The Book of Playing Cards

Those whom the honor of Piety and the praise of ancestral glory,
A hundred gifts of mind, a hundred weights of virtue,
Doubtless dare to compare to the heroes of old;
In whose first rank, mindful Fame rightly places you,
O two famous pairs of brothers, brothers
Powerful in the nobility of ancestors and in their own virtue,
Immortal glories of the RULAND family,
Shining stars in the BAVARIAN original: Boii; a reference to the people of Bavaria and PALATINE lands;
You, the brightest light of Nobles in our age,
And the ornament of Justice original: Themis; the Greek titaness of divine law, HILARIUS, thrice-greatest DOCTOR
of Sacred LAW, who are the eldest of the brothers in age,
And greatest in merits, the GOVERNOR in the city of CHAM original: Chamabina; a town in the Upper Palatinate
Serious in your skill, beyond the three greatest Teutonic
Rivers: the Danube, the once two-horned original: bicorne; a classical poetic description of the Rhine's two main branches king Rhine—
Now triple in its flow—and the Elbe original: Albin of the North,
You fly on the wings of fame. And you, GEBHARD,
Illustrious man, most famous in the arms of Justice,
Prudent in counsel, and skilled in managing affairs,
Easy in speech, a firm sanctuary of Piety,
An Atlas of Religion, best Patron of poets;
To whom CASIMIR John Casimir of the Palatinate (1543–1592), a prominent Calvinist leader, the famous Duke ruling
The Palatine shores by law, dares to entrust the WOLFSTEIN lands,
and his own thoughts, and the NEUMARKT original: Neagranos; referring to Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz REVENUES.
You, OSWALD, approach as the third brother in fair order,
Having your father's name, not unworthy of your ancestors,
Known to the stars for your eternal splendor;
Who, in the famous manner of the great Scipio Scipio Africanus the Younger, who was known for retiring to his country estate,
Weary of proud titles and hating vain honors,
Dwelling in the countryside, most celebrated by fame in BAVARIAN fields,
Leads a private life through praised leisure.
Among them, though you are held as the last in number,
Stands the eternal glory of the Muses original: Aonidum; the daughters of Aonia, another name for the Muses and the wide fame of Schröter,
Who with the sword of Justice original: Themis [guards] the high