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

[The Virtues and Symbols of the Cross.]

[þ]e grace of godd es gret and gode, þat gaue vs sampil bi þe rode, Line 21628 Mar mightes has vr lauerd wroght, þan ani man may thinc in thoght, Bot mani of trouth es sua vnslie, þei trou noght bot þat þai se wid eie; And þat vnethes wil þai trou, Line 21633 widvten signe of gret vertu; For me-thinc if þe soth be soght, þat siþen þe werld was first wroght, Miraclis of þe crois might Line 21637 Has bene in semblance and in sight. Ouer and vnder, right and left, [folio 144a:2] In þis compas godd has left. Line 21640 Bot-if man of him-self be blind, vnthinc him wele he sal it find þe lickenes of þis tre sua treu, In þe ald lau was bifor þe neu, Line 21644 And in þe nu alsua sere, þat sum er gode of forto lere. I thinc þis es þat tre of bliss þat rightwisnes til bunden es, Line 21648 Had adam funden it at hand þat wid þe might had lijf lastand; þat planted es in paradis, And dos þe dede vp forto rise; Line 21652 [A]nd adam wroght, quen he had wogh, vnder þis tre he him wid-drogh,

þar did him drightin for to reson And did him in hope of pardun. [þ]e blod of abel it crid als Line 21657 Quen him had slan his broþer a fals. wid þat tre gret thing was hid, þat in þis ilk croice es hid, And dede forsoth had bene noie If him ne sauued had þe tre. Line 21662 Of four querner þe arche was made, Als has þe crois on lang and brad, þe dur of þat arche apon þe syide, And þar was iesus wonde wide. Line 21666 Qua wil vmthinc him in his mode, Mai find fele takeins of þe rode. [V]r lauerd gaf moyses a wand To wirke maistri wid-in hand, Line 21670 Siþen was it worm, and eftir ȝeird, Als man might forwid haue herd. þat wele bitakenes þat cypres, þar-of was warnist moyses, Line 21674 Bath in word and eke in dede. Quen israel of egipt ȝede, Of þat blisced lamb blode [folio 144b:1] A crois was made in signe of rode, þaa þat crois had on þaim draun, vr lauerd þaim sauued als his aun, All þas oþer war bot tint Line 21681 Bitaght vnto þe angel dint. [Q]uen þe neddris þat war fell, Stanged þe folk of israell, Quen þai welk in wildrenes vnder þe lau of moyses, Line 21686 A nedder was sett vpon a tre, þat quen þe stanged men might it se þe nedder þat on þe tre hang þai war all warist of þat stang. Line 21690

Line 21690 [Q]uen þai faght als þai did ofte And moyses lifted his hand on-loft, Quilis he held his hend on croice, Ai had his aun folk þe voice. Line 21694 [Q]uen strijf was abute þe preist-hede In þa dais mang þa iuus lede, To tuelue men taght þai wandes tuelue, Ilkan marked his him-selue, Line 21698 And said quilk wand suld bere blome Suld haue þe preist-hede wid dome, þar florist ane als ȝe haue herd þe croice takning, þat ilke ȝeird. Line 21702 Helyseus on oþer wise Did a dede man for to rise, þe staf þat he apon him did, Of croice it bare þe takin-hede. Line 21706 [Q]uen dauid faght again þat etin, þan had he noght his staf forgetin, vnto þe bataile he it bare, Might na king suord do mare. Line 21710 þe signe of tau in ald laus Bitakeins croice nu in vr daus, þe men þat þar-wid takin ware, Oft it helpid þaim fra misfare. Line 21714 Tau and croice als bath er ane, [folio 144b:2] Bot tau has ȝeild abouen nane; Of croice in þe ald testament Line 21717 was mani bisning, quat cuth tent. [C]roice es, qua-sum will or nai, Baner of hali kirc to-day; Line 21720 Men has noght herd þat folk be lorn þat hali croice has wid them born, Bot has bitid of mani quare, þe less folk ouer-come þe mare. Line 21724 þar croice was stad at ani fight, If þat þe dede be done wid right.

