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HD 54.2

HARVARD COLLEGE

LIBRARY

VERI

TAS

THE GIFT OF

JOHN TUCKER MURRAY

CLASS OF 1899

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH
=
 DANTE'S

DIVINA COMMEDIA

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE

BY THE

REV. H. F. TOZER, M.A.

HONORARY FELLOW OF EXETER COLlege, oxford
FELLOW OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY
AUTHOR OF
' AN ENGLISH COMMENTARY ON DANTE'S DIVINA COMMEDIA, ETC.

OXFORD

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

1904
Dn54.2

HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

GIFT OF
PROF. JOHN TUCKER MURRAY
JUNE 13, 1938

HENRY FROWDE , M.A.

PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
LONDON, EDINBURGH
NEW YORK
1 ‫۔کما‬

‫کر‬
1
‫یےر‬

‫ذ‬
‫کصربح‬
‫ے‬
.
1
5
1
 PREFACE

THIS prose translation of the Divina Commedia is intended

primarily for readers who are not acquainted with Italian, and
it is for their sake that the brief footnotes which accompany
it have been added. I am in hopes, however, that it may

also be found serviceable by students of the original work,

and for their guidance the numbers of the lines of Dante's

poem have been introduced in the page-headings. In making

this translation my aim has been to render the Poet's meaning
as fully and clearly as was in my power without adhering too

literally to the words ; and at the same time to present the

poem in a fairly readable form . A similar task has already

been undertaken by capable hands, and certainly I have no

wish to challenge comparison with their work ; but apology

seems hardly necessary for renewing the attempt, because
every one may without presumption hope to contribute some

thing towards the more perfect translation of the future.

While I have been engaged on this, I have abstained from

consulting other English translations ; but occasionally words

or expressions have been introduced, which I had already
iv Preface

borrowed-chiefly from Cary and Longfellow- in my English

Commentary on Dante's ' Divina Commedia.' From that work

also the notes in the present volume have for the most part
been derived.
The text which I have followed is Dr. Moore's Oxford

text of the separate edition of the Divina Commedia ( 1900) .

H. F. T.
 PREFATORY DESCRIPTION OF

DANTE'S HELL

HELL, as conceived by Dante, is a vast cavity, extending

from near the surface of the earth to its mid-point, where is
the centre of gravity of the universe . This cavity, which
in shape resembles a funnel, descends in concentric Circles,
gradually narrowing, until at the bottom the Pit of Hell is
reached. Within the areas inclosed by these Circles different
forms of sin are punished, and in proportion as they are lower
the heinousness of the sins and the severity of the punish
ments inflicted increase. At the entrance there is a sort
of Ante- Hell, where the spirits of the pusillanimous are
found ; and between this and Hell proper the stream of the
Acheron intervenes. Within that river the first Circle is
Limbo, which contains the spirits of the virtuous Heathen
and of unbaptized infants, and in the four following Circles
various forms of incontinence are punished . The lower Hell,
or City of Dis, which succeeds to these, and contains the
worst malefactors, is separated from the upper part by a
circuit of massive walls. In the sixth Circle, which lies
immediately within this fortification , the Heretics are placed ;
and in the seventh are the Violent, who occupy three separate
rings, according as they sinned by violence against God,
against themselves, or against their neighbours. At this
point the rocks descend all round in steep precipices, and at
the foot of these the eighth Circle is entered, which is
divided into ten trench-like valleys, lying concentrically one
TOZER B
2 Prefatory Description of Dante's Hell

within the other, which are occupied by various classes of

the Fraudulent. The ninth Circle, which is inclosed by the
innermost of these valleys, and is the Pit of Hell, is assigned
to those who were guilty of the most criminal form of fraud,
the Traitors.
I, I-28

HELL

CANTO I. INTRODUCTORY

I
MIDWAY in the course of our life I found myself within a The wood
of error.
dark wood², where the right way was lost. And a hard task
it is to describe that wood- so wild it was and rude and
stern—which at the mere thought of it renews my fears . So
painful is it that death is hardly more so ; yet, in order that
I may descant on the blessing 3 that I found there, I will tell
of the other objects which met my view. How I entered
there I am at a loss to say, so overcome was I by slumber at
the moment when I deserted the way of truth . But after I
had reached the foot of a hill, at which point that valley ended
which had smitten my heart with fear, I lifted mine eyes, and
saw its shoulders already robed with that planet's beams which
guides men aright on every road. Then was the fear some
what allayed which had settled in my heart's depths during the
night which I spent in such distress. And like one who,
when he hath escaped to shore from the sea with exhausted
breat turns him to the perilous water and gazes thereat, so
did my spirit, which was still in flight, turn backward to
review the passage, which never suffered a soul to escape alive.
After I had reposed awhile my weary limbs, I resumed The three
beasts.
¹ At thirty-five years of age ; The days of our age are three score
years and ten, ' Ps. xc. 10. Dante was born in 1265 , and consequently
the date of what is here intended is 1300.
2 The allegorical meaning of this is the sinful world. Similarly in what
follows the hill represents the mountain of Salvation ; the sun is the light
of God's grace ; and the three beasts-the panther, the lion, and the wolf
-are the vices of lust, pride and avarice.
3 His conversion. 4 The sun.
B 2
 4 Hell 1, 29-64

my course over the lone hillside in such wise that the lower
foot was ever the steadier¹ ; when lo ! just where the steep
ascent commenced, a panther appeared, supple and exceeding
nimble, which was covered with spotted fur. Nor did it
withdraw from before my face ; nay, so greatly did it impede
my progress that once and again I turned me to retreat. The
time was morning prime, and the sun was mounting upward
with those stars 2 which were in his company when the Love
divine set in motion at the first those beauteous objects, so that
the hour of day and the kindly season furnished me with good
hope of overcoming that beast with the showy coat ; yet this
availed not to quell my panic at the sight of a lion which
I beheld. It seemed as if he were coming on to meet me
with head upreared and ravenous hunger, so that methought
the air was dismayed thereat ; and withal a she-wolf came,
who in her leanness appeared cumbered by manifold cravings,
the same who erewhile hath brought many folk to low estate.
So greatly did this monster overpower me by the terror which
proceeded from her looks, that I lost all hope of reaching the
mountain height . And even as one who rejoices in his
winnings, but when the time arrives for him to lose betrays
sad melancholy in his every thought ; such became I through
the merciless beast, which advancing toward me forced me to
retire step by step to the sunless region.
Meeting of While I was hurrying downward toward those depths ,
Dante and
Virgil. there presented himself before mine eyes one who seemed
enfeebled by long silence ³. When I beheld this being in

In mounting the lower foot is that which steadies the body.

