The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Dance of Death This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The Dance of Death Illustrator: Hans Holbein Author: Gilles Corrozet Jean de Vauzelles Commentator: Austin Dobson Engraver: Hans Lützelburger Release date: June 10, 2007 [eBook #21790] Language: English Credits: Produced by David Garcia, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DANCE OF DEATH *** Produced by David Garcia, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net The Dance of Death by Hans Holbein, with an introductory note by Austin Dobson New York SCOTT-THAW COMPANY mcmiii Copyright, 1903, by SCOTT-THAW COMPANY _The Heintzemann Press, Boston_ THE DANCE OF DEATH =The Book= "_Les Simulachres & Historiées Faces de la Mort avtant elegamtment pourtraictes, que artificiellement imaginées._" This may be Englished as follows: _The Images and Storied Aspects of Death, as elegantly delineated as [they are] ingeniously imagined._ Such is the literal title of the earliest edition of the famous book now familiarly known as "_Holbein's Dance of Death._" It is a small _quarto_, bearing on its title-page, below the French words above quoted, a nondescript emblem with the legend _Vsus me Genuit_, and on an open book, _Gnothe seauton_. Below this comes again, "_A Lyon, Soubz l'escu de Coloigne_: M. D. XXXVIII," while at the end of the volume is the imprint "_Excvdebant Lvgdvni Melchoir et Gaspar Trechsel fratres: 1538_,"--the Trechsels being printers of German origin, who had long been established at Lyons. There is a verbose "Epistre" or Preface in French to the "_moult reuerende Abbesse du religieux conuent S. Pierre de Lyon, Madame Iehanne de Touszele_," otherwise the Abbess of Saint Pierre les Nonnains, a religious house containing many noble and wealthy ladies, and the words, "_Salut d'un vray Zèle_," which conclude the dedicatory heading, are supposed to reveal indirectly the author of the "Epistre" itself, namely, Jean de Vauzelles, Pastor of St. Romain and Prior of Monrottier, one of three famous literary brothers in the city on the Rhone, whose motto was "_D'un vray Zelle_." After the Preface comes "_Diuerses Tables de Mort, non painctes, mais extraictes de l'escripture saincte, colorées par Docteurs Ecclesiastiques, & umbragées par Philosophes_." Then follow the cuts, forty-one in number, each having its text from the Latin Bible above it, and below, its quatrain in French, this latter being understood to be from the pen of one Gilles Corozet. To the cuts succeed various makeweight Appendices of a didactic and hortatory character, the whole being wound up by a profitable discourse, _De la Necessite de la Mort qui ne laisse riens estre pardurable_. Various editions ensued to this first one of 1538, the next or second of 1542 (in which Corozet's verses were translated into Latin by Luther's brother-in-law, George Oemmel or Aemilius), being put forth by Jean and François Frellon, into whose hands the establishment of the Trechsels had fallen. There were subsequent issues in 1545, 1547, 1549, 1554, and 1562. To the issues of 1545 and 1562 a few supplementary designs were added, some of which have no special bearing upon the general theme, although attempts, more or less ingenious, have been made to connect them with the text. After 1562 no addition was made to the plates. =The Artist= From the date of the _editio princeps_ it might be supposed that the designs were executed at or about 1538--the year of its publication. But this is not the case; 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 published. There are, in fact, several sets of impressions in the British Museum, the Berlin Museum, the Basle Museum, the Imperial Library at Paris, and the Grand Ducal Cabinet at Carlsruhe, all of which correspond with each other, and are believed to be engraver's proofs from the original blocks. These, which include every cut in the edition of 1538, except "The Astrologer," would prove little of themselves as to the date of execution. But, luckily, there exists in the Cabinet at Berlin a set of coarse enlarged drawings in Indian ink, on brownish paper, of