Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-07-16
ANCIENT CARD GAMES.
Bridge Whist Only Revival Of Some
thnu Centuries Old.

ANCIENT CARD GAMES.
Bridge Whist Only Revival Of Some
thing Centuries Old.
The earliest direct mention OF play
ing cards discovered so 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 1879 was brought into
Viterbo the game Of cards, which
comes from the country Of the Saracens
and is with them call naib.''
It is worthy Of remark that Covelluz-
20 did not write at that date he mem
toned, but a century later, in 1880,
and it is quite possible that he may
have been mistaken in attributing the
cards to Saracenic origin or may have
simply been quoting popular tradi-
ton. The Saracens were familiar with
naibis, the predecessors Of cards, but
they did not invent the game Of cards,
which naibis were only part.
The earliest date about which there
can be no dispute at which playing
cards are directly mentioned by wri-
ter as a matter Of his personal exper-
ience Is that discovered in the register
of the court treasurer of France, in the
reign of Charles vi. The entry Is un-
der the date Of February 1, 1892, as
follows
"Given to Jacquemin Grinsonneur,
painter, for three packs Of playing
cards, in gold and various colors and
ornamented with several devices, to
carry before the lord our king, for his
amusement, Sc soils Of Paris"
This is the foundation upon which is
based the popular notion that playing
cards was invented for the amuse-
ment of crazy French king. Critics
have pointed out that the amount paid
is. simply for the hand painted and
decoration of the cards. There Is moth
ing in the entry that gives ground for
supposing that the cards themselves
were new.
There are on exhibition today at the
National Library In Paris what are
supposed to be II Of these cards that
were painted for Charles vi, and this
has strengthened the impression that
they are the original model from which
all playing cards have been copied.
Unfortunately for the fame Of the ex-
hibit, it has been proved that the cards
shown in Paris are really very fine
Venetian tarok cards, and are part OF
an edition made at least as late as
1925.
During the 20 years that follow this
date of the royal treasurers (1392) lit
erature Is full Of references Of playing
cards. Almost every author that men
tions games of gambling paraphernalia
particularizes one or moro games Of
cards. But before that date no allu-
sion has been found to a game that
could be construed as a card game, al
though there are several writer's who
might reasonably be expected to mem
tion cards II they were acquainted with
them.
Hugh Won Tymberg, who wrote in
the second half Of the thirteenth and
the beginning oil the fourteenth CEN
tury; Petrarch, who wrote in the first
half of the fourteenth century; Chau-
Ger, who wrote in the second half of
the fourteenth century, made no men,
tion Of cards, although in the writings
Of all Of them there are references to
gambling games and implements.
In the Escurial Library there Is a
manuscript composed by order Of Don
Alphonso the Wise, dated 1921, which
gives the rules for a number Of games,
especially chess and dice, but does not
contain word about cards.
But one naturally asks IL the earliest
mention of cards is to be found in the
the register Of a royal treasurer Of
France, where did cards come from II
they were not new thing to him?
To go back little, It is well known
that there existed long before the date
Of any mention Of playing cards a Sc
ries Of emblematic pictures called
naibis, which were used by gypsies and
others for the purpose Of fortune tell
ing and sorcery. 1t Is probably these
paibis that were brought to Europe
by the Saracens and perhaps they
were supposed to be of Saracenic or
igin.
Authorities seem to be pretty well
agreed that toward the end Of the
fourteenth century some inventive
genius, probably a Venetian, selected a
number of these naibis or pictures, and
added to them a series Of numeral
cards, 80 as to convert them into i'm
plements by which the excitement Of
chance and the interest Of gaming
might be added to the amusement af-
forded by the original naibis.
The principal reason for assuming
that cards originated in Italy and not
in France is that the names Of the
cards themselves and the names Of the
earliest known games played with
them are all Italian, and that these
Italian terms were carried all over Eu-
rope. If they were of French origin
the nomenclature might be expected
to be French.
There Is an abundant evidence that
the playing cards which rapidly found
their way all over Europe were made
in Venice. AS each country got to
making its own cards the emblems Of
the suits were changed to please the
national fancy, until there is nothing
left today Of the original faith, charity.
justice and fortitude which were rep
resented on the first italian packs.
HOW ENEl ISHWOMEN SHOP.