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

[The parable of the Castle of Love and Grace.]

. . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

IN a castel semly sett, Strenthed wele widuten lett Line 9880 þis castel es of loue and grace. Both of socure and of solace; Apon þe marche it standes traist, Of enmye dredis it na fraist, Line 9884 It es hy sett apon a cragg, Gray and hard, widuten hagg. Dounward es it pol[i]scht bright, þat it may neyhe na warid wiht, Line 9888 Ne na maner gin of were May cast þar-till it for to dede, wid wallis closid four of stan, þat fayrer in þis world es nan. Line 9892 Baylis has þis castel thre, wid wallis thrinne, semly to se, As ȝe sal siþen here diuyse, Bot wel fayrer on many wise Line 9896

Line 9896 þan tung may tell, or hert thinc, Or any clerk may write wid ink. A depe dick þar es a-boute wele wroght, widuten doute; Line 9900 wid kirneles es vmset ful wele, Schroud on ilk a side wid sele; Seuen barbicans er þar dight, þat er made wid mekil slight, Line 9904 [folio 68b:1] Ilkan þai haue bath ȝate and toure, þat neuer mare may fayle socoure. wid mislike sal he neuer be ledd, þe man þat þiþer-ward es fledd. Line 9908 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Þis castel es noght for to hide, Es payntid on þe vter syde Line 9912 wid thre colouris, of sundri hewe, þe grund-wal neyst, þat es so trew, Metand wid þat roche of stan, Line 9915 Of suete grennes þai wantis nan; For suete grennes, i dar wele say, His hew he haldis lastand ay. þe toþer hew neist to finde, Es all of blew men cals ynde, Line 9920 þe midward heu es þat i mene, To sight it es ful selcuth schene; þe thrid colour ouermast of all, þat þe kirnelis er paynt wid all, Line 9924 It cestis lem ouer all sua bright, þat rechis to þe donwar light, As Rose rede es in spring, And semes als a brinand thing. Line 9928 waried wight nan comes þar neuer, Bot suetnes es þar lastand euer. wid-in þat castel þat sua es tift, þat queþer es þan snau on drift, Line 9932

Line 9932 þat castel brightnes so vnnede, Ouerall þat contre on lenth and brede. Midward þe hiest tour i telle, Line 9935 þar springes of clere water a well; þar-fra rennys four stremes suete, Thoru þat grauel and þat grete, And þarwid fillis ilk a dicke, Line 9939 Qua þar-bi es, wele may þaim like; Qua miht þaim wid þat water wass, He miht haue hele of all his fless. Wid-in þis tour þat es for-sayd, Es sett a trone of yuor graid, Line 9944 þat es of gretter light and lem [folio 68b:2] þan someres day es sunnes bem; Craftyly castin wid compas, Climband vp wid seuen pas, Line 9948 Ilkan es wid þair mesur mett, Ful semely þar þan er þai sett. þe lem of light ay lendis new, þat mengis wid þa coluris hew. Line 9952 was neuer ȝit king ne cayser, þat euer satt in suilk a chayer! Bot fayrer was, widuten ende, þe stede þar god him-seluen wald lende, þat was þar neuer suilk a hald, Line 9957 Ne nan wylyer in world to wald, Ne neuer bes made wid manes witt, For god him-self diuysed itt, To his bihoue sundri and sere, For-þi we awe to hald it dere. Line 9962 Þis castel es of beld and bliss, þar myrth es neuer mar to miss, Castel bath of hope and hald, Hir grith to haue þai may be bald. þat es þe bodi of þat berde, Line 9967 Had neuer womman so blissed werde,

Ne neuer sua many maners gode, As mari mayden, mylde of mode. It es vs sett as in þe marche, Line 9971 And standis vs fore schild and targe, Agaynes all vr feloun fa, þat waytis vs ay for to sla. þe Roche þat es polichit so sliht, Ee mayden mari hert ful bright, Line 9976 þat nehyes neuer to wic dede, Bot euer scho lyues in maydenhede, þat scho hir ches þe first day, Scho ȝemed it in mekenes ay. Line 9980 Þe fundement þat first es laid Nest þe Roche, as it es said, þat paynted es wid grenne hew, [folio 69a:1] And þat lastes euer elike new, Line 9984 þat es end of þat mayden clene, Lyghtand hir haly herte schene. þe grennes lastand euer and ay, Bitakins ending of þat may, Line 9988 For gode ending of al and all, [Of] al vertus es grund-wal. Þe midward hew þat es of ynde, Es na man þat may fayrer fynde, þat es takening of all sothfaste, Line 9993 Of tendernes and trouth stedfast; Scho seruid in our lauerd of miht, In meknes suete, day and niht. Line 9996 Þe colour ouermast of all, It couerys all a-boute þe wall, And it es rede as any blode,— Of all þir oþer es nan sua gode,— þat es þat haly charite, Line 10001 was kindlyd in þat lefdy fre. Sua vmlayd wid loue so clene, Scho was geuyn to serue god bidene.

