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

The lord of Inde, þat is cleped preest Iohn̄, and aƚƚ þe kyngis vndir hym, on þe .xij. day, þat we clepe þe feest of þe Epiphanye, þei araye hem as kyngis scholde be arayed, with Crownes on her heedes, and so þei go to her temples & here her masse: and .iij. tymes þei offre at masse: / þe first offrynge is at þe first bigynnyng of þe masse, þe secounde offrynge is after þe godspeƚƚ, and þe þridde is at þe post-comune of þe masse; and at þe first offrynge þei offre gold̛,

at þe secounde offrynge Ensense, and at þe þridde Mirre. And oþer lordys of lesse degree offre also .iij. tymes at þe masse, after her power is. / þer be also diuerse sectys and partyes of crysten men, and euerych holt hys oppinioun and hys bileue by hym self, and do certeyn deuocioun & reuerence to þes .iij. kyngis and to þe feest of þe Epiphanye; ffor aƚƚ þes Cristen men, al-þouȝ þat þei be heretykes and of mysbileue, ȝit þei do greet reuerence to þes .iij. worþi kyngis, as ȝe schul here aftirward. For aƚƚ þes Cristenmen and heretikes, of what degre þat þei be of, þei faste on Cristemasse-day til aȝens nyȝt; and euery man in worschippe of þe feest wiƚƚ sette forþ a bord̛, and on þat bord̛ he wil sette as moche mete & drynk as may suffyse for her lyuynge fro Cristemasse-day in to þe .xij. day; and also þei haue diuerse laumpys & candelys brennynge niȝt and day in aƚƚ þis tyme. And in þe vigile of þe Epiphanye at nyȝt euery freend goiþ to oþer hows with a candel lyȝt in hys hande, and whan he comeþ to þe dore, he seiþ // Bona dies sit vobis, þat is to seye: good day be to ȝow!--for ȝif he seyde Bona nox vel bonum vesper sit vobis, þat is to seye: good nyȝt or good eve be to ȝow, anoon he wolde accuse hym to-fore þe Iustyse of þe lawe as þouȝ he hadde do to hym a gret wrong. / And so þei wake aƚƚ þe nyȝt with gret̘ Ioye and myrþe, in token þat þe sterre þat apperyd whan Cryst was bore, ledde þes .iij. kyngis and aƚƚ her oost in þes .xij. dayes in to Bethleem and þer was no nyȝt in þis tyme but it was euermore daye to hem. /

Also aƚƚ maner of men, of what secte þat he be, þei come on þe .xij. day in a processioun, with preestys & Clerkys, and with Crossys of syluer to þe water of Iordan̛, þe which is fro Ierusalem v myle. And whan þei be come to þis water, þan euery partye, euery secte stondiþ to-gyder in a certeyn plaas by hym-self, and leye her Crossys downe on þe grounde, and þere þei rede þis godspeƚƚ in latyn: Cum natus esset Ihesus in Bethleem Iude &c.; / And whan þis gospeƚƚ is redde, þan euery partye wiþ gret deuocioun worschippeþ hys Cros and offriþ þerto--and þis is do in mynde of þe .iij. kyngis þat offrid ȝiftys to god. And whan þis is do, þan þei go aƚƚ in a processioun to þe plaas þere Cryst was baptiȝed of seint Iohn̄ þe baptist: and þere þei rede þis godspel in latyn Venit Ihesus a Galilea ad Iohanem vt baptiȝaretur ab illo in hoc Iordane in isto loco &c.;, / þis is to seye: oure lord Ihesus come ſro Galile to seint Iohn̄ to be baptiȝed of hym in þis Iordan in þis plaas. And whan þis godspeƚƚ is red, þan þei take her Crossys & wassche hem in þe water, þe which þei blesse first. And oþer men þat be ſer fro þis Iordan̄ and mowe not come þider, þei go on þe .xij. day to þe next water þat is neiȝe hem, in a processioun, with preestis and Clerkys and wiþ her Crossis, and do in þe same maner as it is afore-seyde, and rede þis godspeƚƚ afore-seyde Cum natus esset Ihesus &c.; And whan þis is do, þan euery man goiþ hom aȝene, pleiynge with applis in þe weye þe which be cleped aranȝa: and þes applis in þat tyme be rype.

