Harley MS 1782

Contents:

Pascon agan Arluth, a poem in 259 stanzas containing a detailed description of the Passion of Christ. This is the earliest copy of a full text in the Cornish language to have survived, and the only Cornish manuscript with miniatures (see Murdoch, Cornish Literature (1993), p. 19). It was given the name 'Mount Calvary' in an early edition of 1826.

On f. 3v are five lines in English on Christ casting out the money changers from the Temple.

Decoration:

10 drawings in the lower margins with colour wash in green, red, brown and black (ff. 1r, 1v, 2r, 6v, 7v, 9r, 10r, 11v, 14v, 15v). An initial in red with brown penwork decoration (f. 1r). Initials highlighted in red or with extensions.

The subjects of the images are:

f. 1r: The Trinity as theThrone of Grace, with God holding Christ on the cross with the Holy Ghost as a ?dove, above left;

f. 1v: The Temptation of Adam and Eve;

f. 2r: The Temptation of Christ by the Devil;

f. 6v: The Betrayal, with three soldiers in medieval armour arresting Christ as Judas kisses him;

f. 7v: Christ is brought by soldiers before the High Priest Caiaphas, who wears a pointed hat;

f. 9r: Christ and three other figures stand before Herod, who is holding a scroll;

f. 10r: Christ before Pontius Pilate, who is depicted as a king with a crown, holding a sword and a scroll (?);

f. 11v: The Flagellation: Christ, with spots of blood, tied to a pillar and scourged;

f. 14v: Christ carrying the cross, helped by ?Simon of Cyrene;

f. 15v: The Crucifixion.