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

The building of the Temple.

Qven salamon was wele at esse, And all his kingriche in pese, þan bi-gan he him to entermett Line 8759 þe temple to make he was in dett, þat his fadir him of bi-soght, [folio 61a:1] Bot of a thing ferli him thoght. Quilis he was tymbrand to þat thing, þe quilis þat tre bigan to cling, Line 8764 þis tre þat i bifor of tald, Nou bigan it to wax ald; Ilk a man said, þat it sie, þat it for elde bigan to drey, Line 8768 And semed wele it wild na mare, þat men suld it hald in are,

þe lesse tale þar-of to tell Line 8771 þat men þe titter suld it fell, Quen nede war it suld be soght, And to þe werk of þe temple be broght. þe king did cast wid scantlyon, Line 8775 And did make all þe tymber bon. Quen all was puruaid in þat place, And bunden samyn, balk and lace, þai fand gret marring in þair mark, þe writhes þat suld rayse þe wark; þe best balk þat þar-in su[l]d be, Line 8781 þar-of þan wantid þaim a tre, þe balk þat mast þe werk suld binde,— þai soght an-oþer for to find. Mani a wode haue þai thoru gan, Line 8785 Bot suilk a tre ne fand þai nan. Quen þai had soght and miht noght spede, "Sirking," þai sayde, "we doute vr dede Sal perichis and leue all bihind, Line 8789 For a tre we may noght find." wid þis þai lete þair werk to hone, And spac vnto king Salamone, Line 8792 "Sir," þai said, "durst we for aw, vre thoght fayn we wild þe schaw, we haue soght bath ner and ferr, For to find a mayster sperr, Line 8796 For to feste wid cumpas sley, Vr werk to-gider, bath lau and hy. If we durst say þe, leue sire, [folio 61a:2] þat þu þar-for lepe noght in ire, Line 8800 þe tre þat es in orichard þin wald bring vr werk wele to fin." þe king of þis tre vnderstod, Almast mengid him his mode, Line 8804 Ne for-þi þe tre he ȝate, Quen he miht do nan oþer gate.

Sone þe tre was heuen doun, Line 8807 And squire on-laid and scantlyoun, þe tre was alsua mete and queme, As any man þar-to coude deme, Bot quen it was vp wid strenth, It wantid large an elne lenth. Line 8812 þai lete it doun widuten lett, And fand it mete i-noght wid mett, Efte þai lifted vp þe tre, It was to schort a gret quantite. Line 8816 þus þa proued it thre days, Als it in þe stori says, Bot for na biding þat þai bide, Line 8819 Ne miht þai do it stand in stede. Bot quen þai sau na bote ellis, þai went to seke in frith and fellis, To find a-noþer tre wald þai, Line 8823 And þai it fand þe first day; þat ilke day þat was funden, þe balk was in his birdin bunden. þan þai tok þis tre of cypris, Line 8827 And did it in worschip and in pes, In þat hali temple grith, And þe thritti cerklis þar-wid,— þat king dauid, þat was sua god, Did þar a-boute quiles it stode Line 8832 To witt hou þat it grew bi ȝere,— And offrid þaim as tresur dere, To haue of þat tre lastand myne, Of forbysenyng þat þar was ine. Line 8836 At þe temple for þis resun, [folio 61b:1] þai er wid tresur in comun, Ne war þai neuer þan spend, Til þat þai war iudas bikend, Line 8840 To him þan war þai taght and tald, Quen he for þaim his lauerd sald.

And þus says sum opynyoun, Bot sua sais noght þe passion. þat tre þan ful richely, was in þat temple don to ly, Line 8846 was þar neuer of made oght, Tille þat þe crois þar-of was wroght. Þis kirke was wroght of marbil stan, Suilk an-oþer in world was nan, As was þis temple salamon, Line 8851 þar-ine was all þair relikis don, Mani selcuth for to se, He wroght þar bath in stan and tre. was neuer man born þat coude wirke, Ne ordayne suilk an-oþer kirke, Line 8856 Bot god had giuen him suilk wisdam, As godd gaf to salamon, As sais þe men þat þar has ben, wid-in and vte, bath haf þai sen. Thritti elne quen it was made, Line 8861 Itt had on lenth, and tene o brad, And on hight it had fijftene, wid craft ouer-all wroght bidene; For-þi þi balk i tald of are, Line 8865 Of elnes was fijftene and mar. Quen þat þe temple haluid wes, þe tre euer it lay stille in pes, Mani it wald haue done a-way, Line 8869 Bot miht þai noght, still it lay. And efter salamones day þer cam a preist, was of þat lay, þer-to fiue hundrid men he ledd, Line 8873 Bot þai miht neuer stir it of stedd; wid ax he wald haue cutt it þan, [folio 61b:2] all-to sone he it bigan vt of þat tre it brast a blass, þat brint þaim all in þat place, Line 8878

Line 8878 þat quic cam nan of þaim ham: Line 8879 Cyrillus þan was þe preistes nam. þis es a takening of þat tre, þat halud was as ȝe may se.

SAlamon was in mekil wele, Line 8883 And vmsett wid happ and sele, His wiues were wonder to neuen, Of quenis had he hundrides seuen; Thre hundrid concubinis it sais, Efter þe law was in þa dais. Line 8888 wid-ine þat time þat i of rede,