Page:Cards spiritualized, or, The pack of cards transformed into a Bible, almanack, and prayer-book.pdf/6

 that as any in the pack: No, said the mayor, I will not; well (returned Richard) the greatest knave I know is the serjeant who brought me before your worship I don’t know, replied the mayor whether he be the greatest knave or not, but I am sure he is the greatest fool

The soldier continued as follows, if your worship observe again, you will find in the first place, there are four suits in the card, that intimate the four quarters in the year; then as there are thirteen cards in each suit, that is just as many as there are weeks in the quarter; there are also as many lunations in a year as there are cards in a suit; there are twelve court cards which intimate the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiack thro’ which the sun fleers its diurnal course during the spice of one whole year; there are fifty-two cards in the pack, and that directly answers the exact number of weeks in a year; examine the cards a little farther, and you will find as many spots in them as there are days in a year, there being 365 spots; there I multiply by 24, and then by 60, which brings me out the exact number of days, hours, and minutes in a year. So that on the whole, an’t please your worship, this pack of cards is both a bible, an almanack, and a prayer book to me.

The mayor was so well pleased with the ready turns of wit and humour which he found in the soldier, that he called his servant and ordered him o entertain the soldier well, and gave him a piece of money, and said he was the cleverest fellow he ever heard a in his life

The serjeant seeing the soldier he thought to get punished so highly praised, took it so to heart that in three days after he died with grief.