Game and Playe of the Chesse: A Verbatim Reprint of the First Edition, 1474Jacobus, de Cessolis, active 1288-1322
Philosophy
Game and Playe of the Chesse: A Verbatim Reprint of the First Edition, 1474
Jacobus, de Cessolis, active 1288-1322
Chess -- Early works to 1800
We ought to knowe that in this world/ the kynges seygnourye and regne
eche in his royame. And in this playe we ought to knowe by the nature of
hit how the kynge meueth hym and yssueth oute of his place/ For y'e shall
vnderstande that he is sette in the fourth quadrante or poynt of
theschequer. And whan he is black/ he standeth in the white/ and the
knyght on his ryght side in white/ And the Alphyn and the rooke in
black/ And on the lifte side the foure holden the places opposite/ And
the rayson may be suche/ For be cause that the knyghtes ben the glorye &
the crowne of the kynge,' They ensiewe in semblable residence/ that they
doo whan they ben sette semblably on the ryght side of the kynge & on
the lyfte side of the quene/ And for as moche as the rook on the ryght
syde is vicayre of the kynge he accompanyeth the quene in semblable
siege that the Alphyn doth whiche is Iuge of the kynge/ And in lyke wyse
the lifte rook & the lyfte Alphyn accompanye the kynge in semblable
siege/ In suche wyse as they ben sette aboute the kynge in bothe sides
wyth the Quene in manere of a crowne/ That they may seurely kepe the
royame that reluyseth and shyneth in the kynge and in the Quene/ In
suche wyse as they may conferme and diffende hym in theyr sieges and in
theyr places. And the more hastily renne vpon his enemyes And for as
moche as the Iuge, the knyght/ and the vicaire. kepe and garnysshe the
kynge on that one syde/ They that ben sette on the other syde kepe the
Quene/ And thus kepe they alle the strength and fermete of the royame/
And semblably otherwhile for to ordeyne the thynges that apperteyne to
the counceyll/ and to the besoygne of the royame/ For yf eche man shold
entende to his owen proper thynges/ And y't they defended not ner toke
hede vnto the thingis y't apperteynen to the kynge to the comyn and to
the royame/ the royalme shold an[=o]n be deuided in parties And thus
myght the Iuge regne/ And the name of the dignyte royall shold be lost/
And truly for as moche as the kynge holdeth the dignyte aboue alle other
and the seygnourye royall/ therfore hit apperteyneth not that he absente
hym longe/ ne wythdrawe hym ferre by space of tyme from the maister
siege of his royame/ For whan he wele meue hym/ he ought not to passe at
the first draught the nombre of .iii. poynts/ And whan he begynneth thus
to meue from his whyt poynt/ he hath the nature of the rooks of the
right syde and of the lifte syde for to goo black or whithe/ And also he
may goo vnto the white poynt where the gardes of the Cyte ben sette And
in this poynt he hath the nature of a knyght. And thyse two maners of
meuynge apperteyneth otherwhile to the quene/ and for as moche as the
kynge and the quene that ben conioyned to geder by mariage ben one
thynge as one flessh and blood/ therfore may the kynge meue on the lifte
side of his propre poynt also wele as he were sette in the place of the
quene whiche is black/ and whan he goth right in maner of the rook only/
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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