Early French lists of trumps

Ross G Caldwell

Early French lists of trumps

Although the game of Tarot was known in France since at least 1500, descriptions of the cards, the rules, and names for the trump cards are not attested before about 1622.

The following witnesses to the French names for the trumps occur between 1622 and 1659. The main points of interest are the names for the Fool and Magician, which vary between the Italianizing “Ma”, “Math”, etc. from Italian “Matto”, and “Baga”, “Bagat” from Italian Bagatto, Bagatella, etc., versus the French term which is descriptive of the figure on the card, a “bateleur” or table-top conjurer, juggler or magician; and the name for the “Tower” card, between the “Foudre”, for a thunderbolt, reflecting the Italian “saetta” (thunderbolt) and “fuoco” (fire – from the skies), and the unusual French name “Maison (de) Dieu”.

1.François Garasse, Les recherches des recherches et autre œuvres de M. Etienne Pasquier (Paris, 1622, page 222) :

« Je dirois que le Jeu des Tarots represente une Republique mieux que les Eschecs ne representent la Cour d’un Roy : Aux Tarots il y a de tous estats comme dans une Republique, il y a des deniers pour recompenser les bons, il y a des espées pour la defense de la patrie, il y a des Chevaliers, des Sergens, des Basteleurs, des Triomphes, des Empereurs, des Papes, & des fous. Qui voudroit moralizer cela, feroit un Livre plus gros que les Recherches de Maistre Pasquieer. »

I would say that the game of Tarot represents a Republic better than Chess represents the Court of a King: In the Tarots there are all the estates as in a Republic, there are coins for buying goods, there are swords for defending the country, there are Knights, Commanders, Jugglers, Triumphs, Emperors, Popes and fools. Whoever would moralize this, would make a much bigger book than the Recherches of Master Pasquier.

Fous
Basteleurs
Empereurs
Papes
Triomphes

2. Michel de Marolles, Regles du jeu des Tarots (Nevers, 1637). Marolles only gives three trumps by name:

« La beauté de ce jeu est d’avoir force triomphes & principallement les hautes avec le Monde, Math, & le Bagat, & quelques Roys… »

The beauty of this game is to have many trumps, especially the high ones including the World, Fool and the Bagat, and some Kings...

Math (Matto, Fool)
Bagat (Bateleur, Juggler, Magician)
Monde (World)

Note the Italian names “Math” and “Bagat”

3. Anonymous cardmaker, “Tarot de Paris”, mid-17th century:

-LE FOUS
I. LE BATELEVR
II. LA PAPESSE
III. LIN PERATRICE
IIII. LAN PEREVT
V. LE PAPE
VI. LAMOVREVS
VII. LE CHARIOT
VIII. IVSTICE
IX. LER MITE
X. LA ROVE DE FOVRTVNE
XI. FORCE
XII. LE PANDVT
XIII.LA MORT
XIIII. ATREMPANCE
XV. LE DIABLE
XVI. LA FOVLDRE
XVII. LESTOILLE
XVIII. LA LVNE
XIX. LE SOLEIL
XX. LE IVGEMENT
XXI. LE MONDE

Note Fouldre (foudre, thunderbolt, lightning), also the name Vieville knows it by.

4. Tarot of Jacques Viéville, mid-17th century. Most of the trumps are named or alluded to in an inscription contained on the Ace of Deniers and the Two of Cups, but no names appear on any of the trump cards themselves:

-. MA
I. BAGA
II. LA PAPESSE
III. LINPERATRYCE
IIII. LANPEREVR
V. LE PAPE
VI. AMOUREUX
VII. YUSTICE
VIII. (not named, perhaps « prins » (taken) « a force »)
IX. FORCE
X. (not named, perhaps « trannay » (dragged))
XI. VIELART (old man)
XII. PENDV
XIII. (not named)
XIIII. (not named, perhaps « CESTE DAME » (this Lady))
XV. LE DYABLE
XVI. LA FOVDRE
XVII. LES ETOILLES
XVIII. LA LVNE
XIX. LE SOLEIL
XX. TROMPE
XXI. MONDE

Note Ma (for Math, Matto) and Baga (for Bagat), and Foudre again, indicating Italian influence.

