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

[The Descent of the Holy Spirit.]

¶ Ten dayes from þe assencioun Þe apostlis lay in orisoun Line 18912 And as þei so to gider lay Vp on þe holy witsonen day At vndren tide þer coom a soun Fro þe eir brestyng doun Line 18916 As hit were a þondir blast Brodly on þat hous hit brast wiþ a wynd þat coom wiþ alle And þei sittynge fulled þat halle Þe holy goost þere liȝt þon Line 18921 Boþe on wommon & mon Vnto her hedes al bidene were fyren tonges sittynge sene A firen tonge on vchone liȝt Line 18925 But not hit brende þei hit were briȝt And whi hit coom in firen siȝt For to strengþe & ȝyue myȝt For wel we woot wiþouten gile Fire is good to strengþe þe tile Tonges bitoken alle langage Line 18931 Þat þei shulde haue ful knowlage To stonde stifly for þe fay And trewely preche cristis lay Of þe holy goost fulde were þei þan Line 18935 And for to telle þei alle bigan Þe miracles grete of ihesu couþe For alle langages þei coude with mouþe Þe holy goost ȝaf hem at þat blast Line 18939 Of alle wittes to touche & tast Euery langage þat þenne was Kyndely coude þei hit bi gras Þat tyme was þere in þat toun Sere men of alle religioun Line 18944

Line 18944 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 18946 To þat feest coom þenne þore Of vche cuntre lasse & more. wherfore were þei drad & gast For heryng of þat muchel blast For þat blast þat þei þere herde Line 18951 To þe apostlis hous þei ran for ferde Spekyng of þat grisly crak her owne langage vchone spak Of vche þing þat þei coude freyn Redy þei ȝaf vnswere aȝeyn Þat ilke tonge what so þei were Line 18957 To vche lede ȝaf þo vnswere Of al wisdome þat men knowe Þei coude resoun redy showe Alle merueiled how hit myȝt be And seide þese men of galile Born in þat cuntre to seen Line 18963 How þei seide may þis been Þat oure langage speke þei þus Greet wondir her of þinke vs Somme bad oþere þenne do wey And seiden dronken of must were þei ¶ Vp stood petur in þat þrong Line 18969 And seide gode men ȝe saye wrong we are not dronken as ȝe say Hit is but vndren tide of day We ben not wont þat tyme to ete [folio 116a:1] Ny not to drynke bifore oure mete But I shal telle ȝou hit wel bettur Line 18975 If ȝe con rede ȝoure owne lettur Þere was a prophete trewe & lele Bi olde dayes þat hette Iohele I shal sende in þe laste dayes Of my spirit þus he sayes Line 18980

Line 18980 Boþe on mon & wommon eke Of prophecie shul þei speke meke Line 18982 ȝoure sones & ȝoure douȝtres fre And ȝoure ȝonge men shul siȝtes se ȝoure eldremen shul dremes dreme And of my goost I shal a streme Line 18986 To mon & wommon ȝyue also To com bi prophecie and go In heuen on heȝe shal I showe Signes & on erþe lowe Line 18990 He tolde hem mony tokenes sere Þat is no nede to rekene here Breþer he seide wel may I Telle ȝou of þe prophete dauy Line 18994 He wist þat god had to him sworn þat oon shulde of his seed be born To sitte in sete þat were his But he þat say so fer þis Line 18998 Of his vpriste he tolde in helle Hit shal not be laft to dwelle Neuer shal rote his flesshe so briȝt But reised is he bi his myȝt From deeþ to lif now risen is he Line 19003 And þerof witenes alle are we Reised so wiþouten let And made sikur þat his fadir het Þe ȝiftes of þe holy goost sere Line 19007 He haþ vs ȝyuen as ȝe se here To heuen he steyȝe þat is wel sene And I saye to ȝou folke bi dene Þat ihesus þat is lord of myȝt Line 19011 ȝe dude on rode wiþ vnriȝt þese wordes herde mony one And rewed sore in herte anone To petur & oþere apostles to Line 19015 Gode men þei seide what shul we do

But baptize ȝou & doþ penaunce In ihesu name for his suffraunce Line 19018 ȝe shul forȝyuen be ȝoure sake Þe holy gostis ȝifte to take For whi to ȝou & to ȝoure sede Þe children þat of ȝou shal brede Line 19022 Þe mede is hett of alle & alle Þat cristen ben ihesu wol calle But for ȝoure bote I ȝou forbede To leuen on þis wicked lede Line 19026 ¶ Petur peyned him ful ȝerne In goddes name þat folke to lerne Þo þat toke þis word to herte Her soulis turned hit to querte Line 19030 Þere was þat ilke day in lyues Baptized þre hundride men & wyues Þat bisily ful ofte þere Line 19033 Entendaunt to þe apostles were And eet breed wiþ hem to fare whenne þei had nouȝt elles whare Line 19036 Þo þat hous hadde or oþere good Solde hit & wiþ þe apostlis ȝood Bifore þe apostlis feet hit brouȝt To do þerof what hem good þouȝt ¶ Erly þe apostlis vche day Line 19041 To þe temple wenten to pray At her aȝeyn come þe mete þei ȝaue To vche as þei say mistere haue Line 19044

¶ Petur & Ion a day at none wenten to chirche to make her bone Bisyde þe wey say þei þere ly Line 19047 A mon croked in þe palesy And had ben moost part of his dayes As þe story telleþ & sayes Vche day men þidur him bere Line 19051 For to bide his almes þere