2 The constellation of Aries, in which the sun is in the early spring.
In the middle ages the Creation was believed to have taken place at the
vernal equinox .
3 Virgil, who is here introduced, symbolizes human reason in its
 Hell 1, 65-101 S

the wide wilderness, ' Have compassion on me, ' I exclaimed

to him, ' whate'er thou art, whether a spirit or very man. '
'Not a man,' he replied to me ; I was once a man, and my
parents were Lombards, both of them from Mantua as their
fatherland . Under Julius was I born, though late in time,
and I lived at Rome beneath the good Augustus' sway, in
the days of the false and spurious gods. A poet I was, and
I sang of Anchises' son the just, who came from Troy after
proud Ilion was consumed by fire. But why art thou
returning to so dread annoy ? Why dost thou not ascend
the gladsome mountain, which is the origin and source of all
6
joy?' Say, art thou that Virgil, that fountain-head whence
so copious a stream of language proceeds ?' Thus with
reverent brow did I mak answer to him . ' Thou glory and
light of all other poets, may the long study and ardent love
avail me, which hath caused me closely to con thy volume.
Thou art my master and my authority : thou and thou only
art he from whom I derived the fair style which hath won
me honour. See there the beast by reason of which I turned
me ; aid me to escape her, renowned sage, for she sets my
veins and pulses throbbing.'
'Thee it behoves to pursue another journey,' he replied, Virgil
undertakes
when he perceived that I was in tears, ‘ if thou desirest to escape tobe
from this wild spot ; for this beast which occasions thy cries Dante's
suffers none to pass by her way, but impedes them so as to cause guide.
their death ; and so evil and malevolent is her nature, that she
never satisfies her craving appetite, but after being fed hungers
more than before. Many are the animals wherewith she mates,
and there will be yet more, until the Greyhound ' comes, who

highest development ; in this character he is qualified to be Dante's guide

through Hell and Purgatory.
1 Dante's patron, Can Grande della Scala of Verona, is probably meant;
6 Hell 1, 102-133

will bring her to a painful death. He for his sustenance shall

take, not land nor lucre, but wisdom, love and virtue, and between.
Feltro and Feltro shall his dominion be¹ . Of Italy in her
low estate shall he be the deliverer-that Italy, for whom the
maiden Camilla, with Euryalus and Turnus and Nisus, were
wounded and died. He shall chase forth the monster through
every town, until he hath sent her back to Hell, whence
through envy she first issued forth 2. Wherefore for thy
benefit I decree after reflexion due, that thou shalt follow me,
and I will be thy guide, and will conduct thee hence through
an eternal place, where thou shalt hear the despairing shrieks
of those ancient souls in pain, who one and all invoke the
second death 3 : and thereafter thou shalt see tho e who are
contented in the fire, for that they hope in God's good time
to reach the blessed folk . Unto them if afterward thou
4
desirest to ascend, a spirit more worthy than I shall be
appointed thereto, with whom I will leave thee at my departure ;
for that Potentate who reigns in heaven above, because I was
rebellious against his law, wills not that any by my guidance
should enter his city. His dominion is everywhere, but there
he is king ; there is his city and his exalted seat : happy the
man to whom he there assigns a place ! ' And I to him :
( Poet, I entreat thee by that God whom thou knewest not,
in order that I may escape this evil and worse than this, to
lead me where but now thou didst propose, so that I may
the mastiff appears as an emblem on the coat of arms of his family, the
Scaligers, but the intimation here, being oracular, is purposely vague.
The towns of Feltre, near Belluno , and of Montefeltro in Romagna
mark the northern and southern limits of the territory, which was the
scene of Can Grande's operations in the imperial cause.
2 The envy of the Devil caused the Fall of man.
3 Annihilation is probably meant.
4 Beatrice, who represents theology or revealed truth.
 Hell 1, 134-II, 22 7

behold St. Peter's gate , and those whom thou representest

as so disconsolate .' Thereupon he set forth, and I followed
in his footsteps.

CANTO II. INTRODUCTORY

THE day was departing 2, and the darkened air was relieving Invocation
of the
from their labours the animals on earth, and I was preparing Muses.
all alone to sustain the struggle alike of the journey and of my
piteous thoughts, which my mind, intent on its purpose, shall
relate. Ye Muses, thou lofty spirit of genius, be now mine
aid. O mind, that didst record what I saw, here shall thy
nobility be made manifest.
I thus began : ' Poet who dost guide me, ere thou dost Dante's
reluctance
commit me to the hazardous transit, bethink thee whether my toenter
powers are adequate to the task. Thou sayst that Silvius' Hell.
sire ³, while yet clothed in human flesh, visited the immortal
world, and was there in the body. Wherefore, if the adver
4
sary of all evil was gracious to him, considering the mighty
result 5 which was to proceed from him, and the person 6 , and
his greatness, this cannot but approve itself to a reflecting
mind ; for in the Empyrean Heaven he was chosen to be the
father of Rome, the fostering city, and of her empire ; both
the one and the other whereof (to speak without reserve) were
The gate of Purgatory, where the Angel sits, who is St. Peter's
deputy ; cp. Purg. ix. 117, 127.
2 The time is the evening of Good Friday, April 8, 1300. It should
be noticed that Eastertide 1300 is carefully observed throughout the poem
as the date of Dante's Vision, so that all references to events of a later
date than this are to be regarded as prophetic.
3 Aeneas ; cp. Virg. Aen. vi. 763. 4 God.
5 The Roman Empire. 6 The Emperor.
 8 Hell 11, 23-60

