The Dance of Death

s respecting Death.-Monumental absurdities.-Allegorical pageant of the Dance of Death represented in early times by living persons in

e; that they represented human mortality by various symbols of destruction, as birds devouring lizards and serpents, or pecking fruits and flowers; by goats browsing on vines; cocks fighting, or even by a Medusa's or Gorgon's head. The Romans seem to have adopted Homer's[1] definition of Death as the eldest brother of Sleep; and, accordingly, on several of their monumental and other sculptures we find two winged genii as the representatives of the above personages, and sometimes a genius bearing a sepulchral vase on his shoulder, and with a torch reversed in one of his hands. It is very well known that the ancients often symbolized the human soul by the figure of a butterfly, an idea that is extremely obviou

coffin, exclaiming at the same time, "Behold this image of what yourselves will be; eat and drink therefore, and be happy."[3] Montfaucon has referred to an ancient manuscript to prove that this sentiment

alos; pereat qu

ellens, vivi

e passage in Isaiah xxii. 13, afterwards used by Saint Paul, on the beautiful parable in Luke xii. Plutarch also, in his banquet of the wise men, has remarked that the Egyptians exhibited a skeleton at their feasts to remind the parties of the bre

yptia

to post funus

is exsanguem haud

r est ut Cerberum timeat et tenebras, et larvarum habitum nudis ossibus coh?rentium."[6] There is, however, some confusion even among the ancients themselves, as to the respective qualities of the larv? and lemures. Apuleius, in his noble and interesting defence against those who accused him of practising magic, tells them, "Tertium mendacium vestrum fuit, macilentam vel omnino evisceratam formam diri cadaveris fabricatam prorsus horribilem et larval

plating this necessary termination of humanity, yet amidst ideas and impressions of the most horrible and disgusting nature: hence the frequent allusions to it, in all possible ways, among their preachers, and the personification of it in their books of religious offices, as well as in the paintings and sculptures of their ecclesiastical and other edifices. They seemed to have entirely banished from their recollection the consolatory doctrines of the Gospel, which contribute so essen

ddle ages, had, probably, derived their origin from the vast quantities of sanctified human relics that were continually before the eyes, or otherwise in the recollection of the early Christians. But the favourite and principal emblem of mortality among our ancestors appears to have been the moral and allegorical pageant familiarly known by the appellation

ntions a custom of this nature among the Celtiberians,[8] and it obtained also among several of the northern nations before their conversion to Christianity. A Roman council, under Pope Eugenius II. in the 9th century, has thus noticed it: "Ut sacerdotes a

nce, nor were their shoes or garments in the least worn away. At the end of the year they were released from their situation by Herebert, the archbishop of the diocese in which the event took place, and obtained forgiveness before the altar of the church; but not before the daughter of a priest and two others had perished; the rest, after sleeping for the space of three whole nights, died soon afterwards. Ubert, one of the party, left this story behind him, which is elsewhere recorded, with some variation and additional matter. The dance is called St. Vitus's, and the girl is made the daughter of a churchwarden, who having taken her by the arm, it came off, but she continued dancing. By the continual motion of the dancers they buried themselves in the earth to their waists. Many princes and others went to behold this strange spectacle, till the bishops of Cologne and Hildesheim, and some other devout priests, by their prayers, obtained the deliverance of the culprits; f

ascribed to Bishop Grosthead, the pious author, after much

lutes ne de

lise ki me

imetere

grant u l

h verse by Robert Mannyng, commonly called Robert de Brunne, a Gilbertine canon. His translation often differs from his original, with much amplification and occasi

