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 xxxv^m.

Whan þis worschippeful Quene seynt Elene had þus visited alle þese holy places and had ordeyned chirches and goddys mynystres to serue god and to dodiuine seruice, as hit is aforseyde, and alle þing̛ was performed aftir hir wiƚƚ to þe worschip of god: þan sche gan to thynk gretlich of þe bodyes of þes .iij. kyngis þat had souȝt [MS. souȝten] god and worscheppe hym in his childehode. and þan þis lady araied her with a certeyn of [Tit. & H. of] pepil and ȝede in to þe londys of ynde. and whan

sche was come in to þes londys, sche destruyed aƚƚ þe synagoges and fals Mawmetys and did make chirches and Monasteries & ordeyned in hem preestis and clerkys of þe cristen feiþ. // And also sche preched þe cristen feiþ among þe pepil in so mochel þat þe feiþ þat was preched by seynt Thomas þe appostel and þe .iij. kyngis, þe wich þorwe heresies was destruyed, was renewed aȝene þorwe her prechyng. ffor alle þe pepil, whan þei herde what myraclys oure lord ihesu crist wrouȝt by þisworscheppeful Quene, of þe fyndyng of þe cros and of þe nayles and of oure lady smok and þe heiȝe and þe clothis þat crist was woundyn yn in his childehode: þei com to her and worschepped her, and forsoke her fals lawe and toke hem to þe lawe of god, as seynt Elene tauȝte hem. þan whan þis was do, sche bygan gretlich to enquere of [Tit. aftir, H. for] þe Relikes of þes. iij. kyngis, and with grete trauayle ȝede aboute to gete hem. so oure lord ihesu crist, þat euermore is redy to alle men þat cry to hym in trewþe and in riȝtwisnesse: as he schewed to þis holy Quene þe cros and þe nayles þat were hid depe in þe erþe, riȝt so he schewed þe bodyes of þes .iij. kyngis to her. so þis lady had swich a loos among alle þe pepil þat þe patriark Thomas and preester Iohn̄, with counseyl of [leaf 20a] oþir lordys and pryncys, ȝaf to þis lady seynt Elene þe .ij. bodyes of þe .ij. kynges Melchior and baltaȝar, to þe worschep of god and of [þe] holy kyngis. // The body of þe þridde kyng, Iaspar, þe Nestorynes had bore hit in to þe yle of Egriswiƚƚ. and bycause þat seynt Elene wolde noȝt þat þes .iij. kynges scholde be departed, sche made grete menys and grete preiours, and also ȝaf grete ȝiftes to þe chefe lordys of þat yle of Egriswiƚƚ: and so sche gate þe thrid body, þat is to seye Iaspar, and for þis body seynt Elene ȝaf to hem þe body of seynt Thomas þe apostil, þe wich sche had þat tyme in her kepyng̛. and þis body

of seynt Thomas hath twyes be bore awey from þat yle and allewey restored aȝeyne, for certeyn causes. // And ȝe schul vnderstonde þat in alle þe eest þer is no cristen man seiȝe [Tit. sithe, H. sith þat tyme] þat haþ be in þat yle of Egriswiƚƚ þer as seynt Thomas þe appostil lieþ, þat haþ seiȝe his body. ffor hit is a commune prophecie in aƚƚ þat contrey þat þe body of seynt Thomas þe appostel schal be translate in to þe cite of Coleyne and put to þe .iij. kyngis. and in what manere þis schal be do, þei teƚƚ & seye þat in tyme comyng, whan god wiƚƚ, þer schal be a Erchebisshoppe of Coleyne, and he schal be so wise and so myȝty þat he schal make a contract, [MS. contrait] a Matrimonye bitwix þe Emperouris sone of Rome and þe Emperouris doughter of Tartaryn, and with þis contract and ffrenschip þe holy londe schal be ȝolde in to cristen mannys hondys: and in þis tyme schal þe body of seynt Thomas be translated and bore in to Coleyne and leyde by þe .iij. kyngis. and þerfore þe heretikes of þis yle, þe wich be cleped Nestorynes, take but litil kepe of his body ne þei do but litil reuerence þerto, bycause of þis prophecie. // [Harl. adds: þan whan s. E. had brought þe iij^de body, þat is to saie Iaspers, to his ij felaus, þan̛ was sucℏ a swete sauoure of þes iij kynges þat aƚƚ the peple of the Contrey aboute were replete þerwiþ. & þan &c.;] And þan seynt Elene put þes .iij. kyngis togedir in one chest, and araied hit with grete richesse, and brouȝt hem in to constantynopil with alle Ioye and reuerence, and leyde hem in a chirche þat is cleped seynt sophie. and þis chirche kyng Constantyn did make, and he alone with [H. with help of god and of] a litil childe set vp alle þe pylers of Marbiƚƚ in þe same chirche. // And in þis chirche was that [Tit. som] tyme þe coroune of thorne þat crist was corouned with. and whan þe turkes and þe sarȝeyns com doune in to Constantynnopil and destruyed a grete partye þerof, þan þe Emperoure sent [MS. seynt] to seynt lowys þat þan was kyng of ffraunce, for socour and help, and þan þis kyng lowys com with a strong honde to þe Emperour and recouered aȝene þe moost partie [MS. parties] of þe londes

þat þe Emperour had lost: // And for his trauaile þe Emperour ȝaf hym þe coroune of thorne--wherfore þe grekes madyn mochel sorwe. and so þe grekys with grete lamentacioun, [H. adds: foryede it] and þe ffrenshe men with gret Ioye bare þis coroune of thorne oute of Constantynnopil in to parys. [on the margin: Crown of thornes in ffrance] --and ȝe schulde vnderstonde þat Constantynnopil is þe chefe cite of þe londe of grece. and whan þes .iij. kyngis were brouȝt in to þe cite [H. Citee and Chirch] [leaf 20b] aforseyde, þan alle þe pepil of alle þe contrey aboute com and visited hem & with gret deuocioun worschepped hem; and þer þei were kept a longe tyme. [H. adds: and oure lord Ihesu Crist of his gret mercy wrought þer mony miracles þrougℏ þe merites of þese iij kyngis]