established as the holy seat, which the successor of Peter,

the highest of that name, doth оссиру . In the course of this
journey, for which thou celebratest him, he heard things,
which were the cause of his victory and of the mantle of the
Papacy. Thither went afterwards the chosen Vessel¹, to bring
thence support to that faith which is the starting-point for the
way of salvation. But why should I come thither ? Who
authorizes it ? I am not Aeneas, I am not Paul : neither do
I nor doth any other deem me worthy thereof. Wherefore,
if I consent to come, I fear lest my coming be an act of folly ;
thou art wise, thou understandest the matter better than my
words express it.' And even as one who renounces his
former wishes, and through the prompting of fresh thoughts
changes his view, so that he withdraws wholly from what he
hath begun, such became I on that dark hillside ; so that on
reflexion I cancelled the enterprise which was so promptly
undertaken.
How Virgil ' If I have understood thy words aright,' replied that shade
was com
missioned of the high- souled one, the impediment which checks thy
by Beatrice. spirit is cowardice ; the which oftentimes doth hamper a man,
so that it diverts him from honourable enterprise, as mistake
of sight doth a beast, when it shies. In order that thou
mayst be delivered from this fear, I will tell thee wherefore
I came, and what I heard at the first moment when I sorrowed
for thee. I was in the number of those whose state is
negative, when a Lady called me, so saintly and so fair, that
I besought her to tell me her bidding. Her eyes shone more
brightly than the stars ; and with angelic voice she began
to speak to me in sweet low tones : " O courteous Mantuan
spirit, whose fame still endures in the world, and shall endure
so long as the heavenly bodies pursue their onward way, one
I St. Paul ; cp. Acts ix. 15.
 Hell II, 61-93 9

whom I love but fortune loves not, is so impeded in his course

on the lone hillside that he hath turned him in affright ; and
from that which I have heard in Heaven concerning him,
I fear me he hath already so lost his way, that I have started
all too late to succour him. Now hie thee, and by thy skill
in speech and whatever is requisite for his deliverance, lend
him such aid that I may be comforted thereby. 'Tis Beatrice
bids thee go : I have come from a place whither I long to
return ; 'twas love, which causes me to speak, that impelled
me. When I am once more in the presence of my Lord,
ofttimes will I express to Him my approval of thee." At this
point she ceased, and anon I began : " O puissant Lady,
through whom alone the human race rises superior to all that
is contained within that Heaven which hath the narrowest
orbit , so pleasing to me is thy behest, that obedience to it,
were it already paid, lags behind my wishes ; there is no
further need for thee to disclose to me thy desires. But tell
me wherefore thou dost not shrink from descending hither to
this centre from the spacious place whither thou longest
to return. " " Since thou desirest to know so much of the
heart of the matter," she replied to me, " I will tell thee in few
words why I am not afraid to enter here. Those things alone
are rightly feared which have power to harm men ; not so
the rest, for they are not to be dreaded. Blessed be God ,
he hath so made me, that your distress affects me not, nor
doth the flame of yonder burning assail me. There is in

¹i.e. 'rises superior to everything sublunary.' The Heaven here

spoken of is the sphere of the Moon, which is the nearest to the earth,
and consequently the narrowest, of the concentric spheres which form
Dante's Heaven .
It is through theology, which Beatrice represents, that
men rise above sublunary things .
2 The Empyrean Heaven.
 IO Hell II, 94-128

Heaven a noble Lady ' , who is grieved at this hindrance

wherewith I send thee to deal, so that she mitigates the
severity of judgement on high. She with urgent words
besought Lucia , saying : ' Now is thy votary in need of
thee, and to thy care I entrust him.' Lucia, the foe of
all harshness, hied her and came to my station, where
I was seated by the ancestress Rachel. ' Beatrice,' she said ,
' thou in whom God's glory is truly seen, wherefore succourest
thou not him who loved thee so, that through thee he rose
above the vulgar herd ? Hearest thou not the sadness of his
lament ? Seest thou not the death which assails him on the
rushing stream 3, than which the sea is not wilder.' Never did
a man on earth so speed him, either to win an advantage or to
escape mishap, as did I, when after these words were uttered
I descended hither from my blessed seat, confiding in thy
skilful speech, which confers honour both on thee and on
those who have listened thereto. " After she had thus ad
dressed me, she turned away her bright eyes in tears, whereby
she caused me the more to hasten my coming ; and I came to
thee even as she willed, and delivered thee from the presence
of that monster, which barred for thee the direct way to the
fair Mountain. What then is thy difficulty ? Why, why dost
thou halt ? Why give entrance into thy heart to so great
cowardice ? Wherefore hast thou no boldness, no confidence,
seeing that three such blessed Dames take thought for thee in
the court of Heaven, and my words promise thee so great
good?'
Dante con Even as the flowerets, which droop and close through the
sents to go. frosts of night, so soon as the sun lightens upon them expand

The Blessed Virgin ; she represents prevenient grace.

2 St. Lucy was Dante's patron Saint ; she represents illuminative grace.
3 The torrent of ungodliness.
 Hell II , 129- III , 21 II

and upraise themselves upon their stems, so was it with me

and my exhausted powers ; and so much good courage rushed
into my heart, that like a resolute spirit I thus began : 'How
compassionate was she who came to mine aid, and how
courteous thou, who didst so readily obey the truthful words
she addressed to thee ! Thou by thy speech hast so disposed
my heart with longing to come, that I have returned to my
original purpose . Lead onward then, for we two have but
one will : thou art the guide, the lord and the master thou.'
These words I spake to him, and after he had started on his
way, I entered on the wild deep-sunken road.

