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

[The Parable of a King and his four Daughters.]

¶ It was a king o mikel pris, Wight he was worthi and wis, þis ilk king þat i of mon He had an anlepe son, Line 9520 þat wit his fader was sa wele þat wist his wisdom ilk dele, In all wisdoms was he rike, And algat til his fader like; Of a will wit him and a might, Line 9525 His fader wroght wit his insight, All þat his fader wald ha wroght Thoru him til end it suld be broght. And doghtres four þan had þis king, To quam ilkan he gaf sum-thing Line 9530 Of his might and of his bounte, Als feird to has sli sisteres fre, Ilkan sum-dri gift he gaue Parti wit him-self to haue, Line 9534 Bath of his wisdom and his might, Als ilkan fell to haue be right. Of his sustenance he gaf ilkan, And ilkan gaf he substance an, Line 9538 Als to þair fader it aght to fere, Wit-vten quilk on na manere Moght he in pes his kingrik yeme, Ne rightwisdome þar-in to deme. Line 9542

Line 9542 þair names sal yee here for-qui, þe first o þam was cald merci, Line 9544 þe toþer was hatten sothfastnes, þe thrid o dom þe rightwisnes, Pees þe feirth sister hight; Wit-vten þir has king na might Line 9548 For to lede his lauerdhede. þis ilk king, þat i of rede, A seruand had in his baili þat gain his lauerd had don foli, Line 9552 And thoru dom þat loked was, Was don to pine for his trespas, And til his aun fa felun Was he be-taght for to prisun, Line 9556 For he ne had neuer sa gret envie, Als þis man for to be baillie. [folio 53b:1] Quils he was in þat prisun sua, His witherwin him wroght ful wa; Quen merci sagh him suagat be Line 9561 Of him sco can haf pite, Sco moght hir forbere nathing, Bot forth sco went be-for þe king For to sceu him hir resun, Line 9565 And forto liuer vte þat prisun. "Fader," sco said, "þi doghter am i, Als þi-self wat witerli, Line 9568 Fild i am of buxumnes, O mikel reuth and o suetnes, þi gift es me leue mi dere fader, For-þi þou here nu mi praier, Line 9572 O þis wreche prisun þat es, þat he moght haue forgi[u]nes, þat lijs vnder his witherwin, Bath in prisun stad and pin; Line 9576 þat thoru a fals hight him bisuak, And did sua to do gret vtrak,

þat falser falshed him es hight, þat falshede sekes dai and night, Line 9580 And falshede to þam yolden be, And þe prisun be sald to me. For þou art, als all knaus þe, King o mekenes and o pite. Line 9584 þin eldest doghter þou wat i am, Of all þin werkes es mi nam, þi doghter ne aght i neuem me, Bot i ne of him ne had pite. Line 9588 Merci he aght to haue wit right, For þin grett wijt and þin insight, And þi pite þat es sa suete Aght þi prisun o bandes bete. Line 9592 I sal noght fine merci to cri Bituixand he haue þi merci." Quen sothfastnes herd þis talking þat merci þus bisoght þe king, Line 9596 And þat sco was algat a-bute For to bij his prisun vte, Be-for þe king fote sco stode, Line 9599 And said, "leue fader fair and gode, Sli selcut haue i herd to-dai, þat i mai not forber to sai O mi sister suete þat es, Merci, þat wit hir suetnes Line 9604 His prisun wald deliuerd war, [folio 53b:2] þe quilk sothfastnes wald for-fare. Bot merci no hir aght spede Bot-if þat sothfastnes it lede. Line 9608 If mi sister saue moght all þat sco wald for cri or call, þou suld þan be duted noght, Ne man misdedes suld be boght. Line 9612 Bot þou ert king þat es sothfast O rightwisnes, and sua stedfast

