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

[The Descent of the Holy Spirit.]

[T]En dais fra þe assenciun, [folio 126b:2] þe apostlis lai all in orisun. Line 18912 Als þai sua to-gedir lay Apon þat hali Wittsunday, At vndrin tide þar come a sune vte of þe air brestand dune, Line 18916 Als it war a thoner blast, Brathli on þat hus it brast, wid a wend at come wid-all And, þai sittand, fild all þat hall. þe hali gast þar lighted þan Line 18921 Bath on womman and on man, vnto þair hefdes all bidene was firen tunges sittand sene, A firen tung on ilke a-light, Line 18925 Bot noght þai brint, þou þai war bright. And qui þai come in firin sight? Bot forto strenth and giue might, For wele we wate, widvten gile, For fire es gode to strenth þe tile; Tung bi-takenes all langage Line 18931 þat þai suld haue of ful knaulage, To stand stithli for þe fay, And thrali preche for cristes lay. Of hali-gast fild war þai þan, Line 18935 And for to tell þai all bigan þe miraclis grete of iesu crist, For alkin langage wele þai wist. Als þaim to gaf þe hali-gast Line 18939 Of alkin witt to touche and tast, was na langage þat man wald mouth, þat þaim all it kindlik cuth. [I]n þat siquar was in þat tune Sere men of all religiune, Line 18944

Line 18944 Of all manere of naciune Man redes of in ani rune, Line 18946 þat to þat feste com þat siquare, Of ilkin lede, bath lesse and mare. Quarfor þai war dred and gast, [folio 127a:1] Quen þai had herd þat mekil blast, For þat farli sone war þai fus, Line 18951 And ran þaim til þe apostlis hus, All carpand of þat grisli crack; þair auen langage ilkan þai spac, Of ilkan thing þat þai cuth frain, Redi þai gaue þaim ansuer again, þat ilk tung quat-sum it ware, Line 18957 Till ilk lede þai gaue ansuare; It was na wisdam man to knau þat þai ne cuth resun redi schau. All wondred-on þat þai herd or sei, And said, "er noght þir of galilei Born þat es þair kind cuntre? Line 18963 Hu," said þai þan, "ma þis be, þat vr langage nu speke þai þus? Gret selcuth here-of thinces vus." Oþer-sum badd þaim þan do way, And said, "drunkein of must er þai." [V]p stod peter in þat thrang, Line 18969 And said, "gode men, ȝe haue þe wrang, we er noght drunkin als ȝe say, It ne es bot vnþren tide of þe day, we er noght wont þat time at ete Ne noght to drinc bifor vr mete; Bot i sal till it ȝu wele better, Line 18975 If ȝe can rede ȝur auen letter. þar was a prophete treu and lele, In formdais, þat hight ioel, 'I sal send in þe last dais Of mi spirit,' þus it sais, Line 18980

Line 18980 'Bath on man and womman eke Of propheci þan sal þai speke, Line 18982 ȝur suns and ȝur doughtris fre, And ȝur ȝongmen sal sightes se. ȝur eldrin men sal dremis dreme, And of mi gast i sal a streme Line 18986 To suayn and womman giue alsua, [folio 127a:2] To cum wid propheci to spa; In heuen on hei þan sal i schau, And signes dune on erd lau.' " Line 18990 He tald þaim mani takinges sere, þat es no nede all reken here. "Mi breder," he said, "ful wele mai i ȝu tell of þe prophete daui, Line 18994 He wist that god till him had suorn þat ane suld of his sede be born To sitt in setlis þat war his; Bot he þat sau on-ferrum þis Line 18998 Of his vpris he said, 'in hell, It sal noght be left to duell, Ne neuer of rote his fless haue sight, Bot raised es he wid strenth of dright.' Fra dede to lijf nu resin es he, Line 19003 And þar-of witnes all er we, Raised sua wid godes might, And sikird of hir fadir hight. Of hali-gast þe giftes sere, Line 19007 Giuen vs has he als ȝe se here, Tille heuen he stei, þat es wele sene; And i sai to ȝu folk bi-dene, þis iesus es mi lauerd dright, Line 19011 ȝe did on rode widvten right." [þ]ir wordis herd, þair hert gan tru, And als for þair misdedis þai ru, To petre and þe apostlis to Line 19015 þai said, "god men, quat sal we do?"

