P RE FA C E .

“ ’ H E Devil s Book s was the name bestowed

upon Playing- cards by the P urita n s and other piou s souls who were probably in h opes that this name would alarm timid persons and so prevent their use . Whether or not his S a tan ic P - Majesty originated laying cards , we have no means of discovering ; but it is more probable

he - that only inspired their invention , and placed

of who them in the hands mankind , have eagerly

o of ad pted this simple means amusing themselves , and have used it according to the good or evil s which predominated in their own brea ts . Many learned men have written books or treatises on

P - I for laying cards , and am indebted a large part of the information contained in this histo ry to

“ ” Les C a . P C artes Jouer, by M aul la roix ; ” P - Facts and Speculations about laying cards , by

h of P - . C T e Mr hatto ; History laying cards , by

T The of the Rev . Edward aylor ; and History ” - P . . laying cards , by M r Singer out of These books are now print, and some

ffi I n what di cult to obtain ; and hope , by bringi g into a small compass the principal features set

I to f forth in them , shall be able place be ore a number of readers interesting facts that would be otherwise unobtainable . Hearty thanks are due to the custodians of the

o Nati nal M useum in Washington , who have aided

t o me in every way in their power, and also the many kind friends who have sought far and wide for o of unique and uncomm n packs cards , and helped materially by gathering facts rel a ting to

fo r them me . That many nations have cards peculiar to their o wn c o untry and almost unknown beyond its boun da ries m ay be a matter of surprise to some ; th a t su ch ordinary and familiar obj ects as Playing- cards

o v o sh uld ha e a hist ry, will astonish others . My h ope is that the subj ect will interest my readers as it has done me . Any facts concerning Playing cards o r any communications relating to rare or curious packs will be gladly received by the author, who would like to add to her collection .

M. K. VAN E N R SSE LAE R.

NE W YO 1 8 0 . RK, 9 P AGE

MATERIALS

CARDS or DIFFE RE NT Co

PERSIA

ACES AND OTHER CARDS USE AND ABUSE

T L T L IS OF I L US RA TIONS .

P ERSIAN TAR O T TARO T CHINESE

C S R . Car s owne Loc wo d F r o e o est E s . A HME E d d by k d , q

I C R S S OW H S S OF SWO S S TALIAN A D H ING T E UIT RD , MACE ,

Y C P . O S wn Mrs . . O e . K Va n M NE , AND U d by J Rensselaer

G C R S S O W S O F G U RO S ERMAN A D H ING THE ACE R N, TH, CHEL

M . . H ' . Owne rs K. Va Ren LEN, AND ER EN d by J n sselaer REMAINS OF THE P ACK SUPP O SED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY

C S VI I . O F F I 2 . I n the Ca net HARLE RANCE, DATE 4 5 bi

d es stam es P ar s Fra nce E p , i , ELI'ABETH OF YO RK

C R - L VO A DS FOUND BY MR . CHATTO IN A BLACK ETTER LUME

FO Y C L Y P RMERL IN THE ATHEDRAL IBRAR , AT ETER

O O . Now i n the P r nt Room of the B R UGH , ENGLAND i

Briti sh M useum

FO O LD O OF C D E Y S UND IN AN EDITI N LAU IAN, ARL ENGLI H

CARDS O N WHICH INVITATIO NS W ERE WRITTEN . Owned by

M r . Date 1 rs T en Eyck a nd Mi ss C owninshield . 763 I u tr a ti ons L i st of ll s .

G O P C S . Owne R c ar H . D er E s . E GRA HICAL ARD d by i h d by, q ,

D . D at e 1 M. 795

O C S P . Cut out N RTH AMERICAN INDIAN ARD , A ACHE TRIBE

of D eers n a nd a nte t emse ves . at ona useu m ki p i d by h l N i l M ,

A . 1 1 1 W a n to n D . C . U . S 6 s . hi g , , 5, , 7

G - STICKS HA1D A N O RTH AMERICAN INDIAN AMBLING , TRIBE,

r n u es of W oo QUEEN CHARLO TTE I SLANDS . Ca ved o C b d

m s n t n D . C . . . A at ona useu W a o U S . N i l M , hi g , ,

- O I G S S S . N RTH AMERICAN NDIAN AMBLING TICK , ALA KA TRIBE

P a nte on Cu es of W oo . at ona useum W as n i d b d N i l M , hi g

D . . . t on, . C , U S A.

P S C S O N E P S W JA ANE E ARD , EACH RE RE ENTING A EEK IN THE

Mrs . . K. n R nss aer 2 1 2 2 2 2 Y . Owne Va e e EAR d by J l , , 3, 4 DEVIL' BOOKS - — The Ladies arm tu urm i n cl usters,

’ As great and graci ous a si sters ;

lee- lun leuks g ,

’ v i P ore ow e the dev l s pi ctured bauks.

BURN'

’ THE DEVIL PICTURE- B K S O O S .

T HE T T A RO S .

A ou t of ro c an old a e of car s y h f li , g d .

- O NE : E ver D a Book 11 8 . H y y , . 9

H E origin of Playing-cards and their inventor

IS o f u o a nd w o still a subject spec lati n , ill pr b ably remain fo rever undiscovered . Alm ost every co untry i n Europe has thro ugh her sch olars la id claim to having been the first to use cards ; and many doc u mentary and o ther proofs have been

u f to o bro ght orward substantiate their asserti ns ,

o n which are based up n ancie t laws , common tra

iti ns or a u d o r . , contempor y ill strations

T hat cards were brought fro m the East to E u

o u of C rope ab t the time the rusades , and prob

- o Who ably by the home returning warri rs , imported many of the newly acquired customs and habits ’ -B ks 1 2 Tu D evi l s P i ctur e oo . of own the Orient into their countries , seems to be a well established fact ; and it does not contra dict the statement made by some writers , who de clare that the gypsies who about that time began to wander over Europe — brought with them and introduced cards , which they used , as they do at

fo r v f . C the present day, di ining the uture ards may well have become known by both means , and they spread rapidly over all of what was then con sidered the only civilized part of the world ; and the proofs that have bee n brought forward Show that they were known nearly simultaneously in

Italy , Spain , France , Germany, and England , and point to a common origin not to be fo und in any

of one these countries .

The first cards known in Europe , and which

’ Ta mts Ta r occ/zz ff were named , , etc . , seem to di er in almost every respect from those of the fifteenth century, although these probably inspired their i n v enti on . The latter resemble much more those of the present day than they do the original Ta

Th - rots . e first packs c o nsisted Of seventy eight

‘ — of fo cards, that is , ur suits of numeral cards ; and besides these there were twenty- tw o emble matical A tou pictured cards , which were called s,

Tue Ta r o/s. 1 3 o r A tou ts o D , a w rd which M . uchesne , a French

“ writer, declares signifies above all . This wo rd used in French has the same meani n g as ou r wo rd

Tr u m Th p . e marks which distinguish the Tarot u S w or ds Cu s S ti cks Mon e s its are usually , p , , and y ; a nd o n e o of fo of each c nsists urteen cards , ten

“ ” “ or fo o a s which are pips and three ur c at c rd , Th namely , King, Queen , Knight, and Knave . e

n o t T e u Queen was always admitted . h se s its seem to be the o rigin of the modern packs ; and the emblems used o n them have been adopted in many countries where the A tou t part was discarded while the rest of the pack with its o riginal symbols was retained .

of Mr . Singer gives a graphic description these

to cards and the games be played with them , and says that “ among different nati o ns the s u its [as will be hereafter shown'are distinguished by m a rks peculiar to themselves , while only the general features of the numbered cards headed by figures

” o r court cards have been retained .

f T o The second division o the ar t pack , called

- of t o n o n e, A tou ts, are numbered up twe ty each these having its proper value ; and besides all these

n there is o e, not numbered and not belonging to ’ - 1 4 Tbe D evil s P i ctur e Books.

is Fou the division of the suit cards , which called a ,

Ma t or i t and in playing the game is designated , “ ” d Mo tto. This Joker, as we shoul term it, has no

w n u of of value of its o , but a gments that any the

o Ato uts to which it may be j ined , and is sometimes f “ played instead o a Queen , being then called her

' Excuse . These Atouts are each represented by a print

C which is supposed to resemble some haracter, and the name is generally placed on the card . Among

C a C t hem are an Emperor, a upid , hariot , a Her

D T he D a of mit, a Gallows, eath , y j udgment, a

T o Pope , Fortune , emperance , Justice , the Mo n , the

The Sun , etc . order in which they are placed is

n o not always the same , and is seemingly u imp rtant.

The game may be played by tw o or four persons .

The one who holds the Fool regains his stake ;

’ La Force (or Strength) takes twice as much from

‘ ’ La o D the pool , while M rt (or eath) most appro p riately sweeps the bo ard .

It is said that the distribution of the suit cards ha s a peculiar signification . Each o ne is distin guished by an emblem which represents the four

u classes into which comm nities were once divided . C First comes the hurchman , represented by the

’ - 1 6 Tue D er/i t s P i ctu r e Books.

“ “ means a fault o r defect was a sort of fiuting produced by small holes pricked into the sub f f stance o which the cards were made , and ancies T that to these Tares the arots owe their name .

of Other writers , however, dispute this derivation

o for v the word , and disc ver new ones . themsel es which are generally quite as fanciful and far fetched .

These well preserved Tarots are eighteen centi metres by nine, and are painted in water colours

T he t of On a thin card . composi ion the figures

The is ingenious and artistic . drawing is correct

f of and ull character, and the colours are still

o brilliant . A narr w border of black and white T checks surrounds each one . his border is a piece of checkered paper pasted on the back of the card and neatly folded over i ts edge as if to f f protect it, showing on the ace o the card and f f for orming a rame the pictures . This fashion of having a checkered o r diapered back was C losely followed in many of the cou ntries where cards

” have been used ; and these backs are still seen , although this Old pattern (which , as will hereafter be seen , had probably a very interesting origin) has been generally discarded , and each card -maker P a t e l 8 .

T/t e Ta r ots. 1 7 adopts a different device with which to decorate

of his to ow n f the backs cards according his ancy .

n In France the backs are generally plai , and col

oured red , pink , or blue . In Spain the pattern is

o o n f d tted the sur ace in lines and circles , while in other countries interlaced and meaningless de

o signs are empl yed . Packs of cards closely resembling the original

T aro ts are still to be found in some parts of

a Switzerl nd , Germany, and Alsace , where they are used by the peasantry in the districts which are

not much frequented by travellers ; but they are

unknown to the rest of the world except as curi

iti e T os s. o o hey are , h wever, the s le representatives

of the cards which the Crusa ders o r the gypsies

t brought into Europe , and which the la ter use

whenever possible to divine the future o r recall

to the past . Some writers point the eastern

“ ” of T o D origin these ar ts , because in them eath

h o f f t o r is numbered t irteen , and the idea atali y bad luck attach ed t o that number is essentially

Oriental ; and they declare that the fact that the em blem atical f o low Atouts are numbered r m to high , just as certain Asiatic alphabets are written from

f . le t to right , may cover a similar interpretation

’ i l P u -B 2 2 Tue D ev s i ct r e ooks.

’ amusement or sweet charity s sake even in modern times ; but such cumbersome pieces must f have been di ficult to manage , and it was only natural that the ingenious mind which contrived living chessmen Sh o uld soon have superseded them with figures carved in a convenient material

or such as wood ivory , and then placed the mimic armies on a miniature battle - field which co uld be easily commanded by t wo or more players .

The of C Eastern origin hess is undisputed , but when and by whom it was introduced into Eu

w . o a rope is unkno n According to Her di s , the Lydians suffered from a long and severe famine i n of to f the reign Atys , and in order orget their

u a misery, invented many games, partic l rly dice .

P revious writers attribute the inventio n of games of chance to the Greeks during the siege of

T C a mes roy , and icero mentions g in the camp ; but it does not follo w that these games were

o r . T either chess , cards , dice hey may have been

- or - knuckle bones jack stones , as that game was

i n known very early days , and pictures represent ing persons playing with them have been found among Egyptian antiquities . Cke ss. 2 3

It has been asserted positively by the oldest

traditions that the cards of Indian origin are

only chessmen t ransferred to paper o n which the

of principal pieces the game are reproduced, the game being improved by admitting more than t w o players .

In the game of Chess there are generally only two of w o n armies pa ns , each e being commanded V by a King, a izir ( which in the lapse of years has a become a Queen) , Knight, an Elephant

f o f B ( which became a o l and a ter that a ishop) , and a D romedary ( afterward a Castle) ; and the game sh o ws a striking similarity to the Indian

of v is games cards , which ha e eight companies d ti n u ished of g by their colours and emblems , and which each one has their King, their Vizir, and

‘

. The ff of c their Elephant two games di er, ourse ; but sufficient resemblances between them remain to Show their common origin , which recalls the

of v terrible game war, in which each ad ersary

o v must assault , man eu re, make combinations , and exert eternal vigilance . We learn from a most reliable source (Abel de

u at 1 8 2 2 Rém s , Journal asiatique , September, ) that playing- cards came to Europe from India and ’ -Boot s 2 4 Tue D evil s P i ctur e .

of C e China, and that, like the game hess, they wer known to the Arabians and the Saracens from the beginning of the twelfth century . At first f these games found little popular avour, most probably because they were introduced at a period when civil and ecclesiastical authorities most posi tively forbade all games of chance . From India Chess spread gradually to other

The P countries . ersians seem to have known it

of about the middle the sixth century ; and Singer,

“ ” of P - in his History laying cards , states that it

a nd reached China at nearly the same period , in

- the reign of the Emperor W a Si . There are such striking resemblances between the figures used in Chess and those o n cards as to le ave very little doubt where the inspiration f r o o the latter riginated .

Beautifu l circular cards made of ivory have

fo on been und , which the figures are painted as if the artist were unable to carve the forms that

to f he desired represent , and there ore was obliged to paint them o n a flat surface . These cards

c o n are small disks, whi h might easily be placed the squ ares of a board and moved fro m o ne to the other like chessmen . The advantage of com Clt s . e s 2 5

manding a concealed army instead Of o ne spread

out on an open field probably soon became ap

parent, and the result was that s o me slight changes in the shape of the pictured figure and the ma

terial o h used were so n made , whic with v arious

modifications have come do wn to us as the mod

- ern playing card .

If a study is made of so me of the different

of C packs hinese cards , it will be seen that horses ,

e t o n deer, and other animals are r presen ed them ,

together with symb ols w hich seem to mark the

t of sui s . In other packs , instead the figure O f C the animal , hinese characters are placed above

the symbol marking the suit, which characters

seem to have been put there instead Of the pic f “ T ture , and which it is a firmed state , his is the

” “ ” or T one horse , his is the deer, as the case may be — if o n on e O f ou r o , as c urt cards the legend

This is the Queen should be written on its f of ace , instead placing there the quaintly garbed female form which usually represents that august person . We find the principal figures from the chess T board reproduced in the arots , and also in some T of the Spanish and German packs . here is the ’ - 2 6 Tue D evil s P i ctu re Books .

King, the Knight , or mounted horseman , and the

The Knave . pawns or common soldiers are rep resented by numbers ; but there is this difference between Ca rds and the game Of Chess as it i s gen erall — in fo f y played , the rmer there are our armies ,

“ ” o r u o n e as we Sho ld call them suits, and each is headed by the King instead of the two sides

C N C r . ow . e generally seen in hess , Mr hatto marks tha t there is a n Indian game o f Chess

“ ” Cnutu r u n u or The which is called g , Four Kings, in which tw o allied armies play against the same f Opponents . He also gives a ew rules for this

“ game . Having marked eight squ ares o n all

“ r eal sides, says the Sage , place the army to the

r een ellow to east, the g to the south , the y the

” um to west , and the the north . It is worthy f o n otice that these colours form the ground Of f our of the suits of o ne of the divisions of an — eight suit pack of Hi n dosta nee cards ' and this suppo rts the theory that the painted Ivory disks might have originally been used o n the chess T board and then held in the hand . his strange Indian game of Chess would also point to the first division of the mimic warriors into four

o ne armies , each distinguished by its uniform of Cness . 2 7

ff e di er nt colours , which when placed in the cards

“ became known as suits This word was probably

f en u i te derived rom the French s , which signifies f ” to ollow.

There is another game kn own in which two

“ - a two chess boards are joined . It is pl yed by per

o u f m sons each Side, each o who is concerned to defend his Own game at the same time that he c o- operates with his ally to distress by every means

” i n his power the two armies Opposed to them .

’ Fou r-handed Chess is described in H oyle s Book of t o n e Games , which illustrates a board wi h hun

h a dred and sixty squares . T e g me is played

o of o o with f ur sets chessmen , c l ured , respectively ,

o Of white , black , red, and green , like th se the

Indian game .

o C C The Queen , b th in hess and ards , has a

European if not an entirely French o rigin . She

o r n takes the place of the Eastern Vizir, Ge eral ; and it may be particularly remarked that in the

r game of Chess She is more of an Amazon o

f n Joan of Arc than the consort o a reigni g

for w o monarch . Her height also is excessive a

, man , in proportion to the other pieces and her active duties of harassing the enemy and protect ’ - 28 Tbe D evil s P i ctur e Boat s. ing her slow- moving h u sband while leading his army to battle Show that although She is called

of a Queen She is usurping the position a general , who could more appropriately fill this important , h a s e . active , and warlike pl ce than can I n the Card Kingdom the Queen is a much f more li elike and womanly person , as in it she aids and abets her sovereign lord and master, and

n is generally meekly subo rdi ate to him .

While drawing attentio n to the resemblances

of C of C between the games hess and ards , we must not forget to n otice a Slight but perhaps important fact ; and th a t is that all the ancient

’ c/zecéer ea a s if packs had backs , the little army

h O ld -field were loat to leave the battle , but trans f erred it to their backs , and exposed that to the gaze of the opponent i n stead of standing in bat

- tle array upon it . The o ldest existing packs o r

Tarots retain these checkered backs ; and some

“ authors have decided that Ta r ot means check ” i ered , and that the name s derived from this

C ircumstance .

