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49.

A DICTIONARY

OF

THE TURF, THE RING, THE CHASE, THE
PIT, OF BON-TON,

AND THE

VARIETIES OF LIFE,

FORMING THE COMPLETEST AND MOST AUTHENTIC

Lexicon Balatronicum

HITHERTO OFFERED TO THE NOTICE OF

THE SPORTING WORLD,

For elucidating Words and Phrases that are necessarily, or purposely,
cramp, mutative, and unintelligible, outside their

respective Spheres.

INTERSPERSED WITH

ANECDOTES AND WHIMSIES,

WITH TART QUOTATIONS, AND RUM-ONES;
WITH EXAMPLES, PROOFS, AND MONITORY PRECEPTS,
USEFUL AND PROPER FOR

NOVICES, FLATS, AND YOKELS.

BY JON BEE, Esq.

Editor of the Fancy, Fancy Gazette, Living Picture of London,
and the like of that.

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PRINTED FOR T. HUGHES, 35, LUDGATE-STREET.

823.41 B132

LONDON:

PRINTED BY W. LEWIS, FINCH LANE,

Recat. 1-80-53 MFP

P R E F A C Е.

WHOLLY unlike any of its precursors, the present laborious Dictionary claims for its characteristics a good portion of originality, great utility as to several neglected good old English sports, much amusement, and recent information, obtained vivá voce from some eschewed walks of life; together with a moral inculcation here and there, that shall tell, where the solemn concione would fail.

Every reader has a right to know his authour's motives for publishing at all, to be brought acquainted with his means of performance and his eligibility for the task; and the latter having likewise his rights to assert, this mutuality begets the undisputed custom of preface-the more gumptious the better. If the writer willeth to add hereto an exposition of his views on the subject-matter in hand, or to say aught of the manner of executing his task-either by way of extenuation. or exultingly, he has that right undoubtedly,-let him exercise it at his peril. Neither Grose, nor his editor Dr. H. Clarke, nor the preux Count de Vaux, have filled the balatronic gap, that is ever widening at the extreme base of the ancient castle of Lexicography: a chasm exists that the modern artificers have in vain endeavoured to pass, or cover with their out-works of counter scarp and covert-way-the fosse must be entered ere 'tis passed, but the necessity of previously filling it needs no argument. Captain Grose was much too gross, even for his day, besides which, his work is become antiquated, stale, and out of date; the Count's attempts at the end of his life (2 vols.) were indeed Vaut-rien, as that life had been; and our friend Dr. Clarke's augmentations, though evincing him clericus, added to the structure lead, rather than beauty, or strength. Nat Bailey should not be forgotten he is even older than Grose, and twice as nasty; the Old Bailey was once a dirty place, and so unhealthily situate, that folks dropp'd there suddenly and frequently, and Nat either gave or received its cognomen-no matter which, So much for the occasion and the motive for coming out;

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