I have saved what for me are the most daunting of Franco's
transcriptions until the last (up to now), in this series of
translations of Franco's 2023-2024 playing card notes. These in fact
come from early 2023 and so are earlier than most of the notes in this
thread. What is daunting about them are the technical terms of late
18th-century Milanese tarocchi. I have to say that without Franco's
heavy editing of my attempts, nothing close to an accurate translation
would have been achieved - and uncertainties still remain, as well as
numerous terms left undefined but more or less understandable.
It is not easy to understand works about game fouls and strategy that do
not bother to mention the rules this strategy is based on. This was
true of the books on minchiate as well - the subjects of most of
Franco's Playing-Card articles 2018-2023 -
but that was an area in which Dummett and McLeod at least gave their
understanding of the majority of the technical terms.
In the present case, there Dummett and McLeod's book of 2005, which
mostly is a repetition of Dummett's description of the four-handed
Lombard game in Game of Tarot (pp. 270-71). It is not clear to me exactly what sources he used, but among them was Il Maestro de' Guiochi
in 1811, available to him in a reprint of 1832 (p. 270). Since he also
says that "we have already encountered the game to be described, namely
as played in mid-century Vienna, and subsequently included in card-game
books published in Germany and the Netherlands" (p. 270), he probably
used Austrian, German, and/or Dutch sources as well.
Another book he mentions (in his introduction to the chapter, which also includes Piedmont) is one published in Turin 1878, Primi elementi e regole del giuoco de' tarocchi
(p. 259); but whether that included Lombard games, as opposed to only
Piedmontese ones, is not clear. He mentions it only in connection with
Piedmont. To the same purpose he also mentions briefly a work of 1830,
again in Turin, Regole inalterabili per tutti i giuoch di Tarocco detti di commercio, saying that it "is a collection of laws governing penalties for a misdeal (guioco fallo),
revokes, and similar misdemeanors." He does not say what a revoke is,
or what the corresponding Italian term was. Perhaps he has done so
earlier in the book.
This gives rise to another question: while "misdeal" is readily
understood, the same cannot be said for "revoke," which is a specialized
term in trick-taking games. A player who revokes is not actually
revoking anything, in the ordinary meaning of the term: the rule being
violated is still in force whether he chooses to recognize it or not.
The Italian term corresponding to "revoke" is rifiuto, which ordinarily means "refusal." A rifiuto
is a failure to follow suit when one can. "Refusal" makes sense: a
player is secretly (since no one else can see his hand) refusing to
follow a rule agreed to by all, unless he is just inattentive. In
translation, is it a refusal or a revoke? To someone unfamiliar with the
technical terms of whist or bridge, to speak of "doing a revoke"
meaning failing to play the suit led if he can, sounds odd, much odder
than "refusal" in the same place, since it is not in one player's power
to suddenly revoke a rule in the middle of a game without getting
others' agreement.
There are other such terms, of which only one, scarto, "discard," - withthe related verb scartare - that needs to be discussed here. In the present context, the translation "discard" refers mainly to what the dealer does at the end of the deal, when, having dealt an equal number of cards to each player, nineteen in fact, there are two cards left over (78 - 19x4 = 2). There is a procedure by which the two cards get incorporated into the dealer's hand. Then the dealer discards two cards, so that he has nineteen altogether again, again with rules for what can be discarded. These cards are placed face down next to the dealer, not to be disturbed until the end of the game, when they contribute to one player's score, usually but not always the dealer. The term "discard" also refers to the situation in which a player can neither play a card in the suit led nor a tarocco, in which case he plays any card. This use of the term is the same as in bridge.
Franco's examination of these unexamined books starts with that of 1794
then works backwards to 1793, then 1792-1789, and ending up with a short
survey of the whole, going forward as far as 1827. That will be in the
fourth post from now. Of these books, the second and third are the most
remarkable, going to great lengths discussing advanced strategy in the
Milanese game, strategy which, as Franco observes, anticipates works on
bridge of a century later.
This original for the current translation is "Milano 1794: uno sconosciuto libro sui tarocchi," posted on July 1, 2023, at https://www.naibi.net/A/MILA1794.pdf. As usual, the comments in square brackets are mine, in consultation with Franco.
