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

Of the Childhood of Mary.

Qven anna was cum to time of birth, Scho bar þat may mekil of mirth, Maria to name on hir þai laide, As þe angel bifore þaim saide. Line 10578 Quen þai hir hadd thre yere fedd, þan was scho to þe temple ledd, And of hir þare þai made offrand, To him þat es godd al weldand. At þis temple þat i nou of mene, A grece þar was of steppis fijftene, Castin was wid cumpas sly, Line 10585 For to ga þai war ful hy; þis may, bot of thre ȝere alde, was on þe grece i ar of tald Apon þe ouermast step don, [folio 73a:1] Bot scho hir clamb anoþer son; Line 10590 þe quilis þai loked þaim be-side, Scho wan vnto þe hiest stride, widuten help of man of welde, As þou scho war womman of elde. Be þis ensampil may men sy, Line 10595 Godd wald scho grew and clamb on hij, Thoru gode thews and liuelade clene, As siþen was on þat leuedy sene. Quen hir frendes gan hir se Apon þe alderheiest þe-gre, Line 10600 Thoght ferly hou scho dider wan; þai ȝald hir to þe temple þan, As þa made þair vow biforn, Ar scho war of hir moder born. Line 10604 Quen þai had made þair sacrifice, And gaf hir to þe kirke seruice, Amang oþer maydens þat war þare vnto fostring and to lare, Line 10608

Line 10608 To godd him-selue þai hir bikened, And ilkand ham bigan to wende. Þar þai left þat mirthful may, Godd hir ledd in all hir way, Line 10612 As scho of body wex and name Sua wex hir louewor[d] and hir fame, wid witt and bounte to ouer-pass All þas þat in þe temple was. Line 10616 þare was na may of nan ospring Mare hali, neiþer ald ne ȝing; þe angelis ofte þai cam and ȝede, To conforte hir in all hir dede. Line 10620 þas þat þis mayden to was couth, þat thoght of hir ful gret selcuth, þat scho was sua ȝong and wijs, Line 10623 Sua haly and of sua gode seruis. Hir witt, hir vertu, hir loue word, May na man write wid pennys ord; Es nan þat coude sua mekil rede, þat mare ne es hir dohuti-hede, Hou milde, hou meke, hou chast, hou clene, It was wele kid þar-bi and sene Line 10630 þat godd him-self in hir wald light, And in hir did his woning dight. Sothly may men here-bi se, þat leudy was of gret bounte, For it es funden as we rede, [folio 73a:2] vr lauerd wald him neuer bede Line 10636 To saule þat fowlid was in sinne, To make his woning stede þar inne. þan bus þis may be clene and bright, widuten playnt, widuten plight, Line 10640 Of quham þat king þat all gan make Semyd his manhede for to take. In þe temple es scho wonand ay, And seruid godd, bath night and day,

All hir miht and all hir tent, To goddes seruis es scho went. Line 10646 Sua lang has þis mayden þar ben, þat scho was comen to ȝeris fourten, þan did þe bischop comand þare, þat all þe maydens þat þar ware Comen to elde of fourtene ȝere, Line 10651 Suld be sent to þair freindes dere, For to mari and for to spouse, Ilkan to þair aun house. Line 10654 Mani of þaim þat þar was stad, Did gladly as þe bischop bad, Bot mari wilde na mariing, Bot mayden liue to hir ending. Line 10658 Quen men to hir of spousing spac, Scho said þat nan wild scho tak, "To godd þan haue i gyuen me, May i to na man maryd be, Line 10662 Oþer hosband may i haue nan, Of him haue i mad mi lemman; Mi maydenhede to him hi hight, I sal him hald it at my miht, Line 10666 wid wille þat i haue hight him to, Ne sal i neuer mare vndo. To god þan was i giuen are Mi moder me of bodi bare, Line 10670 In his seruis most i lende Bituix and to mj liues ende." Þe bischop wist noght for to speke, Durst noght do hir, hir wov to breke, For it was bifore many a day Line 10675 Comandid in þe ald lay, "þe vow þat þou to godd had made Hald and ȝelde widuten bade." Line 10678 On anoþer side, he was dredand To bring a custum new on hand,

