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

[Heaven, and the Seven Gifts of the Blessed.]

¶ Quen þe demester has don, Line 23351 Iesus crist wit-vten hone, Wit his felauscip sa fre Sal wend in-til his fader cite. þe nam o þat cite to neuen, Line 23355 Es þe high kingrike of heuen, Vnto þat blis to leng him with, þat euer es ful o grace and grith. Of alkin gladnes es þar gleu, [folio 131a:1] And þat es euer ilike neu, Line 23360 þair blis it sal be sua parfite, þat þai sal wijt o nankin site, Of alkin site be quite and care, Line 23363 Ful wel es him mai won ai þare.

Nan ei mai se, ne ere mai here, Line 23365 Ne hert mai think þaa ioies sere, þat iesus crist has dight til his, þat weirrded er vnto þe bliss. þaa sele þat sal leng in heuen, Line 23369 In bodi sal haf gifes seuen, And seuen in saul, al for þaa medes, þat sal be fourten blisced hedes. In bodi, suetnes and fairhede, Line 23373 Fredome and strenth ai lijf to lede, Liking als wit lastand hele; þe saul als has als fele, Line 23376 Sal haf wisdom and frenscip, Concord, pouste, and wirscip, Sekernes, and ioiful ro; Hu þir mai be i sal vndo. Line 23380 In suiftenes þou sal be sa suift, þat als suith som þou mai lift þine eie up þe lift to se, Als suith þar þan sal þou be; Line 23384 And als suith als sunn mai fest Fra est his lem vnto þe west, Als suith mai þou cum þider, Al at þi wil or elles quider, Line 23388 Nu at þe erth nu at þe lift, Or hu sumeuer þou will þe scift. þat ilk þan mai þe angels do þat þou sal euening þan be to. Line 23392 O þi fairhede i sai þe man, þou sal be bright als sun es þan, þat sal be brighter for to tru Seuen sith mar þan es nu. Line 23396 þan mai man wijt it es ful bright, Sua has vr lauerd vs forwit hight, þat he sal neu vr bodis slike, þai sal be till his aun like, Line 23400

Line 23400 And yeitt thar naman dred þat he Sal brighter þan þe sun be; Line 23402 Als he þat wroght al thing in lede And scrud þam alle in þair fairhede, And godds temple sa es it said, [folio 131a:2] þat he to won in has puruaid, Line 23406 þan most he nede be fair i-wiss, þat in sal won þe sun o bliss. ¶ þe fredom sal be at vnderstand, þi bodi bind sal nakin band, Line 23410 All þat wit-standand þe es Thoru sal þou thril it wit þi wiss, It es na creatur þat mai, Line 23413 Lette þe for to far þi wai. Als o þe graf moght noght hald Vr lauerd bodi quen he wald Rise, þat he ne freli ras, Line 23417 And cum þar his disciplis was, And did þam son vte oþer dute, And all þair hald was loken abute;— þan sal þi bodi be like til his; Line 23421 A ful gret fredom þan es þis. þou sal ha strenth for-soth i tell, Wit þi fote to ouercast a fell, Line 23424 Or al þis erth if þe gode thoght, Als lighteli ouerturn þou moght, Als þou mai nu loke wit þi sight, Sua mikel þan sal be þi might. Line 23428 Liking þou sal haf sua to like, Mai liking nan be þer-to like, O welthes mar mai na man tell, þan haf to will o welth þe well; þat es vr lauerd self to sai Line 23433 þat þou sal se on euer and ai. þof þat þou euer apon him se, Of him sadd sal þou neuer be. Line 23436

