About the same time that Heraldic cards were introduced into Naples, a pack of the same kind as these of Mons. De Brainville were engraved in England. In these cards, specimens of which are given in the annexed plate, the honours of the several suits are thus represented. Each of the cards representing a Knave, is marked P, for Prince; and a stamp appears on the Ace of Spades.
| Clubs | ||
| King, | by the arms of the | Pope. |
| Queen | " | King of Naples. |
| Prince (Knave) | " | Duke of Savoy. |
| Ace | " | Republics of Venice, Genoa, and Lucca. |
| Spades. | ||
| King | " | King of France. |
| Queen | " | Sons of France, the Dauphin, Duke of Anjou, and Duke of Orleans. |
| Prince | " | Princes of the Blood—Bourbon, Berry, Vendome, and Alençon. |
| Ace | " | Ecclesiastical Peers—Rheims, Langres, and Laon. |
| Diamonds. | ||
| King | " | King of Spain. |
| Queen | " | King of Portugal. |
| Prince | " | Castile and Leon. |
| Ace | " | Arragon. |
| Hearts. | ||
| King | " | King of England. |
| Queen | " | Emperor of Germany. |
| Prince | " | Bohemia and Hungary. |
| Ace | " | Poland. |
In the annexed specimens, which are of the same size as the originals, the honours represented are the King of Clubs, the Queen of Hearts, the King of Diamonds, and the Ace of Spades. The arms of the Pope, representing the King of Clubs, are those of Clement IX, who was elected 20th June, 1667, and died 9th December, 1669.
In another pack of Heraldic cards, relating entirely to England, probably engraved about the same period, the armorial ensigns of the King and the nobility were thus distributed amongst the Têtes and Pips. [181] The King and Queen of Hearts were respectively represented by the arms of England and of the Duke of York; of Diamonds, by the arms of Ireland, and of Prince Rupert; of Spades, by the arms of France, and of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York; and of Clubs, by the arms of Scotland, and of the Dukes of Norfolk, Somerset, and Buckingham. In this pack there were no Knaves. The arms of the Earls were distributed amongst the sevens, eights, nines, and tens; the Viscounts furnished the sixes; the Bishops were quartered on the fives; and the Barons' coats armorial clothed the nakedness of the lower orders, from the fours to the aces,—the aces in the Heraldic game being low. From a kind of title-page, or perhaps wrapper, preserved in Bagford's collection, in the British Museum, it would appear that the publication of those cards was licensed by the Duke of Norfolk, as Earl Marshal of England, and as such entitled to take cognizance of all matters relating to heraldry.
The Pope, The Emperour
Castille & Leon, Eclesiasticks Dukes and Peirs (Reims, Longres, Laon)
In playing the game armorial with Heraldic cards, the players were required to properly describe the various colours and charges of the different shields; but as this could not be done without some previous knowledge of the science of heraldry, a Mons. Gauthier was led to devise, about 1686, a new pack of Heraldic cards, simply explaining the terms of blazon, and thus serving as an introduction to the grand game. [182] The Heraldic game, however, never was popular; and does not even appear to have been in much esteem with the higher orders, for whose instruction and entertainment it was specially devised. It would seem to have declined in France with the glory of Louis XIV, and not to have survived the Revolution in England.
About 1679, there was published a pack of cards, containing, according to the advertisement, "An History of all the Popish Plots that have been in England, beginning with those in Queen Elizabeth's time, and ending with the last damnable plot against his Majesty Charles II, with the manner of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's murder, &c. All excellently engraved on copper-plates, with very large descriptions under each card. The like not extant. Sold by Randal Taylor, near Stationers Hall, and by most booksellers, price One Shilling each pack." In a "puff collusive," [183] forming a kind of postscript to this announcement, approbation of these cards is thus indirectly made a test of staunch Protestantism. "Some persons who care not what they say, and to whom lying is as necessary as eating, have endeavoured to asperse this pack by a malitious libel, intimating that it did not answer what is proposed. The contrary is evident. Aspersers of this pack plainly show themselves popishly affected." [184]
Such a pack of cards as that announced in the advertisement referred to—"containing an history of all the popish plots that have been in England, beginning with those in Queen Elizabeth's time"—I have never seen; and from the objection which was made to it at the time, namely, that "it did not answer what was proposed," I am inclined to think that it was the same pack as that which relates entirely to the pretended Popish plot of 1678, and the murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. A pack of the latter now before me appears to have been published about 1680, and certainly subsequent to the 18th of July, 1679; as on the Four of Clubs is represented the trial of Sir George Wakeman and three Benedictine monks, who on that day were arraigned at the Old Bailey on an indictment of high treason for conspiring to poison the king. The complete pack consists of fifty-two cards; and each contains a subject, neatly engraved, either relating to the plot or the trial and punishment of the conspirators, with a brief explanation at the foot. At the top are the marks of the suit; and the value of the low cards, from one to ten, is expressed in Roman numerals. The suits of Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs consist chiefly of illustrations of the pretended plot, as detailed in the evidence of Titus Oates and Captain Bedloe; while the suit of Clubs relates entirely to the murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. An idea of the whole pack may be formed from the following description of a few of the cards of each suit. Hearts: King: the King and privy councillors seated at the council-table; Titus Oates standing before them: inscription at the foot, "Dr. Oates discovereth ye Plot to ye King and Councell." The Eight: "Coleman writeing a declaration and letters to la Chess,"—Père la Chaise. The Ace: the Pope with three cardinals and a bishop at a table, and the devil underneath: "The Plot first hatcht at Rome by the Pope and Cardinalls, &c." Diamonds: Knave: "Pickerin attempts to kill ye K. in St James Park." The Four: "Whitebread made Provintiall." The Ace: "The consult at the white horse Taverne." Clubs: King: "Capt Bedlow examind by ye secret Comitee of the House of Commons." The Nine: "Father Connyers preaching against ye oathes of alegiance & supremacy." The Six: "Capt Berry and Alderman Brooks are offer'd 500£ to cast the plot on the Protestants." Spades: Queen: "The Club at ye Plow Ale house for the murther of S. E. B. Godfree." The Nine: "Sr E. B. Godfree strangled, Girald going to stab him." The Five: "The body of Sr E. B. G. carry'd to Primrose hill on a horse."