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

[The Finding of the Holy Cross.]

[O]F þe rode nu for to rede Line 21347 Crist him-self vs do to spede! þat tholid þar-on hard pine To lais vs fra vr wiþer-wine; Line 21350 we au to buxumli it bere, For it of bote es vr banere; Bath on bodi and in herte, Line 21353 Gain all vr care it es vr querte. Quen þat iesu þar-of was done þe iuus did it eftir sone, Line 21356 þat cristen men bote to blind þat war þan it suld noght find. þai wist þe cristen wold it kepe, þar-for þai did it to delue depe Line 21360 vnder erd, it and oþer tua Quar-on theues hang; for sua þe right rode þai wend to dill vte of þe cristen men skill, Line 21364 þat if men wid chance on þaim hitt, Quilk it war þai suld noght witt. But crist þat na kind es to like, wald noght lat his dere relike Line 21368

Line 21368 [folio 142b:1] Sua notful thing sua lang b[e]hid, þat he ne wald bot it war kid. Quen it had bene tua hundreth ȝere Al vnder molde, þat dreuri dere, To bote of bath saule and lijf, Line 21373 He did be funden thoru a wijf, A doghti wijf þat hight eline, was moder of king costantine. Scho it fand, qua wil witt hu? Line 21377 Herkin, and i sal tell þan you, [A]ls i in a stori it fand. Quen king costantine was liuand, Of rome þan was he emperur, Gain haþen folk stif in stur. Line 21382 Bitid a time, þat haiþen lede Com him batail for to bede, Sua mekil folk þai wid þaim ledd, þat costantine for þaim was dred. þar com till him þat ilke night Line 21387 þat þai suld on þe moru fight, A man þat selcuth fair was graid, And wakind him, and þus he said, "Costantin, loke vp and se Line 21391 Till heuenward, and comfort þe." He loked vp, and in þat sight Sau he cristes crois ful bright; A titel sau he þar-on ley, Line 21395 "Herin," it said, "sal þu haue victori." þan did þe king make of an euen Suilk a croice als he sau in heuen, And vp he ras in trouth stedfast, And brathli on his fas he brast, Line 21400 And did þat croice bifor him lede, And feld fast on þat haþen lede. þai fell, þai fled, þaa wiþerwine, þe maistri has king costantine Line 21404

Line 21404 Thoru þe crois and cristes might, And thoru þair stedfast trouth in dright. þan sent þe king costantine, [folio 142b:2] Sandir men till his moder eline, Line 21408 For to seke, widvten hone, þe crois þat iesu was on done, To find þat hali tre sumquar, And do a kirc be raised þar: Line 21412 Sir benciras and ansieris, þir tua men war messageris, þai war sent to þe quene fra rome, Bot herkins nu hu þai gaf dome. þis leucdi had þat time hir wid Line 21417 A cristen man was gode goldsmith, Quatkin thing als scho wald muth, Make till hir ful wele he cutht; Bot pouer he was, and hard in dett Till a iuu, and terme had sett, Line 21422 A sume of mone for to amunt, þat askid him ful hard acunt. Line 21424 It was wele sene þat hit was hard, For he him asked wid sli forward If he his mone moght noght gete, þat he suld ȝeild him for his dett þat ilke weght þat þar war less, Line 21429 He suld ȝeild of his aun fless. þe dai es gan, þat dett vnquitt, þe bodi most bileue nu for itt: þe cristen dred ful sare for pine, Bot þe iuu wald neuer fine. Line 21434 Bath to þe quene curt þai come, þe iuu thral bad giue him dome, Scharp knif in hand he bar, þe cristen man stod nakid þar. Line 21438 þai all wald haf again him boght, Bot grant of iuu ne gat þai noght

Of ransun na mare þan a rish, Line 21441 wald he of here bot of his fless. [þ]an said benciras and ansiers, "þu sal haue broþer all þat þe fers, þe quene has bidden vs to deme [folio 143a:1] To þe all þat to right es queme. Sai me hu þu wile him dight, Line 21447 If þat he be dempt to þe wid right." "Hu?" said þe iuu, "bot bi mi lay, þe werist þat euer i can or may. His eien firist putt vte i sall, Line 21451 And his hend þat he wirkes wid-all, Tung and nese, and siþen þe lau[e], Till þat i mi couenand haue." þe messageris him [[MS. hin]] gaue ansuere, "þan semis naght þu wil him spare, Take þan þe fless, þat grantes he, Sua þat þe blod may saued be; A drope of blod if þat he tine, Line 21459 we giue vr dome, þe wrang es þine. Quat-sum his fless was sald or boght, His blod to sell he neuer thoght, ȝeild þe þe fless he es wele vnknaun, Sauue him þe blod, þat es his aun." [þ]an said þat iuu, "bi sant drightin Me thinc þe wers part es min; Line 21466 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Fordon ȝe haue me wid ȝur dome, þat ȝe ramanis broght fra rome. Maugre þarfor mot þai haue, Line 21471 All þat suilk a dome me gaue!" Bensiras þan said "parfay! All has þis curt þe herd missay, Me and mi lauerd sir ansire þu has missaid vs in þin ire. Line 21476

