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

Pater noster

¶ Fader vrs þat es in heuen, Line 25103 Halud be þi nam to neuen, þou do us haf þi riche rike þi will in erth be wroght ilike, Line 25106 Als it es wroght in heuen ai, Vr ilk dai bred gif us to dai. Forgiue þou til us dettes vrs, Als we forgiue til vr detours, Line 25110 And lede þou us in na fanding, Bot scild us fra iuel thing. Amen.

¶ Crist him-self wroght þis praier, For-þi es it witvten pere, For þar es na praier þat es Sua gainand o þe mikelnes, Line 25116 For þar es bones seuen wit-in, þat mas of all vr nedes min, Bath to liuelad þat es her And þat vr saul has of mister, Line 25120 And þat es in þir wordes quon Bot birþin gret þai ber vndon. And sal i þar-for, als i mai, [folio 141b:1] Vnto þe quat þai er to sai. Line 25124 ¶ "Fader," þis word quen we sai, [þar-wid] [[MS. here defaced.]] vnderstand we mai [þat fadir] es he vte ouer us all, [And we als] suns apon him call; [Witt þu] þarfor þat ilk orisun, Line 25129 [And four] thinges haf wit right resun, [Fulli luue] þat es to ber Til him þat we ma to praier, Line 25132 And siker hope vr bon to win, And stedfast trouth to stand ai in, þe ferth to knau es buxumnes þat nagod of us seluen es. Line 25136 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Thoru þis word "fader" for to scau Fulli luue es in to knau, Line 25140 For ilkin thing o quatkin strind, þe fader it agh to luue bi kind. Bot þar him clepis "fader" fele þat er noght til him suns lele, Line 25144 þat noiþer his suns er wit dede, Ne wit na liuelad þat þai lede, Ne godd þam for na suns knaus, þat to þe feind þair dedis draus. Line 25148

Line 25148 For wicked man, þat godd forsakes, And to þe warlau werc him takes, He mai noght godds s[un be] [[MS. here defaced.]] kend Bituixand he his [state-a]mend. Line 25152 þan behouis us [wid re]sun þat wil haf herd vr [orisu]n, þat we to suilkin dede us drau þat crist us for his aun knau, Line 25156 And þan we mai wit rightwisnes Call him fader for sua he es. ¶ Wit þis word "vrs" vnderstand Al sikernes of vr erand, Line 25160 For if þat he þus vrs be, Halden sikerlik es he Vs to here in vr mister, In alkin rightwisnes praier; Line 25164 Bot þar es resun qui vr bon Es noght granted us quilum sun, Oþer for vr praier es vn-lele And askes gains vr saul hele;— Als was þe praier o sant paule, Line 25169 For it gains hele was of his saul; He praied þe faanding of his fa [folio 141b:2] Thris it suld be tan him fra, Line 25172 Sin naman might til heuen win Bot he ne had fanding o sin, þat thoru ouer cuming o þat faand He mai þe mede haf ai last[and]; For[þi] was said him til an[suer] "I-nogh es þe mi grace to ber," Bot þat es man-hed mast o mede, Be funden treu in ilk nede;— Line 25180 Or ai vm-quil vr bon es right, Bot vnherd thoru vr aun plight, þat thoru vr liuelade wick we sper Fra us þe rightwis demester. Line 25184

Line 25184 Als quen we prai for þam þat lijs In sin þat godd þam giue to rijs, þof þis praier be for to tak, And we it worthi for to mak, Line 25188 þir sinful men þair wicked-hed. Lettes vs vr bon to spede, And of vr praier crist es paid, Vmquil þof it be oght delaid, Line 25192 To turn it in to better state, Als he þat all vr mister wat, And þat es noght vn-herd at tru þat turnd es til vr gretter pru. Line 25196 þis word "þat es," quen we it min Stedfast trouth it bers wit-in, For quen we tru in his godd hede, Vr trouth sal tak us mikel mede; For þat o trouth it es þe lagh Line 25201 To tru þe thing we neuer sagh. Wit þis word "in heuen," us es Noted sothfast buxumnes, Line 25204 For thoru þis in heuen agh we To thinc hu hei in heuen es he, Hu lagh in erth þat we ar stad, þan agh we buxum be and glad. Line 25208 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Qua þir four has he mai wel euen Sai "halud bi þi nam to neuen," Line 25216 þat es to sai, "lauerd þou strengh In hus þi nam o bred and lengh; þat we þi suns sua mai be þat we wirc noght agains þe, Line 25220

Line 25220 And gar þi nam be seand als Line 25221 Amang þaa men truth er fals, Als es þe sarazins and þe juus, [folio 141a:1] And all ledes þat mistrus, Line 25224 And all þe men þat werded es For to be broght into þi blis." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] "þou do us haf þi riche rike, Line 25231 þat in þis wreche werld we wike Sua wit us regn nu wit grace, þat we regn with þe for þi face." þis ilk praier es als for þaa Line 25235 þat es in clenging fire [[MS. fice]] alsua; Or vnderstand on oþer wai þis ilk forsaid clause, þat es to sai, "Destru þou lauerd! wit pouste þin þe mightes o þis wiþerwin, Line 25240 Fra þe folk es vnder þe, And sett þam in þi sauuete, Quilk to þaa men has þou tight Line 25243 þat menskes þe wit mod and might." Or in þis ilk clause we prai For al es nentes domes-dai, Quen sothfastnes sal al be sene, Corn sal fra þe caf be clene, Line 25248 þe gode sal fra þe wic be draun, þat o þaa fas þou mai be knaun. For mighti þi will to wirc, And þat þi kingrik, hali kirc, Line 25252 Mai be broght of al wath To blis, sco and hir childer bath, For þan sal king be funden nan In heuen and erth, bot þe allan. Line 25256

