"den to use, before their eyes, and "will they not stone us ?"

There is little doubt, that Mofes in this place alludes to the wellknown Egyptian hiftories of Ifis and Ofiris, and that the cow was the taboo'd animal which it was fo hazardous to facrifice in Egypt.

Herodotus gives us the reafon in his Euterpe :

Τὲς μὲν ἦν καθαρὲς βᾶς τὰς ἔρσενας, καὶ τὲς μοσχὲς οἱ πάντες Αἰγύπλιοι θύεσι τὰς δὲ θηλέας οὐ σφι έξεσι θύειν· ἀλλὰ ἱραὶ ἔισι τῆς Ἴσιος. τὸ γὰρ τῆς Ἴσιος ἄγαλμα, ἐὰν γυναικείον, Βακέρων ἐσι, καθάπερ Ελλενες τὴν τῶν γράφεσι· καὶ τὰς βᾶς τὰς θηλέας Αἰγύπλιοι πάνες ὁμοίως σέβονται, προβάτων πάντων μάλιςα μακρώ.

Ai

"All the Egyptians facrifice bulls, and bull-calves which are free from blemish; but cows they are forbidden to offer up, for they are holy to Ifis. For the reprefentation of lfis is that of a female with a cow's horns, as the Greeks paint lö, and all the Egyptians do thus venerate cows (boves fœminas) far more than all other cattle."

In confequence of this, their behaviour to perfons coming from a country not fo fcrupulous gives us a most perfect idea of the taboo.

Τῶν ἕνεκα, ἔτ ̓ ἀνὴρ Αἰγύπλιος, ἔτε γυνὴ ἄνδρα Ελληνα φιλήσειαν τῷ τόμαζι ἐδὲ μαχαίρῃ ἀνδρὸς Ἕλληνος χρήσεται, ἐδ ̓ ὀβέλοισι, ἐδὲ λέβητι, ἐδὲ zęśws nabage Bóos diarilunμive Exληνική μαχαίρη γεύσεται.

"On this account no Egyptian man or woman would kifs a Greek, nor use the fword of a Greek, nor Grecian fpits, or caldrons; nor will they even taste the flesh of a clean beaft, which is carved with a Grecian knife."

This was the Taoob-a-Mizraim in

If I mistake not, the Taboo of the islands has fome connection, not accurately underfood, with their religious tenets.

This conjecture will receive additional ftrength, if in the course of future enquiry there fhould appear, as I cannot but fufpect will be the cafe, as marked an affinity between other words in the two languages, expreffive of the fame ideas; Mattee, from no, feems to be here in point.

I wish I had leifure and abilities to enter more deeply into fuch an investigation.

The fubject viewed in any light whatever is not uninterefting; and no argument in favour of the primævity of the Hebrew language is unimportant. Refearches of this nature, we underfland, are now making, under the direction of a great princeis, as well as by the af fiduous care of learned individuals. I am fully perfuaded, that thefe refearches will terminate in fome new discoveries of the connection between the language of every kingdom upon earth, with that prefumed to have been spoken by Adam and Noah.

Yours most affectionately,
G. H. GLASS

Obfervations

Obfervations on a Picture by Zuccaro, from Lord Falkland's Collection, fuppofed to reprefent the Game of Primero. By the Hon. Daines Barrington. Infcribed to the Rev. Mr. Bowle. From the fame work.

I

Inner Temple, May 4, 1785. Conceive that the following account of a picture, which was fold laft week at Greenwood's auction-room in Leicester-Fields, may be interesting to the fociety.

It originally belonged to the great and good lord Falkland; from whom it defcended to the late viscount of that title, who died not long fince,

According to tradition in the family it was painted by Zuccaro; and represented lord Burleigh playing at cards with three other perfons, who, from their drefs, appear to be of diftinction, each of them having two rings on the fame fingers of both their hands.

The cards are marked as at prefent, and differ from thofe of more modern times only by being narrower and longer; eight of these lie upon the table, with the blank fide uppermoft, whilst four remain in each of their hands.

Other particulars deferving notice are, that one of the players exhibits his cards, which are, to the beft of my recollection, the knave of hearts, with the ace, 7 and 6 of clubs. There are also confiderable heaps of gold and filver on the table, fo that these dignified perfonages feem to have played for what would not at prefent be called a chicken ftake.

a Spanish one, called Primero, which probably might have been introduced by Philip the Second, or fome of his fuite, whilft he was in England, and was much in vogue during the reign of queen Elizabeth, as appears by the following paffage from Shakespeare:

I left him at Primero
"With the duke of Suffolk."

Henry VIII. A& V. Sc. r. I have taken some pains to find out how this formerly favourite game. was played, and find the following account of it in Duchat's notes on the twenty-fecond chapter of the firft book of Rabelais, in which all the games, with which Gargantua amufed himself, are mentioned, amounting to nearly two hundred, and the fecond of which is Primero.

I fhall fubjoin a tranflation of Duchat's note on this word, which feems moft clearly to prove, that Primero is the game defcribed in this picture of lord Falkland's.

"Each player hath four cards, " which are dealt one by one; a "feven is the highest in point of "number, [which he can avail "himself of] and counts for "twenty-one; the next is the fix, " and counts for fixteen; the next "is the five, and counts for fifteen; "the ace reckons for the fame "number, but the duce, trois, and

66

all

all of different colours, the player wins primero, and if they are all of the fame colour, he wins the fluh*.

