Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-11-11
PLAYING CARDS.

J
nese, Hindus and Arabs we're making
their different combinations Of war
like game, bearing many relations to
Its sister, chess. On thin slips Of ivory,
mother-0f-pearl, or wood, the devices
we're painted for the hands Of oriental
despots, no less than eight armies and
eight players struggled foT the victory
under the command of King, a vizier
aud an elephant. China seems to
have been the home of their invention;
from thence they passed on to India,
about ll2O, and were. soon adopted by
the Arabs. Our Crusaders in their
turn learned the game Of their foes,
and from the number of DEGREES for
bidding their use issued by the Church,
we may believe that they were soon
spread all over Europe. The first au-
thentic mention that occurs of them
is in Chronicle of Nicholas de Covel-
luzzo, NativeO of Viterbo, which says:
" In 1879 the game of cards was intro
duced at Viterbo, from the land of the
Saracens, and which is called by them
ndtb." We hear of them in BurgOs in
1887, in Paris in 1892, in Ulm in 1907,
keeping the root of their Arab uame,
as they are still called in Spain naypcs,
naib in Arabic meaning captain or
lieutenant. Italy soon adopted the
title Of tsrots or tarocchi, owing to
the back Of the card being tarote, or
covered with little points or divisions,
Invented to prevent the knaves mark
ing the cards, and cheating at the
game. From the fourteenth century we
find them spread all over Europe;
they are mentioned in the lists of
plate and jewelry belonging to mon
archs aud mobiles; councils aud synOds
condemned and forbade them, as well
as royal proclamation. In the nina
lures OF manuscripts, in the early at
tempts at engraving on wood and cop.
per, we see the game portrayed; poets,
romance writer's and travelling story
tellers do not forget them in their wri-
tings; and fragile as were the cards
themselves, three are some painted
and engraved which belong to the
fifteenth century still in existence.
a fresco at Bologna, painted in 1ii0,
represents four soldiers playing at
cards, done by Francesca Fibbia; and
the year after we find the celebrated
card-makers OF Venice complaining
that the trade was departing out
OF their hands, in consequence of the
great number Of playing-cards wi"
painted and printed figures which
were introduced from Iher coun-
tries, and praying the s ate to lay
tax on these foreign productions,
whether printed on linen or paper. 1t
may be well to remark that here we
have the first mention Of printed
cards, which probably y came from Ger
many. A paC.A of these are still in
existence engraved with the burin,
which are supposed to be the work OF
Finiguerra or Mantegna, and at any
rate belong to this period of Italian
art. 1t seems probable that they are
made at Padua or Florence, and are
limitations of the earliest Italian
tarocchi, which vary somewhat from
the cards now in use. The design i.
at once simple and good in outline
the engraving fine and harm niOuS
they are divided into five ser. :, eacl
Of ten cards, and bear the rlmes q
the muses., the sciences, the eaveuly y
bodies aud the virtues The so -caileC
cards Of Charles vi Of Fra0ce, whicl
are now in the BibliOtheque du Rio il
Paris, are probably the most sucieu
Of any that are preserved in the
various public collections Of Europe
There are but seventeen, painted will
all the edelicacy ofthe miniatures in tn,
illuminated manuscripts of the period
on a gold ground, and surrounded by
silver border, in which is a ribbOr
rolled spirally round done in points
1t is to this that the cards owe thei
name of tarctS, being marked, as w
J often see them in the present day
, when the back is covered with ara
, besques.
: twill be readily believed that ucl
works of art as the early pac "
cards were not accessible to the muI l.
tude, but we're very costly and only
fit for kings and mobiles. In an ol,
account-boOk OF the monarchs o
France we find the treasurer paid II
1892, about GS of our present none!
for three packs and single pack eX
quisitely painted by MarSiana, secre
tary TO the Duke of Milan, cost few
yeaEs later, 500 gold crowns, But a
9 the more economical way Of printin
l and engraving came into use, both G
G which arts were known long befor
printing with mOveable types, tn
| price of these cave - articles fell raT
idly nd in lIj4, = pack bought fo
= the ! phin cost 10 more than ~
q AS u passed on, le ilgures on Ia
I cards Uha ged wit e costume OF h
, me, according 10 'ha .,ioes OF th
court or the imagnat ~ Of thc make
The pointed beard heavy coils
aud plnmed hat appeared as the dre'
Vi !ne hlnss the ha' urnou Ii paI ~
auu vIIuipeu' Vue 'Hoe t''!"' CIV m u
II iartnlngale, as IhaV ol lne QueeI
n que oIu pa1k represents S Wv 'oI5 G GIe'
/, mohaTcnles In JEWISH, Grtsh, W,a., lT,ma ni.;
!, a'iu ffehcn, uhuer ths NIL h,nSs D"sl '.,I,
d AieHsAneF, Nesar, anu Ci.allelnosl ,!l' thn ll'
g WINE she queens y iS.n IU1,iNe .he ila. nlal
MeC oi ieleulueL uu1,n, y Well
l. itacne' ny beauty ta'laS' was oy w, WI
t. oom Als,ue' Whlou iS Is tne ana SnSs a a
&c .. heelha, py heiiSnip ,on oSi,a anu 81 u
e, KhsVes ol lne .ouI SstS ~ a,ias. vuf'Slly
r, hector Tue VS,ianS lI,Jan oulT,, ,li neI'
palauln Vi OiiatiSLusS'tei @ iISn1ei. Hn.S
h one OF tno IweiVe kn1snts nS,O o' AT Ar'Iul Tn
m hounH 1aole anu VII iiahHH, NJ 'ne o. " ~
70 captain OF OnaG.es 80 tue "os u u
,S borne many uiHereui inSs ~. U,Stloi' h,i
=, some llas,npa ~ " 20 'rle M ~ ~ Woo, .r,
3T money fOr the pay nleDt VI the tIOOI