that thyse thre kynges Melchior Balthazar and Iasper of thyse londes in whom thyse good and ryche gyftes wexed and-growyd that sholde be offred to god by the olde prophecies / Rather they maye be callyd kynges than kynges of other grete londes wherof sayth Dauid the prophete Beges tharsis insule munera offerent reges arabum saba dona domino deo adducent that is to saye / Kynges of Taars and of the yle shall offre gyftes kynges of Arabie of Saba shall brynge gyftes to our lorde god / ¶ Somtyme thyse kynges had other names / Melchior was called kinge of Nubie of Arabie / Balthazar was called kyng of Golie Saba Iasper was called kynge of Taars of thyle of Egris will / it was called the kyngdom of Taars bicause it was nexed to the same yle / And so the names of their kingdoms ben specifyed in specyall for dyfference of other cytees and yles of the countree / TO shewe ayen of thise thre worshypful kinges of the araye and ordenaunce wyth ryche tresour and ornamentes and wyth grete multytude of people as it is aforsayd / And whan they rode forth out of their kyngdoms none of them wyst ne knewe of others purpoos by cause of the long waye that was bytwyx eche kyngdom yet the sterre went euenly tofore thise thre kynges al theyr mey ne / And whan theistode styll or rested thenÌ„ the sterre stode styll whan they yede or rode the sterre alway yede forth tofore them in his vertu strength yaue lyght to al theâ—r wayes / And the tyme was peas in al the worlde wherfore in al cytees townes the they ye de by was no gate shyt nyght nor day but it semyd to those thre kynges to al theyr people that it was euer daye neuer nyght in all those .xiij. dayes / whefore all men of cytees townes that thyse thre kynges came by were wonderly aferde merueyled therof For they sawe kynges with somoche people bestes caryage that passyd by theym in grete hast in the nyghte / But they knewe not what they were ne from what place they came ne whyther they sholde goo / But on the morowe they sawe the waygretely defoylled and traced wyth hors fete other beestes / Wherfore they were in grete doubte what it shold be and grete altercacoÌ„n was amonge theym in that co untree longe tyme after / ¶ Soo ferthermore whan thyse thre kynges had rydden thrugh dyuers londes kyngdoms citees and townes they rode ouer hylles waters valeyes playnes and many other dyuers peryllouse places wythoute ony dysese or lettynge / For all the waye that they rode were it highe or lowe all semyd to theym euyn and playne and fayre waye / ¶ They toke neuer herberough by the waye nyghte nor daye ne neuer rested themself but to make water neyther their beestes that were in theyr company ne neyther ete nor dranke after the tyme that they had take their waye tyll they came in to Bedleem / And all thyse .xiij dayes Iourneyes semyd theym but one daye / And thus thorugh the grete myghte of god the ledynge of the sterre they came in to Iherusalem the thyrtenth daye after that Cryste was borne in the vprysynge of the sonne wherof this is noo doubte / For they founde oure lady and her sone in the same place and in the caue that Criste was borne in / he was layed in an olde maynger ¶ Also many bokes telle that they came in to Iherusalem and to Bedleem in the in the myddes of the daye wherof saynt Gregory sayth thus in an Omelie Si dimna operacio humana racione comprehendi posset non esset admirabilis nec haberet fides meritum cui humana racoÌ„ prebet experimentuÌ„ that is to saye / Yf the werkes of god mighte be coÌ„prehended in mannes wytte or reason it were noo wonder for fayth hath no mede where kynde reason shewyth if to man / ¶ For oure lorde god that in the olde Testament ledde Abakuc the prophete by one heere of his heed out of Iurye in to Babilonie Caldee that was a hundred dayes Iourneye bitwene goynge comynge to Danyel the prophete that was in a pytte among wylde lyens and anone restored the same Abakuc in to his owne place ayen / The same lorde god in the newe Testament was myghty to lede brynge thise thre worshipfull kynges out of theyr kyngdoms in the eest in to the londe of Iewery in twelue dayes wythoute ony dysese or lettynge / ¶ Also our lorde Ihesu Cryst after his resurrexcyon yede to his dyscyples in to an house wythout openynge of gate or locke / And as the fyre brente not ne dyde none harme to the thre chyldren whan they were putte in the furneys of fire ne noo sauour of smoke was founde in theym / Ryght soo in the tyme of thyse thre gloryous kynges our lady saynt Mary bare our lorde Ihesu Cryst that was and is very god man / And yet she was tofore and euer after a clene mayde / God almyghty myght harue brought thise thre kynges al their folke out of the Eest in to Iewerye in a moment as he broughte Abakuc the prophete forsayde / But though god almyghty made hymself lowe and was borne