wytnesse her of to Herode to all the Scribes and to all the Iewes And soo for the wonderfull doynge the Paynems that had noo knowynge of holy wrytte ne of the byrthe of Cryste called thise thre kynges Magos that is to saye wytches / And the Iewes that knewe the scrypture the byrthe of Cryste and the places of enuye falsnesse excyted the Paynems all abowte to calle theim wytches and soo it was broughte in to vsage that they call thise thre kynges so yet vnto this daye and therof beryth many dyuers bokes witnesse / But to put away all manere of doubtes and in repreuynge of all the false Iewes almyghty god that is euer wonderful in his werkynge gloryous in his sayntes wolde haue the preuyte of his birthe to be knowe to all the people / Soo that this gloryous name that was oonly hidde in the londe of Iewery vnto his byrthe / That same name all manere of nacoÌ„ns thrugh all the worlde sholde worshyppÌ„ knowe prayse / AFter thise thre kynges were come wyth grete traueylle to the hyll of Vaws afore sayde thenÌ„ they made there a fayr chapell in worshyppe of the chylde that they had sought / And they made couenaunt to mete togyder all thre at that same chapell ones in the yere at a certayn daye assygned / there they ordeyned their sepultures / ¶ ThenÌ„ a lytyll whyle after all the prynces the lordes and the worshipfull knyghtes of theyr londes kyngdomes herynge of the comynge home of thyse thre kynges anone they rode to theym wyth grete solempnyte and mette wyth theym at the sayde chapell / And wyth grete mekenesse reuerence they receyued theym / And whan the prynces lordes herde how merueyllously god had wroughte by thyse thre kynges / thenne they had theim in more reuerence loue and drede euer after / ¶ So whan thyse thre kynges had ordeyned theyr Testamentes done what they wolde thenne they toke leue eche of other / And eche of theym wyth his owne people rode hoome vnto hys owne londe wyth grete Ioye solempnyte and thê° eche kynge departed from other in theyr persones / but neuer in theyr hertes / And whan they were rested in their owne londes thenne they tolde and preched to all the people all that they had seen and done in theyr waye / And they dyde make in theyr Temples a sterre after the same fourme and liknesse as it apperyd to theim / Wherfore the Paynems lefte their errours and theyr mawmettes and worshypped the chylde whyche the kynges had soughte / ¶ And thus thise thre kynges dwelled in their londes and kyngdoms in worshypfull and honeste conuersacyon tyll after the AscencoÌ„n of our lorde Ihesu Cryste / And wythin shorte tyme after thenne came saynt Thomas thappostle in to theyr countrees / AFter the tyme that thise thre kynges were to me from Bedleem in to their owne countrees agayn / Thenne beganne to ryse sprynge a grete fame of our lady and of her childe and of the thre kinges abuote all the countree of Iherusalem Wherfore our lady for drede of the Iewes fledde oute of that lytyll house that god was borne in yede in to a nother derke caue vnder the erthe / And there she abode wyth her chylde to the tyme of her Purificacyon / And as goddys wyll was dyuers men wyÌ„ men louyd our lady saynt Mary and her sone and founde theym all manere necessaryes that theim neded / ¶ And after whan the fayth began to wexe and encrease thenne was edifyed there a chapell in the same caue in worshyppe of the thre kynges and of saynt Nicholas / ¶ And in that chapell there is a stone whyche our lady was wont to sytte on whan she yaue her chylde our lorde Ihesu Cryste sucke / And on a tyme as she satte vppon that stone in gyuynge to her swete chylde sucke there hapned to falle downe from her teete a lytyll droppe of that moost purest and moost clene vyrgynall mylke on the forsay yd stone the whyche moost precyous and purest mylke that fell from that blessyd vyrgyn is remaynyng and seen there vnto this daye / And the more it is shrapyd wyth knyues the more wexyth the mylke / And it is borne in to many dyuers places by pylgrymes ¶ Also whan our lady was goon out of the lytyll hous in to the caue she had forgote her smocke behynde her in the haye of the maynger there our lady laye in / And soo bothe haye smocke were hoole tresshÌ„ in the same place vnto the tyme that saynt Eleyn that holy quene that was moder to kyng Constantyn came to the place / For the Iewes of malyce of enuye helde that place that Criste was borne in a foule cursyd place / In somoche-that they wold suffre no man nor woman ne chylde ne beest goo in to that place / ¶ Ferdermore whan our lady had offred vp her childe in to the temple wyth the turtles douues after Moyses lawe as holy wrytte telleth / And Symeon toke him in his armes sayd Nunc dimittis seruuÌ„ tuuÌ„ dnÌ„e c̈ that is to saye / Now lorde lete thy secuaunt be in peas after thy worde / The same tyme Symeon Anne the holy woman in presence of the Scribes Pharisees prophecied many thinges of our lorde Ihesu Cryste as holy wrytte tellyth / And so grete a name was spronge of our lady of her sone amonge the Iewes that she myghte not ne durst not noo lenger abide in that place for drede of Herode of the Iewes / And the Gospell sayth Angelus dnÌ„i apparuit in sompnis ioseph dicens Surge accipe pueruÌ„ c̈ that is for to saye / An angell of god apperyd to Ioseph in his slepe sayd Ryse and take the chylde and his moder and fle in to Egypte and be there tyll I tell the / For Herode shall seke the chylde to dystroye hym / Thenne Ioseph roos toke the childe and his moder yede in to Egypte by night and dwelled there tyll Herode was deed / Our lady her sone were in Egypte dwellynge .vij. yeres and it is from Bedleem .xij. dayes Iourney / And in this way as our lady went in to Egypte she sawe growe drie roses the whyche ben callyd the roses of Ierico and they growe in noo place of all the countree but onÌ„ly in the same way / And thise roses the shepeherdes of the same countree done gadre in tyme of yere selltheym to pylgrymes for bredde to other men of that countrees abowte and soo they ben-borne in to dyuers londes / ¶ And in the same place there our lady dwellyd with her sone in Egypte is now a gardyne therin growyth bawme and it is allong brode as a man maye caste stone / And in that gardyne ben vij welles in whom our lady wysshe her sone bathed hym and wasshyd her clothes
