extraordinary conduct; it proves at least that the fascinating powers of this fashionable diversion are very extensive upon the minds of those who pursue it earnestly.

VII. THE CHESS-BOARD.

The number of the pieces and the manner in which they are placed do not appear to have undergone much, if any, variation for several centuries. The following is the most ancient representation of the pastime that I have met with.

This engraving is from a drawing in a beautifully illuminated MS. preserved in the British Museum among the Harleian Collection.' This MS. was written at the close of the fourteenth century, and bears every mark of being the very copy presented to Isabel

1 No. 4431.

of Bavaria, the queen of Charles VI. of France. Her portrait, very neatly finished, occurs twice, and that of the king her husband once. The author of this MS. makes Ulysses to be the inventor of chess; and the painting is intended to represent that chieftain engaged with some other Grecian hero who is come to visit and play the game with him, the two by-standers, I presume, are the umpires to decide the matter in case of any dispute.

The Cotton Library contains a MS. of the thirteenth century with the following:

101. CHESS-BOARD.-XIV. CENTURY.

In this representation is exhibited the manner of placing the pieces, which are thus called in Latin verse:

Miles et Alphinus, rex, roc, regina pedinus. The same MS. supplies a perfect singularity:

-XIV CENTURY.

It will be observed that the pieces are also placed on the

above board.

VIII. CHESS-PIECES, AND THEIR FORM.

The names of the chess pieces, as they are given in the foregoing manuscript, are these: Rey-Reyne, or Ferce-Roc-Alfin -Chivaler-Poun :-that is, 1. The King-2. The Queen, or Ferce-3. The Rock-4. The Alfin-5. The Knight-6. The Pawn. Their forms are annexed.

In modern times the roc is corruptedly called a rook, but formerly it signified a rock or fortress, or rather, perhaps, the keeper of the fortress; the alfin was also denominated by the French fol, and with us an archer, and at last a bishop.

IX.-THE VARIOUS GAMES OF CHESS.

In a manuscript in the Royal Library,2 written about the same time as that last mentioned, we find no less than forty-four different names given to so many games of chess, and some of them are played more ways than one, so that in the whole they may be said to amount to fifty-five; and under every title there are directions for playing the game, but I apprehend they would be of little use to a modern player. I shall, however, give the several denominations as they occur, with an attempt at a translation. If the learned reader should find that I have mistaken the meaning of any of these titles, which is very likely to be the case, he will consider the difficulty I had to encounter, and remember I give the translation with diffidence.

1. Guy de chivaler, played three ways-2. De dames—3. De damoyseles-4. De alfins, two ways-5. De anel-6. De covenant-7. De propre confusion-8. Mal assis-9. Cotidian, two ways-10. Poynt estraunge, two ways-11. Ky perde sey sauve-12. Ky ne doune ces ke il eyme, ne prendrant ke disire -13. Bien trove-14. Beal petit-15. Mieut vaut engyn ke force-16. Ky est larges est sages-17. Ky doune ganye-18. Ly enginous e ly coveytous-19. Covenaunt fet ley-20. Ve pres sen joyst ke loyns veyt-21. Meschief fet hom penser22. La chace de chivaler-23. La chace de ferce et de chivaler

'In Chaucer's Dream this piece is called fers and feers.

913 A. xviii.

-24. Bien fort-25. Fol si prent-26. Ly envoyons-27. Le seon sey envoye-28. Le veyl conu-29. Le haut enprise-30. De cundut―31. Ky put se prenge-32. La batalie sans array-33. Le tret emble, two ways-34. Ly desperes-35. Ly marvelious, two ways-36. Ne poun ferce home fet-37. Muse vyleyn-38. De dames et de damoyceles-39. Fol si sey fie, two ways-40. Mal veysyn, two ways-41. Je mat de ferces-42. Flour de guys-43. La batalie de rokes-44. Double eschec.

1. The knights' game-2. The ladies' game-3. The damsels' game-4. The game of the alfins-5. The ring-6. The agreement-7. Self-confounded-8. Ill placed or bad enough—9. Day by day-10. The foreign point-11. The loser wins-12. He that gives not what he esteems, shall not take that he desires -13. Well found-14. Fair and small-15. Craft surpasses strength-16. He that is bountiful is wise-17. Who gives gains 18. Subtilty and covetousness-19. Agreement makes law-20. He sees his play at hand who sees it at a distance -21. Misfortunes make a man think-22. The chace of the knight-23. The chace of the queen and the knight-24. Very strong-25. He is a fool if he takes-26. The messengers— 27. Sent by his own party-28. The old one known-29. The high place taken-30. Perhaps for conduit, managed or conducted-31. Take if you can-32. The battle without arrangement-33. The stolen blow-34. The desperates-35. The wonder-36. A pawn cannot make a queen-37. The clown's lurking place-38. The ladies and the damsels-39. A fool if he trusts-40. Bad neighbour-41. I mate the queen-42. The flower or beauty of the games-43. The battle of the rooks44. Double chess.

X.-ANCIENT GAMES SIMILAR TO CHESS.

The ancient pastimes, if more than one be meant, which bear the names of ludus latrunculorum, ludus calculorum, et ludus scrupulorum, have been generally considered as similar to chess, if not precisely the same; but the authors of the Encyclopédie Françoise, assure us they did not bear any resemblance to it, at least in those essential parts of the game which distinguish it from all others; but were played with stones, shells, or counters. The ancients, we are told, used little stones, shells, and nuts, in making their calculations without the assistance of writing. These little stones were called by the Greeks noor, and calculi or scrupuli by the Romans; and such articles, it is

supposed, were employed by them in playing the games above mentioned. This method of reckoning passed from the Greeks to the Romans, but when luxury introduced itself at Rome, the stones and shells were laid aside, and counters made with ivory became their substitutes. If the foregoing observations be well founded, we may justly conclude that the ludus calculorum which Homer mentions as a pastime practised by his heroes, called in Greek Teros or TEGO, consisted in a certain arrangement and combination of numbers, every piece employed in the game being marked with an appropriate number, and probably might resemble a more modern pastime, which still retains the Greek name of Rithmomachia, from apieμos, numerus, et μaxi, pugna, expressive of a battle with numbers, said by some to have been invented by Pythagoras, and by others to be more ancient with us it is called the Philosopher's Game, and seems indeed to have been well calculated for the diversion of soldiers, because it consists, not only in a contention for superiority by the skilful adjustment of the numbers, but in ▾ addition, allows the conqueror to triumph and erect his trophy in token of the victory; this part of the game, we are told, requires much judgment to perform with propriety, and if the player fails, his glories are but half achieved.

XI. THE PHILOSOPHER'S GAME.

We have some account of the philosopher's game, but very loosely drawn up, in a manuscript in the Sloanian Library2 at the British Museum. It is called, says the author, “a number fight," because in it men fight and strive together by the art of counting or numbering how one may take his adversary's king and erect a triumph upon the deficiency of his calculations. It is then said, "you may make your triumph as well with your enemy's men taken, as with your own not taken."

The board or table for playing this game is made in the form of a parallelogram just as long again as it is broad; it is divided into eight squares the narrow way, and extended to sixteen the other, and bears the resemblance of two chess-boards fastened together: the chequers in like manner being alternately black and white, and two persons only at one time can properly play the game; to either party is assigned twenty-four soldiers,

And revived by Claud. Bruxer and others, A. D. 1514. Burton's Descrip. of Leicestershire, under Loughborough, p. 182. 2 No. 451.