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

Of þe state þe world was inne, Bifor þe time of adam sinne.

Qven adam was made alsone, In paradis þan was he done, þe bestis all bath he and scho, Bi-for adam was broght se to;— Line 620 Fiss in watir and foul to flight, All was broght in adamis sight. All were broght to serue adam. Line 623 And for þat he suld gif þaim name, þan gaf þat king his craft to kepe, Sleyli gert he adam to slepe, vte of his side, als sais þe bock, widuten sor a ribb he toke, Line 628 And of þat ribb he made womman, Till adam þat was first his an, Quen scho was broght bifor adam, virago gaf he hir to name, Line 632 þarfor hight scho virago, For of þe man mad was scho. Naked war þai bath tway, Line 635 þai were noght schamed par ma fay. God þaim blisced and bad þaim brede, [folio 5b:2] And multipli wid þair in sede, "Adam," he said, "hou thinkes þe, In þis stede is fair to be? Line 640 þis is a stede of welthful wone, Of ioye ne blis ne wantis nane, Here lastis lif widuten ende, Here is a thing non for to mend, Line 644 Here es blisse þat lastes ay, Neuer night bot euer day; Es nan forsoth wid hert may thinck, Ne na writer þat may write wid inck. þe mekil ioy þat þaim es lent, Line 649 þat dos wele here mi comandment.

Of treis of fruit here es gode wone, All sal þai be þine bot one, Line 652 Of þaim all þi will to do, Bot ȝon a tre com ȝe noght to þat standis emiddes paradis, For if ȝe do ȝe er noght wise. Line 656 þis tre haf i done in frith, For i wil haue it to mi grith; If ȝe it touche i wil ȝou say, Of dubil ded þan sul ȝe day. Line 660 Be war for-þi ȝe take entent, þat ȝe breke noght mi comandement." And here-bi may ȝe all wele se, Hou he þaim gaf þair will all fre, Line 664 þe gode to do & leue þe ille, Bath he sett in þair fre will, witt and wisdam he þaim gaf, Might and fairhed forto haue; Line 668 Of all erd made adam king, To last wid-uten ending. Amang his meyne diuers sele, I sal tell sumquat of his wele, Line 672 Ar he brak þat iesu forbedd. In mekil bliss þan was [he] stedd, Of his wif [[MS. wis]] sua fair and fre, [folio 6a:1] þat mekil mirth was on to se; Line 676 þe bestis cam him all aboute Als to þair lauerd þai er vnderloute, Foul in flight, fiss on sand, Line 679 All boued him dune to fote and hand; At his will þai ȝede and cam, Als he war maker of þaim. þe bestis war so meke tale widuten hurt þai ȝode euer hale, Line 684 Tuix þe woluis lay þe schepe, Saufli mith þai samen slepe,

þe hund ne harmed noght þe hare, Ne na best soght on oþer sare, Line 688 Bi þe dere þat nou es wild. Als lamb him lay þe leon milde, þe gripe alsua biside þe bere; Na best wald do oþer dere, Line 692 þe scorpion forbar his tunge, Fra bestis þat he lay emonge, Alkines thing in diuers wise Ȝeilded to Adam þair seruise: Line 696 Ne þe nedder was noght bitter, For he was euer wis and witter, For as men rede in boke & ieste, He was mast wis of ani best. Line 700 þe sune was þat time, as i say, Seuen sitht bright þan to-day; þe mone was þat time alsua bright, Als is þe sune nu on day light. Line 704 Hald na man þis for foli, þe prophete it sais ysai: All þe tinges þat w[e] here se, Hey or lau, on land or se, Line 708 þai war of gretter strenth and pidh Bifor þat adam brac þe grith.