184

The Dance of Death,

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The verses, in double columns, are placed between twoborders with compartments. That on the right, a skullcrowned with a mitre ; an angel with a censer \ Time carry-ing off a female on his back \ Death with an infant in hisarms; Death on horseback with a flag; Death wrestlingwith a man. The border on the left has a skull with aregal crown ; an angel dancing with a book ; Death carry-ing off an old man ; Death leading a child ; Death with anaked corpse ; Death digging a grave. At bottom, "Soldby Clarke and Pine, engravers, in Castle Yard, nearChancery Lane, T. Witham, frame-maker, in Long Lane,near West Smithfield, London." With a vignette of threeDeaths' heads. 13 by 9^.

There is a very singular ancient gem engraved in " Passeride Gemmis Astriferis," torn. ii. p. 248, representing a ske-leton Death standing in a car drawn by two animals thatmay be intended for lions ; he holds a whip in his hand,and is driving over other skeletons. It is covered withbarbarous and unintelligible words in Greek characters, andis to be classed among those gems which are used asamulets or for magical purposes. It seems to have sug-gested some of the designs that accompany the old editionsof Petrarch's "Triumph of Death."

A folio mezzotint of J. Daniel von Menzel, an Austrianhussar. Behind him is a figure of Death with the hussar'shat on his head, by whom he is seized. There are someGerman verses, and below :—

Mon ami, avec moi a la danseC'est pour vous la juste recompense.

The print is dated 1744.

A Dutch anonymous oblong engraving on copper, io|by 10, entitled " Bombario, o dood ! te schendig in denood." Death leads a large group of various characters.At bottom, verses beginning " De Boertjes knappen altemaal" On each side caricatures inscribed Democritusand Heraclitus. It is one of the numerous caricatures onthe famous South Sea or Mississippi bubble.

An engraving, published by Darly, entitled " Macaroniesdrawn after the life." On the left, a macaroni standing.On the floor, dice and dice-box. On a table, cards and