THE FATHERS OF BOOKMAKING 17 



opened. He made a bet with " Captain " England in the 

 ring at Newmarket, and lost it ; but when not thinking 

 about the wager Mr Stubbs was suddenly accosted by the 

 winner, and asked for the money. The sudden shock had 

 the usual effect on the optic. " Eh, what ! " said Mr Stubbs, 

 with a look of inquiry. Dick stared him in the face, and 

 observing his perfect vision, replied, " I beg your pardon, 

 sorr, I took ye for somebody else " ; muttering to himself as 

 he walked on, " Begorra, the fellow I bet wid was a one- 

 eyed one ; that's not the man." 



On another occasion England's temper led him into a 

 more tragic encounter. There was Mr Peter Le Roules, a 

 wealthy brewer of Kingston-on-Thames, with whom Dick 

 had some extensive betting transactions. Mr Le Roules 

 gave England a bond as security for large sums borrowed 

 and lost. But when called upon to pay he repudiated the 

 bond, on the ground that he had been robbed and swindled. 

 Meeting Le Roules at Ascot Races, Dick's temper got the 

 better of him, and he roundly abused the brewer in public, 

 denouncing him as a swindler who would neither pay his 

 debts of honour nor refund the money he had borrowed. 

 Le Roules promptly challenged England, and they fought 

 a desperate duel at Cranford Bridge, in Middlesex, on i8th 

 June, 1794. Six shots apiece were exchanged, and with 

 his sixth shot England mortally wounded his antagonist. 



Dick fled the country and took refuge in Paris. But 

 there he was mistaken for an aristocrat by the Revolutionists 

 of the Reign of Terror and sentenced to death. He was 

 actually standing beneath the guillotine, waiting his turn for 

 execution, when the reprieve arrived, and he was saved in 

 the nick of time. 



He thought it better then to go back to England and 

 give himself up to justice, rather than remain amongst these 

 bloodthirsty French fanatics. So he returned, and was 

 tried for murder ; but the jury found him guilty only of 

 manslaughter, and he received the lenient sentence of one 

 shilling fine and twelve months' imprisonment without hard 

 labour. After that, his character was no more called in 

 question, and he pursued his calling as a " leg " until he 

 died peacefully in his bed at the age of 80. 



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