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

Of John the Baptist.

Þis Zachari þat i of rede, Line 10935 Be-comen was of leuy side, Elizabeth his wijf was alde, was Anna sister [[A later hand has written "doghter," to be added after "sister."]] as i bifor talde; Ful haly a lijf þai samyn ledd, Line 10939 widuten child bituix þaim bredd, And dow þai þar-fore murnand were, þai batid it mekil wid þair chere Almast to þair liues ende, Line 10943 Bot godd at þe last an þaim sende. Sua a fest fell in þair lede, þat Zachari vn-to þe temple ȝede To do þe folk þair seruis, Line 10947 As lawe was þan, in ald wise, Reuersid him on his manere, Siþen he went vnto þe autere; Line 10950 He badd þe folk wend vte, ilkan, Quilis he prayed in þe kirk allan, As he bifore þan was wont; And had he duellid bot a stunt, He lokid vnto his right hand, Line 10955 And saw an angel bi him standd, Quar-for in mode he wex al madd; þe angel bad him be noght radd,

And said, "Zachari, he me sende To þe, þe lauerd þat all may mende, To confort þe of þi sight, Line 10961 þu sal haue a child and þat ful right. [folio 75a:1] Of suilk a child þu mai be blith, For gode costes he sal kith, Hys name sal be called iohn, Line 10965 For brightin has þe tidd þi bone."

"DO wai, sir," he said, "quat says þu, þi tithand soth mai i noght trou, I and mj wijf on ald tas, Line 10969 Of child er we passed þe pas." "þu sal haue child," he said, "parfay And finde al soth þat i say; Mani sal be blith of his birth, Line 10973 He sal be man of mekil mirth. Bot for þat þu wold noght trou Mi word, þu sal be dumb fra nou, Till þat he be borin, þat ȝung, Line 10977 And he sal do þe haue þi tung. Be-for all mighti godd he sale Be-com a man of mekil tale, Line 10980 Mekil for right þan sal he suynk, And nouþer wyne ne seser drink, Bot of his moder wamb sal he, Of þe hali gast fulfild be. Line 10984 þu sal be dumb for þi mistroune, Till þe time of his circumsisioune. Sir Zachari, haue gode day, All sal þu find þat i þe say." Line 10988 Þe folk þat stode þar vte [[MS. looks like bte]] and bade, Thoght ferli quat wid þis he made, Quen þai had biden tyl þai war irk, þai com þam-self into þe kyrk. Line 10992 All madd sir zachari þai fand, Til þaim might he tell na tiþand,

Ne seruise do sua was he medde, And dumb þai till his houus him ledd.

Nu beris child elizabeth, Line 10997 In septenbre of þat moneth, þe four and tuentiand night [folio 75a:2] was ion geten thoru grace of dright, Forwit þe annunciacoune Of crist, þat brogth us all pardoune. For right was þat þe purueur Line 11003 Suld cum bi-for þe sauueour, He þat sould cum for vr hele Sent for-wid him his bedele, For-þi sent iesu iohn forwith, Line 11007 Are he him-self tyll vs walde kyth. þair moderis aqueþer bath milde, ȝode at anes with þaire childe, Bot elizabeth was ferrer gane, Line 11011 Sex moneth and wokis ane Fra saint iohn þe concepcioune was till þe annunciacioune. Sone sum vr leuedi was mett Line 11015 wid þe angel als i tald, & grett, Scho went hir vte of nazareth For to speke wid elizabeth Line 11018 þat lang was geld, þat alde wijf, Bot þan scho w[a]s wid child in lijf. Not fer fra childing þat si-quare þat maria com to se hir þare. Quen þai war mett, þar leuedis tuin, þat bath war cosines of a kyn, Line 11024 Formast saint mari spak, And hire greting bi-gan to mak To elizabeth, þat wele forth stadd, Hir child in wamb be-gan to gladd, And for ioi it set vpright Line 11029 For to worchip þat lauerd dright,

Againes him made ioi and gleu, Line 11031 If he him ne sau, wel he him kneu; His lauerd he kneu ful wel biforne þat he was of his moder borine, þe man is lauerd, þe maistir his clerk, þe maker keue [[read kneu]] hys hand-werk. Line 11036 Elizabeth in þat ilk place, [folio 75b:1] þare scho was fild wid goddes grace, Bigan and said a prophesie, "Blisced be þu ai, marie! And blisced be þe fruit of þe! Line 11041 þat þu wald seme me to se, þe moder of mi drightin dere, widin mi wambe þe childe gan here þi hailsing nu þat þu me made, Line 11045 And it made ioi widuten bade. Blesced es þu þat mistrued [[MS. mis|tuned]] noght þe holi bodword þe w[a]s broght, þu may be traist and redi bide, All þat þe is tight sal be-tyde." Line 11050 Þir leuedis mensked þam emell, þair will þai gan till oþer tell, Bot þair mensking þam bi-tuene, was sumquat divers, als I wene. Line 11054 þe tane was leuedi mayden ȝing, þe toder hir hand-womman kerling. þar duellid vr leuedi wid hir nece, Til iohn was born, a wel gode pece, At hir childing hir was helpand, And,—als i in sum bokes fand, Line 11060 And it es eth at vnderstand,— þat maria wid hir auen hand, And was hir-self þe first womman þat liftid fra þe erd saint iohn. Line 11064 Quen iohn was born, þat ilk sith, His frendes was ful glad and blith,

