[folio 66a:1] Men lykyn Iestis for to here
And romans rede in diuers manere
Of Alexandre þe conqueroure.
Of Iulius Cesar the emperoure
Of Grece and troy the strong stryf
Line 5
There many a man lost his lyf
Of Brute that baron bold of hond
The first conqueroure of Englond
Line 8
Of kyng artour that was so riche
Was non in his tyme so lyche
Of wondirs that among his knyghtis felle /
And auntirs dedyn as men here telle
As Gaweyn kay & othir full abyll
Which that kept the round tabyll
how kyng charlis & rowlond fawght
With sarzyns nold they be cawght
Line 16
Of Trystrem & of ysoude þe swete
how they with love first gan mete
Of kyng Iohn & of Isombras
Of ydoyne & of Amadas
Line 20
Stories of diuerce thynggis
Of pryncis prelatis & of kynggis
Many songgis of diuers ryme
As English frensh & latyne
Line 24
To rede & here many is prest
Of thynggis that hem lykyþ best
Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ...
About this Item
- Title
- Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ...
- Publication
- London,: Pub. for the Early English text society by K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & co.,
- 1874-93.
- Rights/Permissions
The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact mec-info@umich.edu. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact libraryit-info@umich.edu.
DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States
- Link to this Item
-
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/AJT8128.0001.001
- Cite this Item
-
"Cursor mundi (The cursur o the world). A Northumbrian poem of the XIVth century in four versions. Ed. by the Rev. Richard Morris ..." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AJT8128.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 19, 2024.
Pages
Page 1652
The wyseman wille of wysedom here
The fole hym drawyþ to foly nere
Line 28
The wrong to here þe right is lothe
And pride with buxvmnes is wrothe
Of chastyte the lechour hath lyte
Charyte a-yen wreth will flyte
Line 32
And by the frute may men oft se
Of what vertu is eche a tre
And euery frute þat men may fynd
he hath from the rote his kynd
Line 36
Of good pyrthe come good peris
A wers tre wers frute beris
Whan I speke þus of this tre
hyt bytokenyþ man bothe þe & me
Line 40
This frute bytokenyþ alle our dedis
Bothe good & evill who-so right redis
Oure dedis from our hart take rote
Whethir they turne to bale or bote
[folio 66a:2] ffor by that thyng man drawiþ tylle
Men may hym know for good or ille
Ensampyll here-by to hem I sey
That rage in her ryot alle-wey
In Riot and in rygolage
Line 49
Many spend her youþe & her age
ffor now is he holdyn noght in shouris
But he can love paramours
Line 52
That folis lyf that vanyte
Ther is lykyd now non other gle
Hyt is but fantasy y you sey
Line 55
To-day it is to-morow a-wey
With chaunce of deþe / or chaunge of hert
That soft by-gan / endiþ full smert
ffor when þou wenyst yt truyst to be
Thow shalt from yt or yt from the
Line 60
he that wenyþ styffyst to stond
Ware hym / his falle is next at hond
Page 1653
When he so sone downe is broght
Wheþer to wend wote he noght
Line 64
But to whom his love hath hym led
To take suche mede shalle he be sted
ffor there shalle mede with-outyn let
By set to hym for dew det
Line 68
Therfor blesse we þat paramour
That in our nede dothe vs socour
That savyth vs in erthe fro synne
Line 71
And hevyn blisse helpyth to wynne
ffor thogh þou sum tyme be vntrew
hir love is evir elyche new
hir love is evyr trew & lele
ffull swete yt is to mannys hele
Line 76
Suche oþer in erthe is foundyn non
ffor she is modir & maydyn allon
Modir & maydyn nevirtheles
Therfor of hir toke Ihesu flesh
Line 80
. . . . .
. . . . . [no gap in the MS.]
And in this lyf she faylyþ nevir
And in the todir lastyth evir
Line 84
Of suche oon shuld þe mater take
Ye crafty that can rymys make
Of hir to make bothe Iest & song
And preyse her swete sonne among
What bote is yt to set travayle
Line 89
On thyng / that wille noght avayle
That is but fantasy of this world
As yt is yn many boke rold
Line 92
Maters fynde we may in dede [folio 66b:1]
Rymys of her to make & rede
Who-so wille of her feirenes spelle
ffynde he may y-now to telle
Line 96
. . . . .
. . . . . [no gap in the MS.]
