, for each village had its own musicians, who took
great pride and interest in their playing, and used to practise
together in the evenings. The old instruments have vanished: we have
our organs and harmoniums: our choirs sing better and more
reverently; but there are no reunions of the village orchestra,
which used to afford so much pleasure to the rustics of former days.
In the lord's hall there were plenty of sedentary games, and amongst
these pre-eminently stands the noble pastime of chess. It is very
ancient, and is supposed to have been invented by Xerxes, a
philosopher in the court of Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon. It was
well known in England before the Conquest, and Canute was very fond
of the chessboard. King John was so engrossed in this game that when
some messengers came to tell him that the French king had besieged
one of his cities, he would not listen to them until he had finished
his chess. The complicated movements of the various men seem to show
that the game was developed and improved, and not the invention of
one man, but few changes have been made during several centuries.
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