facts and speculations on the origin and history of playing cards

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FACTS AND SPECULATIONS

ON THB

ORIGIN AND HISTORY

OF

PLAYING CARDS.

BT

WJLIAAM. ANDREW CHATTO.

H0BOmihichartanuces, haeoestmihichartafcitillTia."Mahtiau

With CardsI whilemy leisurehoursaway.And cheatoldTime; yetneitherbetnor play.

,A^i'

LONDON:

JOHN RUSSELL SMITH,

4, OLD COMPTON STREET, SOHO SQUARE.

MDCCCXLVIIl.

C

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w'jacTvu ^

PLAYINGCARDS

9m5

'"/;.-'

PLAYING CARDS.

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i'':M

"' iiSWrifeiliifcJ^

"

PRINTSD BT 0. AND J. ADLARD, BARTHOLOMIW 0LO8B.

PREFACE.

Should a personwho has never bestowed a thought on

the subjectask, '*What can there be that is interesting

in the History of Cards?" itisanswered, "There may be

much/' There isan interest,of a certainkind, even in the

solutionof a riddle,or theexplicationof a conundrum; and

certainlearned men, such as Pere Daniel, and Court de

GebeJin,having assumed thatthe game of Cards was origi-nally

instructive,and that the figuresand marks of the

suits are emblematic, speaking to the intelligentof

matters of great import, theiramusingly absurd specula^

tions on the subject" set forthwith allthe gravity of a

"budge doctor" determining ex cathedra" impart to the

History of Cards an interestwhich, intrinsically,it does

not possess. But puttingasideallthat may relateto their

covert meaning, Cards, considered with respect to what

they simply are " ^theinstruments of a popular game, and

the productions of art" suggest severalquestions,the in-vestigation

of which is not without interest: Where and

when were they invented,and what is the origin of their

names ? When were they introducedintoEurope ? What

has been their progress as a popular game ; and what

influencehave they had on society? What changes have

they undergone with respectto the figuresand the marks

of the suits; and to what purposes have picture and fancy

cards been made subservient,in consequence of those in

common use being so generallyunderstood? And lastly,

what have been the opinionsof moralistsand theologians

VI PREFACE.

with respectto the lawMness of the game?" Such axe

the topics discussed,and questions examined, in the

followingpages.

Of the works of previouswriters on the originof Cards

I have freelyavailedmyself; usmg them as guides when

I thought them right, pointing out their errors when

I thought them wrong, and allowing them to speak for

themselveswhenever theyseemed instructiveor amusing.

Having no wish to appropriatewhat was not my own, I

have quoted my authoritieswith scrupulousfidehty; and

am not consciousof an obUgation which I have not

acknowledged. Should the reader not obtain from this

work allthe informationon Cards which he might have

expected,it is hoped thathe willat leastacquirefrom its

perusala knowledge ofthe true valueof such investigations.

Between being well informed on a subject,and knowing

the realworth of such information,there is a distinction

which isoftenoverlooked,especiallyby antiquaries.In the Illustrationswill be found a greatervarietyof

Cards than have hithertobeen given in any otherwork on

the same subject,not exceptingthe splendidpubUcationofthe SocietyofBibliophilesErangais,entitled

' Jeux de Cartes

Tarots et de Cartes Numerales du Quatorzieme au Dix-

huitieme Siecle.' All the cards" ^withthe exceptionofthe French Valets,at p. 250, and the Portuguese Cheva-liers,

at p. 252," have been copiedby Mr. P. W. Fairholt;

and allthe wood-engravings" with the exceptionof the

tail-piece,by W. J. Linton,at p. 330," have been executedby Mr. George Vasey.

W.A. C.London ;

17M^j?n7, 1848.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGB

Op TH2 Osionr AiTD Name Of Cabds . . . . .1

CHAPTER n.

iNTRODUCnOH OP CaBDS INTO EUKOPE. . . .

60

. CHAPTER m.

PB06BES8 OP CaSD-PlATINO . . " . .

.92

CHAPTER IV.

Op the dippebeni Kdtds of Caeds, and the Masks op the Suits .189

CHAPTER V.

The MoKAUTT OP Cabd-Playino . . . . . . 879

Appendix. . . . . . .

.331

Index. , . . . . . . . 337

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

The " Honours" of an eight-snitpack of Hindostanee Cards . . 42

Specimens of ChineseCards,of the kind calledTseen-wan-ch^-pie . . 67-8

A Card Party,from an illustrationin a manuscript of the Cit^deDieu,

apparently of the earlypart of the fifteenthcentury . .

.71Copies of Old StencilledCards in the BritishMuseum, apparentlyof a

date not laterthan 1440 88-9

Fac-simileof one of Mumer*s Cards for teachinglogic,1509 . .105

Copies of Four Small Cards,from Marcolini'sSorti,1540 . . . 117

Wood-cut, " Thus of Old" and" Thus Now," from Samuel Ward's Woe

to Drunkards, 1627 131

The Knaves of Hearts and Clubs; and the Knaves of SpadesandDiamonds, from the Four Knaves, by Samuel Rowlands, 1610-13 133-6

Fac-similcsof four Heraldic Cards, from a pack engraved in England

about 1078 . . . . . . . .152

Fac-similcsof the SignaturesofEdmund Hoyle and Thomas Osborne,

170

Copy of a platein Darly*s Politicaland SatiricalHistory,showing theCoat Cards for 1759 183

Copies of two of the painted cards,ascribedto Jacquemin Gringonneur,

preservedin theJ3ibliothbquedu Roi at Paris. .

198

Copies of four French Cards, coloured," the King of Diamonds; the

Queen and King of Spades ; and the King of Hearts," of the latter

part of the fifteenthccntuiy . . . . . .212

Copies of theFour Knaves, coloured," ^Lancelot,Hogier, Roland, andValery," of the latterpart of the fifteenthcentury. In the British

Museum........

214

Copies of Eight CircularCards belongmg to a pack engraved on copper

about 1480, with Hares, Parroquets,Pinks, and Columbines as the

marks of the suits ... . . . . .222

Four Cards of a pack en^ved on copper, apparentlyabout the end of thefifteenthcentury,with Swords, Clubs, Cups, and Pomegranates, as

the marks of the suits. In the BritishMuseum. . .

225

The Sevens of a pack of Tarots,with Swords, Cups, Batons, and Money

as the marks of the suits . . . . . . 227

The Second Coat Cards of the suitsof Acorns and Leaves" in a German

pack engraved on wood, 1511. . . . . 236-7

The Sevens of a pack of German Cards, with Bells,Hearts, Leaves, andAcorns, as tne marks of the suits . . . . .

239

CopiesofFour Small German Cards, of the seventeenthcentury . .239

The Valets of a pack of French Cards,of the time of Henry IV . .250

The Chevaliers,or Valets,of a pack of Portuguese Cards,of the date1693 252

Figure of" the realSpata," as shown in Baker's EclecticCards, 1813

.261

Tail-piece,Cheating Time with Cards..... 330

Cupid; from a cut relatingto Propheciesand Fortune-telling,inBagford'sCollection,HarleianMSS. 5966 336

The Four of Cups, from an old card,in the same collection . .343

ORIGIN AND HISTORY

OF

PLAYING CARDS

CHAPTER I.

OF THE ORIGIN AND NAME OF CARDS

Man has been distinctivelytermed "a cookinganimal ;**

and Dr. Franklin has definedhim to be "a tooUmahing

animal." He may also,with equaltruth,be definedto be"

a gambling animal ;" since to gamble, or venture, on

chance, his own property,with the hope of winning the

propertyof another,is as peculiarto him, indistinctionfrom

otheranimals,as hisbroilinga fishafterhe has*caught itwithhishands, or making forhimself a stone hatchetto enablehim to fella tree. Whether this gambhng peculiarityis

to be ascribed to the superiorityof his intellectualor ofhis physical constitution,others may determine for them-selves.

Other animals,in common with man, willfightformeat,

drink,and lodging; and will do battle for love as fiercely

as the ancient knights of chivahy, whose greatincitements

to heroic deeds " in plain English, kilUng and wound-ing" were ladye-love and the honour of the peacock.There is, however, no well-authenticatedaccount of any

of thelower orders of animals ever having been seen risking1

2 PLAYING CAEDS.

theirpropertyat**

odd or even/'or drawing lotsforchoice

of pasturage. No shepherd has ever yet succeeded in

teachinghis sagaciouscolleyto take a hand at cardswith

hun on the hillside; the most knowing monkey has never

been able to comprehend the mysteriesof" tossing\' and

even the learned pig, that tellspeople their fortuneby

the cards,isnever ableto learnwhat istrumps.

Seeing, then, that to gamble is exclusivelyproper to

man,^8ecun(Iu?n essentianiconsecutive^" and admitting

that,

" The properstudyofmankind isman,"

itplainlyfollows,thatas PlayingCards are the instruments

ofthe most fascinatingspeciesof gambling thatever was

devisedby the ingenuityof man, theiroriginand history

arc a verypropersubjectforrationaldiscussion.The cook-ing,

tool-making,gambling animal displaysitsrationality,

accordingto Dr. Franklin,by itsknowing how to findor

inventa plausiblepretextforwhatever ithas an inclination

to do.

Judging from the manner inwhich the originand history

ofPlayingCards havebeen treatedby variousauthorswithinthe lasthundred and fiftyyears,it is evidentthatthe sub-ject,

whatever they may have made of it,is one of great"

capabihty,''to use the favoriteterm of a greatdesigner

in the landscape-gardeningline; and it seems no less

evidentthat some of thoseauthors have been disposedto

magnify its apparent insignificanceby associatingitwith

othertopics,which are generallyallowedto be both interest-ing

and important. In this respectthey have certainly

shown great tact; for though many learned men have,atdifierentperiods,writtenlargelyand profoundly on verytriflingsubjects,yet it does seem necessaryfor a man,

however learned and discreet,to set forth,eitherin his

ORIGIN AND NAME. S

title-pageor in his proemium, something Uke an apologyfor his becoming the historiographerof PlayingCards,"

things in themselvesslightlyesteemed even by thosewhouse them most, and frequentlytermed by pious people" thedevil'sbooks." i..eexample which has thusbeen set

I am resolvedto follow;for though, in the title-page,I

announce no othertopic for the purpose of castinga bor-rowed

lighton the principalsubject,I yet wish the readerto understand that I am writing an apology foritnow ;

and in the progressof the work I doubt not thatI shallbe found as discursiveas most of thosewho have previously

eitherreasoned or speculatedon Playing Cards.

A historyof PlayingCards,treatingof them in alltheir

possiblerelations,associations,and bearings,would fonn

nearlya complete cyclopaediaofscienceand art; and would

stilladmit of being furtherenlargedby an extensivebio-graphical

supplement, containingsketchesof the livesof

celebratedcharacterswho have played at cards," or at any

other game. Cards would form the centre" the point,

having position,but no space," from which a radius ofindefiniteextent might sweep a circlecomprehending not

only allthat man knows, but allthat he speculateson.

The power of reach,by means of the pointand the radius,

being thus obtained,the operator has his choiceof topics;

and can arrange them round his centre, and colourthem

at hiswill,as boys at schoolcolourtheirfancifidsegments

of a circle.To exemplifywhat hasjustbeen saidabout thecapabiHty

of cards as a subjectofdisquisition:" One writer,Pere

Menestrier, preluding on the invention of cards,says,

apropos to the term Jeu " Indus,a game " ^that,to the

Supreme Being the creationof the world was only a kind

' Bibliotliequecurieuseet instructive,torn,ii,chap.xii.Des Principesdes

Scienceset des Arts,disposeen forme de Jeiix.Trevoux,1704.

4 PLAYING CARDS.

of game ; and that schoolmasterswith the Romans were

calledLudi Magistri" masters of thegame or sport. Here,

then,is a fineopportunityfor a descanton creation; and

forshowing that the whole businessof human life,from

the cradleto the grave,isbut a game ; that allthe world

is a great"

gaming-house,"" to avoid using a word

ofiensiveto ears pohte,"

"And allthe men and women mereijplayers."

Illustrativeof this view of human life,a couple of

pertinentquotations,from Terence and Plutarch,are sup-pliedby anotherbrotherofthe same craft,M. C. Leber.

According to Pere Daniel,^" a reverend fatherof the

order of Jesuits,who wrote an elaboratehistoryof the

French MilitaryEstablishments," the game of Piquet is

symbohc, allegorical,military,political,and historical,and

contains a number of important maxims relatingto war

and government. Now, granting,for the sake of argu-ment,

thatthe game, with respectto itsesotericprinciples,isreallyenigmatic,itmay be fairlydenied thatPere Daniel

has succeededin explainingitcorrectly; hisfancieddisco-veries

may be examined in detail,and shown, with verylittletrouble,to be the mere seethingsof his own workingimagination; othersmay be proposed,and, as a matter ofcourse, supportedby authorities,ancientand modem, on

theorigin,use, and meaning ofsymbols and allegories,and* Itavitaest hominum quasicum ludasTesseris;

Si illud,quod maximb opus estjactu,non cadit,Illudquod ceciditforte,idarteut corrigas.

Tekent. Adelph. act.iv,sc. 7.

"Ludo TesserarumPlatovitam comparavit,in quo et jacereutiliaoportet,etjacientemutibeneiisqua ccciderunt."" Plut. Op. Moth.EpisL ad Paceium,

"Etudes Listoriquessur IcsCartesa Jouer,par M. C. Leber,p. 63." In a paper entitled,L'Originedu Jeu de Piquet,trouv6dans THistoirede

Francesous larcgne dc CharlesVII, Printed inthe M"$moires pour THis-touredes Sciences,"c.~Trevoux ; inthe vol.forMay, 1720,p. 934-968.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 5

illustratedwith maxims of war and state policy,carefully

selectedfrom the bulletins,memoirs, and diplomaticcorre-spondence

of the greatmilitarychiefsand statesmen of all

nations: thus a respectablevolume " in point of sizeatleast" might be got up on thesubjectofPiquet alone,with-out

trenchingon the wide fieldof cardsin general.Court de Gebelin,\aGnostic,at leastin the philosophic,

ifnot in the rehgious,sense of the word, findsin the oldItahan Tarocchi cards the vestigesof the learningof the

ancient Egyptians,somewhat mutilatedand disguised,in-deed,

by Gothicignorance,which suspectednot theprofoundknowledge concealedinitsplaythings,but stillintelligibleto

the penetratinggeniuswhich initiatesitselfintoallancient

mysteries,isfond of exploringthe profoundlyobscure,andbecomes oracular,tallcingconfidentlyof what itsees, whenitisonly groping in the dark. Court de Gebelin'stheory

suggestsat once a generalhistoryof scienceand art,which,

as eveiybodyknows, had theircradleinancientEgypt, and

induces dim, but gloriousvisionsof the ancientEgyptian

kings," Sesonch, Rameses, and Amonoph: the chrono-

logers,Sanchoniathon, Manetho, and Berosus, follow,as

a matter,of course, whether originallyknown from Bishop

Cumberland, or from Mr. Jenkinson, in the 'Vicar of

Wakefield.' Then who can think of the knowledge ofthe

ancientEgyptians,and ofitsessence being containedin the

symboliccharactersof a pack ofcards,withouthieroglyphic

" In a dissertation"Du Jeu de Tarots,ou Ton traitcde son origine,oilTon

explique ses allegories,et oilI'onfaitvoir qu'ilest la source de nos Cartes

modemes ^jouer,""c. This dissertationiscontainedm hisMonde primitif,

analyst et compart avec le Monde modeme." Dissertationsmelees,torn,i,

p. 3G5-394. Paris,1781. It is not unlikelythat he was led to make this

discoveryfrom the noticesof a philosophicgame of the ancientEgyptians,

quoted by Meursius, in.his treatiseDc Ludis Graicorum,p. 53. Lugduni

Batavorum, 1622. A summary of Court de Gebelin'sconceitson the subjectof Tarots isto be found in Pcignot'sAnalyse do Recherches sur lesCartes ^

jouer,p. 227-237.,

6 PLAYING CARDS.

writingcoiningintohismind?^ and thissubject,being once

started,leadsnaturally,in chronologicalorder,to Clemens

Alexandrinus,Horapoilo,AthanasiusKircher,Bishop War-

burton,Dr. Thomas Young, and Mons. ChampoUion. To

writeproperlya historyof PlayingCards in connexion with

the learningof the Egyptians,as suggested by the disser-tation

of Court de Gebelin,would requirethe unwearied

energy of one of those brazen-bowelledscholarswho flou-rished

at Alexandriawhen ancientscienceand art,sinkingintoa stateof second childhood,had again found a cradlein Egypt. Oh, Isis,mother of Horus, how isthy image

multiphed! Though changed in name, milhons stillwor-shipit,ignorantofthetype of thatbeforewhich theybow.^

Allissymbol : the cardsofthe gamester are symbolic; full

of meaning of high import, and yet he isignorantof it,

cares not to know it,though Court de Gebelinwould teach

him ; isindifferentabout his soul,and prays only thathe

may hold a good hand oftrumps," symbol again!^

As cards are printedon paper,from engraved blocks of

* He shallhave a bell,that'sAbel;

And by itstandingone whose name isDee,

In a rug govni; there'sD and Rug, that'sDrug;

And rightancnst him a dog snarlinger;There'sBruggett

-^belDrugger. That'shissign.

And here'snow Mystery and Hieroglyphic!

The Alchemist,aetii.

" See an imageof Isis,homed, with the infantHorus on herknee; and note,thatantiquarieshave not settledwhy theVirginMary issometimes representedwith the crescenton her head. Isiswas the protectressof seafaringpeople;and her image, as we learnfrom Petrouiusand other writers,was frequently

placedinships.' The hand occurs frequentlyin Egyptian hieroglyphics: itwould be super-fluous

to tellthe learnedreaderwhat itmeans. The hand holdinga hammer,in the hieroglyphicusuallyknown as the Blacksmiths'Coat of Anns, issuffi-ciently

explainedby the motto,

" By Hammer and Hand,

AllArts do stand."

ORIGIN AND NAME. 7

wood, and as wood-engraving appears to have suggestedthe art of typography,or printingfrom moveable types,

Breitkopfcombines in one generalessayhisinquiriesinto

the originofplayingcards,the introductionof linenpaper,

and thebeginningof wood-engraving inEurope ;^ thisessaybeing but a portion of the author'sintended History ofPrinting. Singer^ followsvery nearlythe same plan as

Breitkopf;but though hisResearchesform a goodlyquarto,both in pointof sizeand appearance,he yet has not looked

into every corner. The wide fieldof Playing Cards still

admitsof furthercultivation; for,though oftenturned upby the heavy subsoilplough of antiquarianresearchand

wellharrowed by speculation,itremains undrained.In the 'NouvellesAnnales desVoyages,' we finda disser-tation

by M. Rey, on Playing Cards, and the Mariner's

Compass ; apparentlytwo incongruousthings,yetindissolu-

blyconnectedby the fleur-de-Us,which isto be seen on the

draperyof some of the court or coat cards,and which also

forms an ornament to the northpoint. Itappearsthatthis

dissertationon cardsand the compass isbut a fragmentof a

work composed by M. Rey, on theflag,colours,and badges

ofthe French monarchy. Judging ofhistalents,from this

" fragment,"he appears to have been admirablyfittedto

write a general historyof cards; and it isto be regretted

thathe did not giveto hisso-called" fragment,"that com-prehensive

title,and introducethe essayon the mariner's

" Versuch, den Urspnmg der Spielkaken,die Einfuhrung des Leinenpa-

pieres,und den Anfang der HolzschneidekunstinEuropa zu erforschen.Von

J. G. I.Breitkopf. 4to. Leipzig,1784." Researches into the Historyof Playing Cards ; withIllustrationsof the

OriginofPrintingand Engraving on Wood. By Samuel Weller Singer. 4to.

London, 1816." Tome deuxieme de Tannde 1836. 'Originerran9aisede laBoussoleetdes

Cartes a jouer.'Fragmens d'un ouvrage sous presse,intitule,'Histoiredu

Drapeau, des Couleurs,et des Insignesde la Monarchic Fraufaise,*"c. Par

M. Rey. Livre X" Umversalit6des Fleursde Lis.

8 PLAYING CAED8.

compass and the historyof the French flagas incidental

illustrationsof the fleur-de-lis,for certainlythe fragment

on cards,"rent from a historyof the French flag," does

seem a littleout ofplace,in a generalcollectionof voyages

and travels,unless,indeed,it be there introduced as a

'

traveller'stale.

Mons. C. Leber, one of the most recent writerson

Playing Cards,^ is an author,whom it is very difficult

to followin his deviouscourse ; for though he is always

picb'ng up something that appearsto relateto his sub-ject,he yet does not seem to have had any clearidea of

what he was seekingfor. The grand questions,he says,are,

" Where do cardscome from ; what are they;what do

they say; and what ought we to thinkof them ?" These

questions,however,Mons. Leber, by no means undertakesto answer. He confineshimself,as he says,to a verynarrow path" a veiycrookedone too,he might haveadded"

avoidingthe wide and floweryfieldof conjecture,but dili-gently

amassingfactsto guideotherinquirersintothe originand primary use ofPlaying Cards. He iscertainthatthey

are of ancientorigin,and of Easterninvention; and that

primarilythey constituteda symbolicand moral game. He

professesto be guidedin his researchesby the evidenceof

cardsthemselves; but though a diligentcollectorofcardsof

allkinds,he does not appearto have been successfulin ex-tractinganswers from hiswitnesses. They allstand mute.

In short,Mons. Leber, notwithstandinghis diligenceas a

collectorofcards,and hischifibnier-likegatheringof scraps

connectedwith them, has lefttheirhistoryprettynearlythesame as he found it. In the genuine spiritof a collector,he

stilllongsformore oldcards,"but then,how to findthem ?

' Etudes historiquessur les Cartesa joucr.Par M. C. Leber. Originally

printedm the sixteenthvolume ofthe 'Memoires de laSocietyroyaledes Anti-

quaircsde Trance/and subsequentlypublishedseparately. Paris,1842.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 9

Such preciousreliquesare not to be obtainedby mere

labour; they turn up fortuitously,mostlyin the covers of

old books,and as none that have hithertobeen discovered

explaintheiroriginand presumed emblematicmeaning, itis

a chance thatthe materialsfora fulland complete history

of Playing Cards will ever be obtained." In the mean

time," says Mons. Leber, "we must wait tillthiswork

of time and perseverance shallbe accompUshed/'^ To

interprethis words from his own example," to wait,"

may mean, to keep moving without advancing, like a

squirrelin a wheel. Notwithstanding allthe old cards

thathave been discovered,and allthathas been collectedon the subject,from both taleand history,"how farare we

from possessing,'exclaims Mons. Leber, "

and who shall

ever amass, allthe elementsnecessaryfora positivehistory

of playingcards."^ Thus much may serve by way ofintro-duction,

and as evidenceofthe"

capability"of thesubject.Man, as a gambling animal, has the means ofindulging

in hishopefulpropensity,as soon as he has acquireda pro-perty

eitherrealor personal,and can distinguishodd from

even, or a shortstraw from a shorter. The firstgame that

he playedat,in the golden age of happy ignorance,would

naturallybe one of pure chance. We have no positive

informationabout this identicalgame in any ancient or

modern author; but we may fairlysuppose,forno one can

I ". . . .

Ce n'estpas I'affairede quelquesarmies,ni des travaux,ni

des sacrificesd'lineseulevie,quede rassemblertant de cli^tifsdebris,de pieces

egarees,souill6es,mutilees,iuformes,et dont la decouverten'estplussouvent

qu'un capricedu hasard,une bonne fortuneplutotqu'une bonne action. H

fautdone attendreque cetteoeuvre du temps et de laperseverancesoitaccom-

plie.""Etudes Historiqnes,p. 60.

a Cataloguedes Livresimprimis,Manuscrits,Estampes,Dessins,et Cartes

a jouer,composant le Bibliotliequede M. C. Leber, torn,i,p. 238. Paris,

1839. This library,the Catalogueof vi^hichconsistsofthreevolumes, now

belongsto the city of Rouen. The cards are describedin the firstvolume,

pp. 237-48.

10 PLATING CARDS.

provethesuppositiontobe false,thatitwas either"drawing

lots/'or guessingat"

odd or even/'*Imaginationsuggests

thatthestakesmight be acorns, or chesnuts; and though

reason may"

querythefact,"yet she cannot controvertit.

Itisevidentthatat eitherof the two simple games above

named, a player,when itcame to his turn to hold,might

improvehischanceofwinning,by means of a littledexterous

management, vulgarlycalledcheating,and thus,to a certain

extent,emancipatehimselffrom thelawsofblindFortune,"

a personificationofchancewhich a gambler,most assuredly,

firstelevatedto the rank of a divinity. That cheating is

nearlycoevalwith gaming, cannot admit of a doubt ; and it

is highlyprobablethat thismode of giving an eccentric

motion to Fortune'swheel was discovered,ifnot actually

practised,atthefirstregularbout,under theoaksofDodona,

or elsewhere,beforethe floodof Thessaly.*

Man, havingleftthe woods forthe meadows, progressingfrom the sylvanor savagestateto that of a shepherd,now

not only roastshischesnuts,but also eats a bitof mutton

to them ; and afterhaving picked the leg clean, forms

of the small bones, between the shank and the foot,new

instrumentsof gaming. Taking a certainnumber of those

bones, three for instance,he makes on four sides of

* With the Latins,Ludere par impar ; with the Greeks, 'apuaZeiv;nai^eiv,'apTia'ijiripiTra. "Nempe ludentes,sumptis m manu talis,fabis,nucibus,amygdalis,interdum etiam nummis, intcrrogantesalterum divinarejubebant,*'apTia 'tj

trepiTTai*paria,nempe, an impariahaberent."" Meursius, de LudisGracorum, p. 5, edit.1C22.

* Fortune is a parvenue, m the Olympian circle,"of greatmeans, but no

family:Di chifigluolafusse,b diche seme

Nasccsse,non sisa; ben sisa certoCh'infinoa Giove sua potentiateme.

IkLLCCHiAVELLi,Capitolodi Fortuna.* Dr. Thomas Hyde isinclinedto think that the game of Astragaliwas

known from the timeof the generalDeluge."De Ludis Oricntalibus.Oxon.1G91.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 11

each a certainnumber of marks: on one sidea single

point,and on the sideoppositesixpoints; on anothersidethree points,and on the oppositefour. Putting these

bones into a cow's horn, he shakes them together,andthen throws them out ; and accordingly,as the pointsmayrun high,or as the cast may be of threedifferentniunbers,so does he count hisgame.^ Conventionalrulesforplayingare now estabhshed; definitevalues,independent of the

number of points,are assigned to differentcasts; some

beingreckonedhigh,whileothersare countedlow,and some-times

positivelyagainstthe player,although the chance

oftheirturningup be the same as thatoftheformer. The

game now becomes more compUcated; and the chancesbeing more numerous, and the odds more various,a know-ing

gamester who plays regularly,and makes a calculation

of the probabilityof any given number, or combinationof

points,being thrown, eitherat a singlecast,or out of a

certainnumber, has an advantagein bettingover hismore

simple-minded competitors." Luck is all!" exclaimsthe

novice," and guesses; the adept mutters, "Knowledge

ispower,"" and counts.

The cuttingof bones intocubes,or dice,and numbering

them on all their six sides,would probablybe the next

stepin gaming; and there are grounds forsupposingthat

the introductionof dice was shortlyfollowed by the in-vention

of something hke backgammon ; a game which

affordsgreaterscope for calculationthan dice,and allows

also of the playerdisplayinghis skillin the management

of his men. Should it be asked,what has any of those

games to do with the originof cards? I answer, in the

' The ancient Greek game ofAstragalior Astragalismos"the Tali of the

Bomans" appears to have been playedin a manner similarto thatdescribedin

the text. The names givento the differentcastsare to be found in Meursius,

De Ludis Grrecorum,under the word ASTPAI'AAISMOS.

12 PLAYING CARDS.

words of an Irishguide,when pointingout to a traveller

severalplaceswhich he was not wanting to find," " Well,

then,none ofthem's it."

The next game, which it seems necessaryto notice,is

the UtTTua oftheGreeks,and theLatrunculioftheLatins;

as in the sequelit may perhaps be found to have some

positive,though remote, relationto the game of eards.

It would be superfluoushere to inquireif the game of

UiTTtia,or Latrunculi,were reallythatwhich was invented

by Palamedes duringthe TrojanWar; itmay be sufficient

to remark, that it is mentioned by Homer, who, in the

firstbook of the Odyssey, representsPenelope'ssuitors

playingat it:

" Before the doorthey were amusmg themselvesat tables,

Sittmg on the skinsof oxen which theythemselveshad killed."*

In whatever countrythe game may have been invented,

or however it may have been originallyplayed,it was

certainlynot a game of chance. It was a scientificgame

' nt990nn irpoirapotOtOvpautv OvfiovIrtpirovi

*EfitvotIv pivoiffi(iouvove Uktuvov "vroi." Odt/$i,A. 107.

The word used by Homer, 7r""r"rot," ^whichproperlymeans the pebblesor

piecesemployedinthe game," ishe^etranslatedtables; a term, which having

now become nearlyobsoleteas signifyingdraughts,may be usedto denotean

ancientcognategame.Itmight be plausiblyurgedby a commentator fondofdiscoveringHomer's

covertmeanings,thatthe poet intendedto censure thegames ofAstragalismus

and Pettcia,"theformeras a cause ofstrife,and thelatteras a fittingamuse-ment

for idleand dissipatedpersons, likethe suitorsof Penelope. In the

twenty-tliirdbook oftheIliad,v. 87, Patroclusisrepresentedas havingkilled,

when a boy,thoughunintentionally,a companionwithwhom he had quarrelled

when playingatAstragalior Tali:

. . . " iratdaKaruravov 'Afx^iiafiavroe,"Stjmoe, "K 'i9i\uv,'aynp'iorpayaXoKrixo\u9iic.

Itisnot imlikelythatan ancientpieceofsculpture,inthe BritishMuseum,

"representing a boy bitingthe arm ofhiscompanion,withwhom he has quar-relled

atTali" ^rchitesto thispassage.

ORIGIN AND NAME. IS

requiringthe exercise of the mind, and whollydependentas to itsresulton the comparativeskillof the two players;he who displayedthe greatestjudgmentin moving his

pieces,accordingto therulesofthe game, beingthewinner.^This game appears to have been similarto that de-scribed

in Strutt's'Sports and Pastimes,'under thename of Merrels, which is stillplayedin many partsofEngland, and which was, and may be still,a common

game in almost everycountryin Europe. It appears to

have branched out intoseveralspecies,with the Greeks andRomans ; and though,in some ofthem, thegame was veryintricate,it yet never attainedwith those people to the

perfectionof chess. One of thosevarietiesof Petteia,or

Latrunculi,seems to have been very likethe game ofdraughts; it was played with pieces or men, of two

differentcolours,placed on a board dividedinto several

squares,and a man of one partycould be taken by the

opponent when he succeededin inclosingit between two

ofhisown.^

Whatever may have been the originof chess,itseems to

be generallyadmittedthatthe game, nearlythe same in its

prmciplesas itisnow played," with itsboard of sixty-four

squares,and men of differentgrades," ^was firstdevisedin

India; and, without giving implicitcreditto the well-known account of itsinventionby an Indiannamed Sissa,

we may assume thatthe dateassignedto it,namely,about

the beginningof the fifthcenturyof the Christianera, is

sufficientlycorrect for allpracticalpurposes: a difierence

oftwo or threehundred years,eitherone way or the other," See a work by thelateMr. James Christie"more generallyknown to the

world as an auctioneerthan as a man oflearningandofgreatresearch"entitled"An EnquiryintotheancientGreek game supposedto have been inventedby

Palamedcs antecedentto the Siege ofTroy; with Reasonsforbelievingthe

Game to have been known from remote antiquityinChina,and progressivelyimproved into the Chinese,Indian,Persian,and EuropeanChess." London,

,1801.' JuliusPollux,Onomasticon,lib.ix,cap.7.

14 PLAYING CARDS.

isofverylittleimportancein a conjectureabo^t the game,

as connectedwith Playing Cards. Having now arrivedat

Chess,we fancythatwe see somethingUke" land,"though

itmay be but a fog-bankafterall.To speak withoutfigiu-e,

it seems likelythat the game of cards was suggestedby

thatof chess.The affinityofthe two games, and the similaritybetween

the coat cards and the principalpiecesin the game of

chess,have alreadybeen pointed out by Breitkopf;^ and

he isso copiousoii the lattertopic,thathe has leftbut little

for any of his successors to do,in thisrespect,except to

condense his diffusenotes; for,as was said of William

Prynne,hisbrainsare generallyto be found scatteredabout

themargin ofhisworks,and not in the text.

A side,or suit,ofchessmen consistsof sixorders,whichintheoldorientalgame were named " 1, Schach,theking;

2, Pherz, the general;,3, Phil, the elephant;4, Jspen^

mar, thehorseman,or chevalier;5, ^wc^, the camel; and,6, Beydel or Beydak, thefootmen or infantry.In thissuit

therewas no queen,as the introductionof a femaleintoa

game representingthestratagemsof war would have been

contraryto theorientalideasof propriety; and long aftertheintroductionofchessintoEurope,thesecondpiece,now

calledtheQueen,retaineditsEasternname under theform

ofFierce,Fierche,or Merge, even afterit had acquireda

femininecharacter. Fiergeat lengthbecomes confounded

* " As the militaiygrotmdwork ofthegame ofcards,and itssimilarityto

chess,cannot be denied; so a closerexaminationof thisaffinitymay readilyleadto the originof the change in theirfiguresand colours.""

^Breitkopf,Ueber den Ursprung der Spielkarten,s. 30.

" "Le traducteurdu PoiJmede laVielle,end^crivantlesEchecs,s'exprimeainsi;

* La Reyne,que nous nommous Fierge,

Tientde Venus, et n'estpasVierge;Aimableestct amoureuse.*

" "c.

" L'Originedu Jeu desEchecs,par Mons. Ereret. Hist,de TAcad^mie des

Inscriptions,torn,y, p.255.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 16

with the French Tierge,a maid ; and finally,thepieceis

calledBame^ the lady,and so becomes thoroughlyEuropean,

both in name and character. With respectto the changes

which the other pieceshave undergone in the European

game of chess,itis only necessaryto observe thatPliil^

the elephant,isnow the Fol or Fou of the French, and the

Bishop of the English ; Aspen-mar, the horseman, isthe

French Chevalier, and the EnglishKnight; Much, thecamel,

isthe French Tb^^r,and the EnglishJ?oo^or Castle;andthe Beydel or Beydak, the footmen, are now the French

Pions,and the EnglishPawns,

Now the very same change that has takenplacein the

secondpieceinchess" ^namely,from a male to a female"

has alsohappened to the second principalfigurein French

and Englishcards. Among the oldestnumeral cards that

haveyet been discoveredno Queen is to be found; the

threeprincipalfiguresor coat cards beingthe King, the

Knight,and the Valet or Knave. There was no Queen in

theold Spanishpack ofcards; nor was thereusuallyin the

German in the time of Heineken and Breitkopf. In the

Spanish,the coat cardsof each suitwere theKing (-B^),theKnight {Cavallo),and the Knave, groom, or attendant

{Sota)\ in the German, the King {K6nig\a chiefofficer

{Oher\and a Subaltern(JJnter)}The Italians,insteadof

making any change intheoldcoat cards,sometimesaddedthe Queen to them, so thatthey had fourinsteadofthree,

namely.Re, Beina, Cavallo,and Fante,

The followingextracts from an Essay on the Indian

Game ofChess,by SirWilliam Jones,printedin the second

volume of the * AsiaticResearches,'seem to estabUshmore

* " Comme c'estun jeumilitaire,ily a danschaque couleurun roi,nn officier

supdrieurou capitaine,nomm^ Ober,et un bas-officierappel^ Unter. On ap-

pelaitencore de nos joursdans rEmpire, oillesmots Franjois ne sont pas en

vogue, les officierssup^rieursOherUute, et les bas-officiersUnterkute"'^

Heineken,Id"ieGen^raled'uneCollectiond'Estampes,p. 241. Leipsic,1771.

16 PLAYING CARDS.

clearlythan anything that has been expresslywrittenon

thesubject,eitherby Breitkopfor others,the affinitybe-

tween cardsand chess:" Ifevidencebe requiredto prove

thatchesswas inventedby the Hindus, we may be satisfied

with the testimonyof the Persians; who, though as much

inclinedas othernationsto appropriatethe ingeniousin-ventions

of a foreignpeople,unanimouslyagree,that the

game was imported from the west of India,togetherwith

the charming fablesof Vishnusarman in the sixthcentury

of our era. It seems to have been immemorially known

in Hindustan by the name of Chatur-anga,thatisthe four

angoBy or members of an army, which are said,in the

Amaracosha, to be elephants,horses,chariots,and foot-

soldiers; and in thissense the word is frequentlyused by

epicpoetsin theirdescriptionsofrealarmies. By a natural

corruptionof the pure Sanscritword, it was changed by

the oldPersiansinto Chatrang; but the Arabs, who soon

aftertookpossessionoftheircountry,had neitherthe initial

nor finalletterof thatword in theiralphabet,and conse-quently

altereditfurtherinto Shatranj}which found its.

way presentlyinto the modern Persian,and at length into

the dialectsof India,where the true derivationof the name

isknown onlyto the learned. Thus has a very significant

word in the sacredlanguage of the Brahmans been trans-ferred

by successivechangesintoAxedras,Scacchi,Echecs,

Chess; and,by a whimsicalconcurrence of circumstances,

given birthto the Englishword check,and even a name

to the Exchequer of Great Britain.

" Itwould appear that the etymologyof thisname was a matter of great

uncertaintyeven among people of orientalrace. According to some, it was

Sad-rengh,thehundred turns,or wilesof the players; accordingto others,itwas

Sad-rangiythe hundred vexationsof the game. A thirdderivationwas from

Shesh-rengh,six colours,as ifeach of the six ordersof pieceshad beiendistin-guished

by a separatecolour."Hyde, De Ludis Orientalibus.Par. 1. Historia

Shahiludii,cap.De Nomme Shatrangi. Oxon. 1694.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 17

" Of thissimplegame, so exquisitelycontrived,and so

certainlyinventedin India,I cannot findany account in

the classicalwritingsof the Brahraans. It isindeedcon-fidently

assertedthatSanscritbooks on Chess existinthis

country; and ifthey can be procured at Benares, they

willassuredlybe sent to us. At present,I can onlyexhibita descriptionof a very ancientIndian game of the same

kind; but more complex,and, in my opinion,more modemthan the simplechess of the Persians. This game isalso

calledChaturanga,but more frequentlyChaturaji,or the

Four Kings, sinceitisplayedby fourpersons,representingas many princes,two alliedarmiescombating on each side.The descriptionis taken from the Bhawishya Puran, in

which Yudhist'hiris representedconversingwith Vyasa,

who explains,at the king'srequest,the form ofthe fictitious

warfare,and the principalrulesof it. ' Having marked

eightsquareson all sides,'saysthe sage,'placethe red

army to the east,thegreen to the south,thegellowto the

west, and the blackiothenorth.'"^

" Itisworthy ofremark,

thatthesecoloursformthegroundoffourofthesuitsofone

of the divisionsof an eight-suitpack of Hindostaneecards.Itappearsthat in thisgame the moves were determined

by casts withdice,as inbackgammon, so thatitwas one of

chance as well as skill. On thispointSirWilUam Jones

observes;" The use ofdicemay, perhaps,be justifiedin a

representationof war, inwhichfortunehasunquestionablya

greatshare,but itseems to excludeChessfrom therankwhich

has been assignedto itamong the sciences,and to givethe

game beforeus the appearanceof Wldst,exceptthatpieces

are used onlyinsteadofcards,which are heldconcealed."

" That the suitsof cards were formerlydistinguishedby an emblem which

was suggestiveof a particularcolour,as wellas representinga particularform,

iscertain. The Germans stillcalltwo of theirsuitsRoth and Grim^rcd and

green" and the emblems are a heartand a leaf.

2

]8 PLAYING CARDS.

Though SirWilUam Jones mentions Whist in particular,

itisyet apparent,from his own description,that the simi-larity

of Chaturajito any othergame of cards played by

fourpersons is preciselythe same. This evidenceof the

similarity,between a game of cardsand an ancientIndian

game ofchess,isthemore important,as the factappearsto

have forceditselfupon the noticeof the writer,ratherthan

to have been sought for.

It may herebe observed,thatinthewardrobe accounts ofEdward I,thereisan item,of money paid for the use of

the king forplayingat the Four Kings " Quatuor Reges "

and thatit has been conjecturedthatthe game was cards.

The Hon. Daines Barrington,who appearsto have been of

thisopinion,says: "the earliestmention of cards thatI

have yet stumbledupon is in Mr. Anstis'sHistoryofthe

Garter,where he citesthe followingpassage from the

Wardrobe Rolls,in the sixthyear of Edward the First,

[1278]:* Waltero Sturton,ad opus regisad ludendum ad

quatuorregesviii^.v^.' From which entryMr. Anstiswithsome probabilityconjectures,that playing cards were not

unknown at the latterend of the thirteenthcentury; and

perhaps what I shalladd may carry with it some small

confirmationof what he supposes."^ As thisis not the

placeto discussthe question,if playingcards were known

in England so earlyas the reign of Edward I,it may be

sufficientto remark thatthe substanceof what Mr. Barring-

ton has adduced in confirmationof Anstis'sconjectureconsistsin a statement ofthe factof Edward having been

inSyria,and thathe might have learnedthe game of cardsthere^" taking it for granted that cards were of Eastern

' Observationson the Antiquityof Card-playingin England. In the Archseo-"logiji,vol.viii.

" " Edward theFirst,when Princeof Wales,servednearlyfiveyearsin Syria,

and therefore,whilstmilitaryoperationswere saspended,must naturallyhave

wished some sedentaryamusement. Now, the Asiaticsscarcelyever change

ORIGIN AND NAME. 19

invention,and known in Syria at that period,"and in a

second-hand referenceto Breitkopffor a passagein theGiildinSpil,wherein it isstatedthat a certaingame

cardsbeing unquestionablymeant " ^firstcame intoGermany

about the year 1300.

From SirWilliam Jones'saccount ofthegame of Chatur-

anga or, more specifically,chaturaji" the Four Rajas,orKings" therecan scarcelybe a doubt thatthe game of theFour Kings played at by Edward I, was chess,and that

this name was a literaltranslationof the Indian one.

Assuming this,then, as an establishedfact,we have evi-dence

of the number four being associatedin Europe at

thatperiodwith the game of chess,which, as has been pre-viously

shown,bore so greata resemblancetoa game pfcards.Now, whatevermay have been theoriginofthe name of

cards,itisundeniable thatthe idea of the number fouris

very generallyassociatedwith them; there are four suits,

and in each suitthereare fourhonours,reckoningthe ace ;

" to say nothing of the very old game of AllFours,which

may have originallymeant winning in each of the four

Angas or divisions,now representedby High, Low, Jack,

and the Game. It isalsocertainthat,inthiscountry,cardswere calledthe Books of the Four Kings, long beforethe

passagerelatingto thegame of QuatuorBeges,which mighthave suggestedthe name, appearedinAnstis'sHistoryofthe

Garter. They are so calledby SirThomas Urquhart, in his

translationofRabelais,inchapter22,book i,which contains

an account of the games thatGargantua playedat: "After

supper,were brought intothe room thefairwooden gospels,

and the books of the Four Kings, that is to say,the tables

theircustoms : and as they playat cards,though in many respectsdifferent

from ours, itisnot improbablethatEdward might have been taughtthisgame,

ad quatuor reges,whilsthe continuedso long in thispart of the globe.""

Archaeol.viii,p. 135.

20 PLAYING CARDS.

and cards."^ Cards are not indeedcalledthe Books ofthe

Four Kings in the originaltext of Rabelais; though itis

certainthatthey were known in France by that name, and

that the Valets or Knaves were also calledfom " a term

which, as Peignotremarks, corroboratesBreitkopf's theory

of the analogy between chess and cards.^ Mrs. Piozzi,

speaking of cards,in her Retrospection,publishedin 1801,

says," It is a well-known vulgarityin England to say,

' Come, Sir,willyou have a stroke at the historyof the

Four Kings ?' meaning, Will you play a game at cards?''

A writerin Eraser'sMagazine, forAugust, 1844, alsocalls

cards the books of the Four Kings, as ifthey were wellknown by thatname.

Now as cltaliar,cliatur,or, as the word is sometimes

writtenin English,chartah, signifiesfour in the Hindos-

tanee language, as it enters into the composition of

cliaturanga,and as chess probably suggestedthe game of

cards,I am incKned to thinkthatboth games were invented

in Hindostan, and that chahar or chatur in the language

of that countryformed a portion of the originalname of

cards. The common term for cards in Hindostan, isTaj

* "Apr^s soupcr vcnoicnten placeIcsbcaulxEvangilcsdc bois,c*est-a-direforcetablicrs,ou Icbeau flux,ung, deux,trois."" Rabelais,livrei,chap.22.

' The followingverses relatingto thispointare quoted by Peignot,in his

Analyse de Rccherchcs sur les Cartes^ Jouer, from a poem intituled"La

Magdeleineau Desertde laSamte-Baume en Provence,Pocme spiritueletChre-tien,

par leP. Pierrede St.Louis,religieuxCarme." Lyons, 1668.

'* Voilaquant a Teglise: aliensa lamaisonPour voirapres celasima rime a raison.Les livresque j*yvoy de diversepeinture,Sont lesLiVEES des Roys, non pas de TEscriture.

J*yremarque au dedansdilTcrcntescouleurs.Rouge aux Carreaux,aux Cocurs,noiraux Piques,aux Fleurs;Avecque ces beaux Roys,jevoisencore desDames,

De ces pauvrcsmarislesridiculesfemmes.

Battez,battezlesbien,battez,battezlestons,

N'^pargnezpas lesRoys, lesDames, nilesPOUS."

ORIGIN AND NAME. 21

or Tas; and itsprimary meaning, as I am informed,isa

leaf,folium.But as itisalsoused in a figurativesense to

signifya diadem or crown, and as the term signifyinga

crown isfrequentlyused in most languagesto signifyregal

authority,the compound term c/ia/iar-taj,or c/ia/tar-tas,

would be suggestiveof nearlythe same ideaas" theFour

Kings," and be almostidenticalin sound with theLatin

cliartcBor chartas. The name, whatever it might be,

would be liableto change in passing from Hindostan,

through othercountries,intoEurope ; in the same manner

as we find Chaturan(/a,the Sanscritname of chess,trans-formed

into the PersianCliatrangytheArabic Shatranj,the

Greek Zatrikion,the Spanish Axedrez, the ItalianScacchi,

the German Schach^ the French Echecs, and the Enghsh

Chess,

The name given to cards by the earhestFrench and

German writerswho mention them, is,respectively.Cartes

and Karten " in Latin, Chartce;but as Charta signifies

paper, and as cards are made of paper,ithas generallybeen supposed that they receivedtheir name from that

circumstance. But ifa partof theiroriginalname signified

the number four,whether derivedfrom an eastern root,or

from the Latinquarta,itcan scarcelybe doubted thatthey

acquiredthe name of charta,not in consequenceof their

being made of paper, but because the Latinword which

signifiedpaper had nearlythe same sound as anotherword

which signifiedfour," in the same manner as Pherz, the

General, in chess,found a representativein Fier(;ie,and

subsequently became confounded with V%erge\ the ideal

change of Viergeinto Dame, the wifeofthe king,followed

of course, like"

wooed," an' marriedan' a'."

It is deservingof remark, that in severalold French

works, writtenwithin fiftyyearsof the time when we have

positiveevidence of the game of cards being known in

22 PLAYING CARDS.

France,theword issometimes spelledquartzor quartea,as

if,in the mind of the writer,itwas rather associatedwith

the idea oifourthan with that oipaper. The possible

derivationof cards from quarta, was suggested by Mr.

Goiigh,in hisObservationson the Invention of Cards,in

the eighthvolume of the ' Archoeologia,'though he was of

opinionthat they obtainedtheirname from the paper of

which theywere made.*' Perhaps,'*says he,

'* it may be

too bold a conjcctiurethatthe *

quarieStludus quartarum

sivecartarum,' by which Junius [inhis Etymologicon]explainscards,may be derived from quarta, which, Du

Cangc says,isused simply forthefourthpartof any thing,

and so may be referredto the quatuor reges; but as Du

Cangc expresslysays,thatquartaand carta are synonymous,I layno stresson this,but leaveitto the critics.*'

To carry stillfurtherthis speculationon the Indian

originof PlayingCards," both name and thing," itisto be

observedthatcardsare calledNaihiyby the earliestItalian

writerswho mention them ; and thatthey have alvvaysbeen

calledNaypes, or Naipes^in Spain,sincethe time of their

firstintroductioninto that country. Now in Hindostan,

where we findthe word Chahar, Chatur, or Chartah,they

have alsotheword Na-eeb,or Naib,which,judgingfrom the

sound only,appearsatleastas likelytohave been theoriginal

of naibiand naipCfas itisof theEnglishNabob} ThiswordNa-eeb signifiesa viceroy,lieutenant,or deputy,who rulesover a certaindistrict,as a feudatorywho owes allegianceto a sovereign. Now, as the game of chess was known in

Hindostan by the name of the Four Kings, ifcards were

suggested by chess,and invented in the same country,* *'Tlicb and v in Persianare constantlyused for each oilier;one instance

willsuffice" the pluralof na-eebya viceroy,is equallypronounced nu-vaub and

nu-baub, or, accordingto our pronunciation,nabob" " A PersonalNarrativeofa Journey from India to England,by Captainthe Hon. George Keppcl, vol.ii,

p. 80. Secondedit.1827.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 23

thesuppositionthat they might have been calledChatur-

Nawaub " the Four Viceroys,as the cognate game ofchesswas calledtheFour Kings " and thatthisname subsequentlybecame changed intoChartah-Naib,is,at least,as probableas the derivationof Naipesfrom N. P.,theinitialsofNicolas

Pepin,theirsupposedinventor. Though thislastetymologyhas verymuch theappearanceof a conundrum, propoundedinjestforthe purpose of ridiculinga certainclassof ety-mologists

who always seek for roots at the siu-face,itis

neverthelessthat which receivedthe sanctionof theroyalSpanishAcademy, and which is givenin theirDictionary.^

SeveralSpanish writers,however,of high reputationfor

theirknowledge of the formationof theirnativelanguage,

have decidedlyassertedthat the word Naipes, signifying

cards, whatever it might have originallymeant, was

derivedfrom theArabic; and ifthetestimonyofCovclhizzo,

a writerquoted in Bussi'sHistory of the Cityof Viterbo,

could be rcUed on, the questionrespectingthe word Naibi

or Naipes,and cardsthemselves,having been brought into

Europe through the Arabs,would appearto be determined.

His words are ;" Anno 1379, furccato inViterboelGioco

DELLE Carte, che venne de Seracinia, e chiamisitra

loro Naib.''^ That is," In the year 1379, was brought

* "Naipe, carton,"tj. Tamarid quicreque sea nombre Arabigo,y lo mismo

elBroccnsc\ pero comunamcntc so juzgaque sc losdid cste nombre por la

primercifraque se laspuso,que fue una N y una P, con que se siguificabacl

nombre de su inventor,Nicolao Pepm : y de ahi eon pcquena corrupcionse

dixoNaipe."" Diccionariode laAcademia Espauolo,edit.1734." IstoriadcllaCitta diViterbo,da PclicianoBussi,p. 213. Roma, 1743.

The passage relatingto cardsappears to have been firstpomted out by Leber,

in his Etudes Historiques sur lesCartes a jouer,p. 43. "Though we have

no informationrespectingthe precisedateof Govelluzzo'sbirthor death,"says

Mons. Leber,in a note at p..17 of Mens. Duchesne'sPrecisHistorique,"it

isyet certainthatthischronicler,whose name isproperlyGiovannideJuzzo de

Covelluzzo,wrote in the fifteenthcentury,and thatwhat he relatesaboutcards

beingbroughtintoViterboin1379,was extractedfrom thechronicleofNicholas

24 PLAYING CARDS, i

into Viterbo the game of cards,which comes from the

country of the Saracens,and is with them calledNaib."

It may be observed, that the very word here given as

the Arabic name forcardsstillsignifiesin Arabia a deputy

of the Sultan. Even though it may not be a word of

Hindostanee origin,it may have been introducedintothat

language when a greatportionof Hindostan was subjectedto the Mahometan yoke,and when many of the Rajahsofnativerace were superseded by the Naibs or deputiesof a

]\Ialiomctansovereign.^There appears reason to believe

thatthe word Naipe or Naipes,as appliedto cards,did not

primarilysignifycards generally,but was rathera designa-tion

ofthegame playedwith cards; in the same manner as

" the Four Kings" signifiedthe game at cards,in conse-quence

of a king being the chiefof each of the four suits.

In Vieyra'sPortugueseDictionary,1773, one of the expla-nations

of the word" Naipe" is, "

a Suit of Cards ;" and

the phrase," Nao tenho nenhuma daquellenaipe,"istrans-lated,

" I have none ofthatsuit/' ,

It is not unlikelythatthe Greek word x"P^vc," Latin,

Charta,paper," was derivedfrom the East,and thatitwas

originallyassociatedwith the ideaof" four,"as expressiveof

a square" quarrc" of paper,in contra-distinctionto a long

stripofpaper or parchment,which, when rolledup, formed

an '(viiXtfia,or volume. In middle-age Greek, the word

yraprapiov,OX y^apriov,^" which is Unquestionablyderived

from the same root as x^p^'/c," appears to have been used

dc Covclluzzo,one ofliisancestors,who, as well as liimself,was an inhabitant

of Viterbo,and who possiblymight have residedthereat the periodwhen cardswere firstintroduced."

' Mahmoud, the Gasnevide,firstinvadedHindostan in a. d. 999.

^"Xaprapiov; Gallicum,qnartier; scutulum quadratura. Extat. apudCo-dinum dc Ofiic.aulieConstantinop. x"P''*o"'"idem quod x"^Pf^piov" " Meursii

GlossariumGrajco-Barbarum,4to,Lugd. Batavor.,1605." Quartierde dots, A

quarter,or square pieceof timber."Cotgrave'sFrencliand English Dictionary.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 25

to convey the ideaof a square,or four-sidedpieceofwood,

and to have specificallysignifieda squarewooden trencher:

the top of the trencher-capworn at the UniversitiesofOxford and Cambridge, and at some of our pubUc schools,

may be consideredas a representativeof the generalform

of the thing. Itiscuriousto trace how a word primarily

expressiveof the nxxmherfourhas,in Greek,Latin,French,

and EngUsh, been employed to signifyeitherpaper gene-rally,or a portionof paper. From the French Ca/iieror

cayer^" which may be traced through carre or quarre,to

the Latin quarfus,from quatuor" we have the old English

quair,a littlepaper book consistingof a few sheets;andthe modern quire,now signifyinga definitenumber of

sheetsofpaper.In Hindostanee the word c/iitsignifies,I believe,a note

or letter,and is in this sense synonymous with the Latin

Episfola,and the German Briefe. Should it also signify

paper,^ eitherin general, or of a particularkind, andbe cognate with chahar, chaiur,or chartah^

"

" four,""

" " Cayer, A quire of written paper; a piece of a written book,divided

intoequal parts."" Cotgrave. The cayer appears to have been sjnonjmous

withthej55c/flof monkish writers. It may be Observed that from chartary a

Persianword literallysignifying*four-strings,"the Rev. Stephen Weston has

tracedthe descentof Ki9apa; cithara; chitarra; and guitar. To these de-

rivatesthe oldEnglishgitternmay beadded."" Specimens of the Conformityof

the European Languages, especiallythe English,with the Orientallanguages,

especiallythe Persian. By Stephen Weston, B. D. 12mo, 1802.

* Itmay be here noted thatthe word Wuruk or Wumq, used by theMoslems

inHindostan to signifya card,signifiesalsothe leafof a tree,a leafoipaper,beinginthe lattersense identicalwith the Latinfolium.See Richardson's

ArabicDictionary,word "Card;" and the word" Wuruf inthe listofterms

used at the game of cardsas playedatHindostan,givenin a subsequentpage.

3 Should I be toldthatthe correctword for"/o/^r,"inHindostanee,ischatur^

chatta,or cattah," not chartah."d.ndibe requiredto account forthepinx"f""'ic"

supposingthe latterword to be derived from the same root,I shouldanswer

by giving a case in point" the derivationof quartus from quatuor," leavmg

others to assign the reason. I subjoinhere,by way of contrast, a different

etymology of (?";"/""Epistola,a letter. "Quieren algunos que.este nombre

2G PLAYING CARDS.

the preceding speculationson the primary meaning of

Xa^Trjg,c/iaria,and cards,willbe materiallycorroborated.

I leave,however,the investigationof thispoint to those

who understand the Hindostanee language, as all the

knowledge thatI have of the word in question,is derived

from one of Theodore Hook's tales,Passion and Principle,

in the firstseriesof' Sayings and Doings.' Wliereverhe

might have pickeditup, the effectwith which he uses itis

peculiarlyhis own.

Breitkopf,who is decidedlyof opinionthat cards are of

Eastern invention,and of greatantiquity,considersthat the

name Naibc, or Naipcs, by which they were firstknown to

the Italiansand the Spaniards,is derived from an Arabic

word " ]Va6aa" signifyingdivination,foretellingfuture

events, fortune-telling,and such like. In this opinion he

sayshe isconfirmed by the expositionofthe Hebrew wordNaihes, which he seems to think cognate with the Arabic

Nabaa.* He, however, produces no evidenceto show that

cards were known eitherto the Arabians or theJews by the

name of Naibe, and from a subsequent passage in hiswork,itisevidentthatthe conjecturewas suggestedmerely from

the circumstanceof cards being occasionallyemployed for

the purposes of fortune-telling.

Heineken, who contends that cards were invented in

Germany, allegesthe name " Briefe" given to them in that

Casicllano,Carta,se derivasscdc laciudaddc Carta insignepor aver sidocuiia

de larcynaDido, y atribuycna estaciudadlactimologia,por aver sidolapri-mcra que dib materiaen que lasCartas sc cscriviesscn."" Seneca impugnado

dc Seneca,"c. Por Don Alonzo Nunez dc Castro,p. 220, -Ito.Madrid, IGGl.

" Is thereany evidenceto show thatthe form of ancientCarthage\.'as Square?' " Im Arabischen heistNahaa : er hat einen leisenTon, wie die Zauberer

thun, von siehgegeben ; davon Iifada,dieZaubertrommel,uhd Nadi, cin Pro-

plict,Wahrsager, hcrkommt. Eiclihorncrkliirt,in der Einleitungzum A. Tcs-

tamente, diehebriiischenWortc Nadi, Nabiini,durch gottlieheEingebung, uuddurch Lcute, die durch gottlieheElugebuug liandelu."" Ueber den Ursprung

dcr Spiclkarten,s. 15.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 27

countryin supportofthe presumed fact." PlayingCards,"

he observes,"

were calledwith us Briefe^ thatisletten,in

Latin,Bpistola and they are calledso still.The common

peopledo not say,'give me a pack of cards,'but 'a Sjpiel

Briefe (unjeude lettres); and they do not say' I want a

card,'but* I want a Brief(aletter).We should,at least,

have preservedthe name cardsy iftheyhad come to us from

France ; forthe common people always preservethe names

ofallgames that come from othercountries."^ This argu-mentiscontradictedby the factof cards having been called

Karten in Germany, beforethey acquiredtherethe name of

Briefe; and thisvery wovd Briefe, which ismerely a trans-lation

of the Latin C/iarta,ispresumptive evidenceof the

Germans having obtained theirknowledge of cards from

eitherthe French or the ItaUans,with whom the name

cards,when" done" intoLatin,had the same meaning as

the German word Briefe,With respectto theterm Naibes,or Naipes, thereare two

etymologieswhich seem deservingof noticehere; the one

propounded by Bullet,in his ' Recherches Historiques sur

lesCartes a jouer;' and the other by EloiJohanneau, in

his * Melanges d'Origines Etymologiques.' Mons. Bullet

thinksthatcardsare ofFrench origin,and thatthey were not

invented beforethe introductionof linenpaper," hischief

reason forfixingthisepoch as a ne-plus-ultrabeingevidently

founded on theirLatinisedname, c/iarfa. From France he

supposes thatthey passed intoSpain by way of Biscay,and

acquiredin theirpassagethe name of Naipes. This word,

accordingto Mons. Bullet,isderivedfrom theBasque term

napa, signifying"plat, plain,uni," which very properly

designatescards,and corresponds with the Latin charta.

This ety:-iologyisfancifulratherthan felicitous; if charta

" Hcinekcn, Idee Gcncrule d'liuccomplete Collectiond'Estampes,p. 210.

Lcipsic,1771.

28 TLAYINO CARDS.

"

were synonymous with ^nensa, " a table," theBasque term

napa would appear to correspond more nearlywith it.But

the Basque language, like the Celtic,is one peculiarly

adaptedforetymologicalspeculation; a personwho under-

standsa littleofit,may readilygrub up in itswildfertility

a root for any word which he may not be able to supply

with a radicalelsewhere.^Mons. EloiJohanneau isof opinion that cards are of

much higherantiquitythan they are generallysupposed to

be, and with respect to then*Spanish name, Naipes, the

originofit,is,to him, too plainand simple to requirethe

aid ofany scarce or voluminous works to prove it; itis,in

short,one of those truthswhich,to be perceived,requires

only to be enounced. This incontestabletruth is,that the

word naipey a card,comes from the Latin inappa, the in

being merely changed into an n. Of this antithesis,or

change of a letter,severalexamples are produced ; as the

French najjpe,a table-cloth,also from mappa; nefleand

nejlierfrom mespilum ^\A mespilus; and fairela Sainte

Mitouche,forfairela Sainte Nitouche, Then naipe and

mappa have an analogousmeaning. Naipes,Playing Cards,

scarcelydifferfrom a mapy " which isa geographiccard,"

or, except in point of size,from a nappey which isspread

' " The Abb6 Bullet,previousto theappearanceofhislittlebook on Cards,in

1757,had commcneed the publieationof a CeltieDictionary.In the former

tlicreare many tracesofhis mind having acquireda bent from hisCelticre-searches.He findsthe originof the term as or ace inthe Celticas; and in the

same languagehe findsthe true meaning of the names of the Queens of Clubs

and Hearts, Argine and Judith. Argine is formed otar, la,the, and ^//2,belle,beautiful;and Judithis a corruptionofJudic," which isformed oijud,a queen,and dye,twice. Both tliosequeens, accordingto liisfancy,are in-tended

to representAnne of Bretagnc,wifeof CharlesVIII and Louis XII.

Accordingto Perc Daniel,Argine isan anagram of Rcgina, and is meant for

Mary ofAnjou,wifeof CharlesVII ; and Judithisnot the lieroineof the Old

Testament,but the wife of Louis-le-Debonnairc.Though those doctorsdis-agree,

yet each appears to have equalliigood reasons for his opinions. The

consequence isthatwe can put no faithin either.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 29

likea chart on the table. In ancient times,too, mappa

signifiedthe tessara,or signal,which was displayedat the

games of the circus.Tertullian,speakingofthosegames in

his ' DiatribeDe Spectaculis,'says :" Non videntmissum

quid sit. Mappam putant; sed est diaboliab altoprseci-

pitatigula,""

" They perceivenot what isdisplayed.They

thinkitthe mappa, but it isthejawsofthe devil." It is

evidentfrom this,thatin Tertullian'sestimation,therewas

something very wicked in the mappa ; and the bad odour

which, even at that earlyperiod,the word was in,appears

to have been retainedby itspresumed derivative,naipes,

ever since: Servavitodorem diu. But then forthe granddiscovery: Mons. Johanneau finds,in Ducange's Glossary,

a passagecitedfrom Papias,^ lexicographerof the eleventh

century,which provesthatthe word mappa then signifieda

Playing Card, and that the game of cards was known at

leastthreecenturiespreviousto the period assignedto its

inventionby the Abbe Rive.^ "Mappa," accordingto

Papias," isa napkin; a picture,or representationof games,

isalsocalledmapa ; whence we say mapa mundi,"" a map

ofthe world. An ancientLatin and French glossary,also

citedby Ducange, explainsthe passagefrom Papiasto the

followingeffect:" Mapamundi, a mapemunde (orgeographic

map); and it is derivedfrom mapa, a nappe, a pictureor

representationof games."^ Though it may be admitted

* The Abb^ Rive, grounding his opinion on an interpolatedpassage in

GutenysFrench translationof Guevara'sEpistles,ascribesthe inventionof

cardsto theSpanijirds,and placesitaboutthe year 1330.With respectto the

origm of the name Naipes, he adoptsthe N P etymology of the SpanishAca-demy.

The Abb6*8brochureon cardsisentitled*EclaircissemcntsHistoriques

ct Critiquessur llnvcntiondcsCartes" joucr.*Paris,1780.* "Mappa, ditPapias,togillay(c-cst-ii-dirc,touaille,nappe);Mapa ctiam

diciturPiCTURA velPorma Ludorum, unde diciturMapamuudi. Un vieux

glossairelatm-franpaisde laBibliothbquede Saiut-Germain-des-Pres,cit6par

Ducange, reproduitet expliqueainsice passage precieux,en le traduisant:

* Mapamundi, mapemunde; et dicitura Mapa, nappe ou picture,ou form de

30 PLAYING CARDS.

thatnappe, a table-cloth,or napkin, isderivedfrom mappa,

and thatthe latterword was sometimes used to signifya

pictureof some kind ofgame ; ityet does not appear to be

incontrovertiblytrue, eitherthat mappa, as explainedby

Papias, signifieda card,or a game of cards,or that the

word naipes was derivedfrom it. What Mons. Johanneau

considersto be a self-evidenttruth,appearsin realityto be

no betterthan one ofthoseconfidentassertionsentitled,by

courtesy,moral truths,in consequence of the sincerityof

the author'sbelief. A greatmany truthsofthiskind pass

current in the businessof life,and maintain theirnominal

value,long aftertheirrealcharacteris known, upon the

creditofthe indorscrs.

Wherever cards may have been firstinvented,and what-ever

may be the etymologyofthe words charta and naipes,

or naihi,it is certainthat cards are now well known in

Hindostan,where they form the amusement of the natives,both Hindoos and Moslems. That theywere inventedthere,

may be a matter ofdispute; but thattheyhave been known

therefrom an earlyperiod,and were not introducedthere

from Europe, appearsto be undeniable. The Hindoo cardsarc usuallycircular; the number of suitsis eight,and in

some packsten ; and themarks ofthe suits,though in some

instancesshowing an agreement with those of European

cards,are evidentlysuch as are peculiarto thecountry,andidentifiedwith the customs, manners, and opinionsof the

people. They coincidewith the earliestEuropean cardsin

having no queen,the two coat cards" being a king and his

principalministeror attendant" and in the suitsbeing dis-tinguished

by the colouras wellas by the form of the markor emblem.

It appears necessaryhere to notice an objection,which

jcux.'"

" Melangesd'OriginesEtymologiquesct dc QuestionsGrnmmaticalcs.Par M. EloiJohanneau,p. 40. Paris,1818.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 31

readilysuggestsitselfto the supposed derivationofcharta,

cards,from a word of eastern origin,signifying"four."

Itisthis: ifthe ancientHindoo pack consistedof eigJdor

even ten suits,would it not be preposterousto derivethe

European name from a word which impliesthattherewere

ovA.yfoiir.Factsmost assuredlyare stubbornthings,and no

speculation,whether lame of a leg, or going smoothly on

"

allfours,'can standagainstthem. It is not, however,

provedthatthemost ancientHindoo cardsconsistedofeightor ten suits; and tillthisbe done, the speculationmust

justpassforwhat it isworth. Whether therewere eight,ten, or twenty suits,the derivationof y^a^rnQ,charta,paper,from a word of Eastern origin,would stillbe unaffected.Ifthe game of cards were suggestedby thatof chess,I am

inclinedto think that the earliestpack would consistof

only two suits,and that more were subsequentlyadded to

satisfythe wants of" busy idleness,"fora more complicated

game. Be thisas itmay, cards did not arriveat Europe

from Hindostan "per saltum;" it is probable that their

pi-ogressthroughtheinterveningcountrieswas comparatively

slow; and even iftheylefthome with a"

suite"ofeight,it

isnot impossiblethattheymight losehalfof them by the

way. But,to meet theobjectionby a fact: from a description

of a pack of Hindostanee cardsto be subsequentlynoticed^

and of the game playedwith them, itappearsthattheei^ht

suitsare not consideredas a singleseries,but as two di-visions

oifoiirsuitseach.^ This partitioncorroboratesboth

the theoryof the game ofcardsbeing suggestedby thatof

chess,and of the name being derivedfrom a word primarily

signifyingthe number four.

On the supposition,then,thatcardswereinventedinthe

East, itfeeems advisableto firstgive some account of the

" The descriptionalludedto willbo foundat p. 41.

32 PLAYING CARDS.

cardsnow usedinHindostan,beforeenteringintoany inves-tigation

of the period when the game was firstbrought

into Europe. A high antiquity,indeed,no lessthan a

tliousandyears,isclaimedforone of the packssubsequently

described; but rejectingthis as a pure fiction,which the

apparent newness of the cards themselvescontradicts,it

may be fairlyassumed,seeingthat in the East customs are

slowlychanged,thatthe figuresand symbols, or marks, on

thosecardsare, in theirforms and significationgenerally,of

at leastas earlya date as those which are to be found on

theoldestEuropean cards.There isno collectionof Hindostaneecardsin the Mu-

scum of the East IndiaCompany ; the purveyors,itwouldseem, not consideringthem likelyto be interestingeven to

the Lady Proprietors,who, though they have no voice,atleastin LeadenhallStreet,yethave considerableinfluence,

by theirvotes,in the choiceof Directors. The nativesofHindostan always speak of "the Company" as if,in the

abstract,the great body of proprietorswere a female,"" Mrs. Company ;"* and itwould appear that the

" direc-tion*'

ofthingsat home, israpidlyapproximatingto a pureGynccocracy.^

" The 8CX of theCompany appearsto be a matter of interesteven witlitheladlesof AlTghanistan."At night the ladiesof Maliomed Shah Khan, and

othereliicfswho were travellingin our company, invitedMrs. Eyre to dinner.

She found them exeeedinglykind in manner and prepossessingin outwardappearance, being both well-dressedand good-looking." They asked the old

questionas to thegenderof the Company."" Lieut.Eyre*8 Journalof Impri-sonmentinAffghanistan.

* "Apropos debottes,"""Now you speak of a Gun :" Moore, in hisLifeofSheridan,observesthatbut a very imperfectreportof Sheridan'scelebratedspeechon the impeachment ofWarren Hastings ispreserved. The foUowing

piquant passage relatingto the East IndiaCompany, as then constitutedandactingsoccurs in a report of the speech publishedin an oldMagazine, for

February,1787. "He remembered to have heard an honourableand learned

gentleman (Mr.Dundas)remark, that therewas something in the firstframe

and constitutionof the Company, which extendedthesordidprinciplesoftheir

ORIGIN AND NAME. 83

In the Museum of the Royal AsiaticSociety,thereare

threepacks of Hindostanee cards,one ofthem consistingoften suits,and the other two of eight suitseach. In each

suit,when complete,the number of cardsistwelve; thatis

two coat cards,or honours, and ten others,whose numerical

vdue isexpressedby the number of marks upon them, in a

mode similarto thatby which English cards,from the ace

to the ten, are distinguishedby the number ofthe"

pips."The cardsof allthe packs are circular; the diameterof the

largestis2finches,and of thesmallestabout 2ginches. The

materialof which they are formed would appear to be

canvas,* but so stiffenedwith varnish,that each singlecardfeelslike a piece of wood. All the figuresand marks

appear to be executed by hand, not printednor stencilled;

each pack iscontainedin an oblongbox, the cards being

placedon theiredges;and on thetopand sidesofthebox,the

marks or emblems of the severalsuitsare depicted. From

the styleof theirexecution,I should conclude that card-

paintingin Hindostan, was a regular profession,though

possiblycombined with some other,to"

make ends meet,"

justas card-paintingwas combined with wood-engraving

generally,in Germany in the latterpart of the fifteenth

century; or justas shaving and hair-cuttingmight, in

originover alltheirsuecessiveoperations,connectingwith theircivilpolicy,

and even with theirboldestachievements,the meanness of a pedlarand the

profligacyof pirates. Alike in the politicaland the militaryline could be

observedauctioneeringambassadors and tradinggenerals; and thus we saw a

revolutionbrought about by affidavitsj an army employed inexecutingan arrest;

a town besiegedon a note of hand; a prince dethronedfor the balanceof

an account. Thus it was they exhibiteda government which united the

mock majestyof a bloody sceptre, and the littletrafficof a merchant's

counting-house,wielding a truncheon with one hand and picking a pocket

with another."" It isexpresslystatedthatthe cardsof one of the packs are made of can-vas,

in a memorandum wluch accompanies them. This is the pack which is

saidto be a thousand years old. On firsthandlingthem they seemed to me to

be made of thin veneers of wood.

84 PLAYING CARDS,

former times,afforda decent subsistencewhen eked out

with a littlesurgery,such as blood-letting,tooth-drawing,"

" Qiiceprosunt omnihm artes"

In giving a separatedescriptionof each of thosepacks,

it seems most proper to begin with that for which the

highestantiquityisclaimed. This pack is one of the two

which consistof eight suits;and, from a memorandum

which accompanies it,I have obtainedthe followingpar-ticulars

respectinga former possessorand the presumed

antiquityof thecards. They formerlybelonged to Captain

D. Cromhne Smith, to whom they were presented,about

the year 1815, by a high-casteBramin, who dwelt at

Guntoor, or some otherplacein one of the northernSircars

of Southern India. The Bramin consideredthem to be

a greatcuriosity,and informed Capt. Smith that theyhad

been handed down in his familyfrom time immemorial.

He supposed thattheywere a thousand years old,or more ;

he did not know if they were perfect,but believedthat

originallytherewere two more coloursor suits. He saidthey were not the same as the modem cards; that none

knew how to play at them ; and that no books give any

account ofthem. Such isthe sum of the Bramin's infor-mation.

The writerof the memorandum," lookingat the

costume of the figuresand the harness of the animals,and

consideringthat the Mahometans do not toleratepaintedimages,'"concludesthatthesecardsare Hindostanee.

The pack consistsof eight suits,each suit containingtwo honoursand ten common cards" in allninety-sixcards.In allthe suitsthe King is mounted on an elephant; andin six,the Vizier,or second honour, is on horseback; but

in the blue suit," the emblem or mark of which is a red

' Though Mahometans might objectto paintfiguredcards,itappears thattlieydo "tolerate"them, and thatvery amply,by using them. See a descrip-tion

of the Gunjcefu,or cardsused by the Moslems, at page 41.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 85

spotwith a yellow centre" ^heridesa tiger; and in the

white suit," the mark of which appearslikea grotesqueor fiendishhead," he ismounted on a bull. The backs of

allthe cards are green. The followingare the coloursoftheground on which the figuresare painted in the several

suits,togetherwith the difierentmarks by which the suits

and the respectivevalue of the common cards were alsodistinguished.

COLOUES. MAUKS.

1. Fawn . . . Something likea pineapplein a shallowcup.2. Black

. . .A red spot,with a white centre.

3. Brown. . . A " tulwar,"or sword.

4. White... A grotesque kind of head.

5. Geeen , . . Somethinglikea parasolwithout a handle,and withtwo brokenribsstickingthroughthe top.

6. Blue.... A red spot,with a yellow centre.

7. Bed. . .

.A parallelogramwith dots on it,as ifto represent

writing(shortestsidevertical).8. Yellow

... An oval.

On everyone of the common cardsthereisalsodepicted,

in additionto the mark of theirrespectivesuits,somethinglikea slenderleaf,tapering upwards, but with the top

curvingdown. Of thispack of cardsI have nothingfurther

to observehere than that if they are even a hundred years

old,they must have been preservedwith great care ; and

that I am inclinedto think that the Bramin, who gave

them to Capt. Smith, had over-ratedtheir antiquityand

rarityin orderto enhance the valueof hispresent.In a second pack, consisting,likethe preceding,ofeight

suitsof twelve cards each,the King appears seated on a

throne; while the Vizier,as in the former,ison horseback,

except in three of the suitswhere he appears mounted on

an elephant,a single-humped camel, and a bull. Though

therebe a diSerencebetween thispack and the former,in

86 . PLAYING CARDS.

the marks of some of the suits,there can be no doubt that

the same game might be played with each. In the pack

now under considerationthe backs of allthe cards are red.

The followingare the coloursof the ground and the marks

ofthe severalsuits.

The thirdpack ofHindostaneecardsin the possessionof

theRoyal AsiaticSociety,to whom itwas presentedby the

lateSirJohn Malcolm,ismuch more curiousand interesting

thancitherof the other two previouslynoticed. It con-sists

of ten suits,of twelve cardseach; and the marks of

thesuitsare theemblems of the ten Avatars,or incarnations

of Vichnou, one of the three principaldivinitiesin the

religioussystem ofthe Hindoos. The King isrepresentedby Vichnou,seatedon a throne,and in one or two instances

accompanied by a female; and the Vizier,as in most of the

suitsof the othertwo packs,ismounted on a white horse.

In everysuittwo attendantsappear waiting on the secondas well as on the principal

" honour." The backs of allthe cards in this pack are red; and the coloursof the

ground and marks of the severalsuitsare as follows:"

^

* In a note to the articleon Wliist,intheForeignQuarterlyReview,No. 48,

previouslyreferredto, thispack of cardsisnoticed,and the suitsare thus enu-merated:

" While thisarticlewas in the press,we have been favouredwith a

sightoftwo packs ofcardsin the possessionofthe Royal AsiaticSociety: and,as truthismore strangethan fiction,one ofthese,consistingofTen Suits,cer-

ORIGIN AND NAME. 37

COLOUBS. MABKS.

1. Red,

..

.

.Afish.

2. Yellow. .

.

"

..

A tortoise.

3. Gold. .

.Aboar.

4. Green, .

. .Alion.

6. Bhottnish Gbxen. A man's head.

6. Red. .

.Anaxe.

7. Brownish Gbeen. An ape.

8. Pr.-^B. . , A goat or antelope.

9. Brick Red.

.A cattashalor umbreUa.10. Green

. .

.A white horse,saddledand bridled.

The followingdescriptionof the ten Avatars,or incar-nations,

of Vichnou, as representedin a seriesofdrawings,^

willexplainthe meaning of neariyevery one of themarks of

tainlydoesrepresentthe Ten Avatars or incarnationsof theVistnof, or Vish-

nava^ sect The suitsare :

1. The Fish. 6. The Hatchet.2. The Tortoise.

^7. The UmbreUa (orBow.)

.3. The Boar. 8. The Goat.4. The Lion. 9. The Boodh.5. The Monkey. 10. The Horse.

"The Dwarf of the 5th Avatar issubstitutedby the Monkey ; the Bow andArrows of the 7th by the Cattashalor Umbrella,which givespreciselythe same

outline; and the Goat there,as oftenelsewhere,takesthe placeof the Plough."

On the pack of eight cards,which was probablyone of those previously

noticedin the present volume, the writerof the articlemakes the following

observations:" The otherpack haseightsuits,of eightcardsand two court cards

each; eightyin all. [Thenumber of cards,inclusiveof the honours, in each

suit,istwelve, as has been previouslyobserved.]The Parallelogram,Sword,

Mower, and Vase, answer to the Carreau,Espada, Club,and Copa of European

suits: the Barrel(P),the Garland(?),and two kindsof Chakra (quoit)completetheset."" ^TheSword isplainenough,and so isthe parallelogram.The Flower

and the Cup, I confess,I have not been ableto make out ; and I questionmuchifthe Parallelogram" which inanother pack,subsequentlydescribed,representsa royal diploma or mandate " be the originalof the Carreau or Diamond on

European cards. The " two kindsof Chakra" are simplytwo circularmarks.* Engravings of thosesubjects,as wellas theirdescription,willbe foimdin

'Religionsde 1*Antiquityconsiderdesprincipalementdans leursformes sym-boliques et mythologiques; ouvrage traduitde TAllemand du Dr. Frederic

Creutzer,par J. D. Guigniant.' Planches,premier cahier,p. 11, 8vo; Paris,

1825.

S8 "PLATING CARDS.

theten suitsof cards. The onlysuitswhich do not exactly

correspondwith theAvatars,as representedin the drawings,

are those numbered 8 and 9, the emblems of which are a

goat and an umbrella. It is,however, to be observedthat

Hindoo authors do not agree in their accounts of the

differentAvatarsof Vichnou, though they generallyconcur

in representingthem as ten in number, thatis,nine passed

and one to come. Itisalsopossiblethatthe goat" which

appearscouchantas ifgivingsuck" and theumbrella,which

in the east isfrequentlythe sign of regal dignity,may be

symbolicalof the eighthand ninth Avatarsin the descrip-tion

of the drawings. Though the Bramin Dwarf, in the

fifthAvatar of the drawings, carriesan umbrella,there

can scarcelybe a doubt that the Man's head,in No. 5 of

the cards,isthe symbol ofthisAvatar.

THE TEN AVATAES OF VICHNOU.

1. Matsyavatara. The firstAvatar of Vichnou, as a

Fish; representedas thebody of a man with the tailof a

fish. The human partiscolouredblue; the rest iswhite.In two ofhisfourhands he holdsthe ChaJcra,or Soudarsana,

which here appearssomething like a quoitwith rays pro-ceedingfrom it.^ In the palm of anotherof hishands the

diamond " carre mystique" isdisplayed. According to the

Bhagavat Purana, the precious stone or diamond calledCdstrala,isa sort of talismanwhich illuminatesallthings,

and in which allthings are reflected. It is the perfect

mirrorof the world,and Vichnou generallywears iton his

breast,or holdsitin the palm of thathand which israisedin the act ofbenediction.

' " Esp^ce de roue cnflammde,symbolede laforcevivantequi p6ii^treet

meut ruiiivcrs."

ORIGIN AND NAME. 39

2. KouRMAVATARA. The secondAvatar,as a Tortoise;

theupper partofthe figure,man, the lower,tortoise.The

Cliakraappearspoisedon the fingersof one ofthe hands.

3. Varahavatara. The thirdAvatar ofVichnou, as a

Ferratyor wild boar, to destroythe giant Hiranyakcha.

Vichnou appears with the head of a boar, but with the

body and limbsof a man. In thecards,thehead of the

boarisblue.

4. Narasinhavatara. The fourthAvatar ofVichnou,

as a Lion,to destroythe giantHiranycasyapa. Vichnou

appearswith a lion'shead,but with a human body,holding

the Chakra in one ofhishands.

5. Vamanavatara. The fifthAvatarofVichnou, as a

Bramin Dwarf, to avenge the gods on the giantBali. In

one hand he holds a kind of narrow-necked pot,with a

spoutto it,and in anothera cattashal,or umbrella.

6. Parasou-Rama. The sixthAvatarof Vichnou,as a

Bramin, armed with an axe, to chastisekings and warriors.The colourof the figureisgreen, and in one of his hands

he holdseithera flower,or a kind ofleaf.

7. Sri-Rama, or Rama-Ichandra. The seventhAvatar

of Vichnou,in the familyof the Kings of the race of the

Sun, to avenge the gods and men ofthetyrannyof Havana,

King ofLanka or Ceylon. The figureof Vichnou in this

Avatar,isblue or green; and he is seatedon a couch or

thronewith hiswife Sitabesidehim, whilemonkeys appear

ofieringhim adoration. In thecards,the colourof Vichnou

isblue,and a femaleshareshisthrone,which isveiymuchlikea fontor shallow bath. Monkeys alsoappear before

him.

