The Dance of Death

Manuscript Hor?.-Other Manuscripts in which it occurs.-Various articl

editions of that celebrated work, and which, with many corrections and additions, has been chiefly extracted

ad SS. Udalricum et Afram August?, vol. ii. 62. The learned librarian expresses his doubts as to the date, which he supposes may be between 1480 and 1500. He rejects a marginal note by the illuminator of the letters, indicating the date of 1459. Every page of this volume is divided into two columns,

ute description of this extremely rare, and perhaps unique, volume, the only known copy of which is in the public library of Grenoble.

t qui le voudront avoir. La Danse Macabre nouvelle." At the end, "Cy finit la Danse Macabre hystoriee augmentee de pleuseurs nouveaux parsonnages (six) et beaux dis. et les trois mors et trois vif ensemble. Nouvellement ainsi composee et imprimee par Guyot Marchant

chant has been made the author as well as the printer of the work; but M. De la Monnoye is not o

This is the first edition of the Macaber Dance of females; and though thirty-two of them are described, the Queen and Duchess only are en

Mercatorem pro Godeffrido de Marnef. 1490," folio. Papillon thought the cuts were in the manner of the French arti

miroer salutaire de toutes gens et de touts e

rchant, le 2 Mai, 1491," folio. This edition, the second of the Dance of females, has all the cuts with oth

sie, p. 459, who likewise mentions a Low German edition in prose, at the beginning of the 15th (he must mean 16th)

&c. &c. Le tout composé en ryme Francoise et accompagné de figures. Lyon, le xviii jour de Fevrier,

t maistre es ars ou lieu susdit. Le xvii iour daoust mil cccciiiixx·xix." This extremely rare volume is in the British Museum, and is mentioned by Dr. Dibdin, in vol. ii. p. 530 of his edition of Ames's typographical antiquities, and probably nowhere else. It is embellished with the same fine cuts that

ey Trecacio quodam oratore nuper emendata. Parisiis per Magistrum Guido

um copy of this rare edition is described by M. Van Praet in his catalogue of vellum

inted on pasteboard, with four pages or compartments on each leaf. The cuts are illuminated in the usual manner of Verard's books. In the beginning it is marked "Marolles, No. 1601." It is probably imperfect, the fool not being among the figures, and all the females are wanting, though, perhaps, no

ant rue à l'enseigne de Venise auprès la belle croix." No date, folio. With very clever wood-cuts, probably the sam

femmes, &c. Rouen, Guillaume de la Mare." No

ou est démonstré tous humains de tous estats estre du b

es hommes et des femmes, &c.

hommes et des femmes, &c. Impr

ifferent cuts, and the omission of some of the characters in preceding editions. This

s hommes et des femmes. Troyes

s hommes et des femmes. Paris,

tienne Groulleau libraire juré en la rue neuve Nostre Dame à l'enseigne S. Jean Baptiste." No dat

mmes et des femmes, &c. Paris, Est

s Morts, &c. Rouen, Mor

uels les Chrestiens de tous estats tout stimulés et invités de penser à l

des femmes, &c. Troyes, Oudot," 1641, 4to

re temps, &c. Troyes, Pierre Garnier rue du Temple." No date, but the privilege is in 1728, 4to. cuts. The polishe

vellée, &c. Troyes, chez la veuve Oudot, et Jean Oudot fils,

ople, and at the trifling expense of a very few sous. They are, nevertheless, of some value to those who feel

t had been inserted, by way of illustration, into a German manuscript of the Dance of De

f the Virgin. These principally belong to France, and their margins are frequently decorated with the above Dance, with occasional variety of design. In most of them Death is accompanied with a single figure only, c

ologien, le Bourgoys, le Chanoine, le Moyne, l'Usurier, le Medesin, l'Amoureux, l'Advocat, le Menestrier, le Marchant, le Chartreux, le Sergent, le Cure, le Laboureur, le Cordelier." Then the women: "La Royne, la Duchesse, la Regente, la Chevaliere, l'Abbesse, la Femme descine, la Prieure, la Damoissele, la Bourgoise, la Cordeliere, la Femme daceul, la Nourice, la Theologienne, la nouvelle

ceding, and consists of groupes of figures. The subjects

a church-yard. "Discite vos ch

ise. He draws Adam towards him. "Qu

ay Abel. "Esto meorum qui p

dinal, followed by several persons. "

three persons with his dart. "Vad

purse in his hand, and accompanied by two other

an, Death assisting. "Fortium virorum e

ng upon a groupe of dead persons. "Stul

several persons lying on the ground. "Es

ho holds a scythe in his hand. Death stands behind.

