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

[What shall happen on Domesday.]

[Þ]an sal be herd þe blast of beme, þe demister sal cum to deme þat all thing of-standes au; Line 22713 In quatkin furme i sal ȝu schau. we trou, and all au for to trou,— Bot it be saraȝin or iuu,— þat efter þe resurrecciun, þe hei day of his assenciun, Line 22718 Come iesus till his frendes suete þat sett war to þair mete and ete,

And þai þat war in drede and dute, wid stabil trouth he brogh þaim vte, And siþen vp till heuen he stey, Mani man constadd and sey. Line 22724 His desciplis for þis sight, Mekil he did þair hertis light, A cloud a-gain him sau þai light And bar him vp, was wonder bright; werrai godd and man werrai, Line 22729 All forto deme on domes-day. þat ilke forme cum sal he þare, As he in erd his croice bare, Line 22732 Sua sal he cum, bot witt ȝe þan, þat siþen þe werld first bigan was neuer sene sua sorful a tide, Als þat dai sal be for to bide. Line 22736 [Q]uen he come first his cum to kith, wid mekenes all gan he mith, þat come was dern and hidde Line 22739 And bot to fone men was kidde. His oþer coming sal he schau [folio 151b:1] Rightli till all þis werld to knau, Bath heuen and erd for him sal drede, Als ȝe haue bifor herd me rede. Line 22744 It es na clerk mai write wid inck, Ne muth to mele, ne hert to thinck, þe hundreth and thousand knightes Sal folu þat lauerd mekil of mightes, wid him to cum all to þis day, Line 22749 All-as! quat sal þe sinful say. vngainand sal be þan his gamin Line 22751 Quen he to brin sal se all samin, Land and see and alkin thinges, þat ani werldis hald wid hinges. Sorful bes þan þe sinful chere, Line 22755 Quen all þan sal þaa trumpes here;

Bifor þe face of þat caiser Line 22757 Angelis sal his baner bere, His rode þat he was on spred, þat he vs witt to lijf has ledd, Line 22760 Ouercomen þe feind wald all forfare, Es na baner he dredis mare. was neuer sunn schineand sua clere þe tende part, als þat banere! Line 22764 þe brightnes of þat croice sua schene, Ouer all þe w[e]rld it sal be sene. þus heili, bot wele helier, Line 22767 Sal cum to deme þe demister.

[A]tt dome he sal noght sitt allane, Bot felaus oþer ful mani ane; Line 22770 Al þaa þat sua þaim seluen buud þat werldis worschip al forhuud, Siluer and gold and esse of lijf, And taght þair fless for him in strijf, And traualid þaim on all wise Line 22775 To pain þaim in his seruise, And folud leli all his laus; þaa men sal be als his felaus, Line 22778 For to deme bath gode and wick, [folio 151b:2] Queþer-sum þai be dede or quick.

[A]ll þat sall be att þat assise, Line 22781 All hale þaim-self þai sal vp-rise In bodi and saule, al on neu wise, All thoru þe might of þat iustise. þat ilke flesh þat we haue nu, Line 22785 þan sal we haue sua sal we trou, And oþer nan we writen find; þat oþer trous, of trouth er blind. [ [[from Edin|bro' MS.]] That other trowes of trowthe er blind Of this trowthe hard es trowthe to find] þat man es molten fless and banes, Fra time þat þai be rotin anes Line 22792

Line 22792 Haue lim and lijf, als þai had ar, It semes sua þat neuer mar. Line 22794 Bot mistru þat, it es na nede, Herkin qui, i sal þe rede. Quen god will sua, þat vp-beris all, þat manes fless to mold to fall, Line 22798 Ne might be noght þan wid his main, þat ilke erde make fless again? He þat it made fordos þe fless, He mai it make quan his will es; He þat dos fless worth to lame, Line 22803 Of lame mai wirke flesli licame; A bodi mai he sone make of oght, þat all þis werld made first of noght; For-þi schortli es noght þat he Line 22807 Ne mai all do his will to be. Ne dute right na man in his dede, For trouth sal do man best to spede, Qua dutes es barn þe mare, Of trouth allan þis es þe lare. Line 22812 [A]ll mai he do þat all weildes, If þu will witt of þair eldes. þat þai sal on þat day in vprise, Saint paul vs sais on þiskin wise,— þat less and mar, ald and ying, Line 22817 At þat fortald vprising Sal be of eild, als þai suld here, [folio 152a:1] Haue deide of eild of thritti ȝere, þat eild þat crist had at his dede Quen he vs boght all fra þe quede. And if þat ani man here liuand Line 22823 wemmed was on fote or hand, On heued or bac, breist or side, Als we se chances oft bitide, On muth, or nese, or ellis-quar, Or boce apon his bodi bare, Line 22828

