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

Re-capitulation, of Adam's Fall and the Scheme to save Mankind.

FOr ȝe lauerdinges, wele haue ȝe herd Of ȝe bigining of þis world, Hou he þat neuer had bigining, Line 9377 Made heuen and erde and all thing, And als to all thing he gaf, þair kindly schroud for to haf. Line 9380 For sune and mone þat es sua briht, Had seuen sith mar þan nou of liht, And all thinges was þan, als i trow, wele mihtier þan þai er nou. Line 9384 A! lauerd! gret harming was þare, þat all suld die, bath less and mare, þat of adam and eue com. Bot ȝit it was a rightwis dome, Line 9388 As ȝe sal se, wid rightwis skill, þat harkins of þis stori wel. Quen all þis world to end was wroght, þat wanting was þat [[read þar]] in of noght, Best, griss, fruit and tre, Line 9393 And all was þat þar-in suld be; Foul and fiss, gret thing and smal, Adam last was made of all. Line 9396 In ebron greue, þat ilke dale, þar-in he drow siþen mekil bale, Of erde god made him to be, Efter his aun trinite. Line 9400

Line 9400 His aune ymage he wroght him þare, Hou miht he loue haue kid him mare; In paradis he did him rest, And slyly slepe apon him kest, Line 9404 He wroght a felaw of his ban, To adam, þat was first his an; Witt and skil he gaf him tille, Miht, and fairhed, and fre will. Line 9408 [folio 65a:2] Ouer all þis world king and kayser, And lastand lijf ay for to bere; In paradis in eritage, To lede þair lijf ay to a stag, Line 9412 In welth, widuten tene or tray, Bituix-and a certayn day, þat of his ospring war of þat tale, þat miht ful-fille þe numbre hale, Of þat felauschip þat fell, Line 9417 vte of heuen into hell, And siþen þai suld sua blisced be, þat þai of dede suld neuer se; Line 9420 And sua suynkles, fair, and bright, As þat time was of sunne so light, As ȝe haue herd me bifore neuen, Als suld þai siþen sty to heuen. Line 9424 Qua herd euer speke of mare bliss, þan, or deme, was to adam and his? Lawis tuynne thoru sett assise, was to Adam in paradise, Line 9428 Als in haly writt we find; þe first law was cald 'of kinde,' þat es to say, kindly to do All þat him was bidden to. Line 9432 Þe toþer has 'possitiue' to name, þe whilk lawe was for-bed Adam, Forto ete þat fruit, and saide, "þis tre in forbode haue i laid, Line 9436

Line 9436 If þu sua bald be it to bite, þu sal be dede in soru and site, And if þu wil mi forbode halde, þu sal be lauerd as i þe tald, Line 9440 Of all thing in erde and paradis, wid mare bliss þan þu can deuis." Of þis ald adam sesin all; Allas! ful sone he lete it fall. Line 9444 His gret worschip þat he had þare, And broght vs all eter to care. Sua sone as he þat appil ete, [folio 65b:1] þe lawis bath he gan for-lete, Line 9448 Bath naturale and positiue, Thoru his wijf he wex caytiue, Quen scho troud mare þe fendes lare, þan godd þat hir had wroght þare. Sua was adam for his vtrage, Line 9453 Forth driuen vte of his eritage, vte of ioy and vte of blis, In soru and sithe to him and his; Thoru dede his lijf mast he tyne, Quar sal he euer mare haue medicine, Quen he so wrecchedly had tynt Line 9459 His heritage wid iugement! þat sinne, allas! sua hard was itt, þat nan of left, widuten smitt, þat euer was vnder him born, Line 9463 þe strenth of itt has al forlorn. So hy na-thing was neuer wroght, þat thoru it seluen miss ne moght Fall dun into lauer state, Line 9467 As all þir wise clerkis wate. All erdly thing miht haf had þe right, If it ne ware thoru mans plight; A mis it was of mekil sake, Line 9471 þat broght to man sua mekil wrake,

þat vte of þe fayrest land þat es, Has put man into wildrenes: Line 9474 Suilk pliht was first, suilk was last, þat of his sesin gan him cast; þis es bot law, qua soth wil say, vsyd in court þus ilka day. Line 9478 Nou es man gilted in eueles all, His aun sine has made him thrall, þat first was fre, as i bifore tald; Nou has him sathanas in wald, Line 9482 To quas seruis straitly he bi-held, His thral he was to haue in weld. [folio 65b:2] And quihy he his thrall in his seruise, He ne may be fre on nan-kin wise, Nor thral may wid na law in lede Ask heritage vr lauerd-hede; And siþen he es þus thrall bicomen, His heritage him es be-nomen, Line 9490 Ne in na court awe na thrall be herd, Ne stand in dome to be ansuerd. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þan most him seke anoþer nede, Line 9495 To wine his heritage, if he wil spede, þat he wat born of frely strand, þat may in court scheu his erand, His heritage agayne to winne, Line 9499 þat he be of his aun kinne. So þat he sothfast man suld be, And ete noght of þis forsaid tre, þat suld be born widuten sinne, Line 9503 And helden had þir lawis tuine, þat es þe tuine of paradis; þe thrid es of a mount synays, þat giuen was to moyses, þat neuer of oþer halden wes, Line 9508

Line 9508 Bot he þat neyder did sinne ne plight; And quat man miht se so bright, þat suilk a man coude thinc in thoght, þat muster þat miracle moght? Line 9512 Reste here nou a litel wil i, A sample for to tell her-by, A sample cordand þat i tok, vte of saint Robar[t] bok. Line 9516