twenty-three of the series. These are in circular form; and were apparently intended as sketches for glass painting. That they are copied from the woodcuts is demonstrable, first, because they are not reversed as they would have been if they were the originals; and, secondly, because one of them, No. 36 ("The Duchess"), repeats the conjoined "H.L." on the bed, which initials are held to be the monogram of the woodcutter, and not to be part of the original design. The Berlin drawings must therefore have been executed subsequently to the woodcuts; and as one of them, that representing the Emperor, is dated "1527," we get a date before which both the woodcuts, and the designs for the woodcuts, must have been prepared. It is generally held that they were so prepared _circa_ 1524 and 1525, the date of the Peasants' War, of the state of feeling excited by which they exhibit evident traces. In the Preface to this first edition, certain ambiguous expressions, to which we shall presently refer, led some of the earlier writers on the subject to doubt as to the designer of the series. But the later researches of Wornum and Woltmann, of M. Paul Mantz and, more recently, of Mr. W. J. Linton leave no doubt that they were really drawn by the artist to whom they have always been traditionally assigned, to wit, Hans Holbein the younger. He was resident in Basle up to the autumn of 1526, before which time, according to the above argument, the drawings must have been produced; he had already designed an Alphabet of Death; and, moreover, on the walls of the cemetery of the Dominican monastery at Basle there was a famous wall-painting of the Dance of Death, which would be a perpetual stimulus to any resident artist. Finally, and this is perhaps the most important consideration of all, the designs are in Holbein's manner. =The Woodcutter= But besides revealing an inventor of the highest order, the _Dance of Death_ also discloses an interpreter in wood of signal, and even superlative, ability. 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 excelled. In this matter there could be no better judge than Mr. W. J. Linton; and he says that nothing, either by knife or by graver, is of higher quality than these woodcuts. Yet the woodcutter's very name was for a long time doubtful, and even now the particulars which we possess with regard to him are scanty and inconclusive. That he was dead when the Trechsels published the book in 1538, must be inferred from the "Epistre" of Jean de Vauzelles, since that "Epistre" expressly refers to "_la mort de celluy, qui nous en a icy imaginé si elegantes figures_"; and without entering into elaborate enquiry as to the exact meaning of "_imaginer_" in sixteenth-century French, it is obvious that, although the deceased is elsewhere loosely called "_painctre_," this title cannot refer to Holbein, who was so far from being dead that he survived until 1543. The only indication of the woodcutter's name is supplied by the monogram, "HL" upon the bedstead in No. 36 ("The Duchess"); and these initials have been supposed to indicate one Hans Lutzelburger, or Hans of Luxemburg, "otherwise Franck," a form-cutter ("formschneider"), whose full name is to be found attached to the so-called "Little Dance of Death," an alphabet by Holbein, impressions of which are in the British Museum. His signature ("H. L. F. 1522") is also found appended to another alphabet; to a cut of a fight in a forest, dated also 1522; and to an engraved title-page in a German New Testament of the year following. This is all we know with certainty concerning his work, though the investigations of Dr. Édouard His have established the fact that a "formschneider" named Hans, who had business transactions with the Trechsels of Lyons, had died at Basle before June, 1526; and it is conjectured, though absolute proof is not forthcoming, that this must have been the "H. L.," or Hans of Luxemburg, who cut Holbein's designs upon the wood. In any case, unless we must assume another woodcutter of equal merit, it is probable that the same man cut the signed Alphabet in the British Museum and the initialed _Dance of Death_. But why