in grete pouerte and toke vpon him manhode maÌ„nes freeltee yet he wolde merueyllously shewe his byrth to all the worlde in heuen in erthe wyth the myghte of his godheed of his hyghe mageste / WHan thyse thre kynges eche in his waye with his hoste companye were almost come to Iherusalem saue two myle / Thenne a derke a grete clowde couered theym alle the erthe / And in that derke clowde they loste theyr sterre as the prophecye of Ysaye sayd Surge illuminare Ihrlm quia venit lumen tnuÌ„ et gloria dnÌ„i super te orta est quia ecce tenebre operient terram caligo populos that is to say / Iherusalem aryse and take lyght for thy lyghte is come to the the Ioye of god is sprongen vpon the. for loo derknesse shall couere the erthe and a clowde the people / ¶ Whan thyse thre kynges were nyghe Iherusalem thenne Mechior kynge of Nubie of Arabie wyth his people was fast by the hyll of Caluarie there Cryst was doon on the crosse by the wyll of god there he abode in the clowde in derknesse / And that tyme the hyll of Caluarie was a roche of twelue grees of heyghte / And on this hyll theues and other men for dyuers trespaces were put to theyr dethe / There was also besyde this hyll an hyghe way and to that highe waye were thre highe wayes metynge togyder / And soo for derknesse of the clowde and for they knewe not the way they abode there yede no ferther at that tyme / AFter that Melchior was thus come thenne nexte hym a lytyll vnder the clowde came
her sones clothes / And in that gardine ben many busshes of bawme they ben lyke busshes of coses and ben but lytyll hygher than a fadom and the leues ben lyke to Trayfoylles / And to euery busshe a crysten man one of the Soudans prysoners is assigned to kepe it to make it clene / And there is a grete wonder a merueylous of thise busshes for there maye no man kepe theim ne dresse theim but he be a crysten man and that hath oft tymes be proued / For whan a Iewe or Paynem kepyth them anone they wexe drye growe nomore / And in the moneth of Marche that Soudan is alwaye abydynge in that gardyne / And thenne the roddes of the busshes ben kytte like a vyne and thenne they ben bounde aboute wyth coton and vnder the kyttynge of the roddes the coton ben sette dysshes of syluer so the bawme renneth downe in to the vesselles thrugh the coton as water renneth out of a vyne / out of thise dysshes this bawme is put into a grete potte of syluer that potte is more than vi galons / And the Soudan taketh all this bawme in to his owne kepyng specyally but whan ony messager is sent from a kynge for bawme the Soudan yeuyth hym a lytyll vyall full / And whan this baw me is all gadred dropped out of the roddes then̄e euery crysten man that hath a busshe to kepe takith the roddes that ben lefte sette theim in water in a clene potte the bawme swȳmeth aboue as it were fat nesse of flesshe / And this bawme is gadred is good for all manere of brosynge / And yf a man be wounded it woll make hym hole anone / And this bawme is solde to pylgrymes of dyuers countrees / And soo it is borne thorugh dyuers londes abowte / But this bame is noo thyng soo vertuous ne soo good as the bawme that droppyth out of the redes / For that can not be bought of the Soudan by no manere of wyse For and a man take a droppe of that bawme and laye it on a mannys honde anone it renneth thyr leth thorugh on that other syde and that place shall neuer corrupte ne rote after / And that is called rawe bawme of whiche bawme it were ouer longe a matere to tell the vertue therof / But all the people in the Eest bileue that that place is suche a vertue of growynge of bawme by cause our lady dwelled there .vij. yeres and wasshed there her clothes and her sones and also bathed hym in those welles as it is aforsayd / FErthermore as it is aforsayd that Melchior kynge of Nubie and of Arabie offryd to god an appyll of golde and .xxx. pence gylte ¶ Of thyse .xxx. pence ye maye here the begynnyng and the last ende / ¶ Thara that was fader to Abraham dyde make thyse .xxx. gylte pence in the name of the kynge of Mesopotania whyche kynge was called Nylus / And so by processe of tyme. this Abraham whan he sholde take his Iourney to goo on pilgremage oute of the londe and countree of Caldee in to the countree whyche was called Ebron whyche atte that tyme hyghte Arabie he toke thise forsayd .xxx. pence that his fader Thara had doo make wyth hym / And for those .xxx. pence gylte he purchaced and boughte thenne a place for his sepulture for his two sones Isaac and Iacob / Afterwarde by processe of tyme Ioseph was solde of his bredern in to Egypte by marchauntes of Ismalie for those same .xxx. pence sente in to the londe of Saba for diuers spyces oynementes for the sepulture of Iacob so they were put in to the-kynges tresory / Thenne by processe of tyme in kynge Salomons