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

[The Crucifixion and Burial.]

¶ Tho knyghtes that by hym satte they Iesu sone vncled And leid hym on the rode tre ther-on they hym spred Line 16668 There he yaf his blessid body for our raunsom in wed Iesu haue mercy on vs that so sor for vs bled Line 16672 ¶ To that tre they nailid hym tho on mount calvery With a thef on eythir side then they hong hym by Line 16676 That alle shuld vnderstond that yede that wey ny Of thise ij^o thevis as who seith the master thef am I Line 16680 The cawse of his deth they wroght abovyn his hed on hy ¶ Abovyn his hed as I you telle a borde was made fast Line 16684 There-on was the tytle wretyn by rede of pilates cast Iesus nazarene iewis kyng this was yt first and last Line 16688 By Ebrew grew and laten thise wordes tho they pas ¶ While thise Cursid houndes hym nailid to the tre Line 16692 ffor hem that diddyn hym shame his praier made he ffader he seid for-yef hem that they done to me Line 16696 ffor what they do they be so blynd hem-self cannot se

¶ Abowte his kyrtyll drow they Cutte who shuld it ber away Line 16700 To hym mekyll scorne they made and also grete affray haile þou tempill cast doun to hym gan they say Line 16704 And reysar vp as þou seidist with-ynne the third day Othir hast þou helid oft hele thy-self if þou may Line 16708 ¶ Som seid if þou be Crist as þou hast seid or now Come doune thy-self of the rode & all wolle we þe bow Line 16712 Muche scorne they hym bed that was for our prow The tenthe part may no man telle sothely to sey to you Line 16716 ¶ Off tho thevis that by hym hong the tone hym yaf vmbraide Save þou thy-self and vs if þou be Cryst he seid Line 16720 The todir thefe gan hym blame with þis answere þus purveid he seid þou dredist lytill god that this pyne is on leide Line 16724 ¶ lytill dredist þou god or his mekyll might The dome that is yovyn to vs we haue yt with right Line 16728 with-outyn cawse is this man to the deth now dight haue mercy lord he seid on me when þou comyst to thy light Line 16732 ¶ Iesu yaf to that thef this answere of price

To-day þou shalt be with me he seid in paradice Line 16736 This thefe that on his right side hyng dismas he hight þe wyse Gesmas hight the tothir the fend hym made nyse Line 16740 ¶ By this was vnder of the day [folio 153a:1] the light by-gon to hide his appostils wern flowyn hym fro durst non with hym abide Line 16744 But his moder and seint Iohn tho duellid by his side They sewid hym in wele and wo & sie that sorowfull tide Line 16748 ffrom then yt darkyd tille þe mone ouer all þe world wide ¶ his modir and the mawdeleyn and þe mary cliophe Line 16752 And Iohn his der cosyn stode by the rode tre Iesus sie his moder wepe of hir he had pite Line 16756 Moder Iohn shalbe thy sonne fro now in-stede of me And she thy moder my cozyn loke hir wele seid he Line 16760 ffro then he our lady left in his kepyng to be ¶ By this was the day so gon that comyn was to none Line 16764 Iesus wold the prophesie to end wele were don Then he seid me thrystes sor a swayne start forth sone Line 16768 And bed hym galle and ayzell to drynck wary hym sonne & mone

¶ To that bytter drynk hym bodyn he bed his mowthe ther-tille he tastid it but nought he dronk hit was so wonder ille Alle for bled as he might he spak thise wordes stille To the fader I yeld my gost now haue I done thy wille ¶ After hym was bodyn this bytter drynk of eyzell & of galle his blessid soule he yaf for vs the hed doun lete he falle The day was derker then the night þe erthe quoke with-alle The stonys brast the temple clefe in ij^o bothe rofe & walle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ¶ So Grysly the erthe quoke that gravis it vndid Dyverce bodijs rose to lyf in erthe by-for were hid And comyn to toun among men and ther wer knowyn & kyd Many iewis by-gon to drede for wondirs þo bytid ¶ The word come to Sir pilat ther as he was stad Line 16804 Of tho thyngges that then by-felle wher-for he was vnglad

With-outyn mete or drynk that day in sorow he was bylad Line 16808 After the master iewis he sent they comyn as he hym bad ¶ Haue ye thise wondirs sene he seid that now to-day is don Line 16812 Oft haue we seyne the clyppes seide they boþe of sonne & mone Line 16814 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] fforth come Ioseph of Aramathy and askyd of pilat a bone Iesu body to bury tho he hym grauntid sone ¶ Moche wondird pilat his dethe so sone to se The iewis for their muche fest that on þe morn shuld be Seidyn no body shuld be left hongyng on no tre Dothe hym doune as you thenckyth best pilat seid paide be we The ij^o they fond somdele in lyf of eythir they brak the thie ¶ When that they to Iesu come [folio 153b:1] they fond hym dede as stone ffor they wyst him fully dede of hym brak they no bone But blynde longeus with a sper that a knyght was oon The iewis made [[iewis made repeated in MS.]] hym thorogh his side to putte it sone anon A-yenst his wille he it did therefor he made mone ¶ Blode and water out of his side muche tho þer ranne

Of that [[MS. than]] blode ranne to his hond sone his sight he wan Line 16844 Seint Iohn it sie and þus seid his wytnes is that man he was of Crystes frenship grete and was nye hym þan ¶ Ioseph tho his trew frend was of Aramathie He grauntid neuer in wille ne werk to her felony Line 16852 He and nycodeme also as tellyþ this story With pylates leve to the rode went hem preuyly Line 16856 There they fond the sorowfullest both Iohn and mary . . . . . . . . . . Line 16860 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 16864