"Bot dos penance and baptiz ȝu In þe name of vr ihesu, Line 19018 ȝe sal forgiuen be ȝur sake, þe gift of hali gast to take; For-qui to ȝu and to ȝur sede, þe barnis þat of ȝu sal brede, Line 19022 þe mede es hight of all and all, All þaa þat cristen er iesu wil call, Bot for ȝur bote i ȝu forbede [folio 127b:1] To leten at þis wicked lede." Line 19026 Petre pained him ful garn In cristes lai þat folk to larn; And þai þat toke þis word till hert, þair saulis turned it to quert; Line 19030 For þar was þat ilke day in liues Baptist thre hundreth men and wiuis, þat desseli both late and are Line 19033 þar tendant to þe apostlis ware, And of þat bred ete wid þaim þare, þat þai had noght elles-quare. Line 19036 þai þat hus had or ani oþer gode þai sald, and wid þe pris þai ȝode And bifor þe apostlis fete it broght, þar-of to no-quat þaim god thoght. Arli þe apostlis euer-ilke day Line 19041 went to þe temple for to prai, At þair gain-come þe mete þai gaf, Ilkan als þai sau mister haf. Line 19044

[P]etre and iohn a day at none went to kirc to make þair bone, Biside þe wai þar sau þai lij, Line 19047 A man was croked in þe parlesi, And had bene mast all his fordais, Als þe stori vs tellis and sais; Ilk dai men þedir him bare Line 19051 Forto bidd his almosun þare.

Petre and iohn þai bi him ȝode, Line 19053 And he þaim badd him giue sum gode, Petre and iohn ansuerd him þan And said, "bihald on vs, þu man!" Als qua say, bihald on vs and se And vnderstand vr pouertte, Line 19058 Als qua sai, þu sal se vr wane, For giftes haue we to þe nane. [ [[from Edin|bro' MS.]] He thaim bihelde bot wel wend he Thai sulde him sum charite. Petir saide til him on-ane, Line 19063 "Golde na silvir haue I nane."] For-qui petre gode ne was it noght, þat oþer men had sua him broght All for to kepe vnto þair nede, [folio 127b:2] And for þaa pouer men to fede, þat for þat þing þair godes sald Line 19069 Bifor þe apostlis fete vp-ȝald. "þat i mai giue," he said, "i sale, I wate þu has nede to be hale, In iesus nazarenus name," Line 19073 He said, "rise vp and ga þu lame." His hand he raght and vp he ras, And to þe temple spede his pas, þat noght forwit might strid a step, Louand vr lauerd þan he lep; Line 19078 þe propheci was þan fild sua, þat said þe halt suld scope as ra. þe folk quen þai þis man had sene, þai wondred on all bidene, Line 19082 þa þat forwid had knauen him, For wonder sum þar fell in suim.

[P]etre þan bigan to mele And said þe folk of israele, Line 19086 "Qui wonder ȝe sua wid vnright Als þis war done wid vr might?

Bot mighti godd widvten make, Of abraham and of ysaac, Line 19090 And of vr eldris þat has bene a, His sun þan has he blisced sua; ȝe suake and nitt bifor pilate, And deme als ȝe-self it wate, Line 19094 þe oncall of his hali name, Has lent his hele nu to þis lame wid þe troutht þat fell þar-to, For it mai selcut mekil do. Bot nu mi breþer, i vnderstand Line 19099 þat ȝe it did ȝur vnwittand, Repentis ȝu, and bes vnk[n]aun To sauue ȝur saulis ilk man his auen, Again þe grete comune assise Line 19103 Quar all sal come bifor iustise. [folio 128a:1] ȝur sin widstand, þat ȝe mai rise wid þat parti þat es rightwise, Line 19106 Forgiuenes clene sal be of plight, þan forsoth quen thoru þe might Of rising on þe last dai, þe lastand dede sal worth a-way; Bi his fadir sitt he sall, Line 19111 Till he record haf vs all, þat he spac feirst wid prophecis Ai to þe time þat all suld ris." Line 19114

