My dear Friend,

YOU know my opinion as to

You

the originality of the Hebrew language to this you must attribute the trouble I am now giving you.

If there was a time when all the inhabitants of the world fpoke Hebrew, then we are juftified in our attempts at tracing to that primary that primary fource any word in any language spoken on the habitable globe: and an argument connected with thefe data, though it may not carry conviction with it, will not, I hope, be confidered, primâ facie, as abfurd and impoffible.

It is my opinion, then, that the word taboo, which is fo common in all the islands of the Pacific Ocean, and which occurs fo very frequently in the journals of our circumnavigators, is, poffibly, of Hebrew origin.

At least thus much is certain, that the Hebrew word nan Taooba, from an, has the fame precife fignification with the word Taboo, as ufed in the Sandwich and Friendly ifles, &c.

The word ayn as a verb fignifies tranfitively, to loath, naufeate, abominate, both in a natural and mental fenfe. From hence is derived man Taaob-a, and nawn Taoob-ath, an abomination.

It occurs in feveral places of the facred writings; but the three following inftances are fufficiently in point for my purpose, viz. to fhew that the effect of that abomination we speak of, was interdictory, and that to a very high degree, which is

"den to use, before their eyes, and "will they not stone us ?"

There is little doubt, that Mofes in this place alludes to the wellknown Egyptian hiftories of Ifis and Ofiris, and that the cow was the taboo'd animal which it was fo hazardous to facrifice in Egypt.

Herodotus gives us the reafon in his Euterpe :

Τὲς μὲν ἐν καθαρὸς βᾶς τὰς ἔρσενας, καὶ τὰς μοσχὲς οἱ πάνες Αἰγύπλιοι θύεσι τὰς δὲ θηλέας οὐ σφι έξεσι θύειν· ἀλλὰ ἱραὶ ἔισι τῆς Ἴσιος. τὸ γὰρ τῆς ἴσιος ἄγαλμα, ἐὰν γυναικείον, βεκέρων ἐςι, καθάπερ Ελλενες τὴν τῶν γράφεσι· καὶ τὰς βᾶς τὰς θηλέας Αiγύπλιοι πάνες ὁμοίως σέβονται, προβάτων πάλων μάλιτα μακρῷ.

"All the Egyptians facrifice bulls, and bull-calves which are free from blemish; but cows they are forbidden to offer up, for they are holy to Ifis. For the reprefentation of Ifis is that of a female with a cow's horns, as the Greeks paint Iö, and all the Egyptians do thus venerate cows (boves fœminas) far more than all other cat tle.'

In confequence of this, their behaviour to perfons coming from a country not fo fcrupulous gives us a moft perfect idea of the taboo.

Τῶν ἕνεκα, ἔτ ̓ ἀνὴρ Αἰγύπλιος, ἔτε γυνὴ ἄνδρα Ελληνα φιλήσειαν τῷ τόμαζί ἐδὲ μαχαίρῃ ἀνδρὸς Ἕλληνος χρήσεται, εδ' ἐβέλοισι, ἐδὲ λέβητι, ἐδὲ nçówę nabaçè Bóos diarelμnpéve Exληνική μαχαίρη γεύσεται.

"On this account no Egyptian man or woman would kiss a Greek, nor ufe the fword of a Greek, nor Grecian fpits, or caldrons; nor will they even taste the flesh of a clean beaft, which is carved with a Grecian knife."

This was the Taoob-a-Mizraim in

worthipped the Hebrews eat."

If I miftake not, the Taboo of the iflands has fome connećtion, not accurately underfood, with their religious tenets.

ap

This conjecture will receive additional ftrength, if in the course of future enquiry there fhould pear, as I cannot but fufpect will be the cafe, as marked an affinity between other words in the two languages, expreffive of the fame ideas; Mattee, from лn, seems to be here in point.

I wish I had leifure and abilities to enter more deeply into fuch an investigation.

The fubject viewed in any light whatever is not uninterefting; and no argument in favour of the primævity of the Hebrew language is unimportant. Refearches of this nature, we underland, are now making, under the direâtion of a great princefs, as well as by the af fiduous care of learned individuals. I am fully perfuaded, that these refearches will terminate in fome new difcoveries of the connection between the language of every kingdom upon earth, with that prefumed to have been spoken by Adam and Noah.

Yours most affectionately,
G. H. GLASS.

Obiervations

Obfervations on a Picture by Zuccaro, from Lord Falkland's Collection, fuppofed to represent the Game of Primero. By the Hon. Daines Barrington. Infcribed to the Rev. Mr. Bowle. From the fame work.

I

Inner Temple, May 4, 1785., Conceive that the following account of a picture, which was fold last week at Greenwood's auction-room in Leicester-Fields, may be interesting to the fociety.

It originally belonged to the great and good lord Falkland; from whom it defcended to the late vifcount of that title, who died not long fince,

According to tradition in the family it was painted by Zuccaro ; and reprefented lord Burleigh playing at cards with three other perfons, who, from their drefs, appear to be of diftinction, each of them having two rings on the fame fingers of both their hands.