CANTO III. THE ANTE-HELL

' Through me ye go into the city dolorous ; through me The gate

of Hell.
ye go into eternal suffering ; through me ye go amid the lost
folk. By justice was my sublime Creator moved : I was
made by the divine power, the supreme wisdom, and the
primal love¹. Before me was not anything created save the
eternal things, and I endure eternally ; abandon all hope ye
that enter here.' These words I saw inscribed above a gate
in dark hues : wherefore I said, ' Master, their meaning is
appalling to me.' And as a well-advised person he answered
me : 6 Here it behoves to leave behind all faint- heartedness ;
here it behoves that all cowardice should be extinguished.
We have reached the place where I told thee that thou shalt
see the doleful folk, who have lost the guerdon of the mind 2.'
And after he had laid his hand on mine, with cheerful looks,
wherefrom I received comfort, he made me enter the world
of mystery.

These three qualities represent the three Persons of the Trinity.

2 i. e. the knowledge of God.
 I2 Hell III, 22-60

The Ante There sighs, lamentations, and piercing shrieks of woe

Hell ;
of the spirits resounded through the starless air, so that at first I shed tears
pusillani thereat. Strange tongues, dread utterances, words of wailing,
mous.
wrathful tones, cries loud or faint, and the smiting of hands
accompanying them, created a tumult, which swirls continually
in that atmosphere dark for evermore, like the sand when a
whirlwind is blowing. And I, whose head was wrapt in
terror, said : ' Master, what is this which I hear ? And
what folk are these who seem so mastered by their pain ? '
And he to me : ' This dismal strain proceeds from the sorry
souls of those, who lived without infamy and without praise.
They are mingled with that caitiff crew of the angels who
were not rebellious, nor yet faithful to God, but were for
themselves. The Heavens expelled them lest they should
be sullied by them ; nor yet doth the depth of Hell receive
them, seeing that the criminals would have whereof to glory on
their account. ' And I : Master, what is it that so oppresses
them, causing them to moan so loudly ? ' He replied : ' In very
few words I will tell thee. These spirits have no hope of
death , and their blind life is so debased, that they are envious
of every other lot. The world suffers no rumour of them to
survive ; mercy disdains them and justice too ; let us not
talk of them, but look thou and pass by.' And as I watched
I beheld a banner, which swaying hither and thither rushed
onward with such speed, that it appeared to me to scorn all
repose and behind it came so long a train of people, that
I could never have conceived that so many had been unmade
by death . After I had identified certain of their number,
I
I saw and recognized the shade of him who made through
cowardice the great renunciation. Forthwith I perceived ,
This is usually regarded as being Pope Celestine V, who abdicated
the Papacy within a year of his election in 1294.
 Hell III, 61- IOI 13

and that with certainty, that this was the faction of those
recreant ones, who are displeasing to God and to his enemies.
These wretches, who never were alive, were grievously
goaded, naked as they were, by gadflies and wasps which
were in that spot. These bedewed their faces with blood,
which, mingled with tears, was gathered up at their feet by
loathsome worms .
And when I set myself to scan the further view, I beheld Charon the
ferryman
people on the bank of a mighty river ; wherefore I said : ofthe
'Master, grant me now to know what folk these are, and Acheron .
what ordinance causes them to appear so eager to cross, as
by the dim light I perceive them to be.' And he to me :
'The matter will be clear to thee, when we halt in our course
on the melancholy shore of Acheron.' Then with bashful
and downcast eyes, fearing lest I might weary him by my
talk, I abstained from speaking until we reached the stream.
And lo ! there came in a vessel towards us an old man,
white with the locks of eld, who cried : "Woe to you, ye
sinful souls : renounce all hope of beholding Heaven ! I come
to conduct you to the other bank, into eternal darkness, into
heat and cold. And thou who art yonder, thou living soul ,
depart from among the company of the dead.' But when he
perceived that I did not depart, he said : ' By another way,
by other ports shalt thou reach the shore ; come not hither to
make the passage : a lighter bark is appointed to bear thee.'
And to him my Guide : ' Vex not thyself, Charon : it is so
willed there, where power accompanies the will; do thou
inquire no further.' These words imposed silence on the
shaggy cheeks of the pilot of thelivid marsh, who round his
eyes had wheels of flame. But those souls, weary as they
were and naked, changed colour and gnashed their teeth, so
I The vessel which bears the souls to Purgatory, Purg. ii. 41 .
 14 Hell III, 102- IV, 3

soon as they heard the pitiless words. They cursed God and
their parents, the human race, the place, the time and the seed
of their ancestry and of their birth. Anon with loud laments
they congregated all together to the accursed shore, which
awaits every one that fears not God. Charon the demon,
with eyes like burning embers, beckoning to them, assembles.
them all whoso lingers, he smites him with his oar. As
drop the autumn leaves one after the other, until the branch
sees all its bravery fallen to earth, so was it with Adam's
sinful offspring ; one by one they fling themselves from that
shore at his signals, like a bird at its recall. Thus do they
depart over the dark water, and ere they have landed on the
further bank, again a fresh company forms on the hither side.
A shock of 'My son,' said the courteous Master, ' all those who die
earthquake. in the wrath of God assemble here from every land ; and
they are fain to cross the river, for the divine justice incites
them so, that their fear is converted into longing. By this
way no righteous soul doth ever pass ; wherefore, if Charon
is vexed on thy account, thou canst clearly understand now
what his words imply ¹ .' No sooner had he ceased, than the
gloomy tract quaked so violently, that through terror thereof
the recollection bathes anew my limbs with sweat. From the
tearful earth there issued a wind, which flashed forth a crim
son light, whereby all my faculties were overpowered ; and
I fell like one mastered by sleep .