Þe foure trettis on hy er sett, þe castel with fra saght to gett, þat er four vertus principalys, Line 10007 þe quilk men callis cardinalys; All oþer vertus of þaim tas hald, For-þi er þay hefd vertus tald,— þat es rightwisnes, and meth, Line 10011 For-siht, and strenth, to tell er eth. At þe ȝatis foure er four porteris, þat na-thing may cum in þat deris. Þe baylis thre of þat castell, þat es sua wele wroght cernel, Line 10016 þat es in cumpas wroght a-boute, And weris all þat werk fra doute; þat on þe ouermast stage es sett, Hir maydenhede es graythly gett, þat neuer was wemmyd, was a dele, [folio 69a:2] For scho was filde wid þe grace so wele. Þe bayle midilmast of þe thre, Line 10023 Betakins wele hir chastite. þe ouermast, widuten fayle, May wele bi-takin hir sposayle, Name of bayli it hatt for-þi, For it hir held as in bayly, þat makles es hir self, I say, Line 10029 Spousid, and moder, and clene may; He most wend thoru an of þir thre, þat in þis world wil saued be. Þe barbicans seuen þat es aboute, þer standis thre baylis widvte, Line 10034 þat wele kepis þat castel, For arw, schott, and quarel, þat er þe seuen vertus to tell, þe seuyn sinnes er sett to quell. ȝe sal þaim here, widuten bide. Line 10039 þe first of þaim men clepis pride,

þat es ouer-comin and mad ful mate, þer buxumnes may hald hir state; Charite euer fordos enuye; Abstinence fordos glutrie; Line 10044 þe chastite of þis leuedy Ouercumes all lust of lichery; Al gredines of euerilkan, Hir fredam all fordos it þan; Line 10048 Miht neuer in hir be wreth ne hete, Hir tholemodnes it was so grete; Gastly gladnes was hir emydd, þat al ille heuynes it for-didd. Line 10052 Þe welle of grace springes þarin, þat fynis neuer mare to rine. God gaf his grace to al his dere, And delt it all wid mesur sere, Line 10056 Bot scho þat was his aun to wale, To hir he gaf his grace al hale. Bot of þe grace þat of hir brestis, [folio 69b:1] Ouer all þis world þat grace it kestis, For-þi scho es cald in ilk-a place Moder of pyte and als of grace. And quat may we call þa dikes Line 10063 Bot wilful pouert, þat man in likes? Ne may na gynne in erde be wroght, May cast to dere þis castel aght, Quar-thoru þe feind, þe warid wiht, Ouer-comen es and has tint his miht, þat had sua mekil miht biforn, Line 10069 þat was na man of moder born Miht were him fra þat fend sua fell, þat he ne him putt to þe pine of hell. For þis ilk leuedi for-soth es scho, þat godd said of þe moder vnto, Line 10074 þat suilk a womman ȝit suld spring, þat suld ful sare his heuid thring.

Now blissid be þat blisful berde, þe worthiest an of all in werlde, þat king of all þat ay has bene, His sete made in hir saule clene, To gestyn in hir lele body, Line 10081 To saue his folk fra sinne and foly, And bring þaim vte of presun strang þat þai had liggen in sua lang. Ful lef was vs, þis leuedy lele, Line 10085 þat bountes in hir bar sua fele, Mare þan any schaft þat es; Bot þe sone of hir rightwisnes, þat in hir louely bodi light, Line 10089 Made hir a thousand sith so bright. He cam in at þe ȝate sperd, And sua it was quen he forth ferd. As þe sune gas thoru þe glas, Line 10093 He miht do quat his willis was.