40 PLAYING CARDS.

8. Chrishna. The Eighth Avatar of Vichnou, as an

Infantsuckledby hismother Devaki. Rays of glory sur-round

theheads ofthe mother and child.

9. Bouddha, the Son of Maya. The ninthAvatar ofVichnou, who appearsrichlydressed,seated in an attitude

of meditationon a throne,the back of which isof a shell-likeform" "espece de conque'^" and is adorned with

Lotus flowers.

- 10. CalkI'AVatara. The tenth,and futureAvatarofVichnou,as a Horse, or Man-horse,armed with sword andbuckler,to destroythe world at the end of thepresentage.The figurehas a human body, and a horse'shead.

As there are differentaccounts of the incarnationsofVichnou,as has been previouslyobserved,the followingis

givenwith the view of throwing a littlemore lighton the

subject:"Vichnou, the second person in the Hindoo

trinity,issaidto have undergone nine successiveincarna-tions

to delivermankind from so many periloussituations.The first,theysay,was in the form of a lion;the second of

a hog ; thethirda tortoise;thefourtha serpent; thefifth

thatof a Bramin (adwarf,afootand a halfhigh); thesixtha monster, namely,halfman halflion;the seventha dragon;

the eightha man born of a virgin; and the ninth an ape.Bemier adds a tenth,which isto be thatof a greatcavalier.

(Voyage,vol.ii,p. 142.) A very particularand a verydifferentaccount of thesetransformationsisgivenby Mr.

Sonnerat (Voyages,vol.i,p. 158),with curiousrepresenta-tion

ofeach of them."* In thisaccount we have both a lion,

* The InstitutionsofMoses and thoseof the Hindoos compared. By Joseph

Priestly,LL.D. p. 56. 8vo. Philadelphia,1799.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 41

and a man Jion, which are probably symbols of the same

Avatar; and a dragon and a serpent,alsoprobablysymbols

ofthe same thing,though neitherofthem occur inthecards,nor in the descriptionof the drawings.

I shallnow present the reader with a descriptionof

another pack of Hindostanee cards,and of the game played

with them: it forms an articleentitled 'Hindostanee

Cards,'in the second volume of the CalcuttaMagazine, "

1815; and is accompanied with two plates,fac-similesof^

which are here given.'' The words Gunjeefuand Tas are used inHindostanee

to denote eitherthe game, or a pack of cards. I have in

vain searched the* AsiaticResearches,'' AsiaticAnnual

Register,'Sir William Ouseley's * OrientalCollections,'and

the ' OrientalRepertory,'by Dalrymple,forsome account or

descriptionof the mode of playingthe cardsin use among

the nativesof Hindostan; and further,from thetotalsilence

of the French and English Encyclopaedias,conclude that

they have never engaged the attentionof any inquirer. A

descriptionof the gunjeefu,or cards,used by the Moslems,

may thereforebe acceptableto oiir readers." In the ' Dictionary,Hindostanee and English,'edited

by the lateDr. Hunter, the names of the eight suitsare

to be found under the word Taj,the name of the first

suit.

''The pack iscomposed of ninety-sixcards,dividedinto

eightsuits. In each suit are two court cards,the King,

and the Wuzeer. The common cards,likethoseofEurope,

bearthe spotsfrom which the suitsare named, and are ten

in number.

"Four suitsare named superior,*and fourthe inferior^

suits.

' Beshbur* Kumbur.

.

42

"Plate I representsthe [honoursof the]four superiorsuits,calledBeshbur; and Plate II,the inferior,Kumbur.

The kings are easilydistinguished,and are here numbered

from 1 to 8.

"In the superiorsuits,the ten followsnext in value to

theking and wuzeer ; and the ace is the lowest card. In

the inferiorsuits,the ace has precedenceimmediatelyafter

the wuzeer, then the deuce,and othersin succession,the

ten beingofleastvalue.

"The game isplayed by threeor sixpersons: when six

play,three take the superior,and three the inferiorsuits.

The pack being dividedintoparcelsafterthe cardsare well

mixed,the playerscut forthe deal; and he who cuts the

highestcard deals.^ When threeplay,the cards are dealt

by fours. In the firstand lastround thecards are exposed,

and thus eightcards of each person'shand are known to

the adversaries.The cardsare dealtfrom ri^Jdixyleft,the

reverse ofthe European mode." The Lead. When the game isplayedby day,he who

holdsthe red king,{Soorkh,the sun,)must lead that and

any smallcard. Should ho playtheking alone,itisseizedby thenext player. The adversariesthrow down each two

common cards,and the trickistaken up. When thegame

* The names of the suitsare thus explained: Taj,a crown. Soofed,white,abbreviatedfrom the originalappellation,zur-i-soofed,a silvercoin; figuratively,

the moon. Shumsher,a sabre. Gholam, a slave. CAnn^, a harp. Soorhh,red,or zur-i-ioorhh,gold coin; figuratively,the sun. Burat, a royaldiploma,or

assignment. Quimash,merchandize." In cuttingforthe deal,Tajisthehighestsuit,and theresthave precedence,

afterthatsuit,intheorderaboverecited.

Plate I

ORIGIN AND NAME. 43

isplayedby nightythe white king, {Soofed,the moon,)is

ledin likemanner. The cards are then played out at the

option of him who leads,the adversariesthrowing away

theirsmallcards,and no attentionispaid to the following

suit,unlesswhen one of the adversaries,having a superior

cardofthe suitled,choosesto play itto gain the trick." In orderto guard a second-ratecardwhich may enable

you hereafterto recover the lead,itiscustomary to throw

down a small one of that suit,and callthe card you are

desirousto have played. With this callthe adversaries

must comply. As in Whist, when the person who has the

lead holdsnone but winning cards,they are thrown down.

Afterthecardshave been aU played,thepartiesshuifletheir

tricks,and the lastwinner,drawing a card,challengesone

ofhisadversariesto draw out any card from the heap be-fore

him, naming itthe fourthor fifth,"c. from the top or

bottom. The winner of thistrickin likemanner challengeshis right-hand adversary. The number of cards in the

possessionof each party is then counted,and those whohave fewest are obliged to purchasefrom an adversaryto

make up their deficiencyof complement. The greatest

winner at the end of fourrounds has the game.

"The followingterms used in the game may be accept-able

to those who desireto understand it when played by

natives: I think theyunequivocallyprovethatGunjeefuisofPersianor Arabian origin.

" Zubur-dust,the right-handplayer.Zer-dust,the left-handplayer.Zurb, a trick.

Ser,a challenge.Ser-k'hel,the challenginggame.Ekloo, a sequenceofthreecards.Khurch, the card playedto one led; not a winningcard.

44 PLAYING CARDS.

N

KlielJava,to laydown the winning card at the end of a

deal.

Chor,the cardswon at the end of a deal; the sweep.

Ghulutee,a misdeal.Wuruq, a caxd.Durhum-kuma, to shuffle.Wuruq-turashna, to cut the cards.

" From my observationof the game when played,I do

not think itsufficientlyinterestingto cause itsbeing pre-ferredby Europeans to the cardsin vogue in Europe. The

number of the suitsare too great,and the inconvenient

form of the cards (thesizeand shape of which are repre-sented

by the plates^)are greatobjections.The Hindoos-

tanee cards are made of paper,wellvarnished; the figures

appropriatelypainted,and the ground and backs of every

suitof one colour. The Slavestandingbeforethe King in

No. 3, isthe figureused as the spot or crest on allthe

common cardsofthatsuit The traditionregard-ing

the originofthe Hindoostanee cardsis,that they were

inventedby a favoritesultana,or queen, to wean her hus-band

from a bad habithe had acquiredof pullingor eradi-catinghisbeard.'^

With respectto the word Gunjeefu,which, accordingto

the preceding account, appears to be a generalname for

cards,I am informedthatitisof Persianorigin,and thatit

signifiesboth a pack of cards and the game. In Bengal,

cardsare more generallyknown by the name of Tas,whichisa Hindoo word, than thatby Gunjeefu,or Gangeefah,as

it is otherwisewritten. Prom the reference,in the pre-ceding

account, to the 'Dictionary,Hindoostanee and

* "By an oversightof the engraver,a native Bengalee artist,the Moon in

No. 2,PlateI,isrepresentedas crescentinsteadof full. [Theerror has been

faithfullyretainedin our fac-similes.]The priceof the pack was two rupees."

ORIGIN AND NAME. 45

English/editedby the lateDr. Hunter/I am inclinedto

think that Tajand- Tas have the same signification,with

referenceto cards; and that the only difierencebetween

them consistsin the pronmiciationand mode of spelling.Now, the word Tajissaidto signifya crown ; but ifitbe

alsoused figurativelyfor a king,the wearer of a crown "

justas "crown" is figurativelyused to signifyempireor regal power " the Hindoo name for cards would be

synonymous with" Kings/' That cards were known in

England by thename of the" Four Kings" has been already

shown; and ifmy speculationson the terms ChartceandNaipes be correct,itwas by a name originallysignifyingfourkings,or four viceroys,that cards were firstknown in

Europe.

With regard to the game describedin the preceding

account, itappears to bear some resemblance to thatwhich

theFrench call"TOmbre a trois,"" three-handedOmbre.*

In both games the suitsappear to be consideredas rangedin two divisions: in the Hindostanee game, as the Red

and the White ; and in the European, as the Red and the

Black. In the Hindostanee game there are eight suits,

and six or three players; and when three play,the cards

are dealtby fours. In the European game of four suits

* " In the DictionaryHindostanee and English,edited by the late Dr.

Hunter, the names of the Eight Suitsof Cards are to be found under theword

Taj,the name of the firstsuit.""On the authorityof a gentleman of eminent

attainmentsin Hindostaneeliterature,I am informedthatthere isno Sanscrit

word forPlaying Cards.* A particularaccount of the mode of playingthe game of "L*Hombre k

trois,"willbe found in the firstvolume of the 'Academic des Jeux.' The au-thor

observes,"D est inutilede s'arretera I'etymologiedu jeude I'hombre; 11

suffitde direque lesEspagnols en sont lesauteurs, et qu'ilse sent du flegme

de lanationdont iltireson origine." According to the same authority,"Z"i

Cluadrillen*est,a proprement parler,que I'hombre a quatre,qui n*a pas, a la

verite,labeaute,ni ne demande pas une si grande attentionque I'hombrea

trois;uiaisaussifaut-ilconvenirqu'ilest plusamusant et plusrecrdatif."

46 PLAYING CARDS.

and fortycards" thetens,nines,and eightsbeingomitted"

thereare threeplayers,and the cards are dealtby threes.

A personwho can playat Ombre willscarcelyfailto perceive

severalotherpointsof similaritybetween the two games.

From the terms used in the game of Ombre " Spadillo,

Basto,Matador,Punto, "c." therecan scarcelybe a doubt

that the other nationsof Western Europe derivedtheir

knowledge of itfrom the Spaniardji.The Hon. Daines

Barrington,in his ' Observationson the Antiquityof Card

Playing in England,'derivesthe names of the game from

tlicSpanish," hombre," a man ; and there is reason to

bcUevethatitwas one of the oldestgames at cardsplayed

at in Europe. If the game of cardswere introducedinto

Europe by the Arabs,it is in Spain that we might first

expectto find them. PietrodellaValle,in hisTravels in

the East,between 1614 and 1626, speaks of the people

playingat cards,though differingfrom ours in the figures

and number of suits;and Niebuhr, in his Travels,also

speaks of the Arabiansplayingat cards,and saysthatthe

game is calledLab-el-Kammer.^ It is,however, to be

observed,thatthegame of cards is not once nientionedin

the Arabian Nights; and from thissilenceit may be con-cludedthatat thetimewhen thosetaleswere compiledcard-

playingwas not a popular pastimein Arabia. The com-pilation,it is believed,isnot earlierthan about the end of

the fifteenthcentury,though many of the talesare of a

much higherantiquity.Leaving out ofconsiderationthe pack of ten suits,with

the emblems of the ten incarnationsof Vichnou, as being

of a mythologicalcharacter,and probablynot in common

use forthe purposesofgaming, itisevidentfrom the otherthreepacks,of eight suitseach,that the cards known in

' Barringtou'sObservationson "hcAntiquityofCard-playinginEngland."Arcbacologia,vol.viii,1787.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 47

Hindostanare not unifonn in the marks of the dijQTerent

suits,though itis obvious that any game," depending on

sequencesand the conventionalvalueofthe severalcards,"

which can be playedwith one of the packs,may be also

playedwith eitherof the othertwo. The dijSferencein

the marks is,indeed, much lessthan is to be observedin old French,Spanish,and German cards,which presentso many differencesas to render it impossibleto derive

them from one originaltype. The mere mark or emblem,

whateveritmight originallysignify,appearsto have had no

specificmeaning or value,beyond what might be assignedto itby the conventionalrulesof the game; whether it

were a sword or a chalice,a club or a pieceof money,a heart or a diamond, a green leafor a hawk's bell,in

playingand countingthe game, itwas a *'pip/'and no-thingmore.

Whether the two packs of eight suitseach,in thepos-session

of the Royal AsiaticSociety,are consideredby the

nativesof Hindostan as consistingof two divisionsof four

suitseach,as in the pack describedin the extractfrom the* CalcuttaMagazine,* I have not been able to ascertain.In allthe.threepacks the sword isto be found as the mark

of one of the suits; and the soofedand soorhh of the one

pack" silvercoin and gold coin,figurativelythe moon and

thesun " I considerto be representedby the circularmarksintheothertwo ; and the oval in theseisnot unHke the

mark of the suit named Quimash" merchandise" in the

former. The mark of the suitBurat, see PlateII,No. 7"

which is saidto mean a royaldiploma or assignment,cor-responds

very nearlywith a parallelogramcontainingdots,

as ifmeant forwriting,in the pack formerlybelongingto

Capt. D. Cromline Smith; but though a parallelogram"

crossedby two lines,and with the longest side vertical"

alsooccurs in the otherpack, itsagreement with theBurat

48 PLAYING CARDS.

isby no means so apparent. The marks of the suitsTaj,a Crown, and C/iupjf,a Harp.* (secPlateI, fig.1, andPlateII,fig.5,)I am unable to recognise,eitherby name

or figure,in the othertwo packs; though I am inclinedto

think that,in one ofthem, the placeof the Tajissupphedby a kind of fruit,and in the otherby a flower. It willbe observedthat,in the plate,the mark of the suitcalledC/imff,a harp,is a bird. In the other two packs,the

suitswhich I considerto be the substitutesof the C/iunff

have a mark which I have not been able to make

out ; but in one of them the Vizier,as in the C/iunffyis

mounted on a single-humped camel. In the suit calledG/iolam,a slave" PlateT,fig.4 " I cannot make out whatisintendedforthemark," whether theMa/iut,who appears

guidingthe elephant,or the kind of mace carriedby the

Vizier; whatevermay be the mark, I considerthe suitto

be representedby thatwith a white ground in Capt.D. C.

Smith'scards,the mark of which is a grotesquehead,as

in both suitsthe Vizierismounted on a bull. The cor-responding

suitin the otherpack I conceiveto be the one

which has foritsmark a man's head.

With respectto the marks of the severalsuits,in the

differentpacks of Hindostanee cards,previouslydescribed,

" what objectsthey graphicallyrepresent,what they might

' Chung isalsothe Chinesename fora kiudof harp." ^Inthreeothorpacks

ofHindostaneecards,of the same kind,which I have had an opportunityof

examining,the harp occurs both in the honours and the numeral cards. I

suspectthatthebirdhasbeen substitutedthrougha mistakeofthenativeartist

who engravedthecards. In one ofthepacksjustalludedto,the cardsarc not

circular,but rectangular,likeEuropean cards,but of much smallersize. In

anotherpack ofHindostaneecardswhich I have seen, the marks inalltheeight

suitsare birds; infour ofthe suits,they are allof the same form" somethinglikethatof a starling"but differingin theircolour; in three others they are

allgeese,and ofthe same colour,so thatthe suitisonlyto be distinguishedby

the ground on which they are painted. The mark of the eighthsuitisa

peacock.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 49

have been intended to signifyby the person who devised

them, and what allegoricalmeanings may have assignedto

them by others," much might be said; and a writerofquickimagination,and hieroglyphicwit,likeCourt de Gebelin,

might readilyfind in them not only a summary of allthe

knowledge of theHindoos " theological,moral,political,and

scientific" but alsoa great dealmore than theycitherknew

or dreamt of. As I feelmy inabilityto perform such a

task,or ratherto enjoysuch pleasuresof imagination; andas the present work does not affordspace for so wide a

discursus,I shallconfine my observationsto such marks

as appear to have, both in theirform and meaning, the

greatestaffinitywith the marks to be found on earlyEuropean cards. The marks in the pack consistingof ten

suits,representingthe incarnationsof Vichnou,I shallonlyincidentallyreferto, as I am ofopinionthatthosecardsare

not such as either are or were generallyused for the

purposesof gaming, but are to be classedwith thoseemble-matic

cards which have,at differentperiods,been devised

in Europe forthe purpose of insinuatingknowledge intothe

minds of ingeniousyouth by way of pastime.In referringto any of the marks to be found in the three

eight-suitpacks of Hindostanee cards,which appear to be

intended forthe purposes of play only,itseems imnecessaryto specifythe particularpack to which they belong,as my

objectismerely to callattentionto the apparent agreement

between some of the marks of Hindostanee cards,and those

which are either known to have been the marks of the

earliestEuropean cards,or are to be found on such old

cards as are stillpreservedin public libraries,or in the

collectionsof individuals.

In the earlyEuropean cards,which have cups, swords,

piecesof money, and clubs or maces forthe marks of the

50 PLAYING CARDS.

foursuits/thesword and pieceof money oftheHindostanee

cards are readilyidentified; and ifwe are to suppose that

in these cards certainemblems of Vichnou were formerly

represented" ^butwhich are not to be found eitheron the

ordinaryPlaying Cards, or on those displayingthe ten

incarnationsofVichnou " itwould not be difficultto account

forthe cups, and clubs or maces ; for,according to Dr.

FrederickCreutzer, the mace or war club is frequentlyto

be seen in one of the hands of Vichnou; and Count von

Hammer-Purgstal remarks, that*^ the sword, the club,and

the cup, are frequentemblems in the Eastern Ritual."^ As

themarks inEuropean suits,cups,or chalices,swords,money,

and clubs,have been supposed to representthefourprincipal

classesof men in a European state,to wit.Churchmen ;

Swordmen, or feudalnobiUty; Monied men, merchants or

traders; and Club-men, workmen, or labourers," itisjustas

easy to run a parallelin the four superiorsuitsof one ofthe

packs of Hindostanee cards,givenin Plate I ; there may.befound Taj,a crown, royalty;SoofedyÂs^xmoney, merchants;

ShwrnheTy a sword, fightingmen, seapoys; and Gholam, a

slave,the cooliesboth ofhilland plain. It may not be un-necessary

hereto obsenêthat thefourgreathistoricalcastes

oftheHindoos are, 1, Bramins, priests;2,Chetryas,soldiers;3, Vaisyas,tradesmen and artificers; and 4, Sudras, slaves,

and the lowestclassoflabourers. Of thesefourcastes the

Bramins aloneremain unmixed ; the otherthree,as distinct

* These are stillthe marks of the suitsin Spain :" Copas, Espadas,Oros,y

Bastos." The "Oros," literallygolden money, are also calledDineros, that

is,money in general. The same marks are also to be found on old Italian

cards,and the names forthem were, Coppe, Spade,Danari, and Bastoni. The

discrepancybetween the names, Spades and Clubs,and themarks of thosesuits,inEnglishcards,willbo noticedin itsproper place.

* Religionsde I'Antiquitd; traductionFranâisode Guigniant.* Von Hammer's Mines ofthe East.

ORIOIN AND NAME. 51

castes,existonly in name, for they have become so inter-mixed,

thatthe subdivisionscan neitherbe ascertainednor

reckonedby the learnedpundits themselves.^

In the oldeststencilled,or printed,European cards,whichare probablyof as earlya date as the year 1440, the marks

ofthesuitsare bells,hearts,leaves,and acorns ; and in the

Hindostanee cards we finda leafor a flower,as the mark ofone of the suits; and I am inclinedto think that,in the

latter,the figuresof the oval,and of that which appears

something likea pine-applein a shallowcup, were thetypes

ofthe bellsand the acorns. When those marks are com-pared,

without referenceto their being representationsof

specificobjectsof which themind has alreadya preconceivedidea,the generalagreement of their forms is,to the eye,

more apparent. For the heart,I have not been able to

discoverany corresponding mark in the Hindostanee cards.Should I be toldthat the form of the heart might be sug-gested

by that of the leaf,I have to observe that the

form of the leaf in Hindostanee cards, is not the same

as thatwhich occurs in European, and thatinthe latter,the

colourof the so-calledheart appears always to have been

red.Between the marks of the suitson old French cards,"

Coeur,Carreau,Trefle,and Pique," and those to be found

on Hindostanee cards,1 shallnot venture to make any direct

comparison. It,however, may be observedthattheform of

' This isMr. Colebrooke'sconclusion. Sir John Malcolm gives a different

account, the correctness of which may be veryjustlydoubted, both as regards

thepresenttime and the past :" The fourdivisionsof Hindoos, viz.thepriests,

soldiers,merchants,and labourers,appear to have existedineveryhuman society,

at a certainstage of civilization;but in Indiaalonehave they beenmaintained

forseveralthousandyean with prescriptivevigour."-'Essayon theBhiUs (Beels)

by SirJohn Malcolm, in theTransactionsof the Koyal AsiaticSociety,vol i,

p. 65, 1824.

52 PLAYING CARDS.

the Pique" the spade in English cards" is almost precisely

the same as thatof the leafin other European packs; and

that the Trefle" the club, in English cards" in its out-line

bears a considerablelikenessto the acorn. Those who

pleasemay derivethe Carreau, or diamond, from the Cos-

traluyor mystic diamond, worn on the breast, or held in

the palm of the hand of Vichnou ; it does not, however,

occur as the mark of a suitin any of the Hindostanee cards

that have come imder my observation; and the mark to

which itbears the greatestresemblance is that of the suit

Burat, as shown in Plate II,No. 7. An examination of a

greatervarietyof Hindostanee cards, and more extensive

knowledge of the names and significationsof the marks of

the suits,and of the differentgames played,would probably

leadto the discoveryof more points of resemblance than I

have been ableto perceive.The differentthings signifiedby marks, apparentlyagree-ingin theirgeneral forms, on Hindostanee and European

cards, may be partly accounted for on the following

grounds, which will also in some degree serve to explain

the difference,both in form and name, of the marks of the

suitsin differentpacks of old European cards.Graphic forms of allkinds,whether symbolic, or positive

jepresentationsof specificobjects,which are readilyunder-stood,

both in theirfigurativemeaning and directsignifica-tion,by the people with whom they originated,are, when

brought into a differentcoimtrywithout theirexplanations,

ofteninterpretedby thatpeopleaccordingto theirknowledge

and opinions; and forms forwhich they have no correspond-ing

originals,or which they failto identify,are referredto

objectsof similarshape with which they are familiar,andare calledby theirnames. Similarchanges in the meaning

of symbolic figuresalsotake placewith the same people,in

ORIGIN AND NAME. 53

consequence of the originalmeaning becoming obsolete,

throughchangeofcustoms and opinions,inthecourse oftime.

In thismanner a figureofthe homed Isis,with theyoungHorus in her lap,appearsto havebeen taken forarepresen-

tationof the Virgin Mary, with the crescent moon on her

head, nursing the infantJesus; and thus the figuresofJupiterand Minerva have passedforthoseofAdam and Eve.

In the sixteenthcenturyitappearsthatin Italythe suitofBastoni" clubs,or maces, proper" was alsocalledColonnSy

pillars; and the suitofDanari" ^money" SpeccU, mirrors;^

merelybecausetheclubor mace as depictedon thesuits,bore

some resemblance to a slenderpillar,and thatthe form ofDanari,likethatof an ancientmirror,was circular.Among

thepitmen in theneighbourhood of Newcastle-on-Tyne,the

diamonds on the cards are frequentlycalledPicks^from

theirsimilarityto the head of a pick,the toolwith which

they dig the coals; a writerUke Court de GebeUn, mightdiscoverin this connexion between picks and

" black

diamonds" "a type with a pair of handles." It may be

hereobserved,thatthe suitwhich the French term piques,

isthatwhich we, improperly,callspades.But, even admittingthe agreement,both

in figureand jmsignification,of severalof the marks of the suitsin early^European cards,and those which occur in the cardsnow

used in Hindostan, it may be said that thisfactby no

means proveseitherthatcards were inventedin the East,

or thatthe marks ofsuitson the Hindostanee cardswere

actuallythe models of thoseresembling them which are to

be found on earlyEuropean cards; for cards might find

theirway intothe East from Europe as wellas intoEurope

from the East. When St.FrancisXavier was in the East

' InnocentioEinghieri,Cento Giuochiliberaliet d'Ingegno,p. 132. 4to.

Bologna,1551.

54 PLATING CAEDS.

Indies," ^from1541 to 1552," card-playingwas a common

amusement with the European residents and traders;^

and it is very Ukely that the firstPortuguese ship that

arrivedthere,about half a century before,had a pack of

cards on board. That European cards were sent to the

East,among otherarticlesofmerchandise,towards the end

of the sixteenthcentury,appears evident from a passage in

a narrativeof the firstvoyage of the English,on a private

account, begun by Captain George Rajrmond, and finished

by Captain James Lancaster;* and we learn from Sir

Alexander Bumes, thatcommerce has imported cardsinto

the Holy City of Bokhara, thatthe pack consistsof thirty-

sixcards,and thatthe games are strictlyRussian.^

Looking,however,at allthe circumstances,"the proba-bihtyof Cards having been suggestedby Chess,the names

ChartcB and Naipes, the marks to be found on them, andthe traditionof their having been known in Hindostan

from a veryearlyperiod," ^thebalanceof evidenceappearsdecidedlyin favour of the conclusionthat cards were in-vented

in the East. The writer of an articleon Cards,in

No. xlviiiof the ' Foreign QuarterlyReview,' previously

referredto, speaks confidentlyof the great antiquityof

* The Lifeof St.FrancisXavier,by Father Bouhours: translatedby John

Dryden,pp. 71,203, 697." "The Cth October,[1592]they met with a Malacca shipof700 tons,

which,afterhermain-yardwas shotthrough,yielded. ....They found

on boardfifteenpiecesofbrasscannon, 300 buttsofCanaryand Nipar or Pahn-

wine,withverystrongraisinwine; allsortsofhaberdashery-wares,as hats,redknitcaps,and stockingsof Spanishwool; velvets,taffeties,camblets,and silks;

abundance of suckets,rice,Venice glasses,counterfeitstones (broughtby an

Indian from Venice, to cheatthe Indians),Playing Cards, and two or three

packs ofFrench paper." The prizewas taken in the Straitsof Malacca; andthearticlesofEuropean manufacture appear to have been brought to Malaccaby the Portuguese." The Naval Clironicle; or Voyages of the most celebratedEnglishNavigators,vol.i,p. 392. Svo. 1760.

" Barnes'sTravelsintoBokhara,vol.ii,p. 169. Second edit.1835.

ORIGIN AND NAME.'

55

cardsin Hindostan, but does not giveany authoritiesfor

thefact." We know," he says,

" that the Tamuli have

had cardsfrom time immemorial ; and they are saidto be

ofequalantiquitywith the Brahmins, who unquestionably

possessthem still,and claim to have inventedthem." The

statement of the Bramin who gave the cards to Captain

D. Cromline Smith, though certainlynot true with re-spectto thatindividualpack,may yet be receivedas con-firmatory

of the traditionalevidence in favour of cards

generallyhaving been known in Hindostan from a veiy

earlyperiod.^PlayingCards appear to have been known from an early

period in China. In the Chinese dictionary,entitledCldng-tsze-tung,compiled by Eul-koung,and firstpublishedA.D. 1678, itissaidthatthe cards now known in China as

Teen4sze-pae^ ox dotted cards,were inventedin the reign

of Seun-ho, 1120 ; and thattheybegan to be common in

the reign of Kaou-tsung, who ascended the throne in

1131. " According to tradition,they were devisedforthe

amusement of Seun-ho's numerous concubines. M. Abel

" Card-playingappears to be a very common amusement in Hindostan."

"I could remind or perhaps inform the fashionablegamestersof St.James's

Street,that beforeEngland ever saw a dice-box,many a main has been won

and lostunder a palm-tree,in Malacca,by the half-nakedMalays, with wooden

and pamted dice; and tliathe couldnot passthrough a bazaarinthiscountry

[Hindostan]without seeingmany partiesplayingwith cards,most cheaply

suppliedto them by leavesof the cocoa-nut or pahn*trce,dried,and theirdis-

tinctivecharacterstracedwith an ironstyle At the comer of

every streetyou may see the Gentoo-bearersgamblingover chalked-outsquares,

with smallstones formen, and withwooden dice; or Cooliesplayingwithcards

of the palm-leaf. Nay, in a pagoda under the very shadow ofthe idol,I have

seen Brahmins playing with regularpacks of Chinese cards.""Sketches of

India: writtenby an OfficerforPiresideTravellersat Home, pp. 68 and 100.

Fourth edition,1826.' For the referenceto the Ching-tsze-tung,and the explanationof the

passage relatingto cards,I am indebtedto Mr. 8. Birch,of the British

Museum,

66 PLATING CARDS.

Remusat, probablyon the authorityofthe Ching-tsze-tung,

has alsoobservedthatcardswere inventedby the Chinese

in 1120.^ Mons. Leber,however,considersitto be more

likelythattheygot theirfirstcards from Hindostan ; and

that,likethe Europeans, they merely changed or modified

the types,and inventednew games.

The generalname for cards in China is Che-pae,which

literallysignifies"papertickets/' At firstthey are saidto

have been calledYa-pae, bone or ivory tickets,from the

materialof which they were made. A pack of dottedcards

consistsofthirty-twopieces,and the marks " smallcirculardots of red and black" are placed, alternately,at two of

the comers; forinstance,in a card containing eight dots,

fourare placedinone comer and fourin theotherdiagonally

oppositeto it. Ten of thosecardsare classedin pairs; the

firstpair are calledChe4mn, " "the most honorable,""

and are superiorto allthe others; thesemay be consideredas coat cards, as the one containsthe figure of a woman,

and the other thatof a man ; both these cards are also

marked with blackand red dots," ^thatof the woman with

six,and thatof the man with twelve. The second pairare

calledTien-pae,""

celestialcards;"each containstwenty-

fourdotsof blackand red,correspondingwith the twenty-

fourterms in the Chinese year. The third pair are calledTe-pae," " terrestrialcards;" each containsfour red dots

correspondingwith the fourcardinalpointsofthe compass.The fourthpairare calledJin-pae,"

" human cards;" each

containssixteenred dots,relatingto benevolence,justice,order,and wisdom in a four-folddegree. The fifthpairare

calledIlO'pae; each card containseightblackdots,relatingto a supposed principleof harmony in nature extending

" " Second U6mo'irosur IcsRelationspolitiqucsdcs Hois do Prance avec Ici

HinpercursMongols,"dansIcJournalAsiatiquc,dc Scptcmbre,1822, p. 02.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 57

itselftowardsallpointsof the compass. The remaming

twenty-twocardshave distinctnames, which itisneedlesshereto give: theaggregateof the dots upon them issaidto havereferenceto thenumber ofthe stars.

The cardsmost commonly used inChina,are thosecalledTseen-wan-che-pae,"

"a thousand times ten thousand

cards." There are thirtycards in a pack ; namely,three

suitsof ninecardseach,and threesinglecardswhich are

superiorto allthe others. The name of one of the suitsis

Kew-ko-wan; thatis,the nine ten-thousands,or myriadsofKwan " stringsof beads,shells,or mpney. The name of

theothersuitisKew-ho-ping,""

nineunitsofcakes;" andthat of the third is Kew-ko-so," "

nine unitsof chains."

The names of the three singlecards are, Tseen-wan, a

thousandtimes ten thousand; Hunff-hwa,\hQ red flower;

and Pih'hway the whiteflower.

In theannexed specimensof Chinesecards,Nos. 1 and 2

are thefirstand thirdof the suitofnine myriads ofKwan ;

No. 1. No. 2.

58 PLAYING CARDS.

No. 3. No. 4.

r^oooco

jJM^MttiMiiMtJiiII I

No. 5. No. 6.

ORIGIN AND NAME. 59

Nos.8 and 4 are theone and the threeofthe suitofcakes;No. 5 isthe one ofthe suitof chains; and No. 6 isthatofthe threesuperiorcards,which iscalledthe white flower.

Besides those above described,the Chinese have several

othervarietiesof cards : one pack or set iscalledPih-Uze-^

pae, thehundred boys'cards; another,Tseen-wan-jin-pae,"

"a thousandtimesten-thousandmens' names cards,"contain-ingthe names of personsfamous in Chinese history; and a

thirdhas the same name as Chinese Chess, Keu-ma-'paou^

chariots,horses,and guns. This lattername corroborates

what has been previouslysaidabout the probabilityof the

game of cardshaving been suggested by that of chess.The marks to be found on Chinese cards scarcelyafford

a gleam of lightby which we might judgeof theirrelationto the cards of other countries: in a pack of such as are

chieflyused in Cochin China, I have observed the form of

the diamond nearlythe same as itappearson Englishcards;

and in a pack of the Chinese cardscalledTseen-wan-che-pae,

themark of the suitof Nine Cakes is nearlythe same as

thatof the old ItalianDanari, which GaleottusMartius"

in histreatise'DeDoctrinapromiscua,' writtenabout 1488

" considersto have been meant for a loaf.

The cards commonly used in China, are much narrower

than ours ; an idea of their sizemay be formed from the

specimens given,making allowancefor a small margin of

white paper all round, but rather wider at the top and

bottom than at the sides. The Chinese name for a card,

consideredsingly,or as one of the piecesof a pack or set,

appears to be Shen, a fan.

60

CHAPTER 11.

INTRODUCTION OF CARDS INTO EUROPE.

At what periodPlaying Cards firstbecame known in

Europe," whether as an originalinvention,or introduced

from some other quarter of the world," ^hasnot yet been

ascertained.From the silence,however, of allauthorities

by whom we might expect to find them distinctlynamed

ifthey had been in common use, itmay be fairlyconcluded,

that,though theypossiblymight be known to a few persons

beforethe year 1350, they did not begin to attractnotice

nor come intofrequentuse tilltowards thelatterend ofthe

fourteenthcentury. Packs of cardsare distinctlymentionedby the name which they stillretain in France " Jeux de

Cartes" in an entrymade in his book of accounts, about

1393, by Charles Poupart, treasurer of the householdto

CharlesVI ofFrance. Considering,then, thisentryas an

establishedfactin the historyof cards,I shallnow proceedto laybeforethe reader some of the grounds and evidenceson which ithas been assertedthat cards were well known

in Europe beforethat period.Severalwritersofthesixteenthand seventeenthcenturies,

in discussingthe lawfulnessof card-playing,gratuitously

assuming that the game was included under the generalterm Alea}have spoken of cardsas iftheyhad been known

i "Alese nomeh quamvis pro omni ludo,qtiiin varietatefortunseconsistat,

suiniqucatjuxtasententiam,vel opinionem aliquotscriptorum; quorum ^ nu-

mero est Joannes Azorius in tertiaparte InstitutionumMoralium, dicens:

'Alcailudus comprehendit Ludum Chartarum Lusoriarum, Taxillorum,Tabu-

larum,et Sortium.' Proprietamen, ut aitJacobus Spiegelius,accipisoletpro

INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPE. 61

from time immemorial. The easymode of derivingaliquidde diquo by means of a comprehensivegenus^

isoffrequent

use with those decisivecharacterswho deh'ghtin settlingcases ofconsciencewith a stronghand ; and who, envelopedin the dust of the Schools,lay vigorouslyabout them, both

rightand left,with weapons borrowed from '^ the old Horse

Armoury of the Fathers,"and re-ground, for presentuse,

on the Decretals. He who can discovercards,implicite,as

Oleariushas it, in St. Cyprian'stract,De Aleatoribus,or

in the injunctionsagainstgaming in the canons of anyCouncilor Synod previousto 1390, willhave no difficulty

infinding " Roulette" and" E or O," impKed under the

generalterm Tahulce. Having thus indicatedthe valueof

thehypotheticevidencein favourof cardsbeing known in

earlytimes," ^becausethe game was subsequentlycompre-hended

under a schoolman'sdefinitionofthe term Alea^" it

may be leftto passforwhat itisworth.Mons. EloiJohanneau's proof thatcards were known in

Tesseris,quaeTalietiam,velTaxilli,et vulgo Dadi vocitantur: Tesseraeautem.

Tali,vel Taxilli,et Cubi, vel Dadi, sunt idem, diversivero quantum ad nu-

menun lateram et punctorum. Non desunt alii,qui Alea

nomen pro ChartisLusoriispassim intelligendumesse velint,ut Polydorus

Virgilius,et aliiscribunt.""Commentarius contraLudum Alearum, Chartarum

scilicetac Taxillorum; a FratreAngelo Roccha, Episcopo Tagastensi,p. 2,4to.

Romse, 1616.* "Bishop ofBamberg. What do you say is the name of the emperor who

wrote your Corpus Juris?

Olearius. Justinian.

Bishop. A cleverprince!" I drinkto hismemory. Itmust be a grandbook.

Olearius. It may indeed be styledthe book of books : a collectionof all

laws,ready forthe decisionof every case ; and whatever is now obsoleteor

doubtfulisexpounded by the comments with which the most learnedmen have

enrichedthismost admirablework.Bishop. A collectionofalllaws! The deuce!" Then theTen Commandments

are thereP

Olearius. Implicite,they are ; e:cplicile,not.Bishop. That isjustwhat I mean ;" therethey are, plainlyand simply,with

out explication.""G^o^^rvon Berlichingen,a Play,by Goethe,acti.

62 PLATING CARDS.

the eleventhcentury,from the testimony of Papias,pre-viously

noticed,neitherrequires,nor indeedadmitsofserious

refutation.If itcouldbe shown thatthe word Naijpe or

Naibe was ever used in Spain or Italyto signifya painted

cloth or a picture,before itwas used to signifya Playing

Card,itsafiinitywith Nappe and Mappam\^i be admitted

to be clearlyestablished.John of Salisbury,who was bom

in the earlypart of the twelfthcentury,says not a word in

hiswork 'De Nugis Curialiiim'"on theTriflingof Courtiers

" ^whichmight indicatea knowledge of cards,althoughone

ofthe chaptersis especiallydevoted to an examination of

the use and abuse of gaming.* Had cards formed one

of the common pastimesof the courtiersof his age,itis

highlyprobablethat he would have mentioned them, by

some name or other, so as to distinguishthem from the

othergames which he enumerates.

The 38th canon of the Councilof Worcester, held in

1240, containsthe followingprohibition: "Prohibemus

etiam clericis,ne intersintludisinhonestis,velchoreis,velludantad aleasvel taxiUos; nee sustineantludos fieride

Rege et Regina, nee arieteslevari,nee palaestraspublicasfieri:'*that is,"We alsoforbidclergymen to joinin dis-reputable

games or dancings,or to play at dice; neither

" John of Salisbury" Joannes Saresberiensis" ^fi^" bom in England about1110. He went to France when he was about seventeen years old,and re-mained

in that country severalyears. He subsequentlyvisitedEome in a

publiccapacity. On Ms return to England,he became thechaplainand acquiredthe friendshipofThomas IkBecket. After the murder of\ Becket" of whichhe was an eye-witness" ^hewithdrew to France, in orderto shun the hostility

of his patron'senemies. From hisattachment to a Becket, no lessthan from

hisreputationas a learnedand pious man, he was electedBishop of Chartres,

where he diedin 1182. The work by which he isprincipallyknown isthat

referredto in the text. The generaltitleof itis,'Policraticussivede Nugis

Curialium,et VestigiisPhilosophorum, libriocto.*. The chapteron gaming," De Alea,et usu et abusu illius,"isthe fifthof the firstbook. Edit.Leyden,

1639.


shallthey allow games of King and Queen to be acted

[fieri],nor permit ram-raisings,nor public wrestlings."^

Ducange, who quotes the passage in his Latin Glossary,

under the word Ludi, isinclinedto thinkthatthe game de

Bege et Eegina " King and Queen " might have been the

game ofcards.There are not, however,any justgrounds for

entertainingsuch an opinion. The conjectureseems tohave

been suggestedmerely from the circumstanceoftherebeing

a King and Queen in the cardswith which the writerwas

most familiar\ but had he known that no Queen isto be

foundin the earliestEuropean cards,he probablywould not

havemade so bad a guess. Besides,lookingat thecontext,

therecan scarcelybe a doubt that the games " not game "

of King and Queen were a kind of mumming exhibitions

which the clergyenjoyedas spectators,not as performers.Payments to minstrelsand mummers for theirexhibitionsforthe amusement of the monks, and ekeofthe lordAbbot

himself,are not of unfrequent occurrence in the account

books of old monasteries. In the same clause,the clergyare enjoinednot to allow of ram-raisingsnor publicwrest-

hngs" sportsin which they were as unlikelyto appearas

actors as in the games of the King and Queen. What

may have been meant by ram-raising" arieteslevari" the

cimous reader is leftto find,ifhe can, in the pagesofStruttand Fosbroke.

The next passage,supposed to relateto PlayingCards,

which demands attention,isthatwhich occurs intheWard-robe

accounts of Edward I, anno 1278, and which has

been alreadyquoted in the firstchapter. Itappearsneces-sary

to give it here again,togetherwith the Hon. Daines

Barrington'sremarks on it,in the chronologicalorderof

evidencesadduced infavouroftheantiquityof Card Plajing

" Archaeologia,vol.viii,1787.

64 PLATING CARDS.

in Europe. " The earKestmention ofcardsthatI haveyet

stumbled upon, is in Mr. Anstis's' Historyof the Garter'

(volii,p. 307),where he citesthe followingpassagefrom

the Wardrobe rolls,in the sixthyear of Edward theFirst:' Waltero Sturton ad opus regisad ludendum ad quatuor

lieffes,yiii.s.y.d.';from which entry Mr. Anstis,with some

probabilityconjectures,that Playing Cards were not un-

known at the latterend of the thirteenthcentury; and

perhapswhat I shalladd, may carrywith it some small

confirmationofwhat he supposes."

The simplefactthatthe game ofcards was known, both

in France and England, by the name of the Four Kings,

long before we had any specialdissertationsrespectingits

origin,isof more weight,in corroborationof Anstis'ssup-position,

than Mr. Barrington'ssupplementalconj(3ctures.The firstquestionto be determined,is the identityof the

game ofcards,and thatofthe QuatuorReges ; but,without

adducing the slightestevidence,he assumes the fact,andthenproceedsto speculatewhere Edward might havelearnt

thegame. But even admittingthatcardswere meant by the

term Quatuorlieges,itisjustas likelythatEdward learned

the game from his Queen,Eleanor of Castile,as thatho

learneditfromtheSaracensintheHoly Land; for,admittingitto be ofEasternorigin,and thatEuropeans firstobtaineda knowledge of itfrom the Saracens,or a peopleofArab

race, itmay be fairlysupposedthatSpain would be one of

thecountriesinwhich cardswould be earliestintroduced.

In the cards now in use in England, there are certain

peculiaritiesinthenames of two of the suits,as compared

with themarks, which seem to intimatethatwe obtainedour firstknowledge ofthe game from Spain,although sub-sequently

we might importour cardsfrom Franpe.

Seeing that chess was known in the East by a term

signifyingtheFour Kings,and thatitwas a favoriteamuse-


ment with the higher classesin Europe in the reign ofEdward I,therecan scarcelybe a doubt thatthiswas the

game to which Walter Sturton'sentryrelates." If cardswere indeed known in Europe in the earlypart of the

reignof Edward the First,the silencerespectingthem, of

allcontemporary writers,for about a centuryafterwards,

must be admittedas conclusive,though negative,evidence

of their not being in common use. Petrarch,though

hetreatsof gaming in one ofhisdialogues,never mentions

them ; and though Boccacio and Chaucer noticevarious

games at which both the higher and lower classesof the

periodwere accustomed to play,yet thereis not a single

passagein the works of either,,which can be fairlycon-struedto mean cards.

From thefollowingpassage,which occurs in a work on

the * Government of a Family,'inmanuscript,composed by

Sandro di Pipozzi,in 1299, it has been concluded by

Breitkopfthatcardswere at thatperiodwellknown inItaly:" Se giucheradidenaro,ocosi,o allecarte,gliapparecchierialavia,"c." Zani,however, opposes to the authorityofthe manuscript,the negativeevidenceof Petrarch,whoflourishedat a subsequentperiod,and who,ho thinks,would

not have failedto have mentioned cards if theyhad then

beenknown among thevariousgames whichhe enumerates

inthe firstdialogueofhistreatise* De Remediis utriusque

Fortuna3/^Mons. Duchesne alsoremarks,in his' Obser-vations

sur IcsCartesa joucr,'that,as the copy ofSandro

diPipozzi'swork, citedby Taraboscbi,and examined by

' Mons. Leber,inhisEtudesHistoriqucssur IcsCartes"jouer,remarksthatSingerrefersto thisauthoras PipozzidiSandro,and thatthe name thustrans-posed

has been copiedby otherwriterson thesubjectofcards.Itis,however,

to be observed that Breitkopftwice givesthe name in the same manner as

Singer.* Materialiper servirealiaStoriadell'Origineet de*Progressi

dell*Incizioni

inrame, inlegno,"c. p. 159. 8vo. Parma, 1802.

5

06 VLAYING CARDS.

Zani,isnot of an earlierdate than 1400, thereisreason to

believethat the express mention of cards in it,was the

interpolationof a transcriber.That suchinterpolationswere

frequentlymade both by printersand transcribers,will

appear evidentfrom the followingobservationson several

works,both printedand mannscript,which have been citedin proofof the antiquityofcard-playingin Europe.^

The Abbe Rive, who ascribesthe inventionof cards to

Spain,endeavoursto show that they were known therein

the earlypart of the fourteenthcentury. The evidenceof

this is,accordingto his statement, to be found in the

Statutesof the militaryorderof the Band, promulgated by

Alphonso,King of Castile,where thereisa passageexpresslyforbiddingthe members to play atcards.Whether cardsare

expresslymentioned in any oldSpanish manuscriptsofthe

Statutesin question,has not been ascertained;but of all

the differenteditions,originaland translated,of Guevara's' Golden Epistles,'the work from which the Abbe Rive

obtainedhis information,the firstin which cards are ex-pressly

named, isthatofthe French translationby Gutery,

publishedat Lyons in 1558.^ As the word is not to be

found in the originalSpanish editions,nor in the Italian

translationsmade from them, therecannot be a reasonabledoubtofitsbeing an interpolationof Gutery,who probablythought that a generalprohibitionof gaming necessarilyincludedcards; and thus, "

par consequent," the Abbe

" Those observationshave been chieflyderivedfrom Mons. Duchesne'spaper

on cardsabove referredto, and from a letterwrittenby Mons. PaulinParis,

assistantkeeperofthe MSS. m the Bibliothtiquedu Roi, in answer to certain

queriessubmittedtohim througha friendofthe writer.* TlieoriginalSpanislieditionofGuevara'sEpistleswas printedatValladolid

in 1539,and thework was severaltimesreprintedinSpainand inFlanders.The

letterswere alsotranslatedintoItalianand French ; and severaleditionswere

publishedbeforethe year ICOO. There is an English transitionby Geffery

Fenton,1582; and anotherby Edward Hellowcs,1584.


Rive isfurnishedwith positiveevidencethat the game of

cardswas common in Spain in 1332. Another authority,

referredto by the Abbe Rive in favour ofthe antiquityofSpanishcards,isof the same kind. In a collectionof the

'Laws of Spain,'printedin 1640, he findsthe following

passagein an Ordonnance issuedby John I, King ofCastile,in 1387 : "We command and ordainthatnone ofour subjectsshalldare to play at dice or at cards {Naypes)

eitherinpubhc or in private,and thatwhoever shallso play,"c."* There can, however, be no doubt that the word

cards(Naypes)isan interpolation; foritisnot to be found

inthe same Ordonnance as given in the collectionentitled

'Ordenangas Reales de Castilla,'printed at Medina del

Campo, 1*541. In thisearlieredition,playingat diceandtablesformoney isindeed forbidden" " de jugarjuegodedados ni de tables,a dinero'*" but cardsare not mentioned.

Jansen, in his 'Essai sur TOriginede la Gravure en

Boiset en Taille-douce,'citesthe fourfollowingverses from

the romance of Renard le Contrefait,pointed out to him

by the lateMons. Van Praet,in evidence of cards being

known in France atleastas earlyas 1341, theyear inwhich

theromance was finished:

" Si comme folset foUessont,

Qui pour gagner,au bordclvont;

Jouent aux dez,aux cartes,aux tables,

Qui a Dieu no sont delectables."

The manuscript containingthe verses as they are here

given is in the Bibliothequedu Roi ; but certainlyit is

not ofearlierdatethan 1450 ; whileinanothermanuscript,

of the same romance, apparentlyabout a hundred years

older,alsopreservedin the Bibliothequedu Roi,theword

* " Mandamos y ordenamos q ningunos de losde nucstrosreynos,sea osados

dejugardadosninaypes, en publicono en escodido,y qualquierq losjugare,""c." Recopilacionde lasLeyes destosRegnos, "c. Edit.1640.

68 PLATING CARDS.

" Cartes" is not to be found in the correspondingverse,

which isas follows:

" Jouentk geux de dezou de tables."

Meerman^ imagined that he had discovereda positive

datefortheearlyuse ofcardsin France,inthework known

as the Chronicleof Petit-Jehande Saintre,but which was,

in fact,writtenby Antoine de Lassale,in 1459.^ Saintre

had been one of the pages ofCharlesV, and on hisbeing

appointedcarver to theKing on account ofhisgood conduct,

the governor of the pages isrepresentedas giving them a

lectureon theirbad courses :" Observe your companion

here,who, through his good conduct, has acquired the

favourof the King and Queen, and of all; while you are

dicersand card-players,keepingbad company, and haunting

taverns and cabarets."^ The factof the work having been

composed in 1459, however,renders it of no authorityon

the question; and even if ithad been written by Jehan

Saintrehimself,there cannot be a doubt that the term

" Caries'isan interpolation.

The term **joueuccde cartes,*'card-players,isindeedto

be found in the earliestprintededitionsof the work, and

' Meerman, OriginesTjpograpliic",vol.i,p. 222. Edit.1765.* " Tout lemonde saitque ce charmant ouvrage a 6t^compost en 1459 par

Antoine de Lassalle."" Duchesne, Precis Historiquesur Ics Cartes a jouer,p. 5,prefixedto the * Jcux de Cartes Tarots/"c. Mons. Duchesne himself

doesnot appear to have known"

what allthe world knows" when he wrote his* Observationssur lesCartesa jouer/printedin theAnnuaire Historique,1837;forhe thereseems to admit thatthe work was composed by a person who lived

at the periodto which itrelates,and refersto two manuscripts in which the

word "cartes" isnot to be found. He says that a thirdmanuscript,which

containsit,appearsto have been transcribedaboutthe end of the fifteenthcen-tury,

but does not inform the readerthat the work itselfis a mere romance,

writtenin 1459.

" " Vcez civostrecompaignon qui,pour estrctel,a acquislagracedu Roy et

de laRoyne et de tons,et vous qui estesnoiseuxtijoueuxde carieset de dez,

ct sieuv^sdcshonnestesgens,tavemiers,et cabarets."


alsoin a manuscriptpreservedin the Bibliothequedu Roi ;

but then thismanuscriptdoes not appearto be of an earlierdatethan thelatterend of the fifteenthcentury,and there

isalsoreason to believethat it is the identicalmanuscriptfrom which the vrorkwas firstprinted. The word Cartes,

however,is not to be found in a manuscriptcopy of the

work in the libraryof the Sorbonne, nor in anotherin the

libraryof St. Germains. The latteris much olderthan

eitherof the others. Mons. Duchesne says that,in 1583,

itbelongedto Claude d'Expilly,and that thesetwo verses,

which show thatitwas even then consideredan old manu-script,are writtenin the firstfolio:

"Ce livresoitgard^non tantpour sa beauts.

Que pour lesaintrespectde son antiquity."

"From this examination,"says Mons. Duchesne, "we

may concludethatthe word Cartesisan interpolationmadeby a transcribera centurylater: consequentlyit cannot

be admitted as a proofthatcards were known in 1367."*

In an editionof William de Guilleville'sallegoricalpoem,

entitled' Le Pelerinaigede THomme,'^ printedat Parisby

Verard in 1511, the followingverses, in which cards are

named, were pointed out to me by my friendMr. N. Hill,

of the Royal Societyof Literature,to whom I am greatly

indebted for much curious and interestinginformation

relatingto the Origin and History of PlayingCards.

At folioxlv,a, Oysivetetempts the pilgrimto quit the

* Peignotconsidersthe passagesinwhich Cards are mentioned genuine,both

in the Chronicleof Petit-Jehande Saintr6and in the romance of Renard le

Contrefait.He had taken the passagesjustas he found them in Meerman and

Jansen, and made no furtherinquiry. Saint-Foixappears to have been the

firstperson in France who pointed out the passage relatingto cards in the

Chronicleof Petit-Jehande Saintr^. See Peignot'sRecherches sur lesDanses

dcs Morts, et sur TOriginedcs Cartesa joucr,pp. 211-262, 315." Tliiswork was composed about 1330

70 PLAYING CARDS.

rightway by recountingto him the pleasuresenjoyedbythosewho placethemselvesunder her guidance:

**, . .

Je meyne gens au bois,

Et laleurfais-jevcoirdnnscurs,

Jeux de bastcaulxet dejougleurs,Jeux de tableset ddschiquiers,

De boullesetmercilliers.De cartes,jeuxde tricherie,

Et de mainte autre muserie."

At folioIxxii,a, Quartes" for so the word is there

spelled" isnoticedas a prohibitedgame :

** Mains icuxquisontdenyez,

Aux mcrcllcs,quartes,ct dcz,""c.

As therewas reason to suspectthat the word Cartes

or Quartes,in the printedcopiesof De Guilleville'spoem,

was an interpolation,the same as itwas found to be in

otherworks examined by M. Duchesne, M. Paulin Paris,

assistant-keeperof the manuscriptsin the Bibliothequedu

Eoi, was requestedby a friendof Mr. Hill,to compare the

printedtext ^\iththat of the earliestmanuscriptcopiesof

the poem preservedin the collectionunder his care. The

resultof the collationwas that the suspectedwords had

been interpolated.The followingisa translationof a por-tion

ofM. PaulinParis'sletteron the subject."I have compared the verses of our MSS. of the Pil-grimage

of Human Life with the printededitions,andhave found the lattervery inexact. Cards are neither

named nor alluded to in the MSS. ; and in them the first

passage,pointed out by your friendMr. N. Hill,standsthus:

Ja leurfaisjeveoirbaleurs,Gieux de bastiauxet dejugleurs,De tableset de eschcquiers,De boulcset de mereliers,De dcz ct d*ciitrcgsterie,

Et de raaiiitcautre muscrie.MS, 0988, fol.44, verso.

(No.2),fol.47,veno.


" The other passage referredto is,in both MSS. as

follows:Tant Taime quo jeen suissote,Et quo en perssouvent ma cote,

A mainsjcuxquisont dcviScs,Aux merelles,tables,et dez."

As allthe differentinterpolationsreferredto appearto

have been made in good faith," not for the purpose of

showing the antiquityof card-playing,nor with any view

of deceivingthe reader,but merely to supply what the

transcriber,lookingat the manners of his own age,feltto

be an omission," ^theyaffordgood grounds forconcluding

that,at the time when the severalworks were firstwritten,

cardswere not a common game in eitherFrance or Spain;

for,had theythen been wellknown in thosecountries,itis

justas likelythat they would have been mentioned by the

originalwritersas thatthey should have been interpolated

by latertranscribers.

In an articleon Cards, in the 'Magasin Pittoresque'for

April,1836, an illustrationis given,of which the annexed

72 PLAYING CARDS.

cut is a fac-simile.The writer of the articlesays that

it is exactlycopied from a miniature in a MS. of the

Cite de Bieu, translatedfrom St. Augustine by Raoul de

Presle,who began the translationin 1371, and finishedit

in 1375. The writer,consideringthe MS. to be of the

same date as the translation,says thatthe miniaturerepre-sents

personsof distinctionof the reign of CharlesV.^ As

he adduces, however, no evidence to show that the MS.

isof so earlya date,his so-calleddemonstration thatcards

were well known in 1375, is essentiallydefective;for,in

transcriptsof books, nothing ismore common than to find,

in the illustrations,things which were unknown when the

works were firstwritten. The costume, indeed, appearsmore likethat of persons of distinctionabout the latter

end of the reignofCharlesVI, 1422, than ofthe reignofCharlesV, 13G4" 1380. From the kind of cardswhichthe partiesare seen playingwith,no safeconclusioncan be

drawn with respectto the age of the manuscript; forit is

not positivelyknown what kind of cards were chieflyusedin France between 1392 and 1440. But, whatever maybe the date of the manuscript, it is evident that numeral

cards marked with"

pips" and honours, similarlyto those

now in common use, were known in France at the time

when the drawing was made.The followingaccount of the introductionof cardsinto

Viterbo,in 1379, previouslyreferredto in Chapter I, is

* **... Voiciune demonstrationconcluante: c'est\gfac-similed*une

miniaturedn manuscritde latraductionde la Citede Lieu de SaintAugustin,

par Raoul de Preslcs,qui letermina en 1375. Cette miniature representedes

personnages de distinctiondu regne de CharlesV, debout autour une tableronde

etjouantaux cartes. Nous devonscetteminiaturea Tobligeancede M. leComte

H. de Vicl-Castel,qui nous I'acommuniqude, ainsique d*autresdocumens qu'il

avaitrdunissur lescartes. Le manuscritd*ou on a tir6la miniature,acliev6en

1375,avait^t^commence en 1371."" Magasin Pittoresque,QuatriemeAnnee,

Avril,1836, p. 131.


heregiven as it is to be found in Leber's ' Etudes Histo-

riquessur lesCartes a jouer/" FelicianoBussi relates,in

his* History of Viterbo/a work but littleknown, that in

1379, the epoch of the schism caused by the oppositionoftheanti-popeClement to Urban VI, the mercenary troopsof

each party com'mitt3d allmanner of annoyances and spolia-tionsin the Roman States,and that a great number of

cattle,which had been stolenby the marauders, and driven

to Viterbo for the provisionment of that city,were there

seized,and carriedoff in a moment.' And yet,'adds the

historian,' who could believe it! In this same year of

so much distressthere was introduced into Viterbo the

game of cards,or, as I would say,playingcards,which pre-viously

were not in the leastknown in thatcity\ thewords

of Covelluzzo,are, folio28, verso: 'In the year 1379,

was brought into Viterbo the game of cards, whichcomes from the country of the Saracens,and iswith them

calledNaib!"

As the introductionof cardsintoViterbo

is here directlyrecorded as a historicalfact,there can be

littledoubt, if the passage in Covelluzzobe genuine,that

cards were known to the Italiancondottieriin 1379. In

the chronicleof Giovan Morelli,of the date 1393, Naihi is

mentioned as a kind of game ; and, from the context, ithas

been concluded that it was one at which children only

played.^ At any rate itappears there as a game at which

olderpeople might playwithout reproach. Long aftercards

were condemned by-synods and civicordinances,as a game

of hazard, grave writersallowed that sober,decent people

might enjoythe game providedthat they played purelyfor

* IstoriadeUa Cittadi Viterbo,p. 213. Folio,Koma, 1742.* " Non giuocarea zara, ne ad altrogiuoco di dadi,fa de'giuochiche usano i

fanciulli;aglialiossi,aliatrottola,a* ferri,a' Naihi,fHcoderone,e simili,""

Cronica di Giovan. Morelli,in Malespini'sIstoriaFiorentina,p. 270. 4to,

Florence,1728.

74 PLAYING CARDS.

the sake of recreation,and not for the chance of winning

theirneighbour'smoney.Heineken quotesfrom the ' GiildinSpil/a book written

about the middle of the fifteenthcenturyby a Dominican

friar,of the name of Ingold, printed at Augsburg, by

Gunthcr Zainer,in 1472, the followingpassage relatingto cards :^

" Nun ist das Spil vol untrew ; und, alsich

gelesenhan, so ist es kommen in Teutschland der ersten

in dem iar,da man zaltvon Cristgeburt,tausend dreihun-

dertiar." That is:" The game is rightdeceitful; and,as

I have read,was firstbrought into Germany in the year

1300.'' The titleof' Guldin Spil,'"the Golden Game,"

appearsto have been given to the work by theauthor,on

account ofitsbeing a kind ofpioustravestyof the principal

games in vogue in Germany at the period when he wrote :

having giveneach game a moral exposition,thatwhich was

formerlydross is converted into gold : the "

old man" is

put off,and the reformed gambler,insteadof idlingawayhis precioustime at tric-trac,dice,or cards for beggarly

groschen,"goes" hiswhole soulat the' Guldin Spil'

That the author had read somewhere of cards having

been firstbroughtintoGermany in 1300, may be admitted

withoutquestion; forto suppose that he told an untruth,

would requireto be backed by a supplementaryconjec-tureas to his motivesforfalsifying," a mode of eliciting

the "truth," in frequent use indeed with philosophichistorianswhen discussingquestionsof greatimport inthe

historyofnations,but not exactlysuitablefordetermining

a triflingfact in the historyof Playing Cards. Having

admittedthe good faithof the authorofthe' Guldin Spil/

the next questionthatpresentsitselfis,whetherwhat he had

read abouttheintroductionof cards into Germany was in

' IdeeGeueraled'uncCollectioncompleted'Estampcs,p. 240.


itselftrue ; it is,however,unnecessary to discussit here,

foreven if cards were known in Germany at so early a

period,there is no satisfactoryevidence of theirhaving

been common in thatcountryuntilabout a centurylater.

Von Murr, who also citesfrom the * GiildinSpil'the

precedingpassage relatingto cards,thinksthattheepoch

assigned,1300, isatleastfiftyyearstoo early/He, however,

statesthat he found cards" Carten" mentioned in an oldbook ofbye-lawsand regulationsofthe cityof Nuremberg,

to which he assignsa date between 1380 and 1384. The

word occurs in a bye-law relatingto gaming "

' Vom SpiT"

fromthe penaltiesof which the followinggames are, under

certaincircumstances,excepted:" Horse-racing,shooting

withcross-bows,cardsyshovel-board,tric-trac,and bowls,at

whicha man may bet from two pence to a groat." Whether

the date assignedby Von Murr be correct or not, I am

unableto determine. His reason forconcludingthatit\vas

betweenthe years1380 and 1384, isas follows: " There is

indeedno date to thisbye-law,but itiswrittenin the same

hand as a law relatingto the Toll-housesbeforethe New

Gate; and at folio4 there isa precisedate,namely the

secondday beforeWalpurg's day,1384.'' The reason isnot

a very good one ; for,even admitting the identityof the

hand-writingintheordinancerelatingto gaming, and in the

actof 1381 relatingto the toll-houses,yet both might have

been copiedintothebook at a subsequentperiod. Itisalso

to be observed,that,accordingto Von Murr's own account,

thedate 1384 occurs inthe fourthfolio,whilethe ordinancein which cards are mentioned, isinthesixteenth

folio.But

though the dateassigned by Von Murr to the Nuremberg

regulation,may be a few yearstoo early,there is good

reason to believethat cardswere well known in Germany

' C. G. von Murr, Journal zur Kunstgcschiclitc,2tcr Thcil,s. 98. 8vo,

Nuremberg, 1776.

76 PLAYING CARDS.

towardstheconclusionofthefourteenthcentury. Accord-ing

to Mons. Neubronner,administratorat Ulm, (about1806,)therewas in the archivesof that cityan ancient

parchment volume, calledthe Red Book, on account ofits

red initialletters,which contained a prohibitionagainstCard Playing,dated 1397.'

Having now laidbeforethe reader theprincipalautho-rities

which have been allegedby variouswriters," ^whetherforthe purposeof showing the antiquityof card-playingin

Europe generally,or with the design of supportingtheir

own opinionas to the inventionof cardsin some particular

country" itis now time to enter on what may be termed

thepositivehistoryofcards,beginningfrom theyear 1393.

CharlesVI ofFrance losthisreason in consequenceofa

coup'de-soleilyin 1392; and during the remainderof his

lifecontinuedinsane,though with occasionallucidintervals.

In eitherthe same or in the followingyear, 1393, this

entry occurs in the accounts of his treasurer, Charles

Poupart,or, as he isnamed by Monstrelet,Charbot Poupart:" Given to Jacquemin Gringonneur,painter,forthreepacks

ofcards,giltand coloured,and variouslyornamented,forthe

amusement oftheking,fifty^sixsolsofParis."^Menestrier,

who was thefirstto pointout thispassage,concludedfrom

* Jansen,Essaisur TOrigme de laGravnre en Bois,"c.,quoted by Peignot,

p. 256.* ** Donnd h Jacquemin Gringonneur,pcintre,pour troisjeuxde cartesa or

et h.diversescouleurs,om^s deplusieursdeviaes,pour porterdeversleSeigneur

Roi,pour son Abatement,cinquante-sixsolsparisis."" Menestrier,Bibliothcque

curieuseet instructive,torn,ii,pp. 168-91. 12mo, Trevoux,1704. According

to Barrois,the name Gringonneur signifieda maker of Grangons." Ce nom a

faitprendrelechange ; ilsignifiefaiseurde grangons.* Grangium certustesse-

rarum Indus.* Voir Glossariumde Ducange, Supplement, t.ii,col.651. Les

premierescartesse vendaienth Paris,chez Jacquemin, gringoncur,fabricantde

dds,parceque lesd^s et lescartess*employaientsimultandmcnt. (VoirMinia-ture

de notre cabinetdansTAbusd en Court,manuscritde XV sicclc.)D'oii

d^gringolcr,roulcren sautillantcomme lesdcs.""^Ei^mcns

Cariovingicns,lin-

guistiqucsctlitt^raircs,p. 265. 4to,Paris,1846.


it that the game of cards was then firstinventedby

Gringonneurforthepurposeofdivertingtheking'smelan-choly;

and his account of the inventionlong passed as

authenticin the politelylearnedworld. That the game of

cardswas inventedby Gringonneur isin thehighestdegree

improbable; forthe generaltenor of the passagein which

theyare named by Poupart impliesthatthe game was then

alreadyknown, though from the noticeof the gildingand

colouringofthe cards,itmay be supposedthatGringonneur

had a specialorderforthem, and thattheywere not then

ingeneraluse." If,"saysPiegnot,

" Pere Menestrierhad paidattentionto the manner in which the passageis drawn up, he wouldhaveperceivedthattheexpression

' forthreepacksofcards,'" "

^

pour troisjeuxde cartes" clearlyannounces, from its

verysimplicity,that cards were alreadyknown, and that

theirinventionwas of a much earlierdate. The writer

would not have mentioned so simply a collectionoffigures,

justconceivedand paintedby Gringonneur on small pieces

ofpaper,and veryremarkable,as wellfrom theirsymmetry

and regularity,as from the charactersrepresentedon them."^

The Hon. Daines Barrington,inhis ' Observationson the

AntiquityofPlayingCards inEngland,'doubtsifPoupart's

" The following" slirewdreply,"which owes itspointto Menestrier'saccount

oftheinventionofcards,appearedin a weekly journalabout threeyears ago." SirWalter Scottsays,thatthe allegedoriginof the

inventionof cardspro-duced

one oftheshrewdestreplieshe had ever heardgiveninevidence. Itwas

made by thelateDr. Gregory,at Edinburgh,to a counselofgreateminenceat

the Scottishbar. The doctor*stestimony went to prove the insanityof the

party whose mental capacitywas the point at issue. On a cross-interrogation

he admitted thatthe person in questionplayedadmirablyat whist.*And do

you seriouslysay, doctor,*saidthe learnedcounsel,'that a person having a

superiorcapacityfor a game so difficult,and which requires,in a pre-eminent

degree,memory, judgment,and combination,can be at the same time deranged

in his understanding?' 'I am no card-player,"said thedoctor,with great

address,*but I have read in historythatcards were inventedforthe amuse-ment

of an insaneking/ The consequencesofthisreplyweredecisive."

78 TLAYINO CARDS.

entryactuallyrelatesto PlayingCards. He isof opinionthatthe words

" iroiajeuxde cartes* mean threesetsofilluminationsupon paper, ''carte originallysignifying

nothing more/' If Mr. Barrington had produced any

authorityto show that,eitherin the time of CharlesVI, or

at any otherperiod,"

\mjeude cartes" was used to signifya set ofilluminations,or that the term ever signifiedany-thing

elsethan a pack,or a game, of cards,hisdoubt would

not have had so much the appearance of a starvedconceit.Though in 1893 cardsmight have been but littleknown

and seldom played at, except by the higher classes,the

game in a shorttimeappearsto have become common ; for

in an edictofthe provostof Paris,dated 22d of January,

1397, working people are forbidto play at tennis,bowls,

dice,cards,or nine-pins,on working days. From the

omissionof cards in an ordonnance of Charles V, dated

13C9, forbiddingcertaingames and addressedto allthe

seneschals,baiUies,provosts, and other officersof the

kingdom, it may be safelyconcluded that if cards were

known in France in 1369, the game was by no means so

common as in 1397. Duchesne indeed says that it is

between 1369 and 1397, a period of twenty-eightyears,

thattheinventionof Playing Cards,or at leasttheirintro-duction

intoFrance,ought to be placed.Cards having been presented at the court of France for

the amusement of the king, and prohibitedin the cityofParis,eitheras too good or too bad forthe amusement of

workingpeople,appearforthwithto have become fashionable;

but,besidesthe recommendations alludedto,the game pos-sesses

charms of itsown which could scarcelyfailto renderit a favoritewith gamesters of allclasses,as soon as its

principlesshouldbe known.^ To ladiesand gentlemen who

* About the bcginniiigof the fifteenthcentury thepassionforgaming appearsto have been very prevalentinFrance; and persons who were addictedto

it

INTRODUCTION INTO EtJROPE. 79

. might play,merely as a relaxationfrom the more seriousbusiness of hunting and hawking, dressing and dining,

no game couldbe more fascinating;whileto thosewho might

playforgain,what other game could be more tempting?

The great infirmityof human nature, with the noble as

wellas the ignoble,as old storiesplainlyshow, isthe too

eagerdesireto obtain money, or money's worth,in a short

time and at littlecost ; and, hence, to riska certainsum on

thechanceof obtaininga greater,whether at dice,cards,statelotteries,or art-unionlittle-goes:inthe latter,indeed,under

theprudent directionof what may be called*' handicap"

legislators," from theiralways coming out strong towards

the end of the session,like the beaten horses for a

handicap at the end of a race week, " the spiritof gamingisrefined,and made subservientto the purposes of pure

charityand the promotion of the finearts. He who devised

thegame ofcards,as now usuallyplayed,appearsto havehad

a thorough perceptionof at leasttwo of the weak pointsofhuman nature ; fornext to man's trust in his "luck," in all

games of chance, ishis confidencein himselfin allgames of

skill.The shuffling,cutting,and dealingat cards,together

with the chance afforded by the turn-up of the trump,

placethe novice, in his own conceit,on a par with the

endeavouredto guard themselvesfrom itsfascinationsby voluntarybonds,with

a penaltyin case of infraction.The followingaccount of a bond of thiskind is

extractedfrom the Memoirs of the Academy of Dijonfor 1828. "Mons.

Baudot a trouv^ deux actes de ce genre, qui mdritentd'etireconservesh cause

de leursingularity.Le premier est tir^.duprotocolede Jehan Lebon, notaire,

et de ses clercsJehan Bizot, Guyot Bizot de Charmes, et Jehan Gros. On y

lit.qu*en 1407, ily eut convention de ne pas jouerpendant une annde, entre

Jehan Violier de VoUexon, boucher, a Dijon;Guillaume Garni, boucher,

Huguenin de Grancey, tournestier(employaux toumois),Vivien le Picardet,

patissier,et Gorant de Barefort, coustellier,tons de Dijon,a peinede d6ux

francsd'orau profitde ceux qui n'auront pas joue,et de deux francsd*or a

leverpar leProcureur de laVilleet Commune de Dijon,au profitde laVille.*'

" The second was a similarengagement, in the year 1505.

80 PLATING CARDS.

experiencedgamester; who, on theotherhand, isaptto

underratehisopponent'schance,fromhisover-confidencein

hisown skill.During the middle ages,theclergy,notwithstandingtheir

vows and theirpretensionsto superior sanctity,appearto

have been not a whit more exempt from the weaknesses ofhuman nature than the unsanctifiedlaity; nay, from the

historyof the times,itwould seem thattheirvows rendered

them not only more susceptibleof temptation,but more

Ukely to fall. Their preaching pointed one way, and their

livesanother; and hence the old proverb," Mind what the

friarsaySy not what he doesJ' The vicesof the times are

indeed writtenin the canons of synods and councils,and in

the penitentialsof bishops directed againstthe immo-ralities

of the clergy; and from the experienceofthe past,

thus recorded,we have ample proof that clericalvows are

not always a certaincharm againstsecularvices.Aftercards

were once fairlyintroduced,itwould appear thatthe clergy

were not longin *'

cuttingin;" for,accordingto Dr. J.B.

Thiers,they were expresslyforbidto play at cards,by the

synod of Langres, 1404.^

Menestrierrefersto the statutesof Amadeus VIII, Duke

of Savoy, 1430, forbiddingallkinds of gaming formoney

within his territories,though his subjectsare allowedto

amuse themselves at certaingames, provided they play

* Thiers,referringto the Synod of Langres of 1404, Tit.de Ludibus prohi-bitis,thus givesthe prohibition:

" Nous d^fendonsexpressement aux Eccle-

siastiqucs,principaleraenta ceux qui sont dans lessaintsordres,et sur toutaux

pretrcset aux cur^s,de joucraux dez,au triquetrac,ou aux cartes."" Traits

des Jcux etdes Divertisscmens,par M. Jean BaptisteThiers,Docteur en Thdo-

logie,p. 193. 12mo, Paris,1686. Though this synod is alsoreferredto by

Menestrier,Bullet,and others,it is overlooked by Mons. Duchesne, who,

speaking of the prohibitionof cardsto the clergy,says," C'estseulement au

synode de Bamberg, in 1491, qu*au titrexvi on trouve ladefense: *Ludosque

taxillorumet chartarum,et his similes,in locispublicis.*"

" Observationssur

lesCarteslijouer,dans TAnnuaire Historique,pour Tannde 1837,p. 176.


onlyformeat and drink.* "With respectto cards,they

are forbidden;nevertheless,theyare allowedto women, with

whom men may alsoplay,providedthattheyplayonlyfor

pins,""" dum Indus jBattantum cum spinulis." In this

passagea juristwould not construe the word"

spinuHs**"

pins" ^hterally,but would take itto mean any small articles

of pins'worth. In France,about 1580, the douceiu*givenby a guest to a waiter at an inn was called"his pins""

"

epingles;"^ and the proverbialphrase," Tirerson epingle

du jeu,"seems to alluderatherto"

pin-stakes,"'thanto the

game of "push-pin."

Early in the fifteenthcentury,card-making appears to

have become a regular trade in Germany, and there is

reason to beUeve thatitwas not of much laterdateinItaly.

In 1418 the name of a card-maker"

" Kartenmac/ter/'"

occurs intheburgess-booksofAugsburg. In an oldrate-book

of the cityofNui-emberg, the name "FIL Kartenmac/ierin'

occurs under the year 1433 ; and in the same book under

theyear 1435, the name *'Mis.Kartenmac/ierin,"probably

the same person. In the year 1438 the name" Margret

Kartenmalerin^ occurs.^ From thoserecordsitwould appear

thattheearliestcard-makersand card-paintersofNuremberg

were women ; and that cards were known in Germany by

the name of" Karten" before they acquired the name of

" Briefe." Heineken, however, maintains that they were

firstknown in Germany by the lattername ; for as he

claimedthe inventionfor his countrymen, the factof the

" Peignot,who affectsgreat precisionin datesand names, saysthatthe Sta-

tnta Sabaudifflwere "publi^es en 1470 par Am^dee VIII, Due de Savoie."

Amadous VIII, the amateur hermit" who was electedPope by the Councilof

Baslein 1439, and who took the name of Pope FelixV" diedm 1451.

* " Donnez nous du lingeblanc. Paictesque nons ayons des linceuxblancs,

et vous aures demain voz espingles.""J. T. Pregii Psedagogus, p. 112..

Basle,1582.

Von Murr, Journalzur Kunstgeschichte,2er Theil,s. 121, 122.

6

82 PLAYING CARDS.

name being derivedeitherfrom the French or Italianwas

adverseto histheory.

Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Uhn appear to have been

the chieftowns in Germany for the manufacture of cards

about the middle of the fifteenthcentury; and, from the

followingpassage,citedby Heineken from a manuscript

chronicleof the cityof Ulm, ending at 1474, it would

appear that the German manufacturers,besidessupplying

the home market did alsoa largeexport business:" Play-ing

cards were sent in small casks [leglenweiss]intoItaly,

Sicily,and alsoover sea, and bartered for spicesand other

wares."^ Itwas probably againstthe German card-makers

and painter-stainersthat the magistracy of Venice issued

an order in 1441, forbidding the introductionof foreign

manufactured and printed coloured figuresinto the city

under the penalty of forfeitingsuch articles,and being

finedXXX liv.xiisoldi. This order appears to have been

made in consequence of a petitionfrom the fellowshipof

paintersat Venice,wherein they had set forth that " the

art and mystery of card-making and of printingfigiu*es,

which were practisedin Venice,had fallenintototaldecay

through the great quantityof foreignplaying cards,and

colouredprintedfigureswhich were brought intothe city."*The magistrates'order,in which this passage occurs as the

* Heineken, in his French version of this passage, in the Idee GenMe,

erroneouslytranslatesthe word legUnweiss^ "en ballots." In his Neue

Nachrichten, however, he gives the correct explanation," das ist,in kleinen

Fassem"" "that is,in small casks." Though the word Lagel, a barrel,is

obsoletein Germany, yet itsdiminutive,"leglin,""as ifLageHn" isstillused

in Scotlandforthe name of the ewe-milker'skit. It is needlessto citethe

work from which I copy this bitof information,as the author,I am sure, will

not findany faultwith me forany libertiesthatI may take.* " Consciosciache Tarte e mestier dellecarte e figurestampide,che se fano

in Venesia h vegnudo a totaldeffaction,e questo siaper la gran quantitade

cartea zugur e figuredcpentestampide,le qual vienfatede fuorade Venezia."

" Algarotti,LettcrePittoriche,torn,v, p. 320.


preamble, was discovered by an Italianarchitect,of the

name of Temanza, in an old book of rules and ordersbelonging to the company or fellowshipof Venetian

painters. Temanza sent an account of his discoveryto

Count Algarotti,who publisheditin the fifthvolume ofhis

*LetterePittoriche/

As ithas been assumed thatthe earliestprofessionalcard-

makers were wood-engravers, and that the engraving of

cards on wood led to the execution of other figures,it

appears necessary to trace the Briefmaler'sprogress,andto show how he came to be identifiedwith the "

wood-

engraverin general." That the earlycard-makers or card-

paintersof Ulra, Nuremberg, and Augsbiu-g,from about1418 to 1450, were alsowood-engravers,isfounded entirelyon the assumption that the cards of that period were en-graved

on wood, and that those who manufactured them,

both engraved and colouredthe figures.It isnot, however,

certainthat the figuresof the earliestcards, not drawn by

hand, were engraved on wood ; in the oldestcards,indeed,

which I have had an opportunityof examining, and which

appearto be of as earlya date as the year 1440, itisevident

thatthe figureswere executed by means of a stencil. From

the circumstance of so many women occurring as card-

paintersin the town books of Nuremberg between 1433

and 1477, there appears reason to conclude that they,

at least,were not wood-engravers.The name of a wood-engraver proper" Formschneider"

firstoccurs in the town-books of Nuremberg, under the

year 1449; and as for twenty years subsequently,itfre-quently

occurs on the same page withthatofa card-painter"

* A stencilisa thin piece of pasteboard,parchment, or metal,in which tho

ontlinesand generalforms of any figuresare cut out,forthe purpose of being

"

stencilled"on cards,paper,pasteboard,plasteredwalls,"c.The operationis

performed by passingover the stencila brush charged with colour,which enter-ing

intothe cut out linesimparts the figureto the materialbeneath.

84 PLATING CARDS.

Kartenmder " there cannot be a doubt that therewas a

distinctionbetween the professions,although,Uke the bar-bers

and surgeons of former times,they both belongedto

the same fellowshipor company.

A few yearssubsequentto the Formschneider,theBrief-

maler occurs; but though his designationhas the same

literalmeaning as thatof theKartenmaler,yethisbusiness

seems to have been more general,includingboth thatofthe card-painterand wood-engraver. About 1470 we find

the Briefmalers not only employed in executingfigures,

but alsoin engravingthe text of block-books; and about

the end of the fifteenthcentury the term seems to have

been generallysynonymous with that of Formschneider.

Subsequentlythe latterterm prevailedas the properdesig-nation

of a wood-engraver,while that of Briefmalerwasmore especiallyapplied,likethatoftheoriginalKartenmaler,

to designate a person who coloured cards and other

figures.^

Though we have positiveevidencethat,about the year1470, the Briefmalerwas a wood-engraver as well as a

colourerof cards; and though it be highlyprobable that

the outUnesofthe figureson cards were then engraved on

wood, and that,from this circumstance,the Briefmalerbecame alsoa wood-engraver,yet we have no proofthatthe

* In a work entitled" HANOHAIA omnium illiberaliummechanicarum aut

scdcntariarumartiura,""c., with cuts designedby Jost Amman, and descrip-tions

inLatinverse by Hartman Schoppcr,Frankfort,1568, thereisa cut ofa

Briefnf^tlertand anotherof a Formschneider; the former appears to be colour-ing

certainfiguresby means of a stencil;while the latterappears to be

engravingon wood. There are alsoeditionsofthe work, with the descriptions

in German verse by Hans Sachs,thecelebratedMeistersangerand shoemakerof

Nuremberg. Though itappearsevidentthatat the time of the publicationof

thiswork the businessof a Briefmalerwas consideredas distinctfrom thatofa

Formschneider,thereisyetreason to believethatthe oldBricfmalersstillcon-tinued

both to engrave and printwoodcuts. On severallargecuts withthe

dates1553 and 1554, wo findthe words'" Gcdrukt zu Niimberg durch Hanns

Glascr,Briefiraalcr."


earliestwood-engraversin Europe were the card-makers.Von Murr indeed confidentlyaffirms

" thatcard-makersand

card-painterswere known in Germany eightyyears before

the inventionof typography,and thatthe card-makerswere

at firstproperlywood-engravers,but that,afterthe art of

wood-engraving was applied to the executionof sacred

subjects,a distinctionwas made."* He who can thus

persuadehimselfthatthe germ ofwood-engravinginEurope

isto be found in cards,wUl doubtlessfeelgreatpleasurein

tracingits interestingdevelopment; the firstterm, cards

engravedon wood, being assumed, we then have figuresof

saintswith theirnames, or shortexplanations,engraved on

wood ; next block-booksconsistingof sacredsubjectswith

copious explanatorytext; and lastlytypography and the

press:"

ce n'est que lepremier pas qui coute."^

At what period the art of wood-engraving vras first

introduced in Europe, or in what country it was first

practised,has not been preciselyascertained. Not the

slightestallusionis made to itsproductionsby any writers

of the fourteenthcentury; and the earliestauthenticdate

that has hithertobeen observed on any wood-engraving,is1423. A wood-engraving saidto containthe date1418

was indeeddiscoveredat Malines in 1844, pasted in the

' " Kartenmacher,und Kartemnaler,oderwie siespater(1473)hiessen,Brief-

maler,sindsclionin Dcutschland80 Jahre vor derErUndung dcrBuclidrucker-

kunst gewesen. Die Kartenmacher waren anfangs die eigentlichcnForm-

schneider,ehe man geistlicheFiguren schnitt,da siedann ia der Folge der

Zeit eine besondere Innung ausmacliten."" ^Von Murr, Journal zur Kunst-

geschichte,2er Theil,s. 89." "L'homme le plus vers6dans la connaissancedes premiersproduitsde la

xylographie,leBaron de Heineken, 6taitint^rieurementpersuadeque la pre-miere

empreinte tir^esur un aisgrossibrementsculpts,qui parut en Europe,

itaitune carte. Dans son opinion,que nous croyons bien fondde,la gravure

des cartes^jouerconduisitk celledes images de Saints,quidonna I'iddede la

gravure des mscriptionsou Idgcndes,d'otinaquit riraprimerie."Ainsi,une

carte auraitproduit la presse! Quellem^re et quellepost^ritd!"" Leber,

Etudes Historiquessur lesCartesa jouer,p. 3.

