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

Of John the Baptist.

This sakarie þat we of rede Line 10935 Comyn was of leuy sede Elizabeth his wif was old Anna suster to-forne told holy lyf to-gethir they led Line 10939 With-outyn child bytwene hem bred Moche there-fore they morenyng were They hit abatid with good chere Almost to her lyfes end Line 10943 God at the last hem send A grete fest fille in her lede That zakarie to tempille yede To do the folk hir service As law was in her vse Line 10948 he revestid hym on his manere And so went to the autere he bad the folk go out echone While he praide in the chirch allone As was the vse of her law Line 10953 had he duelt but a thraw he lokyd to his right hond And sie an angill by hym stond Wherefore in mode he wex alle mad The angill bad hym be not drad

he seid he that alle may mend Zakarye to þ^e me send Line 10960 The to comfort & make light Thow shalt haue a child full right Of suche a child þou maist be blithe ffor of good dedis he shalle kythe his name shalle þou Iohn calle Line 10965 God hath so ordeynyd in his halle

Zakarie seid with-outyn greve Thise tydyngges may I not leve I and my wyf of pure eld Are past tyme / child to weld Line 10970 Thow shalt haue a child he seid parfey And fynd alle sothe þat I the sey Many shulle glade of his byrth he shalbe man of muche myrth But for þou woldist not yt trow Line 10975 Thow shalt be dom sothely fro now Tille that he be borne that yong And he shalle do the haue þy tong Byfore alle-myȝty god he shalle By-come a grete man with alle Line 10980 Muche for right shalle he swynk And nothir wyne ne syther drynk But in his moder wombe shalle he Of the holy gost fulle-fillid be Line 10984 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Sir zakarie haue good day Alle shalt þou fynd as I the say Line 10988 The folk that were þ^e chirch with-out Wondird what he was a-bowte When they had long bedyn so In-to chirch went they tho Line 10992 Alle mad zakarie they found To hem he coude telle no tydond

Ne sarvice do so was he sted Dom to his hows they hym led ¶ Then bere she child Elizabeth Line 10997 In Septembre moneth The xxiiij nyght Was he comyn by grace & might fforth-with the nunciacion Line 11001 Of Cryst that broght vs alle pardoun ffor right was that the purveyoure Shuld come by-fore the Sauyoure He that come vs to by Line 11005 Sent by-fore his bayly Thus sent Ihesu Iohn by-fore Ar he were of moder bore here bothe modirs þat were myld Went bothe at oons with child Line 11010 But Elizabeth was furthir gone By vj monthis and weke oone ffro Seint Iohn the concepcion Was tille the Annunciacion Sone as oure lady had met Line 11015 With the angill that hir gret She went out of Nazareth ffor to speke with Elizabeth She that bareyne was old wyf Line 11019 Tho she was with child in lyf Not ferre fro her childyng At maries come maydyn yeng Tho they met thise ladijs twyn Bothe cozyns of oo kynne Line 11024 ffirst seint mary spake And hir gretyng by-gan to make To Elizabeth welle forth gone hir child in wombe was glad anone And for ioy it set vp-right Line 11029 ffor to worship god of might

Ayen hym made he myrthis new [folio 125a:1] They he not sie yet he hym knew his lord knew he wele by-forne That he was of his moder borne Line 11034 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Elizabeth in that place Line 11037 She was fillid with gostly grace She by-gonne this prophecy Blessid þou be she seid mary And blessid be the frute of the That þou woldist vesite me Line 11042 The modir of my god so dere In my wombe þ^e child gon here With the heilesyng þat þou me made hit made ioy and was glade Line 11046 Blessid art þou þat mystrowid noȝt The holy word þ^e was broght Thow maist be trust & redy bide Alle þat is the hight shalbe-tyde Line 11050 ¶ Thise ladijs louyd hem so welle Eythir to othir theire wille did telle But the menskyng hem bytwene Was dyuerce as I yt wene The tone was yong maidyn þan Line 11055 The tothir had knowlechid with man Oure lady duelt þer-with her nece Tille Iohn were borne þat good pece And at her childyng was helpond And as in som bokys we fond Line 11060 I may yt leve full sykyrly That with her owne hond mary Was hir-self the first womon That lyftid fro the erþ^e Iohn Line 11064 ¶ When Iohn was borne also swyþe his frendis were glad and blythe

