quoted. A variant of the story appeared in "The American Hebrew" that is
worth repeating, as the original Christian ideas have been altered to suit
the synagogue. It says: "The Ace is the only God. The Deuce, the two
tables of stone that Moses broke at one blow. Try to keep them. The Trey
is the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The four is our four
ancient mothers, Sarah, Rachel, Leah, and Rebecca. The five, the books of
Moses. The Six, the six days of the week, and the Seven is the Sabbath,
when God rested and the seven-branched candlestick was made. Eight
righteous persons were saved from the flood, Noah, his wife, three sons,
and their wives. Joab came to Jerusalem at the end of Nine months. Ten
Commandments are the cornerstone of the jurisprudence of the civilized
world. The Knave is the constable who took me up. He was a fool, or he
would not have disturbed me at my devotions. Queen Sheba and King Solomon
are the Royal family. The former dressed fifty boys and fifty girls alike
in male attire, and, to test the king, asked him to tell which were which.
The wise one ordered water to be brought, and then quickly picked them
out, greatly to the astonishment of the queen; but the children had
betrayed themselves, as the boys only washed their wrists, while the girls
washed to their elbows. Furthermore, there are three hundred and
sixty-five spots in a complete deck of cards, corresponding to the days of
the year, fifty-two to a pack corresponding to the weeks. Twelve picture
cards, one for each month. Four suits, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
Diamonds represent wealth, Hearts love, Spades health and labor, and Clubs
power."
In the British Museum is a pack of grammatical cards printed by Jane, June
1, 1676. A small treatise of instruction that went with the cards begins
as follows: "To all ingenious gentlemen the Purchasers of these Sciential
cards. It was Plato's custom, after he had ended his disputation, as he
went forth from his school, to give this admonition to his scholars,
'_Videte ut ocium in re quapiam honesta collocetis_,' or, 'Nothing is more
irksome to nature than not to know how to spend one's time,' and if the
mind have not some relaxation from its grave and Serious Employment it
cannot endure. I should have been very injurious to you if I should have
Obscured this Grammatical Epitome and Deprived you of that which will make
much both for your Leisure and Profit."
There is another pack in the same collection with "a short tract" teaching
their use, saying: "For as your cards are entitled Hearts, Diamonds,
Spades, and Clubs, so ours are to be called by the names of Orthographie
(Spades), Etymologie (Clubs), Syntax (Hearts), and Prosodie (Diamonds)."
By such gentle paths were men lured from vice to literature!
Astronomical cards were early adopted in Nuremburg, as was natural, for
one of the most celebrated astronomers lived in that town, and the Tarots
certainly lent themselves more easily to conceptions based on astronomy
than to any other science, since so many of the Atouts have derivations
from the planets. There are also French cards that are dated 1620, and
Italian ones of about fifty years earlier, all of them being on the same
subject.
Many of the Atouts in the Tarots are connected with the signs of the
Zodiac, but the emblems on them are not clearly displayed, so inferences
from them are mere guesswork.
The astronomical cards of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, showing
the signs of the Zodiac, are clearly inspired by the Tarots, but the
designs are supplemented by figures that show no connection with the Book
of Thoth.
An English pack, dated 1700, called Virtues and Vices, has the former so
repulsively and the latter so attractively displayed that they can serve
no good purpose.
Historical cards are interesting to students of costume. In the United
States one pack commemorates the war of 1848 with Mexico, and the Kings
represent the generals of the day. On the Aces are views of well-known
country places, One is of the headquarters of General Washington at
Newburgh; another is Highwood, on the Hudson River at Wiehawken, opposite
Forty-second Street, New York, the residence of Mr. James Gore King.
A pack of cards of 1863 represents the battle between the "Monitor" and
the "Merrimac," and the court cards are soldiers in the uniforms of the
day, such as zouaves, etc.
A pack in the British Museum displays small and very indecent pictures
with descriptive legends. Some of the latter are amusing, such as, "Hee
that has no Head wants noe Hatt." Under the picture of a bachelor maid is:
I know well how the world waggs,
He's most beloved that has most Baggs.
Under the sketch of an old woman with her pet is written: "Two heads are
better than one, which made the old woman carry her dog to Market with
her," and its mate has: "Men and Doggs may goe abroad, but Women and Catts
must stay at home." Another reads: "Two Doggs and a Bone, Two Catts and a
Mouse, Two Wives in a House can never Agree."
The picture of three doctors entering a room with their sticks to their
noses and approaching a sick man bears the legend:
If you'll avoid old Charon, the Ferryman,
Consult Dr. Dyett, Dr. Quiett, and Dr. Merryman.
The following card has on it: "An Ounce of Mirth is worth a Pound of
Sorrow."
CHAPTER XV
EUROPEAN PLAYING CARDS
According to Spanish writers, the authentic history of Playing Cards in
Europe begins about 1332, for they point with triumph to an order issued
by Alphonse of Castile, presumed to be of that date, forbidding his
soldiers to play games or to gamble. It is pointed out by disputatious
writers that the command was not directed against Playing Cards, since
they were not expressly mentioned by name, as are the other prohibited
games of chance. Then there is a second statement that Charles V of Spain,
in 1369, denounced cards, calling them by the local name of Naipes, or
prophets; and also a third record that, in 1387, dice, cards, and chess
were banned by John of Castile.
It is evident through these trustworthy records that gambling was widely
practised in Spain, and that, even if cards were not particularly named in
the first-mentioned edict, it was but little more than eighteen years
later that they had become so common it was necessary to forbid their use
through an official decree.
In 1395 the Provost of Paris issued a proclamation against Playing Cards,
showing that their abuse in the capital of France had become intolerable.
With these and other evidences, it may well be asserted that by the
beginning of the fifteenth century Playing Cards were commonly known in
the capitals of Europe, where they were publicly used for games and
gambling, as well as for fortune-telling.
It has already been mentioned that there are records of Playing Cards in
the "Red Book of Ulm," of 1397, and an account in Nuremburg, dated 1384,
when a monk preached against the inordinate love of gaming among his
congregation.
Aretino assigns the invention of cards, as well as of chess, to Palamedes,
in the Grecian camp before the wall of Troy, thus claiming a very early
date for their introduction to Europeans; but, while little credence has
been placed on this record, it is more than probable that Tarots were part
of the equipment of the camp if the soldiers wished to have their future
foretold by the messenger of the gods, and gambling sticks, made of ivory
and marked with men's heads, have been found in the tomb of King Qa, at
Abydos, Egypt.
History states that the Crusaders played at "tables" (as draughts or
checkers were then called), and also that King Richard Coeur de Lion was
fond of chess; but the English histories do not mention cards at that
date. German authors infer that cards were introduced into Europe by the
Crusaders, who, finding the Tarots common among their enemies (or
prisoners), the Saracens, learned to play from them, and as the pictures
on the cards were attractive, they used them to send home as missives to
their families, and these authors support their theory by pointing out
that cards are still called "briefe," or letters, in Germany, while we
might say that these pictures were the ancestors of the postal cards of
the present day.
Writers harp on the lack of historical data concerning Playing Cards
before the middle of the fourteenth century, oblivious of the fact that
previous to that time it is probable that Tarots would not have been
classed with games, and that educated people had not learned to use the
pack for amusement, nor had the lower classes grasped the fact that they
could be converted into a means for gambling, so they disregarded the
ancient symbols, which they considered only useful for fortune-tellers, so
cards at that date would not have been classed as gambling tools.
As soon as a game was arranged for the cards, however, they were eagerly
adopted by all classes of society as a welcome diversion. From that time
on, numerous descriptions are to be found in the archives of European
countries, appearing almost simultaneously. Gough (a writer mentioned by
the Rev. Edward Taylor in his "History of Playing Cards," page 187)
expressly states that "the Italian game called La Minchiate, which was
played with the ancient Tarot pack, was invented at Sienna by Michael
Angelo to teach children arithmetic." It would seem that the writer was
slightly confused in his ideas, for the cards invented for teaching
arithmetic were not true Tarots. He may be correct, however, in supposing
that cards were arranged by the painter for educational purposes, and that
they followed closely the number and arrangement of the older pack, for
there are such cards still to be found in collections, although hardly of
so early a date.
There seems no reason to doubt the record that "Francis Fibbia, of Pisa,
invented the game of Tarrochino (or little Tarots), in 1419, receiving as
reward the permission to place his own coat-of-arms on the escutcheon of
the Queen of Staves, and that of his wife on the Queen of Money," as
stated by Leopold Cicognara, for we are told that there is a picture
extant showing this prince with a number of cards scattered before him, on
which are these arms, so it may be that he arranged a game for common use
from the more ancient one of L'Ombre, since the games closely resemble
each other, and the former is popular to-day in parts of Italy, where the
ancient Tarots are still used.
Rafael Maffei, who lived at the close of the fourteenth century, has left
a description of what he calls "a new invention," or a game played with
Tarots. A Bolognese gentleman named Innocento Renghierri, who lived in
1551, declared that "cards were invented in days of yore, and by an
industrious and very learned person." Unfortunately, neither the name of
the inventor nor the date is mentioned, for, if given correctly, it might
have saved much trouble and dispute.
[Illustration: GAMBLING AND EDUCATIONAL CARDS
79-80-81 Swedish Cards for old Cucu game. No. 80 is the Joker.
82-83 Korean Cards showing numeral and suit marks with feather design
on reversed card.
84-85-86 Japanese Educational Cards with quotations from favorite
poets, for game of Hayku-Niu-Isshu.]
In the "History of Viterbo," by Feliceano (1742), there is a statement
quoted from Covelluzzo that cards called Naib were introduced into that
city in 1279 from a Saracenic source. This name given to the cards in
Italy is interesting, since it is the one used to-day in Spain, for which
various derivations have been given. It was probably derived from the
Hebrew word for prophet, emphasising the original intention of cards for
divination purposes. It seems strange that one of the best known and most
widely spread cults has received so little recognition or study among
those who have interested themselves in the religious progress and
civilization of mankind. Even if regarded as toys or gambling instruments,
Playing Cards certainly fill a great part in the lives of men, while their
origin and the influence they have wielded in the past should surely have
created more interest than has been the case.