stelynges or

unteth any s

other yn ch

age he ma

ludes or

bete or ot

e thyng f

rest stonde

ve in cherche

elle a full g

w the mos

as y yo

s chaunce y

d as y un

tyme that

aunce that

pon cryst

folys a ka

as hyt were

a toune men c

the toune tha

gne that suffr

ukcestre h

suster, that

f all thus f

ote now sh

[15] that mad

te he hyzte

s were yn h

wynde[18] a

edyr for that enc

estes of

yzt Robert

t hys son

that there m

yte that s

onsented

go Ave o

ed echone o

ssyne and

ede and tolle

arolle the ch

yned here

ed what they

karolle that

h the Lat

vo per sylva

um Merwynda

mus cur

e[20] wode r

e ledde fe

we why go

arolle that G

ung they yn

re they no

o the church porch, and desired them to leave off dancing, and come into the church to hear the service; but they paid him no regard w

venjeaunce we

of that stede

ever ryz

tyme twelv

ne that y f

twelvemonth

n the hands of the dancers were so locked togethe

e[22] yn whan

nded hys

go swythe

karolle alg

te that wurd

le was the ve

de weyl fo

rolle asswy

by the ar

me fro the

alle that

le nowe ye

he had the a

yode furt

r body ne

blode col

rye with al

k were ryve

ain, and again it rises. He buries it a third time, when it is cast out of the grave with considerable violence. He then carries it into the church that all might behold it. In the meantime the party continued dancing

ongge that t

we, why g

overing could be made to protect the sinners till the time of mercy that Christ had appointed arrived; when, at the expiration of the twelvemonth, and in the very same hour in which the priest had pronounced his curse upon them, they

g home sone sh

ryse that

he lay de

. The rest of the party, although separated, travelled about, but always dancing; and as they had been inseparable before, they were now not perm

Bysshope of

tale so m

hys name of

d him the

courte of Ro

kronykeles

ys[23] beyou

ys yn th

seye an we

cherche the f

n here by

it but a tr

tedys hyt

merveyle the

n from the itinerary of St. Clement. The name of the gir

's dance was not unknown to the ancients. It was the revelry of departed souls in Elysium, as may be collected from t

cilis tenero su

campos duci

cantusque v

as likewise

dunt choreas et c

hree dancing skeletons,[28] indicating, as it is ingeniously supposed, that the passage from death to another state of existence has n

, M. Kestner exhibited a Roman lamp on which were three dancing skel

notice. It represents an old man, probably a shepherd, clothed in a hairy garment. He sits upon a stone, his right foot resting on a globe, and is piping on a do

the Dance of Death in the church yard of the Innocents, the English being particularly gratified with this exhibition, which included all ranks and conditions of men, Death being, morally, the principal character."[32] Another French historian, M. de Villeneuve Bargemont, informs us that the Duke of Bedford celebrated his victory at Verneuil by a festival in the centre of the French capital. The rest of what this writer has recorded on the subject before us will be best given in his own words, "Nous voulons parler de cette fameuse procession qu'on vit defiler dans les rues de Paris, sous le nom de danse Macabrée ou infernale, epouvantable divertissement, auquel présidoit un squelette ceint du diadême royal, tenant un sceptre dans ses mains décharnées et assis sur un tr?ne resplendissant d'or et de pierreries. Ce spectacle repoussant, mêlange odieux de deuil et de joie, inconnu jusqu'alors, et qui ne s'est jamais renouvellé, n'eut guere pour témoins que des soldats étrangers, ou quelques malheureux échappés à tous les fléaux réunis, et qui avoient vu descendre tous leurs parens, tous leurs amis, dans ces sepulchres qu'on dépouilloit alors de leurs ossemens."[33] A third French writer has also treated the Dance of Death as a spectacle exhibited in like manner to the people of Paris.[34] M. Peignot, to whom the reader i

here is preserved an article respecting a delivery made to one of the officers of Saint John the Evangelist of four measures of wine, to be given to those persons who performed the Dance of Death after mass was concluded. This is the article itself, "Sexcallus [seneschallus] solvat D. Joanni Caleti ma

oral spectacle, it became a licentious ceremony, as is by no means improbable, in imitation of electing a boy-bishop, of the feast of fools, or