ARBUTHNOT. 49 



in the list of fellows given in Thomson's History of the Royal 

 Society. 



I have no doubt that the work is due to Arbuthnot. For 

 there is an English translation of Huygens's treatise by W. 

 Browne, published in 1714 ; in his Advertisement to the Reader 

 Browne says, speaking of Huygens's treatise, 



Besides the Latin Editions it has pass'd thro', the learned Dr 

 Arbuthnott publish'd an English one, together with an Application 

 of the General Doctrine to some pai-ticular Games then most in use; 

 which is so intirely dispers'd Abroad, that an Account of it is all we 

 can now meet with. 



This seems to imply that there had been no other transla- 

 tion except Arbuthnot's; and the words ''an Application of the 

 General Doctrine to some particular Games then most in use" 

 agree very well with some which occur in the work itself: ''It 

 is easy to apply this method to the Games that are in use amongst 

 us." See page 28 of the fourth edition. 



Watt's Bihliotheca Britannica, under the head Arbuthnot, places 

 the work with the date 1G92. 



80. I have seen only one copy of this book, which was lent 

 to me by Professor De Morgan. The title page is as follows: 



Of the laws of chance, or, a method of calculation of the hazards 

 of game, plainly demonstrated, and applied to games at present most 

 in use; which may be easily extended to the most intricate cases of 

 chance imaginable. The fourth edition, ro^is'd by John Ham. By 

 whom is added, a demonstration of the gain of the banker in any 

 circumstance of the game call'd Pharaon; and how to determine the 

 odds at the Ace of Hearts or Fair Chance; with the arithmetical 

 solution of some questions relating to lotteries; and a few remarks 

 upon Hazard and Backgammon. London. Printed for B. Motte and 

 C. Bathurst, at the Middle-Temple Gate in Fleet-street, jt.dcc.xxxviii. 



81. I proceed to describe the work as it appears in the 

 fourth edition. 



The book is of small octavo size; it may be said to consist of 

 two parts. The first part extends to page 49 ; it contains a trans- 

 lation of Huygens's treatise with some additional matter. Page 50 

 is blank ; page 51 is in fact a title page containing a reprint 



4. 



