The National Register.
London, England, 1814-11-20 00:00:00

ORIGIN AND ANTII,q7ITY OF CARDS.

Cards were always made of paper: and seem to have been invented
about the year of 1:390, to• divert Charles VI. of France, who bad
tulle a into a mel.echoly diqmsition.
One Jaluentin Gringonrrtor, a painter in Paris, appears to have
been the inveteur, from the following [wide in the Trtrasurio's ac-
c:ittnts :—" Paid h 6 f Paris to Jaquemin Gringonneur, the
painter, for three packs of cards, gilded with gold, and painted with
divers colours and divers devices, to be carried to the King, for his
amusement, ice.."—A great price in those times ; but their carving and
gilding required much art.
file tom suits were made to represent the four classes of men in the
kin.edont. Tine hearts denoted the ecclesiastics. The nobility, or
prime military' part oT the kingdom, were represented Ly points of
lances, or the Spades. Diamonds designed the order of merchants or
tradesmen ; and the trefoil leaf, or Clubs, nlleded to the hushandawn
and peasants. The four King. represented David, Alexander, Ctesar,
end Chinks, which names were son.the French cards formerly ; they
exhibit the four celebrated monarchies of the Jews, Greeks, Romans.
and Franks. By the Queens are represented Archie (anagram for
Regian) Esther, Judithosend Pallas—typical of birth, piety, fortitude,
and wisdom. Iy the Knaves were designed the servants to knights,
or the kniAts themselveS.
The first certain notice of their havi .e been known in England oc-
curs in a record in the tin e of Edward IV. on an apillkation of the
card makers to Parliament, in the year 1643, when an act was made
against The importation of plainpeards, :id Edw. IV. c. 4. Prom
this statute it appears, that card•plin ing and card-making were known
and practised in England before this period, or about. S 0 years after
the era of their, sußposed invention.
Mr. Gough observes; the use of cards among the Chinese is evident,
not .only from teChinesepnintine refire.,enting their playing-with
sonic-
thinK much. like cards,, bat al.o from a pack of Chinese cards in'his
poases,ion, made. of the 'seine materials as the Etiropean, but the
dUvices ere very different.
Tfe mchod of making playing cards seems to hove given the first
Lint to the invention of printing, as appears from the first specimens of
printing ut Ilaerfem, and those in the Bodleian Library. • •

Lord \Valsingham retires from the office of Chairman of
the Committees of the House of Lords, with a pension of
20001. per annum for life, and a reversion of Wool. a year
to his daughters.
The Rill introduced by Mr. Craker for the encouragement
and reward of petty officers, seamen, and marines, for long
and faithful services, enables the Commissioners and Go-
nors of Greenwich Hospital, out of their present or future
'fluids, to grant pensions, remunerations, or allowances to
petty officers, seamen, and marines, for length of service or
good conduct, on the same principle as pensions arc granted
to the wounded and disabled, but subject to the regulations
of Orders in Council. The body politic and corporate of the
chest at Greenwich is to he extinguished, and its powers
trarv,ferred to the Hospital Commissioners, and all funds of
the said chest are to belong hereafter to' the said Commis-
sioners, in aid of the objects of the Act. The Cotnmissi-
goners are enabled to make compensations to such persons as
lose their employments by this change. A paymaster and
arrountant is to be appointed, whose letters and packets arc
(to be free of pustage.