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

[The Death of John the Baptist.]

Hu herod king him did of liue, For þe loue of his broder wiue;— Line 13003 Bot noght þat herodes, ȝe sal trou, þat slou þe childer for iesu, Bot was anoþer þat sua hatt;— Of his thre sunnes þat he gatt þe formast hight archelaus, Line 13008 Als þat stori tellis vs, þat regned eftir his faþer liue; þe toþer philipp had spousid wiue þat had to name herodias; Line 13012 And herods þe thrid broder was.

Þis herodis king, als it es redd, Bath he leuued saint iohn, and dredd, And gladli herd his sarmoune, Line 13016 Bot he did a gret vnresune, An vnkindnes kid ful rijf, He reft his broder philip his wijf, þis wif þat herodias hight; Line 13020 Mekil he did agin þe right. Quen seint iohn herede þat it was sua, witt ȝe for-soth him was ful wa, And forto fell þat foule fame, Line 13024 He come right to herods hame, vte of desert þat he was in, He come to snaipe þe king of sin. Bifor his barounes euerilkane, Line 13028 He forbedd him þat wommane, And tald him þare for man skill, þat no man au it thole no dell. Line 13031

Herodias herd þis forbote, And dred to part fra king herode, [folio 88b:1] In hir hert neuer wald scho wede, Forqui his wordis was to drede. Line 13035 Scho wist þat rightwis was his sau, And might noght suffere gainsau, On oþer side was scho ful wa, Line 13038 If scho suld part king herodis fra. Scho crid and made ful mekil dole, Als scho þat was ane obber fole. Scho had a doghtir of philip getin, Hir wickednes bes neuer forgetin, Of hir name es na force to tell, Line 13044 For scho es knauen þar-wid in hell, For thoru hir was saint iohan, Als i sal siþen tell ȝu, slane. Line 13047 To king herodis said saint iohan, "Do wai fra þe y[o]n þat wick woman;

þu loues hir mekil again þe lijf, And þou es scho þi broder wijf þat þu au noght haue wid lau Line 13052 If þu war radd for goddes au. I drede if þu ne bete þi sake, þu sal noght dei widvten wrake."

"Do wai, iohn, qui sais þu sua? To þi desert i rede þu ga, Line 13057 Stille i rede þu halde þe þar, And of þis mater spek na mar. Leue herodias ȝeit will i noght, þat þu has said dere bes boght; Line 13061 I luue hir mare þan ani þing." "þat es a-gain þe right, sir king! þi broþer wif fra him to reue, I rede bi-time þat þu hir leue." Line 13065 "Iohn, ouer mekil has þu spokin, And þat sal noght be vnwrokin, For þu sal in mj presun lij, Ful dere sal þu þir wordis bij." Line 13069 Herodias him hatid to dede, þai prisuned iohn thoru hir rede, þar did Herodis him to cast [folio 88b:2] For to make him all agast, Line 13073 To sla him was he noght in will, Bot for þat wickid wijf to still; For hir to wreth he dred ful sare, Als he þat na-thing leued mare. Line 13077 His desciplis come him to se, þe king þaim lete haue fre entre, þai fand him in þat presun dep, Might þai noght forber to wep. Line 13081 Iohn bigan at þaim to witt Queþir iesus crist, our lauerd, ȝeitt Bigan wid wordis him to kith? For þar-of wold he be ful blith. Line 13085

Line 13085 And he said, "mi breþer leue and frend, Nu ȝe sal mi erand wend, Line 13087 To þat gret lauerding iesu Sais him als i sai to ȝu, On mild maner sais ȝour erand, For-getes noght, bot vnþerstand. ȝe ask him if he be þat gome Line 13092 þat for man sauuete sal come, If hit be he, hu lang sith Sal he him hide and noght kith? Ouþir his word he send vs þan Line 13096 Queþir we sal bide a-noþer man?" Þai tok þair leue, & went fra iohn, And [com] þar iesus was ful son, "Sir," þai said, "iohn þe greting sendis, þar he in hard presun le[n]gis, Line 13101 Askes if þu be he þat sale Louse þe bunden folk of bale." "I am he," he said, "par fay! Line 13104 And ȝe sal grete him well and say, Meseles er hal, crepelis gas right, Def has hering, þe blind has sight, And þat man sal blissed be Line 13108 De quilk him sklandris noght in me." . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Þir desciplis toke þair answer [folio 89a:1] And luueli to saint iohn it ber; Line 13113 wid iesus mekil folk left þai þan, And he to take þaim wid bigan, And badd þaim all hald þaim stille Till he had þaim said his wille. Line 13117 ¶ "God men," he said, "quat man ȝode ȝe vnto þe wildrenes to se? wend ȝe þar þe rede to find Line 13120 þat heildis waifand wid þe wind?