the cuts of the latter, which, as we have shown above, were printed _circa_ 1526, were not published at Lyons until 1538; and why Holbein's name was withheld in the Preface to the book of that year, are still unexplained. The generally accepted supposition is that motives of timidity, arising from the satirical and fearlessly unsparing character of the designs, may be answerable both for delay in the publication and mystification in the "Preface." And if intentional mystification be admitted, the doors of enquiry, after three hundred and fifty years, are practically sealed to the critical picklock. =Other Reproductions= The _Dance of Death_ has been frequently copied. Mr. W. J. Linton enumerates a Venice reproduction of 1545; and a set (enlarged) by Jobst Dienecker of Augsburg in 1554. Then there is the free copy, once popular with our great grandfathers, by Bewick's younger brother John, which Hodgson of Newcastle published in 1789 under the title of _Emblems of Mortality_. Wenceslaus Hollar etched thirty of the designs in 1651, and in 1788 forty-six of them were etched by David Deuchar. In 1832 they were reproduced upon stone with great care by Joseph Schlotthauer, Professor in the Academy of Fine Arts at Munich; and these were reissued in this country in 1849 by John Russell Smith. They have also been rendered in photo-lithography for an edition issued by H. Noel Humphreys, in 1868; and for the Holbein Society in 1879. In 1886, Dr. F. Lippmann edited for Mr. Quaritch a set of reproductions of the engraver's proofs in the Berlin Museum; and the _editio princeps_ has been facsimiled by one of the modern processes for Hirth of Munich, as vol. x. of the Liebhaber-Bibliothek, 1884. =The Present Issue= The copies given in the present issue are impressions from the blocks engraved in 1833 for Douce's _Holbein's Dance of Death_. They are the best imitations in wood, says Mr. Linton. It is of course true, as he also points out, that a copy with the graver can never quite faithfully follow an original which has been cut with the knife,--more especially, it may be added, when the cutter is a supreme craftsman like him of Luxemburg. But against etched, lithographed, phototyped and otherwise-processed copies, these of Messrs. Bonner and John Byfield have one incontestable advantage: they are honest attempts to repeat by the same method,--that is, in wood,--the original and incomparable woodcuts of Hans Lutzelburger. THE DANCE OF DEATH (CHANT ROYAL, AFTER HOLBEIN)[1] "_Contra vim Mortis_ _Non est medicamen in hortis._" He is the despots' Despot. All must bide, Later or soon, the message of his might; Princes and potentates their heads must hide, Touched by the awful sigil of his right; Beside the Kaiser he at eve doth wait And pours a potion in his cup of state; The stately Queen his bidding must obey; No keen-eyed Cardinal shall him affray; And to the Dame that wantoneth he saith-- "Let be, Sweet-heart, to junket and to play." There is no king more terrible than Death. The lusty Lord, rejoicing in his pride, He draweth down; before the armèd Knight With jingling bridle-rein he still doth ride; He crosseth the strong Captain in the fight; The Burgher grave he beckons from debate; He hales the Abbot by his shaven pate, Nor for the Abbess' wailing will delay; No bawling Mendicant shall say him nay; E'en to the pyx the Priest he followeth, Nor can the Leech his chilling finger stay ... There is no king more terrible than Death. All things must bow to him. And woe betide The Wine-bibber,--the Roisterer by night; Him the feast-master, many bouts defied, Him 'twixt the pledging and the cup shall smite; Woe to the Lender at usurious rate, The hard Rich Man, the hireling Advocate; Woe to the Judge that selleth right for pay; Woe to the Thief that like a beast of prey With creeping tread the traveller harryeth:-- These, in their sin, the sudden sword shall slay ... There is no king more terrible than Death. He hath no pity,--nor will be denied. When the low hearth is garnishèd and bright, Grimly he flingeth the dim portal wide, And steals the Infant in the Mother's sight; He hath no pity for the scorned of