early in the sixteenth century, and that in due course the plan found favour over here, and was gradually taken up by the State. From 1569 down to 1826 (except for a short time following upon an Act of the reign of Anne) lotteries continued to be a source of revenue to the English Government. Some interesting particulars are given by Hone and Chambers, the latter of whom says: "It seems strange that so glaringly immoral a project should have been kept up with such sanction so long. The younger people of the present day may be at a loss to believe that, in the days of their fathers, there were large and imposing offices in London, and pretentious agencies in the provinces, for the sale of lottery tickets; while flaming advertisements on walls, in new books, and in public journals, proclaimed the preferableness of such and such 'lucky' offices-this one having sold two-sixteenths of the last twenty-thousand-pounds prize; that one a half of the same; another having sold an entire thirty-thousand-pound ticket the year before; and so on. It was found possible to persuade the public, or a portion of it, that where a blessing had once lighted it was the more likely to light again. The State lottery was framed on the simple principle, that the State held forth a certain sum to be repaid by a larger. The transaction was usually managed thus. The Government gave £10 in prizes for every share taken on an average. A great many blanks or of prizes under £10, left, of course, a surplus for the creation of a few magnificent prizes wherewith to attract the unwary public. Certain firms in the City, known as lottery-office keepers, contracted for the lottery, each taking a certain number of shares; the sum paid by them was always more than £10 per share; and the excess constituted the Government profit. It was customary, for many years, for the contractors to give about £16 to the Government, and then to charge the public from £20 to £22. It was made lawful for the contractors to divide the shares into halves, quarters, eighths, and sixteenths; and the con

tractors always charged relatively more for these aliquot parts. A man with thirty shillings to spare could buy a sixteenth; and the contractors made a large portion of their profit out of such customers. The Government sometimes paid the prizes in terminable annuities instead of cash; and the loan system and the lottery system were occasionally combined in a very odd way. Thus in 1780, every subscriber of £1000 towards a loan of £12,000,000, at four per cent., received a bonus of four lottery tickets, the value of each of which was £10, and any one of which might be the fortunate number for a twenty or thirty thousand pounds prize. Among the lottery offices, the competition for business was intense. One firm, finding an old woman in the country named Goodluck, gave her £50 a year on condition that she would join them as a nominal partner, for the sake of the attractive effect of her name. their advertisements each was sedulous to tell how many of the grand prizes had in former years fallen to the lot of persons who had bought at his shop. Woodcuts and copies of verses were abundant, suited to attract the uneducated."

In

The first lottery in this country, so far as is known, took place in 1569. Dr Rawlinson, a distinguished antiquary of the last century, produced before the Antiquarian Society in 1748 the following:

A Proposal for a very rich Lottery, general without any Blankes, contayning a great N° of good prices, as well of redy money as of Plate and certain sorts of Merchandizes, having been valued and prised by the Commandment of the Queenes most excellent Majesties order, to the extent that such Commodities as may chance to arise thereof, after the charges borne, may be converted towards the reparations of the Havens and Strength of the realme, and towards such other public good workes. The N of lotts shall be foure hundred thousand, and no more; and every lott shall be the summe of tenne shillings sterling only, and no more. To be filled by the feast of St Bartholomew. The shew of Prises ar to be seen in Cheapside, at the sign of the Queenes armes, the house of Mr. Dericke, Goldsmith, Servant to the Queen. Some other Orders about it in 1567-8.

Printed by Hen. Bynneman.

According to Stow the drawing of this lottery was commenced at the west door of St Paul's Cathedral on the 11th of January 1569, and continued day and night until the 6th of May. It was originally intended to be drawn at Dericke's house, but most likely, as preparations were made, it was discovered that a private establishment would be hardly the place for so continuous a piece of business. Maitland in his "London says, "Whether this lottery was on account of the public, or the selfish views of private persons, my author does not mention; but it is evident, by the time it took up in drawing, it must have been of great concern. This I have remarked as being the first of the kind I read in England." By these remarks it would seem that neither Stow nor Maitland had seen the "Proposal" we have quoted above, which gives the reason for the lottery.

