recent legend of the Arabs, devised merely to give the invention a sort of "a local habitation and a name.'

I believe, however, with the anonymous author, that what the writers of Western Asia considered as the original invention of Chess, really meant the change of the Chaturanga into the Shatranj. The existence of the game of Hermes, the Grecian sage, played by Alexander the Great, his officers and soldiers, is really too absurd to deserve a moment's consideration, as every one conversant with Greek literature and the game of Chess will readily admit. To those not so qualified to judge, one story is just as good as another; so I make them heartily welcome to their own opinions. At the same time, I think it is not altogether impossible to account for the anonymous author's perversions and falsehoods. He apparently lived at Timur's Court; for in his book he has given eighteen problems or positions that occurred in actual play to 'Ali-Shatranji-the finest player of that period, and probably one of the best that ever lived. He not only gives the problems, but a great number of minute particulars respecting them, such as the odds given, the party who was the opponent, and whether 'Ali played with or without seeing the board—all of which particulars could have been noticed only by one who was present, or one who lived not long after the event. Well, the Great Timur was partial to the "Perfect Chess" (as our author calls it), that is, the board of eleven squares by ten-of which more hereafter. Timur detested the Hindus because they were idolators, and despised them, both Hindu and Muslim, because they had allowed him to overrun their country. Hence our author, in order to gratify his patron's humour, gives out that the Great Chess was the original, and patronised by Alexander, the Macedonian, who introduced it into India; and that, after all, the

Hindus were "too stupid to comprehend it," till Sassa simplified it so as to make it square with their weak capacities. Such a gross fabrication would easily pass current with Timur, who was more conversant with arms than with books; and the obsequious courtiers would readily subscribe to such doctrines as appeared to gratify their Sovereign.1

1 Tīmür invaded India in the year of grace, 1398, simply for the very vulgar purpose of plunder. His panegyrists say that his object was to propagate the true faith among the heathen, which he did in the good old way, by causing at least a million of those same harmless heathen to be slaughtered. Hav◄ ing loaded himself and his army with booty, he quietly returned home in the course of six months. Ferishta, an accurate Indian historian, speaks of this invasion as follows. "The historians (of Tīmūr's invasion) have gone into some details, of the amount of the silver, the gold, and the jewels captured on this occasion, particularly rubies and diamonds; but their account so far exceeds all belief, that I have refrained from mentioning it!"

CHAPTER VIII.

SHATRANJ CONTINUED.

Account of Oriental Manuscript Works on Chess in the British Museum, and in the Library of the Royal Asiatic Society, &c.

BEFORE I come to discuss the principles of Mediæval Chess, it may be well to give a brief account of the manuscript works which I follow as my authorities. These are four in number; and, fortunately, they are public property, easily accessible to those able and willing to examine their contents; and not, like the MSS. of some good natured private individuals, liable to be lent and not returned. The first is an Arabic manuscript (No. 7515) in the British Museum. It is a quarto volume of 132 leaves, and averaging 16 lines to each page—that is, where no diagrams occur. It was written, or, more properly speaking, copied, in a.D. 1257; and, consequently, is now upwards of 600 years old. The author's name is not given; but, from circumstances to be mentioned, we may safely infer that he lived within a century previous to the above date. The authorship of the volume is absurdly attributed to "Hasan of Basra," one of the early Muhammadan doctors, who died A.D. 728. The only authority for this fiction is, that in the preface there is a quotation of a general nature from the " sage of Basra,"

recommending to people "some innocent amusement after the mind has been fatigued with care or much study," which pithy advice will be found to apply as much to leap-frog or to blindman's-buff, as to Chess. On this slender foundation, however, the knavish book-dealers entitled the work "Shatranj al Basri," which they construe into "a treatise on Chess, by Hasan of Basra." Yea, further, in order to conceal the trick, they have had the precaution to erase from the preface the name of the Prince to whom the book was dedicated. However, we

know from the titles employed in the dedication, that the Prince was one of the Ayubite dynasty, that ruled for a brief period over Egypt and Syria; that is, he was either the renowned Saladin himself, or one of his immediate

successors.

In the East, as of late among ourselves, the Princes of certain dynasties were addressed by certain peculiar titles and epithets whereby they might be known, just as we a century or two ago used to read of "His Most Christian Majesty of France," or "His Most Catholic Majesty of Spain," or their "High Mightinesses of Holland." With regard to the contents of this volume, they may be briefly described, for unfortunately a large and valuable portion of it is missing. The first seven leaves, which are merely introductory, may be passed over as containing nothing of importance. The eighth leaf commences the main business, by enumerating the five classes into which Chess-players may be divided, of which very sensible division more hereafter. Between the 8th and 9th folio there is what the learned call a hiatus valde

To these altisonant designations, it would be unpardonable in me, not to add that of the Austrian Kaiser, who, according to the "Times," is addressed as "his Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty." The exact meaning and real aptness of the term Apostolic, I do not pretend to understand, though I dare say it is all very right.

deflendus. Folios 9th and 10th treat of the equality of force at the end of a game, together with the relative values of the various pieces; and, from the minuteness and fulness with which the author explains this part of his subject, we may infer that the missing portion contained an account of everything relating to the theory and practice of the game on the same ample scale. The rest of the volume consists of some 200 diagrams, containing "openings of games," eleven in number, and positions or problems, in which either mate is forced in a certain number of moves, or the weaker party, by skilful play, draws the game. These are accompanied with solutions at full-length; and this work alone, even if we had none else, would have sufficed to give us a fair idea of the manner in which chess was played in the East six hundred years ago.

My second authority is a Persian manuscript (No. 16,856) in the British Museum. It is an octavo volume containing sixty-three leaves, ten lines to the page. It was copied A.D. 1612, and the author lived in the time of the Emperor Humayun, of Delhi, to whom it is dedicated, somewhat more than 300 years ago. It is a translation and abridgment of an older work in the Arabic language, entitled "Munjih fi'ilmi-l-Shatranj," or the

Chess-player's Monitor." It is divided into twelve chapters, of which the first five contain brief notices of those among the companions and followers of the Prophet Muhammad, who were Chess-players, thence deducing arguments in proof of the lawfulness of the game. It then details the numerous benefits of Chess, mental and

1 Mr. Bland has more fully described this MS. in his "Essay on Persian Chess." He has, however, given us a wrong title viz., "Manhaj fi ilmi-l Shatranj" or the Guide to the knowledge of Chess." This is all very well for a title, but the author's own words are clear enough in the MS., precisely as I have given them.