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

[O] þe rode nu for to rede [De inuen|cione crucis] crist self us do to spede! þat þaron sufferd sorful pine Line 21349 To lese us fra vr wiþerwine; We agh to buxumli [it] ber, For it o bonte es ur baner; Line 21352 Bath on bodi and in hert, Gains al ur care it es ur quert. Quen ihesus þar-of was undun þe Iuus hid it efter son, Line 21356 þat cristen war abute to blind For lath war þaim þai suld it find. þai wist þe cristen wald it kepe, [folio 120a:2] þar-for þai did to delue it depe Line 21360 Vnder erth, and oþer tua Quar-on thefes hang; for sua þe right rode þai wend to dil Vte of þe cristen men skil, Line 21364 þat if wit chance man on þaim hit, Quilk þai suld haf þai suld noght wijt. Bot crist þat na kind to es like, Wild noght let his dere relicke Line 21368

Line 21368 Sua notful thing sa lang bi hid, At end he wald þat it war kyd. Line 21370 Quen it had ben tua hundret yere Al vnder mold, þat druri dere, To bute o bath ur saul and lijf, He did be funden thoru a wijf, Line 21374 A dughti wijf þat hight eline, Was moder o king constantine. Sco fand it, qua so wil wijt hu? Herc, and i sal tel yow, Line 21378

¶ Als i in a stori fand. Quen constantin was liuand, O rome þan was he jmperur, Gain hethin folk was stijf in stur. Bitid a time, þat hethin lede Line 21383 Come him batail for to bede, Sua mikel folk þai wit þam ledd, þat constantin was for þam dred. þar come til him þat ilk night Line 21387 þat þai suld on þe moru fight, A man þat selcut fair was graid, And wackend him, and þus he said, "Constantine, luc up and se Line 21391 Til heuen-ward, and cumforth þe." He lok up, and in þat sight He sagh þar cristis cros ful bright; A titel sagh he þar-on li, Line 21395 "Her-in sal þou ha wictori." þan did þe king mak of an euen Suilk a cros als he sagh in heuen, And up in trouth he ras stedfast, And brathli on his fas he brast, Line 21400 And did þat cros be-for him lede, And feild fast o þat hethin lede. þai fell, þai fledd, þaa wiþerwin, þe maistri has king constantin Line 21404

Line 21404 Thoru þe cros and cristes might, [folio 120b:1] And thoru þair stedfast truth in dright.

¶ þan sent þe king constantin, Line 21407 Send men til his moder eline, For to do seke, wit-vten hon, þe cros þat crist was on don, To find þat hali tre sum-quar, Line 21411 And do a kirc be raised þar: Benciras and ansiers, þir tua men war messagers, Line 21414 þai war sent to þe quen fra rome, Bot herkens hider hu þai gaf dome. þis leuedi had þat dai hir wit Line 21417 A cristen man was god gold-smith, Quat thing þat sco wald him muth, At mak til hir ful wel he cuth; Bot pour he was, o littel aght, Line 21421 And til a juu he mikel aght, A summe o monee for to a-mont þat asked him ful hard a-cont. Line 21424 It was wel sene þat it was hard, For he him asked wit [sli] forward If he his mone moght not gett, þat he suld yeild him for his dett þat ilk weght þat þar was less, Line 21429 He suld yeild of his aun flexs. þe dai es gan [[MS. gain]] , þe dett vn-quitte, þe bodi most beleue for it: þe cristen dred ful sar þe pine, Bot þe Iuu wald neuer fine. Line 21434 Bath to þe quenes curt þai com, þe Iuu thrali badd giue him dom, Scarp grunden knijf in hand he bar, þe cristen man stod naked þar. Line 21438 þai wald haf all again him boght, Bot grant o ju þan gatt þai noght

O ranscun namar þan a ress, Line 21441 Wald he of her bot of his flesche. Said benciras and ansiers, "þou sal haf broþer al þat þe fers, þe quen has biden us to deme Line 21445 To þe al þat to right es queme. Sai me þan þat þou wil him dight, If he be dempt to þe wit right." "Hu," said þe ju, "bot be mi lai, þe werst þat euer i can or mai. Line 21450 His eien first put vte i sal, [folio 120b:2] And his hend he werkes wit-all, Tung and nese, and siþen þe laue, Til þat i al mi conuenand haue." þe messagers him gaf ansuare, Line 21455 "þan semes it noght þou wil him spare, Tak þan þi flexs, þat grauntes he þe, Sua þat þe blod mai saued be; A drope of blod if þat he tine, Line 21459 We giue for dom, þe wrang es þine. Quat-sum his flexs was sald and boght, His blod to sell he neuer it thoght. Yeild þe þin flexs he es wel on-knaun, Sauue him þe blod, þat es his aun." ¶ þan said þat juu, "bi sant drightin Mi thinc þe wers part es mine; Line 21466 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Fordon yee haf me wit yur dome, þat yee romains has broght fra rome. Maugre þar-for mot þai haf, Line 21471 All þat suilk a dome me gaf!" Benciras þan said "parfai! Al has þis curt herd þi misai, Me and mi lauerd sir anfrer þou has missaid us in þin ire. Line 21476

