EELICS OF THE CORNISH LANGUAGE. 277 



The story carries one from the childhood of Meriasek to his 

 death as Bishop of Yannes. It opens with his schooldays, and 

 displays his eagerness for a work in Cornwall among the 

 Cornn-Britons. He is represented as refusing to marry a 

 princess, as crossing over to Cornwall, and settling at Camborne, 

 near Carn Brea. Here he is persecuted by Teudar, a pagan 

 chief of Eiviere, and ultimately driven from the country. The 

 Duke of Cornwall, who is a Christian, goes to war with Teudar 

 in consequence of this persecution, and defeats him at Godren, 

 in Kea, near Truro, which would thus seem the last battle field 

 of the Christians and Pagans in Cornwall. On his return 

 Meriasek is made Bishop of Yannes. 



2. — The drama of Constantino the Great carries out the 

 mediaeval legend of S. Sylvester. 



The Emperor Constantino is represented at first as a per- 

 secutor. Afflicted by leprosy, he is advised to take a bath of 

 children's blood. Several children are obtained for this purpose, 

 but Constantino relents, is miraculously cured by S. Sylvester, 

 and ultimately converted. 



3. — The story of the Woman and her Son is a sort of 

 interlude put with the Constantino story into the drama of 

 Meriasek. It is a quaint mediaeval legend (apparently of 

 Brittany). 



4. — The Mors Pilati, as almost entirely legendary, may be 

 put in this group, though bound up with the Eesurrection Play, 

 and thus commonly counted as a scriptural drama. 



C. The Epic poem of Mount Calvary. 



This is, as far as I know, the only Cornish epic It is simple 

 and pathetic, telling the sacred narrative of the Grospel in plain 

 language. 



D. The later remains of the language. 



Most of these may be found in Lhuyd's Grammar, or in 

 Pryce. Some of the MSS, e.g., the Gwavas MSS, have not yet 

 been published. 



As to these remains they are of little literary value. One 

 old song, a few verses, a curious collection of proverbs — some pro- 

 bably in use in the last century, some mottoes, a few letters 

 and the story of John of S. Levan, written in Cornish. 



