T7ie Dance of Death.

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account of the boldness of their outline, shadow, andperspective, delineated in so graceful a manner, that by itscontemplation one might indulge either in a joyful sorrow,or a melancholy pleasure. " Let antiquaries then," says he," and lovers of ancient imagery, discover anything com-parable to these figures of Death, in which we behold theEmpress of all living souls from the creation, tramplingover Cassars, Emperors, and Kings, and with her scythemowing down the tyrannical heroes of the earth." Heconcludes with admonishing the Abbess to take in goodpart this his sad but salutary present, and to persuade herdevout nuns not only to keep it in their cells anddormitories, but in the cabinet of their memory, thereinpursuing the counsel of St. Jerome, &c.

The singularity of this curious and interesting dedicationis deserving of the utmost attention. It seems very strongly,if not decisively, to point out the edition to which it isprefixed, as the first; and what is of still more importance,to deprive Holbein of any claim to the invention of thework. It most certainly uses such terms of art as canscarcely be mistaken as conveying any other sense thanthat of originality in design. There cannot be words ofplainer import than those which describe the painter, as heis expressly called, delineating the subjects, and leavingseveral of them unfinished : and whoever the artist mighthave been, it clearly appears that he was not living in 1538.Now it is well known that Holbein's death did not takeplace before the year 1554, during the plague whichravaged London at that time. If, then, the expressionsused in this dedication signify anything, it may surely beasked what becomes of any claim on the part of Holbeinto the designs of the work in question, or does it not atleast remain in a situation of doubt and difficulty 1

It is, however, with no small hesitation that the authorof the present dissertation still ventures to dispute, andeven to deny, the title of Holbein to the invention of thisDance of Death, in opposition to his excellent and valuedfriend Mr. Ottley, whose opinion in matters of taste, as wellas on the styles of the different masters in the old schoolsof painting and engraving, may be justly pronounced tobe almost oracular, This gentleman has thus expressed