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

The Three Kings make Offerings to Christ.

¶ Fra he was born þe dai thritteind, þai offerd him, þaa kinges heind, Wit riche giftes þat þai broght, Line 11375 þat he was born, bot þat yeire noght, And sum sais bot þe nest yeire Foluand, and sum, wit resun sere, Sais yere efter þai com. Line 11379 Iohn gilden-moth sais wit þis dome þat he fand in a nald bok, þis kinges thre þar wai þai tok Line 11382 A tuelmoth ar þe natiuite, For elles moght not kinges thre Haf raght to ride sa ferr ewai, And com to crist þat ilk dai. Line 11386

Line 11386 He sais þat in þe bok he fand Of a prophet of estrinland, Hight balaam, crafti and bald; And mikel of a stern he tald, Line 11390 A sterne to cum þat suld be sene, Was neuer nan suilk be-for sua scene. Vs telles alsua iohn gilden-moth, Of a folk ferr and first vncuth, Line 11394 Wonnand be þe est occean, þat bi-yond þam ar wonnand nan. A-mang squilk was broght a writte O seth, þe name was laid on it, Line 11398 O suilk a stern þe writt it spak, And of þir offerands to mak. þis writte was gett fra kin to kin, þat best it cuth to haf in min, Line 11402 þat at þe last þai ordeind tuelue, þe thoghtfulest a-mang þam-selue, And did þam in a montain dern Desselic to wait þe stern; Line 11406 Quen ani deid o þat dozein, His sun for him was sett again, Or his neist þat was fere, [folio 63b:1] Sua þat euer þan ilk yere. Line 11410 Quen þair corns war in-don þai went in to þat montaine son, þar þai offerd, praid, and suank, Thre dais noþer ete ne dranc. Line 11414 þus thoru ilk oxspring þai did, Til at þe last þis stern it kyd, þis ilk stern þam come to warn, Apon þat mont in forme o barn, And bar on it liknes of croice, Line 11419 And said to þaim wit mans woice, þat þai suld wend to Iuen land. þai went, and tua yeir war wakand,

þe stern went forth-wit þat þam ledd, And ferlilic þan war þai fedd, Line 11424 þair scrippes quer þai rade or yode, þam failed neuer o drinc ne fode. þir kinges rides forth þair rade, þe stern alwais þam forwit glade, þai said, "far we nu to yond king þat sal in erth haf na nending; Line 11430 þis king we sal be offrand nu, And honur him wit truthes tru; Al þe kinges o þis werld, For him sal be quakand and ferd." þai folud o þis stern þe leme, Til þai come in-to ierusalem, Line 11436 Bot fra þai come þar als suith, þe stern it hid and can vnkyth, Thoru þe might of sant drightin For horods sak his wiþerwin, Line 11440 þat wist þof queþer þe kinges noght, Bot wend haf funden þat þai soght. þai toke þair gesting in þe tun, And spird him efter vp and dun, Bot þe burgeses o þe cite Line 11445 Thoght ferli quat þis thing suld be. þai asked quat þai soght, and þai Said, "a blisful child, par-fai! Line 11448 He sal be king of kinges all, To hend and fete we sal him fall. Sagh we na stern þat ledd us hidir?" þan þai gedir þam to-gedir, Line 11452 And spak hir-of wit gret wondring, And word cum til herod þe kyng, [folio 63b:2] þat þar was suilk kynges cummun, And in þat tun gestening had nummun. ¶ Quen he þis tiþand vndir-stod, Him thoght it noþer fair na god,

For wel he wend, þat ful o suik, To be put vte of his king rike; Line 11460 And did he suith to samen call þe maisters of his kingrik all, And fraind at þaim if þai wist, Quar suld he be born, þat crist, þat suld þe king of Iues be? Line 11465 þai said, "in bethleem iude," For þe prophet had written sua, And said, "þou bethleem iuda, þof þou be noght þe mast cite, Line 11469 þou es noght lest of dignite, O þe sal he be born and bred, Mi folk of israel sal lede." Herod þaa kings cald in dern, Line 11473 And spird þam quen þai sagh þe stern, "Gais," he said, "and spirs well gern, And quen yee funden haf þe barn, Cums again and tels me, Line 11477 For wit wirscip i will him se." "Sir," þai said, "þat sal be yare." Quen þai went in þair wai to far, And left herod þat fals felun, Line 11481 þe stern þai sagh be-for þam bon. And herbi semis, sua thinc me, Sagh nan it bot þa kinges thre. Line 11484 Bituix þe lift an[d] þe erth it glade, Sua fair a stern was neuer made. Right fra þe tun of ierusalem It ledd þam in-to bethleem, Line 11488 Vte-ouer þat hus þan stode þe stern, þar iesus and his moder wern. þai kneld dun and broght in hand, Ilkan him gaf worþi offrand. þe first o þam þat Iasper hight, Line 11493 He gaf him gold wit resun right,

