An answer to a certain book, writtenAn answere to a certeine booke, written

First, because the Evangelist calleth them by no such names,¹ which yet he would not have omitted, if the truth had been according to your tradition, considering ⟨p. 380⟩how this would have made for the honour of Christ, that so soon as he was borne, kings should have sought him far, and done unto him homage and worship. And when you maintain your opinion by this argument, for that it is honourable to the person of our saviour Christ that so we should think of them, you charge therein the holy Evangelist for omitting somewhat, that might have greatly advanced the honour of Christ, if he had truly and fully reported the same. Secondly, it is not credible, that Herods would have admitted into his kingdom and chief City three Kings with their troupes, especially there being enmity betwixt him and the kings of Persia: neither could they have so secretly come to our saviour Christ, and escaped out of the country again, but that being kings, and therefore no doubt accompanied in some princely sort, they must needs have been descried. Thirdly if they had been, as you imagine, kings, yea and Monarchs, as great as the king of France and Spain, or the great Sophie of Persia, which you suppose might be, then would they not have left our saviour Christ and his Mother in ⟨p. 381⟩that poor estate, that she was able to offer no more, but a pair of doves, according to the oblation of the poorest amongst the people. If you can remove the ground of these reasons, I will confess your opinion hath in it more probability then I thought, although to believe it, as you do, for a certain truth, I cannot, because thereof I know no sure reason can be alleged. The fathers I grant some of them speak of these wise men as of kings, taking that word in a larger sense, for great and honourable personages, such as may be thought that they were: but the ground of their opinion is a place of scripture misunderstood, in the 72. Psalm, concerning the kings of Tarshish, Arabia, and Sheba, that should bring gifts, which cannot be applied to these, for so much as those countries are not Eastward from Judea, and the scripture plainly saith, that these wise men came out of the East. Therefore whatsoever any father hath written to this purpose, is lightly to be regarded, having no better ground then a manifest wresting of scripture and turning South into East.