The author of Playing and Other Cards in the B ritish Museum, Mr. W . H . Wiltshire , derides the idea that cards derive their origin from the

N V E GRA ING .

H E order obtained in 1 44 1 by the master

card- makers of Venice from their Senate which prohibited the introduction into that city

“ of large quantities of cards printed and painted

” of V outside enice , should be particularly noticed , as printed cards are especia lly mentioned as well as painted ones ; and this points to the fact that there was in use some process besides the origi nal o ne of painting or stencilling when the cards m f of that period were being anu actured .

The fragments of the French packs which Show by many marks but particularly by their costumes that they were executed about the time of Charles

o of ff the Seventh , were p ssibly some the first e orts

- T ro of the wood engraver . hey were probably p

1 2 0 I 0 — is duced betwee n the years 4 and 44 , that , before the greater part of the xylographies now known .

The first pictures produced by printing with blocks of wood were probably used as playing

3 ’ -B oks 34 Tue D evi l s P i ct u r e o . cards ; and this is an invention which is very much O lder than that of printing with movable types .

By the middle of the fifteenth century cards

a ll o had spread ver Europe , and necessity called for an eco no mical process by which they might be rapidly as well as cheaply produced .

In 1 39 2 three packs of Taro ts were painted for

of Gri n on n eu r the King France by J acquemin g ,

fift - o — for which he received y six s ls parisis , that

sa o o n e u f is to y, ab ut h ndred and seventy rancs,

- or thirty fo u r d o llars .

o f T o A single pack ar ts , which were charmingly

1 1 a painted about 4 5 by M rziano , Secretary to

’ D uc f é d or the de Milan , cost fi teen thousand cus

(about five hundred dollars) ; and in 1 45 4 a pack of cards intended for a dauphin O f France cost

fo or f f o only urteen fi teen rancs, or three d llars . In the thirty years which had elapsed it is evi dent that a cheap process of manufacturing cards had been discovered .

C o m ards had als become erchandise , and were

o r é i n les sold at the same time as counters, p g ; and from the latter is derived the French expression

“ s é tirer on pingle de jeu . E n r a w n g g . 35

It has generally been conceded that the Chinese

understood the art of wood -engraving lo ng before

. o P it was practised in Europe Marc olo, who

visited China about the middle of the thirteenth

u , o of cent ry describes , in his interesting b ok travels ,

a m ode of printing o r stamping with coloured ink ;

and it is probable that printing fro m a bl ock was

o C als known to the hinese at that time .

Auth o rities do n ot agree about which are the first

of - Specimens wood engraving, but it is more than

probable that a rude picture of Saint Christopher

f 1 2 carrying the in ant Jesus , which is dated 4 5 , is

o ne of of T the earliest specimens the art . his curious and interesting print was discovered

pasted in the c over of a man u script in the library

B m S uabi a o f the Chartreuse at uxhei in . Mr.

Singer gives a description of the infancy of the

for xylographic art, and says that the demand play

ing-cards increased so rapidly after their i ntroduc tion into the European countries that it became imperative to manufacture them at a moderate price ; and thus wood- engraving became of conse

uence its q , and productions soon became a most important article of commerce .

It is probable that at first the wood - engravers ’ - 36 Tbe D evil s P i ctu r e Books.

of produced only small pictures saints, influenced no doubt by their priestly surroundings , as nearly all of the early wood-cuts which have been found are of pious subjects ; and they were probably exe

of cuted by the inhabitants the religious houses , f who were at the time the educated men o the day.

These early engravings are printed on paper of the

of shape, size , and style the earliest known playing

’ The cards . saints pictures always bore a small

on of streamer or ribbon , which the name the holy person represented was written . On the early

Specimens of playing- cards names are al ways placed beside the heads of the court cards ; and this may have been necessary in order to distin f guish the saint rom the king , as it is possible that the engraver may have used the same figures to

r represent not only the holy pe sonages , but also

of f and the members the royal card amily, they could be distinguished only by the names written beside them .

of of f An old chronicler the city Ulm , o about

1 - the year 39 7 , states that playing cards have been

a sent in bundles to It ly , Sicily , and other southern countries i n exchange for groceries and other mer h c andise ; a nd it m ay have been this exportation

’ - k 38 Tne D evi l s P i ctu re Boo s. of v cards , and they must ha e been a somewhat influential guild even at that early date to require and receive this protection from the Government ; but no cards have been discovered that were u n

of f f doubtedly English manu acture o that period .

T L M A ERIA S .

H E process of manufacturing Playing-cards

now deserves attention . It seems that the

first packs of Tarots which h a ve been preserved

of of a - b were made two pieces c rd oard , and were f a terward pasted together. The backs had a

a on checkered p ttern designed them , and were placed so as to overlap the face ; and the diapered edge was caref ully pasted do wn and formed a pro t ti n f ec o and a rame to the pictured side .

It may be as well to q u ote here the graphic

“ C o acc o unt given by Mr. hatt in his Facts and

” n P - Speculatio ns o laying cards . He says

“ The fo llowing account of the manner of mak ing cards at the manufacto ry of Messrs . de la Rue

’ ~ f Lo o i f o B 8: Co . O nd n s extracted r m radshaw s

o n a 1 6 1 8 2 : J ur l , April , 4

“ ‘ The first o bject that engages o u r attenti o n is the preparation of the paper inten ded to be fo rmed

f o into cards . It is ound that rdinary paper when ’ - t 4 2 Tbe D evi l s P icture Boo s. submitted to pressure acquires a certain degree of

o not f for - of p lish , but su ficient playing cards the f finest quality . In order, there ore , that it may admit of the high finish which i s afterwards im parted , the paper is prepared by a white enamel colour c o nsisting of animal size and other com T pounds . his substance , which renders the paper

o n impermeable to the atmosphere, is laid with a large brush and left to dry .

The for paper being ready use , we proceed to of f of explain the printing the ronts the cards, which are technically distinguished as pif s and

To commence with the Simpler, the pip ( that

D a C is , the Hearts , i monds, Spades , and lubs) , sets of o f en blocks are pr duced , each containing orty gravings of one card ; and as the ordinary method of fo letterpress printing is employed , rty impres

o of si ns one card are Obtained at the same moment .

As the pips bear but one colour, black or red , they are worked together at the hand- press or steam printing machine . ‘ e For the t tes , however ( or court cards), which

five — with the outline contain colours , dark blue ,

w — a light blue , black , red, and yello , somewhat Ma t er i als. 4 3

ff v Th di erent contri ance is employed . e colours are

printed separately, and are made to fit into each

other with great nicety, in the same manner as in

- printing silks or paper hangings . For this pur

pose a series of blocks are provided which if united f would orm the figure intended to be produced . B f y printing successively rom these blocks, the

different colo urs fall into their proper places until i f the whole process s completed . A ter the printing

is do ne the sheets are carried into a drying- room

° 8 0 t o re heated to Fahrenheit, and are allowed

or f o main there three our days , in rder to fix the

’ colours .

In France the card generally consists of two

of o a pieces paper, but in England a m re subst ntial f article is required . It is generally our sheets f thick , that is, the oreside and the back, and

The two inside layers o f an inferior description . pasting of these sheets together requires care and f clever manipulation . A ter the Sheets are pasted together, they are thoroughly dried , enamelled , and then cut into cards which are sorted by being laid o ut o n a table about two hundred at a time , until all the cards that constitute a pack are spread out ; so that by this Operation two hundred packs ’ - t 44 Tli e D evil s P i ctu r e Boo s.

The are completed almost simultaneously. best cards are called Moguls ; the others , Harrys and

Highlanders .

Paper was almost a necessity in card - making ; and England could not have provided it when

of cards were first made there , as the art paper making was unknown before the reign of Henry

w ho f o 1 8 1 0 . the Seventh , lived r m 4 5 to 5 9 Even

a of as l te as the days Queen Anne , paper was

o f fo r imp rted rom Germany the purpose .

M any other materials have been used in m anu

s fa ct uri n g cards be ides paper. As has been men ti on ed fu a a o n , beauti l packs h ve been p inted ivory P o r m other of pearl . archment and leather have been often used ; thin tablets of wood and large leaves have been pressed into service , as well as stout pa per which was neither card nor pasteboard .

T he Chinese and Hindoos s ometimes used a cotton paper so sto ut and sm oo th as to make it most s u ita ble for the purpose ; and the curious wooden sticks carved with distinguishing figures used by the Haida Indians Show perhaps the most peculiar materials used in the manufacture of a g mes . C Mr. hatto mentions a pack Of Hi ndosta nee

’ T D P i t - k 46 he evi l s c u r e Boo s. served in the South Kensington Museum in

L . ondon , which was embroidered on silk

- Such materials as gold , Silver, and tortoise Shell , and even small tiles have been used in the manu fa cture of cards ; but when made from these ma teri als f they have been di ficult to handle , and have been regarded only as curiosities ; and at the pres ent day thick pasteboard , either highly enamelled o r o Of quite with ut glaze any kind , is in general use all over the world .

NAME .

HE first positive mention of Playing- cards is

o Cov ellez z o in a manuscript by Nich las de ,

of V which is preserved among the Archives iterbo .

C - I n I says the hronicler, playing cards were T introduced in Viterbo . hese came from the f '' o N a z . country the Saracens , and were called o

The Italians have for centuries called their cards

N a i oi N a es . , and in Spain they are still named yp

M . la Cro ix remarks that in Arabic the word

’ “ N a i o signifies captain , and declares that this

of C name proves the military origin ards , and C points to their connection with hess .

T o o n P - M r. ayl r, in his work laying cards , quotes from the above - mentioned manuscript by

Covellez z o Nicholas de , which records the intro

“ of : The duction cards into Italy, and says use

’ of the term N a i o in Italy fo r cards is o n e of the strongest proofs of their introduction into Europe T by the gypsies . o this day they are called in ’ - 5 0 Tfie D evi l s P i ctu r e Books.

N a / es is Of Spain yfi , which clearly a corruption

‘ ’ N a i v the Arabic o , a prophet ; and we ha e there fore the significant fact that cards have been and are still called in Spain by a title which fortune f tellers (gypsies, in act) might easily be supposed

” to claim .

f va to Mr. Singer quotes rom rious authorities

of N a i es Show the derivation the word p , and says

“ ‘ ’ ‘ ” or v that it may mean flat e en , which would describe a card ; and a lso that the Hebrew word

“ N a ioes f u - n denotes sorcery , ort ne telli g, predic

” tion , etc .

“ Mr. Chatto derives the same word from one f Hi ndosta nee N a -eeo or N a i ound in , o, which Sig nifies V or a iceroy, lieutenant, deputy, and says

“ As the game of Chess was known in Hi ndo

‘ ’ S e of The if tan by the nam Four Kings, cards were suggested by Chess and invented in the

o same country , the supp sition that they might

Ck a ti er -N a wa n The have been called o, Four

’ V m of C iceroys , as the cognate ga e hess was called

’ The Four Kings , and that this name subsequently

n Cna r ta ti -N a i became cha ged into o, is at least as probable as the derivation of N a ifies from

N . f P P . o s , the initials Nicolas epin , their upposed N a me. 5 I

inventor ; which derivation is gravely given by

another author.

It is only in Italy that the old name of N a ipes

or N a i bi is P retained . In ortugal the word has

N a i e N a es become corrupted into p ; in Spain , yp

or N a i es p . In France cards are called Ca r i es a

ou er is eet j ; and a pack named 3. f . In Germany

Br i e e K a r te i eléa r te they are termed f and n and Sp n. In Holland the name is K aa r ten or Sp eel/éa a rten

D K or t or S elé or t in enmark , p ; and in Russia ,

A lea w a f K a r tu . The s term , which requently

i n employed ancient ordinances and laws, seems

of to cover all games chance , and is not used

- The v of to signify playing cards alone . deri ation

the English word ca rd from the French ca r te is

too plain to require further comment .

T HE CLASS I FICAT I ON OF PA CKS OF C D T U T A R S I N O S I S . E VER since the fifteenth century evidences of the existence and popularity of cards f have been ound in Italy , Spain , Germany, and

France .

The f names , colours , emblems , number, and orm change wit h the countries o r caprices of the card makers ; but what are termed Ca r tes Ta r ots or

Ca r tes Fr a nca i ses are always the o rigi n al cards f which came rom the East, and which are in a greater o r less degree faithful imitations of the still more ancient game of Chess .

i th of 1 2 It s related that on the s March , 4 3,

B of Saint ernardin , Sienna , addressed a crowd which had assembled before a church in that

lace p , and inveighed with such energy and elo quence against all games of chance that his hear

rs fo r e rushed to search their dice , their chess, im and their cards , and lighting a large bonfire , m olated them o n the spot . ’ u e- k 5 6 T/ie D evi l s P i ct r Boo s.

One man stood by who watched mournfully f f the movements o the rantic crowd , and then b ursting into tears cried out to the preacher :

“ a . h v F ther, quoth he , I make cards I a e no other work by which I can make a li velihood ; by f stopping my pro ession , you condemn me to

' starve . “ If painting is the only thing you can do for

” “ a living, replied the preacher, take this picture

[sh owing him the sacred monogram surrounded

” by brilliant rays'and c opy it .

The f workman ollowed this advice, and became wealthy by reproducing it .

This tale shows how well established the use of cards was in the fifteenth century ; and Specimens of of o the cards that peri d are still in existence , and at once strike the observing student with the fact that the fo ur great divisions or suits exist ( although with different symbols) in almost all the known packs . It is probable that in France the Tarots were used for many years exactly as they were when

fi re rst introduced into that country, until the arrangement Of the pack by the Fre nch courtiers for v of the con enience their demented sovereign . ’ Cla ssi ca ti on o Ca r a to S u i t fi f s i n s. 5 7

When this ingenious co ndensation of the original “

of pack took place , the symbols the Orient were

c two to dis arded , and the adapter chose colours

ff les Coeu r s represent the di erent suits, and placed

l es Ca r r ea ux D les P i u es ( Hearts), ( iamonds) , g

les Tr i es C (Spades), fl ( lubs) , as the symbols that

of o T marked them instead th se on the arots , which

D ena r i S a de Co e were ( Money) , p ( Swords) , pp B C a stoni . T ( ups) , and ( M aces) hese devices were not distinguished by particular colo u rs ; and it is o nly when the French cards have been copied and adapted that we fi n d the disti n ctive colo u rs

’ r ea and ota ce marking the divisions of the suits .

a Playing-ca rds without doubt reached Germ ny

a ou thro ugh It ly, but during their j rney toward the north they lost their Eastern character a n d their Saracenic name almost at once . They never

N a i seem to have been called o, or by any name

The of resembling that word . first mention cards

t o letter s . in Germany calls them Br i ef e ; that is say,

- Br i c ma ler . The first card-makers were named f

t o The Germans composed symbols mark the

, suits for themselves, and rejected the Eastern ones and were probably unconscious that such devices

n of . o as Hearts, Diamonds , etc , existed the cards ’ - 5 8 l e D evil s P i cture Books. the neighbouring country ; for intercourse in those

not i n days was rapid , and each kingdom was as dependent of its fello w as if oceans divided them . C “ M . la roix says that the Germans with their love Of symbolism discovered a vegetable as well as a military signification in the original game of

” o cards . While making imp rtant changes , they retained a little of their warlike character in their

u symbols and fig res, and placed among them some designs inspired by the vegeta ble world . The de vices with them signified the t riumphs and the

of of honours war, and they discarded the weapons the East, the Swords and the Staves , and disdained the sordid money and the priestly chalice, and adopted sprays Of oak and of ivy as if intended for

’ bells or r elots victors wreaths, and chose tiny , g , as t distinc ive marks , as these were among the most

of important signs German nobility, and borne by

c n i them among the other heraldic marks , and o s d T ered most honourable emblems . hese symbols gave a more peaceful aspect to the ancient warlike game .

The names of the German suits are S c/t ellen

B Her teen Gr itn E i n ( ells), ( Hearts) , (Green), and c eln

(Acorns). It is not now known at what period Cla ss ca ti on Ca r ds i nto u ifi qf S i ts. 5 9 these symbols which have become a distingu ishing

of character the German cards were adopted , but during part of the fifteenth century other objects were a lso represented o n their cards ; and the dif fere n t marks quarrelled with the others and strove to be generally adopted , but without success , as those named above have been the only ones in use for many generations , although they are now being gradually superseded by the French designs , which among English - speaking nations are kn own as

D C . Hearts , iamonds, lubs, and Spades

Some ancient German packs which h a ve been preserved are not only very remarkable fo r the beautiful workmanship la vished on their produc

’ tion and as handsome specimens of the engraver s

art, but are also curious because they contain five f T suits instead of the ordinary our. hese were di

a es P a r r ots P i nt s Roses a n d Colu m vided into H r , , , ,

s t , oi n e , wi h the usual King , Queen , Knight and T Knave in each suit . hese cards were executed in the fifteenth century in the city of Cologne .

Other packs of engraved cards m ade about the latter end of the fifteenth century in Germany had their suits marked by animals , flowers , and birds , and were not coloured , the symbols marking the ’ - 60 T/i e D evi l s P ictu r e Books.

The of Gr a n suits Without other aid . mark the , L f o r ea , in the German card resembles in Shape the

- Hearts and Spades of the French . The shape of all these pips is closely analogou s ; and the Heart provided wi th a sh o rt handle and called a Spade o r given a long stem and named a Leaf must origi

of nally have had a common origin , all knowledge which is l ost in the mists of the Middle Ages .

The Pique may have received its nam e of Spade

not o t f i n its English home , , as s me au hors ancy, because the word w as a corruptio n of the Spanish

E s a da s b u t p , because it resembled in shape the spade or sh ovel which was in use in E n gland when cards first made their appearance there . M . la

Croix fancies the shape of the H ea r t resembles a

as u Shield , and points to this s pporting his claim that the designs on the cards had a military origin .

