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

Of John the Baptist.

¶ Þis zakary þat we of rede Line 10935 Comen was of leuy sede Elizabeth his wif was olde Anna suster toforn tolde Holy lif to gider þei led Line 10939 Wiþouten childe bitwene hem bred Muche þerfore þei mournyng were Þei hit abated wiþ good chere Al most to her lyues ende Line 10943 God at þe last hem sende A greet fest fel in her lede Þat zakari to temple ȝede To do þe folke her seruyse Line 10947 As lawe was in her Ise He reuested him on his manere And so went to þe autere Line 10950 he bad þe folk go out vchone Whil he preyed in þe chirche al one As was þe vse of her lawe Had he dwelt but a þrawe He loked to his riȝt honde Line 10955 And say an aungel bi him stonde Wherfore in mood he wex al mad He aungel bad him be not drad

he seide he þat al may mende zakary to þe me sende þe to counforte & make liȝt Line 10961 þou shal haue a childe ful riȝt Of suche a childe þou may be bliþe For gode dedes shal he kiþe his name shaltou Ion calle Line 10965 God haþ so ordeyned in his alle

zachary seide wiþouten greue þis tiþing may I not leue I & my wif of pure elde Line 10969 Are past tyme childe to welde Þou shal haue he seide a childe parfey And fynde al sooþ þat I þe sey Mony shul glade of his burþ Line 10973 He shal be mon of muchel murþ But for þou woldes not hit trowe Þou shal be doumbe soþely fro nowe Til þat he be born þat ȝonge Line 10977 And he shal do þe haue þi tonge Bifore almyȝti god he shal Bicomen a greet mon wiþ al Line 10980 Muchel for riȝte shal he swynke And nouþer wyn ne siþer drynke But in his modir wombe shal he Of þe holy goost fulfilde be Line 10984 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Sir zakary haue good day Al shal þou fynde as I þe say Line 10988 þe folke þat were þe chirche wiþoute wondride what he was aboute Whenne þei had longe biden so Into þe chirche went þei þo Line 10992 Al mad zakary þei fond To hem coude telle no tiþond

Ny seruyse do so was he sted Doumbe to his house þei him led

¶ Þenne bere she childe elizabeth Line 10997 In septembre moneth Þe foure & twenty nyȝt was he comen bi grace & myȝt Forþ wiþ þe annunciacioun Of crist þat brouȝte us alle pardoun For riȝt was þat þe purueour Line 11003 Shulde com bifore þe saueour he þat coom vs for to bye Sende biforn his bailye þenne sende iesu [[MS. ihu]] Ion bifore Line 11007 Ar he were of modir bore Her boþe modris þat were mylde Went boþe at ones wiþ childe But elizabeþ was forþer gone Line 11011 Bi sixe moneþes & woke one Fro seynt Ion þe concepcioun [folio 69a:1] was til þe annunciacioun Sone as oure lady had met Line 11015 wiþ þe aungel þat hir gret She went out of nazareth For to speke wiþ elizabeth Line 11018 She þat bareyn was olde wif Þo she was wiþ childe in lif Not fer fro hir childyng At maries coome maiden ȝing þo þei met þese ladyes twin Boþe cosynes of o kyn Line 11024 Furste seynt marye spake And hir gretyng bi-gon to make To elizabeth wel forþ gon hir childe in wombe was glad anoon And for ioye hit set vp riȝt Line 11029 For to worshipe god of myȝt

Aȝeyn him made he murþes newe Line 11031 þei he not sey he him knewe his lord knewe he wel biforn Þat he was of his modir born . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 11036 Elizabeth in þat place She was filde wiþ goostly grace She bigon þis prophecie Blessed þou be she seide marie And blessed be þe fruyt of þe Line 11041 Þat þou wolde visite me Þe modir of my god so dere In my wombe þe childe gon here wiþ þe heilsyng þat þou me made Line 11045 hit made ioye & was glade Blessed art þou þat mys trowed nouȝt þe holy bodeword þe was brouȝt þou maist be trust & redy bide Al þat is þe het shal bi-tyde Line 11050 ¶ Þese ladyes loued hem so welle Eiþer to oþer her wille dud telle But þe menskyng hem bitwene Was dyuerse as I hit wene Line 11054 þe ton was ȝonge mayden þon þe toþer had knowleche wiþ mon Oure lady dwelt þere wiþ hir nese Til Ion were born þat good peese And at þe childynge was helponde And as in somme bokes we fonde Line 11060 I may hit leue ful sikerlye þat wiþ hir owne hond marie was hir self þe furst wommon þat lifted fro þe erþe Ion Line 11064 ¶ whenne Ion was born als so swiþe his frendes were glad & bliþe