A Frenchman, Père Menestrier, studied the history of the cards that were
known to him as early as 1704, when he published "Des Principes des
Sciences et des Arts Disposé en Forme de Jeux." Others followed his
example, but they all looked upon cards simply as gambling instruments, or
regarded them as interesting historical fashion plates picturing French
celebrities, or else as rare engraved plates; so they treated the cards of
their own countries only from this point of view. Of course, most of the
writers knew only the cards of their immediate surroundings, and, if they
ever were cognizant of the ancient Tarots, disregarded them entirely.
When, in 1836, Samuel Weller Singer published his "History of Playing
Cards," he was interested in engraving, with its kindred arts, and he
found that the earliest work on wood or metal had been done to reproduce
cards. This book was followed by the "History of Playing Cards," by
William Andrew Chatto; "Origin of Playing Cards" (1865); "History of
Playing Cards," by Rev. Edward Taylor, and many others. Although two
persons in the priesthood devoted time to studying cards, they did not do
so with reference to their religious influence on their congregations.
Still, they acknowledged with surprise that these unbound leaves offered
an interesting study, and, while each one pointed out the probable
connection of Playing Cards with the Book of Thoth and the cult of
Mercury, not one of them proved the statement, but slurred it over, as if
rather ashamed of the idea, although the fact could easily have been
proved through a careful examination of the marks, the pips, and the
emblems on the cards themselves, that are so undoubtedly the heraldic
devices through which Mercury is always recognised, and which he received
from the most ancient forms of worship in Babylonia.
These authors, with other German, French, and Spanish writers, unanimously
decided that, since there is no legal record or trustworthy mention of
cards intended for use in games before the year 1392 (the one that they
seemed to agree upon, ignoring the account given of the martyrdom of St.
Cyprian in 258, who was killed for remonstrating against playing cards),
and since chance has not disclosed a hitherto unknown monument to their
birth and cradle, that these playthings were suddenly invented just about
the date when they appeared simultaneously all over Europe for the
amusement of pleasure-loving mortals. However, they quarrelled a bit as to
whether cards were first known in the Occident or in the Orient, but none
of the authors studied divination, and the rules known to astrologers,
fortune-tellers or gypsies that are carefully preserved, as well as the
evident connection of Playing Cards with the tools of the diviners of
ancient days.
These authors proved entirely too near-sighted and would not read what the
cards themselves displayed before their semi-opened vision, probably
because they despised the professional prophets. Besides, the French,
Spanish, German, and English writers each claimed for his own country the
first knowledge of Playing Cards used for games, without recognising that
their bantlings all came from a common mother stock, the great Tarot pack.
Thus the arguments, deductions, and theories of these writers can command
respect only to a limited degree.
Merlin and Chatto have treated cards as interesting examples of the
xylographic art, and it is certainly true that they were an important
factor in developing it; but this period in the history of Playing Cards
was by no means its childhood, as the writers seem to consider. Many of
them did not know that almost every one of the European countries had
emblems peculiar to the locality, which is also the case in Asia. None of
the museums have even now any packs except those peculiar to their own
State.
In the Middle Ages games became necessary amusements in camp and home, so
there was a demand for a rapid and inexpensive form of reproduction that
should take the place of the expensively painted replicas of the Book of
Thoth, which before had been within reach only of the wealthy.
Of course, the original emblems had never been entirely lost or forgotten,
but had been concealed in the hands of the initiates, who regarded them
with reverence and transmitted them secretly from one to the other, but
did not use cards for gambling or amusement. These persons did not reveal
the history or import of the Book of Thoth to the triflers of the outside
world, and had no desire to see their treasured secrets cheaply
reproduced, to be carelessly handled by curious or pleasure-loving
people.
The author of "The Game of Gold," published at Augsburg in 1472, says he
has read that "the game of cards was introduced into Germany in 1300."
This is one of the first written accounts of Playing Cards used for games.
It was pointed out by Chatto that there is a Chinese legend claiming
Playing Cards as being used in China some two thousand years before
Christ. Doubtless the Chinese recognized that their games of divination,
as still commonly played, were identical with the cards used for chance,
as the little flat cards are still used for both purposes.
When Columbus made his first voyage across the Atlantic, his men gambled
continually, and, although the superstitious sailors threw the cards
overboard when they feared that they would never reach land, they
manufactured new ones immediately on their arrival in America, and taught
the savages their game, so we know without question that cards reached
America in 1492. They were called Naypes and bore the emblems of Swords,
Money, Cups, and Rods.
After these records of Playing Cards come some that are of later date. In
"Capitolo del Gioco della Primera," by Berni, published in Rome in 1526,
the author claims that "playing cards were invented by King Ferdinand,"
which statement may be regarded with amusement, since other Italian
records prove an earlier date.
There is an interesting invective against cards published in 1550, called
"Il Traditor," which may be translated:
What is the meaning of the female Pope,
The Chariot and the Traitor,
The Wheel, the Fool, the Star, the Sun,
The Moon, and Strength, and Death,
And Hell, and all the rest
Of these strange cards?
Showing that the Egyptian temples had not disclosed their secrets that
identified these pictures on the Tarots common in Italy with the cult of
Thoth, Mercury, and Nebo.
Painters have transmitted to us pictures of many games of cards, and
perhaps one of the earliest is the one ascribed to Van Eyck, of Philip the
Good, Duke of Burgundy, about the year 1493. The early Dutch painters
often depicted boors playing cards, and those by Jan Steen, the two
Teniers, and others are well known. Hogarth devoted a series of
engravings to depicting grotesque figures playing chess, draughts, and
cards.
After the fourteenth century, it is easy to learn the important position
that Playing Cards reached in Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and England
through the works of other painters, miniaturists, and engravers, while
books such as "Fortune-Telling," by Francisco di Milano, published in
1560, or the one by Francisco Marcolini, published in Venice in 1540,
prove the hold that the new amusement had taken on the people at that
time.
Proclamations against cards followed each other rapidly from State and
Church, so histories are filled with the denunciations of the clergy of
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries against the old sin that had
reappeared under a new form for them to combat. Mercury was as active as
ever, and had quite as strong a hold on the affections of the people as he
had in the days when St. Paul landed in Italy, close to the Temple of
Mercury, and it was quite as hard to overcome his influence as it had been
when Christianity first began to overthrow the heathen gods. Perhaps the
day may come when those who believe in fate and predestination will
confront these preachers with the divine commands to consult the prophets
so often mentioned in the Bible, notably when the Rods of the Israelites
were marked and laid before the testimony.
CHAPTER XVI
ASIATIC PLAYING CARDS
It has long been the opinion of students that the key to many things that
are mysterious to Europeans could be found through studying the habits,
customs, games, or cults of Asia and Africa, whose people cling to ancient
ideas and habits, so through looking at things with their eyes, and
listening to their views or opinions on the everyday happenings of life,
that the tangled skeins that puzzle our academically trained minds would
be unravelled.
Much has been done in this direction by Mr. F. H. Cushing and Mr. Stewart
Culin, who have discovered, by patient research in America and the Eastern
part of Asia, the value of the arrow in divination, in music, in
money-making, and in symbolism, as well as in war, for which purpose it
was primarily intended. It was put to minor uses by its simple
adaptability to the needs of the people, who were direct in their
purposes, and who used the tools that were at hand no matter for what
they were originally intended.
Any student of the Bible knows how often the gods were appealed to, not
only through the different offerings, but also for the purposes of
directly divining their wishes, which was done most frequently through a
simple stick that could be cut from any sapling. This became in turn a
"divining arrow," or a magician's wand when in the hands of the Egyptian
magi. "The staff of Moses" as used during the plagues of Egypt, or the rod
"that put forth leaves" when marked with Aaron's name. Small wonder, then,
that the "golden-leaved rod," or _Aurea virga_, given by Apollo to
Mercury, was a venerated symbol, probably derived from the Egyptians, and
by them from the Assyrians, where it was symbolically used in the worship
of the gods, and when it was placed on the cards all persons could
understand at a glance the intention and meaning of the Rod. It was not
only adopted from the Babylonians, who used it with the serpents twining
around it exactly as it is seen in Mercury's hands, but the people had
seen it put to practical use by the great marshal of the Israelites, who
confounded their wise men, or magi, with their own weapons. "And the Lord
spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: ... Take thy rod and cast it
before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then
Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; now the magicians of
Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments, for they cast
down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron's rod
swallowed up their rods." (Exodus vii:9.) Then Aaron was commanded to take
"the rod which was turned to a serpent," and to "smite the waters that
were turned into blood"; but the magicians did the same thing, and again
were able to produce the next plague by imitating Aaron's rod when it was
stretched forth. But these wise men failed with their enchantments to
produce lice at their biding, saying: "This is the finger of God." It is
more than likely that these magi were priests of the temple of Thoth, who
were the learned men of that day.
Moses was also commanded "to lift up thy rod," so that the children of
Israel should "go on dry ground through the midst of the sea" (Exodus
xiv:15), and to use the same rod to "smite the rock in Horeb" (Exodus
xvii:6). These examples may be multiplied, but enough has been quoted to
show the importance of this symbol in the minds of primitive people.
Looking next to a people of this century who have retained almost
unchanged their inherited customs, Mr. Culin has dwelt at length on the
people of Korea, who with the culture inherited from their neighbours, the
Chinese, have still a childlike simplicity and follow in the footsteps of
their ancestors in their habits, games, and heraldic devices.
In "Korean Games," Mr. Culin traces the origin of Playing Cards directly
to "practical arrows bearing cosmical or personal marks used by primitive
man." See also Numbers xvii:3. He says: "The pack of cards used to-day
stands for a quiver of arrows with the emblems of the world's quarters,"
and further states that the most primitive Playing Cards of Asia, the
Htou-Tjyen of Korea, still bear the marks of their origin. This confirms
the opinion already formed by the writer, who studied the subject from the
Biblical and African point of view, concluding that the pips on the Tarot
cards had a meaning that could be traced to the diviners of a period much
earlier than the fortune-tellers or gypsies of Europe; that the cards
themselves were not intended for a game, but were originally devoted
entirely to consulting the wishes of the gods; and that it was more than
probable that the cult of Thoth Hermes was a scientific adaptation of the
arrow worship of early man; and that the gift of speech that Mercury was
credited with bestowing on humans was the comprehension of the signs and
the ability through them to transmit to men the wishes of the gods.
