In that excellent work, the "Biographie universelle," in 42 vols. 8vo. 1811-1828, M. Ponce, under the article "Holbein," inaccurately refers to "the Dance of Death painted in 1543 on the walls of a cemetery at Basle," at the same time properly remarking that it was not Holbein's. He refers to the supposed original drawings of Holbein's work at Petersburg that were engraved by De Mechel, and concludes his brief note with a reference to a dissertation of M. Raymond in Millin's "Magazin encyclopedique," 1814, tom. v. which is nothing more than a simple notice of two editions of the Danse Macabre, described in the present dissertation. And lastly--The Reviewer of the first edition of the present dissertation prefixed to Mr. Edwards's engravings or etchings by Wenceslaus Hollar, has displayed considerable ingenuity in his attempt to correct supposed errors, by a lavish substitution of many of his own, some of which are the following: That the Dance of Death is found in _carvings in wood in the choirs of churches_. Not a single instance can be produced. That Hollar's etchings are on _wood_. "Black letter" is _corrected_ to "Black letters." That the book would have been more _complete if Lydgate's stanzas_ had been quoted, in common with others in _Piers Plowman_. Now all the stanzas of Lydgate are given, and not a single one is to be found in Piers Plowman. And they most _ingeniously and scientifically_ denominate the skeleton figure of Death "the Gothic monster of Holbein!" * * * * * A short time after the completion of the present Dissertation, the author accidentally became possessed of a recently published German life of Holbein, in which not a single addition of importance to what has been gleaned from preceding writers can possibly be found. It contains a general, but extremely superficial account of the works of that artist, including the Dance of Death, which, as a matter of course, is ascribed to him. As the author, a Mr. Ulrich Hegner, who is said to be a _Swiss gentleman and amateur_, has not conducted himself with that urbanity and politeness which might have been looked for from such a _character_, and has thought proper, in adverting to the slight Essay by the present writer, prefixed, at the instance of the late Mr. Edwards, to his publication of Hollar's etchings of the Dance of Death, to speak of it with a degree of contempt, which, even with all its imperfections, others may think it may not have deserved; the above _gentleman_ will have but little reason to complain should he meet with a somewhat uncourteous retort in the course of the following remarks on his compilation.