tyme that que ne of Saba offred thise .xxx. pence wyth many other ryche Iewelles in the temple of god in Iherusalem / ¶ Soo afterwarde in the tyme of Roboam kynge Salomons sone whan Iherusalem was distroyed the temple of god spoylled thenne thise .xxx. pence gylte were broughte to the kynge of Arabie were put in to his tresorye with many other ryche ornamentes that were brought out of the temple of god / ¶ Then̄e afterwarde whan Cryste was borne thenne Melchi or kynge of Nubie Arabie toke thise .xxx. pence with hym and many other ryche Iewelles by cause they were of the beste fyneste golde that he had in hys tresory / Therfore he toke those wyth hym offryd them to god in Bedleem whan he was born / Then̄ after whan our lady saynt Mary yede out of Bedleem in to Egypte for drede of-kynge Herode she left those yeftes that were offred to her sone as she went by the waye knytte all togyder in a clothe / It hapnyd after that a shepeherde that kepte shepe in the same countree the whyche had soo grete Infyrmyte dysese that noo leche myghte heele hym / And alle the good that he had he gaue to dyuers leches to make him hole but if wolde not be / And as he yede with his shepe in that felde he founde those .xxx. pence wyth ensence and myrre in a clothe togyder / And those gyftes he kept to hymself preuely tyll a lytyll afore the tyme that Cryste went to his passion / And whan the shepeherd herde speke of suche an holy prophete that heelyd all men of theyr Infirmytees wyth a worde Thenne-he cam̄ to god prayed hym of grace and of helpe thenne our lorde Ihesu Cryste heeled him anone at a worde and enfourmed hym in the fayth Thenne the shepeherde offred to god wyth good deuocyon the .xxx. pence wyth ensence myrre as they were bothe all togider in the clothe / And god knewe those gyftes well ynough / And god badde the shepe herde goo in to the temple offre all thyse thynges on the awter soo he dyde goddys byddynge offred them vp to the awter wyth grete deuocōn / And whan the preest of the temple that kepte the offryng sawe suche an oblacōn offred on the awter in the worshyppe therof he reuest him encensed the awter bycause suche oblacōns were but selden seen in that tēple he toke with grete reuerence the ryche offrynges put theym in to the comyn tresory / ¶ And a lytyll whyle after that is to saye the thyrde daye tofore Crystis passyon Iudas Scarioth came in to the temple to the prynces of the lawe to the Iewes made couenaunt with theym to betraye his mayster god almyghty / And for his labour the pryncis of the lawe and the Iewes toke out of the tresory those .xxx. pence / ¶ Thenne whan this was done Cryste was bytrayed thrugh his discyple and sholde be deed for all mankynde as his swete wyll was / Thenne Iudas repented him and yede in to the temple ayen to the prynces of the Iewes caste downe ayen to theym thyse .xxx. pence / And thenne as the gospel
that Cryste dyde here in erthe and specyally of the sacrament af baptym / Anone notwythstondyng that they were of grete aege and feble yet they arayed them and came al thre kynges to saynt Thomas wyth other lordes and grete multitude of people / And saynt Thomas wyth grete Ioye and reuerence receyued theym and declaryd to theym all that Cryst taught here in erthe to his dyscyples and also his passyon / And how he roos from dethe to lyfe the thirde daye and also how he styed vp to heuen And how he sente downe the holy ghost to the apostles and many other artycles of the fayth / And specyally he tolde theym of the sacrament of Baptym wythout whyche sacrament there maye noo man come-to the kyngdom of heuen / And whan they were thus enfourmyd and Instructe in the fayth thenne saynt Thomas crystnyd theym and more ouer all the people that came wyth theym / And anone thise thre kynges were replete and fulfylled of the holy ghost / And began co preche wyth saynt Thomas goddys worde / And also they tolde the people how they had soughte Cryste goddys sone in Bedleem in his Natiuyte as it is tolde before / So whan all this was done thyse thre kynges wente wyth saynt Thomas all theyr people to the hylle of Vaws / And there saynt Thomas dyde halowe the chapell that those thre kynges had done made and edifyed vpon that hyll And there saynt Thomas those thre kynges preched agayne to all the people of Cristen byleue and of the sterre that apppered to the thre kyngis / And suche a Ioye and gladnesse was amonge the people and suche a name was rysen in al the londes aboute of saynt Thomas and of thise thre kynges cristned that all manere of people bothe men and wymmen came from dyuerse and ferre countrees wyth greate deuocyon to visyte that chapell that was made on the hyll of Vaws / And for that grete concours and deuocōn that was made to the chapell those thre kinges dyde make vnder that hylle a grete and a