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

[Solomon's great sin and repentance.]

His dedes coth naman deuis, þof he war of ful mikel pris, Line 8980 Bot hard it es, þe wird o sin þat yarked was til adam kin!

þe sorful wark him ane he wroght, þat all his sede wit sorou soght Line 8984 Man for to fall in filth o fless, Thoru forme kind þat es sa nesse; Ouer passed has þat caitiue kind, And mad king salamon al blind, Line 8988 Blind o wijt and wisdom als, And maked him, þat faithful, fals. Thoru wimmen þat he luued sa fele He fell fra liue and saul hele; Line 8992 Again þe lagh godd him for-bedd Leuedis he luued of vncuth lede, þat did him drightin to renai, And for to for-sak his aun lai. Line 8996 Lauerd king, sua mikel o might, Quar be-com al his in-sight, þat did him-self alsua to spill, Line 8999 Foluand a wicked womman will?

¶ Allas! arli þis gil be-gan At adam, þat was þe formast man; Sampson þat wightes[t] was in lijf, Was son bigiled thoru a wijf; Line 9004 King dauid, thoru a wijf sight, To ded he did a saccles knight. Now salamon, i red of here, [folio 50b:1] þat neuer had o wisdom pere, Line 9008 Sin womman has þir suiken sua Qua mai o þam be seker? qua? Certes, i hope vnnethes nan Line 9011 þat es in weild o wicked womman, þe man sco has in hir bandom, He es forcasten als crachon; Blisced, i sai, for-þi es he þat dos him noght in hir pouste, Line 9016 For if he luue hir mar þen nede, To will als sott sco will him lede,

Haf he ben forwit neuer sa yepe, Fra þan i tell him for a nape. Line 9020 Bot mistru nan þe-queþer for þat i Thinc sai o womman wilani, If i sua did i war vn-hind, Line 9023 Thinc i na womman þof to scend. Certes nai, thar naman wene, For in þis werld es nan sa scene Creature wit godd and man, Line 9027 Ne nan to luue, als god womman! Allan to þaas iuel i tell þat bath ar funden fals and fell, Feluns in entent to suike, þe wimmen þat i blam er slike; Line 9032 þe wick er neuer þe worthier þat man tell quat þe dughti er, Ne þe gode þe wers to prais, Quat-so men o þe wick sais; Line 9036 Quilk er to lac, quilk er to luue, þair aun werckes will þam proue. Bot godd, þat deid on þe rode, Line 9039 Amend þe wick and saue þe gode!

¶ Quen salamon his will had wroght, Wa was him euer þat he thoght Gode to wreth, his saul to file, And þan repented him a quile. Line 9044 Wit bath his eien sar he grett, And did prophetes for to fett; þe patriarches þai com wit-al Be-for þair fete he let him fal, Line 9048 "Haue yee," he said, "o me merci, For es nan sinfuller þan i. I se wel now, I haue mis-gan, For i haf honurd self sathan; Line 9052 I haf bi-left mi lauerd lau, [folio 50b:2] And sua me tan to þe werlau."

¶ "Has þou," coth þai, "þi lau renaid?" "Yaa, soth haf i, walawai!" he said. "And qui," coth þai, "has þou don sua?" Line 9057 "A womman wroght me has mi waa, For mi mis-gilt i am of-knaun, I war worþi wit hors be draun! I haue me don a wicked dede, Line 9061 Thoru womman, was o heþen lede. Yee rede me nu, for drightin sake, Your consail wil i vndertak." Line 9064 ¶ "We," þai said, "quat rede can we, Bot es þe rede al self o þe? þou þi-self, þat es sa wise, First þou sai vs þin awise; We sal be to þi biding boun." Line 9069 "Tas of," he said, "mi kinges croun þat i na langer agh to bere, Mi king rob als þat i wer; Al for mi plight far wil i fle In vncuth kygth fra þis cuntre." Line 9074

"Do wai," þai said, "king salamon, þis thing agh we not for to don, Noþer we it will, ne we haf might, For-do þe lau o kynges right; Line 9078 þat lau þat godd has laid on kyng We ne au to brek, for nakins thing." ¶ "How mai þis be? quat sai yee now? Ne sal i haf na rede o yow?" Line 9082 "Qui quat rede mai we sai to þe?" "I will þat yee vncroun me; Mi lauerd i haue be-left, allas! Yee helpe me in þis caitiue cas, Line 9086 And laes on me ful hard penance, For sar it es mi repentance.

Sin i haf serued to haue þe scam, Gis me mi scrift, o godds name!"

¶ þat scrift was soruful and vn-sene, þat al þat cite sagh be-dene, Line 9092 Alld and yong, al can on wonder, þe scrift þat salamon yod vnder. His sin be-for þat gret cite Wit waful weping sceud he, Line 9096 His riche croun o gold an[d] stan Did first be of his heued tan, And four his robe he gaf to riue, [folio 51a:1] And four his bodi for to driue, Line 9100 To scurg bare thoru al þat thrang, Vte of his bak þe blode þai suang, þat sare, þat scam, þat martiring, Was neuer sene on suilk a king! Line 9104 Bot al he tok in godds nam, And thold luueli al þat scam, For al-to gned him thoght þe gram, þat he moght thol on his licam Line 9108 Quar-of he forwit folud þe lust, He wald men raf it al to dust, Quar-thoru it semes wel wit þis þat he wan merci of his mis Line 9112 Quat for þe reuth of his misdede, Quat for þe scrift he vnder-yede. Efter þe time he þus had don, A quile regn[d] king salamon Line 9116 Blisfulli ouer al þat land, His werckes yitt er lastand; His craftes sal be lastand ai In werld bituixand domes-dai, Line 9120 þat mikel i haf of for to tell, Moght i for other thinges duel. O þir thinges es mast to min, To recken forth vr ladi kin, Line 9124

Line 9124 for þar-for mast i vnder-tok For to mak þis englis bok; To tell first hu vr lauerd o might, Til hali men of-sith had hight, Line 9128 þat o þair sede a man suld spring þat man-kind suld o baret bring; Ful lang þis hight was made be-forn þe time þat iesus crist was born. Line 9132