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Ebook has 291 lines and 37161 words, and 6 pages

PAGE

THE TAROTS, OR THE FIRST CARDS 11

CHESS 21

ENGRAVING 33

MATERIALS 41

NAME 49

CLASSIFICATION OF PACKS OF CARDS INTO SUITS 55

CARDS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, VIZ.:--

CHINA 65

EGYPT 69

INDIA 70

CASHMERE 74

PERSIA 77

ITALY 80

GERMANY 83

SPAIN 88

FRANCE 90

ENGLAND 102

AMERICA 112

JAPAN 131

THE KING 139

THE QUEEN 151

THE KNAVE 161

ACES AND OTHER CARDS 171

USE AND ABUSE 179

PIPS, SUITS, AND COLOURS 191

ODDS AND ENDS 201

PLATE

PERSIAN 1

TAROT 2

TAROT 3

CHINESE 4

CASHMERE. Cards owned by Lockwood de Forest, Esq. 5, 6

ITALIAN CARDS SHOWING THE SUITS OF SWORDS, MACES, MONEY, AND CUPS. Owned by Mrs. J. K. Van Rensselaer 7

GERMAN CARDS SHOWING THE ACES OF GR?N, ROTH, SCHELLEN, AND HERZEN. Owned by Mrs. J. K. Van Rensselaer 8

ELIZABETH OF YORK 10

CARDS FOUND BY MR. CHATTO IN A BLACK-LETTER VOLUME FORMERLY IN THE CATHEDRAL LIBRARY, AT PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND. Now in the Print Room of the British Museum 11

FOUND IN AN OLD EDITION OF CLAUDIAN, EARLY ENGLISH 12

CARDS ON WHICH INVITATIONS WERE WRITTEN. Owned by Mrs. Ten Eyck and Miss Crowninshield. Date 1763 13

GEOGRAPHICAL CARDS. Owned by Richard H. Derby, Esq., M.D. Date 1795 14

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN CARDS, APACHE TRIBE. Cut out of Deerskin and painted by themselves. National Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 15, 16, 17

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GAMBLING-STICKS, HAIDA TRIBE, QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. Carved on Cubes of Wood. National Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 18, 19

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GAMBLING-STICKS, ALASKA TRIBE. Painted on Cubes of Wood. National Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 20

JAPANESE CARDS, EACH ONE REPRESENTING A WEEK IN THE YEAR. Owned by Mrs. J. K. Van Rensselaer 21, 22, 23, 24

THE DEVIL'S PICTURE-BOOKS

THE DEVIL'S PICTURE-BOOKS.

THE TAROTS.

That cards were brought from the East to Europe about the time of the Crusades, and probably by the home-returning warriors, who imported many of the newly acquired customs and habits of the Orient into their own countries, seems to be a well established fact; and it does not contradict the statement made by some writers, who declare 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 the present day, for divining the future. Cards may well have become known by both means, and they spread rapidly over all of what was then considered the only civilized part of the world; and the proofs that have been 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 found in any one of these countries.

Mr. Singer gives a graphic description of these cards and the games to be played with them, and says that "among different nations the suits are distinguished by marks peculiar to themselves, while only the general features of the numbered cards headed by figures or court cards have been retained."

These Atouts are each represented by a print which is supposed to resemble some character, and the name is generally placed on the card. Among them are an Emperor, a Cupid, a Chariot, a Hermit, a Gallows, Death, The Day of Judgment, a Pope, Fortune, Temperance, Justice, the Moon, the Sun, etc. The order in which they are placed is not always the same, and is seemingly unimportant. The game may be played by two or four persons. "The one who holds the 'Fool' regains his stake; 'La Force' takes twice as much from the pool, while 'La Mort' most appropriately sweeps the board."

It is said that the distribution of the suit cards has a peculiar signification. Each one is distinguished by an emblem which represents the four classes into which communities were once divided. First comes the Churchman, represented by the Chalice ; next in rank, the Warrior, whose emblem is the Sword; third, the Merchant, symbolized by a Coin; and fourth, the Workman with his Staff. It will be shown hereafter that almost all writers on the subject allow the possibility of the divisions of the suits being shown in the cards.

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