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

[The Virtues and Symbols of the Cross.]

¶ þe grace o godd es gret and gode, þat gis vs samples o þe rode, Line 21628 Mar mightes has vr lauerd wroght, þan ani man mai thing in thoght, Bot mani o trouth es sua vn-slei, þai tru noght bot þat þai se wit ei; And þat vnnethes will þai tru, Line 21633 Wit-vten signe o gret vertu; For me-think if þe sothe be soght, þat sin first þe werld was wroght, Meracles o þe cros might Line 21637 Has ben in semblance and in sight. Ouer and vnder, right and left, [folio 121b:2] In þis compas godd all has left. Bot-if man of him-self be blind, Vm-thinc him wel he sal it find þe licknes o þis tre sa tru, Line 21643 In þe ald lagh was be-for þe neu, In þe neu lagh alsua sere, þat sum er gode of for to here. I thinc þis es þe tre o blis Line 21647 þat rightwisnes til bunden es, Had adam funden it at hand þar-wit he moght ha lijfd lastand; þat planted es in paradise, Line 21651 And dos þe ded vp for to rise; And adam quen he wroght had wogh, Vnder þis tre he him drogh, Line 21654

Line 21654 þar did him drightin to resun Line 21655 And did him in hope o pardun. þe blod of abel it cried als Quen him had slain his broþer fals. Wit-in þat cri was grett thing hidd, þat in þis cros es kidd, Line 21660 And ded for-soth had ben noe If him [ne] sauued had þe tre. O four corner þe arche was made, Als has þe cros on lang and brade, þe dor on þe arche apon þe side, And þar was iesus wonded wide. Qua will vmthinc him in his mod Mai find fele takens o þe rode. Line 21668 ¶ Vr lauerd gaf moises a wand To wirc sum maistris wit in hand, Siþen was it worm, efter yerd, Als men i-nogh for-wit has herd. þat wel bi-takend þat cipres, Line 21673 þar-of was wernist moyses, Bath in word and als in dede. Quen israel vte of egypte yed, O þat blisced lambs blod Line 21677 A cros was mad in signe o rode, þaa þat cros had on þaim draun, Vr lauerd þam sauued als his aun, All þaas oþer ne war bot tint Line 21681 Bitaght vn-to þe angls dint. Quen þe nedders þat war fell, þe folk stanged of israel, Quen þai welk in þe wildernes [folio 122a:1] Vnder þe wand o moyses, Line 21686 A nedder was seitt up apon a tre, þat quen þe stanged men moght se þe nedder on þe tre þat hang, þai war all warist o þair stang. Line 21690

Line 21690 Quen þat þai faght als þai did oft And moises held his hand o-loft, To-quils he heild his hend on croice, Ai haid his aun folk þe voice. Line 21694 Quen strijf was bute þe preisthede In þaa dais mang þe Iuus lede, To tuelue men taght þai wandes tuelue, Ilkan merked his him-self, Line 21698 And said quilk wand þat suld bere blome Suld haf þe preistes-hede wit dome, þar florist an als yee herd haf herd þe cros takening, þat ilk yerd. Line 21702 Heliseus on oþer wise Did a dedman for to rise, þe staf þat he apon him did, O cros it bar þe taken-hid. Line 21706 Quen dauid faght gain þat etin, Ne has he noght his staf for-getin, Vntil þe batail he it bar, Moght na king suerd do mar. Line 21710 þe signe o tav in ald laies Bitakens cros nu in vr daies, þe men þat þar-wit takend war, Oft it helped fra misfar. Line 21714 Tau and cros bath er als an, Bot tav has yerd a-bouen nan; O cros in þe ald testament Was bisening, qua sa to cuth tent. Cros es, qua-sum wil or nai, Line 21719 Baner of hali kirc to dai; Men has noght herd þat folk be lorn þat hali crose has wit þam born, Bot has bitid oft mani quar, Line 21723 þat less folk ouercummen þe mar. þar stad was cros at ani fight, If þe dede be tan wit right. Line 21726

