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

[Peter sees a Vision and Preaches to the Heathen.]

[P]Etre fast þe trouth vndid, Line 19749 And preched in a tune high[t] lidd, þar he fand a man vnfere In parlesi mare þan seuen ȝere, Till him petre said "enea, Line 19753 Crist giue þe hele þat it be sua, Rise," he said, "þi bedd þu dight," To stir þat forwid had na might

Suith he ras, widvten mare, Line 19757 widvten ani mene or sare; þan fell þat folk to crist on-ane. In tun of Zope was a maidene, Line 19760 Of sum men was scho cald dorca, And sum hir cald thabita, Cristen scho was and euer fus Line 19763 Aboute all werkes of almus, Bot namliest of oþer thing To seu þe pouer þair clething; Line 19766 þis maiden deide, quilis petre did þe forsaid signe ȝe herd, at lidd þat þen was bot a littel fra; þe cristen sent men þeþir tua, And praid him he suld him hij, Line 19771 Bot noght þai tald him resun qui. Petre nicked þaim [not] wid nay, Bot to þis licam come þat lay, wid pouer widus vmbisett, Ful tendirli þai for hir grett, Line 19776 wid weping scheud þai þair wed þat dorcha gaf þaim in þair nede, þat petre moght wit quat scho were þair praier gladliker for to here. Line 19780 He bad þa men be all vte-done, þat in þat hus left bot a quone, Line 19782 For þar was mang þaim wele mai be Sum was noght worthi signe to se, Tilward þat lik he turned his face, [folio 132a:2] And kneland bisoght iesu of grace; "Thabita," he said, "rise vp, i bidd," wid þis scho lifted hir eien-lidd. Line 19788 Quen scho of petre had a sight, Bi hir-self scho sat vp-right, To sant petre scho raght hir hand, And he hir raised for to stand; Line 19792

Line 19792 þaa þat war vte, in bad he call, And ȝald hir quick bifor þaim all. þan bicome cristen all þat tun, Line 19795 þat petre soght wid his sarmun, Of sarmon wald he na wight blin, And lang þai lenged at an in. Line 19798 þar he fand a faithful freind, His name was cald symon þe heind. þar he did mani man to trou, Line 19801 In þat tun þat cald es acris nu.

[B]ot quilis þat petre lenged þare, In a tun þat hight cesare þar was a man heildand to righ[t], Cornelius to name he hight, Line 19806 A mighti man of gret honur, was sett vnder þe emperuur To suffer þar na wrang be done. Apon a day ate time of none, Line 19810 An angel come and stode him bi And said, "be noght rad, corneli, þin orisuns and þine almus Es knaun hei in goddes hus. Line 19814 þu sal puruai þe sone sum men For to send vntill Zopen, . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And do þat petre cum to þe, Line 19819 At symon heind hus es he. Fott him to þe, he sal þe lere All of þi lijf, hu þu sal stere." Line 19822 Cornelis efter [[MS. ettet]] þat sight Cald til him tua men and a knight, vntill Zopen sone he þaim send, [folio 132b:1] Als þe angel þan had him kend, þat went þaim forth and did alsua. þe toþer dai þai sau þaim fra, Line 19828

Line 19828 þat inns þar saint petre lai; Line 19829 þan was it vndrin tide of dai, þat es þat ilke time to say þat petre went him to pray, Line 19832 First to prai and siþen to ete, For þat time had he hunger grete. Quilis þai dight his liuelad, In orisunn he lai and bade, Line 19836 And fell he þar-wid in a suime Als ihesus self send on hime. Of manes witt noght þam he wist, Als wele was þan of iesu crist. Line 19840 Him þoght he loked to þe lift, And sau þar-in a mekil clifte, A linnan clath four siquar Line 19843 Laten dune, him þoght was þar, At noukes four, four listes lang, vte of þe air þar-wid it hang. Line 19846 Quen it on erd was laten dun, All four-foted bestes sau he boun, And all maner crepand best, Line 19849 Of þa þat er noght tald honest. Petre hungred þan ful sare, A voice him said in þat siquar, "Petre, rise, and sla, and ete," Line 19853 Als quasay, 'go and þu sal gete þe iuen folk, emang þu ga þe haiþen lede, for þu sal sla þir lastes þat es noght to prais, Line 19857 And haeli hali-kirc vp rais.' Quen þat petre þa vnbestes sau, Of þaim thoght him mekil au, Forboden bestes war in lede, Line 19861 "Lauerd ihesus!" he said, "forbede þat i suld ete for ani nede [folio 132b:2] þe mete þai ete in haiþen-hede.

