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

¶ [S]Peke we nou o þaa spellers bald, Sin we haf o þair leuedi tald. þe apostlis þat all wide war spred, þat til our lagh þe vnleuand led, And after þat we find in bok Line 20853 Quat ending ilkan o þam tok, O þam to scau noght bot asume For þis bok has na noþer rume, Line 20856 It es na spede our suinc to spend, On thing we may noght bring tilend.

¶ Petre was andrew broþer, Line 20859 þe tan was blisced and te toþer, He was born in bethaida O galilee, men clepis sua; Line 20862

Line 20862 Of hali kirc [[MS. kict]] he is grund-wal, In crist him-self þat ledis alle. Line 20864 Formast chosun for-þi als heued, Of all þaa feres was he leued, Of godd sun first confessur, Line 20867 Of al man-kind herd of pastur, Stan o kiir[c], of kingrik caiser, Luuer o lauerd, alsua niter, Line 20870 Nitand he fell, wepand he ras, And cround in passion he was. His nam es giuen til him o ded, And titel of his might o mede, Line 20874 He preched quils he was in liue Namli in þir landes fiue, Capadose, and galathi, In betani, and in asi, Line 20878 And in aland hight itali, þat na [[so in MS. Read nu]] man cleps lumbardi. And of signes, schort to rede, Apon þe skaldand see he yede, Line 20882 A ded he quickend wit his schade [folio 117b:2] Quils þat he him for-bi glad. To þe cripels he gaf þam fote, To parlesi þan gaf he bote; Bath ananias and his wife, Line 20887 For suike he dampaid tam o life, þat all suld tak þaim sample bi For to naman do tricheri. Symonmagus, þat jugelur,— Line 20891 þat ledd þe folk wit grett errur, þat in him-self he was so proud He wend to fli out ouer þe cloud, Bot thoru saint petre orisun Sorfulli þan fel he doun,— Line 20896 . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Quen he of antioche had fund Line 20901 þe kirk, and graytli set on grund, Ogain þis ilk smorn [[so in MS.]] he yede. Line 20903 To rome at turn misleuand lede, O trout spelland wit-outen spar, Fiue wynter was he bischop þar; Sex and thritti winter euen Line 20907 Fra ihesu crist was stei til heuen. In rome throu an þat hight neron Was imperour of þe town, Line 20910 For þe luf of his sermon, Vphang his fette, his hed don, Naild on þe rod he was, Als for be he-self it chas. Line 20914 "His maister," he said to þam o rome, "And he aght noght haf al a dome, For he was noght worþi þer-till;" þar-for þai dempt him at is will. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Birid his bod was þat tide Line 20921 Vt-wit þe toun apon þe est side. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

¶ [P]Aul, þat saul had first to name To-quils he wroght þe cristen scam, First þe juus auocate, And siþen he com to apostil state, Cald of ihesu crist fra heuen, Line 20929 þar he forcasten herd his steuen. Wit sight he fell, bot blind he ras, Of chesing fetil wroght he was, To þaim he first was verreur, Line 20933 And after-ward be-com prechur,

Schep o wolf, and mek of fell, Line 20935 In chesing last, formast in spelle. His kitth was þars þat he bred in, [folio 118a:1] Cummen of þe kind of beniamin, þe toþer yeir of þe assencion, Line 20939 Tok he baptim, and gun sermon. Fra he had tan þe apostlis hade, Was nan sua mikel trauael mad, Godds word to spell and spred Line 20943 O-mang all mis-leuand lede. Ful mani folk to trout he wan, At iherusalem son he bigan, Thoru illirik, and lumbardi, Line 20947 Right to he com til hispani; Of his miracls sal we neuen, Vp-reft he was to thrid heuen. A dai and of a night to stound Line 20951 He was stad atte see ground; A gast o gile o way he draf þat in a maiden bodi claue; Line 20954 A child þat thoru a fal was slain, He gaf him hel and liif o-gain; A jugelur wit blindnes he smat, To halt o ganging gaf he stat; þe nedder o venum sa strang, Line 20959 Noght he skurnd wit hir stang, Bot on his hand þer scho was fest, He schok and in þe fir hir kest; Man þat in feuer was vnfer Line 20963 He held þam wit his praier. Ful mani war þas ilk torfere, þat he gun drei for drightin dere Apon his aun flexs and blod; Line 20967 First o þe iuus þat at [[so in MS. Read ai]] war wod, þat on him sterrand ai wit wa, And o þe haiþen folk alsua. Line 20970

Line 20970 Mani wreched-hed i tald, Trauail in hunger, threst, inald, [[read in cald]] Scipbreging he suffurd thrise, Line 20973 And ans was he beft, and wenis, [[The first letter is rather indistinct.]] A hundret wayes atte leist, Bath mang men and riuand beist. In preson oft he lay in wath, Line 20977 In mirknes and in bandes bath, To-quils þe juus him held in band And taght him haiþen men in hand. He was sua stanid on sum dai, Line 20981 Vneths he bar lif a-way, In lepe ouer walles was laten down, [folio 118a:2] Hard in prese and in prisown; Line 20984 Thoru a nerth-din þat þer was þar-wit was he laten passe. Siþen at rome vnder neron, Line 20987 þat jmperowr was o þe tun, For þat he preched goddes word Hefdid he was wit dint o suord. þat ilk [day], þat ilk yere, Line 20991 þat petre martird was, his fer; And on þe west half o þat cite Birid o cristen men was he. Line 20994