Line 21726 O cros to tell for-get i noght, Line 21727 On cros the formast man was wroght, On cros þe first of all wiues, On cros godd boght ur saul liues, þar-on he gaf him-seluen ranscun, [folio 122a:2] And of him-seluen mad gunphanun. ¶ þe croice o medecine baris bote, Bath in frut and als in rote, Line 21734 In cros it was for us þe flur, þat we ha thoru sa grett honur. A riche licknes ai bers on it, It es þe hefd of hali writt, Line 21738 Fondement of ur clergi, Reule it es of hali vi. Maked it es o faur and tre þof it es tald bot for a tre. Line 21742 Nokes four and treis thrin, Siþen þe thrid was don þar-in In treis thrin and four parteis, Ic vnderstand þe seuen artes, Line 21746 O four and thre qua tels euen, He sal þe numbre mak o seuen. þou do to-geder ten and tua, þe laghes tuin sal þou find sua, Line 21750 In ten þan sal þou find þe ald, In tale o tua þe neu es tald. Man has on cros his scaping knaun, And he-self es o seuen draun Line 21754 Bath in bodi and saul i sai, Bodi of elementes tuis tuai, þe saul it es strenthes thrin, þat taken o cros þai ber wit-in. Line 21758 Quen godd þat haghtils ilk in stat, Of all in his for-thoght he wate, Ferlili puruaid he him an Line 21761 Mak cros o tre, and noght o stan,

Bot þat was for to mak þe mend O þe tre þat was defend. Line 21764 His cros he has sa wroght wit craft, þat it bers scape til alkin scaft. Wel did moises þat it fand, And dauid als þat fott þe wand, Line 21768 And salamon þat felld it did, And sco þat fand quar it was hid,— Eline þat sua gern it soght, And til vr note nu has it broght; Sco delt it wiseli als sco wild, Line 21773 þat all þis werld it es fulfild O þe nam and o þe smell, For-þe god þar-of to tell.

Eline yeitt wald noght for-lete [folio 122b:1] þe nails in his hend and fete Line 21778 þat driuen war, ful gern sco soght, To sco þam fand ne fined noght. A werc o þam sco wroght ful fine In bridel o king constatine, Line 21782 Was na cristal was als bright, Ne sa scene to mans sight. Quider-sum he ferd, þat sire, Bridel bright-nes bar o fire, Line 21786 Mani þat sagh þat bridel bright, It turnd to þe trouth o dright. Constentin þam bar thre yeire, Line 21789 Quen he droght til his ending nere, Vt of þe bridel he þam laght And to be-side þe cros þam taght, þat mani vertu siþen wroght Line 21793 Thoru might o crist þat has us boght. In constantinopil and in france, Godd had mad mani mustrance. At sant dinise es his corone, Wit þaa nails al redi bune; Line 21798

Line 21798 Mani man come seke and sare Line 21799 þat þair hele had funden þare. ¶ O þe cros es broght til end, þe might o cros mot us defend! Line 21802 Qua-sum þe tale can better a-tend For cristes luue he it a-mend. þis tale, queþer it be il or gode, I fand it written o þe rode, Line 21806 Mani telles diuersli, For þai find diuers stori. ¶ þat fand þe cros he hight iudas, Mad biscop o þat tun he was, Line 21810 And was his nam þan turnd þus þat he was cald quiriacus. Quen funden was þis hali croice, þe warlau said wit sli voice, Line 21814 "A ha! iudas, quat has þou don? Gains me þou has mis-don. For wit mi will tinsel he wroght þat þou fand þof i wald it noght; Thoru him war mani sauls mine, Thoru þe þat i nu dred to tine, Line 21820 Thoru him i regned ferr a-bute, þou mon me kast o kingrik vte, Ne for-þi i will noght wite, [folio 122b:2] [De anticristi aduentu] þat I ne sal þine dedis quite. Anoþer king gan þe sal rise, Line 21825 þat i sal do þe wit to grise, To do þe suffer sa mikel scam, þat þou sal nite þi iesu nam." And þis was said bi tirant an Line 21829 þat quiriac was of siþen slan. þaa feindes cri o iudas herd, Neuer þe mar ne was he ferd, Bot werried he þat wiþerwin, Line 21833 And said, "crist, þat es lauerd min,

He demed me in-till hell depe, Line 21835 Euer in welland wa to wepe." þat hali cros ic haf of redd, Quar-on iesus for us was spredd, þan be ur scheld and vr sper Line 21839 Bituix us and all helles her! Stedfastli in erth to bere, For ilk dai we wend in wer, Ilk dai in werr we weind, Line 21843 Bot to iesu ha we na freind. Thoru þi cros mak vs þi freind To be vr socur at vr end. Line 21846