Line 22828 Crepil or croked, or turned on baft, Or limmes ma gain kindli craft, Line 22830 Thoru ma or less of lim haf last,— At þe vprising þat sal be last. All þaa þat godd has chosen til his For to be broght vntil his blis, Line 22834 Quat-sum þai in þis lijf haf bene, It sal na wemme on þaim be sene, Ne noght bot all faire-hede, Als we in hali scriptur rede. Line 22838 Al sal haue right lim þare þai agh to haue, ne less ne mare. Bot take tent quat i sai to þe, Line 22841 Of faire statur hu sal it be, And of þair eilde of þaim i mele, þat crist tas for his aun lele. Line 22844 þas oþer sal haue fairhede nane, for alkin selcuth sal þaim be wane, Of þaim it es to tell na tale þat widuten bote brend es bale. Line 22848

[þ]e childer þat er abortiues, þaa er þat er noght born in liues, Sal rise [[MS. risi]] in thritti ȝere eild, Till littel bote to þaim or beild. Line 22852 For þai war noght baptist i wiss, Ne sal þai haue na part of bliss, þir mekil maistris sais þat þai Mai sauued be on nankin way. Line 22856 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

þe men that thoru þair aun gilt [folio 152a:2] wid hefding draght, or hanging spilt, Thoru þair sin and þair foli, Line 22861 wid hundes eten þe mast parti. Mani wenis þat er vnwise Line 22863 þat þat fless sal neuer hal vprise,

And þat to wene es bot sothede; Nu sal i þe þe resun rede. Line 22866 vte all skil it es, and right, Forto mistru in cristes might; Line 22868 Quat man mai witt, quat man mai lere? Quat ei mai se, quat ere mai here? Quat man in erd mai thinc in thoght? Hu all þis werld vr lauerd wroght, Heuen and erd all in þair haldes! þat mighti god þat all waldes, Line 22874 Qua can sai me vte of a sede Hu he dos a hundreth brede? Thoru his will dos þat mighti king vte of þe hard tre to spring First þe leaf and þan þe flour, Line 22879 And siþen fruit wid his sauur, Ilkin fruit in his sesun. Au we þar-on to seke resun Hu he dos all thing to naite, Certes þat war both surfaite; Line 22884 þe mar man suink him þar abute Fra spede þe ferrer sal he be vte; A sample i sal ȝu scheu þar-bi þat i fand, of saint gregori. Line 22888 þar he was in a sted sumquar, A crafti clerk and wise of lar Askid him a question Line 22891 Of a wolf and of a lion, And of þe thrid þat was a man, Quar-of þe tale he dus bigan;— Line 22894

"[A] man welk thoru a woddes way, þar nere þe strete a wolf him lay, þis wolf was vnmesur mete, [folio 152b:1] All þis mannes fless he ete. Line 22898 Als suith als he sua had done A hungri leon mett he sone,

vp and dun his prai sekand; Line 22901 Quen he nan oþer best ne fand þis wolf he felde and ete him all, Ne left he nouþer gret ne small. þe leon efter deide in hij, Line 22905 Dede þar gun his carion li, And þat was rotin al to noght. Quar nu sal þis man be soght? For i mai trou on nankin wise Line 22909 þat þis man to lijf mai rise, Siþen es als i wene þat can, Tuin þat erd þat come of man Fra þat erd þat come of best." Line 22913 Saint gregor gaf ansuer honest, And to þat man þat was in were þe soth þan schaud he him a[l] clere, And proued him wid quilk resun, þat at þis grete resurreccion, Line 22918 wid all his limmes hale and fere Sal cum bifor þe demistere. For þou his bodi all war brint, Line 22921 And blaun oueral þe puder tint, ȝeit mai god geder it a-gain And neu him at his will wid main; All þe fless þat was of man Line 22925 Sothfast sal be raised þan, It sal be delt in littel weue, þat was of best all sal bileue. Line 22928 He þat made þe tan and þe toþer bath, wele bituix þaim can he schade, Sua hali sal þai rise þan þare, þai sal noght want a hefd hare, Line 22932 Ne noght a naile of fote ne hand. þouqueþer sal we vnderstand, [folio 152b:2] þat naile and hare þat has bene schorn Bes noght all quar þai war biforn;

Bot als potter wid his pottis dos Quen he his nu vessel fordos, Line 22938 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] He castis sone all in a ball Line 22941 A better for to make wid-all, Noght he lokis quilk was quilk, Bot makes an oþer of þat ilk Line 22944 wele fairer þan þe first was wroght; Right sua sal crist, ne dute þu noght. He þat es lauerd of erd and heuen Mai of þat ilke seluen euen Line 22948 þat first was molten in to lam, Make a wele fairer licam, And if þarof was mar or lesse, Line 22951 To mesur [[MS. mesin]] als his will it es.

