Here is the scarlet robe, it fell from the King’s shoulders, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Of such are the Kingdom of Heaven. [He places the robe on Simon.]
Hail to the new king, Simon of Cyrene,
King of the Africans, with his Master’s robe.
[The wailing of women outside has risen in a strain of wild and profound melancholy. It is broken by a woman’s scream.]
The Voice
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For if they do these things in a green tree what shall be done in the dry?
[The Mocker with the Crown of Thorns enters from right.]
The Mocker with the Crown of Thorns
Ho, another king, another saviour. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Let him be crowned. Blessed are the meek.