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

[Jacob returns to his own land, and meets Esau.]

Iacob wex riche, his childer thraf, Thoru þe grace þat godd him gaf. þan bigan þat take taland, Line 3913 To wend into þair kindly land, wid wijf and child, wid an assent, Ilkan in hand wid oþer went. Line 3916

Line 3916 Laban of leue said þaim nay, And þai be niht stal away, wijf and barn wid flitting hale, Line 3919 All stal þai forth on þe nihttertale. A godd hadd laban in his boure [folio 28b:1] þe quilk he was wont to honure, Line 3922 And in þair flitting rachel it fand, And forth scho bar it in hir hand; Laban it missed, ouer-all it soght, Bot his god ne fand he noght. Iacob went him forth his way, Line 3927 On þe feild widuten he lay, Apon þat a side of flum iordane, And sent his ahut ouer ilkane. Iacob lay bi him-selue þat night, In hand he lahut an angel briht, Line 3932 þat in handis werstild þai, All þe niht til it was dai. þe angel said, "þu lat me fare." He said þat suld he neuer mare Line 3936 Late him passe for ani thing Tille he ha giuen him his blissing. Sua lang þai wrestild samen þar, þat iacob was him hurt ful sare Line 3940 þe maistir synew of his the, þat euer siþen halted he, And for þis resun i tell ȝou nou Of synews etis neuer na ieuu. Line 3944 þan askid godd, widuten blame, And bid him say quat hiht his name. "Iacob i hate." "Iacob ȝa, Sal þu na langer be cald sua, Line 3948 Bot þu sal be called isRael, þat es man seand godd of hele; For þu egain godd es sua stalworth, wel mare again man sal þu be worth."

Iacob sent þan for-to fonde, Line 3953 Esau wid sahutinyng sonde, For he was dredd in all thing, For-to cum in his meting; Line 3956 For quen he of his coming herd, [folio 28b:2] Ful wrathli agaynes him he ferd, Foure hundrid men ȝode him wid, Gode were iacob fra his aun grith; And sua he sal, þat wat i wele, Line 3961 For he es all vmsett wid sele. Iacob sent him of his ahut Giftes large wid him to sahut, Line 3964 þe messager him brohut ansuer, He com egayn him wid gret pouer. Iacob ledd gret folk of his kin, For doute he delt þaim in tuin, Line 3968 For þe gret doute þat he had þan He delt in tua bath best and man, þat quiles esau smat an of þa, Line 3971 þe toþer parti suld schap þaim fra. Iacob dred esau ful sare, For he was fell and wild nohut spare, þat if he miht him aniquar ta, widuten pite he wild him sla; Line 3976 And þus he made þan his praier, "Lauerd," he said, "my godd sua dere, þat first made adam man of lijf, Line 3979 And siþen of him made eue his wijf, þat had þai holdin þat þu þaim badd, þai had in bliss ben euer stadd: And ald noe, bath lele and god, þu saued fra þat ferly flodd: Line 3984 þu wat mi lauerd þat i es sua, Mi broder es nou mj mast fa, þat thoru mi moder rede and roun I stal fra him his benisun. Line 3988

Line 3988 Here ouer þis flum last quen i ferd, In hand i bar nohut bot a ȝerd, Line 3990 And nou mi lauerd, blissed þu be, Of folk tua flockes cumes wid me. Lauerd! þu send nu me þi rede, [folio 29a:1] Egain esau has suorn mi dede, Line 3994 For man þat þu wil helpe in nede, Ne thar him neuer na ferednes drede. Of þis gret haut þu has me lent, Line 3997 I haue þarof bi-for me sent, For ar þat he all þa haue slain, He sal be masid of his mayn; Line 4000 þe quilis if þu will þai sal pasce, And cum nohut in his hand percas." Esau cumis brime wid mekil route, Nou es iacob in mekil doute, Line 4004 He suore miht he wid him mete, Formast his lijf he suld for-lete. Bot qua þat godd helpis wid-all, Traistli may he wend ouer-all. Line 4008 Quen he sau his folk and his ahut His broder þan he sohut wid sahut And for his come was wonder blith, þat gam he wil wid kissing kyth: Suilk strinthe es of þe hali gast, Line 4013 To sahutling make þair wrethes mast. He welcumed iacob wonder faire, He wist he was his fadir ayre, Line 4016 widuten wrethe, widuten wrake, Of loue and pes þai samen spac. Quen þai had said þat þai wald say, Esau went him ham his way, Line 4020 vnto syer, þer he cam fra, And iacob till his fadir gan ga, For ȝeit he was liueand, Rebecca his moder dede he fand. Line 4024

Line 4024 þis ysaac þat i of rede, In bock es cald þe lastand sede, He ledd his lijf widuten blame, And birid es be-side abraham: Line 4028 Nine skor ȝere he had ouer-gan, [folio 29a:2] vte of þis world wen he was tan. Quen þis douthi man was dede, þir breder to þaim tok to rede, Line 4032 To dele þair landis þaim bituene, And þen miht þai liue widuten tene. Til esau bi-tid Ebron, And iacob went into Edon. Line 4036