saint Iherome saith/ the
cyte of babilone was right grete and was made alle square/ and in euery
quarter was. xvi. myle by nombre and mesure/ the whiche nombre foure
tymes told was. lxiiii. myles/ After the maner of lombardye they be
callid myles/ and in france leukes/ and in englong they be callid mylis
also/ And for to reprefente the mesure of thys cyte/ In whiche thys
playe or game was founden/ The philosopher that fonde hit first ordeyned
a tablier conteynyng .lxiiii. poynts square/ the which ben comprised
wyth in the bordour of the tablier/ ther ben xxxii. on that on fide &.
xxxii. on that other whiche ben ordeyned for the beaulte of the playe/
and for to mewe the maner & drawynge of the chesse as hit shall appere
in the chapitres folowynge/ and as to the seconde wherfore y'e bordour
of theschequyer is hyher than the table wyth in. hit is to be
vnderftande y't the bordour aboute representeth the walle of t'e cyte/
whiche is right hyghe/ And therfor made y'e philosopher the bordour more
hyghe than y'e tablier. And as y'e blessid saint Iherome saith vpon y'e
prophesie of ysaye/ that is to wete vpon a montayne of obscurete. whiche
wordes were said of babilone whiche standeth in chaldee and nothinge of
that babilone that stondeth in egipte/ for it is so y't babilone whiche
standeth in chaldee was sette in a right grete playne/ & had so hyghe
walles that by the heyghte of them/ was contynuell derkenes environed &
obscurete/ that none erthely man might beholde and see the ende of y'e
hyghnes of the walle/ And therfore ysaye callid hit y'e montaigne
obscure/ And saint Iherome sayth y't the mesure of the heyght of this
walle was thre thousand paas/ whiche extendeth vnto y'e lengthe of thre
myle lombardes/ hit is to wete that lombarde mylis and english myles ben
of one lengthe And in one of the corners of this cyte was made a toure
treangle as a shelde wherof the heyght extended vnto the lengthe of
.vii. thousand paas/ whiche is .vii. myle english And this tour was
callyd the tour of Babell/ The walles aboute the tour made a woman whos
name was semiranus as sayth virgilius/ As to the thirde wherfore the
comyn peple ben sette to fore the nobles in the felde of the bataylle in
one renge First for as moche as they ben necessarye to alle nobles For
the rooke whiche standeth on the ryght syde and is vicaire of the kynge
what may he doo yf the labourer were not sette to fore hym and labourid
to mynystre to hym suche temporell thyng