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

Of þe þridde elde is now to telle Who so wol a stounde dwelle

Of Abraham now wol we drawe þat rote is of þe cristen lawe I say þerfore he is þe rote For of him sprong oure alþer bote Line 2318

Line 2318 þat bote þat brouȝte vs in to myrþe þourȝe þe holy maydenes birþe Line 2320 Of him & his kyn shul we rede þat wondirly bigon to brede Oure lady wex out of his sede We pray hir for hir maydenhede þat we may of þis story say Line 2325 hir to worshepe hir son to pay Abraham þat we here of neuen Was wel loued wiþ god of heuen Trewe he was euer in dede Line 2329 Ful of feiþ & holyhede he & his good wif sare Ful of chastite þei ware Line 2332 Two douȝtres had Aram his broþer he spoused þe toon nacor þe toþer For bi þe lawe þat þei lyued ynne Men shulde not spouse but in her kynne He was boþe meke & hende [folio 15b:1] Line 2337 Oure lorde him made his priuey frende he loued soþfastenes & riȝt þerfore oure lord to him hiȝt Line 2340 A childe to brede of his ospring þat al of þraldome shulde brynge And þer shulde also of his sede So mychel pepul aftir brede Line 2344 þat no mon myȝte þe somme neuen More þen þe sterres of heuen Ne þen þe graueles in þe see So multepliynge shulde þei be Line 2348 He leued þis wiþ herte stabul Line 2350 þis biheest myȝte be no fabul Line 2349 As he leued so he fond Line 2351 Oure lord helde him trewe couenond But longe he ladde him wiþ delay To more þe mede of his fay Line 2354

Line 2354 ¶ Of sixty ȝeer he was & fyue Line 2355 Whenne his fadir was faren of lyue For him he was in mournynge þouȝt Til oure lord him coumforte brouȝt And seide to him wiþ a soun Abraham loke þou make þe boun þou þi catel & þi meyne Out of þis londe þat ȝe fle Line 2362 ȝe shul wende to a bettur londe To loth þi broþeres sone in honde To chanaan ȝe mosten drawe A lond þat I shal ȝou shawe Line 2366 þou leue Aram þe londe of ire Of chanaan to be lorde & sire þider to wende be not ferde þere shal be þi kyndely erde Line 2370 Alle þat wonen þer aboute To þe shul be vndirloute þere shal þi name reised be And alle þo heires þat comen of þe I shal hem blisse þat þe wol blisse Line 2375 Mi blessyng shal þe oþere misse ¶ Abraham went & wiþ him loth Meyne & catel wel I woot he coom & dwelt he & þei Bi syde sichen in a valey Line 2380 But þer felones folk þei fonde þat mychel wasted of þat londe Als so soone as þei þidur cam God him shewed to Abraham Line 2384 And seide Abraham þis is the land þat þou & þine shul haue weldand Abraham of trouþe so trewe Bi bethel reised an auter newe Line 2388 He worsheped god kyng of blis And he him blessed and alle his

Abraham turned him into þe souþ To se þat londe þouȝte vncouþ Line 2392 In pees he wende hit have in wolde As oure lord had him tolde But soone whenne he had þe londe An hungur fel I vndirstonde Line 2396 her corn wantede on vche syde hard hit was hem to abyde Abraham to selle fond no sede To egipte wende most he nede Line 2400 Sare his wif wiþ him to lede hadde þei no corn hem with to fede And as þei þiderwarde went Line 2403 þis forwarde made þei þere present ¶ lemmon he seide sore I me drede Now we go bi þis vncouþ lede For þou art feir whenne þei þe se Line 2407 Wiþ myȝte þei wol þe take fro me Say þou þerfore to oon & oþer þou art my sister & I þi broþer Elles þe folke when þei þe se Line 2411 Wol me sle for loue of þe Sir she seide hit shal be do þenne coom þei þat cuntre to Line 2414 Whenne þat folke had hir sene Alle speke of hir she was so shene And so hir preysed to þe kynge [folio 16a:1] þat he hir made to him brynge Line 2418 But god hir kepte þat was hir wiþ And saued hir so in his griþ þat myȝte no mon wiþ lecchery hir body touche wiþ vileny þe kyng was ferde for goddes gram Line 2423 And delyuered hir to Abraham And seide why mades þou vs in were To calle þi wif þi sister dere

