privyli clepe þese þree kingis, and lernede of hem þe tyme of þis sterre þat apperide to hem, and sente hem into Bedelem, and seide to hem, (but falseli):—Go ȝe, and axe bisili of þis child, þat is bore; and whanne ȝe hav foundun him, telle ȝe me aȝen, þat Y come and loute him. And whanne þei herden þe king þus speke, þei wenten out of Jerusaleem; and lo, þe sterre þat þei sawen in þe eest meevede bifore hem til þat place þat it stood, evene above where þe child Jesus was. And whanne þes kingis sawen þis sterre, þei hadden myche joie wiþal. And þei entriden in to þe hous, and foundun þe child, wiþ Marie his modir; and þei fel doun bifore þe child, and loutiden him, devouteli. And þei openeden þer tresouris, and offriden to him þree ȝiftis, gold and mirre and encense;— as þei weren tauȝte to trowe of Crist þat he was boþe king and preest, and shulde die for mankynde. And þei token answere in þer sleep, þat þei shulden not turne aȝen to Heroude; and so bi anoþer weie þei turneden aȝen to þer lond.
Bi þis gospel mai we lerne, how Crist coveitide honest poverte; for he was not bore in þe kingis citee, but in pore uplondish toun,—not in þe beste place of þe toun, but in a pore comune stable. And þes kyngis weren enfourmed bi tymes what alle þes þingis menten. And so we singen in þe chirche, þat þes þree ȝiftis of þe kingis weren ȝovun of ech of hem, and bi certeyn causis ordeyned of God. Bi þe gold þei miȝten bie þingis þat was nedeful for Crist, and bi þe mirre þei myȝten strengþe þe membris of Crist, and bi þe encence þei myȝten putte awey þe stynke of þe stable. And Crist ordeynede bi his lawe, þat he shulde not þus begge, but lyve in an honest poverte lik to þe state of innocence. And þat þe þre kingis camen so fer to bringe þes goodis unto Crist, bitokeneþ Cristis lordship þat he hadde wiþ his povert. But me þinkiþ þat þe witt is betere þat þe Chirche singiþ of þis; gold is Cristis regalie, in encence his presthode, and in myrre his sepulcre [ The writer no doubt refers to the following passage in the Se|quence used on the festival of the Epiphany (Sarum Missal):—