ryche cyte / And is called the cyte of Seuyll / And that is the rychest and the beste cyte of all Ynde / And yet vnto this daye in that cyte is the habytacyon of Prethyr Ioh̄n that is lorde of Ynde / And there dwellyth also the Patryarke of Ynde that is called Patryarke Thomas / ¶ And why the Patriarke of Ynde is callyd Thomas and why the lorde of Ynde is called Ioh̄n ye shall here afterwarde / WHanne saynt Thomas the appostle hadde preched and conuertyd the people to the lawes of our Sauyour Cryste Ihesu thenne he sacred and made thyse thre kynges vnto thordre of preesthode and afterwarde vnto Archebysshops / And whan they were put in this degree thenne they ordeyned vnder theim bisshops preestes and clerkes to serue god / And thenne thyse forsayde thre kynges and bysshops halowed all the Temples in that coūtree in-worshippe honour of our lady and casted out all the mawmettes that were in the temples in that countree aboute / And to bisshops preestes and Thise thre kynges and Archebysshops gaaf many grete possessions to mayntene encrease goddis seruyse / Also saynt Thomas taughte thise kynges Archebysshops other bysshops and preestes the manere the fourme to saye a masse and enfourmyd theim also of the wordes that Cryste sayd to his discyples whan he made his supper that nyght that he was betrayed thrugh whiche wordes he made ordeyned the Sacrament of the awter / And also he taughte theym the Pater noster many other thynges he tolde theim / Also the fourme of crystnynge specyally charged theim that they sholde not forgete that And whan saynt Thomas had enfourmyd theym thus of the Crysten fayth thenne afterwarde he toke martyrdom for the lawe of Cryste as it is conteyned more fully in the story that is wreten of his passion / There it tellyth how he was slayne in what place / But sothly in all that countree abowte there saynt Thomas was slayn bothe men wȳmen haue vysages shapen after houndes but they ben not heery and soo they ben yet vnto this daye / AFter the dethe of saynt Thomas thyse thre kynges Archebisshops yede abowte citees townes other dyuers places and ordeyned many chyrches and putte in theim bysshops preestes clerkes other mynysters of holy chyrche to do diuine seruyte / And moche rychesse grete possessyons And thenne the thre kynges Arch̄bisshops forsoke the vanyte of the worlde and ordeyned theym to abyde in the cyte of Seuyll the whyche they had doo buylde / And they assygned certayne lordes to gouerne rule theyr kyngdoms londes bothe in spyritualtie temporalte / And all people of grete loue charyte were obedyent to theim as the sone to the fader / Then̄e the seconde yere tofore theyr dethe thyse thre kynges Archebysshops made a Conuocacōn of all the people bothe spyrytuall and temporall / And had theym all to a certayne place / And they warnyd counseyled the people that they sholde be perseueraunt in the crysten fayth as saynt Thomas had taught theim And counseyled the people that they sholde be all of one acorde and of one wyll to chose a man amonge theim that were able and discrete that had loue and desyre to mayntene the fayth of Crystendom And that man sholde be cheyf tofore alle other men as in spirytualte in saynt Thomas stede / And to hym all manere of men shall obeye as to theyr ghostly fader Whiche man in worshyp of saynt Thomas thapostle sholde be called the Patriarke Thomas for euer lastyng memory / And whan the Patriarke were de de thenne they sholde come togyder all in one place in his stede chese another to whom as it is aforsayd they sholde obeye as to theyr ghostly fader / Then̄e whan this matere was thus-spoke amonge the people they assented therto And of one accorde wyll they chose a man that was called Iacob the whyche was come out of the countree of Anchioche and he had alway folowed saynt Thomas the appostle into Ynde / And this Iacob the people chose and toke hym for theyr Patriarke / And chaunged his name and callyd hym Thomas / And this man Iacob was the firste Patriarke that was in that countree / And soo alwaye they of Ynde be obedient to the Patryarke Thomas as we ben to the Pope of Rome yet vnto thyse dayes / And to this Patriarke and so al his successours thyse thre kinges gaaf for euermore wych the assente of alle the people the Tythes of all theyr londes and kyngdoms / Whan all this was done and the Patryarke Thomas thenne chosen to be lorde of all the people in spirytualte / Thenne thise iij. kinges Archebysshops other bisshops of comin assente of all the people chose a nother man the was discrete to be lorde gouernour of