þat þou will soth here euer and ai; And þis prisun þat i o sai Line 9616 þat pite of him-self had noght, Hu sal oþer reu of him oght? Dome be-houes him thol for-þi All his misdede wit for to by." Line 9620 ¶ Rightwisnes rais þan and said Hir resun als sco was puruaid, "Sir, o þi deghteres am i an, And þou es king, sa rightwis nan, þi werkes ar all warr and wis, Line 9625 And al þi domes ar rightwis; þis thral þat þou fra þe has flemed, Wel has serued for to be demed; For to-quils þat he was fre, Line 9629 Merci ai wit him had he, And sothfastnes and right al sua, Til þat he-self vs flemed him fra. Line 9632 It was his aun al wilful sin þat did vs all fra him to tuin, He has him menged gain merci, Ded he aght to thole for-þi, Line 9636 þe quilk þat þou him forwit hight. In prisun be he wel wit right, For dom has gin it him for sight, Til sothfastnes has said þe plight þat sua þou wald his sorus slak, Line 9641 þat he moght dom be-for þe tak. For-qui? þat dom ne spars nan þat sothfastnes has ouertan, Ilkman sco gis ai wit will Line 9645 þair right to haue god and ill; For sothfastnes has said his sake, And þar-of dom wil on him wrak, Agh naman god him sai in werld, Sin þat pite es nu noght herd." Line 9650

Line 9650 [folio 54a:1] Aha! þat wreche wit-vten freind, þat on na side mai gett him leind, Ne he mai scap, ga quar he ga, þat him ne sailles ai his fa, Line 9654 þat wijt and strengh ai has him reft And naked his wreche licam left! Noght him allan, bot all his kin In thraldom has broght þam in, Line 9658 He did þam misdo communli, Bot dom þan com foluand in hi, And Iuged þam in sothfast truth, Wit-vten merci, wit-vten reuth; Line 9662 Ne pes at ham moght not lend, Bot vte o land sco most hir wend. For pes mai nourquar abide þar hate wons, or werr, or pride, Line 9666 Ne o merci mad naman min,— All lefte þe land þat þai war in. Was nan þat left efter þare þat þam all destrued war, Line 9670 All to ded þam did to driue, Was noght bot aght sum left on-liue; Noe and his suns thrin, þat in þat scip allan was in, Line 9674 His wijf and his suns vijfes, In al þis werld left ma in liues. It es mikel au to tell, Of ani dom þat was sa fell, Line 9678 And all was right in sothfastnes, Wit-vten merci and reuthnes. ¶ þe ferth sister after þe thre Line 9681 Said to the king, "sir, herken me, Pees ic hatt als þou wel wat, Bituix mi sisters es a debat; Al þat þai striue a-mang þam thre, Thoru pes it agh at tried be, Line 9686

Line 9686 For quar-of serues ani a-sise Of sothfastnes, or of iustise, Line 9688 Bot for to yeme þe pes in land, Dom es þar-for sett to stand. Sin al þir thre ar sett for me, Hu sal i þan for-saken be? Line 9692 Sin þat for me al god ar wroght, And wit-vten me al [[MS. at]] tald for noght, Sauf es i noght nu in þis werld Bot-if þat merci mai be herd. Line 9696 þou agh me here, wit-vten less, [folio 54a:2] For fader es þou and prince o pes. Pes endes al þat wel es wroght, Qua has na pes he has als noght. Qua[t] es richess qua can me sai, Line 9701 Quar wisdom, quar pes es awai? Qua wil for pes his trauaill spend, In pes for-soth þan sal he end. þan agh wel pes be herd for-þi, Line 9705 For þis prisun þat cries merci! ¶ And of vs four sett es a-sise Rightwisli to do iustise, Wit-vten vr al comun a-sent Line 9709 Agh to be mad na jugement, Ne dom agh haf right na record, Ar we ben all at an a-cord. Til an behoues al assent Line 9713 And siþen schap þe iugement, Or ells agh dom be cald a-gain; For-þi yon wreche þat es in pain Agh to find nu sum pite. Line 9717 Nu has þou herd mi sisters thre, Her þow me fader, nu for-þi, For merci fines noght to cri, Merci and hir sisters tua, Line 9721 Blithli wald i cord þam sua."