If it can be of any assistance in orienting one to the basic rules and
some of the previous sources for this two-partnership game, I have
reproduced the relevant sections from Chapter 13 of Dummett's Game of Tarot, pp. 258-59 and 270-71, at viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1175&p=26558#p26558,
Milan 1794: an unknown book on tarocchi
Pratesi Franco
1. Introduction
The obligatory starting point on tarot in Milan (and beyond!) is Michael
Dummett's first exceptional book, published in 1980 with the assistance
of Sylvia Mann. [note 1]
In particular, that great scholar guarantees us that he has compared
many Milanese editions, from the 19th century and some even later, with
descriptions of tarocchi among other "conversation" games [i.e. games in
respectable social settings]. The result of his research was that those
numerous texts in practice repeated with minimal variations the game
regulations obtainable from the first known editions of Milanese books
from 1811 on various games. [note 2, note 3] Subsequently, Dummett's book was republished in two volumes with some extensions and with John McLeod as co-author [note 4], and some further small additions and changes appeared in a 2009 Supplement [note 5] that you can also download for free from the internet.
A note with comments on this Supplement
was published in the same year in the official journal of the
International Playing Card Society by Thierry Depaulis, one of the
greatest authors and experts on this topic. [note 6] Here
we are only interested in a brief passage among his comments, which
refers precisely to the first books printed in Milan on tarot cards.
There are in total four books . . . to be found, dating back to 1787, 1789, 1793 and 1794 respectively.There are in fact a few books which were published before 1800 and that nobody has taken care to look at! I hereunder give a list of these titles (which I have not seen but which would be worth checking).
In short, examples of these books should be traced and if possible their contents compared with those known from the nineteenth century, to verify whether different game rules or even just different expositions of the same rules previously existed. In the meantime, the search can begin with the most recent of the four, the first on which I looked for information.
2. Search for the fourth book
The book in question [note 7] was at the origin of all my research, because when I didn't remember any information about it (not even its presence in the Lensi Bibliografia, [note 8] which I once knew well, even before the reprint) I found it among the “Books that can be sold in the Printing House of Giuseppe Borsani and Co.” at the end of an unknown book on the Milanese game of checkers of the late eighteenth century, in which one could only read: “The Codex of Tarocco. A very rich and perfect treatise on this delightful Game.” [note 9] From the databases accessible on the internet, there are two examples preserved in public libraries, one in the library of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, one in that of the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
I immediately asked both libraries for information. I didn't get a response from the American library, but I think there was a mix-up of addresses, because on other occasions I was able to verify their
__________________
1. M. Dummett, The Game of Tarot. London: Duckworth 1980
2. Il Maestro de’ giuochi che insegna. Milan: Agnelli [1811]
3. ll Giuocatore in conversazione. Milan: Buccinelli [1811]
4. M. Dummett, J. McLeod A History of Games Played with the Tarot Pack. Lewiston: E. Mellen Press 2004
5. M. Dummett, J. McLeod A History of Games Played with the Tarot Pack. Supplement. Surbiton: Maproom 2009
6. Th. Depaulis, The Playing Card Vol. 38, No.1, pp. 9-13
7. Codice del tarocco addattato ad ogni tavoliere sì pubblico che privato. Milan: Pulini 1794. 78 pp. (Lensi, no. 33)
8. A. Lensi, Bibliografia Italiana dei giuochi di carte. Florence: Landi 1892 (reprint Ravenna: Longo 1985)
9. http://www.naibi.net/c/DAMA1799.pdf
2
helpfulness. On the other hand, the response from Salzburg was very cordial and complete. Professor Rainer Buland, director of the Spielforschung Institute of the Universität Mozarteum, made himself available to immediately provide me with a reproduction of the book's index, while waiting for a complete digitized copy to be prepared to be inserted on the library website, available to everyone. From approximately mid-June 2023, the rare Milanese Codex has appeared among the digitized ones of the Library, accessible online. [note 10]
3. Comparison of the tables of contents
3
4Of the matters contained in this Codex
Explanation of the Cards Page 7
Setting how much you want to play [for] per game 8
Degrees of Winnings and losses in the games 8
Way of being divided, i.e. taking the Partner 9
Cutting not allowed in the division 10
