THE DANCE OF DEATH. 19 decorated, and the fashion at length terminated in a book of Christian prayers, printed more than once during the reign of Elizabeth, since which time nothing of the kind has appeared. In all these are to be found the same dull and uniform representation of Death leading a single figure, without'much attempt at character or execution, until at length there appeared, in 1538, a book, entitled " Les simulachres & historiees faces de la Mort, autant elegamment pourtraictes, que arti-ficiellement irnaginees." It was printed at Lyons by Melchior and Gasper Trechsel, and is accompanied with forty-one of the most beautiful groups of figures that can be well conceived, both for their composition and execution, being most delicately cut on wood, and surpassing in this branch of art almost every thing of the kind that has appeared before or since. This work was often republished, as welt in the French, as in the Latin and Italian languages*, and has been * The following is presumed to be a tolerably correct list of the various editions of this book : " Simulachres & Historiees faces de la Mort, &c." Lugd. 1538, 4to. " Imagines de Morte." Lugd. 1542, 12mo. " Imagines Mortis." Lugd. 1545, 12mo. " Imagines Mortis/' Lugd. 1547, 12mo. Les Images de la Morte." Lyon, 1547, 12tno. Simolachri, Historie, e Figure de la Morte." Lyone, 1549. I2mo. with an address from the printer, in which he complains of some attempts having been made in other countries to imitate the cuts to his book, and informs the reader that he