The Korean cards are printed on paper, and are, therefore, one step higher
in the scale than those found among the Alaskan Indians. These are simple
round sticks on which are painted stripes of red and black, to denote
their value. In some sets the ends are notched like arrows, which probably
adds to the numerical value of the card. The Indians keep their sticks in
a sealskin pouch wrapped around with a thong of leather, on the end of
which is a shark's tooth that is passed under the wrappings to hold them
in place and secure the contents. A handful of oakum accompanies the bag.
This is needed during the consultation of the wishes of Manitou, for
these sticks are used for divination purposes as well as for play. A heap
of oakum is placed on the ground, under which the sticks are hidden. The
players squat in a circle around and draw from under the pile one stick
after the other, the meaning of which is interpreted by one of the party.
[Illustration: GAMBLING CARDS
87-88-89 English Court Cards with French pips. About 1840.
90-91-92 German Cards, showing Six of Acorns, Six of Leaves, and Six
of Hearts.
93-94 Chinese Cards showing Money and Rod emblems.]
The Alaskans also have a game somewhat like the Mora of the Egyptians and
the Italians, only it is the value of the sticks or the stripes painted on
them that must be guessed.
One step higher are the sticks used by the Hidah Indians, the natives of a
little group of islands in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North
America. These sticks show the totem marks of the tribes or families, such
as the Bear, the Tortoise, etc. They are clearly derived from arrows, and
sometimes have notched ends, and are still used for divination, although
also for games. Taken with those from Alaska, they are the most primitive
packs known.
The next step forward is from the wooden shafts or rods to thin slips of
yellow oiled paper, narrow and long, that belong to the Koreans. The use
of these "cards" is still the same, and the close resemblance to the
North American packs is marked, showing that all came from a common
source. These Korean cards serve as a link connecting the primitive arrow
or rod with the step that follows, from which come the Chinese gambling
tools.
The Korean cards are made of strips of paper about eight inches long by
three-quarters of an inch wide. They are uniformly decorated on the
reverse side with a feather, which Mr. Culin considers important as
attaching the cards to the original winged shaft. There are eighty cards
in the pack, divided into eight suits of ten cards each, numbered from one
to nine with numerals peculiar to these cards, which, like the device on
the other side, come from arrow feathers. The suit marks correspond to the
totemic emblems of the Koreans.
These cards are a vital bridge between the primitive traps for divination
and the more enlightened devices of the canny Egyptian priests, for it was
through the use of strips of bamboo, simple straws, or the arrows of the
period that the priests first transmitted the wishes of the gods to
mankind. But whether the cult of arrows originated in Egypt and travelled
from that centre both east and west, being modified, simplified, or
elaborated by every nation through which it passed, or whether it started
on the Pacific Ocean, to sweep across Asia to Africa and Europe, has not
been made clear.
It is more than probable that the simple art of divining through the fall
of arrows is due to the primitive tribes of Asia, and certainly in Exodus,
Numbers, and others of the books of Moses, there are many records of the
direct command of the Almighty to his people to carry out his wishes
through using the "rods," or to consult his orders through occult means to
be revealed by the rods. These are authentic records on the subject, and
are supported by the tablets found at Babylonia, so we may suppose that
"the arrows of divination" spread gradually from this Asiatic centre,
becoming altered from time to time, until in many places all traces of the
original purpose was lost, and the art of consulting the wishes of the
gods through them lapsed into the pleasure of gambling.
The Korean name for their pack of cards is Htou-Tjyen, signifying
"Fighting Arrows," according to Mr. Culin in "Korean Games" (page 128).
"The suits," he says, "represent Man, Fish, Crow, Pheasant, Antelope,
Star, Rabbit, and Horse, the name of the card being written on it in
Chinese characters in some packs. Six Generals, or Court cards,
representing the heads or the chiefs of the different families, and two
entirely blank cards, or Jokers, complete the set."
Other packs have different totemic marks, but all agree with each other in
general appearance. It is said that there are a number of games that are
played with these cards, but they are difficult for a foreigner to
understand or learn.
A close connection exists between the Korean pack and the lots used by the
Chinese to divine the lucky numbers in the game called Pak-Kop-Piu, as
these cards retain the feather device, and the names of both are nearly
identical with the word for arrows.
The most common packs of Chinese cards are narrow, like those of the
Koreans, but are less than half the length, sometimes only about two and a
half inches long by a quarter of an inch wide. These packs generally have
plain red or black backs with no designs on them, and are printed with
black ink on white paper. There are at least twenty-five different kinds
of Playing Cards common in China. Some of them are intended simply for
divination, others are for gambling, and some for the amusement or
instruction of children.
Some are very primitive in their markings; others closely resemble
dominos, having similar spots on them denoting their value; while the
cards in common use have distorted emblems that are clearly derived from
the Sword, Stave, and Money pips of the Tarots, although the Cup of Hermes
is not retained. It is noticeable that the Money emblem has a design upon
it, and is not the simple ring of primitive times. This leads to the
suggestion that these particular cards were devised from those of Mercury.
Since there are Court cards and a Joker, it would seem as if the Chinese
had adopted part of a pack of Tarots, omitting the Cup suit, since it had
no meaning for them, but copying the other emblems in their own peculiar
way; but this is only a guess as to the origin of this particular set of
cards, and only those used for divination bear these devices.
The Chinese also have Actors' cards, bearing portraits of the heroes and
heroines of certain favourite plays. These have three Jokers, that in
China bear the name of "Blessings." Then there are flower packs and
educational packs, Proverb cards, and cards to teach writing, so that the
Chinese have in their own original way marched step by step with
Europeans, but on parallel lines that have not met. The Chinese declare
that they have known and used Playing Cards for two thousand years, in
which statement they are probably correct, as certainly the Rod, the
Sword, and Money emblems were known and used by the Babylonians in their
religious rites two thousand five hundred years before Christ.
Owing to cards having been introduced into Japan by Portuguese traders,
the packs are called by the Portuguese name of Karta, as has been
mentioned. But the resemblance to European cards stops there, for the
"shut-in nation" invented designs and games for themselves, keeping them
distinct from divining instruments, of which they have a full share, some
of them being identical with the Chinese rods for divination.
One Japanese game is historical, and the packs are beautifully painted in
miniature, with gold backgrounds and gold backs. The cards are three by
three and a half inches in size. Two sets always come in one box, and the
game is played by matching cards. They far surpass European ones, for they
are most carefully designed and painted. The two sets in the writer's
possession resemble dainty miniatures, and the small figures might almost
be taken for likenesses of living people.
Then there are other sets of cards of the same size as those described,
but differently marked, as they have three suits indicated by the colour
of the emblems, blue, green, and red. There are two emblematic Court
cards, one of them the picture of a house, the other one showing a stream
over which a bridge is thrown. The pack in the writer's collection is
rare, for none like it has been described, and there are none in the
foreign museums.
Another set of cards is called Bakuchi-No-Euda, or gambling cards. Those
in common use are of cardboard about two to two and a quarter inches
square, with black backs and flowers painted or stencilled on them,
representing the weeks of the year. The game played with them is called
"flower matching." January is represented by a Matsu or Pine tree,
followed by the Plum, Cherry, Wistaria, Iris, Peony, and Clover. The
eighth suit has a sketch of a volcano, representing August, which is the
sacred month; during it pilgrimages are made to the mountain. The card
which follows represents a Chrysanthemum; then comes a Maple for October.
November is represented by rain, sometimes with a little man scampering
through the driving storm with a half-opened umbrella over his head, his
shoes flying off in the mud, with the symbol of thunder and lightning
placed in one corner of the card. December has the flower sacred to the
Mikado, the Kiri.
Each card shows the flower representing it in different stages of
development, according to the four weeks in the month. Each has a definite
value, and the game is played by three persons, who match cards to make
different combinations. The Joker is blank, so these cards were never
intended for divining, but were prepared solely for amusement.
Divining arrows, represented by bamboo splints, are used in Japan as well
as in China, and are nearly identical in both countries. Fifty sticks are
kept in a quiver or a tube of cane, resembling the shape of the modern
dicebox. "The splints vary in length," says Mr. Culin, who describes them
in "Korean Games" (page 26), "from two to four inches." One person
consults the oracle, which is interpreted by a "Baru," or fortune-teller,
as described in "Our Neighbourhood," by Mr. Purcell: "Having rattled his
rods together by rolling them between his palms, he raises them to his
forehead." The sticks are then laid out in order on a table, and their
meaning is deciphered through referring to the "Book of Oracular
Responses," or through the "inspiration of the magi, who declares that he
passes one hour daily in a trance, during which he receives instruction as
to the prognostication he must deliver."
There is another Japanese game called Hayku-Niu-Isshu, or the Poems on One
Hundred Arts. For this there are two hundred cards, that are kept in boxes
especially provided for them. On each card is printed or written either
the first or the last half of one of the hundred poems that give their
name to the game, which all well-educated Japanese are supposed to know
by heart. "The one hundred cards having the latter half of the poems
written on them are dealt and are laid out in rows, face upwards, before
the players, one of whom is appointed reader. He holds the remaining
hundred and reads them aloud in whatever order they fall. Skill in the
game consists in remembering the line following the one read and rapidly
finding the card on which it is written. Especially must each one watch
his own and pick it up before it is seized by another. If an opponent is
nimble he snatches the card from the careless player, giving several from
his own hand, and the one who is first able to match and discard all of
his cards wins the game. The players usually range themselves on opposite
lines and play against each other." Such is the account of the game given
by Miss Alice Mabel Bacon in "Japanese Girls and Women" (page 22).
The cards of this set in the author's possession are rather small, being
two by two and a half inches, or a trifle larger than the Flower pack.
