Cap. xxiiii.

Whan herodes and aƚƚ þe scribis and oþir pepil herd telle þat þes .iij. kyngis were go home aȝene and were noȝt come to hym as he had bad hem, þan Page  84 of grete enuye and malice he pursued aftir hem a grete weye. and alle-wey as he rode aftir þes kyngis, he fonde alle þe pepil blesse hem and preyse hem & [leaf 13a] teƚƚ of her grete nobley. wherfore þis herodes of grete anger brent and destruyed alle þe londe þat was vndir his power þat þes .iij. kyngis had ride by, & specialich hem of Thaars and of cecile, for he putte vppon hem þat þey had suffrid hem priuelich to passe ouer þe see in her scheppys: and þerfore he brent alle her schippis and alle her gode. ¶ Also kyng̛ herodes and þes scribys pursued þes .iij. kyngis of grete envie, ffor þei had herde how merveylouslich þei were come oute of her londys & kyngdoms in xiij. daies þorw ledyng̛ of þe sterre and howe aftirwarde þei ȝede home aȝene withoute any sterre þorwe guydes and interpretours--ffor alle maner of men þat þes .iij. kyngis passed by, suffised noȝt to telle howe wonderlich þei passed nyȝt and daye by hem. and þerof Iewes þat dwellyd aboute in diuers londys and placys, bare wittnesse herof to herodes and to alle þe scribys and to oþir Iewes. and so for þis wondirful doyng̛ þe paynyms, þat had no knowleche of holy writ ne of þe berþe of crist, cleped þes .iij. kyngis Magos, þat is to seye wicchis; and þe Iwys, þat knewen þe scripturys and þe berþe of crist and þe place,*. [MS. places] of envie and of falsnesse excited þe paynyms alle aboute to calle hem wicchis--and so hit was brouȝte in to a vsage þat þei be cleped so ȝit in to þis daye. of þis name diuerse bokes and exposiciouns telle, þe wich is noȝt nede to telle here. // But withoute dowte, þei were glorious kyngis, and of þat londys and kyngdoms in þe eest moost worschippeful and myȝty, as cristen men þat dwel þere bere wittenesse. and þerfore, to do aweye alle maner of dowte of alle þat is aforseyde, and in repreuyng̛ of þe falsnesse of þe Iwes, aƚƚmyȝti god, þat is euer wondirful in his werkys and glorious Page  86 in his seyntys, wolde haue þe priuete of his berþe to be knowe to aƚƚ þe pepil, so þat his glorious name, þat first was onlich hid in þe londe of Iury in to his berþe, þat same name alle maner of pepil and alle maner naciouns fro þe first partie of þe worlde in to þe last scholde worschippe and preyse.