It was at them that Nash made the money which sufficed to keep up his state, which was vulgarly regal.  He drove about in a chariot, flaming with heraldry, and drawn by six grays, with outriders, running footmen, and all the appendages which made an impression on the vulgar minds of the visitors of his kingdom.  His dress was magnificent; his gold lace unlimited, his coats ever new; his hat alone was always of the same colour—­white; and as the emperor Alexander was distinguished by his purple tunic and Brummell by his bow, Emperor Nash was known all England over by his white hat.

It is due to the King of Bath to say that, however much he gained, he always played fair.  He even patronized young players, and after fleecing them, kindly advised them to play no more.  When he found a man fixed upon ruining himself, he did his best to keep him from that suicidal act.  This was the case with a young Oxonian, to whom he had lost money, and whom he invited to supper, in order to give him his parental advice.  The fool would not take the Beau’s counsel and ‘came to grief.’  Even noblemen sought his protection.  The Duke of Beaufort entered on a compact with him to save his purse, if not his soul.  He agreed to pay Nash ten thousand guineas, whenever he lost the same amount at a sitting.  It was a comfortable treaty for our Beau, who accordingly watched his grace.  Yet it must be said, to Nash’s honour, that he once saved him from losing eleven thousand, when he had already lost eight, by reminding him of his compact.  Such was play in those days!  It is said that the duke had afterwards to pay the fine, from losing the stipulated sum at Newmarket.

He displayed as much honesty with the young Lord Townshend, who lost him his whole fortune, his estate, and even his carriage and horses—­what madmen are gamblers!—­and actually cancelled the whole debt, on condition my lord should pay him L5000 whenever he chose to claim it.  To Nash’s honour it must be said that he never came down upon the nobleman during his life.  He claimed the sum from his executors, who paid it.—­’Honourable to both parties.’

But an end was put to the gaming at Bath and everywhere else—­except in a royal palace, and Nash swore that, as he was a king, Bath came under the head of the exceptions—­by an Act of Parliament.  Of course Nash and the sharpers who frequented Bath—­and their name was Legion—­found means to evade this law for a time, by the invention of new games.  But this could not last, and the Beau’s fortune went with the death of the dice.

Still, however, the very prohibition increased the zest for play for a time, and Nash soon discovered that a private table was more comfortable than a public one.  He entered into an arrangement with an old woman at Bath, in virtue of which he was to receive a fourth share of the profits.  This was probably not the only ’hell’-keeping transaction of his life, and he had once before quashed an action