Line 23436 If it war scoit into þi hefd, Line 23437 A glouand iren þar in beleued, And it moght pass, if sua moght fall, Glouand thoru þi limes all, Line 23440 þu suld ha soru [[foru in MS.]] , es þar na dute, Bath in bodi and wit-vte, Ya forsoth, thurt naman mare; Line 23443 Right sua quen þat þou ert þar, þat welth þat þe sal neuer blin þou salt wit-vte haf and wit-in, Line 23446 To like þe als depe in hert Als þe suld mislike slik vnquert. In þis lijf has man gret liking To se on mani men sanking, Line 23450 [[ [folio 132a:1] The pages in the MS. are mis|placed.]] On wimmen fair for to be-hald, In clething cled o riche fald; To se bigginges and fair tunes, O serekin gleues to here þe sunes, And here god talkin for to tell, Line 23455 Suete spiceri to fell and smell, To handel þat es smeth and soft, Fair Iuels þat men yerns oft; All oþerkin blisses þat mai be, Line 23459 All þire in þe sal be plente, Als wel þan al sal þou sei, Wit loken als wit open hei, þin wittes fiue lede al in welth, Line 23463 And þar-wit sal haf lastand elth. Hele wit-vten seke or sare, þar sal be lastand euermare; þaa þat o cares all ar quite, It mai nan iren o þam bite, Line 23468 Na mare mai a dint þam dere, þan man þe sun beme to scire. O lastand lijf þat es to land, þat dreri ded es ai fleand, Line 23472

Line 23472 O þat hele mai be term nan, Line 23473 þair lijf sal euer last in an. þire ar þe ilk blesced-hedes, þat giuen ar to þe bodi nedes, Line 23476 þe bodi has seuen, þe saul has seuen, O þaim nu neist es for to neuen.

þe santes stadd vnto þat sele, þat sal na wanting haf o wele; Line 23480 O þe well o wite þai drau, Wisdome, þat dos þam all to knau, þat was and es and ai sal be, þai se it [all] in þe trinite. Line 23484 Of alkin men in heuen and hell, Bath nam and dede þai sal cun tell, And all þe dedis þat þai did, þai sall be to þe santes kid; Line 23488 Ne sal nathing fra þam be hidd, þat sight o godd has euer emidd. þai sal knau bath dede and thoght, Bot þarfor vnderstand þou noght It sal þe turn til ani scam, Line 23493 Ne namar o blenc ne o blame. Haf neuer þi sin sa lath bene, Line 23495 þat þou was her-of scriuen clene, And dreied penance here o care, [folio 132a:2] For þaim ne sal þe scam na mar, þan þof a man þe tald to-dai Line 23499 Quat þou did and in credel lai; Na mar scam sal þe think þare, Line 23501 þan if þou cummen o batel ware, Wit wondes þat þou þar had tan, And þou war heleid o þam ilkan. Nan oþer thing es mans sin for-giue, þan for to bete it quils we liue, Line 23506 For-giuen er þai and neuer less. Godd, þat all wate þat es, Line 23508

Line 23508 Es or was, or be sal euer, Line 23509 Vte of his witernes be þai neuer, Ne sal þou noþer scam ne soruu, Bot haf gret ioi þat þou ert boru. Frenscip þar es, wit-vten fade, Line 23513 Godd has his aun childer made, þai won wit him, he wit þam wons, And luues þam als his aun suns. Mare þan þam-seluen luue þai dright, þe angels taim als þam-seluen right. Mikel it es þar þair concord, Line 23519 For all ar euer at an acord, þai er sa selcut samen tale, Als an will all þai will al hale Line 23522 þat quider-ward þat an wil lok, All lokes þider, als sais þe boke. þat an wil, all wil als son, Line 23525 And godd and angel will be don, "Ful godderhail," coth þou, "mai fall, If þai als i wald, sua wald all." Line 23528 þou sais quen þou vmthinkes þe, þat þou wald lik sant petre be, If þou wil þat þou sal be tite, Line 23531 Ne sal þar be þar-to na lite; Like to petre self i sai, Bot to be þetre þan sai i nai, For if þou yernd be petre self, Line 23535 þan yernd þou be noght þi-self; For if þou þi being wald noght be, Noght wald þou þan war mad o þe. Bot þar es nan þat yernes mare þan þai, in seruis worthi war, Line 23540 Bot in þat mikel stabilnes, Sal nan yerne be bot þat he es. For if þai yernd suilk a wiss, [folio 131b:1] þan war þai noght in full blis, Line 23544

