A pack of cards of 1863 represents the battle between the "Monitor" and the "Merrimac," and the court cards are soldiers in the uniforms of the day, such as zouaves, etc. A pack in the British Museum displays small and very indecent pictures with descriptive legends. Some of the latter are amusing, such as, "Hee that has no Head wants noe Hatt." Under the picture of a bachelor maid is: I know well how the world waggs, He's most beloved that has most Baggs. Under the sketch of an old woman with her pet is written: "Two heads are better than one, which made the old woman carry her dog to Market with her," and its mate has: "Men and Doggs may goe abroad, but Women and Catts must stay at home." Another reads: "Two Doggs and a Bone, Two Catts and a Mouse, Two Wives in a House can never Agree." The picture of three doctors entering a room with their sticks to their noses and approaching a sick man bears the legend: If you'll avoid old Charon, the Ferryman, Consult Dr. Dyett, Dr. Quiett, and Dr. Merryman. The following card has on it: "An Ounce of Mirth is worth a Pound of Sorrow." CHAPTER XV EUROPEAN PLAYING CARDS According to Spanish writers, the authentic history of Playing Cards in Europe begins about 1332, for they point with triumph to an order issued by Alphonse of Castile, presumed to be of that date, forbidding his soldiers to play games or to gamble. It is pointed out by disputatious writers that the command was not directed against Playing Cards, since they were not expressly mentioned by name, as are the other prohibited games of chance. Then there is a second statement that Charles V of Spain, in 1369, denounced cards, calling them by the local name of Naipes, or prophets; and also a third record that, in 1387, dice, cards, and chess were banned by John of Castile. It is evident through these trustworthy records that gambling was widely practised in Spain, and that, even if cards were not particularly named in the first-mentioned edict, it was but little more than eighteen years later that they had become so common it was necessary to forbid their use through an official decree. In 1395 the Provost of Paris issued a proclamation against Playing Cards, showing that their abuse in the capital of France had become intolerable. With these and other evidences, it may well be asserted that by the beginning of the fifteenth century Playing Cards were commonly known in the capitals of Europe, where they were publicly used for games and gambling, as well as for fortune-telling. It has already been mentioned that there are records of Playing Cards in the "Red Book of Ulm," of 1397, and an account in Nuremburg, dated 1384, when a monk preached against the inordinate love of gaming among his congregation.