Moralization of Cards

Marcia959

Mary, this is really fascinating. Thanks for bringing it to us.
 

Teheuti

I don't think anyone yet has found the earliest version of the Soldier's Prayerbook/Almanac.

John Gay (1685-1732) has been proposed as the author since a mid-19th century translation of his Fables into French included this story, but it isn't among Gay's known body of works.

One possibility that I wasn't able to track down since the libraries that have pdfs are restricted:

1613: The Carde and Compasse of Life Containing Many Passages, Fit for These Times. and Directing All Men in a True, Christian, Godly and Ciuill Course, to Arrive at the Blessed and Glorious Harbour of Heaven, a manual of advice to the prince. By Richard Middleton.

This is truly a long shot since I found it by googling 'Richard Middleton'+card, but if anyone has access to the libraries holding it, it would be great if you could take a look.
 

Huck

Teheuti said:
I just completed Part 3 (and the last) of the "Moralization of the Deck of Cards" series—this part involving the tarot. I'm really proud of what I discovered and how I put it all together. I realize that there is some speculation involved, but there's also some really cool info.

http://marygreer.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/moralization-of-the-deck-of-cards-part-3/

Hi Mary,

the work of Traiano Boccalini (part of the topics at your page) was described in these days by Andrea Vitali

English
http://www.letarot.it/Triumphs--Trionfini-and-Trionfetti_pag_pg238_eng.aspx

Italian
http://www.letarot.it/page.aspx?id=238&lng=ITA

From the Italian version (I assume, that Andrea used the original) it's clear, that the original author used the word "Trionfetti" and not "Tarocchi". It's not clear, what the word Trionfetti means in this time (before 1612), but likely not Tarocchi, as already Rabelais used triumphs and tarau as names for different games (in 1534).
The author, a satirist ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajano_Boccalini
... opposed and worked against the Spaniards in Italy, according one version of his death in 1613 he was killed by them with sandbags (the possibly more probable version is, that he died of a colic). Possibly cause his political resistance and his assumed death by force of the enemy the author(s) of the Fama Fraternatis in 1614 (which opposed the Habsburger and referred also to the author Adam Haslmair, which in this time had been political prisoner on a galley, caused by Jesuits) referred to him with the publication of the Ragguaglio 77 of the first Centuria inside the Fama Fraternatis (this Boccalino text has nothing to do with playing cards, it surely can't be used to construct an early connection between playing cards and Rosicrucians).
p. 119
http://books.google.com/books?id=khYrAAAAYAAJ
... in the Monmouth translation of 1669

Some comments on the inclusion of the Boccalini text don't see any political dimension ... :), likely not informed about the practical dangers in Boccalini's and Haslmair's life (and in the lifes of the authors of the Fama, cause these surely had their reason to write in anonymous form).
 

Teheuti

Huck said:
the work of Traiano Boccalini (part of the topics at your page) was described in these days by Andrea Vitali

English
http://www.letarot.it/Triumphs--Trionfini-and-Trionfetti_pag_pg238_eng.aspx

Italian
http://www.letarot.it/page.aspx?id=238&lng=ITA
I discovered this material this morning on the Tarot History Forum - after posting my article (which had been in process for several months). Somehow I missed seeing Vitali's material when I was doing my original research a couple of months ago.

I've made some changes to the text of my post to reflect Vitali's information (and gave a link to him).

already Rabelais used triumphs and tarau as names for different games (in 1534).
I'm confused. Do you mean that by 1534 Trumps should no longer be taken as referring to tarot?

this Boccalino text has nothing to do with playing cards, it surely can't be used to construct an early connection between playing cards and Rosicrucians).
I never said that the Fama preface does. I do make the point that those people familiar with the original or the translations of Boccalino's entire work might have made an association with tarot or playing cards - as I believe Paul Foster Case might have done. He talks about his legend for the origin of tarot (in Fez) in the same section that he talks about the origins of the Fama Fraternitatis.

Some comments on the inclusion of the Boccalini text don't see any political dimension ... :)
But others do. It seems there is quite a bit of speculation about why the Boccalini text appeared (and then disappeared) from the editions of the Fama.

