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

[Joshua leads the people into Canaan.]

¶ þer Iewes ful of vn-resoun. now ys waþe þai do tresoun. Line 6924 wiþ-oute moises con þai noȝt. bot iosue ham þidder broȝt. þen our lorde ofter moisen. made Iosue leder of his men. Line 6928 wiþ his felaw atte aaleph hiȝt. þer ij. men broȝt ham to riȝt. ¶ þis Iosue come of þat kin. atte men callis effrahim. Line 6932 for Ioseph had him sonis twyn. Manassen and al-so effrahim. borne in egipte bot fostered he was and lered wiþ maister moises. Line 6936 ¶ bot moises riȝtwis of rede. for-ȝete he noȝt or he was dede.

to sette his hali wandis þre. In a stede he fande priue. Line 6940 þer þai grew nauþer lesse ne mare bot euer as þai be-fore ware. ay tille king dauid dawes. þat ledde his folk in duȝti lawes. Line 6944 þat þorou warnyng of goddis sande broȝt ham tille his awen lande.

Quen aaron was dede þe prest his sone eleazar was nest. Line 6948 and bare state of his fader þing. fra iosue giuen wiþ-oute lesing. ¶ þis Iosue was selcouþe wiȝt. and maistry wanne in mony fiȝt. Line 6952 he faȝt truli for goddis lai. for-þi god doubled him þe day. and made þe sunne stille to stande til he had þe ouer-hande. Line 6956 ¶ and quen he passed ouere þe flume iordan þe water stille stode as stane. til he his folk had ouer-broȝt in-to þe lande atte þai soȝt. Line 6960 Iosep banis wiþ ham þai ledde. þer þai haue graued in erþe bed. In a lande atte hiȝt sichin. was giuen to loth Ioseph kin. Line 6964 for als þai wanne ham with þaire hande als delt þai be-twix ilka lande. þat ilka kinrede of þa twelue. [folio 39b:2] had an ouer-man be þaire selue. Line 6968 at sulde þaire awen kinrede lede quen atte þai to batel ȝede. for þai fande strange folk ham agayne þat walde ful bleþely had ham slayne. and wiþ-stode ham þe lande to wyn. bot þat was for þaire awen syn. Line 6974

Line 6974 for quiles þai held þaire lay lastande hit was na folk ham muȝt wiþ-stande [ [[from Laud MS. 416]] That alle oþer myȝt not avayle While they held goddes counsaile] þe quilest þai wiþ ham had goddus grace bot þaire fiȝt lasted litel space Line 6980 ¶ quen þai ware mast in þaire wele. mast þai soȝt ham-self vncele and left þe lagh of hey driȝtyne. and ledde þe lagh of sarasyne. Line 6984 and made wiþ ham þaire mariage. qua herde euer of suche outerage. ful litel walde þai him knaw. atte ham helde fra mens awe. Line 6988 bot euer vnskil þai on him soȝt. til þai ham-self in þral had broȝt. wele ys he worþ bonde to be. þat wil noȝt thole and make him fre.