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 iiij^tum.

Graciouslych whan Eȝechias reigned and was lorde & kyng of þe lond of Iewes, Ysaye þe prophete gloriouslich prophecied of oure lady seynt Marie & of her sone and seyde þus: Ecce virgo concipiet & pariet filium: / Loo, seiþ Isaye þe prophete, A mayde schal conceyue & bere a sone. In þe tyme of þis Ysaie kyng Eȝechias was syk to þe deþe; and Ysaye in þe name of god seyde to Eȝechias þat he schulde dye. Wherfore Eȝechias turned hym to a waƚƚ, as holy writ seiþe, and not for drede of dethe onlich, but for he hadde no eyre and þe byheste of Abraham and of kyng Dauid and also þe prophecie of Balaam and of Ysaie schulde fayle in hym. Wherfore oure lord Ihesu Crist had mercy of hym and encresyd his lyfe lenger by .xv. ȝeer. And þan Eȝechias asked a tokene of god here-of: þe which tokene was þis þat þe sunne schulde wiþ-drawe hym aȝens his kynde; and god suffrid þat it scholde so be. And þan þes Caldees seinge þis wondirfuƚƚ tokene in þe sunne and in heuene, þei wondrid gretlich þerof; and whan þei herde þat þis tokene of þe sunne was do for kyng Eȝechias, þan þei sent to hym many ȝiftis, and were in wille to come & to worschipe hym. But, for kyng Eȝechias of verrey Innocency of hert made a dissimulacioun and wolde nat knowleche þat þis signe was for hym, and also he wolde nat thank god þerof, but had a litil pryde in his hert þerof: wherfore god was sumdel wroþe aȝens hym; and þerfore he sent Eȝechias

þe kyng by his prophete Ysaie þat aƚƚ þe ȝiftis þat were sent to hym of þe Caldees by her messangers, scholde be bore in to Babiloyne--as it is write in þe bible. For, þouȝ Eȝechias were kyng of þe Iewes bore and þat wondirful tokene in þe sunne was schewed for hym, ȝit he was nat þat man þat schulde arise vp of Israel and be lord of aƚƚ folk, as Balaam prophecied. And ȝe schul vndirstonde þat þe Caldees and þe Grekes in þat tyme ȝaf hem moche to Astronomye, In so moche þat euery mayde in a mannes hows knewe þe course of þe sterres and of þe planetes; and ȝit alwey þei ȝyue hem biselich þerto, & specialich kynges and princes: for þei haue maistres of þat crafte, & þei ȝeue hem gret wages, to teche hem þat science of astronomye.

Notes

• MS. a