The Dance of Death: Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans HolbeinDouce, Francis
History
The Dance of Death: Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans Holbein
Douce, Francis
Bible. Old Testament -- Illustrations; Dance of death
"Guilleville, Pelerin de la vie humaine." The pilgrim is conducted by
Abstinence into a refectory, where he sees many figures of Death in the
act of feeding several persons sitting at table. These are good people
long deceased, who during their lives have been bountiful to their
fellow-creatures. At the end, the pilgrim is struck by Death with two
darts whilst on his bed.
Death kicking at a man, his wife, and child. From some book printed at
Strasburg in the 16th century.
Death, as an ecclesiastic, sitting on the ground and writing in a book.
Another Death holding an inscribed paper in one hand, seizes with the
other a man pointing to a similar paper. The Deity in a cloud looking on.
From the same book.
"Mors," a Latin comedy, by William Drury, a professor of poetry and
rhetoric in the English college at Douay. It was acted in the refectory of
the college and elsewhere, and with considerable applause, which it very
well deserved. There is as much, and sometimes more, wit and humour in it
than are found in many English farces. It was printed at Douay, 1628,
12mo. with two other Latin plays, but not of equal interest.
A moral and poetical Drama, in eleven scenes, intitled, "Youth's Tragedy,
by T. S." 1671 and 1707, 4to. in which the interlocutors are, Youth, the
Devil, Wisdom, Time, Death, and the Soul. It is miserable stuff.
"La Historia della Morte," Trevigi, 1674, 4to. four leaves only. It is a
poem in octave stanzas. The author, wandering in a wood, is overwhelmed
with tears in reflecting on the approach of Death and his omnipotent
dominion over mankind. He is suddenly accosted by the king of terrors, who
is thus described:
Un ombra mi coperse prestamente
Che mi fece tremar in cotal sorte
Ell'era magra, e longa in sua figura,
Che chi la vede perde gioco, e festa,
Dente d'acciaio haveva in bocca oscura,
Corna di ferro due sopra la testa
Ella mi fe tremar dalla paura, &c.
The work consists of a long dialogue between the parties. The author
enquires of Death if he was born of father and mother. Death answers that
he was created, by Jesus Christ, "che e signor giocondo," with the other
angels; that after Adam's sin he was called _Death_. The author tells him
that he seems rather to be a malignant spirit, and presses for some
further information. He is referred to the Bible, and the account of
David's destroying angel:
Quando Roma per me fu tribulata
Gregorio videmi con suo occhio honesto
Con una spada ch'era insanguinata
Al castel de Sant Angelo chiamato
Da l'hora in qua cosi fu appellato.
This corresponds with the usual story, that during a plague Gregory saw an
angel hovering over the castle, who, on the Pope's looking up to him,
immediately sheathed his flaming sword. More questions are then propounded
by Death, particularly as to the use of his horns and teeth, and the
curiosity of the author is most condescendingly gratified.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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