The Cardinal

Death to The Cardinal

Springit off mit ewrem roten hutt Her cardinal der tancz yst gutt Ir hat geseynet wol die leyen Vnnd must nw mit dem tode reyen	Spring up with your red hat, Mr. Cardinal, the dance is good. You have blessed the lay [people] well and must now dance with Death.(1)

Ich was mit bobistlicher wal Der heiligen kirchen cardinal Nw byn ich dor czu getwngen gar Daz ich tancze an des todis schar	I was through papal election cardinal for the holy church. Now I am completely coerced to it so I'm dancing in the troop of dead.

This book exchanges the sequence of cardinal, patriarch and archbishop. Normally the cardinal, who is in charge of electing the popes ("bobistlicher wal"), outranks the other ecclesiastics.

Footnotes: (1)

dance with Death . . .: The word "reyen" has several meanings like row, single file, (chain)dance and noisy merriment. Some of the manuscripts don't have "dem tode", but "den toten" i.e. the dead. Check out Dance of Death or Line of the Dead.