Capitulum xxxvm.
Whan þis worschipful queen seint Elene had þus visitid aƚƚ þes holy plases and ordeyned Chirches & goddis Minystres to serue god in aƚƚ þes plases aforeseyde: þan sche gan to þenke gretlyche of þes bodyes of þes .iij. kyngis and Erchebisshopes þat haddyn worschiped god in Bethlem in hys berþe: wherfore sche arayed hir with certeyn pepil and ȝede in to þes londys of Ynde. And whan sche was come, anoon sche preched Page 131 goddis woord & þe cristen feiþ to þe pepil and destroyed aƚƚ Mawmettis an eresyes & brouȝt þe pepil aȝen to þe cristen feiþe thorow hir prechynge. And so þis holy queen thorow hir prechyng sche gat a gret loos among þe pepil, & gret loue. And þan þe Patriark̘ Thomas & Prester Iohn̄, for þe worþinesse of þis lady and also for þe gret desire þat sche had to worschipe þes .iij. kynges, and for þe gret trauayle þat sche hadde in prechyng and conuertyng þe peple aȝene to þe cristen feiþ, þei ȝaf to þis lady þe .ij. bodyes of þese .ij. kyngis: Melchior & Balthasar, to þe worschipe of god and of þes .iij. kynges. The þridde body of þes .iij. kyngis, as Iaspar, þe Nestorynes had bore it in to þe yle of Egriswyƚƚ. And bycause þat seint Elene wolde not þat þes .iij. kyngis schulde be departyd, sche made grete menes to þe chefe lordys of þis yle, and þorwe gret ȝiftis sche hadde þe þridde body of Iaspar, and for þis body seint Elene ȝaf to hem þe body of seynt Thomas þe apostle, þe which sche had þat tyme in hir kepyng. Page 133 And whan seint Elene had þis body of Iaspar, þan sche putte þes .iij. kyngis to-gider in one cheste, & arayed it with gret riches, and brouȝt hem in to Constantynopil with aƚƚ ioye and reuerence, and putte hem in a faire chirche þe which is clepyd Seint Sophie. And whan þei were brouȝt in to Constantynopil & leyde in þis chirche aforeseyd̛, aƚƚ þe pepil of þe contrey aboute come & visitid hem and offrid to hem wiþ gret deuocioun. And þere þei were kept long tyme, and god almyȝty wrouȝt þere many myracles to þe pepil þorow þe meritys of þes .iij. kyngis. In þis chirche of Seint Sophie was sumtyme þe Croune of þorn þat Cryst werid on hys hede. And þe Emperour of Costantynopil ȝaf þis croune to seint Lowys, þat þan was kyng of Fraunce, bycause þat þis Page 135kyng com to þe Emperour with a gret oost and werred aȝens þe Turkes and þe Sarȝynes þe which had destroyed a gret partye of þe Emperour londe, but þorow help of seint Lowys it was restoryd aȝene to þe Emperour.
