bishop of Exeter (Phillpotts): one adversary being the late Dean of St. Paul's (Milman): the other an American diplomatist (Mason), and his partner a distinguished foreigner (Count Strzelecki), whose whist was hardly on a par with his scientific acquirements and social popularity. The two church dignitaries played a steady sound orthodox game. The bishop bore a run of ill luck like a Christian and a bishop, but when (after the diplomatist had puzzled him by a false card) the Count lost the game by not returning his trump, the excellent prelate looked as if about to bring the rubber to a conclusion as he once brought a controversy with an archbishop, namely, by the bestowal of his blessing; which the archbishop, apparently apprehensive of its acting by the rule of contraries, earnestly entreated him to take back. 6 The famous Billy Butler,' vicar of Frampton, got the offer of a rich piece of preferment by finding a fox in the 'open,' when the Prince of Wales (afterwards George IV.) was anxious for an easy run. Many a good living has been gained by whist-playing; this being considered an indispensable qualification by discerning patrons (lay and episcopal) in the olden time. Our own opinion is that, if the spirit of the times no longer admits of its being exacted in candidates for holy orders, the being well up in Pole, Cavendish, or Clay should command a handsome number of marks in all competitive examinations, civil and military. We throw out this suggestion for the serious consideration of the Government. THE END. LONDON: PRINTED BY |