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

Men ȝerneþ gestis forto here [folio 1a:1] And romance Rede in diuers manere Off alexandire þe conqueroure Off Iulius cesere þe emperour Off grece & troy & strong stryf Line 5 þere many man lost his life Off brut þat barone bold of hond First conqueroure of Inglond Line 8 Off kyng artour þat was so riche Non in his toun was him liche Off wondris þat hill [[sic]] knightys felle And autours dide men herd telle Line 12 As Gawyn and Gay & oþer able Forto kepe þe rond table How king Charles & rovlond faght Wiþ sarsyns nold þay be saght Line 16 Of trestrem & of Esaud þe swete How þay wiþ loue first gan mete Of king Iohn & of Isumbras Of Edoyn & amadas Line 20 Of storis of diuers þinges Of prynces prelatis & of kingis Mane songes & diuers ryme In Inglisshe frenche & latyn Line 24 To rede & here mane ere prest Of þinges þat hem likeþ best

þe wyse man wille of wisdom lere þe foole hym draweþ to foly nere Line 28 þe wrong to here right is loþ And prid wiþ boxsumnes is wroþ Of chastite þe lichore haþ lite And wraþ a-ȝene charite flite Line 32 Bot be þe froyt men may afte see Of what vertu is þe tre And iche frout þat men may fynd He haþ fro þe rote his kynd Line 36 Of gode pery comeþ gode peris þe wers tre þe wers froyt berys þat I say þus of þis tre Be tokeneþ man boþ þe & me Line 40 þis frut be tokeneþ all oure dedes [folio 1a:2] Boþ god & euil who so right redis Oure dedis fro oure hert tak rote Wheþer þay torn to bale or bote Line 44 For be þat þing men drawen tylle Men may hym know for goode or [ille] In sapil to hem I may say þat regneþ in her Reaut all way Line 48 In Riaut & in Ricolage Spenden mane her ȝounge age For now ys he holden noght in stours But he loue paramours Line 52 þat folye lyf þat vanite Hym likeȝþ now non oþer gle It is bote fantise for to say To-day it is to-morn away Line 56 Wiþ chaunce of deþ or chaunce of herte þat soft be-gan ende ful smerte For when þov wenest it trewest be þov schalt fro it or it fro þe Line 60 He þat weneþ styfest to stond Whare hym his falle is next to hond

When he so sone doun is broght Whiþer to wend wote he noghte Line 64 But to whom his loue haþ hym lede To take swiche mede schall he bestede For þere schall mede wiþouten lette Be set to hym for deu dette Line 68 þerfor blyse we þat paramore þat in owre nede doþ vs socowre þat sauit vs in erþe fro syne And makiþ vs þe blis to wyn Line 72 For yf I sumtyme be on treu Her loue ys euer eliche new Her loue is euer trew & lele Ful swete yt is to mannis hele Line 76 Swiche on oþer in erþe is non For sche is modyr & mayde allon Modyr & maydyn neuer þe lese Of her toke þerfor iesu fleche Line 80 Who so loueþ welle þis lemman [folio 1b:1] He schall haue þe loue þat neuer schall whan For in þis lyfe sche fayleþ neuer And I in þat oþer lasteþ euer Line 84 Of swich on schul ȝe mater take Ȝe crafty þat con rymes make Of here to make boþ gest & song And prayse her swete son among Line 88 What bote is it to set trauaile Of þing þat no þing may a-vaile þat is bot fantosys of þis worlde here And we I-nogh haue sene & here Line 92 Matirs may we fynd in dede Rimes of here to mak & rede Who so wille of here fayrnes spelle Fynd he may I-nogh to telle Line 96 Of here goodnes & here trowhede Fynd he may a bout to spede

Of trewþ of loue & charite Was neuer here mak ne neuer schall be Ladye sche is of peple alle Line 101 Meke & milde wiþouten galle Nexte to nedfol þat here call on And reyseþ euer þe synful man Line 104 Iesu mad þat mayden swet Alle oure balis for to bete Her by men may her help well know Sche prayit for synfull hy & low Line 108 Who so doþ here worschip may be told Sche wille hym ȝelde and hondreþ fold In here worschipe begyn wold I A werke þat schulde be lastingly Line 112 Forto do men know her kin And þat moche worschipe dide vs wyne Som maner þing is goode to knaw þat don was in þe olde law Line 116 Betwyx þe olde law & þe new How crist be-gan oure bote to brew I schall ȝow schew be myn entente Trewly of her testament Line 120 [Al]le þis world or þis boke blyn [Wi]th crystys helpe I schall ouer rynne And telle of þe prencipale [folio 1b:2] For all may no man haue in talle Line 124 Bot no werk welle last may Without gode ground to last ay þere fore þis werke I wille found On a ful stedfast ground Line 128 þat is þe holy trinite þat alle made of his beute ¶ Fyrst atte him self I sette my mark And after to telle of his hand werke Off þe aungels þat first felle Line 133 And seþ of adam I wille telle