Constantynople wyth grete Ioye and reuerence / And layed theim reuerently in a chyrche that was callyd saynt Sohpie / and that same chyrche kynge Constantyn dyde make / And he alone wyth a lytyll chylde sette vp all the pylars of marbyll of the same chyrche / And therin was somtyme the crowne of thorne that Cryst was crowned wyth / And whan the Turkes Sarrasyns came downe to Constantynople distroyed a grete party therof thenne themperour sent to saynt Lowes that was thenne kyng of Fraunce for socour helpe thenne king Lowes came with strength to the themperour recouered ayen the moost party of that londes the themperour had lost / And for his labour themperour gaaf hym the crowne of thorne wherfore the Grekes made moche sorowe / And so came the holy crowne of thorne in to Fraunce out of Constantynople and the cyâ—e is the cheif cyte of al the londe of Grece ¶ And whan thise thre knges were brought vnto Constantynople all the people of the countree abowte came visyted theym wyth grete deuocoÌ„n worshypped theym / And there they were longe tyme / AFter the thise thre worshipfull kynges bodies were brought vnto Constantynople kynge Constantyn his holy moder saynt Elyne deyed / And ayenst the fayth of crysten men began to ryse a newe heresye also persecucoÌ„n of dethe ayenst all those the wolde mayntene the crysten faythe the lawe of Cryste / But in this persecucoÌ„n the Grekes though it were that they had many worshipfull doctours bysshops of the same countree of Grece borne Yet thei forsoke the lawe of holy chirche the fayth and chose theim a Patriarke by themself to whom they obeye yet vnto this daye as we do to the pope / in this persecucoÌ„n the bodies of thise thre kinges were had in noo reuerence nor none of the other relikes but vtterly set at nought / And the Sarrasyns Turkes in this tyme wanne with stronge honde batayll the londes of Grece Armonye dystroyed a grete parte of those londes / And thenne came themperour of Rome Mauricius thrugh him the helpe of theim of Melayne recoueryd-all thise londes agayn ¶ And as it is sayd amonge theym there in the countree thrugh counseyle of the same emperour thyse .iij kynges bodies were translate in to Melayne / ¶ Ferthermore it is in many bokes in that countree that there was an emperour of Grece whiche was called Ginamiell he sent vnto a relygyous man that was callyd Gustorgius in to Melayne vpon a certayn message thenne the religious man asked of themperour to haue thyse thre kynges bodies / And by cause the emperour loued well this man also he was a wyse man themperour graunted hym the bodyes of thise kyngis / And so this man Gustorgius sent the bodyes to Melane layed theim there in a fayre chirche of frere Prechours wyth grete solempnyte / And there our lorde shewed many fayre myracles / ¶ And so at yet we shal leue to speke of the translacoÌ„n of thise holy kynges bodyes speke of another matere in vsage of the londes of Ynde / PReter IohÌ„n that is lorde of Ynde of alle the kynges that ben vnder hym on the xij daye the is called the Epiphanie they araye theym as kynges sholde with their crownes on their hedes with ryche ornamentes so they go to theyr temple here masse / thre tymes that day they offre at masse The fyrste offrynge in the begynnyng of the masse the seconde after the gospell the thyrde at that Postcomyn of the masse / And they offre golde encense myrre and that wyth grete deuocoÌ„n mekenes and also other lordes of lesse degree offre thries after the yr power / Ferdermore all other men of crysten faythe that ben diuyded in dyuers partyes sectes holde dyuers opinyons of heresies as Nubiani Soldani nestorini Indi Grecy Simani Ifymum Nycholaite Mandopoly of thise eche party hath a deuocoÌ„n to the thre kynges to the feest of the Epyphanie as ye maye here afterwarde / But fyrste or we procede ony ferther we shall speke of the thre kynges bodies lefte at Melayne / THenne after by processe of tyme the cyte of Melane beganne to rebell agaynst the Emperour theyr souereyne lorde whyche emperour was called Fredericus / And this emperour sent to the bisshop of Loleyne that was called Reynolde for helpe of dyuers lordes of the londe for dyuers lordes that were his enmyes toke the cyte of Melane distroyed a grete parte therof / And in that tyme the grete men of the cyte toke the bodyes of thyse thre kynges hydde them preuely in the erthe / Amonge al other there was a lorde in that cyte that highte Asso them perour hated this Asso more than al the people of that cyte / And so it happed that in the dystruccoÌ„n of the cyte the Archebisshop of Colayn wan this lordis place thorugh strong honde laye therin a grete whyle / And this Asso was take and put in prison / Thenne this Asso sent preuely by the kepers of the prison to tharchebysshop of Coleyne prayed hym