Line 21476 Bot we will misai þe na wight, Line 21477 Bot elles o þe we will ha right. þe leuedi send us hider-to þis curt, for rightwisnes to do, And sothfastnes ha we þe said, Line 21481 þarfor has þou us missaid." þe leuedi badd wit-vten lite þai suld þe Iugement gif it tite [[MS. þe]] , For siker was sco þan o site, þat þe cristen man was quite. Line 21486 þe Iuu was dempt sa þat þe quene Suld all his catel haf bi-dene, In hir merci his tung to tak, þat in hir curt sli misau spak. Line 21490 þe Iuu him thoght selcuthli tene At þis dome þat was sa kene, And said on heght, þat all moght here, "Me war leuer yow for to lere Line 21494 Quar lijs your lauerd rode-tre, þan dempt sua smer[t]li to be." "Godd wat, [mi] freind," þan said elene, "þou sal be quite of al þi pine, Line 21498 If þou will do als we þe bidd, [folio 121a:1] To sceu us quar þat cros es hidd." "Leuedi," he said, "bot be mi lai þe soth yeit can i noght sai; Bot sett þou me sum term dai Line 21503 þat wit mi maisters mele i mai, I sal þe tiþand bring of it, þat þou sa blethli wald it wijt." "Gladli," sco said, "her i þe higt Of a dai respit and a night, Line 21508 Bot þou us do þe cros to find, O bath þin eien sal þou be blind." þe Iuu him spedd til-ward his tide, Ouer term durst he noght bide, Line 21512

Line 21512 And spak he wit a siteful care, Line 21513 He wist þe quen him wald not spar. Til him, ne nan all of his lede, Bot þai ne hir did þe better spede Wijt quar þat hali cros it ware, For þar-apon hir ath sco suar. Line 21518 þar-for he went him son in hij Vnto þe mont o caluari, Wit hir folk went him wit þe quene, þar þai praid al bidene. Line 21522 Son quen þai had þair praier maked, þe erth al vnder þaim it quaked, þan said þe juu, þat all it herd, "Crist! þou es sauuer of all þis werld!" Of he kest al to his serk, Line 21527 To mak him nemel til his werk. Siþen he nam a spad in hand, Lang he delf bot noght he fand; Quen he right dipe had doluen þare, I hope tuenti fote or mare, Line 21532 He fand tua crosses and þat ilk, Bot yeit ne wist þai quilk was quilk, þe quilk moght be þe lauerd tre, And quilk it moght þe theues be. Wit mikel ioi and mikel gle Line 21537 Vnto þe tun bar þai þaa tre, þar war þai don als in mide place, For to a-bide vr lauerd grace. Line 21540

Abute þe time o middai or mar, A ded man bode forth þai bar, Sant eline mad hir praier þar Line 21543 And sua did all þe folk was þar, þat crist suld þam sum-quat scau, [folio 121a:2] His aun dere tre to knau. Wit aiþer tre þe cors on-ran, Bot allwais lai it still as stan; Line 21548

Line 21548 þe thred þai toched til his hide, And up he ras wit-vten bide, Line 21550 And spak wit a blithful voice, þe tre þus hailsand o þe croice "Godd þe lok, croice, precius thing! On þe hang al-þer heiest king. Line 21554 Mensked wit his flexs was þou, Of all tres mast o virtu, Line 21556 He has þe halud þat all can kenn, And mensked wit all cristen men; Thoru þe has godd sent me mi lijf, And thoru þe wirscip o þis wijf." þis meracle sene wit mani man, Line 21561 þai bar it to þe temple þan, þe Iuus to þe baptim ran, Ful fain þai war þai þider wan. Line 21564 Bot quen þe cros was cummen wit in Men moght se thing was for to min! For þat tre þat it of was scorn, Als tald in þis bok es be-forn, And al-wais in þe temple lai Line 21569 And yeit was funden þar þat dai, It yald of it sa suet a smel, Hu suet it was can naman tell. þe smell ouer all þe temple spred, And þar-wit mendid ilk sted, Line 21574 þat be þat smell moght men se It was thoru þat ilk tre. A Iuu þat mikel had herd and sen, þe soth tald þar-of to þe quene, Line 21578 And quatkin tre it suld ha bene His eldres tald him all be-dene. ¶ Quen sco had herd al þis resun, þan can sco mak hir orisun, Line 21582 þat godd suld send hir witering sun, Quat he o þat cros wald ha don.

Vr lauerd can hir an angel wise And bad hir del it in four partise, þat an suld in þe temple leng, Line 21587 To rome men suld a-noþer breng, Til alixandre to send þe thred, þe feurth to ber hir-self mid, Line 21590 To constantinopil for to wend. [folio 121b:1] And alsua did þat leuedi heind, O þe funden cros for-melt, Line 21593 þe quilk o peces tua was delt, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þe tan sco left in þat cite, Line 21597 Als in stede of auctorite; þe toiþer lede hir wit, eline, Vntil hir sun king constetin. Line 21600 To mete hir yode mani barun, Wit gret and fair processiun, Wit-in þe kirc of sant soffie þar ha þai sett it richelie. Line 21604 Was neuer yeitt na tre in land, Sua riche ne sua fair scinand. And ilk paskes for to se Was men wont þat hali tre, Line 21608 Dais four þan sett for stage; þe emperur wit his barnage, A-pon þe dai o þe mande; Bot þe quene wit hir meigne Line 21612 Apon þe fridai efterward, O pardun for to serue hir part; þe clerge on þe seters-dai, þat kepers was o cristen lai. Line 21616 Wit-vten cases þir dais thre þis cros was men þan wont to se, And it was tald o mani man, þat a licure þar-of ran Line 21620

Line 21620 þat wit beting was bot o bale, Line 21621 For sekenes sere to ma þan hale, A wessel þat it war noght tint, Sett vnder þat licure to hint, For to dele vnto þe vn-fere Line 21625 To send ouer al þe contre sere.