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

The Three Kings make Offerings to Christ.

¶ he was bore the day thretend And offird to hym tho kyngges hend Riche yeftes that they broght Line 11375 But in the first yere was it noȝt Som men seyne the next yere ffolowyng and som with resons sere Seyne ij^o yere after they come Line 11379 Iohn Gyldyn-mowþ seith his dome That he fond in an old boke Thise kyngges thre hir wey toke Line 11382 A twelve monyþ ar the natyuyte ffor els might not tho thre haue rawght to ride so farre way And come to Cryst thilk day Line 11386

Line 11386 he seid in that boke he fond Of a prophete of Esterne lond That balam hight Crafty & old And mekyll of a sterre he told Line 11390 A sterre he seid shuld be sene Was neuer none to-fore so shene Iohn tellyth vs als goldyn-mowthe Of a sterre folk vncouthe Line 11394 Wonnyng by est occyon By-yond hem is peple non Among which was broght a wryt Of seth the name spake of yt Line 11398 Of suche a sterre the wryt spake And off thise offryngges to make This wryt was kept fro kynne to kynne That they wold there-on myn Line 11402 At the last they ordeynyd xij The wysest among hem-self And bid hem in a mountene derne Bysely to wayte that sterne Line 11406 When eny died of that dozyne his sonne was sette for hym serteyne Or his next frende or fere So that eueriche a yere Line 11410 When her cornys werne yn-done They wentyn in-to þe mountayne sone There they offird praied & swank Thre dais nothir ete ne drank Line 11414 Thus eche ofspryng there did Tylle the sterre was to hem kyd Thilk sterre hem come to warne [folio 127a:1] Vpon the mount in form [[MS. from]] of barne And bare on yt liknes of cros Line 11419 And seid to hem with mannys voice That they shuld go to iewis lond They went & ware ij^o yere walkond

The sterne by-fore hem euer led And wondirly were they fed Line 11424 hir skryppis whethir they rode or yode hem failid nevir drynk nor fode Thise kyngges redyn forth her rode The sterre euyr by-fore hem glode They seid go we to that kyng That shalle in erthe haue non evenyng Line 11430 We wold hym bere offryng new And honoure hym with throwthus trew Alle the kyngges of this werd ffor hym shulle quake & be ferd They folowid on the sterre beme Tille they come to Ierusalem Line 11436 But fro they come there at þat tyme The sterre hym hid & nold not shyne Thorogh the might of god above That was for fals herowdis love Line 11440 Yet wyst tho kyngges it noȝt But wend to fynd there that they sought They toke her ynnys in the toune And askyd after hym vp and doune But the burgeis of that Cite Line 11445 had wonder what yt might be They askyd hem what seche ye A blisfull child they seid parde Line 11448 he shalbe kyng of kyngges alle To hond and fote we shulle hym falle Sie ye no sterre that led vs heþer Tho they gedird hem to-gethir Line 11452 And spak there-of with grete wondryng And word come to herowde the kyng That suche kyngges there were comyn And had her-ynne in toune nomyn When he this tale vnderstode hym thoght that neyþer feyre ne good

ffor he wend he shuld come And put hym out of his kyngdome Line 11460 Swythe to-gedir lete he calle The mastirs of his clerkes alle And askyd of hem hym by-forne Where that Cryst shuld be borne That kyng of Iewis shuld be Line 11465 They seid in bedlem Iude The prophetis haue yt wretyn yore In bedlem Iuda he to be bore They it be not þ^e most Cyte Line 11469 Of dignyte lest shuld yt not be Of the shalle he be borne & bred My folk of Israell shalle lede ¶ herowde askyd þ^o kyngges in derne Line 11473 When they sie that ilk sterne Goith he seid and fast euquere how he is borne and where Comyþ ayen and tellyþ me Line 11477 With worship wille I hym se Sir they seid yt shalbe done On hir wey went they sone When they and herowde were a-twynne Line 11481 The sterre to shyne did be-gynne here-by yt semyth to me Sie none yt but the kyngges iij^e Line 11484 Bytwene eire and erth yt shone A feyrir was there neuer none The towne of Ierusalem fro In-to bedlem yt left hem tho Line 11488 Ovir the hows stode the sterne There Ihesu and his modir werne They knelid doun and broght in hond Echon yaf worthy offrand The first of hem that Iaspar hight Line 11493 he yaf hym gold with reson right

