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

[Joshua leads the people into Canaan.]

þis Iuus, fild wit vn-resun, In-to þe land o promission Line 6924 Thoru moyses ne come þai noght, [folio 39a:2] Bot iosue þam þider broght, þat drightin after moysen Leder mad vte-ouer his men, Line 6928 Wit his felaw þat caleph hight; þir tua men broght þam to þair right. þis iosue come o þat kin þat clepes effrahim, Line 6932 For ioseph had him suns tuin, Manassen and effrahim, Born in egypte, bot fosterd he wes And lered wit maister moyses. Line 6936 Bot moises, ightwis o red, Forgat he noght ar he was ded,

To sett his hali wandes thre In a sted he fand priue, Line 6940 þar þai gru, ne less ne mare, Bot euer als þai forwit ware, Lang to dauid king daus, þat ledd his folk in dughti laus, Line 6944 þat thoru warning o gods sand Broght þam til his aun hand.

¶ Bot quen aaron was ded, þe priste, His sun eliazar was neist, Line 6948 And bar state of his fader-hade, Fra iosue was giue þe lade. þis iosue was selcuth wight, And maistri wan in mani fight, Line 6952 He faght truli for godds lai, For-þi godd duble[d] him þe dai, And did þe sun still to stand Till iosue wan þe ouerhand. Line 6956 And quils he passed flum iordan þe water still stode als stan, Til he þe folk had ouerbroght, In-to þe land þat þai soght. Line 6960 Ioseph bans þai wit ham ledd, þar þai þam grof in erth bedd, In a land þat hight sichim, Was gin in loth to ioseph kin: Line 6964 For, als þai wan þam wit þair hand, Als delt þai tuix þam ilk a land. þat ilk kinredd o þe tuelue Had þair ouer man ham-selfe, Line 6968 þat suld þair aun kinred lede, Quen þat þai to batel yede. [folio 39b:1] For þai fand strang folk þam again þat þam wit wer did mikel pain, And wit-stode þam þe land to win, Bot þat was for þeir aun sin. Line 6974

Line 6974 For quils þai held þair lai lastand, It was na folk þam moght wit-stand, þat an hundreth moght for-chace, Quils þai wit þam had godds grace, Ne thurt þam dred na man in place; Bot þair faith lasted littel space, Line 6980 For quen þai mast wer in þair wele, Mast þai soght þam-self vn-sele, And lefte þe lagh of hei drightin, And ledd þe law of sarazin, Line 6984 And mad wit þam þeir mariage. Qua herd euer men sua rage! þat suilk a king cuth neuer knau, þat helt þam fra almens au, Line 6988 Bot euer vnscil þai on him soght, Til þai þam-self in thain-had broght. In thain-hede ar þai worth to be, þat wil noght thole, and mai be fre.