The cards are marked as at prefent, and differ from thofe of more modern times only by being narrower and longer; eight of these lie upon the table, with the blank fide uppermoft, whilft four remain in each of their hands.

Other particulars deferving notice are, that one of the players exhibits his cards, which are, to the best of my recollection, the knave of hearts, with the ace, 7 and 6 of clubs. There are alfo confiderable heaps of gold and filver on the table, fo that these dignified perfonages feem to have played for what would not at prefent be called a chicken stake.

a Spanish one, called Primero, which probably might have been introduced by Philip the Second, or fome of his fuite, whilft he was in England, and was much in vogue during the reign of queen Elizabeth, as appears by the following paffage from Shakespeare :

I left him at Primero "With the duke of Suffolk.'

Henry VIII. A& V. Sc. 1.

I have taken some pains to find out how this formerly favourite game was played, and find the following account of it in Duchat's notes on the twenty-fecond chapter of the firft book of Rabelais, in which all the games, with which Gargantua amufed himself, are mentioned, amounting to nearly two hundred, and the fecond of which is Pri

twenty-one; the next is the fix, "and counts for fixteen; the next "is the five, and counts for fifteen; "the ace reckons for the fame "number, but the duce, trois, and quatre, count only for their refpective number of points."

66

all

all of different colours, the player wins primero, and if they are all of the fame colour, he wins, the flush *.

From this outline of Primero, there seems to be little doubt but that it is the game which the painter means to defcribe; and that the perfon exhibiting his cards to the fpectators hath won the flus, flux, or fufh; for his three clubs are the beft cards for counting, and his knave of hearts may double the best of these, whilft it also becomes a club, and thus wins by the number of points, as well as by the four cards becoming a flush of clubs.

Whilft I have thus been endeavouring to explain this picture of Zuccaro, fome other obfervations have occurred, with regard to cards in the more early centuries, which with the indulgence of the fociety I may poffibly lay before them hereafter.

DAINES BARRINGTON.

leigh with three others playing at cards t, I have found fome confirmation that thofe exhibited in the hand of one of these players relate to Primero ‡, becaufe the Sydney papers mention § that queen Elizabeth formed a party at this game with the Lord Treasurer, Mr. Secretary, and the lord North.

I am fince informed likewise, that this picture was purchased by Mr. Bird of Hanover-Square.

I proceed to give the beft aċcount I am able of the first introduction of this pastime now become fo general.

The earliest mention of cards that I have yet ftumbled upon, is in Mr. Antis's Hiftory of the Garter ||, where he cites the following paffage from the Wardrobe Rolls, in the fixth year of Edward the First.

"Waltero Sturton ad opus regis ad ludendum ad quatuor reges VIII S. vd. q" from which entry Mr. Anftis with fome probability conjectures, that playing cards were not unknown at the latter end of the thirteenth century; and perhaps what I fhall add may carry with it fome fmall confirmation of what he thus fuppofes.

Edward the First (when prince of Wales) ferved nearly five years in Syria, and therefore, whilft military operations were fufpended, muft naturally have wished fome fedentary amusements. Now the Afiatics fcarcely ever change their

perfon.

customs;

customs; and, as they play at cards (though in many respects different from ours) it is not improbable that Edward might have been taugh the game, ad quatuor reges, whilft he continued fo long in this part of the globe.

If however this article in the wardrobe account is not allowed to allude to playing cards, the next writer who mentions the more early introduction of them is P. Meneftriert, who, from fuch another article in the privy purfe expences of the kings of France, fays, that they were provided for Charles the Sixth by his limner, after that king was deprived of his fenfes in 1392. The entry is the following, " Donné "a Jacquemin Gringonneur, Pein"tre, pour trois jeux de Cartes, a or et a diverfes couleurs, de plufieurs devifes, pour porter vers le dit Seigneur Roi pour fon abatement, cinquante fix fols "Parifis."

I must own, that I have fome doubts whether this entry really relates to playing cards, though it is admitted that trois jeux de cartes would now fignify three packs of cards. The word jeu however had anciently a more extenfive import than at prefent, and Cotgrave in his Dictionary applies it to a chest of violins, jeu de violons. I there

fore rather conceive that the trois jeux de Cartes, in this article, means three fets of illuminations upon paper; carte originally fignifying no more 1.

If this be the right interpretation of the terms, we fee the reafon why Gringonneur, limner to Charles VI. was employed, and thefe three fets of illuminations would entertain the king during his infanity by their variety, as three fets of wooden prints would now amufe a child better than one; whilt on the other hand one pack of cards would have been fufficient for a mad king, who probably would tear them in pieces upon the first run of bad luck.

How this fame king moreover was to be taught or could play a game at cards whilft he was out of his fenfes is not very apparent; and the phyfician, who permitted fuch amulement to his majefty, feems not to have confidered the ill confequence to his health by loffes at play, which fo much inflame the paflions. Some ftrefs likewife may be laid upon this entry not being followed by another || of money if fued to the winners, as there feems to be little doubt, but that his maefty in this ftate of mind must have been, in modern terms, a pigeon to his hawks of courtiers.

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