The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-09-01
FIRST PLAYING CARDS
They Seem to Have Sprung From
the NaibiS Of the SaraCens.
INVENTION OF A VENETIAN.
The Evidence Appears TO Prove That
Games With Cards Originated To-
ward the End Of the Fourteenth Gen.
tury-The Cards OF Charles vi.

The earliest direct mention of play
ing cards discovered 80 far Is In the
"History of the City of Viterbo.' says
the New York Telegraph, The author
quotes Covelluzzo. who wrote about
the end of the fifteenth century:
.In the year Of 1879 was brought
into Viterbo the game of cards, which
comes from the country of the Sara
Gems and Is with them called naib"
1t is worthy of remark that Covel'
luzzo did not write ut that date he
mentioned. but n century later. In
1880. aud 1t is quite possible that he
NAV have been mistaken In attribut-
ing the cards to Saracenic origin or
may have simply been quoting popu-
lar tradition. The Saracens were IA
millar with naibis. the predecessor OF
cards. but they did not invent the
game of cards. of which naibis were
only part.
The earliest date about which there
can be no dispute al which playing
cards are directly mentioned by
writer as II matter OF his personnl eS'
pprience Is that discovered In the reg
lister of the court treasurer of France,
in The reign of Charles VI. The entry
is under the date OF FEB. I. 1892. as
follows:
Given to Jacquemin Gringonneur.
painter. for three packs ot paying
cards. in gold and various coiorS ANA
.,,;, A, I..t.t
carry before the lord our king for his
amusement ~ soS of Paris
This is he foundation upon which
is based the popular notion that play
ing cards were invented for the amuse-
ment of II crazy French king Critics
have pointed ont that tn" amount paid
IS simply for the iiatu painting and
decoration nf the cards. I here is moth
ing in the entry that gives ground tol
supposing that the cards themselves
were new.
There are on exhibition today at the
National library IN l'ariS what are
supposed to be seventeen of these
cards that were painted for Charles
VI. and this has strengthened the i'm.
preston that they are the original
model from which all playing cares
have been cupic't Unfortunately for
the fame of ~ exhibit. it has been
proved that ~, cards shown in Paris
are really vr, line Venetian tarok
cards and are part of an edition made
at least as late n li25.
During the twenty years that follow
this date of the royal treaSurer's Q3!I2'
literature Is full of references TO play
Ing cards. Almost every author that
mentions games of gambling parapher-
MALTA particularizes one or more games
of cards But before that date no al
lusion has been found To a game that
could be construed as card game. al
though there are several writer's who
might reasonably he expected to men
tion cards II they were acquainted
with them
Hugh Won Tymberg who wrote in
the second half OF the thirteenth and
the beginning of the fourteenth cen
fury; Peirar,'h. who wrote IN the tirst
half of til" fourteenth century: Chau-
Ger. VINO wro'e III the second naif or
the fourteenth century. made no men
tion vi caruS' aHh''n.n ih 'ne WRITINGS
OF all OF them there are references t"
gampiins tables ana implements.
In inc Esrur'h' library there Is
manuscript composed 10y order of Don
Aipnonso 'he WISE. na'en '32' wh"h
gives the ruieS Tor = nur'l"r OF games
especially cheSs ana ace. bur does not
contain W"rd about cards
But one naturai'y asks II the earliest
mentioh OF carus u 10 or t"nhd III the
register OF the royai treasurer "f
france where did rards con" from II
tney were not Il new thlng to him!
10 80 bhck niue. II Is well KNOWN
tnat 'here existed long before the date
OF any mention OF playing cards a So
RES OF eIpblematic pictures called
naipis. winch were used by gypsies
ana others Tor the purpose OF fortune
teihng and sorcery. II Is probably
tnese naibis that were brought TO Eu,
rope py tne Saracens, ana perhaps
fl9V were SllnnDSpd fn ha nf Saruf.nnil