,transcribers note3 ,this transcription 
was made from a copy of the work held in
 the ,british ,library as ,jessel #abdi4
 ,original spelling and punctuation has 
been preserved where possible4     ,the 
,royal ,game of the ,ombre4  ,written   
,at the ,request of divers ,honourable  
,persons4  ,london  ,printed for ,thomas
 ,palmer1 at the ,crown in              
,westminster-,hall1 #affe4  ,the ,royal 
,game of the ,ombre4  ,l',ombre is a    
,spanish ,game at ,cards1 as much as to 
say1 ,the ,man3 so he who undertakes to 
play the ,game1 sayes ,jo so l',ombre1  
or1 ,i am the ,man4 ,and 'tis a common  
saying with the ,spaniards1 7alluding to
 the name7 that the ,spanish l',ombre as
 far surpasses the ,french le ,beste1 as
 a ,man do's a ,beast1 ,there are divers
 sorts of it1 of which1 this 7which we  
shall only treat of1 and which chiefly  
is in vogue7 is called the ,renegado1   
for reasons better supprest then known4 
,how many can play at it1 and with what 
,cards they are to play4  ,there can    

only three play at it1 and they are     
dealt nine ,cards a piece3 so by        
discarding the ,eights1 ,nines1 and     
,tens out of the ,pack1 there remains   
thirteen ,cards in the ,stock4  ,of the 
,trump  ,there is no turning up ,trump1 
nor no ,trump but what the ,player      
pleases1 the first hand having alwayes  
the choice to play or pass1 after him   
the second1 c4  ,of the ,stakes  ,for   
,stakes there are two sorts of ,marks or
 ,counters1 the greater and the less2   
for example if you value the great ones 
at #ab4 pence1 the lesser may be pence  
the piece 7and so according as you      
please7 of which great ,marks you stake 
each one one for the ,game3 and the     
lesser for passing1 for the hand1 if you
 be eldest1 and for taking in1 giving   
for each ,card you take in1 one ,mark or
 ,counter4  ,of the names of the ,cards1
 and order in ranking them  ,of the     
,black ,suits  #a4 ,the ,spadillio1 or  
,ace of ,spades4 #b4 ,the ,mallilio1 or 
black ,deuces of either suit4 #c4 ,the  

,basto1 or ,ace of ,clubs4 #d4 ,the     
,king4 #e4 ,queen4 #f4 ,knave4 #g4      
,seven4 #h4 ,six4 #i4 ,five4 #aj4 ,four4
 #aa4 ,and ,three4  ,of the ,red ,suits 
#a4 ,the ,spadillio1 or ,ace of ,spades4
 #b4 ,the ,mallilio1 or ,sevens of      
either ,suit4 #c4 ,the ,basto1 or ,ace  
of ,clubs4 #d4 ,the ,punto1 or ,ace of  
,hearts or ,diamonds according as they  
are ,trump4 #e4 ,the ,king4 #f4 ,the    
,queen4 #g4 ,the ,knave4 #h4 ,the       
,deuce4 #i4 ,the ,three4 #aj4 ,the      
,four4 #aa4 ,the ,five4 #ab4 ,the ,six4 
,observations4  ,by this you see first  
that the ,spadillio1 or ,ace of ,spades 
is always the first ,card1 and alwayes  
,trump1 be the ,trump what suit soever2 
and the ,basto1 or ,ace of ,clubs       
alwayes the third4 ,secondly1 the of    
,black1 there are but eleven ,trumps1   
and of ,red twelve4 ,thirdly1 that the  
,red ,ace enters into the fourth place  
when it is ,trump1 and then is called   
the ,punto1 otherwise 'tis only rank'd  
after the ,knave1 and is only call'd the

 ,ace4 ,fourthly1 that 7excepting the   
,deuces of ,black1 and ,sevens of ,red1 
which are call'd the ,mallilio's1 and   
are alwayes the second ,cards when they 
are ,trumps7 the least small ,cards of  
the ,red are alwayes best1 and the      
greatest of the ,black4  ,of the        
,matadors4  ,the ,matadors or killing   
,cards1 as the ,spadillio1 ,mallilio1   
and ,basto1 are the three chief ,cards1 
and for these1 when they are all in a   
hand 7else not7 the others pay three of 
the greater ,marks or ,counters  the    
piece2 and though there be no counting  
the ,matadors without these three1 yet  
these three for foundation1 you may     
count as many as you have ,cards in an  
interrupted series of ,trumps2 for all  
which the others are to pay you one     
,mark or ,counter1 the piece1 even to   
nine sometimes4  ,of taking in1 and the 
order and manner of it4  #a4 ,who has   
the first ,hand1 has choice of playing  
the ,game1 of naming the ,trump1 and of 
taking in as many of or as few ,cards as

