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

How the angel broke the tree.

Apon þe morn quen it was dai, And þai ware busked to þair wai, Iesus him turnd to þe tre, Line 11711 And said, "þou palme, i comand þe þat o þi branches an be scorn, And wit mine angel heþen born, To planted be in paradise, Line 11715 þar mi fader mirthes es." Vnnethes he had þis word spoken, An angel com, a bogh was broken, And born a-wai it was alson, Line 11719 His comanment was noght vndon; þe bugh til heuen wit him he bar. þai fell in suun al þat þar war, For angel sight þai fell dun mad. Iesus þan said, "qui er yee rade? Quer it es sua yee wat it noght Line 11725 þat handes mine þis tre has wroght, And i wil nu þis ilk tre, Stand in paradis, to be To mi santes in sted of fode, Line 11729 Als in þis wai to yow it stode." Siþen forth þai ferd þair wai, And ioseph can to iesu sai, "Lauerd, þis es a mikel hete, Line 11733 It greues vs, it es sua grete; If þou redes þat it sua be [folio 65a:2] We wil þe wai ga be þe se, For þar es tuns in for to rest, Line 11737 þat we[i] to ga me thinc it best."

"Ioseph, nu dred þe noght i sai, For i sal mak þe scort þi wai, Line 11740 þat þou on thritte dais long Iornes sal haf bot a dai gang." Als þai to-gedir talked sua, þai loked þam on ferrum fra, Line 11744 And sun began þai for to see O land of egypt sum cite. þan [þ]ai wex ful glad and blith, And come þam till a cite suith, þai þai fand nan o þair knaing, Line 11749 At þat þai cuth ask at þair gesting. In þat siquar þai come to tun, Was preistes at þair temple bun To do þe folk, als þai war sete, Ma sacrifies to þair maumet. Line 11754 Bot maria ner was gesten þar, To se þat kirck hir sun sco bar; Quen sco was cummen þat kirck wit-in, Man moght a selcuth se to min, þat al þair idels in a stund Line 11759 Grouelings fel vnto þe grund, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Cotton & Laud MSS.] Dun at þe erth all war þai laid. þan come þe propheci was said, Line 11764 "Quen he," it sais, "þe lauerd, sal Cum til egypti, þair idels all Sal fall dun als þai war noght, þe quilk þai wit þair handes wroght." O þat tun was a lauerding, Line 11769 Quen him was tald o þis tiþing, He gadir[d] folk and duelled noght, And to þe temple he þam broght; For to wreke þam was he bun Line 11773 þat þus did cast þair goddes dun.

Quen he þam sagh in temple lij, Hijs godds and his maumentri, Line 11776 He com to maria wit-vten harme þar sco hir child bar in hir arme, Honurand for-wit him he fell, Line 11779 And til his folk þus he can tell, "þis child, if he ne war godd almight, Vr godds had standen al vp-right, Bot for he es godd mighti sene, [folio 65b:1] Vres ar fallen don be-dene. Line 11784 Quat dos or goddes or mai do ger; Bot we ne wrick þe wisliker, þe wark of him sua mai we dred, Als wittnes on vr eldres dede; Hu it be-tide to pharaon, Line 11789 Wit al his folk he was for-don, For þai wald noght apon him tru, Sua ful o might and o vertu, Al þai drund in þe se. I tru on him, alsua do yee." Line 11794 Was noght a temple or-quar in tun, þat þar ne fel sum idel dun.

¶ In egypte leue we nu iesum, Wordes to tell of herod sum. Line 11798 þis herods had regned thr[i]tte yere, Quen iesus crist vr lauedi bere, Siþen he regned yeres seuen, His wranges godd on him sal heuen, þat fals, þat fell, þat godds faa, þat soght his lauerd for to sla, Line 11804 Hu had he hert to sced þair blod þat neuer did til him bot godd? þat wili wolf, þat fox sa fals, Bath gain fremd and freinds als, O carles costes al til vnknauin, Line 11809 And was man-queller til his aun.