Forgetting to Cut for taking the Partner §. Which begins Accade [it occurs] 10
Changing or confusing the Cards in the division 11
Cutting, by which it cannot follow the division 12
Who cuts the Fool 13
Substituting someone to play in one’s place 13
The cutting done, the deck is found lacking 13
Method of sitting at the table 13
Cutting to see who should be the first to discard 14
Discarding the cards 14
Who is to cut 15
Cutting for the distribution of cards, and way of cutting 15
Way of putting the cut deck back together. §. The deck being divided [?] 15
Commands at will of the Cutter [Levatore, literally "raiser"] in distribution § The cutter commands 15
When 1st cut finishes. § When the Cutter will have [?] 17
Distribution 17
Cards turned over 21
Foul of cards in the distribution 22
Way of passing the Card 22
Foul of two cards 24
Foul of three 25
The Cutter has a part in the distribution 25
Command not executed 27
Delivering the cards in the distribution 28
What a discard is 30
Who is to discard first 30
Who discards with 19 cards 31
One does not discard when he has cards to discard, or he discards just one card 32
One failed to count his points 33
A Partnership that has 37 points in the third discard [the third hand out of four]. 34
Those who call themselves outside [chiamarsi fuori, placing one’s remaining cards on the table and saying that they will win all the remaining tricks], or winners, etc. 34
How to make the first play 34
When the discarder discovers the [erroneous] discard on his own 35
How to remedy past discards 35
Abandoning the hand [far al monte] 36
Changing cards between two partners 37
Invitation [Invito = inviting the partner to play a high card and win the trick, and then returning the suit to the partner who is strong in that suit], and lisciare [playing a lower card, not trying to take the trick] 37
Pointing out [puntare] the card [placing it on the table in a certain manner to indicate strength in that suit] 42
Showing a card and playing another 44
Naming a card and not playing it 44
One who plays [risponda, literally, responds to] a card by mistake 45
Who must play first 45
Which is the higher card that takes 46
When someone plays out of turn 46
Collecting [Ritirar] tricks [at the end: partners’ tricks are joined; during play, they are taken by the partner who played the higher card] 46
One playing whose turn it is not [an apparent repetition in different words] 46
Playing or responding 2 cards together 47
Playing and not revealing the card 48
Not responding to one or more cards played 48
Talking or giving signs in play 49
What the Fool is 51
For comparison, one can use the first (1811) and, preferably, the second (1820) edition of the aforementioned Il giocotore in conversazione, utilizing the first chapter "Gioco del Tarocco" (pp. 5-41). Also in this case, I transcribe the Table of Contents below.Accidents. Not realizing the cards had been turned over 53
Identical Cards 53
Revoke [Rifiuto, not following suit when required to do so] and Double-playing [Doppione] 53
What it means to pay alone 55
Lowering three Cards 56
One who combines his cards with those of his Partner etc. 56
It is double-playing [doppione] to discard three cards 57
One who says he has one more card and doesn't have it 57
One who advises the person who revoked [rifiutato] 58
Confusing tricks 58
Uncovering tricks 59
Card on the floor 59
Capotto 60 [for Cappotto, a partnership taking all 19 tricks, "Slam" in English]
Capottone 61 [an individual player taking all 19 tricks]
Giving cards, etc. 61
Discarded cards 62
Indicate the cards played 63
Lowering the cards 64
Joining tricks 65
Counting tricks 66
Way of counting points 68
How to behave when playing two games had been agreed beforehand 69
Game with six [players] 69
Three-way game 71
Zuccherino 73
GAME OF TAROCCO
Chapter I p. 5 Explanation of the cards, convention of how much you want to play [for] per game, winnings and losses, and method of choosing the partner
Chapter II p. 7 Lerata (Levata = cutting] not admitted to the division. Changing or mixing up the cards in the division. Cutting by which the division cannot follow. One who cuts the Fool. If one can substitute another in his place in the game. Method of sitting at the table. Cutting for those who have to discard first. Discarding cards and distributing them.
Chapter III p. 10 General distribution of cards, and of the accidents that may follow in it.
Chapter IV p. 14 Other instructions regarding the distribution of cards, and in regard to the discard.
Chapter V p. 19 First card played, remedies for past [erroneous] discards, abandoning the hand [andar al monte], exchanging cards between two companions, invitation, and running [scappare] the card. [Scappare is a kind of negative invitation. If your partner plays a series of winning cards in suit W and you have none left, scappare is to answer first with a card in suit X, then in suit Y, signaling that the partner should play in suit Z.]