They are arranged in small wooden boxes, with a description of the rules
of the game printed on the top; the lid moves up and down in a groove.
The verses are written in fine running characters on a white ground.
In Hindustan we find strange circular cards that have strayed far from the
arrow shape, and seem much more to resemble the European pips. There are
eight suits, indicated by the colour of the background, on which are
depicted Men, Bullocks, Elephants, and Tigers. The Money and Cup suits may
be traced in two of the emblems, the former painted like a double ring,
and it is questionable if these cards were ever intended for divining
purposes, since they seem to be used purely for amusement.
Persian cards are about two inches by one and a half square. The suits are
shown, like those of Cashmere, by the colours of the background. They have
nothing in common with the arrow-shaped Korean, Chinese, or North American
divination cards, but rather incline to the emblematic figures of the
temple of Thoth as retained by the Tarots, for every card displays a
symbolic representative figure. These cards are rare even in Persia, and
only two incomplete sets are in the writer's collection, one of which
contains six, and the other eighteen, cards.
Three of these cards have black backgrounds on which is displayed a white
and yellow animal of a species unidentified. The third card of the set
shows a great dragon with a forked tail twisted around a lion. Three of
the cards have green grounds, on which are seated figures, and one of them
so closely resembles the Emperor, or Osiris, of the Tarots in position and
design that it seems it must have been derived from that figure. Of the
other two, one resembles the Atout called the Empress, and the other is a
seated male figure, in the attitude of some of those in the Tarot pack.
Four cards have black grounds sprinkled with dots of yellow. These four
all show dragons or mythical animals, and are alike in every respect,
which is not always the case with the other designs even when of kindred
suits. As none of the Atouts have animals depicted on them except in a
subordinate way, it would seem that some of the Persian cards are
original, while others may have been copied. Another green suit has only
two cards, although there might be more if the pack were complete. The
ground is _semé_, like the last, with orange-coloured flecks, and displays
a seated figure with an attendant, its peculiarity being that this King
has his legs folded under him in Oriental fashion, while the figures on
all the other cards are seated like the Egyptian gods. Two cards have gold
grounds, and on them are two standing figures, one beating a drum, the
other man holding what may be a magician's rod or, perhaps, a flute. There
are three cards of a dull yellow hue flecked with brown dots. These
closely resemble the Atouts, as one of the seated figures holds up a
circle or the Money mark, like the Queen of Dinari; and against the knees
of the other a child leans, recalling Isis with Osiris. The eighteenth
card is the Joker, and shows a likeness of the late Shah of Persia. It was
brought from that kingdom in 1904. These cards do not seem all to have
belonged to the same pack, for five of them have been much more used than
the others. The Persians are secretive about their games, probably because
the religion of Mahomet, following that of the Jews, forbids any
representation of the human form. Therefore, games bearing such an emblem
must be used in private, and descriptions of them are not readily obtained
by foreigners. The cards themselves offer an interesting problem, since
they retain the emblematic figures without any pip cards, and they stand
alone in this respect in Asia, where the pip or arrow cards are more
generally to be found than the figure cards. But, then, the Persians use
the cup or vase for divining purposes, as a rule, although in some parts
the arrows or rods of divination are common. There are also "sticks" found
among the common people that seem to be used in this way, but the natives
are chary of describing their purpose, so no trustworthy account of them
can be offered.
CHAPTER XVII
CHESS AND OTHER GAMES
Many writers have thought that Playing Cards were simply an evolution of
Chess, and the features connecting them have been widely discussed, since
there are strongly marked attributes common to both. But, as far as is
known, Chess has never at any time been used for divination, and there are
no traditions connecting it with prophesying, while from time immemorial
cards have been used for fortune-telling by almost all nations, either
through the complete pack of Tarots, or the Book of Thoth, their
successors, the Playing Cards, or their predecessors, the divining arrows.
On the other hand, Chess is distinctly a mimic battleground, with armies
of warriors drawn in serried ranks, defying each other to mortal combat,
whether there are only two armies, as in the modern games, or four, as on
some of the Asiatic boards. The figures are the rank and file of the
army, with their castles for base and retreat, their cavalry, their
executive officers, and generals, with the monarch to preside over the
field. That in Europe one of the figures is called a Queen is strangely
out of place, for her actions and moves during the game are those of an
active lieutenant or aide-de-camp. The name has been given to the piece in
modern days, for originally and in the East it is called the Vizier. That
the piece may be called after the dame who invented the game, as is said,
seems improbable.
Some writers declare that Chess came from Southern Africa, where it is
well known; but it is also found in primitive form in Korea and throughout
Eastern Asia, and traces of it have been seen in Central Asia, where (in
Babylonia) stones have been discovered that are marked in squares, as if
intended for Draught or Chess boards.
A pretty legend is told of the Emperor Akbar, of India, for whom his
countrymen declared that the game was invented by one of his wives, who
wanted to amuse her husband, after the manner of wives, and to keep him at
home, particularly as the king was suffering from a sunstroke that made
it inadvisable for him to venture to head his army. With this end in view,
she ranged the courtiers on the black and white squares in the courtyard
within the precincts of the palace, in order that the king might amuse
himself fighting his battles in a harmless way from his divan, that was
placed in one of the balconies overhanging the enclosed space. A graphic
description of the palace is given in "Our Vice Regal Life in India," by
Lady Dufferin (page 150). Referring to the legend, she says: "There is a
curious place which is a five-storied open court, each platform getting
smaller, till the top one is a mere little summer house. Each one is
supported on rows and rows of pillars, from them one looks down into a
court, where the Great Mogul used to sit and play Chess with live pieces."
In "India, China, and Japan," by Bayard Taylor (page 108), the author
says: "This palace of Sheesh Mahal (or Palace of Glass), with its
courtyard paved with squares of black and white marble, has an open
terrace in front, where is the throne of Akbar, which is a block of black
marble about six feet square. It is said that when any one seats
themselves on it, blood gushes from a split in the side, and red stains
on the surface support this tradition. Opposite the throne is a smaller
one of white marble, where the emperor's fool sat and burlesqued his
master." This fellow carried a staff of office and conducted the pieces to
their positions as indicated by Akbar and his opponent.
The game of chess, with living pieces, became a favourite with the Rajahs
of India, so many of the courts of different palaces were also arranged
for Chess or Parchesi, a game played with pieces, but with less
complicated rules than for Chess. Though the court jester was the master
of ceremonies, he has not taken his place permanently among the chessmen,
although he may be sometimes found among them, notably in a beautiful gold
and silver set of men made for one of the kings of Bavaria and now in the
Museum at Munich. In this set there are two Jokers, who are placed in
front of all the others in the middle of the board as at present arranged,
but their value and moves seem not to have been recorded and are now
practically unknown.
It was at one time supposed that the figures of the chessmen were
transferred to pasteboard cards, thus making a masked army instead of one
that was on an open field, and that Playing Cards originated in this way;
but this theory is no longer tenable. Mr. Wiltshire, in "Playing Cards,"
derides the idea that they are derived from Chess, saying: "Chess is a
game of calculation and combination, and cards are purely chance," which
opinion is sustained, for up to this time the history of the two games
points to no common derivation.
It is claimed that Chess was first played before the walls of Troy, having
been invented by Palamedes to amuse the Greeks, who were tired of the
monotony of the siege. This is probably one of the first records of games,
although it is not certain that the one referred to was Chess any more
than that it was a game of cards, which some writers have supposed.
In "The Sea Kings of Crete," by Rev. James Baikie, is an account and an
illustration of a gaming board just discovered in the palace of Minos,
which certainly dates from one thousand four hundred years before Christ,
but it resembles a Draught board more than one for Chess.
There is an Egyptian caricature of a lion and a unicorn playing a game on
a table with men, which, however, are too indistinct to describe as
chessmen. There is a set of chessmen in the British Museum, the date of
which is uncertain, that are by some considered to have been of such early
origin that they prove that the Egyptians had the game, although
deductions of this kind are sometimes overthrown by subsequent
discoveries.
That chessmen of the conventional type are by no means absolutely
necessary for a game is shown by the Korean Tjyang-Keui, whose figures
closely resemble the pieces used by the Chinese. The men of the set in the
writer's collection are of wood about the thickness of an ordinary checker
or draughtsman, but they are octagonal in shape, and the size of the
pieces varies, since it is indicative of the value. Sometimes the pieces
are circular in shape, and have their value painted in incised characters
on both sides in red, blue, or green, according to the side they
represent. The King or General is much the largest piece and about an inch
and a half in diameter. The Chariot, Elephant, Horse, and Cannon are of
medium size, while the Pawns and Councillors are the smallest. The pieces
in the writer's collection were kept by the original owner in a netted
string bag. The board differs from those of Europe, as the men are placed
at the intersections of the squares, and not in their centres, as is
customary in other places. The game, as played in Korea, is logical, and
was the inspiration of various games played in Germany, where marbles are
placed in stated positions on boards made for the purpose, with rounded
holes, and marked off with diagrams. In some games the board represents a
fort to be defended; in others, a series of positions to be captured by
one or other of two armies of equal value.
A very interesting set of chessmen in the British Museum was found at Nig,
in the Isle of Lewis, and is described as "North European, Twelfth
Century." The backs are carved with intricate interlacing designs like
those on the reverse of the old Tarots. The Queens rest their cheeks on
their right hands. The Kings have swords laid across their laps. The
Bishops are mitred, and all are seated.
An anonymous writer declares: "The most probable conjecture is that Chess
descended from the Brahmins, through Persia, to Arabia, about the sixth
century, and passed into Europe two or three hundred years later."
Continuing, the writer says: "A mathematician named Seffa originated the
game for his master, Ravan, King of Ceylon, who was so pleased with the
device that he asked the inventor to name his own reward. The cunning sage
demanded enough wheat to cover the board, starting with a single grain for
the first square, two for the second, and so on, doubling the grains until
the sixty-four squares were covered, finally adding the whole amount
together, so when computed, it was found that more wheat would be required
than the world produced in ten years."
