The Game and Playe of the Chesse

[Transcribers Note: This is a reprint of Caxton's 1474 original. "Englifh" long s's which look very similar to f's have been transposed to s's for readability; yogh (looks like a mutated 3) has been rendered as a 3; thorn, þ, has been left as such and macrons over letters are given as e.g. [=o]. Otherwise the text has been left as is.

The original punctutation has been preseved. Virgula suspensiva, shown here as / was in common use from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century. Often used for short pauses (such as the cæsura in the middle of a line of poetry), but sometimes was used as equivalent to the punctus. "'9" represents a superscripted 9 and is an ancestor to the modern apostrophe. It usually indicates the omission of a terminal -us.

A small amount of text in this edition is in Blackletter, which was used in the Caxton original, and these sections have been marked up as such.

The book contains many attractive illustrations copied from the Caxton original and an HTML version exists to give a better representation of this.]

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.

Jonathon Oldbuck on the Game of Chess, 1474 The First Edition: copies in libraries and at sales Where was it printed? Caxton's account of the translation The Second Edition: copies in libraries and at sales Ferron and De Vignay's "Jeu d'Echecs" Jacques de Cessoles: "Liber de Moribus hominum" Sermons on Chess Ægidius Romanus, his life and his book: "De Regimine Principum" Occleve's imitation William Caxton as a translator Bibliography of the Chess Book: Colonna Cessoles Ferron and De Vignay Conrad van Ammenhaufen Mennel Heinrich von Beringen Stephan Caxton Sloane The scope and language of the Chess-book Authors quoted and named Biblical names and allusions Xerxes the inventor of Chess! Sidrac John the monk Truphes of the Philosophers Helinand Classical allusions Mediæval allusions and stories John of Ganazath St. Bernard The dishonest trader The drunken hermit A violent remedy Murder of Nero Theodorus Cyrenaicus Democritus of Abdera Socrates disguised Didymus and raised letters for the blind Shaksperean etymology Caxton at Ghent The history of Chess The ethical aim of the writer of the Chess-book

THE GAME OF THE CHESSE.

Dedication to the Duke of Clarence

Prologue to second edition

BOOK I.

This booke conteyneth. iiii. traytees/ The first traytee is of the Invencion of this playe of the chesse/ and conteyneth. iii. chapitres.

The first chapitre is under what kynge this play was founden.

The .ii. chapitre/ who fonde this playe.

The .iii. chapitre/ treteth of. iii. causes why hit was made and founden.

BOOK II.

The seconde traytee treteth of the chesse men/ and conteyneth .v. chapitres.

The first chapitre treteth of the forme of a kynge and of suche thinges as apperteyn to a kynge.

The .ii. chapitre treteth of y'e quene & her forme & maners.

The .iii. chapitre of the forme of the alphins and her offices and maners.

The .iiii. chapitre is of the knygth and of his offices.

The .v. is of the rooks and of their maners and offices.

BOOK III.

The thirde traytee is of the offices of the comyn peple And hath .viii. chapitres.

The first chapitre is of the labourers & tilinge of the erthe.

The .ii. of smythis and other werkes in yron & metall.

The .iii. is of drapers and makers of cloth & notaries.

The .iiii. is of marchantes and chaungers.

The .v. is of phisicyens and cirugiens and apotecaries.