And haddyn of hir muche myrthe That was so long with-outyn byrþ^e Noght oonly of Ierusalem Borogh Line 11069 But also alle the contre thorogh his feste is in somyr tyme hyt holdyth bothe iew and zarazyne Thorogh alle the hethyn lede Line 11073 As farre as eny pepill sprede Therefore of hym wytnessyþ yt þus Oure lord oure sauyoure Iesus Of woman nevir was bore none Grettyr child then Seint Iohn Line 11078 Alle made myrthe of that beryng ffadir and moder old and yeng To-gedir gedird they hem alle They wyst not what yt to calle Zakarie they did forth take Line 11083 But no speche yet myȝt he make Byfore ye herd the reason why Then lokyd after sir zakarie Tabils and poyntele tyght Line 11087 he by-gonne the name to wryte And wrote as the angill bad Iohn his name shuld be rad his frendis thoght there-of selcouþ^e how this name come in mowþ^e Line 11092 They seid that in alle her kynd No suche name cowde men fynd When they had Circumzizid Iohn his fadir had his speche anone Line 11096 And þus with mowþ^e anone gan melle Blessid be þou god of Israell That vycetyng thy folk hast sent And raunsommyng to hem lent

¶ This child was fostird full dere Line 11101 When he of eld was vij yere

he left his kyndly kythe & fode And into wildernes hym yode ffor he wold fle fro synne Line 11105 he left kythe & alle his kynne In wildernes long abode And led there hard lyvelode he leuyd with rotys and with gres With hony of the wildernes Line 11110 Brede ne wyne com hym none ynne he werid neythir wollon ne lynne This was Iohn the good baptyst Which baptysid after Ihesu Cryst Line 11114

When Iohn of his moder was borne Oure lady as I seid by-forne bytawght to god Elizabeth And went home to nazareth Line 11118 Oure blessid lady on this wyse By this hir wombe by-gan to ryse . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] After that Ioseph this may Line 11123 had spowsid as ye herd say Thre monthis & more duellid he at home in his owne contre Ioseph then sone went To nazareth with good entent Line 11128 The lady when he come nerehond . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] To speke of nedis of her hous [folio 125b:1] As men mote that ben in spowse he fond with-out more warne Line 11133 That this lady was with barne When he knew her in suche state Was there nevir man so mate So sory was he nevir his lyf Line 11137 As to fynd with child his wyf

That he neuer towchid tille he wyx thoght-full & lokyd ille Wondir was it none for he Line 11141 Wyst not of her preuyte But what that euer he had in thoght Myslykyng there made he noght In his hert he held hym stille Line 11145 But forsothe he was in wille Awey sodeinly to stele ffro that lady that was so lele his hert nold for no-thyng Let hym discovir his mystrowyng Line 11150 But was ynne wille for to fle And so previly to let her be With wille he wold fle hir fro That nyght he thoght to haue done so An angill / there he slepyng lay Line 11155 To hym come þus gon he say ¶ Ioseph dauy sonne for-why Wilt þou leve thy spouse mary The child she hath in body bred Line 11159 That þou art so of a-dred Be-trust and in no deberynes The holy gostes werke yt is hyt is the holy gostes might With-outyn part of eny plight Line 11164 That child that she goþ^e with-alle his name shalle men Ihesus calle hir fadir and sonne shalle boþ^e bene To save his folk fro endles tene Line 11168 ffro this tyme had Ioseph none Mystrowyng to that maydyn one In-to his kepyng hir toke he And leuyd with her in chastite Line 11172 With menske and worship hir to yeme And for to socoure and to queme

On this maner with-outyn faile Line 11175 held they to-gethir her spowsaile