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
The rooks whiche ben vicaires and legats of the kynge ought to be made
lyke a knyght vpon an hors and a mantell and hood furryd with meneuyer
holdynge a staf in his hande/ & for as moche as a kyng may not be in
alle places of his royame/ Therfore the auctorite of hym is gyuen to the
rooks/ whiche represent the kynge/ And for as moche as a royame is grete
and large/ and that rebellion or nouelletes might sourdre and aryse in
oon partye or other/ therfore ther ben two rooks one on the right side
and that other on the lifte side They ought to haue in hem. pyte.
Iuftice. humylite. wilfull pouerte. and liberalite/ Fyrst Iustice for
hit is most fayr of the vertues/ For it happeth oftetyme that the
ministris by theyr pryde and orgueyll subuerte Iuftice and do no ryght/
Wherfore the kynges otherwhyle lose theyr royames with out theyr culpe
or gylte/ For an vntrewe Iuge or officyer maketh hys lord to be named
vnIufte and euyll And contrarye wyse a trewe mynestre of the lawe and
ryghtwys/ causeth the kynge to be reputed Iuste and trewe/ The Romayns
therfore made good lawes/ And wolde that/ that they sholde be Iufte and
trewe/ And they that establisshid them for to gouerne the peple/ wold in
no wyse breke them/ but kepe them for to dye for them/ For the auncyent
and wyse men sayd comynly that it was not good to make and ordeygne that
lawe that is not Iuste Wherof Valerius reherceth that ther was a man
that was named Themistides whiche cam to the counceyllours of athenes
and sayd that he knewe a counceyll whiche was ryght prouffytable for
them/ But he wolde telle hyt but to But to one of them whom that they
wold/ And they asligned to hym a wyse man named Aristides/ And whan he
had vnderstand hym he cam agayn to the other of the counceyll And sayd
that the counceyll of Themystides was well prouffitable/ but hit was not
Iuste/ how be hit y'e may reuolue hit in your mynde/ And the counceyll
that he sayd was this/ that ther were comen two grete shippis fro
lacedome and were arryued in theyr londe. And that hit were good to take
them/ And whan the counceyll herde hym that sayde/ that hit was not
Iuste ner right/ they lefte hem alle in pees And wold not haue adoo with
alle/ The vicarye or Iuge of the kynge ought to be so Iuste/ that he
shold employe alle his entente to saue the comyn wele And yf hit were
nede to put his lyf and/ lose hit therfore/ we haue an ensample of
marcus regulus wherof Tullius reherceth in the book of offices And saynt
Augustyn also de ciuitate dei/ how he faught agayn them of cartage by
see in shippis and was vaynquysshid and taken/ Than hit happend that
they of cartage sente hymm in her message to rome for to haue theyr
prisoners there/ for them y'e were taken/ and so to cha[=u]ge one for an
other And made hym swere and promyse to come agayn/ And so he cam to
rome And made proposicion tofore the senate And demanded them of cartage
of the senatours to be cha[=u]ged as afore is sayd And than the senatours
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