fate:-- He spares not Lazarus lying at the gate, Nay, nor the Blind that stumbleth as he may; Nay, the tired Ploughman,--at the sinking ray,-- In the last furrow,--feels an icy breath, And knows a hand hath turned the team astray ... There is no king more terrible than Death. He hath no pity. For the new-made Bride, Blithe with the promise of her life's delight, That wanders gladly by her Husband's side, He with the clatter of his drum doth fright; He scares the Virgin at the convent grate; The Maid half-won, the lover passionate; He hath no grace for weakness and decay: The tender Wife, the Widow bent and gray, The feeble Sire whose footstep faltereth,-- All these he leadeth by the lonely way ... There is no king more terrible than Death. ENVOY. Youth, for whose ear and monishing of late, I sang of Prodigals and lost estate, Have thou thy joy of living and be gay; But know not less that there must come a day,-- Aye, and perchance e'en now it hasteneth,-- When thine own heart shall speak to thee and say,-- There is no king more terrible than Death. 1877. A. D. [Footnote 1: This Chant Royal of the King of Terrors is--with Mr. AUSTIN DOBSON'S consent--here reprinted from his _Collected Poems_, 1896.] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS N.B.--The German titles are in general modernized from those which appear above the engraver's proofs. The numerals are those of the cuts. THE CREATION I _Die Schöpfung aller Ding._ Eve is taken from the side of Adam. THE TEMPTATION II "_Adam Eua im Paradyss._" Eve, having received an apple from the serpent, prompts Adam to gather more. THE EXPULSION III "_Vsstribung Ade Eue._" Adam and Eve, preceded by Death, playing on a beggar's lyre or hurdy-gurdy, are driven by the angel from Eden. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL IV _Adam baut die Erden._ Adam, aided by Death, tills the earth. Eve, with a distaff, suckles Cain in the background. A CEMETERY V _Gebein aller Menschen._ A crowd of skeletons, playing on horns, trumpets, and the like, summon mankind to the grave. THE POPE VI _Der Päpst._ The Pope (Leo X.) with Death at his side, crowns an Emperor, who kisses his foot. Another Death, in a cardinal's hat, is among the assistants. THE EMPEROR VII _Der Kaiser._ The Emperor (Maximilian I.) rates his minister for injustice to a suitor. But even in the act Death discrowns him. THE KING VIII _Der König._ The King (Francis I.) sits at feast under a baldachin sprinkled with _fleurs-de-lis_. Death, as a cup-bearer, pours his last draught. THE CARDINAL IX _Der Cardinal._ Death lifts off the Cardinal's hat as he is handing a letter of indulgence to a rich man. Luther's opponent, Cardinal Cajetan, is supposed to be represented. THE EMPRESS X _Die Kaiserinn._ The Empress, walking with her women, is intercepted by a female Death, who conducts her to an open grave. THE QUEEN XI _Die Königinn._ Death, in the guise of a court-jester, drags away the Queen as she is leaving her palace. THE BISHOP XII _Der Bischof._ The sun is setting, and Death leads the aged Bishop from the sorrowing shepherds of his flock. THE DUKE XIII _Der Herzog._ The Duke turns pitilessly from a beggar-woman and her child. Meanwhile Death, fantastically crowned, lays hands on him. THE ABBOT XIV _Der Abt._ Death, having despoiled the Abbot of mitre and crozier, hales him along unwilling, and threatening his enemy with his breviary. THE ABBESS XV _Die Abtissin._ Death, in a wreath of flags, pulls away the Abbess by her scapulary in sight of a shrieking nun. THE NOBLEMAN XVI _Der Edelmann._ Death drags the resisting Nobleman towards a bier in the background. THE CANON, OR PREBENDARY XVII _Der Domherr._ The Canon, with his falconer, page, and jester, enters the church door. Death shows him that his sands have run. THE JUDGE XVIII _Der Richter._ Death withdraws the Judge's staff as he takes a bribe from a rich suitor. THE ADVOCATE XIX _Der Fürsprach._ Death comes upon him in the street while he is being feed by a rich client. THE COUNSELLOR, OR SENATOR XX _Der Rathsherr._ The Counsellor, prompted by a devil, is absorbed by a nobleman, and turns unheeding from a poor suppliant. But