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

[The Story of Elsey, and the Festival of the Conception].

Of þe concepciun of vr leuedi I will ȝu tell wittirli [folio 163b:1] [L]Istes gode men, wid ȝur leue Ful lath me war ȝu forto greue, Line 24734 þat ȝu thoght mi talking togh, For me thinc neuer mar enogh, þat i mai of hir louing rede, þat bett vs all vte for vr nede. Line 24738 All mi lijf vnto mine ende, In hir worschip if i might spende, All þat i cuth thinc or say, Line 24741 It war naght half ane hure of a day, þat þis thar na man nick wid nai, Sua brad of hir blis es þe wai. Line 24744 þou mans witt be neuer sua strait, Scho mai wele bring it into nait; For þou mi witt war neuer sua wild, Quen i make mening of þat mild, Quat blis scho bred again vr bale, þat i ne sal find wissing to wale; þat gifs me list of hir to rede, Line 24751 For he es all spedd þat scho will spede. Tald es in þis boke biforn Hu þat scho was getin and born,

Bot nu lauerdinges, if ȝe me bid, Quat time and terme þat it bitid þat scho was getin, þat bird of blis, I sal ȝu mone widuten miss. Line 24758 þe fest of hir concepciun, þar-of ȝe sal here þe resun, Qui þat hali kirke and hu Bi ȝere þarof dos seruis nu Line 24762 þat it did noght in ald dais; Herkenis hu þe stori sais.

[A] king þat hight william bastard, þat werraid ingland ful hard, Line 24766 Sua stalworth man he was of hand, þat wid his fors he wan þe land. Ful selcuth keneli cuth he fight, He slogh þe king þat harald hight, þat born was of þe danes blod, [folio 163b:2] For-qui þe land he him wid-stode. þan bar wiliam þe seygnuri Line 24773 Of ingland and of normundi. ye king of danmark on-ane Herd þat king harald was slane, Of witt al-mast wald he weind, Line 24777 For luue of harald his freind. Schippis did he dight him ȝare In-till ingland þan for to fare, Line 24780 Apon þe normandes forto fight, þat wan þe land widuten right; For he suar bi þe king of heuen, Line 24783 þat harald slaghter suld he heuen. To king willam bodword was broght Of þis tiþand þat him forthoght, He dred him sare þat were suld rise, And warnist him on mani wise; Line 24788 He gedrid souders here and þare, To strenth his castelis eueray quar,

Als he þat conquerur was gode, Line 24791 And for to werrai vnderstode. His consail bad him for to fand, þe king of danemark widstand, Line 24794 For to speke of sumkin pais, Bituix him and þaa da[na]is. þis ilke time þat i of say, was ane abbot of ramesay, Line 24798 þe name of him was cald elsis, A heind man and a wis; A grete resun wele schau he cuth, Widvten ani maring in muth. Line 24802 þis abbot of þis erand bere, was chosin to be messa[g]ere. vnto dane-mark to fare, Als man was lerid of mekil lare. Line 24806 Sone it was his schipping tift wid presand and mani right gift, [folio 164a:1] Of siluer and of gold giftes to bede, Mar þan mister es to rede; þe signe of pes alsua to bring Line 24811 Tuix william and þat oþer king, And of þaa schippis forto spir, Quen þai wer boune for to stir. Line 24814 [E]lsis to schipping him did, His bur bleu als he-self wald bid, He passed þe se þat was brade, His presand to þe king he made. Line 24818 welcum was his presand and he, Als bringand hand es wont to be; Till erlis and baruns of þat rike, þan gaue he sere giftes eke; Line 24822 þaa þat he had na giftes till, wid hightes faire he went þair will. Sua wele in speche cuth he spell, þat all þat ost he did to duell. Line 24826

Line 24826 Quen all þir nedis wele war done, þai dightid him his schipping sone, þai set vp þe mast of þair schip, Sir elsis and his felauschip; Line 24830 His giftes gaf he noght in vain, Bot fair presantes war sent egain. Forth þai sailed on þat flode, For all to will þe wind þaim stode. At þe last might þai noght se, Line 24835 Bot heuen a-bouen and þe see; þe wedir als in somer smeth, Sone bigan it ruth and reth, Line 24838 þat ilk wau til oþer weft, And bremli to þat barge beft. þe lift it blakind al to night, On ilke side þaim slaked sight, Line 24842 þe see for rethnes wex al rede, To dole was turned al þair nede. þe wind ras gain þaim ful vnride, þe þaim sailed on ilk side. Line 24846 þaim bleu mani vnrekind blast, [folio 164a:2] þair mast raf and cordis brast, Strangli straite þan war þai stadd, þe marinelis war selcuth radd, Line 24850 Sua rad ne war þai neuer are, For þai war neuer in perel mare. Ful wansum wix þai þan of rede, For drerili þai drede þair dede. Line 24854 Quen þai had striuen quilis þai might, Again þat storm al was for noght, þai lite it wander vp and dune, þair schipp, ay redi for to droune; þai wandrid waful on þat flode, Line 24859 Crid and wepe als þai war wode, Ay lokid þaa sari sua forsuonkin, Quen þair schip suld quelm a[n]d dronkin.

