appeared a wonderful star above this city
and the Kings knew that their time was nigh when they should pass out of
this world. Then of one assent they ordained a fair and large tomb for
their burial in the church they had made in the city; and in the feast
of Christmas they did, solemnly, God's service.

And in the feast of the Circumcision, Melchior, King of Araby, laid him
down before all his people and without any disease yielded up his
spirit, in the year of his age one hundred and sixteen. Then in the
feast of Epiphany, five days thereafter, Balthazar, King of Godolie and
Saba, died in the year of his age one hundred and twelve. And then
Jaspar the third king, the sixth day after was taken into everlasting
joy, and they were all buried in the same tomb that they had ordained;
and the Star that appeared over the city before their death, abode
always till their bodies were translated unto Cologne, as they of Ind
tell.

Now after much time had passed, Queen Helen, the mother of the glorious
Emperor Constantine, began to think greatly of the bodies of these
three Kings, and she arrayed her with certain people and went into the
land of Ind. And she had much praise among the people because of the
finding of Mary's smock and the cloths that Christ was wound in in his
childhood; and seeing that she was worshipped of all people, the
Patriarch Thomas and Prester John, took counsel of other lords and
princes and gave her the bodies of King Melchior and King Balthazar. But
the Nestorines had borne the body of the third king, King Jaspar, into
the isle of Egrisoulla. And these Nestorines were the worst heretics of
the world. For the most part they were black Ethiops, who painted Christ
and His Mother Mary and the three Kings in their churches all in black,
and the Devil all white, in despite of all other Christian men. But
because Queen Helen wished not that the three Kings should be parted,
she made many prayers and gave great gifts to the chief lords of the
isle of Egrisoulla, and thus anon did she get the body of King Jaspar.

And you shall understand that after she had found the bodies of all
these three Kings, Queen Helen put them into one chest and arrayed it
with great riches, and she brought them unto Constantinople with joy and
reverence, and laid them in a church that is called St. Sophia; and this
church King Constantine did make--and he alone, with a little child,
set up all the pillars of marble.

Now after th