a game amongst the Romans, of much the same nature with our chess. The latrunculi were properly the chess-men, called also latrones and caluli. They were usually made of glass, and distinguished by black and white colours; but sometimes they were made of wax or other convenient substances. The invention of this game is by some ascribed to Palamedes when at the siege of Troy; Seneca attributes it to Chilon, one of the seven Grecian sages; others honour Pyrrhus with the invention; and others again contend that it is of Persian origin. But is not this lis de laus caprina? Frequent allusions to this game are met with in the Roman classics; and a little poem was written upon it, addressed to Piso, which some say was the work of Ovid, others of Lucan, in the end of some editions of whose works it is to be found, and to which we refer for a fuller account of the game. This game expresses so well the chance and order of war, that it is, with great appearance of probability, attributed to some military officer as the inventor. One Caius Julius was so exceedingly fond of chess, that after he was sentenced to death by Caligula, he was found playing, and was interrupted in his game by a call to execution; he obeyed the summons, but first desired the centurion who brought the fatal order, to bear witness that he had one Lattalatta man upon the board more than his antagonist, that he might not falsely brag of victory when he should be no more.