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

[How Jesus was first put to School.]

¶ A maistir þer was wondir kene At ihesu was he ful tene For he spake so skilfuly To him had he greet envy Line 12082 Þourȝe swellyng of his herte To Ioseph spake he wordis smerte

þo wordis weren ful of despite As he wolde wiþ Iosep flite If þou he seide loue þi son To bettur þewes þou him won But if þou wolt him haue a fole Line 12089 Þou most do sett him to þe scole For to lerne & stonde in awe And to his eldre worship drawe But hit is sene wel þer by Line 12093 Leuer þe is þou and Mary Þat he loue ȝou þen londes lawe For ȝe him done in noon awe Þe furste þat men shulde him ken To menske preest & eldre men Line 12098 Wiþ oþere childre suche as he To holde fast loue & charite And wiþ hem louesumly to dwelle Boþe þe lawe to here & telle Line 12102 ¶ Ioseph seide on what manere Miȝt men holde him to lere If þou wenest him to lerne Þat to do wol we not werne Line 12106 Þing þat falleþ to monnes lore Ihesu vnswered þe meister þore Þou art commaunder of lay As I now here þe say Line 12110 Þou & oþere are holden þerto But I am not holden þat to do For I am departed soþ to say To be bounden to erþely lay Line 12114 Of ȝoure lawes outaken am I I haue no fadir erþely þou art vndir lawe bounden And I am ar þe lawe was founden And ȝit þou wenest makeles to be Þat noon in lore shulde teche þe Line 12120

Line 12120 I con þe teche þat þou not can Þing I lerned neuer of man þou woost not whenne þou was born I woot wel & þer biforn Line 12124 Not ȝit allone þat tyme past But als how longe þi lif shal last For to be lyuynge in þis werd Alle wondride þat þis word herd

Anoon alle gan þei cry Line 12129 Who herde euer suche ferly Of any mon bi norþ or souþ who herde euer suche selcouþ We witen al wel of þe now Line 12133 where þou were born & what art þow þin elde is not to vs in were Vnneþes art þou ȝit of fyue ȝere Line 12136 Wheþen coom þou þat art so ȝinge For to bringe forþ suche talkynge Alle seide so mut we þriue we herde neuer suche a childe on lyue ¶ Ihesu ȝaf to hem vnswere Line 12141 To alle þe iewes þat þere were Alle he seide ȝe haue selcouþ To here suche speche of childes mouþ Wherfore wol ȝe not trowe Soþer þingis þat I telle ȝow Line 12146 ȝe wondir on þat I seide ore Þat I knowe þe tyme bifore Whenne ȝoure modris ȝou bere ȝit say I more forsoþe here Of abraham whiche ȝe calle Line 12151 For to be ȝoure fadir alle I say him & wiþ him spake als And ȝitt ȝe wene þat I am fals [folio 76a:1] Whenne ihesus þus had seide his wille As a stoon þo wex þei stille Line 12156

Line 12156 Alle þat weren þere olde & ȝonge Line 12157 A word durst not speke with tonge To þat folk spake ihesu shene As childe wiþ ȝou haue I bene Among childre as childe I spake Line 12161 To me no knowleche wolde ȝe take Wiþ wise spake I wisdome wiþ But wolde ȝe no þing wiþ me kiþ ȝe vndirstode me not for þi Line 12165 Lasse I woot are ȝe þan I Hit is sene ȝe are of litil fay Þenne gan a maister for to say þus to Ioseph & to marie Line 12169 We haue a maister hette leuye Him to teche wol he not warn To him biteche ȝe ȝoure barn Þo ȝede Ioseph & marie meke Wiþ cherisshynge to ihesu speke Line 12174 To þe scole him to tille But in þat scole he sat so stille Þat euel ny good spake he nouȝt þen þei him to sir leuy brouȝt Maister leuy þe olde mon Line 12179 Tauȝte him a lettre þon And bad him ȝyue vnswere And ihesu helde him stille þore Leuy for wrooþ aȝerde hint And smot him on þe heed a dint Ihesu seide þo to leuy Line 12185 wherfore smytestou me & why I saye for soþe if þou wol trow þou smytest him con more þen þow For þat þou techest to oþere men Þin owne word I con þe ken Line 12190 þei are blynde þat oþere leres And wot not what þei teche her feres

As a chymbe or a brasen belle Line 12193 þat nouþer con vndirstonde ny telle What tokeneþ her owne soun Þei wante witt & resoun Ihesu folwede on his speche Line 12197 Of þis resoun vnswere to seche þe lettres fro alpha to tayu Wiþ dyuerse siȝte may men sew what is tayu say furst to me And I shal vndo alpha to þe Line 12202 he þat alpha con not seen how shulde he knowe tayu to ben Ipocritis ȝe are I wis Telle me furst what alpha is And I shal þenne leue ȝou trew Line 12207 whenne ȝe telle me what is tayu Ihesu ȝaf him þenne his taske Of vche lettre for to aske Questioun of vchone bi name Line 12211 Whenne leuy herde he þouȝte shame Acombred was he for to here Aske of so mony lettres sere Þenne he bigon þis cry to ȝyue Þis childe oweþ not to lyue Abouen erþe he lyueþ longe Line 12217 worþi he were on gibet honge Fuyr I woot may him not bryn Anoþer peyne he mot bigyn I trowe þat þis ilke fode was longe to fore noes flode Line 12222 what wombe him bare & bredde wiþ whoos pappes was he fedde Fle fro him now wol I His wordis may I not vndirly Myn hert clyngeþ him to here Line 12227 But god him self wiþ him were

Is noon may his wordes bere I wende I had ben of mistere But I caitif al in scorn Line 12231 I wende my maister were not born A prentis wende I him ouercomen But in his resouns am I nomen Alas he seide fro þis day [folio 76b:1] I am ouercomen for euer & ay Line 12236 Bi a childe of litil belde Ouercomen I am in myn elde For he argueþ of suche a þinge Þat I ne knowe ende ny bigynnynge In his witt is he so bolde Line 12241 þat I may not on him biholde Me þinkeþ bi my resoun Mani may not wiþ him comoun No þing con I him discryue Line 12245 Say I neuer suche on my lyue Ouþer a tregettour he most be Or ellis god him self is he Or elles som aungel wiþ him dwelleþ Line 12249 To teche þe wordes þat he telleþ whennes he coom what he shal be Not woot I bi my lewte ¶ Whenne ihesu had him herde a while he seide & þerwiþ gon to smyle Line 12254 A commaundement make I here Þat ȝe alle may se & lere Þe bareyn shal hir fruyt fynde And oþere sene þat ȝitt are blynde þe pore also to gete som bote Line 12259 And crepel to go riȝt on fote þe dede to rise & oþere vchone Be sett in to her state anone To be lastynge in him þat es Rote of lif lastynge swetnes Line 12264

Line 12264 whenne þat ihesu had seide so Alle had bote þat were in wo Line 12266 No more durst þese oþere sey But priuely þei stale awey