Page:The Game and Playe of the Chesse (1474).djvu/7

 He holy appostle and doctour of the peple saynt Poule sayth in his epystle. Alle that is wryten is wryten vnto our doctryne and for our lernyng . Wherfore many noble clerkes haue endeuoyred them to Wryte and compyle many notable werkes and historyes to the ende that it myght come to the knowlege and vnderstondyng of suche as ben ygnoraunt. Of which the nombre is infenyte / And accordyng to the same saith Salamon. that the nombre of foles. is infenyte / And emong alle other good werkys. It is a werke of ryght special recomendacion to enforme · and to late vnderstonde wysedom and vertue vnto them that be not lernyd ne can not dyscerne wysedom fro folye. Thēne emonge whom there was an excellent doctour of dyuynyte in the royame of fraunce of the ordre of thospytal of Saynt Johns of Jerusalem whiche entended the same and hath made a look of the chesse moralysed. whiche at suche tyme as I was resident in brudgys in the counte of Flaundres cam in to my handes / whiche whan I had redde and ouerseen / me semed ful necessarye for to be had in englisshe / And in eschewyng of ydlenes   And to thende that sōme which haue not seen it / ne vnderstonde frenssh ne latyn. J delybered in myself to translate it in to our maternal tonge, And whan I so had achyeued the sayd translacion / J dyde doo sette in enprynte a certeyn nombre of theym / Whiche anone were depesshed and solde. wherfore by cause thys sayd book is ful of holsom wysedom and requysyte vnto euery astate and degree / J haue purposed to enprynte it / shewyng therin the figures of suche persons