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

[Joshua leads the people into Canaan.]

þese iewes went wiþouten resoun Into þe londe of promissioun Line 6924 þourȝe moyses ne coom þei nouȝt But Iosue hem þidir brouȝt God aftir good Moisen [folio 44a:1] Made him leder of his men Line 6928 wiþ his felawe þat calef hiȝt þo two brouȝte hem to riȝt þis Iosue coom of þat kyn þo þat men calle effraym also Line 6932 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in Trin. & Laud MSS.] In egipte born but fed he wes And leder als wiþ Meistir moyses Line 6936 þis ilke moises riȝtwis of rede For ȝat not ar he were dede

To sette þese holy ȝerdes þre In a stude he fonde pryue Line 6940 þere þei grew lasse ne more But euer as þei were bifore Riȝt to kyng dauid dayes þat lad þe folk in goddes layes Line 6944 he bi warnyng of goddes sonde Brouȝte þo ȝerdes to his londe

¶ whenne aaron was deed þe prest his son eliazar was neest And his fadris astate he bere Til Iosue we speke of here Line 6950 þis Iosue was wondir liȝt And maistry had in mony a fiȝt Trewely he fauȝte for goddes lay þerfore god doubled him his day Line 6954 And made þe sonne still to stonde Til Iosue hadde þe heȝer honde And whil he passed þe flum iurdon þe watir stood stille as stoon Line 6958 Til he þe folke had ouer brouȝt In to þe same londe þei souȝt Ioseph bones þei wiþ hem lede And þere graued hem in þat stede Line 6962 In a lond þat hett sichim was ȝyuen in lot to Ioseph kyn For as þei wan hit with her hond þei dalt bitwix hem þat lond Line 6966 Vche kynrede of þo twelue had a lodesmon hem selue þat shulde he owne kynrede lede whenne þat þei to bataile ȝede Line 6970 For þei fonde stronge folk hem aȝeyn wiþ were þat dud hem mychel peyn And wiþstode hem þe lond to wynne But þat was for her owne synne Line 6974

Line 6974 For whil þei helde her lawe in londe was no folke miȝte hem wiþstonde þat all oþere dud miȝte not availe whil þei helde goddes counsaile hem þurte drede no mon in place But her fiȝt lasted litil space Line 6980 whenne þei moost had of her wille Moost þei dud hem self vnskille Of god al myȝti þei lafte þe lawe Line 6983 To sarasines feiþ gan hem drawe And made wiþ hem her mariages who herde euer suche men in rages Suche a kyng couþe no man knawe hem helde from vche monnes awe Line 6988 And euer þei vnskil on him souȝt Til þei hem self in þraldom brouȝt In þraldome were þei worþ to be þat wolde not suffer to be fre