You can use this tutorial to learn how to play the game of Maw.
The official rules of Maw are outlined inside The Groom Porter's Laws which appear in Ancient Ballads and Broadsides published in England in the sixteenth Century… as preserved in the Library of Henry Huth, London, 1867. (yes, that's the entire title) I found out about this marvelous book through Partlett Games where he adds “There is a copy [of this Ancient Ballads book] in the Bodleian Library. I am grateful to Thierry Depaulis for communicating this discovery.” Source
I am grateful as well to Thierry Depaulis, but as I don't get to Oxford as often as I would like, I hoped there was a digital version to be unearthed somewhere.
So I went looking for one, and I found a copy of something that claims to be that ballad book, but when you click on it, it says on the title page that it is “A collection of seventy-nine black-letter ballads and broadsides: printed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, between the years 1559 and 1597 : accompanied with an introd. and ill. notes” Either way, you can see the list of the laws for how to play on pages 123-125 (though the digital bar at the bottom will tell you it's pages 121-123, but that does not correspond with the page numbers listed on the pages themselves). Read the book here
Other books and references used when putting this tutorial together:
By Samuel Weller Singer | Pg. 259 and one of three references to Maw in this book | Available as a free ebook at the Google Books link included here.
It is written by Anthony Weldon, who is notoriously critical of James I, but hilarious nonetheless.
The reference to the King's Card Holder occurs in The Court and Character of King James by Sir Anthony WeldonJanuary 1, 1650 | Pg. 35
Also available at the National Library of Australia
A few paintings from the 16th century depicting card players. The center painting (the one of uncertain authorship done in the style after Lucs van Leyden) shows the card game Primero.
Peasants Playing Cards by Norbert vanBloemen (1670-1746) after Lucas van Leyden, The Card Players, , probably c. 1550/1599, oil on panel, Samuel H. Kress Collection LEYDEN, Lucas Hugensz van_Los jugadores de cartas, c. 1520_221 (1971.9)
Book of Card Games by Peter Arnold
Playing Cards – History of the Pack and Explanations of Its Many Secrets
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=cN5LAAAAcAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA125
History of English Playing cards and games
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.48317902&view=1up&seq=18
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/48223/48223-h/48223-h.htm
https://escholarship.org/content/qt4rr5d99v/qt4rr5d99v.pdf?t=pmti8l
The Oxford Guide to Card Games (Oxford Guides)
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You can download a printable of the instructions for the card game Maw, and play it just like James I would have done, by joining Shakespeare Weekly, the digital community of Shakespeare historians lead by yours truly, Cassidy Cash. In addition to weekly updates about the latest content around here, you will also get access to a limited library of Shakespeare history resources (like instructions for playing Maw) created by me, Cassidy Cash. I have over 30 resources, including my massive collection of public domain images related to Shakespeare and his history, which are all packed in there right now and I add new ones each month. (sometimes each week!) You can download and use these resources to teach your students, share with your family, or enjoy learning something new just for yourself.
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