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

[The Passover, and killing of the first-born.]

ȝeit god fandid pharaon, And sent þe tend wreche him on, Mare þan all þas oþer smert, To sett him soru at his hert. Line 6060 Aron he bad and moysen, "Dos," he said, "as i ȝou ken,

Sais to mi folk on þis-kin wise, þat þai make me a sacrifise; Line 6064 First þai me an auter make, And siþen sal ilkan hous in-take A clene he-lamb, widuten sake, Line 6067 þe blod ȝe hald, þe filth vt schake; And quen it es to offrand bedd, þe meyne þarwid sal be fedd. Loke þat þai be schod, ilk an Line 6071 þat lamb sal ete, and barfott nan. And qua for pouerte es bihind, [folio 43a:2] þas oþer all sal þaim find, þat lambis blod in all thing, ȝe make þar-wid a takning, Line 6076 On ilk a post, on ilk derner, A sine of tau T make ȝe þer. wid therf bred, and letus wild, þe quilk þat groues in þe feild; Line 6080 It sal noght soþin be bot bred, þe lamb þat þai sal wid be fed; þai sal it ete, bath fete and heuid, Ouer niht na-thing þar-of be leuid; And if ohut leue or it be tynt, Line 6085 þat do it in þe fire be brint. ȝe be all girt, wid staf in hand, Ne hones noght quile ȝe er etand. And i mi self," said god al-miht, Line 6089 "Sal pass thoru egipt þat night, And all þe for-birthis sal i sla, Bath of man and best alsua; Line 6092 And on þair goddes i wil me wrake, On þaim i sal mi vengans tak. In menyng sal ȝe hald þis day, Bath ȝe and ȝour ospring ay, Line 6096 Sollemply wid-in ȝour lay, wid all þe worschip þat now ȝe may."

Þan cald moyses þe olde Men of israel, and tolde Line 6100 All þat godd hadd him said, And hou þis lamb suld be puruaid. On þair poste and þair derner, þe blod þai suld anoint it þer; Line 6104 And straitly for-bed þat þai Sould vte of hous cum bi-for day, To liuer him as godd mint And geue egipcians a dint. Line 6108

Þe folk was fayn, and louted doun, And went to make þair lambis boun, [folio 43b:1] Of þis bodword war þai fain and glad, And did all as moyses þaim badd. Efter sone þat ilk night, God, as he bifor had hight, Line 6114 Sent his aun angel doun, In al egipt, thoru ilk a toun, And soght þair housis all bidene, Of þas þat war egipciene; Line 6118 Of þat meyne left he nan, At þe last þat he ne slow an. At þe king him selue he bigan, Line 6121 þe forth-birth slow bath [best] and man. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

Wretherale ras vp þe king, Line 6125 And wid him all his sori geng, Ouer all egypt þe cri it ras, Mani þar were þat said allas! Line 6128 þer was na hous in all þat land, þat þar-in was an dede man ligand. Be niht þan sent king pharaon Aftir moyses and aaron, Line 6132 "Gas," he said, "vte of mi kith, ȝe and all ȝour folk ȝou with,

Mas sacrifis ȝour lauerd vntill, Quar and hou, so þat ȝe will. Line 6136 And tak ȝour bestis wid ȝou boune, Gas, and giue me ȝour benisun." þan gan þe folk apon him cri, And said, "do ȝou forth in hey, Line 6140 Duell ȝe lenger ani quile, All we drede dede vs wil bigile."

Fra þis folk þat was in soru, þe folk of israel to boru Line 6144 Askid siluer wessel sere, And clathes þat war of pris dere; And godd, þat grace to his folk gaue, þaim he did þair asking haue, For to reue þat folk vn-sele, Line 6149 And help his folk of israel. þai war ny, wane þai stere bigan, [folio 43b:2] Sex hundrid thousand fotmen þan, widuten childer, wimmen, and brod, þat nan þe number vnderstod. Line 6154 Left þai na-thing þat þar was, Schip, ne kow, or [ox,] ne as; þair woning þar, widuten wene, Foure hundrid ȝere tua þan had bene; Quen þis time was broght to end, Of egypt goddes ost vte wend; Line 6160 þis owes euer to be in mind To israel and al þair kind.

To moyses þan vr lauerd teld, Line 6163 Quat wise þai suld þair pask held, And neuer mare þat day to ete, Sour bred ne non oþer mete, Nor na day widin þa seuen dais, þe seuyn first als þe stori sais. Line 6168 þe for-birth of þair barn-tem Fra þan þai suld to god it tem

To him til offir at þe lest þe forbirth als of ilk a best, Line 6172 Manes child wid pris be boght, And schip, and hors, ass, be broght; In mening, þis es to vnderstand, þat he þaim liuerd of þat land, Line 6176 wid strenthe of egypt he þaim drou, Of man and best for-birth he slou.

Quen pharao þis folk forth send, Line 6179 God bad þaim into wildernes wend, Or philistiens suld wid þaim mete, And let þaim for to wend þair strete; þar-for þai tok þe wild way, Beside þe rede se it lay. Line 6184 þir godes folk armid ware, Ioseph bonis wid þaim þai bare, For quen ioseph in lijf was stad, ȝerne he praid þe folk and bad Line 6188 þat quen god sent him visiting, [folio 44a:1] þai suld his banis þeþen bring. Bi a mekil wodis side þai made þair logis for to abide; Line 6192 God him selue þaim led þair way, To wise and kepe bath night and day, wid clouden piler on day liht, wid firen piler apon þe niht, Line 6196 þat in all time þaim wantid nouþer, Bath niht and day þat þai ne had ouþer.