Death, with glass and spade, is waiting at his feet. THE PREACHER XXI _Der Predicant._ Death, in a stole, stands in the pulpit behind the fluent Preacher, and prepares to strike him down with a jaw-bone. THE PRIEST, OR PASTOR XXII _Der Pfarrherr._ He carries the host to a sick person. But Death precedes him as his sacristan. THE MENDICANT FRIAR XXIII _Der Mönch._ Death seizes him just as his begging box and bag are filled. THE NUN XXIV _Die Nonne._ The young Nun kneels at the altar, but turns to her lover who plays upon a lute. Death meantime, as a hideous old hag, extinguishes the altar candles. THE OLD WOMAN XXV _Das Altweib._ "_Melior est mors quam vita_" to the aged woman who crawls gravewards with her bone rosary while Death makes music in the van. THE PHYSICIAN XXVI _Der Arzt._ Death brings him a hopeless patient, and bids him cure himself. THE ASTROLOGER XXVII (_See p. 10, l. 12._) He contemplates a pendent sphere. But Death thrusts a skull before his eyes. THE RICH MAN XXVIII _Der Reichmann._ Death finds him at his pay-table and seizes the money. THE MERCHANT XXIX _Der Kaufmann._ Death arrests him among his newly-arrived bales. THE SHIPMAN XXX _Der Schiffmann._ Death breaks the mast of the ship, and the crew are in extremity. THE KNIGHT XXXI _Der Ritter._ Death, in cuirass and chain-mail, runs him through the body. THE COUNT XXXII _Der Graf._ Death, as a peasant with a flail, lifts away his back-piece. THE OLD MAN XXXIII _Der Altmann._ Death, playing on a dulcimer, leads him into his grave. THE COUNTESS XXXIV _Die Grafinn._ Death helps her at her tiring by decorating her with a necklet of dead men's bones. THE NOBLE LADY, OR BRIDE XXXV _Die Edelfrau._ "_Me et te sola mors separabit_"--says the motto. And Death already dances before her. THE DUCHESS XXXVI _Die Herzoginn._ Death seizes her in bed, while his fellow plays the fiddle. THE PEDLAR XXXVII _Der Kramer._ Death stops him on the road with his wares at his back. THE PLOUGHMAN XXXVIII _Der Ackermann._ Death runs at the horses' sides as the sun sinks, and the furrows are completed. THE YOUNG CHILD XXXIX _Das Junge Kind._ As the meagre cottage meal is preparing, Death steals the youngest child. THE LAST JUDGMENT XL _Das jüngste Gericht._ "_Omnes stabimus ante tribunal Domini._" THE ESCUTCHEON OF DEATH XLI _Die Wappen des Todes._ The supporters represent Holbein and his wife. [_Added in later editions_] THE SOLDIER XLII Death, armed only with a bone and shield, fights with the Soldier on the field of battle. THE GAMESTER XLIII Death and the Devil seize upon the Gambler at his cards. THE DRUNKARD XLIV Men and women carouse: down the throat of one bloated fellow Death pours the wine. THE FOOL XLV The Fool dances along the highway with Death, who plays the bagpipes. THE ROBBER XLVI Death seizes the Robber in the act of pillage. THE BLIND MAN XLVII Death leads the Blind Man by his staff. THE WAGGONER XLVIII The waggon is overturned; one Death carries off a wheel, the other loosens the fastening of a cask. THE BEGGAR XLIX The Beggar, lying on straw outside the city, cries in vain for Death. [Two others, not found in the earlier editions, "The Young Wife," and "The Young Husband," are not included in the Douce reprint for which the foregoing blocks were engraved.] Les simulachres & HISTORIEES FACES DE LA MORT, AVTANT ELE gammêt pourtraictes, que artificiellement imaginées. [Illustration: Vsus me genuit.] A LYON, Soubz l'escu de COLOIGNE, M. D. XXXVIII. I. [Illustration: THE CREATION.] Formauit DOMINVS DEVS hominem de limo terræ, ad imagine suam creauit illum, masculum & foeminam creauit eos. Genesis i. & ii. DIEV, Ciel, Mer, Terre, procrea De rien demonstrant sa puissance Et puis de la terre crea L'homme, & la femme a sa semblance. II. [Illustration: THE TEMPTATION.] Quia audisti vocem vxoris tuæ, & comedisti de ligno ex quo preceperam tibi ne comederes, &c. Genesis iii. ADAM fut par EVE deceu Et contre DIEV mangea la pomme, Dont tous deux ont la Mort receu, Et depuis fut mortel tout homme. III. [Illustration: THE EXPULSION.] Emisit eum DOMINVS DEVS de Paradiso voluptatis, vt operaretur terram de qua sumptus est. Genesis iii. DIEV chassa