,the ,dance of ,death by ,hans ,holbein1 with an introductory note by ,austin ,dobson ,new ,york ,,scott-,,thaw ,,company mcmiii ,copyright1 #aijc1 by ,,scott-,,thaw ,,company ,the ,heintzemann ,press1 ,boston ,,the ,,dance ,,of ,,death ,the ,book ,les ,simulachres ,histories ,faces de la ,mort avtant elegamtment pourtraictes1 que artificiellement imagines4 ,this may be ,englished as follows3 ,the ,images and ,storied ,aspects of ,death1 as elegantly delineated as they are ingeniously imagined4 ,such is the literal title of the earliest edition of the famous book now familiarly known as ,holbein's ,dance of ,death4 ,it is a small quarto1 bearing on its title-page1 below the ,french words above quoted1 a nondescript emblem with the legend ,vsus me ,genuit1 and on an open book1 ,gnothe seauton4 ,below this comes again1 ,a ,lyon1 ,soubz l'escu de ,coloigne3 ,m4 ,d4 ,,xxxviii1 while at the end of the volume is the imprint ,excvdebant ,lvgdvni ,melchoir et ,gaspar ,trechsel fratres3 #aech1--the ,trechsels being printers of ,german origin1 who had long been established at ,lyons4 ,there is a verbose ,epistre or ,preface in ,french to the moult reuerende ,abbesse du religieux conuent ,s4 ,pierre de ,lyon1 ,madame ,iehanne de ,touszele1 otherwise the ,abbess of ,saint ,pierre les ,nonnains1 a religious house containing many noble and wealthy ladies1 and the words1 ,salut d'un vray ,zle1 which conclude the dedicatory heading1 are supposed to reveal indirectly the author of the ,epistre itself1 namely1 ,jean de ,vauzelles1 ,pastor of ,st4 ,romain and ,prior of ,monrottier1 one of three famous literary brothers in the city on the ,rhone1 whose motto was ,d'un vray ,zelle4 ,after the ,preface comes ,diuerses ,tables de ,mort1 non painctes1 mais extraictes de l'escripture saincte1 colores par ,docteurs ,ecclesiastiques1 umbrages par ,philosophes4 ,then follow the cuts1 forty-one in number1 each having its text from the ,latin ,bible above it1 and below1 its quatrain in ,french1 this latter being understood to be from the pen of one ,gilles ,corozet4 ,to the cuts succeed various makeweight ,appendices of a didactic and hortatory character1 the whole being wound up by a profitable discourse1 ,de la ,necessite de la ,mort qui ne laisse riens estre pardurable4 ,various editions ensued to this first one of #aech1 the next or second of #aedb 7in which ,corozet's verses were translated into ,latin by ,luther's brother-in-law1 ,george ,oemmel or ,aemilius71 being put forth by ,jean and ,franois ,frellon1 into whose hands the establishment of the ,trechsels had fallen4 ,there were subsequent issues in #aede1 #aedg1 #aedi1 #aeed1 and #aefb4 ,to the issues of #aede and #aefb a few supplementary designs were added1 some of which have no special bearing upon the general theme1 although attempts1 more or less ingenious1 have been made to connect them with the text4 ,after #aefb no addition was made to the plates4 ,the ,artist ,from the date of the editio princeps it might be supposed that the designs were executed at or about #aech--the year of its publication4 ,but this is not the case2 and there is good evidence that they were not only designed but actually cut on the wood some eleven years before the book itself was published4 ,there are1 in fact1 several sets of impressions in the ,british ,museum1 the ,berlin ,museum1 the ,basle ,museum1 the ,imperial ,library at ,paris1 and the ,grand ,ducal ,cabinet at ,carlsruhe1 all of which correspond with each other1 and are believed to be engraver's proofs from the original blocks4 ,these1 which include every cut in the edition of #aech1 except ,the ,astrologer1 would prove little of themselves as to the date of execution4 ,but1 luckily1 there exists in the ,cabinet at ,berlin a set of coarse enlarged drawings in ,indian ink1 on brownish paper1 of twenty-three of the series4 ,these are in circular form2 and were apparently intended as sketches for glass painting4 ,that they are copied from the woodcuts is demonstrable1 first1 because they are not reversed as they would have been if they were the originals2 and1 secondly1 because one of them1 ,no4 #cf 7,the ,duchess71 repeats the conjoined ,h4,l4 on the bed1 which initials are held to be the monogram of the woodcutter1 and not to be part of the original design4 ,the ,berlin drawings must therefore have been executed subsequently to the woodcuts2 and as