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

[The wonderful childhood of Solomon.]

Þen was þis childe sette to boke ful wele I wis þer-to he toke. for alle his hert he gaf to lare Line 8437 muȝt neuer childe loue clergi mare þorou þe grace of god of heyuen sone he coude þe artes vij. quen he cowde of landis lade ful heily þan þai king him made Line 8442 was nauþer agayne alde ne ȝing. atte salamon was made king. his fader bidding con he halde and dide alle atte his moder wald Line 8446 he helde þat tree dere and derne atte dauid king honoured gerne vnder þat tree oft siþe he sat and lered mony selcouþ quat. Line 8450 for vnder þe vmbre of þat tree þe kinde of þingis lered he. baþ of tree and grissis fele. Line 8453 quilk ware þaire vertues soþ and lele agayne quatkin euel ilkan muȝt gayne queþer þai grew in wode or playne and queþer þe medicine of bote. be funden in þe crop or rote. Line 8458

Line 8458 ¶ of lare he lered vnder þat tree þen made he noble bokis þre. Line 8460 and wittely he ham vn-did wiþ ensaumples of tres and gres kid. ¶ þe first bok wiþ-outen les [folio 47b:1] men callis ecclesiastes. Line 8464 þat spekis maist wiþ-outen wande how fals þis werlde is for to fande ¶ Of prouerbis is þe toþer boke. þat leres men a-boute to loke Line 8468 how he agh him [[MS. hin]] for to lede agayne þis werlde wikkid-hede. ¶ þe þrid boke ofter þa twa. þe quilk men callis cantica. Line 8472 a noteful boke in hali writte þe boke of life men callis hit. for of þat life hit spekis mast be-twix mon saule and þe hali gast. Line 8476 þat was na clerk sa crafti. kende. be-twix and þe werldis ende. þat muȝt þat clerk wiþ clergi mate. þat cowde þa bokis þat he wrate Line 8480 þe quilest he satte vnder þat bogh of alle wisdome he had I-nogh.

Stedefaste stode þat marbil stan on ferre þe golden letteres shane Line 8484 þai saide sum time þat man suld se god him-selfe regne in þat tree. þat plantid was be-twene þa floures. þer þe strandis halden þair cours Line 8488 I wate wele na time hit is wane of floure ne frute attyn hit has tane and in his time suche frute sal giue þat alle his frendis þar-fore sal liue ¶ ne of þat frute sulde na man bite Line 8493 þat he ne sulde loue als tite.

þis write wiþ many was rede and sene bot lite wiste quat hit walde mene bi-twix and he quam bare mary hange þer-on his folk to by. þe barnetem of alde adam. Line 8499 at þorou a bitte broȝt al in blame In appils bitte baþ mon and wife. þat tree was dede þis sal be life. als writyn is in parchemyn. þat hit come out of þat pepyn. Line 8504 þat at wrecche adam fel fra. and broȝt him-self in mikil wa. for so be-gan þe cros I-wis of ihesu criste our king of blis Line 8508