To me at ete war na resun, þat till haþen men es comen." Line 19866 Als petre þan gan to hone, þar come anoþer steuen sone, "Petre," it said, "þu sla and ete, þat to do thar þe noght lete, Line 19870 Call noght comun, it es vnright, þat clengid has him-seluen dright. þat es þe haiþen, als qua say, Line 19873 Clenging in goddes for-sight in fay. Thar þe noght wand wid þaim to meng To lere þaim sal þu wid þaim leng." Dune and vp þis ilke wise, þis ilke clath was laten thris, Line 19878 And thris þis ilke steuen cald To make petre of þat sight bald. And ambros sais þat we sai thre Rehercing quen a child sal baptist be. "Trus þu in godd," ȝa, þis es ane, þe toþer, "forsakes þu sathane," Line 19884 þe thrid es, "will þu baptist be." And alsua anoyntinges es þar thre, þe breist, in schuldris, and in frunt, And thris þan es he put in funt. And quen þis clath thris was schaun, Again it was till euen drauen. Line 19890 [B]ot quilis þat petre him vmbithoght Of þis sight, quat bitakin moght, þan come þa three men him till hand, þat come fra corneli erand: Line 19894 First þai come to sir simon in, Askand if petre war þar-in. Saint petre þar-wid was warnist, Thoru gastli might of iesu crist, Line 19898 "Petre," it said, "lo! yonder thre Men er sent to seke nu þe,

[folio 133a:1] Rise, ga wid þaim, and haf na dred I self þe send and sal þe lede." Line 19902 Petre mett þaim in hij, "þe man ȝe seke," he said, "es i, Quat es þe achesun of ȝur way?" "Gladli," said þai, "we sal þe sai. A centener, sir cornelius, Line 19907 To seke þe nu sent he vs; He dredis drightin, na man mar, And of him has he said ansuar Line 19910 Till his hus þe forto bring, For to here þi sarmoning." þair super did saint petre dight, Line 19913 And wid him gestins þai þat night,

Apon þe morn þai went þair wai, And to cesar sone come þai. Lang efter þaim thoght corneli, And did his freindis cal for-þi, Line 19918 Quen he of his comming vnderstode, Sone he ras and gain þaim him ȝode, And quar þai mett him in þe strete, Cornelius him fell to fete Line 19922 wid all his hert him honura[n]d; Bot petre him raised bi þe hand, And till him said, "do rise vp, broþer, I am a man als þu art anoþer." Line 19926 Cornelius þar had freindes fele, Petre to þaim þus gun he mele, "ȝe wate," he said, "vr lauerd forbedis Meng vs wid ani oþer ledis, Line 19930 Bot nu wid sight i haue it sene þat of mankind es nane vnclene. þarfor wid leue i am ȝu lent, Line 19933 And comen to ȝu als efter sent. Quat ȝe will wid me, witt i wald." Cornelius all þe soth him tald, Line 19936

Line 19936 Firist al of þat angel sight Line 19937 And siþen of bodword broght right, "For þis meting þat i wid mett [folio 133a:2] I did þe," said he, "for to fett." [P]etre opind þan his muth Line 19941 And said, "i se nu þat it es cuth þat god, þat made for vs ransun, Bihaldis noght mannes presun, Line 19944 Ne he bihaldis queþer he be Iuu or sarsin, thral or fre, Bot all folk þat him dredis, wid luue vntil his lau he ledis. Line 19948 Ne hope i nane he will fro-hu þat will traistli in him trou." Petre þaim said a spelling þan Of baptizing þat iohn bigan, Line 19952 þat was of penance cald baptim, And siþen þaim tald of crist time. Hu he him-self þat ilk wise, For vr ensampel did baptize. Line 19956 Siþen of his lijf he wid þaim led, Hu him on rode þe iuus spred, And hu he ras þe thrid day, And þar-of witnes lele war þai. Line 19960 "And spac wid vs in fless and fell, And bad vs weind his word to spell. His fader, þat all has forto ȝeme, Has taght him quic and dede for to deme. Noght we allan of his afers, Line 19965 Bot ilk prophete him witnes bers. All to be sauf of sin and schame, þat wil tru in his hali name." Line 19968 Quilis þat petre spac þis spell, þe haligast dune on þaim fell, Line 19970 On all þat herd þair spell in place, þe hali gast þaim come wid grace.

Thankand drightin alworthi dere, Fra þan þai spac wid speches sere, Petre spac þan, "qua mai forbede water at baptim here in þis lede, þat haligast has tane als we [folio 133b:1] þat mare es baptist to be." Line 19978 He did þaim baptis þan ilkan, Bot in iesu name allane, In fourme þat him bitaght was are Of baptising, he held it þare; Line 19982 For suilk a skill him þogh it nede, þat cristes nam suld þar-wid sprede, In quilk name tald for-smerld es he, þe fadir alsua of quam þat he be; And þe hali gast i-wiss, Line 19987 wid þe quilk þat he smerld es. þar duelled petre a littel stage And þis it was þe first passage, þat þe apostolis in parti Line 19991 Made mang þe folk of paeni.

[F]Ra nu for-ward i will Of þe apostlis hald me still, Line 19994 Of þaim nu speke na mare, For þan þai sundrid widequar, Ilkan in-to cuntre sere þe cristen lau þe folk to lere. Line 19998 þair aun lauerd ful wele þaim lede, In þair spelling ful wele þai sped; þou þai wele spede, als i sai, Ful mani a torfer suffred þai, Line 20002 Ne left þai for no greue ne scham, Bot werrand on þe wrang þai wan. þai did þaim-seluen all till proue, of dede for þair lauerd bihoue, Line 20006 Quat contre ilkan tok to preche Efterward i sal ȝu teche,

Quat ending ilkan had, and quare, Siþen i mai tell of þaim na mare.