In 1586 there was another drawing, about which we are quaintly told: "A Lotterie, for marvellous rich and beautiful armor, was begunne to be drawn at London, in S. Paules churchyard, at the great west gate, (an house of timber and boord being there erected for that purpose) on St. Peter's Day in the morning, which Lotterie continued. in Drawing day and night for the space of two or three daies." Of this lottery Lord Burleigh says in his diary at the end of Munden's State Papers: "June 1586, the Lottery of Armour under the charge of John Calthorp determined." About the year 1612 James I., "in special favour for the plantation of English colonies in Virginia, granted a lottery to be held at the west end of St Paul's; whereof one Thomas Sharplys, a taylor of London, had the chief prize, which was four thousand crowns in fair plate."+

A correspondent of the Gentleman's Magazine in 1778 gives Mr Urban some particulars regarding a lottery "held in London for the present plantation of English colonies in Virginia" in 1619. The writer says: "It may be found,

* Stow.

+ Stow's Annals.

Baker's Chronicle.

perhaps, upon strict enquiry that this mode of raising money was authorized in many wealthy towns, as well as in the capital; and that it was attended with beneficial effects, not only to the colony of Virginia, but likewise to the town itself where the lottery was held. In proof of this supposition I send you the following authentic extract from the Register of charitable Gifts to the Corporation of Reading:"

Whereas at a Lottery held within the Borough of Reading in the Year of our Ld. God 1619, Gabriel Barber Gent. Agent in the sd. Lottery for the Councell & Company of Virginia, of his own good Will & Charity towarde poor Tradesmen ffreemen & Inhabitants of the sd. Borough of Reading, & for the better enabling such poor Tradesmen to support & bear their Charges in their several Places & Callings in the sd. Corporation from time to time for ever freely gave & delivered to the Mayor & Burgesses of this Corporation the sum of forty Pounds of lawfull Money of England Upon Special Trust & Confidence, that the sd. Mayor & Burgesses & their Successors shall from time to time for ever dispose & lend these 40l. to & amongst Six poor Tradesmen after the rate 061. 13s. 4d. to each Man for the Term of five Years gratis And after those five Years ended to dispose & lend the sd. 401. by Such Soms to Six other poor Tradesmen for other five Years & so from five years to five years Successively upon good Security for ever Neverthelesse provided & upon Condition that none of those to whom the sd. Summs of money shall be lent during that Term of five years shall keep either Inn or Tavern or dwell forth of the sd. Borough, but there during that time and terme, shall as other Inhabitants of the sd. Borough reside & dwell.

Memorand. that the sd. Sum of 401. came not into the hands & charge of the Mayor & Burgesses until April 1626.

The writer then concludes with the following somewhat puzzling sentence: "If it be asked what is become of it now? gone, it is supposed, where the chickens went before during the pious Protectorship of Cromwell."

Hone in his " Everyday-Book” says that "in 1630, 6th Charles I., there was a project 'for the conveying of certain springs of water into London and Westminster, from within a mile and a half of Hodsdon, in Hertfordshire, by the undertakers, Sir Edward Stradling and John Lyde.' The author of this project was one Michael Parker. 'For

defraying the expenses whereof, King Charles grants them a special licence to erect and publish a lottery or lotteries; according,' says this record, 'to the course of other lotteries heretofore used or practised.' This is the first mention of lotteries either in the Fadera or Statute-book. And for the sole privilege of bringing the said waters in aqueducts to London, they were to pay four thousand pounds per annum into the king's exchequer and, the better to enable them to make the said large annual payment, the king grants them leave to bring their aqueducts through any of his parks, chases, lands, &c., and to dig up the same gratis.'" In 1653 there was a lottery at Grocers' Hall, which has escaped the observation of the earliest inquirers on this subject. In an old weekly paper, called Perfect Account of the Daily Intelligence, November 16-23, 1653, there is the following:

Advertisement.

At the Committee for Claims for Lands in Ireland, Ordered, that a Lottery be at Grocers-Hall, London, on Thursday 15 Decem. 1653, both for Provinces and Counties, to begin at 8 of the Clock in the forenoon of the same day; and all persons concerned therein are to take notice thereof. W. Tibbs.

After the Restoration, Charles, whose ideas of rewarding fidelity were always peculiar, granted plate lotteries" with a view to reward those adherents of the Crown who resided within the bills of mortality, and had served with fidelity during the interregnum." By this is to be understood a gift of plate from the Crown to be disposed of by lot, certain persons-most likely those who had no claim whatever on the score of fidelity-having the privilege of selling tickets. The Gazette tells us that in 1669 Charles II., the Duke of York, and many of the nobility were present "at the grand plate lottery, which, by his Majesty's command, was then opened at the sign of the Mermaid, over against the mews." Even if this had been a proper way to reward the faithful, the faithfullest must have felt it had been left rather late. From