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

[The Virtues and Symbols of the Cross.]

Þe grace of god is grete & gode þat giuis vs ensaumple of þe rode. Line 21628 ma miȝt has our lorde wroȝt þen ani man mai þink in þoȝt. bot man of trauþ is squa vnsely þai traw noȝt bot þai se wiþ ey. & þat vnneþis wil þai traw. Line 21633 wiþ-outen signe of grete vertu. me þink if ȝe þe soþ haue soȝt. þat syn þe werlde was first wroȝt miraclis of þe crossis miȝt. Line 21637 has oft standen in stede & riȝt. ouer & vnder riȝt & left. in þis compas god has al weft. ¶ bot-if man of him-selue be blinde vm-þink him wele he sal hit finde. þe liknes of þis tree sa trew. Line 21643 was in þe alde lagh be-for þe new. & in þe new lagh alsqua sere. þat sum ar gode of for to here. ¶ I þink þis is þat tree of blis. Line 21647 þat riȝtwisnes to bundin is. had adam fundin hit atte hande þar-wiþ he muȝt had life lastande. þat plauntid hit is in paradis Line 21651 & dos þe dede vp for to rise. ¶ & adam quen he wroȝt had wogh vnder þis tree he him drogh. Line 21654

Line 21654 þat did him god to resoun. Line 21655 & did him hope of pardoun. þe blode of abel hit crid als. quen him had slaine his broþer fals wiþ-in þat cry was grete þing hid þat in þis cros now is kid. Line 21660 & dede for-soþ had bene noe had noȝt him saued þat tree. of foure corners þe arche was made als has þe cros of lange & brade þe dore of þe arche a-pon þe side & þer was ihesus wounded wide qua wil vm-þink him in his mode. mai finde mani takenis of þe rode. Line 21668 ¶ Our lorde gaf moises a wande. to wirk maistri wiþ in hande. sum time was hit worme sum time ȝerde as men I.-nogh has saide & herde. þat wele be-takenid. þat cipres. Line 21673 þer-of was warnis moises baþ in worde & in dede. quen israel of egipt ȝede. of þat blessed lambis blode. Line 21677 a cros was made in signe of rode. þa at cros had on ham drawen. [folio 90b:1] our lorde ham sauid as for his awen. & al þa oþer ware bot tint Line 21681 & taȝt vn-to þe angels dint. ¶ quen þe nedderes þat ware fel. stanged þe folk of israel. quen þai welk in wildernes vnder þe warde of sir moyses Line 21686 a nedder was sette a-pon a tree. þat quen þe stanged muȝt se þe nedder on þe tree þer hange þai ware alle warisht of þaire stange Line 21690

Line 21690 ¶ quen þai sagh as þai did oft moises lift his hende on loft. þe quilist he helde his hende on croice ay herde his awen folk þe voice. Line 21694 ¶ quen strife was a-boute presthede. in þe dais a-mange þe iewes lede to xij. men taȝt þai wandes xij. ilkan merkid his him-selue. Line 21698 & saide quilk wande beris blome. sulde haue þe presthede. wiþ dome. þer florisht an as ȝe haue herde. þe cros a-pon þat ilk ȝerde. Line 21702 ¶ Heliseus on oþer wise. did a dedeman for to rise. þe staf þat he a-pon him did. þe crosse hit bare to takinhede. Line 21706 ¶ quen dauid faȝt a-gaine þat etin. has he noȝt his staf for-ȝetin. vn-to þe bataile he hit bare. muȝt na king squorde do mare. Line 21710 þe signe of tav. in alde lawes be-takenis cros in our dawes þe men at þar-wiþ blessed ware. hit helped ham fra mis-fare. Line 21714 tav & cros baþ ar as an. bot tav has ȝerde a-bouen nan. of croice in þe alde testament. was mani bisening qua to cowde tent ¶ croice is qua-sim wil or nay. Line 21719 baner of hali kirk to-day. man has noȝt herde þat fol[k]e be lorne. þat hali crosse has wiþ ham borne bot has be-tid baþ now & are. Line 21723 þe lesse folk ouer-come þe mare. þer croice was stad atte ani fiȝt if þe dide be tane wiþ riȝt. Line 21726