86 PLATING CARDS.

insideof an old chest; but as the numerals have evidentlybeen repairedby means of a black-leadpencil,both the

genuinenessand the authenticityof thedatehave beenvery

justlyquestioned. The person by whom itwas found,the

keeper of a littlepublic-house,almost immediately soldit

to an architectnamed De Noter,of whom itwas purchasedby the Baron de Reiffenberg,for the Royal Library ofBrussels,ofwhich he isthe conservator, and where itisnow

preserved.^Beforethisdiscovery,the earliestwood-engriavingwith a

date,was the St. Christopher,in Earl Spencer'scollection,in which the date 1423, partlyin words and partlyin

numerals"

" Millesimo cccc' xx* tercio'*" is seen engravedin the same manner as the otherpartsof the subject.Thefirstpersonwho publishedan account oftheSt.Christopher,

was Hcineken. When he firstsaw it,itwas pastedon the

insideofthe cover of a manuscript volume in the libraryofBuxheim, near Memmingen in Suabia,within fiftymilesofAugsburg, a citywhich appearsto have been the abode of

wood-engravers almost from the very commencement ofthe

art in Europe, and in which we find a card-maker so early

as 1418. On the insideof the cover, Heineken alsoob-served

anothercut, ofthe annunciation,of the same sizeas

" The subjectofthiscut isthe Virgin with the infantJesus inher arms, sur-roundedby fourfemalesaints,namely, St.Catherine,St.Barbara,St.Dorothy,

ard St.Margaret. A fac-simileof itis given in the Athenaeum for the 4th

October,1845. The Baron de Reiffenberg,who publisheda particularaccount

of the cut,and ofthe circumstancesof itsdiscovery,entertainsno doubtofthe

authenticityofthedatej and considersthatthe costume of the fibresand the

generalstyloof drawing arc in perfectaccordancewith the period. Another

writer,however,questionstheauthenticityof the date,which he says has been

retouchedwith a black-leadpencil; and,from the costume, he concludesthatit

isnot of an earlierdatethan 1468. He supposes thatthe numeral 1may have

been omittedbeforexviiiin the date,which in the fac-simileof the cut standsthus : mutt "

xblil."See QuclquesMots sur la Gravure au Mill^Jsimcdc

1418, par C. D. B. 4to,Brussels,1846.


the St.Christopher,and apparentlyexecutedaboutthesame

time. The volume within whose covers those cuts were

pasted,was bequeathed to the convent by Anna, canoness

ofBuchaw, who was livingin 1427, but who probablydied

previousto 1435. The Annunciation,as well as the St.

Christopher,isnow in the possessionofEarl Spencer.

From the time of theirfirstintroduction,wood-cuts of

sacredsubjectsappear to have been known in Suabia andtheadjacentdistrictsby the name of Helgen or Helglein,a

corruptionof Heiligen,saints; and in course of time this

word alsocame to signifyprintsor woodcuts generally.It

would seem that originallythe productionsof the wood-

engraverwere consideredas imperfecttillthey were coloured;

and as the St.Christopher,the Annunciation,and othersof

an earlydate,appear to have been colouredby means of a

stencil,thereisreason to concludethatmost ofthe" Helgen"

of the same periodwere colouredinthe same manner. In

France the same kind of cuts,probablycolouredinthesame

manner, were called" Dominos^" a name which of itself

indicatesthe affinityof thesubjectswiththoseoftheHelgen.

Subsequently,the word "Domino" was used to signifycolouredor marbled paper generally; and the makers of

such paper,as wellas the engraversand colourersofwood-cuts,

were calledDominotiera,

Though we cannot reasonablysuppose that the cut of

St. Christopher,with the date 1423, was the very first

of itskind, there is yet reason to believethat the art of

wood-engraving was then but littleknown. As theearliest

wood-cuts are observed to be coloured by means of a

stencil,itwould seem thatatthetimewhen wood-engravingwas firstintroduced,the art of depictingand colouringfiguresby means of a stencilwas alreadywell known ; but

as there are no cards engraved on wood to which so early

a date as 1423 can be fairlyassigned,and as at that

88 PLAYING CARDS.

periodtherewere professionalcard-makersestablishedatAugsburg, itwould appear that wood-engraving was em-ployed

on the executionof" Helgeri'before itwas applied

to cards,and thattherewere stencilledcards before there

were wood-engravings of saints. Though thisconclusion

be not exactlyin accordancewith an opinionwhich I have

expressedin anotherwork,îtisyetthatwhich, on a further

investigationof the subject,appears to be best supportedby facts,and most stronglycorroboratedby the incidental

noticeswhich we have of the progressof the Briefmaleror

card-pointerfrom hisoriginalprofessionto thatof a wood-

engraverin general.The annexed cuts are fac-similesof some oftheoldcards

to which I have alluded at page 83. The originalsare

preservedin the print-room of the BritishMuseum ; andfrom a repeatedexamination of them, I am convinced that

they have been depictedby means of a stencil,and not

printednor"

rubbed off"from wood blocks. They are not

coloured,nor cut intosinglecards; but appear justas they

are shown in the fac-similes. They formed part of the

covers or" boards" of an old book, and were sold to the

BritishMuseum by Mr. D. Colnaghi. Looking at the

marks of the suitsinthosecards,the châcter ofthefigures,

and the manner in which they are executed,I should say

thatthey are not of a laterdatethan 1440. Though cards

ofonlythreesuitsoccur, namely.Hearts,Bells,and Acorns,

" " It has been conjecturedthat the art of wood-engravingwas employed on

sacredsubjects,such as the figuresof saintsand holy persons,beforeit was

appliedto the multiplicationof those 'books of Satan,' playing cards. It,

however, seems not unlikelythat itwas firstemployed in the manufacture of

cards; and that the monks, availingthemselvesof the same principle,shortly

afterwardsemployed the artof wood-engraving for the purpose of circulating

the figuresof saints; thus endeavouringto supply a remedy for the evil,and

extractingfrom the serpent a cure forhisbite.""ÂTreatiseon Wood Engrav-ing,

Historicaland Practical,p. 58. Publishedby Charles Knight and CJo.

Loudon, 1839.

V

V

'BrillI-g,

.-"-^'


therecan be littledoubt thatthe fourthsuitwas Leaves,as

in thepack describedby Mr. Gough, in the eighthvolume

of the ' Archaeologia/ As in Mr. Gough's cards,so in*

these,thereisno Queen ; though, likethem, thereappearsto have been three "

coat" cards in each suit,namely, a

King, a Knight, or Superior Officer,and a Knave, or

Servant; in other words. King, Jack, and Jack's Man.

The lower cards,as in Mr. Gough's pack, appear to have

been numbered by their "

pips" from two to ten, without

any ace.

That those cards were depicted by means of a stencilis

evidentfrom the feeblenessand irregularityof the lines,as

well as from the numerous breaks in them, which, in manyinstances,show where a white isolatedspace was connected

with other blank parts of the stencil. The separationseen

in the heads of the figuresin No. 1 of the fac-simileshere

given,would appear to have been occasioned by the stencil

eitherbreaking or slipping

while the operator was

passingthe brush over it.

From the costume of the

figuresin these cards, I

am inclinedto think that

they are the production ofa Venetian card-maker. A

lion,the emblem of St.

Mark, the patron saintofVenice, and a distinctive

badge of the city,appears,as in the annexed cut, in

the suitof Bells; and a

similarfigure,with part

of a mutilatedinscription,

alsooccurs in the suitof Acorns.

90 PLAYING CARDS.

Card-playingappearsto have been a common amusement

with the citizensof Bologna,about 1423. In thatyearSt.

Beraardin of Sienna,who diedin 1444, and was canonizedin 1450, preaching on the steps in frontof the church ofSt.Petronius,describedso forciblythe evilsof gaming in

general,and of Card-playing in particular,to which the

Bolognese were much addicted,that hishearersmade a fire

in the publicplaceand threw theircards intoit. A card-

maker who was present,and who had heard the denuncia-tions

ofthe preacher,not onlyagainstgamesters,butagainst

allwho eithersuppliedthem withcards or dice,or in anymanner countenanced them, is saidto have thus addressedhim, in great afflictionof mind.^ *M have not learned,

father,any otherbusinessthan thatof paintingcards; andifyou depriveme of that,you deprive me of life,and mydestitutefamilyofthe means of earninga subsistence." To

thisappeal the Saint cheerfullyreplied:*' If you do not

know what to paint,paint thisfigure,and you willnever

* FatherTommasoBuoninsegni, inhis ' DiscorsodelGiuoco,'p.27,Florence,

1585, thus refersto the opinionof St.Bemardin and others on the subjectofgaming.

" Sono statialcunitanto scrupolosie severi,iqualihanno detto,chenon soloquegliche giuocanoa restituiretenutisono, ma dipiiiliheredi,e quel

che prcstanodadi,tavolc,carte,e chivende, e compera baratteriee bische,edinoltreliartcHci,iqualifannoe vcndono carte,o dadi,cd altristrumcntida

giuocare; c dipiu liUfficiali,Rettori,Magistratie Signori,i qualipotendo

prohibirecotaligiuochi,non liproibiscono."In thenoticeof thelifeof St.Bemardin, inthe Acta Sanctorum, citedby

Pcignot,ho issaidto have requiredthatcards[naibes]^dice,and otherinstru-ments

ofgaming shouldbe givenup to themagistratesto be burnt. The anec-dote

of the card-painterisgiven inBcmini*sHistoiredes Heresies,torn,iv,p.157. Vcnisc, 1784. Tliicrs,in his Trait($des Jeux, pp. 159-161, gives an

extractfrom a sermon of St.Bemardin againstgaming: liisreferenceto the

works of St.Bcmardm is "Serm. 33, in Dominic. 5, Quadra^,I jpari.princ"but he does not mention the edition.It may herebe observedthatthe opinionof Dr. Jeremy Taylor on thissub-jectisopposed to thatof St.Bemardin. See hisdiscussionof the Questionon

Gaming :" Whether or no the making and providingsuch instrumentswhich

usuallyministerto it,isby interpretationsuch an aid to the sin as to involv*

us intheguiltP"

,,INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPE. 91

have cause to regrethaving done so." Thus saying,he

took a tabletand drew on it the figure of a radiant sun,

with the name of Jesus indicated in the centre by the

monogram I.H.S. The card-painterfollowed the saint's

advice; and so numerous were thepurchasersofthe reformed

productions of his art, that he soon became rich. In the

Bibliotheque du Roi at Paris,there is an old woodcut ofSt.Bernardin,with the date 1454, which has been supposedto have been engraved with referenceto thisanecdote,as

thesaintis seen holding inhisrighthand the symbol whichhe recommended the card-maker to paint. A fac-simileofthis figure of St. Bernardin is given in the * Illustrated

London News,* of the 20th of April,1844, and reprintedin a work recentlypublished,,entitled*The History andArt of Wood Engraving.'

John Capistran, a discipleof St. Bernardin, and also a

Franciscan friar,followed the example of his master in

preaching against gaming ; and his exhortationsappear to

have been attended with no less success. In 1452, when

on a mission to Germany, he preached forthree hours at

Nuremberg, in Latin, against luxury and gaming; and his

discourse,which was interpretedby one of his followers,

produced so great an effecton the audience, that there

were brought into the market-place and burnt, 76 jauntingsledges,8640 backgammon boards, 40,000 dice,aiid cardsinnumerable. Under an old portraitof Capistran,engraved

on wood by Hans Schauffiein,there is an inscriptioncom-memorating

the efiectsof hispreaching as above related.^

' Gcscbichto der Holzsclineidekunstvon den altestenbis auf die neuesten

Zeiten,ncbst zwei Bcilagen enthaltendden Urspmng dcr Spielkartcnimd einVerzeichnissder sammt xylographischenWcrke, von Joseph Haller,s. 313.

8vo, Bamberg, 1823.

92

CHAPTER III.

THE PROGKESS OF CAED-PLAYING.

Having now shown at what periodcardswere certainly

well known in Europe, and at what period card-makingwas a regularbusiness in Italy and Germany, I shall

proceedto laybeforethe reader a seriesof factsshowing

theprevalenceofthe game invariouscountries,both among

greatand littlepeople.From therepeatedmunicipalregulationsforbiddingcard-

pkying, to be found in the Burgher-books of severalcities

of Germany, between 1400 and 1450, itwould seem that

the game was extremelypopular in that country in the

earher partof the fifteenthcentury; and thatitcontinuedto gain ground,notwithstandingthe prohibitionsof men

in office.There are ordersforbiddingitin the council-books of Augsburg, dated 1400, 1403, and 1406; though

in the latteryear there isan exceptionwhich permitscard-

playingat the meeting-housesof the trades. It was for-bidden

at Nordlingen in 1426, 1436, and 1439; but in

1440 the magistrates,in theirgreatwisdom, thoughtproperto relaxin some degree the stringencyof theirordersby

allowingthe game to be played in public-houses.In the

town-books of the same citythere are entries,in the years1456 and 1461

, ofmoney paid forcards at the magistrates'

annual goose-feastor corporationdinner. In the books of

the company of" Schuflikker""cobblers

" of Bamberg,

thereisa bye-lawagreedto in 1491, which imposes a fine

of halfa pound of wax " not shoemakers',but bees'wax for

the company's holy candle, to bum at the altarof the

PROGRESS OF CARD-PLAYING. 93

patronsaint," ^uponany brotherwho shouldthrow theback-gammon

pieces,cards,or diceout of the window.^ From

thisit may be concluded that the" Schuflikker"ofBam-berg

in 1491 were accustomed,Uke gamesters of a more

recentperiod,to vent theirrage,when losers,on the caids

and dice,

BaptistaPlatina,inhistreatise*De Honesta Voluptate'"

which isneithermore nor lessthan an antique" School of

Good Living,"teachinghow creature comfortsmay be best

enjoyed"

^mentionscardsas a game at which gentlemen

may play,afterdinner or supper,to diverttheirminds, as

deep thinkingaftera heartymeal impedes digestion.There

was, however,to be no cheatingnor desireofgain" whichisas much as to saythatthestakeswere to be merelynominal" lestbad passionsshould be excited,and the processofhealthyconcoctiondisturbed.^

GaleottusMartins,a contemporary of Platina,isperhaps

theearliestwriterwho"

speculated,^'or at leastpubUshedhis speculations,on the allegoricalmeaning of the marks

ofthefoursuitsof cards. I shallgivea translationof the

passage,which occui*s in chapterxxxvi of histreatise* De

Doctrina promiscua,' written,according to Tiraboschi,

between 1488 and 1490. I leave othersto divinethe

* Heller,Vom Urspnmg derSpielkarten,inderGcschichtodorHolzschneide-

kunst,8. 307.'"Interim vero jociset ludo,minime concito,vacandum, ne sensus cogita-

tioneoccupaticoncoctionemimpediant. Careatjocus(quemurbanum,facetnm,

modestum volo)dicacitate,scurrilitate,mordacitate.Nolo mimos ; non pro-

terviam; non dicteria;non convicia,unde ira et indignatio,et plenimque

magna rixaoritur.Ludus sittalis,tessera,saccho(utnostraappellationeutnr),carthisvariisimaginibiispictis. Absit interludendum omnis frauset avaritia,

qua illiberalioret destestandusfitludus,nee ullam affcrtludentivoluptatem;

cum timor,ira,et immensa habendicupiditasvariismodis ludentescruciet."

The firsteditionof Platina*streatise,De Honesta Voluptate,appeared at

Venice,1475. The preceding extract is from the secondedition,printedin

1480."-Platinawas bom in 1421, and diedin 1481.

94 PLATING CARDS.

author'sprecisemeaning, referringthem to the originaltextwhich isgivenbelow. The topicsof thischapterare :

" The greaterand lesserDog Star,Orion,theEvening Star,

the Pleiades,the Hyades, Bootes, the Kids, the planetVenus, and the game of Cards." Towards the conclusion,

afterhaving exhausted his astronomical topics,he thus

proceeds,apropos of the benign influenceof Venus." From the excellencyof thisplanetitis not surprising

thatthe ancientscalleda happy throw at diceVenus," not

Jove, though consideredof greater fortune. Thus Pro-

pertius:

"Venus I hoped with luckydiceto cast.

But everytime the lucklessDogs turnedup."

" An unluckycastwas calledthe Dog "" Canis''" and

alsothe LittleDog " '^Caniculd'" ^withreferenceto the

Stars. Thus Persius:

"Far as the lucklesslittleDog-star'srange."

*' What kind of stars the Great and LittleDog were,

has been abeady shown. Some persons,"indeed,mightlaugh at the invention of such kind of games being

ascribedto the learned,were itnot plainfrom reason that

the game of cardswas alsodevised by wise men. To say

nothingabout the Kings, Queens, Knights, and Footmen,

"

^forevery one knows the distinctionbetween dignityand

militaryservice," is it not evident,when we considerthe

significanceof swords, spears,cups, and country loaves,

thattheinventor of the game was a man of shrewd wit?

When thereisneed of strength,as indicatedby the Swords

and Spears,many are betterthan few ; in matters of meat

and drink,however, as indicatedby the Loaves and Cups,

a littleis betterthan a great deal,for it is certainthat

abstemiouspersonsare of more livelywitthan gluttonsanddrunkards, and much superior in the management of


business. What I callcountrykaves,from theirform andcolour,

" Plinyspeaksofbread of a yellowcolour" are the .

marks which are ignorantlysupposed to signifypiecesof \money. The Cups are goblets,forwine."*

The remainder of the passage cannot be literallytrans-

latedintoEnglish,as itrelateschieflyto the pronunciation \of the word

,''

Hastas" " Spears. The substance of it, "

however,isas follows: " The common peoplesay' Hastas,'

*

J

as the aspirationH, and the letterV are interchangeable,

and so are B and V, both in Greek and Latin. As Bastoni

[clubs]are vulgarlycalledHastoni,so have theysometimes \theform of spears[Hastarum],but mostly thatof bills,for \

" "Nou mirum ergo ob hujusplanetaeexcellentempraerogativamsiin taxillisfelicemjactum,non Jovem quimajorfortunaputatur,sed Venerem nuncupavit

"

antiquitas.Unde Propertius,

Mo quoque per talosVenerem quserentesecundos, 1

Semper damnosisubsilieroCaucs.'',

Canem vero et Caniculam damnosum jactumetiam siderum comparationeappellavenmt.SicPersius:

Damnosa caniculaquantum \

Raderet.

Canisvero et caniculaqualiasintsidcrasuperiuspatuit.Sed forsitanquidamriderenthujuscemodiludonun inventionem,doctisquoque viristribui,nisietludum quern chartarum nominant vulg6 et ^ Sapientibusfuisseexcogitatum "

ratiodictaret;nam, ut regum, reginaruia,equitum peditumque potentiampnc-teream (quilibetenim dignitatismilitisequedifferentiamnovit),nonne cum

ensium,hastarum,scypborum, paniumque agrestiumvim consideramus,perspi-

cacissimiingeniiinventoremesse cognoscimus? Cum viribusubiestopus, utinhastisensibusquevidetur,multitudosuperat paucitatem: in esculentisvero

poculcntisquc,ut per panesvinumque figuratur,paucitasmultitudinemTincit;

constatenim abstemioscrapulosisedacibusquevirisacriorisesse ingenii,etin

negotiisagendisforesuperiores.Panes autem rusticosvoco, propterformam

etcolorem,croceo enim coloreolimfuissePliniusnarrat,(namcuppa scyphi

sunt,ubivinum,)etillisunt panes,quosimperitenummos credunt. Hastas,sicdixitvulgus, quoniam H aspiratioet V convertantur,ut Hesper,Vesper. B

autem et V sibiinvicem sedem praebereGrsecusLatinusquetestantur;ut Bas-toni

Hastoni vulgbappellentur,itaut aliquandohastarum plerumque bipennium

fonnam gerant; utrumque enim militiseinstrumentumest."" GraleottusMartiua,

Be DoctrinaPromiscua,cap.xxxvi,pp. 477-8.16mo, Lyons,1652.

96 PLAYING CARDS.

both are military weapons." The originalpassage is jextremelyperplexing; and the only thing in itthatappears \

plainto me isthe writer'sdesireto convert Bastoni" Clubs

" into " Hastas," Spears. The Bastoni, which he says jare calledHastoni,or the Hastoniwhich are calledBastoni,

" for there ishere an ambiguity,as in the celebratedora-cular

response," Aio te, JEacida,Romanes vincereposse"

" can only relateto the figuresof the things as seen on

cards,and not to the things themselves; for the author

saysthatthey have sometimes the shape of spears,but more

frequentlythatofbills. The realmeaning of thisI taketo

be, that the Bastoni" Clubs" on cards were more like

billsthan spears,notwithstandingthat H and V, andV

and B, were interchangeableletters.From the account

of Galeottus,it is evident that the usual marks of the j

suits of Italiancards were in his time, Coppe, Spadi,

Danari,and Bastoni," Cups, Swords, Money, and Clubs.

In 1463 itwould appear that cards were wellknown in

England ; for,by an act of parliamentpassedin thatyear,

which was the thirdof Edward IV, the importationofplay-ing

cards was expresslyprohibited. This act, accordingto Anderson, was passedinconsequenceofthemanufacturers

and tradesmen of Loiidon, and other parts of England,

having made heavy complaintsagainstthe importationofforeignmanufactured wares which greatlyobstructedtheir

own employment.^ If we suppose thatcardswere included

" Anderson'sHistoryof Commerce, voL i,p. 483." ^Thepassage relatingto

cards,in the act referredto, was pointedout to the Hon. D. Barringtonby

Mr. John Nichols. Gough, inhis ' Observationson the Inventionof Cards,*in

the Eighth Volume ofArchseologia,says, that Mr. Le Neve produced before

the Societyof Antiquariesa minute to show tliatcardswere manufacturedin

England beforethe ]st ofEdward IV; forthen a person had hisname from

hisancestorhavingbeen a card-maker. Mr. Gough observesthatthe ancestori

of thisperson" Hugh Cardmakcr,priorof St.John the Baptist,at Bridgenorth

"was probablya maker of cardsfordressingflaxor wool. A Karter^" wool-

comber" occurs inthe town-booksof Nuremberg, in 1397.

PROGRESS- OP CARD-PLAYING. 97

inthe prohibitionforthe above reason, itwould followthat

card-makingwas then a regularbusinessin England.

Whether cards were home-manufactured or obtainedfrom*abroad,they appear about 1484 to have been,as they

are at present,a common Christmas game. Margery

Paston thus writes to her husband, John Paston,in a

letterdated Friday,24th Dec, 1484 :" Right worshipful

husband, I recommend me unto you. Please it you to

weet that I sent your eldestson John to my Lady Morley,

to have knowledge of what sportswere used in her house

in the Christmas next followingafterthe decease of mylord her husband; and she said that there were none

disguisings,nor harpings,nor luting,nor singing,nor none

loud disports; but playing at the tables,and chess,and

cards; such disportsshe gave her folksleaveto play,andnone other. Your son didhiserrand rightwell,as ye shallhear afterthis. I sent your younger son to the Lady

Stapleton; and she said according to my Lady Morley 's

sayingin that,and as she had seen used in placesof wor-ship

thereas [where]she hath been/'^ It may not be

improper here to caution the reader againstconfounding

"places of worship,'*with "houses of prayer,"and hence

inferringthat cardswere then a common game in churches,

with gentlemen'sservants,at Christmastime. By "

places

of worship" are meant the dwelling-placesof worshipful

persons,such as lords,knights,and justicesof the peace :

in those days there were no stipendiarypolice-magis-trates,

and every Shallow on the bench was"

a gentleman

born."

Whether Richard III,in whose reign the letterabove

quoted was written,added dicing and card-playingto his

other vices,we have no account eitherin pubKc history

" renn*s Paston Letters,vol,ii,p. 333, edit.1778.

7

98 PLAYING CARDS.

which deals,or ought to deal,wholesale,in"

greatfacts,*'

or in privatememoirs, which are more especiallydevoted

to the retailingof littlefacts. His successor, however,

Henry VH, was a card player; forBarringtonobservesthat

in hisprivy-purseexpenses there are three severalentries

of money issued for his majesty'slossesat cards. Of his

winnings there is no entry; though his money-grubbing

majestykept hisaccounts so exactlyas to enter even a six-

and-eightpenny bribe" given to propitiatehis mercy in

favour of a poor criminal," thus turning a penny by traf-ficking

with hisprerogativeof pardoning :

" To have the power to forgive.

Is empire and prerogative."

Itwould appear that cards was a common game at the

coiui of Henry the VH, even with the royalchildren; for,

in 1503, his daughter Margaret, aged 14, was found play-ing

at cards by James IV of Scotland,on hisfirstinterview

with her,afterher arrivalin Scotland for the purpose of

being marriedto him.^ James himselfissaidto have been

greatlyaddicted to card-playing;and in the accounts of

his treasurer there are severalentriesof money disbursed

on account of the game. On Christmas night,1496, there

are deliveredto the king at Melrose, to spend at cards," thirty-fiveunicornis,eleven French crowns, a ducat,a

ridare,and a leu"" in allforty-twopounds. On the 23d

August, 1504, when the king was at Lochmaben, he ap-pears

to have lostseveralsums at cards to Lord Dacre, the

warden of the EngUsh marches ; and on the 26th of the

" "Tlie kjngc came privilyto the saidcastell[ofNewbattle],and entred

withinth6 chammer with a smallcompany, where he founde the qucne playing

at the CARDEs."" Leland'sCollectanea,vol.iii,Appendix, p. 284. Cited by

Warton, in his Historyof English Poetry, who also observesthat cardsare

mentionedin a statuteof Henry VII, in the year 1496.


same month, thereisan entryof fourFrench crowns given"to Cuddy, the InglisInter,to louse his cheyne of grotis,

quhilkhe tintat the cartis,'*" to redeem hischainof groats

which he lostat cards.^M. Duchesne, in his ' Observations sur lesCartesa jouer,'

says, somewhat inconsistently,that cards are of" Italian

origin,and that itwas eitherat Venice or at Florence,that

the Greek refugeesfrom Constantinople,firstmade them

known. M. Duchesne is as incorrectin his chronology,as he issingular in his notionswith respectto the ItaHan

origin of playing cards," firstbrought to Venice or Flo-rence,

by Greeks.^ The refugees to whom he apparently

alludeswere the Greeks who sought an asylum in Italy,

when Constantinople was taken by the Tm-ks, in 1453,

which is sixtyyears afterthe time that we have positive

evidenceof cards being known in France. But though no

evidencehas been produced to show that cards were first

brought intoEm-ope from Constantinople,it is yet certain

that they were known to the Greeks, before the end of

the fifteenthcentury; for Ducange, in his Glossary of

Middle-Age Greek, under theword" XAPTIA, Ludus char-

tarum,^ quotes the following verse from a manuscript ofEmanual Georgillason the Plague at Rhodes :

"Kai Ta ravXia, xai ra xapria, rat Kapia KaraKavasv."

"Burn the tables,cards,and dice."

" Priyate Life of James IV of Scotland,in Chambers'sEdinburgh Journal,

Nos. 9 and 10, 1832.* "Les cartes,comrae tout ce qui tientaux arts,ont une origineItalienne;

c*esta Venise ou a Florence que lesGrecs r^fugiesde Constantinoplelesont

d'abordfaitconnaitre."" Annuaire Historiquepour Tannee 1837,p. 188.

' Ducange, Glossaqum ad ScriptoresmediaeetinfimceGracitatis.Folio,1688.

Under the words AKupia and Xapria. TavXia is merely a differentmode of

spellingTa"\ia^talfula, tables,a kind of backgammon board with itsappend^

ages.

100 PLAYING CARDS.

"It appearsfrom this,"saysDucange, "that the.game

of cards,the originof which is uncertain,was at least

known in 1498, theyearinwhich thismortalityhappened."

In the 'Journal des Dames,' for the 10th April,1828,"

a pubhcation,which I have not had the fortuneto see,

but which is referredto by Brunet the younger, in his' Notice Bibliographiquesur les Cartes a jouer,'" ^thereis

a detailedaccount ofthe modem Greek cardsmanufactured

at Frankfort.^

Towards the closeof the fifteenth,and in the earlypart

of the sixteenthcentury,beforeLuther had sounded the

tocsinofreligiousreform,and given a new impulseto both

the busy and the idle,the Germans appear to have been

greatlyaddicted to gaming. Woodcuts of this period

showing men and women playing at cards and dice are

common. John Geilerof Kaisersberg,a famous preacherin hisday,who, likeLatimer,was accustomed to season his

scnnons with a littlehumour " not to say fun" rings a

peal againstgaming in his * Speculum Fatuorum,' first

printedat Strasburgabout 1508. He says that thereare

some games at cardswhich are purelyof chance,such as

^' der offenBusch unciSchantzenJ'^while others,such as

" The followingisMons. Brunct'sprefatorynote to hisbrochure,which was

publishedat Paris,in 1842. "Les curieux,lesamateurs de livresrechcrchentavcc empresscmcnt tout ee qui a rapportaux cartes; c*estce qui m*a port acon-

sacrcr un instantdc loisirtilatraductionde ee que jevcnaisdc lire,ticct6gard,

dans un ouvragc allemand,vaste repertoirede Tdruditionbibliographiquelaplus4tcndue (LehrbucheinerLiterargeschichteder beriihmtestenVolkcr des Mit-

telaltcrs,von J.G. T. Grasse,Dresden und Leipsig,AnioldischeBuchhandlung,

1842,Band ii, s. 879-85);j'ajoutequclqucsindicationsnouvcllcsa cet apcrpu,

que jen'imprimed'ailleursqu'iquclqucsexemplaires."' Geilcr'ssecondbell" hispeal consistsof seven " ringsto thistune.

" Sc-

cunda nolaest: luderealeadissimilibus.Tangitha;c nola feminas nobileset

saccrdotes:feminas,inquam, quae immiscent se turbisvirorum et cum eis

ludunt,contra c. iide judiciis,lib.vi; saccrdoteset prelatesludentcscum

laicis,"laicisunt clericisoppidoinfesti,undo seandalizantur; nobilesquiludunt

cum nebulonibuset lenonibus,ut in spcculonostrovulgarihabcs.""Speculum


" de9 KamefflimI*depend on both chance and skill.In

treatingof the lawfulnessof playingat cards,dice,and

similargames" forthe sakeofrecreation"" a savingclause

which appears to have been introduced in favourof the

laboriouslystudiousand devout," he citesauthoritiesboth

pro and con, A certaingloss says that to play at such

games, whether for money, or"

gratis,"is a deadly sin;

and Hostiensissaysthatto playforrecreation,formoney, "

*' to killthemselves for love,with wine" " is a deadly sinin the laityas well as the clergy. Angelus,however, says

thatitislawfulforboth clergyand laityto playforrecrea-tion,forsmall stakes:

^'

pro modico non notahiUy Geiler's

own conclusionis that,as doctors differ,there is danger.

Gaming in his time,as in our own, appears to have level-led

alldistinctions: lords and ladies,and even clergymen,dignifiedor otherwise,eager to win money, and confidingin then*luck,or theirskill,caredbut littleforthe rank or

characterof those with whom they played,providedthey

could but post the stakes; and feltno more compunctionin winning a rufflingburgher'smoney, than a peer wouldin receivingthe amount of a bet from a cab-man, or a

wealthy citizen,a few yearsago, in renderingbankrupt the

wooden-legged manager of a thimble-rigtableat Epsom or

Ascot." The *' thimble-rig,"however, is now numbered

with the things that have been" "//^eV."Lord Stanley

brought itintopoliticaldisrepute; and SirJames Graham

put it down, justabout the time that the railwayspecu-lation

began to be the "rage" under the auspicesof a

knowing Yorkshireman.

Thomas Murner, a Franciscan friar,avaiUng himself

Fatuorum, auctore Joanne Geiler de Keisersberg,conciouatoreArgentorense,

sect.Lxxvii. Lusorum turba (/"?A?/iVirrri?).Edit.-Strasburg,1511. It maj

here be observed that Geiler'sbellsare intendedby himselffor the caps of" SpielNarre" "

^gamblingfools.

.

102 PLAYING CARDS.

apparentlyofthepopularityofcard-playing,introducedtheterm " Chartiludium"as a

"

caption"in the titleof his

'LogicaMcmorativa/printedat Strasburg,in 1509.* The

work is evidentlythat of a scholasticpedant,who might

possiblybe expertenough in ringingthe changes on verbaldistinctions,but who had not theleastknowledge ofthings,

nor any idea of the right use of reason. The book is

adorned with numerous cuts,which representcards,inas-much

at thetop of each there is an emblem, justas there

isthe mark of the suitin each of our coat cards. The

cuts and the text taken together,for they mutuallyrender

eachother more intelligible,form such a mass of compli-catednonsense as would puzzle even a fortune-tellerto

interpret.In his prologue,Murner asks pardon for the

titleof his book; and assures the studiousyouths,for

whose instructionitwas devised,that he had not been led

to adopt itfrom any partialityto card-playing;that,in

I fact,he had never touchedcards,and that,from his very

childhoodhe had abhorredthe perversepassionforplay.In 1518 Murner, apparentlystimulatedby the success ofhislogicalcard-play,published an introductionto thecivillaw,writtenand pictoriallyillustratedin the same manner

as theformer.^

" " LogicaMcmorativa: Chartiludiumlogice,sivedialecticemeraoria; etnovus

PetriHjspani textus emendatus. Cum jucundopictasmatisexercitio: eruditi

viriP. TliomjBMurucr, ordbis minorum, theologiedoctoriseximii." 4to,

Strasburg,1509 Leber says that the book was firstprintedat Cracowin

1507; and that an editionof it,in octavo, was printedat Paris in 1C29.

Murner was one ofLuther'searlyopponents ; and one of the pamphlets which

was publislicdduringtheircontroversybearsthe followingtitle: "Ant wort dem

Murner, uffseinefrag,ob der Kiinigvon Engellanteinliignersey,odcrdcr

gotlichcdoctor Mart.Luther,1523." "An answer to Munier on hisquestion,

'Whether the King of England, or the reverend Doctor Martin Luther,is

a liar?'"' " ChartiludiumInstitutesummarie,doetoreThoma Murner memorante et

ludentc." 4to, Strasburg,1518. A copy ofthisbook was soldat Dr.Kloss's


As I have not been ableto make anythingof Mumer's

logicalcard-play,eitheras regards the instrumentsor the

matter professedto be taught,I willinglyavailmyselfof

what Mons. Leber has said on the subjectin his* Etudes

Historiquessur lesCartes a jouer.'" "These cards,*'saysMons. Leber, "made much noisein theirtime; and this

might well be, forthey were a noveltywhich itwas easierto admire than to comprehend. At firstpeople fanciedthat

they saw in them the work of the devil; and itwas even a

question whether the author should not be burnt, seeingthathe could be nothing more than a conjurerwith the

logiciansof thatage. But the conjurer'spupilsmade such

extraordinaryprogress,that peoplecriedout"

wonderful !*'

and Mumer's book was pronounced divine. Although those

cards are fifty-twoin number, theyhave nothingin common

with our pack. They differfrom allothercards,whetherfor gaming, or of fancifuldevice,in the multiplicityand

thedivisionofthe suits,which the inventorhas appliedto the

divisionsof logic,aftera method of his own. Of these suits

thereare no lessthan sixteen,correspondingwith the same

number of sectionsof the text,and having the following

names and colom-s:

salein 1835 ; and in the Catalogue/No. 2579,we are informedthat"thisvery

rare and curiousvolume containsvery many wood-engravings,illustrativeof four

distinctgames playedby the ancientswith paper." Such games, we may pre-sume,

as are played at with the Statutesat large. If Murner understoodany

game, he must have learntitsubsequent to the publicationof hisLogicalCard-

play; and ifhe were ableto make itsubservientto the explanationof anytiling

else,he must have improved himselfgreatlybetween 1508 and 1518.

104

"Such isthewhimsicalityofthosesigns,and suchtheoddity

of then*relationto the things signified,that the learned

Singerhas been deterredfrom the attempt to make them

known ; at any rate, he declaresthat he will not undertake

to explain that which even the most profound logiciansof

the day might not be able to comprehend. This iseasily

said,but we see no impossibilityin explaininghow the

authorunderstoodhimself. One example willbe sufficientto give an idea of Murner's figured language, and of the

the partswhich might be played by serpents,cats, acorns,

and crayfishin the chairof Aristotlewhen itsoccupant was

a friarof the sixteenthcentury.

"The figureof a man with a crown on his head, a patchover one of hiseyes, a book in one hand, and a trowel in

the other,relatesto section,or" Tractatus,'*x, appellatio.

It displaysthree symbols, the objectof which isintelligence

or definition: 1, the logicalappellation; 2, relativeterms or

ideaswhich have become connected in the mind ; 3,privative

terms, expressiveof privationor exclusion. The open book,

[whichappears shut]is the symbol of the definition;the

trowel indicatesconnexion ; and the patch over the eye

signifiesprivation. The star,which occupies the placeof

the mark of the suit,and casts its lighton all the other

three symbols, signifiesthat clearnessis the firstmerit in

PROGRESS OP CARD-PLATING. 105

everydefinition."The cut here given is a fac-simileofthatreferredto.

Rogers,availinghimselfof the poeticlicense,though but

to a small extent,has representedthe followersof Columbus

as playingat cardsin his firstvoyage of discovery,to the

West Indies,in 1492.

" At daybreakmight the caravelsbe seen,

Chasing theirshadows o'er the deep serene ;

Their bumish'd prows lash*dby the sparklingtide.

Their green-crossstandardswaving farand wide.

And now once more to betterthoughts inclined.

The seaman, mounting, clamoui'*din the wind.

106 PLAYING CARDS.

The soldiertoldhistalesof loveand war;

The courtiersung " sung to hisgay guitar.Round, at Primero, sate a whiskered band ;

So Fortune smiled,carelessof sea or laud.""

Garcilassode laVega, to whom Mr. Rogers refers,says

nothingabout Primero or the followersof Columbus playing

atthegame; he onlymentions,in his'HistoryoftheConquest

of Florida,'that the soldierswho were engaged in that

expedition,having burnt alltheircardsafter-the battleofMauvila,[about1542],made themselvesnew ones ofparch-ment,

which theypaintedadmirably,as ifthey had followed

the businessalltheirlives; but as they eithercould not, or

would not, make so many as were wanted, players had the

cardsintheirturn fora limitedtime.^ Although we have no

positiveevidenceof the fact,itisyet not unlikelythat there

were cardsin theshipsof Columbus ; unlessindeed theyhad

been especiallyprohibitedto the crews on thisoccasion,as they

were to the soldiersand sailorsof the Spanish Armada in

1588.' Herrerahas recordedinhis* Historyofthe Spanish

* TlicVoyage ofColumbus,iuPoems by Samuel Kogcrs. Mr. Uogers'snoteon the passageabove quotedis: "Among those who went with Columbus were

many adventurersand gentlemen of the court. Primero was then thegame in

fashion. See Vega, p. 2,lib.iii,c. 9."* " Y porque decimos, que estos Espaiiolesjugavan,y no hemos dicho con

que ; es de saber,que despues que en la sangrientabattaliade Mauvila los

quemaron losnaypes,que Uevavan con todo lo demas que aliiperdieron,hacian

naypcs de pergaraiuo,y lospintavana lasmilmaravillas; porque en qualquiera

ncccssidadque se losofrcscia,se animavan a hacerlo que avianmenester. Y

saliancon ello,como sitoda su vidahuvieran sidoMaestros de aquelolicio;y

porque no podian,6 no querianhacer tantos, quantos eran menester, hicieronlos

que bastavan,sirviendopor lioraslimitadas,andando por rucda eutre losjuga-dorcs; de donde (6de otro paso semejante)podriamos dccir,que huvicsenascido

elrefran,que entre losTahures se usa dccirjugando: Demouos priesaseiTores,

que viencnpor losnaypes ; y como los que hacian los nuestros eran de cuero,

duravanpor penas."" La FloridadelInca [Garcilassode la Vega],PartePri-mcra delLibro Quinto,capituloi,p. 198. Polio,Madrid, 1723.

' "Also I orderand command thattherebe a care that allsoldiershave their

room clean,and unpcstercdof chests,and otherthings,withoutconsentingiri

any case to havecards;and,iftherebe any,to be takenaway presently: neither

PR0GRKS8 OF CARD-PLATflNO. 107

DiscoveriesinAmerica,'thatMontezuma, emperorofMexico,

who was made prisonerby Cortes in 1519, took great

pleasurein seeingthe Spanish soldiersplay at cards.Barrington,inhis ' Observationson theAntiquityofCard-

playingin England,'says,"During thereignsofHenry VIII

and Edward VI, this amusement seems not to have been

common in England, as scarcelyany mention of it occurs

eitherin Rymer's Fcedera, or the statute book." Had

Mr. Barringtonbeen as wellread in oldpoems and playsas he was in the more ancient statutes,it is hkely thathe

would have been of a dilBFerentopinion. He says," It is

not improbable,however, thatPhilipthe Second, with his

suite,coming from the court of CharlesV, made the use of

cardsmuch more generalthan it had been,of which some

presumptiveproofsare not wanting." The suppositionis

plausible; but as the presumptiveproofswhich he alleges,were as likelyto be found in the reignof Edward IV, as in

the reignof Mary, they are of no weight in the deteimina-

tionofthequestion. As Catherine,thewifeof Henry VIII,

was a Spanishprincess,and as itisrecordedthat,amongsther otheraccomplishments,she could

"

play at tables,tick-

tack,or gleek,with cardesor dyce," thepersonsformingher

suitewere justas likelyas thoseof the suiteof PhilipII,

to have brought intoEngland Spanish cardswith themarks

of swords and clubs proper" Esjpadas and Bastos: but

therecan scarcelybe a doubt thatsuch cards were known

in England long before. Mr. Barrington'spartialityto his

permit them to themariners; and ifthe soldiershave any,letme be advertised."" Orders set down by the Duke of Medina to be observed in the Voyage

towards England, 1588 ; reprintedin the HarlcianMiscellany.' Strutt,wlio quotes this passage in his Spoits and Pastimes,refersto Sir

William Forrest,and V^'arton'sHistory of English Poetry,vol.iii,sect,iii,

p. 311. SirWilliam Eorrest'swork, entitled* The Poesye of PrincelyePractise,'

was writtentowards the conclusionof the reignof Henry VIU, and presentedto Edward VI. The author allowsthat a king;,afterdinner,may for a while

"repose" liimsclfat tables,chess,or cards;but deniesthe latterto labouring

people. Strutt saysthatthe M^orkisinmanuscript,inthe Royal Library.

108 PLATING CARDS.

theory about Spanish cards, and of the game becoming

much more generalin England afterthe marriage of Philip

and Mary, has probablycaused him eitherto entirelyover-look,or attachtoo littleimportanceto a presumptiveproof,

to be found inthe statute-book,of cards being a common

amusement in England in the reignof Henry VIII. In a

statuterelatingto plays and games, passed in the thu'ty-

thirdyearof thatking'sreign,1541, vre find the following

restrictions." No Artificer,or hisJourneyman, no Husband-man,

Apprentice,Labourer,Servantat Husbandry, Mariner,

Fisherman,Waterman, or Serving-man,shallplayat Tables,

Tennis,Dice, Cardsy Bowls, Closh,Coyting, Legating, or

any otherunlawfulgame out of Christmas; or then,out oftheirmaster's house or presence,in pain of 20^.; and none

shallplay at Bowls in open places,out of his gardener

orchard,in pain of 6*. 8c?."^ In the moralityof Hycke-

Scorner,reprintedin Hawkins's 'Origin of the English

Drama,' from a black lettercopy in Garrick^scollection,of

at leastas earlya date as thecommencement of the reignofHenry VIII, the followingare enumerated as forming part

of the company of the ships that came over with Hycke-

Scorner:

"Braulers,lyers,getters,and chyders,Walkers by night,and greatmurderers,Overthwartegyle,and jolycarders."

In themoralityofLusty Juventus,writtenby R. Wever,

in the reign of Edward VI, Hypocryse saysto Juventus,

whom he invitesto breakfast: ,

" I have a fumy cardein a place,!That willbear a tume besidesthe ace ;

She purvoycs now apace jFor my commyngc." .

' Sir Robert Baker,in hisChronicle,states that in the eighteenthyear of

Henry Vill a proclamationwas made againstallunlawfulgames, so that inall

places,tables,dice,cards,and bowls were taken and burnt; but thatthisorder

continuednot long,for young men, beingthus restrained,"felltodrinking,

stealingconies,and otherworse misdemeanours."

PROGRESS OF CARD-PLATING, 109

From a subsequent passage it appears thatthis" fumy

carde"^isthe naughty woman," litleBesse," the personifi-cation

of" Abhominable Livyng."

In the comedy of* Gammer Gurton's Needle/said to

have been firstprintedin 1551, old dame Chat thusinvites

two ofher acquaintanceto a game at cards:

" What, Diccon ? Come nere, ye be no stranger:

We be fastset at trump, man, hard by the fire;Thou shaltset on the king,ifthou come a littlenyer.Come hither,Dol ; Dol, sitdown and play tliisgame.And as thou sawest me do, see thou do even the same ;

There isfivetrumps besidesthe queen, the hindmost thou shaltfindher.**

In a Satireon CardinalWolsey and the Romish Clergy

by WilKam Roy, without date, but most likelyprinted in

1527,^ some of the bishops are charged with gaming in

additionto theirother vices:

" To play at the cardesand dyce,

Some of theym are nothynge nyce,

Both at hasardand mom-chaunce."

In the privypurse expenses,from 1536 to 1544, of the

PrincessMary, daughter of Henry VIII, afterwardsQueen

Mary, thereare numerous entriesof money deliveredto the

princessto play at cards. In a prefatorymemoir. Sir

FrederickMadden remarks: "Cards she seems to have

indulgedin freely; and thereisa sum generallyallottedas

pocket-money forthe recreationevery month."^ As Mary

' Fumy " Fienchf/oumi"

^prepared,sorted,furnished,incompletefashion,in

fullequipage. The card was a coai card,in a certainsense, though certainly

not an honour.* For some account of the author of this satire,the readeris referredto

Annals ofthe English Bible,by ChristopherAnderson,vol.i,pp. 63, 116, 136,

137. 8vo, 1845,' Privy Purse Expenses of the PrincessMary, daughterof King Henry VllI,

afterwardsQueen Mary. With a Memoir of the Princess,and Notes, by Fred.

110 PLAYING CARDS.I

is said to have been extremelydevout, we may presume

that,adoptingthe decisionsof the more indulgentcasuists,

she availedherselfof theirpermissionto play at cards as a

recreationwhen her mind was fatiguedwith the exerciseofher strenuous piety. The recordsof theburning of men

and women in her reignfor the sake of religion,form a

singularcontrast with the entriesin her privypurse ex-penses

of money deliveredto her to playat cards.

From the precedingincidentalnoticesof cardsin poems

and plays,as well as from the directevidenceof thestatute

book and the privypurse expensesof the PrincessMary, it

would appear that card-playingwas common in England

duringthe reignsof Henry VIII and Edward VI, both in

the cottageand the palace; and there is reason to believe

thatabout the same period the game was equallycommon

in Scotland. William Dunbar, who wrote in the reignsofJames IV and James V, in his 'General Satire,'exposing

the depravityof allclassesof people in the kingdom, thus

alludesto the prevalenceof dicingand card-playing:

" Sicknavisand crakkaris,to playat cartsand dycc,

Sichalland-scheckaris,qwhilk at CowkilbyisgryceArc lialdinof pryce,when lymarisdo convene ;

Sicstore of vyce, sae mony ^yittisunwyse.Within thisland was nevirhard nor sene."

In the poems of SirDavid Lyndsay, there are several

allusionsto card-playing; and in his ' Satireof the Three

Estaites,'which Chalmers says was firstacted at Cupar,

Madden, Esq.,F.S.A. 1831. From the followingreferencesin the index,the

readermay judgeofMary*s partialityto the game." Cards,money deliveredto the Prmcess to play at,p. 3, 10, 11,14, 19, 24,

25, 26, 27,28,29, 31, 32, 35, 49, 50, 55, 57,59,67,69, 73,1^,81,saj^e,101."

"Cards, money lent,to playat,4,13,29, 30."

The sums deliveredare mostly from 20*.to 40*. One entryisforso smalla

sum as 2*.2rf.,and anotherfor12*.6rf.

PROGRESS OF CARD-PLAYING. HI

Fifeshire,in 1535, the Parson declareshimselfto be an

adeptat the game :

"Thoch I preichnocht,I can playat thecaiche:

I wot thereisnoclitane amang yow allMair fcryliecan playat the futc-ball;

And forthe cartis,the tabcls,and the dyse,

Above allparsouns I may beirthe pryse."

In Sir David's poem, entitled* The Cardinal,'exposing

the personal vices and tyrannicalconduct of Cardinal

Beaton,who was assassinatedat St.Andrews in 1546, that

prelateisrepresentedas a greatgamester :^

"In banketting,playingat cartisand dyce,

Into sicwyscdome I was haldinwyse ;

And spairitnocht to playwith king nor knicht,

Thre thousandcrowncs ofgoldeupon ane night."

In the examinationofThomas Forret,a dean oftheKirk,

and vicarof Dollar,on a charge of heresybrought againsthim by John Lauder, a toolof CardinalBeaton's,at Edin-burgh,

1st March, 1539, Forret'sanswer to one of the

chargesof hisaccuser, affordssome ideaof the manner in

* The charge of gaming isfrequentlyallegedagainstthe more wealthy mem-bers

of the Roman Catholicclergyby writerswho were in favour of the Re-formation." Item les grosses sommes de deniersqu'ilsjouentordinairement,

soita laPrime, a la Chance, a laPaulme, n*ont pas este mises en compte. Qui

estlebon Papistequi pourroit se contenter de voir son Prelatjoueret perdrepour une aprcs disnee,quatre,cinq,et sixmil escus ; pour une reste de Prime,

avoircouch(5cinq cens escus ; pour un Aflac en perdre millc; que la pluspartdes episcopaux,jusqucsaux moindrcs chanoines,tiennentbcrlandouvert ^ jouera tous jeuxprohibczet defendus,non seulementpar ledroitcanon, mais par les

ordonnances du roi? L*exces y est bien tel,qu'on monstrera qu*au simple

chanome, en achapt de cartes et de dez,a employ^ durantune annee cent,et six

vingtsescus, compris lachandelle et le vin de ceux qui lamouchoyent,"" ^Le

Cabinetdu Roy de Prance, dans lequelily a troisPerlesprecieusesd'inesti-

mable valeur,p. 65. 12mo, 1581. This virulentattack on the French clergyis ascribedby Mons. Le Duchat to Nicolas Proumenteau ; and by L'Islede

Salesto Nicolas Barnaud.

112 PLATING CARDS.

wliichmany bachelorpriestsof the periodwere accustomed

to spend theirtithes:

" Accuser. FalseHeretic,thou sayestitisnot lawfulto

Kirkmen to take theirteinds(tythes)and offeringsand

corps-presents,though we have been in use of them, con-stitute

by the Kirk and King, and alsoour holyfatherthe

Pope hath confirmedthe same ?

" Dean Forret, Brother,I said not so ; but I said it

was not lawfulto Kirkmen to spend the patrimony of the

Kirk, as they do, on riotousfeasting,and on fairwomen,

and at playingat cardsand dice/'^

Pinkerton,in his * History of Scotland,*says :" Stewart

the poet,in an address to James V, adviseslum to amuse

himselfwith hunting,hawking, and archery,justing,and

chess; and not to play at cards or dice,except with his

mother or the chieflords,as itwas a disgracefora princeto win from men of inferiorstation,and hisgains at anytime ought to be given to hisattendants/'

At a periodsomewhat later,itwould appear thatcard-

playing was a common amusement on the borders ofScotland,and that the sturdy rievers,whose grand gamewas cattlelifting,were accustomed to while away theiridle

hours at cards for placks and hardheads. The following

curious passage occurs in a letterdated Newcastle, 12th

January (]570),printedin the second volume of SirRalph

Sadler's' StatePapers.'The writerwas a gentleman namedRobert Constable, who appears to have been sent into

Scotlandto endeavour to persuade hiskinsman, the Earl ofWestmoreland, to return to England and submit himselfto

Elizabeth'smercy.'

* Anderson'sAnnals oftheEnglishBible,vol.ii,p. 500.* The Earlsof Westmoreland and Northumberland were the principalleaders

of the Rebellion,or "Rising in the North," in 15C9.


" I leftFerniherst,and went to my osteshouse,*where I

found many guests of dyvers factions,some outlaws ofEngland, some of Scotland,some neighboursthereabout,at

cards; some forale,some forplacksand hardhedds[asmall

coin]; and after1 had diligentlylearnedand enquiredthat

therewas none ofany surname thathad me in deadlyfude,

nor none thatknew me, I satdown and plaidforhardhedds

among them, where I heard vox jpojpulithatthe Lord Regent

would not, forhis owne honour,nor for the honour of his

country,dehver the Earls,ifhe had them bothe,unlessit

were to have theirQueue deliveredto him ; and ifhe wold

agreeto make thatchange,the bordererswould startup in

hiscontrary,and reave both the Queue and the Lords from

him, for the like shame was never don in Scotland; andthathe durstbettereate his own lugs than come agen to

soke Farneherst; ifhe did,he shouldbe foughtwith ere he

came over Sowtray edge. Hector of Tharlows^hedd was

wishedto have been eaten amongs us at supper."In theoldballadentitled

' The BattleoftheReed Swire,'

giving an account of a frayat a Warden meeting,which

ended in a general fight,we find cards mentioned. This

meeting was heldin 1576 near the head of the riverReed,

on the Englishsideof the Carterfell; and appearsto have

been attended,likea fair,by peoplefrom both sidesof the

Border.

"Yet was our meeting meik enough.Began with mirrinessand mows ;

And at the braeabune the heugh

The clerksat down to callthe rows ;

' His hostwas George Pylc,of Millhcugh,on Ousenam water,aboutfour

milessouth-fiastwardfrom Jedburgh. The Earl of Westmoreland was tlicn

stayingwith Kerr of Eau^iherst.* Hector, or Eckie of Harlaw, as he iscalledin the Border Minstrelsy,deli-vered

up the Earl of Northumberland,who had sought refugewith him, to the

B^gent Murray.

8

114 PLAYING CARDS.

And sum forkyc,and sum forcwcs,

CallitinofDandrie, Hob, and Jock :

I saw come marcliingowre the knows

Fyc hundred Fennicks in a flock.

"With jackand spcir,and bowis allbent.

And warlikeweapons at theirwill;

Ilowbcitthey were not wcilcontent,

Yet be mc trothwc feirdna ill:

Some gaed to drink,and some studcsiill,

And sum to cardsand dycc them sped;

Wliileon ane Farstcintlicyfylda bill,"

And he was fugitivethat fled."

About the same periodthe game of cardswas a common

amusement in the south of Ireland. Spenser,in his ' View

of the State of Ireland/writtenabout 1590, speaks of an

idleand dissoluteclassof peoplecalled"Carrows," who, he

says,"

wander up and down to gentlemen's houses,living

only upon cardsand dice; the which, though theyhave but

littleor nothing of their own, yet will they play for much

money ; which,ifthey win, they waste most lightly; and

if they lose,they pay as slenderly,but make recompense

with one stealthor another; whose only hurt is not that

they themselves are idle lossels,but that through gaming

they draw othersto lewdness and idleness/'^

" The name ofthe person againstwhom the billwas filedwas Henry Robson,

probablyof Falstone. His non-appearance seems to have caused tliedispute

between the wardens.Sir J. Foster and Sir J. Carmichael,which ended in a

generalcombat between theirfollowers.' The above passage isquoted by Mr. T. CroftonCroker in a note on thefol-lowing

linesin "A Kerry Pastoral,"a poem publishedin Concanen's Miscel-lanies,

1724,and reprintedby the Percy Society:

"Dingle and Derry.sooner shallunite.Shannon and Cashan both be drainedoutright;And Kerry men forsaketheircardsand dice.

Dogs be pursued by Hares, and Cats by Mice,

Water beginto bum, and fireto wet.BeforeI shallmy collegefriendsforget."

The favoritegame ofthe Kerry men issaidto have been " Onc-and-thirty."


The counterpartto thispicturewas to be found in Spain

about the same period; and as the intercoursebetween the

two countrieswas frequent,and the favoritegame in both

was" One-and-Thirty/'it is not unlikelythat the Irish

obtainedtheirknowledge of cards from the Spaniards. In

Cervantes'' Comical Historyof Rinconctcand Cortadillo/a

young Spanishvagabond givesthe followingaccount ofhis

skillat cards:" I took along with me what I thoughtmost

necessary,and amongst the rest thispack of cards,(andnow I calledto mind the old saying,

' He cai-rieshisAll

on hisback,')forwith theseI have gained my livingat allthe publickhouses and inns between Madrid and thisplace,

playingat One-and-Thirty; and though they are dirtyandtorn, they are of wonderful serviceto thosewho understandthem, for they shall never cut without leaving an ace at

bottom, which isone good pointtowards eleven,with which

advantage, thirty-onebeing the game, he sweeps allthe

money into his pocket : besides this,I know some slight

tricksat Cards and Hazard ; so that though you are verydexterousand a thorough master of the art of cuttingbus-kins,

I am every bit as expert in the scienceof cheating

people,and thereforeI am in no fearof starving; forthough

I come but to a small cottage,there are always some whohave a mind to pass away time by playinga Kttle;^ and of

thiswe may now try the experiment ourselves: Let us

spreadthe nets, and see ifnone of thesebirds,the carriers,

' PascasiusJustus,in hiswork entitledAlea, firstpublisliedin 15G0, relatesthat though he frequentlyfeltdifficultyin obtaininga supply of provisions

when travellingin Spain,he never came to a village,however poor, in which

cardswere not to be found. The prevalenceof card-playmg in Spainabout the

middle of the sixteenthcentury isfurthershown in a work entitled* Satyra in-

vectivacontra losTahures : en que se dcclaranlosdanos que alcuerpo,y alalma y

lahaziendase siguen deljuegodc los naypes. Impressa en Sevilla,en casa de

Martin dc Montcsdoca, Auo dc m.d.lvii.' Tliiswork is erroneouslyascribedby Antonio,in hisBibliothccaHispana Nova, to Dominic Valtanas,or Baltanas,

a Dominican friar,at whose instancethe editionreferredto was printed. The

IIG PLAYING CARDS.

willfallinto them ; which is as much as to say that you

and I will play together at One-and-Thirty, as if itwas

in earnest; perhaps somebody may make the third,and

he shallbe sure to be the firstto leave his money behind

him/'

At what period cards were firstused in Europe for

the purposes of divinationor fortune-tellinghas not been

ascertained. In the 'Magasin Pittoresque'for1842, page

324, there is a cut entitled" Philippe-le-Bonconsultant

une tireusede cartes," copied from a painting ascribedto

John Van Eyck. Though it has been denied that this

pictureis reallyby Van Eyck, it is yet admittedthatthe

costume is that of the reign of Charles VIII, between

1483 and 1498.^ Supposing then thatthe picturebelongs

to the latterperiod,we have thus evidenceof cardsbeing

used forthe purposesof fortune-tellingbefore the closeof

the fifteenthcentury. The gypsies,who are unquestionably

of Asiaticorigin,appear to have long used them forthis

purpose; and ifthey brought cards with them in their

earliestimmigrationintoEurope, as Breitkopfsupposes,they

are justas likelyto have brought with them theiroccult

scienceof cards as to have acquireditsubsequentlyfrom

author was Diego delCastillo,who alsowrote anotherwork on the same[]sub-ject,entitled

* Reprobacionde los Juegos,*printedat Valladolidin1528.*"The

author derivesthe word Tahur^ a gamester, from HurtOy theft,robbery,by

transposingthe syllables,and changing o intoa :

" Tahur y ladron,

Una cosa son."

" "II existeen Belgiqueplusieurstableauxattribuds Jean Van Eyck, qu'il

est inutilede designer,et qui par les costumes des personnages dcnotent une

post6rioritdd*un grand nombre d'ann^jes.Nantes en posscde un, dgalement

attribuda ce maitre, dont les costumes sont ceux du r^gne de CharlesVHE.

Le sujct,sous letitrede Philippe-le-Bonconsultantune tireusede cartes,en a 6t6

donnd dans leMagasin Pittpresque,ann6e 1842, p. 324!."" QuelquesMots sur

laGravure au Millesimede 1418, p. 13. Philippe-le-Bon,Duke of Burgundy,

diedill1467 j John Van Eyck in 1445.

PROGRESS OP CARD-PiiAYING. 117

Europeans. The earliestwork, expresslytreatingof the

subjectappearsto be ' Le Sorti/written or compiled by

Francesco Marcolini,printed at Venice in 1540. In the

prologue,the author professesto explainthe mode of ap-plying

what he callshis pleasant invention" "piacevole

inventione;" but beyond the factthat certaincards are to

be used, I have not been able to make out his meaning.The only cards to be employed were the King, Knight,

Knave, ten,^ nine, eight,seven, deuce, and ace of the suitDanari or Money. Besides the smallcuts of cards,of whichthe followingare specimens, the work containsa number

of wood-engravings,some of which are designedin a spirited

manner. A work similarto Marcolini's,entitled' Triompho

di Eortuna,' by Sigismond Fanti, professingto teach the

art of solvingquestionsrelatingto futureevents,but without

using cards,was printedat Venice in 1527.

Juggling and fortune-tellingby means ofcards,whenever

introduced,appear to have had many professorsinthelatter

' Though the ten isonie of the cardsemployed inMarcolini*sSystem ofFor-tune-telling,

it appears to have been generallyomitted in the packs of cards

used by the Italianjugglersof the sixteenthcentury. Leber,who says thathe

had examined"

un grand nombre de tours de cartes"describedin the pamphlets

of the most famous Italianjugglersof the sixteenthcentury,yet refersonly to

two works on the subjectprintedbefore1COO ; one of them entitled

* Opera

nuova nou piu vista,nellaquale potrai facilmenteimparare molti giochi di

mano. Composta da Francesco di Milano, nominato in tutto il mondo il

Bagatello/ 8vo, circa 1550. The other,* Giochi di carte bellissimie di

memoria, per Horatio Galasso.* Venetia, 1593. The author of the following

work, also referredto by Leber, appears to have been the original" Pimper-

limpimp," whose fame as a mountebauk physician appears to have been still

fresh in the memory of the wits of the reign of Queen Anne: *Li rariet

mirabiliGiuochi di Carte,da AlbertoFrancese, dctto Peklimpimpim.' 8vo,

Bologna, 1622.

118 PLAYING CARDS.

halfof the sixteenthcentury. A trickperformed with

cards by a juggler,appears to have excited the inquisitive

genius of Lord Bacon when a boy ; and his biographer,

Basil Montagu, thinks that from this circumstance his

attentionwas firstdirectedto an inquiryintothe nature of

the imaghiation.* Reginald Scott, in his Discovery ofWitchcraft,firstpublished in 1584, has a chapter *VOf

Cards, with good cautionshow to avoid cousenage therein;

sj)ccialrules to convey and handle the cards; and the

manner and orderhow to acconiplishalldifficultand strange

tilingswrought with cards."" Having now," sayshe,

" bestowed some waste money

among you, I willsetyou to cards; by which kind ofwitch-crafta greatnumber of peoplehave juggledaway not only

theirmoney, but also theirlands,theirhealth,theirtime,

and theirhonesty. I dare not (asI could)show the lewd

jugglingthatcheaterspractice,lestitminister some offenceto the well-disposed,to the simple hurt and losses,and to

the wicked occasionof evildoing. But I would wish all

gamesters to beware,not only with what cards and dice

they play, but especiallywith whom, and where they

exercisegaming. And to letdicepass,(aswhereby a man

may be inevitablycousened,)one that isskilfulto make and

use Bumcards may undo a hundred wealthy men, that are

not given to gaming ; but ifhe have a confederatepresent,

eitherof the playersor standers-by,the mischiefcannot be

avoided. Ifyou play among strangers,beware of him that

seems simple or drunken ; forunder their habit the most

specialcouseners are presented ; and whileyou think by their

simplicityand imperfectionsto beguilethem, (andthereof,

perchance,are persuaded by their confederates,your very

' Life of Lord Bacon, p. 5. Lord Bacon rektes the circumstances,and a

cerluincuriousman's explanationof tlicm,in his Sjlva,Century xth,p. 215.

Eilit.1G3L

V PROGRESS OF CARD-PLAYING. 119

friendsas you think,)you yourselfwillbe most ofallover-taken.Beware alsoof the bettersby and lookerson, and

namely of them thatbet on your side; forwhilstthey look

on your game without suspicion,they discoveritby signsto your adversaries,with whom theybet and yet are their

confederates^Among the trickswith cardswhich he notices,are the

following: " How to deUver out four Aces and to convert

them into four Knaves. How to tellone what card he

seethin thebottom, when the same cardisshuffledintothe

stock. To tellone, without confederacy,what card he

thinketh. How to tellwhat card any man thinketh,how

to conveythe same into a nut-shell,cherry-stone,"c.,andthe same againintoone's pocket. How to make one draw

the same, or any cardyou list,and allunder one devise."

The two verses which he quotesin the margin shouldbe

inscribedas a motto on the dial-plateof everygamester's

watch." Of diceplay,and the likeunthriftygames, mark

thesetwo old verses, and remember them :

Ludens taxillis,benercspicequidsitinillis:

Mors tua, sors tua,res tua,spes tua,pendetinillis/*

Rowland, in his * JudicialAstrologyCondemned,' relatesthe followinganecdoteof Cuffe,the Secretaryof the EarlofEssex,"

a man of exquisitewit and learning,but of a tur-bulent

disposition,"who was hung at Tyburn, on the 13th

ofMarch, 1602, forhaving counselledand abettedthe Earl

in histreason. " Cuffe,an excellentGrecian, and Secretary

to the Earl of Essex,was toldtwenty yearsbeforehisdeath

thathe should come to an untimely end, at which Cuffe

laughed,and in a scornfulmanner, intreatedtheastrologerto

show him in what manner he should come to hisend ; who

' CuffeassistedColombani in the "editioprinceps" of the Greek text of the

romance of Daphuis and Chloe,printedat Floreuce,4to, 1598.

120 PLAYING CARDS.

condescendedto him, and callingforcards,intreatedCuffc

to draw out ofthe pack threewhich pleasedhim. He did

so, and drew threeKnaves and laidthem on thetablewith

theirfacesdownwards, by thewizard'sdirection,who then

toldhim, ifhe desiredto see the sura of his bad fortunes,

to take up those cards. Cuffe,as he was prescribed,took

up the firstcard,and looking on it,he saw the portraiture

of himself,cap-a-pie,having men compassing him about

with billsand halberds; then he took up the second,and

therehe saw thejudgethatsat upon him ; and takingup

the lastCard,he saw Tybiu*n,the placeof hisexecution,and

the hangman, at which he laughedheartily; but many years

after,being condemned for treason, he remembered anddeclaredthisprediction/*

.Queen Elizabeth,as well as her sister,Mary, was a card

p player; and even her graveLord Treasurer,Lord Burleigh,

appears to have occasionallytaken a hand at Priraero/That she sometimes losther temper,when the cardsran

against her, may be fairlyinferredfrom the following

passage,which occurs in a letter,writtenin the latterpart

of her reign,by Sir Robert Carey to his father,Lord

Hunsdon : her violentlanguage must have been the result

of her holdinga bad hand at the moment thatthe presence

ofyoung Carey reminded herofhisfather'sprocrastination." May itpleaseyour L. t'understandethatyesterdayyn the

afterauneI stood by hyr Ma**'as she was att Cards in the

presens chamber. She cawlde me to hyr, and askte me

" " Observationson a pictureby Zuccaro,from Lord Falkland'scollection,sup-posedto representthegame ofPrimero. By theHon. DaincsBarrington." In

the Archarologia,vol.viii.Mr. Barringtonsays,'* Accordingto traditioninthe

family,itwas paintedby Zuccaro, and representedLord BurleigUplayingat

cardswith threeotherpersons,who from theirdressappear to be of distinction,

each of them having two rings on the same fingersof both theirhands. The

cardsare marked as at present,and dilTerfrom thoseofmore modern timesonlyby beingnarrower and longer."


when you mente too go too Barwyke. I towlde hyr that

you determinde to begyn your jorneypresentlyafterWhytsontyd. She grew yntoo a greterage,begynnynge

with Gods wonds, thatshe wolde settyou by the feete,and

send anotherinyour placeyfyou dalyedwithhyr thus,for

she wolde not be thus dalyed withall."*Though the laityof allranks and conditions" except

apprentices^" appear to have played at cards and dice

without let or hinderance,notwithstandingany statuteto

the contrary,yet the clergyseem to have been rathermore

sharply looked after. In the ' Injunctionsgeven by the

Queues Majestic,as well to the Clergye as the Laity,'

printed by Richard Jugge and John Cawood, 1559, the

clergyare thus admonished :" Also the saydeecclesiastical

personsshallin no wyse, nor forany other cause then for

theyrhoneste necessities,haunt or resort to anye Tavernes

or Alehouses. And aftertheyrmeates, they shallnot geve

themselvesto any drynkyng or ryot,spendyng theyrtyme

idellyby day or by nyght, at dyse,cardes,or tablesplaying,or anye other unlawfull game."^ In the 'Injunctionsexhibitedby John, Bishop of Norwich, at hisfirstvisitation,in the thirdyearof our Soveraign Ladie EUzabeth,'printed

at London by John Daye, 1561, officialsare enjoinedtoinquire,"Whether 'any parson,vicare,or curate geve any

evellexample of lyfe; whether theybe incontinentparsones,

dronkardes, haunters of tavernes, alehouses,or suspect

" OriginalLetters Illustrativeof EnglishHistory,with Notes by SirHenry

Ellis. Second Series,vol.iii,p. 102.

' When the proliibitionto play at cards or dicewas firstintroducedinto

apprentices*indenturesI have not been ableto learn. It occurs, however, in

the form of an indenturefor an apprenticein 'A Book of Presidents,'printed

about 1565, and saidto have been compiledby Thos. Phacr,the translatorof

the seven firstbooks of the Jilneid.In the title-pageof his translation,1558,

rhaer describeshimselfas " Solicitourto the King and Qucenes Majesties."^3 Those injunctionswith respectto tavern-hauntingand gammg are embodied

in the seventy-fifthcanon of the Constitutionsaad Canons Ecclesiastical,1603.

122 PLAYING CAEDS.

places;dyccrs,tablers,carders,swearers, or vehemcntlie

suspectedthereof."

A noticeof a dramaticrepresentationofthe game ofcards

occurs in the accounts of Queen EHzabeth's* Master ofthe

Revels,'1582.^ In thatyear he and hisofficerswere com-manded

"to show on St.Stephen'sday at night,beforeher

Majestyat Wyndesore, a Comodie or Morral devisedon a

game ofthe cardes,"to be performed by the childrenofher

Majesty'sChapel. From the followingobservationsof Sir

John Harrington on this " Comodie or Morral," itwould

seem to have been a severe satireon those Knaves who

enrich themselves at the nation'sexpense: "Then for

comedies,to speake of a London comedie, how much good

matter, yea and matter of state,is there in that comedie

caldthe playofthe cards? in which itisshowed how foure

Parasiticalleknaves robbe the foureprincipallvocationsof

the Rcalme, videlicet,the vocationsof Souldiers,ScoUers,

Marchants,and Husbandmen. Of which comedieI cannot

forgetthe sayingof a notablewise counscUerwho is now

dead (Su*FrauncisWalsinghame),who, when some (tosingPlacebo)advised that it should be forbidden,because it

was somewhat too plaine,and indeed,as the old sayingis.

Sooth boord is no loord,yet he would have itallowed,adding

thatitwas fitthat ' They which doe that they should not,

shouldhearethatthey would not.'"^

* Extractsfrom the Accounts of the Eevels at Court in the Reigns of

Elizabethand James I. Edited by Peter Cunningham, p. 176. Publishedby

the ShakspereSociety.

A comedy intendedto displaythe evilconsequences of dicingand card-

playingwas performedbeforethe Emperor Maximilian II at Vienna,on New

Year'sDay, 1570." Sec the Collectaneaof Johannes a Munster,appended to

tlicAlca ofPascasiusJustus,edit.1017." A BricfeApologieof Poctrie,1591. Quoted by Mr. P. Cunningham, in

illsnotes toExtractsfrom Accounts of theRevels,p. 223. In dramaticrepre-sentations

of the game of cards we seem to have precededthe Prench. lu

1070, a comedy by Thomas Conieillc,called*Lc Triomphc des Dames,* was

PROGRESS 0" CARD-PLAYING. 123

The mention of a comedy shown beforethe Queen at

Windsor by the childrenofherMajesty'sChapel,naturally

suggests the recollectionof John Lyly's Court Comedies,

which were wont to be shown by the same children,as well

as by the "

childrenof Poules ;" and as in one of those

comedies," ^AlexanderandCampaspe," Lyly has committed

an anachronism with respectto cards, an opportunityis

thusaffordedof here introducingthe pleasantlyconceited

song that contains the error, " a song, which Elia wouldhave encored,and which even Mrs. Battle herselfwouldhave allowedto be sung at the card tableduring the inter"

missionof the game at the end of a rubber,when cuttingin fornew partners.^

" Cupid and my Campaspe play'dAt cardsforkisses; Cupid paid:

He stakeshisquiver,bow and arrows,

His mother'sdoves,and team of sparrows;

Loses them too : then down he throws

The coralofhislip,the rose

Growuig on *scheck (butnone knows how);

With thesethe chrystalon hisbrow,

And then tliodimpleofhischin:

All thesedidmy Campaspe win.At lasthe set her both hiseyes:

She won, and Cupid blinddoth rise.0 Love, has she done thisto thee?

Wliat shall,alas,become of me !"

Beforetaking leaveof the reignof Elizabeth,it seems

actedat Paris,in-thetheatreof the Hotel de Guegenaud,and the balletof the

Game ofPiquetwas one of the interludes." The fourKnaves firstmade their

appearance with theirhalberts,in orderto clearthe way. The Kings came in

succession,givingtheirhands to the Queens,whose trainswere borne up by-

fourSlaves,the firstof whom representedTennis,the secondBilliards,thethird

Dice,and thefourthBackgammon."" HistoricalEssaysupon Paris. Translated

from tlicPrench ofMons. dc Saintfoix,vol.i,p. 229. Edit.17C6.

' In an engravingof St. Peter denyingChrist,aftera paintingby Tenicrs,

two soldiersarc seen playingat cardsin the haU of thehighpriest;and,from

thechalkson the table,the game appearsto be PuL

' Sec Mr. IJattle'sOpinionson Whist, inEssaysby Elia(CharlesLamb).

124 PLAYING CARDS.

properto inserthere what PhilipStubbes saysaboutCards,

Dice,Tables,Tennis,and othergames, in his * Anatomie ofAbuses/* "As forCardes,Dice, Tables,Boules,Tennisse,

and such like,"says the moral dissector,speaking in the

person of Philoponus," thei are Furta qfficiosa,a certaine

kind of smothe, deceiptfuU,and sleightiethefte,whereby

many a one isspoiledof allthat ever he hath,sometimes of

his lifewithall,yea, of bodie and soule for ever : and yet

(moreisthe pitie)thesebe the only exercisesused in every

mans house, al the yere through. But especiallyin

Christmastime thereisnothyng elsused but Cardes,Dice,

Tables, Maskyng, Mummyng, Bowling, and such hke

fooleries.And the reason is,thei think thei have a com-mission

and prerogativethattyme to doe what theilist,alid

to foUowe what vanitiethey will.But (alas)doe theithinke

thattheiare privilegedat thattime to doe evill? the holier

the time is(ifone time were holierthen another,as itisnot)the holierought theirexercises.to bee."

He, however, thinks that at some games, under certain

circumstances.Christianmen may play for the sake of

recreation; for,in answer to the questionof Spudeus, " Is

itnot lawfuU for one Christianman to plaiewith an other

at any kinde of game, or to winne hismoney, if he can?"Philoponusthus replies:

" To plaieat Tables,Cardes,Dice,

Bowles, or the like,(thougha good Christianman willnot

so idelyand vainelyspendehisgolden daies),one Chiistian

" " The Anatomic of Abuses,containingA Discoverie,or brcifesummarie of

such notablevicesand corruptionsas now raignein many Christiancountrcycs

of the world; but especiallyin the countrey of Ailgna: [Anglia,England.]Together with the most fearefullexamples of God'sjudgementsexecuteduponthe wicked forthe same, as wellin Ailgna of late,as inother placeselsewhere.Made Dialogue-wise by Philip Stubs," p. 112. Edit, printed by Kichard

Jones, 1583." ^TheJew's suppositionthat a thunder-stormwas evidenceof the

divinedispleasureat hisbeingabout to indulgein a rasherof bacon,isnothing

compared with Master Stubbes'sannouncement of the wrath of heaven against

those-who

indulgeinstarchedcollars,finelinenshirts,and velvetbreeches.


with an other,for theirprivaterecreations,aftersome op-pression

of studie,to driveawaie fantasies,and suche like,

I doubt not but theimay, using itmoderately,with inter-mission,

and in the feareof God. But forto plaieforlucre

of gaine, and for desireonely of his brotherssubstance,

ratherthen forany other cause, itisat no hande lawful!,or

to be suffered. Por as itisnot lawfullto robbe,steale,and

purloineby deceiteor sleight,so isitnot lawfullto get thy

brothers goodes from hym by Cardyng, Dicyng, Tablyng,

Boulyng, or any other kind oftheft,forthesegames are no

better,nay worser than open theft,foropen thefteveryman

can beware of;but thisbeying a craftiepolliticketheft,and

commonly doen under pretenceof freendship,fewe,or none

at all,can beware of it. The commaundement saieth.Thou

shallnot covet nor desireany thing that belongeth to thy

neighbour. Now, itis manifest,that those that plaie for

money, not onely covet theirbrothersmoney, but also use

craft,falshood,and deceiteto winne the same." " There are

doubtlessmany card-players,who, consciousof theirwant

of craft,can safelydeny the truth of Stubbes's sweeping

conclusion; but itisto be feared that most craftyplayers

will not lose if they can avoid it,eitherby hook or by

crook.In the reignof James I, the game

*'

went bonnilyon."

His son, Henry, Prince of Wales, who died in 1612, aged

nineteen, used occasionallyto amuse himself at cards,

but so nobly and likehimself,as showed that he played

only forrecreation,and not for the sake of gain.^ James

himselfwas a card-player; and hisfavoritegame was Maw,

which appears to have been the fashionablegame in his

reign, as Primero was in the reign of EUzabeth. His

^ A Discourse of the most illustriousPrince,Henry, latePrince of Wales.

Written in 1626 by Sir CharlesComwallis. Reprinted in the HarleianMis-cellany.

120 PLAYING CARDS.

Majestyappearsto have playedat cards justas he played

with affairsof State" ^inan indolentmanner, requiringin

both cases some one to hold his cards,ifnot to prompt him

what to play. Weldon, speaking of the poisoningof Sir

Thomas Overbury, in his ' Court and Characterof King

James,'says:" The next that came on the stage,was Sb

Thomas Monson ; but the night before he was to come to

his tryal,the King being at the game of Maw, said,' to-morrow comes Thomas Monson to his tiyal/ *Yea;'

saidthe King's card-holder,'

where if he do not playhis

master's prize,your Majestyshallnever trust me.' This so

ran intheKing's mind, that at the next game he saidhe was

sleepy,and would play out thatsetnext night." From the

followingpassagein a pamphlet,entitled' Tom Tell-troath,'

supposed to have been printed about 1622,^ itwould seem

thatthe writerwas wellacquaintedboth with hismajesty'smode ofplayingat cards,and with the manner in which he

was trickedin his dawdling with state affairs: "In your

Majestie'sowne tavemes, forone healthe thatis begun to

your-selfe,thereare ten drunke to thePrincesyour forraygn

children. And, when thewine isin theirheads.Lord have

mercie on theirtonges! Ever,inthe very gaming ordinaries,

where men have scarce leisureto say grace,yet they take a

time to censure your Majestie'sactions,and that in their

oulde schooleterms. They say,you have lostthe fairest

game at Maw thatever King had, forwant of making the

best advantage of the fivefinger,and playing the other

helpesin time. That your owne card-holdersplay bootic,

and givethe signeout of your owne hand. That hee you

played withallhath ever been knowne for the greatest

" *ToM Tell-tkoath: or a free Discourse touchiug the manners of the

time.' Reprinted in the Harician Miscellany. The king's "forraygn chil-dren"

mentioned in thispamphlet are his daughter Elizabeth and her family.

Elizabethwas married to Frederick,Elector Palatineof the RJiine,the com-

pctitoroftlieEmperor Ferdinand11 forthe cro\m of Bohemia.


cheaterin Christendome.' In fine,thereis noe way to

recover your losses,and vindicateyour honour, but withfightingwith him that hath cozened you. At which honest

downe righteplay,you willbe hard enough forhim with allhistrickes/'

The followingverses, which might have been writtenby

Tom Tell-troathhimself,form partof an inscriptionbeneath

a caricatureengraving of the same period,representingthe

Kings of England, Denmark, and Sweden, with Bethlem

Gabor, engaged in playing at cards,dice,and tableswiththe Pope and hisMonks.2

"Denmarke, not sittingfarr,and seeingwhat hand

Great Brittaynehad, and how Rome's lossdidstand,Hopes,to win something too : Maw isthe gameAt which he playcs,and ehallcngethat the same

A Muncke, who stakesa ehaliee. Denmarke setsgold.And shuffles; the Muneke cuts : Denmarke being bold,

Deales freelyround ; and the firstcard he showes

Is the fivefinger,which, bemg tum'd up, goes

Cold to the Muncke*s heartj the next Denmarke sees

Is the ace of hearts: the Muneke criesout, I lees!

. Denmarke replyes.SirMuncke, shew what you have ;

The Muncke could shew him notliingbut the Knave."

