`You may read in our histories, how Sir Miles Partridge played at
dice with King Henry the Eighth, for Jesus Bells (so called),
which were the greatest in England, and hung in a tower of St
Paul's church, and won them; whereby he brought them to ring in
his pocket; but the ropes afterwards catched about his neck; for,
in Edward the Sixth's days, he was hanged for some criminal
offences.[12]


[12] The clochier in Paul's Churchyard--a bell-house, four
square, builded of stone, with four bells; these were called
_Jesus_ Bells. The same had a great spire of timber, covered
with lead, with the image of St Paul on the top, but was pulled
down by Sir Miles Partridge, Kt, in the reign of Henry VIII. The
common speech then was that he did set L100 upon a cast at
dice against it, and so won the said clochier and bells of the
king. And then causing the bells to be broken as they hung, the
rest was pulled down, and broken also. This man was afterwards
executed on Tower Hill, for matters concerning the Duke of
Somerset, in the year 1551, the 5th of Edward VI.--Stowe, B. iii.
148.


`Sir Arthur Smithhouse is yet fresh in memory. He had a fair
estate, which in a few years he so lost at play, that he died in
great want and penury. Since that Mr Ba--, who was a clerk in
the Six-Clerks Office, and well cliented, fell to play, and won
by extraordinary fortune two thousand pieces in ready gold; was
not content with that, played on, lost all he had won, and almost
all his own estate; sold his place in the office, and at last