Line 16864 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 16868 ¶ Out they drow the naylis iij^e and toke his body doun Wyth wyndyng-clothe of sendell riche made his burying boun Line 16872 Wyth oynementes the body enbawmyd riche of grete renoun In a tombe to hym-self wrought Ioseph þat riche baroun Line 16876 There-ynne they leide hym derworthely in a yard be-side þe toun ¶ The monyng that his moder made might no man telle ne rede Line 16880 Sone was his burying cowthe to that fals lede They come to pilat and þus seid as they wold wede Line 16884 Sir of treson now ow we most to drede ¶ Sir they seid of this traytour lettar of our lay Line 16888 Vs menys whan he was alyfe some we herd say That he shuld haue might and strengthe to ryse þe iij^e day Line 16892 And for that skylle lette wacche hym iij^e dais we you pray ¶ yff his dissipils come be nyght to stele hym vs fro Line 16896 and seid to oþer he is resyn it wold kyndill muche wo Alle our law in short while might be for-done so Line 16900

Line 16900 pylat seid on your best wyse to kepe hym sone ye go Line 16902 ¶ The prynces of prestes of þe law went to þat monvment And made yt sykyr as hem thought while they wer present Line 16906 They set her selis ther-vpon er they then went Armyd knyghtes ther they left to þat tombe to tent Line 16910 But whan he rose to lyf tho caytifs ar but shent ¶ Ioseph wold haue had the rode þe Iewis it hym for-bede Line 16914 The self nyght they yt did awey to be led with tho thevis crossis to when men wer in bed Line 16918 They beried hem fro Crystyn men in a preuy stede There-for they had the maleson of hym þat þer-on bled Line 16922 ¶ Now is the cros vnder erthe & Iesus vnder stone and alle the feith in holy chirche left in mary alone Line 16926 Iesus had foughtyn with satan [folio 154a:1] fro helle was comyn & goon And worthid hym on his oune vile as hound is on a bone Line 16930 ¶ As fishe with bayte was he takyn & on the hoke brought ffor he sie hym lyke to man his godhede saw he nought Line 16934 while his flesh lay vnder stone his gost to helle sought

And with the might off his godhede he ros that vs had bought Line 16938 ¶ Thorogh a tre as ye haue herd was man-kynd made thralle And thorogh the holy rode tre fredom come vs alle Line 16942 Ayen the Appill adam ete was yef Iesu the galle Alle the paynys of this world to his ner but smalle Line 16946 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ¶ he that neuer synne did our synnys alle he bar Line 16950 dispytously for vs wo lad buffetid & betyn sar ffor our sake he suffird þus muche sorow & car Line 16954 lym nor lyf of his for vs wold he spar . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 16958 ¶ he that nevir synne did ne so moche as it th[ought] Our synnys and our wrecchidnes der he hem bought Line 16962 So welle he louyd vs that no thyng of hym-self he rought Alle the wrake on hym he toke that oþer men had wroght Line 16966 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 16970 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

[No gap in the MS.]

¶ Many soule thorogh kynde the body yt louyd so Line 17010 That it wold neuyr yef yt might þe body to parte fro do man yet neuer so muche pyne ne yet so muche wo Line 17014 Tille body haue lost wyttes ffyve the soule wille not go ¶ Heryng / speche / sight / smellyng & felyng ar wyttes v. Line 17018 Alle thise wille go ar the soule when he hens shalle ryve kynd no soule suffer may to part fro man alyve Line 17022 But Iesus that so mighty was suffird harder stryve Then eny man that euyr was born or yet shalle of wyve Line 17026 ¶ ffor this ilk Iesu had so muche might and mayne That yt semyd wele to be and sothe is it certayne Line 17030 That he hym-self an hundyrd sithe dobelid þis payne Ther is no man that reason can may sey her agayne Line 17034 ¶ While he hyng on that tre as it byfor is told his holy soule to his fader with his voyce he yold Line 17038 Ther he shewid hym mighty god that alle thyng hath in wold Thus to make our raunsom for vs hym-self he sold Line 17042 ¶ A thow blessid maide of all of the what shalle I say

Of thy sorow mary myld þou haddist in hert þat day Line 17046 That day was also thy passion may no man sey nay when thow þy sonne sie so by-led with tene & eke with tray Line 17050 ¶ But comyn was tho the swerd that thorogh þyn hert stong That Semeon with prophesie had yt by-forn long Line 17054 But yet of ioy an hundird-fold he doublyd þe thy song When he rose fro dethe to lyff with his godhede strong Line 17058 Bothe byrthe and passion [folio 154b:1] of the that vs bought But he had resyn from deth alle had be for nought Line 17062 ¶ Thus may we seyne opynly how it to end was brought The world socourid the fende fald þat alle þe sorow sought Line 17066 In the mary tho hyng alle our trouthe and eke our fay Alle men wer in doute but þou that ilk day Line 17070 ¶ Tille thy swete sonne vp-rose þou keptist alle our lay how we shuld kepe our byleve ther tawghtyst þou vs the way Line 17074 Mary welle of mercy willyng euyr pyte fflour of maydyn-hede that euer was or shalbe Line 17078 May no man telle the tennyth part the blessidnes off the

Pray for vs to thy blessid sonne in his blis we mote be [[No gap in the MS.]] Line 17082