sayth he went hynge hymself / Thenne the Iewes bought wyth xv of those pence a felde for the sepultures of pylgrymes as the gospell tellyth / And the other .xv. pence the Iewes gaaf to the knyghtes that kept the sepulcre of Cryste / ¶ Ye shall vnderstonde that the lyknesse of thise .xxx. pence was vsed in all the countree bothe in name in moneye from Abrahams tyme vnto the dystruccoÌ„n of Iherusalem the whyche was by Titus Daspasianus dayes distroyed / But from the tyme of Abraham vnto the tyme of Crystys passion thise .xxx. pence were neuer dysceuered ne departed but euermore were bore hole togyder / And whan Cryste was solde for theym anone they were departed sparpled aboute in dyuers places / ¶ And the cause why thyse .xxx. Pence were callyd syluer in the gospell not wythstondyng they were fyne golde / For it is the comyn vsage in all the countree soo for to calle theym / As men calle of this countree golde of beyonde the see as Scutes motenes or florens / And yet in the Eest the same prynte is made bothe in golde syluer and copre and is kept amonge grete lordes of that countree / And the prynte of thyse pence is on the one side a kynges heed crowned and on that other syde it is wreten wyth lettres of Caldee the whyche wrytynge men can not redde now / And one of theym is worche .x. shelynges or better than thre floreyns / And many moo merueylies ben tolde of thyse thyrty pence of whom it were a longe processe to telle / ¶ Also whan our lady and Ioseph were warned to come out of Egypt bi an angel as the gospell tellyth / Thenne they were bydden to goo in to Galilee and there they dwelled in a cyte whiche was called Nazareth / And so the prophecye was fulfylled QuoniaÌ„ nazarenus vocabitur that is to say He shall be called a man of Nazareth / ¶ And what Cryste dyde werke in erthe from that tyme tyll the thyrde yere afore his passion the Euangelistes openly declare not in theyr gospelles / WHan our lorde Ihesu Criste was styed vp in to heuen after that he sente saynt Thomas thapostle in to Ynde to preche there goddys worde / In whiche Ynde as it is aforsayd thise thre kynges the tyme regnyd were lordes of those londes And though it soo were that saynt Thomas ayenst his will yede in to the londes of Ynde yet it was done of grete prouydence of god that the same appostle the put his honde in to goddys syde to knowe the he was very god the was rysen fo deth to lyfe for saluacoÌ„n of man shold go preche the Passion of Cryst his ResurreccoÌ„n his AscencoÌ„n to those worshypful kinges that sought our lorde in Bedleem in his byrth and there wyth yeftes worshypped him / ¶ And as saynt Gregory sayth Quod omnibus nobis ê“fuit ê™ hij tres reges eiusdem dnÌ„i nostri ihÌ„u xpÌ„i infanciam que sierunt et oculis viderunt et deuotissime muneribus adorauerunt probauerunt that is to saye / It was prouffyte to vs all that thyse worshypfull kynges theyr people soughte the childhede of Cryste with theyr eyen dyde se hym and wyth theyr gyftes worshypfully deuoutly honoured hym and sothly preuyd it / ¶ Also the saynt Barthylmew Symon Iude that were Cristis appostles were sente in to Ynde to preche the faythe amonge all the people / For there ben many partyes of Ynde / And one parte of Ynde is more than all the partie of the worlde on this halfe of the see / For this partye of Cristendom on this halfe the see is no more acounted in all theest but an hundred dayes Iourney / AFter that saynt Thomas thappostle had prechid in the kingdom of Ynde goddis worde had goon abowte all the Yndes the prouynces done many myracles thorugh the sygne token of the Crosse of goddis worde / As he yede aboute in the temples he founde a sterre paynted in euery temple after the sterre that apperyd to the .iij. kynges whan Cryste was borne in whiche sterre was the signe of a crosse a chylde aboue / And whan saynt Thomas sawe the sterre he asked of bysshops of the temple what is was / And bisshops tolde saynt Thomas how suche a sterre apperyd of olde tyme vpon the hyll of Vaws in tokenynge of a chylde the was borne sholde be kynge of Iewes as it was herde out of the same sterre / And for that cause thyse thre kynges yede out of theyr londes in to Bedleem worshypfully thrugh ledynge of the sterre came in to Bedleem in .xiij. dayes and there offred to the childe that was bore but with grete traueyle afterwarde they came home in to theyr owne londes in two yere / And as those thre kynges hadd done seen the bysshops of the temple tolde to saynt Thomas thapostle / Whan saynt Thomas herde all this he thanked god with grete Ioye he preched to the bysshops to all the peple the chyldhede of god his passion his resurreccoÌ„n his ascencyon and all the werkis of Cryste whyle he was in erthe / Where thorugh the bysshops of the temples many other folke were conuerted to Cryste were crystned / Ferthermore saynt Thomas mekely declared and dyde expowne to al the people the vnderstondyng of this sterre of the Crosse / And he casted out of the Temples all mawmettes / And he halowed theym in the name in the worshyppe of that chylde Cryste