Line 21726 Of cros to telle for-gete I. noght Line 21727 of cros þe formast man was wroȝt of cros þe first of alle wifis of cros god boȝt our saule liuis þer-on he gaf him-self raunsoun. & of him-self made gunfanoun. þe cros of medicine beris bote. baþ in frute & als in rote. Line 21734 in cros hit was for vs þe flour þat we haue þorou sa grete honour a riche liknis ay beris hit hit is þe heued of hali writte Line 21738 foundement of our clergie. rewle hit is of haly vie. makid hit is of foure and þre. now is hit talde bot for a tree. Line 21742 nokis foure & trees þrin. syn þe þrid was done þer-in. In trees þrin & faure partes. I. vnderstande þe vij. artis. Line 21746 of iiij. & iij. qua tellis eyuen. he sal hit noumbre make of vij. þou do to-gedder x. & ij. þe laghis twin sal þou finde squa. Line 21750 In x. sal þou finde þe halde in tale of twa þe new is talde man has on croice his schaping knawen & he him-selfe on vij is drawen. Line 21754 baþ in bodi & saule I. say. þe bodi of elementȝ twies tway. þe saule hit has of strengthis þrin. þat takin of cros þai bere wiþ-in. Line 21758 ¶ quen god þat ordenis alkin state. of alle in his for-þoȝt he wate. ferlely puruaied he an. Line 21761 a cros of tree & noȝt of stane.

bot þat was for to make mende. of þe tree þat was defende. Line 21764 his cros he has wroȝt with craft hit beris schap til alkin shaft. wele did moises þat hit fande. & dauid als þat fot þe wande. Line 21768 & salamon þat fel hit did. & ho þat hit fande quare hit was hid elaine at squa gerne hit soȝt. & til our note now has hit broȝt. ho delt hit wisely as ho wilde. Line 21773 þat al þis werlde hit is fulfild. of þe name & of þe smelle [folio 91a:1] for-þi is gode þer-of to telle.

Eline ne walde noȝt for-lete þe naylis in hende & fete. Line 21778 þat driuen ware ful ȝorne ho soȝt til ho ham fand finid ho noȝt a werk of ham ho wroȝt ful fine In bridel of king costantine. Line 21782 was na cristal als briȝt. ne sa shene to mani siȝt. quidder-sim he ferde þat sire þe bridel briȝtnes bare of fire Line 21786 mani þat sagh þat bridel briȝt turned to þe grace of goddis miȝt costantine ham bare iij. ȝere Line 21789 quen he drogh til his ending nere out to þe bridil he ham laȝt & to be-side þe crois ham taȝt þat mani vertu siþen wroȝt Line 21793 þorou miȝt of crist þat vs boȝt at costantine noble & in fraunce god has made mani mustraunce ¶ At saint denis is his croun. wiþ þa nailis redy boun. Line 21798

Line 21798 mani man come seke & sare Line 21799 at þaire hele had fundin þare ¶ now þe crois is broȝt til ende þe crois miȝt mote vs defende Line 21802 qua-sim þis tale can beter tende for cristis loue he hit amende. þis tale queþer hit be il or gode I fande hit writen of þe rode Line 21806 mani tellis diuerseli. for þai mai finde diuerse story. ¶ þat fande þe crois he hiȝt Iudas made bisshop of þe toun he was Line 21810 & his name was turnid þus. þat he was calde quiriacus. ¶ quen fundin was þis hali crois þe warlagh saide on loft with vois Line 21814 a ha Iudas quat has þou done þou has me greued I warne þee sone at þou did þat cros kiþe. þou salle rew hit mani siþe þorou hit ware mani saulis myne þat I am ferde now to tyne. Line 21820 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] noȝt for-þi I wil noȝt nyte. ful wele I sal þi didis quite a-noþer king gaine þe sal rise Line 21825 þat sal make þe to grise. & do þe suffer sa mykil shame. at þou sal nite ihesu name. & þis was saide be tirand an. Line 21829 þat quiriac was of siþen slan. ¶ þat findis cry quen Iudas herd neuer þe mare was he ferde bot waried he þat quiþer-wine. Line 21833 & saide crist þat is lorde myne

he deme þe in-to helle depe. Line 21835 euer in wellande wa to wepe Þat hali crois I of haue red. quar-on ihesus for vs was spred hit is our shilde & our spere Line 21839 a-gainis þe feinde for to were. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ilk day in were we weinde. Line 21843 bot þat ihesu vs grace sende þorou þe crois a-gaine þe fende to be our socour at our ende. Line 21846