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

Saul is jealous of David.

¶ Dauid went ham wit gret honur, And thanked godd, þair creatur, And mikel he was, þe soth to sai, Loued and dred forth fra þis dai. Line 7596 Wit yong and ald, wit pour and rike, þai louued him all o þat king-rike. To iursalem þat heued bar þai, þai karold wimmen be þe wai, Line 7600 O þair karol suilk was þe sang, þat þai for ioi þam sang a-mang, "Saul has smitten a thusand, Line 7603 Ten thussand fel in dauid hand." For þis word was saul wrath, For oft sith was he bremli brath. "I haue a thussand feld, hou sua! And dauid has ten thusand ma! Line 7608

Line 7608 Quat of al es nou him wan, Bot þat he es noght king allan." For los þat dauid wan þat sith, Line 7611 Wald neuer saul lok on him blith; He dred his kingdon to lese, at þai to king suld dauid chese, He hated him als his ful fa, Fra þan he waited him to sla; Line 7616 Oft sal be quit þam on þis wise, þat to liþer lauerd dos seruise. ¶ þe toþer morn her after-ward þe warlau trauail saul fulhard, Line 7620 Als he was won bi-gan to rage, And als dauid him come to suage, þe king til him wit a sper In breth he wald him thoru ber. Line 7624 þat thoru he had his bodi born, If he ne had blenked him be-forn. Awai þan drou him son daui, [folio 43a:1] Bot saul dred him no for-þi, Line 7628 And of a thusand men o wal, He made him ledder and marscal, And thoght, and þus said in his mode, "þat i him sla, it es noght god, Line 7632 Bot elles i sal him lat al-an, Philistiens sal be his ban." He asked dauid if he wald Line 7635 His doghter wedde, to haue and hald, To þe conuenand for to bring An hundreth hefds to þe king O þat folk þat was þar fede; Line 7639 Dauid yod forth with drightin rede.

¶ Wit þat vnled son dauid mete, And wightli wan o þam his dete. Again a hundret þat saul soght, Dauid him þar þe dubul broght; Line 7644

Line 7644 þe king his doghter him gaue onan þat hight micol, a fair womman. þe king sun, hight ionathas, To dauid tru felau he was, Line 7648 þan bade þe king [wha] moght ouerta, His magh dauid man suld him sla; To seke him als his ful faa; þar-for was Ionathas ful wa, Line 7652 And paind him, wit al his maght, To mak þe king and dauid saght. Bifor þe king he dauid broght, Bot efter son was alfor noght. Line 7656

Son efter þis a batail ras, And dauid went a-gain his faas, [þi]s batail it was hard i-nogh, Line 7659 [And] dauid fast on his faas slogh. [þer] mani man fell vnder scheild, Bot with dauid be-left þe feild.

Bot yeit þe warlau þat was wont Trauail þe king a litel stunt, Line 7664 Dauid him gleud wit his harp, þe king þan hent a sper scarp To stair him thoru vnto þe wau; Line 7667 Bot dauid sagh, and blenked lau. In-til his hus þan dauid fledd, Bot ar þe king wald ga to bedd, He sent his men his hus a-bute Line 7671 At wait þe morn quen he com vte, Him to sla if þai moght mete; [folio 43a:2] Bot micol vte bi night him lete, Vte at a priue dern postel, And he him fledd to samuel, Line 7676 þat duelland was in ramatha. Son to þe king tald was it sua, And his reners he þeder send For to rauis dauid he wend; Line 7680

Line 7680 Bot þarto moght þai neuer win, For felaghscep þat he was in, Line 7682 And godds grace þat was him with, Sauued him euer in god and grith. O-mang his kin in priuete, Als he war vtelau, sua wond he; þe god men thoght, o þat cuntre, Line 7687 þair suns send wit him to be. ¶ Saul him soght oft her and þar, Als þof his wiþerwin he war, He wist if he to lijf moght stand He suld be king ouer al þat land, And childer of his aun sede, Line 7693 Suld be for-driuen vte wit nede. For-þi he hight þam giftes rijf, þat suld bring dauid of his lijf. Line 7696 In feild and tun, in frith and fell, Saul soght dauid for to quell; þat oft þe chances sua þai fell, þat neli was þam noght e-mell. Line 7700 And dauid, þat was mild o mode, Again il ai wroght he gode, þat oftsithes moght he him ha tan, And if he wald him might ha slan; For fra þe kings aun bedd Line 7705 þus he broght a priue wedd.

