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

Saul is jealous of David.

Dauid went ham wid gret honour, All thankid godd þair creatour, Line 7594 And mekil he was, þe soth to say, Loued and dredd fra þat day, wid ȝong and alde, pore and riche, þai loued him all in þat kingriche. To Ierusalem þat hefd bar þai, Line 7599 þere dauncid wimmen bi þe way, In þair dauncing þis was þair sang, þat þai for ioy þaim song emang,— "Saul has smyten a thousand, Line 7603 Ten thousand smiten in dauid hand." For þis word was saul wrath, And ofte was he brim and brath. Line 7606 "I haue a thousand feld, hou sua! And dauid ten thousand, and ma!

Noght of al es him nan wane, Bot þat he es noght king alane." For los þat dauid wan þat sith, Line 7611 wald neuer saul loke on him blith, He did his kingriche to lese, þat þai to king suld dauid chese. He hatid him as his fa, [folio 53b:1] Fra þan he waitid him to sla; Line 7616 Ofte sal þaim be quite on þis wise, þat to lyther lauerd dos seruise. Þe toþer day efter-ward þe warlaw trauailid saul hard, Line 7620 As he was wont bigan to rage, And as dauid cam him to suage þe king smat to him wid a spere, In tene he wald him thoru bere, Line 7624 þat thoru he had his bodi born Ne had he blinked him biforn. Away þan drou him sone daui, Line 7627 Bot sa[u]le he dred him ne for-þi. Of a thousand men bi tale, He made him leder and marschale, And thoght, and þus said in his mode, "þat i him sle it es noght gode, Line 7632 Bot ellis i sal late him alane, Philistiens sul be his bane." He askid dauid if he walde Line 7635 His dohuter wedd to haue and halde, To þe couenand for to bring An hundrid hefdis to þe king Of þat folk of heden lede. Line 7639 Dauid went forth wid godes rede, Wid þat unlele sone dauid mett, And wightly wan of þaim his dett; Agayn an hundrid þat saul soght, Dauid him þe doubil broght. Line 7644

Line 7644 Þe king him gaf his dohuter onan, þat hight Michol, a fair womman. þe kinges sone hiht Ionathas, To dauid a treu freind he was. Line 7648 þan bad þe king qua miht ouer-ta, Dauid his sone-in-law for to sla, To seke him as his ful fa; Line 7651 þarfor was Ionathas ful wa, [folio 53b:2] And praid him bath day and naht, [[This was first written niht.]] To make þe king and dauid saght, Bi-fore þe king he dauid broght, Bot efter sone was all for noght. Line 7656

Sone efter þis a batayl ras, And dauid went again þair fas, þis batail it was hard enow, And dauid fast on his fas slow; Line 7660 þare mani a man fel vnder schild, Bot wid dauid went þe feld.

And ȝeit þe warlau þat was wont Trauailid þe king in lytil stunt, Line 7664 And dauid harpid him wid his harpe; þe king þan hent a spere scharpe, To strike him thoru unto þe wawe, Bot dauid blenkid quen he it saw. Into his hous þan dauid fledd, Line 7669 Bot ar þe king wald ga to bedd, He sett his men þe hous aboute To waite at morn quen he cam vte, Him to sle if þai miht him mete, Line 7673 Bot michol vte be night him lete, vte at a priue derne posterne; He fledd to samuel ful ȝerne, Line 7676 þat duelland was in ramatha. Sone to þe king tald was it sua, And his messagers dider did sende, For to rauisch dauid he wend, Line 7680

Line 7680 Bot þar-to miht þai neuer win, For cumpany þat he was in, And godes grace þat was him wid, Sauid him euer in gode grith. Line 7684 Amang his kin in priuete, Als he ware an vtelaw, wonid he; þe gode men thoght of þat contre þair sonis send wid him to be. Line 7688 Saul soght ofte here and þare Dauid, as he his faman war, He wist if he to lijf miht stand, [folio 54a:1] He suld be king ouer all þat land, And childer of his aun sede, Line 7693 Suld be vte driuen for nede. For-þi he hight þaim giftes rijf, þat miht bring dauid of lijf. In felde and toune, in frith and fell, Saul soght dauid for to quell, Line 7698 þat oftin chancis sua it bi-fell, þat welner was noght þaim emell: And dauid þat was milde of mode, Agaynes euil ay did he gode, Line 7702 þat oft-sith miht him haue tane, And if he wald miht þaim [[read him]] haue slane. For fra þe kinges aun bedd, þus he broght a preue wedd; Line 7706

IN þat time þat he him soght, wid all þe miht þat he moght, He sett his tentis in a dale, Line 7709 þar-of it cam to dauid tale; Whenn it was niht þan cald dauy On [of] his aune ful priuely, wid him allone stilli he went, Line 7713 vnto þe kinges aun tent; Him-self and all his folk þai fand, In þair beddis fast slepand. Line 7716

