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

[The Passover, and killing of the first-born.]

¶ ȝitt god fondide pharaon And sende þe tenþe wreche him on More þen alle þese oþere smert To sett him sorwe at his hert Line 6060 Aaron god seide & moysen Doþ he seide as I ȝou ken

Say to my folke on þis wise þat þei make me a sacrifise Line 6064 Furste þei me an auter make And siþen vchone to his hous take A clene lomb þat is honest Line 6067 þe blood ȝe kepe þe filþe oute kest And when hit is to offryng bed þe meyne þerwiþ shal be fed Loke þei be shod vchone Line 6071 þat lomb shal ete & barfot none whoso for pouert is bihynde þe toþer alle shul him fynde þat lombes blood in al þing ȝe make þerwiþ a tokenyng Line 6076 On euery post on vche dernere þe syne of thayu make ȝe þere wiþ þerf breed & letus wilde whiche þat groweþ in þe filde Line 6080 hit shal not soden be but bred þe lomb þat ȝe shal wiþ be fed þei shul hit ete feet & heed Ouer nyȝt no þing þerof be leed And if ouȝte leue or hit be tynt Line 6085 Do hit in þe fuyr be brint Beþ alle girde wiþ staf in honde Ne hones not whil ȝe are etonde And I my self seide god al myȝt Line 6089 Shal passe þourȝe egipte þat nyȝt Alle þe forburþes shal I slo Boþe of mon & beest also Line 6092 On her godis I wol wrake On hem I shal my vengeaunce take In mynde shal ȝe holde þis day Boþe ȝe & ȝoure ospringe ay Line 6096 Solempnely in ȝoure lawe Wiþ alle worshepes þerto drawe

¶ þenne called moyses þe olde Men of israel & tolde Line 6100 Al þat god had him seide And how þis lomb shulde be purueide On her poste & her dernere þe blood þei shulde anoynte þere Line 6104 Straitly he forbede þat þai Shulde out of house com ar day To delyuer hem haþ god mynt And ȝyue egipcians a dynt Line 6108

þe folke was fayn & louted doun þei went to make her lambes boun Of þis bodeword were þei glad And duden riȝt as moises bad Soone aftir þat ilke nyȝt God as he bifore had hiȝt Line 6114 Sent anoon his aungel doun þourȝe al egipte in vche toun And souȝte her houses al bidene Of þo þat were egipciene Line 6118 Of þat meyne lafte he noon At þe laste þat he sowȝe vchon At þe kyng he furst bigan Line 6121 þe forburþe slowȝe beest & man . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

Wroþer hele roos vp þe kyng [folio 39a:1] Line 6125 And þo þat were wiþ him dwellyng Ouer al egipte þe cry was Mony þer were saide allas Line 6128 þer was no hous in þat lond But þerin was deed mon ligond Bi nyȝt þe kyng sende þon Aftir moyses and aaron Line 6132 Gooþ he seide out of my kiþ ȝe & al ȝoure folke ȝou wiþ

Makeþ sacrifise ȝoure god tille where & how þat ȝe wille Line 6136 Takeþ ȝoure beestis wiþ ȝou boun Gooþ & ȝyueþ me ȝoure benesoun þe folke bigon on hem to crye Gooþ & doþ forþ in hye Line 6140 Dwelle ȝe lenger any while we drede deþ wol vs bigyle

Fro þis folke þat was in sorwe þe folke of israel to borwe Line 6144 Asked siluer vessel sere And cloþes of pris ful dere God þat grace to hem ȝaue her askyng he dud hem haue For to reue þat folke so snel Line 6149 And helpe his folke of israel þei were whenne þei to go bigon Six hundride þousonde fote men þon wiþouten childre wymmen & brode þat noon þe noumbre vndirstode Line 6154 Lafte þei not þat heren was Sheepe ne cow ox ne as her wonynge þere wiþouten wene Foure hundride ȝeer & two had bene whenne þis tyme coom to ende Of egipte goddis hoost out wende Line 6160 þis oweþ euer to be in mynde To israel and al her kynde

To Moyses oure lord þo tolde Line 6163 what wise þei shulde paske holde And neuermore þat day to ete Soure breed ny noon oþere mete Ny no day with me þo seuen dayes Seuen þe firste þe story sayes Line 6168 þe forburþe of her childre alle Fro þat tyme to god lete falle

And to him offer at þe leest þe forburþe of vche a beest Line 6172 Mannes childe wiþ pris he bouȝt And sheep hors & asse he brouȝt In mynde þis was to vndirstonde þat he delyuered hem of þat londe Line 6176 Bi strengþe of egipte he hem drowȝe Of mon & beest forburþe he slouȝe

whenne pharao had hem forþ sende Line 6179 God bad hem to wildernes wende Or philistiens wolde wiþ hem mete And let hem for to wende her strete þat folke toke þe wilde way Bi syde þe rede see hit lay Line 6184 þus goddes folk armed were Iosephes bones with hem þei bere whenne Ioseph in lif was stad ȝerne he preyed þe folke & bad Line 6188 þat whenne god sende hem visityng Men shulde his bones þennes bryng Bi a mychel wodes syde þei made hem logges to abide Line 6192 God him self hem led her way hem to kepe nyȝte & day wiþ clouden piler on þat day liȝt Wiþ fire piler vp on þat nyȝt Line 6196 In no tyme hem wanted nouþer Niȝt or day þei had ouþer