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

The Birth of Christ.

þe tide þat bringes [[Þat bringes twice in MS.]] al to fine, [folio 62a:2] Ran wit þis to monet nine; Line 11178 Ioseph dight him for to ga To bethleem, and dide alsua, þar he wald noght lat hir duell, For wordes o þaa Iues fell. For to fle þair fals fame, Line 11183 To bethleem he ledd hir hame. In þat siquar þai did þan þus Was emparour, sir augustus, A man men had of mikel dute Line 11187 And dred oueral þis werld aboute. Oueral þe werld he mad statut, Til al þat war his vnderlutte, þat ilk kynd suld mak þam boun To cum in-to þair kyndli tun, Line 11192 To mak knaulage wit sum-thing Til sir august, þair ouer-king. A baili tok þis werc on hand, þai cald cirinus in þat land, Line 11196 þat did mens names for to writte þat aght þis eild al for to quitte.

¶ Sir Ioseph come in þat siquar To bethleem, als i tald ar, Line 11200 Vntil his aghen hame and hus, Broght mariam wit him, his spus. þan was sco gan sua forth, þat mild, þat sco was at hir time o child. Line 11204 Quat schal i tell yow, less or mare, Bot ihesu crist hir barn sco bar, Hir child, and maiden neuer less, Wit-vten wemming of hir fless. Line 11208

Line 11208

¶ Qua godds might kneu witerli, þar-of thurt him haf na ferli Line 11210 Maria barn ber in chastite, Sin godd wald þat it sua suld be, He þat þe walud wand moght ger In a night leif and fruit ber, Witvten weke or erth a-bute, Line 11215 And in a night sua did it sprute To flur and fruit, (als ic haf said) Moght he not þan, þat al puruaid, Be born vte of a maiden eth, At þe time o nine moneth? þat al wroght and al mai reke, Line 11221 And did þe dumb asse to speke, And did þe see to cleue in tua [folio 62b:1] His wiþerwines for to sla, Wel moght he ger witvten stemme, Maiden ber barn wit-vten wemme. þe liknes o þis barn-teme, Line 11227 Right als þou seis þe sun beme Gais thoru þe glas and cums again, Wit-vten brest, right sua al plain, Bot flescheliker he com and yede, Saufand his moder hir maidenhede. þus sco bar hir barn-teme, Line 11233 þat blisful birth in bethleem. Sli clathes als sco had to hand Wit suilk sco suedeld him and band, Bituix tua cribbes sco him laid; Was þar na riche geres graithed, Was þar na pride o couerled, chamber curtin ne tapit. Line 11240 þe hirdes þat was wonte to be On feld was þat time wit þair fee, þar lighted angels bright of heuen, þam broght bodword singand wit steuen,

"I bring yow word wit ioi and blis, Born to night your sauueour es! Wit þis talkyng þat i yow sai, Line 11247 Yee ga to-morn wen it es dai To bethleem, and find yee sal, þe saueour be born of all. þar es þe king ouer-al kinges Line 11251 Born to night wit þir takeninges, In a crib he sal be funden, Ligand þar an asse es bunden. Honurs him, for-qui he sal Line 11255 Be sett in dauid king stall." Quils þis angel sli tiþand tald, þas oþer lighted dun thic-fald, Louand godd wit suilkin sagh, Line 11259 "On hei be ioi, and pes on lagh." ¶ Quen þai had sai[d] þat þai wald sai, þir angels wited þam ewai, Line 11262 Feird war þaa hirdes for þat light þai had sene o þaa angels bright, For þai sagh neuer suilk a sight, Sli visiting be-for þat night. Line 11266 þai said, "to bethleem go wee, O þis tiþand þe soth to see." Quen þai com þar, mari þai fand, [folio 62b:2] And wit hir ioseph hir husband, And þe child þat suedeld was, Line 11271 Lai in crib tuix ox and ass. Quat þai had herd and sene þai tald, All wondir on, bath yong and ald, Bot maria held in hert ai still, Line 11275 And thanked drightin of his will. ¶ In august time, þe Imparour, Was vs born vr sauueour, Quen þat [[MS. þai]] þis werld was best in pes, On sunnes night, wit-vten les, Line 11280

Line 11280 Ten dais on þe monet was gan, þat ilk yeir born was sant iohan. ¶ þe aghtand dai þis child was born Was he circumcised and scorn; Line 11284 Iesus on him to nam þai laid, Als forwit þaim þe angel said.

¶ At þe terme of fourti dais After þat þe gospel sais, Line 11288 þai bar þe child fra bethleem vn-to þe temple o ierusalem, For to do fore him þat dai, þe settenes of þe ald lai, Line 11292 þe lai of moyses þat wijld Womman þat had a knaue child, At hir formast birth suld sco It offer þe hali temple to, Line 11296 Efter þat sco suld ha lin Fourti dais in hir gisin; For maiden child eft als lang Ar sco suld to þe temple gang. Line 11300 And wit hir child suld offer þare, A lamb if sco sua riche ware, And els qua ne moght sua, To offer turtuls douues tua, Line 11304 Oiþer o douues duble brid. þis lagh maria wit iesus did, Pouer gift can sco for him giue þat com in pouert for to liue, Line 11308 O pouert na dedeigne had he þat biddes vs luue wel pouert[e], For pouert thar naman mislik Quils he es in god truth rike. Line 11312 ¶ And was o gode haliman Wonnand in þe temple þan, O sex scor yeire, hight symeon, [folio 63a:1] þat had made mani hali bon, Line 11316

Line 11316 þat he moght in þis liues hel þe comforth se of israel, Line 11318 þat mans raunsuning suld bere, And drightin had him giuen ansuer, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þat he o ded suld neuer dei, Til he suld se crist self wit ei. Line 11324 For-þi quen mari moder mild In-to þe temple broght hir child, þis symeon þat had his tast Toched o þe hali gast, Line 11328 O þis child com sua fain He was, þat he him went again, And for gladnes he gaf a cri Line 11331 þat all ouerherd þat stode him bi. "Godd has his folk sene to night, And sent þam þat he lang for-hight." þan he ran to iesu schete, And fel dun þar be-for his fete, Line 11336 Honurd him þat seli man, And tok him in his armes þan, And kist his fete and said, "drightin Do me to rest nu seruand þin, For nu min ei has sen þin hel, Line 11341 þat þou has hight to israel." þar was als-sua an ald womman, Anna þat was wit eld forth gan, þat liued had foursith tuenti yeier In viduid, and dais thre. Line 11346 Lele sco was ai in hir lede, And neuer vte of þe temple yede, Bot euer þar-in was sco bun Line 11349 In almisdede and orisun, Quen þat sco þis can iesus se, Honurd him be-for his kne, Line 11352

Line 11352 Sco said, "for-soth þis ilk es he In quam þe werld sal saued be." O propheci soth þis word es, For þis anna was a prophetes. Line 11356

þat ilk dai a propheci Said symeon of vr leuedi, Of hir and of hir sun iesu, þe quilk i sal sai yow nu. Line 11360 "þis child," he said, befor þam all, "Sal be to fel men in dun fall, And to fell in vprising, [folio 63a:2] In taken alsua again-saing; Line 11364 þis dun-fall sal we vnderstand, Suld be all þe mistruand, þis vprising of oþer fele, Line 11367 þat in þair truth war tru and lele. Til hir he said, "þin aghen hert A sorful suerd sal stik ouerthuert;" þe suerd o soru thoru hir stode, Line 11371 Quen sco hir sun sagh hing on rode.