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

[The Birth of Christ.]

¶ þe tyme þat brouȝte al to fyne [folio 70a:1] was bi þis at moneþes nyne Ioseph diȝte him for to go Line 11179 To bethleem wiþ mary þo lenger þere nolde he dwelle for wordis of þo iewes felle For to fle her fals fame Line 11183 To bethleem went þei same In þat tyme þat þei went þus Was emperoure sir augustus Line 11186 A mon men had of muchel doute And drad was al þe world aboute Al þe world ordeyned he Þat þei shulde vndir him be And vche kyng shulde make him boun To com to her kyndely toun Line 11192 To make knowleche with sum þing To augustus her alþer kyng A baily toke þis werke on honde was calde cirinus in þat londe Line 11196 He dud alle mennes names write Þat of þis ȝelde shulde hem not quyte

Ioseph coom þat tyme þere To bethleem as I tolde ȝou ere To his owne home & house Line 11201 And brouȝte wiþ him marye his spouse So fer was þo goon þat mylde þat she was at the tyme of childe What shulde I telle ȝou more Line 11205 Iesu hir childe bar she þore hir childe bar she neuer þe lees Mayden wiþouten wem of flesshe

Who so knewe his myȝt witturly þerof wolde he haue no ferly Mary beere childe in chastite Line 11211 Siþ god wolde hit most so be He þat þe drye ȝerde made ere In o nyȝt fruyt to bere wiþouten erþe aboute to fode Line 11215 Leef & blossomes also gode he þat dud as I haue seide Miȝt he not þat al purueide Be born of a mayden eþe Line 11219 At þe ende of nyne moneþe he wrouȝt al in litil stounde To speke also he made þe doumbe he dud þe see to cleue in two Line 11223 his enemyes alle to slo he miȝt make a maiden þenne Childe to bere wiþouten wemme But as þe sonne gooþ þourȝe glas And leueþ hit hool as hit was Line 11228 So coom þe sonne of riȝtwisnes Into oure lady clene flesshe kyndely he coom & ȝede And saued his modir maydenhede þus bare she þat barme teem Line 11233 þat blisful burþe in bethleem Suche cloþes as she had to honde wiþ suche she swaþed him & bonde Bitwene two cracches she him leide þere was noon oþere gere greide Line 11238 was þere ne pride of couerlite Curteyn ridelles ny tapite þo herdes þat were wont to be Line 11241 On felde was þo wiþ her fe þere liȝten aungels briȝte of heuen And brouȝt word with syngynge steuen

I bringe ȝou word of ioye & blis Born to nyȝt ȝoure saueour is Bi þis token þat I ȝou say Goþ to morwe whenne hit is day Line 11248 To bethleem & fynde ȝe shalle þe saueour born of alle þere is þe kyng of alle kyngis Borne to nyȝt bi þese tokenyngis In a cracche he shal be founden Line 11253 Liggyng þere an asse is bounden honoureþ him for-whi he shal Be set in dauid kynges stal Wl þis aungel tiþing tolde [folio 70b:1] Oþere liȝten doun mony folde Line 11258 Sayinge þus men to knowe On heȝe be ioye & pees on lowe whenne þei had seide þat þei wolde sey Þe aungels went soone her wey Line 11262 þe herdes dredden of þat liȝt Þat coom of þo aungels briȝt Suche a liȝt sei þei neuer ere As þei sey þat nyȝt þere Þei seide to bethleem go we Line 11267 Of þis tiþing soþ to se whenne þei coom marie þei fonde And wiþ hir Ioseph hir husbonde And þe childe þat swaþed was In cracche bitwene ox & as Line 11272 what þei had herde & sene þei tolde Alle merueiled þeron ȝonge & olde Marye helde in herte stille Line 11275 And þonked god al his wille ¶ In augustus tyme emperour was vs born oure saueour . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.]

. . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 11282 þe eiȝteþe day fro he was born Circumcised he was & shorn Iesus [[Ihc]] to name on him þei leide As þe aungel had hem seide

¶ Aftir þe terme of fourty dayes Line 11287 Aftir þat þe gospel sayes Þei bare þe childe fro bethleem Into þe temple of Ierusalem For to do of him þat day Line 11291 þat ordenaunce was of þe lay Þe lawe of moyses þenne was wommon þat knaue childe had bi grace At þe furst burþe shulde sho Line 11295 hit offre þe holy temple to Aftir þat she shulde haue lyn Fourty dayes in gesyn For maiden childe als longe also Line 11299 Ar she shulde to þe temple go Wiþ hir childe shulde she offer þere A lomb if she so riche were And elles who þat myȝte not so Shulde offer turtur doufes two Line 11304 Ouþer of oþere doufes double brid Þis lay mary wiþ iesu did Pore ȝifte gon she for him ȝyue Þat com in pouerte to lyue Line 11308 Of pouerte no disdeyn had he Þat biddeþ vs loue wel pouerte Pouerte þar no mon mislike If he trowe in god so riche Line 11312 ¶ Þer was a good holy mon In þe temple wonyng þon Of six score ȝeere & symeon hiȝt þat mony a bone had beden riȝt Line 11316

Line 11316 þat he myȝt in lif & hele Se þe coumfort of israele Line 11318 þat monnes raunsoun shulde bere And god him had ȝyuen vnswere Bi þe holy goost him sent þat þus seide to him present þat he in deeþ shulde not deȝe Line 11323 Ar he crist had seen wiþ eȝe Þerfore whenne þat marie milde Into þe temple brouȝte hir childe þis symeon þat had sauour Line 11327 In þat lord of alle socour Of his come was he ful fayn And soone went him aȝayn And for Ioye he made a cry Line 11331 þat alle herde þat stood him by God haþ seen his folke ful riȝt And send hem þat he hem hiȝt Anoon he ran to iesu swete And fel doun bifore his fete Þus honoured him symeon And toke him in his armes þon Line 11338 he cussed his fete & preyed of grace Þat he myȝte reste in place Now haue myne eyen seen þi hele [folio 71a:1] Þat þou hast het to israele Also þer was olde wif Þat fer in elde was gon hir lif Line 11344 Lyued she had foure score ȝere In wodewehode & dayes sere Trewe she was in al hir dede Line 11347 Out of þe temple she not ȝede But euer was she þerynne boun In almes dede & orisoun whenne þat she iesu gon se She honoured him on hir kne Line 11352

Line 11352 þis is he she seide to sene In whom þe world shal saued bene Of prophecy soþ þis word wes Þerfore Anna was prophetes Line 11356

¶ þat same day a prophecie Symeon seide of oure ladye Of hir & of hir son iesu whiche I shal telle new Line 11360 þis childe he seide biforn alle Shal be to fele men in doun-falle And to fele in vprisyng Line 11363 In token also of ȝein-seying Þis doun-fal shal we vndirstonde Shul be alle þe mis trowonde þis vprisyng of oþere fele Line 11367 þat in trouþe were trewe & lele Marie he seide to þin hert A swerd of sorwe shal stik ouerþewert Þat swerd þourȝe hir herte stood Whenne she hir son say honge on rood