Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 2.djvu/516

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NOTES.


Note 92.Page 334.

"The game of the Schaci."

Scaci, Scacci, or Scachi—a kind of chess: "le jeu des Echecs." Thus called, according to Du Fresne, from the Arabic or Persian word, Scach, or king, because this is the principal piece in the game. Pseudo-Ovidius, lib. i. de Vetula, furnishes the following description, which will somewhat elucidate the text.

"Sex species saltus exercent, sex quoque scaci,
Miles, et Alphinus, Roccus, Rex, Virgo, Pedesque,
In campum primum de sex istis saliunt tres,
Rex; Pedes, Virgo: Pedes in rectum salit, atque
Virgo per obliquum, Rex saltu gaudet utroque,
Ante retroque tamen tam Rex quam Virgo moventur,
Ante Pedes solum; capiens obliquus in ante,
Cum tamen ad metam stadii percurrerit, extunc
Sicut Virgo salit, in campum verò secundum
Tres alii saliunt, in rectum Roccus, eique
Soli concessum est ultra citraque salire.
Obliquè salit Alphinus, sed Miles utroque
Saltum componit."