And had of hir ful mikil mirth, þat was so lang widuten birth, Line 11068 Noght allane ierusalem burght, Bot elles all þe cunthre thurght. His fest it es in somers time, It halus bath Iuu and sarazine, Line 11072 Thoru alle þe land þat heþen lijs, By-tuix and þar þe sun it rijs. For-þi of him witnesis it þus, [folio 75b:2] vr lauerd, vr sauuour, iesus, Line 11076 "Of wijf," he said, "was neuer born nane A gretter child þan saint ihone." All made þat mirth of his bering, Fadir & moder ant þair kithyng, And gedrid þaim to-gider all, Line 11081 Bot ȝeit þai ne wyst hu him to call. Sir Zachari þai did call forth, Bot ȝeit he might noght speke a word, (Bifor ȝe herd þe resun qui) þan asked þaim sir Zachari, Tablis and a pointel tite, Line 11087 And he bigan þe name to write, And said als þe angel first him gaue Iohn to name, þat suld he haue. His frendes þoght þar-of selcuth Of þis name þat was vncuth, Line 11092 þai said þat þai cuth noght find No sli name in all þair kind. Quen þai had circumsised saint iohn, His fader had his speche on-non, And suilk a prophecie gan melle— "Blisced be þe godd of israelle, þat visiting his folk has sent, Line 11099 And ransoning til his has lent."

Þis child was ai fostrid dere; Quen he was siden of vij ȝere,

He left bath kindli kith and thede, And to þe wildernes he ȝede, Line 11104 For-þi þat he walde fle fra sinne, He lefte his kith & all his kine. In þat wildernes lang he bade, Line 11107 And ledde þare ful hard liuelad, And liued wid rotis and wid grise, wid honi of þe wildrenesse. Line 11110 He ete no bred ne dranc no wine, Ne werid nouþer wol no line. þis was iohn, þe gode baptyst, [folio 76a:1] þat efterward hoif iesu crist. Line 11114

Quen þis iohn was born, als I Tald ȝu forwid, vr leuedi Bot taght to godd elizabeth, And went again to nazareth. Line 11118 wid þis bigan to cum þe sith Hir wamb itself bigan to kith, þat men was sumdele of parceiued þat þis maydin hade consaiued. Eftir þat ioseph þis mai Line 11123 Had spousid, als ȝe herd me say, Mare þan thre moneth duelled he In his aunen kingli cunthre; At þe income of þe first moneth Ioseph went to nazareth, Line 11128 þat leuedi,—quen he come nerehand with hir to speke als dos hosband, To speke of nedes of þair huse Als dos þe men þat liues in spouse,— He fand, widvten oþer warn, Line 11133 þat þis leuedi was wit barn. Quen þat he kneu hir in slik state, was he neuer man so mate, So sori was he neuer his liue, Line 11137 Als quen he fand wid child his wijf,

þat he neuer touched tille. He wex thoghtful and likid ille, And þat was no selcuth, for he Line 11141 wist noght of hir priuite; Bot quat-sum-euer he had in þoght, Mislikand chere made he noght, Bot in his herte he helde it stille. vmthoght him at þe laste his wille, He was him-seluen for to stele Line 11147 Fro þat leuedi was non so lele. Of hir ne walde he for no-þing Lay of hordam mistrouyng, Bot tok his red ai for to fle [folio 76a:1] Preuili & lat hir be. Line 11152 Gode will he had to fle hir fro; þe night he þoght to haue done so, Ane angel, þar he sclepand lay Till him he come, þus for to say, "Ioseph! dauid sun, for-qui will þu leue þi spouse mari? Line 11158 þe child scho has in bodi bredd, Quarfor in mode þu art so madd? Be þu ful traist & in na dredenes, þe hali gast werke it es; It es þe hali gastis might, widvten part of ani plight; Line 11164 þe child þat scho gas nou wid-alle, His name þan sal men iesus calle; Hir sunne and fader sal he be bath, To sauue his folk all fra wath." Line 11168 Fra þis time forth had ioseph nane Mistrouinng of þat maydane, In his keping hir tok he, And liued wid hir in chastite, Line 11172 wid mensk & worschip hir to ȝeme, And for to seruir ai to queme.

þus for-soth widvten faile, Line 11175 Held þan samen þair spousaile.