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30 77^ Dance oj Death.

however, in the above address, has thought fit to use theword translator instead of author; but this is of no moment,any more than the words Machabrte the Doctour, which, notbeing in the French text, are most likely an interpolation.He likewise calls the work the daunce; and it may, oncefor all, be remarked, that scarcely any two versions of itwill be found to correspond in all respects, every neweditor assuming fresh liberties, according to the usualpractice in former times.

The ancient paintings of the Macaber Dance nextdemand our attention. Of these, the oldest on recordwas that of Minden in Westphalia, with the date 1383, andmentioned by Fabricius in his Biblioth. Med. et Infimas^Etatis, torn. v. p. 2. It is to be wished that this statementhad been accompanied with some authority; but the wholeof the article is extremely careless and inaccurate.

The earliest, of which the date has been satisfactorilydefined, was that in the churchyard of the Innocents atParis, and which has been already mentioned as havingbeen painted in 1434.

In the cloister of the church of the Sainte Chapelle atDijon the Macaber Dance was painted by an artist whosename was Masoncelle. It had disappeared and was for-gotten a long time ago, but its existence was discovered inthe archives of the department by Mons. Boudot, an ardentinvestigator of the manners and customs of the Middle Ages.The date ascribed to this painting is 1436. The abovechurch was destroyed in the revolution, previously to whichanother Macaber Dance existed in the church of NotreDame in the above city. This was not a painting on thewalls, but a piece of white embroidery on a black piece ofstuff about two feet in height and very long. It was placedover the stalls in the choir on grand funeral ceremonies,and was also carried off with the other church movables,in the above-mentioned revolution. 15 Similar exhibitions,no doubt, prevailed in other places.

The next Macaber Dance, in point of date, was the

celebrated one at Basle, which has employed the pens and

multiplied the errors of many writers and travellers. It

was placed under cover in a sort of shed in the churchyard

13 Peignot, RechercLes, xxxvii.—xxxi?