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

Here biginnys ful witterli, þe feird elde, at [þ]e king daui.

SAul es slayn, þat soruful king, Dauid him folus, þat dohuty thing, þat sett a septir in his hand, þat men clepis þe kinges wand. Line 7864 Alle honurd him wid suilk a halising,— "Hayl be þu lauer[d] dauid, vr king! Saf and sound ay mot þu be, Till þat folk es vnder þe." Line 7868

Dauid was a ful waful man, Ful riht wisli he reyned þan, Fra he bigan to be king in land, Line 7871 was nan þat durst his word widstand. Fair was þat court he wid him ledd, His folk bath him loued and dredd. Had he noght reyned bot a stound, Quen he a hous bigan to found, Line 7876 A mekil tour, lang and brad, þe quilk in Ierusalem he made. Bot þe wiliest of winne, [folio 55a:2] Riueliest þai fall in sinne; Line 7880 He þat sua mani had in wone Reft him his wijf, þat had bot ane. He had a dohuti knight of fame, His wijf hight Barsabe to name, Line 7884 Allas! scho was sua fair and bright, þe king kast anis on hir a sight, He askid, "quat was þat ladi?" Line 7887 "ȝour knithes wijf," þai said, "vrsi." þat vri was þat time noght þare, Bot in þe kinges ost was he fare; þe quilis þe knight so was a-way þe king him-seluen bi hir lay. Line 7892

Line 7892 þis leuedi was wid child in hij; þe king sent þan to fett vrsy, Quen vrsi cam, widuten lite, þe king did sone lettris to write, Line 7896 And gaf þaim vry for to bere, vnto þe marchal of þat here; wid comandement he him bisoght þat vri, þat þa lettris broght, Line 7900 In batail sua he suld be stedd, þat he þar-inne suld be dede.

Vri þir lettris tok and bar, Bot noght he wist quat þai war. Line 7904 þe comandement of him was don, For slain he was in batayl sone, All suilk lettris berand for-þi, þar bere lettris as did vri. Line 7908

Quen vri was þus broght o liue, Dauid tok Barsabe to wiue, And held hir in his hous fra þan; Til vr lauerd said to Nathan, Line 7912 "Ga to dauid king and say, He has misdon again mi lay." þan cam þe prophete to þe king, Line 7915 And said him suilk a for-bisening: [folio 55b:1] "þere was wonand wid men a wike, Tua men, a pore and a rike, þe riche he had sua mekil fe, Of alle godis he hadd plente, Line 7920 Of schepe he had ful mekil wane; þe pore he had na schip bot ane, þat he had wid his siluer boght, And fra a lamb it had vp-broght. Line 7924 þe riche man, thoru euil hert, To a gest cumande ouer-thuert, For to spare his aune aght, þis pore manes schep he laght, Line 7928

Line 7928 And to his mete he has it slane, Of his, þat ellis has bot ane. Line 7930 þe man þat don had suilk a dede, Sir king, what suld he haue to mede?" wid þis word þe king was wrath, Line 7933 "Bi godd a-liue," he suore his ath, "þat man," he said, "es goddes quede, And aght wid right to suffre dede." "Sun," he said, þat goddes gome, "Giuen þu has þin aun dome. Line 7938 Godd þe made king of israele, To lede þe folk wid lawis lele; þu þat suld hold kinges stede Has brokin þe laue þat he forbede; Slayn þu has þi knight vry, Line 7943 And tan his wijf and lijs hir bi; Of godd him-selue ne stod þu na awe. For-þi i cum nou þe for to schaw, þat þi hous, he sendis þe word, Line 7947 Sal neuer be tuinned be fra suord, And euyl he sal apon þe rayse; And þus-gat als to þe he sais, Line 7950 þi wiues þat þu has to wale, Be giuen to oþer men þai sale, þe sinne þat þu in priuete did, Bifore þe folk it sal be kid. Line 7954 "Sinned i haue," said dauid þan. [folio 55b:2] "þat es soth," said þe prophete Nathan. "þar-for sal þu noght die, i wate, For godd has it þe translate; Line 7958 For þu sal witt þat i sal noght lye, þe son of barsabe he sal die." Dauid gatt eft wid hir a sone, Line 7961 þat was ful wijs, hight salamone.

Quen dauid knew his cost of care, Reued him thing neuer sua sare; Line 7964

Line 7964 In takin þat he reud his sake An orison sone gan he make, þat high miserere mei deus, Men au to say þat sinne es reus. Line 7968 Of all þe psalmis of þe sautere, þis salme of penance has na pere. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]