KING'S EDICT,

Given at Fontainebleau in the month of October 1701.

Containing establishment in benefit of His Majesty of a right of eighteen deniers on each deck of playing cards, & Regulations for the Master Card makers.

Published in public sitting the 21st of november 1701.

Louis by the grace of God, King of France and Navarra, Crown Prince of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and Dyois; To all present and to come, Greetings. The necessity that we are to replace by some extraordinary succours the alterations that we are obliged to do in a part of our Revenues has given place to comply with the proposition that has brought us to establish a modest right on playing Cards, for that make a Tax in our profit, and we have the belief that we cannot do anything to provide for our needs that would be less a burden for our Subjects. FOR THOSE REASONS and others that move us here, and from our certainty, full power and Royal authority, We have by the present Edict for ever and irrevocably, Said and Ordered, We Say and Order, We want and it pleases

us: That from the day of the publication of the present Edict on it will be established, imposed and collected to our benefit in all vastness of our Kingdom, Countries, Lands and Feudal Estates in our obedience, eight-teen deniers on each Deck of Cards and tarots and we revoke all gifts and concessions that we might have made of similar rights: We want that to that effect immediately after the publication of the Presented, there will be made at the desire of him to whom We pay tax of the aforesaid right, reports and inventories of Cards and tarots that are found to have been made at the Masters Workers and Card makers, Merchants and others, and this by a

fine as given above. We want that all the Master Card makers will be held to register themselves at the Farmer’s Bureau, and there make their declarations of the number of Workers that they have with them or elsewhere serving the making and preparing of the aforesaid Cards and tarots, in the Registers that the Farmer keeps to that effect: we permit Him to have visits being made to them at all time and hour that he will see fit at the advice of his Clerks. We want that in future the Master and Worker Card makers shall be held to bring to the Farmer's Bureau the card-paper sheets for heads or figures to be printed there with new figures and marked with marks that he will find suitable and afterwards returned to the aforesaid Card makers after they will have paid the aforesaid right to finish, colour and sell them as they seem fit; and the print of the aforesaid figures and deposited

marks will be at the record office of the local Police without costs, to recover there in case of need. And in regard of the other Cards, named number Cards or blanks, and the tarots; the aforesaid Card makers will be held to bring them printed on carton to the Farmer’s Bureau, to be marked there with the same mark as the other cards; Nevertheless we permit aforesaid Master Card makers to print themselves the Cards named Tarots, just like they have done until now, at the condition to bring them to the Farmer’s Bureau, to be marked there as described above, and the rights for this to be paid; as a consequence of this they can keep the plates that have served them until now for the printing of the aforesaid Cards: It will be permitted to our appointed Farmer to change the figures of these Cards, when the aforesaid plates are found used or damaged; during this change the old plates will be broken in the presence of the aforesaid Police Officers, who will make their Reports and will put the prints of the new figures in their Records, however without that the courts of the Cards that are found to have been printed and marked with old figures and ruling  marks be disturbed for this. We forbid all Masters Workers Card makers, Merchants and others to sell, vendor nor manufacture in the future any Playing cards nor Tarots if they are not printed and marked in the form as described here above; nor to make any Cards in

double, single or other paper, on penalty of confiscation of the aforesaid Cards, Tools and other Utensils servingat their manufacturing, and a fine of one thousand livres applying one third for the local General Hospitals, one third for the Farmer and the other for the Informant; even the interdiction of their Master-ship and their Enterprise in case of relapse ; Like also (we forbid) all Engravers to engrave in the future any plates of any material that will be for printing the figures of Cards without the written permission of the appointed Farmer, and this at the above mentioned penalties. We make evenly explicit restrictions and prohibitions for all persons of which quality or condition they shall be, to take into their Castles, Manors and Houses, even in privileged