Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 1.pdf/273

Or captive stand, and none he sees
Around him save his enemies,
And thus doth he in check remain,
Escape debarred, resistance vain.
The game of chess And thus saith Attains the wise,
Who did the game of chess devise
With worthy wit; its subtle trick
He found when deep arithmetic7070
He taught, and Polycraticus,
Of John of Sarum, showeth us
How he the intricate movements set,
Wherewith the game is played e’en yet.

From off the field these leaguers cleared,
Since to be captive ta’en they feared
Most bitterly. What say I then?
They feared captivity, these men?
Nay, but far worse; fierce death they fled,
Which ne’ertheless they sufferèd,7080
For in this wretched game had they
With impious daring played their play.
Despising faith, estranged from God,
They madly his chastising rod
Had bared their backs to; Holy Church
They braved, and found them left a-lurch.
And if their fortunes lay in wreck,
And on them cried their foes ‘a check!’
What wonder? Who would cover them,
Or who their tide of misery stem?7090
For when the onset came their queen
They lost, as well might be foreseen,
And then this worthless, foolish king
Lost rooks, knights, pawns, and everything.