 he pleases1 and after him the second1  
c4 #b4 ,having once demanded whether any
 one will play without taking in1 you   
oblige your self to take in1 though your
 ,game be never so good3 wherefore you  
are well to consider it before4 #c4 ,if 
you name not the ,trump before you look 
on the ,cards which you have taken in1  
any other may prevent you1 and name what
 ,trump they please4 #d4 ,if 7as it     
often happens7 you know not of two      
,suits which to name ,trump2 e4g4 with  
the two black ,aces you have three      
,trumps of either sorts3 ,first1 the    
,black ,suit is to be preferr'd before  
the ,red1 because there are fewer       
,trumps of it4 ,secondly1 you are rather
 to choose that ,suit of which you have 
not the ,king1 because besides your     
three ,trumps1 you have a ,king1 which  
is as good as a fourth4 #e4 ,when you   
have the choice of ,going in three      
,matadors1 or the two ,black ,aces with 
three of four other ,trumps1 if the     
,stakes be great1 you are to chuse this 

last1 7as most likely to win most       
,tricks7 if it be but a simple ,stake1  
you are to chuse the first2 because the 
six ,counters you are to receive for the
 ,matadors1 more then equavales the four
 or five1 you lose for the ,game4       
,observations4  #a4 ,he is to ask if any
 will play without taking in4 7when they
 have the choice of those who will not47
 ,secondly1 he is never to take in1 or  
play1 unless he have three sure ,tricks 
in his hand at least3 ,to understand    
which the better we must know  ,the ,end
 of the ,game  ,the ,end of the ,game is
 7as at ,beast7 to win most ,tricks2    
whence he who can win five tricks of the
 ,nine1 has a sure ,games2 or if he win 
,four1 and can so divide the ,tricks1 as
 one may win ,two1 the other ,three3 if 
not1 'tis either ,codillio or ,repuesto1
 and the ,player loses and makes good   
the ,stakes4  ,of the ,codillio4  ,the  
call it ,codillio when the ,player is   
beasted1 and another wins more ,tricks  
then he2 when this takes up the ,stakes1

 and tother makes it good3 where note1  
that although the other two alwayes     
combine against the ,player to make him 
lose1 yet they all do their best 7for   
the common good7 to hinder any one from 
winning1 onely striving to make it      
,repuesto4  ,of the ,repuesto4  ,they   
call it ,repuesto when the ,player wins 
no more ,tricks then another3 for       
example1 if he win but four1 another    
four1 and the third but one1 or each of 
them win three ,tricks the piece2 in    
which case the ,player doubles the      
,stake1 without any ones winning it1 and
 it remains so doubled for the advantage
 of the next ,player1 c4 whence you may 
collect1 that the ,player is as much    
concern'd in making ,repuesto1 in case  
of nesessity1 as any of the rest1 by    
which means the ,stakes oftentimes      
increasing to a considerable summe1 the 
,player is to be very wary what ,games  
he playes4  ,what ,games are to be      
played  ,one is never to play unless he 
have three sure ,tricks in his hand at  

least1 as we have said before2 as the   
three ,matadors1 or six or seven good   
,trumps without them2 where note1 the   
,kings of any ,suit are alwayes         
accounted as good as ,trumps 7since     
nothing but ,trumps can win them7 mean  
while all other ,cards but them and     
,trumps1 are to be discarded4           
,observations4  ,he who playes having   
taken in1 the next is to consider the   
goodness of his ,game2 and to take in   
more or less1 according to his ,game is 
probably like to prove good or bad1     
alwayed considering1 that 'tis as much  
his advantage that the third have a good
 ,game to make it ,repuesto1 as himself4
 ,neither is any one1 for ,covetousness 
of saving a ,counter or two1 to neglect1
 the taking in1 that the other may      
commodiously make up his ,game with the 
,cards which he leaves2 and that no good
 ,cards may lye dormant in the ,stock1  
except ,player playe without taking in  
when they may refuse to take in1 if they
 imagine he has all the ,game4  ,of     

playing without taking in4  ,when one   
has a sure ,game in his hand1 he is to  
play without taking in2 when the others 
are to give him each of them one of the 
greater ,marks or ,counters1 as he is to
 give them1 if he play without taking   
in1 a ,game that is not sure1 he'd787   
loses it4  ,of the ,voll4  ,if you win  
all the ,tricks in your hand1 or the    
,voll1 they likewise are to give you one
 ,mark or ,counter the piece2 but then  
you are to declare before the fifth     
,trick1 that you intend to play for the 
,voll1 that so they may keep their best 
,cards1 which else seeing you win five  
,tricks 7or the ,game7 they may         
carelesly cast away4  ,of the           
,forfeitures  ,if you ,renounce1 you are
 to double the ,stake1 this787 also if  
you have more or fewer ,cards then      
,nine1 7to avoid all wrangling or foul  
play7 to which end you are carefully to 
count your ,cards both in dealing and   
taking in1 before you look on them2     
besides according to the ,rigour of the 

