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

Opening and Cap. 1.

[folio 87]

Miȝtfuƚƚ god, þat euermore is wondirful in hys seyntis & glorious in his werkis, many wondirful þingis wrouȝt and schewed to aƚƚ his holy seyntis, & specialiche to þe .iij. worschippeful kynges, þe which with aƚƚ worschippe and deuocioun souȝte oure lord Ihesu Cryst in Bethelem in his childhode.--And for as moche as of þes .iij. worschipful & glorious kynges aƚƚ þe worlde from þe arisyng of þe sunne to his downe-goyng is ful in praisyng and meritys, þerfore, as þe arisyng of þe sunne clereþ in his bemys,/ so þe worlde schineþ in merites of þes .iij. kyngis; ffor in þe springyng and arisyng of þe sunne, þat is to seiȝe, in þe eest of þe worlde, þes .iij. kynges in body and flessche leuynge, Crist, verrey god and man, with her ȝiftis, þat were bodily and in menyng gostly, souȝte and worschipped, and so þes .iij. kynges, þat of myscreauntys were þe first bileuyng men and of miscreauntis þe first maydenys, þe birþe of Crist, þe verrey sunne, first schewed & halwed to mysbyleue men./ But for as moche as, what þes .iij. kynges wrouȝte in þe birþe of þe sunne Crist, in diuers bokes and plasis is ofte write and openlich, but, what þei dide aftir, perauenture to many men is vnknowe: þerfore aftir sight, heryng, and spekyng ofoþer men is & also of diuers writyng of diuers clerkis,

to þe worschipe of god and of oure lady saint Maryeand þes .iij. blessid kynges, somme þingis ben here write & of diuers bokes sette to-gedir and put in one.— ¶ First ȝe schul vndirstonde þat þe story of þes þre blessyd kynges was first bygunne of þe prophecie of Balaam, þe preest of Madian, prophete: þe which Balaam among aƚƚ oþir prophecied an seyde ¶ Orietur stella ex Iacob &c.;, þat is to seye: a sterre schal springe of Iacob, and a man schal ryse vp of Israel and schal be lord of aƚƚ folk--as it is conteyned fullich in þe olde testament./ Of þis Balaam is altercacioun in þe eest bytwix cristen men & Iewes: ffor Iewes seiȝe in her bokis þat Balaam was no prophete but a enchauntour and þorw wicchecraft and þe deuelys craft he prophecied; wherfore in writyng he schulde be clepid a enchauntour and no prophete. Aȝens þe Iewes þe cristen men seie þat Balaam was a paynym and was þe first prophete þat was no Iewe, and prophecied to hem þat were no Iewes, and riȝt gloriouslych prophecyed of þe Incarnacioun of oure lord Ihesu and of þe comynge of þes .iij. kynges. For ȝif hys prophecie had come þorwe þe deuelys crafte, þe deuyl wolde not haue forbode hym to curse Israel. But god of grete loue schewed to Balaam by a aungeƚƚ þorowe tokenes, or þat he grevid god by his euyƚƚ counseiƚƚ. But, as hit is aforeseyde, for Balaam was þe first prophete þat was no Iewe, and prophecied to hem þat were no Iewes: þerfore þei clepedhim a enchauntour and no prophete. Also in her bokys is a questioun of Iob, whom god with hys owne mowthe comendeþ: of whom þe Iewes litil kepe take of, siþen þat he was a paynym and not of þe Ebrews. Thei seye also þat Iob was to-for Moyses lawe & in þat tyme he dwellid in Mesopotanye, not-wiþstondyng þat þe scripture

seiþe þat he was in þe lond of Vs, in Sirye, and dwelled in a toun þat is now clepid þere Sabob, þat is fro Damask almost a dayes iorneye; where his sepulcre is seiȝe to þis day. And bisyde þat same toun seynt Poule was cast doun in þe felde and conuertyd to Cryst. And so þes Iewes take no kepe of þe prophecie of Balaam neþer of Iob, but in aƚƚ her bokys haue hem boþe in despite.

Notes

• There is a large hole in the MS., extending over the words in square brackets [ ], taken from MS. Vespasian E. xvi.
• MS. and was þe first prophete and was þe first prophete.
• read clepe