It would appear to be the opinion of Mons. Duchesne, that the oldest French Piquet cards that have been discovered, are those formerly belonging to a Mons. Henin, who found them in the cover of an old book. Mons. Henin having disposed of them to Messrs. Colnaghi, the well-known printsellers, of London, they were purchased of the latter for the Bibliothèque du Roi. They are engraved on wood, and coloured; and in the table of contents prefixed to the 'Jeux de Tarots et de Cartes Numérales,' it is asserted they were executed about 1425.[243] But whatever may be their date, they are not, in my opinion, of so early a period as either the old uncoloured cards, preserved in the British Museum, previously described at page 88; or as those formerly belonging to Dr. Stukeley. I indeed question much if they be really older than the coloured French cards, the four Valets, now in the British Museum, and of which some account will be found in a subsequent page. The old French cards in question have the outlines printed in pale ink, and the colours appear to have been applied by means of a stencil. There are ten of them, all impressed on one piece of paper; and they are placed in two rows, of five each, in the following order: VALET, KING and QUEEN of _Trèfle_. KING and QUEEN of _Carreau_. VALET, QUEEN and KING of _Pique_. QUEEN and KING of _Cœur_. On each of those cards, except the King of Cœur, there is an inscription in Gothic letters. On the Valet of Trèfle is the name ROLAN, while the King is named FAUT-SOU,--Penniless; and the Queen, TROMPERIE,--Deceit. The King of Carreau bears the name COURSUBE, which in old romances is the name given to a Saracen King; and on the Queen of Carreau is the inscription _En toi te fie_,--Trust to thyself; "that is," says Mons. Duchesne, "ne te fie qu'en toi,--trust to thyself only. The Valet of Pique bears an inscription which Mons. Duchesne reads _ctarde_, and of which he says he can make nothing. On the Queen of Pique is an inscription which appears to Mons. Duchesne to be _te aut dict_, but the meaning of which he cannot divine. Mons. Leber, however, reads it _Léauté due_,--leal homage; and so gives it, in unmistakable characters, in the copy of this card, in his 'Etudes Historiques.' The King of Pique bears the name of APOLLIN, which is the name given to a Saracen idol in old romances. The inscription on the Queen of Cœur is _la foy et pdu_--la foi est perdue,--faith is lost. It is supposed that there was also an inscription on the King of Cœur, but that it has been cut off, as this card is deficient in its due proportions.[244] The annexed four cards, executed in their proper colours, are copied from those given by Mons. Leber in his 'Etudes Historiques.' The whole ten are given in the 'Jeux de Tarots et de Jeux Numérales,' published by the Society of Bibliophiles Français.