The Cardinal

Todt zum Cardinnal: SPringen auff mit dem rothen Hut, Herr Cardinal, der Tantz ist gut: Wol gesegnet habt ihr die Leyen, Ihr müßt auch jetzund an den Reyen	Death to The cardinal Jump up with the red hat, Mr. Cardinal, the dance is good. You have blessed many lay [people] well. You must also now to the dance.

Der Cardinal: ICh ware mit Bäpstlicher Wahl Der Heiligen Kirchen Cardinal: Die Welt hielt mich in grossen Ehren, Noch mag ich michs Todts nicht erwehren.	The Cardinal. I was by papal choice cardinal in the holy church. The world honoured me greatly. Now I cannot ward off Death from me.

Klein-Basel, Patriarch.
Line drawing after Büchel

The original cardinal was placed where the queen was placed later.

If you look at this position in the dance of death in Klein-Basel, there's not a cardinal, but a patriarch (see picture to the left). This is because the cardinal in Groß-Basel has moved one place to the right and has replaced the patriarch, after which the old cardinal was painted over and replaced by a queen.

This change is presumed to have been made by Hans Kluber in 1568 as a part of the efforts to reduce the number of Catholic clerics.

One can see how the postures of the persons are the same in Klein-Basel (to the left) and Großbasel (above), but the "patriarch" now wears the cardinal's cross and hat guard.

Death's speech and half of the cardinal's answer are taken almost verbatim from the cardinal in Heidelberg's dance of death.

At the museum in Basel there's still a fragment of the original mural with the queen. A few layers of paint were removed and the original cardinal appeared (picture to the right).