Line 7716 þis squier hyht Abysai, þat to þis tent com wid daui, "Sir," he said, "wid leue of ȝow, I sal him sla ful ethe es now, Line 7720 Thoru his bodi i sal him smyte, þat euer of him we sal be quite." Dauid said, "godd it forbede, Line 7723 þat þu suld thinc do suilk a dede, Or euer him do spitt or schame þat noynted es in goddes name." Of all þat ilke kinges gere, He tok bath a coupe and a sper, Line 7728 Na mare broght he wid him vte, [folio 54a:2] þou þai slepe all him a-bout. He ȝede sua fer, nan miht him dere, And þus he crid to þat here, Line 7732 "Hou haue ȝe kept ȝour king," said he, "His coupe, his spere, loke quar þai be. þai war bath sett at his hefd, Loke nou, for þei be þar leued." Line 7736 Quen þat saule herd þat cri, "Es þat," he said, "mi sone dauy?" "ȝa certis," said dauid, "it es y, Quarfor sekist þu me and qui? Line 7740 Gladly wald i be on-knaun. Qui sekest þu me þat es þin aun?" "Soth," said saule, "widuten wene þe miss es min, and wele es sene." "Here i leue þe kinges glayue, Line 7745 ȝe send a man it to rescayue. He þat all rightes, widuten ros, Sal ilk man ȝeld efter he dos." Line 7748

¶ Sone efter, it was noght lang, Agayn saule þai gaf a batayl strang, þe sarazins þai him vmsett, In a hard stour þai samen mett. Line 7752

Line 7752 Ful scharp it was, þat stour and snell, All fledd þe folk of israell; þar þai fell þat miht noght sle Apon þe montayn of gelboe, Line 7756 Dohuti barnis þan war ar slan, þe kinges sonis and Ionathan. Of þis batayle þat was sua snell þe fors apon þe king it fell, Line 7760 Mani a god archer þen was þar Wondid, þe king him-selue ful sare. Said þe king to his an squier, "þu draw þi suord and sla me here, Ar þat here be ouer-tane Line 7765 wid hand of sarazin, and siþen be slane." þe squier did noght als he bad, [folio 54b:1] For he him-seluen was wonder drad, þan saul him-seluen drow his suord, And ran him-seluen apon þe hord. Quen his squier þus sau him dede, He did him-seluen to þat ilk rede, Apon his aune suord he ras, Line 7773 And wid his lauerd dede he was. þat was a murnand day to myne, Of Saul and his sonis thrinne, Line 7776 And all his folk þat was sua kene, Now er þai slain all bedene.

Þe sarazins on þe toþer day, Fand quare saule bodi lay, Line 7780 His hefd þai smat of, þat king, And sent his bodi for to hing. His men þai cam a nythertale, wid þaim away his bodi stale, Line 7784 And priueli day did it hide, þai dalf it in a wodis side. Fourti winter was he king;— Now haue ȝe herd his ending. Line 7788

Line 7788 Þat time was dauid comyn agayn Fra amaleth, þat he had slain, Line 7790 þat was a strang philistiene, Dauid had gunen a batayl kene; wid goddes grace þe feild he wan. Of saul ost he mett a man, Bifore dauid fote he fell, Line 7795 "Queþen cumes þu? quat can þu tell?" "Fra þe folk of israele I cum, to telle þe tydinges lele; þai er scumphited wid þair fas, Saul es slain, and ionathas." Line 7800 "þat þai bath er slain, querbi Wast þu it es sua?" said dauy. "Thoru chance," he said, "i cam ren|nand On monte Gelboe, and fand Saule him lenand on his spere, [folio 54b:2] wondid wid þe sarazin here. Line 7806 He me bisoght quen he me saw, þat i suld him bring o daw. Thorw his bodi mi suord i drow, His herte in tua i wat i clowe; I wist na langer liue he miht, Line 7811 Lo! here his croune fair and bright." Wele he wend for his tyding For to pay, dauid þe king, Bot þar-wid paid he noght dauy, þat sal he sone ful dere a-bi. Line 7816

For dauid quen he herd þis word, was he neuer of a wers conford; His hend he wrang, his men wid-all þat godes folk suld sua mis-fall, Line 7820 þai wepe þat day till it was gan;— þan spac dauid to þat man, "Qui dred þu noght godd?" he said, "Quen þu þi handis on him laid, Line 7824

Line 7824 For to do him despite or schame þat noyntid was in godes name? vte of mi sight ȝe lede him sone, To dreri dede þat he be done; Line 7828 A fouler dede þan ani may driue, þat all may knau, bath man and wiue, þat qua lais hand in felony On king, or sais him velany, Line 7832 Or þat him waytis wid despite, Or of ille quile him may noght quite, Of fir-ingis dede widuten grith He dye if he be tan þar-with." Line 7836

Þe thrid elde with þis es pasced, þar-of þis saule was þe last. þat elde bigan at abraham, And endis here, in godes name; Line 7840 Nine hundrid ȝere fourti and tua It lastid, it es written sua. [folio 55a:1] Four thousand sex [s]kor and foure tald was al þe world þat time ald. Bi-tuix abraham and king daui Line 7845 ȝe herkin nou þe genealogy; Abraham, in lay sua lele, þat fadir was of folk so fele; Isaac his sone of sposage was, Of him iacob, of him iudas, Line 7850 Of him phares, of him esrom, Ilkan of þiese of oþer com; Of quem aaron, widuten gab, Of him cam Aminadab. Of Aminadab cam Naason, Line 7855 Of Naason his sone hight salamon, Of him cam Boz, of him Obeth, Of him Iesse, þis elde es eth: First fra abraham to tast, And sua to Iesses þar-of last. Line 7860