And þat was for to sceu takning O kynges all þat he was kyng. Line 11496 Melchior him com þair neist, Heid he was, bath godd and prist, Wit recles forwit him he fell, Line 11499 þat agh be brint in kirc to smell, It es a gun þat cums o firr. [folio 64a:1] Bot attropa gaf gift o mir, A smerl o selcuth bitturnes, Line 11503 þat dedman cors wit smerld es, (For roting es na better rede) In taken he man was suld be dede. O þir thre giftes, sais sum bok, Line 11507 At ans all thre he tok, Ful suetlik wit smiland [chere], Biheild þaa giftes riche and dere.

¶ Ioseph and maria his spuse, Line 11511 Ful fair þai cald þam til huse, Fair ȝai did þair conrai dight, Wit þe child war þai þat night. Wit-vten pride, þe soth to tell, Line 11515 Had þai na bedd was spred wit pell, Bot þat þai faand, wit-vten wand þai tok, and thanked godd his sand. Ful fain war þai, þai sua had spedd, þaa kinges thre ar broght to bedd, Thre weri kinges o þair wai, Line 11521 þe feirth a child wel mare þan þai, þat wist þai wel, and kyd wit dede, Ful wel he wil þam quit þair mede. þai had in wil þat ilk night Line 11525 To torn be herods, als þai hight, Bot quils þai slepand lai in bedd, An angel com þat þam for-bedd To wend þam bi him ani wai, For he was traitur, fals in fai, Line 11530

Line 11530 A-noþer wai þat þai suld fare. þe morun quen þai risen ware, Line 11532 And þai had honurd þar þe child, þai tok þair leue at mari mild, And thanked ioseph curtaisli, O þair calling and herbergeri. Line 11536

þaa kinges ferd a-noþer wai, Quen þat herods herd þer-of sai, Ful wrath he wex, þat wrangwis king, And herd him driuen al til heþing. He sett his waites bi þe stret, Line 11541 If þai moght wit þaa kinges mett, He commandid son þai suld be slan, If þai moght oþer be ouer-tan. Bot godd wald not þai mett þam wit, þai ferd al sauf in to þair kyth. Line 11546

[folio 64a:2] Quen herods sagh he moght not sped, Sua wa was him þat he wald wede, For þat his wil sua moght not rise, He thoght him wenge on oþer wise. He made a purueance in hi, þat mani saccles suld it bij, Line 11552 For he moght find nan wit sak, On þe sakles he suld ta wrake. Qua herd euer ani slik Purueance sa ful o suike, Line 11556 þat for þe chesun of a barn, Sua mani wald þat war forfarn? He commandid til his knyghtes kene To sla þe childer al be-dene, Line 11560 Wit-in þe tun of bethleem, And vtewit mani barntem Did he sacclesli o lijf, Ful waful made he mani wijf! Line 11564 Wit-in þe land left he noght an, O tua yeir eild þat he ne was slan,

Tua yeir or less, i tel it yow, For sua he wend to sla iesu. Line 11568 All for noght can he to striue, Moght he noght iesu bring o liue, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Ar he self wald, þat mighti king, To ded it moght naman him bring, And not yeitt þan þat he ne suld rise, Al at his aun deuise. Line 11576 It was a mikel sume o quain O þaa childer þat war slain, An hundret fourti-four thusand. Thoru iesu com to lijf lastand. Line 11580

Bot seuen dais for-wit we rede Ar herod had gert do þis dede, þar ioseph on his sleping lai, An angel þus til him can sai, Line 11584 "Rise vp, iosep, and busk and ga, Maria and þi child al sua, For yow be-houes nu all thre In land of egyp for to fle; Rise vp, ar it be dai, Line 11589 And folus forth þe wildrin wai; Herod þat es þe child fa Fra nu wil sek him for to sla, þare sal yee bide stil wit þe barn, Til þat i eft cum yow to warn." Line 11594