CANTO IV . THE FIRST CIRCLE

The first The deep sleep within my head was broken by a roar of
Circle, or
Limbo. thunder, so that I started like one awakened by force ; and
I viz., that Dante was destined to be saved.
 Hell IV, 4-42
15

rising to my feet I looked around me with eyes refreshed,

gazing steadily to reconnoitre the place wherein I was¹ .
I found myself in very sooth on the edge of the dolorous
vale of the abyss, which concentrates the thunder of infinite
wailings ; so dark it was and deep and misty, that, peer as
I would into the depths, I could distinguish nothing there.
'Descend we now below into the sightless world,' began the
Poet all deathly pale ; ' I will go first, and thou shalt follow
me.' And I, who had observed his pallor, said : ' How
shall I come, if thou art dismayed, who when I falter art
wont to be my stay ? ' And he to me : ' It is the anguish
of the folk here below which causes my face to wear that
hue of pity which thou takest for fear. Let us proceed, for
the length of our journey urges haste. ' So he went onward,
and caused me also to enter the first Circle which encom
passes the abyss². There, to judge by the ear, there was
naught of lamentation beyond sighs, which set quivering the
everlasting air. These arose from the sorrow exempt from
torment, which was felt by the crowds— and they were many
and great - of children and women and men. The kind
Master said to me : ' Dost thou not ask what spirits these
are whom thou seest ? Now, before proceeding further,
I would have thee know that they committed no sin ; and if
merit accrues to them this suffices not, seeing that they
received not baptism, which is essential to the faith that thou
believest : and if they lived before Christianity, they did not
worship God aright, and in the number of these am I myself.
For such deficiencies are we lost, not for any guilt beyond ;
and our suffering is confined to this, that we live in longing
I
During his sleep Dante has been transported across the Acheron.
2 This Circle is Limbo, which contains the spirits of unbaptized infants
and ofthe virtuous heathen.
 16 Hell IV, 43-82

without hope.' Great grief seized my heart when I heard

his words, for that I learnt that men of high excellence were
in the negative state within that Limbo.
The spirits ' Tell me, my Master, tell me, my Lord, ' I began , desiring
deliv ered by to certify myself concerning that faith which overcomes all
Christ.
error ; 6 did any ever go forth from hence, either through his
own or through another's deserts, who thereafter was blessed ?'
And seeing through my veiled speech, he replied : " I had but
lately entered on this state, when I beheld the arrival of a
Mighty One, crowned with the token of victory. He de
livered from this place the shade of our first parent and of
Abel his son, and that of Noah, and of Moses the lawgiver
and servant of God ; Abraham the patriarch and David the
king, Israel with his father and his sons and Rachel for
whom he served so long, and many more ; and he made them
blessed : and I would have thee know that before these no
souls of men were saved.' We halted not on our way for all
his converse, but passed through the forest without pausing-
the forest, I mean, of crowded spirits.
The great As yet we had not advanced far from the place where I had
classic
poets. slept, when I perceived a fire, which illuminated one half
of the dark Circle. We were still distant from it a space,
yet not so far as to prevent me from discerning in some
measure that that spot was occupied by persons of dignity.
"O thou who dost adorn both science and art, who are these
that have this token of high honour, which distinguishes them
from the condition of the rest ? ' And he to me : ' The
honourable reputation , through which they are celebrated in
thy world above, wins favour in Heaven which exalts them
so.' Meanwhile, I heard a voice exclaim : ' Give honour to
the sublime poet ; his shade, which had quitted us, is return
ing.' After the voice ceased and spake no more, I saw four
 Hell IV, 83-116 17

mighty shades approaching us, whose countenances were

neither sad nor joyful. The good Master then began to say:
' Give heed to him who bears in his hand that sword, and
walks in front of the three as their lord. That is Homer,
the prince of poets ; he who comes next is Horace the
moralist ; the third is Ovid, and Lucan the last. Because
each of them enjoys, as I do , the title proclaimed by the
solitary voice, they do me honour, and therein they do well.'
So did I view the assembling of the fair school of those
masters of the highest flight of song, which soars like an
eagle above the others. After they had conversed awhile
among themselves, they turned them to me with signs of
welcome, whereat my Master smiled and a far higher
honour still did they pay me, for they associated me with
their number, so that I was the sixth in that sage company .
In this wise did we proceed as far as the light, conversing on
themes, which it is as becoming not to mention now, as it
was becoming to discuss them there.
We reached the foot of a noble castle, encompassed seven Other dis
tinguished
times by lofty walls, and defended throughout its circuit by heathens.
a fair river ¹ . This we crossed as if it were solid ground ;
through seven gates I entered with those sages, and we
reached a fresh and verdant meadow. The occupants of this
had pensive and serious eyes, and great dignity in their
countenances ; they spake but little, and with soft voices.
Thus on one side of it did we wend our way to an open spot,
The Castle ofLimbo and everything connected with it are allegorical.
The castle itself is philosophy, and its seven walls, by which the eminent
heathen are marked off from the rest, are the seven virtues. The seven
gates by which it is entered are the seven subjects of learned study, which
form the Trivium and Quadrivium of the Schools. The river is oratory ;
and this the wise pass over dryshod, because they are not dependent on
the influence of persuasion.
TOZER 41 с
18 Hell IV, 117-142

luminous and elevated, so that they all were visible. There

in front of us on the enamelled verdure the mighty spirits
were pointed out to me, so that my soul is exalted at having
seen them. I saw Electra I with a numerous company,
among whom I recognized Hector and Aeneas, and Caesar
the falcon-eyed in arms. Camilla I saw and Penthesilea,
and on the opposite side King Latinus 3 sitting with his
daughter Lavinia. I saw that Brutus who expelled Tar
quinius, Lucretia, Julia , Marcia 5 and Cornelia , and Saladin
I saw by himself apart. After I had raised mine eyes some
what higher, I saw the Master of those who know , sitting
in the midst of a philosophic company. All look towards
him, all do him honour. There saw I Socrates and Plato,
who stand nearest to him in front of the rest. Democritus 8
was there, who attributes the world to chance, Diogenes ,
Anaxagoras and Thales, Empedocles, Heraclitus and Zeno :
and I saw the faithful investigator of the qualities of plants,
Dioscorides, I mean 9 : Orpheus too, I beheld, Tullius and
Linus, and the moralist Seneca : Euclid the geometrician, and