Of croice to tell for-gett i noght, On croice þe formast man was wrogh[t], On croice þe first of all wiues, Line 21729 On croice godd boght vr saul liues, þar-on he gaf him-self ransun, And of him-self made gunfaigun. þe croice of medicine beris bote, Bath in frut and als in rote, Line 21734 In croice it was for vs þe flour, þat we haue thoru sua grett honur. A riche licknes at beris itt, It es þe heued of hali writ, Line 21738 Fundement of vr clergie, Reule es it als of hali vie. Made it es o four and thre þou es it cald bot for a tre. Line 21742 Noukes foure and treis thrin, Siþen þe thrid was done þar-in In thris thrin and fur partes, I vnderstand þe seuen artis, Line 21746 Of four and thre qua tellis euen, He sal þe numbre make of seuen. þu do to-gider als ten and tua, þe laus tuin sal þu find sua, Line 21750 In ten þan sal þu find þe ald, In tale of tua þe nu es tald. [folio 145a:1] Man has of croice his schaping knaun, And he him-self of seuen es draun Bath in bodi and saule i say, Line 21755 þe bodi of element tuis tuay, þe saule it has of strinthes thrin, þat takin of croice þai bere widin. Quan godd þat aghlis ilkin state, Of all in his forthoght he wate, Farli puruaid he him ane Line 21761 Make croice of tre, and nogh[t] of stan,

Bot þat was forto make þe mend Of þe tre þat was defend. Line 21764 His crois he has wroght sua wid craft, It beris schap till alkin schaft. wele did moyses þat hit fand, And dauid als þat fott þe wand, Line 21768 And salomon þat fell it didd, And scho þat it fand þar it was hid,— Eline þat sua gern it soght, And till vr note nu has it broght; Scho delt it wisli als scho wild, þat all þis world it es fulfild Line 21774 Of þe name and of þe mell, For-þi es gode þar-of to tell.

[E]line ȝeit wald noght for-lett þe nailes in his hend and fete Line 21778 þat driuen war, ful gern scho soght, Till scho þaim fand ne fined noght. Of þaim scho wroght a werk ful fin In bridil of king costantin, Line 21782 was no cristal als bright, Ne sua schene to manes sight. Quiþer-sum he ferd, þat sire, þe bridil schane bright als fire. Line 21786 Mani þat sau þat bridil bright, It turned to þe trouth of right. Costantin þaim bar thre ȝere, Quen he drou to ending nere, Line 21790 vte of þe bridil he þaim laght, [folio 145a:2] And do biside þe croice þaim taght, þat mani vertu siþen wroght Line 21793 Thoru might of crist þat vs boght. And costantinopil and in france, Godd has made mani mustrance. At saint denis es his croune, wid þaa nailis redi boune; Line 21798

Line 21798 Mani man come sekeand sare Line 21799 þat þair hele gaf redi dare. Of þe croice es broght till ende, þe vertu of þe croice vs defend! Qua þe tale can better attend Line 21803 For cristes luue he it amend. þis, queþer it be ill or gode, I fand it writen of þe rode, Mani tellis diuersli, For þai mai find diuers stori. Line 21808 [þ]at fand þe croice hight iudas, Bischop of þe tun made he was, þan was his name turned þus þat he was cald quiriacus. Line 21812 Quen funden was þis hali croice. þe warlou said on hij wid voice, "Ha ha! iudas, quat has þu done? Gaynes me þu has misdone. Line 21816 For wid mi will tinsel es wroght þat þu fand þou i wald it noght; Thoru him war mani saulis mine, Thoru þe þat i nu drede to tine, Thoru him i regned fer a-bute, Line 21821 þu mou me kast a kingr[i]ke vte, Ne forþi i will noght nite, þat ȝeit i ne sal þi dedis quite. Anoþer king gain þe sal rise, Line 21825 þat i sal do þe for to grise, To do þe suffir sua mekil scham, þat þu sal nite þi iesu name." Line 21828 [folio 145b:1] And þis was said bi tyrand ain þat quiriacus was of siþen slain. þat feindes cri þou iudas herde, Neuer þe mare ne was he ferd, Line 21832 Bot werid he þat widerwin, And said, "crist, þat es lauerd mine,

He deme þe in to hell depe, Line 21835 Euer in welland wa to wepe." [þ]at hali croice i haue of redd, Quar-apon iesu for vs was spredd, Be vr scheld and also vr spere Line 21839 Bituix vs and all helles here! Stedfastli in hert to bere, For ilk day we wend in were, Ilk day in were we weind, Line 21843 Bot þe, iesu! haue we na freind. Thoru þe croice make vs þi freind To be vr succur at vr end. Amen.