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

[The Virtues and Symbols of the Cross.]

Þe grace of God es grete and gode That giuis us sampil of þe rode Line 21628 Mar miȝtis hauis ur lauerd wroȝt Than ani man mai þinc in thoȝt Bot mani of trouþe es sa unselie Þame trou noȝte bot þai se wiþ eie And þat unneþis wil tai trou Line 21633 Wiþoutin singne de grant uertu For me thinc if the sothe be soȝte That sin þate firste þe werde was wroȝte Miraclis of þe croicis michte Line 21637 Hauis ben in semblande and in siȝte Ouir and undir riȝte and lefte In þis compais God al hauis lefte Line 21640 Bot-if man of him selue be blind Vmbþinke him he sale it finde Þe liknes of þis tre sa trewe In þalde lach was bifore þe newe Line 21644 And in þe new laȝ alsua sere Þat sum ar gode of to here I þinc þis es tre of blisse Þat riȝwines til bundin isse Line 21648 Hauid Adam fundin it at hande Þar wiþ he moȝte haue liue lastand Þat plantid es in paradise And dos þe dede up for to rise Line 21652 And Adam quen he wroȝt hauid woȝ Vndir þis tre he him wiþ-droȝ

Thare dide him driȝtin to resune And dide him in hope of perdune The blode of Abel it criid als Line 21657 Quen him hauid slane his broþir fals Wiþin þat tre was god þing hid Þat in þis ilke croice es kid And dede forsoþe hauid ben Noe If him ne sauid hauid þe tre Line 21662 Of iiij quarnere þe Arche was made Alhauis þe Croice on lange and brade Þe dor of þarche apon þe side And þare was Ihesu wondit wide Line 21666 Qua wil umbþink him in his mode Mai finde fele takins of þe rode Vr lauerd gaue Moyses a wand To wirkin Maisteris with-in hande Line 21670 Sithin was it worme and aftir gierde Als man enogh for-wiþ hauis herde Þate wele bitakind þat cipres Þar-of was warnid Moyses Line 21674 Baþe in worde ande eke in dede Quen Israel of Egipte giede Of that bliscid lambis blode A croice was made in signe of rode Þat þe croice apon þaim drawin Vr lauerd þaim sauid als tair awin Al þar oþir ne ware bot tinte Line 21681 Bitaȝte unto the angelis dinte Quen þe nedderis that war fele The folc stangit of Israele Quen þai welc in þe Wildernes Vndir the warde of Moises Line 21686 A neddir was set on a tre Þate quen þe stangit men moȝt se Þe neddir on þat tre þat hange Thai ware al warist of þair stang Line 21690

Line 21690 Quen þat tai sach als tai dide ofte And Moyses lifte his hende olofte To quilis he helde his hende o croice Ai hauid his awin folc þe voice Line 21694 Quen striue was bute þe preste-hede In þai daiis mang þe Iuwis lede To twelue men taȝt þai wandis xij [[in margin, aliud]] Ilkane merkid his himselue Line 21698 And saide quilc wande þat sulde ber blome Sulde ber the pristis hade wiþ dome Þare flurist an als gie haue herde . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 21702 Eliseus on oþir wise Dide a dedman for to rise Þe stane þat he apon him dide Of Croice it bare þe takin hide Line 21706 Quen David fachte again þat etin Na hauis he noȝte histan forgetin Vnto þe batail he it bare Mocht na kingis suorde do mare Line 21710 Þe signe of taue in alde laiis Bitaknis nu in ure daiis The men that tarwiþ takind ware Of it helpid fra misfare Line 21714 Staue and Croice baþe er als an Bot taue hauis gierd aboun nan [Blank in MS. here of about 7 lines; in margin a letter T, enclosed.] Of croice in þe alde testamente Line 21717 Was mani bisning quar-to cuthe tente Croice es qua sum wil sua or nai Banir of hali kirke to-dai Line 21720 Man hauis noȝt herde þate folc be lorn Þate hali croice havis wiþ thaim borne Bot hauis bidit of mani quare Þe lesse folc ouircome þe mare Line 21724 Þare croice was stad at ani fiȝte If þate þe dede be tane with riȝte

