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

Bigine we now to tell of sem, And siþen of his barn tem.

SEm was lele in godes lare, He liued seuin hundrid ȝere & mare. þis ilk sem was cald sed[e]ch, Line 2141 And was cald melchisedech; vr leuedi Mari, als we find, Com vte of þis same kind; Line 2144 He was king and preist of salem, þat nou es cald ierusalem, þe first of all þat euer was born, þat wid win and bred of corn Line 2148 Made sacrifice to iesu so treu, In taking of þe lawis neu.

þis sem liued, i of rede here, Till ysaac was of seuenti ȝere. Line 2152 Sem had fiue sonys sere, Of an to speke it es mistere, þat es of him of quos sede He was born þat bett vr nede. Line 2156 Arphaxat liued widuten were, Thre hundrid and eyt and thriti ȝere. Four hundrid ȝere his sun caynan; And eyt and thritti fra he bigan. Line 2160 Four hundrid his son sale, He lyued and thritti ȝere and thre. Heber his sun four hundred ȝere, And four and fourti þar-to sere. Line 2164

Phaleth his sun liued witterli, To hundrid ȝere & nein and thritti. Ragan his sun þat was, Tuelf skor ȝere, bot on les. Line 2168 Serut his sun, to hundrid ȝere And thritti was his lijf he bere. Of sua lang lijf was noght nacor, [folio 16a:1] He liued heyt ȝere and four scor. Line 2172 Thare his sun liued langer liue, To hundrid ȝere and oþer fiue. þe toþer elde endis in thare, þe quilk bigan at lete noe. Line 2176 þat tyme was þis world so ȝong, þat all men spac þan wid a tong, þat es ebru for to say, þat Iuus hald ȝeit to þis day. Line 2180

Iaphet had him sunes seuen, A parti sinful for to neuen, Gomor, Madan, Gena, Magog, Tubal, Tyras, and Mosog. Line 2184 Þis Gomor had him sunes thre, Togoriens, Riphat, Assine.

Gena had four sunes, þat was cechim, Elisa, Tharsis, and dotahim; Till eillandis þir þai drou, Line 2189 of þat nacion sprang foli enou.

Cam four sunes had he him, Chus, Phut, Canan, and Mephaim. Of chus,—saba and enila, Line 2193 Sabatha, regma, Sagabata; Of chus bicam nembrot also, þat in his time wroght mekil wo, For he was proud, fers, and fell, Line 2197 Of him sum thing nou wil i tell.

Þis nembrot wid his mekil pride, He wend to wirke wondris wide, Ful fer about men bar his name, Line 2201 Mekil he cuth of sin and schame. Of babilon king, stijf in stour, And þar-wid he was wrang werour, Reuer and manqueller grett, Line 2205 Mekil he luued wid ill be-ȝeitt. [folio 16a:2] þer was na folke þat woned him by, þat miht þaim were fra his merci, Ouerall he rahut wid gret vtrage. þat time it was bot a langage, Line 2210 Ebru þe first þat adam spack. Fra est he brohut ane euyl pack, In till þe filde of Sennar, Sexti werkemen þai wer, Line 2214 wid Nembroth com þai forto duell, And tok a consail þaim emell; A fole consail toke þai and sone, Line 2217 To werre apon þe sunne and mone, þair witt was ful of felonny; Line 2220 A fole consail þarfor said i, Line 2219 Of þair gret pride couth na man tell; In sennar þai toke to duell.

Nembrot þaim said on þis wise, "Me thinc, lordiges, þai war vnwise, vr eldris þat bifor vs were, Line 2225 Quen þai coude find in na manere, Forto were þaim fra þat flod, þat drenkild all þe world ouer ȝode. I rede we bigin a neu labur, Line 2229 And do we wele and make a tour, wid squire and scantlion sua euen, þat it may reche heier þan heuen. God sal we conquere wid fiht, Line 2233 Again vs sal he haue na mith, Or at þe last to hald him still, And lett vs nohut to do vr will, þat euer quen we se ani chesun, Line 2237 Freli we may climbe vp and doun."