one of them1 that representing the ,emperor1 is dated #aebg1 we get a date before which both the woodcuts1 and the designs for the woodcuts1 must have been prepared4 ,it is generally held that they were so prepared circa #aebd and #aebe1 the date of the ,peasants' ,war1 of the state of feeling excited by which they exhibit evident traces4 ,in the ,preface to this first edition1 certain ambiguous expressions1 to which we shall presently refer1 led some of the earlier writers on the subject to doubt as to the designer of the series4 ,but the later researches of ,wornum and ,woltmann1 of ,m4 ,paul ,mantz and1 more recently1 of ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,linton leave no doubt that they were really drawn by the artist to whom they have always been traditionally assigned1 to wit1 ,hans ,holbein the younger4 ,he was resident in ,basle up to the autumn of #aebf1 before which time1 according to the above argument1 the drawings must have been produced2 he had already designed an ,alphabet of ,death2 and1 moreover1 on the walls of the cemetery of the ,dominican monastery at ,basle there was a famous wall-painting of the ,dance of ,death1 which would be a perpetual stimulus to any resident artist4 ,finally1 and this is perhaps the most important consideration of all1 the designs are in ,holbein's manner4 ,the ,woodcutter ,but besides revealing an inventor of the highest order1 the ,dance of ,death also discloses an interpreter in wood of signal1 and even superlative1 ability4 ,the designs are cut--to use the word which implies the employment of the knife as opposed to that of the graver--in a manner which has never yet been excelled4 ,in this matter there could be no better judge than ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,linton2 and he says that nothing1 either by knife or by graver1 is of higher quality than these woodcuts4 ,yet the woodcutter's very name was for a long time doubtful1 and even now the particulars which we possess with regard to him are scanty and inconclusive4 ,that he was dead when the ,trechsels published the book in #aech1 must be inferred from the ,epistre of ,jean de ,vauzelles1 since that ,epistre expressly refers to la mort de celluy1 qui nous en a icy imagin si elegantes figures2 and without entering into elaborate enquiry as to the exact meaning of imaginer in sixteenth-century ,french1 it is obvious that1 although the deceased is elsewhere loosely called painctre1 this title cannot refer to ,holbein1 who was so far from being dead that he survived until #aedc4 ,the only indication of the woodcutter's name is supplied by the monogram1 ,,hl upon the bedstead in ,no4 #cf 7,the ,duchess72 and these initials have been supposed to indicate one ,hans ,lutzelburger1 or ,hans of ,luxemburg1 otherwise ,franck1 a form-cutter 7formschneider71 whose full name is to be found attached to the so-called ,little ,dance of ,death1 an alphabet by ,holbein1 impressions of which are in the ,british ,museum4 ,his signature 7,h4 ,l4 ,f4 #aebb7 is also found appended to another alphabet2 to a cut of a fight in a forest1 dated also #aebb2 and to an engraved title-page in a ,german ,new ,testament of the year following4 ,this is all we know with certainty concerning his work1 though the investigations of ,dr4 douard ,his have established the fact that a formschneider named ,hans1 who had business transactions with the ,trechsels of ,lyons1 had died at ,basle before ,june1 #aebf2 and it is conjectured1 though absolute proof is not forthcoming1 that this must have been the ,h4 ,l41 or ,hans of ,luxemburg1 who cut ,holbein's designs upon the wood4 ,in any case1 unless we must assume another woodcutter of equal merit1 it is probable that the same man cut the signed ,alphabet in the ,british ,museum and the initialed ,dance of ,death4 ,but why the cuts of the latter1 which1 as we have shown above1 were printed circa #aebf1 were not published at ,lyons until #aech2 and why ,holbein's name was withheld in the ,preface to the book of that year1 are still unexplained4 ,the generally accepted supposition is that motives of timidity1 arising from the satirical and fearlessly unsparing character of the designs1 may be answerable both for delay in the publication and mystification in the ,preface4 ,and if intentional mystification be admitted1 the doors of enquiry1 after three hundred and fifty years1 