Cursor mundi. — 14th century, late; English, Lancashire

Title

Cursor mundi. — 14th century, late; English, Lancashire

Shelfmark

MS. Fairfax 14

Date

14th century, late

Language

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Title

The West Midland version of the late 13th-century Northumbrian poem in Middle English

Shelfmark

MS. Fairfax 14

Summary

The West Midland version of the late 13th-century Northumbrian poem in Middle English, known as Cursor Mundi, edited from this and other MSS. for the Early English Text Society by the rev. Richard Morris in six volumes (1874-93), where a full table of contents of the ninety articles into which the poem is divided will be found. Though this MS. (known as 'F') contains in all about 6,000 lines less than the Cottonian MS. Vesp. A. iii, for part of art. 23 with artt. 24-32 and part of art. 76 with artt. 77-89 were on quires which have been torn out, it has also some unique additions.

For the lyrics in the text at fols. 102, 106-10v, 122, see Carleton Brown, Register of Middle English Religious Verse, p. 48. Rubric: 'ϸis is ϸe best boke of alle ϸe cours of ϸe werlde men dos hit calle', text beg. 'Men covettes sinnes for to here' (fol. 4), preceded by table of capitula (fol. ii-1). Colophon: 'Stokynbrig scripsit istum librum Willelmo Keruour de Lanc[astria]' (fol. 123v).

Date

Written in the late 14th century in Lancashire

Language

Middle English (1100-1500)

Physical facet

On parchment, in double columns

Physical extent

126 Leaves

Custodial history

Written for William Keruour of Lancaster, this MS. was perhaps in the possession of the Belyngham family about 1500. The names Thomas Belyngham (fol. iiv), Robartus Belyngham (ib.), and William Belyngham (fol. 1) occur in hands of about 1500, with other scribblings, for which see the printed table of contents (op. cit., p. 4). Fol. 2v has late 15th-cent. notes of burgages in Lancaster.