From the allusionsto the five fingersand the ace ofhearts,in the preceding extracts,itwould appear thatthe

game of Maw was the same as that which was subsequently

calledFive-Cards,for,in both games, the fiveof trumps-

calledthe fivefingers" was the best card,and next to that

was the ace of hearts.3

* "The Kong of Spain,or Gondemar, hisambassador."' This engraving is preservedin a collectionof Proclamations,Ballads,"c.,

formed by the lateJoseph Ames, and now in the libraryof the Royal Societyof

Antiquaries. For the part played by Bethlem Gabor in the affairsofEurope,

between 1618 and 1628, the reader is referredto Schiller*8History of the

Thirty-Years'War.' " Five-Cardsisan Irishgame, and isas much playedinthatkingdom,and that

for considerablesums of money, as All-Fours is played in Kent, but there is

littleanalogy between them. There are but two can playat it; and therearc dealt

128 PLAYING CARDS.

From the frequent mention of cards by writersof the

time of James I, it would appear that the game was as

common a diversionwith hisMajesty'speaceablesubjects,as itwas with the fightingmen who followedthebanner ofWallensteinor Tillyin the Thirty-Years'War. Inordinate

gaming in one country, according to certainauthorities,

was the resultof long-continuedpeace and too much ease ;

accordingto others,itwas the naturalconsequence ofwar ;

in England, the devil,findingmen idle,gave them employ,

ment at cards and dice; and in Germany, where they were

busy in the work of destruction,he encouraged them to

play as a relaxationfrom theirregularlabours. Prodigals,

in each country,lightedtheircandleat both ends : English

gallantsused to divert themselves with cards at the play-housebefore the performance began ;^ and desperate

hazardcrsin the imperialcamp staked,on a cast at dice,

theirplunder,ere ithad well come into theirpossession.In the reign of James I, a controversyarose respecting

the nature of lots,in which the lawfulness" '* inforotheo-hgorum''"-oi deciding matters by lot,and of playing at

games of chance, such as cards and dice,was amply dis-cussed.

It was maintained by one party,that as lotswere

of divineordinance, forthe purpose of determining impor-tant

matters,^and of so ascertaining,as itwere, the divine

fivecardsa piece. . . . The five-fingers{aliasfiveof trumps)isthe best

cardinthe pack ; the ace of heartsisnext to that,and the next isthe ace oftrumps."" The Compleat Gamester, p.90. Edit.1709. Pirstprintedin 1674.

" Malone's Supplemental Observations on Shakspeare, citedby Barrington.

Dr. Moore, in hisViews of Societyand Manners in Italy,mentions the card-

playingat the opera at Tlorcnce." I was never more surprised,"says he,"than

when it was proposed to me to make one of a whist party,in a box which

seemed to have been made forthe purpose,with a littletablein the middle. I

hintedthatitwould be fullas convenientto have the party somewhere else;

but I was told,good musicaddcd greatlyto the pleasureof a wliistparty;that

itincreasedthejoyofgood fortune,and soothedthe aflllctionof bad."* Numbers, xxvi,55, 66 ; Proverbs,xvi,33 ; Acts,i,24-26.


will,theiremployment forthe pmpose of amusement, was

a sinfulperversionof theirinstitution,and a disparagingofDivine Providence,which was thusmade the arbiterofidle

and immoral games.^ In oppositionto thisopinion,the

learnedThomas Gataker publishedhis treatise,historical

and theological,* Of the Nature and Use ofLots,'in 1619.

In thiswork he treats of casualevents in general,and of

thedifferentkinds oflots,which he thusclassesunder three

heads: 1, Lots which are commonly employed in serious

afiFairs; 2, Lots which enter intogames of chance; 3, Lots

extraordinaryor divinatory. The firstare generallyad-mittedto be innocent; but the third are absolutelycon-demnedby Gataker,exceptwhen they are expresslyrequired

to be used by a revelationor a divinecommand.^ With

regardto lotsof the second kind,he contendsthatthey are

neitherprohibitedin the Scripturesnor evilof themselves;

though,likethoseof the first,theyare Uableto greatabuse.The abuse he earnestlycondemns ; but at the same time

shows thatitisnot a necessaryconsequence ofthe employ-ment

oflotsin games of amusement. He alsorefutesthe

arguments of James Balmford, who, in a small tractwhich

appearsto have been firstpublishedabout 1593, had main-tained

that all games of chance were absolutelyunlawful.An account of the controversy on thissubject,between

Gataker on one side,and WiUiam Ames and GisbertVoet

' Thisappearsto have been one ofthe chiefgroundsofobjectionagainstcards

and dice-playin Scotland,about a century later. Adam Pefrie,"the Scottish

Chesterfield,"adopts Balmford's conclusion:"Lott isan ordinancewhereby

God oftenmade known his mind, and thereforeought not to be turnedinto a

play; but Cards and Dice are Lott; thereforethey ought not to be turned

into a play."^RuIes of Good Deportment, or of Good Breeding,printedat

Edinburgh,1710 ; reprinted1835." John Wesley,who sometimes

"

sought an answer** by lotsofthiskind,was

charged by the Rev. Augustus Toplady with "tossing up for his creed,as

portersor chairmen tossup fora halfpenny.""Letterto theRev. John Wesley,

p. 7. Edit.1770.

9.

130 PLAYING CARDS.

on the other,willbe found in the preface to the second

editionof Barbeyrac's'Traitedu Jeu/^

In the reignof James I,and in the earlypart ofthatofhissuccessor, ere the discussionof politicalgrievanceshad

produced a decidedeffecton the publicmind, the fashion-able

vices of excess in apparel,gaming, drinking,and

smoking tobacco,were fertilethemes of declamationwith a

certain classof reformers,both lay and clerical.Their

denunciationsof the vanityand wickedness of wearing fine

clothes are merely variationsto Stubbes's 'Anatomy ofAbuses ;' whiletheirfulminationsagainsttobaccoare gene-rally

pitched in the somewhat loud key of King James's

Counterblast. Their common-places against drunkenness

and gaming, are, in general,"

very common indeed,''" as

SirFrancisBurdett saidof a certaincommon lawyer,who,

since his elevationto the peerage,has been convictedof

a petty larcenyon the literarypropertyof Miss Agnes

Strickland,and who seems to be an adept at Cribbage,

though no card-player.In a woodcut on the title-pageof

' Woe to Drunkards,'

a sermon preachedby Samuel Ward, of Ipswich,1627, the

vicesof thatage are typicallycontrastedwith the virtuesof

a former one. In the upper compartment we are shown

what men were of old by the open Bible,the foot in the

stirrup,and the hand grasping the lance; while in the

lower, the degeneracyof theirdescendants is typifiedby

the leg and foot,decoratedwith a broad silkgarterand a

largerosette; by cards and dice,and a hand holdingat the

same time a lightedpipe and a drinking cup with a cocka-tricein it. Twenty years afterwards,these types would

' Traitddu Jeo,oh Ton examine lesprincipalcsquestionsde Droitnaturelet

do Morale quiont du rapporta cette matiere. Par Jean Barbeyrac,Profcsseur

en Droit a Groningue. Seconde Edition,revue et augmentde. En troistomes,

12mo. Amsterdam, 1737.


have been more strictlyapplicable,with the inscriptions

merelytransposed.

At what time the manufactm*eof cardswas establishedin thiscountry,has not been ascertained;though from

theirbeingincludedin an Act of Parliamentof 1465, pro-hibiting

theimportationof sundryarticles,as beinginjuriousto nativemanufacturersand tradesmen,itwould seem that

there were card-makers in England even at that early

period.* Barrington,referringto a proclamationofElizabeth,

* Towards the closeofElizabeth'sreign,Edward Darcy obtaineda patentfor

themanufactureof cards; and inthe reignof James I the importationof cardswas prohibited,after20th July,1615, as the art of making them was then

;brougIitto perfectionin thiscountry. As a duty or tax of fiveshillingsfor

every twelve dozen packs was leviedabout that time by the authorityof the

Lord Treasurer,the statement thatsuch a tax was firstleviedin 1031, inthe

reign of CharlesI, is erroneous.. Tliistax was one of the impositionscom-plained

ofby tlieCommons, inthe reignof CharlesI,"as arbitraryand illegal,

beingleviedwithoutconsent of Parliament." I am informedthatthefirstact

of parliamentimposing a tax on cardswas passed in 1711, in the reignof

Queen Anne. The company of card-makerswas firstincorporatedby letters

patent of CharlesI in 1629." See Singer'sResearches,pp. 223, 224,226,365.

182 PLATING CARDS.

and anotherofJames I,says," Itappearsthatwe didnot

then make many cards in England." In hispaper in the* Archaeologia/he givesa fac-simileofthe cover of an old

pack ofcards,as a decisiveproofthatcardswere originally

made in Spain. On thiscover was printeda wood engraving

ofthe arms of Castileand Leon, togetherwith a Club,a

Sword, a Cup, and a pieceofMoney, the marks ofthefour

suitsof Spanishcards. To an inscriptionpurportingthat

they were finecards,made by Jehan Volay " "Cartas

finnasfaictespar Jehan Volay"" therewas alsoadded,in

lettersof a differentcharacter,eitherby a stencil,or by

means of insertinga new piece of wood in theoriginalblock,the name "Edward Warman," probablythatofthe

Englishvendorofthecards. The maker'sname, Barrington

reads," Je (forJean or John)Hauvola," and thefinaly

he mistakes for the Spanish conjunction"and." The

whole of the inscription,he says, being rendered into

English, runs thus :" Superfine cards made by John

Hauvola, and (EdwardWarman)," the lastname being

substitutedforthatof a former partnerof John Hauvola.^

Mr. Barrington'sreadingofthemaker'sname, Je.Hauvola,

insteadofJehan Volay, and histhenintroducingEdward

Warman intothefirm,by means of thefinaly, construedas a copulativeconjunction,are fairspecimensoftheproofs

and illustrationswhich he adduces in favourofhistheory

aboutSpanishcards.Jean Volay,as I learnfrom Leber,^was one of themost

celebratedFrench card-makersofthesixteenthcentury; at

what time "Edward Warman" lived,whose name also

appearson the cover, is not known ; but Mr. Barrington

* Observationson the Antiquityof Card-playing,Arcliseologia,vol.viii.' Etudes Historiqucssur IcsCartes a jouer,p. 30. Mons. Leber had inhis

collectionsome cards of Jean Volay'smanufacture,which were discoveredin

the boardsof a book. Those cardsare describedinthe Catalogueofhisbooks,

torn,i,p. 241, Articlexvii. Tl"crearc alsocardsmanufactui'cdby Jean Volay

preservedintlicBibliothcqucdu Roi,at Paris.


says thata person of that name kept a stationer'sshop

somewhere about Norton Folgate,about fiftyyearsbefore

the date ofhispaper,thatisabout 1737. Any vogue that

Spanish cardsmight have had inthe more northerlycountries

ofEurope, during the times of Elizabethand James I,was

probably owing rather to the circumstance of so manySpaniardsbeing then i^esidentinthe Low Countriesthan to

any superiorityofthe cardsmanufactured in Spain. Until

a comparativelyrecentperiod,largequantitiesofcardsusedto be sent from Antwerp to Spain.^

From the followingverses, in " The Knave of Harts his

SuppUcation to the Card Makers," in Samuel Rowlands'

" The Netherlandsseem to have been famed at an earlyperiodforthe manu-facture

of cards. AlbertDurer, in the journalwhich he kept duringhis visit

to thosepartsin 1521, notes thathe bought halfa dozen packs forseven stivers:

" Item hab umb ein halb dutzetNiederlandischerKarten gebcn 7 Stiiber.""

Albrecht Durers Eeisejournal,in Von Murr's Journal zur Kunstgeschichte,

7terTheil,s. 96. From a passage in Ascham's Toxophilos,1515, quoted by

Singer,itwould appear thatthepriceof cardswas then about twopence a pack ;

" He sayd a payre of cardscost not past ii.d."

134 PLAYING CARD8.

satireentitled* The Knave ofHarts/1612, itwould appear

thatcards were then commonly manufactured in England,

foritcannot be fairlysupposedthattheKnave'ssuppUcation

was addressedto foreigncard-makers. The foregoingcut,

which isa fac-simileofthatprefixedto theeditionof 1613,

shows the Knaves of Hearts and Clubs in the costume

complained of." We are abusedin a greatdegree.

For there'sno Knaves so wronged as are we

By thosethatchieflyshouldbe our part-takers:

And thus itis,my maisters,you card-makers.AllotherKnaves are attheirown free-will.

To braveitout,and followfashionstillIn any cut,accordingto thetime,

But we poore Knaves (Iknow not forwhat crime),Are kept inpie-baldsuites,which we have wome

Hundred ofyears; thishardlycan be borne.

The idle-headedFrenche devis'dus first.

Who ofallfashion-mongersisthe worst;For he doth change farreoftncrthanthe moone;

Dislikeshismorning suiteinth'after-noone.The Englishishisimitatingape, _^

In every toy the tailors-shcarescan shape.Comes droppingafteras the divellentices.And puttethon the French-man'scastdevices;Ye wee (withwhom thuslong they both have plaid),.Must weare the suitesinwhich we firstwere made." " " " "

How can we choosebut have theitchinggift,Kept in one kindeofdeaths,and never sliift?

Or to be scurvy how can we forbcare.

That never yet had shirtor band to weare P

How bad I and my fellowDiamond goes.We never yet had garterto our hose.

Nor any shooe to put upoD our feete.

With such base deaths,'tise'en a shame to see't;My sleevesare likesome morris-dauncingfellow,

My stockingsidiot-like,red,greone,and yellow:

* The Four Knaves : a seriesofSatiricalTractsby Samuel Rowlands. Edited,

with an Introductionand Notes, by E. F. Eimbault,Esq. Reprintedfor the

Percy Society,1843. For the loan of the cuts of the Four Knaves the pub-lisherisindebtedto the Percy Society.

PROGRESS OP CARD-PLAYING. ]S5

Mj breechesb'kea paireoflute-pinsbe,Scarcebuttock-roome,as every man may see.

Like three-peniewatchmen threeof us doe stand.Each with a rusticbrowne-billinhishand:

And Clubshe holdsan arrow, likea clowne,The head-endupward,and thefeathersdowne.

Thus we are wrong'd,and thuswe are agriev*d.And thuslongtimewe havebecncunrelieved.But, card-makers,ofyou Harts reason craves.

Why we shouldbe restrained,aboveallKnaves,

To weare such patchedand disguis'dattireP

Answer butthis,ofkindnesse,we require." " " * "

Good card-makers(iftherebe goodnessinyou),Apparellus with more respectedcare.

Put us inhats,our caps are wome thread-bare;Let us havestandingcollers,inthefashion,

(Allare become a stiif-neckegeneration);

Hose hat-bandswith the shagged-raggedruffe.Greatcabbage-shoostrings(prayyou biggeenough),French dublet,and the Spanishhose to breechit,

Shortcloakes,oldmandilions*(webeseechit);Exchange our swords,and takeaway our bils,

Let us have rapiers,(Knaveslovefightthatkils);Put us inbootes,and make us leatherlegs:

ThisHarts,most humbly,and hisfellowsbegs."

In Rowlands' 'More Knaves Yet? The Knaves ofSpades and Diamonds/published afterhis 'Knave of

Harts/the Knaves of Spades and Diamonds are repre-sentedin a modernised costume, bestowed on them by the

printer,and the favouristhusacknowledged.

" Our fellowHartes didlatepetitionframe.

To cardmakerssome bettersutesto clayme.

And forus all,didspeake of allour wronges :

Yet they,to whom redressehereinbelongs

" On the word mandilions,Mr. Eimbaulthas the followingnote: "Mandig-

lione,a jacket,a Mandilion?" Plorio'sNew World ofWords^ed.1611.Stubbes

{apudStrutt,dressand habits,vol.ii,p.267)says that itcoveredthe wholebody down to the thighs;and Randle Holme describesitas

*a loosehanging

garment, much liketo our jacketor jumps,but without sleeves,onlyhaving

holesto put the arms through; yet some were made with sleeves,but for no

otheruse than to hang on the back.*"

136 PLAYING CAllDS.

Amend itnot,and littlehope appcarcs.

I thinkebeforethe conquest many yeares.We wore the fashionwliichwe stillretaine:

But seeingthatour sute isspentinvaine,Wecle mend our selvesas mcanes intime dothgrow.Acceptingwliatsome otherfriendsbcstowe.

As now the honestprinterhath binkinde,

Bootes and stockinsto our legsdoth finde,

Garters,poloniaheelesand rose shooe-strings.Which, somewhat, us two knaves infashionbrings;From the knee dowiicward,legsare wellamended.And we acknowledge that we arc befrendcd.

And willrequitehim foritas we can :

A knave some time may serve an honest man.

To do him pleasuresuch a chaunce may fall.

Although indeedno trustin knaves at all.He thatmust use them, take thisrulefrom mee^

'

Stilltrusta knave no furtherthan you see.


Well,otherfriendsI hope wee shallbeseech

For the greatlargeabhominablebreech.

Like brewershop-sackes; yet sincenew they be,

Each knave willhave them, and why shouldnot wee P

Some laundressewe alsowillintrcato.

For bandes and ruffes,which kindnesto be greatWe willconfesse,yea and requiteittoo.

In any servicethatpoore knaves can doe :

Scarffcswe do want, to hange our weapons by.

Ifany punck willdcaloso courteouslyAs in the way of favourto bestow them,

Rare cheatingtrickswe willprotestto owe them.

Or any pander with a ringin'scare.

That is a gentleman (ashe doth sweare).And willaffordus hats of newest blocke,

A payre ofcardesshallbe histradeand stocke.To get hislyvingby, forlackoflands.

Because he scomes to overworke hishandes.

And thus ere long we trustwe shallbe fitted,

Those knaves thatcannot shiftare shallowwitted."

By a proclamationof CharlesI,June,1638, itwas orderedthat afterthe Michaelmas next all foreign cards shouldbe sealedat London, and packed in new bindings,or covers.

A few yearslater,itwould appear thatthe importationofforeigncards was absolutelyprohibited; for,in July,1643,

upon the complaintof severalpoor card-makers, settingforth thatthey were likelyto perishby reason of divers

merchants bringing playing-cardsinto the kingdom, con-traryto the laws and statutes,order was given,by a com-mittee

appointedby parliamentfor the navy and customs,

thatthe oflScersof the customs shouldseizeallsuch cards,

and proceedagainstthe partiesoffending.^

' In 164-1,a pamphlet,in verse, againstmonopolizersand patentees,appeared

with the followingtitle:*A Pack of Patentees,opened, shuffled,cut, dealt,

and played.* The articlesmonopolized,or forwhich patents had been obtained,were coals,soap, starch,leather,salt,hops,gold wire,and horns.

" We'll shuffleup the pack ; those thatbefore

Did playat post and pair,must play no more."

138 PLAYING CARDS.

When the civilwar commenced, and the peoplebecame

interestedin a sterner game, card-playingappears to have

declined. The card-playinggallantwhose favoritehaunts

had been the play-houseand the tavern, now became trans-formed

into a cavalier,and displayedhis braveryin the

fieldat the head of a troop of horse; whilsthisoldoppo-nent,

the puritanicalminister,incitedby a higher spiritofindignation,insteadof holding forthon sportsand pastimes

and householdvices,now thundered on the " drum ecclesi-astic"

againstnationaloppressors; urged hiscongregation

to standup fortheirrightsas men againstthe pretensions

of absolutemonarchy and rampant prelacy,and to trythe

crab-treestaffagainstthe courtier'sdancing rapier.Among the numerous pamphlets which appeared during

the contest thereare a few whose titlesshow that the game

of cards,though not so much in vogue as formerly,was

stillnot forgotten.^ The followingare the titlesof three

of such pamphlets,allquartos,the usualform oftheUterary

lightinfantryof the period." ChartaeScriptse,or a New

Game at Cards, called Play by the Booke, 1645." "

"Bloody Game of Cards, played between the King ofHearts and hisSuiteagainstthe rest of the pack, shuffled

at London, cut at Westminster,dealtat York, and playedin the open field.""

" Shuffling,cutting,and dealing,in a

game at pickquet,being actedfrom the year 1653 to 1653,

" About the same periodthe game of cards seems to have furnishedtitlesto

politicalpamphlets in othercountriesas well as in England. The followingis

the titleofa Dutch pamphlet,without date,but apparentlypublishedaboutthe

time thatthe treatyof Westphalia was concluded,1648 :* Het hersteldeVer-

keer-bertverbetertin een Lanterluy-spel.*From a passage in thispamphletjtappears thatthe game ofLanter-loowas the same as thatcalledLabate^i)it

French La Bete,called" Beast,"in Cotton'sComplcat Gamester.

" Vlaming. Was spelis dat,Vader Jems P ick weet rietdat ick dat oyt

gheleaenheb,maer aldieghy genoemt hebt weet ick van.

" Vader Jems. 0 Brcdder! het is dat speldat veeltijtsgenoemt werdt La-

bate,ofteom beterte.seggen,Lanterluy"

PROGRESS OP CARD-PLAYING. 139

by 0. p. and others,1659/'^ In a 'Lentenlitany/a back-

ward prayerforthe Rump, writtenin the timeof the Long

Parliament,the appointment of threekeepersto the great

sealisthus commemorated :

"From Villanydressedin a doubletofZeal,

From threeKingdoms baked in one Commonweal,

Prom a Gleek of Lord Keepers of one poor sealLibera nos Domine."*

It was probably as much owing to the circumstanceof

regularplaying-cardsbeing in small request,as to anydesireto promote learning,that we have the "Scientiall

Cards" mentioned in the followingtitleof a work,in which

cards are made subservientto the purposes of instruction,

and which appearsto have been one oftheearliestofthekind

pubhshed in England.^ " The Scientiallcards; or a new

* The two followingare oflaterdatebut inthe same strain.* A Mumival of

Knaves : or "Whiggism plainlydisplayed,and ifnot grown shameless,burlesqu'd

out of countenance, a Poem. 1683.* 'Win at first,loseat last;or the Game

of Cards which were shuffledby PresidentBradshaw, cut by Col.Hewson the

Coblcr,and playedby OliverCromwell and Lreton tillthe RestorationofCharlesII.1707*" A Mumival, at the game of Gleek,was allthe four aces,

kings,queens, or knaves.* Poems on StateAffairs,vol.iii,p. 25. Edit.1704. "Tricon is,at cards,

that which we now calla gleek of Kings, Queens, Knaves, "c.,viz.threeofthem in one hand together.'*"

^Howell'sEdition of Cotgrave'sTrench and

EnglishDictionary,1673. The term Gleekisprobablyderivedfrom the German

Gleieh,signifyinglike; thus the Qleek was a certainnumber of cardsof a like

kind. See furtherillustrationsof the word Gleek in Halliwell'sDictionaryof

Archaic"Words.* William Maxwell, in a catalogueof hisworks prefixedto his'Admirable

Propheciesconcerning the Church of Eome,* 4to, 1615, insertsthe followingas

one abeady pubhshed :" Jamesanna, or a Pythagoricalplay at cards,repre-senting

the excellencyand utilityof Union and Concord,with the incommodities

of Divisionand Discorde,dedicatedto the most hopefullPrince Charles.**He

alsomentions another work of his,of the same kind,unpublished,written in

imitationof More*s Utopia. The author informs us, that his grandfather,

William MaxweU, son of the Lairdof Kirkconnel,was man-at-arms to the Most

ChristianKing, and had the honour to serve the mother of Mary Queen of

Scots,and alsoMary herself. The Maxwells are still" Lairdsof Kirkconnel,**

in Dumfries-shire. "Fair Kirkconnel Lea,**mentioned in the oldballad,"I

wish I were where Helen lies,**isone of the.most beautifulspotsin Britain.

140 PLATING CARDS.

and ingeniousknowledge grammaticallyepitomised,bothfor

the pleasureand profitof schoUers,and such as delightto

recoUect(withoutany labour)the rudiments of so necessary

an art as grammer is,without hinderingthem from their

more necessaryand graver studies,ofieringthem as a

second course unto you. Which, in allpoints and suits,

do representyour vulgaror common cards; so that the

perfectionof the grammer principlesmay hereby be easily

attainedunto, both with much delight and profit. To-gether

with a key showing the readyuse of them. Written

by a loverof ingenuityand learning. And are to be soldby Baptist Pendleton at his house, near St. Dunstan's

Church in the east,or by John Holden, at the Anchor in

the New Exchange. 1651." Of those cards, or of the

key, showing how they are to be used, I know nothingbeyond what iscontainedin the titleabove given,whichispreservedamongst Bagford'scollections,HarleianMSS.

No. 5947, in the BritishMuseum. I, however, greatly

suspect that the " lover of learning and ingenuity"whodevisedthem, was speciaUyemployed for the purpose by

the maker, Mr. Baptist Pendleton, who, sensibleof the

declineofhisregularbusiness,and noting the signs ofthe

times, might think it both for his interestand creditto

manufacture cards,which might serve indifierentlyforthe

purposes of instruction,but equally as well for play as

"your vulgar or common cards,"which were then in verybad repute. The Scientiallcards would appear to have

been well adapted for the use of personswho wished to

save appearances with the Puritans,and yet had no ob-jectionto play a quietgame with the profane.

In 1656 was pubUshed a littlebook intitled* The Schol-

lersPracticallCards,'by F. Jackson, M. A., containinginstructionsby means of cardshow to spell,write,cypher,

and castaccounts ; togetherwith many otherexcellentand

PROGRESS OF CARD-PLAYINO. 141

necessaryrules of calcidation,without eitherahnanack or

ephemeris." I am persuaded," says the author in his

preface,"that thecards,now incommon use, may be reducedto such a way of use as may not only contributeto know-

ledge and good learning,but may also remove the scandall

and abuse, which every tinkerthat can but tellhis peeps

[pips]exposeththem unto. To thatend I have framed, for

therecreationofsoberand understandingpeople,thatwhich

(althoughin form they represent common cards)in the

inside,as to the use that be made of them, affordsprofitablelearningand honest recreation: and herein thereismuchdifference; the common cards being meer fiction,hke the

foolishromances, not applicableto any morall,or anythingto be learnedby them that islaudable." His method, hke

allothers of the same kind, may be interesting,from its

complicated absurdity,to those who already understand

what he proposes to teach;but must have formed an almost

unsurmountable obstacle to the unlettered,unless they

were previouslywell grounded in Gleek, Ruff, Post and

Pair, Saunt,! Lodam, and Noddy, " the games to which he

chieflyrefersin hisinstructions.

William Sheppard,sergeant-at-law,a greatstickler,during

the ascendency of the Rump, forthe reformationofthe law

and the correction of manners, thus sets forth certain

grievances,and, likea good Samaritan,propounds a remedy

forthem in his work, entitled' Englands Bahne.'^

" Sau7ithe properlyexplainsby centum^ a hundred. Cientoiwas a Spanish

game, resemblingPiquet." Englands Balme : or, Proposalsby way of Grievance and Remedy, humbly

presentedto hisHighness and the Parliament; towards the Regulationof the

Law and better Administrationof Justice. Tending to the great Ease and

Benefitof the good People of the Nation. By William Sheppard,Esq. 12mo,

1657. The disregardof such good men as Mr. Sergeant Sheppard forthe feel-ings

and opinionsof those whom they were pleasedto consider bad^ and who

formed a great majorityof the nation,paved the way for the restorationof

Chai-lcsII.

142 PLAYING CARDS.

"It 18 objected," That there is no certainand clearlaw to punish pro-

phane jesting,fidling,ryming, piping,juggling,fortune-

telling,tumbling, dancing upon the rope,vaulting,ballad-

singing,sword-playing,or playing of prizes,ape-carrying,

puppet-playing,bear-baiting,bull-baiting,horse-racing,

cock-fighting,carding,dicing,or othergaming ; especially

the spending of much time,and the adventuringof greatsums of money herein.

" Itisofferedto consideration," That to the laws alreadymade : 1. That it be in the

power ofany two justicesofthe peaceto bindeto thegoodebehaivoursuch as are offensiveherein. 2. That theybe,

so long as they use it,uncapable of bearingany officein

the commonwealth. 3. That allpayments to the com-monwealthbe doubled on such persons."

His saintlydelicacy,if not his Christiancharity,isdis-played

in the following"

grievance"and"

remedy:^'" There are some other cases wherein the law alsoissaid

to be somewhat defective: as

" That thereisno law againstlasciviousgestures,wan-ton

and filthydallianceand familiarity,whorish

attire,strangefashions; such as are naked breasts,

bare shoulders,powdering, spotting,paintingthe

face,curlingand shearingthe hair; excess ofap-parelin servants and mean people.

.

" Itisofferedto consideration," 1. That thejusticesof the peace at theirQuarterSes-sions

may binde any such to the good behaivour." 2. That for a whorish attire,something of note be

writtenupon the door of her house to her dis-grace,

thereto continuetillshe wear soberattire."The characterof thispmitanicalreformer'sliberalitymay

be estimatedby hisproposed remedies for the abuses of the


press. As his partywere in power, therewas no longer

any occasionfor freediscussion. Milton was opposed to

such canting reformers as Sheppard, and maintained the

hbertyofunlicensedprinting." Itisobjected,

" That there are disordersin printingof books, for

which thereisno remedy." ItisoflFeredforthisto considerof thesethings:

" 1. That printing-housesbe reduced to a number.'^ 2. That no books be printedbut be firstperused." 3. That no dangerous books be printedhere,carried

beyond sea, and broughtin hither." 4. That the rightofeverymans copy be preserved." 5. That everyman shalllicencehisown book and be

answerableforit."

On the accessionof CharlesII,a reactiontookplace; and

peoplewho had feltthemselvescoercedin theiramusementsby the puritanicalparty,seem now to have gloriedin their

excesses, not so much from any positivepleasurethatthey

might feelin theirvicious courses, but as evincing their

triumph over those who formerlykept them in restraint.From the example of the king himself,a sensual,selfish

profligate,vice became fashionableat court, where gross

depravityof manners seems to have been admitteddL'"prima

fade evidenceof loyalprinciples.His majesty'spersonal

favorites,from the wealthy noble who had a seat at the

council-table,to the poor gentlemen who servedas a private

in the horse-guards,seem allto have been eager to divert

the "

merry monarch" by theirshameless profligacy.The

man of ton of the period,was professionallya rake and a

gamester,and oftena liarand cheat; boastingof an intrigue

with"

my lady,"while in truth he was kept by "

my lord's"

mistress; and pretendingthat he had won a hundred pieces

of" the duke," at the groom-porter's at St. James's,when

144 PLAYING CATIDS.

he had merely"

rooked" a gay city'prenticeof fivepounds

at a shillingordinary in Shire Lane. The morals and

manners of the country,generally,at thatperiod,are not,

however,to be estimatedby thoseof the court and theso-

called"fashionableworld." A numerous and influential

class remained uncontaminated by their example; andlabouredzealouslyto stem the torrentofvicewhich,issuing

from the court, threatenedto deluge the whole country.

Though " the saints"no longerenjoyedthe fatnessof the

land, they stillexercisedgreat influenceover the minds

of the middle classes,and fosteredin them a deep re-ligiousfeeling,and a strictobservance of decency,which

were in directoppositionto the principlesand practice

of the sovereignand hiscourt. At no period of our his-tory,

do the profligacyof one class and th piety of

another appear in more strikingcontrast. On looking

closer,however,itwould seem thatthiseffectis,in a greatdegree,produced by the approximation of the extremes of

each," of sinnerswho paintedthemselvesblackerthan they

reallywere, and ofsaintswho heightenedtheirhghts and

exaltedtheirpurity,while they were in truth but as"

a

whitened wall." A slightglance at the literatureof the

time of CharlesII,willshow that mankind do not become

worse as the world grows older: the depravitywhich existedin his reign, is generallydwelt on by historiansand

moralists,though but few take the trouble of informing

theirreadersthat correctivesforit,in the shape of goodbooks,were at no periodmore abundant. For a pictureof

the manners ofthe time, we are referredto licentiousplays

and obscenepoems, as if they formed the stapleliterature

of the day," as if allmen frequented the playhouse and

read Rochester,but never went to church or conventicle,nor readthenumerous moral and religiousworks which then

issued from the press. In the time of Charles II, the


representationof plays was almost exclusivelyconfinedto

London ; and itmay be questionedifeven one"ofthe licen-tious

comedies ofthe periodwas representedon a provincial

stage. The obscenebooks which were writtenin hisreignforthe entertainmentof the fashionableworld have simkintodisrepute,and are only to be fonnd in the hbrariesof

collectorsof what are termed '* Facetiae;*' while thoseofhigherpurpose are in constant demand, and are known to

milhons. More ^;opiesof Bunyan's 'Pilgrim'sProgress'

havebeen soldthai!ofallthebad books thatever were wTitten

throughthe encouragement of Charles II and his courtiers.

But to come from thisdigressionto the game we have in

hand. Barrington, who is singularlyunfortunate in his

speculationsabout cards,and who seems to have been prone

to draw generalconclusionsfrom specialpremises,says,

that " Ombre was probably introducedby Catherineof

Portugal,the queen of CharlesII,as Waller hath a poem' On a card torn at Ombre by the Queen/

" The game,

however, was introducedbefore the arrivalof the queen ;

fora work entitledthe' Royal game of Ombre' was pub-

Ushed at London in 1060,^ and Catherinedid not arriveat

Portsmouth till14th May, 1662. Charles,on hearing of

thequeen'sarrival,seems to have intrusteda rightreverend

prelatewith a delicatecommission : hismajesty,accordingto

Aurehan Cook, Gent., "having sent the Bishop of London

thitherbefore him to consummate the sacred rightsof

marriage,which was to be done in private."

' Though thispamphlet doesnot treatofthe game, but iswhollypolitical,it

camiot be doubted thatOmbre was well known in England at the time of its

publication.* TitusBritannicus: An Essay of HistoryRoyal,in theLifeand

Reign ofhis

lateSacred Majesty,Charles II, of ever blessedand immortal memory. By

AurelianCook, Gent. p. 296. Edit.1G85. Aurelian isloud in his praisesof

hisTitus forhispietyand religion.Accordingto his account, itwould seem

tliatin theserespectsthe "Martyr Charles"was notliingto "Old Rowley."

10

146 PLATING CARDS.

From the followingpassage in Pcpys'sDiary, under the

date 17th Feb. 1667, itwould appear thather majestywas

accustomed to play at cards on a Sunday," a crime of the

greatestmagnitude in the eyes of certainpersons,whoinsistthatthe ChristianSunday shouldbe observedlikea

Jewish Sabbath,and who yethave no objectionto roastpig.^" This evening,"saysMr. Pepys, "

going to the Queene's

sideto see the ladies,I did findethe Qucene, the Duchesse

ofYork, and another or two, at cards,with the room full

ofladiesand greatmen ; which I was amazed at to see on

a Sunday, having not believedit,but, contrarily,flatly

denied the same a littlewhile since to my coscn Roger

Pepys." The Duchess of York here mentioned, was Amie

Hyde, firstwifeofJames, Duke ofYork,afterwardsJames II.

Her daughter,Mary, afterwardsQueen of England, used

alsoto play at cards on a Sunday, as we learn from the

followingpassage in the diary of her spiritualdirector.

Dr. Edward Lake, printedin the Camden Miscellany,vol.i,

1847: "Jan. 9. 1677-8. I was very sorryto understand

thatthe Princessof Orange, since her being in Holland,

did sometimes playat cardsupon theSundays, which woulddoubtlessgive offenceto that people. I remember that

about two yearssincebeing with herhighnessinherclosett,

shee requiredmy opinionof it. I toldher I could,not say'twas a sinto do so, but 'twas not expedient; and, forfear

of givingoffence,I advisedher highness not to do it,nor

did shee play upon Sundays while shee continued here in

England." Card-playingon Sundays would appear to have

been equallycommon with the selectcirclewho had the

honour ofpartakingofhismajesty'samusements. Evelyn,

' In Heath'sClironiclcs,a rightloyalpublication,itissaidthatDr. Dorislaus,

" the Parliamentaryenvoy, who was assassinatedat the Hague in ^lay,1C49,"

was accustomedto playat cardson Sundays at SirHenry Mildmay's,inEssex.

" The Democracy, or pretendedfreeState,being the 2d partof the BriefChro-nicle

of tliclateintestineWar, p. 435. Edit.1G62.


in hisMemoirs, writingon 6th Feb. 1685, the day whenJames II was proclaimed,says,

" I never can forgettheinexpressibleluxury and profaneness,gaming and alldis-soluteness,

and as it were totalforgetfulnessof God (itbeing Sunday evening),which thisday se nnight I was

witnessof,theking sittingand toyingwithhisconcubines,Portsmouth, Cleaveland,and Mazarine,"c., a French boy

singing love songs in that gloriousgallery,whilstabouttwenty of the great courtiersand other dissolutepersonswere at Basset*round a largetable; a bank ofat least"2000

in gold beforethem, upon which two gentlemen who were

with me made reflexionswith astonishment.Sixdays after,

allwas in the dust!"

In the sixteenthyear of the reign of CharlesII an act

was passed which might justlybe entitled"An Act to

legaliseGaming ; to preventwealthyPigeonsbeingpluckedby artfulRooks, and to discourageBetting or Playingfor

largeSums upon Tick." An act of the same kind,passedin the reign of Queen Anne, was repealedin 1844, in

consequence of itspenaltiesbeing likelyto fallheavy on

some eminent sportingcharacteriwho had been so indis-creet

as to receivesundry large sums in payment of bets

lostto them upon credit. Itsenactment and itsrepealai*e

significantindicationsof the stateof the sportingworld at

the two respectiveperiods. It seems to have been framed

* Bassetwould seem to have been a common game at the court of France

aboutthe same period." The King (LouisXIV) no\y seldom or never plays,

but contents himself sometimes with looking on ; but formerlyhe hath been

engaged,and has lost great sums. Mons. S. rookt him of near a millionoflivresat Basset by putting falsecards upon him, but was imprisonedandbanishedfor it some years."" Dr. Martin Lister,Journey to Parisin the year

1C98. Li 1091, Louis XIV issuedan ordonnance prohibitingFaro, Basset,

and othersimilargames. Whoever shouldbe convictedof playingat any of

those games was ta be fineda thousand livres; and the person who allowedthem to be playedin hishouseincurreda penaltyofsixthousandlivres.

Basset

and Flush" ilFrusso" appear to have been known in Italyin the fifteenthcen-tury.

They arc mentionedby Lorenzo dc Medici in liisCantiCarnascialeschi,

quoted by Singer,Bescarches,p. 26.

148 PLAYING CARDS.

on a presumptionthat,in gaming, noble and wealthy

sportsmenwould be most likelyto lose; and to have been

repealedbecause certainnobleand wealthysportsmenhad

won, and receivedtheirbets. The partiesin whose favour

theact was repealed,were saidto have been liableto penal-tiesto the amount of"500,000 : the law did not anticipate

that lordsand squireswoidd be winners,nor intendthat

needy prosecutorsshouldbe enrichedat theirexpense. The

preambleand some oftheprovisionsofthe act of CharlesII

are heregiven as" Curiositiesof Gambling Legislation."

" Whereas alllawfulGames and Exercisesshould not be

otherwiseused than as innocentand moderate recreations,

aridnot as constant tradesor callings,to gain a living,or

make unlawful advantage thereby; and whereas by the

immoderate use ofthem many mischiefsand inconveniences

do arise,and are daylyfound to the maintaining and en-couraging

of sundry idle,loose,and disorderlypersons in

theirdishonest,lewd, and dissolutecourse of life,and to

the circumventing,deceiving,cousening,and debauching

ofmany oftheyounger sort,both ofthenobilityand gentry,

and others,to the lossof theirprecioustime,and the utter

ruinof theirestates and fortunes,and withdrawing them

from nobleand laudableemployments and exercises." Be itthereforeenacted,thatif any person or persons,

of any degree or quaUty whatsoever,shallby any fraud,

cousenage,circumvention,deceit,"c. in playing at Cards,

Dice,Tables,Tennis,Bowls, Kittles,Shovel-board,or in or

by Cock-fightings,Horse-races,Dog-matches, or Foot-races

"c. or by bettingon the sidesor hands of such as play,win,

obtain,or acquireany sum or sums ofmoney or any other

valuablething; that then every person so offendingshallipsofactoforfeittreblethe sum or valueof money, or other

thing,so won, gained,or acquired.*' And forthe betteravoidingand preventingof allex-cessive

and immoderate playingand gaming forthe time to


come, be itfurtherenacted,thatifany personshallplayat

any of the said games, or any other pastime whatsoever

(otherwisethan with and forreadymoney),or shallbet on

the sidesof such as play,and shallloseany sum of money

or other thing played for,exceedingthe sum of one hundred

pounds, at one time or meeting,upon ticketor credit,or

otherwise,and shallnot pay down the same at the time

when he shallso losethe same, the partywho loseththe

saidmoneys, or other thingsso playedfor,above the said

sum of one hundredpounds, shallnot, inthatcase, be bound

or compelled to pay or make good the same ; and that all

Contracts,Judgments, Statutes,Recognizances,Mortgages,

"c. made, given,acknowledged,or enteredforsecurityand

payment of the same shallbe utterlyvoidand ofnone effect.

And, lastly,it is enacted,that the person, or persons,so

winning the saidmoneys, or otherthings,shallforfeitand

losetreblethe value of allsuch sum and sums of money, or

otherthing which he shallso win (abovethe said sum of

one hundred pounds),the one moiety to the King, and the

otherto the Prosecutor/' The passionfor gaming at that

period,and its consequences to wealthy flats,are thus

describedby Dryden :

" What age so largea crop ofvicesbore,

Or when was avariceextendedmore P

When were the dicewith more profusionthrown ?

Tliewell-filledfob not emptied now alone.

But gamesters forwhole patrimoniesplay:

The stewardbringsthedeedswhich must convey

The lostestate. What more than madness reigns,

When one shortsittingmany hundredsdrains,

And not enough islefthim to supply

Board wages, or a footman'slivery?"

During the reign of Charles II, the businessof card-

making greatlyincreasedinEngland : and thegame appears

to have been so generallyunderstood as to induce many

ingeniouspersons to employ cards not only as a means of

diffusingusefuland entertainingknowledge,but alsoof

150 PLATING CARDS.

advertisingtheirwares. The same mode of instructionwas adopted about the same period in France; but in

England it appears to have embraced a wider range of

subjects; in France,scientificcards appear to have been

devisedfortheexclusiveuse ofthe nobilityand gentry,andto have been confinedto theirinstructionintheconundrums

of heraldryand the elements of historyand geography;i

while in England they were "adapted to the meanest

capacity;'* and in additionto the uses forwhich they were

employed in France,were made subservientto thepurposes

ofcommunicating knowledge in grammar, history,politics,

morality,mathematics,and the art ofcarving.A Mons. De Brainvilleinventedat Lyons, about 16G0, a.

pack of Heraldiccards,in which the Aces and Knaves, "les

As et Valets," were representedby the arms of certain

princesand nobles. Now as thiswas evidentlya breach

of etiquetteand a derogationof heraldicnobility" Mons.

De Brainville,likeMr. Anstis,does not seem to have rightly

understood hisown" foolishbusiness"^" the plateswere

seizedby the magistrates. As it appeared,however, that

he had given offencethrough pure inadvertence,and not

with any satiricalintention,the plateswere restoredto him

' The followingisthetitleof a pack ofgeographicalcards,now lyingbefore

me, which appear to liavebeen engravedin the reign of CharlesII." The

52 CountiesofEngland and Wales, geographicallydescribedin a pack ofCards,

whcrcunto isadded the length,breadth,and circuitof each county,the latitude,

scituation,and distancefrom Loudon of the principalCities,Towns, and llivcrs,

with other Remarks ; as plaineand ready for the playing of allour English

Games as any of the common Cards." The heads of the Kings are shown at

the top of the maps of Hereford, Monmouth, Middlesex, and Yorkshire;of

the Queens at the top of the maps of Durham, Huntingdon, Radnor, andWoreestersliire; and of the Knaves at the top of the maps of Anglesey,Glou-cester,

Leicester,and Rutland. If the deviserhad any particularmeaningin

his assignment of the coat cards,it is not easy to be discoveredj though it

may be "shrewdly guessedat" as respectsMonmouth and York.* Lord Chesterfieldisreportedto have saidto Anstis on one occasion,when

thelatterwas talkingto him aboutheraldry," You sillyman, you do not under-

standyour own foolishbushicss."


on conditionof hisalteringthe odious names of" As" and

"Valets" into Princes and Chevaliers. In 1678 Antome

Bulifon carriedthe same kind of cards to Naples,whereDon AnnibalAquaviva establisheda societyto playat Blazon,

under the name of" Armeristi,"with the map of Europe

fora device,and the motto," Pulchra sub imagine Ludi."^

About the same time thatHeraldiccardswere introduced

intoNaples, a pack of the same kind as theseofMons. De

Brainvillewere engraved in England. In these cards,

specimens of which are given in the annexed plate,the

honours of the severalsuitsare thus represented. Each of

the cards representinga Knave, is marked P, for Prince;

and a stamp appearson the Ace of Spades.

Clubs. "

King, by the arms of thePope.

Queen"

King of Naples.

PuiNCE (Knave) Duke of Savoy.

Ace"

Republicsof Venice,Genoa, and Lucca.

Spades.

King"

King of France. [andDuke ofOrleans.

Queen"

Sons of France, the Dauphin, Duke of Anjou,[andAienpon.

Prince"

Princesofthe Blood" Bourbon,Berry,Vcndome,

Ace"

EcclesiasticalPeers" Rheims, Langrcs,and Laon.

Diamonds.

King"

King of Spain.

Queen "Kmg of Portugal.

Peince"

Castileand Leon.

Ace"

Arragon.

Hearts.

King"

King of England.

Queen"

Emperor of Germany.

Prince"

Bohemia and Hungary.

Ace"

Poland.

In the annexed specimens,which are of the same sizeas

the originals,thehonours representedare theKing ofClubs,

' Menestrier,Bibliothequecurieuseet instructive,tom. ii,p. 180.

152 PLAYING CARDS.

the Queen ofHearts,the King of Diamonds, and the Ace

of Spades. The arms of the Pope, representingthe King

of Clubs,arc those ofClement IX, who was elected20th

June, 1G67, and died 9th December, 1669.

In another pack of Heraldic cards,relatingentirelyto

England, probably engraved about the same period,the

armorialensigns of the King and the nobilitywere thus

distributedamongst the Tetes and Pips} The King andQueen of Hearts were respectivelyrepresentedby the arras

of England and of the Duke of York ; of Diamonds, by the

arms of Ireland,and of Prince Rupert ; of Spades, by the

arms ofFrance, and of the Archbishops of Canterbury andYork ; and of Clubs, by the arms of Scotland,and of the

Dukes of Norfolk,Somerset, and Buckingham. In this

pack therewere no Knaves. The arms of the Earlswere

distributedamongst the sevens, eights,nines,and tens ; the

Viscountsfurnishedthe sixes;the Bishops were quarteredon the fives; and the Barons' coats armorial clothedthe

nakedness of the lower orders,from thefoursto the aces, "

the aces in the Heraldic game being low. From a kind

of title-page,or perhaps wrapper, preservedin Bagford's

collection,in the BritishMuseum, itwould appear thatthe

publicationof those cards was licensedby the Duke ofNorfolk,as Earl Marshal of England, and as such entitledto take cognizanceof allmatters relatingto heraldry.

In playing the game armorialwith Heraldic cards,the

players were required to properly describe the various

colours and charges of the differentshields;but as this

could not be done without some previous knowledge ofthe

scienceof heraldry,a Mons. Gauthier was led to devise,

about 1686, a new pack of Heraldic cards,simply explain-ingthe terms ofblazon,and thus servingas an introduction

" By card-makersthe coat cards" Kiug, Queen, and Knave" are teelinically

termed teies,and the otherspips.

The Pope

T^keCMPiROUHI

CastiileHLeon

WMS^\W^

"cleslasticks

DukesandPcirs

i


to the grand game.^ The Heraldicgame, however, never

was popular; and does not even appear to have been in

much esteem with the higher orders,forwhose instruction

and entertainmentitwas speciallydevised. Itwould seem

to have declinedin France with the gloryof Louis XIV,

and not to have survivedthe Revolutionin England.

About 1679, therewas publisheda pack of cards,con-taining,

accordingto the advertisement,** An Historyofall

thePopish Plotsthathave been in England,beginningwiththosein Queen Elizabeth'stime,and ending with thelast

damnable plotagainsthis MajestyCharles II, with the

manner of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey'smurder, "c. All

excellentlyengraved on copper-plates,with very large

descriptionsunder each card. The Hke not extant. Sold

by Randal Taylor,near StationersHall,and by most book-sellers,

priceOne Shillingeach pack." In a"

pufFcollu-sive,''^formhig a kind of postscriptto thisannouncement,

approbationofthesecardsisthus indirectlymade a testof

staunchProtestantism." Some personswho care not what

theysay,and to whom lyingisas necessaryas eating,have

endeavoured to asperse thispack by a mahtious Ubel,

intimatingthatit did not answer what isproposed. The

contraryis evident. Aspersers of thispack plainlyshow

themselvespopishlyaffected."^Such a pack ofcardsas thatannounced in the advertise-ment

referredto"

"

containingan historyofallthe popish

plotsthathave been in England, beginningwith thosein

* " Jeu d'Armoires,ou tous lestermes du Blazonsontexpliqudset rangdspar^

ordre. Dedid a Monseigneur le Due de Bourgogne. Se vend a Paris,cbez

Vallct,dcssinateuret graveur du Roy." The privilegeto the author,Sieur

Gauthicr,isdated15th December,1C8G.* "The PUFF COLLUSIVE isthe newest of any; foritaetsinthedisguiseof

determinedhostility.It is mucli used by bold bookspllersand enterprising

poets."" The Critic,act i. The "puff collusive"was not.an inventionof

Sheridan'stime,but merelytherevivalof an oldtrick.* Tiicadvertisementof thosecardsispreservedamongst Bagford'scollections,

HarleianMSS. No. 5947.

154 PLAYING CARDS."

Queen Elizabeth'stime"" I have never seen ; and fromthe

objectionwhich was made to it at the time,namely,that" itdid not answer what was proposed,"I am inclinedto

think that it was the same pack as that which relates

entii'clyto the pretended Popish plot of 1678, and the

murder of SirEdmundbury Godfrey.'

A pack ofthelatter

now beforeme appearsto have been pubHshed about 1680,

and certainlysubsequentto the 18th of July,1679; as on

the Four of Clubs is representedthe trialof SirGeorge

Wakeman and three Benedictinemonks, who on thatday

were arraignedat the Old Baileyon an indictmentof high

treasonfor conspiringto poison the king. The complete

pack consistsof fifty-twocards; and each containsa sub-ject,neatlyengraved,eitherrelatingto the plot or the

trialand punishment of the conspirators,with a briefex-planation

at the foot. At the top are the marks of the

suit;and the value of the low cards,from one to ten,

is expressed in Roman numerals. The suits of Hearts,

Diamonds, and Clubs consistchieflyof illustrationsofihc pretendedplot,as detailedin the evidenceof Titus

Dates and Captain Bedloe; whilethe suitof Clubs relates

entirelyto the murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. An

ideaof thewhole pack may be formed from the following

descriptionof a few of the cardsof each suit. Hearts :

King : the King and privycouncillorsseatedat the council-

table; TitusGates standingbeforethem : inscriptionat the

foot,**Dr. Oatesdiscovereth / Plot to f King and Coun-

cell! The Eight:" Coleman writeinga declarationand

lettersto la Chess,''" Pere laChaise. The Ace : the Pope

with threecardinalsand a bishop at a table,and the devil

underneath:" The Plotfirsthatcht at Borne hy thePope

and Cardinalls,Sfd' Diamonds:. Knave: '' Pickerinat-tempts

to Mil / K. in S' James Park." The Four:" IFIdtehreadmade ProvintialC The Ace :

'* The consult

at thewhitehorseTaverneJ\Clubs : King :" Cap*Bedlow


examind by f secretComiteeofthe Home ofCommons ^The Nine :

" Father Comyers preaching againstjf oathes

ofalegiance8f supremacyy The Six :" Cap^ Berry and

Alderman Brooks are offerd 500" to cast theplot on the

Protestants'' Spades : Queen :*' The Club at ifBlow

Ale housefor the nfurtherofS. E. B. Godfree."TheNine :

" S''B. B. Godfreestrangled,Girald going to stabhimr The Five :

" The body ofS' K B, G, carryd to

Frimrose hillon a horseJ*

Another pack of historicalcards,apparentlypublishedin

the same reign,but of inferiorexecutionto the former,

appears to have relatedto the Rye-house plot. As these

cardsare of even greaterraritythan those relatingto the

Popishplot,the followingdescriptionof fourof them " allthat I have ever seen " is here given as a stimulusto col-lectors.

Queen of Hearts :" Tliompson one of if con-

spiratorstaken at Hammersmith.''* Knave of Diamonds:'' Rumhold the malstcr;' on a labelproceedingfrom his

mouth isthe inscription," They shalldye'* Ace of Clubs:

''Keelingtroubledin mind:** on a labelproceedingfrom

his mouth," King killingis damnable.** Ace of Spades :

'* Ho7ie taken prisoner at Cambridge!* Shortlyafterthe

Revolutionof IG88, one or two packs of cards appeared

with subjectsrelatingto the misgovernmcnt of James II,

and the birthofhis son thePrinceofWales. In the reign

ofcither.CharlesII or James II was publisheda pack of

mathematical cards, by Thomas Tuttell,"mathematical

instrument-maker to the King's most excellentMajesty.'*Those cards were designed by Boitard,and engraved by

J. Savage; they representvariouskinds of mathematical^

instruments,together with the trades and professionsin

which they are used. They were evidently"

got up" as an

advertisement. A few years afterwards,Moxon, also a

mathematicalinstrument-maker,followedsuit.

*' Itwould be difficult,'*saysMons. Leber, " to name an

156 PLAYING CARDS.

elementarybook of scienceor art,which had not a pack of

cardsas an auxiliary.Grammar, Rhetoric,Fable,Geography,

History,Heraldry,the principlesof Morals and Politics,"

allthesethings,and many othersbesides,were to be learnt

through the medium of play. The game of cards had

servedforthe amusement of a royal lunatic; and similar

games were comprehended in the plan forthe educationofone of our greatestkings.

^" Though France had a large

sharein the disseminationof such treasures of knowledge,

England showed herselfnot lessdiligentin working the

same mine ; if to us she owes the game of Piquet,it is

from her own proper resources thatshe has endowed the

culinaryart with a game of a differentkind, yet highly

interestingconsideredinitsrelationto the play of thejaws,the most ancientand highlyesteemed of allplay. It was

in December, 1C92, thattheLondon papersfirstannounced

to the worldthe inventionofthe game of Carving at Table.

Tliispreciousannouncement is conceive^din the following

terms: 'The Genteel Housekeeper's Pastime; or the

mode of Carving at the table,representedin a pack ofPlayingCards,with a book by which any ordinarycapacity

may learnhow to cut up, or carve in mode, allthe most

" "Principallygames ofgeography,history,and metamorphoses,engravedby

DeliaBella,from plansfurnishedby thepoet Desmarets,tofaeilitatethestudies

ofLouis XIV when a child. Tlieideaissaidto have been suggestedby Car-dinal

]\Iazarine.""

^Apack of militarycards,Avithinstructionsfor playingthe

game, devisedby the SicurDes Martins,and dedicatedto " Son AltesseleDue

de Maine, Colonel-gcn6raldes Suisscs,"appeared in 1676. His Highness the

Colonel-general,who was the son of Louis XIV and Madame Montespan, was

then sixyearsold.By the favourof P. IX.Atkinson,Esq., of Manchester, an assiduousand

intelligentcollectorofcuriousbooks,I have had an opportunityof examiningtwo setsofFrench HistoricCards,without date,but probablypublishedabout1G90. One ofthem is entitled

" Cartes des Rois de Prance. A Paris,chezP. Le Comte, rue St.Jaqucs,an Chifrcdu Roi." The titleof the otheris," Jeu des Rcyncs Renommces. A Paris,chez Henri leGras,Librairie,au 3*

pilierde lagrande Salledu Palais." Both setsappearedto have been designed

exclusivelyforthepurpose ofinstruction,and not forplay.

PROGRESS OP CARD-PLAYCNG. 157

usualdishesof flesh,fish,fowl, and baked meats, withthe

severalsawces and garnishes proper to each dish of meat.

Price 1^. 6d, Sold by J. Moxon, Warwick Lane/ "^ In

thosecards the suitof Hearts is occupied by flesh; Dia-monds

by fowl; Clubs by fish; and Spades by baked

meats. The King of Hearts presidesover a sirloinof beef;

of Diamonds over a turkey ; ofClubs over a pickledherring;

and of Spades over a venison pasty. A red stamp on the

Ace of Spades belonging to a pack which I have had an

opportunityof examining,containsthe words" Six pence."

Ifthiswas the duty on each pack,it was certainlygreatforthe period.

In the reign of Queen Anne and thatof George I,several

packs of satiricaland fancifulcardswere published. A pack

of the latterdescription,now in the possessionof Thomas

Heywood, Esq., of Pendleton, near Manchester, relates

entirelyto thesubjectof love. Each cardisneatlyengraved

on copper ; and, from the stamp on the Ace of Spades,it

appearsevidentthat they were manufactured and soldfor

the purposes of play. The subjectof thiscard is a Cupid

plucking a rose, with the inscription" In loveno pleasure

without pain/'and the followingverses at the foot:

"As when wo reachto crop y' blooming rose

From offitsby*r,y" thornswillinterpose;

So when we strivethe beauteousnym})h to gain,

Y" pleasureswe pursue arc mixed with pain."

" About the same periodMoxon, "glancingfrom heaven to earth,from earth

to heaven," published a pack of Astronomical Cards. In the lifeof Beau

Hewitt, in Lucas's Memoirs of the Lives,Litrigues,and Comical Adventures

of the most Famous Gamesters and Celebrated Sharpers in the reigns of

CharlesH, James n, WiUiam III,and Queen Anne, 1714, the Beau isrepre-sented

as having "most assiduouslystudiedthe use of the geometricalplaying-

cards,set forth by Monsieur Des Cartes,the famous French philosopherand

mathematician; but that findingthe demonstrationsof thatgreat man to be

founded on no certainty,he resolvedto try his luck at dice." It is saidthat

"

Pascal'sattentionwas firstdirectedto the calculationof chances inconsequence

of some questionsproposed to him by the Chevalierde Mere, a greatgamester.

158 PLATING CARDS.

Allthe othercardshave,inthe same manner, explanatory

verses at the foot. The mark of the suit is placedat the

top,to the left,and above it is engraved the valueof the

card,in Roman numerals. In the coat cards,the name of

each," King, Queen, or Knave " is engraved above the

mark of the suit. This pack has been in the possessionofMr. licywood'sfamilyforupwards of a century.

A pack of satiricalcards,belonging to W. H. Diamond,

Esq.,Frithstreet,Soho square,appear to have been executed

about the same time. Each subjecthas an explanatory

coupletat the bottom, and the value of each in the gameisindicatedby a smallcard engraved at the top,to the left.

As in the other pack, thereis a red stamp on the Ace ofSpades. All the subjectsare coarselyengraved, though

some of them displaypointsof charactervery much in the

style of Hogarth. In the Tln-ee of Spades there is a

billiard-table,atwhich a gentleman isplayingwith a curvedcue. The inscriptionis:

" Think not a losinggamester willbe fair,^

Who at y" bestne*re playdupon the square."

In the Ten of Spades,a Moorfieldsquack is seen pointingto hissign,with the inscription:

"To famed MoorfieldsI daylydo repair;Killworms, cure itch,and make y" ladiesfair.*'

In the Ace ofDiamonds, a ladyisseen showing her palmto a fortune-teller,with the inscription:

V "How can yon hope thisGipscydrabbshouldknow

The Fates decrees,and who was made foryou."

In the Four of Diamonds, a lady is seen exchanging some

of her clothesfor china ware, with an itinerantdealer.

The inscriptionis:

" Your pockets,madam, surelyare wondrous bare.

To sellyour very clothesforchina ware."


In the Ten of Diamonds, the interiorof a shop isshown,

with articlesofplateon the shelves. A woman isstandingbehind the counter, on which are a box and dice,and in

frontare a ladyand gentleman who seem to havejustthrown.The inscriptionis:

"At Epsom oftthese raflflingsI have seen.

But assignation'swhat they chieflyeacan."

In England, books containinginstructionsforplayingat

cards appear to have been firstpublished in the reignofCharlesII,to the great benefit,most assuredly,of alladepts

who had acquiredtheirknowledge by practice; forin card-

playing,as well as in chemistry,the experiencedmanipu-latorshave a greatadvantage over the merely book-learned

when matters are brought to the test. The realscienceof

playisnot to be acquired by the study of books,but by

frequent encounters across the table,with men, whose

keenness ensures attentionto the rules of the game. But,

even with the knowledge thus acquired,the proficientwill

gain but little,unlesshe alsobe skilledinthediscrimination

of flatsand sharps.In 1670, an editionof a book entitled

' Wits Interpreter,'

was enlargedwith directionsforplayingthe" Courtly Games

of L'Hombre, Piquit,Gleek, and Cribbage;" and in 1674

appeared Cotton's " Compleat Gamester ; or, Instructions

how to play at all manner of usual and most Gentile

games, eitheron Cards, Dice, Billiards,Trucks, Bowls, or

Chess." This book was severaltimesreprinted; and in an

editionpublishedin 1709, the followingare enumerated as

the principalgames at cards: Piquet; Glcek; L'Ombre, a

Spanish game ; Cribbage ; All-Pours; EngUsh Ruff and

Honours, aliasSlam ; Whist ; French Ruff; Kve Cards ; a

game calledCostly Colours; Bone-Ace; Put, and the High

Game ; Wit and Reason, a game so called; a Pastime called

the Art of Memory ; a game calledPlain-Dealing;a game

160 PLATING CARDS.

calledQueen Nazareen;Lanterloo;a game calledPenneecli;

Bankafalet; Beast ;* and Basset.^

The game of Whist, or Whisk, as it seems to have been

usuallycalled,isunquestionablyofEnglish origin,and ap-pears

tohave been popularlongbeforeitbecame fashionable.

"Let Indiavaunt her children'svast address,

Who firstcontrivedthe warlikesport of Chess ;

Let nicePiquettethe boast of France remain.

And studiousOmbre be the prideofSpain ;

Invention'spraiseshallEngland yieldto none,

While she can calldelightfulWhist her own.

But to what name we thisdistinctionowe,

Is not so easy forus now to know :

The Britishannalsallare silenthere.

Nor deign one friendlyhint our doubts to clear:

Ev'n Hume himself,whose philosophicmind

Could not but lovea pastime so refin'd:

UngratefulHume, who, tillhisdying day.

Continuedstillhisfav'ritegame to play;'

Tho* many a curiousfacthispage supplies.

To thisimportantpointa placedenies."*

Barrington'sobservationson theintroductionofthe gameinto respectablecompany, are as follows: " Quadrille(a

speciesof Ombre)obtained a vogue upon the disuseofthe

latter,which itmaintainedtillWhisk was introduced,whichnow [1787]prevailsnot only in England, but in most of

" In the text.Beast issaidto be calledby the French " La Bett" [LaBete],* The followingappear to have been the principalgames at cards playedin

England beforethe reign of Charles11 : the game of Trumps, in the time ofEdward VI ; Prunero, Maw, Lodam, Noddy, La Volta, and Bankerout,men-tioned

by SirJohn Harrington ; and Glcek, Crimp, Mount-Saint, Knave out ofDoors, Post and Pair, and RuiF, mentioned in Dodsley's Collectionof Old

Plays." See Barringtonand Bowie on Card-playing,intheArchxologia,vol.viii.* " Upon hisreturn to Edinburgh,though he found himselfweaker, yet liis

cheerfulnessnever abated; and he continued to diverthimself,as usual,with

correctingliisown works fora new edition,with readingbooks of amusement,

with the conversationof hisfriends;and sometimes,intheevening,witha party

at hisfavoritegame of whist."-"Dr. Adam Smith,Letter to Wm. Strahan.* Whist, a poem in twelve Cantos. By Alexander Thomson, Esq.,p. 21.

Second Edition,1792.


the civilizedparts of Europe.* If it may not possiblybe

supposed that the game of Trumps (whichI have before

taken noticeof,as alluded to in one of the old playscon-tainedin Dodsley'sCollection)isWhisk, I ratherconceive

that the firstmention of thatgame is to be found in

Farquhar's ' Beaux Stratagem,*which was written in the

very beginning of the presentcentury.^ It was then played

with what were calledSwahhers which were possiblyso

termed, because they who had certaincards in theirhand

were entitledto take up a shareof the stake,independent

ofthe generalevent ofthe game. 'The fortunate,therefore,

clearingthe board of this extraordinarystake,might be

compared by seamen to the Swabbers (orcleanersof the

deck),in which sense the term is stillused. Be thisas it

may. Whisk seems never to have been played on principles

tillabout fiftyyearsago, when itwas much studiedby a set

of gentlemen who frequented the Crown coffee-housein

Bedford row : before that time it was confinedchieflyto

the servants'hallwith All-Foursand Put."

' Mr. Barrington seems to have obtained his informationrespecting the

successionof Whist to Quadrillefrom an authoritywhom he did not liketo

acknowledge, namely, Sir CalculationPuzzle, in the Humours of Whist.

"Egad, you remind me, Sir John, of an observationI have made too; which

is,that as long as Quadrilleand Ombre were the games in vogue, we certainly

were under French influence.Whereas sinceWhist has come in fashion,you

see our politicsare improved upon us."" The Humours of Whist. A Dra-matic

Satire,as acted every day at White's, and other Coffee-housesand

Assemblies. 8vo, 1743.' From the followingpassage in the 'Beaux Stratagem,*act ii,scene 1,

T^Tiiskismentioned by Mrs. Sullen in a disparagingmanner, as ifitwere fit

only for rustics:

Dorinda. You sharein allthe pleasuresthatthe country affords.

Mrs. Sullen. Country pleasures! racks and torments ! Dost think,child,

thatmy limbsare made for leapingof ditches,and clamberingover styles?or

thatmy parents,wiselyforeseeingmy futurehappinessincountrypleasures,had

earlyinstructedme inthe ruralaccomplishmentsofdrinkingfatale,playingat

whisk,and smoking tobacco v/ithmy husband ?"

" " * The clergymen used to play at Whisk and Swabbers*" ^vf'iii."

11

1G2 PLAYING CARDS.

From Mr. Barrington'sown referencesitwould appearto have been a favoritegame vrithcountry squiresabout

1707, the date of the Beaux Stratagem; and occasionally

indulgedin by clergymen about 1728, the date of Swift's

Essay on theFatesof Clergymen. Their example,however,

seems to have been unable to retrieveitfrom the character

ofvulgarity,untilit was seriouslytaken up by "a setof

gentlemen,"who appear to have commenced theirstudies

at the Crown coffee-house,in Bedford row, justabout thetimethattheTreatiseon Whist, by " Edmond Hoyle, Gent.,''

was firstpublishedby Thomas Osborne, at Gray'sInn.

The studiesof such gentlemen, and the celebrityof their

scientificinstructor,are thuscommemorated inthe prologueto the * Humours ofWhist,'a dramaticsatirequoted in the

precedingpage.

" Who willbelievethatman coulde*er existWho spent near halfan age in studying"Whist;

Grow grey with Calculation," Labour hard!"

As ifLife'sbusinesscentredin a cardP

That such thereis,letme to thoseappeal,Wlio with such liberalhands reward hiszeal.Lo 1 Whist liemakes a science; and our Peers

Deign to turn school-boysiiitheirriperyears;Kings too,and Vice-roys,proud to playthe game,Devour hislearnedpage in quest of Fame :

While lordlysharpersdupe away at White's,

And scarce leaveone poor cullforcommon bites."

Though Mr. Barringtonhas not assignedany groundsforsupposingthat Whist was the same game as thatwhich

was formerlycalledTrumps, or Trump, it is not unhkelythathe was induced to suggestthepossibilityoftheirbeing

the same from hishaving read,in* The Compleat Gamester,'

thatWhist differedbut littlefrom the game calledEnglish

Ruff and Honours, and in consequenceof hishaving learnt,

from Cotgrave'sDictionary,that RufF and Trump were

PROGRESS OY CARD-PLAYING. 163

the same.^ He says,in a note, that" In 1664, a book was

pubKshed, entitled' The CorapleatGamester,'which takes

no noticeof Whisk." Though it be true that " Whisk"

isnot named in the firsteditionof the book " printedin

1674, not 1664 "

^yetthe followingpassage,distinctlyassert-ing

thatWhist was then a common game in allparts ofEngland, appears in the second editionpublishedin 1680.

" Ruff and Honours (bysome calledSlam),and Whist,

are games so common in England, in allpartsthereof,that

everychildalmost, of eightyears,hath a competent know-ledge

in thatrecreation; and thereforeI am more unwillingto speak anything more of them than this,that theremaybe a greatdealof art used in dealingand playingat these

games, which differvery littleone from the other." In the

'Memoirs of the most Famous Gamesters,from the reign ofCharlesII,to thatof Queen Anne,' 1714, a sharpernamedJohnson, who was hanged in 1690, ismentioned as having

excelledin the art of securing honours for himself and

partnerwhen dealingat Whist ; and inthe works of Taylor

theWater-poet,printedin 1630, Whisk ismentioned among

the games at which the prodigalsquandershismoney :

" The prodigallsestateliketo a flux,

The Mercer, Draper,and the Silkman sucks:

The Taylor,Millainer,Dogs, Drabs, and Dice,

Trey-trip,or Passage, or the Most-at-thricc.

At Irish,Tick-tacke,Doublets,Drauglits,or Chesse,

lieflingshismoney freewitlicarclcssucsso:

At Novum, Mumchance, Mischance (chusoyo whicli),At Onc-and-thirty,or at Poor-and-rich,

RuiTc,SlamiTi-ump,Noddy, Whisk, Hole,Sant,New-cut.

Unto the keeping offourKnaves he'llput

Iliswhole estate; at Loadura or at Glceke,

At Tickle-mcquickly,he'sa merry Greek ;

" "Whist is a game not much differingfrom this"[EnglishRuff and Ho-nours]."

Compleat Gamester, p. 86. Edit.1709. "Triomphe, the card-game

calledRuffe, or Tinimp."" Cotgrave'sFrench and EnglishDictionary.Edit.

1611.

164 PLAYING CARDS.

At Primifisto,Post-andpayre,Primero,

Maw, Wliip-her-ginnv,he'sa liberalhero;'

At My-sow pigg'd: but (reader,never doubtye)lie'sskill'dinallgames, except Looke aboutye.Bowles, Shove-groat,Tennis,no game comes amiss.His purse a nurse foranybody is;

Carochcs,Coaches,and Tobacconists,

All sortsofpeoplefreelyfrom hisfiscs

His vaineexpensesdailysuckc and soake.And he himselfsuckcs only drinkeand smoake.And thus the Prodigall,himselfealone.Givessucke to thousands,and himselfsuekisnone.**'

In an editionof' The Compleat Gamester'of 1709, itis

saidthatthe game of Wliistis so calledfrom thesilencethatisto be observedin the play; and Dr. Johnson,from

the manner in which he explainsthe term, seems to have

favouredthisopinion:" Whist, a game at cards,requiring

closeattentionand silence." The name, however,appearsmore likelyto have been a corruptionof the olderone ofWhisk. As thegame of Whisk and Swabbers was nearlythe same as thatofthe stillolderone ofRuff and Honours,

itwould seem that the two former terms were merely the

ludicrous synonyms of the latter," introduced perhaps

about the time thatRufifswere going out of fashion,and

when the Honours representedby the coat cards were at a

discount. The factthat a game, so interestingin itself,

shouldbe so slighted,as it was, by the higherorders,from

the reignof CharlesII to thatof George II, would seem to

" Taylor'sMotto : Et habeo,et careo, et euro.

" The writerof an articleon Whist, in the Foreign QuarterlyReview, No.

48,discussingtheetymologyofthename, says:" The Irishinjunction,Whisht "

" be quiet,'may be thought to requireconsideration.It isthe exact form of

the word, barringonlythe pure * ; but thisisnot the Sibboleth,or touchstone,

here. At the utmost, the difficultyisbut a dialecticalvariety,elegantuscausa,

for the sake of elegance; justas shoup, for soup."" Nares, in hisGlossary,

tinderthe word Whist, an exclamationenjoiningsilence,says of the game,** That the name of Whist isderivedfrom this,isknown, I presume,to allwho

play,or do not play."


intimatethatthey were well aware of theridiculeintended

to be conveyed by itspopularname of Whisk and Swabbers.

Looking at theconjunctionof theseterms, and considering

theirprimary meaning,^ there can scarcelybe a doubt that

the formerwas theoriginalof Whist, the name under which

the game subsequentlyobtainedan introductionto fashion-able

society,the Swabbers having been deposed and the

Honours restored.In playing the game. Swabbers seem to have signified

eitherthe Honours, or the points gained through holding

them. At the older game of Ruif and Honours, Ruff

signifiedthe Trump. Itwould appear thatwhen the Ruff

was called a Whisk, in ridiculeof the Ruff proper,the

Honours, or pointsgained through them were," in concate-nation

accordingly,designatedSwabbers." In the presentday, a Parisiantailorcalls,facetiously,the shirt-ruffleof a

shopmatc a damping clout; and PhilipStubbcs, in his* Anatomic of Abuses,' 1583, thus speaksof the ruffsofthe

gallantsof histime :** Thei have great and monsterous

ruffes,made eitherof cambricke, hoUand, lawne, or els

of some other the finestcloththat can be.got for money,

whereof some be a quarterof a yardedeepe,yea some more,

veryfew lesse: so thattheistande a fullquarterof a yarde

(andmore)from their necks,hanging over theirshoulder

pointsinsteadof a vaile. But ifiEolus with his blasts,or

Neptune with his stormes, chaunce to hit upon the crasie

barke of thek bruised ruffes,then they goeth flip-flapin

the winde, likeragges thatflew abroode, lying upon their

shoulderslikethe dishclouteof a slut."

In the reign of Queen Anne, card-playingseems to have

attaineditsfulltidein everypart of civihzedEurope. In

England, in particular,it was at once fashionableand

" A Whisk, a smallkind of besom : a swab or swabber,a kind of mop.

166 PLAYING CARDS.

popular; Ombre was the favoritegame of the ladies; andPiquet of the gentlemen,par excellence;clergymen and

countrysquiresrubbed on at Whist ; and the lower orders

shuffledaway at All-Fours,Put, Cribbage, and Lanterloo.

Subsequently some of the games may have been more

diligentlystudied,and the chances more nicelycalculated"

on principles,"but at no othertime,eitherbeforeor since,

was card-playingmore prevalent amongst people of all

classes.The more pious indeed did theirbest to discourage

the generalpassionfor play ; but their dissuasionsappear

to have produced but littleeffect; as indeed might be

expectedat a periodwhen one of the firststatesmen of the

time piqued himselfrather on his skillin gaming than on

hispoliticalreputation,and when kind landlords,of the

SirRoger dc Covcrlcyschool,used to send a stringofhog's

puddings and a pack of cards as a Christmas giftto every

poor familyin the parish.^ The characterof the statesman

alluded to" Lord Godolphin, who died 1712,^" is thus

sketchedby Pope in hisfirstMoral Epistle:

" Wlio would not praisePatricio*shigh desert.

His hand unstained,bisuncorruptcdheart,

His eomprehcnsivc head !allinterestsweighed.All Europe saved,yet Britainnot betrayedP

He thanks you not ; hisprideisin piquette,Newmarket fame,and judgementin a bet."

The followingparticularsrelatingto the manufactureof

cardsin the reign of Queen Anne, are derivedfrom a broad-side

entitled" Considerationsin relationto the Imposition

on Cards, humbly submitted to the Hon. House of

" "Whist; by an Amateur: itsHistory and Practice,"p. 28, 1843." A

beautifullittlebook,with appropriateillustrations,designedby Kenny Meadows,

and engraved on wood by Orrin Smith and W. J.Linton.* " Oldsworth upbraidedthe kte Earl of Godolpliinwith having a race-horse,

and the Earl of Sunderland with having a library,very Iionestlyinsinuatingthat

tlieformermade an iJluse of the one, and thelatterno use atidloftlieother.""The Censor censured; or Cato turned Cataline,a pamphlet,published

in 1722.


Gommons." Itiswithout date,but was certainlyprintedin the reignof Queen Anne, for the purpose ofbeing cir-culated

among the members of the House of Commons on

the occasionof a proposalto lay a tax of sixpenceper packon cards.

" Nine partsin ten of the cardsnow made," itis

stated,"are soldfrom 6^.to 24^.per gross;and even these

at Gs.willby thisduty be subjectedto "3 12^. tax. This,

with submission, will destroy nine parts in ten of the

manufacture ; forthosecardswhich are now bought forSd.

[perpack]can't then be affordedunder lOd. or Is. Ifany

of your honours hope by thistax to suppressexpensivecard-

playing,itisenswered that the common sort who play for

innocent diversion will only be hindered; the sharp

gamesterswho playformoney willnot be discouraged; for

thosewho play formany pounds a game willnot be hin-dered

by 12"^.a pack." There were then 40,000 reams ofGenoa white paper annuallyimported,chieflyforthepurpose

of making cards. The businesswas in the hands of small

masters, mostly poor,of whom there were no lessthan a

hundred, in and about London. Their price to retailers,

one sort of cards with another, was tlu^eehdfpence a pack,

and their profitnot above a halfpenny. Though cards

were at that period much smallerthan they are at present,

itisdifficultto conceivehow they could be manufactured at

so low a price.

As Pope's descriptionof the game of Ombre in theRape

of the Lock has been so frequentlyreferredto by writersof

allkinds," whether treating,likeRichard Seymour, Esq.,

on Court Games, or, like Miss Mitford,on Coimtry Con-tentments,^

" the omission of a referenceto ithere might be

* "Mr.. Pope's beautifuldescriptionof the maimer of playingthisgame.""

Seymour's Court Gamester, 1722." "It isBelinda'sgame in the Rape of the

Lock, where every incidentin the whole deal isso described,thatwhen Ombre

is forgotten(anditisalmost so already)itmaybe revivedwith posterityfrom

that admirablepoem."" Barrington on the Antiquityof Card-playing.Pope's

168 PLAYING CARDS.

considereda grossoversight; but as itisimpossibleto go a

pitchbeyond the encomiums which have been bestowed on

it,the followingremarks by an old author may be intro-duced

as a variation:" Mr. Pope, too, most certainlyhas

hismerit ; yet the generalityof politemen heed him little

more than a pack-horseupon the road; they hear thejingleof hisbellsand pass on, without thinkingof the treasurehe

carries. I have frequentlythought it odd, that in allthe

good company I have kept,I never heard a linequoted from

any partof him, unless,now and then, an accidentalone,

from hisbeautifuland accurate descriptionof the game ofOmbre."^

During the greater portion of the " Georgian Era" it

would seem thatcards were as much played at by allclasses

as in thereignofQueen Anne. In the earlypartofGeorge I,

.Seymour published his * Court Gamester,' written, as the

title-pagestates,forthe use of the young Princesses.^ The

onlygames ofwhich Mr. Seymour treats arc Ombre, Piquet,

and the Royal Game of Chess. His instructionsforplaying

at Ombre and Piquet are minute and precise,and have all

the appearance of having been adapted for royalcapacities.At cards with princesses,he may have been a master, in

both senses of the word, and have played,in any company,

a" decent hand ;" but at Chess, it is evident,he was a

mere novice,""

aut caprimulgus,aut fossor." Though, in

the title-page,the work issaidto have been writtenforthe

use of the young princesses,yet,in the preface,the author

Grotto,and Hampton Court,excitein the mind of Miss Mitford "vividimages

of the fairBelindaand of the inimitablegame at Ombre." " Our Village,fourth

series.' SeriousReflectionson the dangerous tendency of the common practiceof

Card-playing;especiallythe game of All-Fours,as it hath been publickly

playedat Oxford inthispresent year of our Lord, 1754," The Princesseswere the daughtersof George Prince of Wales, afterwards

George II. One of them, Amelia, in her old maidenhood, was a regukr visitor

at Bath, seekinghealthat the pump, and amusement at the card-table.


candidlyacknowledges that he had been inducedto compileitforthe fashionableworld at large,seeing that "

gaminghad become so much the fashionamong the beau-monde,

that he who in company should appear ignorant of the

games in vogue would be reckoned low-bred and hardlyfitforconversation." In hisexplanationoftheSpanish terms

'

employed in the game of Ombre, he is laudablyprecise;though when he rendersthe words,

'' Nose deve,por Bios'"

by ''Bis not lost,hy G"dl' he seems wishfulrather to

givethe spiritof the exclamationthan the simple meaning

of the phrase,and to be emphatic even at the risk of ap-pearing

profane. It is to be hoped that the princesses

confinedthemselves to the originalSpanish,and that they

were ignorant that it contained an oath, supposing the

objectionableEnglish words to be merely added, eleganticecausa, by theirpoliteteacher.

About the time that Seymour's.' Court Gamester' was

firstpublished,a spiritofgambling seems to have pervaded

allclasses. Skillin the games at cardsmost in vogue was

a test of gentility; stock-jobbing,or speculatingfor a riseor a fallin the public funds,had become a regular trade;

and even pious ministers,of high dissentingprinciples,wholooked on card-playing as sinful,scrambled as eagerlyas

the most profane for sharesof South Sea stock,and were

blindedto the sense of Christianduty by the dazzlinghope

of becoming suddenly rich. The South Sea bubble,

however, at length burst,and itspromoters and theirdupes

were appropriatelycaricaturedin a pack of cards.* The

South Sea directors,insteadof having thousands of pounds

presented to them by the shareholders,as a tributeto

theirspeculativegenius,were summoned before a parlia-

' About 1721, a pack of cardswas published,ridiculingthe principalbubble

schemes ofthe day,but more especiallythe South Sea project.About the same

time, a set of caricaturecards,ridiculingthe Mississippischeme, was publishedin Holland.

170 PLAYING CARDS.

mcntary committee to give an account of their estates.

Parliamentarycommitteeshave of latebeen employed fora

purposewidelydifferent:

"

multiCommittiinteadem diversecriminafato:

Illecrucem pretium scelcristulit,hiediadema.**

About 1737, Iloyle's'Treatiseon Whist' was firstpub-lished.The work, which seems to have been admirably

adaptedtothewants ofsocietyatthetime,was most favorably

received; and in the course of the succeedingten or twelve

yearsit ran through as many editionsas LindleyMurray's

Grammar, in the same period,in modern times. Itproveda "lucky hit,"both for the authorand the publisher,who

took everyprecautionto secure theircopyright: injunctionswere held up in terrorem againstpirates; and purchaserswere informed that no copies of the work were genuine

unless they bore the signaturesof

^m^r^ Jhy^AND

^TAd-.O^ijnM,The race of "Wits/'who had previouslyexercisedno

smallinfluenceon the world of fashion,was then on the

decline; thebeau-monde had acquiredthe ascendency over

Grub street; and gentlemen of rank and fashionformed

themselvesinto clubs,for the purposes of gaming and

socialintercourse,from which threadbarepoets and hack

pamphleteerswere excluded by the very terms of sub-scription,

to say nothing of the preliminaryordealof the

ballot. Those were the golden days of Beau Nash ; when

George the Second was king ; and his son, the Duke of


Cumberland, the patron of Broughton and Figg; whenGibber was Poet-Laureate, and when Qum's brutality

passed for wit ; when the Guards, the pride of the army,were such heroes as we see them in Hogarth^s March to

Finchley; and when such statesmen as Bubb Doddington

had the entree, by the back stairs,both at LeicesterHouse

and St.James's. Even those who professedto correct the

vicesof the age seem in some degree to have been infected

with its spirit; Richardson,the noveUst,writingwith the

ostensibledesign of reforming" Rakes'' and retaining

innocent young women in the paths of virtue,seems oftento indulge,more especiallyin Pamela and ClarissaHarlowe,

in describing scenes and suggesting circumstanceswhich

only could have been conceivedby a prurientimagination;

and even John Wesley appears to have encouraged hispoor

convertedsinnersto exaggeratetheirpettyvices,when speak-ing

their experience at a love-feast,and to dwell,with a

peculiarkind of complacency,on theirformer stateof carnal

wickedness as compared with theirpresentstate,of spiritual

grace," justas William Huntington, S.S., when in the

fulnessof sanctity,dwelt on the memory of his former

backslidings,and told allthe world, with ill-dissembled

pride,that his first-bornlove-begottenson was an exact

copy of hisfather,both in humoiu* and in person.