female, who is attended by two others. "He

eath strikes him at the same time with his dart.

eath assisting. "Vita quid est

standing by. "Est caro nostra ci

eath assisting. "Quid sublime gen

is struck by Death with his dart. "Quid

th pierces one of them with his dart. "Ortus

a woman lying in bed. "Et redit

in a cradle, two other figures attending. "A

th seizes him. Others attending. "Mor

wed by others. "Non sum secu

oman at their meal. "Intus sive

rom one of whom he has taken a lute. "Viximu

owed by other persons. "Forte

s to size and other matters, in the different blocks which they respectively used. The same designs have also been ad

or Simon Vostre, may be very justly compared, in point of the delicacy of design and engraving, though on wood, with the celebrated pax of

ti viri Symonis Vostre commorantis Parisiis in vico novo Dive Marie in intersignio Sancti Joannis Evangeliste, 1497," 12

s per Philippum Pigouchet Anno Salutis MCCCCXCVIII die vero xvi

Danse Macabre. He printed a similar volume of th

title is not given. It is supposed to be anterior to 1500, and seems to contain the sa

" Printed by Simon Vostre, on vellum,

es, pour Simon Vostre," 1502, 8vo. This is mentioned by M. Peignot, on the aut

e. This truly magnificent volume, superior to all the preceding by the same printer in beauty of type and marginal decoration, differs

o

vivez cer

tarde ain

Dieu le sce

comme v

vous co

plus dign

int hono

istre est d

i

enant tout

vous neste

de votre

che n'a qu

ble Roy

e force e

ustez e

mpes de gra

hbi

irez la te

ue tirez

eur qu'on n

vous vien

ousjours la

suyvant c

mment deb

ault coust

ui

en que ne p

t pensez

ovez avoi

qui mort

vous gen

de danser

ties et e

y finerez

rol

our vostr

e pour vos

z la mor

lt rien a

la gen

fust le p

t se dit

mourir pour

cha

tre dern

nt que pa

oing sere

oiste qu

regarde

pays ave

cheval

serez plus

o

re par l

soing de vo

me nespo

e sans plu

vous cy fa

urez la b

fors que v

st moult p

ve

z ayme ce

urir pe

us changer

'est que

ureux gent

uidez de g

pris la mor

lairez

ra

re sans l

questes

mort sou

serez aux

tes jadi

utruy et

itz serez

ine est de

il

u jour de

hascun a m

i n'en a c

it plus a

fant nag

ures peu d

anse s

car mort a

ee

ne de bea

joyeuse a

le grant ma

enmener

bien chos

anse co

devoir a

vivez ain

a

hasse quand

son ame

ain mort to

est moult

femme de

ymes dedui

vous faul

le train d

ore

avez san

e temps se

r en sa

e vous a

tous bie

mpenserer

oir en tem

requiert b

iscan

eres sont

vauldront

lent soupir

racion t

grande

heures e

ez cont

s nyres a

ber-

ne femme a

bonne c

u moins qua

ir si ru

z plus a

four na l

stre journ

urt servant

do

le chose

u on est

sjours bie

tout par

esve ve

avancez

les ault

nt une fo

-in n

garde d

s maintz b

ortines

beaux bouc

nt estez

ditz que ce

ont che

out mal vie

herd

i rez plus

ebis ne ga

era de vo

eilles sont

s oubliera

res moy

plaisante

de cy mai

wo

madame l

ez maint

argent es

voz coffr

s souhait

out laisse

robe on f

taige te

tc

nee comme

ne vivra

ne en son

chose de

on vous fa

e vielle

ourir et

ens en main

as follows: Gobin le gay; le beau Roger; Aloris; Ysauber; Alison, and Ma

Rouan. Simon Vostre, 1508, 8v

Thielman Kerver," 1508, 8vo. Ve

o recursu, &c." Parisiis. Simon Vostre, 1508, 8vo. M. Peignot has given a very minute

... Ant. Verard," 1509, 8vo.

