"At Ruff and Honours, by some called Slamm, you have in the Pack all the Deuces, and the reason is, because four playing having dealt twelve a piece, there are four left for the Stock, the uppermost whereof is turn'd up, and that is Trumps, he that hath the Ace of that Ruffs; that is, he takes in those four Cards, and lays out four others in their lieu; the four Honours are the Ace, King, Queen, and Knave; he that hath three Honours in his own hand, his partner not having the fourth sets up Eight by Cards, that is two tricks; if he hath all four, then Sixteen, that is four tricks; it is all one if two Partners make them three or four between them, as if one had them. If the Honours are equally divided among the Gamesters of each side, then they say Honours are split. If either side are at Eight Groats he hath the benefit of calling Can-ye, if he hath two Honours in his hand, and if the other answers one, the Game is up, which is nine in all, but if he hath more than two he shows them, and then it is one and the same thing; but it he forgets to call after playing a trick, he loseth the advantage of Can-ye for that deal.

"All Cards are of value as they are superiour one to another, as a Ten wins a Nine if not Trumps, so a Queen, a Knave in like manner; but the least Trump will win the highest Card of any other Card [suit]; where note the Ace is the highest."

This game was clearly Whist in an imperfect form. Whist is not mentioned by Shakespeare, nor by any writer (it is believed) of the Elizabethan era. It is probable that the introduction of the name whist or whisk took place early in the seventeenth century.

The first known appearance of the word in print is in the "Motto" of Taylor, the Water Poet (1621). Taylor spells the word whisk. Speaking of the prodigal, he says:—

"The Prodigals estate, like to a flux.
The Mercer, Draper, and the Silkman sucks:
* * * * * * *
He flings his money free with carelessnesse:
At Novum, Mumchance, mischance, (chuse ye which)
At One and Thirty, or at Poore and rich,
Ruffe, slam, Trump, nody, whisk, hole, Sant, New-cut."

The word continued to be spelt whisk for about forty years. The earliest known use of the present spelling is in "Hudibras the Second Part" (spurious) published in 1663:—

"But what was this? A Game at Whist
Unto our Plowden-Canonist."

After this, the word is spelt indifferently, whisk or whist. In "The Compleat Gamester" (1674 and subsequent editions) Cotton says, under playing the cards at "Picket," "the elder begins and younger follows in suit as at Whisk." But he uses the other spelling in his chapter on the game itself. He observes, "Ruff and Honours (alias Slamm) and Whist, are Games so commonly known in England in all parts thereof, that every Child almost of Eight Years old hath a competent knowledge in that recreation."

After describing ruff-and-honours (see the passage quoted, pp. [36], [37]), Cotton adds, "Whist is a game not much differing from this, only they put out the Deuces and take in no stock; and is called Whist from the silence that is to be observed in the play; they deal as before, playing four, two of a side * * * to each Twelve a piece, and the Trump is the bottom Card. The manner of crafty playing, the number of the Game Nine, Honours and dignity of other Cards are all alike, and he that wins most tricks is most forward to win the set."

Cotton's work was afterwards incorporated with Seymour's Court-Gamester (first published 1719). The earlier editions contain no Whist, but after the two books were united (about 1734), Seymour says, "Whist, vulgarly called whisk. The original denomination of this game is Whist, [here Seymour is mistaken] or the silent game at cards." And again, "Talking is not allowed at Whist; the very word implies 'Hold your Tongue.'"