are practically sealed to the critical picklock4 ,other ,reproductions ,the ,dance of ,death has been frequently copied4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,linton enumerates a ,venice reproduction of #aede2 and a set 7enlarged7 by ,jobst ,dienecker of ,augsburg in #aeed4 ,then there is the free copy1 once popular with our great grandfathers1 by ,bewick's younger brother ,john1 which ,hodgson of ,newcastle published in #aghi under the title of ,emblems of ,mortality4 ,wenceslaus ,hollar etched thirty of the designs in #afea1 and in #aghh forty-six of them were etched by ,david ,deuchar4 ,in #ahcb they were reproduced upon stone with great care by ,joseph ,schlotthauer1 ,professor in the ,academy of ,fine ,arts at ,munich2 and these were reissued in this country in #ahdi by ,john ,russell ,smith4 ,they have also been rendered in photo-lithography for an edition issued by ,h4 ,noel ,humphreys1 in #ahfh2 and for the ,holbein ,society in #ahgi4 ,in #ahhf1 ,dr4 ,f4 ,lippmann edited for ,mr4 ,quaritch a set of reproductions of the engraver's proofs in the ,berlin ,museum2 and the editio princeps has been facsimiled by one of the modern processes for ,hirth of ,munich1 as vol4 x4 of the ,liebhaber-,bibliothek1 #ahhd4 ,the ,present ,issue ,the copies given in the present issue are impressions from the blocks engraved in #ahcc for ,douce's ,holbein's ,dance of ,death4 ,they are the best imitations in wood1 says ,mr4 ,linton4 ,it is of course true1 as he also points out1 that a copy with the graver can never quite faithfully follow an original which has been cut with the knife1--more especially1 it may be added1 when the cutter is a supreme craftsman like him of ,luxemburg4 ,but against etched1 lithographed1 phototyped and otherwise-processed copies1 these of ,messrs4 ,bonner and ,john ,byfield have one incontestable advantage3 they are honest attempts to repeat by the same method1--that is1 in wood1--the original and incomparable woodcuts of ,hans ,lutzelburger4 ,,the ,,dance ,,of ,,death 7,,chant ,,royal1 ,,after ,,holbein7#a ,contra vim ,mortis ,non est medicamen in hortis4 ,he is the despots' ,despot4 ,all must bide1 ,later or soon1 the message of his might2 ,princes and potentates their heads must hide1 ,touched by the awful sigil of his right2 ,beside the ,kaiser he at eve doth wait ,and pours a potion in his cup of state2 ,the stately ,queen his bidding must obey2 ,no keen-eyed ,cardinal shall him affray2 ,and to the ,dame that wantoneth he saith-- ,let be1 ,sweet-heart1 to junket and to play4 ,there is no king more terrible than ,death4 ,the lusty ,lord1 rejoicing in his pride1 ,he draweth down2 before the armd ,knight ,with jingling bridle-rein he still doth ride2 ,he crosseth the strong ,captain in the fight2 ,the ,burgher grave he beckons from debate2 ,he hales the ,abbot by his shaven pate1 ,nor for the ,abbess' wailing will delay2 ,no bawling ,mendicant shall say him nay2 ,e'en to the pyx the ,priest he followeth1 ,nor can the ,leech his chilling finger stay 444 ,there is no king more terrible than ,death4 ,all things must bow to him4 ,and woe betide ,the ,wine-bibber1--the ,roisterer by night2 ,him the feast-master1 many bouts defied1 ,him 'twixt the pledging and the cup shall smite2 ,woe to the ,lender at usurious rate1 ,the hard ,rich ,man1 the hireling ,advocate2 ,woe to the ,judge that selleth right for pay2 ,woe to the ,thief that like a beast of prey ,with creeping tread the traveller harryeth3-- ,these1 in their sin1 the sudden sword shall slay 444 ,there is no king more terrible than ,death4 ,he hath no pity1--nor will be denied4 ,when the low hearth is garnishd and bright1 ,grimly he flingeth the dim portal wide1 ,and steals the ,infant in the ,mother's sight2 ,he hath no pity for the scorned of fate3-- ,he spares not ,lazarus lying at the gate1 ,nay1 nor the ,blind that stumbleth as he may2 ,nay1 the tired ,ploughman1--at the sinking ray1-- ,in the last furrow1--feels an icy breath1 ,and knows a hand hath turned the team astray 444 ,there is no king more terrible than ,death4 ,he hath no pity4 ,for the new-made ,bride1 ,blithe with the promise of her life's delight1 ,that wanders gladly by her ,husband's side1 ,he with the clatter of his drum doth fright2 ,he scares the ,virgin at the convent grate2 ,the ,maid half-won1 the lover passionate2 ,he hath no grace for weakness and decay3 ,the