Chapter VI p. 24 Pointing out the card, showing and naming a card and not playing it, who must play first, he who takes [the trick] and plays after, and withdrawing tricks.
Chapter VII p. 28 Speaking and making signs in play. What is the Fool, and how can it be used in the various circumstances of the game itself.
Chapter VIII p. 30 Of the different accidents that can arise in the game.
Chapter IX p. 33 With the pretext of the revoke [rifiuto], one cannot reveal the cards. Finding a card on the floor, how to proceed, and of the Cappotto. Giving the card to anyone who misses it due to a mistake made during distribution.
Last chapter p. 36 When one collects cards taken without the agreement of one's partner. Who is expected to count the tricks. Counting the total points. Game with six. Playing with three, and why it is called Zuccherino.
p. 41 End of the Game of Tarocco
5
At first glance the two tables of contents may appear very different,
if only because the eighty topics of the first index are grouped in the
second case only in ten Chapters. However, in reading the titles of the
Chapters, one sees that as a rule they contain several topics presented
in succession, and these topics are the same as those of the first
index and also follow one another in an identical manner. Thus the great
difference in length of the two indexes is immediately explained.
If we continue the examination in this book, we can encounter a single
significant difference with the 1794 Codex examined here: in fact, we
read a subsequent short chapter "Giuoco del Tarocc'ombre" (1811 pp.
40-45; 1820 pp. 52-55). This is clearly a later addition, and this seems
in agreement with a known flourishing of this variant only starting
from the last years of the eighteenth century.
4. Comparison of contents
The most indicative comparison is naturally the complete comparison
of the two texts. There are some general differences in spelling and
grammar. In particular, the text of 1811-1820 appears to have been
reworked from a wording and editorial point of view. This is not about
correcting errors, but about updating terms and phrases. They try to
better connect the transition from one topic to the next, when
previously the transition was abrupt. A series of these changes can be
listed (see Appendix), but the substantial fact is that, as regards the
substance of the text, they are always insignificant changes. In short,
the two different versions essentially appear to be the same treatment
of the topic. If one wonders why the oldest text appears at the same
time rather more concise and yet occupies approximately double the
number of pages, the answer is found by counting the numbers of lines
per page and characters per line, in both cases approximately 40%
greater in the book of different games.
Of particular interest is a passage in the 1820 book: "We have only
collected and exposed with the greatest brevity and clarity everything
that has been written and published separately, in a single volume for
everyone's convenience . . ." (p. 4). Il giuocatore in conversazione [The
player in conversations] therefore confirms that it is not an original
work illustrating multiple games, but a compilation based on previous
texts, each of which is dedicated to a single game. We can then think
that this Codex of 1794 was the original used for the first chapter of
the book, precisely on tarocchi.
I have added an Appendix page to show some examples of different
wordings. I must assure you that these are not just a few examples found
in two texts that present few or no others; they are just examples of
differences that typically occur throughout the pages.
Corresponding to the asterisks marked in the Appendix, I would like
to add a particular comment. Every now and then, in both books, we read
some first-person statements: in my opinion, they are nothing more than
residues - left unchanged due to copying errors - of one of the previous
texts on individual games; in that the use of the first person would
have been adopted because it was one of the first works the subject, by
an author who could rightly use the pronoun I. (I documented a sequence
of this kind with the original of 1799 in the case of the game of
checkers, in the study already cited. [note 9])
In this eventuality, the 1794 Codex could also not be considered as the
original of the publication of the game of tarocchi reprinted several
times in Milan.
5. Final comments
We have seen that the new Codex discovered in Milan on the game of
tarocchi does not bring us new information. Since we know subsequent
repetitions of this text in numerous Milanese books dealing with the
game of tarocchi, especially as individual chapters of books dedicated
to different games, the result of this research is not surprising. The
fact remains that with this Codex we enter the eighteenth century for
the first time, and we have therefore identified the first example - for
now - of a very long series of reprints. This in itself represents a
significant research success.
Could we have expected more? In my opinion, yes. In fact, something
is still missing. Unlike other descriptions of the game of tarocchi in
other cities, this one in Milan, repeated countless times in many
6
books, is not actually a description of the game. To obtain useful
information on playing technique, it took all of Michael Dummett's
skill, because this description of the tarot is not aimed at those who
want to learn how to play, but at expert players who have nothing to
learn about playing technique.
