The Book of Playing Cards (1588) - Page 24

⚠The text and illustration on this page are extremely faint, appearing as under-inked impressions or ghosts. They are right-reading and not mirrored bleed-through.

Beyond which, even for Caspar original: Caspari; likely referring to the printer Caspar Hochfeder or a similar figure, an eternal name remains;

Fame, you fly; the world is not destitute of us.

Why then will you not grant rewards for our tireless labor?

O kind Bacchus The god of wine, he brings forth riches from the mire original: Limo; likely a reference to the "muddy" or "slimy" nature of printer's ink, which is transformed into wealth.

A faint woodcut illustration depicts a plant with long, strap-like leaves growing from a small patch of earth. Two tall stems rise from the foliage, each topped with a large, bulbous, rounded flower head or seed pod that resembles a mushroom cap. These are likely a visual pun on ink balls leather-covered pads used by printers to apply ink to type growing like fruit. In the background, faint architectural structures are visible: a slender cylindrical tower on the left and a building with a pitched roof on the right. A small numeral "2" appears near the top of the plant's leaves, indicating this is the second emblem in a series.

God’s grace and help to us all

Brings good fortune everywhere;

May this guild original: Orden; here referring to the fraternity or "order" of printers please you well,

To employ our Art the Ars Typographica alone.

Little trees referring to the ink-ball plants in the illustration, if you would provide for us,

Let great honor and money fall from your branches.