Among the miners in S ome parts o f Engl a nd

D i a monds f Fi ces are requently called , owing to their

of t C resemblance to the head tha tool . M . la roix also declares that les Cce u r s were the symbols placed on the cards by the French adapter, in order to do

o f Co of hon ur to his riend Jacques eur, a merchant the day whose trade with the East might have been the means of introducing the cards into

’ - 6 2 Tue D evi l s P i ctu r e Books.

S w or ds. T T hese cards closely resemble the arots ,

m o and may have originated in a co m n source . In some of the H indoo packs the suits are distin guished by a colo ur as well as by the form of the

o symb l .

Although parts of packs which from the devices they bear may have been imported from Germany o r Spain , and which seem to have been well used , B are preserved in the ritish Museum , having been f of ound in England , only cards French origin have been universally used there , and they have held undisputed Sway fro m the middle of the fifteenth

o O f century, when the distinctive col urs red and

of D o n black , and the emblems Hearts , iam ds , C Spades , and lubs were generally adopted , and have remained nearly unchanged from that time

T w as a m to to the present . here no tte pt shade the pips or the figures a nd faces of the court cards at

o any time in England , and the utlines were simply

The coloured and laid on in solid blocks . French f have changed their figures , and shaded their aces , and made their pips Slightly more symmetrical in shape ; but they are very nearly the same as when

Originally designed by the clever- fingered French courtier. I CARDS OF DIFFERENT CO UNTRES .

C D D T C T AR S O F I FFEREN O U N RIES .

CHINA .

v S has been already mentioned , the in ention

of Playing- cards has been clai m ed at many places ; each writer setting forth the pretensions of his ow n country to this h o nour to the best of

on e d au his ability , and each with seemingly goo thority for his statements .

It is certain that the Chinese po int in triumph

for to the longest pedigree their game , and they quote extensively from their ow n authors as proof of this fact ; and until some European well versed in their language can dispute this claim , it may be as well to allow it .

C o Mr. hatt says that cards appear to have been

T i s known from an early period in China . here a

” C - tsz e- c om Chinese dictionary, entitled hing tung,

- E ul Kown . D . 1 6 8 piled by g, and first published A 7 ; which says that the cards now known in China as

“ -tsee a e or v Teen ¢ , dotted cards , were in ented in ’ - 66 Tne D evi l s P ictu r e Books .

n of L -ho 1 1 2 0 the reig eun , , and that they began

of Kaow— to be common in the reign tsung, who ascended the throne in 1 1 3 1 . According to tra

t o v for of di i n , they were de ised the amusement

’ - Leun ho s wives .

The fo r C is Cne- a e general name cards in hina p , ” - or paper tickets . At first they were called Ya

“ a e or - f of p , bone tickets , rom the material which they were made . Several varieties of cards seem t C o be in use in hina. One pack that is described

C o Of - by Mr. hatt is said to be composed thirty two cards covered with small circular dots of red and

o of o n e one black , with c urt cards man and woman .

The cards most commonly used are called Tseen

- - w a n cuep a e (a thousand times ten thousand cards) . T here are thirty in a pack , divided into three suits of nine cards each , and three Single cards , which are superior to all others . The name of one of — “ K ew é o- w a n is The the suits is ; that , nine ten

” “ ” o r of thousands ( myriads Kwan , which are f of o r . The o strings beads, shells , money) name the other s u it is K ew -é o-pi ng (nine units Of cakes) ;

Of K ew -é o-so of and that the third , (nine units Th Chains). e names of the three single cards are Tseen-wa n (a th o usand times ten thousand),

’ - 68 Tue D evi l s P i ctur e Boot s.

o and bottom , and at the upper end a small porti n

f if o o al is le t blank , as to h ld them c nveniently and

or f o low Oi their being spread anned out, sh wing

o f f the whole the pictured sur ace , the blank space

t being held under the t humb and fingers . S rangely enough , this blank Space being at the top instead

f o of o o at the b ttom the card , it w uld seem that they sh o uld be held by the top and spread out in exactly the reverse way custo mary am o ng Euro h peans . T e tiny cards are SO narrow and so small that they might well be held concealed by the palm of o ff a o the hand , which c uld e ectu lly c ver them and prevent the shape of the pips being seen thro u gh the thin cardbo ard or the number of the cards being co unted by the opponent.

The C o for hinese have an ther name their cards, and this is Wa t-p i ; but it seems to be the name

ff also u given to di erent games , as they call q eer looking tablets o n which round d ots are pl a ced in

o ur regular order and which resemble dominos, by the same name .

Mr . Singer gives an account of some Chinese cards an inch and a half long and a little more than two inches broad . Each suit c o nsists of T nine cards with black backs . hey are printed Ca r ds o f D ifnr ent Cou n tr i es . 69

C with hinese characters , and not with emblems like

those in other packs .

S o me auth o rs state that cards are pl ayed by the

o o of lower orders nly , and that pe ple distinction

play at Chess ; and that amo ng the Chi n ese it is

un di n ified to a of considered g pl y cards, and many

them pretend they have n o ide a of their use o r the

meaning or value O f the characters o n them

It is also asserted that a game an alogo us to the

old Of T o fo C one ar ts has been und in hina , which

- contains seventy seven tablets . There is a t radition that a Venetian carried cards f m C ro hina to his native city , which was the first

place in Europe where they were kno wn . This

o Polo traveller was pr bably Niccolo , who with his

brother Matteo returned fro m China about 1 2 69 ; P o r it may have been the celebrated Marco olo ,

n of the his so above Niccolo , who accompanied

father and uncle on their second voyage to that

great empire .

E GYPT .

A N attempt has been m ade to prove that a kind of card was in use among the Egyptians i n the seventh century before ou r present era ; but this ’ - k 70 Tne D evi l s P i ctu r e Boo s.

T has been hotly disputed if not disproved . hat there were games which were known to the early Egyptians has been shown by the inscriptions on

of fi their m o numents , and the representations g

- r u - ures playing jack stones o kn ckle bones and dice .

Some kind of game resembling Chess m ay also

authori have been played , but upon this subject ties do not agree .

INDIA .

wa of C IF India s not the birthplace ards , as it

of C n probably was hess , it is certai that they were known in that country at a very early date ; and beautiful specimens of ancient as well as modern

o packs are prized in many Eur pean collections .

A pack of Hindo o cards is fully described

’ of m in Mr. Singer s book, and many the are handsomely reproduced . They are painted on ivory, the backs are gilded , and they number the same as the Tarot cards . This pack contains

v S u ns Moon s Cr owns se en suits, which are , , ,

Cu s/i i on s H a r s L etter s a n d S w or ds O f , p , , . each of these suits there are ten numeral and two court cards, which appear to represent a Sovereign Ca r ds o D er en t u f if Co n tr i es. 7 1

B and a General . esides these there are twelve

of on cards apparently no suit, which are groups of o f figures , s me male and some emale .

Mr. Chatto describes several packs of Hi ndos ta nee c o t o o w n ards , am ng o hers s me ed by the Royal Asiatic Society and preserved in their

of Museum . One these packs consists of ten and

“ of u others eight suits . In each s it , when com

lete of t a p , the number cards is twelve ; h t is , two

o r o o o t o coat cards, h n urs , and ten hers wh se nu merical value is expressed by the number of marks upo n them . The cards O f all the packs are Ci r cula r ; the diameter of the largest is t w o and three

of o t t wo quarter inches, and the smallest ab u and

” a n eighth inches . The material of which they are f ormed is supposed to be canvas , and indeed it is expressly stated in a mem o rand u m that acc om

a n ies i s t p them that such the case , but hey appear to be made of thin veneers of wood . One of these packs fo rmerly belonged to Capt . D . Crom

to line Smith , whom they were presented about

1 8 1 - B n 5 by a high caste rahmin , who co sidered m the a great curiosity, and supposed that they were a thousand years old . These cards resemble

n w . o he a. pack o owned by Mr de F rest that ’ n - 7 2 T e D evil s P i cture Books.

C few bought in ashmere within a years , and that h B ’ have been reproduced for this work . T e rahmin s

“ C o o of pack , says M r. hatt , c nsists eight suits, each

o suit containing two honours and ten comm n cards,

- all in all ninety six cards. In the suits the King

m o n h six V is ounted an elep ant, and in the izir, o r o is o n o sec nd honour, h rseback ; but in the blue

t m of sui , the emble or mark which is a red spot

and with a yellow centre , he rides a tiger ; in

O f the white suit , the mark which appears like a

or o grotesque fiendish head , he is m unted on a

. h The bull T e backs of all the cards are green . following are the colours of the g r ou nd on which

o the figures are painted in the several suits , t gether with the different marks by which the suits and the respective value of the common cards were also distinguished

CO LO URS . MARKS.

1 . F W Somet i n k e a nea e i n a s a ow cu . A N . h g li pi ppl h ll p

re w W centre. 2 . BLACK . A d Sp ot i th a hite ”

. B O WN A tu war or sword . 3 R . l , d . . r e k n f 4 WHITE A g ot sque i o head.

. G . Som et n k e a araso w t out a and e and 5 REEN hi g li p l i h h l ,

with two b rok en ribs st ick ing throu gh the top . \ A red s o w t a en re . O BLUE . p t i h yellow c t

E D . r r f r resent 7 . R A p a allelog am with dots on i t as i to ep

n writi g .

8 . YELLOW. An oval.

’ - 74 Tue D evil s P i ctu r e Boot s .

CA SHME RE .

f o C T HE w o . cards r m ashmere , hich bel ng to Mr

o a n d o f o r t o ff de F rest are repr duced his w rk , di er

h f o o C . but slig tly r m th se described by Mr. hatto

The Ca C a a shmere cards are ircul r in sh pe , as well

Hi n dost a n ee of a o u as the , and are b t the same size ,

tw o T he being inches in diameter. emblems on the Cashmere cards differ co n sidera bly fro m th ose

C to a n d o o or described by Mr. hat , nly the c urt

figu re cards bea r a general resem bl a n ce t o th ose

f a D . Cr m lin t o to C . o e that ormerly bel nged pt Smi h .

The Cashmere cards seem to be ma de o f thin

of o o o n of o Slices wood , overlaid with a c mp siti s me

so c o t a sort, and thi kly c vered wi h p int and var

nish that the o rigi n al m a teria l is entirely c oncealed .

This pack c o n tains thirty- six cards o f three s u its ;

n t e n a nd o i n a . amely , pip two c urt cards e ch suit A

u o on u a large p rple fl wer a red gro nd , pl ced within

of ow circles yell , ornaments the backs, which are pro bably intended t o be precisely the same ; b u t

t o an experienced gamester there wo u ld be no

f n f o a o di ficulty in distinguishing o e card r m n ther, ’ Ca r ds o D i er ent C u f j o n tr i es. 75

h f of a s even wit the ace it concealed , the design ,

u f ff o n tho gh uni orm , di ers slightly each card .

The three s u its are n ot only marked by the em

blem s of b u t Hi n dosta n ee pips , , like the cards,

the backgrou nds are vividly painted in some uni

f o o o u o the s rm c l r up n which design is di played , and this colo ur marks the sui ts distinctly even

o t i n when the emblem is mit ed , which some cases

is d o ne ei ther by design o r accident . The w hite

a o o n a n e suit is he ded by a King m unted lephant,

n T no le and a Vizir o a bull . here are emb ms on

t w w n these o cards by hich to disti guish the suit .

The ten pip cards Sh o w ti n y figu res of men clo thed

in loosely fitting red garme n ts an d wearing red tur T bans o n their heads . hese figures are represented

a t kneeling, with their hands clasped in the tti ude

o fa of th of prayer. They are d otted ver the sur ce e

cards and gro uped as the correspo ndi n g pips are in

t t a f a o the o her sui s , and gener lly ace e ch ther, ex

n m u oo cept in u ber eight , in which all the fig res l k

the same way and to the left Side . Another suit

n - u o o n is disti guished by a dark bl e gr und , which

o of small yellow disks, surr unded by circles red , T are painted . his suit may correspond with a

” “ o mo o n suit mentioned by Mr . Chatto am ng the ’ T P i tu r e-B ot s 76 li e D evil s c o .

Hi ndostanee as cards , and it is also noticeable it closely resembles the money ” used as an emblem

The o n Italian and Spanish cards . court cards of this suit Show a man mounted o n a tiger and bear i ng the distinctive emblem uplifted in his right

The of is hand . position this man closely copied o n the Spanish cards , although in them he is rep

n The o o resented o horseback . sec nd hon ur shows two tigers seated o n a cross - legged bench gazing

t wo w ho over their shoulders at attendants, wave

what appear to be staves or fans . Between these

” - f tigers is a large moon ace , which seems to mark

If o n to the suit . this be the case , it would p i t the

of m Th origin the oney emblem . e pips o n the rest

of t the sui are carelessly executed circles , and the f w he for eatures , which would sho it to intended

oo . The o of the m n , are omitted utline this mark

may have been follo wed on the cards that were

first introduced into Europe , and may readily

have become changed during the lapse of years .

” The moon mark o n the Hi ndosta nee cards has

o one gradually extended b th East and West , that

Closely resembles it being found o n the Chinese f cards , and partly ollowed on the wooden cubes f o the Alaska Indians .

Ca r ds o D r e t u f ifn n Co n tr i es. 77

The green suit bears emblems which recall the ca r r ea ux of a nd the French cards , are even more

like o ne of the marks used by the Apache tribe

of N o rth American I ndians by which to dist in

- guish o ne of their s u its . The diamond Shaped pip

o n the Cashmere cards is pa i n ted red a n d orna

h u t m e nted with stripes and do ts of pink . T e co r

S o o n t o n cards h w a Vizir a whi e h rse , beari g

a nd u t n at the pip in his right hand , a S l a m tended by two slaves, who also carries the emble

f th o e suit .

T of a n d t hese cards show little marks use , heir

f SO o u n ot sur ace is slightly sticky , that they c ld

r a be conveniently either shuffled o de lt. It is

a n ot o t a probable that the p ck is c mplete , and h t

there sho u ld be more than the three s u its that

now co mpose

PE RSIA .

S I' tablets brought fro m Persia by a rece n t

traveller fo rm an interesting addi tion to the cards

T a used by different nations . hese tiny cards p ff pear to be the three hon ours of two di erent

T of of a , packs . hey are made layers p steboard ’ - 78 T/ze D evil s P i ctu r e B oat s . s o m e of them a s thick as t wo o rdin a ry playi n g

h t o a cards . T e o hers are nearly d uble th t thick ness ; a n d a lth o u gh they a re a ll of the s a me size

a n n a nd ( namely , i ch an eighth wide by two

n e o n a o n t o i ch s l g) , there are m ny marks them

S ho w th a t they n ever all belo nged to the sa me

a . ou of o a p ck Alth gh made pasteb rd , they are c overe d so thickly wi th p a int and va rnish that they might easily be s u pposed to have been cut o u t O f wood . T he backs of these cards are all T a nd a re n . alike , pai ted black hey are remark a ble fo r the fem a le figu re that they bear a s a

o a a s s e a re n ot o n -un c urt c rd , in this re pect th y ly

a ll o s a bu t i n ff f o like ther Ea tern c rds , it di er r m t o of s a o n e h se every We tern n ti , with the xception of the French and th ose o ther co u n tries w here the Fre nch c a rds h a ve be e n adopted . This fe

i s o a C o b u t male figure by s me called urtesan , it

u a a co ld as well be n med a Queen . She is se ted o n a of a t o a n w a ch ir st e , that is rn me ted ith a design w hich clo se ly resembles o ne of the em hlem s u e o n Hi n dosta nee of a s d a pack c rds , and

a o n C a o T which is c lled a cr w by Mr . h tt . his m a o a c n a . y, h wever, be a purely cide t l resemblance

o la of t u A y ung child is placed in the p his Q een ,

’ - 8 0 Tne D evil s P i cture Boot s.

set and fruit . The King which belongs to this f is accompanied by a emale figure , and they are

o n o placed a yellow backgr und , but they bear no emblem by which they might be distinguished .

The third card has a ve ry richly ornamented

o one of golden backgr und , and shows two figures , them carrying what appears to be a drum . All f these cards have beauti ully ornamented corners , and are painted like a miniature .

I TALY.

T HE first European document known that men f tions cards is the manuscript already re erred to ,

o Covellez z o written by Nic las de , about the end

O f m the thirteenth century, is preserved a ong

of the archives Viterbo, and contains the earliest

v of not written account yet disco ered cards, only

a if among the It lians but also in Europe , we ex cept the m uch disputed passage in the Wardrobe

of a of Rolls Edw rd the First , King England , which will hereafter be mentioned . This document re f to of Ca r te as as ers cards by the name , well by

' of N a t i that o .

“ M r . Singer says that the first game played in

Ca r ds o r n f D gfle e t Cou n tr i es . 8 1

T Italy was without question Trappola . his had

f n been introduced rom Arabia , and is me tioned

o o n e of by many early Italian auth rs , whom writ

' 1 N a t i co n ing in 39 3 calls cards o , and speaks t m u u l f o e p t o s y o them as a childish game . An ther

T en a n z a 1 1 writer, , declares that in 44 the Venetian

i - fo u o n Ma tre cartiers , who rmed a large g ild , rem st ra t ed with the Senate of that city o n the injury d one to their trade by the imp ortati on of large q u anti ties of pl aying- cards with printed a s w ell as painted figures within their gates, which had been manufactured elsewhere ; and this remonstrance

Shows tha t the card- makers of the day were al

u o to f rea dy n mer us , and seems point to the act

of that the use cards was well established , and that co nsiderable numbers were called fo r and

” manufa ctu red .

’ Lo renzo de Medici mentio ns the games of La

“ ” Il Frusso o of C Bassetta and in s me his anzoni , printed befo re 1 49 2 ; and there are Italian writers who po int to him as the inventor of some games of cards .

Co e C S a di In Italy the suits were called pp ( ups) , p

w D ena r i Ba ston i . T (S ords), (Money), (Maces) hese continued to be the commonly used marks o n the 6 ’ -B 8 2 Tbe D evi l s P ict u re ooks.