¶ Quen þat þe king sun had sene Sli strijf his sisters four bi-tuene; þat þai wit-vten him ne moght end, Ne pes bituix þam moght not lend, "Fader," he said, "þi sun i es Line 9727 O þi strenght and þi witernes, Sa wel i am ya luued wit þe þat þi wisdom man clepes me. Al þis werld bath lang and brade, Has þou thoru mi fader made, Line 9732 Al þou wroght wit min insight,— For we er bath of a strenght and might, Of a wirscip and of a will,— þi will i sal euermar full-fill. Line 9736 Fader! rightwisest dempster! Merci me mous wit hir praier þat sco mad scilwis for-wit þe, Forþi wreche i haf o pite. Line 9740 Merci first can on me call, Sco agh be formast herd of all, For sothfastnes algat sal i [folio 54b:1] At an a-cord mak wit merci. Line 9744 Fader, i sal on me for-þi O thral tak clething sothfastli, And thol on me þe dom i sal, þat he suld vnder-ga, yon thral. I sal cri pes in land, i-wis, Line 9749 And dom and pes do samen kys; þe wer til end bring sal i sua, And saue þi land folk al fra wa." Qua vnderstandes þis sample her, He mai vnder-stand al cler, Line 9754 þat þar es in vr lauerd dright, Thre persons and a godd of a might. O godd þe fader al thinges es, O godd þe sun al dughtines, Line 9758

Line 9758 In godd þe haligast of al thing Fulfilld es, and has ending. Line 9760 An-fald godd vndelt es he, And a substance wit-in þir thre. He mot þam giue his benisun, þat gladli herkens þis sermon. Line 9764 Inogh lauerdinges haue yee now Herd o þis werld, quarfor and hu Was it wroght, and his gilt Adam vr formast fader spilt, Line 9768 And hu þis thral moght wit na chance Of his fall get gain couerance. Angel ne might wit na resun Mak for adam his ranscun, Line 9772 For þan suld man, wit-vten dute, Haben til adam vnder-lute, Bot mans ranscun suld be slik þat suld him mak til angel lik. Line 9776 Anoþer skill alsua we find, If angel had tan mans kind þan war he wayker mad þan ar, þat he suld haue na pouer þar; Line 9780 And sembel lightli for to fall, Als did þe prince first o þam all. And if godd had wroght anoþer man For to ransun wit adam, Line 9784 þan moght fall for nakin right, þis ranscuning til adam plight, For al þe bale of him can brede, þe bote suld be þan of his sede; Line 9788 Na patriarck, na yeitt prophete, [folio 54b:2] Moght be sent adam sin to bete, For þai þat geten war in sinn, Als communlik es al man-kinn, Line 9792 Hu moght þai man o sin ma clene? Certes nangat, als i wene.

Sin angel þan it aght not do, Line 9795 Ne man him had na might þerto. Qua suld ma þis ranscun þan Behoued bath be godd and man; Man for man to suffer pine, Godd to quell þe wiþerwin; Line 9800 Man to dei, godd for to rise, Moght nan tak elles þis emprise. Mikel it was his suetnes þan, Mikel reuth he had þat sith o man, þat wald light o þat hei ture Line 9805 To lenden in a maiden bure; þa left sua mani scepe allan, For to fot an þat was wil gan. þar mai be na sli hird for-þi, Line 9809 Ne lauerd nan o sli merci. Qua-sum on suilk a bird [[looks at first sight like hird]] wald thinc, His grett luuered, his mikel suinc, þat wald sua first vr liknes haf Line 9813 And sithen for vs him-seluen gaf, His hert aght ar at brest in thrin Ar fra his comamentes tuin. Line 9816