NEWMARKET IN EARLY DAYS. 25 



an Act of Parliament required to be passed to 

 restrain gaming and betting on race-horses to an 

 excessive amount " on tick or credit." It was 

 upon the Act which was then passed that the 

 celebrated Qui Tarn actions, brought in 1843-44 

 against certain noblemen and gentlemen to re- 

 cover penalties for betting, were chiefly or at any 

 rate partly based. It may be as well to state 

 here the scope of the Act, which was entitled, 

 " An Act against deceitful, disorderly, and ex- 

 cessive gaming." 



The preamble of this piece of legislation was 

 decidedly couched in severe language ; it asserted 

 that all games and exercises, when not used in an 

 innocent and moderate manner, encourage idleness 

 and tend to a dissolute course of life, and to the 

 debauching of the nobility and gentry and others ; 

 to the loss of their precious time, and the utter 

 ruin of their estates and fortunes. Following 

 this exordium, it was duly enacted that no person, 

 by the exercise of deceit, could obtain any sum 

 or sums of money or other valuable lost to them 

 at any of the games of the period, which, as set 

 forth, were Cards, Dice, Tables, Tennis, Bowles, 

 Kittles, Shovel-board, Cock-fighting, Horse-racing, 

 Dog matches, and Foot races ; but, on the other 

 hand, would be required to forfeit and lose treble 

 the sum or value of money, one moiety thereof 

 to be given to the King, the other half being 

 destined for the person aggrieved. It was also 

 at the same time enacted for the better avoid- 

 ing and preventing of all excessive and im- 

 moderate playing and gaming for the time to 

 come, that no person could recover any sum 

 betted on credit which was above the value of 