Italian cards from the sixteenth century to a much later period ; and the same suits and pips have been used in Spain from the time of their first his tory to the present day. An Italian writer claims that a native of Bologna invented Tarots or Taroc

“ o fo 1 1 chin be re the year 4 9 , and says that there is

v f o n f preser ed in the Fibbia amily, which was e o

o of the most illustri us and ancient that city, a por

of P of P trait Francis Fibbia , rince isa , who sought refuge at Bologna about the co mmencement of the f fi teenth century, in which he is represented hold

of ing in his right hand a parcel cards , while others f appear lying at his eet . Among the latter are seen the Queen of Ba tons and the Queen of D e n a r i ; the o ne bearing the arms of the Bentivoglio

f of . amily , and the other the arms the Fibbia An inscriptio n at the bottom of the picture states that

who 1 1 Francis Fibbia, died in 4 9 , had Obtained as

of Ta o o f o R or mer s the inventor r cchin , r m the ef of of ow n the city, the privilege placing his arms o n u of Ba tons of f the Q een , and that his wi e , who

o n e of B f o n of was the entivoglio amily , the Queen

D en a r i . Writers disagree as to whether Fibbia invented the emblems of the cards or joined two packs of cards which already had their appropriate Ca r ds o D er ent Cou n tr i es 8 f ifi . 3

o ne or emblems into , whether he invented a new game to be played with the already well known

T a rocchino cards.

Notice should be taken of the fact that printed as well as painted cards are mentioned in the peti

of a - r of V f tion the c rd make s enice , as it was rom this date th at each village in Italy manufactured

ow n f - its cards . A ter the invention of wood e n

x o graving, Germany and Holland e p rted cards in

for large quantities , and this may have called the

. T o ff protective decree here was als a di erence , which was mentioned in the do cume nts of the

' w m N a i oi period , bet een the pri itive and cards

o proper. As these d cuments do not define the

ff e f no di er nce between the packs , we can orm idea

was of what it .

GE MANY R .

IN a German book printed at Augsburg in

“ ” “ 2 The o 1 4 7 , called Gulden Spiel , or G lden

D f of Game, written by a ominican riar the name f o Ingold , it is stated that cards had been known

1 in Germany since 300 . As this is by no means

o contemp raneous testimony, it is probable that ’ l P tu r e-Books 8 4 Tfie D evi s i c . the German vanity which Claims the honor of

of ' inventing the art printing wishes, with no

o on t o f more reas n its side , appropriate to itsel

of - a the invention playing c rds, which in plain words is laying claim to the invention of wood

of k engraving, as many the early German pac s

a T are engraved and not stencilled or p inted . his rather suspicious assertion may therefo re well be

o n e ignored , and we may only credit the made by

of the Italian author Viterbo, which is apparently

. U f more authentic n ortunately, the latter gives no details about the kind of cards which he men

m a tions . He only states that cards ade their p

ea ra n ce 1 f a p in 379 in Europe , and came rom Arabi

o m under their riginal na e .

“ ’ ” L d O r of In the ivre Ulm , which is a manu

i n script preserved that city , there is an ordinance,

1 f - dated 39 7 , orbidding all card playing. These are the only authentic witnesses that can

be bro ught forward by which the approximate time

o f the introduction of playing- cards into Europe

may be fixed .

A German author by the name of Henik en

for of claims his country the birthplace cards , and

brings forward many ingenious but hardly satisfac

Ca r ds o D nr ent Co un tr ie f if s. 8 5

o o f o tory deductions in supp rt his pretensi ns . He

Br i e is says that ef , which the name that cards bear

“ i n o his c untry, means letters , and that the com

“ sa mon people do not y, Give me a pa ck of

“ ” S i el -or i e e cards , but Give me a p f (a pack of

“ ” sa ca r d u letters) , and they do not y, I want a , b t

“ “ Br i e o I want a f (letter) . We sh uld at least

” “ ca r te a if have preserved the name , he s ys , they

had come t o us from France ; f o r the co mmon

people always preserve the names of all games

o to f o that c me them rom other c untries .

U fo u fo r m n rt nately this argu ent , it has been discovered that cards were called K a r ten in Ger

r e many befo re they were called B i f e. It may be claimed that cards were ca rried into Germany by C the rusaders , who had learned their use during

T also the wars with the Saracens . hey might have made an ingenious use O f the cards during their lo ng absences in the East, and diverted

f s t them rom their original purpose , wri ing letters

o n or to mothers , wives , or sweethearts them ,

Chosen them to send to the young folk at h o me

fo r of to se rve their amusement, as the pictures

o the Kings, Knights , etc . , rude though they pr b

v o ably were, would ha e undoubtedly pr ved both ’ - 8 6 Tne D evil s P ictu re Boat s . n ovel and entertaining ; and from this fact the

’ name of Br i ef e may have been given to the N a i oi

h orI I n o f of the Orient . T e Eastern g the cards

n o is plai ly p inted to , as there are no Queens in

of ancient packs German cards.

In many parts o f Germany the court and pip cards which are usually used resemble most closely those which are represented in the packs of the early pa rt of the fifteenth century . The cards which a re at the prese nt time ( 1 8 90 ) manufactured at Frankfo rt in Germ a ny are copies o f the French

o f f m odifica packs the fi teenth century, with the tions which have crept in during the la pse of over three hu n dred years ; and they display the modern

D a o C Hearts , i m nds , lubs , and Spades , and these

cards are generally used in the German Empire.

But the sa me facto ry turns o ut cards which are suited to the mo re conservative portio ns of the

o S ckellen B H er t c untry, where the ancient ( ells) , z en a Gr ii n E i cneln o (He rts) , ( Green) , and (Ac rns) f are still pre erred . In the modern German cards each Ace bears

Of - the attributes the wine cellar or the bi erga r ten . I n the ancient cards the Ace was always draped h with a flag . T e m odern [f ea r ts are surro unded

’ — 8 8 Tue D evi l s P i ct u r e Books.

The of i n their u nappreciative eyes . name this

en ious was T g inventor homas Murer, a Francis

f who 1 0 can riar, in 5 7 arranged a game in which

E aCh vari o us branches of education were taught . card was covered with so many symbols that M .

“ la Cro ix declares that their description alone re sembles the most gloomy rebus ; but the German f universities , undaunted by di ficulties , enjoyed the

study of logic and other sciences under the guise

’ of Murer s amusement , and game was imitated and

continues to be so to the present time .

PAIN S .

THE Spaniards base their claim of having been

if of the first to use , they were not the inventors ,

' - f N a i oi playing cards to the act that , the name by which cards were known among the Italians

1 is v about the year 39 3 , ery nearly similar to the

- name by which they are known in Spain to day.

As it was about that time that Italy was invaded by

as the Spaniards , they declare that they , the con

uerors o q , imp sed cards upon that country and

taught their use, under the name they bore in

their own homes . Ca r ds o D e r en t Cou n tr f ef ies. 8 9

The N a i es Spanish word p , as we have already

o menti ned , seems to be derived fro m o n e which

“ means flat o r even ; but an ancient Spanish

dicti o nary states that it comes from the initial let

of of o of ters the name the Spanish invent r cards ,

N . P Nicolas Pepin . This etymology seems fa n

c iful and as unsatisfactory as the cl a im to the i n ve ntion Of the cards ; but the Spani a rds can point t o o f a statute made by J hn the First , King o

“ C 1 8 o of astile , in 3 7 , which pr hibits games dice ,

’ of Na es of C o s o yp , and hess ; and this pr ve bey nd dispute that at that date they were at least w ell

i n known that plac e .

s E ck eloo A Flemi h traveller named , who lived

1 0 of as about 5 4 , describes the Spaniards his time

“ a o fo of most p ssi nately nd gambling, and says

“ that he travelled many leagues in Spain with o ut

of f n ot being able to procure the necessaries li e ,

o r a even bread wine , but th t in every miserable

” to T of village cards were be bought . ravellers

fisher the present day describe the tradespeople,

of h men , and beggars every wretc ed town playing

- o of even at the street corners , and using bl cks stone or the steps of the churches on which to throw their cards . ’ - 9 0 Tfie D evi l s P i ctu r e Boot s.

I t was the Spaniards with o u t d o u bt who carried

o o o o cards int Mexic , when they c nquered that c un try i n 1 5 1 9 ; a nd histo ry menti o ns that Mo ntezuma took great pleasure in watching the Spanish sol diers at their games .

Mr. Singer says that the Spanish pack consists ,

of o fo - like the German , nly rty eight cards, as they

T fo a r n contain no tens. heir ur suits e amed

E s a da s Co a s C u O r os o p ( Spades) , p ( ps) , ( M ney) ,

Or os a n a o and Ba stos ( Maces) . me s liter lly g lden

a lso D i n er os — money ; and this suit is called , that

“ ” is o n i n . L , m ey general ike the Italian and Ger

n o O u een l man packs , they have , her p ace being

o r o . taken by the usual Knight , M unted horseman

The o u a [l Re n Ca oa llo c rt c rds are called y (Ki g),

a n S t n d o a . T o (Knight) , ( K ave) here are s me

u packs in which a Q een is permitted , the suits

f u o a f then having o r c urt c rds instead O three .

FRA N CE .

AMONG the archives preserved in the Chambre des Comptes in Paris there was at o n e time an

“ o 1 2 P t o acc unt , dated 39 , which said , aid Jacque

Gri n onneu r P for of min g , ainter, three packs cards

‘ Ca r ds o D er en t f ifi Coun tr ies . 9 1 of ff gold and di erent colours , ornamented with dif feren t for C devices the King [ harles the Sixth', ” fo r 0 o his amusement , 5 s ls parisis .

The game , which was invented merely as an

for a amusement the deranged King , spre d with such rapidity am o ng the pe ople that the P revOt P o a n . 2 2 1 de aris , in an rdinance dated J , 39 7 ,

“ w as o bliged to fo rbid working people fro m pla y

ball ca r ds n ing tennis , , or ninepins , excepti g only

’ o n h olidays . Especial notice S h o u ld be taken of the fact that in a celebrated and oft- quoted o rdi nance made only twenty- eight years previ o usly by

C ft of harles the Fi h , in which all games hazard

o were enumerated , no allusi n whatever was made

ca rds f to , while in the fi teenth century they are always carefully menti o ned when games of ch a nce are enumerated . By this we can pla ce a pp roxi mately the date of their invention or introd uctio n

a into Fr nce .

Although packs of Tarots have survived since

f u a the fi teenth century , and one in partic l r will be

of described , there are no existing specimens the

T T o Ta rocchi n i original arots ( ar cchi , ) ; but there is a pack which was engraved by a burin (or graving

tool) , that probably was executed about the year ’ - 9 2 Tue D evil s P i ctu r e Boat s.

1 60 of 4 , which is known to be an exact copy the

first T arots .

fa Maffie of fif Ra el , who lived at the end the

“ ” n th f C descri t ee century , le t in his ommentaries a p

“ f T o ti o n o ar ts, which were then , said he , a new

” invention ; but he probably was Speaking rela tively of the origin of cards . From his descrip tio n and the documents of others it is clear that the pack of Tarots was comp osed of fo ur or five

on e of suits, each the ten cards being numbered

a n d s o in sequence , di playing as their symb ls the

D B Co enari , the astoni , the ppe , and the Spade ; and these s u its were headed by the co urt cards of w a s King, Knight , and Knave , to which some

a . B times added Queen esides these cards , which

en su i te o f f were , there were thers which bore anci ul

a o . The figures , and which were n med At uts

T a rots have been so fully described in another

place th a t it is not necessary to repeat the de

o scripti n here .

A very slight knowledge of the histo ry of play

ing- cards reveals the fact that Tarots were known

in France long befo re the inventi on of the game

of P of o iquet, which is undoubtedly French rigin ;

to and besides this , the cards which are said have

’ u e-Boot s 9 4 T/i e D evil s P i ct r .

The Queen Of his suit is dressed in skins like her h o o o ne s e . c ns rt, and in hand carries a torch It would seem natu ral that the K n ave of Hearts sh o uld be dressed t o correspond with the royal pers on a ges belo n ging to his suit ; but instead it is the K n ave of Clubs who is represented as

t a covered wi h h ir or dressed in skins , and he

o o ne o u carries a knotty stick ver sh lder. A part of an other card has been found am o ng th ose

’ that the book - binder s knife has separa ted from the o o for f pr per b dy ( these cards , like so many o

o f o m of Of their kind , nce r ed part the binding a book) ; a n d this o n e shows the legs o nly of a f u o rth hairy person . The upper part has un fortu n atel y never been found .

t of Wi h the exception these savages , all the other figures of the pack are dressed after the fa shi o n of the c o urt of Charles the Seventh of

The of f D France . costume the Queen o iamonds

’

a of a d A n o u his . The resembles th t M rie j , consort

u of of fig res the Kings , with the exception the

o n e hairy , are dressed precisely like the pictures of C harles the Seventh o r the lords of his court .

T hey wear a velvet hat su rmounted by a crown f of fleu rs- - ormed de lis, with a coat Opened in front Ca r ds o D er en t Coun tr i es f if . 9 5

o and b rdered with ermine . The do u blet is tight Th fitting, and the boots extremely high . e dresses of the Knaves are copies o f those wo rn by the

’ -d of pages and the sergent armes the period . One of them wears a plumed cap and a long coat

The a with flowing sleeves . other Kn ve is in

o of court dress, and is the complete opp site his

f w o . Th ello , as he wears a closely fitting d ublet e latter carries a banner o n which is displayed the

of fa u C . name the manu ct rer, F. lerc It seems therefo re safe to concl u de that these cards are of

now French o rigin . And occurs an interesting it question , which is, how is possible to explain the

of a n d presence the savage King, Queen , Knave among the o ther court cards which are all dressed in the height of the fash i on of the period of

Charles the Seventh ; but if the histo ry of the

f o a preceding reign is re erred to, the pr b ble solu tion of this enigma will be found .

2 f 1 2 fe On the 9 th o February, 39 , a grand te

of B was held in the palace Queen lanche , given in honour of the marriage of the Chevalier Verman

’ The dois to on e of her Majesty s maids of hono u r .

had fo r King, Charles the Sixth , who been some time in a melancholy state of mind which some ’ - 9 6 Tti e D evil s P i ctu r e Books.

was for be times amounted to madness, the time

was ing enjoying a lucid interval , and induced to enter into a frolic which w a s proposed by one of his favourite courtiers by the name of Hugoni n

a n z a r m de J y. It was ar anged that in this asquer ade the King and five of his lords should take

“ ” “ U rsi ns m o part. It was , says J uvenal des , a mer i e of savage men , heavily chained and dressed in j u stes o u corps made Of linen which had been greased and covered with hairs , and which

w as d . made to fit close to the bo y Froissart, who

of fe was an eyewitness this te , says that the six actors in the dance rushed into the ball - room h owl ” ing and shaking their clattering chains . As no o n e o so was able to rec gnize the hairy monsters,

’ w Duc d O rleans ell were they disguised , the , the ’ f King s brother, seized a lighted torch rom the

of so hands an attendant, and pressed it closely agai nst one of these strange people that the light

U im m edi set fire to the linen coat , which blazed p

e B f at ly. y great good ortune the King had be

o f o n of c me separated rom his c mpanio s, all whom

t o one o T wi h nly excepti n were roasted alive . his

C f m lucky hevalier rushed ro the room , and flung himself head first into a vat full of water and thus

’ 8 Tne D evi l s P i ctu r e-B 9 ooks.

f of C the wi e harles the Sixth , had agreed to this f atal masquerade, and had encouraged it by her

f v reliev presence, and that this rolic came ery near ing her of her insane consort . Her accomplice i n

’ was D uc d O rlea ns this scheme the , her brother i h - la w set , who may have intentionally fire to

of the inflammable clothes these savages, among Th wh o m w as the King. e gossip Of the day certai n ly accused these t wo persons with having designed the masquerade with the hope of rid

of f ding themselves the King, whose li e inter fe red greatly wi th their infamous projects . Having described what is perhaps the oldest

a of p ck cards which have been preserved , atten ti o n must be drawn to another or rather a f a of — is v if r gment a pack which ery little , any,

o et T y unger than the s already studied . hese cards can be traced back to the same period as

t of the first, and are identified by the cos umes

o T to the c urt . hey bear great similarities the

o n d u m der car s, and are s pposed to have been T the Adams and Eves of the card world . hese are absolutely the first specimens of the French

u of C s it cards ; the marks the pips , lubs , Hearts,

D for Spades , and iamonds are here displayed Ca r ds o D wr en t Coun tr i es f if . 9 9

the first time ; and if n ot the pack rearranged by

u the French co rtier, they must have bee n manu

fact ured I . n at the same time these the Kings ,

n Queens , and K aves bear attributes as well as

- y . The first s mbols named carry spears , and the f Queens lowers , and everything in the pictures

reflects the fashions of the period ; and in them can be discovered no vi olatio n of the laws Of

o r Of heraldry the customs chivalry . Tra di ti o n points to this pack as that first used

- in Piq u et . It dethron ed the I talia n T a rots and

of C a t a n d was a n the cards h rles the Six h , the c esto r of the present cards . It is b elieved that

of Et o they were the invention ienne Vign les , o r La o ne of a nd o Hire , the bravest m st active

o of . C o warri rs the day . M la r ix declares that this tradition Sh o u ld receive respectfu l at

o u u of tenti n , beca se even a c rsory examination the game of Piquet sh o ws that it could only

o of o t have been the w rk an acc mplished knigh , o r have at least originated i n a mind inti mately acquainted with chivalro us manners a nd

B t customs . u this charming French author points

o f to an other c urtier, a contemporary and riend V of ignoles , who might have made the ingenious ’ Tn - 1 00 e D evil s P i ctu r e Books. discovery or invention which resulted in the over throw of the ancient Tarots and this was E C tienne hevalier, secretary and treasurer to the

f fo r fo r King, and amous his talent designing, who was o ne of the cleverest draughtsmen of his

f of rea rran day, and who was per ectly capable g

of ing the pack , introducing a Queen in place

or o o the Vizir Knight , and adopting symb lic c lours

n and disti guishing devices to mark the suits .

