Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ...

[Our Lord's Life after he had risen.]

¶ þat king, quen he was risen to lijf, Sceud him til his disciplis rijf, Line 18662 Come and yode to þaim vmstunt, And ete and dranc als he was wont; Wit þam he lenged four[ti] dais, And sermon[d] (als þe stori sais) Of heuen blis þat es sa hei, Line 18667 And quen his will was for to stei, To gader all his to-gedir he badd; And quen þai war all samen stadd,

Iesus him kidd til þaim all neu, Line 18671 To frest if þai in trouth war tru, þair mistruing for to misprais, And vte o wan-hope for to rais. For son þar was o þat gedring, Line 18675 þat troud noght wel his up-rising; Bot þair mistrouth, þe soth to sai, Es strenghing of vr trouth to dai; Gret sikernes til us it was, Line 18679 þe mistruing o sant thomas, For he wald trau on nankin wise þat lauerd iesus suld sua vp-rise; Of his up-ras he was in were Line 18683 And said, "for thing þat i mai here Mai i trou he up-risen es, Til i mai se and fele his flexs, þe thirles bath o hand and fete, Line 18687 And of his side þe wond wete; Quen [I] ha graped þir wit hand, þe soth þan most i vnderstand." Bot iesus þat sli brest wald bete, Thomas lufsumli he lete Line 18692 To put his hand in at his side, Al for to grape his wond wide, And said, "thomas þou fele and se [folio 105b:2] Quer i me-self or noght it be, Line 18696 And mistru noght þat es to tru, Bot stand in stedfast trouth fra nu." Quen thomas þat to crist was cuth, Herd þis talkin o iesu muth, Line 18700 "þou ert," he said, "nu lauerd min And þou art als mi dere drightin." "For þou," coth he, "þe soth has sene, Nu þou it wate wit-vten wene Line 18704 Bot þa men sal be benedight Sal trou in me wit-vten sight."

¶ Fra þan wald dright wit open dede Conferme his trouth till all lede; He badd þan his disciplis preche Oueral þis werld his trouth to teche, . . . . . [no gap in Cotton MS.;] . . . . . [a leaf wanting in Laud MS.] And all þat wald tru fra þat time, And siþen wald receiue baptime, þat þai suld baptist be in hast, Line 18715 In fader and sun and haligast. And þai þat baptim wald noght take, O dome þai sal be don to wrake. þe truand and þe baptist bath Line 18719 þai sal be saue fra waful wath. þar has he sothfast sample left, þat nede-wais most be born eft, First in flexs and siþen in crist, Line 18723 O moder wambe and þan baptist; Fader and moder us gat and bar, Bot crist us neu has geten þar, Vs geten in hali gast has he, For-þi sothfast his suns er we. Line 18728 Ful wa þan mai him be for aun, þat will noght suilk a fader knaun! For þis es he ful wel we wate, þat neuer o þat appel bate Line 18732 Thoru him we mai, wit-vten lett, Ask ur heritage wit dett, For left he noght þar-of a smitt Of all þe lagh þat he ne held it, Line 18736 þat neuer was halden þar bi-forn, þat he for us com to be born. Of erth it come þe first man þat al ur baret us bi-gan; Line 18740 þe toþer us come fra heuen ture, þat broght us saghtnes and succure.

þe for-mast man was flexsli wroght, [folio 106a:1] þat al þe werld in bale has broght; He was pute vte of paradis, Line 18745 And al þat oxspring þat was his; Bot iesus vr fader has mad al plain, Gate til vr heritage a-gain, Line 18748 þat lighted in erth fra heuen hei, And fra þe lau vs dos up stei. Til his disciplis badd þat heind Line 18751 Fra iursalem þai suld noght weind, Bot bide his fader hight right þar, þat thoru his muth he said þam ar, He said, "be baptist o sant iohan Was noght don bot in water allan, Bot i sai you yee sal in hast Line 18757 Be baptist in þe haligast."