. The story of Marco Polo . aders are well acquaintedwith the story of the visit of the Three Kings,or Magi, to Bethlehem, when the Saviour was is an ancient Christian tradition that the threemen set out from Persia, and that their names wereMelchior, Balthazar, and Kaspar : these wise menof the East, as they were called, are supposed to havereturned to Persia after their visit to Palestine ; andMarco Polo tells this tale as it was told to him : OF THE GREAT COUNTRY OF PERSIA ; WITH SOMEACCOUNT OF THE THREE KINGS. Persia is a great country, which was in old times veryillustrious and
. The story of Marco Polo . aders are well acquaintedwith the story of the visit of the Three Kings,or Magi, to Bethlehem, when the Saviour was is an ancient Christian tradition that the threemen set out from Persia, and that their names wereMelchior, Balthazar, and Kaspar : these wise menof the East, as they were called, are supposed to havereturned to Persia after their visit to Palestine ; andMarco Polo tells this tale as it was told to him : OF THE GREAT COUNTRY OF PERSIA ; WITH SOMEACCOUNT OF THE THREE KINGS. Persia is a great country, which was in old times veryillustrious and powerful; but now the Tartars have wastedand destroyed it. 39 40 THE STORY OF MARCO POLO. [Ch. In Persia is the city of Saba, from which the Three Magiset out when they went to worship Jesus Christ; and inthis city they are buried, in three very large and beautifulmonuments side by side. And above them there is asquare building, carefully kept. The bodies are still entirewith the hair and beard remaining. Messer Marco Polo. THE CASTLE OF THE FIRE-WORSHIPPERS. asked a great many questions of the people of that city asto those Three Magi, but never one could he find thatknew aught of the matter except that these were ThreeKings who were buried there in days of old. However, ata place three days journey distant he heard of what I amgoing to tell you. He found a village there which goes bythe name of Cala Ataperistan, which is as much as to say, The Castle of the Fire-worshippers. And the name is IV.] THE THREE MAGI. 41 rightly applied, for the people there do worship fire, and Iwill tell you why. They relate that in old times Three Kings of that countrywent away to worship a Prophet that was born, and theycarried with them three manner of offerings, Gold, andFrankincense, and Myrrh ; in order to ascertain whetherthat prophet were God, or an earthly king, or a , say they, if He take the Gold, then He is an earthlyking; if He take the Incense, He is God; if he take the
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