tender ,wife1 the ,widow bent and gray1 ,the feeble ,sire whose footstep faltereth1-- ,all these he leadeth by the lonely way 444 ,there is no king more terrible than ,death4 ,,envoy4 ,youth1 for whose ear and monishing of late1 ,i sang of ,prodigals and lost estate1 ,have thou thy joy of living and be gay2 ,but know not less that there must come a day1-- ,aye1 and perchance e'en now it hasteneth1-- ,when thine own heart shall speak to thee and say1-- ,there is no king more terrible than ,death4 #ahgg4 ,a4 ,d4 ,footnote #a3 ,this ,chant ,royal of the ,king of ,terrors is--with ,mr4 ,,austin ,,dobson',s consent--here reprinted from his ,collected ,poems1 #ahif4 ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,n4,b4--,the ,german titles are in general modernized from those which appear above the engraver's proofs4 ,the numerals are those of the cuts4 ,,the ,,creation ,i ,die ,schpfung aller ,ding4 ,eve is taken from the side of ,adam4 ,,the ,,temptation ,,ii ,adam ,eua im ,paradyss4 ,eve1 having received an apple from the serpent1 prompts ,adam to gather more4 ,,the ,,expulsion ,,iii ,vsstribung ,ade ,eue4 ,adam and ,eve1 preceded by ,death1 playing on a beggar's lyre or hurdy-gurdy1 are driven by the angel from ,eden4 ,,the ,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,fall ,,iv ,adam baut die ,erden4 ,adam1 aided by ,death1 tills the earth4 ,eve1 with a distaff1 suckles ,cain in the background4 ,a ,,cemetery ,v ,gebein aller ,menschen4 ,a crowd of skeletons1 playing on horns1 trumpets1 and the like1 summon mankind to the grave4 ,,the ,,pope ,,vi ,der ,ppst4 ,the ,pope 7,leo ,x47 with ,death at his side1 crowns an ,emperor1 who kisses his foot4 ,another ,death1 in a cardinal's hat1 is among the assistants4 ,,the ,,emperor ,,vii ,der ,kaiser4 ,the ,emperor 7,maximilian ,i47 rates his minister for injustice to a suitor4 ,but even in the act ,death discrowns him4 ,,the ,,king ,,viii ,der ,knig4 ,the ,king 7,francis ,i47 sits at feast under a baldachin sprinkled with fleurs-de-lis4 ,death1 as a cup-bearer1 pours his last draught4 ,,the ,,cardinal ,,ix ,der ,cardinal4 ,death lifts off the ,cardinal's hat as he is handing a letter of indulgence to a rich man4 ,luther's opponent1 ,cardinal ,cajetan1 is supposed to be represented4 ,,the ,,empress ,x ,die ,kaiserinn4 ,the ,empress1 walking with her women1 is intercepted by a female ,death1 who conducts her to an open grave4 ,,the ,,queen ,,xi ,die ,kniginn4 ,death1 in the guise of a court-jester1 drags away the ,queen as she is leaving her palace4 ,,the ,,bishop ,,xii ,der ,bischof4 ,the sun is setting1 and ,death leads the aged ,bishop from the sorrowing shepherds of his flock4 ,,the ,,duke ,,xiii ,der ,herzog4 ,the ,duke turns pitilessly from a beggar-woman and her child4 ,meanwhile ,death1 fantastically crowned1 lays hands on him4 ,,the ,,abbot ,,xiv ,der ,abt4 ,death1 having despoiled the ,abbot of mitre and crozier1 hales him along unwilling1 and threatening his enemy with his breviary4 ,,the ,,abbess ,,xv ,die ,abtissin4 ,death1 in a wreath of flags1 pulls away the ,abbess by her scapulary in sight of a shrieking nun4 ,,the ,,nobleman ,,xvi ,der ,edelmann4 ,death drags the resisting ,nobleman towards a bier in the background4 ,,the ,,canon1 ,,or ,,prebendary ,,xvii ,der ,domherr4 ,the ,canon1 with his falconer1 page1 and jester1 enters the church door4 ,death shows him that his sands have run4 ,,the ,,judge ,,xviii ,der ,richter4 ,death withdraws the ,judge's staff as he takes a bribe from a rich suitor4 ,,the ,,advocate ,,xix ,der ,frsprach4 ,death comes upon him in the street while he is being feed by a rich client4 ,,the ,,counsellor1 ,,or ,,senator ,,xx ,der ,rathsherr4 ,the ,counsellor1 prompted by a devil1 is absorbed by a nobleman1 and turns unheeding from a poor suppliant4 ,but ,death1 with glass and spade1 is waiting at his feet4 ,,the ,,preacher ,,xxi ,der ,predicant4 ,death1 in a stole1 stands in the pulpit behind the fluent ,preacher1 and prepares to strike him down with a jaw-bone4 ,,the ,,priest1 ,,or ,,pastor ,,xxii ,der ,pfarrherr4 ,he carries the host to a sick person4 ,but ,death precedes him as his sacristan4 ,,the ,,mendicant ,,friar ,,xxiii ,der ,mnch4 ,death seizes him just as his begging box and bag are filled4 ,,the ,,nun ,,xxiv ,die ,nonne4 ,the young ,nun kneels at the altar1 but turns to her lover who plays upon a lute4 ,death meantime1 