The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-08-20
FIRST PLAYING CARDS
They Seem 10 Have Sprung From
the Maibis Of the Saracens.
INVENTION OF A VENETIAN.
The Evidence Appears to Prove Tha.
Games With Cards Originated To.
ward the End Of tho Fourteenth Cen.
tury-The Cards Of Charles vi.

I1luOlSS SoNCAIuLkOs WIN NlOIU AOOuS
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 at that date he
mentioned. but a century later. in
14S0. and it Is quite possible that lie
may have been mistaken in attribut-
Ing the cards to S%aracenic origin or
may have simply been quoting Il popu-
lar tradition. The S%aracens were ia
miliar With naibis, the predecessor of
cards, but they did not invent the
game Of cards, of which naibis were
only d part.
The earliest date about which there
can be no dispute at which playing
cards are directly mentioned by u
writer as n matter Of his personal ex-
perience is that discovered in the reg
lister of the court %asu of France,
in the reign Of Charles vi. The entry
follows:
Given to Jacquemin G~ringonneur.
painter, for three packs of playing
cards. in gold and various colors and
ornnmented With several devices. to
carry before the lord our king for his
amusement Sc soils of Paris"
Yhis is the foundation upon which
is based the popular notion that play
ing cards We're invented for the muse
meRt of Il crazy French king. Critics
have pointed. out that the nmount paid
Is simply for the hand printing and
decoration of the cards. There is moth
Ing in the entry that gives ground for
surprising that the cards themselves
We're new.
There are on exhibition today at the
.Sational library III l'nrlS What are
supposed to be seventeen of these
cards that were painted for Charles
VI. aud this has strengthened the i'm
preston that they are the original
model from which all playing cards
have been copied. Unfortunately for
the fame of. the exhibit. it has been
proved that the cards shown in Paris
are really very fine Venetian tarok
cards. and are part of an edition made
ut least as late rs 1425.
-. Du...s .ne WHY sea's .ua. 1 .,no.,,
.uls ua.e ~ .uI 'osal ,eusule' N.oo1'
Ing cards. Almost every author that
mentions games of gambling parapher-
MALTA particularizes one or more games
-. pu. pelole .uae uate W u.
.us.o' nas oesn iou'u ~ sanle 'ua.
tuu.u oe ls'1ueulus = e"lu san'e, u
.nousn .ueie a,e atselul WHITES Wuo
u'isp 'easoao. W tApecteu " u'en,
.1on s.lus = .ues were ucqualnteu
VIII .nelu.
nusn s9n 49,. ash,Del ~ WV M.u'e -
~ S ua'l ~ .ne 'nll.ee'.n auu
.ne tslnn.ns y .''e iou1teen.n ecu.
.u'y' e..''su' VIZ Mloee y .ne n1st
uali " tne ioutteen.n century, Cnau.
cer, VINO 3Wrote ~ tne second nalI 81 o.
wy ioui.een.n ssn.urs n'aue ny nlen-
.lonE - calus' 70 .ne Wrltluss
y a,1.oA .nIln g.nefs alt, "
sa.lp.,us tapies anu lllp'e1nents
n Tue Escurlal library !lere y .
una1qsctlp. conlposeu spv oruer : Lon
Aiphonso lne wise. oateu 1871. Wnlcn
gives tne rules s TOT q nuhiDer oI games.
especialiys cness ana y ulce, Dut Toes not
conan q Woru aDout aros.
l'ut one naturaliy asks y the eafilest
u'entlons OF carus Is 70 De 1ound N the
register Of the treasurer OF
rance Wnere 0la caras come from y