The mother of Dardanus the founder of Troy ; cp. Virg. Aen. viii.
134, 135.
2 Camilla and Penthesilea were Amazons ; Camilla fought against the
Trojans in Italy, Penthesilea for them.
3 The ally of the Trojans, whose daughter Lavinia became Aeneas'
wife.
4 The daughter of Julius Caesar, who married Pompey.
5 Wife of Cato. The mother of the Gracchi.
7 Aristotle.
8 Of the personages who follow, the first eight represent various
branches of philosophy ; Orpheus and Linus, music ; Cicero (Tullius),
oratory ; Seneca, moral philosophy ; Euclid and Ptolemy, mathematics ;
Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna, and Averroës, medicine.
9 His work on plants was written chiefly from the point of view of their
medical qualities.
 Hell IV, 143- V, 13 19

Ptolemy ; Hippocrates, Avicenna, and Galen ; Averroës

also, who composed the great commentary . Of all ofthem
I cannot give a full account, seeing that the length of my
theme so urges me onw nward, that oftentimes my tale falls
short of the reality. The company of six is reduced to two ² :
my wise Guide leads me by another way out of the tranquil
air into that which trembles ; and I enter a region where no
light appears.

CANTO V. THE SECOND CIRCLE

Thus from the first Circle did I descend into the second, The second
Circle
which incloses a narrower space, and correspondingly greater Minos ;
the
pain, which incites the sufferers to lamentation. There stands judge.
Minos 3 in dread guise and gnashes his teeth : he investigates
the sins at the entrance, passes judgement, and dispatches
the criminal according to the number of the folds he ties.
I mean that, when the ill-fated spirit comes into his presence,
it makes a full confession ; and that investigator of their
misdeeds perceives what place in Hell is appointed for it, and
girds himself with his tail as many times as are the stages
that he wills it should descend. Many such are ever standing

¹ His famous commentary on the works of Aristotle.

2 Of the six poets only Dante and Virgil remain.
3 Minos, the judge of the dead, is a figure borrowed from classical
mythology. One or more such personages are attached to each of the
Circles of Hell, and usually a resemblance is traceable between the Figure
and the sin punished in the Circle where he is found ; in the present in
stance, however, there is no such resemblance . The grotesqueness of
these beings is largely due to the view that the heathen gods were devils ;
I Cor. x. 20. The introduction of figures of the pagan Tartar into the
us
Christian Hell is found in mediaeval Latin literature of an earlier date than
Dante's time ; see Gaspary, History of Early Italian Literature, tr. by
Oelsner, p. 29.
C 2
 20 Hell V, 14-47

before him each in his turn they come to judgement ; they

speak, they hear, and anon they are flung below. ' O thou
who comest to the doleful abode, ' said Minos to me when he
beheld me, ceasing from the discharge of that dread function,
'beware how thou enterest, and in whom thou trustest ; let
not the spaciousness of the entrance deceive thee.' And to
him my Leader : ' Why dost persist in clamouring ? Hinder
not his divinely appointed journey ; it is so willed there,
where power accompanies will : do thou inquire no further.'
Spirits Now do the strains of woe begin to reach mine ears ; now
ofthe
incontinent. have I arrived at a place where manifold lamentations assail
me. I entered a region devoid of all light, which bellows
like the ocean in a storm, when it is encountered by opposing
winds. The infernal hurricane, which never is at rest, bears
along the spirits with its furious rush, and tossing them and
smiting harasses them ¹ . When they find themselves face to
face with the turmoil, thereupon their shrieks and moans and
lamentations arise ; blasphemies withal against the power of
God. I understood that those condemned to this form of
torment are the carnal sinners, who make their reason the
slave of their desires. And as in the cold season the starlings
are borne on the wing outspread in a dense flock, so by that
blast are the guilty spirits borne : this way and that, upwards
and downwards it carries them ; never are they soothed by
any hope of less suffering, I say not of repose. And as the
cranes fly chanting their dirges, and form a long line in the

Throughout the scheme of the Inferno a correspondence, either real

or symbolical, is traceable between the sins which are expiated and the
retributory punishments. In the present instance the wild and ceaseless
movement to which the unchaste are exposed represents the uncontrolled
passion and restless want of self- command which they displayed in their
lifetime.
 Hell V, 48-76 2I

sky, so saw I approach with cries of woe shades that were

borne by the aforesaid rush ; wherefore I said : ' Master, who
are those folk whom the darkling air chastizes so ? ' 'The
first of those concerning whom thou desirest to be informed,'
he then replied to me, 6 was queen of many tongues. To the
vice of wantonness she was so abandoned, that in her law she
made desire the rule of right, to remove the scandal into
which she had fallen . She is Semiramis, of whom it is
recorded, that she succeeded Ninus and was his spouse : she
possessed the country which is under the Sultan's sway ¹ .
The next is she who for love slew herself, and broke her
faith with Sichaeus' ashes ; then follows Cleopatra the profli
gate. Behold Helen, for whose sake so many years of
sorrow rolled ; behold too the great Achilles, whose last
antagonist was love. Behold Paris and Tristan ² ' : and a
thousand shades and more did he show me, designating them
with his finger, who were severed from our life by love.
After hearing my Instructor name the ancient dames and Paolo and
Francesca.
cavaliers compassion seized me, and I was as one distraught.
Then I began : ' Poet, I would gladly speak to those twain 3
who go in company, and appear to be so light before the
wind.' And he to me : ' Thou shalt see when they are