l'homme de plaisir Pour uiure au labeur de ses mains: Alors la Mort le uint saisir, Et consequemment tous humains. IV. [Illustration: THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL.] Maledicta terra in opere tuo, in laboribus comedes cunctis diebus vitæ tuæ, donec reuertaris, &c. Genesis iii. Mauldicte en ton labeur la terre. En labeur ta uie useras, Iusques que la Mort te soubterre. Toy pouldre en pouldre tourneras. V. [Illustration: A CEMETERY.] Væ væ væ habitantibus in terra. Apocalypsis viii. Cuncta in quibus spiraculum vitæ est, mortua sunt. Genesis vii. Malheureux qui uiuez au monde Tousiours remplis d'aduersitez, Pour quelque bien qui uous abonde, Serez tous de Mort uisitez. VI. [Illustration: THE POPE.] Moriatur sacerdos magnus. Iosve xx. Et episcopatum eius accipiat alter. Psalmista cviii. Qui te cuydes immortel estre Par Mort seras tost depesché, Et combien que tu soys grand prebstre, Vng aultre aura ton Euesché. VII. [Illustration: THE EMPEROR.] Dispone domui tuæ, morieris enim tu, & non viues. Isaiæ xxxviii. Ibi morieris, & ibi erit currus gloriæ tuæ. Isaiæ xxii. De ta maison disposeras Comme de ton bien transitoire, Car là ou mort reposeras, Seront les chariotz de ta gloire. VIII. [Illustration: THE KING.] Sicut & rex hodie est, & cras morietur, nemo enim ex regibus aliud habuit. Ecclesiastici x. Ainsi qu'auiourdhuy il est Roy, Demain sera en tombe close. Car Roy aulcun de son arroy N'a sceu emporter aultre chose. IX. [Illustration: THE CARDINAL.] Væ qui iustificatis impium pro muneribus, & iustitiam iusti aufertis ab eo. Esaiæ v. Mal pour uous qui iustifiez L'inhumain, & plain de malice Et par dons le sanctifiez, Ostant au iuste sa iustice. X. [Illustration: THE EMPRESS.] Gradientes in superbia potest Deus humiliare. Danie iiii. Qui marchez en pompe superbe La Mort vng iour uous pliera. Cõme soubz uoz piedz ployez l'herbe Ainsi uous humiliera. XI. [Illustration: THE QUEEN.] Mulieres opulentæ surgite, & audite vocem meam. Post dies, & annum, & vos conturbemini. Isaiæ xxxii. Leuez uous dames opulentes. Ouyez la uoix des trespassez. Apres maintz ans & iours passez, Serez troublées & doulentes. XII. [Illustration: THE BISHOP.] Percutiam pastorem, & dispergentur oues. xxvi. Mar. xiiii. Le pasteur aussi frapperay, Mitres & crosses renuersées. Et lors quand ie l'attrapperay, Seront ses brebis dispersées. XIII. [Illustration: THE DUKE.] Princeps induetur moerore. Et quiescere faciam superbiã potentium. Ezechie. vii. Vien, prince, auec moy, & delaisse Honneurs mondains tost finissantz. Seule suis qui, certes, abaisse L'orgueil & pompe des puissantz. XIV. [Illustration: THE ABBOT.] Ipse morietur. Quia nõ habuit disciplinam, & in multitudine stultitiæ suæ decipietur. Prover. v. Il mourra. Car il n'a receu En soy aulcune discipline, Et au nombre sera deceu De folie qui le domine. XV. [Illustration: THE ABBESS.] Laudaui magis mortuos quàm viuentes. Eccle. iiii. I'ay tousiours les mortz plus loué Que les uisz, esquelz mal abonde, Toucesfoys la Mort ma noué Au ranc de ceulx qui sont au monde. XVI. [Illustration: THE NOBLEMAN.] Quis est homo qui viuet, & non videbit mortem, eruet animã suam de manu inferi? Psal. lxxxviii. Qui est celluy, tant soit grande homme, Qui puisse uiure sans mourir? Et de la Mort, qui tout assomme, Puisse son Ame recourir? XVII. [Illustration: THE CANON.] Ecce appropinquat hora. Mat. xxvi. Tu uas au choeur dire tes heures Paiant Dieu pour toy, & ton proche. Mais il fault ores que tu meures. Voy tu pas l'heure qui approche? XVIII. [Illustration: THE JUDGE.] Disperdam iudicem de medio eius. Amos ii. Du mylieu d'eulx uous osteray Iuges corrumpus par presentz. Point ne serez de Mort exemptz. Car ailleurs uous transporteray. XIX. [Illustration: THE ADVOCATE.] Callidus vidit malum, & abscõdit se innocens, pertransijt, & afflictus est damno. Prover. xxii. L'homme cault a ueu la malice Pour l'innocent faire obliger, Et puis par uoye de iustice Est uenu le pauure affliger. XX. [Illustration: THE COUNSELLOR.] Qui obturat aurem suam ad clamorem pauperis, & ipse clamabit, & non exaudietur. Prover. xxi. Les riches conseillez tousiours, Et aux pauures clouez l'oreille. Vous