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

[Our Lord's Life after he had risen.]

[þ]at king, quen he was resen to lijf, Scheud him till his desciplis rijf, Com and ȝode to þaim vmstunt, Line 18663 And ete and dranck als he was wont; wid þaim he dueld fourti dais, An sarmoned (als þe stori sais) Line 18666 Of heuenes blis þat es sua hei, And quen his will was forto stei, To gadir all his togeder he badd; And þai war all samen stadd, Line 18670

Line 18670 Iesus him kid to þaim all nu, Line 18671 To fraist if þai in trouth war tru, þair mistrouning forto misprais, And vte of wanhope forto rais. Line 18674 For sum þar was of þat gadring, þat troud noght ȝeit his vprising; Bot þair mistrovth, soth to sai, Es strinthing of vr troght to-day; Gret sekirnes till vs it was, Line 18679 þe mistrouuing of sant thomas, For he wald trou on nakin wise [folio 125a:2] vr lauerd iesu suld sua vprise; Of his vpris he was in were Line 18683 And said, "for thing þat i mai here Mai i trou he vpresin es, Till i mai se and fele his fless, þe thirles bath of hend an fete, Line 18687 And of his side þe wondes wete; Quen i haue graped þa wid hand, þe soth þan most i vnderstand." Bot iesus þat sli brest wald bete, Thomas luuesumli he lete, Line 18692 And forto grape his wondes wide To put his hand in at his side, And said, "thomas þu fele and se Queþer i me-self or noght it be, Line 18696 And mistrou noght þat es to trou, Bot stand in stedfast trouth fra nu." Quen thomas þat crist was couth, Herd þis takning of iesu muth, Line 18700 "þu ert," he said, "nu lauerd min And þu art als mi dere drightin." "For þu," said he, "þe soth has sene, Nu þu wat widvten wene Line 18704 Bot þa men sal be benedight Sal trou in me widuten sight."

[F]ra þan wald drightin wid opin dede Comferme his trouth til alkin lede; He bad þan his desciplis teche Line 18709 Ouer all þis world forto preche, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And all þat wald tru fra þat time, And siþen wald reciue baptime, þat þai suld baptist be in hast, Line 18715 In name fader and sun and hali gast. And þai þat will noght baptim take, Ate dome þai sal be done to wrake. þe truand and þe baptist bath Line 18719 þai sal be sauf fra waful wath. þar has he sothfast sample left, [folio 125b:1] þat nedewais most he born be eft, First in flexs and syden in crist, Line 18723 Of modir wamb and þan baptist; Fader and modir vs gat and bar, Bot crist has nu vs getten þar, Line 18726 vs getun in hali gast has he, For-þi sothfast his suns er we. Ful wa þan mai him be for au, Line 18729 þat will noght suilk a fadir knau! For-þi es he ful wele we wate, þat neuer of þat appil bate Thoru him we mai, widvten lett, Aske vr eritage wid dedett, Line 18734 For left he noght þar-of a smitt Of all þe lau þat he ne held itt, þat neuer was haldin þar biforn, þat he for vs come to bi born. Line 18738 Of erde it come þe frist man þat all vr baret vs bigan; þe toþer vs come fra heuen tur, Line 18741 þat broght vs saghtnes and succur.

þe formast man was flesli wroght, þat all þe w[o]rld in bale had broght; He was put vte of paradis, Line 18745 And all þe ospring þat was his; Bot iesu vr fadir has made al plain, Gat til vr eritage again, þat lighted in erd fra heuen hei, And fra þe lau vs dos vp stei. Line 18750 [T]ill his desciplis bad þat heind Fra ierusalem þai suld noght wend, Bot bide his fadir hight right þar, þat thoru his muth said men ar, Line 18754 "Se said þe baptim of sant iohn was noght done bot in water allon, Bot i sai ȝu ȝe sal in hast Be baptist in þe hali gast." Line 18758