Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 1.pdf/272

Rh

Amid his goodly company,

By arrow-stroke, death pierced, fell he.

It scarcely needs my page to blot

By telling of the woful lot

Of Conradin, whom Charles decreed

To death, although for him did plead

The German princes; or how fell

Henry, the prince of Spain as well,

In prison slain, as guerdon good

For one whose treason shamed manhood.

These two rash, foolish men, I ween,

Lost knights and rooks, and pawns and queen,

Till, seeing all against them scored,

They fled and left swept clear, the board.

Great fear they had lest round them spun

Should be the web they had begun,

Yet ne’er need they have been afraid

Lest they should see check-mate arrayed

Against them, since devoid of king

They fought, their foes could nowise bring

Those into check with whom they played,

Since first this noble game was made,

For never men at chess can fight

(How great soe’er the power they dight)

With check ’gainst those who fight afoot,

The pawn, or rook, or fool to boot,

Nor queen or knight, nor all the hoard

Of commoners who fill the board.

For of a truth I dare to state

What meaneth that men call ‘a mate’;

The king it is to whom we give

‘Check,’ when his men have ceased to live,