of Heroude, for þe tyme þat Crist was bore; for þanne regalie of þe Jewis was taken aweie, and ȝovun to Heroude.) And þes þre kingis weren wise men, and lyveden in worship after þer astat, and tauȝten her peple Goddis lawe and resoun, as þei hadden be þree men of hevene. And fro þe tyme of Balam, þat was profete of Moab, þer weren kingis in þat contre to aspie his prophecie. For he seide þat a sterre shulde springe of þe kynde of Jacob, and Gentil folk shulde loute þat child þat shulde be bore in tyme of þis sterre. And so, whanne þis sterre apperide on Cristemasse niȝt, or bifore, þes þree kingis ordeyneden hem to come and worshipe þis child. And so þei camen upon dromedis wiþinne þe þrittenþe daie; for her weie was ordeyned redi, wiþouten letting, how þei shulden come. And, for þei wisten þat þe Child was greet, þei camen to Jeru|salem, þat was þe heed citee of þe contre, and hopiden þat Crist was bore þere. And þere þei [So E; not italicized in A.] axiden opinli, Where is he þat is bore Kyng of Jewes, as Balaim tolde in his prophecie, for we sawen þe sterre of him in þe eest, þat haþ led us, and we ben comen wiþ ȝiftes to loute him, as we shulden. And whanne Heroude herde þes wordis, he was disturblid, bi many causis, and al þe citee of Jerusalem was disturblid wiþ him. He þouȝte þat so grete men wolden not come so fer þidir, but ȝif þei hadden wist bi certeyn tokenes þat a kyng of Jewes were bore; and þis kyng shulde reve him þe kyngdome þat he hadde. Men seien þat þis sterre was sich þat it was bineþe þe moone in þe overmeste [overmoste, E.] part of þe eir, and movede as God wolde þat it movede. And so þes þree kingis weren meved bi liȝt and leding of þis sterre; and so þei myȝten in litil tyme come to Jerusaleem.
And Heroude gedride alle princis of preestis þat weren in Jerusalem, and alle þe scribis of þe peple, to wite where Crist shulde be bore. And þei seiden to him, þat he shulde be bore, In Beedleem of Judee; for so was it writun bi þe prophete, þat seide þus, of þis toun:—And þou, Bedeleem, in þe lond of Juda, art not lest among þe princis of Juda; for of þee shal come out a duk þat shal reule my folk of Israel. Þanne Heroude made
