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

[The Jews plot against Christ's life.]

[Q]uen Iuus had said þis and mare, þai left him and his disciplis þare, þai left him þar and went þair way, Mekil on him gun þai missay. Line 14779 For þai him held þair ful fa, [folio 99b:2] And said, "qua herd euer man spec sua!" Sum said, "ouþer es he prophete, Or crist himself to man es hete; Bot a thing in were er we, Line 14784 we wat þat ioseph sun es he, And þai er of a kind of galile, Bot bes noght of þat cuntre, Bot of a castell certaineli Line 14788 Quar-of was born þe king daui, þat es þe tune of bethleem, þe bok es wittenes forto tem. Soth," said þai, "til oþer þan, Line 14792 þan es godd þis ilke man, þat of bethleem kind es noght Be tane als thef, and to dede broght. He es wele knauen widin his kidh, His fader alsua his moder wid Of galile es born and getin, Line 14798 And siþen it mai noght be for-getin,

Hu opinli and forwid all Line 14800 He dos him goddes sun to call þe folk er foles, þat er sene, þat risis þus wid him sua clene." Quen seand men herd of him and sau, Of him stod þaim ful mekil au, And said, "fast es he throdd a[n]d thriuen, And mekil grace nu es him giuen; King salamon in all his blis, Line 14808 Had neuer suilk hap als he þis, For til him was þe lay bitaght, þat he himself thoru lering laght; Ne þe prophetes sua wise þat ware, þat þai ne of man had sumkin lare; Bot þis man syden he comen in world, Of suilk anoþer man he neuer herd, þat neuer of man was lerd þe lau, And gain him mai be no gain-sau; In his hert es all puruaid, [folio 100a:1] Quat he will sai þat thing es said. Leue we him has vs ouercomn, Line 14820 Lang ar he for vs be nomen, For if þe riche be noght his freindes, þe pouer wid wile al wid him wendes."

[þ]an come þai to þe phariseus, Line 14824 Of all þai war þe mast schreus, And þaim þan askid sone in hij, "Quat es he þat goddes enemi? Haue ȝe him tane?" þai said nai. "And quarfor send we ȝu," coth þay, "Bot forto take him if ȝe moght?" "Bot gaines him mai we do noght, He has vs wonne wid maistri, Line 14832 And we sal schau ȝu skil forqui, For suilk a man, widvten wene, was neuer in erd herd ne sene, Line 14835

Line 14835 Againes his word mai no man striue, Be he neuer of resun sua riue." Line 14837 "Allas! nu has he ȝu bischent, Queþer ani of vres be til him went, Queþer he haue swiken wid his art, Ani lauerding apon vr part, Line 14841 we sari men, quat mai we sai, Ne knau we noght þe wreten lay, þis ilk man sal do vs schend." þan said ane þat was his freind, Line 14845 Hight nichodeme, was sent his saand, Ful fast wid skil wold he þaim faand, "Me thinc, lauerdinges, þat thoru þe sau þat i for me to warand drau, widvten dome nane au be slain, Line 14850 Ar he wid plight mai be ouertain. For if þat ȝe graithli will loke, ȝe sal it find written in vr boke, If ani man war tane for oght Line 14854 He suld bifor Iustis be broght. And if it war sli maner of witt, [folio 100a:2] þat he þar-of ne might him quitt, þan his dome men suld him giue, Forto die or for to liue." Line 14859 "wid him þu haldes als we se, For ȝe er bath of galile, Bot we find writen nouþer quar þat vr crist suld born be þar, Line 14863 Bot of bethlem, of dauid kind, þis es soth als ȝe sal find." þai went þaim hame, all þat sith, wrath, waful, and vnblith. Line 14867 [S]trangli was þis folk felun, Of littel witt and pouer resun, Bitaght all to þe witherwine, Line 14870 Ne nedder mare none of venime;

Of wicked will and euil mode, Line 14872 Again þair auen fless and blode. Quat he was, noght þai vnderstod, þat witt gaue to men þat war wod, Till all þe nedi did he gode, Line 14876 And tille þair folk fand farli fode; Bot all for noght enent him stod, Till þai at end him did on rod. Line 14879 þai had leuer se þe fend of helle, þan him bituix þaim for to duelle. Ful mekil au þai þat lauerd luue, þat sua wald cum for þair bihoue; He folus þaim and þai him fle, Line 14884 Ne wald þai neuer apon him se, Suetli wald he þaim drau him to, And þai er abute at him for-do. Line 14887 Bot had sele on þaim bene sene, Ful blith of him þan had þai bene, And worschipd him wid hande & fote, þat sua wald be born for þair bote. He luued þaim in his herte rote, Bot of þair luue es noght to mote, For þai him hated als þe dede, [folio 100b:1] Ful ilhaile tok þai þat rede, Line 14895 And ne forþi for wele ne wa, Fra nu wil he noght fle þaim fra, Bot stabilli bituix þaim lend, Line 14898 Till prophecis be broght till end, Till he was nailid on þat ilk tre we ilk dai sample of se. Line 14901 þat broght vs vte of wa and pine, Of handis of vr witherwine, And of his passiun sua harde, Line 14904 þat ȝe sal here nu forward; He wil him bandun nu þaim till, Ful freli wid his auen will, Line 14907

Line 14907 For he seis þe time comand neie, þat he for manes-kind wil deie, Line 14909 To bi þaim vte of þair wa, Fra weild of þe feind, þair fa. He will him all vnbidden bede, For fast it draus te þe nede For his to suffir passiun. Line 14914 For-þi to speke of þat ransum þat richer es þan erd or heuene, [folio 100b:2] Or all þat manes witt mai neuene, For-þi me think þat nu es gode Line 14918 þat we speke sumquat of þe rode. And alsua of þat ranssuning, þat for vs gaf iesus, heuene king, And resun es we vr rime rume, And set fra nu langer bastune. Line 14923 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Crist and his moþer do me spede! þat i vnworthi es to rede, Line 14927 And of his will me send his grace, Of witt and will, and þar-to space, þat i it rede wid sli lu[u]ing I mai it wele till end bring, To lu[u]ing of god and halikirke, To manes note als forto wirke. [[The next 14 leaves of the Göttingen MS. (and 13 leaves of the Trinity MS.) are written in one column of long lines: the lines are here divided, each into two.]] Line 14933