The Persians claim that Chess was invented in their country, pointing out
the retention of some of their names and expressions in the English game,
such as "Check," from the Persian Sciack or King, and "Mat," signifying
"dead," hence "Checkmate," or "The King is dead." These words may well
have their derivation from the Persian or Arabic, but they are not
universally employed, although Chess is of ancient origin and has been
played for centuries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The term Rook, that is
sometimes used instead of Castle, is undoubtedly of Indian origin,
derived from Rokh, and signifying dromedary. In China this piece is called
Ku, and in Korea Tcha, words in no way connected with the Arabic.
There are many historical descriptions of Chess in Europe too well known
to be repeated; besides which, there are numerous copper, steel, and wood
engravings showing persons playing Chess.
In "A History of the Moorish Kings" (1396), there is an account of a game
played when Jussef, the heir to the throne, was ordered to be beheaded by
his usurping brother. An alcade was sent to the prison for the purpose of
carrying out the command, but, finding Jussef playing Chess, and becoming
interested in his skill, he waited until the game terminated to dispatch
the prince. However, before it was finished, the usurper, Mehemed, was
murdered, so Jussef succeeded to the throne and rewarded the kindly
executioner with money and honours.
One of the earliest descriptions of Chess in the English language was
written by Thomas Hyde in 1694, at about the time that Cotton's "Complete
Gamester," on the subject of gambling and its tools, appeared. There is a
rare book, entitled "The Game and Playes of the Chess," that, strange to
say, contains little or nothing concerning the game beyond its title.
"It is remarkable," says Sir Gardiner Wilkinson, in "Ancient Egyptians"
(Vol. II, page 415), "that a game so common as Mora among the lower order
of Italians should be found to have existed in Egypt from the earliest
period of which their paintings remain, even in the reign of the First
Osirtasen." The game, which requires no accessories, is skillfully played
by holding up certain fingers to an opponent, who tries to guess the
number; it was probably carried to the Southern ports of Italy by the
Egyptians, when the yearly voyage was made to the Bay of Naples, at the
time that the great Temple of the Serapeon was erected at Pozzuoli and the
cult of Thoth Hermes introduced.
Draughts were also found in early days at or about the same place, and
that game is represented as being played on the sculptures of Beni Hassan
in grottoes on the east bank of the Nile. The same authority says: "This
would be coeval with Joseph, or 1740 B. C."
An anonymous writer in an English paper states that one of the frescoes of
the palace of Rameses II shows the mighty Pharaoh himself playing against
some of the beauties of his harem.
Many writers consider that the Roman Latronculi and the Greek
Digrammisnios were games of Chess or Draughts. A Spaniard, named Antonio
Torquemada, published rules for the latter as early as 1547, and a
Frenchman, named Pierre Malet, described the Parisian game in 1668. The
latter called for a board of sixty-four squares, the men moving but one
block at a time, and the crowned pieces having the right to move
backwards. The game was not popular in France until the days of the
Regency, when the Polish game, that is played on a board with one hundred
squares, each player having twenty pieces, became the vogue.
This variation of the old game of Draughts was introduced by a man named
Manoury, who started life as a waiter in one of the cafés. He gave lessons
to Marshal Saxe and Jean Jacques Rousseau, besides writing out the rules
governing the game for the use of his pupils.
In France and England players use the black squares on the Checker board,
but in Holland and Russia the white ones are those that are favoured, and
it is strange how puzzling this slight change is to unaccustomed players.
Draughtsmen or checkers are made of many different materials, such as
clay, bone, wood, and ivory. Some old ones in the British Museum are of
ivory, two inches in diameter, and were found in Leicestershire. On one of
them is a figure like Il Pendu, or the Hanged Man, of the Atouts. In the
writer's collection there are some draughtsmen of unpainted wood most
beautifully carved. One of them displays a winged figure with a cap of
Mercury hanging over his head, on top of which is perched a die, a Four
Spot on one side of it, while the other displays an Ace. The cap is
suspended in the air over a table covered with a fringed cloth, on which
rests a rose and a laurel wreath. A motto surrounding the checker reads:
_Fert Praemia Favsta_. On the reverse is a hand emptying a purse on a
Backgammon board, the legend being _Freqvens Tibidissipat Avrum_. Another
checker, a mate to the above, shows a table on which is a Backgammon board
and two players busy over the game. The man is seated, while the woman is
standing with arms upraised, and having evidently just lost a game, is
upbraiding her companion. The motto is _Ars Sortem Corrigat Astx_. The
reverse shows a draped Cupid opening a money chest, the motto being _Sat
Loevlo Havt Ocvio_. A black man of this set shows a warrior talking to a
harpist, the motto being _Juam Rari Amici Chari_. The reverse shows a
figure of Mercury, as Luck, with a philosopher and a courtier trying to
hold the flying figure with ropes that have been thrown around the waist
of the flitting god. The motto is _Ah Fortuna Bona Me Condona_. These
checkers are part of a set that was once in Lady Charlotte Schriber's
collection of games. They are probably of German manufacture, as they
closely resemble sets of draughtsmen that are in the Nuremburg and Munich
collections.
In Korea the game of Draughts is a favourite one. The pieces are not flat
and round, like those of Europe, but the "horses," as they are named in
Korea, have shanks about two inches long, with round, solid bases, making
them easy to pick up and move, but they would be awkward if the game
called for "jumping," as does that of European players. With this
exception, the rules for playing resemble those common in Europe.
The Japanese, the Siamese, and the Chinese all play the game with the
assistance of dice, and the men as well as the boards show an origin
common with those already mentioned. They are games of luck or chance, but
are not used for fortune-telling, and have nothing in common with cards,
arrow divination, or prophesying, unless students can hereafter trace them
to the Urim and Thummim of the Bible.
Games with dice are favourites in all Asiatic countries, but the men
themselves and the games played with them are far more elaborate and
scientific than those of Europe, and capable of a great variety of
combinations quite unknown to English-speaking nations. The mathematical
calculations necessary for the Asiatic games are intricate and
complicated, but well worthy of adoption.
About 1815 the Germans issued a pack of cards that had dice on them
instead of the commonplace pips. The set in the writer's collection is
incomplete and incomprehensible without the rules, that have been lost.
The cards have the dice on the lower half, while the upper part displays
different designs, such as a diligence, a ship, a bookcase, and an easy
chair. The two designs last mentioned have "doctor" printed under them.
[Illustration: GAMBLING, HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL CARDS
95-96 Spanish Cards showing Four of Cups (with name Naypes, meaning
prophetical) and Knave of Money (with the gazelle of Osiris).
97 English Educational Cards--historical. One of the Jubilee pack
containing Queen Victoria and all her descendants.
98 Netherlands Domino Card for teaching music.
99 United States Domino Card.
100 United States Numbered Card for game of Grabouche or Flinch.
101 United States Educational Card for game of Authors.
102 English Educational Card for teaching arithmetic.]
Games of dice are probably the oldest known, and are found in all Asiatic
countries. The evolution from them to dominos is easily traced, for the
latter is evidently a pair of dice placed together. The pieces in a Korean
set of dominos in the writer's collection are of the size that a pair of
European dice would make if glued side by side. Besides the games of
chance, dice are used for divining purposes all over the world, but
particularly in Africa and Asia.
Jackstones, or Knuckle-bones, is another old game. There is in the British
Museum a most interesting marble group of boys playing Jackstones. A
lively dispute, if not an active fight, over the result of the game is in
progress, and the little men are scattered over the ground while the boys
wrestle.
Jackstones may be of many different materials, although those most
commonly used are the simple round pebbles found by any roadside. A set
in the writer's collection is of bone, which was common in New York about
1850. Others are of glass and are said to be Phoenician. Ivory and sheeps'
knuckles are favourites with children, who in modern times have added a
small rubber ball for a Jack.
The game seems to be universal, for children on the Nile, in Hungary,
Austria, France, England, and the United States all seem to play the same
primitive game that is common in Asia. In "Korean Games" (page 58), Mr.
Culin calls it Kong-Keui, and says it is played by boys with five or six
stones or pieces of bricks. When girls play, they use cash or coins, and
then the game is called Tja-Ssei. When played with stones, it is called
Ishi-Nago, or throwing stones, and ten of these are used. The Chinese call
the game Chaptsz, or picking up stones.
No rules for the Western game seem ever to have been written, but they are
transmitted from one generation to another with almost no difference,
whatever the country may be, although it is noticeable that the innovation
of the rubber ball for a Jack seems to have been introduced by the Polish
or Russian Jew children to the New Yorkers, as it is chiefly played by
these little immigrants. The game has nothing to do with divination, and
is one merely of skill, as it is a simple amusement of the most primitive
kind, for, given a handful of stones, any one can learn the game, and,
with a moderate amount of practice, can play it with more or less skill.
There are five pieces to a set; four are of equal value, and the fifth is
called the Jack. Any one of the five may be used for the Jack, which is
simply the stone that is tossed into the air while the others are gathered
in the hand.
The sets (or their order) are agreed upon beforehand by the players. Any
number can take part, for each one plays for himself, and the winner is
the one who independently executes all the difficult sets without failing.
Any place is convenient for the game, and the stones are generally thrown
on the lap, the ground, a pillow, a doorstep, or even the pavement.
"Muggins" is the name of the first set, which consists in gathering all
five stones in the palm of the right hand and throwing them into the air
together, then catching all five on the back of the hand. Without
stopping, the stones must be thrown again in the air and all five caught
together in the hand. This makes all the stones of equal value and all of
them Jacks (the technical name for the stone thrown in the air while
different movements are being done). The Muggins set requires considerable
dexterity, and a player dropping any one of the stones loses his turn,
which passes to the player on the left. The next set is not started until
all the players have successfully accomplished their turn of Muggins,
which must be done five times in succession without failing.
