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

þe prophecye of suete iesu, Listen, and i sal tell ȝou nou.

Of ysay i redd be-forn, Line 9817 He said, "a child es vs biforn, A sone es giuen vs for vr nede, Sustene he sal his lauerdhede. To name haue ferly-ful he sal, Line 9821 And consaylour men sal him cal, þe stalworth godd men sal him numme, God fadir of world es for to cumme, His riht name es prince of pes." þise er his names, widuten les, Line 9826

Line 9826 þat þe prophete has on him laid, [folio 68a:1] Bot herkin nou, qui þai er said; Line 9828 Selcuth es his first name, Mare selcuth herd neuer nane, Ne neuer sal wid rightwis dome, þan god him-selue man bicome. Line 9832 For if þu fonde, as men may finde, A barn ouer-karkid sua wid kind, þat had thre fete, or handis thre,— As oft men saw and ȝit may se,— And if þu siþen anoþer fande, Line 9837 þat wantid eyder fote or hand, war þei selcuth þar-for i say, To calle hem selcuth, certes nay? Man þat any god [him] cuth, wald here-of thinc na selcouth, Line 9842 For surkarc of kinde had þe tan, And kind was t[o] þat oþer wan. Suilk schap to see es na ferlik, Bot monstrus miht men call þaim lik; Bot he war ferli-ful to calle, Line 9847 If þu him sau, and so miht falle, þat in a man all manschip ware, widuten less, widuten mare. So þat he ware man al sothfast, And all his schap widvten last, Line 9852 And stedfast horis and oþer tolike, It were vnmihty be funden slike. Bot qua miht suilkan find, or quare, Men miht say ferlyful he ware. Bot selcuther a thousand fald, Line 9857 þis barn þat isay of fore-tald, Bath es godd and man al hale, Of sothfastnes þis es þe tale. Of manes kind him fayles noght, And al es fully þat he wroght. Line 9862

Line 9862 All thing of him bigining toke, As tald bi-fore es in þis bok. Line 9864 Bot he es þar na god of miht, [folio 68a:2] þat semid him in erde to light, þat vnder anoþer wise we wede, Fully laght vr man-hede, Line 9868 Siþen he sua wild be-cum man, Of a womman bos him be born þan, For to lese mankind fra wa, þat was laght wid þe fend his fa. Line 9872 Bot god siþen he wild so be gest, In a clene stede bos him rest; A clene woning he ches for-þi, For to mak in his herbergery. Line 9876