Petur & Ion þei bi him ȝode [folio 116b:1] Line 19053 And he bad of hem som gode Petur & Ion vnswered him þon And seide biholde on vs þou mon Biholde on vs now and se And vndirstonde oure pouerte Line 19058 Þou maist wel se now oure wone ȝiftis haue we to þe none . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 19063 . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] For petres gode was hit nouȝt Þat oþere men to him had brouȝt For to kepe to her nede And for þo pore men to fede Þat for þat skil her godes solde Line 19069 And to þe apostlis vp hit ȝolde Þat I may ȝyue he seide I shal Þou hast nede aftir hele to cal In ihesu naȝarenus name Line 19073 Rise vp he seide & go þou lame His honde he toke & vp he ros Greet pase to þe temple he gos Bifore myȝte he not gon a fote Louynge oure lord he lepte for bote Line 19078 Þus prophecie fulfilde was þo Þat seide þe halt shulde skippe as ro Þe folke þo þei þis mon had sene wondride on him al by dene Line 19082 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

Petur anoon bigan to mele And seide ȝe folke of israele Line 19086 whi wondre ȝe so wiþ vnriȝt As þis were done wiþ oure myȝt

But myȝti god wiþouten make Of Abraham and of Isaake Line 19090 And of oure eldres þat han bene o His der worþe son haþ blessed so Þat stood bifore prince pilate And suffred deþ bi ȝoure debate Line 19094 Þe callyng on his holy name Haþ sent hele into þis lame wiþ þe trouþe þat fel þerto For hit may wondir muchel do But my breþer I vndirstonde Line 19099 Þat ȝe hit dude vnwitonde Repenteþ ȝou & beþ aknowen To saue ȝoure soulis vchone his owen Aȝeyn þe grete comune assise Line 19103 where alle shul com bifore Iustise withstonde ȝoure synne þat ȝe may rise wiþ þat parti þat is riȝtwise Line 19106 Forȝyuenes þenne shal be of pliȝt Þenne forþ whenne þourȝe þe myȝt Of risyng on þe laste day Þe lastyng deþ shal worþe away Bi his fadir sitte he shalle Line 19111 To his recorde haue vs alle Þat he spake furst wiþ prophecise Ay to þe tyme þat al shulde rise Line 19114

¶ Þe apostlis spaken þis & more Þe prest coom þat tyme þore Þe temple maistris wiþ hem boun Alle were þei of o comoun Line 19118 Hem tened sore at þis talkyng And seiden how dar ȝe do þis þing So preciouse wordis of him to say Þat we dud deme þis endur day Þe saduces namely þat lede Line 19123 For þe vprisyng wolde þei wede

For þei wolde neuer for no þing Þat knowen were þe vp risyng Line 19126 Þe apostlis dude þei take soone And so in prisoun were þei done Þei sette men þere hem to ȝeme For late hit was hem þenne to deme But mony leued on her lore Line 19131 And to bapteme went þerfore So þat of men & als of wyue were þere conuertede þousondes fyue

¶ Þe toþer day þat folewed neest Line 19135 Gedered out boþe prince & preest . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And sett hem in þat court amydde And bad hem of þe dede þei didde Þei shulde telle faste & soone [folio 117a:1] In whoos name hit was done Line 19142 But petur þat alle oþere past His vnswere he ȝaf in hast But furst he shewed in his dede Þat her askyng was but soþhede Line 19146 He seide hit is resoun þat we For oure good dede chalanged be Vnskilfuly ȝe con vs blame Line 19149 For wite ȝe wel þat in þe name Of ihesu þat ȝe duden on rode þat euer ȝe mis vndirstode Line 19152 God his fadir him reised to lyue As woot mony mon & wyue Þat is made as a corner stone For to make two folkes one Line 19156 Oon in him for to be fest Þat ilke þat fro ȝoure werke ȝe kest In him is hele of monkynde al Is noon oþere name on to cal Line 19160

Line 19160 Þat of hele may ȝyue hem blis Line 19161 But if mon fully þenke on þis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 19166 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Trinity & Laud MSS.]

¶ Þe maistris whenne þei vndirȝode How studfastely þe apostlis stode Line 19174 Þei bad þei shulde hem wiþdrawe whil þei speke to gider a þrawe þei seide se ȝe not þese men who con vs counsel of hem ken Þe merueil say ȝe þat þei did Line 19179 we may not nay hit: so is hit kid But þerfore shal we þrete hem hard þat þei shulde neuer more foreward Line 19182 þis name to mon nor wommon neuen Of ihesus goddes son of heuen Glad were þei þenne & beden þore Þat þei shulde neuermore Line 19186 Of þe name of ihesu spelle Ni no tiþing þerof to telle þei vnswered soone anone Boþe petur and seynt Ione Line 19190 Wheþer owe we more þei seide bow To god al weldynge or elles to ȝow . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Trinity & Laud MSS.] Line 19194 ȝe to bidde vs to wiþstonde Goddes biddynge al weldonde

Þe þing þat we han herde & seen whi may hit not knowen ben Seruauntis elles be we sory Line 19199 Soþfastenes is not to deny Þo iewes þat euer were so curst wolde efte haue prisoned hem if þei durst For pepul durst þei not do hit þon And þei went home vnto syon Line 19204 whenne þei coom to her breþere þere Þei tolde how þei hondeled were Þei helde vp hondes wiþ o steuen And þonked ihesu heȝe in heuen Line 19208 whenne þei had alle seide her bede Anoon bigan to stire þat stede And in þat erþe dene þat shoke þe holi goost eft sone þei toke Out of her holy hertes hord Line 19213 Spedily spelled þei goddes word