"Milking the Cow" is the name of the second set. The stones are gathered
in the hand and the Jack is thrown into the air, and while it is "up," one
stone is quietly and gently placed upon the table from the palm, but must
not be thrown or dropped, and the Jack caught as it comes down. This is
repeated until all the stones are discarded one after the other, the art
being to do this without letting more than one escape at a time. If this
is not done, the turn passes to the next player on the left; but, if
successfully accomplished, the stones are swept into a heap and caught up
in the hand while the Jack is in the air. All the players must do this in
succession or lose their turn. Those who have not completed the first
Muggins take their turn here, and must do it five times without fault
before beginning to milk.
"Grab" is the name of the third set, and it is difficult. It is called
"Laying Eggs" in Korea. It is done by laying four stones about two inches
apart in a row, tossing the Jack and picking them up one by one. The first
stone is kept in the hollow of the palm of the right hand while the Jack
is tossed and the second stone is picked up. This is retained, and the
third stone is picked up in the same way, and so on until all are caught
in the right hand. Then all are placed in a heap and are gathered while
the Jack is tossed. The left hand is not used at all in these two sets.
"Peas in the Pot" is the first set of the second part of the game. The
left hand is partly closed and four stones are placed about an inch apart
in a row, the first one touching the thumb. Players, to show their skill,
will often make the spaces wider, but they must not throw the Jack any
higher than is usual, which is about a foot and a half. The play consists
in throwing the Jack, and, while it is in the air, one stone after
another is picked up and put in the pot (which is the left hand). Some
players push the stones into the pot. To do so, the thumb and forefinger
of the left hand are opened to allow the stones to pass in, but this is
considered unworkmanlike by good players. The stones, after being placed
in the pot and the left hand removed, are gathered with one swoop as the
Jack is tossed.
"Horses in the Stable" is played with the fingers of the left hand
outstretched to form stalls. The stones are placed about four inches away
on the table, and must be pushed into the stalls one by one while the Jack
is aloft. Then all are gathered up at once in the right hand while the
Jack is tossed. In Hindustan the native girls have their photographs taken
when playing this set of Jackstones.
"Horses out of the Stable" follows. The stones are pushed out with one
motion, one beside the other, and then caught up with one sweep as the
Jack is tossed. The art consists in getting the stones close together when
they leave the stalls, so that they can be grabbed with one sweep while
the Jack is up.
"Sweeping the Floor" comes next. The stones are placed four inches apart
in a square, and the third finger of the right hand must sweep inside two
of the stones without touching them while the Jack is aloft. They must
then be gathered and caught with one sweep of the hand.
"Spreading the Table" is done by arranging the square with four stones, as
in the preceding set, after which they are pushed together with one sweep
and caught in the right hand while the Jack is up.
"Laying Eggs," called Al-Nat-Ki in Korea, is the next set. American
children play it exactly in the same way as do the Asiatics. Four stones
are placed on the table, the Jack is tossed, one stone is picked up and
laid down while the Jack is in the air. Then another stone is picked up as
the Jack is tossed and laid down as before, until all are used. In "Korean
Games," Mr. Culin describes this play, but no reference is made to the
preceding sets, although they are played in Europe.
"Setting the Eggs," or Al-Houm-Ki, calls for four of the stones being
placed beside the left hand and pushed under it, as is done in "Peas in
the Pot."
"Hatching the Eggs," or Al-Kka-Ki, consists in holding all the stones in
the right hand, with one tucked under the little finger. This is then
dropped gently on the table while the Jack is tossed, the other stones
being held in the hand, and this is repeated until all are down.
A good player may work right through the whole number of sets before the
opponents have a chance to play at all. Children often arrange handicaps
among themselves to prevent this. One peculiarity of the game seems to be
that it is a point of honour among the children to take no unfair
advantage of each other, but to try to assist and make the others win if
possible, and it is one of the few games played by children that seldom
lead to quarrelling. There are variations of the sets, but the above is
the standard game.
Quite different from the last, which is simply one of skill, is the game
known as Jackstraws, which is a primitive game, but it is played all over
the world, and is evidently derived from the "arrows of divination." A set
of Chinese Jackstraws in the writer's collection was made about the middle
of the last century, probably for exportation, for some of the straws are
European in character. They are of ivory, which is most delicately
carved, and are not coloured, as are some of the sets of Chinese
Jackstraws that are carved out of bone. They were imported by a naval
officer who was on the expedition under Commodore Perry which opened the
treaty ports of Japan to American trade.
In this set there are two hooks, for separating the pieces one after
another without shaking any of the bunch. The long, slender "straws" are
four inches in length. There are eight that are carved to represent
Javelins, and eight carved like Spears. They count, respectively, one and
two marks if taken from the rest of the pile without shaking. Then there
are twenty Straws, counting ten apiece, that are delicately carved, each
one entirely different from any of the others. There is a Spade, a hooked
Spear, an Arrow, an Axe, a Flag, a Standard, a Halberd, a war Hammer, a
Javelin, a Sabre, a Lance, a Sword, a Trident, and a Pitchfork. These all
seem to be intended to represent weapons familiar in the antiquated
warfare of China. The five European implements are a long-handled Shovel,
a pair of Tongs, a Bodkin, a Pen, and a Musket. The skillful player who
captures the Tongs counts twenty, since it is twice as difficult to
disentangle as any of the other Straws, that are valued at ten marks
apiece.
CHAPTER XVIII
FORTUNE-TELLING THROUGH THE CARDS
Without in the least crediting that cards that are derived from ancient
mysteries are able to reveal the incidents connected with human life, many
people consider the trial an interesting amusement.
What were the methods used by the ancients for divining the wishes of the
gods? Truly this opens a vast field of inquiry that ranges through every
device and symbol ever invented by man.
Within a few years various plans have been suggested for reading the fate
through the hand, as is done by the Gypsies, or by the cards, as practised
by the priests of Mercury; but these are only a few hundred years old, and
probably have but little relation to the actual rites that have left no
authentic record and now can only be guessed.
Consultation of the cards serves to amuse the idle, the curious, and the
credulous, so a brief recapitulation of the two methods most in vogue may
interest readers, who can try for themselves to read what the divining
tools say through the interpretations used by two of the most celebrated
fortune-tellers of the past century, namely: Etteila and Mlle. le Normand.
The latter used modern French cards, while the former required a complete
Tarot pack that is not easy for most people to obtain.
Cardmakers have not been unready to invent for their customers various
fantastic packs with weird symbols, and to bestow on these modern
creations various significances that have no relation whatever to the old
Tarots; therefore they are valueless in the eyes of those who believe in
the ancient mysteries, which have been implicitly credited for ages, and
have a significance that is not difficult to understand, although the
different shades of meaning attributed to them by the Initiates have been
lost.
The fortune-telling packs issued by the card makers of the day generally
bear French pips, since these symbols are the ones familiar to
manufacturers in France, England, and America. They have, in addition,
badly drawn, inartistic pictures that are foolish and meaningless, since
they are neither heraldic nor symbolic, and they are only intended for
amateurs, since the true fortune-teller or Gypsy of to-day prefers the
cards with the ancient pips of Money, Swords, Rods, and Cups, together
with the Atouts.
A pack published in Frankfort-on-Main has the French, not the German,
pips, as would seem natural, and the cards are named "Le Normand Karten."
They are great favourites in Europe, where they are used for foretelling
the future and describing the past or present by credulous persons who
follow the rules laid down in the accompanying book or key, believing that
the cards were originally arranged and interpreted by the celebrated
French _cartomancie_, Mlle. le Normand herself, who had wonderful luck in
her business and has had many successors.
This pack is one and a half by three inches in width, which is smaller
than ordinary Playing Cards, and more convenient for laying out on a
table. The pack contains only thirty-six cards, with three court cards to
each suit, namely: King Queen, and Knave. The six pip cards are Ace, Six,
Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten. Each one has a meaningless picture on it,
such as a coffin, birds, flowers, or keys, and male or female figures
dressed in the fashion of 1850. In the upper centre of each card is a
small space, on which are the court figures or the pip symbols that are
represented on an ordinary pack of French cards.
The directions for consulting the cards are printed in German and French
in a small book accompanying them, so, since any pack with French pips
would serve for the same amusement, the rules and interpretations may well
be here given, as many persons enjoy consulting the cards to discover
through them, if they may, the past, present, and future.
Shuffle and cut the cards, and then hand them to the Inquirer to cut three
times. Deal one at a time, placing them face upward on the table in rows
from left to right. The first four rows each should have eight cards, and
the fifth row only four cards, which should be placed in the middle under
the others. These signify the end of life, and the row is, consequently,
shorter than the others. The cards for this row must be put so that there
are two outside of them on either side, both left and right on the row
above them, which makes the two outside lines count only four cards from
top to bottom, while the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines have five
cards under them.
If the inquirer is a female, she is represented by the Ace of Spades, and
if a male, he is betokened by the Ace of Hearts. These cards also
represent husband and wife, or two lovers, and great attention must be
paid to the place where they fall in dealing, for all the other cards are
dominated and controlled by one of these two, taking their significance
from them. The portent of the other cards is great or less in degree
according to their position, whether it be near or far, above or below,
these two representative cards. Those touching them are supposed to show
the events that are happening at the present moment, those far from them
are in the past, or the future, depending whether they are above or below
the two important ones.
The meaning of the thirty-six remaining cards is explained as follows:
KING OF SPADES.--Great happiness. A journey. A voyage on business. A
happy life.
QUEEN.--Happiness throughout life in every way.
KNAVE.--A birth. A child. A sweet disposition. Affability.
TEN.--Inherited wealth. Business. Fortune. Journey on account of
business. Travel.
NINE.--Successful voyages. Commercial enterprises. Faithfulness.
Illusions. Flirtations.
EIGHT.--Social position. Constant love. Unimportant position. Bad
companions.
SEVEN.--Good news. A letter from a distance. Bad news. An invitation.
SIX.--Long life. Sad life. Sickness. Death.
* * * * *
KING OF CLUBS.--Trouble. Happiness. Disaster to friends. Good news of
friends.
QUEEN.--Misfortune. Bad friends. Slander. Loss.
KNAVE.--Discord in family. Unhappiness between lovers. Illness.
Protracted sufferings.
TEN.--Happiness. Indifference. Trouble from outsiders. Slander.
