Three Kings of Cologne : an early English translation of the "Historia Trium Regum" / by John of Hildesheim ; edited from the MSS., together with the Latin text, by C. Horstmann

Capitulum xxxiiij^m.

Whan þe glorious Emperour Constantyn þorwe þe grace of god and diuers miraclys was conuerted to crist by seynt Siluestre and was made clene of his lepre and [H. = Cbr.] was chaunged boþe in his lyfe and in his maners in to a newe man, þat is to seye in to lawe of crist: in þe same tyme seynt Elene þe quene, þat was modir to Constantyn þe Emperour aforseyde, was dwellynge among þe Iewes, and sche was alle enfect [MS. enfeit] and defowled with þe Iwys lawe and with her byleve; but wonderlich sche was conuerted to þe lawe of crist, as hit is write in þe storye of þe fyndyng of þe holy cros. // And as þis holy quene tofore her conuersioun to crist was a grete and a stronge enemy to [leaf 19a] þe lawe of crist and to þe feiþ, riȝt so aftir her conuersioun sche was þe grettest precheour of goddis lawe in aƚƚ þat contrey þer as sche was dwellyng̛. // ffor alle þe holy placys þat oure lord ihesu crist in his manhede had halwed with his blessed body þorwe his walkyng here in erþe, þe wich placys þis holy quene sumtyme þorwe enformacioun of þe fals Iwys helde for cursed and odyous placys: [Harl. adds: aƚƚ þese places þis worshipfuƚƚ quene to þe worship of god and his blessid moder marie with gret deuocion visited & worshipped; after aƚƚ þese holy places, þat is to say the hiƚƚ &c.;] as þe hiƚƚ of Caluarie þer crist was do on þe cros, and þe place þer crist was leyde in þe sepulcre, [H. has the add. of MS. Roy.] and þe place þer crist committed his moder in to þe kepyng of seynt Iohn̄ Euangelist whan he henge on þe cros, and þe place þer crist aperid to Marie Magdaleyne in liknesse of a gardinere: alle þes places, and many oþir holy placys, þis worschippeful quene comprehendid within

o chirche and made a riaƚƚ and a worschippeful chirche aboue alle þes placys. [Harl. adds: Also in oþer diuerse places she made mony Chirches & ordeined archbisshoppes bisshopes prestis and Clerkes and oþer ministres of holy Chirch to serue god, and she yaff mony gret possessions to meynteyne & encrese goddis seruice.] // fferthermore [H. = Cbr.] þis quene ȝede to þe place þer þe aungeƚƚ aperid to þe scheperdys þat nyȝt þat criste was bore, & in þat same place did make a worschippeful and a rialle chirche, to þe wich sche ȝaf a name Gloria in excelsis--and [H. = Cbr.] so hit is clepid ȝit in to þis daye. and in þis chirche was sumtyme a grete college of chanouns, þe wich of special priuelege bygunne alle her houres of þe day with Gloria in excelsis, as we do here in þis contrey with Deus in adiutorium—and so men vse þe same in þat chirche ȝit in to þis daye. whan seynt Elene had made þis chirche, þan sche ȝede to bethleem in to þe same place þer crist was bore of his moder seynt Marie, and, as hit ȝs aforseide, þe Iwys of envye wolde noȝt suffre man, childe ne beest to go in to þat place, for þey helde hit a cursed place; and so fro þe tyme þat oure lady seynt Marye was go oute of þis place þer her sone was bore, til seynt Elene was come in to þat place, þer com neuer man, childe ne beest in þat place. // And whan seynt Elene was come in to þis derk place, sche founde þe same heiȝe þat crist was leyde in yn þe manger, and þe cloþes þat oure lord ihesu crist was wounde yn, and oure lady smok--and alle þes thyngys oure lady had forȝete byhynde her whan sche ȝede oute of þat place in to Egipt: [H. = Cbr.] þe wich seynt Elene fonde alle feyre and hole, wounde togeder in þe manger, and þes holy relikes seynt Elene toke awey with her, save þe manger, and bare hem in to constantynopil, and þere with alle reuerence and solempnite put hem in a worschepeful chirche þat is cleped þe chirche of seynt Sophie. // And þere þes relikes were kept vnto þe tyme þat a kyng of ffraunce, þe wich was cleped Karolus, cam in to Ierusalem [H. adds: and into oþer Cristen Citees aboute with gret oost] and þer did many gret batailes aȝeyns þe Saraȝeyns and delyuered oute of prisoun alle cristen men þat longe tyme had leye þere: and whan he had þus do, he ȝede home

by constantynopil: and þere he siȝe aƚƚ þes Reliques aforseyde: and þorwe grete preiour he had alle þes Relikes & bare hem home with hym vnto þe kyngdom of ffraunce and put hem in a worscheppeful chirche þat is in worschippe of oure lady, þe wich is cleped [leaf 19b] akon: and þer oure lady smok and oþir Relikes be worschepped of þe cristen pepil ȝit in to þis daye. // fferthermore, [In H. follows here the add. of MS. Roy.] whan [H.=Cbr.] seynt Elene had made þese chirches, þan sche ȝede to þe cite of Naȝareth, þe wich is a feire cite: and þer sche made also a feire chirche and ordeyned þer-in bisshoppes, preestys & clerkys, [H. adds: and mony other ministers of holy chircℏ þerin and yaff hem mony gret possessions] to mayntene diuine seruice. and in þis cite of Naȝareth oure lady was gret of þe aungeƚƚ. // Also þis cite of Naȝareth [MS. galile] is in þe londe and þe lordschippe of galile, and by-syde þis galile is þe hiƚƚ þe wich is cleped Thabor: and on þis hiƚƚ oure lorde ihesu crist was transfigured tofore .iij. of his disciplys, Petir, Iohn̄ and Iamys, as þe godspeƚƚ makeþ mynde. and þis hiƚƚ is but litel of brede, but is wondirlich hiȝe; and hit is from Ierusalem .iij. dayes Iourney and a half̘. and bitwix Ierusalem and þis hiƚƚ Thabor was alle þe weye þat crist ȝede with his disciplys here in erþe and preched and tauȝte and dide myraclis--and ferþer ȝede he noȝt, as in his manhede, þan bitwix þes .ij. places and oþir placys þat were bitwix hem.