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

[Description of Hell and its Nine Pains.]

And qui þat stinkand stanck es cald, þar es resun, qua can bi-hald; Line 23196 Stanck als men sais vmstunt Es sua depe þat þar-on es na grund, Alsua þe pitt of hell pine Line 23199 It es suo depe, widuten fine, þat end ne bes þar neuer apon, A stanck for-þi it callis saint iohn. He þat es duked anes þai dun, Line 23203 Comis neuer vte of þat presun; þe fire þat þar es forto brin, Neuer mar ne mai it blin. Line 23206 [N]Ine paines principal es þar, Crist lat vs neuer dider far! þe first it es þe fire sua hate, þat all þe mekil see sua [wate], Line 23210 þou þat it casten war þar-in, [folio 154b:1] Ne suld it neuer þe lesse brin; Sua þat vr fire ne mai na mar Again þat fire þat brines þar, Line 23214 þan painted fire gain urs might, þat on wagh wid man war mad right; For euer it brinnes dai and night, Bot neuer mar it castes light. Line 23218 [þ]e toþer pine es cald sua kene, þat manes muth mai noght mene, þat þou a fire fell war made, Line 23221 And wid chance þat thoru glade,

Quilis þu might turn þi hand abute, It suld wax cald widvten dute. Line 23224 [þ]e thrid þine es hard to drie, Of wormes þat sal neuer deie, Fell dragons and tadis bath þat er apon to loke ful lath, Line 23228 Ful laithsum on to here and se, Ful wa es þaim þat þar sal be; Als we se fisses in water suim, Line 23231 Sua liue þai in þat lou sua dim. [þ]e feird paine it es of stinck, þat mai na man sua mekil thinck. þe liȝft es vndemes of dint, Line 23235 þat þa wreches þar sal hint, Als it war dintes on a steþi þat smethes smites in þair smethi. þa dintes er ful fers and fell, Line 23239 þarder þan dint of irin mell. [þ]e sexte pine es naght to schape, It es sli mirknes þat men mai grape; Sua wonder thick þar sal it be, Line 23243 þat nan ne mai on oþer se. [þ]e seuend schinschip al for þair sin, Ai schame lastand þat neuer sal blin, For þar-til sal ilkan haue sight Line 23247 To se schenschip on oþeres plight. [þ]e aghtand pine it es ful grise, [folio 154b:1] To se þa warlaus in þair wise, Line 23250 Strang pine es on þaim to loke, And namli laght in-til þair croke; þat dreri din, þat balful bere, þat þai widvten stint sal here, Line 23254 Of þa wepand in þair wa, þat sal þaim last fer euer and a. Firen bandes es þe niend, Als in hali writt we find, Line 23258

Line 23258 þat all þair limmes er bunden wid, widuten leth on ani lith. Line 23260 Bot a point es þaim paines mar, þan ellis all þair oþer fare, Line 23262 þai wat þair pine sal haue no end, For þai mai haf na might to mend. [A]nd nu þar es þaa paines nine, Here nu þe skil of ilk a pine; Line 23266 Niene ordris of angele þai forsoke, Quen þai þaim to þe warlau toke, þar-for sal þai pined be, wid þaa pines, six and thre. Line 23270 [A]nd for þat þai war won to brin, In couaitis catel wid to win To-quilis þai in þis werld ware, Line 23273 þar-for ai sal þai brin þare. And þa men þat sua stark war here, Stithli þair wickedhed to stere Line 23276 And brint þar-in sua war þai bald, þai sal haue euer þat water cald. þaa þat war fild of enst and hete, þat iþenli þair hertis ete, Line 23280 þar wormes sal þaim vnder wrote In bale widuten hope of bote. [A]nd for þai here war wont to li In þair stinkand lust of lecheri, Line 23284 And wald noght haue bot þair delices, þat drou þaim in-till oþer uices, þai sal haue iþen stinck i-wiss [folio 155a:1] þat þai sal neuer mar miss. Line 23288 [A]nd for þai wald na dissipline Thole for luue of vr drightine, þai sal be beft widuten houe, And merci nane to þair bihoue. Line 23292 [A]nd for þai wald noght be light, þat giues of sothfastnes þe sight,

þat es godd self at vnderstand, Line 23295 þai sal haue mirkenes ai lastand; And for þai wald noght schriue þar sake, Bifor þair ending na mendis make, Ilkan sal se wid sight of schame, Quat blenck on oþer es for to blame. [A]nd þai þat wald no spelling here Of godd, ne of his laus lere, Line 23302 For-þi þan sal þai here þe sunes Bath of neddris and of dragunes, þat reuful bere, þat reuful cri, þat wa es þaim es stad þar-bi. Line 23306 And forþi þat þai gildrid war, widuten þis lijf wid lastes sere, þai sal suffre soru ai þare, Line 23309 Apon þair membris euer-ay-quare. Ay wend þai here to liue in sin, þar sal þai dei widuten blin, Deiand ai and neuer dede, Line 23313 For dede sal flei þaim als þair fede. þa þat bes set in þat prisun, vpward þar fete, þair hefdes dun, þair backes tillward oþer bett, Line 23317 wid pine on ilk-a side vmsett. [þ]e rightwismen sal se þa pines Apon vr lauerd witherwines, Line 23320 þat þair blise mai be þe mare, þat þai er schapid fra þat care. [þ]e wick alsua þe gode sal se widin þair gamen stad and gle, Line 23324 þat þai þe sorfuler sal be [folio 155a:2] þat tint has folili þat le; To domesday sua sal þai fare, Bot efter domes-day namare; Line 23328 For to þaim se þat þaa maledight, Bot þe seli saul of þaim haue sight.

Bot þou þai se þaim, witt þu it wele, Of þaim þai sal noght reu a dele, If fader sau his aun sun þare, Line 23333 Or sun his fader þar in care, þe wijf hir man, or man his wijf, Or freind he luued als his lijf; Line 23336 For þair mis-fare suld þai noght murn, Ne aues for þair schathes schurn, Bot sal þai haue a grete delite, For to se þaim in þair site, Als we haue here a sunni dai Line 23341 To se fisses in a water play; For-qui þe rightwis blith sal be Quen he sal wrake on sinful se. If þai suld for þaa felauns prai, Line 23345 It war gain godd and gret deray, For þay till him sal be sua queme, All sal þaim like þat he sal deme. To deme vs moth þat drightin sua þat we cum neuer into þat wa! Line 23350