þat gredi gerard als a gripe, Line 11811 His vn-rightes biginnes to ripe! And of his seruis mani dai, Nu neghes tim to tak his lai. þat caitif vn-meth and vn-meke Nu bigines he to seke; Line 11816 þe parlesi has his a side, þat dos him fast to pok his pride; In his heued he has þe scall, þe scab ouer-gas his bodi all, In his sides him held þe thring; Line 11821 His folk sagh soru on þair king. Wit þe crache him tok þe scurf, þe fester thrild his bodi thurgh, þe gutte þe potagre es il to bete, It fell al dun in-til his fete. Line 11826 Ouer al þan was he mesel plain, And þar-wit had feuer quartain; Ydropsi held him sua in threst, [folio 65b:2] þat him thoght his bodi suld brest. þe falland gute he had emell, Line 11831 His teth vt of his heued fell, On ilk side him soght þe sare, It moght naman in lijf ha mare. Ouer-al wrang vte worsum and ware, And wormes creuld here and þare.

¶ Als caitif þare he ligges seke, Line 11837 And dos him leches [[MS. lethes]] for to seke, And þai com bath fra ferr and ner, þat sliest war o þat mister; Bot for þai moght not leche his wa, All he did þam for to sla. His aun geing all fledd him fra, Bath seruands and sun alssua, Line 11844 His freindes all þai him fra fledd, Moght nan for stinck negh til his bedd,

All þai fled fra him a-wai, And isked efter his enddai. Line 11848

¶ Quen þat his sun archelaus Sagh his soruful fader þus, Til þe barnage tit he sent, To mak a priue parlement. Line 11852 "Godd men," he said, "quat es your sight O mi fader þat þus es dight? Yee se he has na mans taill, þar-for yee sai me your consaill. He es sua stad wit-in his waa, Line 11857 þat sagh i neuer nanoþer sua; þe roting þat him rennes vte, þe stinck þat ai es him a-bute, Ne mai na liueand man it thole, And þar-wit he dos his leche cole. Quat sum he-self dos he ne wat, For he es in a soruful state, Line 11864 For he es vte of his witt for wa. For-þi rede i, if you thinc sua, þat we ger get vs leches tuin, In quilk we mai siker vs in, To mak a neu bath to proue, O pike and oile to his behoue, Line 11870 And quen þat it has had an hete, Cast him þar-in al for to suete." þe barnage said, "god es þi rede, For almis war þat he war dede." [folio 66a:1] ¶ þis leches sun did þai sun forth bring, Quen þai come be-for þe king He lifted vp his lathli ching, Line 11877 And felunlik can on þaim grene, "Fiȝ aputains," he said, "quat er yee?" "Sir! lechis for to leche þe; Medicine sal þou of vs take, A nobul bath we sal þe make, Line 11882

Line 11882 þat bi þat þou þar-of cum vte þou sal be hale sum ani trute." Line 11884 þai fild a lede o pik and oyle, And fast þai did it for to boile; Quen it was to þair will al dight, þai lifted vp þat maledight. Line 11888 "Aha! traiturs," he said, "i sale Hing yow bot ye mak me hale." "Nai goddut," þai said, "sir king, Sal þou neuer naman hing, Line 11892 Bi þat we ani fra oþer part Bot-if we fail nu of vr art." Wit þis þai lete his heud dun, And vp þe fete o þat felun, Line 11896 For þai haf halden him þair haite, þar-in þai hang him be þe fete, And drund him in pike and terr, And send him quar he faris werr,— Werr þan he fard euer ar, Line 11901 þar neuer es end a-pon his far [[read kar]] ; For he es bileft wit satanas, And wit þe traitur sir iudas. Quen he was ded, þat gerard grim, Archilaus was king efter him. Line 11906 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Cotton & Laud MSS.]