For regular players, there is no need to detail the manners of play,
which have been acquired for them over years; instead it is necessary to
establish how one should behave at the gaming table whenever reasons
for dispute arise. For a beginner, it will not be very instructive to
first know how to comport oneself if a card is found under the table,
but for a regular player this is precisely one of the things to know
precisely, in order to avoid arguments and unpleasant discussions.
Mozarteum University Library - Salzburg - ID-Nr AC05695613
7
APPENDIX
1794 - 1820. [In Franco’s original, these are side by side; instead, here the 1820 is in italics following the 1794.]
The tarocchi are used to take the cards of any suit when one is lacking in it, and of these the greater always takes the lesser, so the 21 takes the 20, the 19 the 18 and so on up to the 1, namely, bagatto. (p. 7)
The Tarocchi then take all the suit cards without distinction, when these are lacking, and the greater always takes the lesser until the Bagatto. (p. 5)
The top card cannot be removed from the top of the deck, even if it can be proven that it is marked in some way (p. 10)
It is certain that the top card cannot be removed from the deck, even if it can be proven that it is not marked. (p. 7)
The Dealer [Scartante, literally, Discarder, referring not to the deal but to his discarding of two cards after he picks up the two cards remaining after 19 dealt to each player] gives the entire deck face down to the Cutter [Levatore, literally "Raiser," referring to the separation of the deck into parts], and he divides it. (p. 15)
As for the distribution of the cards, the dealer [scartante - see n. in brackets above] gives the entire deck face down to the cutter [levatore], and he divides it. (p. 9)
The chosen one [L’eletta, here the player on the dealer’s right, but strangely with a feminine ending] asks the Dealer if he has discarded [put aside two cards from his hand after picking up the two cards left at the end of the deal, so that all have 19], he replies, yes, or another affirmative word, and the chosen one plays; (p. 34)
When the chosen one [l’eletta] asks the dealer [scartante] if he has done the discard [same meaning as above], on the affirmative, the chosen one plays. (pp. 19-20)
Two opponents [avversarj] find themselves dissatisfied with their cards, and agree to exchange them between each other. If the consent of the others is obtained, they will be able to do so; otherwise, they will have to settle for the desire. (p. 37)
Two companions [consocj] wishing to exchange cards because they are dissatisfied with their fates, and they agree to exchange them mutually, if there occurs the consent of the other companions, they will be able to do so; otherwise, they will have to limit themselves to desire alone. (p. 21)
In the above-indicated manner, that game is formed which is commonly called giuochellino [corresponds to the girare in minchiate]; (p. 41).
In the above-indicated way, the game that is commonly called giocolino is formed (p. 23)
The opinion of many simply condemns pointing out the Card [puntare, putting down a card wordlessly in a certain way to indicate strength in the suit]; but I* find no reason to condemn it . . . (p. 43)
In the opinion of many, simply pointing out the card [see above] is condemned; but I* find no reason to confirm it. (p. 25)
It is up to the Chosen One [Eletta, the person to the dealer’s right], i.e. the first player on the right of the Dealer [Scartante], to make the first play (p. 45)
Moving on to discuss the case of who should play first, and who takes and plays later, we know that the first always goes to the chosen one [eletta, see above], that is, the first player on the right of the dealer [scartante]. (p. 26)
There is no valid pretext to force the opponents to reveal their tricks; since we cannot force them to do anything other than not to confuse the tricks, that is, to place them 4 by 4... (p. 59)
There cannot be a valid pretext to force the opponents to reveal their tricks in any case, and at most one can only force them not to confuse the tricks, that is, to place them 4 by 4... (p. 33)
Each partnership counts its own tricks, and if after counting, a partner wants to count them again, he is allowed to. (p. 66)
Speaking now of those who are expected to count the tricks, each partnership must count their own, and if after counting, a partner wants to count them again, he is allowed to. (p. 37)
Here is what this game called Zuccherino consists of. 3 rounds are played, and in each of them the partner is changed, (p. 73)
We will end our Codex by briefly mentioning the so-called Zuccherino. Here is what this game consists of. Three rounds are played, and in each of them the partner is changed . . . (p. 40-41)
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