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60

gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh to Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ
when he was resting in the crib after his blessed
birth, being God and the Son of God. The kings knew
this by the great wisdom and understanding of astronomy,
in which they were gifted and established. In this region
of Arabia incense and myrrh grow, and there are many
and diverse peoples there. In Egypt there is also
a region that is called Assyria. And the region of
Phoenicia is there, which gets its name from a bird
called the phoenix. In all the world there is only one
living phoenix at a time. And when it dies,
immediately another is reborn from it. It is
large and very beautiful in its bearing and figure.
It has a crest on its head like that of a peacock.
Its stomach and throat are luminous and have the
color of fine gold. All along its back it is
as red as a fresh rose. Towards its tail
its feathers tend toward a blue like a clear, pure sky.
When it is very old and aged, it retires in a beautiful,
high, and marvelous place where it will renew itself.

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Marie Richards

original ms. Folio 55r
Walters ms. Folio 60r
BL Royal MS 19 A IX fols 62r-v
Caxton, ed. Prior, pp 82-83
Gossuin, ed. Prior, 121