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 secundum.

Whan þe childryn of israel were go oute of Egipt and had wonne and made soget to hem Ierusalem and alle þe londe lyggyng aboute, and noman was hardy in aƚƚ þat countrey to sette aȝens hem, for drede þat þey hadde of hem: þan was there a hille þat was cleped Vaws, þe wich hille also was cleped þe hiƚƚ of Victory: and on þis hiƚƚ þe warde & þe kepyng of hem of ynde was ordeyned and keped by diuers aspyes by nyȝt and by daye, ffor þe childryn of israel and afterwarde for þe Romayns; so þat, ȝif any pepil in any tyme purposed with stronge hande to entre in to þe countreye of the kyngdom of ynde, anoon aspyes of othir hillys aboute thorwe tokenys schewed and warnyd þe kepers þat were in þe hiƚƚ of Vaws, as by nyȝt þey made a grete fyre and by daye þey made a grete smoke. ffor þat hiƚƚ Vaws passeth of heithe aƚƚ othir hillis [ MS. hiƚƚ] in þat countreye of ynde and in aƚƚ þe eest. and so, whan any swich tokene was sey by day or by nyȝt, than anoon aƚƚ maner of men of þe countrey aboute made hem redy to aȝenstonde [These words are cut away in the MS.] ,ȝif any enemyes had come. wherfore in þat tyme þat balaam so gloriouselicℏ prophecied of þe incarnacioun of oure lorde ihesu and of þe sterre and seyde Orietur stella &c.;, as hit is aforseyde: than aƚƚ þe grete lordys and aƚƚ þe oþir pepil of ynde and in þe eest desired gretlicℏ

to see þat sterre, and byhotten ȝiftes to þe kepers of þis hiƚƚ of Vaws and more-ouer hyred hem with grete mede, þat, ȝif hit so were þat þei siȝe by [These words are cut away.] daye or by nyȝt fer or nere any lyȝt or any sterre in þe eyre or in þe firmamente [These words are cut away.] othir than was seiȝe tofore-tyme, anoon þei scholde [leaf 2a] schewe and sende hem woorde. and so longe tyme þat [r. þe] comune fame and loos of this sterre was spoke and bore þorwe aƚƚ þe londys of þe eest. and of þe name of þis hiƚƚ of Vaws arose vp a worschippeful and a grete kynrede in ynde & in þe eest, þe wich is cleped þe progenye of Vaws in to þis daye; and þer is naȝt a more worschepefuƚƚ ne a more myȝty kynrede in aƚƚ þe londys and þe kyngdoms of þe eest, as hit schal be schewed afterward̛. and þis worschippeful [MS. worschip-pulful] kynrede kam first of þe worschippefuƚƚ kynges blode þat was cleped Melchior, þat offrid golde to oure lorde ihesu crist, as ȝe schulle here aftyr.