PREFACE.

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[HE very ample discussion which theextremely popular subject of the Danceof Death has already undergone mightseem to preclude the necessity of at-tempting to bestow on it any furtherelucidation; nor would the presentEssay have ever made its appearance,but for certain reasons which are necessary to be stated.

The beautiful designs which have been, perhaps tooimplicitly, regarded as the invention of the justly celebratedpainter, Hans Holbein, are chiefly known in this countryby the inaccurate etchings of most of them by WenceslausHollar, the copper-plates of which having formerly becomethe property of Mr. Edwards, of Pall Mall, were publishedby him, accompanied by a very hasty and imperfectdissertation; which, with fewer faults, and considerableenlargement, is here again submitted to public attention.It is appended to a set of fac-similes of the above-mentioned elegant designs, and which, at a very liberalexpense that has been incurred by the proprietor andpublisher of this volume, have been executed with con-summate skill and fidelity by Messrs. Bonner and Byfield

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