The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-01-20
The Three Magi.

Persia is great country, which was
in old times very illustrious and power.
full; but now the Tarears have wasted
and destroyed it. In Persia is the city
of Saba, from which the three Magi
Jesus Christ and in this city they are
buried side by side. And above them
there is square building, carefully
kept. The bodies are still entire, with
the hair aud beard remaining. MesseI
Marc Polo asked great many ques.
tions of the people of that city as to
these 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. How.
ever, at place three days journey dis.
tant he heard of,whst lam going to
tell you. He found a village there
which goes by the name of Gala Atap-
eristan, which is as much rs to say,
"The Castle of the Fire-worshipers.n ~
And the name is rightly applied, fol-
the people there do worship fire, and
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
offerings, God and Frankincense, and
Myrrh in order to ascertain whether
that prophet were God, or an earthly
king, or physician. For, say they, ii
be take the Gold, then he is an earthly
king; if he take the Incense he is God
if he take the Myrrh he is 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 ap-
parently just of his own age so he
went forth again, marveling greatly.
The middle one entered next, and like
the first he found the Child seemingly
of his own age; 81 he also went forth
again and marveled greatly. Lastly,
the eldest went in, and as it had
befallen the.other two, 80 it befell him.
And he went forth very pensive. And
when the three had rejoined one an
other, each told what he had seen and
then they all marveled the more. So
they agreed to 60 in all three together,
and on doing 80 they beheld the Child
with the appearance Of its actual age,
to wit, some thirteen days. Then
they adored, and presented their Gold,
and Incense, and Myrrb. And the
Child took all the three offerings, and
then gave them small closed box |;
whereupon the Kings departed to re-
turn into their own land.
And when they had ridden many
days, they said they would see what the
Child had given them. So they opened
the little box, and inside it they found
a stone. On seeing this they began to
wonder what this might be that the
Child had given them, and what was
the import thereof. Now the signifi-
cation was this: when they presented
their offerings, the Child had accepted
all three, and when they saw that, they
had said within themselves that He
was the True God, and the True King;
and the True Physician. And what
the gift of the stone inspired was that
this Faith which had begun in them
should abide firm as rock. For He
we'll knew what was in their thoughts.
Howbeit, they had no understanding at
all of this Specification of the gift of
the stone; so they cast it into well.
Then straightway fire from Heaven
descended into that we'll wherein the
stone had been cast.
And when the Three Kings beheld
this marvel they were sore amazed,
and it greatly repented.them that they
had cast away the stone for well they
then preceived that it had great and
holy meaning. So they took of that
fire, and carried it into their own coun-
try, and placed it in 81 rich and beauti-
full church. And there the people keep
it continually the sacrifices they offer
are kindled with that fire. And if ever
the fire becomes extinct they 60 to
other cities round about where the
same faith is held, and obtain of that
fire from them and carry it to the
church. And this is the reason why
the people of that country worship fire.
They will often 60 ten days journey
to get of that fire.
Such then was the story told by the
people of that Castle by Messrs, Marco
Polo; they declared to him for truth
that such was their history, and that
one of the Three Kings was of the
city called Saba, and the second of Ava,
and the third of that very Castle where
they still worship fire, with the people
of all the country rOund about