that he wolde come speke wyth hym / And soo whan he was come before tharchebysshop he promysed him yf he myghte wolde gete hym grace of themperour his loue lordshyp he wolde yeue hyÌ„ the bodyes of the thre kynges / And whan the bysshop herde this anone he yede to themperour prayed for him and gate hym grace good loue of the emperour / Whan this was done this lorde Asso brought preuely the bodyes of the thre kynges to tharchebisshop of Colayn / And thenÌ„ the Archebysshop sente preuely thyse thre bodyes by his preuy meyne a grete waye out of Melayne / And thenne he yede to the Emperour prayed hym that he wolde graunt hym the bodyes of the thre kynges / themperour graunted theim to him / And thenne the Archebysshop openly wyth grete processyon solemnyte brought thise holy sayntes in to Coleyne there layed theym in a fayr chyrche of saynt Peter worshypfully / And all the people of the countree with all reuerence that they myght receyued thyse holy relykes / there they ben worshypped of all manere of nacoÌ„ns vnto this daye / And thus endyth the translacoÌ„n of thyse thre kynges melchior balthazar Iasper / NOw to speke of thusages in Ynde that we haue begon before aswell of Crysten as Heretykes Sysmatykes eche of theym both religyous seculars fasten on Crystmas daye vnto it be nyght / And eche man spredyth his table settith on it asmoche meete drynke as may suffyse for his lyuynge fro Cristmas daye tyll the .xij. daye / And so of the that is sett on the borde they ete drynke with theyr wyues chyldern meyne wyth all Ioye myrthe the they can in that tyme / Also they lyghte a candell
¶ Prologus HEre begynnyth the lyfe of the thre kynges of Colein fro that tyme ther â—ought our lorde god almyghty camÌ„ to Bedleem 〈◊〉 shypped hym and offied to hym vnto the tyme of theyr deth / As it is drawen out of dyuers bolâ—es and putte in one / And how they were traullaâ—e fro place to place / ¶ The matere of thise thre kynges fro the begynnynge of the prophecye of Balaam preest of Madians prophete that prophecied sayd Oâ—â—â— stella et Iacob et erurger homo de israel et ipe dâ—abitur oim genâ—…uÌ„ That is to say a slewe shall spâ—â—…ge of Iacob and a man shall ryse vp of Israel and shall be lorde of all folke as is conteyned in the olde Testament / ¶ Of this Balaam is altercacoÌ„n in yeâ—est partyes betwyx the Iewes the Crysten men / for Iewes saye in theyr bokes that Balaam was noo prophete but an enchauntour and thrugh whiche crafte the deuylles helpe he prophecied / Wherfore in Iewes wrytynge they calle hym an enchauntour and noo prophete ¶ Agayn the Iewes Crysten men alledge saye that Balaam was a Paynym and the fyrste prophete noo Iewe and he prophecyed to they in that were noo Iewes / And he prophecyed ryght gloryously of the Incarnacyon of our lorde and of the comynge of thyse thre kynges / for yf his prophecye had ben by the deuylles crafte the deuyll wold not haue forboden to curse Israel / But god by grete loue shewed to Balaam by an angell by grete tokens or that he greued god by his euyll counsell / ¶ Also in the Iewes bokes is a grete question of Iob whom god wyth his owne mouthe coÌ„mendyth / of whom the Iewes toke but lytyll hede or none for he was a Paynym none Ebrewe / Ferthermore they saye that Iob was before Moyses lawe and that tyme he dwellyd in Mesopotania notwythstondynge the scripture sayth he was of the londe of Hus in Sirie and dwelled in a towne that now is called Sabob that is fro Damaske a dayes Iourneye where his sepulture is seen vnto this day / And besyde that same towne saynt Poul was caste downe in the felde there recouered agayn by Cryste IhuÌ„ / ¶ Also the Iewes kepe ryght nought of the prophecies of Balaam ne of his wordes but in theyr bokes sette him at nought of whiche it were longe to telle / WHAN the chyldern of Israel were goon oute of Egypte had wonne Iherusalem all the londe lienge there abowte and no man was hardy in al that counfree to sette agaynst theym for drede that they hadde of theim / That tyme in Inde was an hylle that was callyd Vaws and also they callyd it that hyll of Vyctory / And on this hyll the warde and the kepyng of theym of Inde was ordeyned kepte by dyuers aspyes by nyghte and daye for the chyldern of Israel and afterwarde for the Romayns / Soo that yf ony peple purposed wyth stronge honde to entree in to the londe of the kyngdom of Inde anone aspyes of other hylles abowte by tokens shewed and warned the kepers of the hyll of Vaws / As by nyghte they made grete fyre and by day grete smoke / For that hyll of Vaws passyd of heyghte all other hilles of Inde and in al the Eest / And soo whan ony suche tokens were seen by nyghte or daye thenne anone all manere of men of that countree made theim redy for to withstonde yf ony enmyes came / ¶ Wherfore in the tyme of Balaam that gloryously prophecyed of the Incarnacyon of our lorde and of the sterre and say de Orietur stella c̈ Thenne al the grete lordes and all the people of Inde and in the Eest desyred gretly to se that sterre / And they promysed for to geue grete gyftes to the kepers of the hyll of Vaws / And hyred theym wyth grete rewardes and gyftes that at suche tyme as they sholde se by nighte or by daye ferre or nere ony lyghte or sterre in the firmamente other wyse fourmed than hathe be accustumed to be seen that Incontynent they sholde shewe lyght and sende theym worde / And soo longe tyme that comen fame and pronystifyeng of the sterre was gretely desyred and bore thorugh alle the londes of the Eest and also the name of the hyll of Vaws / ¶ Moreouer of the same hylle rose vp a grete kynredde in Inde and in the Eest that is callyd the progenye of Vaws vnto this daye / And there is not a more worshypful kynredde ne more noble and myghty in all the londes and all the kyngdoms in the Eest as it shall be shewed more plainly afterwarde / And the kynredde came fyrste of the kynredde of the worshypfull kynges blode that was callyd Melchior that offryd golde to Tryste Ihesu / IN the yere of our lorde a thousande two hundred whan the cyte of Akon that is called Acrys stode in Ioye and prosperite and was enhaunsed rychely wyth prynces and lordes and also wyth dyuers orders of men of religyon of all manere of dyuers nacoÌ„ns tonges in somoche that the name the praysynge of the cyte of Akon or Akers was borne thorugh the worlde And moreouer alle nacoÌ„ns and tonges came thither bothe by londe and sée of al manere of marchandise of the worlde / Soo there was noo cytee lyke thereto of nobles ne of worthynes and of myghte / Thenne for the grete name and many folde praysynges and merueyles that were there the grettest of byrthe of the progenye kynredde of Vaws came out of Inde in to Akon / And whan they sawe alle thynges there habunde in more worshyppe than in Inde and in alle the countrees of the Eest / Thenne by cause of so many playsures they taryed there and buylded a fayr toure a stronge castell in Akon for ony lorde or kynge / And they brought wyth theym out of Inde of the Eest many ryche ornamentes Iewelles / And amonge alle other Iewelles they broughte a costle we Dyademe of golde arayed wyth perles precyous stones / And in the hyhest place of the Dyademe stode letters of golde and a sterre lyke the sterre that apperyd to the thre kynges whan they sawe Cryst with a sygne of a Crosse beside hym / And that Dyademe was Melchiors kinge of Nubie of Arabie that offred golde to Cryste / For thorugh that Dyademe and the merytes of the thre blessyd kynges god almyghty heelyd sauyd both man beest of dyuers syknesses / what man was take with the fallyngeuyll whan the dyademe was layed on him anone he was hole / therfore after the mayster thorder of the TeÌ„plers gate that diademe with many precious Iewelles of whyche crowne they had grete offrynges / But after that the ordre of the Templers were dystroyed where that Dyade me and many other ryght precyous ornamentes became it was neuer knowen vnto this daye / Wherfore grece sorowe
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
al the people in teÌ„poralte / And for this cause that yf ony man wolde ryse or tempte ayenst the Patriarke Thomas or ayenst the lawe of god yf so were that the Patriarke might not rule him by the spirytuall lawe thenÌ„ shold this lord of teÌ„porall lawe chastise him by his power / So this lorde sholde not be called a kynge or emperour but he sholde be callyd Prethir IohÌ„n / And the cause is this For the thre kynges were preestes and of theyr possessyons they made hym lorde / For there is noo degree so highe as presthode is in all the worlde nor so worthy / Also he is callyd Prethyr IohÌ„n in worshypÌ„ of saynt IohÌ„n the Euangelyste that was a preest the moost specyall chosen and loued of god almyghty / ¶ Whan all this was done thyse thre kynges assygned the Patriarke Thomas Prethyr IohÌ„n th one to be cheyf gouernour in spyrytualtie and the other cheyf lorde in temporalte for euer more / And soo thise same lordes gouernours of Ynde ben called vnto thyse dayes / WHan all thynge was thus dysposed ordeyned by thise .iij. worthy kinges thenne they went in to the cyte of Seuyll forsayd and there they lyued two yeres / And a lytyll tofore the feest of the Natyuyte of our lorde Ihesu Cryste there apperyd a wonderfull sterre aboue the cyte / By the whyche sterre they vnderstode that theyr tyme was nyhe that thei sholde deye passe out of this worlde vnto euerlastynge Ioye in heuen / Thenne of one assente they ordeyned a large a fayr tombe for theyr sepulture in the same chyrche that they had doo make in that cyte / And in the feest of Crystmas thise kinges Archebysshops dyde solempnely goddys seruyse so in the feest of the CircumsicoÌ„n Melchior kynge of Arabie of Nubie sayd his masse solemply in the chirche / And whan he had sayd masse tofore all the people he layed hym downe and wythout ony dysese or heuynesse he yelde vp his spiryte to the fader of heuen And soo deyed in the yere of his aege c. and .xvi. THenne came those two other kynges toke vp his body arayed it in bysshops clothes and wyth kynges ornamentes bare hym to his tombe / And thenne in the feest of the Epiphanye Bathazar king of Godolie of Saba sayd deuoutly his masse whan he had done wythout greuaunce of dysese or syknesse as the wyll of god was he deyed passed to god in the yere of his aege c. xvi Thenne Iasper the thyrde kyng toke vp his body arayed it as the fyrste Kynges body was and wyth grete solempnyte layed buryed it in the tombe by Melchiors body / The sixte daye after this Iasper kynge of Taars of thyle of Egriswill whan he also wyth solempnyte grete deuocyon sayd his masse thenne Cryste toke his spiryte to hym to his blysse / And thenne came other Bysshops preestes with moche people toke his body arayed it worthyly as the other kynges bodyes were bare it to the tombe there thother kinges laye And Cryst shewed there this wonder tofore all the people / ¶ Whan the body of the thirde kynge was thenne broughte and sholde be buryed layed in the same tombe bytwene the other kinges anone eche of the other two kinges departed asonder yaue place to theyr