The reign of Beau Nash at Bath forms a" brilliant"era

in the annals of ostentatiousfrivolity.Under hisauspices

the City of the Sick^became the favoriteplaceof resort for

the fashionableand the gay; and in the pools where

formerlylepersalone washed to cleansethem of theirsores,

smooth-skinned ladiesdabbled for pleasure,to the sound

" " The Saxons calleditAkeman-ceaster,which has been interpretedtheCity

of Valetudinarians."" Bath Guide. It isworthy of remark thatmost watering-

placesmuch visitedby wealthy invalids,abroad as well as at home, are alsothe

haunts of gamesters." Where the carrionis,there are the vultures."

172 PLAYING CARDS.

of softmusic, while gentlemen, enraptured,looked on.^

The Beau was admirablyfitted,from hismercurialtalents,

to dischargethepeculiardutiesof purveyor of pleasureto

the fashionablesocietyof his age; he could administer

flatteryto a duchess while he pretended to reprove her ;

and could persuade the littlemadams, of the Would-be

family,that they were honoured by his patronisingcon-descension,

at the very time that he was endeavouringto

make them appear ridiculous,for the amusement of real

ladies. He displayedgreattact inbringingpartiestogether

who wished to be better acquainted, and denounced

scandalas the bane of fashionablesociety. lie promoted

play as a recreationfor the politeof both sexes ; and en-courageddancing, not only as a healthy exerciseper se,

but forthe benefitof the rooms, and forthe sake of aiding

the salutaryoperationof the waters. In his dresshe was

"

conspicuouslyqueer," as was requisitein a Master ofthe

Ceremonies : he wore a largewhite hat," cocked, be it

observed," thebuckle of hisstockbeforeinsteadof behind,

and, even in the coldest weather, his waistcoat unbut-toned,displayingthe bosom of his shirt. He drove six

greys in his carriage,and when he went in state to the

rooms he was always attended by a numerous escort and

a band of music,the principalinstrumentsof which were

French horns," "Sonorous metal,blowing martialsounds.'*On his decease,which took placein 1761, the corporation

of Bath, gratefulfor the benefitsconferredon their city

* " At thisperioditwas the fashionfortheladiesto adorntheirlieads,before

they enteredthe bath,with allthe luresof dress.By these means theircharmswere set offto such advantage,thatthe husband of a lady,who, with Nash and

otherspectators,was admiring the female dabblers,toldhis wife'

she lookedlikean angel,and he wished to be withher.*Nash seizedthe favorableoccasionto establishhis reputation as a man of gallantryand spirit,and therefore

suddenly taking the gentleman by the collarand the waistband of his breeches,

soused him over the parapetintothe bath."" Life of Beau Nash.

PROGRESS OF CARD-PLATINO. 173

through hismeans, erected a marble statue of the Grand

Master of the Ceremonies in the Pump-room, between the

busts of Newton and Pope; and his good-naturedfriend,

the Earl of Chesterfield,in an epigram,"thus did justiceto

hismemory and the tasteofthe corporation;

** The Statue,placedthesebustsbetween,

Gives SatireallitsstrengthjWisdom and Wit are littleseen,

But Pollyat fulllength."

The Earl of Chesterfieldwas a frequentvisitorat Bath,

where he found many admirersofhiswit,and many oppor-tunitiesof exercisingit. Bath,indeed,was theveryplaceforsuch a genius to shinein,for in no other cityin the

kingdom were manners and morals,such as his lordship's,

more highly appreciated. His lordshipwas fond of playtoo; and was partialto the company of Mr. Lookup, one

ofthemost noted professionalgamestersoftheday. Lookup,

as well as ColonelCharteris," of notoriousmemory in the

annals of gaming and debauchery," was from the north

of the Tweed. He was bom in the neighbourhood ofJedburgh, and was bred an apothecary. On the expiration

of hisapprenticeship,he proceededsouthward,and obtaineda situationin the shop of an apothecaryat Bath. On the

death of his master, he wooed and won the widow ; and

having thus obtained possessionof about five hundred

pounds in ready money, he gave up the shop,and devoted

himselfentirelyto play,an itchforwhich he issaidto have

brought with him from his native country. In Lookup's

youth,and, indeed, for many years afterwards,a fondness

forcard-playingwas more prevalentin Jedburgh thaninany

other town on the Scottishborder.

Lookup, having determined to make gaming hisbusiness,

devoted,like a sensibleman, hiswhole attentionto it: he

calculatedthe odds coolly,playedsteadily,and, consequently.

174 PLAYING CARDS.

won considerablyfrom those fashionableamateurs whose

confidencewas not accordingto knowledge. He was not

only a proficientin allthe usualgames at cards,but also

playedwellat billiards.Lord Chesterfieldused sometimes

to amuse himselfat billiardswith Lookup ; and on one

occasionhad the laugh turned againsthim by a ruse of his

antagonist,who, afterwinning a game or two, asked his

lordshiphow many he would giveifhe were to put a patch

over one eye. His lordshipagreed to give him five-^and

Lookup having won severalgames in succession,hislord-

ship threw down his mace, declaringthat he thought

Lookup played as well with one eye as with two. "I

don'twonder at it,my lord,"repliedLookup," forI have

only seen out of one theseten years." The eye of which

Lookup had lostthe use appeared as perfectas the other,

even to a near observer. With the money which he had

at varioustimes won of Lord Chesterfield,chieflyat Piquet,

he built some houses at Bath, which he jocularlycalled" ChesterfieldRow.''

Lookup's gambling career, though successful,was not

uniformlysmooth ; and on one occasionhe gothimselfvery

awkwardly entangledinthe meshes ofthelaw. A gentleman,

who had lostbetween threeand four hundred pounds to

Lookup at Cribbage,being persuadedthattherehad been "a

* An analogouscase, at cards,of beggingfor a pointin order to inspirethe

adversarywith an erroneous opinionof the beggarbeingweak, is thus relatedby PaschasiusJustusof Pope Leo X. His holinessonce, when playing at a

game simikr to Primcro,heldsuch cards as made itimpossibleforhim to lose,

except from the circumstanceof hisbeing the lastplayer; but as hisadversary,

whose turn itwas to declarefirst,proposeda heavy stake,he concludedthathe

held as good cards as liimsclf.Being reluctantto yieldthe game,"

give me a

point," he cried,"

and I ^villsee you." The other, not suspectingthat the

Pope held such capitalcards,readilyassented,and consequentlylost."The

narratorsaysthathe couldapplaud the trick,if hisholinesshad returnedthe

loserhis stake."Pasc. Justi Alcae,lib.i, p. 50. Edit.Neapoli Nemetum

[Neustadt,inthe dioceseof Spires],1617.

PROGRESS OF CARD-PLAYING. 17o

puir*upon him,brought an actionagainstLookup fordouble

damages, accordingto thestatutemade and providedforthe

specialprotectionof the Tom-Noddy classof gamesters,"

pitiful,whimpering, greedy fools,who callupon the worldto commiserate theirlosses,though occasionedsolelyby their

attempts on the pursesof people more knowing, though not

a whit more knavish, than themselves. In the course ofsome proceedingsarisingout ofthisaction.Lookup, through

the blunder of hisattorney,itissaid,swore to the truthofa circumstancewhich was subsequentlyproved to be false.

Lookup was hereupon prosecutedforperjury,and imprisoned;

and only escaped the pilloryin consequenceof a flawin the

indictment: the blunder of his own attorneybrings him

intoperil,and the blunder ofhisopponent'ssetshim free;John a-Nokes'sbroken arm isa set-offagainstTom a-Styles'sbroken leg; each partyisleftto pay his own costs,and thus

the Law at leastissatisfied.The oysterisswallowed,andthe scalesof justiceare evenly balanced with a shellin

each.Lookup, likehiscontemporary,Elwes themiser,who was

also a great card-player,frequentlylost large sums by

projectswhich he was alluredto engage in by the tempting

baitofa largereturn forhiscapital;a correctiveoccasionally

administeredby fortune to her spoiledchildrenwhen they

leavetheirold successfulcourse of retailtrickery,to embark

as merchant adventurers on the sea of speculation. But

though fortunefrowned on him when he gave up gaming as

a regularprofession,to become the principalpartnerin a

saltpetremanufactory at Chelsea,she yet looked favorably

on some of his other speculationswhich wxre more in

accordance with his old vocation: the shareswhich he held

in severalprivateers,in theFrench war from 1758 to 1763,

paid well; and he was highlysuccessfulas an adventurerin

the slavetrade. He issaidto have died " in harness,""

176 PLAYING CARDS.

thatis,with cardsin hishand," when engaged in playing

at his favoritegame of Humbug, or two-handed Whist.

Foote" who issupposed to have representedhim in the

characterofLoader,in the farceof the Minor " issaid to

have observed,on learningthe circumstancesof hisdeath,

that " Lookup was humbugged out of the world at last."

He died in November, 1770, aged about seventy. His

biographerthus sums up hischaracter:" Upon the whole,

Mr. Lookup was as extraordinarya person as we have met

with forseveralyears in the metropolis. He possessed a

great shareof good sense, cultivatedby a long acquaintance

with the world ; had a smattering of learning,and a pretty

retentivememory ; was fluent in words, and of a readyimagination. We cannot add, he was either generous,

grateful,or courageous. In his sentiments, his cunning,

and his fate,he nearly resembles the famous Colonel

Charteris; a Scotchman by birth,and a gamester by pro-fession,he narrowlyescapedcondign punishment fora crime

that was not amongst the foremostof those of which he

probably might be accused."^ Had he livedin the railwayera, he would, most assuredly,have been eithera king or a

stagroyal;

"The craven rook and pertjackdaw.Although no birdsof moral kind.

Yet serve, when dead,and stuffedwith straw,To show us which way pointsthe wind."

The reign of George II is a historicalpicture of"

greatbreadth,^'abounding in stronglymarked characters,

strikinglycontrasted; but chieflyundignified,and generallylow. TlieCarnal man is a ruffianriotingin Gin Lane ;

whilstthe Spiritualis typifiedby a sinister-lookingper-sonage,

with lank hair,cadaverous visage,and a cock-eye,

* The LiteraryRegister,or Weekly Miscellany,p. 296, Newcastle on Tyne,

1771.


preaching Free Grace from a tub to a miscellaneouscom-panyat Mile-end Green," the indifferenceof the unre-

generate being indicated by a prize fightin the back-ground.

Here a poor rogue isgoing,drunk, to Tybiu-u,

for having robbed a thief-taker'sjourneymanof a silver

watch, a steelchain,and a tobacco-stopper," worth alto-getherforty shillingsand threepence,the value required

by law to entitlethe thief-takerto hispriceof blood ; andthere a wealthy soap-boiler,who has made a fortune by

cheatingthe excise,is going in state to Guildhallas Lord

Mayor ofLondon. Here a young rake ismaking violentloveto hismother'smaid, who has been induced to encouragehis attentionsfrom her reading Pamela; and there his

aunt, a maiden lady of fifty-two,but having in her own

rightthreethousand a year,iscomplacentlylisteningto the

matrimonial proposals of a young New-Ught preacher.Here isColley Gibber sippinghiswine atthe tableof

"

mylord

y* and there sitsSamuel Johnson, behind the screen

in Cave's back shop, eagerlydevouring the plateof meat

which the consideratebooksellerhas sent him from his own

table. Here are Johnny Cope and the dragoons ridinga

race from PrestonPans ; and theresitstheyoung ChevaUer,

unkempt and bare-legged,smoking a shortpipe in a High-land

hut. Here hangs the signoftheDuke ofCumberland's

head ; and there,grinning down on itfrom the elevationof

Temple Bar, are the heads of the decapitatedrebels. Here

Ranelagh is seen shut up on account of the earthquake at

Lisbon;^and therea batch of gambKng senators are hurrying

" "Uninflammable as the times were, they carrieda great mixture of super-stition.

Masqueradeshad been abolished,becausetherehad been an earthquake

at Lisbon; and when the lastjubilee-masqueradewas exhibitedat Rxinclagh,

the alehousesand roads to Chelsea were crowded with drunken people,who

assembled to denounce the judgmentsof God on persons of fashion,whose

greatest sin was dressingthemselvesridiculously.A more inconvenientre-formation,

and not a more sensibleone, was seton footby societiesoftradesmen, "

12

178 PLAYING CARDS.

down to the House from the club at White's, to givetheir

votes in favourof a billto repressgaming.

The severalacts passed againstgaming, in the reignofGeorge II,appear to have had but Uttleeffectin restraining

the practice,eitherat the time, or in any subsequent reign;

forthough occasionallya soUtaryloose fish might become

entangledintheirmeshes,theynever interruptedthe onward

course of the greatshoal.

The shameless inconsistencyof many of the noble lords

and honorablegentlemen who were partiesto the enactment

of thoselaws,is cleverlyshown up in an ironicalpamphlet

entitled," A Letterto the Club at White's. In which are

setforththe greatExpediency of repealingthe Laws now in

forceagainstExcessiveGaming, and the many Advantages

that would ariseto this Nation from it. By Erasmus

Mumford, Esq.," 1750. The following passages appear

most worthy of transcription,both as showing the composi-tion

of a celebratedclub about a hundred years ago, and as

containingthe pithof the writer'sargument." The pertinencyof my address to you, my Lords and

Gentlemen, on thisoccasion,must be evidentto everyone

thatknows anythingofyour history; as thatyou are a Club

of about Five Hundred, much the greatestpartofyou Peers

and Members of Parhament, who meet every day at a

celebratedChocolate House, near St.James's, with much

greaterassiduitythan you meet in the Court of Requests ;

and there,all party quarrels being laid aside,all State

questions dropped, Whigs and Tories, Placemen andPatriots,Courtiersand Country Gentlemen, you allagree

who denouncedto the magistrateallbakersthatbakedor soldbreadon Sundays.Alum, and the varietyof spurious ingredientswith which bread, and,indeed,

allwares, were adulteratedallthe week round,gave not halfso much offenceas

the vent of thechiefnecessaryof lifeon a Sunday."~Earl of Orford*sMemoirs,

vol.ii,p. 283.


for the good of the Public, in the salutarymeasures of

excessivegaming. But then as thisisagainstlaws ofyourown making, though now become old-fashioned,mustythings,it would save appearances a littleto the world

methinks, that they should be repealed in the same solemnform in which they were enacted. And as you are, by your-selves

and your relationsa greatmajorityof the Legislature,

and have no party bias whatsoever on this article,so it

would certainlybe as easy foryou, as it is,in my opinion,incumbent on you, to accompUsh such a repeal For,

whatever we mean in our hearts,the forms of government

should be carefullypreserved; and though gaming is ofthe highestadvantage to this nation,as I shallpresently

make appear,yet to practiseitindefianceofallorder,in the

very sight,as itwere, of the Government, and againstthe

spiritand letterof the laws which you made yourselves,is

entirelyinconsistentwith the characterof Patriots,Nobles,

Senators,Great Men, or whatever name of publichonour

you would chuse to callyourselvesby." Besides,we have some odd queermaxims in om* heads,

thatthe Law isthe same forthe King and the Cobler,"c.,

nor istherein any Act of Parliament thathas come to my

knowledge, any exceptionofthissame house calledWhite's

and the good company who frequentit. If you have any

act against Gaming with any such exception in it,be so

good as to produce it; forI believeverilythat, besides

yourselves,there is not a man in the kingdom who knows

any thing of it. I have read the lastAct over and over,

and I protestthat I can't see any such thing; and yet I

don't know how to persuade myself that so many noble

Lords and so many of the House of Commons, of allparties

and denominations, should everyday meet togetherin open

contradictionto such an Act, without a saving clause to

shelterthemselves under."

180 - PLAYING CARDS.

" But though itdoes no other harm at present,yet still

itcontinuesto be an act of the Lords and Commons of the

kingdom, (ofwhich you, to your eternal praise,are a great

part,)and which has had the Royal assent. And whilstit

does so continue,itnot onlyhinderstherestof thekingdom,

who are so sillyas to mind Acts of Parhament, from Gaming,

but itpreventsa scheme, which I have had in my head for

some time, from taking place; which is,that you should

use your utmost endeavourswith hisMajesty,that he would

be pleased,in considerationof the greatgood of hispeople,

to giveneitherplace nor pension to any Peer, howsoever

deservingin allotherrespects,who isnot ofyour body ; and

thata Billshould be brought in to render every one inca-pable

of sittingas a member ineitherHouse of Parliament,

how sound soever hispoliticalprinciplesmay be, who isnot

likewisea member ofthe Gaming Club at White's, This,

I apprehend,would be an effectualway of introducingthis

wholesome innocent diversioninto every house of Fashion

and Politenessin the kingdom, and make your illustrious

body more in vogue,ifthat can be, than itisat present."

" But thisscheme, which I apprehend to be of such

greatutility,can never be executed whilst these Acts ofParliament remain unrepealed There isone dif-ficulty

indeedwhich I am aware of,which, as I don'tknow

how to get over very well myself, I must submit to your

greaterwisdom ; and thatis,gettingthe king and hischief

ministers to consent. For as to the former, though he

allowsof the practicein hispalaceonce a year,from mere

antientcustom,^ yet itis well known that he discoiu'ages

itvery much ; and the moment he heard of a tableat his

house at Kensington, sent immediate orders to forbidit.

* The king not onlyallowedof gaming at the groom porter'sat theChristmas

holidays,but used to pay a formalvisitthere himselfat the commencement of

the "season."

X.


And as to the Secretariesof State,though they have thisdiversiononce a year or so at theirhouses,fortheentertain-ment

ofthe Foreign Ministers,yet they never playthem-selves,

nor show any other countenance to it,directlynor

indirectly."*

In the politicalpamphlets which appearedin oppositionto the ministryin the latterpart of the reignof George II,

the club at White's is frequentlyalluded to; and in 'A

Politicaland SatiricalHistory of the years 1756, 1757,

1758, 1759, and 1760, in a seriesof one hundred andfour Humourous and EntertainingPrints,' the gaming

propensitiesof Lord Anson, the circumnavigator,who was

at the same time a member of the club and of the govern-ment,are keenly satirised.In Plate 7 he is represented

" From an advertisementin the publicpapers,subsequentlyreferredto by

the author,itwould appearthatthiscomplimentto the secretariesof statewas

ironical.It is there statedthat a setof gentlemenof characterand fortune

had determinedto enforcethe actsof parliamentrespectingunlawfulgames of

play,whether with cardsor otherwisej and thatthey were firmlyresolvedthat

neitherthe sanctuaryat White's, nor the more sacredmansion of a secretary

of state,should prevent theirputtmg theirdesign in execution. It is not

^surprisingthat cardsshould be a favoritegame with diplomatists,seeingthat

theirregularvocation consistsin cutting and shufiling,and that theirgrand

game isusuallywon by a trick. Talleyrandwas a capitalplayerboth at cards

and protocols.Espartcro,when Tlcgcntof Spain,is saidto have playedat

cardswith the ministersas he layinbed. Cabral,the Portugueseminister,is

alsoa greatcard-player.' This collectionof caricaturesis containedin a smallvolume of a square

form,likethatof a pocket dictionary.In the title,the work is saidto have

been "digested and publishedby M. Darly,at theAcorn in Ryder's Cour^,

Cranboum Alley,LeicesterFields." Subsequently,Darly publishedanother

volume,ofthe same size,entitled* A Politicaland SatiricalHistory,displaying

the unhappy Influenceof ScotchPrcvalcncyin theyears1761,1762,and 1763 ;

being a regularseriesof ninety-sixhumourous, transparent,and entertauiing

prints. With an explanatoryKey to every print.' These two volumes con-tain

the most numerous and interestingseriesof politicalcaricaturesthathad

liithertoappeared in England. The caricatureswhich appearedinthe Political

Registerfrom 1767 to 1772 may be consideredas a continuationof the series

publishedby Darly.

182 PLAYING CARDS.

as a Sea Lion,with the body of a man and the taflof a

fish; in one hand he holds a dice-box,and in the other

a card; and on the wall are two pictures,the one showing

an E.O. table,and the other a table coveredwith money,

with the inscription*^ Blades and Whites/' In another

print he figuresas the Knave of Diamonds, with the in-scription

at the top, '^ Hie nigerest;'' and at the bottom,

"AcAPULCA." In the Key prefixedto the work the person

representedis thus denounced: "This caricatura'spro-pensity

to gaming tellsus at once how valuable he must

be to a shipwrecked state, and that he deserves (likea

drunken pilotin a storm)to be thrown overboard,to make

room for one of clearerbrains and more integrity." The

threeotherKnaves are : Spades, inscribed" Monsr. Dupe/*

and in the Key itis said that,by the flower-de-luces,seen

on the ground,isexpressed," how much thiscaricaturawas

connectedwith our enemies,and was even a Dupe to them

against the interestsof his country." Hearts, with a

fox'shead, and inscribed"Monsr. Surecard:" in the Key

itissaidthatthischaracter" infers,by the sliarpnessof the

nose, that craftand subtiltywhich is natural to creatures^

of a similarkind,known by the name of Foxes, and ishere

pointed out as a Knave." Clubs, with a broken yoke in

his hand, and inscribed"Null Marriage;" the Key says,

"this caricaturawas esteemed the most atrociousKnave in

the pack,and the worst of the black sort."Another platein the same seriesof caricaturesdisplays

the gamester'scoat of arms. The shieldis charged with

cards,dice,and dice-boxes,and is siurounded by a chain,from which hangs a labelinscribed"Claret." Supporters,

two Knaves. Crest,a hand holding a dice-box. Motto," Co(jitAmor nummi." In Plate 90, of which a copy is

lieregiven,the principalperformers figuringon the poli-


ticalstagein 1759 are representedas coat cards.^ In the

suitof Hearts, the King, Optimus, isGeorge II; Queen,

Britannia; Knave, Pitt. Diamonds, King, the King ofPrussia;Queen, the Cityof London; Knave, PrinceFer-dinand.

Spades, King, the King of Poland ; Queen, the

Queen of Hungary ; Knave, Holland. Clubs, King, the

King of France ; Queen, Gallia; Knave, Marshal Broghe.

In the Key itissaidthat" the labelsand charactershere

representedare sufficientto explain the meaning of the

print,with the leastapplication."In a work relatingto the authorshipofJunius'sLetters,'

the followingaccount isgiven of the volume of caricaturesin question. It is not, however, correct in everypoint;forthough it may be true that the earlierplateswere at

firstprivatelydistributed,it is certainthat subsequently

they were publiclysold. The firstcollectionof them,

publishedin a volume, consistedonly of the caricaturesfor

1756-7 ; and appears to have been enlargedfrom time to

time, by the addition of such plates as had been pub-lished

separatelyin the preceding year. The editionof

the firstvolume which I have consulted,containing the

platesfrom 1756 to 1760, isthefifth,"a proofthatlatterly

those caricatureswere not privatelydistributed,whatever

they might have been at the commencement. Though Lord

George Townshend might have suppliedthe publisherwith

sketchesor hints, for some of the subjects,and even have

" In the same volume thereisanotherplateof the same kind, showing the

coat cardsfor1756.' A CriticalEnquiry regardingtherealAuthor ofthe

LettersofJunius,proving

them to have been written by Lord Viscount Sackville.By George Coventry,

p. 34, 1825. Copies of two of the caricatureson Lord George Sackvilleare

given in thiswork." At the footof the title-pageof the second volume, forthe years1761-2-3,

thereisa notice,that "sketches or liints,sent post-paid[tothe publisher],

willhave due honour shewn them."

184 PLAYING CARDS.

suggestedthe publicationof the series,itwould be absurd

to conclude thathe was the designerof the whole. There

are only foursubjectsin the volume relatingto Lord George

Sackville; and they are among the most worthless of the

series,both with respectto conceptionand design.

" Soon aftertheunfortunatemisunderstandingat Minden,

Lord George Townshend (whohad formerlybeen on friendly

terms with Lord George Sackville,particularlyat the battle

of Dettingen)joinedwith the court party in publiclycen-suringhisconduct. He had an ingenioustiun fordrawing,

and he even went so far as to caricatureLord George

flyingfrom Minden, which,with many others,he privately

circulatedamong his friends. This book of caricatures,

bearingdate from 1756 to 1762, isextremely curious. As

they were privatelydistributed,they are, of course, seldomto be met with. I never saw but one complete set,now in

the possessionof W. Little,Esq.,of Richmond, who has

obliginglyallowedme to copy the one in question,which is

submitted to the reader'sinspection. We have Lord

Orford'stestimonyto prove thatthisbook was the produc-tion

of Lord George Townshend. Lord Orford has described

the firstof the series,vol.ii,p. 68, 'A new speciesof this

manufacture now firstappeared,invented by Lord George

Townshend ; they were caricatureson cards. The originalone, which had amazing vent, was of Newcastle and Fox,

looking at each other,and crying with Peachum, in the

Beggar's Opera, 'JBrot/ier,brother,we are bothinthewrong!On the Royal Exchange a paper was affixed,advertising.' Three

-kingdoms to be let: inquire of Andrew Stone,

broker,in Lincoln'sInn Fields.'" The whole seriesforms a

curiouscollection.Those on Lord George Sackvillewere

very severe."

The example set by the club at White's appearsto have

been much more influentialin promoting gaming than the


denunciationof an Act of Parliament to have been effectivein repressingit: the letterof the act was, indeed,killing,

but the spiritof the legislators,as displayedat White's,

kept the game aHve. New clubs of the same kind," ^n the

principleof mutual insurance against informers," were

establishedin the metropolis; and even in the provinces,

countrygentlemen and tradesmen,becoming aware of the

advantages of the socialcompact, formed themselvesinto

littleclubs forthe purpose of indulging in a quietgame at

cards or dice. Card-playingaboutthe same time,or a Uttle

later,was greatlypromotedby theestablishmentofassembly-rooms in country towns, where cock-fightingsquires,after

attendingthe pitin the morning, might enjoyintheeveningthe more refinedamusements of dancing and cards.^ The

example setby thehigherclasseswas followedby the lower ;

and at a "merry night" in a Cumberland village,some

fiftyyearssince,cards were as indispensableas at an assize

ballin the county town : with the exceptionofthedressof

the company and the arrangement of the rooms, the one

assembly, at the commencement at least,seems to have

displayedallthe essentialsofthe other.

"Ay, lad,sec a murry-neet we've had at Bleckell!

The sound o* the fiddleyet ringsi*my ear;

Aw reet cliptand heeledwere the ladsand the lasses,

And momiie a cleverlishhussey was there:

The bettermersortsat snug i'theparlour;

r th*pantrythe sweethearterscutteredsae soft;

The dancersthey kickedup a stour i*the kitchen;

At lanterthe caird-lakerssat i*the loft."".

*" "Et decusobpatrium, etstudiosffipubisin usus,

Construxeresacros chartisfidibusquepenates."

C. Anstey, ad C. W. Bampfylde, Epistola,1777.

"

* Balladsin the Cumberland Dialect,by R. Anderson. An explanationof a

few terms in the above verses willrender them more intelligibleto the reader

who has the misfortuneto be unacquaintedwiththeCumberlanddialect.Clipi

and heeled,prepared for the sport,likecocks for fightmg. Lishy sprightly,

active. Cuttered,cooed, likebillingdoves. Stour,dust. Lanter, three-card

186 PLATING CARDS.

The passionforcard-playingappears to have been ex-tremely

prevalentin the earlierpart of the reign of George

III.^ In almost every town where there isan assembly-

room, traditionalanecdotes are handed down of certain

keen playen;keepingup the game fortwenty-foursuccessivehours,tillthey were. up to theirknees in cards; and there

isscarcelya county in England thathas not a storyto tell

of two or three of itsold landed gentry being ruined at

cards by the Prince ofWales. Even villageshave their

annals of gaming; of once substantialfarmers turning

horse-coursersand riding headlong to ruin on a leather

plater; of othersgoing more quietlyoff at cards,staking

theircorn before itwas housed ; and of certaindesperate

cock-fighterslosingtheirwhole substanceat a singlematch,,

and then straightwayhanging themselvesin theirown bam.

The loveof card-playing,to the greathorrorof the inordi-nately

pious,seems even to have infectedladieswho were,

in other respects,irreproachable:" good wives,affectionate

mothers,teaching their children the Catechism, going re-gularlyto church on Sundays, and taking the sacrament

everymonth; yet,alas!dearlylovinga snug privateparty

of fouror fivetables,and immensely fond of Quadrille; and

making but a poor atonement for their transgressionby

never touching a card in Passion week, nor the night before

the Communion, nor even on the Wednesdays and Fridays

in Lent," whenever theycould avoidplaying,"consistently

withgood manners."^

loo. Caird-lakers,card-players.Lanter, or lant,so common in Cumberland

and Nortliumbcrland,appears to have been unknown to a deservedlyhigh

authorityon allsports and games :" The editordoes not know the game of

Ztf;/^.""BcU's Life in London, 4th March, 1838.* Some curiousparticulars" somewhat exaggerated" respectingcertaingreat

card-playersof thisperiodwillbe found in * The Adventures of a Guinea.'* An Address to Persons of Fashion relatingto Balls: with a few occasional

Hints concerning Play-houses,Card-tablcs,"c. By the Author of PietasOxonicnsis. Sixthedition,1771.


A discourseagainst gaming, preached in 1793, by Dr.

Thomas Rennell,Master of the Temple, seems tohavemade

much noise about the time,but no converts. ,The most

originalpassage in the work is the following,wherein he

asserts that the habit of card-playingrenders the mindinsensibleof Gospel evidence: in the present day, it maybe observed in passing, that a similar effecthas been

ascribedto the study of Oriel-collegelogic. " The mind

of one immersed in cards soon becomes vacant, frivolous,

and captious. The habitsform a strangemixture of mock

gravityand pert flippancy. The understanding,by a per-petual

attentionto a varietyof unmeaning combinations,

acquiresa kind of pridein thisbastard employment of the

facultyof thought,which isso farfrom having any analogy

to the real exerciseof reason, that we generallyfind a

miserableeminence in itattainableby the dullest,the most

ignorant,and most contemptibleof mankind. The game-ster,

however, frequentlymistakes this skillfor general

acuteness, and from that conceiteithertotallyrejectstheGospel evidence,or ifpoliticalor professionalconsiderations

renderthisindecentor inexpedient,he harboursallthatcon-temptible

chicane,allthatpettysophistry,allthat creeping

evasion,vsdthwhich a selfishheart,and a contractedunder-standing,

meets and embraces the prevailingheresyof the

times in which we live."'

The followingappears to be levelledat an individualof

no small reputationin hisday, and whose memory islikely

to outlastDr. Rennell's. " What isit thatconverts those

designed by Providence to be the guardians and protec-tors

into the bane and curse of theircountry ? I will

' "The causes of infidelityare varions. Before the improved sagacityof

Dr. Rennell had discoveredthat itowed itsoriginto Popery, hiswisdom had

detecteditssource, artfullylurking in the 'unmeaning combinations*of a pack

of cards."" Reflectionson the Spiritof Religious Controversy,by the Rev.

Joseph Fletcher,of Hexham, England,p. 192. 12mo, New York, 1808.

188 PLAYING CARDS.

answer, the gaming table. The reverses here every mo-ment

occurring unite beggared fortunes, mortified pride,

callous baseness, and inflamed appetites, directing their

jointoperations to the destruction of that common mother

which gave them birth. And here I wish to be rightly

understood " that with a frugal,active,dignifiedpoverty,

the discharge of public duty is perfectly compatible.

Such a poverty was highly reverenced in the best ages of

Pagan antiquity,as the nurse of every great and useful

exertion; but as distant as Ught from darkness is such a

poverty from that degraded, malevolent, abjectmendicity,

the offspringof vice,the organ of faction, and the parent

of universalprostitutionand venality.''

Dr. Parr, in his copy of this discourse,wrote the follow-ing

note, which may serve as a tail-pieceto the present

chapter: '*Dr. Rennell issaid,with his own hand, to have

put a copy of thisanimated sermon under the knocker of

Mr. Fox's door in South street. I could wish the story

to be untrue. But the eloquent preacher did not employhis great talents in a sermon against Sabbath-breaking,

though his illustriouspatron, Mr. Pitt, had latelyfought

a duel with Mr. Tiemev on Wimbledon Common."

189

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE DIFFEItENT KINDS OP CARDS AND THJEMARKS OP THE SUITS.

Having in the preceding chaptersendeavoured to trace

the origin of Playing Cards, and to show theirprogressfrom the time of their firstintroductioninto Europe, I

shallnow proceed to give collectivelysome account of the

differentkinds of cards,of thevariousmarks thathave been

employed to distinguishthe suits,and of the changes that

they have undergone at differentperiods.Most authorswho have expresslywrittenon the subject,

agi'eein distinguishingtwo kinds of cards, namely, those

which they callTarocchi,or Tarots; and those,consisting

offoursuits,which are in common use throughout Europe.

It is a subjectof dispute,among the learned in these

matters,which ofthosetwo kindsare ofthegreatestantiquity;Court de Gebehn considersthatTarocchicards were known

to the ancient Egyptians ;^ and Mons. Duchesne ispleasedto assume that certainso-calledTarocchiCards, preservedin the Bibhotheque du Roi, belonged to one of the three

packs painted forCharlesVI, by Jacquemin Gringonneur,

in 1393. Mons. Duchesne is also of opinion that these

cardswere the same as those which were formerlycalled

' He says that the name ispure Egyptian,and tliatit iscomposed of the

word Tar, signifyingroad,way j and tho word Ro, Ros, Roo, which means

royal: thus we have Tarog" Tarocchi-rthoRoyal Road. By such a road as

thisMons. Court de Gebclinseems to have arrivedat much of his''recondite

knowledge of tilingsunknown."" See hisMonde Primitif,huitiemolivraison,

Dissertationsmelees : "Du jeude tarots,oh Ton traitede son origme,oh.Ton

expliqueses alldgories",et ou Ton faitvoirqu'ilest la isourcede nos cartes

modemes ^ jouer.""Tome i,pp. 365-94. 4to,Paris,1781.

190 PLATING CARDS.

Naibi in Italy;and in support of it,he allegesseveral

authorities,which seem to him to be decisiveof the fact,

but which reallyprove nothing more than that Chartae

and Naibi were synonymous.^ He produces no evidence

to show that the scriesof painted and engraved figures,

now usuallycalledTarocchi,were originallyknown eitherby thatname, or by that of cards; while from a passage

citedby Mons. Leber,from Raphael Volaterranus,itwould

appear that Tarocchi Cards, properlyso called,were not

inventedtilltowards the closeofthe fifteenthcentury; andfrom the same authorwe learn that a pack of such cards

consistedof the foursuitsof common cards,togetherwith

twenty-two symbolicalfigures,similarto those which are

assumed by Mons. Duchesne to have been the originalTarocchi. Tarocchicards" calledTarots by the French"

are stillused in severalparts of France, Germany, andItaly; and an account of the manner of playingthe gameisto be found in the editionof the 'Academie des Jeux,'

publishedby Corbet,Paris,1814.

Mons. Duchesne callsthisgame Tarocchino,and distin-guishes

itfrom thatplayedwith the old seriesof figures,

which he supposesto have been the originalTarocchi; but

so far from there being any evidence to show that these

figureswere at theirfirstintroductionknown eitherby the

name ofTarocchior of Cards,thereseems greaterreason to

concludethattheyhave onlyobtainedthisname incompara-tively

recent times,in consequ"}nceof some of them being

" "Uno dcrniJjrecitationaclicvrado ddmontrcrquo Icscartesct icsnaibi

sentbicnlamemo clioso; loTraitddo Tb^ologicdo SaintAntoinc,dvcquodo

Florenceen 1457,porte: Et idem videturde chariisvelnaibisj ct encore dans

un autre endroitdu mcme ouvrage: Defadoribuset venditoribusalearum et

iaxillarumetchartarum et naiborum"~-Vr6ciaHistoriqueet Explicatifsur les

Carteshjouer,prefixedto the specimens of cardspublishedunder the titleof' Jeux de CartesTarotsct dc Cartes Numdralcs, du xiv"" au xvm"* Si^cle,*by the SocietyofBibliophilesFranjais. Imperial4to,Paris,1844.

DIPPERENT KINDS. 191

used in combination with common cards,at a game calledTarocchi,wliichwas alsothe name given to the cardswith

which it was played. The earliestwriterswho mentionTarocchias a kind of cards,always speak of them as con-sisting

of four suits," Swords,Cups, Batons,and Money, "

togetherwith a certainnumber of other cards,representing

variouscharactersand emblematical figures.

A pack of Tarots, as at presentused in France, corre-spondsin every particularwith those calledTarocchiby

writersof the sixteenthcentury. Itconsistsof scvcnty-cight

cards; thatis,of foursuitsof numeral cards,and twenty-

two emblematic cards,calledAtous.^ The marks of the

suitsare usuallySwords, Cups, Batons, and Money ; and

each suitconsistsof fourteencards,ten ofwhich are "pips"

or low cards and the other four are coat cards," namely.

King, Queen, Chevalier,and Valet. Of the Atous,twenty-

one are numbered consecutivelyfrom 1 to 21 ; thatwhich

isnot numbered iscalledthe Fou," the Clown or BujBFoon,

" and in playing the game isusuallydesignated" Mat."

The Fou has of itselfno positivevalue,but augments that

of any ofthe otherAtous to which itmay be joined.The

otherAtous are numbered and named as follows:

1. The Bateleur,or Juggler;calledalsoPagad. 2.Juno.

* The word Tarothas been supposedto be a corruptionofTaroiichi^Cards

marked on the back with linescrossinglozenge-wise,and witfiIrttlcspots,are

calledCartesTarot^es; and inFrance card-makersappear to have beenformerly

calledTarcoticrs.Mcncstricrconceivesthatitwas from these " lignesfirett^es

en forme de rezeuil"cardswere named Tarcuits and CartesTarautees. He

saysthatTarG.-^/aut,dechct, ^d?^,"signifiesproperlya hole,un frou;andho derivesitfrom the Greek npetv, to bore. From Tare he alsoderivesTariff,

a ruledbook for enteringthe dutieson goods. Mons. Duchesne says that

Tarot "

vicnten effetde Tltalientarrochio,dont ik v"Jrit6nous ignoronsencore

lasignification."" Mons. Duchesne thusaccounts for those cardsbeingcalledAtous : "Ces

cartessont ditesa tutti, tons,c'cst-^diresup6rieuresh touteautre,et n*ap-

partenanta aucune coulcur." In othergames at cards,the French Jtout has

the same meaning as the English Trump,

192 PLAYING CARDS.

8.The Empress.^ 4. The Emperor. 5.Jupiter.6. L'Amou.

reux. 7.The Chariot.8.Justice.9.The Capuchin,calledalso

the Hermit. 10. The Wheel ofFortune. 11. Fortitude.

12. Lc Pcndu" a man suspended,head downwards, by

one leg. 13. Death. 14. Temperance. 15. The Devil.

16. The Maison-Dieu, or Hospital" a tower struck by

lightning. 17. The Stars. 18. The Moon. 19. The Sun.

20. The Last Judgment. 21. The End ofthe World." Of

thesethe firstfiveare calledpetita atom, and the lastfive

grands atous. Seven cardsare alsoespeciallydistinguished

as Tarots,or Atous-tarots; theseare the End oftheWorld,

the Buflbon,the Bateleur,and the fourKings.^

According to Cicognara,3the inventor of the game of

Tarocchino," or Tarots,as above described," was an Italian,

who residedat Bologna, prior to the year 1419 ; and the

account which he givesis to the followingeflect:" There

ispreservedinthe Fibbia family,one of the most ancient

and illustriousof that city,a portraitof Francis Fibbia,

PrinceofPisa," who soughtrefuge at Bologna,about the

commencement of the fifteenthcentury," ^inwhich he is

representedholding in his righthand a parcelof cards,

* The Empress is supposed to have been substitutedfor the Pope, who

occurs inthe oldseriesof figuresassumed by M. Duchesne to have been the

. originalTarocchi. In a similarmanner, L'Amoureux issupposed to have been

substitutedforApollo;theChariotforMars; theCapuchin or Hermit forSaturn;

theWheel of Fortune forAstrology; and Le Pendu forPrudence." The figuresof two or threeof the Atous are sometimes differentlyrepre-sented.

In a pack now beforeme, inscribed"Cartes des Suisses,"manufactured

at Brussels,in No. 2,insteadof Juno,thereisa figureinscribed"Le 'Spagnol,

CapitanoEracasse;** in No. 5, Bacchus suppliesthe place of Jupiter; andNo. 16, which isinscribed"La Eoudre," shows a tree struck by lightning,in-stead

of a tower. In thisset,the Pou isnumbered 22. Tarots are generally

about a fourthlonger,and a littlewider than Englishcards,and are usually

coarselycoloured.* Memorie spcttantiaUa storiadeUaCalcografia,dalconteLeopoldCicognara.

8vo,Prata, 1831." Cited m Duchesne'sPrecisHistoriquesur les Cartes ^

jouer,prefixedto the specimensofplayingcardspublishedby the Soci^t des

BibliophilesFranpais.

DIFFERENT KINDS. 193

whileothersappearlyingon theground ; among thelatter

are seen the Queen of Batons, and the Queen of Money,

the one being ornamented with the arms ofthe Bentivoglio

family,and the other with the arms of the Fibbia. An

inscriptionat the bottom of the pictiu'cinfonnsus that

FrancisFibbia,who died in 1419, had obtained,as the

inventorofTarocchino,from theBeformersof the city,the

privilegeof placinghisown shieldof arms on theQueen ofBatons, and thatof hiswife,who was of the Bentivoglio

family,on the Queen of Money ;"

a distinction,"observesMons. Duchesne, "

which neverthelessdoes not excludethe

suppositionthatFrancisFibbia,Commander-in-chiefofthe

Bolognese forces,had rendered more importantservicesto

hiscountrymen than teachingthem to playat Tarocchino."

Supposing Cicognara'saccount to be correct,ityetproves

nothingwith respectto the comparativeantiquityof the

two kinds ofcardswhich compose the pack forthe game ofTarocchino,or Tarots. Mons. Duchesne,however,having

assumed that the old seriesof emblematic figurescalledTarocchicards were the oldest,sees no difficultyin the

matter, but unhesitatinglyconcurs with Cicognara in

ascribingthe inventionof Tarocchino to FrancisFibbia,

without inquiringwhether Fibbia had merely combined

into one pack two kinds of cards abeady wellknown, or

whetherhe was theftrstdeviserofthefoursuitswhich con-

stitutethe most importantportionof the pack,and which

give to the game all itsspirit.Seeing that Fibbia w^as

honoured for his inventionby the Reformingmagistracy

ofBologna," where both card-playingand the manufacture

of cardsappear to have been prettyextensivelycarriedon

about 1423," the most probableconclusionwouldbe,that

he had deservedwell in theiropinion,not from having

convertedby new combinationsa previouslyinnocentand

amusing game into a hazardous and excitingone, but in

consequence of his having shuffleda few moral Tarocchi

13

194 PLAYING CARDS.

intothe old pack of numeral cards of foursuits,whether

of Swords, Cups, Batons,and Money, or of Bells,Hearts,

Leaves,and Acorns. In supportof thisconclusion,itmayfurtherbe observed,thatthough the manufacture of cards

was extensivelycarried on both in Italy and Germany,

beforethe year 1450, no so-calledTarocchi cardsof that

period have been discoveredwhich can fairlybe supposed

to have been intended,eitherfrom theirsizeor execution,

forthe common purposesof playj while,on the contrary,

therearc in existenceseveralspecimensof numeral cards

of four suits,citherstencilledor engraved on wood, and

evidentlyof a cheap manufacture,forcommon use, ofa date

not laterthan 1450.

The kind of game forwhich the emblematic figures

usuallycalledTarocchicardswere used, remains to be dis-covered.

Mons. Duchesne has,indeed,hazarded a conjectureon the subject,which is equallyincapableof refutationor

of proof. "The number ofplayers,"he says,"necessaryto

form a party,would scarcelybe limitedto two, and probably

might vary from three to twelve,or rather from tlu*eeto

eiglit;and the manner of playingmight simplyconsistin

theappropriatelayingdown of such of the figuresas, ac-cordingto an order agreed upon, might belongto the suit

of the card firstplayed. The holder of certainprivileged

cards would have doubtless some additionaladvantage;

and we may furthersuppose thateach playerbeing obliged,in turn, to laydown a card draAvn at random, strikingcon-trasts

resultingfrom unexpected combinations would afforda subjectof amusement. This suppositionwould seem to

agi'cewith the subjectof a book entitled' Les CartesPar-

lantes,'printed at Venice, in 1545; each card there has

" This book was writtenby the notoriousPietroAretine. A second editionwas publishedin 1589, and a thirdin 1651. The titleof the lastis*Le Carte

Parlanti; Dialogodi Partenio Etiro; [theanagriimof Pietro Aretine]nelqualesitrattadelGiuoco con morahtn piaccvolc.*


conferredon it an interpretationor allusion,more or less

ingenious,applicableto the figurewhich itrepresents:thus

the Pope represents fidelityin the game and sincerityin

the player;the Emperor, the laws of the game; the Valets,

the service attached to the game; the Swords, the death

of despairinggamesters; the Batons, the punishment of

thosewho cheat ; Money, the sustenance of play; and the

Cups, thedrinkover which theplayerssettletheu*disputes."

Mons. Duchesne'sconjecturecan scarcelybe saidto be sup-portedby the conceitsof Aretine; who, moreover, in the

whole course of hisbook, speaksof cards as a hazardous,

excitinggame, at which both money and creditmight be

lost; while Mons. Duchesne asserts thatthe game played

with Tarocchi was merely one of amusement, originallydevisedto instructchildrenunder the semblance of play.

The earliestknown specimens of what are calledTarocchi

cards are those preserved in the Bibliothequedu Roi, at

Paris,and which are supposed by Mons. Duchesne to have

formed a portionof one of the three packs painted forthe

amusement ofCharlesVI, in 1393.* They formerlybelonged

to Mons. de Gaignieres,who had been governorto thegrand-children

of Louis XIV, and who bequeathed them, together

with his entirecollectionof printsand drawings,to the

king,in 1711 .Those cardsappear to have been seen inthe

possessionofMons.de Gaignieresby theAbbe de Longuerue;'

" Though Mons. Duchesne generallyspeaks of those cardsas if ithad been

positivelyascertainedthat they were paintedby Jacquemin Gringoimeur,we

yet findIhefollowingsalvo,in the Precis Historique: " Mais le faitde leur

haute destinationa I'usaged'unroi,ne reposeque sur desconjecturesincertaines;

esp^ronsqu'un jourquelqueantiquairefavorisdpar iin heurcux hasardaura peut-

etre lebonheur de changer nos doutcs en certitude."" Tlie Abbe's noticeof those cards is by no means precise; and when he

speaks of the four monarchies contending with each other,itisevidentthat he

had either an imperfect recollectionof them, or that he supposed some old

numeral cards,of four suits,to have belonged to the same series."-"J'ai vu

chez M. de Ganieres un jeude cartes(jene saiss'iltoitcomplet)tellesqu*elles

196 PLAYING CARDS.

and alsoby Dr. Martin Lister,who thus mentions them inhis

accomit of hisjourneyto Paris,in 1C98 :'* I waited upon

the Abbot Droine to visitMons. Guanieres [deGaignicres]at hislodgingsin the Hostel de Guise. One toy I took

noticeof,which was a collectionof playingcardsfor 300

years. The oldestwere three times bigger than what are

now used,extremelywelllimned and illuminatedwith giltborders,and the pasteboard thick and firm ; but therewas

not a complete set of them."

The follomng particulars respecting those cards arc

chieflyderivedfrom Mons. Duchesne's descriptionof them

in his'Observationssur lesCartesa jouer,"publishedinthe'AnnuaireHistorique'fortheyear1837. There are seventeen

of them, and therecan scarcelybe a doubt of theirhaving

formed part of a set of what are calledTarocchi cards,

which, when complete,consistedof fifty. They are paintedon paper,inthe manner ofilluminationsin old manuscripts,on a gold ground, which is in other parts marked with

ornamental lines,formed by means of pointsshghtlyprickedintothe composition upon which the gildingislaid. They

are surrounded by a borderof silvergilding,in which there

isalsoseen an ornament, formed in the same manner, by

means of points,representinga kind of scrollor twisted

riband. Some partsof the embroidery on the vestments of

the differentfiguresare heightened with gold, while the

weapons and armour are covered with silver,which,like

that on the borders,has forthe most part become oxydizcdtlu-oughtime. There is no inscription,letter,nor number,to indicatethe manner in which they were to be arranged.Mons. Leber agreeswithMons. Duchesne inascribingthem

^toicntdans Icuroriglnc. H y avoitun papc, dcs cmpcrcurs, Icsquatre mo-narchies,

qui combattoicntIcsuns centre lesautres : ce qui a donnd naissancea nos quatre coulcurs. Elles6toientlongucsde 7 a 8 pouces. C'csten Italic

que ccttcbcUc inventiona prisnaissancedans IcXIV* sicele."" Longueruana,

torn.'i,page 107.


to a French artistof the time of CharlesVI, and even seems

inchned to conclude that they might have been intended

forthe amusement of that lunaticking. Looking at those

cards,however, as they appear in the fac-similespubUshedby the Societyof BibhophilesFran^ais,I should rathertake

them to be the work of an ItaUan artist,and be inclined

to conclude,as well from the generalstyleof the dra\\ing

as from the costume, that they were not of an earher date

than 1425.

The followingis Mons. Duchesne's enumeration of the

seventeen cards which he supposes to have been executed

by Gringonneur : the names in capitalsare those which

occur in a seriesof so-calledItalianTarocchi cards,with

which he considersthem to correspond.1. Le Fou " the Buffoon. This figure is found in the

Tarots of the present day, and isperhaps the same character

as that which in the seriesof old Italianengravings" called

Tarocchicards" isinscribedMisero i.

2. LEcuyer " the Squire. Chevalier vi.

3. L'Empereur " the Emperor. Imperator viiii.

4. Le Fape'-the Pope. Papa x.

5. Zes Amour eux " the Lovers. Young men and women

courting,while two winged Cupids are dischargingarrows

at them. Mons. Duchesne gravely queries whether this

subjectdoes not represent Apollo and Diana killingthe

childrenof Niobe, and whether itought not to be considered

as corresponding with Apollo xx. It has, however, as

littlerelationto the story of Niobe as ithas to Apollo,as

figuredin the engraving referredto.

0. La Fortune" Fortune. This figure,standing on a

circlewhich representsthe world, holds a globe in one

hand, and in the other a sceptre. Mons. Duchesne con-siders

that itcorrespondswith thatnamed Astrologia, in

the series of ItaUan engravings, and there erroneously

198 PLATING CARDS.

numbered xxxviiii, insteadof xxviiii. " Bartsch,itseems

had not observedthiserror.

7. La Temperance" Temperance. Temperancia xxxiiii.

8. La i"brc^"Fortitude. Fortbzza xxxvi.

9. La Jttstice"

^Justice.Justicia xxxvii.

10. La Lime " the Moon. Luna xxxxi.

11. Z^ /Sbto7"the Sun. Sol xxxxiiii.

12. Le Char" the Chariot. The subjecthereisa figure

in armour, standingon a kind of triumphalcar, and having

in his righthand a battle-axe. Mons. Duchesne saysthat

thissubjectcertainlycorrespondswith Marte xxxxv.

13. L'Ermite" the Hermit. This figureissupposed to

correspondwith thatnamed Saturno xxxxvii.

The fourfollowingsubjectshave no correspondingfigures

inthescriesof old Italianengravings,supposedby Mons,

Duchesne and othersto be Tarocchi cards: they are, how-ever,

to be found among the *' Atous*'of the modern game

ofTarots.

14. Le Pendu " A man hanging from one leg, head

downwards. Court de Gebelin,speaking of thisfigureas

itisseen in a modem pack of Tarots,conjectures,with his

usualabsurdity,thatthe card-maker had erroneouslyrepre-sentedit upside down. On turning it the contraryway,

he Eces in itan emblem of Prudence," to witja man stand-ing

upon one foot,and sagelydeliberatingwhere he has to

placethe other." The figureof Le Pendu, even when thus

viewed,ismuch more likea capering opera-dancer,than a

prudentphilosophercautiouslypickinghissteps; and bears

not the slightestresemblance to the figureof Prudence,in

the seriesof old engravings,calledTarocchicards.15. Za Mort " Death.

IG. La Maison-Dieu "

^TheHospital. A tower struck

by lightning.

17. Le Jugement dernier" The lastJudgment.

Old Painted Cards ascribed to Qringonneur.-' La Ju3tico/ Ip.108.)

1

sX^^"-^^-^^^0::XX"CXXX!"::

Old Painted Cards ascribed to Gringonneur"' La Lune.' (p.191)

2


These seventeen subjects,engraved in lithography,and

carefullycolouredby hand afterthe originaldrawings,are

giveninthe' Jeux de CartesTarots et de CartesNumcrales,'

published by the Society of BibliophilesFran9ais, 1844.

The two annexed cuts willaffordsome ideaof the styleofthe drawing, and of the manner in which the ornaments are

prickedintothe gold ground. They are of thesame sizeas

the originals; the one isthatnamed Justice,No. 9, and the

otherthatnamed La Lune, No. 10, in the precedingenu-meration.Itmay be here observedthatthe latteristotally

differentfrom thatnamed Luna xxxxi, in the seriesof oldItalianengravings, with which it is supposed by Mons.

Duchesne to correspond: the only figurecommon to both

isthatof a crescent moon. The drawing indeed seems to

be an emblem of Astrology,which,inthe Italianengravings,is represented by a winged female figure,having on her

head a crown of stars,and holding in her lefthand a book,

and in her righta diviningrod.The complete seriesof old Italianengravings,known to

collectorsof prints by the name of Tarocchi cards,consists

of fiftypieces,dividedintofiveclassesdistinguishedby the

firstfivelettersofthealphabet,A, B, C, D, E, but numbered

consecutivelyfrom 1 to 50, commencing with the class

marked E. At the foot of each subjectis engraved its

name ; togetherwith the letterof itsclass,and itsnumber,

which isgiven both in Roman and Arabic numerals," the

Roman being placedimmediately afterthe name, and the

Arabic on the extreme right. The distinctiveletterof the

classis on the left. Zani^ has conjecturedthatthe letters

might have been intended for abbreviationsof Atutto,

Battoni, Coppe, Denari, and Espadone, " Atous, Batons,

" Matcrialiper servircaliastoriadell*originee de'progrcssidell*incisionein

rame e in Icgno,col.da PictroZani. 8vo, Parma, 1802. Tlieauthor'sobserva-tions

relatingto cardsarc to be found at pp. 78-84,and pp. 149-93.

200 PLAYING CARDS.

Cups, Money, and Swords. Spadone, however, and not

Espadone, is the proper Italianname forswords ; but as

the names are in the Venetian dialect,Mons. Duchesne

appears inclinedto allow that the form Espadone might

have been admitted intoitat thatperiod. That the letters,

however, had no such meaning, and that they were merely

used to mark the order of each class,seems to be proved

by the factthat in another set of the same subjects,exe-cuted

about the same period,the numeral 5 is substituted

forthe lettere. Even if Zani*s suppositionwere correct,

itwould only strengthen the conclusion that those so-

calledTarocchicards originatedin an attempt to recom-

bine,under new emblems, the principlesof an old game

which had acquired a disreputablecharacter. Whatever

the game might have been, it has long become obsolete;

and the only reason for supposing itto have been cognate

with thatof cards,is grounded on the fact that a certain

number of the charactersof those so-calledTarocchi cards

occur as Atous in the pack of Tarocchi or Tarots,previouslydescribed.

Of those old Italianengravings there are two seriesknown to amateurs, agreeingin thesubjects,but differingin

theirstyleof execution; though itisevident that the one

has been copied from the other.^ In one of them, which is

considered by Bartsch to be the earhest,the date 1485 is

inscribedon a tabletin the hands of the figure namedArithmeticha xxv.^ In the other series,which isby much

the best engraved, and iscertainlythe earhest,thereisno

date ; and the figure which there representsArithmetic,

appearsto be counting money. This seriesMons. Duchesne

' There was also a scriesof the same subjectsengraved in the sixteenth

century.'"'Baitsch, Pcintrc-Gravcur,Svo, Vienna, 1812." His noticesof old cards

are to be found in vol.x, pp. 70-120; and vol.xiii,pp. 120-38.


thinks was executedabout 1470; and some writershave

supposed that the subjectswere engraved by Tomaso

Finiguerra. Zani,however, isinclinedto believethattheywere engraved at Padua ; while Otley ascribesthem to a

Florentineartist. Seeing, however, that the names are in

the Venetian dialect,and that authoritieson the subjectofold Italianengraving disagree with respectto them, I am

inclinedto suppose, without any regard to theirstyleof

execution,that they were eitherengraved by a Venetian

artist,or for the Venetian market. It has alsobeen sup-posed,but erroneously,that they were designedby Andrea

Mantegna, to whom a number of otherthingsof a similarkind have, with equal probability,been ascribed; and

amongst the dealersin old engravings,at Paris,they are

commonly known as Cartesde Baldini. Both the originals

and thecopiesare of greatrarity; and though severalsingle

subjectsare to be found in the possessionof amateurs, itis

questionableiftherebe more than fourcollectionsinEurope,

whether privateor national,that have eitherthe one series

or the other complete. In the BritishMuseum thereisa

completeseriesof the originals,and alsoforty-fiveof the

copies; the fivepieceswanting in the latterare : Misero j,

Fameio II, Imperador villi, Primo Mobile xxxxviiii,

and Prima Causa xxxxx. There is alsoa complete series

of the originals,in the' Bibliothcquedu Roi ;' and copies

of them are given in the' Jeux de CartesTarutset de Cartes

Numerales,' published by the Society of BibUcphiles

Fran^ais. Fac-similesof two, " Papa x and Rhetorica

xxiii, " are alsogiven by Singer inhis * Researches into the

History of Playing Cards.' From theirsize" about nine

inchesand threequartershigh,by about fourincheswide,"

as well as from other circumstances,Mr. Singer considers

thatthey were not intendedforany game analogous to that

of cards,properly so called. Mons. Leber considersthem

to have been merely*' Cartes de Fantaisic,"and observes

202 PLAYING CARDS.

that subjectsso delicatelyengraved on copper,when the

inventionof the art was stillrecent, could scarcelyhave

been intendedto receivethecolouringrequiredforthe com-pletion

of a pack of cards.^ It,however, may be observed

thatcolourisnot essentialto a pack of playing cards; and

thatseveralpacks of cardsof foursuits,evidentlyintended

forplay,without being coloured,were delicatelyengraved

on copper,beforethe end of the fifteenthcentury.Even Mons. Duchesne, whilecontendingthat thosefifty

old engravingswere reallyTarocchicards,admits thatthey

bear no relationto any games played with numeral cards,

which,accordingto the number of players,and the regula-tions

of each game, always consistof a number which is

divisibleby four; for instance,20 forBouillotte; 28 for

Brclan; 32 for Piquet,and severalother games ; 36 for

Trappola; 40 forOmbre; 48 for Reversis;52 forLans-.

quenet,and severalother games; 96 forComet; 104 for

Lottery; 312 forTrente-et-un; and 78 forTarots. " The

ancientTarocchi cards,"he says, "have not then been

intendedforgames of calculation[jeuxmathematiques],but

solelyforan instructivegame. In thisgame, consistingoffive classes,we find the seven planets,representingthe

celestialsystem; the seven virtueswhich constitutethe

basis of allmorality;the sciences,which man alone is

capableof acquuing, and the knowledge of which raiseshim above allotheranimals; the Muses, whose cultivation

yieldsso many charms to life; finally,severalof the con-ditions

of lifein which man may be placed,from misery,the most painfulof all,to that of the most elevated,the

" " Singerfaitrcmarqucr,avcc raison,qu*on n'a pasd'cxcmpledecartesijouerd'aussigrundcsdimensions,qu'iln*y a icidcs flgurcssans piecesnumerales,et

que, d'ailleurs,lessnjctsue sout pas ceux dcs tarotsordinaires.U auraitpu

ajouterque dcsgravurcs c\6cni6c3avcc tant dc wins, que lesciiefs-d'ccuvrod'unartnouveau dontlepremiermdrites'appr^ciaitparlabeautede Tempreinte,

n*ont pu ctrcdestinesa reccvoirreiiluniinurcqui eutrc essentieliementdansla

confectiondu jcude cartes.""lltudcsHistoriquessur lesCartesa jouer,p.18.

DIFifERENT KINDS. 203

Sovereign Pontificate."^A complete seriesof those old

engravings consistsof fiftypieces,as has been previously

observed,named and numbered as follows:

[ClassE. " The ConditionsofLife

" Observationssur leaCartesa jouer." This subject

iserroneouslynumbered,both in the Boman charactersand in

the cyphers,as has been previouslyobserved.

204 PLAYING CARDS.

"B.|"B'l"B-l"B-l"B-l"B-l"B|"B-l"B|"B|

[ClassB." The Virtues^

"Iliaco XXXI- I-SI-

"CiiRONico'XXXir....4'32-

"CosMico -xxxiii- I-sa-"Temperancia XXXIIII- |-S^-

"Prvdencia -XXXV- I-as-

"FoiiTEZA'XXXVI- I'SG-

"jusTiciA-xxxvn- I-sr-"CiiAKiTA-xxxYm- I-38-"speranza xxxvim- I-so-

"Eede -XXXX- I"40-

[ClassA. " The CelestialSystem^

Having now given such an account of the so-calledTarocchicards,as may enable the reader to determinefor

himself,both Avithrespectto theiroriginaluse, and their

relationto playing cards proper,I shallnow proceed to

notice some of the principalvarietiesof numeral cards;

thatis,ofcardsconsistingof foursuits,and each suitcon-taining

a certainimmber of coat cards,togetherwith eight

or ten lowercards,having theirnumeral value designated

by the marks ofthe suitto which they belong.

The oldestspecimens of undoubted playing cards are

eitherstencilled,or engravedon wood ; and of a date which,lookingat the styleoftheirexecution,the drawing,and the


costume ofthe figures,cannot fairlybe supposed to be later

than 1440. Amongst the earliestare the stencilledcards

preserved in the print-room of the BritishMuseum, and

previouslydescribedat page 89. In these the coat cards

appear to have been a King, a Chevalier,and a Fante,

Footman, or Knave ; without any Queen. The marks ofthreeof the suitsare Hearts, Bells,and Acorns ; the mark

of the fourth suit does not occur, " as the specimens

preserved are farshortof a complete pack," but itishighly

probable that itwas Leaves, calledGriin by the Germans,

as in the old pack formerlybelonging to Dr. Stukeley,anddescribed by Mr. Gough, in the eighth volume of the

'Archoeologia.'

The cards formerlybelongingto Dr. Stukeleywere given

to him by Thomas RawUnson, Esq.^ They were found in

the cover of an old book," supposed to be an editionofClaudian,printedbeforethe year 1500, " and one or two

leavesof an editionof the Adagia of Erasmus were inter-spersed

between the layersof the cards,thus forming a

kind of pasteboard. The marks of the suits are Hearts,

Bells,Leaves,and Acorns ; and the coat cards arc theKing,

Chevalier,and Knave. The numeral value of the lower

cards,from the Deuce to the Ten, is indicatedby a repeti-tion

of the marks of the suits,as in modern cards. As

there is no Ace, this pack, supposing it to be complete,

would consistof forty-eightcards. These cards are rudely

coloured, and of smaller size than those in the British

Museum. On theDeuce of everysuitisa shield,displaying

what is supposed to be the card-maker's arms, namely, a

kind of pick-axe,with one of the ends blunt likea hammer,

' Tlicsecardswere exhibitedto tlicAntiquarianSoeietyby Dr. Stukeley,in

1703. They were purchasedin 1770,by Mr. Tutet,and on liisdecease,they

were bouglitby Mr. Gough. In 1810 they were in the possessionof Mr.

Triphook,tliebookseller.

206 riiAYlNO CARDS.

and a mallet,in saltire.Fac-similesof Dr. Stukeley's

cards are given in Singer'sResearches.

As the distinctivemarks of the suitson the oldestcards

in existenceare Hearts,Bells,Leaves,and Acorns,it may

reasonablybe supposed that these marks were used at as

earlya periodas any of the otherswhich occur on cards of

a laterdate,but yet executed before the close of the

fifteenthcentury. Next to these in point of antiquity,

and perhaps of as earlya date,arc Swords, Cups, Batons,

and Money, which would appear to have been the most

common marks on earlyItaliancards,and to have been

almost exclusivelyadopted in Spain. For the sake of

distinction,in future,cards with these marks will be

referredto as Spanish cards,as in Spain the suits are still

distinguishedby Swords, Cups, Batons, and Money ; while

cards having Hearts, Bells,Leaves, and Acorns, will be

referredto as German cards,as such appear to have been

thekind most generallyused in Germany. Of the marks

on what were more particularlycalled" French cards,"

in thesixteenthcentury," Cccur,Trefle,Pique,and Carreau,

or as we callthem, Hearts,Clubs,Spades,and Diamonds,

"two of them at least,the Cocur and the Pique, arc evi-dentlyderivedfrom the Heart and the Leaf of the earlier

pack, while thereisgood reason to believethat the form ofthe Treflewas copied from thatof the Acorn.^

The mark now calledthe Ttejle,in France, was formerly

* Mons. Duchesne expressesliimsclfon thissubject,as follows:"Les enseignesemployeespour Icscouleursont 6prouvd beaucoup de variations: cceur, carreau,

treflect pique sont lesplus rdpanducs ; mais, en Italicct en Espagne, ellcs

sont encore designeespar cmjieSydeniers,batons,epces. En Allemagne on dit

rougcygreloUyglands et vert. Quclquefois,en conservant lescoeurs, lesdeniers

ont etcremplacespar dcs grclots; puis des glandstiennentlieudes treflcs,et des

feuillesde Hcrre rcmplaccntlespiques,dont cllesont laforme."" Observationssur lesCartesu joucr.


known as theFleur. Peignot,referringto a poem entitled

"La Magdaleine auDesert de laSainte-Baume en Provence,"

printed at Lyons, in 1668, says : "We learn from this

poem that,in 1668, the word Trefiewas not yet in use,

as the designationof one of the suitsof cards; that suit

was then calledFleura, The Valets were alsothen termed

Fousr

The type ofthe Carrcau,or Diamond, isnot to be found

in any of the marks of the othertwo packs above noticed.In the time of Pictro Arctinc,the suitsof French cards

appear to have been known in Italyby the names of Cori,

Quadri,Fiori,and Cappari,*as we learn from his ' Carte

Parlanti,'firstprinted in 1545, in which a Paduan card-

maker holds a long dialogue,moral and entertaining,with

hiscards :

** Paduan, As French cardsare used in Italy,tellme, I

pray,what, amongst that people,may be the signification

of Capers? [Cappari.]Cards, Their piquancy whets the appetiteof tavem-

hauiiters.

Paduan, And the Diamonds ? [Quadri.](7"rd".The firmnessof the player.Pflj^ij^^;?.And the Hearts? [Cori.]Cards, Inclinationto cheatin play.Paduan. And the Flowers ? [Fiori.]Cards. The pleasureof saying a good thing."'

The inventionof cardswith these marks, and having a

Queen forthe second coat card,insteadof a male figure,as

in the Spanish and German cards,has been claimedby the

" Mons. Duchesne says that the mark which the Erench callPique was called

Capprelin Italy,from itsresemblanceto the fruitof the Caper." PrecisHis-

torique,prefixedto Jeux de Cartes Tarots ct Numcrales, p. 11.

* Carte Parlauti,p. 57, edit.1651.

208 PLAYING CARDS.

French ; and thissubstitutionhas been consideredby some

French writersas peculiarlycharacteristicof the gallantry

of theirnation. The French alsoappear to have been the

firstwho gave to theircoat cards the names of historical

personages. From thosenames, and the marks of the suits,

Pcre Daniel has been enabled to discoverthe originand

meaning of the game of Piquet,which he supposes to have

been devised about 1430, in the reign of Charles VII;

admitting, however, that Playing Cards of another kind

were of a much earlierdate,but yet consideringeven these

to have been ofFrench invention.

In the time ofPere Daniel,the coat cardswere named as

follows:

These names, which appear to have been given to the

French coat cards,at an earlyperiod,were not unifonnly

retained; in the time of Henry IV, the Kings were

Solomon, Augustus, Clovis,and Constantino; and the

Queens,Ehzabcth,Dido, Clotilde,and ''Pantalisea;"whiletheValetshad no propernames, but were merelydesignated

from theiroffice,and all the charactersappeared in the

costume of the period. In the reignof Louis XIV, how-

" The name of Lancelotdid not reallyappear on the Valet of Trcfle,in thetime of Pere Daniel;but from a passage in Daneau's 'Liber de AJea, ou Breve

remontrance sur Icsjeuxde Cartes ct de Dez/ printedin 1579, he concluded,

"and,in this instance,correctly,"that Lancelot was the old name. By a

royalordinanceof 1G19, thecard-makersof France were requiredto put their

names and devicesupon the Valet of Trcfle;and, from this circumstance,he

considersthatthe name of Lancelot was omitted.


ever, the former names and an antique costume were

restored.According to Pere Daniel'sreadingof the cards,which

isofthe same ingeniouscharacteras thatofthe soldierwhoissaidto have used his pack as a Manual of Devotions,^

the Ace isthe Latin As, a piece of money, which alsosi"y.- nifieswealth; and as money is the sinewsof war, the Ace

has for thisreason the precedenceat Piquet. The Trefle,

or cloverplant,which abounds in the meadows of France,

denotesthata generalought alwaysto encamp hisarmy in

a placewhere he may obtainforageforhiscavahy. Piques

and Carreauxsignifymagazinesof arms, which ought alwaysf to be well stored. The Carreaux were a kind of heavy

arrows which were shotfrom a cross-bow,and which were

so calledfrom theirheads being squared[carre].Ca3m^, "

Hearts," signifiedthe courage ofthe commanders and the^7

soldiers.David, Alexander, Caesar,and Charlemagne are at the

head of the four suitsat Piquet,because troops,hovvever

brave and numerous, yet requireprudent and experienced

^ .leaders.The Queens are, Argine,for Trefle;Rachel, for

T Carreau;Pallas,forPique;and Judith,forCoeur.In Argine,* V Pere Danielfindsthe anagram ofRegina,and having made

J thiscapitaldiscovery,he isenabledto determinethatthis

: ; Queen was Mary of Anjou,wifeof CharlesVII. Rachel

representsthe fairAgnes Sorel,mistressof CharlesVII;

and the chasteand warlikePallasisbut an emblem ofJoan

ofArc. Judith isnot the Jewish heroinewho cut ofi*the

head ofHolofemes, but the Empress Judith,wife ofLouis

le Debonnaire; but even this Judith is merely a repre-sentative

of IsabelofBavaria,wifeof CharlesVI. In David

" * The PerpetualAlmanac, or a Gentleman Soldier*sPrayer-book,shewinghow one Kichard Middleton was taken beforethe Mayor of the cityhe was in

forusingcardsin church,duringDivine Service.*14

""^"

%

210 PLAYING CARDS.

he sees a typificationof CharlesVII, in consequence of u

conformityin theirdestinies: David, afterhaving been loiif.-

persecutedby Saul,hisfather-in-law,at length obtainedthr

crown ; but, in the midst of his prosperity,was troubled

with the revoltof his son Absalom : and Charles VII, afte]

having been disinheritedand proscribed by his fathei

Charles VI," or rather by Isabel of Bavaria," glorious!}

reconquered his kingdom ; but the latteryears of hishT(

were rendered unhappy by the restlessspiritand wickec)

characterof his son, Louis XL

In his accoimt of the Valets,Pere Daniel isnot so imagi-native

as in the explicationof the double and triple

characterswhich he sees representedby the Kings anc:

Queens. La Hire is the famous Stephen de Vignoles

sumamed La Hire, a devoted adherent of Charles VII

wliileHector is supposed to be intended for Hector d(

Galard,another famous captainof the same period. Hogici

and Lancelotare allowed to pass simply in theirown propei

characters,as heroesof romance. ^

It would appear to be the opinion of Mons. DuchesnC;

that the oldestFrench Piquet cards that have been dis-covered,

are those formerly belonging to a Mons. Ilenin..

who found them in the cover of an oldbook. Mons. Heuin

having disposed of them to Messrs. Colnaghi, the well-knowTi printsellers,of London, they were purchased of the

latterforthe Bibliothequedu Roi. They are engraved on

wood, and coloured;and in the table of contents prefixed

' Daniel,* Mc^moircsnr rOriginedu jeudc Piquet,trouv6 dans I'histoired"

France, sous lerbgne de CharlesVII/.printedin the Journalde Trdvoux, for

May, 1720. A summary of this memoir is given by Peignot, who question;the correctnessof Daniers explanations,but yet does not venture to say what

they reallyare " mere gratuitous conceits. .

It would seem that the French

considerthe inventionof Piquet as a point of nationalhonour, and thatthe

nativeauthor who should callitin question,would renderhimself liableto fc

"suspicion of incivism."


to the * Jeux de Tarots et de CartesNumerales/it is as-!sertedthey were executed about 1425.^ But whatevermaybe their date,they are not, in my opinion,of so earlya*

period as eitherthe old uncoloured cards,preservedin the]British Museum, previouslydescribedat page 88 ; or as

those formerlybelonging to Dr. Stukeley. I indeed ques-'

tionmuch ifthey be reallyolderthan the colouredFrenchi

cards,the four Valets, now in the BritishMuseum, and

of which some account willbe found in a subsequentpage. ;

The old French cards in question have the outlines

printed in pale ink, and the colours appear to have been !

appliedby means of a stencil. There are ten of them, all\

impressed on one piece of paper ; and they are placed in ;

two rows, of fiveeach,in the followingorder: ;

Valet, King and Qtjeenof Trejle.King and Queen of Carreau. \Valet, Queen and King of Pique. Queen and King of Cceur. ]

On each of those cards,except the King of Coeur,there;is an inscriptionin Gothic letters. On the Valet of Trefle

"

isthe name Rolan, whilethe King is named Faut-sou," j

Penniless; and the Queen, Tromperie, " Deceit.The King '

of Carreau bearsthe name Coursube, which inold romances \

isthe name given to a Saracen King ; and on the Queen of i

Carreau isthe inscriptionEn toiteJie," Trust to thyself;*' that is,"says Mons. Duchesne, "

ne te fie qu'en toi,"

trustto thyselfonly. The Valet of Pique bearsan inscription

which Mons. Duchesne reads ctardcyand of which he says

he can make nothing. On the Queen of Pique is an

inscriptionwhich appears to Mons. Duchesne to be te aut

diet,but the meaning of which he cannot divine. Mons.

Leber, however, reads itLeaute rf/^^,"-leal

homage ; and

so givesit,in unmistakable characters,in the copy of this

card,in his 'EtudesHistoriques.'The King of Piquebears

* "Ces cartesrarissimcsfaisaicntpartied'unjeude cartesnumeralesgrayees

sur boissous notre roiCharlesVII, vers 1425."

212 TLAYING CARDS. i

the name ofApollin, which isthe name given to a Saracen i

idolin old romances. The inscriptionon the Queen of

Cceur islafoyet pdu " lafoiest perdue," faithis lost.

Itissupposed thattherewas alsoan inscriptionon the \

King of Coeur,but thatithas been cut off,as thiscard is

deficientin itsdue proportions.*The annexed four cards,

executed in theirproper colours,are copied from those

given by Mons. Leber in his' EtudesHistoriques.' The

whole ten are given in the * Jeux de Tarots et de Jeux ;

Numerales,' published by the Society of Bibliophiles

Fran^ais.

Mons. Leber considersthat the names Coursube and

Apollin,which occur on thesecards,corroboratehisopinion

that cards were of Eastern origin,and introduced into

Europe by the Saracens,or Arabs.^ Though agreeingwith

" Duchesne,* Observationssnr lesCartesIkjouer,*intheAnnuaireHistorique,

pp.204-7,1837 ; andLeber,'EtudesHistoriquessur lesCartesajouer,'pp.6-8,

and p.72,1842.* Mons. Leberinsiststhatthosenames confirmthe testimonyof Covclluzzo

"previouslyquotedat page 23" that the game of cards was brought into

Vitcrbo,m 1379,and thatitcame from the country of the Saracens. Mons.

Leber even callsthe figures" Gallo-Sarrazines,"evidentlywishing it to be

supposed that they had been copiedfrom a Saracen or Arabic type." ^Thefollowingisa summary ofhisnotionsof the changesmade in the characters,

when cardswere firstintroducedamongst Clu-istiannations: "Le roide Carreau Ide notrejeudc CharlesVII portelenom deCouesube, pretenduhcrossarrazindontparlcntlesvieuxromanciers; et lenom d'Apollin,inscrita cote du roide

Fique,estceluid'uneidoleimaginairegalementattribueeaux Sarrazins.".

. . On a du d'abord,a quelquesexceptionspres,remplacerlesidoles

par des figurescompatiblesavee lesdogmes et lamorale du christianisme.Le

pape, chefdc VEglisechr6tieune,a pu etresubstitu a Vichnou ; Vermite h.undervis;lamaisonLieu a une pagode ; et,quant aux symbolesg6n^raux,telsque lo

soleilthmorl,\eju^ement,auxquelssont associ^s\qbdteleuret le houffonoufoutila 8ufl5d'yattacherun nouveau sens mystiquesans rienchangeraux images.

Les memes substitutionss'op^rentdans lesportraitsdes princeset des h^ros,

figuresd'un autre ordrequisont passdesexelusivement,avec leur suite,dans ]r"$conon)icdu jeuFranfais.""EtudesHistoriquessur lesCartes a jouer,p. 72." Mons. Leber appears here to narrate a dream which he had afterrockinghimselfasleepou hisArabianhobby-horse.


Mons. Leber,in theopinionthatcardsare ofEastern origin, \

I cannot yet see how this opinion is confirmed by two ;

names, which, as designatinga Moorish king,and a Maho- :

metan idol,appear tohave been merely the inventionof a ;

French romance writer,and to have been capriciously!

bestowed upon a King of Diamonds and a King of Hearts \

by an old French card-maker.The supposition,indeed, |

that figureswith these names were to be found on old

Arabic cardsis most preposterous;thereis not a shadow j

of evidenceto show that any characters,whether realor ;

imaginary,were ever popularlyknownby these names,

amongst peopleof Arabic origin;and even if therewere .

the paintingthem upon cardswouldhave been considered i

as a violationof the law of Mahomet, by whom all such |

representationswere strictlyprohibited.With equal pro- ;

bability.Mons.Leber might assertthatcards were a Jewish :

invention,because the names ofDavid, Rachel,andJudith I

are to be found on them ; or thatPiquet was invented m j

the time of Charlemagne, in consequence of one of the ,

Kings bearinghisname, and two ofthe Valetsbeingnamed ;

aftertwo ofhisPaladins,-HogierandRoland. The long

|note in the

' PrecisHistorique sur lesCartes a jouer pp.|13-17, on the subjectof

Coursube and Apollin,and Mons. |Leber's more lengthycomment on it,have much of the,

characterof thatkind of discussionwhichwas compared by

Demonax to one man mUking a he-goat,and anotherholdmg

a sieveto catchthe milk.

The originalsof theannexedfourcards,representing

the

Valets,or Knaves, of the foursuitsknownm England as

Hearts,Diamonds, Clubs,and Spades,are m my opmion o^

at least,as earlya date as the cards contammgthenam^

Coursube and Apollin. Mons. Duchesne and Mons. Leber

judgingfrom the costume ofthe last-namedcards"greem

suppoing,or, rather,confidentlyassertmg,

thatthey were

214 PLAYING CARDS.

executed about 1425, in the reign of CharlesVII. Con-clusions,

however, drawn from the costume displayed on

cards are not of much weight in the determinationof a

date, seeing that persons supposed to be well acquainted

with the subjectof costume have not been able to deter-mine,

from that alone,the date of any old drawing, even

withinfiftyyears. To whatever periodthe costume of the

''Coursube*'cards may belong, that of the four Knaves

may be fairlypresumed to be of as earlya period; but yet,

lookingat the costume of the latter,and the styleof theii

execution,I shouldnot take them to be of an earlierdate

than 1480. Supposing them to be of that date, I think

itwillbe generallyadmitted,by allacquainted with the

subject,that,in pointof drawing, as expressiveof action

and character,they may fairlyrank with the best speci-mens

of wood-engraving executed previously to that

period.Those fourKnaves, which are now in the print-room of

the BritishMuseum, were discoveredby the writer,in the

covers of an old book, vvhichhe bought of Mr. Robert

Crozicr,bookseller,27, Bow Street,about the latterend

of December, 1841. The book, which is a; small quarto,had formerlybelonged to the CathedralLibrary of Peter-borough,^

and itssubjectisthe Sermons of St.Vincent de

Ferrer,a Spanish friar,of greatreputein his day,who died

in 1419: itwanted both the title-pageand the last leaf,

and, consequently,had no date; but, looking at the cha-racter

of the type," old Gothic" and the rude execution ofthe initialletters,I should conclude that itwas printedin

France,within the lastten years of the fifteenthcentury.

" Tliisbook was sold,togetherwith others from the CathedralLibrary ofPeterborough,by Mr. Hodgson, 192 Elect street,Dec. 13"18, 1841. In

Jiiscatalogue.No. 1492, itisthus described; " Sermoues M. Vincentii(wantsend).'*


The other leavesforming,with the cards,the" boards" of

the cover, were portions of the gloss,or commentary, ofNicholasde Lyra, on the Old Testament ; which leaves,

apparently,are of a date somewhat olderthan the volume.Seeing that old cards have so often been found in the

covers of old books, it might be conjecturedthat certain

pious persons had made it a point of conscienceto thus

employ them, forusefulpurposes; thissuppositionis,how-ever,

rendered untenable by the fact of thosecards being

intermixedwith the piouslucubrationsof Nicholasde Lyra.

Besidesthetwo squaresof paper containingthefourKnaves,

there were also two other squares,consistingof"

pips"

of Diamonds and Hearts,which were so arranged thateach

square of paper might be cut intofour cards : the low cards

on one square were, the Nine, Four, Five, and Seven ofDiamonds; and those on the other, the Ten, Four, Five,

and Eight of Hearts. The "

pips" on thoselow cardswere

evidentlyimpressedby means of a stencil.

On one square of paper were the Valets of Clubs and

Spades," Lancelot and Hogier; and on another, the

Valets of Diamonds and Hearts," that of Diamonds

being named Rolant, and that of Hearts containing the

inscription,"Valery: f." Though each piece of paper

containedfourcards, it yet displayedonly two diflFerent

characters,"the Valet of each suit occurring on it being

repeated in the alternatecompartments.The outlinesof

the figiu-esand the names have evidentlybeen engraved on

wood, and are printed in a brownish colour,"something

like Indian ink mixed with bistre; and the colourshave

been laid on by means of stencils. The names of these

Valets,-Rolant, "Valery:f,"Lancelot,and Hogier," com-pared

with those occurring on other French cards of an

earlydate, seem to prove that,originally,theFrench coat

cards received their names merely at the capriceof the

216 PLAYING CARDS-

card-maker. Any argument, therefore,respectingthe

originof cards,or the inventionof Piquet, as founded on

the names of the coat cards, must be utterlywithoutfoundation.