Ihesu / And thenne suche a fame beganne to rise in all that countree abowte of saynt Thomas for the grete myracles that he wroughte that all folke that hadde Infyrmytees or ony other tormentynge of wyckyd spyrytes they came to saynt Thomas / And he in the name of god and by the sygne of the Crosse heelyd theym and conuerted theym to Crystis fayth and crystned theym and they that were soo conuerted to Cryste dyde many myracles thorugh the vertue sygne of the Crosse afterward in dyuers places there as saynt Thomas hadde not vysited ne ben / SO whan saynt Thomas had thus preched and taughte the people / Thenne he yede to the kyngdoms of those thre kynges founde them hole of body and of grete aege / And as Symeon had answere of the holy ghost that he sholde not deye tyll he had seen Cryste goddis sone and so he abode him tyll he was broughte in to the temple and there he toke hym in his armes / So in lyke wyse thyse thre kynges prayed to god that they sholde not deye tyll they were renewed wyth the holy ghost wyth the sacrament of Baptym / Soo whan they herde that a man that was disciple of Cryst was come in to theyr londes that was callyd Thomas prechyd to the people of the chyldhode of Cryst and of his Passyon ResurreccoÌ„n and Ascencyon and of those werkes
wery grete wyth childe and nyghe the tyme of her delyueraunce of her chylde / Thenne Ioseph ladde her in to this forsayd place that noo man toke hede of downe in to the lytyll derke denne / And there our lorde Ihesu Cryste that same nyght was borne of our lady wythout ony disese of her body / In that house of olde tyme was lefte a maynger of the lengthe nyghe of a fadom made in the walle / And by the same maynger was an oxe of a poore mannys tyed And besyde the oxe Ioseph tyed his asse / And in the same-mainger our lady wrapped her blessed sonne in suche clothes as she had layed him vpon the heye tofore thoxe thasse For there was none other place in that countree / In ostryes all the mayngers ben of thre or foure fete of lengthe that an horse or elles a nother beest may haue his meete by hymself / And suche a maynger was that that our lady laye in / THe place where the angell apperyd to the shepeherdes thaÌ„t nyghte that Cryste was borne is but half a myle from Bedleem / And in that same place Dauid kepte shepe in his chyldhede deffended them from beers lyens other wylde beestes / So me bokes saye that the shepeherdes of that conntree ke pe theyr shepe twyes in oo yere / And those tymes are whan the dayes nyghtes ben both of a lengthe And that londe abowte Bedleem is called the londe of byhest / And that place in the Eest is mnost parte mountayns for in some place a man shall not well knowe Wynter fro Somer / And in some place there it is ryght colde in some place is bothe Wynter Somer as it is in this countree after that the places ben playne or full of hylles / For abowte some of the hylles a man maye fynde snowe in August that snowe men of that countree gadre thenne laye it in theyr caues vnder the grounde / And afterward it is borne to the markettes and that wyll the lordes of the countree bye to set it in basons on their borde to make theyr drynke colde / And the poore men that gadre it carye it in chaffe that the heete sholde not melte it and the lordes that bye it vncoueren it out of that chaff thenne anone it is resolued molte to water For comynly in that countree of the Eest is alwaye snowe in Septembre Octobre / Whan the sonne comyth a lytyll lowe in that countree all sedes herbes begyn to sprynge and were as they done in this countree in Marche Aprill / And in some partyes of the Eest men repe corne in Marche Aprill but moost in May. after the place or ground lyeth hye or lowe / But by Bedleem ben many mo good fatte pastures hote than in other places in soo moche that at Crystmasse barleye begynnyth to were rype and thenne men of dyuerse countrees sende thether theyr horses mules to make theym fatte / And the tyme that we calle here Crystmas it is called there tyme of herbes / ¶ And for asmoche as whan Cryste was borne peas was in al the worlde therfore the angell sayd Par hominibus bone voluntatis And for the heete of that countree abowte Bedleem that is the cause that shepeherdes kept theyr beestes there that tyme of the yere as they done yet vnto this daye / IN those dayes whan the coÌ„maundment went out from Cezar August as it is aforsayde / thenne was Herode ordeyned made kynge of the londe of Iewes by the emperour by the Romayns yet was Herode noo Iewe ne kyng of Iewes borne / But by cause the same emperour the Romaynes had made subgette to theym the londe of Iewery many of the prouynces abowte theym vn to Inde Perse Caldee so by strong honde they made hym kynge / And all that countree knewe well that He rode was but a lyon neuer came of kyngis blood ne