[þ]e apostlis speckand þis and mare, þe preistes come in þat siquare, þe temple maistris wid þaim bun, All þai war of a comun. Line 19118 At þair talking þaim tened sare, And said, "hu es þis þat ȝe dar Suilkin loueword of him say, þat we did deme dis endir day?" þe saduceus,—namli þat lede, Line 19123 For þe vprising wold þai wede,

For þai wald neuer ȝeit for thing þar suld be ani vp-rising,— Line 19126 þe apostlis did þai be taken sone And sua þai war in presun done, þar badd þai iuen suld þaim ȝeme, For late it was þaim þan to deme. Bot mani troued þar and trud, Line 19131 To baptim take þaim-seluen buud, þat quat of man and quat of wiue, þar was conuerted thousandes fiue.

[þ]E toþer dai þat folud neist, Line 19135 þai gadrid vte both prince and preist, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And sett þaim in þat curt emidd, And bad þaim of þe dede þai didd, þat þai suld telle, widvten hone, In quas name þat it was done. Line 19142 Bot petre first of hali gast His ansuer gaf þaim in hast; Bot first he scheud als wid dede, [folio 128a:2] þat þair asking was bot sothed. Line 19146 He said, "es it resun þat we For vr gode dede schalanged be? vnskilwisli þan can ȝe blame. Line 19149 For-witt ȝe wele, þat in þe name Of iesu þat ȝe did on rode, þat alwais ȝe misunderstode, Line 19152 þat godd his fader raised to liue, (Als wate mani man and wiue) þat es made als a corner stane For to make tuin folkes ane, Line 19156 Ane in him for to be fest,— þat ilke þat fra ȝur werke ȝe keist, In him es hele of mankind all; Es no noþer name on to call, Line 19160

Line 19160 þat of hele mai giue man blis, Line 19161 Bot yf man thrali thinc on þis." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 19166 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

[þ]e maistris quen þai vnderstode Sua stedfastli þe apostlis stode, Line 19174 þai bad þat þai þaim suld wid-drau Quilis þai suld samen speck a thrau. þai said, "nu se ȝe noght þir men, Qua can vs of þaim consail cen? þe signe all sau ȝe þat þai did? Line 19179 we may noght nite, sua es it kid, Bot þarfor sal we threte þaim hard, þat þai sal neuer mor forward Line 19182 þis name to man or womman neuen, Or dere on þaim þai suld it heuen." [T]ald war þai þan and bidden þare, þat þai fra þan suld neuer mare Line 19186 Of þe name of iesu spell, Ne nankin tiþand þar-of to tell. And þai þaim ansuer gaf on-one, Bath sant petre and saint iohn, Line 19190 "And queþer au we þan to bu To godd al weildand, or to ȝu? [folio 128b:1] þat bidd ȝe þat he mast forbedis, And sua ȝe scheu ȝur soth-hedis. Line 19194 þe lauerd to bidd þe man widstand, vnlau it es to tell in land

þe thing þat we bath herd and sau. Hu mai we þan bot we it knau? If we ne did we war to wite Line 19199 For sothfastnes es noght to nite." þa iuus þat war ai sua curst wald eft haue tan þaim if þai durst, For folk durst þai noght hete apon; And þai went hame vn to syon. Line 19204 Quen þai come to þair breþer þar, þai tald hu þai handlid war, þai lifted þair hend all wid a steuen, And thanked iesu þar-of heuen. Line 19208 Quen þai had all said þair bede, þan bigan to stir þat stede, And in þat erde-din þat schoke, þe hali gast eft-sith þai toke. vte of þair hali hertis horde Line 19213 Spedeli þai spelled godes worde.