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

[The Progeny of Saint Anne and her three Husbands.]

FOr quen þat ioachim was dede, Anna wid hir freindes rede

was geuen till a-noþer hosbande, A dought[i] man of þat land, Line 12662 Cleophas it was his name, Riche of gode dede and fame. Sone wid hir a doghtir he gat, þat mari als hir sister hat; Line 12666 A man in mariage heir toke, [[MS. take]] Alpheus hightl, als sais þe boke. Tua suns had wid hir alpheus, þat was ioseph and iacobus. Line 12670 þis iacob, þat i tell of nu, was cald þe broþer of iesu, Iesus broþer cald was he, For sibred worschip and bunte. Line 12674 Ontinkel till him was wid facune, And was als of gret religiune, Hali lijf he lede all wais. Fra he was born, þe stori sais, Line 12678 He dranc neuer sider ne wine, Ne neuer werd clath of line, Ne flesse he ette of all and alle, Ne fined neuer on drightin to calle. Sua hauntand he on knes to lij, Line 12683 [And for to prai sua Iþenli,] þat his kneis war bolned sua þat vnethes might he ga. Siþen come þe time men wend, Line 12687 [folio 86a:2] He war þat crist þat suld be sende. þis ilk iacob þat i of telle, als he stod a dai to spelle, In ierusalem was he slane, Line 12691 To paradis his saul was tane.

Quen he was dede, þis cleophas, was anna giuen to salomas, Scho wex wid child and bar in hij A maiden child, þai cald mari, Line 12696

Line 12696 And scho was giuen to zebede, Line 12697 A dughti man of galile. Of hir was born gode childer tuai, þe mekil iame, þat es to sai, þe quilk king herodes did to sla; þe toþer broþer of þir tua Line 12702 was saint iohn, þe wangelist, þat was sua louued wid iesus crist For his mekil dughti hede, And for he liued in maiden hede. Alle þe apostlis he ouerpast, Line 12707 Thoru his maidenhed sted-fast; In felauschip was he iesus neist, And lai and slep apon his breist, And sau þe priuites of heuen, Line 12711 wele ma þan ani man can neuen.

Of þis rekning na mare nu, Bot of ihon þe baptist a[n]d of Iesu, þe sex eld forto bring in place. Line 12715 Quen drightin gan spede his grace Til his auen choslinges treu, þe testament bigan he neu, Quarof Saint ion was messager, þat of halines had na pere. Line 12720 He come bifor wid his baner, þe cristin lau man forto lere, For saint iohn come als baneur Bi-for þat hali sauueour. For in þis hali iohns time Line 12725 was lau bigunnen of baptime. [folio 86b:1] He taght men first forsake þair sine, And sua þair baptime to bigine, Thoru quilk we sal to heuen cum, Quen we of þis world es num, Line 12730 If we vr lijf leli will lede, And at þe ending to crist vs bede.

þis ilk tre þat i here bigin Line 12733 Es alle sete for mari kin, þat ilk man mai witt witerli, Of ioseph kin and of mari; For þai come bath of a man, þat sir leui had to nam. Line 12738 Salatiel, Zorobabel, aliud, eliachim, Azor, sadoch, achim, eliud, eleazar siue leui, pater pantra, filius parpantra, Achim, pater mathan, filius iacob, Ioseph coniux, maria filia. Line 12743 þis leui had him sunnes tua, Mathan and pantera, Of mathan come iacob, of iacob ioseph, þat es þe neþermast step. Line 12747 Of þat side es to tell no ma, Bot of pantera come parpantera, Of parpantra come ioachim, And saint Mari come of him. Line 12751