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

¶ Marc was gospellere wit won Line 21237 In baptim was sant petre sun, Sun and disciple was he lele To spell þe folk of israel; Line 21240 Efter his kind he was leuite, And crist gosspel did he writte, þe godspel in itali he wratte. Line 21243 Men sais þat of his thumb he smate, And þat was noght bot for to fle þat he ne preist suld ordeind be, Bot ner-þe-less for his liuelade, o biscop siþen he tok þe hade. Line 21248 þe word þat petre spelled gern, Marc, men sais, it wratte in dern; þe first þat kirk wroght in a bi, þat men clepis allexandri; Line 21252 þe pask-dai messe quen þat he sang, þen com þat heþen lede wit wrang þat cristen men to pine war prest, Abute his hals a cord þai fest, Line 21256 And tilward prison drogh his fell, þat flesche þar-of in pe[c]es fell, And siþen efter prisuning, Line 21259 His saul he yeld to heuen king. Lauerd self us til him bring, For of his blis es nan ending. Line 21262

¶ Four ar þai tald, þe wangelistes, þat draues þe wain þat es cristes,

O þaim i sal tell after mi maght, Line 21265 Quat þai bitaken, and quat þair draght, [folio 119b:2] Quat mai be yock, and quat quele mai be, Bridel quat es, and quat axeltre, Quilk man, quilk calf, quilk leon, quilk fuxul, I sal you tel, wit-vten bul. ¶ Four flummes i se in paradis, And wain-men wit four quelis wises; Matheu takens þe first quel, Line 21273 And marc þe toþer takens wel, And luce þe thrid wit resun right, þe furth john, þat foxul on flight; ¶ þe queles er draun diuerse wise, þe first it gas, þe toþer it hise, Line 21278 þe thrid quil es won to rine, And fleis þe furth wit-vten blin. þar es god axultreis tua, A nobul bridel es þar alsua, Line 21282 Bath wise and war es þat leder, And sothft it es þe yok to ber. ¶ Tuin axils er tuin laghs, i-wiss, þe bridel es wisdom for to wiss, þe carter self is iesus crist, Line 21287 His bodi es yock he has stablist. ¶ Grace, sco has hir giftes delt Til ilkan sere o þer formelt. Matheu writt was in hebru, þas oþer thre wrat in gru, Line 21292 þe stile o matheu, water it was, And win þe letter o lucas, And marc pagine, it was milk, And john honi suet als suilk. Line 21296 ¶ þe first o wax it has sauur, þe toþer o mir, þe thred o flur, þe foerth sauurs als aromat, Of all þe spices þat man wate. Line 21300

Line 21300 ¶ þe first he tils þe feild to fede, þe toiþer he saus efter þe sede, Line 21302 þe thrid it harus efter wit spede, þe ferth it watters ai in nede. ¶ Ilkan o þaim þair lar þai lere, Line 21305 And ringes to þe werld at here, Dinnes þe toþer, trumpes þe thrid, Singes þe firth wit sune vn-hid. Line 21308 ¶ þe first has bell, þe toþer timpan, þe thrid has harp, þe firth organ; þe first o þaim als lamp es bright, Quils þai giue to-gedir light, Line 21312 [folio 120a:1] þe toiþer als cerge, þe thrid als sterne, þe ferth als dai he þat es erne. Line 21314 þe first his greff of irin was, þe toiþer o þaim was wroght o bras, þe thrid o siluer, þe ferth o gold, For-þi all war þair warkes old. Line 21318 Matheu o man he has facium, Luce has of ox, marc o leon, Iohn has of ern, þe skil es sere, Line 21321 (Tatent quar-for and þou sal here.) Matheu has scap o mans state, For he o crist manhedes wratte; Luca of ox for þis resun, Line 21325 He spak mast of his passiun; Marc o leon beris mast tak[n]ing þat spells of his up-rising; Line 21328 Iohn has a foxul heiest o flight, Spak of his goddhed heiest of hight. þe stat of ilk ewangelist Bers in him-self vr lauerd crist, Line 21332 He es man and ox, leon, and ern, Mai na skilful man þis wern; Man quils he here liued in lijf, Line 21335 Ox quen he slain was for ur strijf,

Leon quen he ras al wit might, Line 21337 And ern til heuen takand his flight. And ilkman þat wrang wil fle, Wit rightwisnes þis four mai be, Man quils he manli him ledis, Line 21341 Ox to sla his flexsli dedis, Leon dantand harsk and herd, Fuxul wit thoght til heuenward. þir four for us ai prai to dright Line 21345 þat we mai folu þair lares right.