The o rigin a l cards may perhaps have been im ported into France and introduced at court by o n e u C oe o a J acq es ur, whose c mmerci l relations with the East were so extensive that he was even accused of supplying the Sara cens with arms . In

India the cards represented the game of the Vizir

of of o and War, but under the hands the r yal secretary it became the game of the Knight and

the u o of Chivalry . He placed on the cards nic rn which is often fo und in old packs ; n o r did he fo rget to do ho nour to J a cques Coeur in substi

a t u ting les cw u r s for les coupes. He ch nged the den i er s to o or - (money) diam nds ( arrow heads), and spears to spades . He may have adapted f his designs rom those on the German cards , as they bear hearts like the French packs ; and a

’ 1 0 2 Tue D i s P i - ev l ctu re Boot s.

is ing nations , where the pack divided and laid o n fa of a flat sur ce , and the edges the cards are lifted and allo wed to pass quickly one over the

o r other, in this way distributing shuffling them

v . The v ery rapidly French cards are di ided, but

of held up, and the Sides the two parts pressed f ff together, which shu fles them e ectually, but which it is impossible to do if the cards are not curved .

E NGLA ND .

SOME of the most interesting collections of old playi n g- cards ca n be seen in the Bodleian Library

fo o at Ox rd , the S uth Kensington Museum , and the

B t m L o The ri ish Museu in ond n . latter collection

of v has a historian its own ; and the ariety, num

a n d u of ber, bea ty the packs in this place are

ut fo min ely recorded , and rm an interesting study

to by themselves . By their aid it is possible note the va rious changes and modificati o ns which have

of t crept in among the costumes the cour , and the

of to pips the s u it cards . The early packs seem

o f have been imp rted rom Spain , as they bear the

old of coi n m a ces sw or ds cu s. symbols , , , and p Other

’ e e - I 04 Tb D vil s P i cture Boot s.

the day , it was natural that the obsolete costumes

Should disappear with them , and that when the

of - royalties card land returned to their thrones, the card- maker should adopt the costumes then in f to ashion in which clothe the royal family . There

v ha ing been no such disaster in England , the Kings of the cards have peacefully ruled for several hun

of dred years , clad in the garments their ancestors, which have only become quainter and more p ecu

of so now liar with the lapse years, that they are

f n o te merely lines and dots, and are hardly to be

recognized as ermine - trim med garments which were originally covered with correct heraldic devices.

The first introduction of cards into England

( for it has never been claimed that they were i n vented there) is a matter of dispute ; but it is prob able that they were known i n that country soon

C of after the Second rusade, at the latter end the

. has f thirteenth century . A passage been ound in the Wardrobe Rolls of Edward the First ( 1 2 78 ) which is pointed to by some writers who wish to

f e prove that cards were adopted in England be or they were known in other countries ; and they clai m that this is the earliest mention of a game

s of cards in any authenticated register. In thi

’ 1 0 6 Tne D evi l s P i t u r e-B t c oo s. seems to have become attached to the French piqu e after the cards of the latter nation became

o B t d miciled in the ri ish Isles .

f o th Mr. Singer, quoting rom an er author, says

“ that there is little d o ubt but that the cards used d u ring the reign of Philip and Mary and probably

’ o of the m re early part Elizabeth s were Spanish , th o ugh they were afterwards Changed for the

of French , being a more simple figure and more

” The easily imported . wars between England and

of fo France , during which the army the rmer

o nati n were in their sister country , may have led to the ad opti o n of the French card ; but it is strange t h a t the costumes on the E nglish cards sh o uld date from an earlier peri od th a n the reign of Mary or Elizabeth .

a Queen Eliz beth as well as her sister Mary,

“ C o - says Mr. hatt , was a card player, and lost her

o re temper ver the game , in which she did not

of of o one of semble Queen Anne Austria, wh m

- i n- o her ladies waiting, Madame de M tteville , says

o of She played like a queen , without passi n greed

” ’ o r . D 1 8 2 gain uring Elizabeth s reign , in 5 , the

“ Master of the Revels was c o mmanded to Show ’ f o n St. Stephen s day at night be ore her Majesty Ca r ds o D nr en t Cou n t es 1 f if r i . 0 7

at Wyndesore a Com odie or Morral devised on a

” of f game the cardes , to be per ormed by the chil

’ dren of her Majesty s Chapel . In the comedy C ” Alexander and ampaspe, which was Shown by f the same children at Windsor be ore the Queen ,

was f w the ollo ing pretty little song, quoted by C Mr. hatto

Cu pid a nd my Ca mpaspe pla ye d

Cu a . At cards for kisses . pid p id

He sta es hi s u er bow and a rro ws k q iv , , ,

’ His mo t er s o es a nd tea m of s arrows h d v , p Loses them too the n do w n he throws

The cora of hi s the ro se l lip, ’ Growi ng on s ch eek (bu t non e knows how) Wi th th ese the Chrystal on hi s brow And th en the dimple of hi s chi n

All th ese did my Ca mpaspe win .

At last he set h er both his eyes .

She wo n and Cu n ot r se . , pid bli d d h i

Oh Love has she one t s to t ee ' , , d hi h

W at s a a as ' ecome of me ' h h ll, l b

It is probable tha t P rimero was one of the

” o f earliest games cards played in England, says

“ o f Mr . Singer ; and it continued t be the most ash i onable one thro ugh o ut the reigns of Henry ' the d Eighth , E ward the Sixth , Mary, Elizabeth , and

” Shaks ea r a ff sa James . p e makes F lsta y,

I never prospered sin ce I forswore myself a t Primero ; ’ 1 0 8 The D i l s P i ctu r e-Boot s ev . showing that it was a well known game at that

“ or f period . An alteration improvement o this ” m “ game became , says the sa e author, known as

o The is El H mbre ( man), or Ombre , which the

” national game of Spain . It was played generally

- by three persons , at small three cornered tables ; and these little card - tables are frequently found

o o o f old f am ng c llecti ns o urniture .

T u o hat Ombre , or its s ccess r, Quadrille , was a f n o ashionable game at very ancient period , is proved by the inimita ble descriptio n given in Cran fo rd of the card-parties held in that mildewed little

“ : The w - oo place . It says dra ing r ms contained

o n s k aleido small tables , which were di played a — t scope , conversation cards , puzzle cards (tied toge her to an interminable length with faded pink satin

The - ribbon). card table was an animated scene

’ to — fo old - watch , ur ladies heads , with niddle nod i l f dli ng caps all nearly meeting over the m dd e o the table in their eagerness to whisper quick

‘ o a n d o u B o en ugh l d enough , ast , madam , you

’ have Spadille , I believe . A game much in favour among the commo n folks a of u t the latter end the sixteenth cent ry was, says

“ old T Singer, an one called rump , which was prob

' Ca rds o D er en t C u f ifl o n tr i es. 1 0 9

T f of ably the rium o the Spaniards and Italians .

“ ’ In that amusing perfo rmance Gammer G u rto n s

1 6 1 D C Needle , first acted in 5 , ame hat says to D iccon ,

We sat a t tr u mp m an by the fire ;

a nd f She a terward to her maid says ,

r ar v u m Th e e e fi e tr p s besides the Queen .

Trump b o re some resemblance t o Whist or Ruff

(ano ther name for that game) ; and it is n oticea ble

th a t these t wo wo rds sh o uld still be used in playing

o of f Whist , and that b th them signi y the same

. t t thing We are told by Mr. Singer tha Whis and

H o n o urs ( a lias Slam) were games comm on ly kno wn

“ all of a n d a of in parts England , th t every child

eight years old has competent k n ow ledge in that

” recreation .

“ 1 8 a The Co m In a book published in 7 7 , c lled

” lete o u , . p Gamester, by Richard Seym r Esq , we

: a find the following sentence Whist, vulg rly

Wai sle called , is said to be a very ancient game

f o of among us , and the oundati n all English

o games upon the cards . It was pr bably invented

abo u t the period of Charles the Second . Its ori

i al m or . g n na e was Whist , the Silent game It is ’ i P i ctu r e- Boot 1 1 0 l e D ev l s s. believed that it was n ot played upon pri nciples until about 1 736 ; before that time it was chiefly ’ Th confined to servants halls . e rules laid d own by the gentlemen w ho frequented the Crown

‘ Coffee H o use in Bedford Row were : T O play

’ fro m a straight s u it ; to study yo ur partner s hand as much as your o wn ; never to fo rce yo ur part

’ ner unnecessarily , and to attend to the score . At o ne time it was usual t o deal fo ur cards together.

1 6 fro P Horace Walpole , writing in 7 7 m aris , says

“ The French have adopted the two dullest things

’ the English have , Whist and Richardson s

” novels .

The Whist-pl aye rs of the last century would be as t o nished to see the developments a hundred years

i n have made this game . At the present time the b ooks which have been written on it alone would — ” oo - o ne C w ho fill a small b k case , the by avendish ,

u is the acknowledged a thority on the game , having re ached its se venteenth edition ; and it has become so o i ts ofo c mplicated that rules require pr und study, a n d so fashionable that teachers of its mysteries have

Sprung up in all directions . Several ladies have

f o of - adopted the pro essi n Whist teachers , and have fo i t und a most profitable one . One person has

’ 1 2 Til e - I D evi l s P i ctu re Books.

AME ICA R .

T HE history of Playing- cards would be i ncom p lete w ithout some refere n ce to their i ntroduc t o i n into America, and a slight sketch of the

f v games most in a our in that country . History tells us that Columbus carried cards with him in

v of v 1 2 his ship on the oyage disco ery in 49 , and that his sailors employed every spare moment

a fan pl ying with them , until their superstitious

' cies persuaded them that this impious practice was the cause of the long voyage and contrary D winds which alarmed them so greatly. uring f the renzy caused by this panic, they flung over T f board their Jonahs (the cards) . heir sa e arrival

at what they believed to be the Promised Land m f f caused the to orget their ears , and they soon regretted the rashness with which they had sacri

fic ed their beloved amusement ; so with consider able ingenui ty they made for themselves new

f of - T ra packs rom the leaves the copas tree .

di ti o n states that the sacrificed cards had been

The t f made of leather. introduc ion o cards into

America , their first makers , and the materials

’ - o k 1 1 4 Tue D evi l s P i ctu r e B o s.

r - on e an ordina y sized town , did not contain card

- o r of . table pack playing cards It was natural ,

o however, that some amusement sh uld be craved

of by the younger members society, and that games which were considered more harmless than the “ Devil ’ s books ” (as cards were named by the P uritans) should have been sought fo r and i discovered . Among these were the var ous kinds of instructive cards which had been invented so

o f many years previ usly by the Franciscan riar, and which had met with SO much favour in parts of Europe . These cards taught various branches of to science the player, and were very numer o us ; and packs of them by degrees forced their way into different places where the wicked French cards , with their royal dames and kings and — their scampish knaves , whose names alone were

n synonymous with wro gdoing , gambling, and

n o - thieving , and the i n cent looking but bad

f . little pips , were strictly orbidden

u of C One q aint pack Educational ards , which seems to h ave been made in America and prob

i n Y f ably New ork , has been care ully preserved for nearly one hundred years , and is most val ua ble as giving specimens of the cards used at that

’ - 1 1 6 Tbe D evil s P i ctu r e Boot s. name being printed across the surface of the cornered Ace), its area, inhabitants , products ,

v ob commerce , customs , etc . ; all this aluable but solete informatio n being crowded on the surface

“ ” of the ten pip cards of the suit . The J (Jack) shows the principal islands which surround the

” continent ; the Q ( Queen) tells the quarter of f l v i the globe to which A rica be ongs , with ar

” ous statistics ; and the K ( King) , the king

r v doms o go ernments into which it is divided .

The same formula i s adopted on the other — cards , the Spades being devoted to Asia, the

D . Hearts to Europe , and the iamonds to America

o n Among the statements the cards we find, o n the Four of Diamonds : The D utch first

C but planted olonies in New York, these usurp ers were obliged to own the right of the Eng

“ lish to the land . On the J ( Jack) , among other islands mentioned , it states that Long

Th . Island is 1 40 miles by 1 0 . e middle is sandy

’ The L o f its place called l yd s Neck , rom

and f l o r situation erti ity, is might be made a paradise ( and this sentence probably led to the purchase and preservation of these precious

The f n of cards) . chie tow s America and their

’ - 1 1 8 Tti e D evi l s P i ctu re Books .

n ot fi among the most re ned and cultivated , is

P T v oker. his game has its ad ocates , and a his to riette of its ow n which is too widely known to require further comment here .

Among the terms used in playing it, and peculiar

bli nd to it, are , which is supposed to have been

“ f o str a ddle derived r m bind ; , which means to

a nte The cover both the bli nd and the . latter word m ay have been derived from the French entr er to a nte is to , to enter ; as enter the game by paying the stakes required . C P B Euchre , ommerce , iquet , ezique , and Whist are general favourites ; and they have superseded the Old-fashioned games of Brag ( the father of

P P to of oker), ope Joan , and others dear the hearts o ur grandmothers .

Among other ingenious means of evading the

f - religious scruples that orbade playing cards , some publisher hit upon the scheme of introducing to

“ ” the public what he called Yankee Notions . These were cards covered with distinctive symbols

of and marks suits , and were accompanied by a small book of r ules which has been embodied in an

of for w American edition Hoyle playing ith them , and which contained the following preface

’ - 1 20 Tue D evil s P i ct ur e Boot s.

D C . T o iamonds , Spades , and lubs an unprej udiced mind the substitution of o n e symbol for another would not be sufficient to excuse the use of the

“ ” Yankee N otions in places where ordinary play

- ing cards were regarded with disfavour . S ums of m oney might be as well staked and lost o n Flags

o n D if and Eagles as Hearts and iamonds , the players were inclined to gamble o n a game ; and

“ ” “ the term to throw or to pass , which in the

“ is n Of to h rules employed i stead deal , mig t

of soothe the scruples some minds , although the action in both cases were the same . That these

su games might be gambling, is proved by the g

n o o gestio ab ut the c unters .

“ The publisher of the Yankee Notions gives in his book of rules many games which could be

. o ne of played with his cards , which bears the omi nous name of Bunkum . Another game called

“ John Smith is played under some droll rules .

Among others is one which states that the holder

f t o o . M rs Smi h , who is always anxi us to recall her

” h to truant usband John her Side , must recite

“ r for ce tain verses when she calls him , thinking him perhaps in doubtful company ; and the posi

of o one of dr ea d tion J hn is , thinking he will be

’ I - t 2 2 Til e D evil s P i ctu r e Boo s.

That cards were fashionable in some localities of the U nited States during the past century is proved n o t only by the invitati on s iss u ed o n the backs of

— of playing cards ( which specimens exist) , and which have been already described , but also by the exist e n ce of numerous beautiful Japanese o r Chinese lacquer co unter- boxes which may be found any day f f care ully treasured in many amilies . T hese boxes , which were originally imported

for especially the person who ordered them , are

of o usually black and gold lacquer, val in shape and covered with graceful arabesques of leaves an d

n t a of tendrils , which surround the i i i l letter the

’ owner s name , which was not only painted on the

of a o n cover the large box , but was lso each one

“ ” o f the tiny fish boxes contained inside of it . These strangely shaped little receptacles fitted

o o re compactly into the large b xes, and c uld be h m oved and replaced at pleasure . T e centre Of

ox o of the b c ntained a number small trays, espe ci a lly designed for the favourite and at one time

” fashi o nable game of Pope Joan . Each tray bore

n o o its b ttom a quaint figure painted in lacquer, which represented the Chinese idea of an ordinary court card ; and this tray, according to the rules Ca r ds o D 'r ent C u tr i s f ifi o n e . 1 2 3 of was to the game , contain the counters when the players went through the customary formula and

o ne paid to the Knave , two to the Queen , three

“ f u P to the King, o r to the Ace , and five to ope

” o n i n e o D i a J an , which was represented by the f m on ds. These convenient little trays were almost a necessity when playing this game ; but substitutes were O ften ingeniously contrived by taking from an extra pack the necessary cards and be n di n g their Sides up until they would h old the co u nters

o with ut spilling them all over the table .

“ ” The o or o ur c unters , fish (as grandmothers

o fo e called them) , which were imp rted in these r ign boxes were m ade of sm all bits of mo ther of pearl ff f which were of di erent sizes . Some o them were o o o r und , s me oval , and some l ng, slender, and

Shaped so mewhat like their namesakes the fish . T hey were usually engraved with quaint devices , a circular Space being left in the centre O f the co unter intended to contain the initial letter of

’ so the owner s name , which was designed as to match that placed o n the boxes .

One set O f counters in particular were imported

Of for f by a naval ficer his amily, and were small circular disks of pearl o n which strange figures ’ - 1 2 4 Tue D evil s P ictur e Boot s.

o T fi were painted in bright c lours . hese gures have

of T become o bliterated in the course years . hey came fro m their foreign h o me in a small ro u nd ivory box which contained o nly a limited number .

T fo r hey were always used counters , but they may have bee n intended by the man ufact u rer for a game by themselves ; and they so mewhat re

o C semble th se described by M r. hatto , which he

o fo classed am ng the cards . U n rtunately nothing

of o fe w remains the riginal pictures , and only a

of o n ow dabs c lour stain the tiny pearl disks , the outlines of the devices havi ng been entirely obliterated .

Another most beautiful set of Chinese co unters

o T is c ntained in an ivory box . hey are curi o u sl lo w f y carved with minute figures in relie , and when first taken from their box were in regular if order, and it seemed as their pictured sides

r U f u o ne could relate a histo y . n ort nately , the hundred and sixty Odd pieces s oo n became h ope

lessly mixed ; and the ta le they c ould have told

o fo was never related , and is now l st rever .

