Described Hardwick & Luard: ii.166. MS now separately foliated in two parts as Ee.4.32(1) and Ee.4.32(2).

[1]

Part 1, f. 1

Sith of thes worshippeful kynges all þre from þe arysyng of þe sonne to his downe goyng is ful of preysyng and meritis þerfore as þe reysynge of þe sonne clereth his bemys so þis worlde schyneth in tretys of þe thre kynges …

f. 23v

… the wich iij holy kynges nowe reigne in þe hiʒe blisse of heuene to þe wich blisse he brynge us þat in heuene aboue all kyng and seyntys sitteþ and reigneþ crist iesu amen

‘Explicit historia et vita iij regum indie viz melchior balthazar et jaspar’ (f. 23v). The Three Kings of Cologne. Middle English translation (standard prose version) of Historia Trium Regum attributed to John of Hildesheim (d. 1375). IPMEP 290; Wells Rev. 2:630 [277]. Ed. from this MS by Horstmann, Kings.

Other texts: Schaer p. 26 fn 38 lists 21 MSS and 4 early prints of the standard prose version; Olim Astor A2, sold at Sotheby's on 21 June 1988, is now in the collection of Toshiyuki Takamiya in Tokyo s.n. For copies of this version already indexed see IMEP 4 indexing BodL Douce 301 [1]; IMEP 9 indexing BodL Ashmole 59 [6]; IMEP 11 indexing Camb. Trinity Col R.5.43 [1]; IMEP 12 indexing BodL Eng. th.c.58 [3]; IMEP 13 indexing Lambeth 72 [142]; IMEP 16 indexing BodL Laud misc. 658 [3] and 749 [1]. See also Kk.1.3 [4]. The second prose version is extant in 2 MSS already indexed: see IMEP 1 indexing HM 114 [2], and IMEP 13 indexing Lambeth 491 [142].

[2]

Part 2, f. 1

In the noble land of surrie there was a noble kyng and myghty and a man of grete renoun that men callid dyoclisian þat weel and worthely hym gouuernyd and rewlyd þorough his noble chiualrie so that he conquered all the landys aboute hym that al most alle the kyngis of the world …

f. 184v

… and in the fyrst yere of kyng herryes regne he held hys crestmas in the castel off wydesor and ouer the xij evyn come the duke of almayn unto þe …