crierez aux derniers iours, Mais Dieu uous fera la pareille. XXI. [Illustration: THE PREACHER.] Væ qui dicitis malum bonum, & bonum malu, ponentes tenebras lucem, & lucem tenebras, ponentes amarum dulce, & dulce in amarum. Isaiæ xv. Mal pour uous qui ainsi osez Le mal pour le bien nous blasmer, Et le bien pour mal exposez, Mettant auec le doulx l'amer. XXII. [Illustration: THE PRIEST.] Sum quidem & ego mortalis homo. Sap. vii. Ie porte le sainct sacrement Cuidant le mourant secourir, Qui mortel suis pareillement. Et comme luy me fault mourir. XXIII. [Illustration: THE MENDICANT FRIAR.] Sedentes in tenebris, & in vmbra mortis, vinctos in mendicitate. Psal. cvi. Toy qui n'as soucy, ny remord Sinon de ta mendicité, Tu fierras a l'umbre de Mort Pour t'ouster de necessité. XXIV. [Illustration: THE NUN.] Est via quæ videtur homini iusta: nouissima autem eius deducunt hominem ad mortem. Prover. iiii. Telle uoye aux humains est bonne, Et a l'homme tresiuste semble. Mais la fin d'elle a l'homme donne, La Mort, qui tous pecheurs assemble. XXV. [Illustration: THE OLD WOMAN.] Melior est mors quàm vita. Eccle. xxx. En peine ay uescu longuement Tant que nay plus de uiure enuie, Mais bien ie croy certainement, Meilleure la Mort que la uie. XXVI. [Illustration: THE PHYSICIAN.] Medice, cura teipsum. Lvcæ iiii. Tu congnoys bien la maladie Pour le patient secourir, Et si ne scais teste estourdie, Le mal dont tu deburas mourir. XXVII. [Illustration: THE ASTROLOGER.] Indica mihi si nosti omnia. Sciebas quòd nasciturus esses, & numerum dierum tuorum noueras? Iob xxviii. Tu dis par Amphibologie Ce qu'aux aultres doibt aduenir. Dy moy donc par Astrologie Quand tu deburas a moy uenir? XXVIII. [Illustration: THE RICH MAN.] Stulte hac nocte repetunt animam tuam, & quæ parasti cuius erunt? Lvcæ xii. Ceste nuict la Mort te prendra, Et demain seras enchassé. Mais dy moy, fol, a qui uiendra Le bien que tu as amassé? XXIX. [Illustration: THE MERCHANT.] Qui congregat thesauros mendacij vanus & excors est, & impingetur ad laqueos mortis. Prover. xxi. Vain est cil qui amassera Grandz biens, & tresors pour mentir, La Mort l'en fera repentir. Car en ses lacz surpris sera. XXX. [Illustration: THE SHIPMAN.] Qui volunt diuites fieri incidunt in laqueum diaboli, & desideria multa, & nociua, quæ mergunt homines in interitum. I. Ad Timo. vi. Pour acquerir des biens mondains Vous entrez en tentation, Qui uous met es perilz soubdains, Et uous maine a perdition. XXXI. [Illustration: THE KNIGHT.] Subito morientur, & in media nocte turbabuntur populi, & auferent violentum absque manu. Iob xxxiiii. Peuples soubdain s'esleuront A lencontre de l'inhumain, Et le uiolent osteront D'auec eulx sans force de main. XXXII. [Illustration: THE COUNT.] Quoniam cùm interiet non sumet secum omnia, neque cum eo descendet gloria eius. Psal. xlviii. Auec soy rien n'emportera, Mais qu'une foys la Mort le tombe, Rien de sa gloire n'ostera, Pour mettre auec soy en sa tombe. XXXIII. [Illustration: THE OLD MAN.] Spiritus meus attenuabitur, dies mei breuiabuntur, & solum mihi superest sepulchrum. Iob xvii. Mes esperitz sont attendriz, Et ma uie s'en ua tout beau. Las mes longziours sont amoindriz, Plus ne me reste qu'un tombeau. XXXIV. [Illustration: THE COUNTESS.] Ducunt in bonis dies suos, & in puncto ad inferna descendunt. Iob xxi. En biens mõdains leurs iours despendet En uoluptez, & en tristesse, Puis soubdain aux Enfers descendent Ou leur ioye passe en tristesse. XXXV. [Illustration: THE NOBLE LADY.] Me & te sola mors separabit. Rvth. i. Amour qui unyz nous faict uiure, En foy noz cueurs preparera, Qui long temps ne nous pourra suyure, Car la Mort nous separera. XXXVI. [Illustration: THE DUCHESS.] De lectulo super quem ascendisti non descendes, sed morte morieris. iiii. Reg. i. Du lict sus lequel as monté Ne descendras a ton plaisir. Car Mort t'aura tantost dompté, Et en brief te uiendra saisir. XXXVII. [Illustration: THE PEDLAR.] Venite ad me qui onerati estis. Matth. xi. Venez, & apres moy marchez Vous qui estes par trop charge. Cest assez suiuy les marchez: Vous serez par moy decharge. XXXVIII. [Illustration: THE