From this outline of Primero, there feems to be little doubt but that it is the game which the painter means to describe; and that the perfon exhibiting his cards to the fpectators hath won the flus, flux, or Aufh; for his three clubs are the best cards for counting, and his knave of hearts may double the best of thefe, whilft it also becomes a club, and thus wins by the number of points, as well as by the four cards becoming a flush of clubs.

Whilft I have thus been endeavouring to explain this picture of Zuccaro, fome other obfervations have occurred, with regard to cards in the more early centuries, which with the indulgence of the fociety I may poffibly lay before them hereafter.

DAINES BARRINGTON.

leigh with three others playing at cards +, I have found fome confirmation that thofe exhibited in the hand of one of these players relate to Primero t, because the Sydney papers mention § that queen Eli zabeth formed a party at this game with the Lord Treasurer, Mr. Secretary, and the lord North.

I am fince informed likewise, that this picture was purchased by Mr. Bird of Hanover-Square.

I proceed to give the beft account I am able of the firft introduction of this pastime now become fo general.

The earliest mention of cards that I have yet ftumbled upon, is in Mr. Anftis's History of the Garter ||, where he cites the following paffage from the Wardrobe Rolls, in the fixth year of Edward the First.

"Waltero Sturton ad opus regis ad ludendum ad quatuor regés VIII S. vd. q" from which entry Mr. Anftis with fome probability conjectures, that playing cards were not unknown at the latter end of the thirteenth century; and perhaps what I fhall add may carry with it fome fmall confirmation of what he thus fuppofes.

Edward the Firft (when prince of Wales) ferved nearly five years in Syria, and therefore, whilst military operations were fufpended, muft naturally have wished some fedentary amufements. Now the Afiatics fcarcely ever change their

perfon.

customs;

customs; and, as they play at cards (though in many refpects different from ours *) it is not improbable that Edward might have been taugh the game, ad quatuor reges, whilst he continued fo long in this part of the globe.

If however this article in the wardrobe account is not allowed to allude to playing cards, the next writer who mentions the more early introduction of them is P. Meneftrier †, who, from such another article in the privy purse expences of the kings of France, fays, that they were provided for Charles the Sixth by his limner, after that king was deprived of his fenfes in 1392.The entry is the following, " Donné "a Jacquemin Gringonneur, Pein“tre, pour trois jeux de Cartes, 66 a or et a diverfes couleurs, de plufieurs devifes, pour porter " vers le dit Seigneur Roi pour fon " abatement, cinquante fix fols "Parifis."

I must own, that I have fome doubts whether this entry really relates to playing cards, though it is admitted that trois jeux de cartes would now fignify three packs of cards. The word jeu however had anciently a more extenfive import than at prefent, and Cotgrave in his Dictionary applies it to a cheft of violins, jeu de violons. I there

fore rather conceive that the trois jeux de Cartes, in this article, means three fets of illuminations upon paper; carte originally fignifying no

more .

If this be the right interpretation of the terms, we see the reason why Gringonneur, limner to Charles VI. was employed, and these three fets of illuminations would entertain the king during his infanity by their variety, as three fets of wooden prints would now amufe a child better than one; whilft on the other hand one pack of cards would have been fufficient for a mad king, who probably would tear them in pieces upon the firft run of bad luck.

How this fame king moreover was to be taught or could play a game at cards whilit he was out of his fenfes is not very apparent; and the phyfician, who permitted fuch amusement to his majesty, feems not to have confidered the ill confequence to his health by loffes at play, which fo much inflame the paffions. Some ftrefs likewife may be laid upon this entry not being followed by another || of money iffued to the winners, as there seems to be little doubt, but that his maefty in this ftate of mind must have been, in modern terms, a pigeon, to his hawks of courtiers.

Another

Another obfervation to be made upon this entry is, that the year 1392 cannot be justly fixed upon as the date of this invention, for though Charles the Sixth loft his fenfes at that time, yet he lived thirty years afterward, fo it will not be fair to fuppofe thefe cards were made the first year of his phrenfy, but to take the middle year of these thirty, which would bring it to 1407. At that time, indeed, this amusement feems to have become more general, as in 1426* no perfon was permit ted to have in their houfe "tabliers, efchiquiers, quartes," &c. which laft word I conclude to be the fame with cartes or cards ↑.

It seems moreover to afford a ftrong prefumption against Mr. Anfis's explanation of the game ad quatuor reges (known to our Edward the Firft), that cards are not alluded to by such an article in the wardrobe rolls, because we hear nothing about them, either in Rymer's Focdera, or our ftatute book, till towards the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII 1.

This fort of amufement, however, was not unknown to the court at least of Henry VII. for in the year 1502, when the daughter of

that king was married to James the Fourth of Scotland, the played at cards foon after her arrival at Edinburgh ||.

Cards had alfo found their way into Spain about the fame time; for Herrera mentions §, that upon the conqueft of Mexico (which happened in 1519), Montezuma took great pleasure in feeing the Spaniards thus amusing themselves.

And here it may not be improper to obferve, that if the Spaniards were not the first inventors of cards (which at least I conceive them to have been), we owe to them undoubtedly the game of ombre (with its imitations of quadrille, &c.), which obtained fo long throughout Europe till the introduction of whisk **.

The very name of this game is Spanish, as ombre fignifies a man ; and when we now fay I am the omber, the meaning is, that I am the man who defy the other players, and will win the ftake. The terms for the principal cards are alfo Spanish, viz. Spadill, Manill, Bafto, Punto, Matadors, &c++."

"The four fuits are named from what is chiefly reprefented upon them, viz. Spades, from efpado, a

§ Dec. 2. c. 8.

fwords