5. Jean Noblet Tarot, mid-17th century.

-LE FOV
I. LE BATELEVR
II. LA PAPESSE
III. LEMPERATRISE
IIII. LEMPEREVR
V. LE PAPE
VI. LAMOVREVX
VII. LE CHARIOT
VIII. IVSTICE
VIIII. LERMITE
X. LA ROVE DE FORTVNE
XI. FORCE
XII. LE PENDV
XIII. LAMORT
XIIII. LEMPERANCE
XV. LE DIABLE
XVI. LA MAISON DIEV
XVII. LESTOILLE
XVIII. LA LVNE
XVIIII. LE SOLEIL
XX. LE IVGEMENT
XXI. LE MONDE

Note that, like in the Anonymous Parisian Tarot, card number XIII is named « Death “. The superstition against naming the card appears in the Tarot of Jean Dodal, about 1700, and is followed by many cardmakers thereafter.

6. Jean Pinson de la Marinière (=Martinière?), La Maison Academique : contenant les jeux du picquet, du hoc, du tric-trac, du hoca… tarot, triomphe… (Paris, 1659)

1. Le Basteleur.
2. La Papesse.
3. L' Empereur.
4. L' Imperatrice.
5. Le Pape.
6. L' Amoureux.
7. Le Chariot.
8. La Iustice.
9. L' Hermite.
10. La rouë de fortune.
11. La Force.
12. Le Pendu.
13. La Mort.
14. La Temperance.
15. Le Diable.
16. La maison de Dieu.
17. L' Estoile.
18. La Lune.
19. Le Soleil.
20. Le Iugement.
21. Le Monde.
 

kwaw

While not speaking of the tarot directly, would the Mat, Monde, Bagat & Triophe de Fortune together be an allusion to them in Le Cavalier de Savoye by Buttet in 1606?

"Que sust cède la terreur que dona à toute îa Frace c’est invicible Emanuel Philibert, qui nourry au giro de Bellone, luy coupa les nerfs du bras droict à la bataille Sainct Laurens, & ayant Mat, Monde & Bagat, & le triophe de fortune, alloit saigner c’este monarchie au coeur, si l’amour ne luy eust esté offert parle don que l’o luy fist de la plus vertueuse Princesse qui sust sous le ciel; plus digne guerdon de ses merites, que le plus grand Empire de la terre?"
 

Huck

While not speaking of the tarot directly, would the Mat, Monde, Bagat & Triophe de Fortune together be an allusion to them in Le Cavalier de Savoye by Buttet in 1606?

"Que sust cède la terreur que dona à toute îa Frace c’est invicible Emanuel Philibert, qui nourry au giro de Bellone, luy coupa les nerfs du bras droict à la bataille Sainct Laurens, & ayant Mat, Monde & Bagat, & le triophe de fortune, alloit saigner c’este monarchie au coeur, si l’amour ne luy eust esté offert parle don que l’o luy fist de la plus vertueuse Princesse qui sust sous le ciel; plus digne guerdon de ses merites, que le plus grand Empire de la terre?"

The city of Geneve (a Calvinist city) had forbidden "Troggn" (= Tarot) and it had a conflict with Savoy, especially in 1602 ...

In 1602, Charles Emmanuel attempted to besiege the city of Geneva. On December the 11th of that year, he commanded his troops to the city during the night, and they surrounded the city walls at 2:00 AM. The Savoyard cuirassiers were ordered to dismount and climb the city walls in full armour as a shock tactic. However, the alarm was raised by a night watchman and Geneva's militia rose to meet the invaders. The attempted raid was a disastrous failure, and 54 Savoyards were killed, and many more were captured. Charles Emmanuel's army retreated in a panic and the Savoyard prisoners were executed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Emmanuel_I,_Duke_of_Savoy

From 1784 we have a positive Tarot document in Savoy, which used the terminus Tarotica.
We discussed that ...

However, both documents refer to Charles Emmanuel, the son of the "invincible Emanuel Philibert", who is addressed in your quote.

Emanuel Philibert called "Ironhead" had died in 1580.

I looked up your passage ...
http://books.google.de/books?id=fxu_IBOqLBcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=bagat&f=false

The "bataille de la Saint-Laurent - 10 août 1557" took place 10th of August 1557 - as part of the battle of St.Quentin.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataille_de_Saint-Quentin_(1557)

It had a horrible result for France, 15.000 men lost on their side and only 300 on the side of the Spanish Habsburgers, though the French had double strength in men.
The winning general against France had been - as already indicated with Mat, Pagat and highest trump - Emanuel Philibert, Duc du Savoy, who had lost his domain Savoy long before and got it back in the peace of 1559, together with the hand of a sister of the current French king, who himself had the unlucky fate to be killed during a tournament during the peace celebrations.

Well, this is a fine quote for the popularity of Tarot in France in 1606, of course. Thanks.