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

[The Story of Elsey, and the Festival of the Conception].

[L]istnis mi god men wit your lef Wel laþe me war you for to gref Line 24734 Þat you mi talking þoht to toh For me þink ne mar enoh Þat I mai of hir louing red Þat bet vs al vt of vr ned Line 24738 Al mi lif vnto min end Þoh I moht in hir louing spend Al þat I cuþe or þink or sai Line 24741 It war noht half an our of dai And þis tar na man nik wit nai Sa brad of hir b[l]is es þe wai Line 24744 Þoh manis wit be neuir sa straite Sco mai wel bring it into nait For þoh mi wit war neuir sa wild Quen I ma mining of þat mild Quat blis sco bred ogain vr bale Þat In sal find wissing of wale Þat gifes me lust of hir to rede Line 24751 For he es alsped þat sco wil spede Tald es in þis bok biforn Hu þat scho was getin and born

Bot mi lauerdinges if ye bid Quat tim and term þat it bitid Þat sco was getin þat bird of blis I sal mon wit outin mis Line 24758 Þe fest of hir concepcioun Þar of ye sal her þe resun Qui þat hali kirke and hu Bi yer þarof dos seruis nu Line 24762 Þat it did noht in ald dais Herkens hu þe stori rais

A king was hiht Willam bastard Þat werraid ingeland ful hard Line 24766 Sa stalword man he was of hand Þat wit his force he wan þe land Selcuþe kenli cuþe he fiht He sloh þe king þat Harald hiht Þat born was of þe danis blod For qui þe land he him wit stod Þan bar Willam þe Sengnurie Line 24773 Of ingeland and normundie Þe king of Danemarche onan Herd þat Harald king was slan Of witte almast vt wald he wend Line 24777 For luf him þat was his frend Schippis did he diht him yar Intil ingeland to far Line 24780 Apon þe Normanȝ for to fiht Þat wan þe land witoutin riht For he suar bi þe king of heuin Line 24783 Þat Harald slahtir suld he heuin To King Willam bodword was broht Of þis tiþing þat him forþoht He schruid sar þa wer suld ris And warnist him on ma[n]i wis Line 24788 He gaderit sauders her and tar To strenþe his castels he and tar

Als he þat conquerur was god Line 24791 And for to werrai vndirstod His consail bad him for to fand Þe king of Danmark wit sand Line 24794 For to spek about sum pais Bituixin him and þa Danais Þis ilke tim þat ike of sai Was an abbot in ramisay Line 24798 Þe nam of him men cald elis Selcuþeli hend he was and wis And wel a gret resun schaw he cuþe Wit outin ani mer in muþe Line 24802 Þis abbot of þis erand ber Was cosin to þe messager vnto danmark to fare Als man was led wit mikel lar Line 24806 Wit tresori his schip was diht Of presand mani riche gift Of siluir and gold to giftes bede Mar þan es mister for to rede Þe singe of pes alsua to bring Line 24811 Tuix willam and þat oþer king And of þa scippis for to spir Quen þat tai ahtil for to stir Line 24814 Helis to scipping he him did Þe bir it blew als he wald bid He past þat se þat was wel brad His presand to þe king he mad Line 24818 His presand was welcum and he Als bringand wont es for to be Til erlis and baruns of þat rik Þan gaf he serkin giftis rik Line 24822 Þa þat he hauid na giftes til Wit speche he hauid al þair wil Sa wel in speche þan cuþe he spel Þat al þat ost he did to duel Line 24826

Line 24826 Quen his nedis war al done Þai diht him his schipping sone Þair sail þai set vp of þair schippe Sir Helis and his felauschippe Line 24830 His giftes gaf he noht in vaine Bot fair presendis sent ogaine Forþe þai flotin on þat flod For al to wil þair bir þaim stod Þat at þe last moht þai noht se Line 24835 Bot heuin abute þaim and þe se Þe wedir als in somer smeþe Son bigan be rug and reþe Line 24838 Þat ilke waw til oþir it weft And bremli to þa bargis beft [folio 15a:1] Þe lift it blakind al to niht On ilka sid þan slakid þair siht Line 24842 Þe se for reþnes wex al red To rewþe was turnid al þair red Þe wind ras gainis taim vnride Þe se þaim sailid on ilka side Line 24846 Þaim blew on mani bremli blast Quen mast it raf and cordis brast Strangli straite þan war þai stad Þe marineres war selcuþe rad Line 24850 Sua rad ne war þai neuir ar For þain war neuir in perlir ar Ful wantsum war þai þan of red Bot drerili þai dred þair ded Line 24854 Quen þai hauid striuin ai quil þai moht Again þat storm al was for noht Þai let it wander vp and dun Þair schip ai redi for to drun Þai wander waful on þat flod Line 24859 Cried and wep als tai war wod Þai sari lokid ai sua forswonkin Quen schip suld quilum be or sunkin

