Dyche, L L, State Fish and Game WardenBiblio.com
[Game of Human Life]Biblio.com
La Vie Humaine un Nouveau Jeu. Das menschliche Leben. The Life of Man. Zýcie ludzkie.
ref. 118195Berlin Simon Schropp c. 1790. Engr. broadsheet. Large folio 400x505 mm. Uncut with wide margins 465x635 mm folded. Small tears in foldings and in the outer margins. Stain in upper part. Rare version of this board game with the main title and the individual ones in four languages; French German English and Polish. cf V & A Museum MISC.124-1989.Based on the English version published in 1790 as ”The New Game of Human Life” by John Wallis and Newbury the Berlin publisher Simon Schropp published one version with French text only and this one in four languages. They all go back to Crépy’s ”Le Nouveau Jeu de la Vie Humaine” from ca. 1775.The aim of the game is to reach immortality and the end space nr 84 of the game is the Immortal Man. This version contains no printed rules but the game is so similar to that published by John Wallis that it will be played the same way:The game is played with two dice. Each tile on the playing field has instructions to follow. For instance: ”The Studious Boy at 7 shall receive a Stake and shall proceed to 42 the place of the Orator”. ”The Negliant boy at 11 shall pay a Stake and shall remain two rounds without spinning”. ”The Married Man at 34 shall receive two Stakes for his Wife’s Portion and go to be a Good Father at 56”. ”The Romance Writer at 40 shall pay two Stakes and go back to the Mischievous Boy at 5”. Etc.”The Immortal Man who has existed 84 years seems worthy by his Talents and Merit to be a Model for the Close of Life which can end only be Eternity. When we arrive at the No. 84 we shall have gained all we can by this Game but if we exceed this number we must go back as many points as we have proceeded beyond it. The Age of Man is divided in seven periods of twelve years viz. Infance to Youth Manhood Prime of Life Sedate Middle-age Old age Decreptitude and Dotage”. Some famous people are depicted. As philosoper nr 62 is Voltaire the poet nr 41 is Alexander Pope and the geographer nr 47 is Captain Cook pointing at a map. The final end space Immortality in the Berlin version shows a monument to Leopold of Brunswick Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1752-85. His charity as a general towards his soldiers made him famous and he drowned while trying to save his soldiers lives in the great flood of the River Oder. unknown
