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

[The Parable of a King and his four Daughters.]

Hhit was a kyng of muchil price Rightfull worþy & eke wyse This ylk kyng that I of mone he had no child but a sonne Line 9520 That with his fadir was so wele he wyst his wysedom euery dele In alle wysedom was he ryche And algate his fadir lyche Wyth hym of oon wille & myȝt Line 9525 His fadyr wroght with his in-sight Alle that his fadir wold haue wroȝt By hym to end shuld be broȝt ¶ Doughters iiij^e had þis kyng To whiche echon he yaf sum-þyng Line 9530 Of his myȝt and his bounte As fylle to haue sustyrne fre To echon dyuerce yeftes he yave Party with hym-self to haue Line 9534 Bothe of his wysedom & his myȝt That echon fylle to haue with riȝt Of his substaunce he yaf echon Echon yaf he substaunce oon Line 9538 As to her fadir yt ought to fere Wyth-out which on no manere Might he in pees his kyngdom yeme Ne right-wis domus þer-ynne deme Line 9542

Line 9542 her name shulle ye here for-þy The first of them was callid mercy Line 9544 Sothefastnes the toder was The third rightwysnes in place Pees the iiij^th sustir hight Wyth-out thise þe kyng had no myȝt Line 9548 ffor to rule his kynghed This ilk kyng that I of rede a servaunt had in his bayly ayen his lord had done foly Line 9552 and by dome hym lokyd was To go to payne for his trespas To his most fo & feloun Was he bytawght in-to preson Line 9556 ffor he had nevir so grete envy as hym to haue in his bayly while he was in preson þo his enemy hym wroȝt muche wo ¶ when mercy sie hym so to be Line 9561 On hym she gan to haue pyte fforbere myȝt she þo no-thyng But sone come by-fore the kyng ffor to shew hym hir oresoun Line 9565 To delyuer that presoun She seid fader thy doȝter am I as thy-self wotyst wytterly Line 9568 ffullefillyd I am of buxumnes Of muche pyte & of swetnes Thy yeft is me lef fader dere Therefore here now my prayere Line 9572 Of this wrecchid preson that is That he may haue for-yevenes That is vnder his felon fo In payne of preson & of wo Line 9576 That felon fo hym did begile [folio 117b:1] And hath hym had along while

To hym that þe falshed comyþ fro Ayen to hym let yt go Line 9580 let his falshed hym yoldyn be And that preson be sold to me ffor þou art knowen sekyrly kyng of pyte & of mercy Line 9584 Thyn eldist dowghter þou wotyst I am Ouyr alle þy werkes is my name Thy dowghter ow I nevir to be But I of hym may haue pyte Line 9588 Mercy þou owest to haue be riȝt ffor þy grete wytte & þyn insiȝt And thy pite þat is so swete Oweth thy preson of bondis bete Line 9592 I wille not leve mercy to Cry he must nede haue þy mercy ¶ when sothefastnes herd þis talkyng That mercy thus by-sowght þe kyng Line 9596 And that she was algate abowte ffor to haue this presonar owt By-fore the kyngges fote she stode Line 9599 And seid fadir feyre and good Marvails haue I hard to-day That I may not for-bere to say Of my swete suster that is Mercy with her swetenes Line 9604 wold this presonar delyuerd were That sothefastnes wold forfare Bot mercy owith not her to spede But-if sothefastnes yt bede Line 9608 yf my suster save myȝt alle That she wold for-cry & calle Then shuldist þou be dowtid not Mannys mysdedis shuld not be bowght Line 9612 But þou art kyng evir to last Of rightwysnes and alle sothefast

Thy wille is sothe evir and ay This preson that I of say Line 9616 That pyte on hym-self had noȝt how shuldist þou rew on hym ought With dome he mote thole for-thy Alle his mysdedes þer-with to by Line 9620 ¶ Rightwysnes rose vp and seid hir reason as she was purveid Sir of thy doughtirs am I oon and þou kyng so rightwys non They werkys alle are of price Line 9625 and thy domys are all riȝtwys This thralle is from þe flemyd welle hath he seruyd to be demyd ffor alle the while he was fre Line 9629 Mercy evir with hym had he Sothefastnes and right also Telle he flemyd vs hym fro Line 9632 hyt was his owne wylfull synne That did vs alle from hym twyn he hath hym mevid ayen mercy dethe hym owith to thole for-þy Line 9636 The which deth þou hym hight In preson is he wele by riȝt ffor dome hath yevyn yt hym in siȝt To sothefastnes haþe seid þe pliȝt and so þou woldist his sorow slake Line 9641 That he myȝt dome by-fore þe take ffor why þat dome sparyþ none That sothefastnes hath ouer-gone To eche man she yevyþ wille Line 9645 Right to haue good and ille ffor sothefastnes haþe seid his sake Ther-for wille dome . hym noȝt outake Ow no man sey hym good in werd Sythe that pyte nys not herd Line 9650