thyrde felowe so receyued hym to lye in the mydyll betwix theim both / And so it may be sayd of thise thre kinges as it is radde in holy wrytte Gliosi principes terre qmÌ„o in vita sua dilexerunt se isa in morte non sunt seperati c̈ that is to say / As thise gloryous kinges Archebisshops loued togyder in theyr lyfe right lo they ben not departed in theyr dethe / And that sterre that apperyd ouer the cyte tofore theyr dethe abode alwaye styll tyll theyr bodyes were translated vnto Colayne as men of Ynde saye / LOnge after the dethe of thyse thre kynges whan Crysten faythe stode in prosperyte in the worshypfull cyte of Seuyll in alle the kyngdoms of the Eest thenne the deuyll that of all goodnes vertues is dystroyer thrugh his wyckydnesse excyted broughte vp amonge the people dyuers oppynyons of heresie / And the persecucoÌ„n of he resye gretly encreased in dyuers londes abowte also in the cyte of Ceuyll that thyse thre kynges rested in In so moche that Prethir Iohn and Patriarke Thomas myghte not rebuke the people from theyr heresies by noo spirytuall correccyon nor temporall And soo the people tornyd agayne to theyr olde lawe and wretchyd fals mawmettes fals goddys / And forsoke the lawes of god in somoche that thyse thre kynges bodies were had at noo reuerence but almoste forgoten of the people / And soo the people that en habyted in the cyte of Seuyll that were come out of the londes kyngdoms of thyse thre kynges euery party toke his kynges bodi out of the tombe and closed theim in dyuers chestes honestly eche by hymself and bare them home in to theyr owne londes kyngedoms / And wyth grete worshyp euery londe veceyued the body of theyr kynge and there they abode longe tyme after / Whan this gloryous Emperour Constantyn thorugh the grace of god dyuers myracles was conuerted to Cryste by saynt Siluester and he was made clene of his leprehede was chaunged both in lyfe in maners in to a newe man that is to saye in to the lawe of Cryste / And the same tyme saynt Elyne whiche was moder of Constantyn the emperour aforsayd was dwellynge amonge the Iewes / And she was al enfecte defoylled wyth the Iewes lawes and with theyr byleue / But wonderfully she was conuerted to the lawes of Cryste as it is wreten in the story of her lyffe of the fyndynge of the holy Crosse it is more playnly shewed / And fro thensforth that blessyd saynt Elyne of as mighty streyngth as she was fyrst in the Iewes lawe occupieng drawyng to it somoche more besily she brenned afterwarde in the newe lawe and gospel of Cryst Ihesu / And al the holy places that our lorde halowed there in other parties 〈◊〉 his manhede as she had defoylled by counseyle of the Iewes she afterwarde to the laude of our lorde Iâ—esu deuoutly visyted honoured and enlarged rychely wyth grete yefces to the confucoÌ„n of the Iewes / Wherfore afterwarde by myracle whan saynt Eleyne had founde the crosse naylles by the wyll of our lorde Ihesu thenne vpon that same place vpon the mount of Caluarie vpon the sepulture of Cryste and the place that Cryste apperyd to Mary Mawdeleyne in lyknesse of a gardyner alle thise places many other that were holy the quene saynt Eleyne buylded chyrches on / And made ryall worshypfull chyrches aboue alle those places also she yede in that place where thangell apperyd to our lady
be lerned in Astronomye / For in Inde and in other places abowte ben many sterres in the fyrmament whyche maye not be seen and perceyued by nyghte playnly / ¶ But on the hyll of Vaws in a bryght weder and clere ben seen perceyued many dyuerse straunge sterres / This hyll of Vaws passyth of heyghte alle the hylles of the eeste / And aboue it is nomore of brede than a lytyll chapell that is made therupon / The whyche the thre kynges dyde make of stone tymbre / And there ben aboute this hyll many steppes for to goo vp to the chapell / And there growe trees and good herbes and dyuers spyces abowte this hyll / for elles men myghte not goo vp to the hyll it is so hye narowe / There is also a piller of stone aboue that chapell of a wonder height / On the heed of this pyller stondyth a sterre gylte well made fayre and tornyth wyth the wynde as a fane / And thrugh the lyghte of the sonne by daye of the mone by nyght the same sterre geuyth lyghte a grete waye in to the countree abowte / And many other merueylles ben tolde of this hyll of Vaws / WHan the tyme of mercy grace was come that god wolde haue mercy on mankynde / whan the fader of heuen sent downe his sone to take flesshe blode of our lady saynt Mary to be borne of her for our saluacyon / In that tyme the Emperour of Rome Octauian helde the empyre of all the worlde / In the yere of his empyre .xlij. as saynt Luke tellyth he sente out a coÌ„maundment to discryue all the worlde Exiit edictuÌ„ c̈ And the discriuynge was fyrste vnder Cirinus that was bysshopp of Syrie / And euery man went home to his owne countree / Thenne yede Ioseph out of Galilce in to Nazareth in the Iewrie and that was kynge Dauids londe the whyche cytee was callyd Bedleem By cause Ioseph was of the house of the meyne of kynge Dauid therfore he yede in to his countree with his wyfe our lady saynt Mary grete wyth chil de / Soo whan they were there the tyme was come that oure lady sholde be delyuered / And soo she was delyuered by goddys owne myghte mynystracyon of angelles she wrapped him in clothes layed him in a mainger for there was none other place ¶ And ye shall vnderstond that Bedleem was neuer of grete reputacoÌ„n nor place of grete quantyte but it hath a good fundament / For there