Enquire within upon everything by Robert Kemp Philp

i. Lead from your strong suit, be cautious how you change suits, and keep a commanding card to bring it in again. ii. Lead through the strong suit and up to the weak; but not in trumps; unless very strong in them. iii. Lead the highest of a sequence; but if you have a quarte or cinque to a king, lead the lowest. iv. Lead through an honour, particularly if the game is against you. v. Lead your best trump, if the adversaries be eight, and you have no honour; but not if you have four trumps, unless you have a sequence. vi. Lead a trump if you have four or five, or a strong hand; but not if weak. vii. Having ace, king, and two or three small cards, lead ace and king if weak in trumps, but a small one if strong in them. viii. If you have the last trump, with some winning cards, and one losing card only, lead the losing card. ix. Return your partner's lead, not the adversaries'; and if you hold only three originally, play the best; but you need not return it immediately, when you win with a king, queen, or knave, and have only small ones, or when you hold a good sequence, a strong suit, or five trumps. x. Do not lead from ace queen, or ace knave. xi. Do not--as a rule--lead an ace, unless you have a king. xii. Do not lead a thirteenth card, unless trumps be out. xiii. Do not trump a thirteenth card, unless you be last player, or want the lead. xiv. Keep a small card to return your partner's lead. xv. Be cautious in trumping a card when strong in trumps, particularly if you have a strong suit. xvi. Having only a few small trumps, make them when you can. xvii. If your partner refuse to trump a suit, of which he knows you have not the best, lead your best trump. xviii. When you hold all the remaining trumps, play one, and then try to put the lead in your partner's hand. xix. Remember how many of each suit are out, and what is the best card left in each hand. xx. Never force your partner if you are weak in trumps, unless you have a renounce, or want the odd trick. xxi. When playing for the odd trick, be cautious of trumping out, especially if your partner be likely to trump a suit. Make all the tricks you can early, and avoid finessing. xxii. If you take a trick, and have a sequence, win it with the lowest. [THERE ARE NONE SO WICKED AS REPRESENTED.]