NINE.--Annoyances. Troubles from friends. Quarrels. Lawsuit.
EIGHT.--Friendship. Faithful lover. Powerful enemy. Enemy overcome.
SEVEN.--Loss. Thief. Loss recovered. Loss irreparable.
SIX.--Disagreeable news. Slight trouble. Bad news. Trouble for
friends.
ACE.--Engagement. Happy marriage and riches. Broken engagement.
Separation of lovers.
* * * * *
KING OF DIAMONDS.--Fortune from the sea. Enterprises successful.
Misfortune. Loss.
QUEEN.--Unhappiness averted. Danger escaped. Sorrow. Trouble.
KNAVE.--Chagrin. Misfortune averted. Danger. Unhappiness averted.
TEN.--News. Secret intelligence. Gossip. Scandal.
NINE.--Illness. Sorrow. Accidents. Danger.
EIGHT.--Invitations. A love affair. Pleasure for the beloved. A love
affair in the family.
SEVEN.--Happy journey. Arrival of friends. A short trip. A journey.
SIX.--Pleasure. Good news. Annoyances overcome Good fortune.
ACE.--Prosperity. Good luck. Discouragement. Misfortune.
* * * * *
KING OF HEARTS.--Reunion. Prosperity. Fidelity. Endurance.
QUEEN.--An excursion. A journey. A prevented visit. Delayed journey.
KNAVE.--Love. Happiness. Pleasure. Concord.
TEN.--Fidelity. Lovers. Friendships. Treachery.
NINE.--Good news. Tidings. Letters. Visits.
EIGHT.--Honours. Approbation. Jealousy. Misery.
SEVEN.--Pain. Slight illness. Recovery from illness. Health.
SIX.--Good fortune. Happiness. Reverses. Troubles.
With this key to the interpretation of the cards, as arranged according to
Mlle. le Normand's theory, they may be read as follows, counting on the
cards as they fall near or far from the Ace of Hearts. If they are above
or close to and on the right, they mean the first description; if on the
left, they signify the second one. If below on the right, the third
description is the one to be taken, and if below on the left, the fourth.
Suppose a young man is the inquirer, and the cards be dealt as follows:
FIRST ROW.--Six of Diamonds, Nine of Clubs, Seven of Hearts, Seven of
Diamonds, Ten of Spades, Queen of Clubs, Ace of Hearts, Ten of Clubs.
SECOND ROW.--Six of Spades, Seven of Spades, Eight of Clubs, Six of
Clubs, Nine of Spades, King of Clubs, Ace of Clubs, Seven of Clubs.
THIRD ROW.--King of Hearts, Knave of Hearts, King of Diamonds, Queen
of Spades, Knave of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, Six of Hearts, Ten of
Diamonds.
FOURTH ROW.--Queen of Hearts, King of Spades, Ace of Spades, Eight of
Diamonds, King of Clubs, Eight of Hearts, King of Diamonds, Nine of
Hearts.
FIFTH ROW.--Ten of Hearts, Nine of Diamonds, Eight of Spades, Ace of
Diamonds.
This could be explained through the key as being a young man who from
birth had been surrounded by envious, jealous, and quarrelsome persons,
who formed his character, leading to the greatest unhappiness in the
family life. The marriage of his parents having been unfortunate, it
reacted on the boy's welfare. A trusted friend or guardian stole the
fortune that had been left in trust. But, endowed with good health, these
troubles were disregarded in youth. His character being unbridled,
capricious, frivolous, inconstant, peevish, and given to imagining
grievances, although affectionate to his friends, his disposition made him
uncongenial to most persons.
Secret enemies, who had been trusted as friends, embittered his life in a
way that nothing could overcome. A long journey undertaken for the sake of
forgetfulness was filled with annoyances and mishaps. Some brightness
entered into it through the companionship of a charming woman, which might
have resulted in a happy marriage had not the jealous spirit that
controlled the young man's career prevented. An early death is
prognosticated.
Let us now consider the other method of fortune-telling, which was
followed by Etteila, a celebrated French fortune-teller, who lived in
Paris about one hundred years since, who wielded a vast influence over his
compatriots, who firmly believed, as, indeed, he did himself, that he had
discovered the key to the Book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus through an old
pack of Tarots that fell by chance into his hands.
It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte had great faith in the deductions and
revelations of this _ci-devant_ hairdresser's apprentice, to whom
Josephine presented him. The empress was an ignorant and credulous woman,
owing to her education in the West Indian island of her birth, the society
of which was corrupted by Negro superstitions of a most complicated and
far-reaching character.
Etteila published a book called "Collection sur les Hautes Sciences"
(1780). It included an essay on "The Sublime Book of Thoth" that is now
very rare, but he saw what few others had seen, that Playing Cards were of
Egyptian origin, although he failed entirely to trace their progress
through the temples of Nebo and Thoth to the Mercury of the Romans, so, of
course, never connected the pips with the emblems of Mercury or
discovered that they originated from the divine commands given to the
Israelites, as well as to the desire of primitive people to consult the
Tablets of Fate that were inscribed by Nebo, the great god of Babylonia.
Many of the statements and beliefs of Etteila would have doubtless been
received with greater credence if these tokens had been pointed out. But
Etteila declared that he had discovered the different subtle meanings
connected with the Tarots, and that he had elucidated many of the points
that had previously been obscure. He certainly obtained astonishing
results when consulting the Tarots, or a set of cards that were probably
invented by himself, and which are now rare. They were adorned with
figures of men and women dressed in the fashion of his day, with numbers
on them, but with no pip marks. They were printed on a yellow-tinted
paper, and when issued were accompanied by a small book of rules for their
use in divining.
Papus, in his "Tarots of the Bohemians," having digested various works on
the Gypsies, kabalism, and occultism, worked out many rules for divining
with the Tarots. He places great reliance on magnetic currents, the
position of the stars, and the signs of the zodiac, suggesting astrology,
but he finds these symbols in the Tarots. He also gives value to the
letters of the Hebrew alphabet in connection with the Atouts, but, after
all, he declares that intuition plays a most important part when reading
the Tarots.
As has been pointed out, the Book of Thoth, or the Tarot pack, is divided
into two volumes, twenty-two leaves of which are called Atouts and bear
symbolic figures more or less correctly described by the names written on
them. The fifty-six leaves of the second volume are divided into four
suits, namely: Cups, Swords, Rods, and Money, with four court cards to
each suit: King, Queen, Knave, and Cavalier, followed by nine numbered
cards headed by the Ace.
Papus (page 308) defines the meaning of the suits as follows:
RODS.--Enterprise, glory.
CUPS.--Love, happiness.
SWORDS.--Hatred, misfortune.
MONEY.--Money, commerce, mercantile interests.
These four sets of principles must be remembered. The four court cards
represent people in general or particular who come in contact with each
other during the events of life. The Kings represent men, the Queens
women, the Cavaliers youths, and the Knaves children.
The court cards of the Rod and Sword suits represent dark people, while
those of the Cup and Money suits represent light or fair people. The
latter are benign, the former indifferent or malignant.
The key to the pip cards as given by Papus is as follows:
RODS.
Creation. Enterprise. Agriculture. Fire.
KING.--A dark man. A friend. Generally married. The father of a
family.
QUEEN.--Dark woman. A friend. A serious person. A very good
counsellor. The mother of a family.
CAVALIER.--A dark young man. A friend.
KNAVE.--A dark child. A friend. Also represents a message or letter
from a near relation.
ACE.--Commencement of an enterprise.
TWO.--Opposition to the beginning of an enterprise.
THREE.--Realization of the commencement of an enterprise. The basis of
the work is now definitely established, and the undertaking can be
fearlessly continued.
FOUR.--Obstacles to be prepared for.
FIVE.--Obstacles surmounted.
SIX.--Failure.
SEVEN.--Certain success.
EIGHT.--Partial success.
NINE.--Great success.
TEN.--Uncertainty.
CUPS
Preservation. Love. Instruction. Earth.
KING.--A fair man. A friend. A barrister, judge, or ecclesiastic. A
bachelor.
QUEEN.--A fair woman. The loved one. The mistress of a house.
CAVALIER.--Young, fair man. A friend. The lover or the loved one.
KNAVE.--Fair child. A messenger. A birth.
ACE.--Commencement of a love affair.
TWO.--Opposition. Unimportant obstacles raised by one of the lovers.
THREE.--Mutual love.
FOUR.--Serious obstacles from others.
FIVE.--Obstacles overcome.
SIX.--Obstacles insuperable. Widowhood. Separation.
SEVEN.--Success and happiness.
EIGHT.--Jealousy and trouble.
NINE.--Children.
TEN.--Uncertainty.
SWORDS
Transformation. War. Hatred. Lawsuits. Air.
KING.--Dark bad man. A soldier, an enemy, or one to be mistrusted.
QUEEN.--A dark wicked woman. A gossip. A calumniator. Jealous.
CAVALIER.--Young dark man. An enemy. A spy.
KNAVE.--A child. An enemy. Bad news. Delay.
ACE.--Commencement of enmity.
TWO.--Enmity does not last.
THREE.--Hatred.
FOUR.--Enemy defeated.
FIVE.--Enemy triumphs at last moment.
SIX.--Enemy powerless.
SEVEN.--Enemy successful.
EIGHT.--Enemy only partially successful.
NINE.--Duration of hatred.
TEN.--Uncertainty in the hatred.
The court cards generally indicate an opposition raised outside of the
home.
MONEY
Development. Money. Trade. Commerce. Journeys. Water.
KING.--Fair man. Inimical or indifferent.
QUEEN.--A fair woman. Indifferent.
CAVALIER.--A young, fair man. A stranger. An arrival.
KNAVE.--A fair child. A messenger. A letter.
ACE.--Commencement of good fortune. Inheritance. Gifts. Economy.
TWO.--Difficulty in getting inheritance or good fortune.
THREE.--A small sum of money.
FOUR.--Loss of money.
FIVE.--Success coming that will balance loss.
SIX.--Ruin.
SEVEN.--A large fortune.
EIGHT.--Partial success. Great loss of money at last moment.