ben many caues vnder the erthe / And Bedleem is fro Iherusalem but two myles / It is but a castell but it is callyd a cytee by cause kynge Dauid was borne there / And in that towne was somtyme an hous of Ysaye that was fader to kynge Dauid in the whyche hous kyng Dauid was borne enoynted to be kynge of Israel by Samuell the prophete / And in the same place Cryste was born goddis sone of heuen / And that place was somtyme in the ende of a strete that was callyd the Coueryd strete / And this was the cause why it was soo called for the grete heete brennynge of the soÌ„ne it was soo coueryd wyth blacke clothes other clothes to kepe awaye the heete of the sonne and soo it is yet to this daye / And in that strete was wonte to be a markette ones in the weke of olde clothes and other thynges and specyally of tymbre / In that stâ—ete stode somtyme an hous and Ysaye kyng Dauids fader lefte a lytyll hous before a denne vnder the eithe and it was shapen lyke a lytyll sellar / Ysaye the fader of Dauid and other after theym putt in that caue certayn necessaryes that longed to houshold for heete of the sonne / It is also the maneâ—e in alle the countree bothe in cytces and townes to be certayne houses that ben called there Alchan whiche we calle here Hostrees and in those houses ben mules horses asses and camelles alwaye redy yf soo be that ony pilgryme marchaunt or other man that traueyle by the waye yf hym nede ony beest for hym or for his marchandyse thenne he gooth to suche an house as is callyd Alchan and there he maye hyre what beest that he woll haue / And thenne he gooth forth to cyte or towne where he woll abyde and there he dyschargeth him of his horse or beest and sendyth him in to suche an hous that is called Alchan / And there ben beestes on that manere to hyre / And the mayster of the hous taketh the beest and yeueth it meete and whan he maye he sendyth hym home agayne there he came fro / And yf soo be that noo man goo in to that cyte or towne in longe tyme. he takyth the same beest and ledyth hym out of the towne and settyth hym in the way hom warde / And so the beest gooth forth home with out ony ledinge euyn to his maysters hous without peryll of beestes or of theues / Soo euery man that hath ony suche beestes euery man knoweth other beestes ben they neuer soo ferre asondre / And of suche houses lordes of the grounde haue grete wynnynge tolle of suche beestes hytynge / And suche a manere house was that house a lytyll before or Cryste was borne in / ¶ But abowte the byrth of IhuÌ„ that hous was all dystroyed soo that there was no thyng lefte but broken walles on euery syde and a lytyll caue vnder the erthe and a lytyll vnthryfty hous tofore that caue / there men solde breede in the same grounde ¶ It is also the vsage in all the countree that all the breede that shal be solde shall be brought in to a certayn place / And of the breede that is solde in the day the kynge the lorde of the grounde atte nyght shal haue a certen money / And whan Dauid was made kynge of Israel by processe of tyme Iherusalem was dystroyed and all the countree abowte Noo man toke hede of this hous by cause it was all dystroyed noo thynge lefte but that broken house the caue / And bredde tymbre that myght not be solde on the daye sholde be putte in that hous to the next market day / Asses horse other beestes that came to the market were tyed abowte this broken hous / FOr to speke ayen of the matere / Whan Octauian Emperoure of Rome had scnte out his coÌ„maundment that eche man shold goo to the same towne that he was borne in / Thenne went Ioseph and our lady rode vpon an asse they came so late wythin nyght to Bedleem as it is afore sayd therfore all the Innes hostries were stuffed wyth pylgrymes other men And by cause they came in poore araye they wente abowte the cyte noo man wolde receyue theym / specyally for they sawe that our lady was a yonge woman syttynge vpon an asse heuy sorowfull full
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
non sunt tanquā ea que sunt that is to saye / God callyth those that ben not aswell as those that ben of his prouidence / Thus he dyde and dysposed as he dyde in the olde Testamente whan he gaaf a langage to an asse and made an asse to speke to Balaam / He wolde in the begyn̄nynge of the newe Testament yeue a voyce to speke out of a sterie that the same Balaam prophecyed of / ¶ Whan al the people of that countree abowtesawe this wonderfull and merueyllous sterre and also herde the voys of the sterre they were gretly affrayed and hadde grete wonder therof / But they knewe well that it was the same sterre that was prophecied of by Balaam and longe tyme was desyred and abyden of all the people of that countree theraboute Thus whan thyse thre Kynges that the tyme regned in Ynde Caldee and Persidie weren enfourmed and well assured by the Astronomers and by the prophecyes of this sterre / They were ryght gladde that they had grace to se that sterre in theyr dayes that was longe tyme prophecyed afore and all the people had so longe loked after / Wherefore though eche of thyse thre kynges weren ferre from other and none of theym knewe of others purpose yet in one houre the sterre appered to theym all thre / And thenne they ordeyned and purposed theim anone wyth grete and ryche gyftes and many dyuerse ornamentes that were belongynge vnto the degree araye of kynges and also wyth mules camels and horses charged wyth precyouse tresours wyth grete nombre and multytude of people to goo seke in theyr beste arraye and to worshippe our