Besides the cards introduced i n to North Amer

ica by Columbus and his sailors or by the emi

v o of grants to ari us parts the country , strange

' Ca r ds o D er ent Cou ntr i es 1 2 f ifl . 5 gambling instruments o r sticks which may be called cards have been found among the In

’ dians of southeastern Alaska and Queen Charlotte s T Islands . hese original and peculiar implements

fo r ow n are made by the natives their use, and are of two —o ne f kinds, set being beauti ully carved

of . with strange devices birds, animals , men , etc ; the other set simply marked by lines of red or

' black paint rudely smeared o n their rounded sur f ace , but which are quite distinct enough to dis

The ti nguish at a glance one fro m the other . same game seems to be pla yed with either the

v se t t o o ne car ed or painted , al h ugh seems to be

o to only numbered , and the ther have no numbers and to rely on the carvings to represent the value of the stick .

From what source these I n dians derived their ” T cards will probably never be kno wn . aking into account the difference between card-board

of o f and cubes wood , there is m re than a ancied resemblance between these rude toys and the

of cards Asia, and this may point to the original

not source . It is certain that they were derived from the Spaniards or other emigrants who settled on the eastern coast of America and moved toward ’ - 1 2 6 Tli e D evi l s P i ctu re Boot s .

the e o west , as the embl ms have nothing in comm n

o with Eur pean cards , whereas the cards used by the Apache India ns of Arizona show their deriva T tion from the Spanish cards at once . hese In

fo r f o dians make themselves cards r m deerskin , o n two — which they paint in colours namely, red

— O r os D ena r i E s a da s Co a s and blue the , , p , and p of the Spanish emblems . These deerskin cards

as are practically imperishable , even the very rough usage which they undoubtedly have cann ot destroy

o them ; and they are greatly prized by their wners , w h o can seldom be ind uced to part with them .

There are several packs of these c a rds in the

o ne the National Museum at Washington , and in B Museum at oston .

A complete set of Haida gambling-sticks is

also to be found in the National Muse u m ; and casts of the carvings have been caref ully taken o n d of fi plaster, which isplays the shape the g

ures m o re plainly than the curved surfaces of the

- sticks can do . Thirty two of these cubes com

“ o a o p se pack , and these are c ntained in a

u The leather po ch . game is usually played by

m of a nu ber persons , who squat on the ground

in a circle around the dealer, who places the

Ca rds o D nr ent Cou ntr i es 1 f if . 2 7 sticks in fro nt of him under a pile of shavings or shredded cedar bark , and draws them out with

great ceremony and hands them to the players ,

who receive them with grunts , cries , and other unc o uth noises. Each stick has its value ; and they are passed with great rapidity fro m one t o

o the ther, the players staking considerable amo un ts on the game .

T of six hese cubes are made spruce , about inches l o ng and half an inch thick ; on them pat

of o terns birds , animals , fish , men , and ther de v ices are cut . The designs necessarily adapt

fa o themselves to the curved sur ces , and on s me

d u are repeate , so that when the stick is held p

to right the same pattern is seen back back .

T l w fo al his arrangement is a most al ays llowed , th o u gh there are exceptions to the rule . What the designs mean and what their value is no o ne

to w seems kno , but it is quite evident that they are

T olem ic devices ; and these gambling- sticks ar e probably the m ost peculiar contrivances that have ever been invented to take the place of the pic t ured cards or the graven chessmen , and though not to be considered as a link between the two ,

a certainly cont in characteristics peculiar to both . ’ - 1 2 8 Tne D evil s P i ctu re Boot s .

They may be classed into suits , which can be

f o : Fi u r es D evi ces A n i ma ls divided as oll ws g , , ,

k Bi r ds Re ti les o r I n sects . Fi s , , and p

The sui t of Figures has eight sticks . The first one is a man crowned , and holding in his right

fan hand a , which seems to be a strange attribute

’ when the climate of Queen Charlotte s Islands is

The o n re c o nsidered . carving the second cube

f a sembles that o a man se ted , and leaning his

n his o n chin o his hands , elbows resting his

re re knees . T w o semicircles over the head may p sent a hat ; fifteen notches placed o n each Side of this figure may show its value . Number three

l t disp ays a sea ed figure , with what seems to be the soles of its feet turned outward ; four circles c ut beside the figure m ay denote its worth . The fourth cube represents a seated figure in

o out to pr file , with one hand spread Show the

m fo T n o thu b and ur fingers . his stick has marks

t o o fo h den te its value , unless ur notc es deeply cut

i n m a a The f its back y t ke their place . fi th stick

is an interesting one , as it seems intended to

S o o f of u h w b th the ace and back the fig re . Over

the head are t wo semicircles resembling those o n

two . The number hands hang on each side , each

Ca rds o D zr en t f ifi Cou ntr i es. 1 2 9

one v ha ing but three fingers and a thumb . The

carvings o n number six contain devices which

-fl w r resemble the lotus o e . In a circle is a human

f a a ace , the head surmounted by the semicircul r c p .

Number seven shows two grinning faces witho u t

r bodies, but with arms and la ge hands displayed

” Tw with the palms out . o l arge chevrons divide

v c these de ices , which are cut a ross the stick, and

not, as the others are , up and down its length . The eighth carving represents a hand with four

- well shaped fingers and a thumb . Certain notches and cuts which surround the hand are unde

cipherable . The eight succeeding cubes contain strange de

v ices, which seem to represent fingers , eyes , teeth , f etc . , but which are con used and meaningless to the uninitiated . Number seventeen , on the con trar w f - rv of y, sho s a spirited and li e like ca ing a beaver ; and the next o n e a strange-looking m on

. e The ster, with a larg mouth and huge teeth . nineteenth cube has on it the head of some un recognizable beast with a very long snout ; and

f - - the twentieth , a erocious looking, large mouthed

- - . w animal In cubes twenty one , twenty two , t enty

’ w -f three , and t enty our the carvings resemble fish ; 9 ’ - 1 30 Tue D evi l s P i ctu re Boot s .

-two C re resen twenty , in particular, shows a lever p T tation of fish a . a huge , and also duck wenty

five -six - w - , twenty , twenty seven , and t enty eight

to - call mind birds ; the twenty sixth cube , in par tic ular n , showi g most plainly the head , wings , and Th claws of what may be intended for an eagle . e stick which is numbered twenty- eight has on it a carving of a bird perched beside a nest which contains four fledgli ngs . The last four sticks are as well carved and

of deeply cut as any the others in the pack , number twenty- nine bearing a spirited cut of a beetle ; but the o thers cannot be as easily de

d . The v of ciphere car ings the beaver, the eagle , and the beetle represent these creatures in an

or of o ne erect upright attitude , instead the natu

a ral to the animal . Whether this h s so me peculiar

or significance not remains to be proved .

” The gambling- sticks used by the Alaska

Indians closely resemble those already described ;

“ ” Of and they also have two kinds sticks , some of them carved and some painted . There are

fift - f f y our cubes in the painted pack , some o them perfectly plain or unpainted two more

v n i plain sticks ha e otched ends, wh ch probably

Ca r ds o D nr ent Cou t e 1 1 f if n r i s. 3

of increases their value . Fourteen the sticks have

o n f stripes painted them , but these are so aint

to and blurred as be almost unnoticeable . None of set T this are notched . hree sticks are striped

o ne with black bars , , two , and three in number ;

five sticks have red bands . Another set of six

t f sticks have red and black s ripes, numbering rom o ne t o eight . All these sticks are notched a t o ne end , and , besides the bars, have on them

f The smears o red or black paint . game played with the painted sticks appears to be the same as that played with the carved ones ; and the f m is or er are also kept in a leather pouch , which bound or tied with a leather thong .

N J APA .

IT is to Japan that we must turn when we wish to find the most dainty and original of Playing

fo r cards . This interesting nation have devised themselves the symbols that they use, which are so unique that they bear no features in common

if o ne with those of any other country, we except

a n device which may be accidental one , and which will hereafter be mentioned ; otherwise the Japanese ’ - 1 32 Tue D evil s P i cture Books. playing- cards differ completely from those of other

on places , except that they are painted pasteboard and highly glazed or varnished .

Th ose writers who trace in European and other cards a resemblance to the classes of society into which the world is divided , and promulgate the opinion that the four suits commonly seen rep

Cu or P resent them , namely , the p riest, the

or Sword Soldier, Money the Merchant , and Maces

v the Artisan , would find it impossible to di ide

dis the Japanese cards in this way, as they belong ti nctl set of y to a new ideas , and seem to have been originated in the Islands , where alone they are

n ot w of used , and do Sho , as those other nations do, some mark or device which betrays to the student an inherited symbol which may be traced to the original Oriental card .

Japanese cards are of the same shape as those used by the French and other European nations , but are very much smaller than ordinary cards , being a little more than two inches long by one

. T of o n broad hey are made pasteboard , the back of which black paper has been carefully pasted over the edges of the cards so as to leave a narrow rim to form a frame on the face of the

Ca rds o D z ’ e t C u s 1 f fi r n o ntr i e . 33

The card . symbols are stencilled , and the whole

or so card varnished enamelled , that they are extremely slippery .

- Forty nine in number, they are divided into w of f o ne t elve suits our each , with card which is a trifle smaller than the others , and which has a

“ n f plai white ace and is used as a Joker. On the other cards are painted flowers o r emblems appropriate to the twelve months of the year ;

ff f o f each card is distinct and di erent r m its ellows ,

n m even when beari g the same e blem , and they can be easily distinguished and classified not only

C by the design they bear, but also by a haracter

v or letter which marks nearly e ery card , and which seems to de note the vegetable that represents the month .

- of January is marked by pine trees , two the cards k showing them against a lurid s y. On the third the pine stands out on a grayish background ; and the fourth has a setting su n fleck ed with light

f of clouds, the pines barely indicated in ront it, and the larger part of the card being covered

- - of . with the figure a white bodied , red eyed stork

February displays as her emblem a plum - blos som the four cards devoted to the month bear ’ 1 Tn D i -B ot s 34 ev l s P i ctu re o .

ing the fl ower in various positions . M arch has a

- o red cherry bl ssom , and April the hanging tendrils of the Wisteria vine ; and on one of the cards be longing to this month there is a wee yellow-bird

o f which is flying acr ss its sur ace under a red cloud .

For f f May there are our beauti ul blue irises , with long spiky leaves ; o ne card Showing in its corner

of o f o part a d ck and the water, r m which the flower i s f li ting its lovely head . J une is represented by

- o ne of blood red peonies , the cards having two yel low butterflies hovering over the flowers. On

’ - v w J uly s cards star Shaped lea es , some yello , some

v red , and some black , are scattered o er their sur faces . These leaves resemble those Of the maple

ne of trees . On o the cards belonging to this

J uly suit a deer stands under the branches of this tree ; and it is this deer that is the one device which m ay be found on cards belonging f C to other nations . Some packs o hinese cards

o n o ne of have deer their cards , and in ancient Spanish packs animals resembling deer can be seen , although they are usually represented with o ne straight horn something like a unicorn , which fabulous animal has been retained in Spanish cards to this day .

Ca r ds of D if er ent Cou ntr i es . 1 35

August has four pictures of grass-covered moun

of sk tains . In three them there is a cloudy blue y, and the fourth shows the su n lo oking hot and

u o n . s ltry, beaming down the treeless elevation

Three birds fly across the sky o n o n e of these

’ cards . September bears the Mikado s flower, a party- coloured yellow and red Chrysanthemum ;

' o a i o r Oct ber a H g with red green leaves, and on o ne card is a yellow boar trotting along under the spreading branches of the tree .

November shows o n o ne card willow- trees Th Sharply defined against a leaden Sky. e wil o f o - l ws on the ell w cards look wind tossed , and a

- long tailed bird skims across the sky. A third card is covered with inky clo uds and torrents of

su r rain , with strange zigzags Shooting over its face looking like forked lightning . T he fourth card of this suit bears the quaint figure of a man rushing under the willow- trees through the storm and dropping his sandals in his haste , his head covered by a huge yellow umbrella and surrounded

of t by streaks lightning , wi h the rain streaming down on his unprotected body .

December carries the Imperial Japanese plant, ’ - 1 36 Tne D evil s P i ctu re Boot s.

Ki ri ; and over one of the flowers hovers a beau

- tiful red crested pheasant with sil ver wings .

’ The C is hrysanthemum the Mikado s plant, and the Ki ri the national flower of Japan . The fa vou rite to C game at present seems be like asino , in which any card of a set can take up any other

o n e card , but each has a particular value in the

of be final count . An infinite variety games may

as i s of played with these cards , there a shade ff di erence in each one , and to the accustomed eye t they are as easy o sort as the European ones . There is a great difference in the style and finish of of m f Japanese cards . Some the are care ully executed and highly varnished ; but other packs are roughly stencilled and Show but little glaze .

“ The is of the Joker not necessarily part pack , and does not accompany each one .

’ - 1 40 Tue D evi l s P i ctu r e Boot s . by a reference to the existing portraits of that monarch .

Notwithstanding the fact that the crowns of the card Kings are which seems to point at first to a French origin , the dress in other respects bears a close resemblance to that of bluff

King Harry. In French and German packs the Kings gener ally bear sceptres , globes , and other insignia of their exalted rank ; but those of the English cards are warriors to the core , and throwing aside the

S w emblems , which only ho their rank , they arm

for f T themselves and stand ready the ray. heir

of C o Maj esties Spades , lubs, and Hearts h ld up their trusty double - edged swords like the brave men that they are ; the King of Hearts being in f a most warlike attitude , with his upli ted sword Th held ready for a blow . e King of Spades alone carries a battle -axe ; but why he in par ticula r adopted this w eapon in preference to any other, history does not declare . Among the French packs the royal family are always distinguished by names which are plainly written on some part of the card ; and these names v r of m a y according to the date the pack , and see Tue K i n g . 1 4 1

i n l of - g y through the caprice the card maker .

French authors have traced the origin of these

v names to arious celebrated personages, and find that they were assumed t o do honour to the reign

of r ing monarchs the period , their queens o mis

or f of tresses, some avourite hero the hour, either real or fictitious ; and the only limit to the vari ety of these names was the imagination of the designer.

A glance over any old collection of French cards will ve rify this assertio n ; but the fashion does not seem to have been followed in other

v e of countries , e en in England , wh re the symbols the French were adopted in preference to those

o T used in Spain , Germany, and ther places . heir

of C not Majesties ards were dubbed with names , and if originally intended to represent some par ticular of person (as some them , notably the Kings and Queens, undoubtedly were), the names were

on r not placed the cards, and we have only t adition on which to rest the presumption that they were intended for any celebrated character either i n

or history fiction .

T o for return to the French cards , those example which are supposed to have been made for Charles ’ - 1 4 2 Tne D evil s P i ctu r e Boot s . the Seventh bear no inscriptions but that Of the

’ maker s name ; but in a nearly contemporaneous

of D o Cor su oe pack the King iam nds is named , the

of C Sa ns S ouci of A ol King lubs , and he Spades p

T o of i . l n his collecti n names , says one writer ,

i n fluence of shows a triple , the Eastern origin the cards , in the first place , as they bear strange

o c gnomens which are not French ; in the second , the impression that the old romances of chivalry

of had made on the mind the designer ; and third ,

o of o v the reflecti n in them contemporane us e ents .

Many perso ns point to this pack as being the v o ne E ery that was designed by tienne Vignoles , o r La or C , as he was usually called , Hire , hevalier, and declare that they are the Oldest examples that

of D C bear the symbols Hearts , iamonds , lubs , and

o to Spades . G ing back the names b o rne by the

f see card Kings , we ancy that we that the one as sumed by his M ajesty of Spades (Ap olli n ) was de rived from that borne by an id ol adored by the Sara

o cens , which is menti ned in an epic poem of the period ; and Co rsube was a knight of Cordue (Cor

who suba), was glorified by the romancers of that

The f day . names o the Queens and Knaves of this

of pack are those celebrated historical characters .

’ 1 T evi s P i ctu e-B ot s 44 m D l r o .

his ffl like , were sti y starched ; they had hats bearing long plumes , and their breeches were puffed out at the hips in a most extraordinary if way ; while , as to make the figure look as

o o slender and as womanly as p ssible , the d ublet was pinched in at the waist ; and they had p e

c ulia r . boots, which were then the mode

Henry the Fourth mounted the throne of

France , and the card Kings immediately altered

s their costumes and their name , and reflected the

of of aspect his court , and the names the heroes of the day were given to the gentlemen of the card circle . T he paper sovereigns generally mirrored the characteristics of the day ; and when the succes sors of Henry the Fourth mo unted the throne

o the change is at nce shown in the cards, either

or by the names , the dresses, the weapons , by all m f these . At one ti e Italian ashions and customs,

’ imported by Marie de Medici , influenced them ,

C C . and the names became arel , apet, Melun , etc ; and they change with amusing ra pi dity after her death .

A m ost interesting and almost boundless field of research Opens before the student who wishes Til e K i ng . 1 45 to trace in these seemi ngly meaningless varia tions the prominent events and fashions of the

m on a period , which are sta ped the c rds , and can be easily traced . This has induced many per sons t o make elaborate studies from them ; and one Pére D in particular, aniel , declares that he

f D a vi d on e of can detect the act that , the origi

of of is nal names the King Spades , intended to represent Charles the Seventh of France ; and he draws an elaborate parallel between the character

Of the real king and the characteristics of the mimic one as represented on the cardboard .

is Other authors demur at this , but it at least worthy of note .

D urin g the time Of the French Revolution it was n ot only the royal family who were de posed and beheaded ; but the same fate also

of C Dia followed their Majesties Spades , lubs , monds , and Hearts .

The King was slyly fingered from the deck ;

the s overeigns were banished , and their places supplied by pictured representatio ns of sages and

The of philosophers . Reign Reason did not last

m 1 8 1 long ; and the royal fa ily were recalled in 3, 1 0 ’ 1 6 Tbe D evil s P i ctu r e-Boot s 4 . and established more firmly than ever on their f ancient thrones , rom whence even the republican ca r ti er s of the present day in France have not desired to depose them , to replace their serene highnesses with presidents , senators , and other rulers of the revised republic .