Line 21476 And we will missay þe na wight, Bot ellis of þe we will haf right. þe quene has sent vs hider-to Line 21479 þis curt, rightwisnes for to do, And sothfastnes haue we þe said, þar-for has þu nu vs missaid." þe quene bad widuten lett Line 21483 þe iugement þai suld þam sett, For sekir was scho þan of site, [folio 143a:2] þat þe cristen man was quite. þe iuu was dempt sua þat þe quene Suld haue his catel all bidene, Line 21488 In hir merci his tung to take, þat in hir curt sli missau make. þe iuu him thoght selcuthli tene At þis dome þat was sua kene, Line 21492 And said on hij, all might here, "Me war leuer ȝu for to lere Quar lijs ȝur lauerd rode-tre, þan dampned sua sone to be." Line 21496 "[G]odd wate, mi freind," þan said eline, "þu sal be quitt of allkin pine, If þu will do als i þe bidd, Line 21499 To scheu vs quar þat crois es hid." "Leuedi," he said, "bot bi mi lay þe soth ȝeit can i þe noght say; Bot sett þu me sum terme day Line 21503 þat wid mi maistris mele i may, I sal þe bring tiþand of itt, Line 21505 þat þu sua blithli wald of witt." "Gladli," scho said, "here i þe hight Of a dai respit and of a night, Bot þu vs do þe crois to find, Line 21509 Of bath þin eien þu sal be blind." þe iuu him speded toward his tide, Ouer þe term durst he noght abide,

Na selcuth he him schonid sare, Line 21513 He wist þe quene wald noght him spare Till him, ne nane of all his lede, Bot he ne hir did þe better spede wit quar þat hali croice it ware, Line 21517 For þar-apon hir ath scho suare. þarfor he went him sone in hij, vnto þe mont of caluari, wid hir folke went him þe quene, þar þai praid þan all bidene. Line 21522 [folio 143b:1] Sone quen þai had þair praier makid, vnder þaim þe erd all quakid, þan said þe iuu, and all it herd, "Crist þu es sauueur of þis erd!" Of he kest all bot his sarke, Line 21527 To make him bun til his warke. Sone he nam a spade in hand, Lang he delue bot noght he fand; Quen he right depe had doluen dare, Ma þan tuenti fadim or mare, Line 21532 He fand tua croices and þat ilke, Bot þai wist noght quilk was quilke, þe quilk might be þe lauerd tre, And quilk it might þe thefs be. wid mikil ioy and mekil gle Line 21537 vnto þe tun bar þai þaim thre, þar war þai done als in mid place, For to a-bide vr lauerd grace. Line 21540 Abute midward þe dai or mar, A dede man bodi forth þai bare, Saint elin made hir praer þare Line 21543 And sua did all þe folk was þare, þat iesu þaim suld sum takin schau, His aun dere tre to knau. wid aiþer tre þe cors on-rane, Line 21547 Bot alwais lai it still als stane;

þe thrid þai touched till his hide, And vp he ras widvten bide, Line 21550 And spac wid a ful blith voice, þus hailsand þe tre of þe croice, "Godd þe lock, crois, precius thing! In þe hang alþer heiest king. Line 21554 Menskid wid his fless was þu, Of alle tres most of vertu, Line 21556 He has þe halud þat all can cene, And menskid wid all cristen men; Thoru þe has godd sent nu me lijf, And thoru þe worschip of þis wijf." [þ]is miracle sene wid mani man, [folio 143b:2] þai bar it to þe temple þan, Line 21562 þe iuus to þe baptim ran, Ful fain þai war þai þider wan. Line 21564 Bot quen þat croice was comen in Men might se thinges þat was to min! For þat tre þat it was of schorn, Als i tald in þis boke biforn, Line 21568 And alwais in þe temple lay And ȝeit was funden þar þat day, It ȝald of it sua suete a smel, Line 21571 Hu suete it was can naman tell. þe smel ouer all þe temple spred, And þar-wid mendid ilka sted, Line 21574 þat bi þe smelling might men se It was schorn of þat ilk tre. A iuu þat mekil had herd and sene, þe soth tald þar of to þe quene, Line 21578 And quatkin tre it suld haue bene His eldris tald him all bidene. Quen scho had herd his resun, þan gan scho make hir orisun, Line 21582 þat godd wald send hir witring sone, Quat of þat crois he wald war done.

[V]r lauerd it gan ane angel wise And bad hir dele it in four partise, þat ane might in þe temple lend, To rome men suld anoþer send, Line 21588 Till alixandre to send þe thrid, þe feird to bere hir seluen mid, To costantin-opil for to weind. Line 21591 And alsua did þat leuedi heind, Of þe funden croice for-meilt, þe quilk tua was delt, Line 21594 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þe tane scho left in þat cite, Line 21597 Als in sted of autorite; þe toþe[r] tok wid hir, quene elin, vnto hir sun king costantin. Line 21600 To mete hir ȝede mani barune, [folio 144a:1] Gret and fair was þe processiune, wid-in þe kirk of saint sophie þar haue þai set it richelie. Line 21604 was neuer ȝeit na tre in land, Sua riche ne sua fair schinand, Til ilk paskes for to se was men wont þat hali tre, Line 21608 Dais four þaim sett for stage; þe emperur wid hir barnage, Aþon þe day of mondee; Bot þe quene wid hir meigne Line 21612 Apon þe fridai eftir-ward, Of pardun forte serue hir part; þe clergi on þe satirdai, þat kepers was of cristen lay. Line 21616 widuten case þir dais thre þis crois þan was man wont to se, And it was tald of mani man þat oft a licur þar-of ran, Line 21620

Line 21620 wid þat licur was bote of bale, Line 21621 For sekenes sere to make þaim hale, A uessel þat it war noght tint, Set vnder þe tre þe licur to hint, For to dede vnto þe vnfere Line 21625 To send ouer all þe contre sere.