of Iewry bore but made kyng by theÌ„perour Romayns so that the prophecie of daniel shold be fulfylled in the tymeÌ„ of the byrthe of Cryste whan he sayd CuÌ„ venerit sanctus sactoÌ„rum c̈ as it is aforsayde / Yet the Iewes contynuynge in theyr malyce falsnesse sayde that longe tyme after the Natiuite of Cryste their vnccoÌ„n sessed not but that they had many kinges after / But yet the false Iewes forsake not that Herode came of a Iewe on the fader syde of a Paynym of the moders syde so he was noo very Iewe Wherfore crysten men make the Iewes vtterly confuled of the prophecye of Iacob theyr Patryarke the sayd thus Non auferetur ceptruÌ„ de iuda nec dux de femore cius doner veniat qui mittendê° est et ipÌ„e erit expectacoÌ„ genciuÌ„ that is to saye / The septie of Iuda shall not be borne away ne the stocke of lygnage tyl he come that shall be sente and he shall be that folke shall abyde / ¶ And many other questyons of the Iewes to the crysten men of the vnccoÌ„n of theyr kynges / WHan god was borne of our lady as it is afor sayd thenne this sterre that was prophecied by Balaam and long tyme abyden and loked after by the twelue Astronomers of the sayd hyll of Vaws / ¶ The same nyghte and the same houre that god was borne the same sterre began to ryse in manere of the sonne shynynge bryghte / And after that fourme of an egle ascended aboue the hylle / And all the daye in the highest place of the ayre it abode with out ony meuynge / Soo whan the sonne was moost hote and moost highe there was no dyfference in shinynge betwyx the sterre the sonne / Neuertheles some bokes sayen that in the same daye whan god was borne were seen many sonnes but whan the daye of Crystmas was paste the sterre ascended vp in to the fyrmament / And the sterre that thus was shewed was noo thynge lyke the sterres that ben paynted here in dyuerse places / For it had ryght many strakes and beemys more bryght brennynge than a bronde of fyre / And as an Egle fleenge betynge the ayre with his wynges ryght soo the strakes the beemes of that mouyd themselfe abowte / And the sterre had in hymself the fourme the liknesse of a yonge childe and aboue hym the sygne of a Crosse / And a voyce was herde in the sterre sayenge Natus est nobis hodie rex iudeorum qui est expectacoÌ„ genciuÌ„ dominator eorum ite ad inquirendum euÌ„ adoranduÌ„ that is to saye / This daye is borne to vs kynge of the Iewes that folke haue abyden and he is lorde of them god forth and seke hym and doo hym worshyppÌ„ / Therfore for strengthynge of our fayth to afferme thys matere forsayd almyghty god whose prouydence in his ordynaunce fayllyth not / ¶ And saynt Poul sayth Vocatea que
trybutory to hym so the he wold helpe them / And then̄e Preter Ioh̄n was in good wyll to helpe theim The next night as Preter Ioh̄n laye in his bedde slepte the thre kynges apperyd to hym spake to hȳ charged hym the he sholde not in noo manere helpe ne socour the Nestorines for it is goddys wyll that thei sholde vtterly be distroyed for theyr wyckydnes and malyce / And whan the Nestorines herde tell that Preter Ioh̄n had suche a vysion of the thre kynges they yede abowte to the grete lordes that were abowte Preter Ioh̄n yaue theim grete yeftes to speke to theyr lorde the they myght haue helpe of hym / And thenne dyuers lordes counseyled Preter Ioh̄n to take noo he de of dremes nor of suche vysions but to holde his purpoos promyse to helpe thise Nestorines / And thenne Preter Ioh̄n assented to theyr counsell sence his eldest sone Dauid wyth a stronge oost in helpyng of the Nestorines / And whan thyse two hostes mette togyder the Tartarines had the vyctory and slewe Dauid all his oost soo that there ascaped none alyue / And also they dystroyed many londes cytees castelles that were longynge to Preter Ioh̄n / And whan preter Ioh̄n herde therof thenne he was sory therfore that he dide ayenst the cōmaundment of the thre kynges that apperyd to hym in his slepe / And thenne with grete sorowe of herte he asked god mercy foryeuenes and the thre kynges he prayed of grace helpe / Thenne on a tyme the thre kynges appered to themperour of Tartaryn as he lay in his bed and charged hym that he sholde doo nomore harme to Preter Ioh̄n / And badde he shold sende to hym and make a fynall peas wyth hym for euermore but the londes castelles the themperour had wonne of Preter Ioh̄n to kepe theym styll to hymself for by cause Preter Ioh̄n was inobedyent to our cōmaundment / Thenne themperour anone though he were a Paynym yet he was sore adradde of his visyon / Anone he sente messagers to Preter Ioh̄n made a fynall peas betwene theym for euer more In somoche that the eldest sone of thyse two lordes sholde wedde the tothers doughter euer more after to the worldes ende soo it is yet contynued unto this daye / ¶ So afterwarde this emperour