Füssen, The usurer

The usurer

Death to the usurer
[der todt] Du wuocherer vnd Gottloser man, Dein guet vnd gelt sich ich nit an. Der armen leit hast vil verderbt Ein schwartzer todt ist ietz dein gfert.	[Death.] You usurer and godless man, I don't look at your goods and money, You've ruined a lot of poor people A black Death is now your travelling companion.
The usurer
der Wuecherer. Ich fragt nit vil nach Christi lehr, Gedacht der wuecher trag vil mehr. Ietz bleibt der bettel all dahinden, Was hilfft mich ietz mein schaben vnd schinden.	the Usurer. I did not ask much for the teachings of Christ, I thought my usury yielded me much more. Now all begging is left behind. What avails me now my [money]scraping and my skinning?

Basel: Usurer (Feyerabend).

Basel: Usurer (Merian).

The picture and the dialogue are a copy of the usurer in Basel. The usurer sits behind his table (even though Basel's dance takes place outdoors). Death's body position is almost the same, while the long chin and the burial shroud are exactly the same. In this moment of truth, the usurer points to his coffer full of gold and asks: "What avails me now my scraping and skinning?"

Death says that »A black Death is now your travelling companion«, and as the colored pictures from Basel (left) show, this Death was blacker than the others. Matthew Merian even updated his copper engravings in 1649 to make Death darker than in the 1621/1625-editions.

Death's first and second lines from Basel are interchanged, and the third is completely omitted: »Christ has not taught you so«. Perhaps it has dawned on the learned writer that Jesus actually does encourage usury in the Parable of the Pounds: »Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?« (Luke 19:23).

Reinhold Böhm points out that the usurer's clothes are very similar to the physician's. It is not known whether there is a particular reason for this.