[O]n paske day, say saintes sum, þat þe day of dome sal cum, þe day he wald him-self vprise He sal vs raise þat ilke wise; Line 22956 He sal deme at midward þe night, þat ilk time he sent his might, vnto egip þat folk to quell, þat ilke time he herid hell. Line 22960 þat ilk time sal cum þat king, His lele vnto blis þaim to bring.

[þ]e sted of dome quar all sal mete, vs tellis ioel þe prophete, Line 22964 And thoru his muth vs sais drightin, "Quen i sal haue merci of min, Sal breke þair bandes a[n]d þair lace, I sal þaim confort and solace, Line 22968 In wale of iosaphat i sall Do to be gedrid ledis all, þar sal i giue mi dome of drede;" Bot mani mai, þou þai can rede, Line 22972

Line 22972 wat noght þis word i forwid quath, Quat bitakins vale of iosaphat, Line 22974 Amang a hundreth men of wane [folio 153a:1] It vnderstandes wele noght ane. þai wene þan þat vr lauerd dright Sal cum into þat uale to light, Line 22978 þat iosaphat es called siquar, þai wene þe dome sal be þar, vnder þe mont of oliuete, Line 22981 Als it es tald of prophete; þai tent allan bot to þe letter, And littel es þaim þar-of þe better. Iosaphat, qua tas entent, Line 22985 Bi-takenis godes iugement, Ierom sais of þat prophesie, þat iosaphat mai signefie Line 22988 vr lauerd dome, quat rightli spellis, þat beris þe word and noght ellis. Bot qua will witt þe soth and right Of saint paul sau he might, Line 22992 He sais vs þat vr lauerd sal light Dun to þe cludes þat er on hight, In þe aire o-loft he sal him schau, To do his mightes for to knau, þar sal we mete wid him to lend, For euermare widuten end. Line 22998 þe wicked, þat drede noght his au, Here dun sal þai be demed lau, þai sal haue na might vp to win, Sua heui carked [[It looks like carijed in MS.]] of þair sin; vp in þe sky þe dome sal be, Line 23003 Sua trus hali kirke and we.

Bot es na man sua wise can tell Hu lang at dome iesu sal duell, Bot þe vprising widvten hone, Ful suith i wis it sal be done, Line 23008

Line 23008 Bath sal rise in a littel quile, Line 23009 All þat er dede and þat sal deie. Saint austin sais enent þat day Es nan can godes consail say. Line 23012 Of dome men callis it þe day, [folio 153a:1] Queþer þar be ma þan an or nay, vnder þe nam of dai men sall, vnder-stand þe time þat all Line 23016 Sal be demp at þat dome sua strang, Queþer it last schor quile or lang.

[þ]ai þat sall brathli die þat tide, To bete sal [[MS. repeats sal]] þay na space abide, Bot þat þat has bot sinnes light Sal clenged be al for þe sigh[t] Line 23022 Of feindes þat sal to þe dome be ledd, For þai for þaim sal be sua dred, þai sal haue dome sua lath to be, þat saintes þat on þaim sal se Line 23026 Bath þai drede sal and gru, And þis thar na man mistrou, Line 23028 þat þan in sinnes light war tane, And penance þarfor don has nane. For penance sal haue nan oþer pine, Bot þat drede of þe witherwine, Line 23032 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þat dredenes sal be sua vnmete, Line 23035 þat it may all suilk plightes bete, þat funden er in dedeli sin, þai weind to pine widuten blin.

[A]T þis dome es forwid melt, Line 23039 Sal all ledis in foure be delt, þe gode in tuin on his right hand, þe wick in tuin on left to stand; þe formast rau sal stand him nere, Als þa þat es his dughti dere, Line 23044

Line 23044 þat all þis werldis welth forsoke, And anerli to god þaim toke. Line 23046 þat sinn and sake for him for hu[u]d, And bodi and saul til him buud; And weint þaim in to religion, Line 23049 And did þair bodijs als in preson, And suonkin þaim bath dai and night, For to serue vr lauerd fair and bright. Gret lauerd-schip sal þir be lent, [folio 153b:1] For-qui þai sal of nan be dempt, All þe hali men sal cume Line 23055 wid vr lauerd vnto þe dome, Noght to dempt, þat sal þu witt, Bot in þair settlis for to sitt, For felauschip vr lauerd bere, Line 23059 Bath als iustis and demister. Iesus crist lang es i-wiss, Siþen he þis couenand hight till his.

