IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
3 I. THE THREE MAGI WENT TO WORSHIP CHRIST ,MARCO POLO
z z they say . • For the men of that village used to say that once long ago their three kings
L VA of that country went to worship a prophet' who was newly born, in the lands of
V z z the Jews, and these three carry with them three offerings, namely gold, incense, and myrrh, to learn if that prophet was God, or earthly king, or physician. For they z V say thus, to make distinction, if he takes the gold that he is an earthly king2 , and if he
V V takes the incense he is God, and if he takes the myrrh that he is a physician. And FB Z LT Z it carne to pass • indeed when those magi they were come to the place where the infant TA VB God was born, the youngest of these three kings went off all alone to the house FB where the child was to see the infant first, and then finds that he was like [14b] to LT himself, for Christ he seemed of his age and of his likeness. Then he comes forth z z outside much wondering at this. And afterwards goes in following him the second, who was of the middle age ; and just the same he seems to him, as to the other, z of his likeness and of his age, and again then likewise he comes forth outside all z astonished. Then goes there the third also, who was of greater age, and it happened FB just the same to him as to the other two before, and again he comes forth outside z in much thought. And when the three kings were all and three come together they Z FB each say the one to the other what they had seen and found, and they make very great wonder at it and said that they will go all and three at once.' Then they go off z z VB all together before the infant, and going in they find him . attended by the angels, of the likeness and of the age that he was, for he had only thirteen days. Then they z worship him and offer him the gifts, namely the gold and the incense and the myrrh. Z VA The infant took them, the offerings, all and three at once. • And about this story they VA tell many lies ; and among the other falsehoods they say that then next when they wished to leave the prophet, who was a little child of a few days, the infant gives them a closed VL z casket, commanding them not to open that casket.. And afterwards when they had received it LT the three kings set out to return to their country whence they were come, with that casket thus closed.
32 • ERE HE TELLS OF THREE MAGI WHO CAME TO WORSHIP GOD. And when
LT V they have now ridden some days journeys they remembered that casket &
z LT said that they wish to see and know what the aforesaid infant had given
V LT them. Then they take and open the casket saying, Let us see what is in this casket which z z LT the boy gave us, and find placed inside only a stone. When therefore they saw the stone they
1 LT: regem Elsewhere the texts vary a good deal between `kings' and `magi'.
2 TA: etternale LT: homo mortalis FA: mire FB: myrre, mire Z: medicus The reading of TA may be connected with that of VB: ho re eterno ho medicho
3 LT: Et eundo fuerunt de hiis ualde mirati et promiserunt sibi ad inuicem credentes que dicta sont
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