Th[=e]ne emonge whom there was an excellent doctour
of dyuynyte in the royame of fraunce of the ordre of
thospytal of Saynt Johns of Jherusalem which entended
the fame and hath made a book of the chesse moralysed.
which at suche tyme as J was resident in brudgys in
the counte of Flaundres cam in to my handes/ which
whan J had redde and ouerseen/ ne semed ful necessarye
for to be had in englisshe/ And in eschewyng of ydlenes
And to thende that s[=o]me which haue not seen it/
ne understonde frenssh ne latyn I delybered in my self
to translate it in to our maternal tongue/ And whan
I so had achyeued the sayd translacion/ I dyde doo
sette in enprynte a certeyn nombre of theym/ Whiche
anone were depesshed and folde. wherfore by cause thys
sayd book is ful of holsom wysedom and requysyte unto
every astate and degree/ J haue purposed to enprynte
it/ shewyng therin the figures of suche persons as
longen to the playe. Jn whom al astates and degrees
ben comprysed/ besechyng al them that this litel werke
shal see/ here/ or rede to have me for excused for
the rude & symple makyng and reducyn in to our englisshe/
And where as is defaute to correcte and amende/ and
in so doyng they shal deserve meryte and thanke/ and
I shal pray for them/ that god of his grete mercy
shal rewarde them in his everlastyng blisse in heven/
to the whiche he brynge us/ that wyth his precious
blood redemed us Amen
[TABLE.]
This booke conteyneth .iiii. traytees/
The first traytee is of the Invencion of this playe
of the chesse,/ and conteyneth .iii. chapitres
The first chapitre is under what kynge this play was
founden
The .ii. chapitre/ who fonde this playe
The .iii. chapitre/ treteth of .iii. causes why hit
was made and founden
The second traytee treteth of the chesse men/ and
conteyneth .v. chapitres
The first chapitre treteth of the form of a kynge
and of suche thinges as apperteyn to a kynge
The .ii. chapitre treteth of y’e quene & her
forme & maners
The .iii. chapitre of the forme of the alphins and
her offices and maners
The .iiii. chapitre is of the knyght and of his offices
The .v. is of the rooks and of their maners and offices
The thirde traytee is of the offices of the comyn
peple And hath .viii. chapitres
The first chapitre is of the labourers & tilinge of
the erthe
The .ii. of fmythis and other werkes in yron & metall
[43] The .iii. is of drapers and makers of cloth &
notaries
The .iiii. is of marchantes and chaungers
[44] The .v. is of phisicyens and cirugiens and apotecaries
[45] The .vi. is of tauerners and hostelers
[46] The .vii. is of y’e gardes of the citees
& tollers & cuftomers
[47] The .viii. is of ribauldes disepleyars and currours
The .iiii. traytee is of the meuyng and yssue of them
And hath .viii. chapitres