lorde Ihesu Cryste that was borne to be Sauiour of all the worlde and the kynge of Iewes that was born that tyme. as the voyce of the sterre spake and preched / And ferthermore they arayed theym moche the more honestely and worthyly / For they knewe well and vnderstode that he was a more worthyer kynge than ony of all the worlde / ¶ Ferthermore eche of thyse thre blessyd kynges had wyth theym grete caryage of oxen and shepe and other beestes that longe to mannys lyuynge and sustenaunce and other manere thynges necessary belongynge to the offyce of a chamber kechen and to all other offyces belongynge to a kynges astate also bothe fode for man beest they caryed wyth theim / In somoche that they ordeyned soo grete plentee that sholde suffyse theim well bothe outwarde homwarde / And euery kyng had people as it had be an hoste / ¶ It is the manere in that countree of the Eesst oute take cytees that in other townes ben many fayr Ostries and for the moost party al maneze vytaylles both for man beste is ynough for the comyn people but not for suche kynges suche grete lordes that ryde wyth soo grete multytude Beddyng suche other necessaries of chambers neyther of chapell ne of kechin is not suffycyent ne honest therfore lordes haue suche cariaage wyth theim / And in the countree for the most party men ryde or go by nyght for bren̄ynge of that son̄e in heete of the day they rest / Ye shal vnderstonde that there ben thre Indes of whom thise thre lordes were kinges / And alle those londes for the moost partye ben yles / There ben also thre grete waters and thre grete desertes or wyldernesses full of wylde peryllouse beestes and horryble serpentes / And in that countree doon growe also thise longe grete redes that ben brought in to Englonde and some ben soo grete that men make houses and shyppes of theym / And eche yle is deuided and departed eche from other / And eche londe is full of wylde beestes / IN the fyrst Ynde is the londe of Nubie and therof Melchior was Kynge whan Cryste was born / And there is also the lond of Arabie / And in that londe is the mount Sinay / A man out of the redde see maye lightly saylle out of Egypte and Syrie in to Ynde / ¶ And pylgrymes marchauntes that from Ynde passen the redde see sayen that al the grounde of the redde see is soo redde that the water aboue semyth as it were redde wyne notwythstondyng that water is as other water is of colour and it is merueyllously salte / And it is soo clere that in the deppest of all the water men maye se fysshes and dyscerne al thynges by the botom̄ of the see And that water is thre cornerde and it ebbyth and floweth in to the grete see of Occean and is foure or fiue myles of brede where it is brodest / And there the chyldern of Israel yede thrugh with drye fete whan Pharao his host pursued theim and al were drowned man beest / Out of that see sourdeth a grete flode that rennyth in to a ryuer of paradyse terrestre that ryuer is callyd Nilus / And this Nilus passyth by Egypte and by it cometh moche ryche marchandyse out of Ynde and soo passeth in to Egypte Syrie Babilonie Alisaundre and soo thorugh al the worlde / And all the erthe of the londe of Arabie there the mount Synai is is merueyllously redde / Stones trees herbes and all other thynges that growe there ben redde for the moost partye / And there is founde golde wonderfully redde in manere of thinne smalle rotes and that is the beste golde of the worlde ¶ There is also an hyll that is called Bona. and in that hyll is founde the stone that is callyd Smaragdus / And that is cutte out wyth grete crafte and grete traueyle of the hylle And that hyll is kepte be syly strongly wyth the Sowdans meyne / IN the second Ynde was the lond of Godolie and therof was Balthasar kyng whan Criste was borne / And he offred ensence to Ihesu / And there was also of olde tyme in that londe that kyngdom of Saba / And in that londe growith more plente of good spyces than in al the londes of the Eest after / And in especyall ensence more than in al the worlde / And it droppyth out of certayne trees in manere of gūme / IN the thyrd Ynde was the kyngdom of Taars and in the tyme of Crystis byrthe Iasper was kynge therof / And he offred to god Myrre / And that londe is called thyle of Egris will / In that yle groweth more myrre than in all the worlde after / And it wexyth lyke eeres of corne that were brente wyth the weder and it growyth ryght thycke And whan it is rype it is so softe that it cleuyth on mennes clothes as they goon by the waye / And then̄ men take smalle cordes girdles and drawe theim all abowte the eeres and soo the myrre cleuyth on the cordes and on the girdles and afterwarde the myrre is wronge out of the cordes and girdles / ¶ Wherfore we maye vnderstonde that this was doon of a grete prouydence of the grete mercy of god
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