PLOUGHMAN.] In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo. Gene. i. A la sueur de ton uisaige Tu gaigneras ta pauure uie. Apres long trauail, & usaige, Voicy la Mort qui te conuie. XXXIX. [Illustration: THE YOUNG CHILD.] Homo natus de muliere, breui viuens tempore repletur multis miserijs, qui quasi flos egreditur, & conteritur, & fugit velut vmbra. Iob xiiii. Tout homme de la femme yssant Remply de misere, & d'encombre, Ainsi que fleur tost finissant. Sort & puis fuyt comme faict l'umbre. XL. [Illustration: THE LAST JUDGMENT.] Omnes stabimus ante tribunal domini. Roma. xiiii. Vigilate, & orate, quia nescitis qua hora venturus sit dominus. Matt. xxiiii. Deuante le trosne du grand iuge Chascun de soy compte rendra Pourtant ueillez, qu'il ne uous iuge. Car ne scauez quand il uiendra. XLI. [Illustration: THE ESCUTCHEON OF DEATH.] Memorare nouissima, & in æternum non peccabis. Eccle. vii. Si tu ueulx uiure sans peché Voy ceste imaige a tous propos, Et point ne seras empesché, Quand tu t'en iras a repos. [ADDED IN LATER EDITIONS] XLII. [Illustration: THE SOLDIER.] Cum fortis armatus custodit atrium suum, &c. Si autem fortior eo superueniens vicerit eum, uniuersa eius arma aufert, in quibus confidebat. Le sort armé en jeune corps Pense auoir seure garnison; Mais Mort plus forte, le met hors De sa corporelle maison. XLIII. [Illustration: THE GAMESTER.] Quid prodest homini, si vniuersum Mundum lucretur, animæ autem suæ detrimentum patiatur? Matt. xvi. Que vault à l'homme tout le Monde Gaigner d'hazard, & chance experte, S'il recoit de sa uie immonde Par Mort, irreparable perte? XLIV. [Illustration: THE DRUNKARD.] Ne inebriemini vino, in quo est luxuria. Ephes. v. De vin (auquel est tout exces) Ne vous enyurez pour dormir Sommeil de Mort qui au deces Vous face l'ame, & sang vomir. XLV. [Illustration: THE FOOL.] Quasi agnus lasciuiens, & ignorans, nescit quòd ad vincula stultus trahatur. Proverb vii. Le Fol vit en ioye, & deduict San scavoir qu'il s'en va mourant, Tant qu'à sa fin il est conduict Ainsi que l'agneau ignorant. XLVI. [Illustration: THE ROBBER.] Domine, vim patior. Isaiæ xxxviii. La foible femme brigandée Crie, O seigneur on me fait force. Lors de Dieu la mort est mandée, Qui les estrangle à dure estorce. XLVII. [Illustration: THE BLIND MAN.] Cæcus cæcum ducit: & ambo in foueam cadunt. Matth. xv. L'aueugle un autre aueugle guide, L'un par l'autre en la fosse tombe: Car quand plus oultre aller il cuide, La MORT l'homme iecte en la tombe. XLVIII. [Illustration: THE WAGGONER.] Corruit in curru suo. i Chron. xxii. Au passage de MORT peruerse Raison, chartier tout esperdu, Du corps le char, & cheuaux verse, Le vin (sang de vie) espandu. XLIX. [Illustration: THE BEGGAR.] Miser ego homo! Quis nie liberabit de corpore mortis huius? Rom. vii. Qui hors la chair veult en Christ viure Ne craint mort, mais dit un mortel, Helas, qui me rendra deliure Pouure homme de ce corps mortel? * * * * * _Of this edition of Holbein's "The Dance of Death," seven hundred and fifty copies have been printed on Japan vellum, for the Scott-Thaw Co., by the Heintzemann Press, July, MCMIII._ [Transcriber's Note: In the work used for this digitization, each pair of facing pages has the Latin biblical quotation at the top of the left page printed in red, the French quatrain at the bottom of the left page printed in black, and the illustration (numbered above, and captioned below) on the right page, opposite the text. For clarity in the text-only version, the plate numbers and captions have been moved to precede their corresponding verses.] *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DANCE OF DEATH *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. START: FULL LICENSE THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license. Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that: • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.” • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works. • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate. While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate. Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org. This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.