i6
The Dance of Death.
1613, 4to. He most probably copied them from one otthe early editions of the Danse Macabre, but withoutany comment whatever, the above title-page professingthat they are added on account of the similarity of thesubject.
A Provencal poet, called Marcabres or Marcabrus, hasbeen placed among the versifiers, but none of his worksbear the least similitude to the subject ; and, moreover, thelanguage itself is an objection. The English metricaltranslation will be noticed hereafter. Whether any of thepaintings were accompanied by descriptive verses thatmight be considered as anterior to those ascribed to thesupposed Macaber, cannot now be ascertained.
There are likewise some Latin verses in imitation ofthose above mentioned, which, as well as the author ofthem, do not seem to have been noticed by any biographicalor poetical writer. They occur at the end of a Latin play,entitled Susanna, Antverp. apud Michaelem Hillenium,mdxxxiii. As the volume is extremely rare, and the versesintimately connected with the present subject, it has beenthought worth while to reprint them. After an elegy onthe vanity and shortness of human life, and a Sai. phic odeon the remembrance of Death, they follow under this title," Plausus luctificae mortis ad modum dialogi extemporaliterab Eusebio Candido lusus. Ad quern quique mortalesinvitantur omnes, cujuscujus sint conditionis : quibusquesingulis Mors ipsa respondet."
Luctificse mortis plausum bene cernite cuncti.Dum res laeta, mori et viventes discite, namqueOmnes ex aequo tandem hue properare necessum.
Hie inducitur adolescens quserens, et mors vel philosophusrespondens.
Vita quid est hominis ? Fumus super aream missus.Vita quid est hominis ? Via mortis, dura laborumColluvies, vita est hominis via longa dolorisPerpetui. Vita quid est hominis ? cruciatus et error,Vita quid est hominis ? vestitus gramme multo,Floribus et variis campus, quern parva pruinaExpoliat, sic vitam hominum mors impia tollit.Quamlibet ilia alacris, vegeta, aut opulenta ne felix,Icta cadit modica crede asgritudine mortis.Et quamvis superes auro vel murice Crcesi m,