þe maydens frendes for to lett [folio 73b:1] In mariage þaim forto sett, Line 10682 For it was bodyn in þair lede, wid mariage þe folk to sprede. þarfor did þe bischop to fett þe wisest men þat he miht gett Of all þe men in þat contre, Line 10687 At þe temple make a-semble. Quen all war gedrid, wis and alde, þe bischop þaim þat resun tald, Qui he gart þaim semblid be Of þat vowing of chastite, For to aske of þaim þair rede, Line 10693 þat scho wald hald ay til hir dede, þat neyder þaim bode ne durst it breke. Her-of in consayl sulde þai speke, And deplie þat þai suld loke how Scho miht hir mary and hald hir vow. For vow þat anis es made rightwis To breke awe na man þat es wijs, þar vow es made, it comes of will, Bot mad, nedewayis it bos fulfill. Bot þar was nan at þis gadring, Line 10703 þat coude giue consayl of þat thing; Consayl oþer gaf þai noght Bot crie and call on godd a-loft, þat he þaim suld suilk scheuing scheu, þat þay miht wid sum takning kneu Quat þai suld do þan of þat may, To ger hir breke hir vow, or nay. Þan fell þai all on kneis doun, Line 10711 And made to godd þair orisun; þe quilis þat þai in þair prayers lay þai herd a voysce, þus gan it say, "Loke ȝe," it said, "þe prophesy was said bifore of ysai, Line 10716

Line 10716 Thoru þis prophete sal ȝe se Til quham þe may sal spousid be. Ysai, þe alde prophete, Line 10719 Ful lang siþen þat he ȝou hete Of þe rote of iesse þar-of suld spring A wand þat suld a flour forth bring, Bath flour and fruit suld þar-of briste, þe hali gast þar-on suld reste." Line 10724 Thoru þe voyce þai þar gan here, þat said, "þis wand suld florisching bere, [folio 73b:2] And suld of þe Rote of jesse spring," þan war þai don in grett knawing, And vmthoght þaim þas to call þe kin of dauid kindred all, Line 10730 Quas fadir was þat iesse, þar þai war spred in þat contre; Ilkan of þaim sulde in þair hand Biddin be to bere a wand, Line 10734 þe quilk of þaim þat bar burioun Suld spouse þat may in his bandun. wid þis þai sent vp and doun, And badd þaim at þat day be boun, All þat hadd na spouse to bedd þat of king dauid war bredd, Line 10740 And þa men þat war diþer cald, In hand was bidden a wand to hald, And quilk man þat his wand suld blome, Suld mari haue, wid rightwis dome. Þe day cam of þis asemble, Line 10745 Be-left þar nan of þat contre þat þai ne all at þe temple ware, Bot any spousid man it ware. Ioseph him cam to ierusalem, A man þat wonid in bethleem, Line 10750 His wijf was dede, him-selue was alde, Amang þir men i bifore talde

He cam þat day to bere his wand, As comandid was ouer all þe land. Childir had he ne-for-þi, Line 10755 Elder and mare þan may mari; He was sumdel forthgan in lijf, He ȝerned noght to haue suilk a wijf, Hir to haue had he noght mint, If he miht any gate it stint! Line 10760 Bot stint miht he na kin way, þat he ne most nede cum to þat day; For ilkan wid þair wand forth gan step, þan on bac him drow iosep, Line 10764 To-quilis all þair wandis vp ȝald, Bihind stod ioseph as vnbald; þan bad þe preist þaim forth to call, To offre vp þair wandis all. þe preist þaim tald, and sone he fand þar was haldin bihind a wand, Line 10770 Quen ioseph þat he ne miht noght, Nedewais forth his wand he broght; þan alsuith as it was sene, [folio 74a:1] wid lef and flour þai fand it grene, A dowe þat was fra heuen sent Lihtid doun and þar-on lent. Line 10776 þan was þe may ioseph bitaght, And he has hir in spousayle laght, Queþer he wild wid wille or nay, He most hir spouse and lede away. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]