Or þe soth a man cledd in silk? Nai, kinges hus er funden suilk, Line 13123 Sais men quat þat ȝe soght þare, Prophete? ȝe, forsoth, and mare. þis es he of quam was redd Lang ar he was born o bredd, Line 13127 'I sal send forto puruai aun angel forwid þe þi wai.' "

SAint iohn alwais in presun lai, Till it come on a fest dai, Line 13131 þat þe king did for to call þe barnage of his kingrike all; þis was þe dai als men has herd, þat he was born into þis world. Line 13135 Quen all war sett and ett at ays, Bifor þe king in his palays, His broþer doghtir, gent and smale, Come bifor þaim for to bale, Line 13139 Balid wele and tumblid wid al; Alle wondrid on hir in þat hal, For scho sua wele hir maistri cuth, All þai had hir sone in muth. Line 13143 þan said þe king þat maiden till, "Ask me quat þing als þu will, I sal þe giue widvten suike, yf þu aske half [[MS. falf]] mi kingrike." Line 13147 And bad hir aske quat sum scho wold, And suar he suld hir couenand hald. [folio 89a:2] "Sir king," scho said, "god ȝeild it þe For þar-on wil i consaile me." To þe bure scho tak hir pas, Line 13152 For to spek wid herodias. "Moder," scho said, "quatkin þing Rede ȝe þat i aske þe king?" Line 13155 "And has he þe hight to haf þi bone?" "ȝa." "ga þan and ask him sone,

Of saint iohn þat in presun es, Line 13158 His heued to giue þe in a dise." Quen scho þis, þat feindes fode, Bifor þe king scho come and stode, "Sir," scho said, "for þi barnage Nu will i ask nane vtrage, Line 13163 Thar þe na-þing be dredand, For nouþer i ask þe lith ne land, Ne nan oþer þing wid vnresun, Bot iohnes heued þi presun." Line 13167

Quen herodis sau þat scho wald nane Giftes take, bot þe heued of iohn, wit him-self wex he wrath, And namli for he suar þat ath Line 13171 þat he suar for-wid folk so felle, þat men suld hald him for vnlele. A sergant [sent] he to þe iaiole, And iohn he comand forto cole. Line 13175 His comandement was noght vndone, For he was hefedd als sone, To þe maiden þai it taght, Fra hir hir moder it siþen laght. þarfor euer ay worth hir wa! Line 13180 þat god man dos wid tresun sla. Bot þis dede was seld ful dere, þe mening ȝeit lastis bi ȝere, wid a greful uengance. Line 13184 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] To kirk be drauen wid gret semble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

Þusgat was him saint iohn slane, Oþer a chesun was þar nane. Line 13193

Line 13193 For to make ending of mi tale, [folio 89b:1] Ful ilhaile gan scho to bale Line 13195 þat gert his heued sua forth be broght, was neuer nane sua dede boght. Als we men here of mekil telle, His saule it went als sone to helle, þe ȝates fand spered fast, Line 13200 And he þe barres of þaim brast, And þar he duelled a quille, and bade, And of socur þe bod-word made To freindes þat he þar-in fand, Line 13204 Ai till þe lauerd þaim lesid of band. Till hell sua forwid him he ferd, Right als he did in to þis werld, For-þi es he cald his forinnier, Line 13208 And cristes auen messager. His disciplis, þai was boune, And led his licam vte of tune, Til sebastien wid mekil fare, Line 13212 þis hali cors þai birid þare.

I rede ȝu nu, lauerdinges alle, þat ȝe on blisced iohn ai calle, For witt ȝe sum i sad ȝu are, Line 13216 A better child wijf neuer bare. He es blisced ouer ilk prophete, Of all ȝour bale he mai ȝu bete. Of hei ospring þan es þis iohn, Line 13220 þat þar vp-sittes hei in thron, Nere bitaght to mild mari, Godd him-self es nere sibb for-þi, And saint iohn þe wangelist; Line 13224 To þaim bringh vs, lauerd crist! ¶ Herd ȝe haue of iohn soth-saus, He was slan in pask daus; Here nu quat herodias did, In a wal his heued scho hidd, Line 13229

Line 13229 Scho has it saltid in a wall, Line 13230 For scho hir dredd if sua might fall His heued war till his bodi done, [folio 89b:2] þat he muond quickin again alsone, Thoru his mekil hali-hede: Line 13234 Bot scho þar efter siden ȝede. His bodi vte of þe erde þai hent, And all to poudir þar it brent. Siþen war hali monkes sent, Line 13238 To-geder þe askes þat þai brent, Pouder or bone þat þai fand þare, þai gedrid vp, and wid þaim bare.