With respectto the names of thoseValets,it seems to

be generallyagreed that Roland, spelledRolant on the

cards, was the nephew of Charlemagne, so famed in

romance, and that Hogier, or Ogier, was the renowned

Hogier of Denmark. According to a modern author,this

hero was a grandson of Pepin of Heristal,the great-grandfather

of Charlemagne; and the appellation,"of

Denmark," was conferredon him, not from his being of

thatkingdom, but from hisbeing a nativeof Dane-marche,

that is,of the districtnow calledArdennes. The same

author also informs us, that Hogier was a descendant ofSt. Hubert of Ardennes; and, for a confirmationof the

fact,refers to the dog seen in an old Valet of Spades,

of which he gives a copy in his work : in the irregular

line of the more distantground, in the same card,he sees

an indicationof the uneven surfaceof the districtofArdennes.* An inspectionof the four Valets in question

willenableany person to decideon the valueof hisspecu-lations:threeofthoseValets," Rolant,Hogier,and Lancelot,

"are accompanied by dogs; and the line of the more

distantground in two of the subjectsisnearlylevel; while

the sUght eminence in the third"Rolant" evidentlyindi-cates

a rabbit-burrow. If such stuff as Mons. Barrois

' " LMmage du valetde pique porte aveo elleune preuve de la nationality

ardennoise;Ogier,comme tons lesdescendantsde SaintHubert d'Ardennes,avaitleprivilegede gu6rirFhydrophobieet d'enpreserver L'action

est r^clproque: le chien ne suit pas, ils'clancepour implorer protectionet

assistance,et leneveu de SaintHubert aecordeson intervention

IIest a remarquer que lecorps du cliicnest en partic cache par rescarperaent

du terrain,caractcristiqucdu pays dcs Ardennes."" Elcmcus Carlovingienslinguistiqucset litt^raires(parJ.Barrois),p. 265, Ito,Paris,1846.


drivelsforthon the subjectof cards pass for antiquarianknowledge in France, itwould seem that an ass-loadof

useless book-learning constitutedthe grand qualification

of a French antiquary.With respectto Lancelot, the readerisleftto determine

whether the name were intended for one of the Paladins ofthe court of Charlemagne, or Lancelotdu Lac, one of the

Knights of King Arthur's Round Table. The appearance

of thisname on the Valet of Clubs proves that Daniel was

right in his conjecture,as has been previouslyobserved;though Mons. Leber seems to argue thathe eitherwas, or

ought to have been, wrong.^The name Valery, which occurs on theKnave ofHearts,

has not been found on any one of the other old cardshithertodiscovered; and from the circumstanceof itshaving

the letter/ afterit,which might be intended to signify

"fecit,'*itmight be supposed that itwas the card-maker's

name. It is,however, to be observedthatthe word "fecit"is of ver}'rare occurrence, as signifyingthe work of the

artistwhose name precedesit,on engravings,forwhatever

purpose executed,of the fifteenthcentury. Itmay even be

asserted,with small hazard of contradiction,that/ as an

abbreviationof "fecit,"in itsartisticappHcation,is not

' "Le P. Danielpose en faitque *lenom du quatri^me valet(levaletde

trefle)estinconuu,parce qu*iln*y a pas longtemps que les faiseursde jeuxde

cartes I'oniaboli,en mettant leurnom tllaplacede celuide ce valet.' D croit

pourtant I'avoirtrouv6 dans le traitsde Daneau, d'ou ilresulterait,selonlui,

que c'etaitLancelot. Si Daniel avaitpu consulterlespiecesdu XVI" siecle,iln'auraitpas liasard"$ce jugementconjectural; ilauraitcraintque sa conjec-ture

ne fut pas exacte, parce que les noms des cartesayant beaucoup vari^,Lancelot pouvait n'etre point celuidu valet de trefledu temps de I'auteur

dont ils'appuie. H n*auraitpas dit que les faiseursde cartes ont aboli ce

valet'pour mettre leur nom a laplace du sien,parce qu'ilauraitapprisque

cette substitutionde noin leur fut impos^e par une ordonnance de Louis XIII,

a laquelleilsont du se soumettre."" Etudes Historiques sur les Cartes a

joucr,p. 32.

218 PLAYING CARDS.

to be found on a singleengraving, whether on wood or

copper,executedpreviousto the year 1500.

For whateverperson the name of Valery may have beeii

intended,itseems certainthatitisnot to be found as that

of a distinguishedcharacter in any of the old French

romances. Mons. Paulin Paris,having been consultedon

thissubject,thus giveshisopinion,in a letteraddressedto

his friend,Thomas Wright, Esq., so well known for his

numerous publicationson Middle-Age Literature; " The

name of the Valet of Hearts seems to me extremelycurious,for it ought necessarilyto bring to mind the name ofErart de Valeriythefamous companion of CharlesofAnjou,King of Sicily,to whom hiscontemporarieschieflyascribedthe gain of the battleof Tagliacozza,in which Manfred

[theopponent ofCharles]was killed.* Itmight, therefore,

be supposed that the pack [towhich the four Valetsin

questionbelonged]was eitherof SiciUanor Italianfabrica-tion;

for the names Lancelot,Roland, Ogier, and Valeri

were equallyfamiliarto the Siciliansof the fourteenth

century. I have said a few words about thisErard de

Valery in the articleon CharlesofAnjou,in my Romancero

Frangois."^

Though by no means agreeingwith Mons. Paulin Paris,

thatthesecardswere eitherof Italiandevising,or manu-facture,I am yet inclinedto thinkthathisconjectureabout

the name of Valery iscorrect,and that a corroborationofit

' CharlesofAnjou,brotherof St.Louis,receivedtheinvestitureoftheking-dom

of Naplesand Sicily,in 1265.* " Lc nom du valetde caur me paroitextremcment curieux; car ildoit

n^cessairementrappelerle nom d'Erartde Valeri,le fameux compagnon de

Cliarlesd'Anjou,roide Sicile,celuiauquel lescontemporains attribuoienten

grandcpartielegain dc hibataillede Tagliacozza,dans laqucllepi^ritManfred.Nous pouvons done croircque le jcuaura ^tc faiten Sicile-ou en Italic;carlesquatre noms Lancelot,Roland, Ogier,et Valeri dtoicntegalcmcnt familiers

aux souvenirsdcs Sicilicnsdu XIV "

siccle.J'aidit un mot de cet Erard de

Valerya Tarticlcdc Charlesd'Anjou,dans raon Romancero Franjois."

DIPFBRBNT KINDS. 219

IS to be found in the inscriptionon the Valetde Pique,in

the "Coursube" cards,previouslynoticedat page 21 L This

inscriptionisread darde, by Mons. Duchesne; but, to my

eye,the letters,as theyappear inthe fac-similegiven in the

specimens of cardspublishedby the Societyof Bibliophiles

Frangois,appear much more Uke the name erarde; and if,

on a carefulexamination of the original,it should be

ascertainedthat thiswas the word intended,I should then

unhesitatinglyconclude that the person representedby this

card was Erard de Valery. The objectionthat one of

thosecards isthe Valet of Hearts,and the other the Valet

of Spades, isof no weight, forthe old French card-makerswere by no means consistentinthepracticeof alwaysgivingthe same name to the same card. From the red rose which

appears on the shieldheld by Valery,an Englishman mightbe justifiedin supposing thatthosecards,ifnot of EngUsh

manufacture, were more especially,ifnot exclusively,fabri-cated

forthe English market, at a period shortlyafterthe

accessionof Henry VII,^ when the Red Rose of Lancaster

had obtainedthe ascendency. By assuming,indeed,a small

portionof French hcense on thissubject,it might even be

assertedthat those cards were of English manufacture;

seeingthat they were discoveredin the covers of a book

which had formerlybelonged to an EngUsh monastery,and

thatthe features,expression,and bodilyproportionsof the

Valetsare rathercharacteristicof Englishmen than French-men.

In support of this speculation,it may furtherbe

observed that,in former times,monks were accustomed to

act as their own bookbinders, and thatthere is reason to

* Henry VII ascendedthe tlironein 1485." Mons. Duchesne observesthat,

of allthe old cardspreservedin the Bibliothequedu Roi, only one displaysa

rose, " namely, a king. There isan old coat card,engraved on copper,in the

print-room of the British Museum, which, like that aUudcd to by Mons.

Duchesne, has a rose as the mark of the suit.

220 PLAYING CARDS.

believethatplayingcardswere manufacturedinEngland as

earlyas 1403.*

In thelatterquarterofthefifteenthcentury,severalpacks,

or sets,of cards were engraved on copper,having the suits

distinguishedby figuresevidentlyintroducedaccordingto

the fancyof the artist,and bearing no resemblanceto those

which occur on cards of an earlierdate. As the art of

engravingon copper was then of recent invention,and its

productionscomparativelyscarce and high priced,itmay be

concluded that those cards were chieflyintended for the

amusement of the wealthierclasses. Though Mons. Leber

isof opinion that such cards were not intended for the

purpose of play,it is yet certainthat they might be so

employed ; seeingthattheyconsistof the same number of

suitsas the common cards of the period,and have alsoin

eachsuit,likethelatter,a certainnumber ofcoat cards,and a

certainnumber ofotherswhich have theirvalue determined

by the number of marks impressedon them. One of Mons.

Leber'sreasons for concludingthat such cards were not

intendedforthe purposesof play,is,thatbeing delicately

engraved on copper,itcannot be supposed that they were

meant to receivethe colouringwhich, in hisopinion,was

essentialto a pack ofcards.^It may, however, be observedthat people may play very well with uncoloured cards,more especiallywhen thesuitsare so strikinglydistinguished

as in the cardsalludedto.

* Sec tho prohibitionagainstthe importationof playingcards,in 1403 ;

enactedby Parliament,in consequenceof the complaintsof the manufacturers

and tradesmenofLondon and otherpartsof England, againstthe importation

of foreignmanufacturedwares, which greatlyobstructedtheirown employment,

previouslyreferredto at page 96." Mons. Leber, afterhaving noticedBulger'sobjectionto the so-called

Tarocchicards,from theirsizeand want of numeral cards,thus proceeds:" II

auraitpu ajouterque dcsgravurcscx"3cut6csavec tant de soins,quo Icschcfs-d'ccuvrcd'un artnouveau, dont Icpremiermdritcs*appr6ciaitpar la beauts de


Perhapsthe earliestspecimens of the cards in question

are thosewhich have Hares,Parroquets,Pinks,and Colum-bines

as the marks of the suits,and of which a complete

pack, or set,of fifty-twopieces,isnow in the Bibliotheque

du Roi.^ They are not cut up, but appear justas they

came from thehands of theprinter,and eachseparatepieceof

papercontainseitherfour or sixcards. The fourAces form

one plate;thenumeral cardsfrom Four to Nine are contained

on fourplates; and the Twos and Threes appear promis-cuously

mixed with the coat cards on fiveplatesmore.

Tiieform of thesecardsiscircular,and in each suitthere

are fourcoat cards,namely, a King, a Queen, a Squire,and

a Knave.^ The distinctionbetween the two latteris not

indeedvery clearlyexpressedinthe costume ; though there

cannot be a doubt thatthelowestcharacteristhatwliichin

rempreinte,n'ontpu etredestinesh.recevoirrenluminure qui entreessentielle-

ment dans la confectiondu jeude cartes; et cetteobservations'appliquea

plusieurssuitesd'estampesdu mcme genreetdu meme siecle,dont quelques-unes

sont conserv6csau cabinetroyal. L^, commc dans Ics collectionsde Londres

etd'Alleinagne,ellessont toutcsen feuilleset en noir.Non-seulementTetranget^

des signesdistinctifsdes couleurs,mais laforme meme de ccs gravures,repous-

seraitTidded'unedestinationsemblableh,celledu jeude carteseurop^en. Lcs

unes arrondiesen medaillons,rappellentlechamp circulairedes cartesindiennes:

d'autrescouvrent un carr^d'in-i";lesplus communes sont des carres longs;

mais au lieudes couleurspropresaux cartesa jouer,on n'y voitque des images

d'oiseaux,de quadrupedes,de fleurs,de fruits; ce sont des perroquetset des

paons, des lievresetdes ours, des singeset deslions,des grenades,des roses, et

tons autresobjetsdont lechoix devaitetrepuremcnt arbitraire,quandiln*^tait

pas Texpressiond'unjeunouveau."" Etudes Historiquessur lcsCarteshjouer,

p.18.* Those cardsformerlybelongedto a Mons. Volpato,and wore purchasedof

lum,fortheBibliothequedu Roi, in 1833. He receivedin exchange some

cardsof the same pack ;and theset,completedwith fac-simildrawingsofsuch

as were wanting,were recentlyinthepossessionofMessrs.Smith,ofLisle-street,

Leicester-square,to whom they were sentby Mons. Volpato forsale.^

' Tliethirdcharacterinthosecoat cardscannotproperlybe calleda Cavalier,

and has indeedvery littlepretensionsto thedesignationof Squire.The Knaves

are evidentlycommon foot-soldiers,such as were known in Italyby thename

ofFanti.

223 PLATING CARDS.

each suitisrepresentedas running, and thus plainlycor-responding

with the ItalianFante. The highest of the

numeral cardsistheNine, therebeing no Ten in thispack,

^rhe respectivenumber of each is marked at the top in

Arabic cyphers,and at the bottom in Roman numerals.

At the bottom also,withinthe outer circleofthe border,arc

the lettersT. W., probablyintended forthe initialsof the

engraver.* Whoever he might be, his name isimknown ;

and only one othersubjectofhis engraving is noticedby

Bartsch. In the annexed specimens are shown the King,

Queen, and Ace of Hares ; the Squire of Columbines ; the

Deuce and Squire of Pinks ; and the Knave and Nine ofParroquets. On each of the Aces there is an inscription

on a scroll,as on the Ace of Hares; on the latter,the

language islow German "

" PiattDuitsch"" and the words

form a rhyming couplet:

Ave mi deint me vin,

Daerom mot ic en lepus sin.

The precisemeaning of thisit is not easyto make out ;

but takingthe contractedword Ave to have been intended

for Auwe, a meadow, the coupletmay be thus " done into

English;"

Me o*er fieldsmen keen pursue,ThereforeI*m theHare you view.

But supposingtheword Ave to have been meant forAugen,

the eyes,and giving a shght turn to one or two other

words, the meaning would be that the hare was calledLepus " quasiLippus " on account of itsbleareyes.

Mons. Duchesne saysthat,on the platecontainingthe

Aces,thereisa datewrittenin an oldhand, but he omits to

" From the difScultyof givingin a wood-engravingthose small letterswith

sufBcientclearness,they are omittedin the annexed specimens. The numeralsare alsoomitted,exceptin the Two of Pinks.

Circular Cards. XVth Century, (p.223.)

1


2


3


4


mention what itis. In the ' Jeux de CartesTarotset de

CartesNumerales/where allthe fifty-twopiecesare given,

they are said to have been engraved about 1477. These

cards,though of the same form,and having the same marks

of the suitsas those describedby Bartsch, and noticedby

Singer,are yet the work of a differentengraver.In the circularcards describedby Bartsch and Singer,

the inscriptionon the Ace of Hares is in Latin,and the

initialsof the engraver, T. W., are wanting. From a

wrapper, of which a fac-simileisgiven by Singer,itwould

appear thatthosecards were engraved at Cologne ; and it

has been supposed thatthey are of as earlya date as 1470.

They are unquestionablythe work of eithera German or

a Flemish artist; and some amateurs of engraving have

erroneouslyascribedthem to Martin Schon, or Schongauer.

Bartsch,in his descriptionof them, includesa fifthsuit,

namely, thatof Roses; and saysthateach suitconsistedofthirteencards,which would thus give sixty-fivepiecesfor

the complete pack. Mr. Singer, also,in his account of

such of those cards as were formerly in the collectionofMr. Douce, givesitas hisopinion,that the complete pack

ought to consistof fivesuitsof fourteencardseach," in all,

seventy pieces.* Mons. Duchesne, however, thinks that

thoseauthorsare wrong, and that the complete pack con-sisted

of only foursuitsof thirteencardseach,as displayed

by thosepreservedin the Bibliothequedu Roi. But as he

entirelyoverlooksthe difficultyof accountingfora suitofRoses, engraved in the same style,he does not seem to be

justifiedin pronouncing so decisivelythat Bartsch and

Singer are wrong in supposing that a complete pack con-sisted

of fivesuits;for it is by no means unlikelythat a

fifthsuitmight have been introducedby the artist,with a

" Bartsch,Peintre-graveur,torn,x, pp. 70-6." Singer,Researches into the

Historyof Playing Cards,p. 45-6,alsopp. 205-8.

224 PLATING CARDS.

view of givingvarietyto the game, but which might have

been subsequentlydiscarded,as inconsistentwith the old

establishedprinciplesofthe game, and as only making it

more complicated,withoutrenderingitmore interesting.

There isanother pack, or set,of cards,also engraved on

copper,and of the same period as those lastdescribed,

which seems to requu-esome notice here,not only on

account ofthemarks employed to distinguishthesuits,but

alsoon account of the means by which those marks were

repeatedon thedijQTerentcards. The completepack appears

to have consistedof fifty-twopieces; each of the foursuits

containingfourcoat and nine numeral cards" the place of

theTen, as intheothertwo packs,being suppliedby a fourth

coat card. The marks of the suitsare : 1, Human figures;2, Bears and Lions ; 3, Deer ; and 4, Birds. These cards

are oflargesize,being about fiveinchesand seven eighthshigh,by about three and a half wide. The name of the

engraverisunknown ; but they are believedto be thework

of the German artistusuallyknown to amateurs as** The

Masterof 14C0." In the coat cardsthe mark of the suitis impressedfrom a differentplate; and as it sometimesoccurs surrounded by the work of the coat card, it has

been ascertainedthatin such instancesa blank space had

been leftforitssubsequentimpression. The marks on the

numeral cardswere alsoprinted in the same manner, by

means ofimpressionsfrom separateplates.In the collectionof Thomas Wilson, Esq., there were

twenty-nineof thosecards,togetherwith fourteendrawings

of othercardsofthe same pack,and elevenanimals on sepa-rate

plates,formingthemarks ofthesuits. Those cardswere

purchased of Mr. Wilson by Mr. Tiffin,printseller,West

* In the 'CatalogueRaisonnd of the selectCollectionof Engravings of an

.

Ainateur*[Mr.Wilson]a fulldescriptionis givenof thosecards,pp. 87-91.4to,1828.


Strand,who again sold them to the Bibliothequedu Roi,

where othersof the same pack are also preserved. Fac-

simUes of thirty-sevenare given in the ' Jeux de Cartes

Tarots et de CartesNumerales/published by the Society

of BibliophilesFrancois. In the Table des Matierespre-fixedto thatwork, itisindeedsaidthatthereare forty;but,

on lookingat theirplate,No. 91, itwillbe perceivedthatthe

threecoat cardstheregiven do not properlybelong to the

pack in question; forthe mark on two ofthem isa kind offlowersomething like a sweet-pea,and on the otheritisa

rose.i Mons. Duchesne, who appearsto have suppliedthe

PrecisHistoriqueprefixedto the work above named, shouldhave distinctlymentioned that the three coat cards in

questionwere not of the same pack or set,which has Human

figures,Bears and Lions,Deer, and Bu-ds,as the marks ofthe suits. If they reallydid belong to the same pack,it

must then have consistedofat leastsixsuits.The annexed fourcards,engraved on copper,are copied

from specimensgiven by Breitkopf,in his'Enquiry intothe

Origin of Playing Cards ;* who there describesthem as

''German Piquet cardsofthefifteenthcenturywithTrappola

characters." The completepack appearsto have consisted

* One ofthesecards,a Queen,isevidentlycopiedfrom the Queen of Deer,

but having a kind of floweras the mark ofthe suit,insteadof a Deer. Those

two Queens,so preciselythe same inform,attitude,and costume,most certainlydidnot belongto the same pack.

* 'Deutsche Piquet-Kartenaus den XV lahrhundertemitTrappolaBlattem.*

The use of the word Trappolaby writerson thehistoryof playingcards,without

clearlyexplainingthe sense in which they employ it,leadsto much confusion.It properlysignifiesa game; which may be played with any kind of numeral

cards consistingof four suits,whatever the marks may be. Breitkopfseems

hero to apply the term "Trappola Blattem" to cards which have Swords,

Batons,Cups,and Money as the marks ofthesuits;inthe same manner as the

cardsnow in common use inthiscountry are calledby writerson the subject,French Piquetcards. It isnever, however,supposedthatthegame dependsin

the leaston the marks ofthe suits.

15

226 PLAYING CARDS.

offifty-twocards;each of the foursuitscontaminga King,

Queen, and Valet, or Knave, as we term the character;

togetherwith ten numeral cards. The marks of the suits

were Swords; Clubs (proper,not Trefles);Cups; and

Pomegranates. The lattermark is substitutedfor thatof

Money ; and was perhaps intended by the artistto com-memorate

the marriage of Philipthe Fair, son of the

Emperor Maximilian,with Joanna,daughterof Ferdinand

and Isabella,King and Queen of Spain; who, on theirsub-jugationof the kingdom of Grenada, in 1497, appearto

have adopted the Granada^ or Pomegranate, as one of their

badges.^ The cardsunquestionablybelong to thatperiod;

and in supportof the speculation,it may be further ob-served

thattheyare generallyascribedto Israelvan Mecken;

who, as a nativeof Bocholt,was a subjectof PhiUp, whoinheritedthe Netherlands,in rightof hismother, Mary ofBurgundy.

Von Murr, in the second volume of hisJournal,givesa

descriptionof a nearlycompletepack of thosecards,which

were then in thepossessionof a gentleman named Silberrad,

residingat Nuremberg, but which are now in the British

Museum.^ He callsthem old Trappola cards,and saysthat

they are certainlyof an earUerdate than the time of Israel

van Mecken the younger ; or rather, that they were

engraved by Israelthe elder. "The suits,"he says,"

are distinguished,afterthe Italianmanner, by Spade ;

CoppB ; Danari (representedby Pomegranates); and

' From the time of the marriageof Joanna's sister,Catherineof Arragon,

with Arthur,Prince of "Wales,tillabout the time of her separationfrom his

brother,Henry "Viil,the pomegranate was frequentlyintroducedas an ornament

inthe royaldecorationsand furnitureofthe Englishcourt.* Those cardswere purchasedof Messrs.Smith, of Lisle street,who also

suppliedthe Museum with the two sets of old Italianengravings,usually

calledTarocchicards.

Swords (p.227.)

I

Cups. (p.227.)

Batons, (p. 227.)

" Vi"ir

Money, (p. S27.)

DIFFERENT KINDS, 227

Bastoni."* The cardsdisplayedintheprecedingspecimens

are : the Deuce of Swords ; the Valet of Cups ; the Ten ofPomegranates; and theTen of Clubs. In thelatter,the Club

seen on the banner is rough and knotty,and not an arti-ficially-formedBaton, as is sometimes seen on old Italian

cards: it has previouslybeen observed that the Bastoni

were sometimes calledColonne, from theirbeing somethingUke slenderpillars.

It would appear, from the testimony of contemporary

authors,that the cards most commonly used in Italyin the

latterpart of the fifteenthcentury,were those which had

Spade, Coppe, Bastoni, and Danari " Swords, Cups,

Batons, and Money, " as the marks of the suits. These

continuedto be the common marks on ItaUan cardsin the

sixteenthcentury,and even to a much laterperiod; and

such alsowould appear to have been the marks of the cards

used in Spain,from the periodof theirfirstintroduction

intothatcountry,to the presentday. The annexed wood-cuts,

copiedfrom a plateinBreitkopf,are theSevensofeach

ofthefoursuitsina pack ofTarots. The marks are preciselythe same as in modern Tarots; and thereisreason to be-lieve

thattheyare nearlythe same, with respectto form, as

thoseoftheearliestItalianTarocchicards,properlyso called.The relationwhich the marks of the suitsbear to each

otherin the threevarietiesof cards most generallyknown

in Europe, willperhaps be bestunderstood from thefollow-ing

summary, which shows, at one view, the names given to

the suitsof each varietyinthe countrywhere such cardswere

chieflyused.

* " Die Karte istnach WalsicherArt in Spade, Coppe, Danabi, (dieaberliieralsGranatapfelvorgesteiltsind,)und Bastoni getheilet.""Von Murr, Journal

zur Kunstgeschicht,iivTheil,s. 200.' Breitkopf improperlycallsthose cards

** Traj)polier-Karie"'-TrapTpo]"

cards. Arctiuc,in his' Carte Parlanti/makci a distinctionbetweenthegame

ofTrappola,and thatplayedwith Tarocchicaras.

JJ28 PLAYING CARDS.

GERMAN CARDS.

German Names oftheSuits.

Hebzew, OderRoth. Geun. Eichbln. Schbileit.

(Hearts,or Rep, Geeen (Leaves).Acoens. Bells.)

SPANISH AND ITALIAN CARDS.

In the oldestcards of the German and Spanish type

there appears to have been no Queen. In the German

pack,the second coat card was a kind of superiorofficer,

distinguishedas Ober," Upper, Superior; whilethe third,

correspondingwithour Knave,was namedUNTER," Inferior.^

The Spaniards calledthe second coat card Caballo," the

Horseman or Knight ;" and the Knave they calledSota,

a word which, in the Dictionaryof the Spanish Academy,

* " n y a danschaque cotJeurun roi,nn officiersup^rieurou capitamenottim^Ober,et un bas-oflOLcier,appel^ Unter. On appelleencore de nos joursdansTempire,olilesmots franpaisne sont pas si en vogue, lesofficierssup^rieurs

oberleute,et lesbas-oflficiersunterleute.Les Eranpaisont substitu^ laplacede

PoflBicierune dame, et a laplacedes bas-officiersdesvalets,ou des braves,comme

Bulletlesnomme. Le bas-officierdes glands est nomm^ en Allemagne, der

groszementzel,et celuide vert,der kleinementzel; enfin.Fas porte le nom de

(^w.'*" Heineken,Iddc g^n^raled'uneCollectioncompile d'Estampes,p.239-

DIFFERENT KINDS. 229 ]

issaidto be derivedfrom theItaliansoto,signifying'under/*

The Italianscalledtheirsecond coat cardCavallo, and the

thirdFante ; in each of the four suitsthe principalcoat i

card was the King. Itwould, however,appear thatat an \earlyperiod,the Italiansoccasionallysubstituteda Queen |forthe Cavallo;and if the cardsformerlybelonging to the I

Marquis Girolamo be reallyof so earlya date as isassigned ito them by Millin, itwould seem that the French have no

justtitleto the'* honour" of being the firstto introducea \

Queen as the second coat card,and that in having made" Place aux Dames," in the pack, theyhad only followed \

theexample set them by the Itahans. i

Millin'snotice of thosecardsis to the followingefiect:

"In the collectionof the Marquis Girolamo, at Venice,

thereare some cardsofvery earlydate," about the begin-ning

of the fifteenthcentury. They are largerthan the \ordinarycardsW thepresentday ; they are alsoverythick

- \

and the materialof which they are formed resemblesthe ;

cotton paper of ancientmanuscripts. The figures,which jare impressed"

* imprimees'"on a gold ground, consistof ]threeKings, two Queens, and two Valets,one of the last

being on horseback. Each figurehas a Baton, a Sword, or ]

a pieceof Money [asthe mark of the suit].The designis.

verylikethatof JacobellodelFiore; but thework has the

appearance of impression,and the colours seem to have j' ** SoTA. La tercera figura,que ti^nenlos naipes,la qual representael

infante,6 soldado. Dixose de lavoz Italianasoto,que valedebaxo,porque vd

despuesde lasfigurasde Key, y Caballo,qne le son superiores."" ^Ina superficial

paper on oldplaying-cards,by thebarondeRcifTenberg,printedinthe * Bulletins

de rAcaddmie Royale desSciences,desLettres,etdesBeaux-Arts de Belgique/

No. 10^ 1847,the Sota istransformedintoa female:" Dans lesjeuxde cartes \

espagnols,la dame et le valet6taientremplac^s par le cavalloet lasota,le jcavalieret la/ille." ';

* Mons. Duchesne, isof opinionthatthe Marquis Girolamo*Scardsbelonged "

to the same pack or set as the so-calledGringonneur cards preservedin the |Bibliothequedu Roi. If Millin'sdescription,however, be correct,Mons. |

Duchesne isunquestionablywrong. ]

230 PLATING CARDS.

been appliedby means of a stencil.They are the most

ancientspecimensoftheirkind."*

As the names. Clubs and Spades,given to two of the

suitsin this country,by no means correspond with the

marks by which they are distinguished," to wit,theFrench

^"^ând Pique" 1 am inclinedto considerthem as the

old names forthe suitsof Bastoniand Spade ; Clubs being

merely a translationof Bastoni, and Spades probably a

corruptionof Spade, or Espadas," Swords.^ Erom these

names, indeed,it may be fairlysupposed that the cards

firstknown in England were those having Swords, Clubs,

Cups, and Money, as the marks ofthe suits; and thattwo

ofthosesuitsretainedtheirnames when the old cardsof

Spanish or ItaHan type were superseded by thoseof more

" Millin,Pictionnairedes Beaux Arts^torn,i,p. 201.Paris,1806. Quoted

by Peiguot."JacobellodelPiore flourishedabout 1420.Â setof cards,"

con-tainingfiguresofthe gods,with theiremblematicanimals,and figuresof birds

also,"were paintedfor PhilipVisconti,Duke of Milan, who died in 1447.

Decembrio,in hislifeofthisprince,in the 20th volume ofthe* Rerum Italica-

rum Scriptores,*says that they costfifteenhundred piecesof gold, and were

chieflyexecutedby the prince'ssecretary,Martianus Terdonensis. Prom the

context,itappears that they were not mere pictures,but were intendedfor

some kindofgame. "

Âretine,in his * Carte Parlanti,'speaks with admirationof

a pack of cardspamted by Jacopo delGiallo,a Florentineartistwho flourished

about 1540.* It isbut fairto observehere thattlieDutch name forthe suit which we

callSpades,isScopya Shovel,or Spade; and that as thisname hasbeen evidently

givento the suitfrom the mark bearingsome resemblanceto a spade,the same

suitmight have been calledSpades by the Englishfor the same reason. This

objection,however,doesnot afl'ectthe conjecturewith respect to Clubs. In

the Nugae Vcnales,printed in Holland, 1648, we meet with the following:" Query. Why are the Four Kings of cards,Diamonds, Trefoil,Hearts,,andSpades" Rhombuli, Trifolii,Cordis,et Ligonis" always poor? " Answer. Be-cause

they are alwaysat play; and play,according to the proverb,is man's

perdition.Theirstateisalsoin otherrespectsmost miserable;forwhen through

them much money is lost,they arc condemned to the flames,and burnt like

wizards." Tliemodem Dutch names for the suitsof Prench cards are Hart,

"

^Hcart;Rui/tfa lozenge-shapedfigure,a diamond-shaped pane of glass,

"

Diamonds ; Klaver, Clover,Trefoil,"Clubs; Scop,a Spade, Shovel,or Scoop,

" Spades.


recentFrench design. There are also othercircumstances

which strengthenthe conclusion,that cards,on theirfirst

introductionintoEngland, as a populargame, were brought

eitherfrom Spain or Italy; the characterof the thirdcoat

card,the Knave, or Jack, ismore in accordance with the

Spanish Sota, or the ItaUan Fante, than with the French

Valet,which, in the earhestFrench cards,always bearsthe

name of some person of note, eitherin romance or history.

The term Valet,at the time when itwas firstbestowed on

the third coat card by the French, did not signifya

"Gentleman's Gentleman" or a menial servant; but was

more especiallyappUed to young noblemen " ^the" Dilecti

Regis"" holding appointments at court. The term Knave

was never applied,likeValet,to signifya courtier,or person

of distinction; it was used to signifya serving-man oflow condition. It seems to be derived from the same

root as the German Knabe, the primary meaning of whichisa Boy, but which was alsoused, in the same way as the

Latin Puer, to signify a servant. Subsequently the term

Knave became obsoletein the sense of servant, and was

exclusivelyappliedto designate a dishonestperson. The

term Jack, another name for the Knave of cards,was in

former times very frequentlyappliedto a"

serving-man oflow degree,"without any regard to the name which might

have been given to him by his godfathersand godmothers.

Though Dr. Johnson, and most other English lexico-graphers,

derive the term Jackanapes from Jack and Ape,

and though this derivationseems to be supported by the

meaning attachedto the term by one of the earliestwriters

who makes use of it,yet" Jack-a-Naipes,"that is.Jack of

Cards,isat leastas probablean etymology ; and much more

so than that of "Jack Cnapa," suggestedby Sharon Turner,

inhis'HistoryofEngland,' from which thefollowingpassage

isextracted.

232 PLAYING CAEDS.

" In theBritishMuseum, Vesp. B, 16, isa balladwritten

at thistime on the catastrophesof the Duke of Suffolkandhisfriends.(Temp.Henr. VI, May, 1450.)Ittreatsthesehorrorswith an exultinglevity,which shows the barbarous

unfcchngness of poHticalrancour; but it is curiousfor

givingthe names of those friendsof the government who

were most hated by the people. They are the clerical

statesmen who were employed eitherin theofficesof govern-ment

or on itsembassies,and it shows how much the

dominant church had, by theseemployments, become iden-tified

with the crown. It designatesthe Duke of Suilblk

by the cant term of' Jac Napes,'and isperhapstheeariiest

instance we have of the abusive applicationof the wordJackanapes. Our lexicographersderive this word from

Jack and Ape ; but the balladshows,thatNapes was a term

of derisionsignifyinga Knave ; and must thereforebe the

Saxon Cnapa, which bore alsothismeaning. This willex-plain

thereason why our thirdfiguredcardiscalledJack,and

alsoKnave. The word Jackanapes thereforeseems to be

Jack Cnapa, and to mean Jack the Knave. In thissense

itisappliedto Suffolk;and as the Knave isnext in power

at cards to the King and Queen, the nickname may be

used in theballadwith an allusionto Suffolk'sbeing the

prime ministerofHenry and Margaret."^

The followingare two of the stanzas of the balladin

which the term occurs :

" In themoneth ofMay, when grassgrows grene,Fragrantinherflowreswith swete savour,

JacNapes wold on the see, a maryner to ben,

With hisclogiand hischeyn to seke more tresour.

** Swych a payn prikkedhim, he asked a confessour;Nicholassaid,I am redithe confessourto be;

He was holden so, thathe ue passed that hour :

For Jac Napes saule,*

placeboet dirige.'"

* SharonTurner'sHistoryofEngland,vol.iii,p. 80.


Mr. Turner'sremark, that " the balladshows thatNapes

was a term of derision,signifyinga Knave, and must

thereforebe the Saxon Cnapa,'* does not appear to be

well founded; for if it were derived from Cnapa, and

merelysignifieda Knave, or Cheat,itisdiflicultto conceive

why itshouldbe writtenNapes, and not Knave, or Knape,

as required,accordingto Mr. Turner'setymology ; besides,

it is evident from the context, that,in the mind of the

writer,the idea of a Jac Napes was associatedwith that of

a monkey, or an ape,with his clog and hischain. That

thiswas not the primary significationof the term, may

be confidentlyasserted;and no writer who has derived

it from Jack and Ape, has produced any authority to

show that itoriginallymeant a man who travelledabout

with apes or monkeys. In the followingpassage,from a

tract printed about 1540,* the term '*YacX:an najjea**

evidentlyrefersto a mummer or bufibon in a particoloured

dress,likethat of a knave of cards. The writer,afterhaving noticed the assembling of the poor on hoUdays, at

the "personisbame,"^ and there committing "ydolatrein

mayntenynge his ambision, pride, and bestly lyvinge,"

thus proceeds: "Nobyl statiswere better to hunte the

bull,here,hert,or ony otherethynge lyketo suckure the

powre with the mette, then to here Sir Jhon Singyl Sowle

stombel a payer of mattens in laten,slynge holy water,

curse holy brede, and to play a caste lyke yack an napes

in a folescotte." When John Bale, in hiswork entitled,* Yet a Course at the Romish Foxe,'speaksof Jack-a-Napes

" " Here begynncth a traetyscallydetlieLordis llaylehandlydoby the

Bushoppes powre theresshereThomas Solme."" ^Withoutdate. At the end :

" Prynted at Basyl by me Theophyll Emlos, undere the sygne of Sente Peters

Kay."" 16mo. In one passage Henry VUI isappealedto as then living.

* To the bam or grange of monasteries a chapel was frequentlyattached,

which used to be attended on holidaysby country peoplewho livedata distance

from theparishchurch.

234 PLAYING CARDS.

"

swearing by his ten bones/*it would seem that he in

some manner or other associatedthe term with the Jack-a-

Naipes, or Jack of Cards ; for his ten bones can only be

supposed to relateto the numerical value of the Jack of

Naipes, as a coat card. In Bale'stime a"

card of ten"

would appear to have been a generalexpressionfor a coat

card, as wellas fora card distinguishedby thatnumber of

pips.Fyrstepycke a quarell,and fallout with hym then.

And soo outfacehym with a cardeof ten.

SkeltotCiBowghe ofCourt.

From thefollowingpassageinPulci's*MorganteMaggiore/itwould seem that,in Italy,in the fifteenthcentury, the

King of cardswas occasionallyreferredto as the type of a

presumptuous person :

"E com* e* giunse,gridavailgigante;

Tu se* qui,Re diNaibi,o di Scacchi,

Col mio bataglioconviencVio t'ammachi."

" And when the two togethercame, the giantshoutedout,

And hereyou are, my King of Cards,or e*en of Chess,pardie!

My clubthenwithyour shouldersmust withoutdelaymake free."

':

In Scotland,about 1508, the Knave of cardswas the

representativeof a forward impertinent person," a veryJack-a-Naipes," as isevidentfrom the " Flytingof Dunbar

and Kennedy," where the latter,among otherbad names,

callsthe former** Valet of cards :

" Waik walidrag,and verlotof the cairtis."'

Even in modem times the Knave of Hearts has been

referredto as the ideal of a presumptuous, thicksetlittle

" * The Poems of William Dunbar, now firstcollected,with notes and a

memoir ofhis life,by David Laing/vol.ii,p. 67, 1834!."Tn the notes to this

edition,thereare severalreferencesto thecard-j)layingof James IV of Scotland.

His majesty,itwould seem, was accustomed to playwith the " French Leich,"

John Damiun, whom he aflcrwardspromoted to the abbacy of Tungland.

Damian, who brokeIllsthighin an attempt to flyfrom the top ofStirb'ngcastle,isthe person ridiculedby Dunbar as the " Fenyet Friarof Tungland."

DIPFERENT KINDS. 235

man, as appiearsfrom the followingpassagewhich occurs in

the second edition,of Brockett'sGlossary,1829, under the

word Purdy.'' Purdy, a littlethicksetfellow." I owe thisword," says

Mr. Brockett, " to the communication of a clericalfriend

in the county of Durham, who firstheard it at Barnard

Castle. On ascertainingthemeaning, thefollowingdialogue

took place.Q. What does Purdy mean ?

A, A Uttle throsian-up thing Uke a Jack at Warts.

[Jack0* 'Arts," Jack ofHearts.]Q. What's that?

A, Something likea lime-burner,

Q. What isa lime-burner?

A, Oh, nobbut a Kendal stockener,

Q. What isthat?

A. A littlethicksetfellow."

If cards were actuallyknown in Italyand Spain in the

latterpartof the fourteenthcentury,itisnot unlikelythat

the game, as a common amusement, was introducedinto

thiscountry by some of the English soldierswho had served

under the banners of Hawkwood, and other Free Captains,

in the wars of Italyand Spain, about the periodin question.But, however thismay be, itseems at leastcertainthatthe

earliestcards commonly used in thiscountry,were of the

same kind,with respectto the marks of the suits,as those

used in Italyand Spain.

The German cards of the fifteenthcentury,and even ofa much laterperiod, displaymore of fancifulembellishmentthan the cards of other countries; more especiallyin the

numeral, or low cards; which, in additionto the "pips,"

or marks of the suits,frequentlycontain figuresof men

and women, quadrupeds, birds, foliage,and such like,

introduced by way of ornament, at the caprice of the

236 PLAYING CARDS.

designer. These ornamental appendages are frequentlyof

a grotesque character,and sometimes indecent. The two

annexed figuresare the second coat cardsofthesuitsofGriin

and Eicheln,-"Leaves,and Acorns," in a pack of German

cardsengraved on wood, of the date 1511. The figuresare

drawn with great freedom, and are much in the styleofLucas Cranach. On theTwo ofAcorns are thelettersF.C.Z.;

theF and the C being probably the initialsof the designer,

and the Z signifyingthathe made the drawings," zeichnet.On theTwo of Leaves are two shieldssuspended from a tree;

the one displaystwo straitswords, in saltire; and the other

the arms of the house of Saxony, the same as are frequently

seen in wood engravings designed by Lucas Cranach. In

a third shield at the bottom of the same card, are a


pickaxeand mallet,in saltire,the same as inDr. Stukeley's

cards,and probablythe mark of the card maker. Thirty-

six cards of this pack, which appears to have originally

consistedof fifty-two,are preserved in the Bibliotheque

du Roi ; and fac-similesof them are given in the * Jeux

de CartesTarots et de CartesNumerales,'publishedby the

SocietyofBibliophilesFran^ais,planches92-95.

Specimens of a pack of cardsdesignedby Erhard Schon,

and engraved on wood, are givenby SingerinhisResearches.

In thispack, the marks ofthe suitsare Flowers,Pomegra-nates,

Leaves, and Roses.^ These cards are very inferior,

* A few singlecards,apparentlybelonging to this pack, preservedin the

BritishMuseum, are ascribedto Hans SebaldBehaim.

238 PLAYING CARDS.

both in designand execution,tothosejustdescribed,ofthedate1511. Erhard Schon flourishedabout 1530. About

1550, VirgilSoUs engraved a pack of cards on copper,

with Lions, Apes, Peacocks, and Parrots as the marks of

the suits: they are noticedby Bartsch, in his ' Peintre-

Graveur'; and sixof the pack were recentlyin the posses-sion

of Messrs.Smith, of Lislestreet.

The best of all the fancifulcards that appeared in

Germany during the sixteenthcentury,are those engraved

on wood from the designs of Jost Amman. They were

pubhshed at Nuremberg in 1588, in a quarto volume, withillustrativeverses, in Latin and German, composed by

J. H. Schroter,the imperialpoet-laureate. From the fol-lowing

verses, "

^ Liber de Seipso,'" it would seem that

thosecardswere not designedforthe purposes of play:

" Chajlta mihi titulumtribuitLusoria ; lusus

Et chartaein pretiornunera vulgus habet.

Sed nee ego laudesmoror aut ccnviciavulgi;Sitmihi sat clansposse placereviris.

" Hos rogo,ut a remm quondam graviorevacantesCura, sichartisluderefortevelint,

Colludentnostris:sinerixis,vulnere,morte, .

Lndenti quoniam lucrabenignadabunt."

In thisset of cards,the marks of the suitsare Books;

Printers'inking balls; Wine-cups, of metal" formed by the

skillof the goldsmith;" and Goblets,with bossesof glassor earthenware. Correct and beautifullyexecuted spe-cimens

of those cards are given in Singer's'Researches,'

pp. 180-96.

The four annexed German cards, are the Sevens of the

* Those cardsare the rarestof allJost Amman's nnmerons works. The first

titleof the Tolume is " JodociAmmanni, civisNoribergensisCharta Lusoria,Tetrastichisillustrataper Janum Heinrichum Scroterum de Gustrou." Thenfollowsa long explanatorytitlem German, and theimprint," Gedruct zuNurn-berg,durch Leouhardt Heussler,Anno, 1588."

.There is a copy of the work

in theBritishMuseum.


ioxa^viisxSchellen;Her zen, oder Moth; Grun; Eickeln,"

Bells; Hearts, or Red ; Green, or Leaves ; and Acorns.

They are copiedfrom Breitkopf,and are of the seventeenth

century. The foursmall ones given below are of the same

period,and were probably intended for the amusement

of children,"likethe "prettylittlecards for prettyUttle

fingers,"manufactured at the presentday. The subjectsare, the second Coat cardand theThree of Leaves; the Four

ofAcoms; and the Six of Hearts.

As smallbellswere worn as omaments by the emperors

of Germany and the higher classesin the 12th and 13th

centuries,Breitkopf is inclinedto think that bellsmight

have been introducedon cards as a distinctivemark of the

240 PLATING CARDS.

classof kings and nobles; and that cards might even

have been known inGermany at theperiodreferredto. In

corroborationof his opinion,he gives a plate,entitled^^ Alte Deutsche Furst Schellen-tracht**" that is to say,Ancient German Princely Bell-costmne," containingfour

figures,all adorned with smallbells. The firstfigureis

that of the PrincessWulphilde,who was li\ingin 1138 ;

thesecond and thirdrepresentthe Emperor Henry VI, who

died in 1197; and the fourthis that of the Emperor

Otho IV, who died in 1218.^" Breitkopf'sconjectureis imdeserving of remark : had he assei-tedthat his oldGerman emperors and princes were adorned with bellsto

indicatetheirrank and precedence,in the manner ofleading

packhorses,he would perhapshave been as near thetruth.

The tinkleofthe bellrouses the questingspiritof Mons.

Leber,who pursues the inquirywith singularardour and

perseverance,though not with success. His researches,however, on the subjectof bells,though throwing not a

glimmer of light on the history of cards, are yet so

amusing, that they are here given entire,notes and all.They also furnish an additionalproof of the wide field

aflbrdedforspeculationby the historyofcards.*' Afterthe Fou of European Tarots,the Bellson Indian

cardsare anotherproof of the Orientaloriginof the game.The use of bellsin India,whether as a mark of distinction

and greatness,or as a means of diversion,is of remote

antiquity;while everything shows that they were not

known to the ancientnationsof Europe. The Baladins

and female dancers of India have theirlegsdecked with

small bells,which they shake when dancing ; and certainidolsare decoratedwith the same ornament ; girdlesformed

of bellsare alsoworn by infants,withoutany otherclothing;

' Breitkopf,[JrsprungderSpielkarten,s. 33.

4

DIFFBRBNT KINDS. 241

and sometimes a singlebellsuppliestheplaceofthegirdle.Herbertrelatesthat

'as thisbellcontainsa viper'stongue,

itmight be supposed to be annoyingand disgraceful.It

is,however,neitherthe one nor the other,foritismade au

ornament, and it is esteemed one of theirmost superb,

when given by the king to a personwhom he wishesto

honour.'^" We have alreadysaid thatthe use of bellsfor

variouspurposesis of greatantiquity; and a proofofthis

isfurnishedby the Pentateuch.^ Bells appear to have

passedfrom the Hebrews to theArabs,and to have been

with thesetwo nations the same as we see them to have

been in India,a signof distinctionand power,when not

prostitutedto the use oftheBaladins. An Englishauthor,

who has not been unmindful of the remarks of Calmet,*

mentions,in thefollowingterms, a kind of devotionpaidto the bellamong the Arabians : 'The Arabian courtesans,

likethe Indian women, have littlegolden hellsfastened

round theirlegs,neck, and elbows, to the sound ofwhichthey dance beforethe king." The Arabian princesseswear

goldenrings on theirfingers,to which littlebellsare sus-pended,as in the flowingtressesof theirhair,that their

superiorrank may be known, and they themselvesreceivein passingthe homage due to them/*" Such are bellsin

theEast : letus now see what theyhave been in Europe at

differentperiods."The Emperor Henry IV, who died in 1197, and

Wulphilde, thewifeof Count Rodolph, livingin 1138, are

representedin ancientmonuments in habitsornamented

* " Voy. lesVoyages de Samuel Purchasj ceux de Thomas Herberten Perse

et dansplusieurspartiesde TOrient; leSuppl.t.ii,des Ceremoniesrelig.,avec

lesfiguresdc B. Picart,et la-PI.de la fetede Huly,t. i,2* part,des memes

Ceremonies,p. 138."* " Notamment Exode, c. xxxix,v. 25."' "Voy. D. Calmet,Dictionn.de laBible,au mot Clochette."* " Lallallookh,an orientalromance, by T. Moore."

10

242 PLAYING CARDS.

with bellssimilarto those which are seen on Tarots. It

would seem thatthissingularornament, which subsequently

became the attributeof the bufFoon, or professionaljester,was then a mark of dignityin the West as well as in the

East, and thatitheld a conspicuousplaceamongst the dis-tinctive

ornaments of the princesand nobles of Germany,

from theeleventhto thethirteenthcentury.^ Some EngUsh

critics,however, have supposed that the bell indicated

falconry, a sportwhich the high nobilityonly had the

privilegeof indulgingin ; and itiscertainthat small bells

were attached to the feet of trained falcons.^ But the

questionis,did the bellsstand forthe falcon,and was the

falcon,indeed,a mark of high nobility?

"What rendersthisconjectureprobable is,that we find

the use of the smallbell[grelot]establishedin the West

before the introductionof heraldicsigns,and that we have

no evidenceof itshaving been known to the ancientGreeks

and Romans.* As the bellwas used in falconryby princes

and nobles of the firstclass,it might thus become the

emblem of thefalcon,and, subsequently,thatof thenobihty

" " Voy. Breitkopf,Urspmng der Spielkartcn,p. 33, et laPL de Henri VI

et de Wulphilde (d'apresI'Archdologie,sauf erreur).Les memcs figures,

copi^icspar Janscn,so rctrouvcntt.i,dc son Essai sur I'Origincdc la Gravurc

en Bois et en Taillc-douce.Paris,1808, 2 vol.in-8. Le costume en a 6i6

(jvidemmcntrajcuni,mais ilesthorsde toutcvraisemblancequ'on y aitsuppos^line paruredc grclotstrangereau monument original."" Mons. Leber,incitingBreitkopf,spellshisname with uniforminaccuracy.

' " Gough, d'apresStukeley,Archseologia,t.viii,p. 152 ; et Smger, p. 73."' " La Fauconnerie de Guillaume Tardif,eh. x, p. 61 ; et les Oiseaux de

Proie,par G. B., p. 122 du reeueilde J. du Fouilloux,^dit.de Paris,1614,

in.4,fig."* " Quoiqu*onaitsouvent traduitles mots crotalum et crusma, " rporaXov,

KpuKTuUf" par grelot,et r^ciproquement, on croitque les instruments ainsi

nommds par lesGrecs et lesRoraains n'etaientpas ce que nous appelons des

grelots; et, en efTct,lafiguredu grelotne se retrouve dans aucun monumentd'une antiquitdbienetablie.Voy. P. A. Lampe, De Cymbalis veterum, lib.i,

cap.4, 7,8, et fig.,pp. 26 et 44, Holl.,pet.in.l2."


to whom it was confined. The falcon,and things per-tainingto falconry,were certainlyamong the marks of

grandeur with which the sovereigns and barons of the

middle ages loved to surround themselvesin their formal

displays,and which alone were sufficient,in the same manner

as armorialbearings,to indicatethe rank of the persons to

whom they belonged. In the tapestryascribed to Queen

Matilda, Harold is seen travellingwith his falcon on his

fist;and the Count Guy de Ponthieu, who conducts him

prisoner to Beaurain, carries also his bird in the same

manner, although he, doubtless,had no thought of the

chase.* Besides, sceptres are surmounted with three-

branched fleurons,like those which form the ornament on

thetop of a falcon'shood.^ We alsosee hawks and falcons

on ancient tombs; and it is not unlikelythat they were

there placed as indicationsof rank before the introduction

of armorial bearings. The same conventionaldistinctions

were stillin existenceinmuch more recent times ; forAnne

de Montmorency made his entiy into London as ambas-sador

of Francis I, preceded by twenty-six gentlemen of

the besthouses of France^ each bearing a falconon his fist;*

and even our kings themselves,on occasionsofgrand display,

were preceded by their falconersfullyequipped. Falconry

was not known to the ancients; but itiscertainthatitwas

in use among the nationsof the North beforethe conquest

of the Gauls by the Franks. Sidonius Apollinariscom-memorates

the skillof a person named Vectiusin the art of

trainingdogs, horses,and birdsofprey :" In equis,canibus.

" " Voy, lescomp. 2 et 8 de lapi.56 des Monuments de laMonarchic fran-

?aise,par Montfaucon."^ " Ibid.pi.55, d'apr^snne miniatured'un manusc. angl.du X" siecle." "Hist, de la Maison de Montmorency." Le Grand, Vie privee des Franj.

torn,ii."

244 PLAYING CARDS.

accipitribminstituendis,spectandis,circumferendis,nulli

sccundus/***' The question,however,would stillbe,

' ifbellswere usedin falconryat so earlya period?' and itmay be presumed

that they were not so used until long afterwards.

German princes,as referredto by Breitkopf, are decorated

with them as marks of high birth,on monuments from the

eleventh to the thirteenthcentury. Now, itwas justto-wards

the closeof the eleventhcentury,that the intercoiu*se

between Europeans and Orientalsbecame more extendedby means of the crusades; and the inventionof heraldryis

of the same period. Armorial bearings,which originatedin over-sea expeditionsand in tournaments, are not ofhigher antiquitythan the eleventhcentury; theiruse be-came

more frequentin the twelfth; and, in the thirteenth,

we findthem generallyestablished.From the concurrence

of these circumstances,it may be concluded that bellsof

thiskind were brought intoEurope from the East, towards

the end of the eleventhcentury; and, that on theirfirst

introduction,the German nobilityadopted them as marks

of distinction,eitherfrom the ideaof grandeur attachedto

them by the people from whom they had them, or on

account of the noble bird to whose use they had dedicated

them; and thatthismark of nobihty fellinto disusewhenheraldrycould supply itsplaceby signs better adapted to

gratifythe prideof the great,on account of theirindicating,

at the same time,both rank and personaldistinction.The

" " SidoniusApollinaris,Epist.9,p. 245 de Tddit.in-4de Savaron. Ce com-

mcntatcurallegueun passage de Prosper,lib.iii,cap.17,de Vitacontemplativa,oil ilest aussiquestiond*oiseauxet de chiensde chasse:

* Utuntur accipitribusac saginatiscanibusad venatum.*

"

" "Suivant Fopinion la plus gen^ralement adoptee,et que partagerentVelser,

Duchesne, Tauchet, Du Tillet,Blondel,lesfreresde Sainte-Marthe,Spelman,

leP. Mencstrier et autres. Voy. leTraitsde VOrigine des Armoiries,de ce

dernier. Paris,1679,in-12,pp. 53 etsuiv."


Bayeux tapestry,alreadyreferredto as the work of Queen

Matilda,seems to confirm thisopinion. The conquestof

England by William Duke of Normandy was achievedin

1066 ; and the tapestryrepresentingitis supposed to be

of the same century: and of thistherecould be no doubt,

ifitwere true that the work was executed by the wife ofWilliam, and her attendants.^ It may thus have been

worked about twenty or thirtyyearsbeforethe firstcrusade,

which was determined on at the councilof Clermont, held

by Urban II, in 1095. Now, the birds of chasewhich

some ofthe personsin thistapestrycarryon theirfist,have

no bellsat theirfeet. We perceivethere only thejesses,or leathernstringswith tasselsat the ends,which serve to

retainthe bird.^ These jesses,without any appearanceof

bells,are easilyto be distinguishedin the compartment

which contains the inscription.Dux Willelm : Cum

Haraldo : Venit : Ad Palatin. Ifthisbe not evidence

thatbellsof thiskind were not then common in Europe, it

isat leasta proof thatthey were not then used in falconry,

although this sport had been practised for several

centuries.'**Mons. Leber callsboth Spanish and German cards

Tarots,even though they may containno Atous ; which yet

appear to have been the veiy pieces which Were more

especiallydistinguishedas Tarocchi or Tarots; and from

the use ofwhich,in combinationwith othercards,a particular

kind of game was calledTarocchino,or Tarocchio. Thus,

in consequenceof hisnot sufficientlydistinguishingbetween

Spanish and German cards,he speaksof the marks which

* " Sentiment adopts par le presidentHenault :* Mathilde . . .

broda en

laineun monument qu'on voitdans I'^glisede Bayeux, de I'expeditionde son

mari en Angleterre; la mort ne luipermit pas de rachever.* (Hist,de Fr.

sous lesann. 1067-74.)"" " Voy. Fauconueric de G. Tardif."

" Leber,Etudes Histoiiquessur lesCartesa jouer,pp. 80-4.

246 PliAYJNG CARDS.

occur on them indiscrimiiiately; and explainsSwords andMoney as ifthey belonged to the same pack which has one

of its suits distinguishedby Bells. His account of the

marks on the French cardsisto thefollowingeffect." The

C("urexplainsitself;it is a symbol ofthe most noble and

generoussentiments,and more especiallyindicatescourage,

valour,and intrepidity,qualitiesthe most brilliantinprinces.The lV(^ehas itsname from itsresemblance to the plant

so-called; though properlyitisa Flower,,or rathera Fleuron

with threebranches,symbolicalof the mysterious numberThree,which,in ancienttimes,was regarded with rehgious

veneration. This number being the firstwhich containedin itselfthe principalcharacteristicsof numbers, " namely.

Unity and Plurality,Odd and Even," became the symbol

of a union of the most excellentvirtues,such as Power,

Wisdom, Love ; and, by analogy. Sovereignty,Wisdom,

Justice. Itis thisthree-branchedFleuron which appears

on the monuments of the French kings of the firstand

second race; but,inconsequenceofitsbeingbadly designed

and worse understood, it became confounded with the

heraldicFleur-de-Lis,and is in fact now displacedby it.

The Carreau scGms to have been betterunderstood by the

French than theirneighbours,with whom thisfigureis a

jewel,a preciousstone, an ornamentalarticle.The Enghsh

take itfora diamond, and the Spaniards,for a jewelwornby ladies,or for the decoration of the toilet. Their

error has doubtlessarisenfrom the comparison which they

made between the Carreaux of cards and the figuresof

preciousstones which they had before theireyes.^ The

' There iseveryreason tobelievethatthesuitofcardswhich vre callDiamonds

was not so named in consequence of the mark beingmistaken for the symbol

of a preciousstone,but merelyon account ofitsform. The Dutch callthe same

suitRuijt,inconsequence of itsform beinglikea lozenge-shapedpane of glass.The Diamonds on cardsare, in Northumberland,more especiallyamongst the

colUcrs,frequentlytermed Fkks, in consequence of the acute angular points


diamonds and precious stones forming the ornaments of

royal vestments, and of dresses of court ladies,have

usuallythe form of carreaux, and are painted in vermilion,or in carmine in the manuscripts of the middle age; and

thisconventionalform, having been adopted by heralds,

was introducedinto armorialbearings as the made andlozenge. The Carreaux of cards,however, have no con-nexion

with diamonds and preciousstones,any more than

they have with the quarrellsor square-headed arrows of a

crossbow. The Carreau, as well as each of the othermarks

of the suits,is a symbol, and not a rebus. All icono-

graphersrepresentFortune as standing,upon one foot,on

a wheelor a ball,to signifyher instability.The contrary

idea was necessarilyattached to the figureof a square or

a cube,considered as a firm and immoveable base. It was

forthisreason thatthe ancientsplacedthefigureof Wisdom

and Firmness on a cube ; and Aristotlespeaks in the same

sense when he informsus that a true philosopherought to

be square," carre " thatis to say,immoveable in courage

and virtue. Heraldry has alsoadmitted the square,placedlozenge-wise,as an emblem of Constancy and Firmness ;

and the Squares of cards,calledCarreaux, can only be sup-posedto have the same signification.As to the Pique^

there can be no doubt with respectto itsmeaning. It

representsthe head of a lance,and is thus an emblem of

militaryforce. The Germans, however, seem to have mis-conceived

the characterof thisfigure,which they converted

into a Leaf," Griln;^" but this mistake, or rather this

beingsomethinglikethe Picks used in hewing coals. The Spanish name Oros

appears to have been originallyappliedto the suitcalledby the ItaliansIknan

oxDanari, without the leastreferenceto the FrenchCarreaux.T\ig mistakes

on thissubjectappear to be exclusivelyMons. Leber'sown.

" The probabilityis on the other side,namely, that the German 6run, or

Leaf,was the originalofthe Prench Pique. No French cards hithertodis-covered

are of so earlya date as thosewhich have Bells,Hearts,Leaves, and

Acorns as the marks of the suits.

248 PLAYING CARDS.

difference,may be ascribedtotheimperfectionofthepainting

in ancientcards; and more especiallyto the coarseness

of the firstessaysofwood-engraving,inwhich itwas almost

impossibleto distinguishthe figureof a leaffrom thatof a

pike-head. On comparing the earUestGerman cardswith

shieldsof arms, of the same period,and with old wood-

engravingswhich contain trees,itwillbe immediately seen

how easyitwas to confound the two forms. There is no

differencebetween the Piques of cards and the leavesof

the tree on the rightof the woodcut of St. Christopherof

the date 1423 ; and the Crequier^of heraldryis precisely

the same as the seven of Pique^ in German cards of the

fifteenthcentury. But whatevermay have been the cause

of thisanomaly,itisgenerallyadmitted that the Pique in

French cardsisthe figureof a weapon ; and itcan scarcelybe doubted that itwas the equivalentof the Sword in the

Tarots. In thisrespectthe Spanish and Itahan nomencla-ture

is in perfectaccordance with our own. In the

southernpartsofEurope theFrench Pique is La Picca or

La SjpadaP

Thus, accordingto Mons. Leber,thefoursuitsofFrench

cardshav6 thefollowingsignification: Cgeur,valour,great-ness

of soul; Trefle, wisdom and justiceunited with

power; Carreau, firmness,stability,constancy; Pique,

physicalforce,or the power of the military.The suits,

again,may be consideredas representingfour monarchies,or politicalsocieties;namely,Cceurs,governedby a generous

and courageousprince; Trebles, by a sovereignjust,wise,

" The Crcquicrisa kindofwild plum-tree,and itsleavesare borne as the

familyarras of thehouse of Crequi. Armorialbearingsof thiskind are called"

armoiriesparlantei*by French heralds." Mons. Leber shouldhave said

" Sept de Griin;"but then thiswould have

destroyedtheanomaly whichhe was desirousofillustrating;forthereisnothing

auouuilousintheLeaveson German cardshavinga resemblancetotheleavesofa purlicuhirtree.


and powerful; Caereaux, by a king consistentinprinciple,

and decidedin action; and Piques, by a warlikeprince,

who owes hispower to his arms.

Though Mons. Leber has freelycensured Daniel for

writingon the subjectof cardschieflyfrom books, without

referringto cardsthemselves,he isyet exceedinglyprone to

followDaniel'sexample ; and though hisexplanationof the

symbolicalmeaning of cards be lessextravagantthan the

latter'saccount of the originand significationof the game

ofPiquet,itcan scarcelybe calledmore reasonable; sinceboth writersinterpretthe marks on the cards accordingto

theirown conceit. The one informs us that the Trefle

signifiesthata generalought onlyto encamp in a placewhich

affordsplentyoffodderforhiscavalry; and the othersays

thattheCarreau,which, as itstands,in thecards,seems the

very emblem of instability,signifiesfirmness, stability,

constancy; an!interpretationwhich seems to rest chieflyon

the ingenioushypothesisof the Carreau being an emblem

ofthe cube.The variationswhich occur on cards from the com-mencement

of the sixteenthcentury,eitheras regards the

marks of the suitsor the names of the coat cards,throw

no lighton theirorigin;as such variationshave evidentlybeen introducedmerely at the capriceof the card^maker in

accordance vriththe prevalenttaste of the period. In a

pack of French cards,engraved by Vincent Goyraud, in

the time of Henry IV, allthe coat cards appear in the

costume of the period; though the Kings and Valetsstilldisplayin theirdress thatvarietyof colourwhich isto be

seen on cardsof an earUerperiod,but which, at thattime,

appears to have been out of fashion. Such cards would

appear to have been in common use in England in the

earlypartof the reignofJames I. In Rowland's 'Knave

of Hearts,'firstprintedin 1612, the Knave, in his sup-

250 PLATING CARDS.

plicationto the card-makers,complainsof the piebaldsuits

which he and his fellowsare compelled to wear.^ In the

pack referredto the names and designationsof the Coat

cardsare as follows: I

The Valet de Court has hishat under his arm ; theValet

de Chasse holds a dog in a leash; the Valet d'Ete carriesa

largeflower; and the Valet de Noblesse bears a hawk on

his fist. The mark of the card-maker appears on two of

the Valets,namely, on the Valet of Coeur, and on the

Valetof Pique. A pack of those cards is preservedin the

Bibliothequedu Roi ; and fac-similesof the Kings, Queens,

and Valets, in their proper colours*are given in the* Jeux de Cartes Tarots et de CartesNumerales,*publishedby the Societyof BibliophilesFran9ais. From those fac-similes

the outlinesof the fourValets here given have been

copied.In the same work are given fac-similesof coat cards

executed in the reignof Louis XIII, and displayingthe

costume of that period. The names given to the Kings,

Queens and Valets on those cards are : Coeur,Alexandre,

Pentasilee[Penthesilea],Roland. Carreau, Cirus Major,Roxane, Renault. Tt4jleyNinus, Semiramis ; the name of

the Valet wanting.^ Pir^ue,Jule Caesar,Pompeia, Roger.

Each of the Aces issurrounded with an ornamental border-ing;

and at the foot is an inscription,which, when read

consecutively,through allthefour,is as follows;''Vivele

Boy IVive la Beyne \Tayme VAmour \Et la Court!'" See the passageat length,p. 135.* On this card the name of the manufacturer appears" ^P.De Lestre"

tODfcthcrwith hismark.


Some of the specimensof Portuguese cardsgiven in the* Jeux de Cartes Tarots et de CartesNumerales' have very

much the appearance of having been originallysuggestedby, ifnot copied from, an Orientaltype; more especiallyin the suitsof Danari and Bastoni," Money and Clubs.

In those cards the circularfigure,generallyunderstoodas

representingDanari, or Money, is certainlymuch more

likethe Chahra, or quoitof Vichnou, as seen in Hindos-

tanee drawings, than a pieceof coin; whileon the top of

the Club there is a diamond proper,which is anotherofthe attributesof the same deity. The dragon seen on each

of the Aces is perfectlyOrientalin character;and the

shieldswhich appear on the Kings and Queens are very

much likethose which are to be seen in Hindostanee

drawings. The coat cardsin thispack are King, Queen,

and Horseman ; and the suitsare Coppe, Danari, Bastoni,

and Spade " Cups, Money, Clubs proper,and Swords. The

Queen,which here appears as the second coat card,isof

unusualoccurrence in cardsof thiskind,and more especiallyinsuch as are of Spanish or Portuguese manufacture.^ In

two of the suits," Clubs and Swords," the Queen appearsin the act of encountering a dragon. The coat cards andaces have lettersboth at top and bottom, indicatingthe

suit,and the rank or name of the card. Specimens ofthose cards,which appear to have been executed in 1693,

are preservedinthe Bibliothequedu Roi. The fourannexed

cuts show the outlinesof the four Valets. The letters

* In a pack of modem Portuguese cards now beforeme thereis no Queen ;

and the suitsare Hearts, Bells,Leaves, and Acorns. The figuresof the coat

cards are half-lengthsand double" "de duas Cabepas;" so that a head is

alwaysuppermost whichever way the cardmay be held. In a pack of modemSpanishcards,"" Naypes Rcfinos"" alsowithouta Queen,the figuresare alsodouble; but the suits are Copas, Oros, Spadas, and Bastos," Cups, Money,

Swords,and Clubs proper." On modern German cardsthefiguresare frequently

representeddoubleinthe same manner.

252 PLAYING CARDS.

CC, CD,CB,CS, signifyrespectivelytheCaballo,or Chevalier

ofCoppe,Danari,Bastoni,and Spade.

"


The most remarkablechangesthatcardshave midergone, iwithrespectto the charactersdisplayedon them, are to be ifound in certainpacks manufactured at Parisin the time J

of the Revolution. Specimens of the coat cardsof two of i

those packs engraved by Chossonnerie and Gayant, in

1793-4, are given in the ' Jeux de CartesTarots et de

CartesNumerales/ In one ofthem theplacesofthe Kings "

are occupied by four Philosophers,namely, Moliere,La

Fontaine,Voltaire,and J. J. Rousseau; the Queens are \

substitutedby the fourVirtues,Prudence, Justice,Tem- 1

perance,and Fortitude; whilethe Valetsare supersededby \fourRepublicans,one ofwhom isa grim-lookingruffian,with \a red cap on, and his shirt-sleevesturnedup, brandishing

a pike; the second is a soldierarmed with a musket; the "[thirdan artilleryman; and the fourtha young man, in

fancycostume, armed with a musket. In the other pack, jfourSages,Solon, M. P. Cato, J. J. Rousseau, and J. J.

Bnitus, serve instead of Kings ; fourVirtues,as in the \other pack, represent the Queens; though with thisdif- \ference,that Temperance is displacedby Union; while ]

four " Braves,"" Annibal,Horatius,P. Decius Mus, andM. Scaevola,supplythe placeofValets. \Another pack of Republican cardsof the same periodis

'

thusdescribedby Peignot,inhis ' Analysede Recherches ;

sur lesCartes a jouer.*"For Kings we have Genii; for Queens,Liberties;

'.

and for Valets,Equalities. In place of the Kingj

of Hearts there isthe Genius of War," 'G^nie de la ^Guerre.' This Genius, which is winged, is seated on

the breech of a cannon; he holds in the righthand a

sword and a wreath of laurel,and in the left,a \

shield,round which istheinscription,*Pour la Bepuhlique 1

Frangaise* On the right,read verticallyfrom the top, \

is the word 'Force: At the feetof the Genius are a

254 PLATING CARDS.

bomb, a lightedmatch, and a heap of bullets. At the

bottom of the card isthe inscription,* Par brevetd inven-tion.

Naume etBugoueCy au Genie de la Eep.fran^*" For the Queen of Hearts :

* Libert^ des Cultes,'

" ReligiousLiberty. This is a female seated,verybadly

draped, and with her legs bare. She holds a pike sur-mounted

with a red cap ; and on a bannerol attachedto

tliepike are thewords *Dieu seuV Towards her feetare

seen three volumes, inscribed ' Thalmud,' * Coran/and' Evangile' The verticalinscriptionis,

' Fraternite!

"Knave of Hearts :* Egalit^ des Devoirs,'" Equality

of Duties. This is a soldierseated on a drum, with his

musket between his knees. In his lefthand he holds

a paper containing the words,' Pour la patrie! The

verticalinscriptionis' Securite'

" King of Spades :' G"nie des Arts,'" the Genius of

Arts. The figureof Apollo with a red cap on hishead; in

one hand he holdsthe Belvederestatue of himself,and in

the other a lyre. The verticalinscription:* Gout* At

the bottom, emblems ofpainting,sculptm'e,and such like." Queen of Spades :

* Libert^ de la Presse,'" Liberty

ofthe Press. A femalefigurewith a pen in one hand, and

with the other sustaininga desk, on which liesa rollof

paper partlyunfolded,and displayingthe words' Morale^

Religion Philosophie,Physique^Politique,Ilistoire!At

thebottom, masks, rollsofmanuscript,and such like.

"Knave of Spades: 'Egalit^ de Rangs,' " EqualityofRanks. The figureof a man whose costume accordsrather

with that of a' Septemhriseur'than with that of a mere

' SanS'Culotteoftheperiod. He wears sabots,and has a red

cap on hishead. He has no coat on, and hisshirt-sleevesare tucked up to the elbows. His small-clothesare

loose

at theknees,and hislegsare bare. He isseated on a large

stone, on which is inscribed:'Demolition de la Bastille.


10 Aout, 1792/ Under his feet is a scrollinscribed* Noblessey and displayingshieldsof arms. The verticalinscriptionis 'Puissance'

"King of Clubs: * G^nib de la Paix/" Genius ofPeace. In his right hand he holds the 'Fasces*and an

olivebranch, and in the lefta scrollcontainingthe word

'Lois' The verticalinscriptionis' Prosperite'

"Queen of Clubs: 'Liberty du Mariage/" LibertyofMarriage. The figure of a female holding a pike sur-mounted

with the red cap ; and on a scrollattachedto the

pike is the word 'Divorce! The verticalinscriptionis' Pudeur! On a pedestalisa statueofthe crouchingVenus

entirelynaked," without doubt intendedforthe emblem ofModesty.

"Knave of Clubs: 'Egalit^ de Droits,'" ^EquaUtyofRights. A judgein tricolorcostume, holding in one hand

a pairof scales,and in the other a scrollcontainingthe

inscription'La hi pour tons! He is trampUng on a

serpent or dragon, the tortuous foldsof which representlegalchicanery. The verticalinscriptionis

' Justice!

"King of Diamonds: *GiSnie du Commerce,' " the

Genius of Commerce. He isseatedon a largebale,which

containsthe inscription' P, B, d!inv,/. D. a Paris!

In one hand he holds a purse,and in the other a caduceus

and an olive-branch.The verticalinscriptionis' Bichesse!

At the bottom are an anchor,the prow of a ship,a portfoho,

and such like.

"Queen of Diamonds: 'Libert:! des Professions,'

"Liberty of Professionsand Trades. A femalefigurewho,

in the same manner as the otherthree Liberties,holds a

pike surmounted with the red cap. With the otherhand

she holds a cornucopiseand a scrollcontainingthe word' Patentes! The verticalinscriptionis 'Industrie!

''KnaveofDiamonds : 'Egalit6 de Couleurs,'" Equality

256 PLAYING CARDS.

j

ofColours. The figureof a Negro, seated,and leaningupon'

a musket. Below is the word* Ca/e.'Near to him are \

a sugar-loaf,a broken yoke,fetters,ironcollarsforthe neck,

and such like. The verticalinscriptionis* Courage,*

" Such are the coat cardsof thisRepublican pack. The

numeral cards are the same as the old ones, with the

exceptionof the Aces,which are surrounded by fourfasces

placed lozcnge-wise,with these words:* Za Loi. Rep,

Frang./the whole colouredblue. It is scarcelynecessary

to say thatthoseridiculouscardshad not even a momentary

vogue."1

The coatcardsof a Republican pack, of recent American

manufacture, have been forwarded to me by a friend,

residentat New York. From the name of the maker,

" R. Sauzade, " which occurs on the Ace of Spades, I am

inclinedto think that their invention is to be ascribed

rather to a Frenchman than to an American. For the

Kings we have: HeartSy Washington; Diamonds, John |

Adams, the second Presidentof the United States; Cluhs,

Franklin; Spades,La Fayette. For the Queens: Hearts,

Venus, " modestlyconcealingher charms with a mantle,in

" Peigiiot,Analyse de Reclierchessur lesCartesa jouer,pp. 288-90. Paris, j1826. Tte followingpassage relativeto the change of manners which suc-ceeded

the Revolutionis quoted by Mons. Peignot from a periodicalentitled

*Le Corsaire:*" "Les cartes en vogue jusqu'alarevolutionfurent totalement

abandonndcspendant les tcrriblcsanndcs dc notre bouleverscmentpolitique.Le boston,legrave wisth,les^millantreversis,n*6toicntplus conservesque

chcz quelquesbons bourgeois,dontilsn'avoientjamaissans doute enflamm^ les

passions,ou dans quelquesvieillesmaisons du Marais et du faubourgSaint-

Germain. La bouillotteii'^toitguere connue que de quelques marchands ; et

meme Topinionpubliquefl^trissaitceux dont une ignobleaviditycomproraettoit.lafortune. La mode avoitmis en faveurlaconversation,lessoireesmusicalcs,lessoireesdansantes. L'ecart^a paru, et ce jeuniaiset insipidea faitrevivre

parmi nous toutes lesfureursdu gothique lansquenet. Plus de conversation,

plusde danses; la senate ou la romance du joursont interrompuespar le en

desjoucurs; le bal est desert,ou n'est plus peuple que de vieux amateurs;

tandisque lajeunesses'emprcsseautour dcs tablesd'ecarte."


accordancewith American notionsof delicacy.Diamonds^

Fortune ; Clubs,Ceres ; Spades,Minerva. The Knaves

are representedby Four Indian chiefs. The figuresappearto be engraved on copper,and are coloured. The marks

of the suitsare the same as those on the cardsin common

use inEngland. Those cards,I am informed,are heldin

no estimationby the card-playersofAmerica,who continueto preferthose of the old pattern." ^The chieftown in

America for the manufacture of cards is Boston ; whosediscreet,meeting-goingpeople seem to have no objectionto

make a profitby supplyingthe profanewith theinstruments

ofperdition.No cardsof an

" instructive"characterhave ever obtained

popularityamongst regularcard-players; forwhen people

sitdown to play at cards they do not liketo have their

attentionwithdrawn from the game by the historicalor

biographicalreminiscencessuggestedby Coat cards,either

containingportraitsof distinguishedcharacters,or comme-morating

remarkable events ; and leastof allcan they bear

thatthe heads of a sermon or moral lectureshouldbe pre-sentedto them in the shape of the four cardinalvirtues;

which are justas appropriatein a pack of cards as they

would be on the proscenium ofher Majesty'sTheatre.

The bestofthe costume cardsthat I have seen are those

designed by Armand Houbigant, a French artist,who

named them " Cartes Royales,"and obtainedfrom Louis

XVIII, a licenseto manufacture them for generaluse, in

1818. They did not, however,acquireany vogue,and are

now seldom to be met with, except in the collectionsof

amateurs ofprints. The coat cards,which are etched,anddelicatelycoloured by hand, displaythe costume of the

French Court at four differentperiods. The characters

representedare as follows.

Sjoades, King, Charlemagne, "Carolus Magnus;"

17

258 PLAYING CARDS.

crowned, and seatedon a throne,with a globe in the right

hand, and a long sceptreintheleft." Queen, Hildegarde,

second wife of Charlemagne ; erect,crowned, and holding

a book in her hands." Knave, Roland, described in

romances as the nephew of Charlemagne ; and saidto have

been killedat the battleof Roncevalles in 778 ; holding

a spear and shield,and clothed in armour, which appears

ratherto belong to the sixteenthcenturythan to the time

of Charlemagne.

Diamonds, King, Louis IX, " SainctLoys ;" crowned,

seated on a throne,wearing a blue robe powdered with

fleurs-de-Ks,and having a sceptreinhislefthand." Queen,

Blanche de Castille, wifeof Louis VIII, and mother ofSt. Louis; erect, crowned, and holding a rosary in her

righthand." Knave, Sire de Joinville, the biographerof

Louis IX, and one of the nobles of his court ; clothedin

chain-mail,over which isa surcoat of arms.

Clubs, King, Francis I ; seated,wearing the broad

bonnet in which he isusuallyrepresented,and holding a

sceptre." Queen, Marguerite de Valois, Queen ofNavarre, sisterof Francis I ; erect, holding a rose in her

righthand." Knave, Bayard ; in plate-armour,leaningon

a kind of pedestalon which isinscribed" Sans peur, sans

reprocJie**Hearts, King, Henry TV ; seated,holding a sceptre,

and wearing the characteristichat and featherwhich, in

modem times,are designatedby hisname. " Queen, Jeanne

d'Albret, mother of Henry IV ; erect,holding a fanin her

righthand." Knave, Sully ; bald and bearded, as he is

usuallyrepresentedin engravings,holdingin hisrighthand

a paper inscribed" Economic Boy}

..,.**

* a descriptionof tlicsame cardsby Mons. Amanton, member of the Aca-demy

of Dijon,is given in Peignot'sAnalyse,p. 291 : "Dans ce jeu,"saysMons. Amanton, "Icsportraitsdcs roissont iihsressemblans,lescostumes

du


A set of Picture Cards, published by Cotta,the book-seller

of Tubingen, in one of his Card Almanacs "

' Karten Almanach' " is noticed by Mons. Peignot* The

designerhas chosen forthe coat cardsthe principalcharac-tersin Schiller'sJoan of Arc,and has clothedthem, as well

as he could,in the costume of the period. The King ofHeartsisCharles VII; the Queen, Isabella of Bavaria;

the Knave, La Hire. " The King of Clubs is the EngUsh

commander, Talbot, dying ; the Queen, Joan of Arc ;

the Knave, Lionel, taking away the sword of Joan of Ai-c.

" The King of Diamonds isPhilip, Duke of Burgundy ;

theQueen, Agnes Sorel ; the Knave, Raimond, a villager." The King of Clubs is R^n^ of Anjou, with the crown

ofSicilyat his feet; the Queen, Louise, sisterof Joan ofArc; and the Knave, Montgomery, on his knees, and

weeping. The low cards from 1 to 10 alsocontainfanciful

designs; but with thesubjectsso arrangedthatthenumbers

and marks of the suitscan be readilydistinguished.The

subjectof the Pour of Clubs is an illustrationof Burger's

balladof Leonore " ^Death armed, and mounted on horse-back,

appears to be threatening with his dart a young

woman who ridesbehind him ; the scene islaidina church-yard,

and a skeleton appears crawling towards an open

grave. The mark of the suitis seen on four crosses in the

churchyard. Cotta's Card Almanack firstappeared in

1806, and was continued for severalyears. It was pub-lished

as a small pocket volume of a square form ; and the

illustrationsconsistedentirelyof fancifulcards," the mark

of the suit being always introduced into each subject,

temps bienobserves;et mcme Icsnoma des personnagcssont dcritsen carac-

tcresde I'^critureen usage dans lesi^cleou ilsont vecu. Malgrc laperfectiondu travail,ces jolisdessinsn*ont pu I'emporter sur les ancieunesimages in-

formes,qui rappellentI'enfanccde Tart; tant la forcedc I'habitudcest tyran-

nique."

260 PLATING CAEDS.

eitherby hook or by crook. The designs forthe cardsin

the firstfour volumes, from 1806 to 1809 inclusive,are

said to have been made by a lady." ^Numerous packs of

fancycardshave appearedin Germany sincethe commence-ment

of the present century; some displayingcostume,

ancientand modem ; some representingeminent characters,

and others devoted to the illustrationof trades and pro-fessions.

In one of them, published at Frankfort-on-the-

Maine, in 1815, in memory of the principalmilitaryevents

of 1813-14, the Duke of Wellington figuresas the Knave

of Diamonds, and Marshal Blucher as the Knave of

Clubs.

In 1811 two differentpacks of caricaturecards,imitated,

or ratheradapted,from thepicture-cardsinCotta'sAlmanack,

appearedin England. The one was published by S. and J.

Fuller,Rathbone place,London ; and the other,by Jones,

at the Repositoryof Arts,Market hill,Cambridge. Neither

of those packs was intended for the purposes of play.They have very much the appearance of having been de-signed

by the same artist. On the Avrapperof both packs

the inscriptionisthesame ;" Metastasis. Transformation

of Playing-cards."" A set of costume cards was publishedby Ackermann, in the 'Repositoiy of Arts,'in 1806: a

particulardescriptionof them would be justas interesting

as a descriptionofthe platesin* La BelleAssemblee'ofthe

same period.A pack of cardspublishedby Baker and Co.,in 1813,

requiresmore particularnotice. On the wrapper they are

entitled"EclecticCards;*'and in a pamphlet giving an

account ofthem, they are announced as" Complete, Grand,

Historical,EclecticCards, forEngland, Ireland,Scotland,

and Wales ; being a Selectionor an EclecticCompany ofTwelve of the most eminent Personages, that ever distin-guished

themselvesin thoserespectiveCountries,forHeroic


deeds,Wisdom, "c. And the other Forty Cards descrip-

tive of the Local and National Emblems of the Four

Nations.

Historian,Poet, Painter,allcombine.To charm the eye,the tasteand mind refine;Fancy and sentimenttheiraidimpart.

To raisethe genius,and to mend the heart."

These cards,which are considerablylargerthan thosein

common use, displayconsiderableskilland fancyin the

designs,and are beautifullycoloured. Heartsand Diamonds

are retainedas marks of two of the suits;but Acorns are

substitutedfor Clubs; and instead of Spades there is a

" true representationof the realSpata,which isnot a coal-heaver'sspade, but a two-edged heavy sword, without a

point,as used by the ancient Britons to fightwith ; cut,

hew, and slash down, eitherenemy or tree. So says our

ancienthistory."A fac-simileofthisformidable

weapon is here subjoined,in order that the

reader may judgefor himself of itspeculiarfitnessfor cutting,hewing, or slashingdown.

It has very much the appearance of a heavy

cast-metalarticle,new from theCarron foundry,

and of modern Gothic design. In the de-scriptive

pamphlet, the coat cards are thus

explained:

"FOR ENGLAND.