Of Croice to telle forgete inoȝte O croice þe formast man was wroȝte Of croice þe formast of all wiuis Line 21729 Of croice god bochte þair sawil liuis Þar-on he gaue himselue rancun Ande of himselue mad Gun-fanun Þe croice of medecine beris bote Bathe in fruite and als in rote Line 21734 In croice it was for us þe flure Þat we have þurȝ sa grete honure A riche liknes hauis itte It es þe heuid of hali writte Line 21738 Fundemente of ure clergie Reule it es of hali uie Makid it es of foure iij And þoȝ it es calde bot a tre Line 21742 Nokis four and tres þrine Sin þe þridde was don þar-in In treis þrin and iiij partise Ic undirstande þe sevin artis Line 21746 Of four and þree qua tellis euin He sale þe numbir mac of seuin Þu do togidiris ten and tua Þe lawis tuin sal tu finde sua Line 21750 In ten þan sale tu finde þe alde In tale of tua þe neu es talde Man hauis on croice his scaping knawin And he himselue of vi es drawin Bathe in bodi and sawil I saie Line 21755 Þe bodi of elemens tuis tuai Þe Sawil it hauis of strenþis þrin Þate takin of Croice þai bar wiþin Quen God þat haghis ilkin state Of al in his forþoȝte he wate Ferli proueid he him ane Line 21761 Mac croice of tre and noȝt of stane

Bot þat was for to mak þe mende Of þe tre þate was defende Line 21764 His croice he hauis sua wroȝte wiþ crafte It beris a scap til alle schafte Wele dide Moyses þate it fande And Daui als þate forte þe wande Line 21768 And Salomon þat felle it dide Ande sco þate fande quar it was hide Elin þat giern it sochte And til ur note nu hauis it broȝte Sco delte it wislic als sco wilde Þate alle þis werde it es fulfilde, Line 21774 Of þe [n]ame and of þe smelle For-þi es gode þar-of to telle

Helin walde nocht forlete Bote nailis in his hend and fete Line 21778 That driuin ware ful giern sco soȝt Til sco þaim fande ne finid noȝte A werke of þaim sco wroȝte ful fine In bridil of king Costentine Line 21782 Was na cristal alse brichte Na sua scene to mannis liȝte Quider sum he ferde þate sire The bridil briȝtnes bare of fire Line 21786 Mani þate sach that bridil briȝte It turnide to þe trouthe of driȝte Costentin þaim bare iij giere Quen he droch til his ending nere Line 21790 Ou[t] of the bridil he þaim lachte And to biscide þe croȝ þaim taȝte Þate mani uirtu sithin wrohte Line 21793 Þurȝ miȝte of Criste þat hauis us boȝt At costinopil and in France God hauis mani made mustrance Ate Sainte Denise es hir corune Wiþ þa nailis redi bune Line 21798

Line 21798 Mani man come seke and sare Line 21799 Þate thair hele hauis getin þare Of þe croice es broȝte til ende Þe croice miȝte mot us defende Qua sum þe tale can bettir attende Line 21803 For Cristis loue þate he it mende Þis tale queþir it be iuil or gode I fande it writin of þe rode Mani tellis diuerslie For þai mai finde diueris stori Line 21808 Þate fande þe croice he hiȝt Iudas Made bisop of the tune he was And his name was þan turnid þus þate he was calde Quiriacus Line 21812 Quen funden was þis hali croice Þe warlach saide on lofte with uoice Ha ha Iudas quat hauis tu done Gain me Iudas þu hauis misdone Line 21816 For-wiþ mi wille tinsil he wroȝte Þat tu fande þoȝ I walde it noȝte Þurȝ him war mani Sawlis mine Þurȝ þe nu þat I drede to tine Þurȝ him I rignid fer abute Line 21821 Þu mun me kaste of kinrik oute Noȝte for þi me wil noȝte nite Þat giet I ne sale þin dedis quite Anoþir king gain þe sale rise Line 21825 Þat I sal do þe wiþ to grise To do þe suffir sua mikil scham Þat þu sal nite þi Iesu name Line 21828 And tis was saide bitirand ane That Quiriac was of siþin slane Þate fendis crie þoȝ Iudas herde Neuir þe mare ne was he ferde Line 21832 Bot weried he þat wiþir-wine And saide Criste þat es lauerd mine

He deme þe intil helle depe Line 21835 Euir in wellande wa to wepe Þat hali croice ic of haue redde Quar-on Ihesu for us was spredde Þan be ur scheld eke and ure spere Line 21839 Bituixin us and helles here Stedfastlic in herte to bere For ilke dai we wend in were Ilke dai in wer we wende Line 21843 Bo[t] þe Ihesu haue we na lende Thurȝ thi croice mac us þi frende To be ur socure at ure ende.] [[Edinburgh extract ends.]]