Vostre," 1510, 8vo. With the same Danse Mac

se. 2. La Garde dacouche. 3. L'Abesse. 4. Le Promoteur. 5. Le Conestable. 6. Le Moine, without a label. 7. La Vielle Demoiselle. 8. La Baillive. 9. La Duchesse. 10. Le Sergent. 11. La Nourrice. 12. La femme du Chevallier. 13. La Damoiselle. 14. Le Maistre descole. 15. La Femme du village. 16. La Rescomanderese. 17. La Revenderese. 18. Le Laboureur. 19. La Bourgoise. 20. L'Usurier. 21. Le Pelerin. 22. Le Berger. 23. La Religieuse. 24. L'Home d'armes. 25. La Sorciere. 26. Le Petit enfant. 27. Le Clerc. 28. Le Patriarche. 29. Le

. Thielman Kerver," 1511, 8vo.

possession of Mons. G. M. Raymond, who has described it in Millin's "Mag

on Vostre," 1515, 8vo. With the Danse M

de Troyes." Th. Englard, pour G. Goderet,

8vo. Vellum. A beautiful volume. Prefixed to the Danse

, which are cut on different blocks, except in a few instances where the printers have borrowed the latter from each other. Thus Vostre use

acaber Dance, occur in two Hor? of singular rarity,

xx martij, 1499, 12mo. On vellum. Here the designs are very different, and three of the subjects are placed at the bottom of the

Astro

ator

les. Ca

iscopus

es

pus. P

Mona

rche U

nus. M

nus M

tor Ce

Minor.

ns

us Sacr

tor. H

ignon pro honesto viro Richardo Fakes, London, librario, et ibidem commorante cymeterie Sancti Pauli sub signo A. B. C." 1521. A ledger-like 12mo. This Macaber Dance is unfortuna

e other Macaber Dance, and not as the group in Dugdale, which has been copied from a wood-cut at the end of Lydgate's "Fall of Prynces." As all the before-mentioned Hor? were printed at Paris, with one exception only, and m

ance are in the next place deserving of our attention. These are

s very briefly described by M. Peignot,[88] which he s

entury. It has a profusion of paintings, every page being decorated with a variety of subjects. These consist of stories from scripture, sports, games, trades,

in a dish of viands. The white tablecloth is beautifu

tic bringing in faggots. 2. Men and women at table, t

trees. 2. A priest confi

awking. 2. A proc

. 2. Two pairs of lovers: one of the men plays

hearing sheep. 2.

drinks from his leathern bottle. 2. Boys and

ping with a sickle.

owing. 2. The games o

eral men repairing casks, the m

reshing acorns to fee

hog. 2. Boys pelting eac

tor, Cardinalis, Rex, Archiepiscopus, Comestabilis, Patriarcha, Eques auratus, Episcopus, Scutarius, Abb

reat variety of emblems of mortal

a lady, in which her face is

s an arrow at

g to escape from Dea

es a prostrate wa

ths, the one with a scyth

ths, four dancing a ro

ull, holding a

y running away with a

ave for two shrouded

h seizin

zing the mast

tioned by Rabelais, Des Periers, &c. He is represe

seizing

ing a man play

ng the miller go

s beggar in the reign of Louis X

e is in the present

cted with the Macaber D

ds the end of the fifteenth century, and is splendidly illuminated on vellum with figures of m

nies written on paper about the year 1520; the text resembles that of the immediately preceding article, and occasionally varies

story of German poetry. Berlin, 1812, 8vo. p. 459. The date of 1450 is given to this manuscript on the authority of Docen in his Miscellanies, vol. ii. p.

gen, ubi supra, who refers to Adelung, vol. ii. p. 317

is "La Danse Macabre par personnages, in 4to. S

ript, decorated with a regular series o

r Dance, which is at present, with other manuscripts by the Abbé, in the hands of M

er-press, and distinguishable from single p

Death is among books lice

on the Stationers' books, 5th Jan. 1597, by Thomas Purfort, sen. and jun. The price was 6d

lds a drinking glass or cup, and in his left a trumpet which he is blowing. 2. Pope. 3. Cardinal. 4. Abbot. 5. Bishop. 6. Canon. 7. Priest. 8. Monk. 9. Death beating a drum with bones. 10. Emperor. 11. King. 12. Duke. 13. Nobleman. 14. Knight. 15. Gentleman. 16. Judge. 17

ion in 1682, is this article "Dance of Death, in the cloyster of Paul'

rm with a view to unhorse him. 2. The Tinker. Death, with a skillet on his head, plunders the tinker's basket. 3. The Hussar on horseback, accompanied by Death, also mounted, and, like his comrade, wearing an enormous hat with a feather. 4. The Physician. Death habited as a modern beau, with chapeau-bras, brings his urinal to the Doctor for inspection. 5. The fraudulent Innkeeper in the act of adulterating a

on wood for the Dominotiers, or venders of coloured prints for the common people, and that the s