he yaf yt hym in tokonyngges That he was kyng of alle kyngges Line 11496 ¶ Melchior come alle-there-next And kyd he was bothe god & prest And with sence by-fore hym he felle Line 11499 That shuld in chirch brenne & smelle hyt is a gomme that comyþ of fyrre Baltozar he offyrd myrre A bawme of wonder bytternes Line 11503 That dedmen with anoynted is ffor rotyng is no better rede In tokyn he was man to be ded Thise iij^e yeftes seith som boke Line 11507 At oons alle he hem toke ffull swetely with smyling chere Byheld tho yeftes riche and dere

Ioseph and mary his spouse [folio 127b:1] Line 11511 ffeire callid hem to howse In feire aray they hem diȝt With the child they were þat nyȝt With-outyn pride to telle you alle Line 11515 had they no bed sprad with palle But right as they there fond They toke and thanckyd god his sond ffayne they were that they had sped Tho kyngges iij^e were broght in bed Thre wery kyngges of her way Line 11521 This child sought with this aray he knew hem wele & kyd in-dede Wele he quytte hem her mede They were in wille thilke nyȝtht Line 11525 To turne to harowde as they hight But as they in-to slepe were lad An angill come & hem for-bad To wend by hym eny way ffor he was traytoure fals of fay Line 11530

Line 11530 Anoþer wey shuld they fare On morne when they resyn ware Line 11532 When they þus had do to þat child They toke her leve at mary myld And thanckyd Ioseph Curteisly Of her noble harbergary Line 11536

Tho kyngges yedyn a-nothir wey When herowde herd there-of sey Wroth was that wrongfull kyng And held hym drevyn to scornyng They set alle spies by the strete Line 11541 yf they might tho kyngges mete he bad sle hem for his sake yf they might hem ovir-take But god wold not he met hem wyth Save they went in-to theire kyth Line 11546

¶ When herowdis sie he myȝt not spede Wroth he was as he wold wede ffor his wille might not ryse he thoght to venge hym on oþer wyse he made an ordinaunce in hie That many Giltles shuld die Line 11552 ffor he might not fynd Ihesus A-wreke wold he hym þus . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 11556 ffor the cheson of oo barn Many wold he haue for-farn he comaundid his knyȝtes kene To sle tho childryn alle by-dene Line 11560 Wyth-ynne the toun of bedlem And with-outyn eny barntem he did hem alle sakeles of lyve ffull sory made he many a wyve Line 11564 With-ynne the lond left he none Of ij^o yere old but lete hem slone

Of ij^o yere or with-ynne þus So he wend to sle Ihesus Line 11568 Alle for noght gon he stryve Might he not Ihesu bryng of lyve he that oure aller lyf may yef With-outyn hym may no man lyf Ar he wold that myȝty kyng Might none hym to deth bryng And yet not then but he shuld ryse Right at his owne devyse Line 11576 This was þe somme in certayn Of the childryn þat were slayne An hondird xl and iiij Ml To Ihesu come to lyf lestand Line 11580

BBut vij dais by-fore we rede Ar herawdis made do this dede Ther Ioseph on slepe lay An angill to hym gon say Line 11584 Ryse vp Ioseph do the to go With mary and hir child also ye mote nedis alle thre Into Egipt lond fle Rysith vp ar yt be day Line 11589 And folowyth euyr the wete way herowde that is the childes fo Now awaytyth hym to slo There shulle ye duelle with þat barne Tylle I come yon eft to warne