Copenhagen's Dance of Death, Part 14

   
 

Aff Apostlenis sæde hagde ieg naffn
det beuisde ieg aldrig met noget gaffn
I deris scrifft ieg ret aldrig saa
Oc icke heller i deris veye ville gaa
Men mere effter Pauuens paafund
det vor mit arbeyde alle stund
Nu seer ieg huad det kand mig forhuerffue
thi døden vil mig plat forderffue

FlowerDøden suarer

Det er alt nu for silde ath klaffue
du haffuer ende paa dine daffue

FlowerDøden til Biscopen

Herre Biscop, du skalt nu høre mig
aff dine dyder siger ieg dig
met krig oc orlof heffnde du din harm
och giorde saa mangen mand wsel oc arm
Aff Christi faar plockede du den vuld
aff girighz(1) kunde du icke bliffue fuld
Naar du haffde plocket Christi faar saa fast
och giorde dem baade skade oc last
Siden skøtte du ey huort de fare
om de bleffue fri eller komme i snare
Dog skulle du anderledis haffue giort

   Death on the lion

det haffuer du baade hørt och sport
Du skulle selff tagit Christi faar til vare
ath de kunde bleffuit for vden fare
Och skifft blant dem den gode føde
Nu haffuer du moxen lagt dem øde

  
   

I had name of the seat of the apostles;
I never proved this with any useful [works].
I never looked properly in their writings
and neither did I want to walk in their paths,
but rather after the Pope's fabrications;
this was my work at all times.
Now I see what this can earn me
because Death will totally ruin me.

Death answers

It is now too late to wail
you have an end of your days.

Death to the Bishop

Mr Bishop, now you shall listen to me
I will tell you about your virtues.
With war and battle you avenged your hurt
and made so many men miserable and poor.
Of Christ's sheep you plucked the wool.
Because of your avarice you could never get enough.
When you had plucked Christ's sheep so thoroughly
and caused them both harm and damage
then you didn't take care whither they ran;
whether they remained free or came into a snare.
Yet, you should have done differently …

… this you have both heard and been told.
You yourself should have looked after Christ's sheep
that they could have remained without danger
and shared the good feed among them.
Now you have almost destroyed them.

The cardinal Death on the lion Click the little pictures to see the original pages.

(1) girighz . . . : In case you're wondering, the "z" is not really a "z" but shorthand for "et", så "girighz" is to be read "girighet" or in modern Danish "gerrighed" i.e. avarice.

The Cardinal The Abbot Up to Copenhagen's Dance of Death

Copenhagen's Dance of Death The dance of death → Books → Copenhagen's Dance of Death → Part 14