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

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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.
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"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 15, 2024.

Pages

Laud 416 (Bodleian)

¶ Here begynnyth the boke of storius callid Cursor mundi /

[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

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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

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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.]

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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

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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

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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]

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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

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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

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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.
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