On iesu crist þai cri and call, Line 24863 And on mari, þat helpis all, þai said, "leuedi, þat es sua mild, Prai for vs vnto þi child, Line 24866 All mon we droune, sua walaway! Help nu leuedi, for wele þu may." þai wrang þair hend and wep ful sare, Als men karkid all wid care, Line 24870 Apon þair brestes fast þai beft, All in god þai þaim bileft. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] [B]ot scho þat es oft bote in bale, Till all þat hope in hir has hale, Socur sone to þaim scho sent, Line 24877 þat in sli perel on hir ment. Dun bi þat schipp an angel light, In selcuth clething schene of sight, þis angel to þa wakand kid, Line 24881 And þus to þaim his erand did. "Elsis," he said, "lift vp þi chere, Cum nere and speke wid þis messager." All þaa þat in þat schip ferd Line 24885 war mad quen þai him sau and herd; þis angel þus he tald his tale, [folio 164b:1] "Elsis," he said, "if þu will hale Cum of þis schip to land a[n]d fere; Nou sal þu hight and vou me here, þat þu sal do als i þe say Line 24891 Till all þe kirkes þat þu may. Quen þu comes into ingland Forto do þaim at vnderstand, Line 24894 Forto halu þis ilke dai wid all þe worschip þat þai may; In hali kirke rinand bi ȝere, Als getin was vr leuedi dere, Line 24898

Line 24898 For getin bituix man and womman was scho þat wem had neuer nan: Geten was scho all to be born, Line 24901 Forto sauue all þat war lorn. þis es þe day als scho was getin, Loke it neuer mar be forgetin; Line 24904 Qua þat halus it widuten faile, Bath lijf and saule it sal þaim vaile. Do vou elsis, and hald þi vou, It sal þe turn to mekil prou," Line 24908 To þat angel spac elsi, And said, "sai me sum signe quarbi I and all mi monkes mai, Line 24911 And all cristen men, knau þat day." "To knau," he said, "it es ful eth, þe aghtand day of þat moneth þat men clepis in þe ȝere Decembir in þe calundere, Line 24916 þat es þe dai þat i of mene Als getin was þat leuedi schene." "Say me," said elsis, "quatkin wise Of hir sal we make vr seruise, Line 24920 Siþen nan es þroper, þat i knau." "Gladli sir! i sal þe schau, þe seruis of hir birth þu take, þar-of þu sal þe seruis make; Line 24924 For a word þat þar-in es redd [folio 164b:2] þu sett an-oþer word in sted, All quar ȝe say natiuite, þis word concepciun sal be, Line 24928 For to change þar es namar Of all þe seruis þat es þar." Bot nu it es on oþer wise Line 24931 þar es made of proper seruise, þat qua sua will nu may say, Proper of þat concepcion day. Line 24934

Line 24934 [O]f þis bodword blith was elsi, Line 24935 And thankid crist and vr leuedi, Gladli he hight and wid god will þat comandment al to fulfill. Line 24938 Quen þe abbot his vou had made, vte of þair sight þis angel glade; Alsuith no langer gun þai duell, þe leme gun light, þe storm it fell, Ful fair bicom þat see to sight, Line 24943 And þai bigan þair takil dight, þair wind to will gode and fair þai fand, Till þai com in-till ingland; Line 24946 wid all þair fardel and þair fere þai com till land al hale and fere. Elsis bigan þis comandment Sone forto schau till his couent, Line 24950 Al þis chance þat him bitid, Al comunli he it vndid, To worschip hir concepcion þat of plight vs gat pardun; Line 24954 þis fest fra þan þe folk forth held, þar-of ilkan till oþer teld. þis ilke abbot in ramesai A settnes sett in his abbay, Line 24958 þar-in þis euer forto stand, To-quilis þat abbai es lastand, And sua men dos in stedis fele Line 24961 Sua agh all do þat es to hir lele. þe stori þar-wid forto say, [folio 165a:1] Euern quan we will hald þis day, Mai na man serue hire in lede, Line 24965 þat scho ne ȝeildes þaim þar mede. Scho do vs here at serue hir sua, þat we be wid hir euer and a. Amen. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]