“Antonius was a wys emp_er_our regnyng in the cite of Rome, the which vsid moche to pley with houndis; and aftir at pley, all e day aftir he wolde vse e chesse.  So yn a day, as he pleide at e chesse, & byheld the kyng fette yn the pley, som tyme hy and som tyme lowe, among aufyns and pownys, he thought erwith at hit wold be so with hi_m_, for he shuld dey, and be hid vndir erth.  And erfore he devided his Reame in thre p_ar_ties; and he yaf oo part to e kyng of Ier_usa_l_e_m; e secunde p_ar_t vnto e lordis of his Reame or his empire; and the thrid p_ar_tie vnto the pore people; & yede him self vnto the holy londe, and ther he endid his lyf in peas.

   MORALITE.

Seth now, good sirs; this emp_er_our, at lovith so wele play, may be called eche worldly man at occupieth him in vanytes of the world; but he moste take kepe of the pley of the chesse, as did the emp_er_oure. the chekir or e chesse hath viij. poyntes in eche p_ar_tie.  In eu_er_y pley beth viij. kyndes of men, s_cil_. man, woman, wedewer, wedowis, lewid men, clerk_es_, riche men, and pou_er_e men. at this pley pleieth vj. men. the first man, at goth afore, hath not but oo poynt, but whenne he goth aside, he takith ano_er_; so by a pou_er_e man; he hath not, but when he comyth to e deth with pacience, en shall he be a kyng in heuen, w_i_t_h_ e kyng of pore men.  But if he grucche ayenst his neighbour of his stat, and be a thef, and ravissh at wher he may, en he is ytake, and put in to the p_re_son of helle.  The secund, f_cil_. alphyn, renneth iij. poyntes both vpward and douneward; [he] betokenyth wise men, the whiche by deceyuable eloquence & takyng of money deceyueth, & so he is made oonly.  The iij. scil. e kny3t, hath iij. poyntes, & goth erwith; [he] betokenyth gentilmen at rennyth aboute, & ravisshith, and ioyeth for her kynrede, & for habundaunce of richesse.  The fourth, s_cil._ e rook, he holdith length & brede, and takith vp what so is in his way; he betokenyth okerers and false m_er_chaunt3, at rennyth aboute ouer all, for wynnyng & lucre, & rechith not how thei geten, so that thei haue hit.  The fifthe is e quene, that goth fro blak to blak, or fro white to white, and is yset befide e kyng, and is ytake fro the kyng.  This quene bytokenyth virgyns and damesels, at goth fro chastite to synne, and beth ytake by the devill, for glovis or such man_e_r yiftis.  The vj. is to whom all owe to obey and mynystre; and he goth forth, and bakward ayen, & in either side, & takith ouer all; so sone discendith in to e world, and ascendith to god by praiers; But when he takith [no] kepe of god, and hath no meyne, an is hit to e man chekmate.  And erfore let vs not charge of oure estatis, no more an is w_i_t_h_ e men, when ei be put vp in e poket; then hit is no charge who be above or who be byneth; and so by the Spirit of loulynesse we may come to e ioy of heven.  And at graunt vs, qui viuit &c.”