Some attempts have been made in the U nited

States of America to supplant the kings in their

of government the card world , by placing the pictures of prominent generals i n their place ; and after the triumphant termination o f the war wi th Mexico in 1 848 a pack was issued on which B T Generals Scott , ragg, Wool , and wiggs took the place of the sovereigns o f the packs as rulers

But o f . the card suits these peculiar cards , hand

i n n o t some as they were their details , did meet

o f f with p pular avour, and are only ound in some

“ ” collections , while the Great Republic meekly

of bows its head , and submits to the dominion

of D o of of C the Kings iam nds , Hearts , lubs , and of Spades, who rule triumphantly over it as well

of o as the greater part the civilized w rld , dressed ,

v for of as they ha e been hundreds years , like their brother Henry the Eighth O f England ; and every deviation from this quaint garb is frowned

’ 1 Tn D vi s P i ctu e-B k 48 e e l r oo s.

f M . Henin , who ound them pasted in the cover of of f of h a book the fi teenth century, which t ey f f T f ormed part o the binding. heir ortunate dis

v of coverer well understood the alue this prize ,

f v and they were care ully remo ed , and are now treasured as the first specimens of cards which w ere divided into suits with the symbols which

’ they now bear . The bookbinder s knife has

O ff of o f or shaved the title the King Hearts, rather his name ; otherwise the principal co urt

are v cards almost uninjured , and are preser ed with the respect they deserve to have as the

of — oldest surviving monarchs the world , their

of age being nearly five hundred years , the date their invention being about 1 4 2 5 .

’ - ks 1 5 2 The D evil s P i ctur e Boo .

The of Museum . history their invention has

Th of already been related . e Adams the pack w of ere , by the politeness the French courtier, pro vi ed a nd u d with Eves , they have become the a ces tors of countless millio ns of successors .

P revious to the arrangement of the Tarot cards into the m ore convenient pack which is now gen e rall f w as y used , the emale figure placed in that

of part the pack which was divided into suits, although among the twenty- two emblematical f cards named Atouts were ound an Empress , P f and ope Joan , and other emale figures represent

u . of ing j stice , temperance , etc In some packs

Ta rots the Queens joined the male figures ; but

o o their presence is not c mm n , and these packs

n w were comparatively modern . In the place o

u C occ pied by the Queen there was a avalier,

o r Knight , General , Vizir, whatever might have been the name of the male figure which was

o - sec nd in rank in card land , and he had the

’ u een s T O place and value . his was the deseen dant o f the same warrio r who in the ancient games of Chess was placed beside the King ; and the posi tion which that piece occupied was much more i n accordance with the energy, the strategy, and the Tm Queen . 1 5 3 man oe uvring to be looked for in a marshal i n

of f command an army , than rom the wife of a reigning sovereign .

C o a Mr. hatt states th t at an early peri od the

Italians occasionally s ubstituted a Q u een fo r th

Cavello a nd , declares that the French have claimed an hon o u r which does not belong to them when they assert that they were the first natio n that had the gallantry to place a lady in the pack . T his example , set by the French or perhaps by the a of u Itali ns, placing a q een among the court

not fo o o a o n or cards has been ll wed by ther n ti ns , indeed to any very great extent by the Italians

w ho o o m themselves, , alth ugh they s meti es included

do so as n her, only , a general rule , whe they adopt

o the French cards and their symb ls entirely, and

f a w h discard those derived rom the E st , hich ave been clung to Since their first introducti on .

Englan d w as one of the few nations gallant enough to retain the lady in the natio nal pack when it had emigrated from France and taken root in its adopted country ; and England also

of selected a particular Queen her own , and placed her figure among the court cards .

of of In one of the pictures Elizabeth York , ’ - 1 5 4 Tti e D evi l s P ictu r e Boot s .

f of v of wi e Henry the Se enth England , we find the original of the quaint dress now worn by our T cardboard queens . here were various reasons fo r the selectio n of this lady and her elevatio n t o the paper throne , where she has remained , with her costume and even the colour of her hair almost

a unch nged , to the present day, and which a cursory

D u examinati on O f her history will reveal . ring the lifetime of her father Edward the Fourth of

a England , Elizabeth was betrothed to the d uphin

C o f L o f harles, eldest son ouis the Eleventh

France . At that time there was constant inter course with the sister country, and cards may then have been first imported into England .

The English princess after her contract with the heir of France was always addressed as Madame

D u la a phine , and her picture may have been placed o n the cards to Show that she took rank T as a French princess . his match was , however, suddenly terminated by the French monarch , and his rage and disappointment it is said caused f ’ her ather s death . Her marriage with his suc

of cessor, which joined the two houses York and L ancaster, who had been rival claimants fo r the

of m f v f throne England , ter inated ore er the Wars o

’ - 1 5 6 T/ze D evi l s P ictu re Boot s.

of f Elizabeth York was a most beauti ul woman , and it might have been due to this fact that her picture was so eagerly copied . She died very

o o a - y ung, having nly att ined her thirty eighth year,

1 0 l who in 5 3 , eaving an heir to the throne , was f a terward Henry the Eighth .

Amo ng the names bestowed upon the Q u eens of

o u of e e u dic the French c rt cards are those H l ne , J ,

Rachael . These are found in the pack which is

t o O f of L T f believed be the time ouis the wel th .

When the war with Spain took place , which was followed by the capture and imprisonment of Francis the First and his marriage with the Queen

o the of a Elean r, ladies the pack change their n mes

to L ucresse P en taxli e Beci abia . , , Again , under the reign of Henry the Second they become Ar

Pa . The ff of gine , llas , etc e eminate reign Henry the Third a ffected the dresses a s well as the names o n the cards . T he Queens wore their hair turned

’ “ u a et a back and crepe , la robe j ste corps vertu

” D o garde , and bear such names as id , Elizabeth , and Cl otilde .

P of Singer relates that allas , as the Queen

to Spades was at one time named, was intended

of of represent Joan Arc , the Maid Orleans , as Tee Qu een . 1 5 7

P of of allas was goddess war and chastity, and the

Maid was her worthy representative ; and that

C out Of for se r harles the Seventh , gratitude the v at ices received her hands , caused her to be placed

’ under the cover of the heathen goddess s name

- in card land .

“ Pe D a l on re nie , in his dissertation the Game

” of P u of C iquet , says that the Q een lubs is called

A r i ne f o g , r m which the anagram Regina may be made , and that it is intended to represent Marie

’ d An ou f of C v . j , wi e harles the Se enth Rachael was

to chosen represent Agnes Sorel , whose token the

- — clover leaf ( sorel ) was placed among the symbols of the suits . T he same author fancies that J udith

of B v may be intended to represent Isabel a aria, mother of Charles the Se venth and wife of Charles the Sixth .

T HE V KNA E .

HE Knave has always been given an original and sometimes a prominent place in the pack of cards . Alth o ugh this position does not

to f I t Ma tto seem have been derived directly rom ,

Fool of T i n or the the arots , he seems to have herited some of the pec u li a rities of the latter and in many games he is given the same posi

o of ti n , and either takes precedence all the other court cards or else adds to their value according to the rules of the particula r game which is being played .

“ The word knave in the English language

“ was originally used to signify a boy. Chaucer employs it in this sense where he says of the

of l King Northumber and ,

“ On hir e he gat a k nave child ; and this name was given by the English to the

le Va let card which was called by the French , as they regarded the male figure which accom I I ’ Tne D evil s P i ctu r e-Boot s 1 6 2 . p a n ied the court cards o n their invasion of their c o untry as the son of the King and Q u een of the

t o o n ot suit which he bel nged , and did recognize his p ositio n as the c o urt-jester or servant o f the

- roya l family . But the wo rds m a n child - or

’ knave u sed in the sense of b oy soon became o i n bsolete , and the latter is never seen the present

t o o o day except den te a cheat, dish nest person , or the seco nd male fig u re of the c o u rt ca rds .

T O the sa me c a rd is frequ ently given the name

u a ya c/e. It is s pp osed th t this name was derived

’ from the party- col oured o r b uffo on s dress wo rn by

“ a fo r s k the Knave ; the c nt name a je ter being Jac , which was als o the term u sed to design a te a serving

- - man O f low degree . The expression Jack a napes was proba bly derived fro m J a ck- a o r

' a of N a es a J ck the cards, ip being the Spanish n me fo r the pack ; and as c a rds were a t one ti m e i m p orted into E ngl a nd qu ite as m u ch fro m Spa in as f o a i t w a s u t o a r m Fr nce , sual c ll them by the Sp a n

a m ish as well as the French n e . M r . Chatto decla res

“ ” “ a a - a- a a a n th t J ck n pes means Jack the Kn ve , d

“ says th a t thi s card has more affinity in character with the Spanish S ota or the Italian Fa u te than

“ with the French Va let ; and he a lso says : We

’ - 1 64 Tne D evi l s P ictu r e Boot s.

several hundred years. It has evidently been copied from the ordinary costumes of the fifteenth

r n o o sixteenth centuries , but exact date can be

of assigned to it . It seems to consist a short f jacket with ull flowing sleeves , the body being

o r v crossed by a sash , what may ha e originally T been intended for a strap to hold a quiver. his

or a oer di ne coat, jacket, resembles the g described

’ by Chaucer as being the dress of the Squires

“ C Ta . The in the anterbury les cap, with its

or squarely cut battlemented edges , turned back

- of over an under cap black , which fitted closely

o to the head , was in c mmon use about the end

f f u The f - o the fi teenth cent ry . Knaves o to day

v S w are cut in hal es , and ho two heads , which are legless ; and these repla ce the old standing figures

- - and the Odd looking, misshapen , party coloured legs ,

f fa which ollowed an ancient shion , and showed o ne o ne o f clothed in c lour, its ellow being

ff n o n e dressed in a di ere t , with gayly striped garters and peculiarly shaped Shoes .

. T o S w M r aylor tells a dr ll story, which ho s how conservative pe ople have for many years

on the t of re been subjec cards , and how they

of sent the smallest change in the costume , etc Tne K n a ve. 1 65

o the c urt cards , when every other dress changes

almost as soon as it is generally adopted . He

“ says : One of the large card- makers in L o ndo n many years ago introduced a scarcely perceptible

’ o o of modificati n in the c lour the Knave s garter . C ards were supplied , as usual , to the customers ;

but very s oo n the steward of o ne of the co nsider

able clubs came ru shing d own in a great hurry

‘ ’ The a to the shop . committee can t think wh t

you have been d oing to the cards ' All the mem

o o a bers are c mplaining that they keep l sing. Wh t

’ o u ' - have y done At first the card maker said ,

’ c Do n e P o ' n ot Why , n thing thinking the tri

fling change Of any impo rtance ; b u t o n f urther

inquiry it was found that the indescribable some

o f m thing the clubbists had detected c n used the ,

a n d he was obliged to take back all his c a rds

and s upply th ose o f the fo rmer sort . Such is

of a how the influence a trifle Since th t time ,

o ever, many alterations have been intr duced , and

” not a few improvements .

The weapons which are placed in the hands of the Knaves have become strangely distorted with

the lapse of time and through the carelessness O f

- the card maker . Our Knave of Hearts bears a ’ - 1 66 Tli e D evil s P i ctu r e Boot s .

u s - o n - o Cl m y l oki g battle axe, which lo ks too dull and t o o h ea vy t o be of much service in case of n eces f sity; a n d i n the other hand he h olds a laurel lea .

The K n ave of D i a monds has what Falstaff calls a

“ o o d Welsh h k , which has been efined as mean

“ i n g a pike with a hook placed at some distance

The a a of bel ow its po int . peculi r ttribute the

n of o n present K ave Spades is a twisted ribb , and

e o a its origi n has n o t been trac d . It may rigin lly

’ o o r s ff o have been a Mar tte , Fool Sta , ar und which

o o w o su r gayly c l ured ribbons were t isted , the wh le

’ n t f T a fo m o u ted wi h a ool s cap . his Kn ve rmerly bo re a stra n ge - l ooking instrume n t ; b u t its use hav i n o m o so fo ha s g bec e b lete , even its rm been dis

a a n d n o o of f n c rded , the figure bears weap n de e ce ,

c o nfré res Th - aff like his . e strange l ooking st car ried by the Knave of Clubs is supposed t o h a ve

a r been origin lly intended fo an arro w .

Why it is that the Knaves Of He a rts and Spades

o i n o S o f l Sh uld be pr file , while the others h w their u l fa o ce , will pr bably always remain a mystery ; but it may be observed that the Knave of Hearts is in

o o o a n ow the same p siti n in s me very Old p cks , pre

i n B served the ritish Museum , to which has been attributed the date O f 1 440 ; and t he same thing

’ - 1 68 Tne D evi l s P i ctu r e Boot s .

of E Knaves , was that the celebrated tienne de

V so his v ignolles , who contributed much by alour to re- establish the tottering throne of Charles the f Seventh o France . Mr. Singer says that he was

La surnamed Hire. Some authors attribute the a n Of e rra gement the Fr nch pack , with the symbols o f D C the Hearts , iamonds , lubs , and Spades , and

La the black and red colours , to the same Hire . O THER C

’ 1 2 Tk e D evi l s P i ctu r e-Books 7 . has been c onjectured that the Ace o f Cards and of Dice were so called not as a designation of

f n foo . T unity, but as signi yi g an ass or a l hose w ho entertain the latter opini o n are said by Hyde

” to be asses themselves . Aces have had soubriquets or nicknames like many othe r cards ; but these have gained favour only in certain l ocali ties . In o n e part of England they are called Ti t ; but the o rigin and meaning of o The of D m this name is unkn wn . Ace ia onds

o E a r l o Cor k is c mmonly called the f in Ireland ,

“ because it is the worst Ace a n d the po orest card

o in the pack , and he is the poorest n bleman in ” f the country . In Spain the Ace o Oros is called

“ ” L a Bor ne o r - g , the one eyed .

“ T a D here is luck under a bl ck euce , is a com

“ m on o - But n ot if saying am ng card players . you

” it t o touch wi h y ur elbow, is the reply ; and when

m u it is turned up as a tru p , s perstiti ous people

w u o place their elbo p n it, and quite a stru ggle goes on between the dealer and the opp onent as to

o ne S which hall do so first . It is m ore than prob able that the wo rds D eu ce and Tr ay may have been

v f o D os Tr es deri ed r m the Spanish and , which sig

“ ” “ ” n if w y t o and three in that language . In some A ces a nd otker Ca r ds . 1 73

D a ns a German games the is the master c rd , and

“ . C a : takes all the others . Mr hatto s ys The

D o f n o euce cards , it may be observed , has connec

deuce u f tion with the term , as sed in the amiliar

‘ ’ o T o d w expressi n play the euce , in hich it is

devi l i s f o o o o . syn nymous with , and n rthern rigin

o o f D u a o u In s me parts the country the e ce , lth gh

u o to o fo r tu lower in val e , is c nsidered be a m re

‘ ’ nate card than the Tray ; and There S l u ck in the

’ D T f u n euce , but none in the ray , is a req e t ex pression among old card- players w ho like to en liven the game with a n occasio nal remark as they lay down the cards .

o f of In N rthumberland , England , the our Hearts at [7 05 Colli n w ood Whist is sometimes called g ,

ol u u a and is co nsidered by d ladies an nl cky c rd .

’ The four of Clubs is called by sailors tk e D evi l s

Bed osts fo of p , and the ur Spades is named by

S kes The T of o N ed to . thers ray Oros , in Spain ,

The T of C u is called L e S eign eu r . ray ps is

L a D a me ; the Deuce is L a Va c/re. The nines of

Cups and of Money are the Gr ea t a n d L i tt le

N i nes of C L e S er ent . , and the Ace lubs is p

’ In Ireland the six of Hearts is known as Gr a ce s

Ca rd is , and said to have acquired that name ’ - 1 74 Tke D evil s P i cture Books.

“ from the following circumstance : A gentleman of the name of Grace being solicited with prom i ses of royal favour t o espouse the cause of Wil

T v fo o liam the hird , ga e the ll wing answer written o n of six of the back the Hearts , to an emissary of w ho Marshal Schomberg, had been commis sio ned to make the offer t o him : Tell your m aster ff n I despise his o er, and that honour and conscie ce a re d earer to a gentleman than all the wealth and titles a prince can bestow

“ f D o C o The o . nine iam nds , continues Mr hatt ,

f Cu r se o S cotla nd is requently called the f , and some suppose on accou nt of the tradition that the Duke of Cumberland wrote his sanguinary order

o n f of C . how it a ter the battle ulloden It was,

n f ever, known by this ame many years be ore

a 1 this battle , as it is st ted that about 7 1 5 Lord

u C O rmisto n e J stice lerk , who had been zeal o us in suppressing the rebellion became universally

‘ hated in Scotland , where they called hi m the

’ c urse of Scotland ; and when ladies played the nine of Diamonds (commonly called the Curse of o Sc tland), they called it Justice Clark . Other

ff to for explanations are o ered account this name ,

o of f u s me them being o nd in heraldic devices, as

’ - 1 76 Tk e D evi l s P i ctu re Books . of the t of ff at acks lunacy su ered by King,

T of George the hird , great abuse the King and

Of P o re Queen , and itt was indulged in with ut

’ serve at Brook s Club ; and a cant phra se used

“ ” - at the whist table was , I play the lunatic , mean ing the King.

’ - 1 8 0 Tke D evil s P i ctu r e Books .

