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
For as moche as the Noble persone canne not rewle ne gouerne with oute
y'e seruyce and werke of the peple/ than hit behoueth to deuyse the
oeuurages and the offices of the werkemen/ Than I shall begynne fyrst at
the fyrst pawne/ that is in the playe of the chesse/ And signefieth a
man of the comyn peple on fote For they be all named pietous that is as
moche to saye as footemen And than we wyll begynne at the pawne whiche
standeth to fore the rooke on the right side of the kinge for as moche
as this pawne apperteyneth to serue the vicaire or lieutenant of the
kynge and other officers vnder hym of necessaryes of vitayll/ And this
maner a peple is figured and ought to be maad in the forme & shappe of a
man holdynge in his ryght hande a spade or shouell And a rodde in the
lifte hand/ The spade or shouell is for to delue & labour therwith the
erthe/ And the rodde is for to dryue & conduyte wyth all the bestes vnto
her pasture also he ought to haue on his gyrdell/ a crokyd hachet for to
cutte of the supfluytees of the vignes & trees/ And we rede in the
bible that the first labourer that euer was/ was Caym the firste sone of
Adam that was so euyll that he slewe his broder Abel/ for as moche as
the smoke of his tythes went strayt vnto heuen'/ And the smoke & fumee
of the tythes of Caym wente downward vpon the erthe And how well that
this cause was trewe/ yet was ther another cause of enuye that he had
vnto his broder/ For whan Adam their fader maried them for to multyplie
y'e erthe of hys lignye/ he wolde not marye ner Ioyne to gyder the two
that were born attones/ but gaf vnto caym her that was born wyth Abel/
And to Abel her that was born with caym/ And thus began thenuye that
caym had ayenst abel/ For his wyf was fayrer than cayms wyf And for this
cause he slough abel with the chekebone of a beste/ & at that tyme was
neuer no maner of yron blody of mannes blood/ And abel was y'e first
martier in tholde testament/ And this caym dide many other euyl thinges
whiche I leue/ for hit apperteyneth not to my mater/ But hit behoueth
for necessite y't some shold labour the erthe after y'e synne of adam/
for to fore er adam synned/ the erthe brought forth fruyt with out
labour of handes/ but syn he synned/ hit muste nedes be labourid with
y'e handes of men And for as moche as the erthe is moder of alle thynges
And that we were first formed and toke oure begynnyng of the erthe/ the
same wyse at the laste. she shall be the ende vnto alle vs and to alle
thynges/ And god that formed vs of the erthe hath ordeyned that by the
laboure of men she shold gyue nourysshyng vnto alle that lyueth/ and
first the labourer of y'e erthe ought to knowe his god that formed and
made heuen & erthe of nought And ought to haue loyaulte and trouth in
hymself/ and despise deth for to entende to his laboure And he ought to
gyue thankyngis to hym that made hym And of whom he receyueth all his
goodes temporall/ wherof his lyf is susteyned/ And also he is bounden to
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