I The country here meant must be Egypt, which in Dante's time was
governed bythe Mameluke Sultans. As Semiramis was queen ofAssyria ,
it has been suggested, in explanation , that Dante believed that Semiramis
extended her kingdom so as to include Egypt.
2 The nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, who fell in love with Iseult,
whom he was commissioned to escort from her home in Ireland to be the
bride of his uncle. By him Tristan was slain.
3 According to the version of the story here given Francesca was mar
ried for reasons of state to Giovanni Malatesta of Rimini, but was in love
with his brother Paolo ; and some time after his marriage Giovanni sur
prised his wife and his brother together, and slew them both.
22 Hell V, 77-III

nearer to us ; and then do thou beseech them by that love

which conducts them, and they will come.' So soon as the
wind inclined them towards us I thus bespake : 'Ye weary
souls, come to converse with us, if Another forbids it not. '
Even as doves at the call of love, with their wings upraised
and still, come through the air to their sweet nest wafted by
their desire ; in such wise they issued from the company
where Dido is, coming towards us through the rank air, such
was the power of the sympathetic cry. Thou gracious,
kindly being, who traversest the murky air, visiting us who
dyed the world with hues of blood, if the ruler of the universe
were propitious to us, we would pray him to grant thee peace,
for that thou pitiest our distracting woe. That which thou
wouldst fain hear and speak of, we will hear and will speak
of to you, so long as the wind is silent, as now it is. The
2
city where I was born lies on the seashore, where the Po
descends to take its repose with its attendant streams. Love,
that in a gentle heart is quickly kindled, seized this one for
the fair person, that was taken from me in a manner which
distresses me still 3. Love, which never exempts from love
the loved object, seized me with such force for this one's
charm , that, as thou seest, it doth not even now desert me.
Love it was that led us to a common death : Cain is
awaiting him who extinguished our lives 4.' These were the
words which they addressed to us. After listening to those
suffering souls I looked downward, and remained with down
cast eyes, until at last the Poet said to me : 'What art thou

1 God. 2 Ravenna.
3 The suddenness of her death left no time for repentance.
4 The meaning is-Cain, the first fratricide, awaits our murderer in the
portion ofthe ninth Circle, called from him la Caina, where those who
have violated the bond of relationship are punished.
 Hell V, 112- VI , 6 23
6
pondering?" When I replied, I thus began : Alas ! how
many sweet thoughts, how great longing brought those beings
to the woful strait ! ' Then turning me toward them I spake,
6
and said : Francesca, thy anguish makes me sad and com
passionate even to tears. But tell me ; at the time of those
sweet sighs by what token, and in what way, did Love grant
that thou shouldst realize thy unconfessed desires ? ' And
she to me : ' There is no greater suffering, than to recall in
I
misery the time of happiness ; and this thy Teacher knows.
But if thou art so eager to learn the starting-point of our love,
I will do as he doth who weeps and speaks withal . We
were reading for pleasure one day of Lancelot, how love
mastered him ; we were alone and devoid of all fear. Many
a time did that reading impel our eyes to meet, and take the
colour from our cheeks, but one point only was that which
overpowered us. When we read how by that noble lover
the longed-for smile was kissed, this one, who never shall be
severed from me, kissed me on the lips all trembling. The
book and its author played the part of Gallehault2 : that day
we read no further therein.' While the one spirit spake these
words, the other uttered such a cry of woe that I fainted as if
dying, and fell as a dead body falls.

CANTO VI. THE THIRD CIRCLE

When my mind returned, after having succumbed at the The third

sight of the two relations ' piteous lot, which blurred all my Circle,
thoughts with grief, I see around me fresh sufferings and gluttonous ;
Cerberus.
fresh sufferers, where'er I move, where'er I turn, where'er
I Virgil , who looks back regretfully from Limbo to the pleasures of his
life on earth.
The intermediary between Lancelot and Guinevere,
 24 Hell VI , 7-45

I gaze . I am in the third Circle , that of the everlastin ,

g
accursed , cold and grievous rain , unchangi
ng in its measure
and its consistenc . Big hailstones , dark water , and snow
y
pour down through the murky air ; the ground whereon this
falls is rotten . Cerberus , a cruel and portento
us monster ,
barks like a dog with his three throats over the folk who
here are plunged in Hell. His eyes are crimson , his beard
black and greasy , his belly huge , and his hands armed with
claws ; he lacerates the spirits , mumbles them in his jaws
and rends them . The rain causes them to howl like dogs ;
they screen one side with the other , ofttimes shifting them
selves , the godforsake wretches . When Cerberus , the great
n
reptile , was ware of us, he opened his mouths and displaye to us
d
his tusks ; not one of his limbs could he keep from quiverin .
g
Then my Lead
er stretched out his palms , and took of the
earth , and flung it in handfuls into those voraciou gullets .
s
Even as a dog, which bays with ravenous hunger, becomes
quiet so soon as he is gnawing his food , being intent only
on fiercely devouring it, so was it with those foul faces of the
demon Cerberus , who stuns the souls so that they would fain
be deaf.
Ciacco, the We passed along over the shades which are prostrated by
Florentine
the grievous rain, and planted our footsteps on their vain
gourmand .
semblance, which wears the aspect of a real body. They all
were lying on the ground, save one, who raised himself into
a sitting posture the moment he saw us pass in front of him.
' O thou, who art being conducted through this region of
Hell,' said he to me, ' recognize me, if thou canst : thou wast
made ere I was unmade ¹.' And I to him : ' The sufferings
that thou endurest haply withdraw thee from my memory, so
that I trow not that I have ever seen thee. But tell me, who
* Dante was born in 1265 ; Ciacco died in 1286.
 Hell VI , 46-77 25