Take hir here & brouke hir wel Of þin wol I neuer a del Line 2428 But leuer me is of myn þou haue Golde & siluer he him ȝaue And commaundide þourȝe his lond Men shulde him plese & haue in hond And whenne he wolde no lengur lende þat he most frely hamwarde wende And alle þe godis he wiþ him ledde To lette him streitly he fobede Line 2436

¶ Abraham went hoom & his wif sare he loued hir bettur þen he dud are For worshepe þat she made him wynne And she vnsouȝt sacles of synne Line 2440 Into bethel þei coom anoon þere he furst sett his auter stoon Bitwene him & his nevewe loth Line 2443 Beestaile þei had ynouȝe I wot To commune pasture þei took þe lond þat þere lay next her hond But whenne her stoor bigan to brede her pasture þo wex al nede þerfore her herdes stroof for hit Line 2449 her beestes nede most þei flit For þat folke þei were among þat dud her stoor mychel wrong þe nabethens þat loþely lede Line 2453 Ful of wronge & wickedhede þei myȝte wiþ hem haue no rest þei most parte to seke her best Abraham seide wiþ wordes hende loth my neuewe & my frende þis lond is wide þat we are Inne Line 2459 God vs helpe hit to wynne Of þis contre þat is so wide þou chese to won on sum syde

Wheþer þou chese on riȝt or lefte I wol take þat þou hast lefte Line 2464 loth loked toward flum iordan A dale he chees to him þan A lussom londe & fair cuntre þe flom ran þourȝe feire to se Line 2468 þe lond of Gomor þerby lys þat þenne was like to paradis þat tyme ar hit had done þe sake Line 2471 Til god þeron vengeaunce con take þat lond to wone In loth þouȝt best Abraham chees towarde þe eest þe londe of sodom bare greet blame For hit was in a wicked fame Line 2476 þei synned so foule among hom þat boþe hem cursed god & mon Abraham last & his þan Bisyde þe lond of canaan Line 2480 vndir þe foot of mount mambre þere he chees to sette his se þat ilke stude hett chebron Line 2483 A wondir wynsum stud in woon he made an autere in þat stude And sacrifice þeron he dude Line 2486 þat oure lord shulde on him mynne And make him worshepe to wynne his tabernacle he sett þere soone Line 2489 God lete miracle for him done ¶ In þat lond was a werre strong And hit lasted somdel long Line 2492 Foure kinges werred vp on fyue þe fyue aȝeyn þe foure to stryue þei smoot to gider neuer þe latir In a dale biside a watir Line 2496 So longe þei hew on helme & sheeld [folio 16b:1] þat foure of fyue wan þe feld

þe fyue ȝaf bat to wynne away and fellen into a pit of clay Line 2500 þere fel þei doun in swowȝe And her enemyes þere hem slowȝe Siþ þei toke to wynne þat lond Line 2503 Al þat þei biforne hem fond loth þei toke & led hem wiþ Was noon þei wolde graunte griþ þei helde heres was þe lond For þei hadde þe ouer hond Line 2508 harde helde þei loth þat day A mon vnneþe myȝt passe away To com to Abraham for to telle Of lothes chaunce how hit bifelle Line 2512 Abraham ful euel likonde Whenne he herde þis tiþonde he dud to geder to gider his men Line 2515 þre hundride eiȝte seruauntis & ten And priuely he made hem bide Til aȝeyn þe euen tyde And þo he brouȝte hem to a paas Men calde þere þen themas Line 2520 þere he delt his folke in two þat he oþere shulde not scape hem fro þe kyngis hadde of no mon doute Line 2523 her folke þei scatered al aboute Abraham þat was in trouþe strong heþen men he met among Fro hem he delyuered loth Wiþ al þe catel vche grot Line 2528 Slayn were þo knyȝtis þat nyȝt þourȝe þe grace of god al myȝt þe folk of sodom was ful fayn Line 2531 When abraham was comen aȝayn þey saw her frendes hol & sounde And wist her foos brouȝte to grounde

