University of Virginia Library

ARGUMENT.

Invocation—Subject proposed—Doubtful origin of the chessic race—Number of their tribes—Their colours, characters, and hereditary animosity—their orders, titles, and degrees—their amazons described—their military discipline, modes of marching and fighting—The cause of the battle herein celebrated— Phillidor, the chessic bard, quoted—Nigra raises the spleen of Niger to proclaim war against Blanc—Catalogue of the leaders of each party—their names, titles, and rank—Niger's oration—A herald despatched to proclaim the war—The king's sitting down illustrated by a simile, including a warning to rapscallions.

The gods, or demons, of gaming and chance assembled in council—Their names, characters, and powers—The war proclaimed by Niger canvassed—Hazard, the chief demon, declares his rage against Niger for omitting to pay him homage, and menaces him with his fulminated vengeance—Faro, remonstrating, incurs the indignation of Hazard, who threatens to hurl him down to earth, parodying Jupiter—Pope Joan pacifies Hazard, and convinces him that the chessic feuds will redound to his honour—The gods and goddesses obtain permission of Hazard to mingle in the battle, and to confound the presumption of Niger—Joan fills Hazard's golden cup, but not with nectar: he drinks, and the rest of the demons partake of their favourite drams—A round game is called, and Hazard tricks them all to gratify his spleen.

ARGUMENT.

Morning gets up, lets out day-light, and locks up darkness—A simile in point—Chessic forces drawn out for battle—Their order, tactics, and discipline—Put, who has laid odds with Loo upon Niger, appears invisibly to Blanc, and induces him to begin the battle, in order to remove the anger of Hazard from Niger to the white king—Battle commences—Description of it, interspersed with similes and reflections—The demons assist their favourites—Deaths related in their proper places, as detailing them here would be killing the people before their time—Pope Joan makes a ferocious attack on a white knight—The combatants parted by Night—Bishop Crozier's speech—A parody.

ARGUMENT.

To-morrow, or the next morning, compared to a maid sprinkling the doorway with her mop—More parody—The gods of game, prohibited mixing in the fray by Hazard, determine to go incog.—More rounds of the battle—Lamentable fates of the rival queens, and the grief of the widowed kings—Suspension of hostilities, to enable the monarchs to remove the bodies of their queens in solemn state—Heart-rending anguish of the chessic tribes—Put and Loo doubtful, and alarmed about their bet—They determine to mingle in the fight incog. —Are dissuaded by Pope Joan, who advises them to entreat permission of Hazard—They follow her advice and repair to the sire of gaming—Their reception—Description of Hazard's mouth—How it opens—His anger—Joan assuages it—They gain permission—How and why.

ARGUMENT.

The truce concluded and the royal sorrow assuaged, the battle recommences—The gods and goddesses interested play games, and use technicalities—The vice of punning in modest request—Rivalship of the she-pawns for the vacant situations of queen—Employment for Echo—Put taunted by Loo, in consequence of Niger's desperate situation—How to pique and repique—Chessic loyalty—Affecting death of a maiden pawn, seduced by Ambition and All-fours—Similes and reflections interspersed—A radical pawn—Flying castles—More loyalty—Black king checked several times—White king checked in his turn—Reflection—The fiftieth round finished—General detail—All the gods, &c. except Loo, Put, and Joan, commanded to leave the field—Tricks of Put and Loo, and the introduction of Pam in person—The battle draws near a conclusion—Checkmate to Niger—Reflections— The Poem concludes in the rookery—Business done there, and the moral.