Baptista Platina, in his treatise 'De Honesta Voluptate'--which is neither more nor less than an antique "School of Good Living," teaching how creature comforts may be best enjoyed--mentions cards as a game at which gentlemen may play, after dinner or supper, to divert their minds, as deep thinking after a hearty meal impedes digestion. There was, however, to be no cheating nor desire of gain--which is as much as to say that the stakes were to be merely nominal--lest bad passions should be excited, and the process of healthy concoction disturbed.[110]
Galeottus Martius, a contemporary of Platina, is perhaps the earliest writer who "speculated," or at least published his speculations, on the allegorical meaning of the marks of the four suits of cards. I shall give a translation of the passage, which occurs in chapter xxxvi of his treatise 'De Doctrina promiscua,' written, according to Tiraboschi, between 1488 and 1490. I leave others to divine the author's precise meaning, referring them to the original text which is given below. The topics of this chapter are: "The greater and lesser Dog Star, Orion, the Evening Star, the Pleiades, the Hyades, Bootes, the Kids, the planet Venus, and the game of Cards." Towards the conclusion, after having exhausted his astronomical topics, he thus proceeds, _apropos_ of the benign influence of Venus.
"From the excellency of this planet it is not surprising that the ancients called a happy throw at dice Venus,--not Jove, though considered of greater fortune. Thus Propertius:
"Venus I hoped with lucky dice to cast, But every time the luckless Dogs turned up."
"An unlucky cast was called the Dog--"_Canis_"--and also the Little Dog--"_Canicula_"--with reference to the Stars. Thus Persius:
"Far as the luckless little Dog-star's range."
"What kind of stars the Great and Little Dog were, has been already shown. Some persons, indeed, might laugh at the invention of such kind of games being ascribed to the learned, were it not plain from reason that the game of cards was also devised by wise men. To say nothing about the Kings, Queens, Knights, and Footmen,--for every one knows the distinction between dignity and military service,--is it not evident, when we consider the significance of swords, spears, cups, and country loaves, that the inventor of the game was a man of shrewd wit? When there is need of strength, as indicated by the Swords and Spears, many are better than few; in matters of meat and drink, however, as indicated by the Loaves and Cups, a little is better than a great deal, for it is certain that abstemious persons are of more lively wit than gluttons and drunkards, and much superior in the management of business. What I call country loaves, from their form and colour,--Pliny speaks of bread of a yellow colour--are the marks which are ignorantly supposed to signify pieces of money. The Cups are goblets, for wine."[111]