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

De construccione turris babilon[ie]

¶ þis folfolk þam sammen þan Brathli þai þis werk bigan; Line 2240 Tua and sexti fathum brad, Was þe grundwall þat þai made; Quen þai at wil had festend grund, þe wark þai raised in a stund, Line 2244 Wit tile and ter, wit-vten stan Oþer morter was þer nan; Wit cord and plum þai wroght sa hei, þe hette o þe sun moght þai noght drei, þar-for most þai þam hide Line 2249 Bath wit hors and camel hide, And said, "quedur godd be wrath or blyth His esters sal we see ful suyth; Line 2252 Now we haue vs sped sa ferr Vr wil may he noght vs merr." Bot dryghtin dere þat ai es hend A curtais wrak on þam he send. Line 2256

Line 2256 þai þat suilk vtrage on him soght For lim ne lijf he reft þam noght, Bot sua he mengud þam þair mode, þat naman oþer vndirstode Line 2260 O his spece wat he wald sai, þar tunges ware delt fra þat dai; For scham ilkan þat werk þai left, Als þai had sare þar fra ben beft; For-þi þ[at] tour hatt babilone, Line 2265 þat schending es wit-outen soyne; þar war al þe speces delt þat now ouer-alle þe werld er melt. þe first bot an was and nama, Now er þar speches sexti a tua. Line 2270 ¶ þis tour was selli mad vpright, Fiue thusand steppes [it] had on hight, And aght scor als and fourti þar-to, Sua made þair maumet þam to do, Ten mile compas al aboute, Als stori sais wit-vten doute; Line 2276 . . . . . [no gap in the Cotton and Laud MSS.] And at þis werk was not sem, Na naman of his barn-tem. Line 2280 Hebru þai spek, for-þi hald þai þat Iuus halds yeit to þis dai.

þis nembrod was þe formast king þat in maument fand mistr[u]ing; Lang he rengud in þat land, [folio 14b:1] In maumet first throut he fand, Line 2286 þat þan bigan, þat lestes yeit; Sarzins wil it noght for-leit. Lik til his fader þat was ded A wygur was mad wit his red, Line 2290 And command stithli til his men Als god þai suld it knau and ken;

Quat for luue and quat for doute All men[s]ked it his vnderloute; Line 2294 þis for-bisening he hild þas oþer þat sum for fader, and sum for broþer, Fro freind ded þat þam was dere did make ymage o metal sere; Line 2298 For fra þis lagh was þar bigunnen Son oueral þan was it runnen; For frendes did ouer al þe land. All suilk mistring þai fand. Line 2302 þaa wigurs croup þe warlau in And leed þat suikful folk wit sin.