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

[The Descent of the Holy Spirit.]

¶ Ten dais fra þe ascension, þe apostels lai all in orisun. Als þai sua all to-geder lai Line 18913 Apon þat hali wijt sundai, At vndrin tide þar come a sune Vte o þe air al bristand dune, Als it war a thoner blast, Line 18917 Brathli on þat hus it brast, Wit a wind þar come wit-all And, þai sittand, fild al þat hall. þe haligast þar lighted þan Line 18921 Bath on womman and on man, Vn-to þair hefdes all bi-dene Was firen tunges sittand sene, A firen tung on ilkan light, Line 18925 Bot noght þai brint, þof þai mad bright. And qui þai come in firen sight? [folio 107a:1] Bot for to giue þam strengh and might, For we wat, wit-vten gile, Line 18929 þe fire es god to strengh þe tile; Tung bitakens all langage þat þai suld haf of ful knaulage, To stand ai stitli for þe fai, Line 18933 And thrali preche al crist lai. Of haligast fild war þai þan, And for to tell þai all bigan þe miracles gret o iesu crist, Line 18937 For wel þai all langage wist. Als gaf to þaim þe haligast Alkin wiit to tuche and tast, Line 18940 Was na langage man for to muth, þat þai ne all kindli it cuth. ¶ In þat siquar was in þat tun Men of alkin religioun, Line 18944

Line 18944 Of al maner of nacioun Man redis of in ani tun, Line 18946 þat to þat come þat siquar, Of ilk lede, fra here and þar. Quen þai had herd þat mikel blast, Quarfor þai war dred and agast, Line 18950 For þat ferli þan war þai fus, þai runnen til þe apostel hus, And carpand o þat grisli crak; þair aun langage ilkan þai spak, Line 18954 Of alkin thing þat þai cuth frain, Redi þai gaf ansuer again, þat ilk tung quar-sum þai war, Til ilk lede þai gaf ansuar; Line 18958 It was na wisdom man to knau þat þai ne cuth redi resun scau. All wondred þat þam herd and sei, Said þai, "er not þir o galilei Line 18962 Born þat es þair kind contre? Hu," coth þai þan, "mai it be, þat vr langage spek þai þus? Gret selcuth hir-of thinc us." Line 18966 Oþer-sum þan badd þam do wai, "Drunken," þai said, "o must ar þai." ¶ Vp stode petre þan in þat thrang, And said, "god men, yee haf þe wrang, þir er not drunken als yee sai, Line 18971 It es not bot vndrin o þe dai, þai ne er noght þat time wont at ete [folio 107a:2] Ne not to drinc be-for þair mete; Bot i sal tell it yow wel better, Line 18975 If yee can rede your aun letter. þar was a prophet treu and lele In form dais, þat hight iohel, 'I sal send in þe last dais O mi spirit,' þus he sais, Line 18980

Line 18980 'Bath on man and womman eke O propheci þan sal þai speke, Line 18982 Yur suns and yur doghteres fre, And yur yongmen sightes se. Yur eldrin men sal dremes dreme, And o mi gast þai sal ha streme Line 18986 To suain and womman gife alsua, At cum wit propheci to spa; In heuen on hei þan sal i scau, And signes dun in erth lau.' " Line 18990 He tald þam mani takens sere, þat es na nede all recken here. ¶ "Mi breþer," he said, "ful wel mai i O þe prophet yow tell daui, Line 18994 He wist þat godd til him had suorn þat an suld of his sede be born To sitte in sertles [[So in MS.]] þat was his; Bot he þat sagh on-ferrum þis Of his up-ris he said, 'in hell, Line 18999 Ne suld noght crist be left to duell, Ne neuer o rote his flexs ha sight, Bot raised he es wit strengh o dright.' Fra ded to lijf nu risen es he, Line 19003 And þar-of wittnes all ar wee, Raisd sua wit godds might, And siker of his fader hight. Of haligast þe giftes sere, Line 19007 Gin us he has als yee se here, Til heuen he stei, þat was wel sene; And i sai to yow folk biden, þis iesus es vr lauerd dright, Line 19011 Yee did on rode wit-vten right." ¶ þir wordes herd, þair here gun turn, And als for þair misdedes morun, To petre and þaapostels to Line 19015 þai said, "godmen, quat sal we do?"

"Bot dos penance and baptiz yow All in þe nam of ur iesu, Line 19018 Yow sal for-giuen be yur sake, [folio 107b:1] þe gifte of þe holigast to take; For-qui to yow and to yur sede, þe barns þat of yow sal brede, þe mede es hight of al and al, Line 19023 All þaa þat crist will til him call, Bot for your bote i you for-bede To lete oght at þis wicked lede." Petre paind him ful gern In crist lai þat folk to lern; Line 19028 And þai þat tok his word til hert, þair sauls turnd it to quert; For þar was þat ilk dai in lijf Thre hundret baptist man and wijf, þat desseli bath late and are Line 19033 War tentand to þe apostels lare, And o þair brede ete wit þaim þare þat þai had noght tan elles-quare. þai þat had hus or ani aght Line 19037 þai sald þam and þe pris laght, Be-for þe apostels fete it broght, þar-of to do quat þaim god thoght. Arli þe apostels ilk dai Went to þe temple for to prai, Line 19042 At þair gain come mete þai gaue, Ilkan þat þai sagh mister haue.

¶ Petre and iohn a dai at none Went to þe kirc to mak þair bone, Be-side þe wai þar sagh þai lij, Line 19047 A man was criplid in þe parlesi, And had ben mast all his fordais, Als þe stori telles and sais; Ilk dai man him þider bar Line 19051 For to bide his almus þar.

Petre and iohn þai bi him yode, Line 19053 And he þam badd giue him sum gode, And petre and iohn ansuard him þan "Bihald on us," þai said, "þou man." Qua sai, behald on hus and se, Line 19057 And vnderstand ur priuete, Als sua sai þou sal se ur wan For giftes ha we to þe nan. He þam be-heild, bot wel wend he þai suld him giue sum charite. Line 19062 Petre said til him onan, "Gold ne siluer ha we nan." For-qui it was noght petres aght, [folio 107b:2] þat oþer men had sua bi-taght Line 19066 Him for to kepe vnto þair nede, And for þair pouer men at fede, þat for þat thing þair godes sald Bifor þe apostels fete vp-yald. Line 19070 "þat i mai giue," he said, "i sale, I wat þou nede has to be hale, In iesu nazarens nam, Line 19073 Rise up," he said, "and ga þou ham." His hand he raght and up he ras, And to þe temple spede his spas, þat forwit ne moght stride a stepe, Louand vr lauerd þan he lepe; Line 19078 þe propheci was þan fild sua þat said þat halt suld scep as ra. þe folk quen þai þis man had sene, þai wondre[d] on him al bidene, Line 19082 þaa þat forwit had knaun him, For wonder sum þai fell in suim.

¶ Petre þan bigan to mele, Line 19085 "Yee folk," he said, "of israel, Qui wondir yee sua wit-vten right Als þis war dun wit vr might? Line 19088

Line 19088 Bot mighti godd wit-vten mak, Of abraham and of ysaac, Line 19090 And of vr eldres þat has ben aa, His sun þan has he blisced sua; Yee suak and nitt be-for pilate, And demed als yee-seluen wate; þe oncall of his hali nam, Line 19095 Has lent us hele nu to þis lame Wit þe trouth þat fell þar-to, For it mai selcut mikel do. Bot mi breþer, I vnderstand þat yee it did yur vnwitand, Line 19100 Repentes yow, and bes onknaun To saue your saul ilkan his aun, Again þe gret commun assis Quar all sal cum bifor iustis. Line 19104 Yur sin witstand, þat yee mai rise Wit þat parti þat es rightwise, Quen clene for-giuenes sal o plight, þan be for-soth quen, thoru þe might O rising o þe last dai, Line 19109 þe lastand ded sal worth a-wai; Be his fader sitt he sal, [folio 108a:1] Til he restord haf us all, þat he spak first wit prophetis Ai to þe time þat all sal ris." Line 19114

