Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ...
[The death of Solomon, and the names of his successors.]
O salamon endes mi tale,
He regn[d] fourti winter hale,
He þat sa weli was o win;
9135
His eild was fourti yeir and tuin.
Birid in bedelem was he bun,
þat was his aun fader tun,
Wit mensk and wirscip, efter quam
Regn[d] his sun, hight roboam.
9140
þis roboam þat i of mene,
Regned winters seuentene.
His sun com efter, abia,
Thre yere he regnd and nama.
9144
Asa his sun, bath hale and fere, [folio 51a:2]
Regnd an and fourti yere;
Iosophat his sun in liue
Regnd tuenti yere and fiue;
9148
þan was helias, þat prophet,
þat drightin of sa mikel let,
þat stint þe rain thoru his praiyer,
Sex monet and thre yere;
9152
And quen he praid eft a-gain,
Plente godd þam send o rain;
He was þe first, als stori sais,
þat ded man raisd in form dais.
9156
O Iosaphat bicom Ioram,
þat regnd winters aght, wit quam
Page 528
Was a prophet, heliseus,
Als þe stori tellus vs
9160
Helias was in þat siquare,
Translated in a golden chiare.
O þis ioram com ozias
þat regnand winters fifte was;
9164
In þat siquar þat i of mele
Was in þe land prophetes fele,
Ysaias, ioel, Osee, abias,
Amon, ionas, and micheas;
9168
þe sext sibile bigan to rise
þat was o propheci ful wise.
Of ozias com ioathan,
9171
Sexten yeir regnand was he þan;
Romulus was þe first man
þat regned in rome, and it began.
Achaz his sun him efter come;
9175
þat sith was made þe tun o rome.
Sexten yeir regned achaz,
And of him come ezechias,
He regnd thritte yeir and nine,
Wel he luued was wit drightin.
9180
Siþen regnd manasses,
þat was his sun, wit-vten lees.
þat time was, als sais stori,
A sibile þat hight osami.
9184
O þis manasses com amon,
þat, als his fader, was a fon,
Foles war þai bath, for-þi
þat þai honurd mamentre.
9188
Amon sun was iosias,
A dughti king, in his time was
Fordon þe tune o niniue, [folio 51b:1]
þat was of vmgang thre iorne,
9192
þat standen had to þat siquar
Fourten hundret yeir and mare;
Page 530
þat time was prophet Ieremi
Spekand in his propheci.
9196
Iosias gat Ieconiam,
þe transmigracion was þan,
þat þe bok of mining mas.
þan was a king sedechias,
9200
In his time was þe Iuen land
Wonnen into þe sarzins hand,
Iurselem was struid an þan*. [[read and tan]]
þan can þair kingrik for to wan.
9204
And als i in þe stori find,
þat time was þe temple brind
Thoru a king o babilon,—
In thraldam he had þam don,—
9208
þat nabugodonosor hight,
Strang he was, o mikel might.
A tuelmoth he þe tun vm-sett,
And wan it for de-faut o mett;
9212
þe king fled vte wit nightertale,
Wit þe wightes[t] men o wale,
Bot he was taken at his flight,
His suns slain be-for his sight,
9216
And him-seluen did þar bind,
And kest him in-to prisun blind.
¶ þe Iuues now er put o state,
And þair kingrik translate
9220
þat had four hundret yeir stand
And fifte to þat dai nerhand.