Page 1654
Of trewth of love & charyte
Was nevir hir make nor nevir shalbe
lady she is of pepils alle
Line 101
Meke & myld with-outyn galle
Next and nedefull to calle an
And reysith evir þe synfull man
Line 104
Ihesu made that maydyn swete
Alle our balis for to lete
Men may sone hir help know
Line 107
She prayeth for synfull hie & low
Who dose hir worship may be bold
She wille hym yeld an hundird fold
¶ In her worshyp be-gynne wille I
A werk þat shuld be lastyngly
Line 112
ffor to do men know hyr kynne
That muche worship did vs wynne
Som maner thyng is good to knaw
That done was in the old law
Line 116
Be-twyxt the old law & þe new
how Cryst vs bote by-gan to brew
I shalle you shew by myn entent
Sothely of hir testament
Line 120
Alle this world ar this boke blynne
With Crystis help I shalle ovir-rynne
And telle sum Iest pryncypale
ffor alle may no man haue in tale
Line 124
But no werk welle last may
With-out good ground to last ay
Therfor this werk I wille found
On a selcowþe stedfast ground
Line 128
That is the holy trenyte
Þat alle is made of his bounte
ffirst at hym-self I set my merk
And after to telle of his hond-werk
Of the Angils that first felle
Line 133
& sithe I wille of adam telle
Page 1655
Of his ospryng & of noee
And sum-what of his sonnys thre
Of abraham & also of ysaac
Line 137
That holy were with-outyn lak
Sithen shall I telle you new
Of Iacob & of ysaew
Line 140
Sithen shalle ye here yt told [folio 66b:2]
how Ioseph was boght & sold
Of the Iewis & of moyses
Line 143
That god his folk to lede / hym ches
how god by-gan the law hym yeve
Which the Iewis shuld in leve
Of Saul / the kyng & of Davy
how he fawght a-yen goly
Line 148
And sithe of Salamon þe wyse
how he was Crafty Iustyse
how Cryst cam thorogh prophesy
his owne folk for to by
Line 152
Page 1656
Line 152
Sithe yt shalle be rad you than
Line 153
Of ioachym & of seint Anne
Of mary also hir doughter myld
how she was born & born hir child
how she was bore when & whare
Line 157
how she hym to þe tempyll bare
Of tho kynggis that hym sowght
That iije presentis to hym broght
Line 160
how that herowde kyng with wrong
ffor Crystis sake slow childryn yong
how that Ihesu to Egipt fled
And how he was thens led
Line 164
And there shulle ye here many a dede
That Ihesu did in his childhede
Sithen of the baptyst Iohn
That baptyst Ihesu in flum Iordon
how Ihesu after his fastyng long
Line 169
Was temptyd with the spryte of wrong
Sithen of Ionnys baptysyng
And how hym by hedid herowde þe kyng
how that Ihesu Cryst hym-selve
Line 173
Chese to hym Apostils twelve
And opynly by-gan to preche
And alle that syke wer to leche
Line 176
And did myrakyls many & ryve
Wherfor þe iewis by-gan to stryve
Sithen how god of his might
Turnyd watir in-to wyne right
Line 180
Of fyve thowsand men that he
With ffyve lovis fed & fysshis thre
Of A man shall we than fynd
Line 183
That god yaf sight & born was blynd
And of the spowsebrech of a woman
That þe Iewis demyd to stone [folio 67a:1]
Page 1658
how he helid A man in feere
That syke was xxviij yere
Line 188
how mary mawdeleyn with greet
Come to wash our lordis feet
Of hir & of martha also
That buysy was abowte cryst þo
Line 192
Of lazar that ded lay vnder stone
how he was reysid in flesh & bone
how þe Iewis Ihesu oft be-set
And for his prechyng also hym thret
how they naylid hym on þe rode
Line 197
& how they shed his preshious blode
And if god wille þan shall I telle
how he sethyn harowid helle
Line 200
how Iewis with her grete vnskyll
Went his vprysing to stille
how he vprose & sethyn vp-stay
Many A man yt hard & say
Line 204
how that he of mightis most
Sent to erthe the holy gost
Towchyng þe Appostils of her feste
how they endid most & leste
Line 208
how our lady endid & yold
hir semely soule yt shalbe told
how þe holy Cros was kyd
long after that yt was hyd
Line 212
Of Antecrystis comyng þat shal be kene
And of the dredfull dais fyftene
That shulle come to-fore domus-day
Sithen of the dome wille I say
Line 216
Then of our ladijs mornyng mode
When her sonne hyng on rode
The last reason that I shall spelle
Of her concepcion wille I telle
Line 220
Thise are the maters good & trew
That in this boke wille I shew
Page 1660
Shortly rennyng on this dede
ffor many ther Arn for to spede
Line 224
Nedefull me thynk yt wer to man
To know hym-self how he by-gan
how he by-gan in world to brede
how his ofspryng by-gan to sprede
[folio 67a:2] Bothe of the first & of the last
Line 229
In what cours þe world is past
After holy chirchis estate
This ylk boke is translate
Line 232
Into English tong to rede
ffor the love of english lede
ffor comyn folk of Englond
Shuld the better yt vnderstond
Line 236
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . . [no gap in the MS.]
That speche þat most vs may spede
Most to speke yt wer grete nede
Line 244
Syldyn it is for eny chaunce
English tong prechid in fraunce
yeve we eche lond his language
Then do we non outrage
Line 248
To lewde men english y spelle
that vnderstondiþ what I can telle
And to hem speke I alle-ther-most
That ledyth her lyfis in pride & bost
That spendyþ her lyf in tyrandyse
And might amend in many wyse
Line 254
. . . . .
. . . . . [no gap in the MS.]
Wo shalle hem be / her lyf to spend
That fynde þer-of no frute at end
Line 258
Page 1662
Line 258
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . . [no gap in the MS.]
Now of this prolog wille we blyn
Line 265
In Crystis name our boke by-gyn
Cource of this world men shull yt calle
ffor alle-most yt rehersiþ all
Line 268
Take we our begynnyng þan
Of hym that alle þis world by-gan
Line 270
Herith now of the trenyte dere
And of the makyng of this world here [[The Laud MS. ends with leaf 181, back; there are several leaves want|ing,—]]
Our fadir maker of alle thyng
That nevyr shalle haue endyng
Amen.
Explicit Cursor mundi.