PROPHETICAL, EDUCATIONAL AND PLAYING CARDS
[Illustration: ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS
1 Il Bagattel
2 La Papessa
3 L'Imperatrice
4 L'Imperatore
5 Il Papa
6 Gli Amanti]
Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards
By MRS. JOHN KING VAN RENSSELAER
Author of "The Devil's Picture Books," Etc.
LONDON
HURST & BLACKETT, Ltd.
PATERNOSTER HOUSE
1912
PRINTED BY
THE GEORGE H BUCHANAN COMPANY
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
THE ORACLE OF ISHTAR AND NEBO UTTERED BY A WOMAN BAYA (OR WITCH) A NATIVE
OF ARABELA
"I proclaim it aloud--What Has Been Will Be--I am Nebo--The Lord of the
Writing Tablet--Glorify Me."
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I--PROPHETICAL AND OTHER CARDS 27-57
Divining cards--Tablets of fate--Tarots--Gambling cards--
Their difference--Persian cards--Oldest emblems--Standard
packs of Tarots--German designs--French designs--Rouge et
Noir--Persia and Sweden--Writers on cards--The three
gods--Derivation of name--Mercury and his predecessors--
Writer of E-Sigalia--Fortune-telling--The priest of
Thoth--Speech--Italian Tarots--L'Ombre--From leaves to
cards--Attributes of Mercury--Atouts--de Gebelin--From
arrows to cards--Gambling sticks of King Qa--Rods--
Devices--Argiphontes--Cyllenius or Agoneus--Caduceator--
Chthonius--The study of cards--Rods--Many authorities--
Papus--Temple at Baiæ--Book of Thoth--Addha-Nari--
Heraldry--Tradesmen's signs--Lady Mary Wortley Montagu--
Terminus--Cestus--Pigs and tongues--Gazelle--Number
Thirteen--Joker.
CHAPTER II--THE BOOK OF THOTH, HERMES, AND NEBO 58-71
Its leaves--Mercury's attributes--Il Matto--Nebo--Tablets
of fate--The Atouts--Their significance--de Gebelin--
Egyptian deities--Parchment records--Thoth the framer of
laws--Bible of the gypsies--Attributes of Mercury--
Interpretation--Balaam--The "baru"--Tête-á-Tête
mysteries--The pack--L'Ombre--Skus--Pagat--Austrian
Taroks--The romance of a pack of Tarots--Austrian games--
Austrian game books--A clergyman on cards.