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

[Mark.]

Marc his goddspeller wid won Line 21237 In baptim was saint petre sun, Sun and disciple was he lele To spell þe folk of israell; Line 21240 Eftir his kind he was leuite, And cristes goddspell did he write, þe godspell in a tale he wrate. Line 21243 Men sais þat of his tumb he smate, And þat for noght bot for to fle þat he na preist suld ordained be, Bot na-þeless for his liuelade, Line 21247 Siþen þan toke he bischophade. þe word þat petre spellid gern, Mark, men sais, it wrat in dern; þe first þat kirc wroght in abye, þat me clepis alexandri; Line 21252 þe pask day messe quan he sang, [folio 141b:2] þan com þat haiþen lede wid wrang þat cristen men to pine was preist, Abute his hals a corde þai fest, Line 21256 And tilwar[d] presun drou his felle, þat flexs þar-of in pecis felle, And siþen eftir presuning, Line 21259 His saule he ȝeld to heuen king. Him-seluen lauerd, vs til him bring, For of his blis es nane ending. Line 21262

[F]Our er þai tald, þe wangelistis, þat draus þe wayn þat es cristis,

Of þaim sal i tell efter mi maght, Quat þai bitakin, and quat þair draght, Quat es ȝok, quat quele mai be, Line 21267 Quat es bridil, and quat axil tre, Quilk man, quilk calf, quilk leon, quilk fule, I sal ȝu tell, widuten bule. Four flummes in se in paradis, Line 21271 And wain man wid four quelis wise; Mathu takins þe first quele, Line 21273 And marck þe toþer takins wele, And luck þe thrid wid resun right, þe feird iohn, þat fule of flight; þe quelis er draun diuers wise, þe first gas, þe toþir it hise, Line 21278 þe thrid quele es wont to rin, And fleis þe feird widuten blin. [þ]ar es gode axeltreis tua, A nobil bridil es alsua, Bath wis and war es þat leder, Line 21283 And soft it es þe ȝock to bere. Tuin axils er tuin laus, i-wis, þe bridil es wisdom forto wis, þe carter self es iesu crist, Line 21287 His bodi þe ȝock he has stablist. [G]race, scho has hir giftes delt Til ilkan sere of þir formelt. Mathe writt was in ebreu, [folio 142a:1] þas oþer thre þai wratt in gru, Line 21292 þe stile of matheu, water it was, And wine þe letter of lucas, And mark pagine, it was milk, And iohn honi suete als suilk. Line 21296 [þ]e first to wax it has sauur, þe toþer of mir, þe thrid of flour, þe feird sauors als aromate, Of all þe spices þat men wate. Line 21300

Line 21300 þe first he teils of feild to fede, Line 21301 þe toþer he saus efter þe sede, þe thrid harus efter wid spepde, þe feird it watris ai in nede. Ilkan of þaim þair lare þai lere, Line 21305 And renges to þe werld at here, Dinnes þe toþer, [t]rumpes þe thrid, Singes þe feird wid sune vnhid. Line 21308 þe first has bell, þe toþer timpane, þe thrid has harp, þe ferd organe; þe first of þaim als laump es bright, Quilis þai giue til oþer light, Line 21312 þe toþer als cerge, þe thrid als stern, þe feird als dai he þat es ern. [þ]e frist es greff of irin was, Line 21315 þe toþer of þaim was made of bras, þe thrid of siluer, þe ferd of gold, For-þi it war þair werkis hold. Line 21318 [M]atheu of man he has fascun, Luk has of ox, ai lokis dun, Iohn of ern, þe skill es sere, Line 21321 (Ta tent quarfore and þu sal here.) Matheu has schapp of manes state, For he of cristes manhed wrate; Luk of ox for þis resun, Line 21325 He spac mast of his passiun; Mark of leon beris takening þat spellid of his vprising; Line 21328 Iohn fuel ern, heiest of flight, [folio 142a:2] Spac of his godde-hed heiest of hight. [þ]e state of ilk ewangelist Line 21331 Beris in him vr lauerd crist, He es man and ox, leon, and ern, May no skilwis man þis wern: Line 21334 Man quilis he here liued in lijf, Ox quen he was slain for vr strijf,

Leon quen he ras wid might, Line 21337 And ern takand til heuen his flight. [A]nd ilke man þat wrang will fle, wid rightwisnes þir four mai be, Man quilis he manlik him ledis, Ox to sla his flexsli dedis, Line 21342 Leon dantand harsk and hard, Foul wid thoght till heuen-ward. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]