wrest from you your kingdom, your treasures, and your life.' The Prince said, I am very young, and as yet without experience; I pray of you to advise me as to what you consider best to be done.' They answered, 'It behoveth your father's son to draw the sword, and lead forth our gallant troops against the enemy.' The young Prince replied, Assuredly my hand is ready to draw the sword; but, alas! I have never seen war. How, then, can I presume to become the leader of brave men?' They said, 'Fear nothing, you shall be surrounded by able and experienced warriors, and by wise counsellors, who will soon instruct you how to conduct your forces in the battle-field. All your faithful subjects will support you with their lives and fortunes. But time presses, and the foe must be encountered before he has had time to enter your territories, to slay your people, and to burn your towns.' Now they say that Sassa, the son of Dāhir was this Prince's Prime Minister and chief counsellor. He abridged the 'Perfect Chess,' as already mentioned, and brought the board and men to the Prince, saying, 'Here you have an exact image of war, which is conducted on principles similar to those which regulate this wonderful game. The same caution in attack, and coolness in defence, which you have to exercise here, you will have occasion to put in practice on the battle-field.' Prince with eagerness availed himself of Sassa's instructions until he made himself fully acquainted with the principles of the game. He then assembled his army, and went forth in full confidence, to encounter his enemies, whom he utterly defeated at all points. He then returned home in triumph, and ever after he cherished his love for the game of Chess; to a knowledge of which he considered himself indebted for the preservation of his honour, his kingdom, and his life."

The

THIRD ACCOUNT.

"In Firdausi's epic poem, the Shāhnāma, it is related, that about the time of Naushirawan the Just, there reigned in Northern India a King by name Jamhur, whose sway extended from Bust' to the confines of China. On his death he left an infant son whose name was Gau; and as usual in such cases, the people conferred the sovereignty on the late King's younger brother, who, in course of time, married the elder brother's widow, by whom he had a son named Talkhand. In a short time this King also died, and the people then conferred the sovereignty on the widow. This state of things continued till her two sons became of age. As these two Princes were equally ambitious of sovereign power, they one day went to their mother, and said, 'Which of us two do you deem best qualified to become your successor ?' The mother at this question was greatly distressed, for she loved both her sons alike, and she could not name one of them her successor without grieving the other. She, therefore, answered, 'That one of you shall be my successor, who will prove himself the bravest in battle, the wisest in council, and the most beloved by the people and the army.' At this reply the brothers withdrew, but frequent and angry altercations used to take place between them. Talkhand, the younger, maintained that the sovereignty was his as his father's inheritance. Gau would say in reply, The kingdom was given to your father merely on trust, as my guardian; he was only to act as Regent during my minority. Besides, I am your mother's eldest son; and in every

1 Bust was, of old, a flourishing city in Kabul, situated on the river Helmund, to the westward of Kandahar.

view of the case I am the rightful heir to the throne.' The mother, on hearing of these disputes, was sadly perplexed, for she was really desirous of retaining the love and affections of both her sons, which now appeared to be altogether impossible. She therefore proposed that the people and the army should be appealed to for their decision, a measure to which the Princes agreed. Unfortunately the people and the army were divided in their sentiments; some declared for the elder brother and some for the younger; so that at last the matter terminated in a civil war. The elder brother, being the more humane and intelligent of the two, used every exertion in his power in order to restore peace and reconciliation. He said to the younger, Let our mother's kingdom, in the first place, be divided into two equal parts, then you shall choose for yourself that half which may best please you.' To this fair and generous proposal the younger brother would by no means listen; for he attributed the elder's forbearance and moderation solely to his timidity and cowardice. In short, Talkhand openly took the field with such forces as he could assemble; and Gau, however peacefully inclined, was compelled to go to war with his own brother in selfdefence. In the very first engagement Talkhand's forces were totally defeated, and he himself, mounted on a superb white elephant, was hurried from the field in the midst of the flight. The victorious army, mounted on swift horses, gave instant pursuit, with strict orders to make Talkhand prisoner, but not to hurt one hair of his head. At last the victors completely surrounded the young Prince, conspicuous from the white Elephant which he rode. The sagacious animal stood motionless as a statue, and as they began to assist the Prince to alight, they found that his heart had been broken and his spirit had departed. Thus died Talkhand, without any wound

from his adversaries, but solely because he had too much pride to survive the utter ruin of his army, the triumph of his conquerors, and the humiliation he must have to undergo in the presence of his brother.

"When the mournful tidings reached the Queenmother, she became inconsolable for the loss of her younger son. She even upbraided the survivor, Gau, as the cause of his brother's death. In vain did the Prince assert his innocence, and offered to prove, by numberless witnesses, that he was in no ways accountable for the death of his brother. The mother disbelieved them all, and refused to be comforted; nor would she even suffer her surviving son to appear in her sight. On this occasion it was that Sassa, the son of Dahir, modified the ancient Game of Chess, as we have already stated in our 'first account.' He brought the board and pieces into the presence of the Queen, both as the means of distracting her sorrow, and with a view to explain to her how the battle had been conducted on both sides. He showed her how the two forces stood on the field, and how at length Talkhand, surrounded by his opponents, died of a broken heart, on which occasion those around him exclaimed 'Shāh mand," which signifies 'The Prince is reduced to the last extremity.' The Queen felt a mournful interest in this rare game, which she daily played with Sassa, and at length she became convinced of her surviving son's veracity and innocence."

In concluding this chapter, I may briefly state that Sassa and Dahir were real personages, both having figured in history as Princes of the Brahman dynasty that reigned

1 Shāh-mānd," is the genuine old Persian term, which the Arabs changed into "Shah Mat," "the King is dead." The latter expression is less correct, for in reality the King at Chess is not killed; however, from the term Shah Mat, as used by the Arabs, comes, by various corruptions, our "Check-Mate."

in Sind about the commencement of the Muhammadan era. In fact Sassa was the first Indian Prince with whom the Arabs came in contact, when, in order to propagate their newly-adopted religion, they carried their victorious arms towards the banks of the Indus.

Hence, without much examination, they conferred on Sassa the honour of having invented Chess, or (as our anonymous scribe will have it) of having modified the older game. It so happens, also, as we know from Indian histories, that Sassa was the older, and Dähir the son, or nephew; though this point is of very little importance, as both of them lived nearly a century after Naushirawan. The three accounts of the invention of Chess given by our anonymous author are fair samples of the traditions on the subject current among the Arabs and Persians; always excepting the conclusion, where he says that "Sassa the son of Dāhir simplified the ancient game," which idea is entirely his own, and not mentioned by any other writer. He repeatedly asserts that Sassa was not the inventor, but merely the improver of an older game of the kind; nor is he very scrupulous on the score of perverting his authorities in order to suit his own purpose. For instance, in the third account-which, as he states, he has abridged from the poet Firdausi―he, with the coolest effrontery, falsifies that eminent author's statement. The great poet says not a word about Sassa, nor of the game of the Greeks. He merely states that Gau summoned into his presence all the wise men of his kingdom, and desired them to draw up a plan of the battle, that it might be shown to his mother the Queen. The wise men sat in deliberation for a day and a night, and the result was the invention of the game of Chess. He mentions no name in particular, as he attributes the invention to the collective wisdom of the Indian sages. The story of Sassa is a more