‘ Th other card . What was that ' e Knave of

’ ‘ ’ ‘ now Spades. Well , quoth he , tell me who

’ Th o o n ot made ye ' e b y c uld well tell . Quoth

‘ ’ Who ' T he to the next , redeemed ye hat was ‘L ’ a harder question . ook ye , quoth the parson ,

‘ you think this was an accident , and laugh at it ; but I did it on purpose to show you that had you taught your children their catechism as well as to

a know their c rds , they would have been better provided to answer m aterial questions when they come to

The story does not go o n to state that this

f of be precious preacher met the ate Ananias , as well deserved to do . f Not many years ago in England , the ollowing

o n o r was c i rc u story printed a sheet pamphlet, la ted among the poorer cl a sses and w a s recel ved

“ with great favo ur . It was called : Cards Spiritual

’ i z ed or o B P ; the S ldier s Almanac , ible , and rayer

” Book .

a Richard Middleton , soldier attending divine service with the rest of a regiment at a church

of o u B in Glasgow , instead pulling t a ible like

’ the rest of his fellow soldiers to find the parson s

of text, spread a pack cards before him . This U e a d Aou se s n . 1 8 1

Singular behaviour did not long pass unnoticed both by the clergyman and the sergeant of the

o to The c mpany which he belonged . latter, in

the a n d particular, requested him to put up cards , o n f s n him f f his re u i g, conducted a ter church be ore

o to o f fo c om the may r, wh m he pre erred a rmal

’ plaint of Richard s indecent behavi o ur during di vine service .

“ “ o o Well , s ldier, said the may r, what excuse

for o a o ' have you this strange , scandal us beh vi ur

If yo u can make any apology o r a ssign a n y reaso n for if ou o t o f t it , it is well ; y cann , assure y ursel hat

I will cause you without delay to be severely

” f r punished o it .

“ o u o Since y r H nour is so good , replied Rich “ f w n o o u . ard , I ill i rm y I have been eight days

t ow of S n da on march , wi h a bare all ance ixpe ce a y, which your H on our will surely a ll ow is h a rdly

f t o m a a a su ficient intain a man in me t , drink , w sh

o o t ing, and ther necessaries that c nsequen ly he

B P - Boo or an may want, without a ible , rayer k , y

” oo o a other g d b ok . On saying this , Rich rd drew o ut of of his pack cards , and presenting one the

Aces to the mayo r continued his address to the magistrate as follows ’ - 1 8 2 Tk e D evil s P i ct u re Books.

When I see an Ace , may it please your

o n e Honour, it reminds me that there is only

I two or God ; and when look upon a a three, the former puts me in mind of the Father and

of S on Son , and the latter the Father, , and Holy

f for f Ghost . A our calls remembrance the our evangelists , Matthew, Mark , Luke , and John . A

five w V five , the ise irgins who were ordered to trim their lamps . There were ten indeed ; but

five , your Worship may remember, were wise and

f . six six five were oolish A , that in days God

v . v o n created hea en and earth A se en , that the f seventh day he rested rom all he had made .

o f An eight, the eight righteous persons pre

v f ser ed rom the deluge ; namely, Noah and his

f o . wi e , with his three s ns and their wives A nine, of the T nine lepers cleansed by our Saviour. here ff were ten , but only one returned to o er his tribute o f a o f th nks . And a ten , the ten commandments

G od o n o n that gave Moses Mount Sinai , the

” t wo tables of stone . He took the Knave and

“ p ut it aside . When I see the Queen it reminds

of of fo me the Queen Sheba, who came rth from the farthermost parts O f the world to hear the

o of for a wisd m Solomon , she was s wise a woman

’ t u r -Books 1 8 4 Tk e D evi l s P i c e .

t be the greates Knave or no , but I am sure he

” i s the greatest foo l .

“ The soldier then continued : When I count

of o of the number d ts in a pack cards , there are

- - five m three hundred and sixty , as any days as

how there are in the year. When I count many fift cards there are in a pack , I find there are y — so . two , many weeks are there in a year When

h w w o n I recko n o many tricks are by a pack , I

— so find there are thirteen , many months are

S o of there in a year. that this pack cards is

B n P - Boo both ible , Alma ack , and rayer k to me .

The a n s o mayor c lled his serva t , rdered them to

the o him of entertain s ldier well , gave a piece

f o money, and said he was the cleverest ell w he ever heard in his life .

T a o of o here are sever l variati ns this st ry, one being written in the French language and in rhyme ; but as their theme is nearly identical

o n e with the quoted , it is unnecessary to repeat them .

It is supposed that the visiting- card now in com f mon use derived its origin rom a custom , quoted

. T o of o n by Mr ayl r, writing messages the backs — of - a is playing cards , practice which mentioned Use a nd A ouse. 1 8 5

“ o no of in the Spiritual Quix te , a vel George the ’ T Third s time . his practice is also mentioned in

“ ” o i s Henry Esmond , where an invitati n sent on a ten of Diam o nds ; and it was not c o nfined to the

’ o as u n velist s world , it was evidently the c stom in

f o fo r o of America be ore the Revoluti n , s me these invita tions still exist and are treasured among fa m

T o ne o n an ily relics . here is bel ngi g to American family which bears an invitati o n fro m Sir Jeffrey

m o n of Of A herst , printed the back the King

C u t o o n e of f a of l bs , the air d msels his day ; and

o this was dated 1 769 . An ther card which appar ently belonged to the same pack bore o n its back an invitati o n to dinner fro m the same General to

Mr . Ten Eyck for this same anniversary of Saint

’ George s D ay. It seems a strange coincidence that both these cards sh o uld have been sent to

— of f o Bo o the author, one them coming r m st n ;

f o C n o the other r m aze ovia, New Y rk , where it was fo und in an old iro n chest bel onging to the Ten

Eyck family . Another invitatio n card which is

Yo n f treasured in New rk , carried an i vitation rom Miss Kitty and M iss Anna Livingston to Miss

L T of n aurence . hese ladies are the ancestors ma y

of i n well known townspeople , and the date the ’ - 1 8 6 Tke D evi l s P i cture Books. vitation must have been about the same as that

ff o one issued by Sir Je rey Amherst, Sh wing that it was a common practice during the middle of the last century to use playing-cards on which to write invitations .

Playing- cards have also been used to carry on their surface importa nt messages ; as before

D of mentioned , the message written by the uke

Cumberland was on a playing- card (the nine of

Diamonds) .

The fa sci nat ion that games have for some peo ple led to thei r being carried into qu eer places

’ and strange company . The preacher s catastro

’ phe and the soldier s apology have already been related ; but cards have been played o n the battle

field as well as by the home fireside , they have

v been used when tra elling and even at the play, as one writer mentions that during a visit in Flor ence he was invited to j o in a game in an opera

“ h a box , w ere he was told th t good mu sic added

to the of W - i n greatly pleasure a hist party , that it creased the joy of good fortune and soothed the

” ffl of a iction the bad .

One , writer has described a visit to a tem T ple in hibet, in which he found among other

PIP UIT C L UR . S , S S , O O S

’ - 1 9 2 Tbe Devil s P i ctu re Books. at the present day ; and there are valuable collec tions in European museums which contain rare

f n ot specimens o cards , only delicately painted like the most beautiful miniatures on parchment i and other mater als , but also exquisitely engraved ; and among them are some of the first specimens

Of that art .

Grin o nn eur has The pack painted by g , which f P already been ully described , is in aris ; but this

T one is a arot pack , which seems to have been the in use at the French Court just before playing cards in their modern dress were adopted . The

for of cards prepared the use the French King, which were the first to be divided into suits and

‘ o of D marked with the symb ls Hearts , iamonds ,

and C v i n Spades , lubs , are also preser ed the same place .

In the print - room Of the British Museum is a portio n of a pa ck which has the German marks of T suits . hese cards are stencilled and not p rinted or o f 1 painted , and are supp sed to date rom 440 . T hey were discovered , as so many othe rs have

Of ol T been , in the cover an d book . here is an

a 1 0 f u other pack d ted 79 , manu act red by Rowley

“ ” Co . f In it the Spade ( to quote rom M r. P i s S u i ts a nd C ol ou r . p , , s 1 9 3

“ T o of of ayl r) is a kind dagger, a clumsy, i h

f . convenient o rm The Ace of Cl u bs is a cl over le af in an oval . D ia monds clearly point to the o a o t o a fo rigin l c nven i n lized rm , being a veri table

o o - diam nd , l zenge shaped , with the facets of the

n c ut ti g Sho wn in relief . This idea of a quad

l r a rangu a sh pe is invo lved in all the names of the D a i mond suit, whether it be panes of gla ss

” - “ o r v n t . C a pa i g iles lubs , he declares , has alw ys

” n o a been an a m ly .

The col o urs used in cards vary with the pips or

- the caprices of the card makers . In the curious

o . w old pack menti ned by M r Singer, hich dates f o 1 0 0 t a re o tw o r m 5 and perhaps earlier, here nly

o ou c l rs used , and these were red and green ; but t n ot u hey were intended to mark the s its , they were used o nly o n the c ostumes of the c ourt- ca rd

o a o figures . S me early It lian cards menti ned by

“ 'a o t Le C P ni in his bo k enti led arte arlante ,

of a were executed with a pale ink a gr yish tint , while others were p rinted with very black ink .

The Germans n o w call tw o of their s u its Rot/c

Gr il n Of and , or Red and Green , the emblems which f are a heart and a lea .

There is still in existence a curious pack of 1 3 ’ 1 be D evi -Books 94 T l s P i ctu r e .

D . Cromli ne cards which were presented to Capt .

B of 1 8 1 Smith by a rahmin India in 5 , which is C T menti o ned by Mr. hatto . hey were supposed to

o a The B be a th us nd years old . rahmin considered

to them be a great curiosity, as they had been in his family from time immemorial . He did n ot

ow or n ot f b u t be kn whether they were per ect, li eved that origin a lly there were two m o re c olours

r not o suits . He said they were the same as the

a modern c rds , that none knew how to play with

a n o o o o of them , and th t b ks give any acc unt

m . The of the pack consists eight suits , each

o o ten o o c ntaining two hon urs and c mm n cards .

The a backs are green , and they are p inted in

n ff o o . C ma y di erent c l urs Mr. hatto remarks , that if they are even one hundred years old they must have been preserved with great care , and he

o is inclined to d ubt their extreme antiquity .

The o set of n P o ldest Fre ch iquet cards , kn wn

” Co rsube as the pack , which were invented abou t

1 2 n 4 5 , or nearly five hundred years ago , are e

o o The graved on w od and c loured . outlines are printed in pale ink , and the colours appear to have f been applied by means o a stencil . A beautiful pack engraved on copper in the latter quarter of

’ - 1 9 6 Tb e D evi l s P i ctu r e Books.

o w m his heraldic kn ledge and his ilitary tastes , and

a n d a n d that his Spades Hearts were shields, his

D o w - o iamonds arr heads , it is w rth noting that the Germans had ch osen nearly iden tical devices t o m u a n d o C ark their s its , that the Ac rn is a lub , and Leaves and Hearts so clo sely resemble Spades

the n Co S fo and Fre ch eur, that the imilarity in rm can hardly be due t o a caprice of the card - maker

fa of or the ncies a military man .

Cards h a ve by many people been rega rded fo r

w t u t o o centuries i h a s persti i us awe , and acc rded s upernat u ra l po wers of divinati on ; a n d it seems m ore probable th a t the devices were s ugge sted by vario us symbols which were probably c onstan tly

f of o f be ore the eyes men the Middle Ages , par tic ula rly in ch u rches o r ho uses d evo ted t o religi o us p u rpo ses .

“ - . Ba n o u i n C o f Mr ri g G ld , his uri us Myths o the

o the o 1 8 Middle Ages, menti ns disc very in 5 0 o f

a o- o a a G ll R m n palace near Fan i n France . In o ne o f the ro o ms the pavement c o nsisted o f squares which were o rnamented with crosses O f different

“ shapes . Th ose of Saint Andrew terminated in

a - either a he rt shaped leaf or a trefoil . Here then may be seen the various devices adopted by the P i s S u i ts a nd Colou rs . 1 p , , 9 7

- . C or card maker On the arreaux, diamond

C a n d shaped tiles, were displayed lubs , Hearts ,

f t of Spades , beneath the ee the worshipper in his church or the co urtier in the palace ; a n d to transfer the emblems to the card in place of the symbols used by the Oriental was a n easy

“ m t The C f o u a ter. lub , as we name it , is a av rite

of T fo r emblem the rinity, which has been used cent uries as its symb ol ; and we need not Search for an Agnes Sorel or a S a int Patrick as the first t o - af fa use the clover le , and ncy that the French

’ co urtier meant to comp liment the King s mistress

a by pl cing her device among the cards . It might l just as well have been direct y the reverse , and

a she f how a th t , seeing how pretty the lea and p

ro ri ate a p p the pun on her n me , might have adopted it from the card pips . It is quite possible th a t beside the Tarot cards there were others in use

ou f u h ab t the fi teenth cent ry , and t at their em hl em s f became avourites in France and Germany, while Italy and Spain clung to those seen in the

Saracen pack .

D D A N O S D EN DS .

MONG the other extravagant fashions of the

French Court from the time of Charles the

of L of Sixth to that ouis the Sixteenth , that deco

- o f rating the card ro m , its urniture , accessories , and

a even the cards themselves , was by no me ns the least. It was perhaps fitting that the place in w hich enorm ous sums of m o ney chan ged hands should be dec ora ted as a shrine to the God of P lay, and it is certain that they were luxuriously furnished and magnificently adorned . U nder

Louis the Fo urteenth the cloths were Of green velvet embroidered in gold and enriched with bullio n fringes . The counters were of vario us

— o of or o sub metals, m ther pearl , ther valuable

Of stances . We read a pack embroidered on white

o n e en satin enriched with silver, and another

n f graved o mother of pearl . Some o the more luxurio us among the aristocracy ordered their cards from the most famous miniature painters ’ - 2 0 2 Tk e D evil s P i ct u r e Books .

f t o ff o the day , in order di er as widely as possible from the ro ughly produced a nd cheap cards used by the co mmo n people ; and of c o urse fo r these

he cards en orm o u s prices were given . T decora tions of the card- ro oms were in harmony with the

of accessories the tables , and tapestries were de signed and woven to accord with the scenes which they s u rro u nded ; even within a few years one of the modern palaces in Europe has been adorned with mural decoratio ns which represented the co urt cards of obs olete packs ; and the four Knaves

o f f in picturesque c stumes , li e size and beauti ully

- designed and executed , surround the card room .

Th e tables were at first co vered with green cloths which h u ng down and were held in place by their bullio n fringes ; but these c overs were

oo f s n discarded , and the cloth was care ully pasted on the top of the ta ble . Much ingenuity w as ex pended i h m a king the card - tables as ha ndsome as

o of oo T were all the ther details the r m . hey were f inlaid with beauti ul woods , painted by celebrated

artists , and richly ornamented in many other ways .

They are nearly always square or partly ro unded in shape , but are sometimes octagonal or three

n cor ered .

’ 2 D - 04 Tbe evi l s P i ctu r e Books.

“ for says the historian , the appropriate theatre

” such an event .

The rage fo r playing cards was at o ne time as great in England a s in France . James the First fo rbade cards in Scotland ; but it was his favourite amusement. Charles the First did not disdain to create a monopoly of playing-cards by buying

’ all th ose produced by the Card-makers Company of

L o ndon , and selling them out at a much higher

f r o . C o 1 o price ards s ld in 5 45 tw pence a pack , and they must have been wretched specimens .

The marriage of Charles to a French princess in

1 6 2 9 may have introduced Piquet into England ;

o 1 6 it is menti ned in a book printed in 49 , at the same time with Cribbage .

The Ro undheads professed to despise all frivo o u fu al l us am sements , and considered them sin l , th ough the early Christians evidently did not look D m on ice and such ga es in the same light, as recent excavations in the Catacombs Sh o w that the graves there contained various imp le

“ D - ments of sport . ice counters and gambling

“ boards , says a recent writer, have been

C o o discovered in hristian t mbs ; and the b ards , with their gay and inspiriting inscriptions Victus Odds a nd E nds 2 . 0 5

” “ n nescis da D m leva te ; l dere ; lusori locum , o

f hilaris n do ine, rater semper l dere not differ at all from those with which the heathen I had made merry . n the D omitilla Catacomb has been found the tomb of a master in the art of making Dice .

After the restoration of Charles the Second the f court cards resumed their sway, and rom that

to of time the accession Queen Victoria, reigned f supreme , rom court circles down to the gypsies

The for in their encampment in the fields . rage play reached such a pitch during the latter years

f f T Re o the reign o George the hird , that the

hi his f gent, s brothers , and riends were all deeply involved in debt . A story is related of the famous Dowager Elec

f was v tress o Saxony, who de oted to the card table and was not above taking advantage of her positio n and using it when opportunity Offered .

“ ” She one evening committed some irregularity

(as cheating is termed when indulged in by a per son of of exalted rank), and excited suspicions her

of honesty by her play. A co urtier took notice

she this, at which expressed her surprise ; there

“ P m a upon he remarked , ardon , madame , y s spi ’ - 20 6 Tb e D evil s P i ct u r e Books .

u n f n S over ei ns cions co ld ot all o you . g cheat

f or cr ow s only n .

Napoleon t ried to while away the tedio us hours of

‘ hi s a f captivity by pl ying cards . His avourite games

- t- n u P T he e . were Vingt , iquet , and Whist coun

s fo r a w of ter used the l st game were al ays gold , and these h a ve been carefully treasured by the de sc en da n ts of of his jailers . A nine Hearts upon which he had written some English sentences is also preserved . It is related that he never entered o n any enterprise or military o peration

t o t of wi hout c nsul ing a peculiar pack cards , which were not provided with the customary marks of

f n ot suits , and in act were divided into suits at

. T a w fu all hese c rds, hich have been care lly pre

for served , were sent to the author inspection .

T a hey were sm ller than those generally used ,

o n and were printed in black yellow pasteboard .

E a ch card was surrounded with the signs of the ' odiac , and was divided by a black line drawn

o through its centre , and always c ntained two

t o ne o o n lit le pictures , ab ve and e bel o w this

. C u L line Rings , Hearts , Roses, pids , adies ,

Kings , and Queens were displayed on these cards ; but it was evident that they were n ot