Off his ospring and of Noye And som what of his sones þre Line 136 Off abram and of Isaac þat holy were with outen lak Seþ schall I telle ȝow now Off iacob and of Esaw Line 140 Seþ Schal ȝe here tolde How Ioseph was boght & sold Of þe Iewes & of moyses þat gode his folke to lede he ches Line 144 How god began hym þe law to ȝife Which þe Iewes schuld In life Of saule þe king & of dauy How he faght aȝen goly Line 148 And seþ of salamon þe wyse How he was crafti Iustys How cryst cam þurgh prophesy His owen folke a-ȝene to by Line 152

Line 152

Seþ it schalle be rede ȝov þan Line 153 Of Ioachim & seynt tane How she was borne & bare hir child Of mary allso hir dowtir myld Line 156 How sche was born & whan & wher How sche hir chyld to þe tempil bare And of þe kynggis þat hym sowfte And þre presentis þey him broȝt Line 160 How þe kyng heraud with wrong For crystis sake slow childrin yong How þat Iesus to egipte fledde Line 163 And how he was þens ledde [folio 2a:1] And þere schul ȝe here mane a dede þat Iesus did in his child-hede And seþ of baptist Iohn Line 167 How he baptist crist in flom iordon How iesus after his fastyng long Was temtid wiþ þe sprit wrong Seþ of Iohnes baptyssyng How him hedede herowd þe king Line 172 How þat iesus crist him self Chess to him apostelles twelf And aponly gan to preche And alle þe sek for to leche Line 176 And dide miracles mane & rif Wherfore þe Iewes gan to stryf Seþ how god of his might Torned water to wyne right Line 180 How fyue þowsand men þat he Fede with v loues & fisses þ[r]e Off a man schal we þan fynde Line 183 þat god ȝaf sight & born was blynd And of þe spowsbreche of a woman þat þe Iewes demed to stond

How helid a man þat was vnfere þat sek was eght & þrety ȝere Line 188 Howe mary mawdelyn wiþ gret Com to wassh oure lordes fete How sche and martha also Wer bessy about crist þo Line 192 Of laȝar þat ded lay in ston How he was raysed flesshe & bone How þe Iewes oft Iesu besete For his preching also him þrete Line 196 How þay payned hym on þe rode And how þay sched his blissed blod And ȝif god wille þan schal I telle [[MS. looks like stelle]] How þat gode heryed helle How þe Iewes wiþ gret vnskylle Line 201 Wend his resurection to stille How he vpros & seþ vp stey Mane a man it herd & say [folio 2a:2] How þat he of might is most Line 205 Sent to þe erþe þe holigost Touchyng þe postilles of her feeste And how þay endyd most & leeste Line 208 How oure lady endede & ȝoulde Here semly sowle it schal be tolde How þe holy cros was kid Long after it was hide Line 212 Off antecrist comi[n]g þat schall be ken And of þe dredful days fiften þat schal com afore domes-day Seþe of þe dome wille I say Line 216 þan off owre ladis morni[n]g mode When iesu hang vpon þe rode þe last resoun þat I wille spell Of þe concepcion wille I telle Line 220 þis ben þe matris rede & row þat in þis bok I wille schow

Schortly rynni[n]g on þis dede For þer be mane þere forto sped Line 224 Nedful me þinkit it were to man To know hym self how he began How he began in world to dred How his ospryng gan to sprede Line 228 Boþ of þe first & of þe last How & what cours þis world is past After holy chirche state þis ilke is translat Line 232 Into Inglissh for to rede For loue of þe Inglisshe lede For þe comon folk of Inglond Schuld it better vndir-stond Line 236 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] þat speche þat vs most may spede Most to spek it were gret nede Line 244 Seldom is for an chaunce Inglisshe tong praysed & fraunce Ȝif we ȝif iche lond his lang[age] Line 247 þan do we none outrage [folio 2b:1] To lewed men Inglisshe to spelle þat vndirstondeþ what I con telle And to hem speke I alldirmost þat lede here liues in prid & bost And spend her lyues in trowandis And might a-mend in manes wise Line 254 . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Wo schall hem be her lif so spend þat fynd þer of no frute at end Line 258

Line 258 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Now of þis prologe will I blin Line 265 In criste name owr boke begyn þe cours of þe world men schal hit calle For nere hand it is rehersid alle Line 268 Take we owre be-gynnyng þan Off hym þat alle þis world began Line 270 Here now of the trenite dere [folio 3a:1] And makyng of þis worlde here [[The Bedford MS. ends with leaf 175, back, —]] And sende vs grace þat day to Rise To blis with þat trew Iustis Line 22004

Amen.

Explicit þe begynnyng off þe worlde off þ^e trenite þ^e Fadir & Son & holi|gost þ^e Making off þe worlde & of adam & Eue & afftir of Noye & So Fro noye to Abraham & So doune þ^e Genelagy of our lady & þ^e birth off Crist & his pascion & Resurrexion & So Many oþer dyuers maters & So to þe day of dome & þe Comyng of antecrist & So to þe laste day of Iugement