¶ In þat si-quar þat he him soght Wit all þe mightes þat he moght, He sett his tentes in a dale, Line 7709 þar of him tald dauid na tale. Quen it was naght þan cald daui, An of his aun al priueli, Line 7712 Wit him allan stilli þai went, Vn-to þe kings aun tent, þe king and all his folk þai fand, In þair beddes ful fast slepand. Line 7716

Line 7716 þe squier hight abysai, þat to þe tent com wit daui, [folio 43b:1] "Sir," he said, "wit þe leue o yow, I wil him sla ful eth es now. Thorn his licam i sal him smit, Line 7721 þat euer o him þou sal be quit." Dauid þan said, "drightin for-bede þat þou suld thinc to do suilk a dede, Or euer him do despit or scam, Line 7725 þat drightin smerld has in his nam." Of al þat ilk kings ger, Bot a cupe he tok and a sper, Line 7728 Na mar broght he wit him vte, þan slep þai al was him a-bute. Sua yod he forth, nan moght him der, þan he cried vnto þat her, Line 7732 "How ha yee gett your king," said he, "His cupe, his sper, lok quar þai be, þat war bath don at his heued, Lokes nou þar if þai be leued." Line 7736 ¶ Quen king saul had herd þat cri, "Es þat," he said, "mi sun daui?" "Ya, soth," said dauid, "it es i, Quarfor me sekes þou, and qui? Line 7740 Gladli wald i be on-knaun Qui sekes þou me þat es þi naun?" "Soth," said saul, "wit-vten wene, þe mis es min, þat es wel sene." Line 7744 "Nou her i leue þe kinges glaiue, Yee send a man at it receiue, He þat al rightes wit na ros Sal ilk man yeild after he dos." Line 7748

¶ Son efterward, it was not lang, Gain saul þai gaf batail strang, þaa sarzins þan þe king vm-sett, In hard strur [[so in MS.]] þai samen mett, Line 7752

Line 7752 Ful snaip it was þair stur and snell, þe folk al fled of israel. þar þai fell þat moght not fle, O-pon þe mont o gelboe, Line 7756 Dughti berns was þer slan, þe king suns and Ionatan. O þis batail þat was sa snell, þe force a-pon þe king it fell, Line 7760 Mani gode archer þan was þar þe king saul was wonded sare. þan said þe king til his squier, Line 7763 þou dragh þi suerd and sla me her, Or þat i be, mai fall, ouertan, [folio 43b:2] Wit hand o sarzin and slan. þe squier did noght als he badd, Line 7767 For he-self first was selcuth radd, þan drogh saul self his suord And ran him-self a-pon þe ord. Quen his squier him sagh þus ded, He did him-self þat ilk red, Line 7772 Apon his aune suerd he res. And wit his lauerd ded he es, þat was a murnand dai to min, O saul and his suns thrin, Line 7776 And al his folk þat was kene, Slan ar þei now al bidene.

þe sarzins on þat toþer dai Fand quare saul bodi lai, Line 7780 þe hefd þai smat of o þe king, And sent his bodi for to hing. His men þam come on nightertale, Wit þaim a-wai his bodi stale, Line 7784 And priuelie it for to hide, þai duelled in a wod side. Fourti winter was he king, Line 7787 And nou yee herd haue his ending.

þat sith was dauid cummen again, Fra amalech þat he had slain, Line 7790 þat was a strang philistiene, Dauid had gin him batail kene; Wit godds grace þe feild he wan. O saul ost he mett a man, Bi-for dauid fott he fell, Line 7795 "Quein cums þou, quat can þou tell?" "Bot fra þe folk of israel I come to tell þe tiþand lel, þai er discumfit wit þair fas, Saul es slan and ionathas." Line 7800 "þat þai bath er slain, quar-bi Wat þou it es sua?" coth daui. "Thoru chance," he said, "i come rin|and On mont o gelboe, and fand Saul him lenand on his sper, Line 7805 Wonded wit þe haizen her; He me besoght quen he me sau þat i suld him bring o dau; Line 7808 Thoru his licam mi suerd i draif, His hert in tua i wat i claif. I wist na langer liue he moght, [folio 44a:1] Lo! hir his crone to þe i broght." Wel he wend wit þis tiþing Line 7813 For to pai dauid þe king, Bot þar-wit paid he noght daui, þat he son sal ful dere bi.

Bot dauid quen he herd þis word, Was he neuer o wers comfortd, Line 7818 His hend he wrang, his men wit-all, þat godds folk suld sua mis-fall, þai weped þat dai til it was gan,— þan spak dauid to þat yoman, Line 7822 "Qui dred þou noght drightin," he said, "Quen þou þi hand apon him laid,

For to do him despitte or schame, þat halud to godd bar his licame? Vte o mi sight, yee ledd him son To dreri ded þat he be don, Line 7828 Laþer ded þat ani in lijf; þat all mai wit, bath man and wijf, For qua lais hand in feloni O king, or sais him vilani, Line 7832 Or þat him waites wit despitte, Or of hill-wil him mai not quitte, O ferings ded, wit-vten grith, He dei, if he be tan þar-with." Line 7836

þe thrid eild wit þis es past, þar-of þis saul was þe last. þat eild bigan at abraham, It endes her in godds nam; Line 7840 Nine hundreth yeir fourti and tua It lasted, it es written sua. Four thusand sex scor and four tald Was all þe warld þat tim ald, Line 7844 Tuix abraham and king daui, Yee herken nov þe geneologi. Abraham, in lagh sua lel, þat fader was o folks sua fel, Line 7848 Ysaac his sun o spus was, Of him iacob, of him iudas, Of him pharas, of him esrom, Ilkan o þir of oþer com, Line 7852 O quam aram wit-vten gab, Of him com aminadab, Of aminadab come naason, O naason his sun salmon. Line 7856 Of him come boz, of him obeth, [folio 44a:2] Of him iesse, þis eild is eth First fra abraham to cast, And sua to iesse þar-of es þe last. Line 7860