n6

The Dance of Death,

on a copper-plate within a border, and accompanied withnineteen etchings on copper, by Nieuhoff Piccard, a personwho will be more particularly adverted to hereafter. Theyconsist of, i. The emblem of Mortality. 2. The temptation.3. The expulsion from Paradise. 4. Adam digging, Evespinning. 5. Concert of Deaths. 6. The infant. 7. Thenew-married couple. 8. The Duke. 9. The Advocate.10. The Abbot. 11. The Monk. 12. The Abbess. 13.The Soldier. 14. The Merchant. 15. The Pedlar. 16.The Fool. 17. The Blind Man. 18. The Old Woman.19. The Old Man. The designs, with some occasionalvariations, correspond with those in the original wood-cuts.The plates of these etchings must have passed into thehands of some English printsellers, as broken sets of themhave not long since been seen, one only of which, namely,that of the Temptation, had these lines on it

" All that e'er had breathMust dance after Death,"

with the date 1720. Several were then numbered atbottom with Arabic numerals.

X. " Schau-platz des Todes, oder Todten Tanz, von Sal.Van Rusting Med. Doct. in Nieder-Teutscher-Sprache nunaber in Hoch Teutscher mit nothigen Anmerckungenherausgegeben von Johann Georg. Meintel, HochfurstlBrandenburg-Onoltzbachischen pfarrer zu Petersaurach."Nurnberg, 1736. 8vo. Or, "The Theatre of Death, orDance of Death, by Sol. Van Rusting, doctor of medicine,in Low German language, but now in High German, withnecessary notes by John George Meintel, in the service ofhis Serene Highness of Brandenburg, and parson of Peter-saurach." It is said to have been originally published in1707, which is very probable, as Rusting, of whom verylittle is recorded, was born about 1650. In the early partof his life he practised as an army surgeon. He was agreat admirer and follower of the doctrines of BalthasarBekker in his " Monde enchante." There are editions inDutch only, 1735 and 1741, i2mo. the plates being copies.In the above-mentioned edition by Meintel there is anelaborate preface, with some account of the Dance ofDeath, and its editions, but replete with the grossest errors,