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

[Joshua leads the people into Canaan.]

þe iuus went, widuten resun, In-to þe land of promyssyon; Line 6924 Thoru moyses ne com þai noght, Bot Iosue þaim dider broght, þat godd efter moysen, Leder made him ouer his men; Line 6928 wid his felaw þat Caleph hyht, þa tua broght þaim to þair riht. þat iosue com of þat kin þat men callis effraym, Line 6932 For ioseph had him sonis tuin, Manassen and Effraym, Born in egipt, bot fostrid he was And leder wid maystir moyses. Line 6936 Bot moyses, right-wis of rede, For-gat he noght, ar he war dede,

To sett his hali wandis thre In a stede he fand priue, Line 6940 þar þai greu neyder less ne mare, Bot euer bifor as þai ware, Right to king dauid dais, þat ledd his folk in gode lays, Line 6944 þat thoru warning of godes sande, Broght þaim to his aun lande.

Qven aaron was dede, þe preist, His sone Elyazar was neist, And bar þe state of his fadir-hede, Fra Iosue was giuen to lede. Line 6950 þis iosue was selcuth wight, And maystri had in many a fiht, He faght treuly for goddes lay, For-þi god dubild him his day, Line 6954 And did þe sonne stille for to stand, Til Iosue wan þe ouer-hand. And quile he passid flum iordan, [folio 49a:2] þe watir stod still als ani stan, Line 6958 Til he þe folk had ouer-broght, In-to þe same land þai soght. Ioseph banis þai wid þaim ledd, And þar þaim grof in þat stedd, Line 6962 In a land þat hight sichim, Was giuen in lott to Ioseph kin; For as þai wan it wid þair hand, þat delt bituix þaim ilk-a land. Line 6966 þat ilk kinred of þa tuelue Had a ouer-man þaim selue, þat suld þair aun kinred lede, Quen þat þai to batayle ȝede. Line 6970 For þai fand strang folk þaim egain, þat þaim wid werr did mekil payn, And wid-stod þaim þe land to winne, Bot þat was for þair aun sin. Line 6974

Line 6974 For-qui þai held þair lay lastand, Was na folk þaim miht wid-stand, þat on an hundrid miht for chans, Quilis þai wid þaim had goddes cheui|sans. Ne thurt þaim drede na man in place, Bot þair fight lastid littel space, Line 6980 For quen þai most were in þair wil, Mast þai soght þaim-selue, vnsele. Of god all-mihti þai left þe law, Line 6983 To sarazins faith þai gan þaim draw, And made wid þaim þair mariage; Qua herd euer men sua rage? þat suilk a king coude na man knau, þat held þaim fra ilk manes aw, Line 6988 Bot euer þai vnskil on him soght, Til þai þaim-self in thraldam broght. In thraldam er þai worthi be, And wild noght thole and miht be fre.