Line 9650 A that is a wrecche / frend with-out That no frend gete may hym abowte he may not scape where he go But hym assaieþ euyr his fo Line 9654 That wytte & myȝt hath hym reft And nakyd his wrechid body left Not hym allone but alle his kynne he hath to thraldom broȝt ynne Line 9658 he did hym mysdo comely The dome hem come folowyng in hie And Iugid hem in sothefast truþe Wyth-outyn mercy othir ruthe Line 9662 Nor pees at home myȝt not lend But of lond she must wend ffor pees may nowhere abide There hate wonnyþ werre or pride Line 9666 Nor of mercy made none mynne Alle left the lond that they were ynne was none of thise left there But they alle distroied were Line 9670 alle deth did hem to dryve was non but viij^e left on-lyve Noie and his sonnys iij^e [folio 118a:1] That in a ship were sauyd fre Line 9674 his wyf & his sonnys wyfes In alle the world left mo on-lyvis hyt is muche drede to telle Of eny dome that was so felle Line 9678 And alle was right in sothefastnes With-outyn mercy or eny pees The iiij^th suster after the iij^de Line 9681 Spake to þe kyng þe place amyd Pees I hight lord of estate Bytwene my sustirn is debate Alle the stryfe by-twene hem iij^e Thorogh pees it owid tried to be Line 9686

Line 9686 ffor where-of seruyth eny assise Of sothefastnes or of Iustice Line 9688 But for to kepe pees in lond dome is þer-fore set to stond Synne alle þise iij^e are set for me how shalle I than forsakyn be Line 9692 Synne for me alle good is wroȝt With-outyn me told for noȝt Save me is not in this werd But if that mercy may be herd Line 9696 Thow owest me here with-outyn lese ffore-fadir art þou and prince of pees In pees all endiþ þat wele is wroȝt who-so haþ^e no pees has as noȝt what is riches who-so can sey Line 9701 what is wysedom be pees awey who-so wille for pees trauayle spend In pees forsothe shalle he end Thus owyþ pees by herd in hie Line 9705 ffor this preson crying mercy And of vs iiij^e at this assise Right-wysly to do Iustice With-outyn our alle comyn assent Line 9709 ow to be no Iugement To haue record no dome ow Ar we assent alle a-row To oon mote we all concent Line 9713 And sithen shape þe Iugement Or els ow dome by callid ayen Therfor þou wrecche þat art in payn ow now to fynd sum pyte Line 9717 Now hast þou herd my sustryn iij^e here my fadir now for-þy ffor mercy faynyth not to cry . . . . . Line 9721 . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

¶ whan that þ^e kynges sonne had sene / the stryfe tho sustirs by-twene with-outyn hym might they not end pees by-twene hem myȝt not lend ffadir he seid thy sonne am I Line 9727 Of thy strength wytterly So welle am I louyd with the That þy wysedom men callyn me This world brode & long to seme hast þou made fadir þorogh me to bene Line 9732 Alle þou wroghtest be myn ensight we are bothe oon strenþ^e & oon myȝt Of oon worship and of oon wille Thy wille I shalle euyr full-fylle Line 9736 ffadir ryghtwis demester Mercy me meuyþ by her praier That she made skylfull by-fore þ^e ffor of that wrecche I haue pyte Line 9740 Mercy first by-gan to calle She ow be herd first of alle ffor sothefastnes alle-gate shalle I At oon accord make with mercy Line 9744 Therfore fadir I wille & shall Take on me clothyng of thrall And sustir I shalle þ^e dome on me That your thralle shuld vnder be I shalle Cry pees in lond I-wis Line 9749 And dome and pees make hem kys This werre to end bryng shalle I so And save thy folk from endles wo ¶ whos vndirstondyþ þis sample here he may vnderstond alle clere Line 9754 That there is in our lord right Thre personys and oo god of myȝt Of god the fadir alle thyng is Of god the sonne alle dowghtynes Line 9758

Line 9758 In god the holy gost alle thyng ffulle-fyllyþ and hath endyng Line 9760 Oon in godhede vndelt is he And oon substaunce with personys iij^e he hem yeve his beneson That gladly heryþ this sermon Line 9764 lordyngges ye haue herd now Of this world wherefore and how Yt was wroȝth and of the gilt Adam our forn-fadir spylt Line 9768 And how of thraldom by no chaunce Of his fois myȝt he haue Curans Angill myȝth with no reason Make for adam the raunsom Line 9772 ffor then shuld none with-outyn dowte haue bene to angill vnder-lowte [folio 118b:1] But mannys rawnsom most be right That make hem lyke to angill myght Line 9776 Another skylle also we fynd yf angill had take mannys kynd Then were he lethier þen he were ere ffor to haue pouer there Line 9780 And semelier for to downe-fall As did the prynce first of all And if god had made an oþer man ffor to raunsom þat ilke Adam Line 9784 hyt myght not haue þerfourmyd riȝt The raunsom of Adam wyght ffor alle the bale on hym [[MS. hyn]] gan brede The bote must bene of his sede Line 9788 No patryarke ne no prophyte Might be sent the synne to bete ffor they gotyn were in synne As comynly is alle man-kynne Line 9792 how myȝt they man of synne make clene Certes no wey as it is sene

Syn angill then yt ought not do Line 9795 Ne man had no myȝt ther-to who shuld make this raunsom þan hyt must be bothe god and man Man for man to suffyr wo God to sle the fend also Line 9800 Man to die god for to a-ryse Might none els take this servyce Muche was his swetnes than Grete pyte had he of man That come wold fro that hie tour Line 9805 To light in a maydnis bour And left so many shepe allone To seche oon that mys was gon May nevir man here sekyrly Line 9809 A lord of so grete mercy who-so on suche a lord wold thenk His grete loue & muche swynke That first so wold our lyknes haue Line 9813 And sithen for vs hym-selvyn yave his hert ought bettyr breke in iij^e Then fro his byddyngges to fle Line 9816