THE CONTENTS OF THE PASSION-PLA Y 379 



avoid the bitterness of the cross. 1 She reminds him of 

 the commandment he has himself ordained : " Honour 

 thy father and thy mother." But all is in vain, the final 

 sacrifice must be offered. Mary, the Mother, turns to 

 Judas and begs him to keep watch and ward over her 

 son, and the traitor promises to die in his defence. 2 The 

 whole of this scene has much dramatic power, and is a 

 little oasis in the arid routine of much of the more 

 solemn parts of the passion-plays. The disciples Peter 

 and John are now sent to find ' the man with the 

 pitcher.' This host is ready to receive them, and 

 points out his dishes and his cloths. 3 The last supper 

 follows, with but few embellishments, on the lines of the 

 gospel story : we find the statement of the new law of 

 love ; the washing of the disciples' feet, during which 

 each disciple sometimes recites an article of the Apostles' 

 Creed ; 4 the distribution of the bread and wine (in some 

 plays entirely operatic) ; the announcement of Judas' 

 betrayal, and the prophecy of Peter's denial. 



The scene in the Garden of Gethsemane retains 

 something of the power of a real spiritual contest. 

 Jesus comes alone to the Mount of Olives perhaps 

 an inverted tub upon which is placed a cup ; occa- 

 sionally the stage-directions tell us that an angel is to 



1 A somewhat similar notion is treated in a picture by the Elder Holbein at 

 Augsburg. 



2 See F, pp. 133-135, 137, 140 ; D, p. 11. 



3 See E, p. 148 ; C, p. 95 ; B, vol. ii. p. 254. 



4 This recitation by paragraphs of the Apostles' Creed occurs also in the 

 Himmelfahrt Maria (A, p. 24). See also F, p. 147. The foot -washing was 

 carried out in this manner in the recent Brixlegg passion-play. The reader may 

 also consult Cuts 46 and 47 of the Schatzbehalter. The incident seems based on 

 an apocryphal sermon of Saint Augustine. Compare the footnote (p. 396) to 

 the Day of Judgment. 



