--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py	Sun Oct 12 15:21:08 2008 -0500
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py	Sun Oct 12 15:21:08 2008 -0500
@@ -965,13 +965,24 @@
                     del mf[fn]
             return mf
 
-        ctx1 = self[node1]
-        ctx2 = self[node2]
+        if isinstance(node1, context.changectx):
+            ctx1 = node1
+        else:
+            ctx1 = self[node1]
+        if isinstance(node2, context.changectx):
+            ctx2 = node2
+        else:
+            ctx2 = self[node2]
+
         working = ctx2 == self[None]
         parentworking = working and ctx1 == self['.']
         match = match or match_.always(self.root, self.getcwd())
         listignored, listclean, listunknown = ignored, clean, unknown
 
+        # load earliest manifest first for caching reasons
+        if not working and ctx2.rev() < ctx1.rev():
+            ctx2.manifest()
+
         if not parentworking:
             def bad(f, msg):
                 if f not in ctx1:

--- a/mercurial/patch.py	Sun Oct 12 15:21:08 2008 -0500
+++ b/mercurial/patch.py	Sun Oct 12 15:21:08 2008 -0500
@@ -1174,21 +1174,18 @@
             flcache[f] = flctx._filelog
         return flctx
 
-    # reading the data for node1 early allows it to play nicely
-    # with repo.status and the revlog cache.
     ctx1 = repo[node1]
-    # force manifest reading
-    man1 = ctx1.manifest()
-    date1 = util.datestr(ctx1.date())
+    ctx2 = repo[node2]
 
     if not changes:
-        changes = repo.status(node1, node2, match=match)
+        changes = repo.status(ctx1, ctx2, match=match)
     modified, added, removed = changes[:3]
 
     if not modified and not added and not removed:
         return
 
-    ctx2 = repo[node2]
+    date1 = util.datestr(ctx1.date())
+    man1 = ctx1.manifest()
 
     if repo.ui.quiet:
         r = None