﻿CAME OF CHESS. I63 



The bard next exhibits a few general rules and 

 superficial directions for the conduct of the game : 

 " the pawns and the ship both kill and may be volun- 

 " tarily killed ; while the king, the elephant, and the 

 M horse may slay the foe, but cannot expose them- 

 *' selves to be slain. Let each player preserve his own 

 u forces with extreme care, securing his king above" all, 

 " and not sacrificing a superior 10 keep an inferior 

 " piece." Here the commentator on the Puran ob- 

 serves, that the horse, who has the choice of eight 

 moves from any central position, must be preferred to 

 the ship, who has only the choice of four ; but this 

 argument would not have equal weight in the com- 

 mon game, where the bishop and tower command a 

 'whole line, and where a knight is always of less value 

 than a tower in action, or a bishop of that side oh, 

 which the attack is begun. " it is by the overbearing 

 " power of the elephant that the king fights boldly -, 

 " let the whole army, therefore, be abandoned, in or- 

 *■ der to secure the elephant: the king must never place 

 " one elephant before another, according to the rule 

 " of Gotama, unless he be compelled by want of room, 

 " for he would thus commit a dangerous fault ; and, if 

 " he can slay one of two hostile elephants, he must 

 <{ destroy that on his left hand." The last rule is ex- 

 tremely obscure ; but, as Gotama was an illustrious 

 lawyer and philosopher, he would not have conde- 

 scended to leave directions for the game of Chatu- 

 ranga, if it had not been held in great estimation by 

 the ancient sages of India. 



All that remains of the passage, which was copied, 

 for me by RaJhacant and explained by him, relates to 

 the several modes in which a partial success or com- 

 plete victory may be obtained by any one of the four 

 players ; for we shall see that, as if a dispute had 

 arisen between two allies, one of the kings may assume 

 the command of all the forces, and aim at separate con- 



M 1 