And hadden of hir muchel mirþe þat was so longe wiþouten birþe Line 11068 Not only of ierusalem bourȝe But also al þe cuntre þourȝe his feest is in someres tyme hit holdeþ boþe iewe & sarsyne Line 11072 þourȝe al þe heþen lede As fer as any pepul sprede þerfore of him witnesseþ hit þus Oure lord oure saueour ihesus Line 11076 Of wommon was neuer born none Gretter childe þen seynt Ione Alle made murþe of þat beryng Fadir & modir olde & ȝynge To gider gidered þei hem alle Line 11081 þei wiste not what hit to calle Zakari þei dud forþ take But no speche ȝitt myȝt he make Bifore ȝe herde þe resoun whi Þenne loked aftir sir Zakary Tables & poyntel tyte Line 11087 He bigon þe name to write And wroot as þe aungel bad Ion his name shulde be rad His frendes þouȝte þerof selcouþ How þis name coom in mouþ Line 11092 þei seide þat in al her kynde No suche name couþe þei fynde [folio 69b:1] whenne þei had circumcised Ion his fadir had his speche anoon And þus wiþ mouþ anoon gon melle Blessed be þou god of israelle Þat visitynge þi folke hast sent Line 11099 And raunsonyng to hem lent

¶ Þis childe was fostred ful dere Whenne he of elde was seuen ȝere

he lafte his kyndely kiþ & fode And to wildernes he ȝode Line 11104 For he wolde fle fro synne he lafte kiþ & al his kynne In wildernes longe abode Line 11107 And ladde þere harde lif-lode he lyued wiþ rootes & wiþ grees Wiþ hony of þe wildernes Line 11110 Breed ne wyn coom him noon Inne he wered nouþer wollen ny lynne þis was Ion þe good baptist þat baptized aftir iesu crist Line 11114

¶ Whenne Ion of his modir was born Our lady as I seide biforn Bitauȝte to god elizabeth And went hoom to nazareth Line 11118 Oure blessed lady on þis wise Bi þis hir wombe bigon to rise . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Aftir þat Ioseph þis may Line 11123 had spoused as ȝe herde say þre moneþes & more dwelled he At home in his owne cuntre Ioseph þenne soone went To nazareth wiþ ful ent[ent] Line 11128 þe lady whenne he coom neer honde Wiþ hir to speke as husbonde To speke of nedes of her house As men mot þat ben in spouse he fonde wiþouten more warn Line 11133 Þat his lady was wiþ barn whenne he knew hir in suche state Was he neuer mon so mate So sory was he neuer his lif Line 11137 As to fynde wiþ childe his wif

Þat he neuer touched tille he wex þouȝtful & loked ille wondir was hit Noon for he Line 11141 Wiste not of hir priuete But what euer he had in þouȝt Mis-likyng chere had he nouȝt In his hert he helde him stille But forsoþe he was in wille A wey sodeynly to stele Line 11147 From þat lady þat was so lele his hert wolde for no þing let him discouer his mys trowyng But was in wille for to fle Priuely & lete hir be Line 11152 wiþ wille he wolde fle hir fro þat nyȝte be þouȝte to haue done so An aungel þere he slepyng lay To him þus gon he say ¶ Ioseph dauid son for-whi woltou leue þi spouse mary Line 11158 þe childe she haþ in body bred þat þou art so of adred Be truste & in no deewrynes þe holy goostis werke hit es hit is þe holy goostes myȝt Wiþouten part of any pliȝt Line 11164 þat childe þat she gooþ wiþ alle his name shal men ihesus [[MS. ihc]] calle hir fadir & son shal boþe bene To saue his folk fro endeles tene Line 11168 Fro þis tyme had Ioseph noone Mis trowyng to þat mayden one In to his kepyng hir toke he And lyued wiþ hir in chastite Line 11172 wiþ menske & worshepe hir to ȝeme And for to socoure & to queme

On þis manere wiþouten faile Line 11175 helde þei to gider her spousaile