Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/224

 204 Hijlory of Domejlic Mcmners hand a drinking horn, in which at great feflivals the lady of the houle- hold, of whatever rank, was accuftomed to ferv^e out the ale or mead to the guefts. The bifliops are fome feated, and others Handing, but all dis- tinguifhed by the mitre, crofier, and epifcopal coftume. The knights are No. 141. Icelandic Chejf-men of the Twelfth Century. all on horfeback, and are covered with chara6terifi:ic armour. The armed men on foot, juft mentioned by the name of warders, were peculiar to the Scandinavian fet of cheff-men, and fupplied the place of the rocks, or rooks, in the mediaeval game, and of the modern caftle. Several of the cheff-men had indeed gone through more than one modification in their progrefs from the Eaft. The Arabs and Perfians admitted no female among the perfons on their cheff-board, and the piece which we call the queen was with them the pherz (vizier or coun- cillor). The oriental name, under the form fers,ferz, orferce, in Latin ferzia, was long preferved in the middle ages, though certainly as early as the twelfth century the original charafter of the piece had been changed for that of a queen, and the names yer^ and queen became fynonymous. It is hardly neceffary to fay that a billiop would not be found on a Saracenic cheff-board. This piece was called by the Perfians and Arabs pil or phil, meaning an elephant, under the form of which animal it was reprefented. This name was alfo preferved in its tranfmiffion to the weft, and with the Arab article prefixed became alfil, or more commonly alfin.