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

QuOteS 'SOVSlluZZO, WHO WHOLE uUOuI
the end Of the fifteenth century:
I'm the year Of 1870 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 century later in
14S0. and 1t is quite possible that he
may have been mistaken In attribut-
Ing the cards to Saracenic origin or
may have simply been quoting Il popu-
lar tradition. The Saracens were ia
miliar with naibis. the predecessor OF
cards, but they did not invent the
only d part.
The earliest date about which there
can be no dispute at which playing
cards are directly mentioned by
writer rs matter of his personal ex-
perience is that discovered In the reg
lister Of the court treasurer of France,
IN the reign Of Charles vi. Pie entry
Is under the date OF Feb. !. 1852, as
follows:
Given to Jacquemin Gringonneur,
painter, for three packs of playing
cards. in gold md various colors and
ornnmented with several devices, to
carry before the lord our king for his
amusement &c soils of Paris"
This is the foundation upon which
ls based the popular notion that play
ing cards were invented for the amuse-
ment of u crazy French king Critics
have pointed out that the amount 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
were new.
There are on exhibition today Mt the
National library In Paris 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 cards
have been copied. Unfortunately for
the fame Of the exhibit. 1t has been
proved that the cards shown in Paris
are really very fine Venetian tarok
cards and nre part of IN edition made
ut least as late as 1925.
During the twenty years that follow
this date Of the royal treasurer's 1892
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
fusion has been found to game that
could be construed as card game, al
though there are several writer's who
might reasonably be expected to mem
ton cards II they we're acquainted
with them.
Hugh Won Tymberg. who wrote in
the second half of the thirteenth and
the beginning Of the fourteenth CEN
fury; 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
ton Of cards. although In the writings
Of all Of them there are references to
gambling tables and implements.
In the Escurlal library there ID q
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 II the earliest
mention of cards IS to be found in the
register Of the royal treasurer Of
France where did cards come from II
they were not a new thing to him?
To go back a little. It Is well known
that there existed long before the date
| Of any mention Of playing cards a Sc
rIcs Of emblematic pictures called
naibis, which were used by gypsies
and others for the purpose Of fortune
telling and sorcery. 1t is probably
| these naibis that were brought to Eu-
rope by the Saracens, and perhaps
they were supposed to be Of Saracenic
origin.
Authorities seem to be pretty vel
agreed that toward the end Of the
fourteenth century some inventive
genius. probably Venetian. selected .
number Of these naibis or pictures ani
i added to them a series OF numera
rards 80 as to convert them into i'm
plements by which the excitement o
chance aud the interest Of gaming
might be added to the amusement at
forded by the original naibis.
/ The principal reason for assuming
that cards originated IN Italy and no
In France Is that the names Of th,
cards themselves and the names Of tn
earliest known games played witt
them are all Italian aud that thes'
q italian terms were carried all owe
4 Europe. II they were Of French orr
gin the nomenclature might be expect
"a 10 be French. ss
There Is nm abundant evidence tina
the playing cards which rapidiy foun'
their way all over Europe were mad
In Venice. As each country got I
making Its own CARES the embIems Q
the suitsSwere changed to p,ease th
national fancy until there = nothin
{ left today OF the original faith. char
q ity. justice and fortituie which wef
represented on the 6rst Italian pack
Every rose has To thorn. and unfol
sunately the thorn outlives the ROSE
! Tho Rs6lmantsl oafbsys
a major N IN English regiment A.
q CREST contempt FOR tncapecity of an
kind ana = eomewhat impatient.
sergeant complaiped @ him that I
could 20 10 man 10 undertlke @
duty Of barbar 70 ~ ccmpany.
u there 70 gardeaer r. - eoA