Nos. 1 & 2, an elegiac distich:
Discite vos choream cuncti, qui cernitis istam.
quantum prosit honor glorie (recte: gloria) diuitie.
Do learn, all you who watch this dance,
of how much advantage is honour, fame, and wealth!
The plural form "gloriae" ("fames") in the second verse is awkward and disturbs the metre. Therefore, we have to replace it by the singular form, "gloria", as it appears in the source.
Source: Jean Gerson (?), La Danse macabre (written in 1424 or slightly earlier), verses 1 sq.; cf. the extended edition by Guyot Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, The authority.
Nos. 3 & 4, an elegiac distich:
Esto memor. quod puluis eris: et vermibus esca.
In gelida putrens quando iacebis humo.
Be aware (singular imperative) that you will be dust and a meal for the worms
when you will lie rotting in the cold ground!
Source: Alanus ab Insulis / Alain de Lille (died 1202/03 A. D.), Liber parabolarum, book 1, chapter 6, verses 101 sq. (Alain has "putris" instead of "putrens"); cf. Marchant, The authority and the dead king.
vado mori diues aurum vel copia rerum
nullum respectum dat michi: vado mori.
I am going to die, a rich man. Gold or plentiness of things
is not giving me any respect. I am going to die.
Source: One or the other of the "vado mori" poems of the 14th century; cf. Marchant, Monk and usurer.
Connection between text and image: The verses of pictures 5 & 6 are uttered by the rich man — picture 6 shows him.
No. 7, a prose line:
Fortium virorum est magis mortem contemnere <quam> vitam odisse.
Brave men should despise death, not hate life.
In order to make the saying grammatically correct, we have to add the word "quam", as it appears in the source.
Source: Quintus Curtius Rufus (presumably first century A. D.), Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis, book 5, chapter 9. Cf. Marchant's Death and the man of arms (Lomme darmes / armiger): In the Latin edition, the word "quam" was omitted; however, it correctly appears in the French edition.
Connection between text and image: As in Marchant's editions, the quotation accompanies an armed man. However, it does not fit well Vostre's armed man, who does not appear to be a brave heart but a murderer.
No. 8, a prose line:
Stultum est ti<m>ere quod vitari non potest.
It is stupid to fear what cannot be avoided.
Above the "i" of the third word should have been printed a horizontal line to indicate the following nasal, "m".
As the previous subscription, this one also appears above the scene "Death and the man of arms (Lomme darmes / armiger)" in Marchant's Danse macabre nouvelle.
est commune mori mors nulli parcit honori
To die is common. Death does not spare any state of honour.
Cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, The authority.
Mors fera mors nequam mors nulli parcit et equam
<dat cunctis legem, miscens cum paupere regem>.
Death is wild, death is bad, death spares nobody and <imposes> an equal
<law upon all, mixing the king with the poor man>.
The sentence as printed ends abruptly. So the reader has to supply the continuation.
Cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, The authority.
Nos. 11 & 12, a distich made of two hexameters with double rhyme:
Hec tua vita breuis, que te delectat vbique (recte: inique).
Est velut aura leuis te mors expectat vbique.
This your short life, that pleases you everywhere (recte: more than it should),
is like a light breeze. Death is waiting for you everywhere.
The last word of the first line, "ubique", is awkward. According to Marchant's Danse macabre edition, we have to replace it by "inique".
Cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, Monk and usurer.
Vita quid est hominis nisi res val<l>ata ruinis.
est caro nostra cinis: modo principium. modo finis.
What is human life, if not a thing set between ruins?
Our flesh is ashes, now the beginning, now the end.
In the print, the second "l" of the word "vallata" is missing.
Cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, pilgrim and shepherd.
quid sublime genus quid opes quid gloria prestant.
que mihi nunc (recte: tunc) aderant hec michi nunc abeunt.
What do a noble birth, wealth, and fame bestow on us?
The things that now (recte: back then) were with me are now leaving me.
In the second verse the past tense of "aderant" requires us to read the preceding word as "tunc" ("back then") instead of "nunc". Marchant has the correct version.
Cf. Marchant, The pope and the emperor in the Latin versions.
And cf. the inscription on the scroll held by the figure of Jean de Berry (died 1416 A. D.) on his grave monument in Bourges:
Quid sublime genus quid opes quid gloria prestent
prospice mox aderant hec michi nunc abeunt:
Look which gifts a noble birth, wealth, and fame bestow on us!
They were once with me, now they are leaving me.
Connection between text and image: The verses of pictures 15 & 16 are uttered by a person of high birth, wealth, and fame — picture 16 shows such a man.
Nos. 17 & 18, an elegiac distich:
Ortus cuncta suos: repetunt: matremque requirunt.
Et redit in nihilum quod fuit ante nichil
All things strive to find their origins again and seek their mother,
and that becomes nothing which has before been nothing.
Source: Maximianus (sixth century A. D.), elegy 1, verses 221 sq.; cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, halberdier and fool.
No. 19, a hexameter:
A. a. a. vado mori. <quia> nil valet ipsa iuuentus.
A a a, I am going to die, <because> youth is of no worth.
In order to restore the original metre, we have to add the word "quia" to the beginning of the second phrase, as it appears in Marchant's version:
Vado mori iuuenis: quia nil valet ipsa iuuentus.
I am going to die, a young one — because youth is of no worth.
Source: One or the other of the "vado mori" poems of the 14th century; cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, The child — In the Vulgate Bible, Jeremiah, not willing to serve as God's prophet, pretends to be just a child by saying in Latin: "A, a, a - look, Lord, my God, I cannot talk" (Jer 1:6).
Connection between text and image: The verse of picture 19 is uttered by the child — the picture shows the child.
No. 20, a pentameter:
Mors scita sed dubia <est>. nec fugienda venit.
Death <is> known but dubious and, when coming, cannot be fled from.
In order to restore the original metre, we have to add the word "est" to the first phrase. However, the corrupt version was also printed by Marchant.
Cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre des femmes, The authority.
No. 21, a hexameter with internal rhyme:
Non sum securus hodie vel cras moriturus.
I am not secure — today or tomorrow I shall die.
Cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, pilgrim and shepherd.
No. 22, a hexameter with internal rhyme:
Intus siue foris est plurima causa timoris
Inside or outside — there is very much reason for fear.
Connection between text and image: The verse of woodcut 22 considers indoor and outdoor death — woodcut 21 depicts outdoor death, woodcut 22 indoor death.
This and the previous verse were also printed one after the other by Marchant; cf. La Danse macabre nouvelle, pilgrim and shepherd.
No. 23, a verse with internal rhyme:
Viximus gaudentes nunc morimur tristes et flentes.
We have lived merrily — now we die sad and crying.
This is the only verse that has no classical metre — and does not appear in Marchant's Danse macabre editions.
No. 24, a pentameter:
Forte dies hec est vltima vado mori.
Perhaps this is my last day. I am going to die.
Source: One or the other of the "vado mori" poems of the 14th century; cf. Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, Astrologer and citizen.
Felix qui potuit tranquillam ducere vitam.
Et letos stabili: claudere fine dies
Happy is he who was able to lead a calm life
and to close his cheerful days by a stable end.
In the second verse, the words "stabili … fine", "by a stable end", are awkward. We have to look for the correct version in the source.
Source: Maximianus (as in nos. 17 & 18), elegy 1, verses 289 sq.:
Felix qui meruit tranquillam ducere vitam
et laeto stabiles claudere fine dies.
Happy is he who has gained to lead a calm life
and to close his stable days by a cheerful end.
The corrupt version was also printed by Marchant, La Danse macabre nouvelle, Lawyer and minstrel.
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