Three Estates of the Realm: the nobility, the clergy, and the commonalty.
N.B.--The sovereign is not one of the three estates.
Three Fatal Disclosures (The) of the island of Britain: (1) That of the buried head of Vran “The Blessed,” by King Arthur, because he refused to hold the sovereignty of the land except by his own strength; (2) that of the bones of Vortimer by Vortigern, out of love for Ronwen (Rowena), daughter of Hengist, the Saxon; (3) that of the dragons in Snowdon by Vortigern, in revenge of the Cymryan displeasure against him; having this done, he invited over the Saxons in his defence. (See Three Closures.)--Welsh Triads, liii.
Three-Fingered Jack, the nickname of a famous negro robber, who was the terror of Jamaica in 1780. He was at length hunted down and killed in 1781.
Three Golden-Tongued Knights (The) in the court of King Arthur; (1) Gwalchmai, called in French Gawain, son of Gwyar; (2) Drudwas, son of Tryffin; (3) Eliwlod, son of Madog ab Uthur. They never made a request which was not at once granted.--Welsh Triads.
Three Great Astronomers (The), of the island of Britain: (1) Grwydion, son of Don. From him the Milky Way is called “Caer Gwydion.” He called the constellation Cassiopeia “The Court of Don,” or Llys Don, after his father; and the Corona Borealis, he called “Caer Arianrod,” after his daughter. (2) Gwynn, son of Nudd. (3) Idris.--Welsh Triads, ii. 325.
Three Holy Tribes (The), of the island of Britain: (1) That of Bran or Vran, who introduced Christianity into Wales; (2) that of Cunedda Wledig; and (3) that of Brychan Brycheiniog.--Welsh Triads, xxxv.
Three Guardsmen, trio of French gentlemen, who enter the army of Louis XIII., assuming the pseudonyms of Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Their adventures are traced through three books of Dumas, Les Trois Mousquetaires, Vingt Ans Après and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne.
Three Kings’ Day, Twelfth Day or Epiphany, designed to commemorate the visit of the “three kings,” or “Wise Men of the East,” to the infant Jesus.
Three Kings of Cologne (The), the three “Wise Men” who followed the guiding star “from the East” to Jerusalem, and offered gifts to the babe Jesus. Their names were Jaspar or Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar; or Apellius, Ameĕrus, and Damascus; or Magalath, Galgalath, and Sarasin; or Ator, Sator and Peratŏras. Klopstock, in his Messiah, says the Wise Men were six in number, and gives their names as Hadad, Selĭma, Zimri, Mirja, Beled, and Sunith.