there thangell apperyd to the shepeherdes that nyght that god was borne / And in that same she dyde buylde a ryall chyrche namyd it Glia in excelsis so it is callyd vnto this daye / And this chirche was somtyme a grete Colage of Chanons whiche of specyall preuilege began al the Houres of the day with Glia in excelsis as we doo in this countree with Deus in adiutoriū some men vse that same yet this day in the same chyrche / Whan saynt Elyne had made the chirche thenne she went in to Bedleem in to the same place where Cryste was borne / And as it is tolde before the Iewes of enuye wolde suffre noo man chylde ne beest to goo in to that place for they helde it a cursyd place / And fro that tyme that our lady saynt Mary was goon out of that place that she bare in her chylde tyll saynt Elyne came in to that place came neuer man chylde ne beest / And whan saynt Elyne came in to that derke place she fonde the same haye that Cryste was layed in the maynger and that clothes that our lorde Ihesu was wrapped in our ladies smocke / All thise thynges our lady had lefte behynde her whan she yede out of that place in to Egypte whyche saynt Elyne founde bothe fayr hoole wounde to gyder in the maynger / ALl thyse thynges that be relykes saynt Elyne toke awaye wyth her sauf the maynger bare them in to Constantynople / And there wyth grete reuerence solempnyte she put theym in to a worshypful chirche that is called the chyrche of saynt Sophie / And therin the relykes were kepte vnto the tyme that a kynge of Fraunce that hight Carolus came vnto Iherusalem and there dyde many grete bataylles ayenst the Sarrasins / And delyured out of pryson all the crysten men that longe tyme had liued there / whan he had done he yede home ayen by Constantynople he sawe al thyse relykes / And wyth grete prayer he had all thyse relykes and bare theym home wyth hym in to Fraunce putt theym in a worshypful chyrche that is callyd our lady chyrche of Akon / And there is our ladyes smocke other relykes that ben worshypped of Crysten men there vnto this day / ¶ Whan saynt Elyne had made thise chyrches thenne she went in to the cite of Nazareth and there she made also a fayr chyrche / And ordeyned to theym bysshops preestes clerkes to mayntene therin dyuyne seruyse / And in the cyte of Nazareth than gell greted our lady it is in the londe of Galilee / And besyde Galilee is an hyll that is callyd Thabor / Vpon that hyll our lorde Ihesu Criste transfigured hym tofore thre of his dyscyples Peter Ioh̄n Iamys as the gospell tellyth / And this hyll is but lytyl of brede but it is wonder hyghe / And it is from Ierusalem thre dayes Iourney an half / And bitwyx Iherusalem this hyll Thabor was all the way the Cryst yede here in erthe with his discyples preched taught and dyde myracles ferder yede he not in his manhede than bytwene thise two places other places that were bytwene theym but ryght lytyll of brede and largenesse / WHan this quene saynt Elyne had visited al thise holy places had ordeyned chirches goddis mynystres for to serue and all thynge perfourmyd after her owne wyll to the worshyp of god / Thenne began she to thynke gretly on thyse thre kynges that had worshipped god in his chyldhede / And she arayed her wyth a certayn people yede in to the londes of Ynde / Whan she was there she dystroyed all the Synagoges fals mawmettes dyde make chirches monasteries / ordeyned in them preestes clerkes of the crysten faythe / And she prechyd the crysted fayth amonge the people the whyche was taughte by saynt Thomas thappostle and the thre kynges whyche fayth thrugh heresies was dystroyed she renewyd it thorugh her prechynge / For all the people whan they herde what myracles oure lorde Ihesu Cryste had wroughte by that worshypfull quene saynt Elyne of the fynding of the crosse of the naylles of our ladyes smocke of the haye and of the clothes that Cryste was wrapped in in his childehode / Thenne they came to her worshipped her and forsoke their fals lawe toke them to the lawe of god as saynt Elyne taughte theym / And thenne she began to enquere of the relykes of the thre kynges / And wyth grete traueylle yede abowte to haue theym / Soo our lorde Ihesu Cryste that euermore is redy to al men that crye to hym in truthe ryghtwysnes / As he shewed to this holy quene the crosse the naylles that were hydde depe in the erthe ryght soo he shewed the bodies of the thre kinges to her / So this lady had suche a name amonge the people that the Patriarke Thomas Preter Ioh̄n by counsell of the lordes yaue to saynt Elyne the .ij. bodies of thyse .ij. kynges Melchior Balthazar to the worshippe of god of the holy kynges / The body of the thyrde kynge Iasper the Nestorynes had borne it in to the yle of Egriswill / And by cause the saynt Elyne wold not that thise thre kynges shold be departed she made grete meanes grete prayers and yaue grete gyftes to the cheyf lordes of the-yle and so she gate the thyrde body that is to saye of Iasper / And for that body she gaaf to theym the body of saynt Thomas the appostle whyche she had that tyme in her kepynge And the body of saynt Thomas hath ben twyes boren awaye from the yle euer restored ayen for certayn causes / ¶ And crysten men that haue ben in the I le saye that they myghte neuer se the body of saynt Thomas / For it is a comyn prophecye in alle the countree that the body of saynt Thomas the apostle shall be translated to the cyte of Coleyne putte to the thre kynges / And in what manere this shall be done thei tell saye / ¶ In tyme comyng whan god wyll there shall be an archebisshop of Coleyne that shall be soo wyse prudent soo myghty that he shall make a contracte of matrimonye bytwene the emperours sone of Rome themperours doughter of Tartarin / And wyth this contracte frendshyp the holy londe shall be yelden in to cristen mennys hondes / And in the tyme shall the body of saynt Thomas be translated born to Coleyne layed bi the thre kynges therfore the Heretykes of this yle that ben called Nestorines taken but lytyll hede of saynt Thomas body ne doo but lytyll reuerence therto by cause of prophecye ¶ And thenne saynt Elyne put the bodyes of thyse thre kynges togyder in a cheste / arayed it wyth grete rychesse thenne brought it to