The theme that seems to connect all the examples I give is Social Reform, especially as it developed a more Humanist, rather than orthodox Catholic, perspective.

I appreciate your commenting on this and presenting the Vitali info.
 

Huck

Teheuti said:
I discovered this material this morning on the Tarot History Forum - after posting my article (which had been in process for several months). Somehow I missed seeing Vitali's material when I was doing my original research a couple of months ago.

I've made some changes to the text of my post to reflect Vitali's information (and gave a link to him).

Andrea Vitali published this article "recently". I think, it didn't exist "months ago".

I'm confused. Do you mean that by 1534 Trumps should no longer be taken as referring to tarot?

It should get a ?????? at least at "since 1534". Andrea noted ... "On the Spanish Triumph the famous Spanish humanist Juan Maldonado (Erasmus’s friend) wrote in Latin in 1541 and revised in 1549, a dissertation entitled Ludus Chartarum Triumphus (6). In it, Moldonado describes the game and its rules through a dialogue between different players whose names are Maldonatus, Ferranus, Rosarius, Padronus, Asturianus." ... the used cards were not Tarot cards.

This was in detail reported by Franco Pratesi possibly 15 years ago in an IPCS article.

Since 1494 foreign military in great number frequented Italy. If the trumping word (as game function, not as name for special cards) was used outside of Italy different to the use in Italy (Trionfi as special cards), this natural should cause a name conflict. We see, that in Ferrara Alfonso started to use "Taroch" in 1505 and repeated this in 1515/16. From a document in 1559 it's clear, that Ferrara was a dominant Tarocchi card producer (then) ...

"Playing Card list with Tarocchi 1559", my article in the other Tarot Forum

... , but likely already earlier (possibly 1540), Ferrara's Tarocchi cards were better than those in Padova.
From my perspective (I don't expect a big Trionfi card distribution during 15th century), which is usually different to that of other researchers, it seems plausible, that an extended Tarocchi card production for the mass market (with this or a similar name) could easily overrun earlier publications of cards with a stronger view at the highest social class ... and so could cause the name change. Possibly from Ferrara, possibly around 1520.

I never said that the Fama preface does. I do make the point that those people familiar with the original or the translations of Boccalino's entire work might have made an association with tarot or playing cards - as I believe Paul Foster Case might have done. He talks about his legend for the origin of tarot (in Fez) in the same section that he talks about the origins of the Fama Fraternitatis.

I didn't say, that you did say so. I just reflected this so for my own curiosity. It's strange, that a writer, who wrote about a playing card topic, just participated in the production of a text, which took such a mysterious and strong influence on the Rosicrucian movement (which later participated in the glamorization of the Tarot cards). So I tried to check the background and attempted to verify, what could be said about this curious context.

It's curious, that the playing card chapter (the 2nd of a series of 100 and further 150 followed) appeared at such an early and with this a dominant place. It might be, that this indicated a "meta meaning of the playing card chapter" for the whole text.
That just chapter 77 was taken by the Rosenkreuzer might have had the background, that somebody thought of 77 Tarot cards + Fool.

Indeed playing cards reappear in the further text (google search found six places on search key "cards"). This passages don't indicate Tarot cards in a clear way. One interesting passage is related to a ship sunk by a lightning. A card is invented, which brings the sailors to land ... The "lightning" might indicate the card Tower, but if this is all, then a relationship between text and playing card system would stay rather spurious.

Well, I don't know .. :) .. if I'm interested enough, I'll read the whole text to get a clearer opinion.
 

Huck

Description of the game Trionfo or Trionfino

http://www.pagat.com/tresset/beccaccino.html#trionfo

played with a 40 cards set

John McLeod finishes the game description with "The name Trionfo has been used for many different games with trumps, from the XV century onwards. The XVI-century Trionfo game referred to at the top of the page was not this game but a plain-trick game with 5 cards dealt to each player."

In their supplement to their book about the Tarot game Dummett / Mcleod call the English game "Triumph" the ancestor of the game "Whist".
http://tarotgame.org/tarotSupplement.pdf