[þ]e toþer rau biside sal be, Line 23063 Sal be ful luueli on to se, Sal be of gode cristen lede, þat did in lijf mani gode dede. þat þou þai riches had enogh [[MS. enoght]] , þar-for þai to na tresur drogh, Line 23068 Bot suilk als þai had in catele þai did to pouer men at dele, And gaue þair herte for luue of mede þe nedi for to clath and fede; Line 23072 And willi war to do, and glad, þat men of hali kirke þaim bad; And did wele here þair mis to mend, Treuli trouand at þair end. Line 23076 Suilk men þat sua bar þaim her, Of dome bot gode sal þai n[o]ght here, Ful light sal be þair part þat day, Til þaim ful suetli sal he say, Line 23080

Line 23080 "ȝe blisced folk, bath men and wiues, þat me war seruand in ȝur liues, In mi greuance ȝe did me gode, Line 23083 Quen i was hungri, ȝe gaf me fode; Me threisted sare, drinc ȝe me broght; Presund i was, and ȝe me soght; Quen i was stad in sekenes sare, ȝe come for to confort mi care; Line 23088 Of nakedhede quen i toke harm, ȝe gaf me clething wid to warm; Quen i was will and vte of rest, [folio 153b:2] Godli tok ȝe me to gest. Line 23092 For ȝe haue serued me sua wele, To mede ȝe sal haue lastand sele, þe sele þat ȝe haue soght to win, For euer sal ȝe duell þar-in." Line 23096 þan sal þir felauschipis tua Lede lastand lijf for euer and a. þat iesus crist most bring vs to! For in þis werld es bot vnro, Line 23100 Ful wele es him [þat] won mai þare, þat kith was neuer cuth to care.

[þ]ar sal stand on his oþer side, wreches stad in wa ful wide, Line 23104 An of þaim sal men se alsua þair parti to be delt in tua. Laith and stinkand sal þai be, Sari and sorful on to se, Line 23108 þe first rau þe mast stinkand, Sal be of wreches mistrouand; þe renaid er traiturs and fals, Murtherers and mansuorn als, Line 23112 þat thoru cursing or oþer plight, Of kirc has tint þe help wid right. Fra comun vte of cristen men þa carful eth sal be to ken, Line 23116

Line 23116 þat in þair lijf war wont to lij Line 23117 In hordam and in lechori, Foluand all þair flesli will, þat mast þaim liked, dedis ill Line 23120 widvten reuth, or will to mende; vnschriuen war þai at þair end, Bot deid in dedeli sin of dede, Line 23123 þir to deme sal be na nede, For þai war dempt ar þai com þar, þair dome apon þaim self þai bar.

[þ]e toþer rau es ill enogh, Line 23127 Of cristen fals and ful of wogh, [folio 154a:1] þat mas þaim cristen men wid nam, And vnder seruis all goddes gram. Falsli es he cristen cald, þat cristes laus wil noght hald, Line 23132 Fals it es þat luue to knau, þat nouþer will for luue ne au Do þat him suld be to queme, Line 23135 Quar-wid men might him-self ȝeme. Bot in pride and in tricheri, In nith and enst and licheri, And in vntalland sinnes fele, Line 23139 þe hundreth part mai i noght mele, þat man right nu his lijf in-ledis, Sua ducke in þair wicked-hedis. On ilk side þan gadrid þai, Line 23143 Bot littel bare þe pouer away, þai er sua gnede þat þai ne mai spar, Nouþer to giue þaim less ne mare. þe couaitus, for-soth to tell, Has mani saule broght to hell, Line 23148 Bisuelid it has þis werld on brede, vnethes sal men find ane in lede þat wele will schriue þaim of þis sake Ne for na consail mendes make.

witt ȝe for-soth all þat er slike Line 23153 þai sal be demed all wid þe quick, To mekil soru and site to þaim, þat all þis werld þaim mai noght raim. wid mekil wreth and auful chere, vr lauerd sal say þat þai sal here, "Do fleis heþen, ȝe maledight! Line 23159 vnto mi blis haf ȝue na right, Oft i was wid malese mett, Line 23161 Bot for ȝou was i neuer þe bett; In hunger and thrist oft sau ȝe me, Bot þar-of had ȝe no pite. Gas to þe deuil, þar sal ȝe ga, Forto well wid-in his wa, Line 23166 Euer wid-in his wa to well, [folio 154a:2] wid him and his þat er in hell." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Gött. or Heralds' Coll. MSS.]

[H]a! lauerd, quat he war wise þat moght Stedfast hald þis day in thoght! To forget þat day neuer mare Line 23177 To-quilis þat he liueand ware. For þan might he make here his way, Fra wrake to wer him on þat day; Fra þat day forth yu au to min, Sal neuer saule fra bodi tuin, Line 23182 For gode and ill þat þai did are, Samen quilis þai to-gider ware. To-gider sal þai take alsua, Line 23185 þair worthi mede in wele or wa, Ouþer in heuen or hell pine, wid sathanas, þat witherwine, Line 23188

Line 23188 þat fra þat iugement be made Line 23189 Sal casten be, widuten bade, In a stinkand stanck of fire; þar sal be ȝolden him his hire, Als sas þe boke of preuite Line 23193 þat saint iohn was schaud to se.