this letter, repay to me all the sums of money you ever received from her. If you hesitate, the sword shall settle our accounts."

In reply to this pithy epistle, Harūn, in great wrath, wrote on the back of the leaf:

"IN THE NAME OF GOD THE MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS.

From Harun, the Commander of the Faithful, to the Roman Dog Nicephorous.

"I have read thine epistle, thou son of an infidel mother. My answer to it thou shalt see, not hear."

We may add that Harun in this instance, kept his word. He instantly marched as far as Heracleia, wasting the Roman territories with fire and sword, and soon made Nicephorous sue for peace and consent to pay the tribute as before.

This laconic correspondence took place A.D. 802, and we may infer from it that both the Greeks and the Arabs had long previously become acquainted with the game; for it requires some TIME before its allusions and phraseology could have become thus "familiar as household words" in the language of a people. The Arabs, as we have shown in our last chapter, had most probably received it nearly two centuries before this period; and the familiar allusions made to it by the scribe of Nicephorous confirm all that we have said respecting its early introduction into Byzantium.

From what we have stated in this and the preceding chapter, I believe we are fully justified in concluding that both the Arabs and the Greeks received the game of Chess from the Persians very nearly at the same time, that is about, or soon after, the commencement of the seventh century of the Christian æra. With regard to the Arabs,

we fortunately possess the most satisfactory historical proofs; at the same time, we must candidly confess that what we have written in this chapter respecting the introduction of the royal game into the lower empire, is more a matter of inference than of demonstration. The historical proof of the existence of Chess among the Byzantines commences only with the reign of the Empress Irene ; but we are warranted to infer that the game must have been there known nearly two centuries before that period.

CHAPTER XIV.

On the Introduction of Chess into Central Europe.

In the 9th, 11th, and 24th volumes of the Archæologia will be found some very interesting disquisitions on the origin of Chess, the names of the pieces, and the introduction of the game into Europe. All these essays have been reproduced in the first volume of the Chess Player's Chronicle, 1841, to which we refer the reader, as the Archæological transactions are perhaps less accessible. The paper on this subject in Vol. IX. is by the Hon. Daines Barrington, who is strongly inclined to confer the honour of the invention on the Chinese, to which we have only to say at present, not proven. The honourable gentleman's discussion on the games of the ancient Greeks and Romans is sound and satisfactory, proving that none of their sedentary games bore any resemblance to Chess. On the subject of the introduction of Chess into Europe, we think Mr. Barrington has been less successful. He appears to have adopted a very common but erroneous notion, that we received our earliest knowledge of the game from Constantinople, through the Crusaders, and that Italy was the first country in Western Europe where it became known. He seems to have altogether ignored the authority of our early chronicles

and romances; so that in fact he is three or four centuries behind in his reckoning. He also falls into errors from unacquaintance with the manner in which the game was played both in Asia and in Europe till the beginning of the sixteenth century. For instance, he says, "the piece of the greatest power was by the Persians styled Pherz, or General." This is a decided mistake; for the piece called by the Persians "Farz," or "Farzin," and by Europeans "Ferzia, "Ferzia," "Queen, or Dame," continued to be one of the weakest pieces on the board-not worth half a Rook-till a little more than three hundred and fifty years ago.

Vol. XI. contains a very able paper, by Francis Douce, Esq., who was a very sound and sensible antiquarian, deeply read in early medieval lore. "The more immediate object of this communication," the author tells us, "is to bring under one point of view the various opinions concerning the European names of the Chess-men, to reconcile some of these, and to correct others." He falls, however, into the usual mistake respecting the introduction of the Queen into the European game, not being aware that the Queen and Archer form two of the pieces in Charlemagne's Chessmen, of which more hereafter. We have only to add further, that Mr. Douce attributes the invention of Chess to the Hindus, a conclusion at which every unprejudiced mind must arrive after perusing the writings of Dr. Hyde and Sir William Jones.

In Vol. XXIV. we have from the pen of Sir Frederic Madden, by far the best essay on this subject that has yet appeared, either in our own country or abroad. It occupies from pp. 203 to 291 of the volume, and is entitled, Historical Remarks on the Introduction of the Game of Chess into Europe, and on the ancient Chess-men

discovered in the Isle of Lewis; by FREDERIC Madden, Esq., F.R.S.1 It would be superfluous, and indeed presumptuous, in us to add a word more, respecting the merits of this dissertation. We shall have occasion frequently to refer to it as we proceed, chiefly with a view to confirm, or place in a new light, what the author has already stated.

I believe I shall be able, in this chapter, to show that the game of Chess was known in France at least eleven hundred years ago. years ago. I shall in proof of this, insert here the earliest Chess anecdote which I have yet seen in reference to Central Europe, and if the circumstance there related can be established not only as highly probable, but historically authentic, the correctness of all subsequent anecdotes, &c., respecting the game, found in our old chronicles and romances before the time of the Crusaders, will need no further confirmation. The story to which I allude is given by Augustus, Duke of Luneberg, in his great work on Chess, p. 14. It is extracted from an old Bavarian chronicle then in the Library of Marcus Welser, and states, that Okarius [Okar, or

2

1 A few copies were struck off separately for the author's own use, but these

are now very rare.

2 Das Schach oder Koenig-Spiel, von Gustavo Seleno, &c., fol. Leipsic, 1616, pp. 495. Augustus (then styled Augustus Junior) Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg is better known to the collectors of rare Chess books as "Gustavus Selenus." Gustavus is merely an anagram of "Augustus," and "Selenus,” is apparently a far-fetched Hellenization of "Luneburg," or "Lunaburgensis," similar to the transformation of "Schwartserdt" into "Melancthon." Some copies of this "Chess or Royal Game" appear to have received a new title page, dated 1617, but the text is precisely the same in both. The greater part of it consists of a translation into German of the Treatise on Chess, by Ruy Lopez. I happen to possess a rare copy of the work in the original binding, having the Brunswick arms stamped in gold on the outside, together with the following superscription in large capitals. "Augustus Junior D. G. Dux B. et Luneb. Dono dedit. Johani Finx C. B. Z. Z. L. Anno 1624." The decipherment of the letters in capitals following the name, I must leave to antiquarians more learned than myself in such weighty matters. For aught we know, the worthy "Johan" may have been, in his own day, a distinguished Chess player. -Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona.