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

[Of Paul and his Conversion.]

Lat we nu þe prechurs stand, For to spek of a warraiand; Saulus soght aiquar and thrett All þe cristen he wit mett. Line 19604 O prince o preistes, gatt he leue, And þar-on purchest he þar breue For to seke bath up and dun, If he moght find in ani tun Line 19608 Cristen man, he suld þam lede To iurselem to prisun bede. Als he went þus to sek and ask Line 19611 Tilward a tun þat hight damasck, þe fire of heuen þar has him stunt, And brathli kest vnto þe grund. Line 19614

Line 19614 Blinfeld he was als he sua lai, Line 19615 He herd a steuen þus til him sai, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] "Saule, saule, þou sai me nu Line 19619 Quarfor on me sua warris þou?" "And quat art þou, lauerd, sua vnsen?" "Bot i hatt iesus nazaren, Line 19622 þat þou warris al þat þou mai. Bot vnderstand þat i þe sai, It es to þe vte ouer might A-gain þe stranger for to fight." Line 19626 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Saulus þan quok, sa was he radd, For gloppning in his mod al madd. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] "Sai me, þan lauerd, quat i sal do, þi will wil i do redi, lo!" Line 19638 "Rise up and gang, the tun es nere Quat þou sal do þar sal þou lere." þe folk war ferd þat wit him ferd, Naman þai sagh quat sum þai herd, O saulus herd þai wel þe steuen, Bot noght o þat þat com fra heuen; Blind he ras vp als he moght, Line 19645 þat forwit þan was blind in thoght. His eien open bath had he [folio 110b:2] And þof a smitt moght he not se, Al blind his man to tun him ledd, And thre dais liued he þar vnfedd,

Noþer he ete þaa thre dais time, Ne he iwiss moght se a stime. Line 19652 Wit-in þaa thre night and thre dais Mikel he lered, als summen sais, O spelling þat he siþen spak, Line 19655 For o preching had he na mak.

¶ In tun o damask þat time was A cristen þat hight ananias, Line 19658 To quam vr lauerd said in sight, "Ga till a sted þat suagat hight, In þat hus," said he, "sal þou find Saul o thras þar ligand blind, Line 19662 Ligand laid his hefd dun Ai iþenli in orisun." Ananias him þan ansuard, Line 19665 "Lauerd," he said, "oft haf i herd O prisuning tell and o pine, þat he has don to saintes þine, And pouste has to do þam scham Til all þat calles on þi nam." Line 19670 "Do wai," he said, "it es noght sua, Bot þar i bidd þe gang, þou ga, þou ga til him, he es me lele, Line 19673 And o mi chesing he es wessele, For to knau mi nam and bere Bath befor king and kaiser. Line 19676 Baptisȝing þou sal him bede, Bot o þi lare has he na nede, His maister o lare i self sal be, And mikel sal he thole for me, Line 19680 He-self to thole part o þat pine, þat he did ar to saintes mine." ¶ Ananias soght son þat in, And forsaid saul fand þar-in, Line 19684 And quen he laid on him his hand, "Saule," he said, "he me has send,

Iesus þat him kidd to þe, Line 19687 Bi wai to do þe for to se, Wit-in and vte to haf þi sight, And haf þe haligast might." Skales fell fra his eien a-wai, Line 19691 And had his sight forth fra þat dai, And quen he had his baptim tan, [folio 111a:1] He ete and dranc and couerd onan. To cristen, als i yow tell, Line 19695 In synagog bigan to spell, And þus son þan wex he cuth Line 19697 Wit godds word all of his muth. All þat him herd him wonder[d] on, Ilkan þan said, "ne es noght yon He þat we sagh þis endir dai Line 19701 Gains iesu nam so fast warrai? And þar com he to þis tun, At fott þe cristen to prisun?" Line 19704 Saulus him couerd in a stund, þe Iuus fast can he confund, And badd þam all to lete and list, þar was na godd bot iesu crist. Line 19708 Sua fast þe Iuus he wit-stod, þat sar he menged þam in mod, Quar-for it was þai tok þair red Line 19711 Dernli him to do to ded. þair redes þar-for can þai run, Wit þe kepers o þat tun, Night and dai to wait þe time Line 19715 Quen þai moght cum to murther him. þe mer þan did þe tun be keped, Bot paule it wist þat he was thrett, And in a lep men lete him dun Line 19719 Vte ouer þe walles o þe tun, Wit-vten ani wond or weme. He went him þan to ierusalem, Line 19722

Line 19722 To þe apostels he him bedd; Line 19723 Bot þai sumdel war for him dredd, And wend noght yeit, in þat siquar, þat sikerli he cristen war. Bot barnabas tiþand þam tald, Line 19727 And mad þam of his bunte bald, Tald hu crist wit him can mete, And til him spack walkand bi strete, And hu he ne blenked for na blam Damask to spell vr lauerd nam. Apostel was he siþen an, Line 19733 þat mak in spelling had he nan, And fra þat time men cald him ai Conuers paule in godds lai. Paulus þan welk forth her and þar, And spelled fast wit-vten spar Line 19738 Bath to heþen folk and Iuus, [folio 111a:2] And fast disputed wit þe gruus. Als Iuu ne fand he nan sa thra, For oft þai soght him for to sla. Line 19742 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

To petre turn we nu again, Line 19747 For to mak vr stori plain.