King ofClubs,"

^Arthur,the Great and VictoriousHero,

King of Britain.

QueenofClubs," ^Elizabeth,theWise and VirtuousQueen

ofEngland.

Knight ofClubs,"Sir John Falstaff,theFacetiousKnight,

and companion of Henry V, Knight ofEngland.

262 PLAYING CARDS.

FOE IRELAND.

King ofHearts," Gathelus,the GrecianPrince,King of

Ireland.

QueenofHearts,^^coi\% hisWife, the Egyptian Prin-cess,

Queen of Ireland.

KniffJdofHearts." Ossian,the Warrior and Poet,Son

ofFingal,Knight of Ireland.

FOR SCOTLAND.

Kinff of Diamonds, " Achaius, the fortunateContem-porary,

and in alliancewith Charlemagne, King of Scots.

Queen of Diamonds. " Mary Stuart, the unfortunate*Dowager Queen of France,and Queen of Scots.

Knight of Diamonds." Meriin, the Magic Prophet,

CabinetCounsellorto Vortigern,AureliusAmbrosius, Uter

Pendragon, the Fatherof King Arthur,and to King Arthur,

who was hisPupil,Knight of Scotland.

FOR WALES.

King ofSpata," Camber, the thirdSon ofBrute, King

ofCambria.

QueenofSpata." Elfrida,the beautifulQueen ofMona,

and of the Mountains.

Knight ofSpata." ^Thaliessin,the Welch Bard and Poet,

dressedlikea Herald or King at Arms of the Divine andAncientDruids,as he sang to King Henry II of the greatdeedsofArthur,thejustlytermed hero of the BritishIsle,

Knight of Cambria.''" In the selectionwhich we have made,'*say the pro-prietors,

" to form our set of court cards,we have chosenthem from among those characterswho have renderedthemselvesmost conspicuousin the historyof the United

Kingdom. In thisparticular,we have had recourse not

only to historicaltruth, which we have rigidlyobserved,but we have taken care to fixupon personages,who lived

at differentperiods,and which are calculatedin colour.


varietyof dress,and characteristicfeatures,to form an

agreeableand elegantcontrast,and to avoidthatunpleasant

monotony which must have taken placeiftheyhad allbeen

selectedfrom the same periodof time ; and itwillbe a

peculiargratificationto us, in our attempts to form a set

of cards,should we contributein the smallestdegree,to

augment the elegantand rationalamusements of tasteandfashion.

" Nor have we been inattentiveto minor objectsin our

anxietyto complete the plan. We believeithas never been

attemptedto be explainedwhy the coarse and vulgar ap-pellation

of knave, was originallygiven to the card next in

degreeto the queen. Perhaps the followingdemonstration

isthe most plausibleway in which itcan be accounted for.

It was usual with kings in ancienttimes to choose some

ludicrousperson,with whose ridiculousand comical tricks

theymight be divertedin theirhoursofrelaxation,from the

cares and formalitiesofroyalty. This personwas generally

chosen from among men of low condition,but not whollydestituteof talent,particularlyinthatspeciesof low cunning

and humour calculatedto excitemirthand laughter,and the

tricksof knavery (inwhich he was allowed freeindulgence

in the presenceofthe king),gave him the appellationofthe

king'sfool,or knave,

"Whether thisexplanationbe reallytheoriginfrom whence

the knave in the old cardsisderived,may stillremain un-

determined,but itappears to us the most rationalway of

accountingforit. Nor isitindeedessentialto our present

purpose; the name of knave in our opinionis vulgar,un-

meaning, and inconsistent,and being moreover absolutely

incompatiblewith the dignityof our characters,and the

uniformityofour plan,we have entirelyrejectedit,and sub-stituted

a knight in itsstead. This being a titleofhonour,

not onlyin immediate successionto thatof king and queen.

264 "

PLAYING CARDS.

but isever consideredas an honorableappendage toroyalty

itself/'

About 1819, a set ofcleverlydrawn satiricalcards,with

the marks of the suitsintroduced in the same manner as

in Cotta's cards, appeared at Paris. Their satireis

directedagainstthepoliticalpartythen in the ascendant;

and in the Nine of Hearts,portraitsof Chateaubriandand

otherpersons, both lay and clerical,are introduced as

advocatesof the old order of things; in the background

are the ruins of the Bastille,and at the foot is the in-scription," Les Immohiles** The coat cardsof the suitof

Hearts consistof figures representing three popular

journals: King, " Constitutionnel," " a figurein Roman

costume, with sword and shield,defending a column in-scribed

:" Charte constitutionnehLibertc de la Presse,

LiberieIndividuelle.Loi desElections,Tolerance Queen," MiNERVE," " Minerva puttingto flightcertainevilspirits

of the " PartiePrctre."~Knave, " Figaro,*'"the charac-terin proper costume. The coat cards of Spades are r

King, " Conservateur," " a Jesuitwith a sword in one

hand, and a torchin the other. Queen, ** Quotidienne,"" an old woman holdingin her lefthand a book inscribed,'^ Pensee Chretiennequotidienne"^ and in her rightan

extinguisher,which she is about to clapupon a figureofTruth seen emerging from a well Knave, ** Bazile,""

figureofChateaubriand,in clericalcostume, but conceaUnga Jesuit'scap under hisrobe; besidehim isa brayingass,

on its knees. Clubs: King, " D"bats,"" the Editor

endeavouring to carry two large bags, the one inscribed," Debate** and the other

" Empire ;*' in the distance,two

asses mutuallycaressingeachother. Queen, " Gazette/'"

a hard-featuredoldlady,witha pen inherhand,at a writingtable: near tohera magpie ina cage. Knave, "Clopineaij,"" the figureof Talleyrand; towards the top are the signs


ofthepoliticalzodiacwhich he had alreadypassedthrough.

In theonly pack which I have had an opportunityof ex-amining,the Queen of Diamonds iswanting. The repre-sentative

ofthe King isthe " Moniteuk/*" a brazenhead

on a kindofpedestal,round which are stuckflagsofvarious

colours,indicativeof the differentpartieswhose cause the

paper had advocated. Knave, "Don Quichotte,"" the

Don, withshieldand lance,attackinga wnidmill: thepersonintendedby thisfigureI have not been ableto discover.^

With respect to the common names of the firstthree

numeral cards," ^Ace,Deuce, and Tray," itmay be observed

thatthe term Ace or As iscommon in almosteverycountryinEiu-opeas the designationoftheOne at cards- and that

theterms Deuce and Tray, signifyingTwo and Three,mayhave been derivedeitherfrom the Spanish Dos and Tree,

" Mons. Peignot,in his'Analyse de Recherches sur lesCartes ItJouer/1826,afternoticingCottarscards,thusspeaksof the satiricalcardsabovede-scribed

:" C*estsans doute ce recuoilqm a dound lieua un jcudc cartestrb-

malin,publica Parisily a sept a huit ans, sous le titrede Cartesa rirej ce

doitetre,autantque jepuisme lerappcler,sous leministeredc M. D. C

On attribucce jcuiiM. A C. A. D. C. D. D. 0. ToutcsIcscartes,soith.pcrsonnages,soit numdriques,prdsententdes dessinscharraans,dcs figures

ingenieusementgroupies,des attitudestres-plaisantes.Mais I'espritsatjrique

y est poussda Texcesj et ce n'est point avec de parcillescaricaturesqu'on

parviendrah.rdtablirI'unionparmi lesFraupais."p. 297.' According to Pere Daniel,the Ace or As is the Latin As," a piece of

money, coin,richesj wliileBulletderivesitfrom the Celtic,and says thatit

means origin,source, beginning,the first.A Prench writerof the sixteenth

century,supposed to be Charles Stephens,in a work entitled'Paradoxes,*

printedat Parisin1553, says thattheAce, or "Jz ought to be calledNara, a

word which,in German, signifiesa fool." The German word which he alludestoisNarr, which isjustas likelyto have been the origm of Deuce as of Ace.

Ithasalsobeen supposed that the term Ace has been derivedfrom the Greek

wordivoff,which,accordingto JuliusPollux,signifiedOne intheIonicdialectjbut as the word 6voq alsosignifiedan Ass, ithas beenconjecturedthatthe Ace

ofcardsand dicewas so called,not as a designationofunity,but as signifyingan Ass or a Pool. Those who entertainedthe latteropinionare saidby Hyde

to be Asses themselves: " Qui unitatem asinum dicunt errant,et ipsisunt

asmi,"(JDeLudisOrient,lib.ii.)--Lebcr,EtudesHistoriques,pp. 39, 86.

266 PLAYING CARDS.

or from the French Deux and Trots, The Deuce ofcards,itmay be observed,has no connexion with the term Deuce

as used inthe famiUarexpression" to playthe Deuce ;" in

which itissynonymous withthe Devil,or an evilspirit,andisof Northern origin. In some partsof the country,the

Deuce, though lower in value,is consideredto be a more

fortunatecard than the Tray; and "There*s luck in the

Deuce, but none in the Tray," is a frequentexpression

amongst old card-players,who like to enliven the game

with an occasionalremark as they lay down a card. In

Northumberland,the Four of Hearts at Whist issometimes

called" Hob Collingwood,"* and isconsideredby old ladies

an unlucky card. As far as memory can trace, accordingto Captain Chamier, in his novel entitledthe

* Aretlmsa,'

the Four of Clubs has been calledby sailorsthe" deviFs

bedpost." In Northamptonshire,accordingto a writerin

the 'Gentleman'sMagazine,'1791 (p.]4]),the Queen ofCluba is called"Queen Bess," and the Four of Spades," Ned Stokes."^

In variouspartsof Ireland,but more particularlyinthe

county of Kilkenny, the Six of Hearts is known by the

name of" Grace'scard ;" and itissaid to have acquired

thatname from the followingcircumstance. A gentleman

of the name of Grace, being solicited,with promises of

royalfavour,to espouse the cause of William III,gave the

followinganswer, writtenon the back of the Six of Hearts,

to an emissary of Marshal Schomberg's, who had been

commissioned to make the proposalto him :"

" Tell your

master I despisehisoffer; and thathonour and conscienceare dearerto a gentleman than allthe wealth and titlesa

princecan bestow."

The Nine of Diamonds is frequentlycalledthe" Curse

" Brockett*sGlossaryof North Country Words.' Singer'sRcsearclics,p. 271.


ofScotland;" and the common traditionisthatitobtainedthis name in consequence of the Duke of Cumberland

havingwrittenhissanguinaryordersformilitaryexecution,

afterthe battleof Culloden, on the back of a Nine ofDiamonds. This card, however, appears to have been

known in the North as the *' Curse of Scotland" many

years before the battleof Culloden; for Dr. Houstoun,

speaking of the state of partiesin Scotlandshortlyafterthe rebelUon of 1715, says that the Lord Justice-Clerk

Ormistone,who had been very zealousin suppressingthe

rebelhon,and oppressing the rebels," became universally

hated in Scotland, where they calledhim the Curse ofScotland; and when the ladieswere at cards playing the

Nine of Diamonds, (commonlycalledthe Curse ofScotland)they calleditthe JusticeClerk."^

In the ' Gentleman'sMagazine'for1786, a correspondent

offersthe following heraldicconjectureon the subject.** There isa common expressionmade use ofat cards,whichI have never heard any explanationof. I mean the Nine

of Diamonds being calledthe Curse of Scotland. Looking

latelyover a book of heraldry,I found nine diamonds, or

lozenges,conjoined," or, in the heraldiclangiiage.Gules,a

cross of lozenges," to be the arms of Packer. Colonel

Packer appears to have been one of the personswho was

on the scaffoldwhen Charles the Firstwas beheaded, and

afterwardscommanded in Scotland,and isrecordedto have

acted in his command with considerableseverity.It is

possiblethathis arms might, by a veryeasy metonymy, be

calledthe Curse of Scotland;and the Nine of Diamonds, at

cards,being very similar,in figure,to them, might have

ever sinceretainedthe appellation."Another correspondent

saysthat he has always understood that the applicationof

" Dr. Houstoun*s Memoirs ofhis own Lifetime,p. 92. Edit.1747.

268 PLAYING CARDS/

the expression,"the Curse of Scotland,"to the nine ofdiamonds was not earlierthan the year 1707 ; and thathe

thinksit more probablethatthe nine lozengesin the arms

of the Earl of Stair,who made theUnion, should have given

riseto the phrase,than the arms of Packer. In the same

Magazine, for 1738, we have " One more conjecturecon-cerning

the Nine of Diamonds." It is syllogisticin form,

and appears to have been intended as a clinch to the

controversy.^"The Curse of Scotland must be something

which that nation hate and detest; but the Scotshold in

the utmost detestationthe Pope ; at the game of Pope Joan,

the Nine of Diamonds is Pope; thereforethe Nine ofDiamonds istheCurse of Scotland, q. e. d."

In the ' Oracle,or Resolver of Questions,'a duodecimo

volume, printedabout 1770, the followingsolutionisgiven,

which isperhaps as near the truth as any of the preceding

conjectures." Q. Pray why istheNine of Diamonds called

the Curse of Scotland? J, Because the crown of Scotland

had but nine diamonds in it,and they were never ableto

get a tenth."

The word Trump, signifyinga cardofthe suitwhich has

the superiorityat certaingames, such superioritybeing

determined by hazard, is derived eitherfrom the French

Trioniplie,or the Spanish Triunfo: at cards,these wordshave preciselythe same meaning as the English Trump.'

With the French, Triomphe isalsothe name of a game at

cards; and in England the old game of Ruff seems alsoto

" A writerofthe age ofQueen Elizabethwould appear to have foreseenthe

great"Card Controversy,"which within the last 150 years has occupied so

many "learnedpens :" "It shallbe lawfulforconey-catchersto falltogetherby

the ears, about the fourKnaves of Cards,which of them may claimsuperiority;

and whetherfalsediceor true be of themost antiquity.""The PennylcssPar-liament

ofTliread-barePoets.* The Prench alsocallthe Trump Atour-'* Coupez : CceurestAtou." Cut :

Heartsare Trumps.


havebeen calledTrump or Triumph.^ At Gleek,the Ace

was calledTib ; the Knave, Tom ; and the Four, Tlddy.

The Five and Six appear to have been respectivelycalledTowser and Tumbler, and to have counted double whenturned up. At All-Fours,the Enave appearsin hisproper

characterof Jack, " a serving-man,not a cheat, or rogue.At certaingames the Knave of Clubs is calledPam.

A few years ago the name was appliedto the celebrated

publiccharacterwhom Byron is supposed to have desig-nated

as"

a moral chimney-sweep,**in one ofthe cantos ofDon Juan.^ Most of the terms in the game of Ombre

are Spanish.

Formerly a pack of cards was usuallycalleda" Pair of

cards;" and itappearsdeservingofremark,thattheItalians

use the word Pajo,which properlysignifiesa pair,in pre-cisely

the same sense when appliedto a pack of cards,"

Pajodi carte. In the time of Queen Elizabeth a pack of

cardsappears to have been sometimes calleda bunch. In

the time of Charles II the term " Pair of Cards" fellinto

disuse; and perhaps one of the latestinstancesof itsem-ployment,

isto be found inPoorRobin's Almanac for1684,

under the month December, where the writer,in his intro-ductory

verses, laments the dechne of good housekeepingin

the houses of the rich:

"The kitchenthata-coldmay be.

For littlefireyou initmay see.

Perhaps a pairofcardsisgoing.

And that'sthe chiefestmatter doing."

The French calla pack of cards" TinJeu de cartes,^*" a

" "Triomphe : the card-gamecalledRuff,or Trump ; also,theRuff,or Trump

at it.""Cotgrave'sFrench and English Dictionary.

" In 'The Toast,'a satiricalpoem writtenabout 1730,by Dr. WilliamKing,

Principalof St.Mary's Hall,Oxford,Dr. Hort,Archbishopof Tuam, iscalled

Lord Pam. He isalsocalledPam by Swift.

270 * PLAITING CARDS.

game, or playofcards; and the Gennan name, *'EinSpiel

Karteriy'has the same hteralmeaning as the French.

As theobjectof thiswork isnot to teachpeoplehow to

playat cards,thosewho wish forinformation,with respect

to the diiSerentgames, are referredto Cotton's ' Complete

Gamester,'Seymour, Hoyle,and the Academic des Jeux,-"

taking with them thispieceof advice:

"He who hopes at Cards to win,

Must never thinkthatcheating'ssin;

To make a trickwhene'er he can.

No matter how, shouldbe hisplan.No case of consciencemust he make,Except how he may save hisstake;

The onlyobjectofhisprayers,"

Not to be caught,and kickeddown stairs.**'

With respectto themanufactureof cards,itwould appearto have been a regularbusiness,both inGermany and Italy,

about 1420 ; but,though ithas generallybeen assertedthat

theearliestcardsforcommon use were engraved on wood,

thereisyet reason to believethatthey were atfirstexecutedby means ofa stencil; and thatthemethod of engravingthe

outlineson wood was of subsequentintroduction.However

thismay be,itiscertainthatthe artof wood-engravingwas

at an earlyperiodappliedto the manufacture of cards,andthatin Germany, in the latterquarterof the fifteenthcen-tury,

the term Briefdrucker,or Briefmaler," card-printer,or card-painter" ^was commonly used to signifya wood-

engraver. From the importationof playing cards into

England being prohibitedby an act ofparliamentin 1463,

as injuriousto the interestsof nativetradesmen and manu-facturers,it might be concluded that at that time the

' "Discinetatunicafugiendumest; . , ;

Ne nummi pereant. . . . .

Dcprcndimiserum est.**" Houat.


manufactureofcardswas establishedin thiscountry. No

cards,however,ofundoubted Englishmanufactureof so earlya datehave yet been discovered. In the sixteenthcentury,

thereis reason to believethat most of the cardsused in

England were imported eitherfrom France, or the Nether-lands.

In the reign of Elizabeththe importationof cards

.

was a monopoly;^ but from thetime ofher successor James I,

itwould appear that most of the cards used in thiscountrywere of home manufacture. From the reignof CharlesII

to the presenttime,cardshave,eitherdirectlyor indirectly,

been subjectto a duty.

In France, by an ordonnance dated 21st February,

1581, a tax of ^^un ecu sou'^ was ordered to be paid

upon each bale of cards of two hundred pounds weight

intended for exportation;and, by an ordonnance of the

22d May, 1583, a tax of"

un sou parisis^ was laid upon

each pack of cardsintendedforhome use. By an ordon-nance

of the 14th January, 1G05, the exportationof cards

was prohibited;but, as a compensation to the manufac-turers,

the duty on cardsforhome consumption was reduced.

As the collectionof the dutieswas rendered difficultin con-sequence

of the manufacturersresidingin so many different

places,itwas, at the same time,determined that the only

placeswhere the manufacture ofcardsmight be carriedon,

shouldbe Paris,Rouen, Lyons, Toulouse,Troyes,Limoges,

and Thiers in Auvergiie. Shortly afterwards,the same

privilegewas accorded to Orleans,Angers, Romans, and

Marseilles; and, by way of recompense to other places,it

was determined that the tax should be expended in the

encouragement of manufactures. Louis XV, haAing esta-

" PascasiusJustusmentions inliisAlea,firstpublishedin1560, thata certain

merchant,having obtainedfrom CharlesV a monopoly forten years of the sale

of cardsin Spain,became extremelyrichin consequence of the greatdemand

forthem.

272 PLAYING CARDS.

WishedtheEcoleMilitaire,in 1751,orderedthatthemoney

raisedby thetax on cards,shouldbe appliedto itssupport.The company, or guild,of card-makers of Pariswas sup-pressed

in 1776, but re-establisheda few months after-

wards. The periodof theirfirstestablishmentappears to

be unknown. In theirstatutesofthe year 1594, theycall

themselvesTarotiers? In Russia,at the presentday,the

manufactureof cardsisa royal monopoly. A few months

ago a paragraph appeared in the LiteraryGazette,stating

thatthough 14,400 packs were manufactured daily,yetthe

supplywas unequal to the demand, and that a petitionhad

been presentedto the emperor praying for a more liberal

issue. In Mexico a considerablerevenue was derivedfrom

a tax on cards; and itwould appearto be stillproductive,

notwithstandingthe unsettledstate of the country,as itis

one ofthosewhich have been appropriated,ad interim,by

theAmerican commander-in-chief.Most ofthecardsengravedon copper are merely

"

cartes

de fantaisie,*'designedratherforthe entertainmentof the

more wealthyclasses,than forthe ordinarypurposesofplay.Until a comparativelyrecent period the coat cards,afterhaving been printed in outlinefrom wood blocks,were

colouredby means of stencils;but at present, in this

country,the coloursare allappliedby means of the press.The followingaccount ofthe manner ofmaking cardsat the

manufactory of Messrs. De La Rue and Company, ofLondon, is extractedfrom Bradshaw's Journal,No. 24,

ICth April,1842." The firstobjectthatengages our attention,isthepre-paration

of the paper intended to be formed into cards.Itisfound thatordinarypaper,when submittedto pressure,

" Encyclop6dieMdthodique,mot, Cartier. An account of the subsdquentlegislationinPrance,with respectto cards,isto be found in the ' Manuel du

Cartonnier,et du Fabricantde Cartonnages,*pp. 224-37. Paris,1830.


acquiresa certaindegree of polish,but not sufficientfor

playing-cardsofthefinestquality. In orderthereforethat

itmay admit ofthehighfinishwhich isafterwardsimparted,

thepaperisprepared by a white enamel colom*,consisting

ofanimal sizeand othercompounds. This substance,which

rendersthepaperimpermeabletotheatmosphere,islaidon by

a largebrush,and leftto dryby exposureto theatmosphere." The paper being ready for use, we proceed to explain

theprintingofthe frontsofthe cards,which are technically

distinguishedas pips and tefes.

" To commence with thesimpler,thepips (i.e. thehearts,

diamonds,spades,and clubs:)" setsofblocksare produced,

eachcontainingfortyengravingsof one card; and as the

ordinarymethod of letterpressprintingis employed,forty

impressionsof one card are obtainedat the same moment.

As the pips bear but one colour,black or red,they are

worked togetherat the hand-press,or at one ofCowper's

steam printingmachines.

"For thetetes,however (i.e. the courtcards),which,withthe outline,contain fivecolours" dark blue, lightblue,

black,red,and yellow," a somewhat diflerentcontrivance

isemployed. The coloursare printedseparately,and are

made to fitinto each otherwith greatnicety,in the same

manner as in printingsilksor paper-hangings. For this

purposea seriesof blocks are provided,which,ifunited,

would form thefigureintendedto be produced.By printing

successivelyfrom theseblocks,thedifferentcoloursfallinto

theirproperplaces,untilthe whole processiscompleted.Greatcare isof course necessaryin causingeach colouredimpressionto fitin itsproperplace,so thatitmay neither

overlapanother,nor leaveany partunprintedupon ; but as

thehand-pressisemployed,the workman isenabledtokeep

eachcolourin registerby means ofpointsin thetympan of

thepressor on the engraving.18

274 PLAYING CARDS.

" The whole operationofprintingat thepressbeing com-pleted,

the sheetsare next carriedto drying-rooms,heated

to about 80" Fahrenheit,and are allowed to remain there

threeor fourdays,in orderto fixthecolours.

"The successfulprintingofplaying-cardsgreatlydepends

upon the qualityof the inks which are employed. Tlio

common printingink,even afterthe lapseofyears,isliable

to sluror smutch. In the manufacture of playing-cards,

such inks only must be used as willbear the frictionto

which the cardsarc subjectedin theprocessofpolishing,as

wellas in passingbetween the fingersofthe players. The

coloursemployed by the Messrs.De La Rue are preparedfrom the best French lamp-blacky or Chinese vermilion,

ground in oil;" thisiseffectedby a machine, consistingof

cylindersrevolvingatregulatedspeeds,by which any defects

from the inattentionof the workman, in grindingby hand,

arc avoided. These coloursarc now broughtto suchper-fection,

that the card itselfis not more durablethan tlic

impressionon itssurface.

"The paper intendedforthe hach8\being previouslypre-pared

with the coloiu*desired,in the same manner as the

fronts,is printed in variousdevicesat the hand-pressor

steam-machine. The plaid or tartan backs are producedfrom a block engravedwith straightlines,and printedin

one colour,which is afterwardscrossedwith the same or

any othercolour,by again layingthe sheeton the block,so

thatthe firstHues cross the second printingat any required

angle. A varietyof other devices are obtained from

appropriateblocks; and some, likethe court cards,and by

the same process,are printedin a number ofcolours."In printingyo/t/i"c"?:*,sizeis substitutedforink; the

faceof the card isthen powdered over with bronze dust,

and rubbed over with a softcotton or woollen dabber,by

which the bronze is made to adhere to those partsonly

DIPPERENT KINDS. 275

which have receivedthe size. The printingof gold backs

is usuallyexecuted afterthe card is pasted,but we have

jjescribedthe processhere forthe sake of convenience.

"As connectedwiththeprintingofbacks,we may mention

thattheMessrs.De La Rue have latelytakenout a patentfor printingfrom woven wire, from which some highly

beautifulpatternsare obtained,bearing,of course, a perfect

resemblanceto the woven fabric. The wirewhen preparedforprinting,ismerely fastenedat the ends by two piecesof

wood, and stretchedover a cast-ironblock,on which itis

fixedby means of screws passingthrough the wood intothe

iron. The varietyof these patternsis very great; the

printingiseffectedin the ordinarymanner." Hitherto we have been referringto printedsheetsof

paper, vfhicYiare eitherthe sizeofdouble or singlefoolscap;

thenext object,therefore,isthe conversionof thesesheets

intocard-boardsofthe usualthickness. In Francethecard

generallyconsistsoftwo sheetsofpaperj but inEngland a

more substantialarticleis demanded ; itis generallyfour

sheetsthick,that is,the foresideand the back, and two

insideleavesof an inferiordescription," In order to make a firm and smooth card,itis first

necessaryto obtain a pasteof an equablewell-mixedsub-stance.

A pasteof thisqualityisproduced from flourand

water, mixed together,and heated to the boilingpoint,in

a forty-galloncopper,by steam ; which ismade to passinto

the intersticesbetween the copper and an externalcasing

ofcast-iron,of the same shape as theboiler.By employing

steam, insteadof fire,the paste is not liableto burn, or

adhere to the sidesof the copper,and thus become dete-riorated

in itscolourand quality.

"Previous to the commencement of pasting,itisneces-

sarythatthe sheetsbe arrangedin the orderin which they

are to be pasted. This operationistermed mingling. The

276 PLAYING CARDS.

insides,which are merely two sheetsof paper pasted to-gether,

are placedbetween the foresidesand backs, so that

the pastemay takethem up without the possibilityof error,

A heap of paper so pastedwillthereforeuniformlyconsist

of the foresideand back,between which, the inside,pasted

on each side,isplaced." The pasteislaidon by means of a largebrush, resem-

bling the head of a hair-broom,with which the workman,by a seriesof systematiccircularmovements, distributesa

thincoat. And by way of illustrationof the long practice

and manual dexteritywhich are necessaryforperfectionin

even the simplestdepartments of art or labom*,itmay be

worthy of noticethat card-pastingis in itselfa branch oflabour,and thatthreeor fouryears'practiceisnecessaryto

rendertheoperatorcomplete master of hisbusiness.

"These newly-pastedcards are then, in quantitiesoffouror fivereams at a time, subjectedto the gradual but

powerfulpressureof a hydraulicpressof one hundi'cdtons,

worked by a steam-engine. By thismeans the water in

the pasteexudes,and theairbetween theleavesisexpelled,

which would otherwiseremain,and givethecard a blistered

appearance.

"After remaining a short time in the press,they are

hung up on linesto dry; and to prevent, as much as

possible,theirwarping while in this limpid state, small

pins or wires are passed through the corners, and are then

dexterouslybent over the linesin the drying-room.

"The card-boards,afterthus drying, are subjectedto

the pressureand frictionof a brush-cylinder," the face of

which is covered with shortthick-setbristles,which not

merely polishthe surface,but even penetrateintothe inter-stices.

At thisstageofthemanufacture,cardsof a superiordescriptionare waterproofedon the back with a varnish

preparedforthe purpose,so thatthey may not be marked

DIFFERENT KINDS^ 277

by the fingersin dealing. When so prepared,they willkeep perfectlyclean, and may even be washed, without

injuringthe impressionor softeningthe card." In continuationof the processof polishing,the card-boards

are passed between revolvingrollersof moderate

warmth, one being of iron,the other of paper cut edge-ways

; they are next subjectedto two bright iron-faced

rollers;and finally,to the number of ten or fifteenat a

time, they are interleavedwith thin sheetsof copper, and

efiectuallymilled by being passed about a dozen times

between two large and powerful cylinders. After being

thusthoroughlypolished,forthe purpose ofbeing flattened

they are subjectedto the pressureof a hydrostaticpressof

eighthundred tons, worked by steam.

"It may appear surprisingthat so much labour and

machinery, and such circuitousmeans " requiringthe ope-ration

of four distinct cylindricalmachines, as well as a

hydraulicpress,allworked by steam," should be requiredfor effectingan objectapparently so simple as that of

polishingand flatteninga card-board. It is, however,

found thatthisend cannot be attainedin a more expeditious

manner, but that the means adopted must be gradual,

though increasinglypowerful in theirdifierentstages.

"The boards being printed and pasted, polished and

flattened,are next cut up intosinglecards. The apparatus

by which this is effected,and by which perfectexactness

in thesizeof the cards ispreserved,may be brieflydescribed

as a pairof scissorsfrom two to threefeetlong, one blade

of which is permanently fixed on the table. The card-board,

being placedupon the bench, isslippedbetween the

blades of the scissors,and pushed up to a screw-gauge

adjustedto the requisitewidth ; the moveable blade,by

being then closed,cuts the card-board into eight narrow

slips,calledtraverses, each containingfivecards.These

278 PLAYING CARDS.

traverses then undergo a similaroperation at a smallerpair

of gauge-scissors,where they are cut up into singlecards,

to the amount of thirtythousand daily.

"All that now remains is the making-up into packs.

After assortingthe cards, the workman begins by laying

out on a long table a given number (saytwo hundred)atone time; he then covers thesewith another suit,and so on

consecutivelyuntilhe has laidout allthe cards that consti-

tute a pack ; so that by this operation two hundred packs

are completed almost simultaneously. The best cards are

calledMoguls, the others Harrys, and Highlanders," the

inferiorcards consistof those which have any imperfection

in the impression,or any marks or specks on the surface." It may be necessary to remark that the Aces of Spades

are printedat the Stamp Office,whether the cards be for

exportationor forthe home market, " ^thepaper forprintingbeing sent to the Stamp Office by the maker; and an

account of the number of aces fmrnished by the Stamp

Officeiskept by the authorities. Before cards are dehvered

by the manufacturer an officeris sent to sealthem, and a

duty of a shiUing per pack ispaid monthly for those that

are soldforhome consumption. But as they are not Uable

to duty when intended for exportation, the card-maker

enters into a bond thatthey shallbe duly shipped, and an

officeris sent to see them put into the case, and to sealitup."

279

CHAPTER V.

THE MORALITY OF CARD-PLAYING.

All writerswho have investigatedthe principlesof

moralityagreein the condemnation of Gaming, " ^thatis,

playingat any game of hazard forthe sake of gain. With

respectto the lawfulness,however, of playing at such

games atleisurehours,forthe sake ofrecreation,and with-out

any sordid desire of gain, there is, amongst such

authorities,a differenceof opinion: some holding that,in

the moral"'

.";,such games are, at alltimes,and under all

circumstances,unlawful; while others affirmthat,underthe conditionsmentioned, they are innocent. The former

opinionhas been espoused by many theologians,who, not

content with condemning games of hazard as immoral, have

also,with more zeal than knowledge, denounced them as

sinful,and forbiddenby the word of God. The argiunents,however, of such teachershave been ably refutedby the

learnedThomas Gataker,in hiswork 'On the Nature andUse of Lots,'the firsteditionof which appeared in 1619.

He has clearlyshown that the texts allegedby the opposite

partydo not bearthe constructionwhich had been put upon

them ; and that, consequently,the so-calledword of God

was nothing more than the dogma of falliblemen.

The controversy respectingthe sinfulnessof games of

hazard,on scripturalgrounds,seems'to have commenced in

England about the latterend of the sixteenthcentury,with

a small tract written by a Puritanicalclergyman of the

name of Balmford, who appears, at the time of itsfirst

publication,to have exercised his ministerialfunctionsat

280 PLATING CARDS.

Newcastle-on-Tyne.'The titleof Balmford'stract is'A

Shortand PlainDialogue concerning the Unlawfulnessof

playingat Cards or Tables,or any other Game consisting

in chance/ The only copy that I have seen occurs in a

collectionof tracts by the same author,with the general

title,' CarpentersChippes : or Simple Tokens of unfeined

good will,to the Christianfriendsof James Balmford, the

unworthy Servantof Jesus Christ,a poor Carpenterssonne/16mo. Printedat London, forRichard Boyle,1607. The

followingdedicationof the tract on gaming isdated 1st ofJanuary, 1593 : "To the rightworshipfullMaster Lionel

Maddison, ]\Iaior,theAldermen hisbrethem, and the godly

Burgessesof Newcastle-upon-Tine,James Balmford wisheth

the kingdom of God and his righteousnesse,that other

thingsmay be ministeredunto them." That which hereto-fore

I have propounded to you (rightworshipfullandbeloved)in teaching,I doe now publish to all men by

printing,to wit mine opinionof the unlawfulnessof games

consistingin chance."Balmford's tractis a veryshort one, consistingof only

eightleaves,inclusiveof the dedicationand title.The

speakersin the dialogueare Professorand Preacher. The

Professorhad read,in the Common-places of Peter Martyr,

the declarationthatdice-playisunlawful,because depending

on chance ; but not being satisfiedwith what is theresaid

about table-playing,he craves the Preacher'sopinioncon*

' Tlieauthordocsnot seem to have been successfulin hisministryat New-castle.

ColonelFenwick saysthat the town was famous formocking and mis-usingChrist'sministers; and tifternaming Knox and Udal, he thus reproaches

the town foritstreatment of Balmford :" Witness reverend Balmford,whom

in a likemanner thou expulsed;though thou couldstnot touch his life,thou

pricked his sides(aswell as Christ's)in his hearers,with the reproach ofBahnfordianfactionand schism.""Christin the midst of his Enemies, by

Licut.-Col.John Fenwick,1G13. Ileprintedby M. A. Richardson,Newcastle,181G. .

.

MORALITY. 281

cerningplajdngat tablesand cards. The Preacher,after

propounding severalobjectionsto the games on moral

grounds,thussyllogisticallydeterminesthatgames ofchanceare unlawful:

" Lots are not to be used in sport; but

games consistingin chance, as Dice, Cards, Tables, are

Lots : thereforenot to be used in sport." In supportofthisconclusion,he refersto Joshua,xviii,10 ; L Samuel,

xiv,41; Jonah, i, 7; Malachi, i, 6-7; and Hebrews,

vi,16. Lots,he says, were sanctifiedto a peculiaruse,

namely, to end controversies.On those grounds he abso-lutely

condemns allgames depending on chance. The pleain favourof play merely for amusement he rejects; being-

ofopinion that,ifsuch games were even lawful,the desire

ofgainwould soon creepin; for,accordingto the common

saying,*' Sine lucro frigetIndus," No gaining,cold

gaming." ..

Severalcontinentaldivines,of the reformed party,had

previouslyexpressedsimilaropinions,but without exciting

much remark; and the question seems to have been

regarded as one of mere scholastictheology,until the

diflferencesbetween thePuritansand theHigh-churchparty,in thereignof James I,caused itto be treatedas a question

of practicalreligion. The question appears to have oc-casioned

greatheats in the Universityof Cambridge ; for

Mr. William Ames, being then Fellow of Christ'sCollege,

havingpreached at St.Mary's,in 1610, againstplayingat

cardsand dice,as being forbidden by Scripture,hisdis-course

gave so much offenceto personsin authoritythathe

withdrew from the Universityin order.to avoid expulsion.

Ames subsequentlywas appointedProfessorof Theology at

' The opinionsofLuther,Calvin,Peter Martyr,LambertDanean, and others

upon thisquestionare to be found in the 'Collectaneavariorum authorumde

Sorlibnset Ludo Alese,*appended to theAlea of PascasiusJustus,byJoannes

a Munstcr, Ito,1617.

282 PLAYING CARDS.

the Universityof Franeker,in Friesland; and was one oftheprincipalopponentsof Gataker in the controversyon

Lots.

The questionrespectingthelawfulnessofgames ofchancehas been thoroughlyinvestigated,both morallyand theo-logically,

by Barbcyrac,in his ' Traitedu Jeu /^ and his

determinationis,that such games are not in themselves

immoral,whether the stakes be small or great; and that

they are not forbidden,citherdirectlyor indirectly,by the

Scriptures.In the Prefacehe thus speaks of the probable

effectofthe absolutecondemnation of allgames of hazard,

on the assumed ground of theirbeing both immoral in

themselves,and forbiddenby the Scriptures." I am not surprisedthat Gataker should have found so

much oppositionon the points which he maintained,con-sideringthe timesinwhich he wrote. It,however,appears

strangeto me that,in an age when so many prejudices,both philosophicaland theological,have been shook off,thereshouldstillbe found people,who, lookingonly at the

abuseswhich may arisein the use of thingsindifferentin

themselves,condemn such things as absolutelyevil,on

grounds eitherfrivolousor extremelydoubtful. Such con-demnation,

so far from correctingthosewho are addictedto such abuses,is more likelyto confirm them in their

* " Traitddu jeu,ou Ton examine lesprincipalesQuestionsde Droit naturel

et de morale quiont du rapporth cetteMatiere. Par Jean Barbeyrac,Profes-

scurcn Droitk Groninguc. Secondc Edition,revue et augment"$c. A laquclle

on a jointun Discourssur lanature du Sort,etquclquesautrcsEcritsdcI'Autcur

qui scrvent principalementa defendrece qu'ilavoitditde Tinnocencedu jeuconsider en lui-meme.""This Edition,inthreevolumes, ICmo, was published

at Amsterdam, 1738, and is dedicatedto Anne, Princessof Orange, eldestdaughterof George II. The firsteditionappearedin 1710. It issaidthattho

ideaof writmg such a book was firstsuggestedto Barbcyracin consequence ofbisbeing so frequentlyappealedto on questionsrelatingto the game of cardsby

ladieswho came to playwith hismother-in-law,with whom he resided,andin

whose apartment he used frequentlyto sit.

MORALITY. 283

course. Nothing but theevidenceof truthctm enlighten

the mind, and thus make an impressionon the heart.

Falselightsand subtleties,however specious,will never

dissipatetheillusionsproduced by favoritepassions.Such

passions,indeed,acquirenew forceas soon as a plausible

pretextfor theirindulgenceis discoveredin theweakness

of thearguments with which they are assailed; while,by

attackingthem ina propermanner, he who hasbeen deluded

by them may be induced to open hiseyes to thetruth,andto perceivehis errors. If,by such means, a reformationis

not effected,it is in consequence of the same obstacles

which render unavailingwhatever may be allegedagainstthings which are, from theirvery nature, unquestionably

evil. I doubt much ifa gamester were ever deterredfrom

playby the reasons brought forwardto persuadehim that

thepracticewas a profanationof Divine Providence. If

the sermons and writingsassertingsuch principleshave pro-duced

any good effect,itisin consequenceoftheircontaining

alsosolidreasons derived from the abuse of the thing

confoundedwith itsmere usage. The formerhave producedHttleor no impression; audit isto the latteralonethatthe

victoryisto be ascribed."As Barbeyrac'swork is not common, and has never

been translatedinto English, it is presumed that the

followingextracts from itwillnot be uninterestingto the

reader. "It is certainthat Man was not sent into the

world to pass his time in eating,drinkmg, and merry-making.

On the contrary,everythingshows that he is

destinedby hisCreatorto be employed in matters of utihty

and seriousconsideration.The natural use of all our

facultieshas thismanifesttendency. We have Mind only

thatwe may think : we have Hands and Feet only thatwe

may move and act. Who could suppose thatthisindustry,

thisaddress,thispenetration,"allthesewonderfultalents.

284 PLAYING CARDS.

capableof producingthe Sciencesand Arts," were givento us only to be concealed,or to be shamefullywasted,

eitherin sluggishidleness,or in a perpetualround ofdissi-

pation and amusement ? The necessityof providingfor

our wants," an obligationcommon to allin a state of

nature," requiresthat most men should apply themselves

to work of some kind or other; and even thosewho have

the means oflivingwithout labour are yetnot exempt from

the duty ofapplyingthemselvesto some creditableemploy-ment,

which may not only secure them againstthe tempta-tions

ofidleness,but may alsorenderthem usefulmembers

of society.

"But though the All-wise Creator has made Man for

labour,he has not made him for incessantlabour,without

relaxation.The same constitutionof our nature whichdisplaysthe necessityof action,also shows that we ought

occasionallyto rest. Our bodies are not of iron,nor our

spiritsofunwearied activity; and the human machine soon

getsout oforderwhen unremittinglyworked We

arc not long in perceivingthat too intentan applicationto

any work weakens the strengthof the body, and lessens

the activityof the mind. The way to become disgusted

with anything,is to be unremittinglyemployed about it.

Thus, the veryobligationto work requiresthat our labour

shouldbe sometimes intermitted,in orderthatwe may not

sinkunder it,but be enabled to resume it with vigour.' To take recreation,in order to make progresswith our

work,'was thejudiciousmaxim of an ancientsage.* Rest

isthe seasoningoflabour- and we ought to combine them

so that a justmedium may be preserved. Consult nature,

and she willtellyou that she has made the day"and the

' " Anacharsis,apud Aristot. WaiUw^ i'dirugoirnSa^y,Kar 'kvaxapaivt

SpOuic ix^iv ^oKit."Etliic.Nicom. lib.x, cap.C."*'*'II avairavijic, ru"v novutp aprvnaiiTTi." Plutarcli.de Pucrorum institut."

MORALITY. 286

nightto mark thehours of labourand of repose,and to

teachus that each is equallyindispensableto life. A life

undiversifiedwith a festivalis like a long journeywithoutan inn.2 Such isthe language of pagan philosophers,and

such are the ideaswhich pure reason suggests." Revelationteachesus the same. The Night was made

forthe repose of alllivingthings; and the Sabbath was

partlyinstitutedforthe recreationof slavesand servants,

who otherwisemight have had masters so harsh as to payno regardto the weakness of human nature. This festival

[Fete],as well as all the others appointed by the law,

were timesboth of restand enjoymentforthe whole of the

people of God. Thus, so far from moralityor religionforbiddingeverykind ofrecreation,itmay be assertedthat

theyrequireus to take such as may be becoming and con-venient,

whenever itmay be requisiteto thus re-invigorate

our powers when exhausted by labour. Itwould at least

be ungratefulto haughtilyrejectthe innocent pleasures

which the kindness of the Deity allows to man; and it

would be unjustto arbitrarilycondemn thosewho discreetly

availthemselvesofsuch enjoyments." There are, however, people who unreasonablysuppose

thatabuse and use cannot be separated,and who, forming

to themselvesI know not what mysticalnotions of virtue

and piety,would persuade us thateverykind of diversionis

unworthy of a reasonable being,"*a low amusement,'

'a

deceitfulpleasure,''a consequence of man's fallennature.'

Such personsmay be allowedto aspireto a stateof perfec-tion

which perhaps may be beyond the reach of human

nature, and which is certainlyunattainableby the great

* " Interse istamiscendasunt : etquiescentiagendum, etagentiquiescendum

est.Cumrerum natura delibera: illadicettibi,se et Diem fecisseet Noctem."

Seneca,Epist.iii."' '* Btof iLvtopraaroQ,fiaxpriWoe AiravdoKivroc^^'DcmQCntapudStobaium."

286 PLAYING CAKDS.

mass ofmankind ; they ought, however,to allowthosewho

are doubtfuloftheirown powers of arrivingat such perfec-

tion,to humbly followthepath which Nature and Providence

have pointedout, and to possesstheirsoulsin peace,and

theirconsciencewithout scruple."

* * * * * *

"We maintain,then, as an irrefragableprinciple,that,

forthe sake of relaxation,we may indulge in such amuse-ments

as are in themselves free from vice. This being

admitted,if a person findspleasurein playingat Billiards,

at Tennis,at Chess,at Cards,at Backgammon, and even

at Dice,why may he not amuse himself with them, as well

as in Promenading, with Music, in the Chase, in Fishing,

in Drawing, and in a thousand other things of a similar

kind? The question then is,whether the game be for I

nothingor fora stakeof some value. In thefirstcase, itis

a mere recreation,and bearsnot the slightestsemblanceof

criminaUty;and with regard to the second,I do not see

why there should,be any evilin it,looking at the matter

simply,withoutregard to circumstances." For ifI am at libertyto promise and give my property,

absolutelyand imconditionally,to whomever I please,why |

may I not promiseand givea certainsum, in the event of

a person proving more fortunate,or more skillfulthan I

with respectto the resultof certainmovements and combi-nations,

upon which we had previouslyagreed? And why

may not thisperson fairlyavailhimselfof the resulteither

of hisskillor of a favorableconcurrence of fortuitouscir-cumstances,

on the issueof which I had voluntarilycon-tracted

an obhgation? Even though but one ofthe parties

obtainsan advantage,yet therewould be nothing contraryto equityin the transaction,providingthatthe terms had

been previouslyagreed on by both. Every person is at

libertyto determinethe conditionson which he willcede

MORALITY. 287

a rightto another,and may even make itdependent on the

most fortuitouscircumstances. A fortiori,a person mayfairlyavailhimself of his winning, when he has risked

on the event as much as he was Ukelyto gain. In fact,

playpejeu]is a kind of contract ; and in everycontract

the mutual consent of the pai-tiesisthe supreme law : this

isan incontestablemaxim of naturalequity.^

"In the Scriptureswe do-not find games of hazard

forbid. The ancientJews appear to have been entirelyignorantof thiskind of recreation,and even the name for

itisnot to be found in the Old Testament. On the dis-persion

of the Jews, however,aftertheBabyloniancaptivity,

theylearnt to play from the Greeks and Romans, as maybe inferredfrom the cases of conscience on this subjectdiscussedby the Rabbis. Notwithstandingthis,games ofhazard are nowhere forbidden in the New Testament,

though no toleranceis there shown to any kind of vice.There is,indeed,only one passage that containsthe least

allusionto play; and even in this,the term " ^which is

metaphoricallyderivedfrom a game ofhazard," when taken

" It may be observed,that such cases of" Natural Equity," as are here

hypotheticallyput by Barbeyrac,do not properlyadmitofa thirdpartyas a judge,inthe event of a dispute. Partiesenteringintosuch contracts,irrespectiveof

theusagesofsociety,or thepositivelaws ofthecountrywhere they reside,ought

tobeleftto enforcetheirnaturalequityby naturalmeans. One wealthyfoolloses

to another tiiewhole of hisproperty,the contract between them being,that

he was to be the winner who should draw the longeststraw out of a stack.

In naturalequity,between the two parties,the loserisobligedto pay ; but,

shouldhe recover his senses, he willrefuse,and leavethewinner to hisremedy ;

forthecircumstanceof hisriskingso much inthe firstinstance,was a greater

offenceagainstsocietythan hissubsequentrefusalto pay.What one gambler

may loseto anotherisof smallmoment to society,compared with the primary

evilthroughwhich such personsare enabledto playdeeplywith the fruitsof

others*labours.Luther,speakingof thekwfulnessofretainingmoneywon by

gammg, concludesthat itmight be lawfullyretained;butadds,thathe could

wish both partiesto lose,if it were possible.The impossibilityhas been

removed siiiceregulargaming housesand gaming bankswere established.

288 PLAYING CARDS.

in the worst sense, would only amount to a condemnation

of the abuse of play.^ If in some versions a word,"

âiUiv" used by St.Paul,in hisFirstEpistleto the Corin-thians,

chap. X, V. 7, has been translated'Jouer,'it is

merely in consequence of the equivocalsignificationof this

word, or perhaps from the originalterm not being fully

understood, which in thisplace signifies' to dance,'as is

apparentfrom the passagein the Old Testament to which it

alludes,BaôdusyXxsii,6. From theprofound silenceofthe

sacredwriters,and form otherreasons already advanced,it

may, in my judgment,be safelyconcluded that play con-sideredin itself,and apart from itsabuse,is a matter of

perfectindificrence.^

"Few persons are so rigid as to condemn absolutely

games of everykind ; an exceptionbeing usuallymade in

favourofthosewhich are determined by skillalone. Most

theologiansand casuists,however,have pronounced strongly

againstallgames intowhich hazard enters, as if such were

at alltimesunlawful. The Rabbis,who are of the same

opinion,and who even considerthem as means of fraud

between Jew and Jew, assertthat 'a man, during the whole

course of hislife,should do nothing but devote himself to

the study of the law and of wisdom, to the practiceof

charity,or to some employment or businesswhich may be

serviceableto the community.'^ If thisdecisionbe taken

literally,it is manifestlyabsurd, and requiresno further

notice. Even in puttinga reasonableinterpretationupon* Tliefollowingisthe passage referredto : irepiêpoixtvoi,navn "viii"^Tr\Q

MaoKoKiaQ Iv ry KYBEIA rwv av9pu)Tr"av." "Carried about with everywind

of doctrineby the sleightof men." " Êphesians,iv,14." Dr. Rennell, quotingthepassageinthenotes to hissermon againstGaming, observes,that

" The con-nexionbetween the artificesof gamesters,and the shiftingdepravityof heretical

subterfuge,isstronglymarked by the Apostle."* Barbeyrac,Traitedu Jen, liv.i,chap. 1. " Que le Jeu en lui-meme,et

Tabus mis a part,est une chosetout-a-faitindifferente."" " Selden,de Jure Naturaeet Gentium,lib.iv,cap.v."

MORALITY. 289

thesewords,and consideringthem as condemnatoryofsuch

personsas employ themselvesin playalone,theystilldo not

applyto play,consideredin itself,but merely restrainitto

itslegitimateuse. The Jewish doctorsthemselvesacknow-ledge

thatthe prohibitionsof play in forceamongst them,

are founded on the regulationsof theirancestors; thatis,

thatthey are not derivedeitherfrom the law of Nature, or

the positiveordinances of God; but that they depend

entirelyon the civillaw establishedby thosewho had the

power of making new regulationswhenever such might

appearto be necessaryforthe welfare of the state. This

isso true,thatthey in a manner permittedJews to playat

games ofhazard with Gentiles:at any rate,theirprohibition

was extremelyfeeble,since they declaredthat,in such a

case, a Jew was onlyculpableof havingspenthistimeabout

a frivolousthing." Among the works of St;Cyprian we finda treatise,or

kindofhomily,on gaming," De Aleatoribus," which though

of highantiquity,and evidentlywrittenby a Bishop, is

probablynot the compositionof the saintto whom it has

usuallybeen ascribed. The author,whoever he may have

been, callsgames of hazard the nets of the devil; and

affirmsthatthey were invented by a certainlearned man

at theprompting of the evilspirit,and that he placedhis

portraitand name on the instrumentsof the game in order

thathe might be worshipped by thosewho used them.^ He,

consequently,maintains thatwhoever plays at such games

ofierssacrificeto theirauthor,and thus commits an act of

" From thisaccount ofinstrumentsof playcontainingpicturesanddevises,

ithasbeen conjecturedthat cardswere then known, and thatthe game was

includedin the general term" Alea." On thispoint,Barbeyrac observes,

ina note : "All thispleasantconceit[aboutpicturesand idolatry]is founded

on two tilings: firstthatthe board on which they playedat TrictracandDice,

was adornedwith paintings;and second,that the inventionofthosegameswas

attributedto Theut, or Thout, the EgyptianMercury, who, afterhisdeath,was

numbered amongst the gods."

290 PLAYING CARDS. \

idolatry.Such chimericalarguments, when divestedofalli

figure,onlyshow thatgames of hazard are frequentlythe

cause of disorder. A Flemish clergyman,in a historical

treatiseon thissubject,publishedabout the middle ofthe

seventeenthcentury,gravelymaintainsthat allgames ofhazard are contraryto every one of the ten command-

ments.^ It may be easilyimagined that he is obliged'to employ many devicesin orderto give a colourofplausi-bilityto this paradox ; and that whenever he advances

anything reallypertinent,it appliesonly to the abuses,

which,more or less,may insinuate.themselves

into everykind ofgame. A prelateof distinguishedmerit, Sidonius

ApoUinaris,Bishop ofClermont,inAuvergne,who flourished

in the fifthcentury,was of a differentway of thinking;

forhe was accustomed to amuse liimseKat Trictrac,as he

relatesin hisletterswithout testifyingany compunction,

and without even saying that he had abandoned the

amusement on his being advanced to the officeofBishop,

though he mentions that he had then given up poetry." Others have imagined thatthey have discoveredinthe

very nature of games of hazard something which renders

them essentiallysinful; supportingtheirviews by an ar-gument

which, though extremely specious,is yet easily

refuted. For instance,they say that God presidesover j

what we callchance,and directsitin a specialmanner ;

and that,as chance enters intoallgames of hazard,such ,

games are manifestlysinfulas requiringthe interventionofDivineProvidence in affairswhich are not only trivial,but

alsosubjectto many incommodities." This conclusionwould be demonstrativeiftheprinciple

from which it is drawn were true; but how is it known

thatthe resultsof chance are always determinedby the

specialwillof the Deity? Is his interventiondirectly

' " DanielSoutcr,Pabmcd. lib.ii,c. C."

MORALITY. 291

perceptible,or can itbe known by any apparentindication?

From the knowledge that we have of his goodness and

wisdom, can it reasonablybe supposed that he does so

intervene? On the contrary,is it not derogatoryto the

Supreme Being to suppose that he should immediately

interferein affairsof such small consequence as most of

those are which are determined amongst men by means of

lots or chance? The very suppositioncontains withinitselfthe best reasons forconcludingitto be imtenable.

"If the Deity indeed were to act by a specialwillin all

matters which are determined by lotor chance, and more

especiallyin games of hazard, it would hence follow:

1. That men have the power to compel, and in a manner,

forcethe Deity to exercisean especialProvidence when-ever

they may think good ; forit is certainthat they can

determine some matters by lot whenever they please.

2. It will also followthat the Deity 'performsmiracles

everyday in favour of personswho are most assuredlyun-deserving

of them, and in placeswhere no one could sus-pect

that hispresencewould be displayedin a manner so

extraordinary/Besides,what likelihoodistherethat,when

a coupleof lacqueysor porterssitdown to play at diceor

lansquenet,Providenceshould more especiallyinterferein

theirgame than in events which affectthe destiny of

nations,such as battles,revolutions,and otherimportant

actionsof a similarkind ? There iseven something ridicu-lous

in supposingthatwhen two men are playingatdraughts,

or billiards,theirgame is only the objectof common and

ordinaryProvidence,but thatwhen they sitdown to play

at diceor cards,a specialProvidencethenintervenes,and

determinesthe chances ofthe game.^ ....

' Reflexionssur ce que Ton appcUe Bonheiiret Malheur en mati^rede Lote-

ries,par M. leClerc,oh.viii,p. 97.' La Placette,Des Jeux de Hasard,eh.ii,p.202.

292 PLAYING CARDS.

^' I am, however,willingto allowthateven at playthere

may sometimes be an extraordinarymanifestationof Provi-

dence,eitherdirectly,or by means of some invisibleintelli-

gence determiningthe lot or chance. I can conceivethat

the Deity shoulddisposeof events in such a manner that a

worthy man, forinstance,who might be in danger ofgivinghimselfentirelyup to play,should be cured of hispassion

by a great and sudden loss. But, even admitting this,

thereisno reason to conclude that the Deity interfereson

alloccasions,and infavourof allsorts of people; and, after

all,without a directrevelation,it never can be positivelyknown that he reallydoes interferein such matters. T

couldjustas readilybelievewhat the eloquentJesuitMaffei

relatesof IgnatiusLoyola,in hislifeof that saint;namely,

that,playing one day at billiardswith a gentleman,who

had urged him to trythegame, he,by a miracle,proved the

winner,as he was utterlyunacquaintedwith the game."^In concludingthe firstbook, Barbeyrac observes:

" To

refutein detailallthe objectionsof rigidmoralistswould

requirean entirevolume. What I have alreadysaid,how-ever,

appearsto me suificientto remove any vain scruples

which may have been excited on the subject.I am,

indeed,rather apprehensivethat those who are too fond

of play willthink that I might have spared myself the

troubleof provingthatwhich theyhad no doubts about;

and thatitwas quiteunnecessaryto explainto them at so

greatlengththatplay,consideredinitself,containsnothing

contraryto the law of Nature or the preceptsof the Gospel.

The plan of the work, however, required that I should

" J.B. Thiers,inLisTraitsdes Jcux ct dcs Divertisscmcns,p. 6, thus refersto the same ancedote:

" SaintIgnaccde Loiolajoiiaun jourau billardavec un

gentil-hommcquiTavoitinvitod'yjoucr,ct 8*ilen fautcroircTijloquentJ6smio

Maph(jO,illogagna iniraculcuHoniont,quoiqu'iino spfttpas lojcu. Cum nihilmnna callcrclIf/natius,dioinilusfacttmcatut inmgulos omnino(rajcduavictor

evaderet.**

MORALITY. 293

commence with this; and the opportunitybeing thus

aiSbrdedof showing the fallacyoftheaustereportraitwhichsome writershave drawn of Christianmorahty, I have

availedmyself of it. On thissubjectI alsofeelmyselfjustifiedin referringto the schoolsof Pagan philosophy,

where we are taught that 'we should do nothingwithout

being ableto givea reason forit; in smallmatters as wellas in great.'^ Now, assuming thatout of a hundred per-sons who are accustomed to play daily,thereisscarcelyone

who has ever asked himselfhow, or inwhat manner, itmaybe lawful,itis not surprisingthat so many peopleshould

convert a thing in itselfperfectlyharmlessintoa subjectofdisorder,employing itas a means of gratifyingtheirinordi-nate

loveof pleasure,theiridleness,or theiravarice."In the second book, wherein he discussesthe essentials

of play" ^leJeu " he distinguishestlu-eekinds of games :

1, Games of pure skill; 2, Games of pure chance; and, 3,

Games which depend partlyon skilland partlyon chance.Games of skillare those which depend on manual dex-terity,

bodilyagility,or mental acuteness : BiUiards,Racket,.

Quoits,Cricket,Draughts, and Chess are of thiskind.

Games of pure chance are thosein which the event, though

broughtabout by the instrumentalityof the players,isyet

absolutelybeyond theirdu*ectionor control: of thiskind

are Dice,and certaingames at cards,such as Basset,Brelan,

Lansquenet, Rouge-et-N6ir,and Faro. In the thirdkind,

such as Backgammon and most oftheusualgames atcards,*" "Omnis autem Actio vacare debettemeritateet negligeutia:nee vero agere

quidquam, cujusuon possitcausam probabilemreddere."" Cicerode Offic.libi.

Sec also Marc. Antonin. lib.viii,cap. 2, and lib.x, cap.37, togetherwithGataker*sobservations." On thispointtheremark of Senecadeservesquotation:" Ilac[Ratione]ducc, per totam vitam eundum est. ^MinimaMaximaque ex

Iiujusconsiliogercndasunt."" De Benefic.lib.ii,cap.18.' Thiers,inhisTraitddca Jcux ot dcs Divcrtisscnicns,distinguishesgames

inthesame manner; but Barbcyracobservesthatho is wrong inclassingall

games ofcardswith games of pure chance.

294 PLAYING CARDS.

the effectsof chance may in some degree be counteracted

by a skilfulapphcationof principlesderivedjfroma know-ledge

of the variouscombinationswhich resultfrom the

conventionalrulesof the game. In allgames for any

considerablestake,thatis,with regard to the means ofthe

parties,itisnecessarythat the playersshould be as nearlyas possibleequal in point of"skill;for,in this case, the

game becomes a kind of traffic,and issubjectto allthe

conditionsof an equitablecontract.Most personswho playforhigh stakes,eitherat games of

pure chanceor ofchance and skillcombined, make more or

lessa trafficoftheiramusement; and risktheirown moneyfrom a desireof winning that of another. In all suchcases, gaming isa positiveevilto society,and isutterlyinex-cusable,

much lessjustifiable,on any grounds whatever;and

allwho thusventure largesums may be justlyrequiredto

show by what rightthey possessthem. When a foolor a

knave is thus strippedof a large property,his lossis a

matter of smallimport to society;the true evilis,thatso

large a portionofnationalwealth,createdby the industry

ofothers,shouldbe at the disposalof such a character,and

should be allowed to pass,on such a contract,to anothereven more worthlessthan himself. This objectionhas not

been urged in any ofthenumerous sermons and essaysthat

have been publishedagainstgaming ; the authorsofwhich,

generally,insteadof showing that societyhas both the

power and the right to correct such abuses by depriving

the offending partiesof the means of continuing them,have contented themselves with declamations on the

wickedness of the pursuit,and.with vain appeals to the

conscienceof inveterategamesters : while they whistleto the deaf adder, they never seem to suspect that it

may be easilydispatchedwith a stick." But such abusesin societyare never remediedtillthe HEiiACLiDiE acquire

MORALITY. 295

a knowledge of theirrights,as well as a consciousnessof

theirpower.The appealtothevanityof men of

"

rank and education"^

inorderto shame them out oftheirloveofplayis as futile

initseffectsas itis wrong in principle; forittendsonly

to nourishin them feelingsof self-conceit,and to induce

them to thinkratherof thedeficienciesofthelow-born men,

whosemoney they are eagertowin,thanto considertheirown

derelictionofduty,in playingforlargesums, with any one.

At the gaming-table,a community of feeUng levelsallthe

artificialdistinctionsof rank ; and the rude plebeianw^ho

covers the high-bom noble'sstakeisjustas g09d, forallintentsand purposes of play,as that noble himself. The

condescensionof the noble to play with a costermongerfor

thesakeof winning hismoney, isfullycompensated by the

other'swillingnessto affordhim a chance. The annalsof

gaming sufficientlyshow that rank is no guaranteeof a

gamester'shonesty; and in the case ofLord De Ros versus

Gumming, triedbefore Lord Denman, 10th of Februaiy,

1837, it would appear that the rank of the fraudulent

gamesterscreenedhim for severalyears,with one party at

least,from being denounced. SirWilliam Ingilby,in his

examination,statedthathe had seen Lord De Ros perform

thetrickof reversingthe cut, and thus secure himselfan

ace or a king forthe tuni-up card,at leastfiftytimes; and

thathe firstobserved his lordshipdo it "

about four,five,

or sixyearsago." When asked why he did not denounce

Lord De Ros afterhe had become aware ot hisfraudulent

' " The low and profligatecompany which a gentlemanofrank and education

willfrequentlysubmitto keep,ratherthan losehisbelovedHazard,b such that,

ifhe had been requiredto admit them simplyon the ground of companions, he

would certainlyhave lookedupon itas an insufferabledegradation.""A Disser-

tationon the peniiciouseffectsof Gaming, published,by appointment,as having

gaineda Prize(June1783)in the UniversityofCambridge.By RichardHey,

LL.D.,Cambridge,1784,p. 31."

296 PLAYING CARDS.

tricks,he givesthefollowinganswer :" I did not mention

the matter publiclyfor this reason :" I consideredthatif

an obscureand humble individuallikemyself,not possessed

of hisrank,were to attemptto go up to a peerof therealm,

who held a high stationin society,and who at the same

time was regardedby allhis associates,and by the world

in general,as a man of unimpeachable character,and say,

*My lord,you are cheating;'if,I say, I, that humble

individual,had addressedLord De Ros in theseterms," if

I had denounced a peer of the realm,and a man of such

generalpopularity,I shouldinstantlyhave gatheredaround

mc a hostof persons; and I take it,as a matter of comse, I

shouldhavehad no choicebetween thedoorand thewindow."

Notwithstandingthatthe honorablebaronet was aware of

the fraudulentpracticeof the righthonorablepeer,itseems

thathe stillcontinued to play with him ; but it does not

appearthathe was particularlyattentiveto his lordship's

trickofreversingthe cut," sauter la coupe," when he had

him for a partner.^ If SirWilliam Ingilby'sfears were

wellfounded,itseems reasonableto concludethatthosewho

would have "pitchedhim out ofthe window," forexposingthe fraudulenttricksof a peer,must have been personsof

similarcharacterto the party denounced ; and thattheir

conduct in such a case would not have been influencedby

a regardforthe honour of a peer of the realm,but would

ratherhave been the resultof the vexationwhich theyfelt

at the publicexposureof one oftheu*own stamp. On this

trial,one ofthewitnessesadmittedthathe had won "35,000

at cardsin the course of fifteenyears. This is certainlya

largesum, but nothingto be compared to the winningsofsome men by theirgambling in railwayshareswithin the

lastten years. Lord De Ros failedin hisaction; the fact

" " I know a man who cheats/*saida young gentleman to Sheridan;"I do

not liketo expose him; what shallI doP" " "Back him,*"was the reply.

MORALITY. 297

of cheatingwhich had been allegedagainsthim having

been clearlyproved. He did not long survivethe disgrace-ful

exposure; and Theodore Hook is said to have em-

bahned hismemory in thefollowingepitaph:" Here lies

England's Premier Baron patiently awaiting the

LAST TRUMP r^

On the questionofthe lawfulnessofplayingat cardsfor

thesake of amusement, and not from the mere desireof

gain,many personsof eminent pietyhave held the affirma-tivein theirwritings; and a far greaternumber of the

same classhave testified,by theirpractice,theirconcurrence

inthe same opinion.'* Many fiercedeclamations,"says

Jeremy Taylor, " from ancientsanctityhave been uttered

againstcards and dice,by reason of the craftused in the

game, and the consequent evils,as -inventedby theDevil.

And, indeed,thisisalmost the whole stateofthe question;

forthereare so many evilsin the use of thesesports,they

are made trades of fraud and livelihood,they are accom-panied

so with drinkingand swearing,they are so scandalousby blasphemiesand quarrels,so infamous by misspending

precioustime,and the ruin of many families,they so often

make wise men foolsand slavesof passion,that we may say

ofthosewho use them inordinately,they are in an ocean of

mischief,and can hardly swim to shore without perishing.

..... He can never be suspected in any criminalsense

to tempt the Divine Providence,who by contingentthings

recreateshis labour,and having acquiredhisrefreshmenthath no otherend to serve, and no desiresto engage the

DivineProvidenceto any otherpurposeA man

may innocently,and to good purposes go to a tavern,but

they who frequent them have no excuse, unless their

innocentbusiness does frequentlyengage,and theirsevere

" " Hook's cleverepitaphon a fashionablegambler thenrecentlydeceased.""

The Dowagers; or, the New School forScandal,by Mrs. Gore. 1813.

298 PLAYING CARDS.

religionbring them offsafely.And so itis in thesesports;

thereisonly one cause of using them, and that comes but

seldom,the refreshment,I mean, ofmyself or my friend,to

which I ministerin justiceor in charityj but when our

sportscome to that excess, that we long and seek for

opportunities;when we tempt others, are weary of our

business,and not weary of our game ; when we situp till

midnight,and spend half days,and thatoftentoo ; then

we have spoiledthesport," itisnot a recreation,but a sin.

....He thatmeans to make hisgames lawful,must not

play for money, but for refreshment. This, though few

may believe,yet is the most considerablething to be

amended in the games of civiland sober persons. For the

gainingof money can have no influencein the game to

make itthe more recreative,unless covetousness holdsthe

box But when money is at stake,eitherthe sum

istrifling,or itisconsiderable.Iftrifling,itcan be ofno

purposeunlessto serve the ends of some littlehospitable

entertainmentor love-feast,and then thereisnothing amiss;but ifconsiderable,a wide door is opened to temptation,

and a man cannot be indifferentto win or losea greatsum

ofmoney, though he can easilypretend it. If a man be

willingor indifferentto losehis own money, and not at alldesirousto get another's,to what purpose isitthathe playsforit? Ifhe be not indifferent,then he iscovetous or he

isa fool: he covets what is not his own, or unreasonably

ventures thatwhich is. If without the money, he cannot

mind his game, then the game is no divertisement,no

recreation,but the money is allthe sport, and therefore

covetousness is allthe design; but if he can be recreatedby the game alone,the money does but change itfrom

lawful to unlawful, and the man from being weary to

become covetous ; and from the troubleof labour or study,remove him to the worse troubleof fear,or anger, or

MORALITY. 299

impatientdesires. Here begins the mischief,here men

beginforthe money to use vilearts; here cards and dice

begintobe diabolical,when playersare wittyto defraudand

undo one another; when estates are ventured,and famihes

are made sad and poor by a lucklesschance. And what

sportisitto me to losemy money, ifitbe at allvaluable?

and ifit be not, what is it to my game? But sure the

pleasureisin winning the money; thatcertainlyisit. But

theywho make pastime of a neighbour'sruin,are. the worst

ofmen, saidthe comedy. But concerning the lossof our

money, leta man pretend what he will,that he playsfor

no more than he iswillingto lose,it is certainthat we

ought not to believehim ; forif that sum is so indifferent

to him, why is not he easy to be tempted to givesuch a

sum to the poor? ^Vhenever thisisthe case, he sins,that

games for money beyond an inconsiderablesum. Let the

stakebe nothing,or almost nothing, and the cardsor dice

are innocent,and the game as innocentas push-pinIn playsand games, as in other entertainments,we must

neitherdo evil,nor seem to do evil; we must not converse

with evilpersons,nor use our Uberty to a brother'spreju-diceor grief. We must not do anything,which he,\^ith

probability,or with innocentweakness,thinks to be amiss,

untilhe be rightlyinstructed; but where nothing of these

thingsintervene,and nothing of the former evilsisappen-dant,

we may use our libertywith reason and sobriety: and

then,ifthislibertycan be so used,and such recreationscan

be innocent, as they assuredlymay, there is no further

question,but those trades,which ministerto thesediver-

tisements,are innocentand lawful."^.

' "Questionon Gaming, Whether or no the making and providingsuch in-struments,

which usuallyministerto it,isby interpretationsuch an aidto the

sin,as to involveus in the guiltP" This treatiseis printedin a smallwork

entitled'The Life of Bishop Taylor,and the Purest Spiritof hisWritings ex-

tractedand exhibitedby John Whealdon, A.M.' 8vo,1789.

300 PLAYING CARDS.

Nelson,thepiousauthor ofthe' Fastsand Festivalsofthe

Church ofEngland/and ofthe' Practiceof True Devotion/

had no objectionto cards." Sober persons/'says he,in

the last-mentionedwork," do not make a businessofwhat

they shouldonly use as a diversion." The Rev. Augustus

Toplady,so wellknown forhishigh Calvinisticprinciples,

used to occasionallyamuse himselfwith a game at cards;

and in a letterdated " Broad Hembury, Nov. 19th,1773,"

he thus expresseshimself on the subjectof recreationsin

which clergymen may innocentlyindulge.^

" I do not thinkthat honest Martin Luther committed

sinby playing at Backgammon for an hour or two afterdinner in order, by unbending his mind, to promotedigestion.

"I cannot blame the holy martyr Bishop Ridley for

frequentlyplaying at Tennis before he became a prelate,nor forplaying at the more seriousgame of Chess twicea

day afterhe was made a bishop.

"As littledo I find faultwith another of our most ex-emplary

martyrs,the leanied and devout Mr. Archdeacon

Philpot; who has leftiton recordas a brand on Pelagians

of that age, that' they looked on honeste pastyme ias a

sinne/ and had the impudence to callhim an Antinomian

and a loosemorahst, because he now and then relaxedhis bow with 'huntinge,shootynge,bowlynge, and suchlike.'

"Nor can I set doAvnpiousBishop Latimer for such an

enemy to holinessof lifeon account of his saying that

hunting is a good exercisefor men of rank, and that

shootingisas lawfulan amusement for personsofinferior

class.'* I have not a whit theworse opinionofthe eminentand

" ThisletteriagivenintheRev. 11.Polwhcle'aIleminisecnees,vol.ii,p.42.

Edit.1836.

MORALITY/ 301

profound Mr. Thomas Gataker for the treatisewhich he

professedlywrote to prove the lawfulnessof card-playing,

under due restrictionsand limitations.******

" I cannot condemn the Vicar of Broad Hembury [Mr.Topladyhimself]forrelaxinghimselfnow and then among

a few selectfriendswith a rubber of sixpennyWhist, a pool

ofpenny Quadrille,or a few rounds oftwopenny Pope Joan.

To my certainknowledge, the saidvicarhas been cured ofheadache by one or other of those games, afterspending

eight,ten, or twelve,and sometimes sixteenhours in his

study. Nor willhe ask any man's leaveforso unbending

himself" because another person'sconscienceisno ruleto

his,any more than another person'sstatureor complexion."

John Wesley, when a young man at college,and beforehis

thoroughconversion,appears to have been fondof a game at

cards. Tate Wilkinson,writingin 1790, says:*' Mr. Wesley,

about four years ago, in the fieldsat Leeds, forwant of

room forhiscongregationin histabernacle,gave an account

of himself,by informing us, thatwhen he was at college,

he was particularlyfond of the devil'spops (orcards); and

said,thateverySaturdayhe was one of a constant partyat

Whist, not only forthe afternoon,but alsofortheevening;he then mentioned the names of severalrespectablegentle-men

who were with him at college."'But,' continued he,

'thelatterpartofmy time thereI became acquaintedwith

theLord ; I used to hold communication with him. On

my firstacquaintance,' I used to talkwith the Lord once a

week, then every day, from that to twice a day,tillat last

the intimacy so increased,that He appointed a meeting

once in everyfourhours He recollected,he said,

thelastSaturday he ever played at cards,that the rubber

at Whist was longer,than he expected;and on observing

thetediousnessof the game, he pulledout hiswatch,when.

302 PLAYING CARDS

to hisshame, he found it was some minutes past eight,

which wag beyond the time he had appointed to meet the

Lord." He thoughtthe devilhad certainlytempted him

to stay beyond his hour; he thereforesuddenly gavehiscardsto a gentleman near him to finishthe game, and

went to the placeappointed,beseechingforgivenessforhis

crime, and resolvednever to play with the devil'spops

again. That resolutionhe had never broken; and what

was more extraordinary,thathisbrotherand sister,though

distantfrom Cambridge, experiencedsignsof graceon that

same day,on thatsame hour,in the month of October."^

On the subjectof card-playing,even for the sake of

amusement, two distinguishedlaymen,John Locke and Dr.

Johnson,appearto have entertaineddifferentopinions.The

former,in his Treatiseon Education,says,"As to cards

and dice,I thinkthe safestand bestway is never to learn

any playupon them, and so to be incapacitatedforthose

dangerous temptationsand incroachingwasters of useful

time." Dr. Johnson,on the contrary,regrettedthathehad

not learntto playat cards,giving,at the same time,as his

reason :" Itis veryusefulin life; it generateskindness,

and consolidatessociety.*-^ The opinion of a living

" Memoirs ofTatoWilkinson,vol.iii,p.9-11. York,1790.

"Boswcll'sJournalof a Tour to tie Hebrides. The followinganecdote

respectingLocke isrelatedby Le Clerc. Three or four men ofrankmet him

by appomtment at the house of Lord Ashley,afterwardsEarlof Shaftesbury,

ratherforthesakeof mutual entertainmentthan for business.After mutual

complimentshad passed,and beforethere had been any time forconversation,

cards were introduced,and the visitorssat down to play. Mr. Locke,afterlookingon a while,drew out his tabletsand sat down to write. One ofthe

company at lengthobservinghow he was employed, asked him what he was

writing. "My lord,"repliedhe, "I am endeavouringto profitas much as I

can from your company; for havinpfimpatientlylonged to be presentat a

meeting of the most sensibleand most witty men of the day,and havingat

lastthat good fortune,I thoughtthatI could not do betterthan writedown

your conversation; I have indeedhere put down the substanceof what has

been saidfor the lasthour or two." The satirewas immediatelyfelt; the

MORALITY. 303

Professorof Moral PhUosophy, on the subjectof card-playing,may be gathered from the followingdialoguebetween ChristopherNorth and the EttrickShepherd.^

*'NORTH.

Gaming isnot a vice,then,in the country,James ?

SHEPHERD.

There'slittleor nae sicthing as gamblin'in the kintra,

sir. You'llfin'a pack o' cairdsin mony o' the houses"

but no in them a'" forsome gude fatherso' familiesthmkthem the deevil'sbulks,and sure aneuch when ower muckle

readtheybegin to smello' sulphurand Satan.

NORTH.

Why, James, how can old people,a littledim-eyedor so,

whilean occasionaleveningaway betterthan atan innocent

and cheerfulgame at cards?

SHEPHERD.

Hand your haun* a wee, Mr. North. I'm no saying

onythingto the reverse. But I was sayin'that thereare

heads o' familiesthatabhor cairds,and would half-killtheir

sons and daughters were they to bring a pack intothe

house. Neitheryou nor me wull blame them forsicsavin*

prejudice.The austere Calvinisticspiritcanna tholeto

thinkthatthe knave o' spades should be lyingwithin twa

threeincheso' the Bible. The auldstern man wud as soon

forgiethe introductionintothe house o' base balladso'

sinfu'love" and wishes that the precinctsbe pure o' his

ainfire-side.Though I take a ggem o^ whust now and*

then mysel,yet I boo to the principle,and I venerate the

adherence till'tin the high-souledpatriarchsof the

Covenant.

playersquitted the game, and afteramusing themselvesfor a while in

retouchingand enlargingwhat Mr. Locke had setdown, spentthe remainderofthe dayinmore worthy conversation." ^Elogede Mr. Locke danslaBibliotheque

Choisie,torn,vi,p. 357.' Noctes Ambrosianae,No. 25, inBlackwood'sMagazine forApril,1826.

304 PLATING CARDS.

NORTH.

Perhapssuchstrictmoralityisscarcelypracticablein our

presentcondition.SHEPHERD.

What, do you mainteen thatcairdsare absolutelyneces-sary

ina puirman's house? Tuts ! As forauld dim-eyed

people,few o' them, except they be blin'a'thegither,that

canna read big prent wi'powerfu'specs,and they can aye

get,at the warst, some bitwee idleOe 'to read out aloud

to itsgrannies,without expense o' oil or cawnel, by the

heartsomeingle-light.You'llgenerallyfin'that auldfolk

that playscairds,have been raithcrfrcevolous,and no

mucklc addickedto thocht" unlessthey'regreedy,and play

forthepool,which is fearsomein auld age ; forwhat need

they care for twa three brass penny-pieces,for ony ither

purposethan to buy nailsfortheircoffin?

NORTH.

You push the argument ratherfar,James.

SHEPHERD.

Na, sir. Avariceis a failingo' auldage sure aneuch"

and shouldnabe fedby the Lang Ten. I'm aye somewhat

sad when I see folko' eightyhaudin'up thetrumps totheir

rheumy een, and shaking theirheads,whether they mill or

no, ower a gude and a bad haun alike. Then, safeon us !

onlythink o' them cheatin'" revokin'" and marking mair

than theyought wi the counters !

NORTH.

The pictm*eis stronglycoloured; but could you not

paint another less revolting,nay, absolutelypleasant,nor

violatethe truthofnature ?

SHEPHERD.

I'm no quite sure. Perhaps I micht. In anithercon-ditiono' life" in towns, and among folko' a higherrank,

I dinna deny thatI hae seen auldleddiesplayingcardsvery

MORALITY. 305

composedly,and without appearin*to be doin*onythingthat'swrang. Beforeyou judgerichtlyo' ony ae thingin

domesticlife,you maun understan'the hailconstitutiono'

the economy. Noo, auld leddiesin towns dresssomewhat

richlyand superbly,wi' ribbons,and laces,and jewelseven,

and caps munted wi^ iSowersand feathers;and Pm no

blamin'them " and then theydine out, and gang to routes,

and gie dinners and routes in return,back to hunders o'

theirfriendsand acquaintance, Noo, wi' sica styleandfashiono' lifeas that,caird-playingseems to be somewhat

accordant,iftakenin moderation,and as a quiet pastime,

and no made a trade o', or profession,forsake o* filthy

lucre. I grant it harmless; and gin it maks the auldleddieshappy, what richthae I to mint ony objections?God blessthem, man ; far be itfraeme to curtailthe

resources o' auld age. Let them playon, and allI wish is,

theymay never lose eithertheirtemper,theirmoney, nor

theirnaturalrest.

NORTH.

And I say God blessyou,James, foryour sentimentsdo

honour to humanity.

SHEPHERD.

As for young folks" ^ladsand lasses,like" when the

gudeman and hiswife are gaen to bed, what's the harm in

a ggem at cairds? It'sa chearfu',noisy,sichto' comfort

and confusion. Sicluckin'intoane anither'shaun's! Sic

fauseshufflin'lSicunfairdealin'ISicwinkin'to tellyour

pairtnerthatye hae the king or the ace ! And when that

wunna do, sickickin'o' shinsand treadin'on taes aneath

the table" aften the wrang anes ! Then down wi' your

haun' o' cairdsin a clashon the board,becauseyou'veane

ower few,and the coof maun losehis deal! Then what

gigglin'amang the lasses! What amicable,nay, love-

quarrels,between pairtners! Jokin', and jeestin'and20

306 PLAYING CARDS.

tauntin',and toozKn'" the cawnel blawn out,and the soun

o' a thousan'kisses! That's caird-playingin the kintra,

Mr. North ; and where'sthe man amang ye thatwull daur

to saythatitsno a pleasantpastimeo' a winter'snicht,

when the snaw iscumin'doon the lum, or the speat'sroarin

amang themirk mountains ?

NORTH.

Wilkiehimself,James, isno more than your equal.

SHEPHERD.

0 man, Mr. North,sh*,my heartiswae " my soul'ssick" and my spirit'swrathfu'to think o' thae placesin great

citieswhich theyca' " Hells!

NORTH.

Thank Heaven, my dear James, that I never was a

gambler" ^nor, exceptonce" to see the thing,ever in a Hell.

But itwas a stupidand passionlessnight" a placeofmean

misery" altogetherunworthy ofitsname.

SHEPHERD.

I'm gladyou never went back,and that the deevilwas

in the dumps ; forthey say that some nichtsin thae Hells,

when Satan and Sin sitthegitheron ae chair,he wi' his

arm roun' the neck o' that Destruction his Daughter, a

horribletemptationinvades men's heartsand souls,drivin'

and draggin'them on to the doom o' everlastingdeath.

NORTH.

Strong language,James " ^manygood and great men have

shook the elbow.

SHEPHERD.

Come, come now, Mr. North, and dinna allowparadoxto darken or obscure the bright lichto' your greatnatural

and acquiredunderstandin'.' Good and great'are lofty

epithetsto bestow on ony man that is bom o' a woman"

and if ony such therehave been who deliveredthemselves

up to sin,and shame, and sorrow, at the ggeming-table;

MORALITY. 307

lettheirbiographersjustifythem "

^itwill gie me pleasureto see them do't" ^butsuch examples shallnever confound

my judgmento' right or wrang. 'Shake the elbowindeedT What mair does a parricidedo but '

shake his

elbow/whenhe cuts hisfather'sthroat? The gamester

shakeshiselbow,and down go thegloriousoak treesplantedtwo hundred years ago, by some ancestor who loved the

freshsmello' the woods " away go " ifentaildoes no forbid

" thousands o' bonny braidacres, ance a' ae princelyestate,

but now shivereddown into beggarlyparshels,while the

Auld House seems broken-hearted,and hangs down itshead,

when the infatuatedlairddiesor shootshimself. Oh, man!

is nae it a sad thocht to think that my leddy,aye sae

graciousto the puir,should hae to laydown her carriagein

her auld age,and disappearfraethe Ha' into some far-aflf

town or village,perhapsno in Scotlandava'j whilehe,that

shouldhae been the heir,isapprenticedto a writerto the

signet,and becomes a money-scriveneri' his soul,and

aibHns a Whig routin'at a publicmeetin'about Queens,

and Slavery,and Borough Reform, and CautholicEmanci-pation."

