Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ...
[The Judges in Israel, and their contemporaries.]
Caleph come efter Iosue,
6993
Of israel demister was he;
[folio 49b:1] In his time were þe fablis writin,
þat ȝit er thoru þe bokis witin,
6996
Saturnus and sir Iubiter,
þat we nou in fablis here;
And þe firste sybil of pers,
Men findes of in alde vers.
7000
Caleph had a sone, othomel,
He demid þe folk of israel
Fourti ȝere; in his time was
þe cite made of thebas.
7004
Ayoth was þan demister
Of israel, four skor ȝer;
In his time was a batail grim
Bi-tuix israel and beniamyn,
Page 407
7008
For loue of a dekins wijf,—
Mani a man þar tint þe lijf,
Fourti thousand of Israele,
Of beniamyn nerr als fele.
7012
Sanigath come efter him,
Troy was bigun in his tim,
Ten ȝere had he þe folk to ȝeme,
7015
Siþen had tua sonis þaim to deme.
Barach, and wid him delbora,
þai iuggid fourti ȝere and ma;
þan was a sybyl of libye,
And apollo wid his melodie.
7020
Efter þaim cam Iedeon,
þat worschip in his time had done,
Slow kinges fourti of heden sede,
wid thre hundrid of his lede,
7024
þan was oreb, and salmana,
Zeb and Zebee þas oþer tua.
In þe time of þis iedeon wes
Bath orpheus and ercules.
7028
Siþen ledd þat folk thola,
Lastand tuenti ȝere and ma;
þan ras þe thrid sybila,
þat men clepid delphica;
7032
Of troye and grece þe batayl bald,
þis sybil mekil bifor scho tald.
Als lang þan was sir iare,
þair leder and þair maystir mare;
7036
In Grece þan reyned preamus,
As þe ald story tellis to vs;
In þis ilk iare time,
were lettris funden of latine.
7040
Iepte first þai held, bastard,
And siþen he held sex ȝere þair ward;
Zamazinis þat time be-gan,
þe wimmen land widuten man.
Page 409
7044
Esebon siþen, sais þe boc,
Tok israel to lede and loc,
He ledd þaim seuen ȝere and mare;
Alysaundir in þat time þare
7048
þat paris aght, rauyscht elayn,
Quarfor mani a man was slain;
þe feird sibil widin þat sithe,
In babilon bigan to kithe.
7052
Achialon com efter-ward,
þair leder was and þair stiward,
He had þat folk ten ȝere to gett;
In his time was troye vmsett.
7056
Labdon þan had þaim vnderhand,
was ouer þaim eyt ȝere lastand;
In his time was troy nomen,
And thoru þe grekis ouercomen,
7060
þere mani moder sone was feld,
As it es in þe stori teld.
þe werr lastid sua lang a pece,
7063
þat þar was slayn of þaim of grece
Eyth hundrid sith sexti sith, sexti and ten,
Of thousandis sere sith of þair men:
Sex hundrid and four skore sex thousand
Of men of troy faght for þair land.
Here-of thar na man be in were,
7069
For qui, þe seging lastid ten ȝere
widuten breking of þat were, [folio 50a:1]
þat greuid bath ney and ferr.
7072
þat werr semid to be non oþer,
Bot as þe tonn half a-gayn þat oþer,
þou all þis world had resin ben,—
Sua was þar mani cayser kene;
7076
Bot miht þai neuer win þe ton,
Til þai it wan wid tresun.
And al þe enchesun of þis strijf,
was about rauysching of a wijf,
Page 411
7080
All for fairhede of heleyn,
7081
was þare sua mani thousand slain.