enqueryd of the thre kinges of theyr lyues dedes / Thenne in mynde in worshyppe of theym themperour ordeyned that his fyrst sone al the chyldren of his successours sholde beere the names of thyse thre kynges for euermore after / And thus the Nestorines were dystroyed put oute of theyr londes kyngdoms / And after warde were fugytyf and dwellynge abowte in dyuers countrees alwaye vnder trybute as Iewes other nacyons that ben alway dwellynge vnder trybute / But yet some of theym dwelle in thyle of Egriswyll paye therfore euery yere grete trybute / Also there is a nother secte that is callyd Indy and they ben of Preter Ioh̄ns londe they ben good cristen men / Add the preestis of that londe whan they goo to masse they hange a crowne of golde on the awter And the preest deaken subdeaken mete togider in thre partyes soo they goo to the awter / And thys they doo in tokenynge of the thre kinges that mette so denly togider in an hye waye whiche was departed in thre wayes / so thrugh ledynge of the sterre they yede vnto Bedleem offred yeftes to god almyghty the twelfthe daye after his byrthe / There is also a nother secte whiche is called Grecij there preestes haue wyues / And they byleue on the fader on the sone but not in the holy ghost / also they byleue saye there is no purgatory / And whan they synge masse they kytte a pece of breede that is made four square / And this breede they putte in a dissh̄ of golde or of syluer aboue that they lay a sterre that is couered with a fayr whyte clothe / And at the Offetory of the masse they take the dissh̄ wyth thost with the sterre sette it aboue on their heedes so wyth sencers and candelles they goo abowte the chyrche wyth grete worshyppe reuerence and soo ayen to the awter / And thenne all the people fallen downe to the grounde doon grete worship to the sacrefyse / And thus they doo in tokenyng of the thre kynges that sought god almyghty in Bedleem and offryd to him ryche yeftes thrugh ledyng of a stere came to the maynger there Cryst laye / And there they fell downe worshyped hym / Also there is another manere of secte whiche is called Simiani / they ben men of Yndore for that londe aboute Ihrlm whiche of olde tyme was called Pude is now callyd Symis / But thise men haue but lityl of heresye amonge theym / they doo grete worshyp to saynt Barbara watche all her nyghte as men doo in this countree on Mydsomer nighte / And soo thenne euery frende gooth to other and bereth aboute-dyuers seedes whyche shall be sowen in gardynes ¶ And thise men whan they shall swere afore Iustices for ony cause thenne they swere by the gospell and by the thre kynges / And that they done in tokenyng of the thre kynges that sought god in the londe of Iewes / There is also a nother secte whiche is called Maronice and they dwelle in dyuers londes aboute / And theyr preestes theyr Deakens and theyr Subdeakens haue wyues / And they saye noo masse in all the yere but at the feest of Crystmas Ester / And they saye masse of saynt Thomas the appostle of the thre kynges / And this they vse yet vnto this daye / Also there is a nother secte whiche is called Ysimij / And whan the preestes goo to masse they blysse the people and prayed god rule theym lede theym as he ledde the thre kynges by a sterre in to Bedleem to doo hym worshyppe / Also there is another secte that is called Maronij / And thise men whan they begyn ony thynge then̄e they saye in the name of god the thre kynges / Also there is a nother secte that is called Nicholaite And those men vse to gyue euery daye thre manere of almesse in the worshyppe of god the thre kynges to poore men there abowte / A nother there is and they ben called Mandopoles And they holde noo specyall fayth they are in heresye ne they haue noo preestes amonge theym / And ones in the yere they gone togyder in procession to the chyrche fastynge / And that shall be on a Sonday there they woll here masse in the worshyp of god the thre kynges / And all those dyuerse sectes other crysten men haue many other specyall deuocyons to thyse thre worshipfull kynges whiche were longe to telle / And in all the countrees of Ynde in the Eest and in al the londes and kyngdoms there thyse thre kynges were lordes all manere of people haue thyle thre kynges in reuerence moche more than men haue in this countre / ¶ And our lord Ihesu Cryst shewyth many myracles abowte in dyuers places in the Eest thrugh the merytes prayers of thise worshipfull kinges whiche thre kynges now regne in eternall blysse in heuen / To whiche blysse by the merytes Intercessions of those thre blessyd kynges he the sytteth aboue all sayntes brynge vs all / AMEN And thus we make an ende of this moost excellenct treatyse of those thre gloryous kynges whoo 's corps reste in the cyce of Coleyne / Enprynted at Westmester by Wynkyn the Worde /