On ihesu crist þai cri and cal Line 24863 And on mari þat helpis al Leuedi þai sai þat es sa mild Prai for vs to þi suet child Line 24866 Al mon we druen sa wailewai Leuedi nu help for wel þu mai Þai wrang þair hend and wep ful sar Als men war carkid al wit car Line 24870 Apon þair brestes fast þai beft And al in God þaim self bileft . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Bot sco þat euer es bot of bal Til al þat hop in hir hauis hal Hir socur son to þaim sco sent Line 24877 Þat in silk murning on her ment Dun bi þat schip an angel liht In selcuþe cleþing schen of siht Þis angel to þa quakand kid Line 24881 And þus to þaim his erand did Helis he said lift vp þi cher Cum spec ner wit þis messager Al þa þat in þat farcost ferd Line 24885 Ware med quen þai him sau and herd Þe angel þus he tald his talle Helis he said if [þou] wil halle Cum of þis schip to land and fer Þu sal nu hiht and vow me her Þat tu sal don als I þe sai Line 24891 Til alle þe kirkes þat tu mai Quen þu comis intil ingeland For to do þaim at vndirstand Line 24894 For to haluin þis ilke dai Wit al þe worsip þat þai mai In hali kirk ringand bi yer Als getin was vr leuedi der Line 24898

Line 24898 For getin bituix man and womman Was sco þat wem hauid neuir nan Getin was sco to be born Line 24901 For to leþe al þar war forlorn Þis es þe dai þat sco was getin Lok neuir mar it be forgetin Line 24904 Qua halus it wit outen fail Baþe lif and sawel it sal taim wail Do vou elis and hald þi vow It sal te turn til mikel pru Line 24908 To þat angel þan spak Hellie Sai me signe he said quarbie Ik and al mi monkes mai Line 24911 And al cristin men halu þat dai To knau he said it war ful eþe Þe ahtand dai of a moneþe Þat mai clepis in þe yer December in þe calender Line 24916 Þat es þe dai þat ik of men Quen getin was þat leuedi schen Sai me said Helis quat kin wis Of hir þat we sal mak seruis Line 24920 Sin þar es proper nan I knaw Gladli sir I sal you schaw [folio 15b:1] Þe seruis of hir birþe þu tak Þar of þu sal þi seruis mak Line 24924 Of a word þat þar in es red To sette anoþer word in sted Ai quar ye sai natiuite Þis word conceptioun sai ye Line 24928 For change þar es nan mar Of al þe seruis þat es tar . . . . . Line 24931 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 24934

Line 24934 Of þis borword bliþe was Helli Line 24935 And þankid crist and vr leuedi Gladlik he hiht and wit God wille Þat comandment al for to fille Line 24938 Quen þe abbot hauid his vow mad Out of þair siht þe angel glad Als suiþe na langer duell Þe lem gan liht þe storm it fel Ful fair it com þat se to siht Line 24943 And þai bigan þair takil diht Þair wil to wind fair þai fand Til þai com intil ingeland Line 24946 Wit al þair farnet and þair fer Þai com to land baþe hale and fer Helis bigan þis comandment Son for to schaw til his couent Line 24950 Al þis chance þat him bitid Al comunlik he it vndid To worsip hir conception Þat of vr pliht vs gat pardon Line 23954 Þis fest fra þan þe folk forþe held Þar of ilk an til oþer teld Þis ilk abbot at ramsai A setnes set in his abbai Line 24958 Þar in þis seruis for to stand Ai quilis þat abbai be lastand And sua man dos in stedis fel Line 24961 Sa ah al do þat es hir lel Þis stori þar wit for to sai Euir quen wil hald þis dai Mai na man seruin him in lede Line 24965 Þat sco ne þan yeldis þaim þair med Sco don vs her to serue hir sua Þat we be wit hir euir and a. Amen. . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] [[Not in the Edinburgh MS.]]