Also aƚƚ þe Bisschoppes & preestis euery day þei seye after her masse Cum natus esset Ihesus, / as we in þis contrey seye In principio after masse; but euery secte seiþ it in hys owne tunge, & not in latyn, safe on þe .xij. day, as it is aforeseyde. And also þei rede þis gospeƚƚ in diuers maner: as in Ierusalem it is redde þus: / Cum natus esset Ihesus in Bethleem in diebus Herodis hic Regis, Ecce magi venerunt ab oriente huc dicentes &c.; / Also in Bethleem and in þe diosys aboute it is redde þus: Cum natus esset Ihesus in diebus Herodis hic & Iudee Regis &c.;. Also inþe plases þere þes .iij. kyngis rode by, aƚƚ þes [r. þe] preestis rede it þus: Cum natus esset Ihesus in Bethleem Iude in diebus Herodis Regis, Ecce magi Reges gloriosi cum magna ambicione ab oriente venerunt & per nos transierunt &c.; . And þus euery secte redeþ þis gospeƚƚ in diuers manere. Also Sarsyns and Turkys haue þes þre kyngis in gret worschippe & in gret̘ deuocioun.--There [cf. p. 132; the whole passage is out of place here] is also a prophecie in þe eest among þes Nestorynes of seynt Thomas þe apostle, þe which is þis: ¶ þei seye þat in tyme comyng, whan god wil, þer schal be a Erchebisschop of Coleyne and he schal make a contracte and a matrimonye bitwix þe Emperours sone of Rome and þe Emperours douȝter of Tartary, and with þis matrimonye þe holy lond schal be ȝolde in to cristenmannys honde: and in þis tyme schal seint Thomas þe apostil be translatyd and brouȝt in to Coleyne & leyd by þes .iij. kyngis. And þerfore þes Nestorynes do no reuerence to seynt Thomas by-cause of þis prophecye; neiþer þei do no worschippe to þes .iij. kyngis; and

whan þei make preestis among hem, þei make hem swere þat in her masse þei schul acurse aƚƚ hem þat were at þe counseil & helpyng to do awey þe body of her kyng Iaspar. And þes Nestorynes be þe worste heretykes in þe world, and for her cursydnesse þei were wondirliche destroyed.

For on a tyme þere risen in þe same lond of þes Nestorynes sodeynlich a gret multitude of þe same peple aȝens her owne nacioun, þe which pepil clepyd hem-self Tartarynes; and þes Tartarynes made a smytℏ her capteyn and her cheef lord̛, and wiþ strong power þei destroyed aƚƚ þe londys and contreyes aboute and kilde aƚƚ þe pepil þat þei myȝt take, boþe man, womman & childe, with-oute any mercy. And whan þes Tartarynes had conquered þes Nestorynes and aƚƚ her londys, þan þes Nestorynes ȝede to preest Iohn̄ and preyde hym of helpe and ȝaf hym gret ȝiftes; and anoon þis Preestre Iohn̄ was in good wille to helpe hem. And on a nyȝt as Preestre Iohn̄ lay in hys bed & slepte, þe .iij. kyngys apperid̛ to hym and chargyd hym þat he schulde in no manere helpe ne counfort þes Nestorynes, for it was goddis wille þat þei schulde vtterlich be destroyed for her malice and her wikkydnesse. And whan preest Iohn̄ was awaked out of hys slepe, þan he tolde þis visioun to hys lordys þat were next aboute hym and of hys counseiƚƚ. And bycause þat þes Nestorynes had ȝeue to þes lordes þat were aboute Prestre Iohn̄ gret and ryche ȝiftys to be helpyng to hem, þei counseyled Preester Iohn̄ þat he schulde take no kepe of swych visiouns but þat he schulde holde hys first wille and his first purpos and help þes Nestorynes. And þan Preestre Iohn̄ assentyd to her counseyƚƚ and sent hys eldest sone, þe which was clepyd Dauid, with gret multitude of pepil aȝens þe

Tartarynes an in helpynge of þes Nestorynes. And whan þes .ij. peples mette to-gyder, þe Tartarynes hadde þe victorye and killed Preester Iohn̄ sone and aƚƚ hys men, in so moche þat þer scaped not one, and also þei destroyed many Castels & Tounes þat were longynge to preester Iohn̄. And whan Preestre Iohn̄ herd telle here-of, he was sory þat he had do aȝens þe comaundement of þe .iij. kyngis: and þan he cryed to god of mercy & of helpe, and also to þe .iij. kyngis. And anoon þes .iij. kyngis apperid to þe Emperour of Tartaryn as he lay in hys bedde, and charged hym to seese and do nomore harm to Preester Iohn̄ and make a final pees with hym for euermore; but þe londys & þe Castelles þat he hadde wonne, he schulde kepe hem stille, bi-cause of hys inobedience. And anoon whan þe Emperour awoke, he was agast of þis visioun, and anoon sent̘ Messangers to Preester Iohn̄ and made a fynal pees with hym for euermore,In so moche þat þe eldest sone of þat o lord̛ schulde wedde þe douȝter of þat oþer lord euermore after. And whan þe Emperour of Tartaryn was enfourmed of þes .iij. kyngis, þan he louyd and worschipped euer aftir þes .iij. worþi kyngis and ordeyned þat hys sones schulde bere þe names of þes .iij. kyngis euermore after. And þus þes wikkyd heretykes, þes Nestorynes, were destroyed and put out̘ of her londes, and dwelle aboute in dyuers contreys aboute vndir Tribute.--