among gamesters, certain cubical pieces of bone or ivory, marked with dots on each of their faces, from one to six, according to the number of faces.

Sharpers have several ways of falsifying dice. 1. By sticking a hog's bristle in them, so as to make them run high or low as they please. 2. By drilling and loading them with quicksilver: which cheat is found out by holding them gently by two diagonal corners: for if false, the heavy sides will turn always down. 3. By filing and rounding them. But all these ways fall far short of the art of the dice-makers; some of whom are so dexterous this way, that your sharpening gamesters will give any money for them.

Dice formerly paid 5s. every pair imported, with an additional duty of 4s. 9½d. for every 20s. value upon oath; but are now prohibited to be imported.