CHAPTER XIII.

OF THE GREAT COUNTRY OF PERSIA; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE

THREE KINGS.

Persia is a great country, which was in old times very illustrious and

powerful; but now the Tartars have wasted and destroyed it.

In Persia is the city of SABA, from which the Three Magi set out when

they went to worship Jesus Christ; and in this city they are buried,

in three very large and beautiful monuments, side by side. And above

them there is a square building, carefully kept. The bodies are still

entire, with the hair and beard remaining. One of these was called

Jaspar, the second Melchior, and the third Balthasar. Messer Marco Polo

asked a great many questions of the people of that city as to those

Three Magi, but never one could he find that knew aught of the matter,

except that these were three kings who were buried there in days of

old. However, at a place three days’ journey distant he heard of what I

am going to tell you. He found a village there which goes by the name

of CALA ATAPERISTAN,{1} which is as much as to say, “The Castle of the

Fire-worshippers.” And the name is rightly applied, for the people

there do worship fire, and I will tell you why.

They relate that in old times three kings of that country went away

to worship a Prophet that was born, and they carried with them three

manner of offerings, Gold, and Frankincense, and Myrrh; in order to

ascertain whether that Prophet were God, or an earthly King, or a

Physician. For, said they, if he take the Gold, then he is an earthly

King; if he take the Incense he is God; if he take the Myrrh he is a

Physician.

So it came to pass when they had come to the place where the Child

was born, the youngest of the Three Kings went in first, and found the

Child apparently just of his own age; so he went forth again marvelling

greatly. The middle one entered next, and like the first he found

the Child seemingly of his own age; so he also went forth again and

marvelled greatly. Lastly, the eldest went in, and as it had befallen

the other two, so it befell him. And he went forth very pensive. And

when the three had rejoined one another, each told what he had seen;

and then they all marvelled the more. So they agreed to go in all three

together, and on doing so they beheld the Child with the appearance of

its actual age, to wit, some thirteen days.{2} Then they adored, and

presented their Gold and Incense and Myrrh. And the Child took all the

three offerings, and then gave them a small closed box; whereupon the

Kings departed to return into their own land.

NOTE 1.—_Kala’ Atishparastán_, meaning as in the text. (_Marsden_.)

NOTE 2.—According to the Collectanea ascribed to Bede, Melchior was

a hoary old man; Balthazar in his prime, with a beard; Gaspar young

and beardless. (_Inchofer, Tres Magi Evangelici_, Romae, 1639.)