Line 23544 Bot þair blis þat þar wonand es, Es mirthes nan it mai of mis. Line 23546 Ilk man þan sal haf til his, All þat he will þan efter wiss. ¶ Mikel sal þar be þair might, Line 23549 þat in þat weltht sal be sa wight, Sua mightili þair might to fill, þat if it sett þam in to will Line 23552 To mak anoiþer erth or heuen, þai moght it mak als þai wald neuen. For þai ar airs all wit crist, þai þat er stad in his buwist, Line 23556 Als godds er þai and godds airs, Do al þair wil þe might es þairs. "Quine mak þai, sin þai sua mu, Anoþer heuen and erth?" coth þou. Blethli sire, sai i þe sal, Line 23561 For-þi þat godd has ai wroght al, Of his werkes es noght vnhale, Bot al in weght and mette and tale For if þai a-noþer heuen wroght, It war vnnait and al for noght. Line 23566 For mani thinges mai we do, þat for to do war littel fro, Als for to skip and for to rin, Quen it war better for to blin; Line 23570 Quar-to þan suld we for-þer striue, þan for to liue in santes liue? O rightwis all þe saghes is slik, þat þai sal be til angels lik, Line 23574 And no forþi þof þai be all In an-lepi fader hall, þai sal sli woning stedes sere, Ilkan haf his lai plenere. Line 23578 O þair wirscip quat mai we men, þat crist him kythes to þaim clene!

Angels sal þaim [[raim in MS.]] mensk þan dere, And santes als þof þai godds were, To wirscip þat godd þam had fordight, þai graid þam bath mode and might. Heuen and erth als creature Sal ber þam wirscip and honur, Line 23586 For sun and mon, and water and stern, þat rinnes nu wit ras sa yern, For into better stat to stand, [folio 131b:2] Fra þan na langer bes stirand. Line 23590 þar-for sal þai þam wirscip ber, þat als mikel als in þam wer, Wit þair wirscip als þai moght best, For to bring þam vnto rest. Line 23594 O þair sikernes to sai, Certes es þar na noþer wai, For of þe welth þat þai er in Es na thing þat mai þam tuin, Line 23598 Ne na mischiue mai þam bitide, For þai er traist on ilk side; þat godd has gin þam to mede, To tine þai wat it es na drede. Line 23602 þair ioi, þair gladdscip, qua can tell? Naman for-soth in flexs and fell; For to be-hald þat trinite, Hu he es an-fald godd in thre, Face wit face þat godd to se, Line 23607 þat euer was and ai sal be, þai sal ha ioi wit-in and vte, And on euer-ilk side a-bute, Ouer and vnder and aiquare; Line 23611 Vr lauerd vs giue vr woning þar! ¶ þir er þe blisses and mani elles, Godd gis to þaim [þat] wit him duelles. Bot als þir godds freindes sall Line 23615 Wirscip haf o-mang þam all,

Sua sal þe wreches haf for þair sak, Be-stad in pine wit-vten slak. Line 23618 þir sal be fair and dughti bath, þai sal be grisli and lath; þir sal be light als fuxul to flei, þai sal be dil wit wa to drei; Line 23622 þir sal be selcut strang and wight, þai sal be weck wit-vten might. þir sal liue in fredom fre, þai sal liue euer in caitiuete; þir sal euer liue in delite, Line 23627 þai sal euer in soru and site; þir sal in hele liue euer mare, þai sal euer be seke and sare. þir sal be euer in lastand lijf, Line 23631 þai sal and ded be euer in strijf; þir sal ha wijt þair wil to wise, þai sal be fild wit all folise, For if þai oght mai wijt þare, [folio 132b:1] It es o noght bot site and care. Line 23636 þir sal o suete frenscep be traist, þai sal of alkin fredom fraist; Wit alkin thing sal þire acorde, Wit alkin scaf þai sal discord; Line 23640 þir sal haf weldnes of all wale, þai sal vnweldid be wit bale. þis sal wirscip all creatur, Of alle þai sal haf mishonur; Line 23644 þir er four traistes blith and gladd, þai quak for care sa ar þai radd; þir laghes in ioi þar þai er lend, þai wepe in soru wit-vten end. Line 23648 Fra þat soru and fra þat site, Iesu crist he mak us quite, And giue vs grace sua here to do, þat wit his we mai rest in ro. Line 23652