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

¶ How hir grete gabrielle Now is good here to telle

IIoseph spousid that lady fre And lad her in-to Galile Line 10818

Line 10818 with hir she led maydins vij hir namys herd I nevir neven They were alle of hir owne kynne Line 10821 And of the eld hir-self was ynne Tho vij the busshop hir tawght [folio 124a:1] When she from hym leve lawght With-ynne the lond of galile Line 10825 ys nazareth a feire Cyte There left Ioseph mary his spowse While he went home to his howse Vnto bedlem tho went he Line 10829 To make his bridale redy to be he wold ordeyne alle his thyng Ar he wyf to hows wold bryng But ar he to þ^e hous hir fet Line 10833 Was she with the angill gret

¶ God hym-self sent on angill Whos name was callid gabriell Line 10836 This angill sent the trenyte As messangere to a Cyte That hight Galele the lond Nazareth the toun to fond Line 10840 There wonyd a man þat Ioseph hight Of dauid kynd he come full right And had a maide with hym in hows That hight mary and was his spowce To Ioseph hows þis angill went Line 10845 ffor to that maydyn he was sent And whan he with that maydyn met With swete wordes he hir gret haile be þou mary to hir seid he ffulle of grace and god with the Line 10850 When he thise wordis to hir broght She was a-ferd ¹and her by¹ [[^1_1 MS. in her originally]] -thoght

What this gretyng myght be-mene And she hir-self maidyn clene And gabriell to hir in hie Seid drede the noȝt marie ffor þou hast foundyn grace y-wis By-fore god kyng of blis Line 10858 Thow shalt conceyve a child & bere In thy wombe the fend to fere And his name shalle þou Ihesu calle Sonne of god that weldyth alle In Iacobbus hows regne shalle he Line 10863 And of his regne none end shalbe Iacobbus howse hir callid he Iacob kyng and his meyne That is to sey alle folk that is Chosyn to haue heuyn blis Suche wordis were seid to mary Line 10869 And there-of hir thoght ferle . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] She seid angill how may this be Sithen man is vnknowen to me . . . . . Line 10875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 10879 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] The angill answerd with-outyn bost In the shal come þe holy gost Line 10883 And goddes owne vertu now Shalbe thy shadow for mannys prow ffor-thy of the be born a birth Synfull men to ioy and myrþ^e . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 10888

Line 10888 That goddes sonne callid shalle bene I shew the redy tokyn to sene Thyne old nyce Elizabeth Line 10891 hath gon with child vj moneth Alle hir lyf sothe to seyne She hath levid her bareyne This woman old and vn-weld Line 10895 A sonne hath conceyvid in eld And here-by may þou se fulle right That nothyng passiþ goddes myȝt He that made kynd may fulle-fille Line 10899 Ayen kynd what is his wille When oure lady thise wordes herd . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] To Gabriell þus she answerd lo me here goddes maide Line 10905 To me be done as þou hast seide As þou hast seid me by-forne The sauyoure of me by borne That alle wroght and hath in hond Sonne and mone se and sond That ay shalbe and euyr hath bene Line 10911 Ys lokyn with-ynne that maydyn clene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 10916 He that first no deth myȝt die Now is man by-come to drie God by-come man dedly þus Not for nede he had to vs Not of his grace wytterly Line 10921 To suffir deth vs to by To that deth wold he wend Vs to bye from the fend

¶ This sonde was sent to oure lady Of march of the day xxv Line 10926 . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] After the world was by-gonne Nynte and ix monthis Sex That oure eld in this maydyn wex leve we now of this lady Line 10931 And speke we of Sir Sakary how the angill hym come to warne [folio 124b:1] he shuld haue Iohn that sely barn