Melchisedech wiþ wille glade Line 2535 Offryng of wyn & breed made þat of ierusalemes londe was kyng & prest & had in honde Trewe he was wys & hende Of her conquest toke þe tende Line 2540 Abraham his benison ȝaf he And bad alle to him tentinge be Of pray wolde Abraham nouȝt haue But vche mon his owne ȝaue Line 2544 Muche was þe loue word þon þat Abraham gat of mony mon þei seide hit was he in siȝt Line 2547 Oure lord in him wolde holde his hiȝt

¶ Abraham went home & with him ledde his flocke & when he was in bedde In slepe he herde oure lordis steuen Soþely to him spake in sweuen Line 2552 And seide Abraham þar þe not drede I shal þe helpe in al þi nede þat I haue þe in dede hiȝt Line 2555 To wynne þou shalt not faile myȝt Lord he seide how may þis be What is þi wille to ȝyue to me þou wost wel childe haue I none But my seruauntis son allone Line 2560 þat serueþ me eliazar Myn eire wolde I þat he war Siþ þou me ȝaf noon oþer barn Nay seide god I shal þe warn Line 2564 þat he þin eire shal not be But a seed þat comeþ of þe Abraham he seide com þer oute Biholde þe sky al aboute Line 2568 þe childer þat of þe shal brede No more shal þou con hem rede

þen sterres or sky or sonde in see To knowe hit shal ful selcouþ be Line 2572 Be trust in þis þat I þe hiȝt þe hit to refe shal noon haue miȝt Abraham þis word forȝaat nouȝt Line 2575 Oure lord to serue was al his þouȝt þenne made Abraham his sacrifise [folio 17a:1] As god him tolde on what wyse Whenne þis was don & al purueide A voys þenne þourȝe a cloude seide Line 2580 þat þer aftir a wel longe while In egipte shulde his sede exile In þraldome foure hundride ȝere But þei shulde aftir bye hit dere Line 2584 þei shulde hem holde in þat þrong But wroken on hem shulde be þat wrong þenne shulde þe seed of abraham Aȝeyn com to her londe þan Line 2588 In pees her heritage to holde As to fore was hett & tolde

Sare was childeles ȝitt wiþ þis Line 2591 þat myche þeraftir ȝerned I wis She serued hir þis womman þat Agar hett Egipcian She seide to Abraham priuely þou seest no childer bere may I Line 2596 And siþen I may bere no barn Agar my womman I þe warn Bi þe shal ligge if þou wol so For I am bareyn me is wo Line 2600 If any childe of hir were þine I wolde holde hit as for myne Sare as she bifore had seid Line 2603 Bi hir hosbonde agar leid Agar was wiþ childe in hy And liȝtly let of hir lady Line 2606

Line 2606 To Abraham dam sare saide þat wenche þat I bi þe layde For she is wiþ childe bi þe Line 2609 Greet spit she leteþ bi me Abraham hir sone vnswerde Chastise hir þou hast þe ȝerde Line 2612 So chastised sare hir þat day þat she was fayn to fle away But in hir fliȝte as she ȝode An aungel coom biforn hir stode Line 2616 In wildernes bi a welle þus gan he to hir spelle He seide Agar whennes comes þou And whodirwarde woltou go now Fro my lady she seide I go Line 2621 For me she doþ mychel wo þe aungel seide wende aȝeyn Hir to serue þou be feyn Wende aȝeyn I saye for þi Line 2625 Of þi seed ȝitt shal multepli Muchel folke and I þe warn þou art wiþ a knave barn þou calle him Ismael Agare Line 2629 God wol couer þe of þi care He shal be fers & cruel boþe Aȝein alle ledes wondir wroþe Line 2632 Aȝein him alle. aȝein alle he A wondir wiȝte mon shal he be Agar hoom to hir lady went Line 2635 And serued her wiþ good entent Soone aftir for to telle She was liȝter of ismaelle Line 2638 Whenne he was born abraham had þon Foure skore & six ȝere ouer gon Of þis childe he was as bliþe As his fadir were brouȝt to lyue Line 2642