The Sun.
London, England, 1820-12-01 00:00:00

THE ORIGIN OF CARDS.

About the year I.39o,Cards were invented, to divert Charles
then King ,of France. who was fallen into a melancholy
disposition. That they were not in use before, appears highly
probable.—tst. Because no Cards are to be seen in any paint-
ings, sculpture, tapestry, &c. more ancient than the prem.-d-
-ing period, but are represented in many works of ingenuity
since that age. 2dly. No prohibitions relative to Cards, by
the King's Edicts, are mentioned,although some few years be-
fore a most severe one was published, forbidding by name all
manner of sports, and pastimes, in artier that the subjects
might exercise theMseives in shooting with bows and arrows,
and be in condition to oppose the English. Now it is not to
be presumed, that so luring a game as Cards would hare been
omitted in the enumeration, had they been in nse. Plly. In
all the Ecclesiastical canous prior to the said time there oc-
curs no mention of Cards; although twenty years after that
date, Card playing was interdicted by the Clergy, by a Galil-
ean Synod.- "Abont (lie same time is found in the Account •
Book of the King's Coffeter the Wowing charge: "Paid for
a pack of painted leaves brought for the King's amusement,
threelivres."'. Printing and stamping being. not then disco-
vered, the Cards were painted, which made them sa dear.
Thence, in the .above synodical 'canons, they are called
pagiliw pieta:, painted little leaves. 4thly. About ,thirty ;
years after this came a severe edict against Cards in France;
and another by Emmanuel Duke of Savoy; only permitting
the Ladies this pastime,:pro spinais, for pins and needles.
Of their• design.--'The inventor proposed by the figures of
the four suits; or colours, as the French call them, to repre-
sent the four states, or classes of men in the kingdom. By
the Ccesars .(hearts) are meant the Gens de Chceur, choir
men, or ecclesiastics; and therefore the Spaniards, who cer-
tainly received the use of cards from the French, have copas
or chalices instead of hearts. The nobility, or prime military
part of the kingdom, are represented by the ends or points of
lances, or pikes, and our ignorance of the meaning or resem-
blance of the figure" itiduced tts -to call -them spades. The
Spaniards have espades (swords) in lieu of pikes, which.is of
similar import. By diamonds, are designed the oulvj- of
citizens, merchants, and tradesmen, curreau.r (square stone
tiles or the like.) • The Spaniards have a coin dineres, which
answers to it ; anti the Mitch call the French word carreaus,
stieneen, stones and diamonds, from the form. Trestr, the
trefoil leaf, or clover grass (corruptly called clubs) allttdeilo
hilibandmen and peasants. How this suit came to be called
-clubs is nut explained, unless, borrowing the game from the
Spaniards, who have bastos (staves or clubs) instead of the
traoil, we gave the Spanish signification to the French
figure.
The History of the foar Kings, T which the French in drol-
lery sometimes call the cards, is David, Alexander, Csesati,
, 'and Charles (which names were then, and still are on the
French cards.) These respectable names represent the fjur.
,2celehrafed Monarchies of the Jews, Greeks, Romans, and
,Franks, under Charlemagne. •
. By the Queens are intended Argine, Esther, Judith, and
Pallas (names retained in Abe French cards), typical of birth,
piety, fortitude, and wisdom, the qualifications residing in
each person. Argine is an anagram for Regina, queen by
descent.
By.the Ersaves Isere designed the servants to knights (for
.knave originally meant only servant ; and in au old transla-
tion of the Bible, St. Paul is called the knave of Christ) hut
•French pages and valets, now indiscriminately used by vari-
ous orders of persons, were formerly only allowed to persons
of quality, esquires(escuiers) shield or armour bearers.-Others
fancy that the knights themselves were designed by those
cards; because Hogier, and Lahire, two names on the French►
cards, were fatuous Knights at the time cards were supposed
to be invented.

BOIERS.-A novel match has been made for
Turner, to fight Hickman, the Gas-light Alan.
Hickman is to fight 150 guineas to 80. Turner
is under eleven stone, and Gas above twelve.
Turner, hovever, thinks he can' win-, and the
-other makes certain of it. Betting 2 .to lon
Gas.