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 vij^m.

The place where þe aungeƚƚ apered to þe scheperdes þat nyȝt þat crist was bore, is but half̘ a myle from bethleem; and in þat same place dauid, whan he was a childe, fedde schepe and kept hem from þe bere and from þe leon. sum bokys also seyȝe þat þe scheperdes of þat contrey twyes in þe ȝeere þei be wont to kepe her schepe in þe nyȝt: & thilk̘ tymes be whan þe day and þe nyȝt be boþe of o lengthe. [ Lat. in utroque solstitio] // And [leaf 5b] ȝe schul vndirstonde þat the londe aboute bethleem and þe londe of biheest and alle þe londe in þe eest is wondirlich ordeyned and sette, ffor hit is alle mounteyns for þe moost partye: for in summe place a man schal noȝt weƚƚ knowe wynter from somer, and in summe place hit is riȝt colde, and in summe place [MS. and in summe place and in summe place.] hit is boþe wynter and somer after þe tyme, als [om. als] as hit is in þis countrey after as þe place is in valeys or in pleyn countrey or in mounteyns. [MS. in mounteyns in summe place] ffor summe tyme in mounteyns in summe place of þe eest men schul fynde snowe in þe monthe of august: and þat snowe is gadrid of hem þat dweƚƚ next aboute, and putte hit [om. hit] in cavys, and afterward hit is bore in chaf to þe market: and there þe grete lordys of þe countrey will bygge hit, and bere hit to her hows and sette hit in a basyn vp-on her borde, to make her drynk̘ colde; but whan hit is vncouered oute of þe chaf, anoone hit dissolueþ and wasteþ awey. but comenlich in aƚƚ þe contrey of þe eest, but ȝif hit be in summe woodys or placys ful of schaddwe or aboute any

hiƚƚ þer any floode is, þer is euermore thorwe-oute þe ȝere snowe(!) [MS. svowe] aboute in þe contrey. [Lat.: Sed communiter in omnibus partibus Orientis in estate pre inestimabili solis ardore penitus nil viriditatis potest crescere (in estate--crescereom. in MS. Corp. Chr.), nisi in aliquibus nemoribus vel umbraculis vel iuxta fluenta in ortis (C. C. montis).] // In Septembre and October, whan þe sonne comeþ a litil lowe in þat contrey, than seedys and aƚƚ maner herbes comenlich bygynne to wex in þe feeldis, as in þis contrey herbys growe in Marche and in aprile. also in summe partyes of þe eest men repe corn in aprile and in Marche, but moost in Maye, after þe place and þe grounde is sette, as in summe place þe grounde is hiȝere, in summe place lowere. but by bethleem be many mo placys of goode pasture and of hoote and ſatte grounde þan in oþer placys; In so moche þat atte cristemasse barlich bygynneþ eere and to wex rype, and þan men sende þedir of diuers contreys her hors and her Mulys to make hem [MS. hym] fatte. and they byen barlycℏ there in the felde by a certen mesure; and they that haue suche barlicℏ to selle, they haue certeyn stablys: and in hem þei putte her hors and her mulis to make hem fatte. [This sentence is added from Tit.] and þat tyme þat we clepe among̛ vs cristemasse, þey clepe among̛ hem in her langage þat same tyme þe tyme of herbis. // And for as mochel as, whan crist was bore of oure lady seynt Marye, pees was than in aƚƚ þe worlde; and bytwix bethleem and þat place þer þe aungeƚƚ aperid to the scheperdys was but half a myle and a litil weye more, and also þer was no grete colde þeraboute: þerfore þe scheperdys aƚƚ þat wynter nyȝt and day, now in o place now in an oþer dwellid þere with here schepe-- and so þei do ȝit in to þis day.