¶ þe apostels spekand þus and mar, þe preistes come in þat siquar, þe temple maisters wit þam bun, All þai war of on commun. At þair talking þam tenid sare, Line 19119 "Hu es þis," þai said, "þat yee dar Suilkin loueword of him sai, þat we did deme þis endir dai?" þa saduceis,—namli þat lede, Line 19123 For þe vprising ner wald wede,

For þai wald neuer yeit for-think þar suld be euer ani vprising,— Line 19126 þe apostels did þai bi taken son And sua þai war in prisun don, þar þai bad men suld þam yeme, For late it was þam þan to deme. Bot mani turnd þar and turuud, Line 19131 To baptim tak þam-seluen buud, þat quat o men and quat o wiue, þar was conuerted thusand fiue.

þe toþer dai þat folud neist, Line 19135 þai gedird vte bath prince and prist, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Cotton & Laud MSS.] And sett þam in þat curt emidd, And badd þam o þe dede þai did, þat þai suld tell, wit-vten hon, Line 19141 In was nam þat it was don. Bot petre, fild of haligast, Ansuar gaf he þam in hast; Line 19144 Bot first he sceud als wit dede, þat þair asking was bot soithede. "Es it," he said, "resun þat we Calanged for ur gode dede be? Line 19148 Vn-skilwisli þan can yee blam. For wijt yee wel, þat in þe nam O iesu þat yee did on rode, þat alwais yee mis-vnderstode, Line 19152 þat godd his fader raisd to lijf, (Als wat mani man and wijf) þat es mad als a quarner stan For to mak tuin folk an, Line 19156 And in him for to be fest,— þat ilk þat fra yur werc yee kest, In him es hele o mankind all; [folio 108a:2] Es nanoþer nam on to call, Line 19160

Line 19160 þat of hele mai gif man blis, Line 19161 Bot if man thrali thinc on þis." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 19166 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Cotton or Arundel MSS.]

þe maisters quen þai vnderstod Line 19173 Sua stedfastili þe apostels stod, þai badd þat þai þam suld wit-drau Quils þai samen spak a thrau. "Nu se yee noght," þai said, "þir men, Qua can us o þam consail ken? Line 19178 þe signes all sagh yee þai did? We mai not nite, sa es it kidd, Bot þar-for sal we thret þam herd, þat þai sal neuer for[t]her-ward Line 19182 þis nam to man or wommen neuen, Or dere on þam man sal it heuen." ¶ Bald war þai þan and biden þare, þat þai fra þan suld neuer mare Line 19186 O þe nam o iesu spell, Ne nankin tyþand þar-of tell. And þai þam ansuer gaf o-nan, Bath sant petre and sant iohan, Line 19190 "And queþer agh we þan for to bu To godd all weldand, or to yow? þat bidd yee þat he mast for-bedis, And sua yee sceu all yur sottdedis. þe lauerd þat bidd þe man wit-stand, Vnlau it es to tell in land Line 19196

Line 19196 þe thing þat we bath herd and sau. Hu mai we þan bot we it scau? Line 19198 If we ne did we war to wite For sothfastnes es noght at nite." þaa Iuus þat war ai sa curst Line 19201 Wald eft ha tan þam if þai durst, For folk durst þai noght hete a-pon; And þai went ham vnto syon. And quen þai to þeir breþer þare, Had tald hu þai handeld war, Line 19206 þai liftd þair hend all wit a steuen, And thancked drightin dere of heuen. And quen þai all had said þair bede, þan bigan to stir þat stede, Line 19210 And in þat erth-din þar scok, þe haligast eft-sith þai tok. Vte o þair hali hertes hord Spedli þai speld godds word. Line 19214