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

Of the Childhood of Mary.

¶ Whenne anne coom to tyme of birþ She bare a mayden myche of myrþ Marie to name on hir þei leide As þe aungel tofore had seide Line 10578 whenne þei þre ȝeer had hir fed To þe temple was she led Of hir þei made her offronde To him þat is god al weldonde At þis temple þat I of mene A greese þer was of steppes fiftene Casten hit was wiþ compas sly Line 10585 For to go hit was ful hy þis may but of þre ȝeer olde went on þe grees I er of tolde . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 10590 whil þei loked hem bisyde She to þe heȝest ȝede þat tide Wiþouten helpe of mon of welde As she were wommon of elde þis bitokened sikurly Line 10595 God wolde she grew & clomb on hy þourȝe gode þewes & lif clene [folio 66b:1] As siþ was on þat lady sene whenne hir frendes gan hir se vpon þe alþer heȝest degre Line 10600 þei wondride how she þider wan þei ȝaf hir to þe temple þan As þei made avow biforn Ar she were of modir born Line 10604 Whenne þei had made her sacrifise And ȝyuen hir to þe chirche seruise Among oþere maydenes þore Boþe to fostryng & to lore Line 10608

Line 10608 To god him self þei hir bitauȝt And vchone hamwarde strauȝt ¶ þere þei laft þat mirþful may God hir ledde in hir way Line 10612 As she of body wex & name So sprang hir goodnes & hir fame Witte & bounte to ouer-pas Al þat in þe temple was Line 10616 þere was no mayde of noon ospring So holy of lif olde nor ȝing Aungels ofte coom & ȝede To coumforte hir in al hir dede Line 10620 To whom þis mayden knowen was hadde greet wondir of hir grace þat she was ȝinge & so wise Line 10623 So holy & of so greet seruyse þe witt þe vertu of hir ioynt May no mon write wiþ penne poynt No mon coude so muche rede But more was hir douȝtyhede how mylde meke how chaste & clene hit was þerby kud & sene þat god into hir wolde liȝt And in hir dud his wonyng diȝt Soþely may men herby se þat lady was of greet bounte For hit is founden as we rede Oure lord wolde him neuer bede Line 10636 To soule þat fouled was in synne To make his wonynge stude Inne þus most þis may be clene & briȝt Wiþouten pleynt of any pliȝt Line 10640 Of whom þe kyng þat al dud make Sende his monhede to take In temple was hir wonyng þo To serue god nyȝt & day also

Wiþ al hir myȝt & al hir tent To goddes seruyse was she went Line 10646 So longe had she þere bene þat she coom to ȝeres fourtene þenne commaundide þe bisshop þere þat alle þo maydenes þat þere were þat comen to fourtene ȝeer were þo Line 10651 Shulde go to her frendes so For to mary & for to spouse vchone to her owne house Line 10654 ¶ Many of hem þat þere were stad Dud gladly as þe bisshop bad But mary wolde no maryinge But mayden lyue to hir endynge Line 10658 Whenne men to hir of spousyng spake She seide mon noon wolde she take To god haue I ȝyuen me May I to no mon maryed be Line 10662 Oþer husbonde wol I none But god þat is my lemmone My maydenhede to him I hiȝt I shal hit holde at my myȝt Line 10666 þe wille þat I haue het him to Shal I neuermore vndo To god was I ȝyuen ere My modir me of bodi bere Line 10670 In his seruyse most I lende Euer to my lyues ende ¶ þe bisshop nuste what to speke he durste not hir vow to breke hit was bifore mony a day Line 10675 Commaundide in þe olde lay þe avow þat god was made [folio 67a:1] Shulde be holden wiþouten abade Line 10678 On oþere side he was dredonde To bringe a custom new in honde

þe maydenes frendes for to let In mariage hem for to set Line 10682 For hit was in her lede In mariage þe folke to brede þe bisshop sende aftir grete þe wisest folke he myȝte gete Of alle þe men in þat cuntre Line 10687 At þe temple to make semble Whenne þei were comen ȝonge & olde þe bisshop hem þis tale tolde Why he dud hem sembled to be For þis avow of chastite For to aske at hem her rede Line 10693 If she shulde holde hit to hir dede If þei durst make hir hit to breke her of in counsel dud þei speke þe bisshop bad hem loke how She miȝte be maryed to holde þat vow For vow þat is made bi riȝt Owe no mon to breke by myȝt þere vow is made hit comeþ of wille Nedely most men hit fulfille But þere was noon at þis gederyng Line 10703 þat coude counsel of þis tiþing Counsel oþere ȝaue þei nouȝt But cried & called on god on loft þat he wolde sende hem grace tille To do hem wite of his wille What þei shulde do of þat may To make hir breke hir vow or nay ¶ þenne fel þei alle on knees doun Line 10711 And made to god hir orisoun Whil þei in her preyeres were þei herde a voys saye riȝt þere Lokeþ he seide þe prophecy what seide ȝou ȝore Isay Line 10716

Line 10716 þourȝe þat prophete may ȝe se To whom þe mayde shal spoused be Isay þe olde prophete Line 10719 Ful longe siþen he ȝou bihete Of rote of Iesse shulde springe A ȝerde þat shulde a flour forþ bringe Boþe flour & fruyt shulde þerof breste þe holy goost shulde þeronne reste Line 10724 þourȝe þe voys þere þei herde þei had knowyng of þat ȝerde Of rote of iesse hit shulde springe þere went þei in to knowlechynge þei biþouȝte hem þenne to calle þe kynde of dauid kyn alle Line 10730 Whos fadir was Iesse þere þei were spred in þat cuntre Vchone of hem shulde in her honde Be beden to bere a wonde Line 10734 Whiche of hem þat blossum bere Shulde spouse þat mayden þere Anoon þei senden vp & doun And bad hem at a day be boun Alle þat hadde no spouse to bedde And of kyng dauid were bredde Line 10740 And þo þat þider com wolde A ȝerde were made in honde to holde And what monnes ȝerde þat dud blome Shulde marie wedde bi dome ¶ þe day coom of þis assemble Line 10745 laft þere noon in þat cuntre But þei alle at þe temple were But if he spoused were of ere Ioseph coom to ierusalem A mon þat woned in bethleem Line 10750 his wif was deed & he ful olde Among þo men bifore tolde

He coom þat day to bere his wonde As couenaunt was al þat londe Childre had he sikurly Line 10755 Elder & more þen mary He was ferforþ goon in lif [folio 67b:1] he ȝerned not to haue a wif hir to haue had he not mynt If he hit any weye myȝt stynt Line 10760 Leue he miȝt þat no wey But he most nede com to þat day Vchone wiþ ȝerde forþ gon step Abak þenne drowȝe him Ioseph Line 10764 Alle her ȝerdes dud vp holde Bihynde him drowȝe Ioseph vnbolde þenne bad þe prest hem to calle To offer vp her ȝerdes alle þe prest hem tolde & soone fond Bihynde holden was a wond Line 10770 whenne Ioseph say hit was nouȝt But nede his most forþ be brouȝt Also soone as hit was sene Wiþ leof & flour þei fonde hit grene A doufe was fro heuen sent liȝt doun & þeronne lent Line 10776 þenne was Marie Ioseph bitauȝt And he hir in spousaile lauȝt Wheþer he wolde ouþer nay he most hir spouse & lede away . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]