St.FrancisXavier, though disapprovingof allgames of

chance, yet did not absolutelycondemn them as forbidden

by the word of God ; but endeavoured to reclaim,by gentle

means, those who were addictedto play. "That he might

banish Games of Chance," says his biographer, "

which

almost alwaysoccasionquarrelsand swearing, he proposed

some littleinnocent diversions,capableof entertainingthe

mind, vrithoutstirringup thepassions. But seeingthatin

spightof hisendeavours they were bent on Cards and Dice,

he thought itnot convenientto absent himself,butbecame

a looker-on,thathe might somewhat awe them by hispre-sence

; and when they were breaking out into any extra-vagance,

he reclaimed them by gentle and softreproofs.

303 PLAYING CARDS.

He showed concernment in theirgains,or in theirlosses,

and offeredsometimes to hold theircards.

"While the ship that carriedXavier was crossingthe

Gulph of Ceylon, [in1545]an occasion of charity was

offeredto the Saint,which he would not sufferto escape.

The mariners and souldierspass'd theirtime, accordingto

theircustome, in playing at cards. Two souldiersset

themselvesto it more out of avaricethan pleasure,and

one of them plaidwith such illfortune,that he lostnot

only allhis own money, but the stockwhich othershad putintohishands to trafBckforthem. Having nothing more

to lose,he withdrew, cursing his luck, and blaspheming

God. His despairprevailedso far over him, that he had

thrown himselfintothe Sea, or run upon the point of his

sword, ifhe had not been prevented. Xavier had notice

of thesehismad intentions,and execrablebehaviour,andimmediatelycame to hisrelief.He embrac'd him tenderly,

and saidallhe cou'd to comfort him : But the souldierin

the transportsofhisfury,thrusthim away, and forborenot

even illlanguage to him. Xavier stood recollectedfor

some time, imploringGod's assistanceand counsel; then

went and borrowed fiftyRoyals of a passenger,brought

them to the souldier,and advis'dhim once more to tryhis

fortune. At this the souldiertook heart, and play'd so

luckily,thathe recoveredallhislosseswith greatadvantage.The Saint,who look'don, took out of the overplusof the

winnings,what he had borrowed for him ; and seeingthe

gamester,now retum'd to a calm temper, he who before

refus'dto hear him, was now overpowered by hisdiscom'se,

never afterhandled cards,and became exemplary in his

life." He was particularlyfreein hisconverse with souldiers

who are greaterlibertines,and more debauch'd in the

Indies,than elsewhere. For, that they might the less

MORALITY. 809

suspecthim, he kept them company ; and because some-

times when they saw him coming, they had hid theircards

and dice, he told them. They were not of the clergy,

neither cou'd they continue praying all the day; that

cheating,quarrellingand swearing,were forbidto game-sters,but that play was not forbidto a souldier. Some-times

he play'd at chess himselfout of complyance,when

they whom he study'd to withdraw from vice,were lovers

of that game : And a Portuguese gentleman, whose name

was Don Diego Norogna, had once a very illopinion ofhim for it. This cavalier,who had heard a report ofXavier, that he was a saint-likeman, and desir'dmuchto have a sightof him, happened to be aboard of the same

galley. Not knowing his person, he enquiredwhich was

he; but was much surprisedto findhim playing at chess

with a privatesouldier. For he had form'd in his imagi-nation,

the ideaof one who was recollectedand austere,and

who never appeared in publick but to discom-seof eternity,

or to work miracles."^St. Francis de Sales was, in his younger days, a card-

player,though subsequentlyhe condemned allgames atcards

as being inthemselvesunlawful.^ According to the Duchess

of Orleans,the old Marshal Villeroi,who had known him in

hisyouth, could never bring himselfto callhim Saint. As

oftenas the name of St.Francisde Saleswas mentioned in

hispresence,he would observe," I was deHghted to learn

that Mons. de Saleswas a Saint. He was fond of saying

smutty things,and used to cheatat cards; in otherrespects

' The LifeofSt,FrancisXavier,by FatherBouhours. TranslatedintoEnglish

by John Dryden, pp. 71, 203, 697." "Les jeuxdes dez,des cartes,et semblables,esquels

le gain depend prin-

cipalementdu hasard, ne sont pas seulement des recreationsdangereuses,

comme lesdanses, mais ellessont simplement et naturellementmauvaises et

blamables.""St.Franpois de Sales,Litrod.a la Vie devote,quoted by Thiers

in hisTraitsdes Jeux, p. 168.

310 PLAYING CARDS.

he was a perfectgentleman,though a ninny."^ The excuse

that he made forhischeating was, thaiwhatever he won

was forthe poor. CardinalMazarine, another dignitaryof

the church of Rome, was much given to cheatingat play as

well as in politics; and itisrelatedby an eye-witness,that

when he was on his death-bed,he stillcontinued to play

at cards, one of the company holding his ** hand ;" and

that he was thus employed when he receivedthe Pope's

plenaryindulgence,togetherwith the viaticum,as a prince

ofthechurch,from the Papal nuncio.^In the sixteenthand seventeenthcenturies,many of the

clergyof alldegreesin France, Spain, and Italyappear to

have been much addictednot only to card-playingbut to

gaming in general,notwithstandingthe determinationsof

casuistsand the prohibitionsof councils. Masses and

prayerswere sometimes staked by the priestagainsttlie

hard money of the layman; and even devout people,followingthe example set them by theirpastors,used to

playwith each other forAves and Pater-hosters. On the

subjectof the clergystakingmasses at play,Barbeyrac,a

Protestant,observes," These are in tmth frivolousmatters,

and of no effect,to say no worse ; nevertheless,as those

wlio trafficin them believe,or, at least,pretendto believe

* M^moires sur la Cour de Louis XTV et de la R^gence. Extraitsdc la

CorrcspondanceAllcmandc deMadame Elisabeth-Charlotte,Duchesse d'Orl^ans,

mere du ll^-gcnt,p. 339. 8vo, Paris,1823. In corroborationof the anecdote

relatedby the Duchess, theEditorgives the followingfrom the * Loisirsd'un

Homme d'Etat/and the * DictionnaircHistoriquc:* "M. de Cosnac,archevcqued'Aix, taittresvieux,quand 11appritque Tonvientde canoniserSaintFranpois

de Sales. *Quoi!' s'dcria-t-il,*M. de Geneve, mon aucien ami? Je suis

charme de lafortunequ'ilvientde faire: e'etaitun galanthomme, un aimablehomme, ct mcme unhonnete homme, quoiqu'iltrichatau piquet,ou nous avons

souvent jou ensemble.'* Mais, moriscigncur,*luidit-on,

*

est-ilpossiblequ'un

saintfriponneau jcu?' * Ho !'repliquaI'archeveque,* ildisait,pour ses raisons,

que ee qu'ilgagnaitutaitpour Icspauvres.*"

* Mcmoircs incditsde Louis Henri de Lomenie, Comte dc Bricnnc.

MORALITY. 311

that a kind ofsanctityand supernaturalvirtueare attachedto theiruse, allplay forsuch stakes is unlawful; and he

who thus profanelyventures them is evidentlyguiltyboth

of sacrilegeand simony." With respectto playing for

prayers,Thiers says that the practiceisnot condemned by

Dr. Navarre, and that Pere Raynaud bears witness of its

being admitted among the devout; forhisown part,how-ever,

he disapprovesof it as"

a heterocliterefinement ofdevotion;" and is of opinionthatthere is some degree ofirreverencein playingforPsalms, Patcr-nosters,and Aves.^

The Spanish phrase," Jugar losKiries^'shows thatsuch a

practicewas not unusual among the clergyofthatcountry :

though the explanationof the phrase in some dictionaries

is,that itrelatesto a clergyman who playsaway the alms

that are given him forpraying,it yet properlyrelatesto a

clergyman who plays away prayers," not the money givenforthem.

Among the vicesgeneratedby gaming, thatof swearingisespeciallynoted by most authorswho have writtenon the

subject.^The French appear to have minced and frittered

theiroaths, swearing "like a comfit-maker'swife;" the

English and Germans to have sworn grossly;and the

Spaniardsand Italiansto have blasphemed in a spiritof

refinedimpiety. PascasiusJustus, in thisrespect,calls

" "Une treizi^mecirconstance,qui,limon sens, est capablede gaterlejeu,

c'cstquand on joiiedes prieres,jeveux direquand on joiiek conditionque

ccluiquiperdra fera certainesprieresou pour lesfidMes trepass^s,ou pour

ccluiqui aura gagnd, ou pour quelqu*autrequi luifera indiqu6. Le Docteur

Navarre ne condamne pas cetpratique.Lc P. TbdopliileRaynaud tdmoigne

qu'elleest repue parmi les devots. Mais pour moi,jela regarde comme un

raffiuementde devotionheterocliteou irreguliere,et j'estimequ'ily a de Tirr^-

vcrence a joiier,par exemple,des Pseaumes a reciter,ou des Fater naster,ou

des Ave Maria h.dire."" Thiers,TraitddesJeux, p. 425.' On thispointthe readerismore particularlyreferredto Thiers,Traitsdes

Jeux et des Divertissemens,p. 422 ; and to Barbeyrac,Traitddu Jeu, torn, ii,

p. 356, second edit.1737.

812 Pl.AYINO CARDS.

the gaming-tablethe devil'sfarm, and says thatitalways

yieldshim a most abundant crop. Iiihistime, gamesters

do not appear to have merely sworn from vexation,but

even to have delightedin pouring forth a volleyof oaths.

He relatesthat,when he once told a gambler thathe him-

selfcould never utter an oath, the other replied," Then

you arc ignorantof a great pleasure." A French writer,

speakingof the oathsof the Spaniards,gives the following

anecdote,as an instanceof theirimpiety. On one occasion,

when an orderhad been issuedto the Spanish army against

swearing, a soldierhaving lostall his money at cards,

and not daringto violatethe letterof the order,gave vent

to his feelingsby exclaiming,"Beso las manos, Senor

Pilato,"" I thank you, Mr. Pontius Pilate.''""II devoit

etre brule,"isthe judgmentof the relater. A similarin-stance

ofblasphemy, on the partof an Itialianwho had lost

hismoney at cards,isrecordedby Henry Stephens,in the

introductionto his ' Traitede laConformitedesMerveilles

anciennesavec lesmodcrnes.'^With respectto the passionsexcited by gaming, the

learned and pious Jeremy Collierexpresses his opinion

in the followingmanner, in his 'Essay on Gaming,' in a

Dialogue:" I can't help observing that playingdeep sets

the spmts on float,strikesthe nodnd stronglyinto the

" "ToutcfoisBans vciiirh tcllcasortcsdo blasplit'mcs,uous en trouvons de

fortssauvagcsau langagcIlalicn: dont aucuus scrablcntplutostsoriirdcla

boucliedc diablesque d'horamcs. Du nombre desquelsest un que j'ouyproferera Rome par un prestre,Icquelsera recitden son lieji.Mais on luypeutbiendonner pour compagnon un qui futprofer6a Venise par un Italien,non

prestre,mais suculier,en jouantaux eartesen lamaison d'un ambassadeurdu

Roy. Ce blasphemeesttel:* Venga '1cancaro ad lupo/ Quel si grand mal

y-a-t-iliciP diraquelqu'un. Lc grand mal est en cc que cecise disoitpar une

figure,qui s'ai)pclleaposiopeseou retinenea,en lieu de (commedepuison

cogneut)* Venga '1eancaro, ad lupo clienon manjibchristo quando

era

agucllo.*Or raj)pclloitilagnello,ayaut esgard ft cc qui estdieten S. Jean,* Ecce agnus Dei quitollitpeecatamundi.*

"

MORALITY. 313

face,and discoversa man's weakness very remarkably.Cards and dice,"c. command the humour no lessthan

the moon does the tide; you may see the passionscome

up with the dice,and ebb and flow with the fortuneof the

game ; what alternatereturns of hope and fear,of pleasuie

and regret,are frequentlyvisibleupon such occasions?

*Ep9a S* dfi*6in"aytire xai lix^^^ irtKivdvSpuVf

*0\\vvTCJV Ti, Kai dWyfievuv.

"As you say gaming is an image of war, the suddenturns of success are easilydiscernible;the advances of

victoryor illluck,make a strangerevolutionin the blood.

The countenance takes itstincturefrom the chance,and

appearsin thecoloursoftheprospect.With what anxious-

ness isthe issueexpected. You would think a juryof life

and death was gone out upon them. The sentence for

execution is not receivedwith more concern, than the

unluckyappearanceof a cast or a card. Thus some people

are miserablyruffled,and thrown offthe hinges; they seem

distressedto an agony ; you'd pitythem forthe meanness

of their behaviour; others are no lessfoolishlypleas'd;

break out with childishsatisfaction,and bring the cove-

tousness of theirhumour too much intoview.

"Now since play is thus arbitraryover the passions,

who would resignthe reposeof hismind, and the creditof

histemper, to the mercy ofchance? Who would stakehis

discretionupon such unnecessaryhazards? And throw the

dice,whether he should be in hiswits or not?"

On DoLOMEDES, the other speaker in the dialogue,ob-serving,

that thisdoes not always follow; that some people

playwithout the leastoffensivenessor ruffle,and losegreat

sums with allthe decency and indifferenceimaginable,the

author,in the characterof Callimachus, thus proceeds:

" Alas ! this is often but 'a copy of the countenance :

314 PLAYING CARDS.

things are not so smooth within,as they seem without.

Some people when they bleed inwardly have the art to

concealthe anguish; and thisis generallythe most of the

matter ; but ifthey are reallyimconcem'd ; if so heavy a

blow bringsno smart alongwith it,the case isstillworse :

thesemen have no sense of the value of money, they won't

do the leastpenance fortheirfolly,they have not so much

as the guard of a remorse. This stoicismis the speediest

dispatchto beggary; nothing can be more dangerous than

such a stupidtranquillity.To be thus becalm'd presages

Short allowance. This sedatenessmakes the man fool-hardy,

renew the combat, and venture a brush for the

remainder; forhe thatcan be beaten at his ease, and feels

no pain upon a wound, willfight,most likely,as long as

hislegswillbear him.

"But thisinsensiblenessis rarelymet with: very few

are proofagainsta shrewd chance to thisdegree. When

misfortune strikeshome, 'tisseldom decentlyreceived;

theirtemper goesoffwith theirmoney. For, accordingto

the proverb.Quiperd lesien,perd lesens. And here one

lossusuallymakes peopledesperate,and leadsto another:

and now the gentlemen of your function are extremely

vigilantto improve the opportunity,and observethecurrent

of the passions. You know very wellwhen a man's head

grows misty with illluck,when the spleencomes over his

understanding,and he has frettedhimselfofi"hisguard,he

ismuch the easierconquest : thus,when your bubbles are

going down the hill,you manage accordingly,lend them a

push, tho'theirbones are broken at the bottom. But I

forgetmyself; there'sneithermercy nor justicein some

people'sbusiness." To return : you know I may take itforgranted,that

yom* gaming sparksare horriblyruffledwhen thingswith a

promisingfacesicken,and sink on the sudden, when they

MORALITY. 316

are surprizinglycrossbitten,and success is snatcH'dfrom

theirgrasp; when thishappens,which is not unfrequent,

thespiritsare up immediately,and they are a storm at the

firstblast: the traintakes fire,and they kindle and flash

at the touch likegunpowder. And when the passionsare

thus rampant, nothing is more common than oaths,and

execrablelanguage : when instead of blaming theirown

rashness,and discipliningtheirfolly,they are cursingtheir

stars,and raging againsttheirfate.*" These paroxysms of madness run sometimes so high,

thatyou would think the Devil had seiz'dthe organs of

speech,and thatthey were possess'din every syllable: and

to finishfarther,thesehideous salliesare sometimes carry'd

on to quarrellingand murther. The dice,itmay be, are

snatch'dtoo quick, the cast is disputed,the loadingand

legerdemauiisdiscovered.

"jamque facesetsaxa volant:"

Upon this,they run to arms, and aftersome artillerydis-

charg'din swearing,come to a closeencounter. And thus

one of them isrun through the lungs, and leftagonizing

upon the place: or, as it happened not long since,the

gamester is knocked down with a pint-pot,and his skull

broken : he is forced to be trepan'd,and then relapsing

intoplay and drinking,diesof a frenzy.

" The author of 'A Short Essay on the FoUy of Gaming/reprintedfrom

thcDubHn InteUigencer,in 1734, speakingof the lossof temper at cardsand

dice,says :" If any one doubts the truthof tliisposition,I referhim to the

Groom-Porter's,and other publictables,where the virtuososof the gaming

scienceare dailyand nightlytobe seen. Ifblasphemy,cursing,swearing,duelling,

runningof heads againstthe wall,thro^vinghatsand wigs m thefire,distortions

ofthe countenance, bitingof nails,burning of cards,breakingofdice-boxes,

can be caUed a lossoftemper, they are to be found therein the highestdegree."

"He concludeshis essay with the followingwarning: "IshaU closethese

cursoryreflectionswith a usefulremark ofPlato's,viz.thattheDaemon Theuth

was the inventorof Dice ; and thevulgar have itby traditionthatcardsare the

Devil'sbooks; thereforeI cannot but say that after tliisinformationgiven,

ifgamesterswillnot desist,they are undoubtedlyat theDevil'sdevotion."

316 TLAYINO CAKD8.

" As to thehazards,they are frightful,and sufficientto

overset the temper of betterprincipledpeoplethan game-sters

commonly are. Have we not heard of ladieslosing

hundredsofguineasata sitting? And othersmore slenderly

stocked,disfurnishtheirhusbands'studies,and playoffthe

" books which,itmay be,help'dto feed them. And when

the women are thus courageous,the men conclude their

own sex callsfor a bolderliberty: that they ought to gofartherin danger,and appear more brave in the methods of

ruin : thus a manor has been lostin an afternoon; the suit

and servicefollow the cast, aud the right is transfer'd

sooner than the lawyer can draw the conveyance. A box

and diceare terribleartillery,a batteryof cannon scarcely

plays with more execution. They make a breach in a

castle,and command a surrenderin a littletime."*

A curiousRabbinical tract on the subjectof Gaming,

entitled,JHD IID, " Sur Mera," that is, "Depart from

Evil," seems to require some notice here. It was first

printedat Venice,about 1615; was reprintedat Leyden

about 1660; and a third edition,accompanied with a

German translation,was published at Leipsic in 1683,

None of the editorsmention eitherthe name of the author,or the time when he lived. The work is in the form of a

dialoguebetween two young Jews, one of whom, namedMedad, maintainsthelawfulnessof Gaming, and isopposedby the other,named Eldad. The work isdividedintosix

chapters. The firstis merely introductory,giving a brief

account of the speakers in the dialogue;" Medad, a

merchant's son, addictedto play; and Eldad, his friend,

who endeavours to reclaim him. The second chapter

" An Essayupon Gaming, ina Dialoguebetween Callimachusand Dolomedes.

By Jeremy Collier,M.A. 1713.'This titleis taken from the 14tliverse of the xxxivth Psalm: "Depart

from evil,and do good." The names of the speakers,Eldad and Medad, are

from Numbers, xi,26.

MORALITY. 317

containsthe argument which they had on the subjectofgaming and commerce ; Medad endeavouringto show that

play is commendable and similarto commerce; whileEldad maintains the contrary. In the third chapter,Eldad undertakes to prove from the Scripturesthat a

gamesterbreaksallthe Ten Commandments, and Mcdad

ingeniouslyanswers him. In the foiu1;hchapter,Eldad,

on the authorityof the Talmud and other Rabbinical

works, maintains that a gamester can neitherbe a judgenor a witness; and Medad answers him, citing opposite

passages from the same authorities.In the fifthchapter,Eldad recitesa pieceof poetrydescriptiveof the miserable

stateof a gamester ; and Medad, in return, recitesanother,

whereinthe pleasuresof a gamester'slifeare highlyextolled.In the sixthand lastchapter,Eldad seriouslyexhorts his

friendto assent to truth; Medad yields,and acknowledges

thatthe cause which he had maintained was bad.

The followingare a few of the more remarkable passagesin the argument of Medad, the advocate of gaming:" Play iscommendable, the same as allothprhuman inven-

tions. It is like a brightmin*orin which many excellent

thingsare to be discovered,excitingto a sluggishman, and

causing him to forget the cares incidentto dailylife.

Though it be undeniable that he whose whole pleasure

consists in keeping the commands of the Lord, and

who is neither vain nor ambitious, is a better man

than he who plays; yet of the various pursuits in

which men engage in orderto obtainwealth or power, Play

is one which may be allowed to those who, without pre-tending

to be absolutelyrighteous,yet endeavourto be as

righteous as they can. Through much traffickingman

becomes knowing ; and wares are in Hebrew calledmirrD

" Sechorah" a word which means'

circulation,',or 'that

which circulates,'on account of theirpassing from one

318 PLAYING CARDS.

person to another by way of barter or sale. Why should

Play not be estimatedthe same as any other business,at

which money is sometimes lostand sometimes gained?^

The determining of matters by lot or chance is even of

Divine institution: the high priest'ssin-oflPeringwas to be

determined by lot; the land was to be dividedamongst

the Twelve Tribes by lot; David, in the sixteenthPsalm,

says that the Lord maintains his lot; and in Proverbs,

chap, xviii,we are toldthat ' the lot causeth contentions

to cease, and partethbetween the mighty.'" It isanswered,

that trafficor commerce is productive of mutual benefit.

But hearken: in anticipationof a dearth you purchasea

hundred quartersof corn ofyour neighbour, and lock itup

in your granaries,in the hope of gaining double. You

raiseyour faceto Heaven, but itisto loolcout forthe signs

ofbad weather; and you are content that thereshouldbe

a famineintheland,providedthatyou tliriveby it. When

your wine-vatsare fullto overflowing,you enjoythe storm

of thunder and hailthat destroysthe vintageof the year;for you wiU thus be enriched. But isthisjust?is there

any mutual benefitin this? Can you make your profit

withoutthe restof theworld being injured? And yetyou

arc held to be an honourable fair-dealingman.^ " In the

thirdchapterofthetractSanhedrin, gamesters and usurers

are indeed classedtogether; but it is known thatin the

Scripturesusury is stronglycondemned, while play isnot

' Eldad,inreplyingto thisportionof Mcdad*s argument, observesthatPlay

isnot to be compared with commerce or trade,which suppliesmen with things

necessaryor useful,and that in fairtradeboth the buyer and the sellerarc

benefited.* Eldad, in answer to thistirade,observes that no blessingcan attendthe

gainsof such an unfeelingcharacter,and thathismoney willgo as ithas come,

put of a thousand,he says,thereisnot one who succeedsin such speculations,

and thatwe dailysee many reducedto poverty by them. Trade and commerce

supplyingus with usefularticlesare to be distinguishedfrom speculationswhich

partakeofthenature ofgaming.

MORALITY. 819

even forbidden. But now, those who liveby usury are

honoured ; and so farfrom being deprivedof the rightof

actingas judgesor of giving testimony as witnesses,they

are magistratesand rulers: a word of theirsis worth a

hundred witnesses. Gamesters, on the contrary,are un-justlyvilified; and he who does not speak evilof play runs

the risk of being excommunicated. " ^Even the losing

gamester may derivegreat advantage from his play : he

is thus taught to bear losses with patience; and whenin other matters he has been unlucky and has lostmuch

money, he consoleshimselfwith the thought thatitisonly

what has often happened to him at play. He perceives

that nothing isstableor perpetualin human affairs,and

takes the good and the bad with even temper. From his

games he also acquiresthe elements of science; he learns

arithmeticwithout a master ; and alsobecomes a proficientin logicand rhetoric,from hisexerciseof those arts on his

opponents. From the cardshe may acquire a knowledge

of painting,and from the dice,which are exactlysquared,he may learnmathematics. In short,he who playsat cards

and dice,has a hand in allarts. The Hebrew word bD2"

BeM " which signifies' in all,'is,in itsnumerical value,

equalto 52 : thatis,n = 2 ; 3 = 20 ; and V= 30 : in all

52," the number of cardsin a French pack. The Hebrew

word T1 " Fa-t/od" which signifies*a Hand,' is,in thesame

manner, reckoning the word itselfas 1, equal to 21 : that

is,1 = 6; ^=10; "7=4; the word itself= l: in all

21,"the number of the spotson a die. Thus, from hisplay,

may a man learnrighteousness,and how to conduct himself

with moderation."Though the game of cards has not been so elaborately

moraUsed as the game of Chess, yet the Pack has not

wanted spiritualexpounders, whohave ingeniouslyshown

thatitmight serve, not only as a perpetualalmanack, but

320 PLATING CARDS.

but alsoas a moral monitor,and a help to devotion. The

most popularand bestknown of such expositions,or rather

applications,is that entitled' The Perpetual Almanack,

or Gentleman-Soldier'sPrayer Book;' which has been

long cu*culatedin this country as a penny chap-book.

Mons. Leber says thatit isan imitationof a French tract

on the same subject,entitled'Explication morale du

Jeu de Cartes,anecdote curieuseet interessante,sous le

nom de Louis Bras-de-fer,engage au ser\ice du roi,'

which seems to have been firstpublished at Brussels,in

1778. The historyofBras-de-ferisreferredtoby Breitkopf;

and Mons. Rcnouard,speakingof Singer's' Researchesinto

the History of Playing Cards,'in the Catalogue of his

Library,observes," Cet auteur, qui a tout recherche,n'a

probablement pas tout rencontre, car s'ilI'eutseulement

entrevue, auroit-illaisseechapper I'explicationmorale du

jeude cartes par le soldatBras-de-fer,I'une des piecesle

plus notablesde la bibliothcquea deux sols?" In order

that a similarobjectionmay not be brought againstthe

writerofthiswork, the whole of the PerpetualAlmanack

is here given, verbatim, from a broadside,"printed by

J. Catnach,2, Monmouth Court,Seven Dials."

"The Perpetual Almanack; or Gentleman-soldier's

Prayer Book: shewing how one Richard Middleton was

taken beforethe Mayor of the cityhe was in for using

cardsinchurchduringDivineService: beinga droll,merry,

and humorous account of an odd afiairthathappened to a

privatesoldierin the 60th Regiment of Foot." The Serjeantcommanded his party to the church,and

when the parson had ended his prayer,he took his text,

and allofthem thathad a Bible,pulled it out to findthe

text; but thissoldierhad neither Bible,Almanack, nor

Common-Prayer Book, but he put his hand in hispocket

and pulledout a pack of cards,and spreadthem beforehim

MORALITY. 321

as he sat; and whilethe parsonwas preaching,he firstkept

lookingat one card and then at another.* The serjeantofthecompany saw him, and said,'Richard,put up your cards,forthisisno placeforthem.'"

' Never mind that,'saidthe

soldier,'

you have no businesswith me here.'" Now the parson had ended his sermon, and allwas

over : the soldiersrepairedto the churchyardand the com-manding

officergave the word ofcommand to fallin,whichthey did. The serjeantofthe citycame, and took the man

prisoner."

* Man, you are my prisoner,'saidhe."

' Sir,'

saidthesoldier,*

what have I done thatI am your prisoner?'"

* You have playeda game at cardsinthechurch.'"' No,*

said the soldier,'I have not play'da game, forI onlylookedatapack.'" 'No matter forthat,you are my prisoner.*"

' "VVTieremust we go ?'saidthe soldier."

* You must gobeforethe Mayor,'saidtheserjeant.So he took him before

the Mayor ; and when they came to the Mayor'shouse,he

was at dinner. When he had dinedhe came down to them,

and said,' Well,serjeant,what do you want with me ?'" 'I

have brought a soldierbeforeyou forplayingat cardsinthe

* The followinganecdoteof a card-playingparson who inopportunelylet

some cardsdrop from hissleevewhen inchurch,occurs in 'The Women's Advo-cate,

or the"FifteenrealComfortsofMatrimony.*" 2d edit.1683.

" The Parson that lovedgaming betterthanhiseyes,made a good use of it

when ho put up hiscardsinhisgown-sleeveinhaste,when theclerkcame and

toldhim the laststave was a-singirig.*Tistrue, thatin the heightof his

reprovingtheParishfortheirneglectof holyduties,upon thethrowingout of

hiszealousarm, the cardsdroptout of hissleeve,and flewabout the church.

What thenP He bid one boy takeup a cardand asked him what itwas," the

boy answers the King ofClubs. Then he bidanotherboytakeup anothercard.* What was that?* * The Knave of Spades.'

* Well/ quo' he, 'now tellme,

who made ye ?'The boycouldnotwellteU,Quo' he tothenext,'Who redeemed

ye?'" thatwas a harder'question.'Look ye,'quoth the Parson,'you think

thiswas an accident,and laughat it; but I didit on purposeto shew you that

had you taught your childrentheircatechism,as well as to know theircards,,

theywould have been betterprovidedto answer materialquestionswhen they

come to church,''*

21

322 PLAriNG CARDS.

church/"'What !thatsoldier?'"* Yes/"' Well,soldier,

what haveyou to sayforyourself?'"

' Much, sir,I hope/"

* Well and good ; but ifyou havenot, you shallbe punished

the worst that ever man was/"

' Sir/said the soldier,' I

have been fiveweeks upon the march, and have but little

to subsiston ; and am without eitherBible,Almanack, or

Common-Prayer Book, or anything but a pack of cards:

I hope to satisfyyourhonour ofthepurityofmy intentions/" Then the soldierpulled out of his pocket the pack of

cards,which he spread beforethe Mayor ; he then began

with the Ace.* When I see theAce,'saidhe,

' itputs me

inmind thatthereisone God only; when I see the Deuce,

itputsme in mind ofthe Father and the Son ; when I see

theTray,itputs me in mind of the Father,Son, and Holy

Ghost; when I see theFour,itputs me inmind ofthefour

EvangeUsts,thatpenned the Gospel,viz.Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and John ; when I see the Five,itputs me in mind

ofthefivewisevirginswho trimmed theirlamps ;therewere

ten, but fivewere foolish,who were shut out. When I see

the Six,itputs me in mind thatin sixdays the Lord made

Eeaven and Earth; when I see the Seven, it puts me in

mind thaton the seventhday God restedfrom alltheworks

which he had createdand made, whereforetheLord blessed

theseventhday,and hallowedit. When I see the Eight,

itputs me in mind ofthe eightrighteouspersonsthatwere

savedwhen God drowned the world, viz.Noah, his wife,

threesons, and theirwives; when I see the Nine, itputs

me inmind ofninelepersthatwere cleansedby our Saviour;

therewere ten,but nine never returnedGod thanks; when

I see theTen, itputs me in mind of the Ten Command-

ments thatGod gaveMoses on Mount Sinaion thetwo tables

ofstone.' He took theKnave, and laiditaside.^"

' When I

see the Queen, itputs me in mind of the Queen of Sheba,

who came from the furthermostpartsof the world to hear

MORALITY. 328

thewisdom ofKing Solomon,forshe was as wisea woman

as he was a man ; forshebroughtfiftyboysand fiftygirls,allclothedinboy'sapparel,to show beforeKing Solomon,

forhim to tellwhich were boys,and which were girls; but

he couldnot,untilhe calledfor water for them to washthemselves; thegirlswashed up to theirelbows,and theboys onlyup to theirwrists; so King Solomon toldby that.

And when I see the King,itputsme in mind of the greatKing of Heaven and Earth,which isGod Almighty,andlikewisehisMajestyKing George,to prayforhim.'

" ' Well,'saidtheMayor, *you have a verygood descrip-tion

ofallthe cards,exceptone, which islacking.'"

' Which

isthat?'saidthesoldier.'"

' The Knave,'saidtheMayor."

' Oh, I can giveyourhonour a verygood descriptionofthat,

ifyour honour won't be angry.'" 'No, I willnot,'saidthe

Mayor, ' ifyou willnot term me to be theKnave.'" 'Well,'

saidthesoldier,' the greatestthat I know isthe serjeant

ofthecity,thatbroughtme here.'"

* I don'tknow,' saidtheMayor, ' thathe is the greatestknave,but I am sure

thathe isthe greatestfool.'" 'When I count how many

spotsthereare in a pack of cards,I findthereare three

hundred and sixty-five; thereare so many daysin a year.When I count how many cardsthereare in a pack,I find

there are fifty-two;there are so many weeks in a year.When I count how many tricksin a pack, I findthereare

thirteen; there are so many months in a year. You see,

sir,thatthispack ofcardsisa Bible,Almanack, Common-

PrayerBook, and pack ofcardsto me.'

" Then the Mayor calledfor a loafof bread,a pieceof

good cheese,and a pot ofgood beer,and gave thesoldiera

pieceof money, bidding him to go about his business,

sayinghe was the cleverestman he had ever seen."

Another chap-book,entitled'A New Game at Cards,

between a Nobleman in London and one of hisServants,*

ismerelya variationofthe 'PerpetualAlmanack :' a servant

824 PLATING CARDS.

being denounced to his master as a gambler,deniesthe

fact; and on a pack of cardsbeing found in hispocket,he

assertsthathe isunacquaintedwiththeiruse as mere cards,

and thathe uses them as an almanack,and sometimes con-verts

them into a prayer-book. The four suitsanswer to

the fourquartersof the jear; thereare thirteencardsin

eachsuit,and thirteenweeks in each quarter; the twelve

coat cardscorrespondwith the twelve months in a year;

and thereare justas many weeks in theyear as cardsin a

pack. The King and Queen remind him ofhisallegiance;

the Ten reminds him of the Ten Commandments ; the

Nine,of thenineMuses ; the Eight,ofthe eightaltitudes,

and the eightpersonswho were saved in the ark; the

Seven,of the seven wonders of the world,and the seven

planetsthatrulethe days ofthe week ; the Six,of thesix

petitionscontainedin the Lord's Prayer,and of the six

workingdaysina week;theFive,ofthefivesenses; theFour,

of thefour seasons ; theThree, of the threeGraces,and

ofthe threedaysand nightsthatJonah was in thewhale'sbelly; theTwo, ofthetwo Testaments,Old and New, and

of the two contraryprinciples.Virtue and Vice; and the

Ace, of the worship of one God. With respectto the

Knave, which,hke the soldier,he had laidaside,and had

omitted to noticein itsproper place,he says,on being

askeditsmeaning by hismaster, thatitwillalwaysremindhun of the personwho informedagainsthim.

A variationofthehistoryofBras-de-ferwas publishedatParisin 1809, with notes by a Mons. Hadin, under the

followingtitle: ' Histoiredu Jeu de Cartesdu Grenadier

Richard,ou Explicationdu Jeu de cinquante-deuxcartesen forme de Livresde Priere.' Mons. G. Brunet,in his

" Mons. PeignotsaysthatMile.Le Normand, the celebratedfortune-teller,

publishedin her 'SouvenirsProph^tiqucs/Paris,1814,the same history,but

withthename oftheherochangedto EiehardMiddleton. Mile.Le Normanddiedat Parisin1843,aged 72,leavinga fortune,itis said,of 500,000 francs.She had followedthetradeof fortune-tellingforupwards of fortyyears; and

MORALITY. 825

'NoticeBibliographiquesur les Cartes a jouer/says thatthisKvret is not devoidof originality,and thatit isnot

easilymet with. From the passageswhich he quotes,it

would appear that the " GrenadierRichard" was equally

wellreadin sacredand profanehistory,and thathe had

thumbed both his Concordance and his ClassicalDic-tionary

to some purpose. The Ace reminds him, amongst

variousotherthings,of theunityof theDeity; that Noah

leftthe ark one yearafterthe deluge; and thatthereis

only one CatholicChurch. When he sees the Nine, he

thinksof the nine ordersofangels; and is reminded that

Christdied attheninthhour ofthe day. A Queen remindshim of Eve, Judith,Dalilah,the Queen of Sheba,and the

Virgin Mary ; a Knave, of the centurionin the Gospel;

and a King, ofAdam, Solomon, or any king mentioned in

Holy Writ. The twelvecoat cardsremind him ofthetwelve

fountainsof Elim, the twelvepreciousstones in thebreast-plate

of the high priest,the twelve loavesof shew-bread,

the twelve stoneswith which Elibuiltan altar,thetwelve

patriarchs,the twelveoxen thatsustainedthebrazensea in

Solomon's temple,the twelveapostles,thetwelvearticlesof

the creed,and the twelvefeastswhich are more particularly

celebratedby the Church of Rome in honour of Christ.

Diamonds " le Carreau," make him think of the place

where the cross was fixed; Spades" le Pique," of the

lance which piercedthe sideof Christ; and Clubs," le

Trefle,"with theirtripleleaves,of the loveof the three

women who went earlyin the morning with perfumesto

the holy sepulchre.On subjectsof heathen mythology,cards are equally

suggestiveto hiswell-storedmemory. The Threereminds

issaidto have been frequentlyconsultedby the Empress Josephine,who was

extremelysuperstitious.A great number of her customers were gamblers,of

both sexes. Siieis saidto have been visitedboth by Napoleon,and by

Alexander,Emperor of Russia.

326 PLATING CARDS.

him of the threesons of Saturn," Jupiter,Neptune,andPluto; of the threeFuries,the three Graces,the three

Hesperides,thethreedaughtersof Mineus, and the three

horsesof the chariotofPluto. The Four reminds him of

the fourages,thefourhorsesofthechariotofthe sun, and

the four labyrinths,namely, of Egypt, Crete,Italy,and

Lemnos ; and whenever he sees the Nine, he isvividlyre-minded

of the nine Muses, and the nine acres of land

coveredby thebody ofthe giantTithius. The twelvecoat

cardsare suggestiveofthetwelvegods and goddesses,the

twelve laboursof Hercules,and sundry other twelves

besides.^

The followinghistoricalanecdote,aprqpoSyof a pack of

cards,is extractedfrom a littlebook in duodecimo, en-titled* The Socialand InstructiveCompanion,*printedfor

T.Fieldin PaternosterRow, 1765. The same storyisalsoinsertedin the 'Whitehall Evening Post,'of the 27th

September, 1767; and the editorsays that itisrelatedin the manuscript memoirs of Richard, Earl of Cork,

and of Henry Usher, primate of Armagh. He fiui:her

adds thatitstruthwas ascertainedby James Usher,Arch-bishop

ofArmagh, nephew oftheaforesaidHenry. Whether

true or false,a gi^eatmany more improbable thingshave

passedcurrent as authentichistoryupon no betterevidence.

"Queen Mary having dealtseverelywith the Protestants

in England,signed a commission about the latterend ofherreign,fortakingthe same course with them in Ireland;

and to execute the same with greaterforce,she nominatedUr. Cole,who had recommended himselfby wholesome

severitiesin England, to be one of the commissioners,

sendingthe commission by the doctorhimself." In the way. Dr. Cole lodged one night at Chester,

where, being visitedas the queen's messenger, and a

churchman of distinctionby the mayor of thatcity,he in-* NoticeBibliograpliiqucsur lesCartesa joiier,p. 9. Paris,1842.

MORALITT. 327

formedthismagistrateof thecontents ofhismessage; andtaking a box out of his cloak-bag,said,

' Here isa com-missionthat shalllash the heretics'(meaningthe Pro-

testantsofIreland)." The good woman of the house being well affectedto

the Protestantreligion,and having also a brothernamedJohn Edmonds, then a citizenin Dubhn, and a Protestant,

was greatlydisturbedat the doctor'swords ; but waitinga

convenienttime whilstthe mayor took his leave,and the

doctorcomplimented him down stairs,she venturedto openthebox, and taking the commission out, she in itsplace

put a sheetof paper,and a pack of cards,with the Knave

of Clubs faceduppermost,wrapped up. The doctor,at his

return to hischamber, suspectingnothmgof what had been

done,put up the box again into his cloak-bag; and next

day the wind settingfair,he sailedforIreland,and landed

at Dublin, the 7th of October,1558." The doctorhaving notifiedhisarrivalat the Castle,the

lord deputy Fitz-Walterssent for him to come beforehis

excellencyand theprivycouncil; to whom the doctormade

a long speechrelatingto thesubjectofhiscommission,andthen presented the leatherbox with itscontents to the

lorddeputy. But when the deputyopened itforthe secre-tary

to read the commission,]o! to the greatsurpriseofall

present,and the doctor'sconfusion,therewas nothingfound

but a pack of cardswith the Knave of Clubs facedupper-most.

The doctorassuredthe deputy and councilthathe

had a commission,but knew not how itwas gone, 'Then/

saidthe lorddeputy,' letus have anothercommission,and

we willshufflethe cardsin the meanwhile.'

"The doctorwithdrew in great trouble of mind; and

hastingback to England, obtaineda freshcommission : but

being detainedsome time at the water sidefora fairwind,

he was prevented from putting it into executionby the

news ofthe queen'sdeath.

328 PLAYING CARDS.

"This account of the providentialdeliveranceof the

Protestantsin Ireland from the Marian persecutionis

attestedin thememorialsof Richard,Earl of Cork, by the

Lord PrimateUsher ; and in SirJames Ware's MSS. ; who

alsowritesthat Queen Elizabeth,being informed of the

truththereofby thelorddeputy Fitz-Walters,her Majestywas so delighted,thatshe sent forthe good woman, named .

Ehzabcth Edmonds, but by her husband (whom she after-

wards married)named Mathershead, and gave her a

pension of fortypounds during life,forhaving saved her

ProtestantsubjectsofIreland."

Having now laidbeforethe readera storeof factsand

speculationson theoriginand historyof cards,a sketchof

theprogressofcard-playingindifferentcountriesinEurope,

and a collectionof the opinionsofseveraleminent men on

the lawfulnessof thegame theologicallyand morallycon-sidered,togetherwith sundryothermatters eithernaturally,

or artificially,associatedwith cards," I shallconclude the

work by a briefrecapitulationof a few of the leadingfacts

and circumstancesrelatingto the originof cardsand the

timeoftheirfirstintroductionintoEurope.

In Hindostan,thetraditionis,thatcardswere known in

thatcountryat a remote period," upwards of a thousand

yearsago ; but I have not been able to learn that they

are mentioned in any Hindostanee work of an early.

date,and I am informed,on the authorityof the San-scrit

professorat Oxford, thatthere is no Sanscritwordforplayingcards. Thislastfactis,however, of but little

weight as negativeevidenceof cards being unknown in

Hindostan a thousandyearsago ; forlong beforethattime

Sanscrithad become obsoleteas a vernacularlanguage.

In China,ifany creditcan be attachedto thetwo dictionaries,

or rather cyclopaedias,of the greatestauthorityin that

country," Dotted Cards" were inventedin 1120, in the

MORALITY. 820

reignofSeun-ho,and began to be common inthe reignofKaou-tsung,who ascended the thronein 1131. Cards

Carte"

^are mentioned in an Italianwork, saidto have been

composed by Sandro di Pipozzoin 1299 ; but as the MS.

isnot of an earlierdate than 1400, thereisgood reason for

concludingthe word to be an interpolation,seeing that in

severalworks of the earlierpartof the fourteenthcentury,

which had been citedto prove thatcardswere then known

in Europe, ithas been discoveredthat the term cards was

an interpolationintroducedat a laterperiodby a transcriber.

The author of the' GiildinSpil,'a work writtenabout the

middle of the fifteenthcentury,and printedatAugsburg, in

1472, says that he had read thatthe game of cards was

firstbrought into Germany in 1300. No fact,however,

confirmatoryof the correctness of thisaccount has been

discovered;and the omission of allnotice of cards by

European authorsoftheearlierhalfofthefourteenthcentury,even when expresslytreatingof the games in vogue at the

period,may be receivedas good negativeevidenceof their

not being then known as a populargame in Europe :^^ Be

non apparentihuset non existentibuseadem estratio*' Ad-mitting

cardstobe ofEasterninvention"a factwhich appears

to be sufficientlyestablishedby the evidenceadduced inthe

firstchapter," itwould seem thatthey firstbecame known

in Europe as a popular game between 1360 and 1390.

Covelluzzo,an Italianchroniclerof the fifteenthcentury,

says,thatthe game' was firstbrought intoViterboin1379 ;

in 1393, three packs of cards were paintedby Jacquemin

Gringonneur forthe amusement of CharlesVI of France;*

" Sincethissheetwas intype I have learnedthatcardsare- mentioned ina

work entitled* Le Menagier de Paris/writtenabout 1393, by "nn bourgeois

Parisien,"and recentlypublishedby the Societyof BibliophilesFranjais. la

the noticeof it in the 'Journaldes Savants*forFebruary last,itsaid: "On y

rencontre des indicationshistoriquesque nul autre ouvrage ne nous foumit;

telest,par example, lamention desCartesa jouer."

33a PLAYING CARDS.

in 1397, tHe working people of Pariswere forbid to play

at cards on working days ; and in the same year card-

playingwas prohibitedby the magistratesof Ulm. Such

are the principalfactsrelativeto the introductionof cards

into Europe. The game appears to have rapidlyspread

amongst allclassesof people. The manufacture of cards

was a regularbusinessin Germany and Italypriorto 1425 ;

the importationof foreigncardsintoEngland was prohibited

by act of parliamentin 1463; and about 1484, cards, as

at present, was a common Christmas game. It is un-necessaryto recapitulatethe more prominent incidentswhich

mark the progress of card-playing; it may be sufficientto

observe,thatno other game was ever so generallyplayed,

with peopleofboth sexes, "

^young and old,richand poor.

Even the "red man" ofAmerica, the^* Stoicof theWoods,"

has acquireda knowledge of cards, from hisneighboursofEuropean descent,and ceases tobe apatheticwhen engagedin the game. Itis,perhaps, as extensivelydifiusedas the

use of tobacco; and is certainlyindulged in by a greater

varietyof persons.

iji^':':;3^^^^

APPENDIX.

No. I

Ustofthe^cimetuofCards given in the 'Jeux de Carta Tarotietde CartetNumSralei, du Qmtorzime au Dix-huiiime Steele:*published hy theSocietyofBibliophilesFrangais,Paris, 1844.

.

1. Seventeen cards,ascribedto Grmgonnenr, from the originalsin theBibKoth^que du Roi.

2. Ten cards,from the originalsengraved on wood and coloured,in theBiblioth^quedu Roi. Supposed date,1425. ^

3. Cards, from the originalsengravedon wood, inthe possessionofMons.H6muville. Supposed date,1440.

4. Copies of the set of ififtyold Italianengravings,usuallycalledTarocchLSupposed date,1470.

6. Ten plates,containinga set of fifty-twocircularcards,with the markT. W., and having Hares, Parroquets,Pinks,and Columbinesas the marks ofthe suits. Supposed date,1477.

6. Four cards of a pack engraved on copper at Venice in 1491.

7. Ten plates,containing forty cards, with Human Figures,Bears andLions, Deer, and Birds as the marks of the suits. From the originals,

ascribedto the "Master of 1466," formerlyinthe possessionof Mr. T. Wilson,

but now in the Bibliothequedu Roi.

8. Four plates,containing thirty-sixcards of a Grerman pack of fifty-two,

engraved on wood, of the date 1511.

9. A plate,containingsixteenPortuguese cards,of thedate 1693.

10. A plate,containingtwelveFrench cards,engraved by Vincent Goyraud,

of the time of Henry IV.

11. A plate,containingsixteenFrench cards,of the time ofLouis XTTT.

12. A plate,containingtwelve caries of a Republican pack, engraved in

France about 1793.

13. A plate,containingtwelve cardsof another Republican pack, engraved

in France about the same periodas the preceding.The originalsof allthe specimens,with the exceptionofthosementioned

under No. 3, arc preservedin theBiblioth^uedu Roi.

332 APPENDIX.

No. 2.

A ListoftheprincipalWorks eitherdirectlyrelatingto Cards,or incidentally

treatingofthe Game. From the *Jeux de CartesTarots et de Cartes

Numerates,*icithmany additions,

Le M^nagicrde Paris: traitdde moraleetd*^conomiedomestique,composd,

vers 1393, par un BourgeoisParisien.Publicpour la premierefoispar la

Soci^tddesBibliophilesFrangais. 8vo,Paris,184-8.

Ingold,Das GiildinSpil. Folio,Augsburg,1472.

BaptistaPlatina,de Honesta Voluptate. 4to,Venice,1475.

GalcottusMartius,de Doctrinapromiscua. About 1490.

R. Maphei VolaterraniCommentaria Urbana. 1506.

Logica Memorativa: Chartiludiumlogice"auctore Thoma Mumer. 4to,

Cracovia;,1507. Strasburg,1509. ReprintedatParis. 8vo,1629.

PliilcsiiVosgcsigenoeGrammatica figurata.4to,1509.

Speculum Fatuorum, auctore Joanne Geilerde Kiesersberg,coneionatoroArgentorense. Sect.Ixxvii,Lusorum turba. 4to,Strasburg,1511.

Chartiludium institutesummarie, vel institutionesJustiniani; doctore^

Thoma Mumer, mcmorante etludente. 4to,Argentinae,1518.

Dialogiomnes HadrianiBarlandi. 8vo, Paris,1542.

Ludus Charlarum, Dialogus,auctoreLudovieo Vives. 1545.

Raggionamcnto deldivinoPietro Aretino,nel qualesiparladelgiuoeo,con

moralitypiacevole.8vo,about1545. Reprintedin 1589 and 1651.

Lc Mepris et leContemnement de tons lesJeux de Sort,par 01.Gouyn.

8vo,Paris,1550.

Cento Giuochiliberal!e d'ingegno,da InnocentioRinghieriritrovati.4to,

Bologna,1551.

Satyra invectivacontra losTahures: en que se declaranlosdanos que al

cuerpo,y alalma,y lahaziendase siguendeljuegode losnaypes. (PorDiegodelCastillo.)12mo, Sevilla,1557.

PascasiusJustus,de Alea. About 1560. Reprinted in 4to, with a large

Appendix on thesubjectofgaming, selectedfrom variousauthors,by Joannes

a Munster, at Neustadt,in the dioceseof Spires,1617.Hierouymi CardaniLib.de ludoAle". About 1560.

John Northbrooke*sTreatiseagainstDicing, Dancing, Plays,and otherIdle

Pastimes,1577. Reprintedby the Shakspeare Society,1843.

Liberde Alea,ou breveRemontrance sur lesJeux de Carteset de Des, parLambert Daneau. Small 8vo,Paris,1579.

PhilipStubbes'sAnatomy of Abuses. 12mo, 1583.

ReginaldScott'sDiscoveryof Witchcraft.4to,1584.Le Triomphe du Bcrlan,par J.Perrache. 8vo,Paris,1585.

Del Giuoeo;DiscorsodelR. PadreM. Tommaso BuoninsegnL 4to,Florence,

1585.

A Short and Pkin Dialogue concerningthe Unlawfulnessof PlayingatCardsor Tables.By James Balmford. Firstedition,1593. Reprintedin1607,

APPENDIX. 833

Les TromperiesetPiperiesdu Jen,ou laMort aiix Pipeurs, 12mo, Paris.1608.

The Four Knaves,a seriesofSatiricalTracts. By SamuelRowlands,1611-13.Reprintedby the Percy Society,1843.

Commentarius contra Ludura Alearum, Chartamm scilicetacTaxillomm;a FratreAngelo Roccha,episcopoTagastensi.4to,Rome, 1616.

On theNature and Use of Lots. By Thomas Gataker,B.D. 4to,London,

1619. Second edition,1627.

Acaddmie des Jeux. 12mo, Paris,1659. Numerous enlargededitionsofthiswork have beenpublished.^/And. Senftlebius,de Alea veterum,p. 137-8. 8vo,Leipsic,1667.

The Compleat Gamester. By CharlesCotton. 12mo, London, 1674.

Der Gelehrte und Bekehrte Spieler: das isteinanuehmlichesTractatlein,

darinnenzwey JiidischeStudenten scharffsinnigdisputiren,Was vom Spiel

zu haltensey? Ins Deutschelibersetzetvon P. A. Christian.12mo, Leipzig,

1683. The firsteditionoftheoriginalHebrew appearsto have beenprintedatVenice about1615. A secondeditionwas printedatLeyden about 1660.

Traitsdes Jeux et desDivertissemens,par M. Jean BaptisteThiers,Docteur

en Theologie. 12mo, Paris,1686.

Paralleleentre laJurisprudenceespagnoleet cellede France,relativement

aux Jeux de Cartes,par Lucio Marinero Siculo,1686.

Elenchus quorumdam eorum qui de ludisscripserunt,et *deludisorientali-bus ; auctore Thoma Hyde. 12mo, Oxford,1694.

Reflexionssur ce que Ton appelleBonhcur etMalheur en mati^rede Loteries

(ParJ. Le Clerc.)12mo, Amsterdam, 1696.

Biblioth^queinstructiveet curieuse,par leP^reMenestrier.12mo, Trevoux,

1704.

Essaid'Analyse sur lesJeux de Hasard (cartes,d^s,trictrac).Fig.de Seb.

Leclerc.4to,Paris,1708,

Traitsdu Jeu, ou Ton examine lesprincipalesQuestionsde Droit naturelet

de Morale qui ont rapport a cette matiere, par Jean Barbeyrac. 16mo,

Amsterdam, 1710. Seconde edition,revue et augment^e, 1738.

An Essay upon Gaming, in a Dialoguebetween Callimachusand Dolomedes.

By Jeremy Collier.A.M. 8vo,London, 1713.

Memoirs of theLives,Intrigues,andComicalAdventuresofthemost Famous

Gamestei-sand CelebratedSharpers in the reignsof Charies11, James U,

William HI, and Queen Anne. By TheophilusLucas, Esq. 12mo, 1714.

The CourtGamester : or falland easyinstructionsforplayingthe Games now

invogue. By Richard Seymour, Esq. 12mo, secondedition,London, 1720.

Dissertationsur TOriginedu Jeu de Piquet,par lePere Daniel,extraitedu

Journaldo Trevoux,Mai, 1720.

A View ofthe AntiqueLaws againstImmoralityand Profancness.By the

Rev. John Disney,A.M. FoHo, London, 1729.

A Shori;Treatiseon the Game ofWhist. By Edmond Hoyle,Gent 12mo,

firstpublishedabout 1737.

IstoriadellaCittadiViterbo,daFelicianoBussi.FoUo,Rome, 1740. This

334 APPENDIX.

work containstheextractfrom Covelluzzo,relatingto theintroductionofcards

intoVitcrbo,in1379,firstpointedout by M. C. Leber.

The Humours ofWhist ; a DramaticSatire: as actedeveryday at White's,

and otherCoffee-housesand Assemblies.8vo, London, 1743.

A Letterto a Lady on Card-playingon theLord'sDay. 8vo,London,1748.

Longuerana. Tom. i,p.408. 12mo, Berlin,1754.'

Rccherchcssur lesCartesh,jouer,par Bullet. 12mo, Lyon, 1757.

* H. J.ClodiiBibliothccaLusoria,siveNotitiaScriptorumdeLudis. 8vo,1761.

Mcerman, OrigincsTypographicaj.Vol.I. 4to,1765.

Traitdhistoriquect pratiquede la Gravure en Bois, par J. M. Papillon.

Tom. i,p. 80. 8vo,Paris,1766.

Burgh on theDignityofHuman Nature. Vol.IT,p.164-6. 8vo,1767.

Coutumcsd'ltalic,parBarctti.Vol.II. London, 1768.

EncyclopedicdcsArts et Metiers(Artdu Cartier),parDuhamel du Monceau.

4to,1771-76.

Id6eg^n^raled'uneCollectiond'Estampes,par leBaron de Heineken. 8vo,

Leipsic,1771.

RecueildesActes sur laR^gie du Droitdes Cartes. 4to,Paris,1771*.

H GiuocodelCarte,da SaverioBettinelli.8vo,Cremona, 1775.

C.G.Von Murr, Journalzur Kunstgeschichte,2terTheil,s. 89-92;98 ; 200.

12mo, Nuremberg,1776.

Explicationdu Jeu desCartes,anecdotecurieusesous lenom de LouisBras-

de-fer.12mo, 1778. The originalof the storyof the soldierwho used a pack

ofcardsforhisprayer-book.Sur la Passiondu Jeu, par Dusauk. 8vo, Paris,1779. Mons. Peignot

saysthatthiswork seems to have produced but littleeffect; forin the follow-ing

yeara counsellorofparliament,M. BergeretdeFrouville,lostat one sittmg27,000louis.

Eclaircisscmentssur TlnventiondesCartesa jouer,par TAbb^ Rive, 12mo,

Paris,1780.

Le Monde primitif,parCourtde Gebclin,tom. viii,pp. 365-418. 4to.Paris,

1781.

Versuch den Ursprung der Spiclkartcnzu erforschen. Von J. G. I.

Breitkopf.4to,Leipsic,1784.

A Dissertationon theperniciouseffectsofGaming. By RichardHey, LL.D.

Svo,Cambridge,1784.

Archojologia,vol.viii.Dissertationson the Historyof PlayingCards,by

Barrington,Bowie,and Gough. 4to,London, 1787. In Vol.XV ofthesame

work thereisan Account ofthe Italiangame of Minchiate.Whist : a Poem, intwelvecantos. By Alex.Thomson, Esq. 12mo, second

edition,London, 1792.

Lcpons sur THistoireuniverselle,depuislecommencement du XVI* Siecle

par M. Pant, Professeurk TUniversit d'Upsal,1780-93. In this worktheauthorspeaksofthe engravingofcardsas havingled to the inventionof

printing.Decretde laConvention,diteNationalede France,du 22 Octobre,1793,qui

APPENDIX, 335

enjoiniftnz municipalit^sFranpaisesde purger lescartesk jonerde tonslesembl^mes de laroyaat et de lafôdalit^.

Material!per servireall'Stone dell*Originee de*Progress!dell*IncisloneinRame e inLegno, col.da PibtroZani,pp.78-81,et 149-93. 8vo,Parma, 1802,

The Monthly RepositoryofTheologyand GeneralLiterature.Vol.I,pp. 534,

644-50. On theProprietyofDissentingMinistersplayingatCards. 8vo,1806.

Essai sur POrigine de la Gravure en Bois et en Taille-douce,par Henri

Jansen. 8vo,Paris,1808.

Le Peintre-Graveur,par Adam Bartsch,torn,x, pp. 70-120,et torn,xiii,

pp. 120-38. 8vo,Vienna, 1812.

Aperpu du Jeu desTarots,ou Jeu delaVie,"c.,parDurand. 12mo, Metz,1813.

HindostaneeCards. In the CalcuttaMagazine,vol.ii. 8?o,Calcutta,1815.

Rcscarclicsintothe History of Playing Cards; with Illustrationsof the

OriginofPrintingand Engraving on Wood. By Samuel WellerSinger. 4to,

London, 1816.

Melanges d'Originestymologiqueset de Questionsgrammaticales,par Eloi

Johanneau. P. 35, Sur I'Origine tymologique du Nom Espagnolet Italien

des Cartes a jouer.8vo, Paris,1818.

The Gaming Calendar,to which are added the Annals of Graming. By

Seymour Harcourt,Esq. 12mo, thirdedition,London, 1820.

GeschichtederHolzschneidekunst; nebstzwei Beilagenenthaltendden Ur-

sprung der Spielkartenund einVerzeichnessder samt xylographischenWerke,

von Joseph Heller. 8vo, Bamberg, 1823.

Analyse critiqueet raisonnêde toutes les"Recherchespubliêsjusqu'ace

joursur rOriginedes Cartesa jouer,par G. Peignot (alasuitede ses Recherches

sur lesDanses de Moft.)8vo,Dijon,1826.Catalogue raisonnôf the selectcollectionof engravingsof an Amateur,

(Mr.T. Wilson)pp. 87-91. 4to,London, 1828.

Manuel du Cartonnier,du Carticr,et du Eabricantde Cartonnages.Par

M. Lebrun, pp. 189-237. 16mo, Paris,1830.

Memoric spettantialiastoriadellaCalcografia,dalconte LeopoldCicognara.

8vo,Prata,1831.

OrigineFranpaisedelaBoussoleetdesCartesajouer,parRey. 8vo,Paris,1836.

Observationssur les Cartes h jouer,par M. Duchesne ain6,extraitesde

PAnnuaire Historiquepour 1837. 12mo, Paris,1836.

Gaming, and the Gaming Houses of London and Paris,or Les Maisonsdes

Jeux d6voil6es.By Scrutator. 8vo,London, 1836.

A Treatiseon Wood Engraving. (ByWm. A. Chatto.)P. 62-9. Royal8vo.

Publishedby CharlesKnight and Co.,London, 1839." Copiesof thiswork

without the T/drd Prefaceare incomplete.

Cataloguedes livres,dessins,cartes,etc,de M. C.Leber. 8vo, Pms, 1839.

The listof works on cards,. and of old cardscollectedby Mens. Leber, is in

tom. i,p. 240 et seq.

Etudes historiquessur les Cartes a jouer,principalementsur lesCartes

Franyaises.Par M. C. Leber. Extraitdutome xvidesM^moires de la Soci6t6

RoyaledesAntiquairesde Prance. 8vo,Paris,1842"

336 APPENDIX.

lioticeBibliographiqnebut lesCartesijouer.8to,Paris,1842." A Trahs*

lationfrom the 'Lehrbuch einerLiterargeschichteder beruhmtesten Volker

des Mittelalters.*Von J. G. T. Grasse,Dresden, 1842, with additions,by

Brunet,the younger.Dictionnairehistoriquedes Mceurs des Franpais,par La Chesnaye desBois.

Tom. i,p.374.

Whist. By B. E. Pote. In the Foreign QuarterlyReview, No. 48.

On theCostume ofCoat Cards. By John Adey Repton. In the * Gentleman's

Magazine'forNovember, 1843.

Sur d'anciennesCartesa jouer,par M. leBaron de Reiffenberg. Dans le

Bulletinde TAcad^mie Royale des Sciences et des Beaux-artsde Bruxelles.

No. 10, 1847.

BibliothecaAntiquariaFabricii.

Vindiciajtypographicae,auctore Schoepflin.

Dissertationsur TOrigineet leProgres de laGravure en Bois,par Foumier.

Memoire sur I'Originede I'Imprimerie,par De Vigny.

Essaiasur Paris,par Saint-Foix.

Trait6de laPolice,par Do laMarre.

INDEX.

Act ofParliament,of 1463, proliibitingtheimportationofcards,96."

^Actsto protect gamesters who plaj on

credit,147 ; the reason oftheirpar-tialrepeal,148.

Adviceto professionalcard-players,270.Alea,a generalterm forplay; supposed

to includecards,61.Almanac, Cotta'scard,259; the Perpe-tual,

or Gentleman-Soldier'sPrayerBook, 321.

Amadous VIII, Duke ofSavoy, forbids

gamin/in 1430, 80.Ames, William, 129 ; preaches against

cards and dice at Cambridge in1610, 281.

Amman, Jost, hisdesignsin a book oftrades,84 ; cards of hisdesigning,

238.

Anderson'sHistoryofCommerce, 96.f Christopher,Annals of the

EnglishBible,109,112.11.,Balladsin the Cumber-land

dialect,185.Anson, Lord, the circumnavigator,cari-catured

as a gamestcjr,181.

Anstis'sHistory of the Garter,18.

Arabian "Nights,cards not mentionedin,46.

Aretine,Pietro,hisCarte Parlanti,194,

207.Asscmblv-roomsdevotedtodancingand

caras, 185.

Astragali,11.Avatars ofVichnou,38.

Bacon,Lord,hisinquisitivespiritexcitedwhen a boy by a jugglingtrickwithcards,118.

Baker's chronicle,108.Baker and Co.'seclecticcards,261.

Bale,John, uses theword Jack-a-Napes,233.

Balmford's,James,,tractconcerningthe

unlawfulnessof games of hazard,129, 279.

Barbeyrac'sTraitsdu Jen,extractsfrom,282-94,310.

Barrington's,the Hon. B.,Observationson the Antiquityof Card-playinginEngland, 18, 46,65,107,132,145,160.

Barrois,J., on the proper meaning ofthe name Gringonneur,70. ;

Bartsch'sPeintrc-Graveur,200, 223.Basset,prohibitedby Louis XIV, 147.Battleofthe Reed Swire,113.Bells,an ornament of dress,240. "

'

Leber'sresearcheson the subject,240-5.

Bemardin,St.,hisaddresstothecitizensof Bologna, 90.

BibliophilesFranpais, specimens of ",

cards publishedby,190, 201, 236,250-3.

Blacksmith'scoat of arms, 6.

Bonds,voluntary,toabstainfrom gaming,79.

^

Bras-de-fer,his moral expositionof a

packofcards,320, 324. ;Brietkopf'sInquiry into the Ongin of

Playing Cards, 7, 26, 225, 227,239.

Briefe,the German name forcards,26.

Briefmaler,84.Brunct, the younger, hisnote prefixed

to a 'IsToticeBibliographiquesurlesCartesajouer,'100, 326.

Bullet'sEecherches Historiquessur lesCartesa jouer,27-8.

Buoninse^ui's,Pathcr Thomas, Discorso

delGiuoco,90.Bussi'sHistoryofViterbo,23, 73.

Cabinetdu Roi de France,cited.111.

Capabilityof cards as a subjectof dis*

quisition,2.

Capistrari,John, his discourseagainst

gaming atNuremberg in 1452, 91.

Card-playingat Bologna in 1423, 90.

in Germany in the fifteenth

century,92.

22

i

338 INDEX.

Card-playingcommon inEngland as a

uliristmasgame about 14:84,97.in Scotland,98, 110, 113.

at Rliodcsin 1498, 99-100.

m ia Irelandand Spain,about1590, 114-15.

in the rei^ of James 1,125.

in the reign of Charles U,

146-9.

105.

80.

inthe reignof Queen Anne,

inthereignofGeorgeII,170-

inthereignofGeorge111,180.

Cards." Hindostanee,32-50.Chinese,55-9.

. old stencilled,in theBritishMuseum, 88.

Heraldic,150. Historical,

153. Mathematical,155. For

carving,150. Satirical,157-9.. " old pahitcd, ascribed to

Gringonncur,195-8.Dr. Stukclcy's,205.

oldPrench,211, 214.

oldGerman, engravedon cop-per,220-0.

engravedon copper,ascribedto Israelvan Mccken, 220.

German, engraved on wood,1511, 230.

Trench,ofthetimeofHenryIV, 250.

Portuguese,ofthedate1093,251.

French Republican,253-6.American, 250.

Caricaturesin the reign ofGeorge 11,181.

Cartas(Epistobe)from Carthage,20.Cartes,chartce,cards,probableetymo-logy

of,20, 22.Carving,cardsteachingthe art,156.Castillo's,Diego del,Satyra contra los

Tahures,115.Catliarineof Arragon, wife of Henry

VIII, a card-player,107.Cervantes'Comical History of Rinco-

ncte and Cortadillo,115.Charta,paper,probableetymologyof,24.Chatur-anga,tne Hindostaneename for

chess,10.Cheatingat cards,trialon the subject.

290. "'

Chess,saidto have beeninventedby anIndian,13.

Chesterfield,theEarl of,a card-plaver.173.

^ '

Chinese cards,55-9.Christie,James, hisinquiryintoan an-cient

Greek game, 13.Clubs forgaming, 170.Cole's, Dr. loss of his commission,

327.Collier,Jeremy, on gaming, 312.Colours of the ground ot the Hindos-tanee

cards,17,35, 30, 37.Comedy devised on the game of cards,

122.

Controversyon the lawfulnessofplayingat cardsand othergames of chance,128, 279.

Cook's,Aurelian,TitusBritannicus,145.Cotta'sCard Almanacs, 259.Cotton'sComplete Gamester, 159.Counting and guessing,11.

Covelluzzo'saccount of theintroduction

of cardsintoVitcrbo,23,73.CuiTe,secretaryto the Earl of Essex,

hisfortunestoldby cards,119.Curse of Scotland,200-8.

Cyprian,St.,histreatise,do Alcatoribus,61,290.

.

Daniel's,Pke, Originedu Jeu dePiquet,4, 209, 205.

Dictionaryof the Spanish Academy ; its

sanctionof a conundrum as an ety-mology

of Naipes,23.Dominotiers,an old name forengravers

and colourersofwoodcuts,87.Ducange's glossaries,03, 99.

Duchesne's, Observations sur les

Cartes a joucr,and PrecisHisto-

rique,05, 99, 189, 204, 200, 210,

225.

Dunbar's,Wm., poems, 110; Valet of

cards,234.

Dutch names of the suits of cards,230.

Elizabeth,Queen,a card-player,120.

Engravings,a seriesof,improperlycalledTarocchicards,199-204.

Epitaph on Beau Nash, 173 -,on a noble

gambler,297. .

Equity, natural,how to be enforcedin

games of hazard,287.Evelyn'sMemoirs, 146.

Exchequer,derivationoftheword,16,21.

INDEX. 339

Fante,the Italianname for the Knave

of cards,229.Pierge,the Pherz ofPersianchess,14.Pleur-de-lis,on coat cards,and in the

compass,7.Foreign (QuarterlyKeview, articleon

Whist, 36.Formsclmeider,a wood-engraver,as dis-tinguished

from a card-paiuter,83.Forret,Thomas, hisobjectionsto the

manner inwliichmany of theScot-tish

clergy,about1539, spent theirtithes,111-12.

Fortune,the gambler'sgoddess,11.Fortune-tellingby cards,116-19.Four Kin^, a name given to cards,19.Franklin,Dr., hisdefinitionof man, 1.Frereton the orig:inof chess,14.Fumy card,explained,109.

Game, thefirstplayedat,9.Games at cardsin 1709,159. Btfore

the time of CharlesII,160.Games, various,enumerated by Taylor,

the water-poet,163.Games, threedifferentspeciesof,294.Gaming, excessive,oftheFrenchclergy,

about 1580, HI.Gammer Gurton*s Needle,cards men-tioned

in,109;Gataker,Thos.B. D., on Lots,129,279.Gebelin,Court de, findsin cards an

abstractofEgyptianlearning,5 ; his

explanationof the word Tarocchi,189.

Geiler,John,hisremarks on card-playingabout 1508, 100.

Geographicalcards,150.German cards,names ofthe suits,228.

Gittem,guitar,derivationoftheword,25.Goethe'sGotz von Berlichingen,61.

Gough's Observationson the Invention

of Cards,22.Goyraud, Vincent,a French card-manu-facturer,

of the time ofHenry IV,

249.Grace'scard,266.Gregory,Dr.,replyof,respectingcards,

Gringouneur,Jac, paintscardsin1393,

76.Guevara'sepistlestranslatedintoFrench

by Gutery^66.GuiUcvillc's,William de,Pclerinaigede

I'Hommc, 69.

GiildinSpil,74.Gungefu, thename forcardsamong the

Moslems,inHmdostan, 41.

Heineken'sId^e g^n^raled'uneCollec-itiond'Estampes,15, 27,82, 228.

'

Helgen, a name given to woodcuts inSuabia,87. "'

Heller'sHistory of Wood-engraving ]

cited-91, 93. ;Henry VII, a card-player,98. !Henry VIII, Act of Parliamentagainst i

card-playing,108.Henry,Prmce ofWales, son ofJames I,

a card-player,125. *

Heraldiccards,150-2.Herrera relatesthat Montezuma took

pleasurein seeingthe Spanish so:- i

dicrsplay at cards,106.Hieroglyphics,6. ;Hindostaneecards,33-52. \Historicalcards,relatingto the Popish

plot, and tlie death of Sir E. iGodfrey,153-5. ^

Homer, his notice of the games of ]

Pctteiaand Astragali,12. ;Houbigant'sCartesRoyales,257.

^

?

Hoyle, Edmond, liistreatiseon Whist,

162, 170.Hume, David,apostrophisedas a whist-

player,160. iHycke-Scomer,cardsmentionedin,108.

Hyde, Dr. T., De ludisorientalibus,16, 265.

Ingilby,Sir Wm., his examinationon

the trial,Lord De Ros versus I

Gumming, 295.

Ingold,a Dominican friar,authorof the ;

GiildinSpil,74.

Injunctionsto the clergy,1559, against j

card-playing,121.^

!

Interpolationsof the word Cartes,in i

oldMSS., 67-71.Isis,the homed, the originalof the j

Virgin with the crescent on her ;

head,5. i

Italiannames of the suitsof French i

cards,207. j

Jackanapes,the probableetymologyofthe word, 231-5.

340 INDEX.

Jack nt Warts " Jack o'Hearts,235.

James IV of Scotland a card-player,98.

James I ofEnglanda card-plaver,126.Jausen'sEssai sur rOrigincdc laGra-

vurc, 07.Jcux dc Cartes,Barrington'sopinionof

the significationof the term, 78.Johannc.'iu,Eloi,on the etymology of

Nal[)cs,and theinventionofcards,27-30.

Johnson, Dr. Samuel, his opinionof

card-playing,302.

Jones,Sir Wm., on Chess,15-17.Jonson, Ben, his device for Abel

i)rugger'ssi^n,G.Jugj[,'lijjgtrickswith cards,118.

Junius, F., his explanation of the

word Qiiartes,22.Justus,PiLscasius,hiswork on gaming,

115, 174,271.

KartenmaehcratAugsburg in141 8, 81 ;

at Ulm, 82.

Knave, the originalmeaning of the

word,231.

Lassale,Antoine dc, author of theChronicle of Jchan de Saintr^08.

Latnmculi,12.Leber's,M. C, Etudes Historiquessur

JosCartes a Jouer, 8, 23, 73, 85,103, 132, 155, 211-13,217, 220,210-9.

Lc Normand, Mile.,theParisianfortune-teller,324.

Leo X, a trickofhisat cards,174.Listof specimensof cardspublishedby

theSocietyofBiblioj)hilesEranpais,Aj^)pcnclL\,No. 1, 333.

List ot works relatingto cards.Ap-pendix,No. 2, 334.

Locke, John, his opinionof card-play-ing,302.

Lookuj),the gamester,173-0.Loyola,St,Ignatius,wins,miraculously,

at billiards,292.LustyJuvcntus,cardsmentionedin,108.I^yiy" John, represents Cupid and

Camj)aspcph'i"'ingat cards,123.Lyndsay, SiriJavid,satirisesthe card-

l)layingof the clergyin Scotland,jabout 1535, 110. |

Macbiavcllion Fortune,10.Madden's,SirE.,Privr-purseExpenses

of the PrincessMary, daughterofHenry VUI, 109.

Magasin rittorcsque,articleon cardsin,71.

Manners inthetimeofCharlesII,143;George II,176.

Manufacture of cards, extensiveinGermany about 1450, 82; atVenice, 1441 ; in England, 131,100, 272.

Mappa, itsancientmeaning, 29.Margaret,daughter ofHenry VII, found

playingat cards by her aliiancedIiusbaud,James IV of Scotland,98.

Marks of the suitsof cards,200.Martius, Galcottus,speculateson the-

meaning of the marks of the suits,93.

Mary, the Princess,daughterof Henrv

VIII, afterwards queen, a cara-

player,109.Mary, daughter of James II,afterwards

queen, a card-player,140.Mazarine,Cardinal,playedat cardswhen

dying,310.Meckcn, Israelvan, cards supposed to

be engravedby,226.Mecrman's reference to the chronicle

of Petit-Jehande Saintrd,68.

Menestrier's,Pcre, Bibliothcquecu-

rieuscet instructive,3,70,80,151,

191.Mer6, the Chevalierde,submitscertain

qiicstionsto Pascal respecting

chances at play, 157. [Seethetreatiseon Probability,by Lubbock

and Drinkwater,publishedbv the

Societyfor the Dill'usionof Useful

Knowledge, p. 12; 41-50.]Merrels,the game of,13.

Meursius, de Ludis Graicorum, 5.

Millin's description of the Marquis

Girolamo'scards,229.

Morelli'schronicle,73.Moxon's cardsforcaiTing,150; astro-nomical

cards,157.Murner's Chartiludium,or logicalcard-

play,101-5.Mun-'s,C. G. von. Journal,75,81, 85,

133, 220.

"Murry ncct," inCumberland,186.

INDEX. 341

Nabob, themeaning oftheword,22.Naibi,and Naipes,speculationson the

name as appliedto cards,22-9.Names of the suits of Hmdostanee

cards,41-2 ; of German, Spanish,Italian,and French cards,228.

givento coat cards,208, 211,215.

of particularcards,265-9.Nash, Beau, hisreignat Baih, 171.Nine of Diamonds," theCurse of Scot-

laud,2C6-8.Noctes Ambrosianse,extractfrom,rela-tive

to card-playing,303.

Ombre, Barrington'sconjectureas tothe time of itsintroductionintoEuffland,145.

^

Pope's descriptionof,frequently

praised,167.One-aud-thirty,a populargame atcards

in Irelandand Spain,115.

Pair of Cards, the old name for a

pack, 269.Pam, the Knave of Clubs,269.Pamphlets with titlesborrowedfrom the

game of cards,138.Paris,Mons. Paulin, his collationof

MSS. of Wm. de Guilleville's

poem of the Pilgrimageof Man,

70 ; hisconjecturesrespectingthename Valery on a Knave ofcards,218.

Parson, the, that loved gaming betterthan liiseyes,321.

Paston, Margery, mentions cards as a

Christmasgame, about1484, 97.Peignot'sAnalyse de llecherchessur

lesCartesa joucr,20,69,81,253-6,259, 265.

Pepin, Nicolas,saidto be the inventor

of cards,23.Pepys*sDiary, 146.Perlimpimpim, theby-name of an Italian

jugderinl622,117.Phaer'sBook ofPrecedents,121.

Picture cards in Cotta'sCard Alma-nac,259.

Piozzi,Mrs., refersto the game of thePour Kings,20.

Piquet,tlicmeaning of the game ex-

plauicdby Pure Daniel,209.

Plutiua,B.,cardsmentionedby,93.

Pollux,Julius,biaaccountofthe"ime

of Petteia,13.Pomegranate, a mark on cards,226.Poupart,C, pays Gringonneurforcards

in 1393, 74.Prayer-book,the soldier's,in a pack of

cards,321.Prayers,playingfor,311.Priceof a pack of cardsinthe time of

Roger Ascham, 133; inthe reignofQueenAnne, 167.

Processof card-makingat De La Rueand Co.'s,272.

Prodigal,pictureof a, 163.Protestantsof Ireland,in the reignof

Queen Mary, how savedfrom per-secution,327.

Pulci'sMorgante Maggiore"Re diNaibi,234.

Quartes,22.QuatuorRe^ea,a game so called,men-tioned

m the wardrobe accounts ofEdward I,18, 64.

Queen, none in the earliestEuropean

cards,15.Quire,derivationofthe word,25.

Rabelais,translatedby Urquhart,19.Rabbinical treatiseagainst gaming,

316-20.Reiffenberg,the Baron de, his account

of a woodcut discoveredatMalines,

with the supposed date 1418, 86 ;

mistakes the Spanish soia for a

female,229.Rennell,Dr. Tliomas,hissermon against

gaming, 187.Republican cards,253-6.Rey, M., on cards,7.Ringhieri'sCento Giuochiliberali,63.Rive's,the Abbe, EclaircissementsHis-

toriquessur lesCartesa jouer,20,66.

Roccha, Angelus, ConmientariuscontraLudum Alearum, 61.

Rogers representsthe followersof Co-lumbus

playingat cards,105.Rowlands, bam., hisKnave ofHearts,

and More Knaves yet, 134-7.Roy's,"William,satireon CardmalWol-

sey,109.

Russia,great consumptionof cardsin,

272.

S42 INDEX.

Sadler's,SirRalph,StatePapers,US.SaintFoix'shistoricalessayson Paris,

123.Saintr6,PetitJehan de,68.Sales,St.Francisde,a card-playerwhen

youn^,309.Sandro diPipozzi,cardsmentionedin a

MS. work ofhis,65.

Sarisbcriensis,Joannes, 62.

Satiricalcards,French,about1819,264

Schon,Erhard, cardsof his designing,

238.Scientialand grammaticalcards,139-41.Sex oftheEast IndiaCompany, 32. .

Seymour'sCourt Gamester, 168.Sheppard, W., lib England's Bahn,

Sheridan'scharacterof the East IndiaCompany, 32.

Sbifflcrs,diplomatic,181.Singer'sResearchesintothe Histoiyof

Playing Cards,7, 131, 147, 201,223, 238.

Skelton'sBowgho of Court," Card of

Solis,Virgil,cardsofhisdesigning,238.Solme, Thomas, * theBushoppes poure

thresshere,*uses theterm Yack an

napes^ 233.Sota,the Spanishname fortheKnave of

cards,229.South-seabubble,cardsridiculingthe

speculators,169.Spata, a weapon figuredin Baker and

Co.'seclecticcards,261 .

St.Christopher,woodcut of,with thedate1423,inEarlSpencer'scollec-tion,

86.Stencilling,earlycards executed by

means of,83.Stephens,Henry, relatesan anecdote

of a losinggamester'sswearing,

Strutt'sSportsand Pastimes,107.Stubbcs,Philip,hisopinionof playing

at cardsand othergames, 124 ; on

ruffs,165.Stukelcy,Dr.,oldcardsformerlybelong-

bgto, 205.Suitsofcards,names of,228, 230.Sunday, card-playingon, 146.SurMcra, the titleofa Rabbinicaltrea-tise

againstgaming,317.Swabbcr8,101.Swearing,a viceto which gamesters

ttrej)ronc,311,

Tahures,a Spanishname forgamesters,etymology of the word, accordini"to Diego delCastillo,115, 116.

Taj,or Tas,a name forcardsinHindos-tan,41.

TaU,ll.Tarocchi,or Tarots,190-5.Tarotiers,French card-makerscalledby

thisname in 1594, 272.Tax on cards,when firstleviedin Eng-land,

131.Taylor,the water-poet,hispictureofa

prodigal,163.Taylor,Dr. Jeremy, on card-pkying,

297-300. /V ;i h*

Tenicrs,in a picturerepresents two !soldiersplayingatcardsin thehall

of the high priest,123.Terms used at the game ofcardsinHin-

dostan,43.Thiers,Dr. J.B., his Traitddes Jeux, i

80, 293, 309, 311. IThimble-rigsupersededby railwayspe-culation,

101.Toplady,the Rev. Augustus, on card- j

playing,300.^

\

Townshend, Lord George, caricaturesascribedto, 184.

Transformationofcards,260.Turner, Sharon, his derivationof the

word jackanapes,231.

T.W., the initialsof the engraver of a

pack of cards of the 15th century,222.

Urquhart,SirThomas,histransktionofRabelais,19.

Valery, a name on an old Knave ofHearts, 217.

Valet,the originalmeaning oftheword,231

Vega, Garcilassode la,his account of '

the Spanishsoldiersmanufacturingcards,106.

Vichnou. incarnationsof, in n pack ofHindostaneecards,36-40. ,

Vierge,Fierge, Pherz, the queen atChess, 15-21.

Visconti,Philip,Duke of Milan,cards

paintedforhim, 230.

Volay,Jean,a French cardmanufacturer,132.

Volj)iito,Mons.,cardsformerlybelonging

to,221.

INDEX. 843

Ward, Samnel,preaclier,ofIpswich,hisWoe to Drunkards, 130.

Wesley, John, sometimes sought an an-swer

by lot,129: fond of whist

^when a voung man, 301.

Whist, itsrelationfo chess,17.

,a game of Englishorigin,160-5.

White's coflee-house,161-2; club at,178.

Wilson, Mr. T.,old cards engraved on

copper, formerlybelongingto, 224.

Wilson, Professor,on card-playing,in

the * Noctes Ambrosianae,'303-7.Wood-engraving, the earliestwith an

authenticdate,85.

Worcester,councilof,prohibitionsinitscanons, 62.

Wuruq, a leaf,the name fora cardwiththeMoslems inHindostan,25.

Xavier, St.Francis,card-playingintheEast in histime,53 ; his lenityto-wards

gamesters, 307.

Yack an napes.Jackanapes, Jack-a-

naipes,tne Knave of cards,233.

Zani,P. on the PipozziMS., 65.

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facts and speculations on the origin and history of playing cards

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