,game1 if you speak any thing that may  
discover your ,game1 or anothers        
7excepting onely ,gagno as we shall     
declare afterwards7 or play so1 as      
wittingly to hinder the making it       
,repueto or ,codillio 7and if           
ignorantly1 you are not fit to play47   
,of playing ,trumps  ,in playing ,trump2
 you are to note1 that if any playes an 
ordinary ,trump1 and you have onely the 
three best ,cards1 or ,matadors1 singly 
or can jointly in your hands1 you may   
refuse to play them1 without            
,renouncing1 because of the priviledge  
which those ,cards have1 that none but  
commanding ,cards can force them out of 
your hands2 as for example1 the         
,spadillio forces the ,mallilio1 and the
 ,mallilio the ,basto2 for all the rest 
you are to follow ,trump4  ,of what you 
are to say  ,you are to say nothing but 
onely1 ,i pass1 or play1 or ,gagno1 that
 is1 'tis mine1 simply1 when you play   
your ,card1 to hinder the third from    
taking it2 or ,gagno de l' ,re when you 

play your ,queen to hinder them from    
taking it with the ,king1 c4 but this   
you cannot say till it come unto your   
turn4  ,general ,rules  ',tis impossible
 to provide against all accident in the 
,game1 onely these general ,rules may be
 observ'd in playing3 ,first1 the       
chiefest ,art consisting in knowing the 
goodness of ones ,gane1 and how it may  
be improved to the best1 one is never to
 win more then one trick1 if they cannot
 win more then two because of the       
advantage they give the ,player by it in
 dividing the tricks4 ,secondly1 you are
 alwayes to win the trick from the      
,player if you can1 unless you let it   
pass for more advantage1 wherein note   
the second is to let pass to the third2 
if he have the likelier ,game to beast  
the ,player1 or if he be likely to win  
it4  ,of the ,tenaces  ,there may be    
divers advantages in refusing to take   
the ,players trick1 but the cheifest is 
if you have ,tenaces in your hands1 that
 is1 two ,cards1 which if you have the  

leading1 you are sure to lose one of    
them4 ,if the player lead to you1 you   
are sure to win them both2 for examples1
 if you have ,spadillio and ,basto in   
your hand1  he have the ,mallilio       
another ,trump1 if you lead you lose one
 of the2 for either you lead your       
,spadillio1 and he player his lesser    
,trump upon it and wins your ,basto the 
next trick with his ,mallilio1 and so   
the contrary2 whereas if he leads1 he   
loses both2 for if he lead his          
,mallilio1 you take it with your        
,spadillio1 and with your ,basto win the
 other ,trump2 or if he lead with that1 
you take it with your ,basto2 and then  
your ,spadillio wins his ,mallilio1 and 
'tis called ,tenaces1 because it so     
catches you betwixt them1 there is no   
avoiding it1 c4  ,of the ,players       
playing his game for his best advantage 
,of this 7becuase every one playes      
according to his own fancy7 ,i will only
 say1 that if you are not sure of       
winning five ,tricks1 but have only the 

three ,matadors1 7as for example7 and   
,kings be your ,auxilary ,cards1 if you 
have the leading you are to begin with a
 ,matador or two before you play your   
,kings1 to fetch out those ,trump       
perhaps which might have trumped them2  
and if you have three ,matadors with two
 other ,trumps your best way is first to
 play you ,matadors1 to see how the     
,trump lie1 and if both follow1 you are 
sure that if three ,trump be ,red1 there
 remains onely one ,trump in their      
hands2 if ,black1 none at all2 it       
importing so much that the player counts
 the ,trumps1 as the miscounting only   
one1 do's often lose the ,game4 ,in     
fine1 if they have but a weak ,game1    
they are to intimate cunning ,beast     
,players1 in dividing ,tricks1 and      
consult them in playing of their ,cards4
 ,and these few ,instructions may       
suffice1 leaving the rest to each one's 
particular observation4  ,certain other 
more ,questions there are2 as whether   
any may look on the ,tricks to see what 

,cards are played beside the ,ombre1 or 
he who playes the ,game1 which          
ordinarily is resolved on the           
affirmative2 or when any ,cards are left
 in the ,stock1 whether any may look on 
them or no1 which the ,table lef once1  
usually is done4 ,only observer to lay  
your ,tricks ,angle-wisse4              
,transcribers note3 ,several diagrams   
here have been omitted1 to the end that 
one may easily perceive whether they be 
two1 three1 or four4            ,f ,i ,n
 ,i ,s4