NINE.--A durable fortune.
TEN.--Great successes and great reverses.
The pips of the Rod and Cup suits indicate that which comes from within or
at home. The pips of the Money and Sword suits indicate that which comes
from outside or abroad.
In order to practise card-reading with success, the Book of Thoth must be
mastered in every detail, and every significance of each of the
seventy-eight leaves must be committed to memory. After this the laying
out of the cards and the reading of their meaning would become mechanical,
were it not that the position of each one, as well as of the surrounding
cards, is capable of such subtle and illusive connections that only those
well versed in cartomancy, or, perhaps, inspired by the dominating genius
of Mercury, can translate their import.
First, then, the direct meaning of each card must be remembered, and then
its significance when it is reversed; thirdly, its value owing to its
position on the table and when in contact with other cards must be known.
The card is read in one way when it is required to reveal the character,
and in another when the social position or the thoughts of the inquirer
are to be revealed. The same card signifies, under other circumstances,
past or future events according to its position. A malignant card may be
entirely changed if surrounded by benign cards. Thus each condition must
be given due weight when the cards are being consulted.
"Human life," says Papus, "passes through four great periods, namely:
childhood, youth, maturity, and old age; so, when the Tarots are being
read with regard to the past, present, or future, this is the first thing
to be dwelt upon to the exclusion of every other significance that may be
seen in the cards. If, however, they are being read regarding events, it
will be seen that commencement, apogee, decline, and fall are
represented."
If a business transaction is the subject of inquiry, the suit of Rods must
be the one selected, since it indicates creation, enterprise, agriculture,
art, and the element of fire.
If a love affair is being inquired about, Cups must represent it. The Cup
indicates instruction, preservation, the earth, and affection.
A lawsuit, quarrel, or trouble has Swords for an emblem, as they denote
transformation, hatred, war, trouble, and the air.
Business calls for the Money suit; that typifies development, trade,
commerce, and water, with ships, travelling, and all that is connected
with movement. The Money suit is sometimes named Pentacles.
The Cups and Staves denote the house or the home, the family or near
relatives and friends. Money typifies outsiders, or the world in general,
or unknown persons. Swords may be either close relations or the public,
whichever is indicated by the surrounding cards.
The Atout cards may be divided so that the first seven cards refer to the
intellectual life of man. The next seven cards point to his moral
condition, and the last seven of the Atouts declare the various events of
his life. Taken with the pip cards, a fair narrative of all concerning the
ordinary events of life may be read in the cards, that is at least curious
and amusing, even if no credence is placed in the revelations, and this is
supposed to be what the ancients meant when they declared that Mercury had
invented "speech, letters, and books."
CHAPTER XIX
READING THE BOOK OF THOTH
To consult the Tarots, the Initiate must invite the Inquirer to designate
what the cards are to be asked to reveal, and, as has been mentioned, this
calls for the selection of one of the four suits that in this case must be
separated from the other leaves. The suit selected must be shuffled
thoroughly and cut by the Initiate, who then passes them to the Inquirer,
with the request that they be shuffled and cut three times. The cards are
then ranged or spread out on a table, after which the Atouts are shuffled
and cut according to the above directions, to be dealt according to the
rules of the game, remembering that the first card to the left indicates
commencement or childhood, the second one to the right and above it is
youth or apogee, the third on the right signifies decline or maturity,
while the fourth position means old age or fall; in short, past, present,
and future.
A simple way of reading the cards is as follows: With the pip and Atout
cards shuffled and cut separately, the Juggler, or first card of the
Atouts, must be taken from the pack and laid in the middle of the table,
so that the other cards may be dealt around it; for it represents the
Inquirer, and the cards that fall close to it reveal the events in life
most nearly connected with him.
After the cards are cut, the Inquirer may select seven cards from the
Atouts without looking at them. The Bagatleur represents the Inquirer.
Deal four of them one by one, beginning at the left side, so as to fill
the following diagram:
II
I III
IV
Then take three Atouts, selected without looking at them, and place them
in the centre, as follows:
II
I V VII VI III
IV
The last three show past, present, and future; the other four indicate
the character of the person or the events about which the cards are being
consulted. The diagram demands seven Atouts besides the Bagatleur or
Inquirer.
Then, without seeing them, twelve pip cards must be taken by the Inquirer
from the suit that has been selected, and these must be laid in a circle
around those already in place, commencing on the left and working
downwards and towards the right. The first card should be next to No. I;
the fourth should be under No. IV; the seventh should be opposite to the
first one and next to No. III; the tenth should be on the top, above No.
II, while the twelfth card falls beside the first one, completing the
circle. The Juggler is then supposed to be placed in the middle of the
diagram or laid above the circle.
The twelve pip cards indicate the different phases through which the
person will pass, or the evolution of the events during the four great
periods of life. Commencement is indicated by the Atout in position No. I;
apogee, by the Atout in position No. II; decline or obstacle, by the Atout
in position No. III, and fall, by the one in position No. IV. Then the
three other Atouts indicate the special character of the person; in the
past by No. V, in the present by No. VI, in the future by No. VII.
The pip cards should be studied where the future is indicated by the cards
in the circle occupying places from seven to twelve, the present by those
occupying positions from four to seven, the past by those occupying
positions from one to four. (These numbers refer to the positions
occupied, and never to the number of the pips on the cards, or to the
numbers placed on the Atouts.)
The above is a short and hurried method of consulting the cards, but
Etteila had a second one that was used when a whole career was to be
revealed, as well as the character, or the influence of education,
friends, and family. It also indicated the future position and chief
events of life. In short, it was supposed to be a repetition of the scene
when a young man, on reaching maturity made a solemn sacrifice in the
temple, when the "Tablets of Fate," that had been inscribed by Nebo,
Thoth, or Mercury at his birth, were consulted. In this way their wishes
were obtained that should govern his career in life. This ceremony was
never repeated, although the orders of the gods were often requested on
particular occasions without going through the entire performance or the
full consultation that had been made at maturity.
According to Papus, four deals are required for this process of
divination, but his methods are unnecessarily complicated, so they may be
simplified without altering the results.
Shuffle all the Tarots without making any distinction between the Atout
and the pip cards. Let the Inquirer cut them three times, and then cut
them in three packets of about equal size. Take the central heap, deal out
twenty-six cards, and lay them to the right in a pile. Shuffle those
remaining with the rest of the pack, and let them again be cut, and then
again cut into three piles. Select the centre and deal seventeen cards,
placing them in a pile beside the one containing the twenty-six cards.
Shuffle the stock again together, and let them be shuffled and cut as
before, taking again the centre packet and dealing eleven cards. Collect
the remaining twenty-four cards and put them aside. This is the Widow, or
Stock, and these cards represent the events that might have happened in
the life of the Inquirer, but were eliminated by luck or chance, and
these often prove most interesting.
The first packet, containing the twenty-six cards, represents the soul or
the character of the Inquirer, and of those most closely connected with
him. The pile containing the seventeen cards represents his mind or the
events controlling him. And the pile of eleven cards represents the body,
the ills or annoyances of life, or the events to take place, such as the
profession to be chosen, the journeys to be taken, with other happenings.
The cards should be spread out on a table, so that they can easily be seen
and interpreted according to their value, as given on pages 000-000, the
upper row containing the "soul" pile, the second row the "mind" pile, and
the third row containing the "body" pile.
"From this system," says Papus (page 330), "Etteila deduced his subtle
arguments upon the creation of the universe, the Kabbalah, and the
Philosopher's stone." If any person can emulate him in these deductions,
they must be "wise in their generation," and must have established direct
communication with the great god Nebo himself, the "writer of the Tablets
of Fate."
For the second deal, the whole pack of seventy-eight cards must be
shuffled and cut three times. Deal seventeen cards, laying them on the
table face up. Then take the eighteenth card and the seventy-eighth card
that should be on the bottom of the pack, and "the meaning of these two
cards," says Papus, "will tell you whether any fluidic sympathetic
communication is established between the Initiate and the Inquirer." Then
the seventeen cards laid out can be deciphered and disclosed.
The third deal is "Etteila's great figure," which gives the key to the
past, present, and future of the person about whose fate inquiry is being
made.
Take out the Atout numbered One, or the Juggler. Deal ten cards side by
side on the left of the table. Shuffle and cut three times, and then deal
ten more across the top. Then shuffle, cut, and deal ten more on the right
side, thus forming a hollow square, with the thirty Atout and pip cards
falling indiscriminately, but arranged side by side.
Deal thirty cards in a ring in the centre, leaving seventeen cards besides
the Juggler, or on one side for the stock, which has the meaning ascribed
to it in the other deals.
To read the cards, they must be picked up one by one, beginning with the
last one dealt on the right side of the open square and the last one of
the ring, explaining their meaning and significance as they are placed
together in pairs, and then discarding them entirely. The twenty cards
that are first taken up relate to the past.
The next twenty should be lifted in the same way, starting with the top
card of the square, and mating it with the one nearest it of the centre
circle, which should be the eleventh one dealt. These twenty cards
represent the present.
The remaining twenty cards, that should be selected in the same way,
foretell the future.
The fourth deal is simple, and through it answers may be obtained to any
queries that are put that have not been covered by the three preceding
revelations. Shuffle all the cards together and cut three times. Then deal
seven cards from right to left and read the answer.
Papus declares that the above system of fortune-telling is based upon
Etteila's method "as given in his Book of Thoth that is very rare," and
that his method has "never before been seriously elucidated by any of his
numerous disciples." Papus, therefore, is one of the first to explain it
upon "simple principles," which, however, require further simplification
to be practical, probably owing to some misprints in his volume.
The manner of telling fortunes by cards, according to the supposed rules
of the priests of the temple of Thoth, requires a complete pack of Tarots
that are at present difficult to obtain. Spanish, French, or picture cards
issued for games are without real value or connection with one of the
earliest cults of the world. Fortune-telling with cards is useless unless
divined through the emblems of Mercury or his predecessor, the great
Egyptian god Thoth, by reading the signs and symbols pictured in his Book
of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus called
THE TAROTS.