as a hideous old hag1 extinguishes the altar candles4 ,,the ,,old ,,woman ,,xxv ,das ,altweib4 ,melior est mors quam vita to the aged woman who crawls gravewards with her bone rosary while ,death makes music in the van4 ,,the ,,physician ,,xxvi ,der ,arzt4 ,death brings him a hopeless patient1 and bids him cure himself4 ,,the ,,astrologer ,,xxvii 7,see p4 #aj1 l4 #ab47 ,he contemplates a pendent sphere4 ,but ,death thrusts a skull before his eyes4 ,,the ,,rich ,,man ,,xxviii ,der ,reichmann4 ,death finds him at his pay-table and seizes the money4 ,,the ,,merchant ,,xxix ,der ,kaufmann4 ,death arrests him among his newly-arrived bales4 ,,the ,,shipman ,,xxx ,der ,schiffmann4 ,death breaks the mast of the ship1 and the crew are in extremity4 ,,the ,,knight ,,xxxi ,der ,ritter4 ,death1 in cuirass and chain-mail1 runs him through the body4 ,,the ,,count ,,xxxii ,der ,graf4 ,death1 as a peasant with a flail1 lifts away his back-piece4 ,,the ,,old ,,man ,,xxxiii ,der ,altmann4 ,death1 playing on a dulcimer1 leads him into his grave4 ,,the ,,countess ,,xxxiv ,die ,grafinn4 ,death helps her at her tiring by decorating her with a necklet of dead men's bones4 ,,the ,,noble ,,lady1 ,,or ,,bride ,,xxxv ,die ,edelfrau4 ,me et te sola mors separabit--says the motto4 ,and ,death already dances before her4 ,,the ,,duchess ,,xxxvi ,die ,herzoginn4 ,death seizes her in bed1 while his fellow plays the fiddle4 ,,the ,,pedlar ,,xxxvii ,der ,kramer4 ,death stops him on the road with his wares at his back4 ,,the ,,ploughman ,,xxxviii ,der ,ackermann4 ,death runs at the horses' sides as the sun sinks1 and the furrows are completed4 ,,the ,,young ,,child ,,xxxix ,das ,junge ,kind4 ,as the meagre cottage meal is preparing1 ,death steals the youngest child4 ,,the ,,last ,,judgment ,,xl ,das jngste ,gericht4 ,omnes stabimus ante tribunal ,domini4 ,,the ,,escutcheon ,,of ,,death ,,xli ,die ,wappen des ,todes4 ,the supporters represent ,holbein and his wife4 ,added in later editions ,,the ,,soldier ,,xlii ,death1 armed only with a bone and shield1 fights with the ,soldier on the field of battle4 ,,the ,,gamester ,,xliii ,death and the ,devil seize upon the ,gambler at his cards4 ,,the ,,drunkard ,,xliv ,men and women carouse3 down the throat of one bloated fellow ,death pours the wine4 ,,the ,,fool ,,xlv ,the ,fool dances along the highway with ,death1 who plays the bagpipes4 ,,the ,,robber ,,xlvi ,death seizes the ,robber in the act of pillage4 ,,the ,,blind ,,man ,,xlvii ,death leads the ,blind ,man by his staff4 ,,the ,,waggoner ,,xlviii ,the waggon is overturned2 one ,death carries off a wheel1 the other loosens the fastening of a cask4 ,,the ,,beggar ,,xlix ,the ,beggar1 lying on straw outside the city1 cries in vain for ,death4 ,two others1 not found in the earlier editions1 ,the ,young ,wife1 and ,the ,young ,husband1 are not included in the ,douce reprint for which the foregoing blocks were engraved4 ,les simulachres ,,historiees ,,faces ,,de ,,la ,,mort1 ,,avtant ,,ele gammt pourtraictes1 que artificiellement imagines4 ,illustration3 ,vsus me genuit4 ,a ,,lyon1 ,soubz l'escu de ,,coloigne1 ,m4 ,d4 ,,xxxviii4 ,i4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,creation4 ,formauit ,,dominvs ,,devs hominem de limo terr1 ad imagine suam creauit illum1 masculum foeminam creauit eos4 ,genesis i4 ii4 ,,diev1 ,ciel1 ,mer1 ,terre1 procrea ,de rien demonstrant sa puissance ,et puis de la terre crea ,l'homme1 la femme a sa semblance4 ,,ii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,temptation4 ,quia audisti vocem vxoris tu1 comedisti de ligno ex quo preceperam tibi ne comederes1 c4 ,genesis iii4 ,,adam fut par ,,eve deceu ,et contre ,,diev mangea la pomme1 ,dont tous deux ont la ,mort receu1 ,et depuis fut mortel tout homme4 ,,iii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,expulsion4 ,emisit eum ,,dominvs ,,devs de ,paradiso voluptatis1 vt operaretur terram de qua sumptus est4 ,genesis iii4 ,,diev chassa l'homme de plaisir ,pour uiure au labeur de ses mains3 ,alors la ,mort le uint saisir1 ,et consequemment tous humains4 ,,iv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,fall4 ,maledicta terra in opere tuo1 in laboribus comedes cunctis diebus vit tu1 donec reuertaris1 c4 ,genesis iii4 ,mauldicte en ton labeur la terre4 ,en labeur ta uie useras1 ,iusques que la ,mort te soubterre4 ,toy pouldre en pouldre tourneras4 ,v4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,cemetery4 ,v v v habitantibus in terra4 ,apocalypsis viii4 ,cuncta in quibus spiraculum vit est1 mortua sunt4 ,genesis vii4 ,malheureux qui uiuez au monde ,tousiours remplis d'aduersitez1 ,pour quelque bien qui uous abonde1 ,serez tous de ,mort uisitez4 ,,vi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pope4 ,moriatur sacerdos magnus4 ,iosve xx4 ,et episcopatum eius accipiat alter4 ,psalmista cviii4 ,qui te cuydes immortel estre ,par ,mort seras tost depesch1 ,et combien que tu soys grand prebstre1 ,vng aultre aura ton ,euesch4 ,,vii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,emperor4 ,dispone domui tu1 morieris enim tu1 non viues4 ,isai xxxviii4 ,ibi morieris1 ibi erit currus glori tu4 ,isai xxii4 ,de ta maison disposeras ,comme de ton bien transitoire1 ,car l ou mort reposeras1 ,seront les chariotz de ta gloire4 ,,viii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,king4 ,sicut rex hodie est1 cras morietur1 nemo enim ex regibus aliud habuit4 ,ecclesiastici x4 ,ainsi qu'auiourdhuy il est ,roy1 ,demain sera en tombe close4 ,car ,roy aulcun de son arroy ,n'a sceu emporter aultre chose4 ,,ix4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cardinal4 ,v qui iustificatis impium pro muneribus1 iustitiam iusti aufertis ab eo4 ,esai v4 ,mal pour uous qui iustifiez ,l'inhumain1 plain de malice ,et par dons le sanctifiez1 ,ostant au iuste sa iustice4 ,x4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,empress4 ,gradientes in superbia potest ,deus humiliare4 ,danie iiii4 ,qui marchez en pompe superbe ,la ,mort vng iour uous pliera4 ,cme soubz uoz piedz ployez l'herbe ,ainsi uous humiliera4 ,,xi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,queen4 ,mulieres opulent surgite1 audite vocem meam4 ,post dies1 annum1 vos conturbemini4 ,isai xxxii4 ,leuez uous dames opulentes4 ,ouyez la uoix des trespassez4 ,apres maintz ans iours passez1 ,serez troubles doulentes4 ,,xii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bishop4 ,percutiam pastorem1 dispergentur oues4 xxvi4 ,mar4 xiiii4 ,le pasteur aussi frapperay1 ,mitres crosses renuerses4 ,et lors quand ie l'attrapperay1 ,seront ses brebis disperses4 ,,xiii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,duke4 ,princeps induetur moerore4 ,et quiescere faciam superbi potentium4 ,ezechie4 vii4 ,vien1 prince1 auec moy1 delaisse ,honneurs mondains tost finissantz4 ,seule suis qui1 certes1 abaisse ,l'orgueil pompe des puissantz4 ,,xiv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,abbot4 ,ipse morietur4 ,quia n habuit disciplinam1 in multitudine stultiti su decipietur4 ,prover4 v4 ,il mourra4 ,car il n'a receu ,en soy aulcune discipline1 ,et au nombre sera deceu ,de folie qui le domine4 ,,xv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,abbess4 ,laudaui magis mortuos qum viuentes4 ,eccle4 iiii4 ,i'ay tousiours les mortz plus lou ,que les uisz1 esquelz mal abonde1 ,toucesfoys la ,mort ma nou ,au ranc de ceulx qui sont au monde4 ,,xvi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,nobleman4 ,quis est homo qui viuet1 non videbit mortem1 eruet anim suam de manu inferi8 ,psal4 lxxxviii4 ,qui est celluy1 tant soit grande homme1 ,qui puisse uiure sans mourir8 ,et de la ,mort1 qui tout assomme1 ,puisse son ,ame recourir8 ,,xvii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,canon4 ,ecce appropinquat hora4 ,mat4 xxvi4 ,tu uas au choeur dire tes heures ,paiant ,dieu pour toy1 ton proche4 ,mais il fault ores que tu meures4 ,voy tu pas l'heure qui approche8 ,,xviii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,judge4 ,disperdam iudicem de medio eius4 ,amos ii4 ,du mylieu d'eulx uous osteray ,iuges corrumpus par presentz4 ,point ne serez de ,mort exemptz4 ,car ailleurs uous transporteray4 ,,xix4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,advocate4 ,callidus vidit malum1 abscdit se innocens1 pertransijt1 afflictus est damno4 ,prover4 xxii4 ,l'homme cault a ueu la malice ,pour l'innocent faire obliger1 ,et puis par uoye de iustice ,est uenu le pauure affliger4 ,,xx4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,counsellor4 ,qui obturat aurem suam ad clamorem pauperis1 ipse clamabit1 non exaudietur4 ,prover4 xxi4 ,les riches conseillez tousiours1 ,et aux pauures clouez l'oreille4 ,vous crierez aux derniers iours1 ,mais ,dieu uous fera la pareille4 ,,xxi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,preacher4 ,v qui dicitis malum bonum1 bonum malu1 ponentes tenebras lucem1 lucem tenebras1 ponentes amarum dulce1 dulce in amarum4 ,isai xv4 ,mal pour uous qui ainsi osez ,le mal pour le bien nous blasmer1 ,et le bien pour mal exposez1 ,mettant auec le doulx l'amer4 ,,xxii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,priest4 ,sum quidem ego mortalis homo4 ,sap4 vii4 ,ie porte le sainct sacrement ,cuidant le mourant secourir1 ,qui mortel suis pareillement4 ,et comme luy me fault mourir4 ,,xxiii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,mendicant ,,friar4 ,sedentes in tenebris1 in vmbra mortis1 vinctos in mendicitate4 ,psal4 cvi4 ,toy qui n'as soucy1 ny remord ,sinon de ta mendicit1 ,tu fierras a l'umbre de ,mort ,pour t'ouster de necessit4 ,,xxiv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,nun4 ,est via qu videtur homini iusta3 nouissima autem eius deducunt hominem ad mortem4 ,prover4 iiii4 ,telle uoye aux humains est bonne1 ,et a l'homme tresiuste semble4 ,mais la fin d'elle a l'homme donne1 ,la ,mort1 qui tous pecheurs assemble4 ,,xxv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old ,,woman4 ,melior est mors qum vita4 ,eccle4 xxx4 ,en peine ay uescu longuement ,tant que nay plus de uiure enuie1 ,mais bien ie croy certainement1 ,meilleure la ,mort que la uie4 ,,xxvi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,physician4 ,medice1 cura teipsum4 ,lvc iiii4 ,tu congnoys bien la maladie ,pour le patient secourir1 ,et si ne scais teste estourdie1 ,le mal dont tu deburas mourir4 ,,xxvii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,astrologer4 ,indica mihi si nosti omnia4 ,sciebas qud nasciturus esses1 numerum dierum tuorum noueras8 ,iob xxviii4 ,tu dis par ,amphibologie ,ce qu'aux aultres doibt aduenir4 ,dy moy donc par ,astrologie ,quand tu deburas a moy uenir8 ,,xxviii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rich ,,man4 ,stulte hac nocte repetunt animam tuam1 qu parasti cuius erunt8 ,lvc xii4 ,ceste nuict la ,mort te prendra1 ,et demain seras enchass4 ,mais dy moy1 fol1 a qui uiendra ,le bien que tu as amass8 ,,xxix4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,merchant4 ,qui congregat thesauros mendacij vanus excors est1 impingetur ad laqueos mortis4 ,prover4 xxi4 ,vain est cil qui amassera ,grandz biens1 tresors pour mentir1 ,la ,mort l'en fera repentir4 ,car en ses lacz surpris sera4 ,,xxx4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,shipman4 ,qui volunt diuites fieri incidunt in laqueum diaboli1 desideria multa1 nociua1 qu mergunt homines in interitum4 ,i4 ,ad ,timo4 vi4 ,pour acquerir des biens mondains ,vous entrez en tentation1 ,qui uous met es perilz soubdains1 ,et uous maine a perdition4 ,,xxxi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,knight4 ,subito morientur1 in media nocte turbabuntur populi1 auferent violentum absque manu4 ,iob xxxiiii4 ,peuples soubdain s'esleuront ,a lencontre de l'inhumain1 ,et le uiolent osteront ,d'auec eulx sans force de main4 ,,xxxii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,count4 ,quoniam cm interiet non sumet secum omnia1 neque cum eo descendet gloria eius4 ,psal4 xlviii4 ,auec soy rien n'emportera1 ,mais qu'une foys la ,mort le tombe1 ,rien de sa gloire n'ostera1 ,pour mettre auec soy en sa tombe4 ,,xxxiii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old ,,man4 ,spiritus meus attenuabitur1 dies mei breuiabuntur1 solum mihi superest sepulchrum4 ,iob xvii4 ,mes esperitz sont attendriz1 ,et ma uie s'en ua tout beau4 ,las mes longziours sont amoindriz1 ,plus ne me reste qu'un tombeau4 ,,xxxiv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,countess4 ,ducunt in bonis dies suos1 in puncto ad inferna descendunt4 ,iob xxi4 ,en biens mdains leurs iours despendet ,en uoluptez1 en tristesse1 ,puis soubdain aux ,enfers descendent ,ou leur ioye passe en tristesse4 ,,xxxv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,noble ,,lady4 ,me te sola mors separabit4 ,rvth4 i4 ,amour qui unyz nous faict uiure1 ,en foy noz cueurs preparera1 ,qui long temps ne nous pourra suyure1 ,car la ,mort nous separera4 ,,xxxvi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,duchess4 ,de lectulo super quem ascendisti non descendes1 sed morte morieris4 iiii4 ,reg4 i4 ,du lict sus lequel as mont ,ne descendras a ton plaisir4 ,car ,mort t'aura tantost dompt1 ,et en brief te uiendra saisir4 ,,xxxvii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pedlar4 ,venite ad me qui onerati estis4 ,matth4 xi4 ,venez1 apres moy marchez ,vous qui estes par trop charge4 ,cest assez suiuy les marchez3 ,vous serez par moy decharge4 ,,xxxviii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ploughman4 ,in sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo4 ,gene4 i4 ,a la sueur de ton uisaige ,tu gaigneras ta pauure uie4 ,apres long trauail1 usaige1 ,voicy la ,mort qui te conuie4 ,,xxxix4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,young ,,child4 ,homo natus de muliere1 breui viuens tempore repletur multis miserijs1 qui quasi flos egreditur1 conteritur1 fugit velut vmbra4 ,iob xiiii4 ,tout homme de la femme yssant ,remply de misere1 d'encombre1 ,ainsi que fleur tost finissant4 ,sort puis fuyt comme faict l'umbre4 ,,xl4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,last ,,judgment4 ,omnes stabimus ante tribunal domini4 ,roma4 xiiii4 ,vigilate1 orate1 quia nescitis qua hora venturus sit dominus4 ,matt4 xxiiii4 ,deuante le trosne du grand iuge ,chascun de soy compte rendra ,pourtant ueillez1 qu'il ne uous iuge4 ,car ne scauez quand il uiendra4 ,,xli4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,escutcheon ,,of ,,death4 ,memorare nouissima1 in ternum non peccabis4 ,eccle4 vii4 ,si tu ueulx uiure sans pech ,voy ceste imaige a tous propos1 ,et point ne seras empesch1 ,quand tu t'en iras a repos4 ,,added ,,in ,,later ,,editions ,,xlii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,soldier4 ,cum fortis armatus custodit atrium suum1 c4 ,si autem fortior eo superueniens vicerit eum1 uniuersa eius arma aufert1 in quibus confidebat4 ,le sort arm en jeune corps ,pense auoir seure garnison2 ,mais ,mort plus forte1 le met hors ,de sa corporelle maison4 ,,xliii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,gamester4 ,quid prodest homini1 si vniuersum ,mundum lucretur1 anim autem su detrimentum patiatur8 ,matt4 xvi4 ,que vault l'homme tout le ,monde ,gaigner d'hazard1 chance experte1 ,s'il recoit de sa uie immonde ,par ,mort1 irreparable perte8 ,,xliv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,drunkard4 ,ne inebriemini vino1 in quo est luxuria4 ,ephes4 v4 ,de vin 7auquel est tout exces7 ,ne vous enyurez pour dormir ,sommeil de ,mort qui au deces ,vous face l'ame1 sang vomir4 ,,xlv4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fool4 ,quasi agnus lasciuiens1 ignorans1 nescit qud ad vincula stultus trahatur4 ,proverb vii4 ,le ,fol vit en ioye1 deduict ,san scavoir qu'il s'en va mourant1 ,tant qu' sa fin il est conduict ,ainsi que l'agneau ignorant4 ,,xlvi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,robber4 ,domine1 vim patior4 ,isai xxxviii4 ,la foible femme brigande ,crie1 ,o seigneur on me fait force4 ,lors de ,dieu la mort est mande1 ,qui les estrangle dure estorce4 ,,xlvii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,blind ,,man4 ,ccus ccum ducit3 ambo in foueam cadunt4 ,matth4 xv4 ,l'aueugle un autre aueugle guide1 ,l'un par l'autre en la fosse tombe3 ,car quand plus oultre aller il cuide1 ,la ,,mort l'homme iecte en la tombe4 ,,xlviii4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,waggoner4 ,corruit in curru suo4 i ,chron4 xxii4 ,au passage de ,,mort peruerse ,raison1 chartier tout esperdu1 ,du corps le char1 cheuaux verse1 ,le vin 7sang de vie7 espandu4 ,,xlix4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,beggar4 ,miser ego homo6 ,quis nie liberabit de corpore mortis huius8 ,rom4 vii4 ,qui hors la chair veult en ,christ viure ,ne craint mort1 mais dit un mortel1 ,helas1 qui me rendra deliure ,pouure homme de ce corps mortel8 99 99 99 99 99 ,of this edition of ,holbein's ,the ,dance of ,death1 seven hundred and fifty copies have been printed on ,japan vellum1 for the ,scott-,thaw ,co41 by the ,heintzemann ,press1 ,july1 ,,mcmiii4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,in the work used for this digitization1 each pair of facing pages has the ,latin biblical quotation at the top of the left page printed in red1 the ,french quatrain at the bottom of the left page printed in black1 and the illustration 7numbered above1 and captioned below7 on the right page1 opposite the text4 ,for clarity in the text-only version1 the plate numbers and captions have been moved to precede their corresponding verses4