Line 25256 ¶ þis it es þe thrid bon, Line 25257 "In heuen and erth þi will be don," þat es to sai, "lauerd gif vs to Grace in erth þi wil to do, Line 25260 For to for-ber all þin vnwil, And all þi comamend fulfill, þat right als dos þin angels all And halus of heuen, up in þi hall, Pais þe wit þi seruis sere, Line 25265 Sa mot we do all þat er here! Yong and ald, bath mare and less, Of alkin ordre þat here es, Line 25268 Of all mister, of alkin lare, All þat þou has fordestind ar, To þe kingrike of heuen blis, þi will do and þou þider wiss." Line 25272 þe ferth bon þou askes fode, [folio 141a:2] Bath for lijf and saul gode; . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þat es to sai bath strengh and hele To saul and bodi wit to dele; Line 25278 For þat es fode o thre maner þat saul and lijf has of mister, Line 25280 For-qui þe bodi has nede o bath To busked be o mete and clath; Bot gastli fode to saul it feres, Line 25283 þat es, quen men god sarmun heres, Bot fude of husel for bath it es Bath for þe saul and for þe flexs. Efter þir tuin fodes we prai Quen we vr pater noster sai, Line 25288 For if vr flexs be fedd to will, And þe saul wit hunger spill, þat es bot it be ledd wit lare, Na selcuth if þai bath forfare! Line 25292

Line 25292 Bot if saul techeing haf o sele, Line 25293 And flexs be foluand efter wele, þan sal þai bath, for-soth to sai, Be broght to blis þat lastes ai. Line 25296 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ¶ "For-giue us fader, dettes vrs, Als we for-giue til vr detturs," Line 25300 þis it es þe fift bon, þat þus-gat aght to be vndon: For-giue us fader vr sinnes to Right als þat we til oþer do Line 25304 þat gains vs here oght has don; Hu wath it es to bid þis bun! For mani gain him-seluen prais Quen he his pater noster sais, Line 25308 For if þou prais to godd þat he Right sua þi sinnes forgiue to þe, Als þou þam forgiues til oþer, Line 25311 And þou hald wreth enents þi broiþer, He þat þin euen-cristen es And namli askes forgiuenes, Line 25314 þou bodes on þi-seluen wrak, And prais þat crist it on þe take; For godd he sais in his gosspell, Wit sli mett als yee bi and sell, Line 25318 Wit þat ilk sal yow be mett, Quen ilk man sal ha þair dette. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] How mai he ask forgiuenes þan, þat will noght for-giue oþer men? [folio 141b:1] Forgiue til oþer þan most we nede, If we enent us self wil sped, And sal we merci haf o godd, Suilk als we til oþer bod. Line 25328

Line 25328 Bot if þi saul [it] be sua seke Line 25329 þat þou þi mode mai nagat meke, Better es þan to sai it noght Bot if þou haf þis tent in thoght, þe quilk þat i sal sceu þe here; Line 25333 þat es to sai, "vr fader der! . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] If we thoru tendernes of vr flexs Mai giue til oþer na giuenes, Line 25338 Als we suld do, and þou us taght, Wit þi grace grant vs þi maght Til oþer sua forgiue þair sin, þat we mai þi forgiffes win. Line 25342 To luue vr euen cristen sua þat we þair lastes ma forga; O man-kind sua to luue þe stat, Line 25345 þat we þair wicked werckes hate, Sua man als man to luue in lai, þat we for-ber þair lastes ai." Line 25348 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ¶ þe bon es o þe sext asking, Line 25357 "þat we ne ledd in na fanding," Noght sua þat we ne fandid be, For godmen faand þan tas he, Line 25360 Bot we prai vr fanding be sua þat we be noght feld wit vr fa, For oft þe men þat er rightwis Line 25363 Thoru faanding win þai to þair pris.

For quen þai faanding maister wele, Crund er þai wit mikel sele. Line 25366 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] For we haf wiþerwins thrin þat euer fandes vs to sin, Line 25370 þis werld wit welth, vr flexs wit will, þe warlau euer eggand til ill; þan prai we til vr fader her Line 25373 He ne fand us bot als we mai stere. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Siþen it es vr last asking, "þou sceild us fra iuel thing," Line 25378 Bot for-þi þat we mai find Ivels laid be-for man-kind þat be us-self we mai noght fle, Wit-in þis bon þar-for prai we, Line 25382 þat he us sceild fra iuels all þat in aiþer lijf mai fall, þat es to sai fra sin and sake, [folio 141b:2] Fra bodi bath and saul wrake. Line 25386 ¶ "Amen," þat es "sua most it be, Of all þat we ha praied þe;" þis word amen þat last es laid, Conferms al his forwit said, Line 25390 Als sua sai, "lauerd godd! fader and king, þou grant us god al ur asking, þat we forwit haf asked þe, þat es, þi nam mot halud þe, Line 25394 þi kingrike fader, send us son, þi will in heuen and erth be don, Giue us to dai vr ilk-dai mete, For-giues vs sua vr aun dete Line 25398 Als we for-giue vr deturs all, And latus in na fanding fall,

And sceild us all fra alkin il, Amen, leif fader, þou it ful fill. Line 25402