art thou, that art set in so dismal a spot, and to such a punish
ment, that if others are worse none is so distasteful ? ' And
he to me : Thy city, which is so full of jealousy that now
the sack runs over, had me as an inmate in the tranquil life .
Ye my fellow citizens were wont to call me Ciacco for
the noxious sin of gluttony, as thou seest, I bend before the
rain ; and as a soul in pain I am not alone, for all these are
exposed to a like penalty for like iniquity ' : and at that word
he ceased. I answered him : Ciacco, thy affliction lies so
heavy upon me that it incites me to weep : but tell me, if thou
knowest, to what issue the citizens of the divided city will
come ; whether any there is upright : tell me too wherefore
such dread discord hath assailed it.' And he to me : 6 After
long contention they will come to bloodshed ² , and the boorish
party will expel the other with much contumely. But soon
thereafter, before three suns have run their course, this one is
destined to fall, and the other to take the higher place by the
support of one who at this moment is trimming 3. For a long
season will it show a haughty front, oppressing the other by
heavy burdens, however much it be distressed and ashamed
thereat. Two men 4 are upright, but they get no hearing
there : pride, envy and avarice are the three sparks which
have set men's hearts aflame.' At this point he ceased his
tearful utterance .
And I to him : Prithee still further instruct me, and

¹ This nickname was a corruption of Giaconio.

2 The two parties here spoken of were the White and the Black Guelfs,
the former of whom were headed by the Cerchi, the latter by the Donati.
The White Guelfs are called ' the boorish party ' because the Cerchi , who
had lately come from the country into the city, bore that character.
3 Boniface VIII is meant, who in 1300 professed to be neutral as
between the Whites and Blacks, and in 1302 supported Charles of Valois.
4 Who these were is not known.
 26 Hell VI, 78-112

Distin grant me the boon of other words of thine. Farinata and

guished
Florentines Tegghiaio, who were so worthy, Jacopo Rusticucci, Arrigo
in Hell. and Mosca , and the others who set their minds on right
doing, tell me where they are, and enable me to recognize
them ; for I am seized by strong desire to know whether
Heaven bestows its sweets or Hell its poisons on them.'
And he : " They are among the blackest spirits ; by various
forms of sin they are sunk downward to the depths : if thou
descendest so far, it will be in thy power to see them. But
when thou art once more in the sweet world, I pray thee
recall me to the minds of men : no more I say to thee, no
more I answer thee.' His fixed eyes he then turned askance ;
for a while he regarded me, and then he drooped his head :
so he fell head foremost to the level of the other blind folk.
And my Guide said to me : ' He rises no more before the
sound of the angelic trump ; when the hostile Power 2 shall
come, each shall repair again to the sad tomb, shall resume
his form of flesh, and hear the doom that resounds for
eternity.'
Increase So with slow steps did we pass onward through the shades
of the
torments in and the rain so foully mixed, touching on points in the future
the future life :: whereupon I said : ' These torments, my Master, will
life.
they increase after the dread sentence , or will they be lessened,
or will they be as painful as now ?' And he to me : ' Betake
thee to thy philosophy 3 , which avers that, in proportion as
a thing is more perfect, it hath greater appreciation of good,
and in like manner of pain. Albeit this accursed folk can
never attain true perfection, it expects to be more perfect after
than before.' We pursued that track in a circle, talking far

With the exception of Arrigo all these rsonages are introduced

later in the Inferno.
2 Christ . 3 Aristotle is meant.
 Hell VI, 113- VII, 27 27

more than I report, and reached the point where the ground
descends ; there we found Pluto the great enemy.

CANTO VII . THE FOURTH AND FIFTH

CIRCLES

' Pape Satan, pape Satan aleppe ',' thus with his grating Pluto ; the
fourth
voice Pluto 2 began. And that noble Sage, who knew all Circle.
things, said to console me : ' Let not thy fear distress thee,
for, however great his power, he shall not prevent thy de
scending this rock.' Thereupon he turned him toward that
arrogant visage, saying : ' Silence, accursed wolf; gnaw thine
own heart in thy fury. "Tis not without cause that we
descend to the abyss : it is so decreed on high, where
Michael, as thou knowest, exacted vengeance for the proud
deed of whoredom 3. As sails that are inflated by the wind
fall in a heap so soon as it breaks the mast, so fell to earth
that savage monster. Thus did we descend into the fourth
depression, advancing along the doleful bank, which contains
the wickedness of the whole universe.
Ah! justice of God, what power can bring together all The
avaricious
the strange inflictions and penalties which I beheld ? And and the
wherefore doth our guilt thus consume us ? As on the prodigal.
surface of Charybdis wave meeting wave breaks against it, so
is it ordained for the folk who here dance in a ring. In this
place I saw on either hand people more numerous than else
where, by the force of their chests rolling forward weights to

These words are meaningless, but they seem to have conveyed some
kind of threat.
2 By Pluto here Plutus, the god of wealth, is intended, and in this
character he is the guardian of the Circle where avarice is punished.
3 The revolt of the rebellious angels.
28 Hell VII, 28-60

the sound of loud cries '. With a shock they met, and then
on the very spot each of them faced round to return, exclaim
6 6
ing : Why dost hold ? ' and : Why dost squander ? '
Thus along the dismal Circle 2 they withdrew on either hand
to the opposite point, shouting at one another, as before, their
opprobrious refrain ; anon each turned him, when, following
his half-circle, he had reached the other tilting-place. Then
said I, wellnigh heartbroken at the sight : ' My Master, ex
plain to me now what folk these are, and whether they all
were priests, these tonsured persons on our left hand.' And
he to me : 6 In their former life they were all so perverse in
mind, that they observed no moderation in their use of money
there. Clearly enough do their voices proclaim this, when
they reach the two points of the Circle , where the contrast of
their sins causes them to separate. These who have no
covering of hair on their heads were priests, and popes and
cardinals, in whom avarice culminates.' And I : ' Master, in
this class I should surely be able to recognize some who were
polluted by the forms of guilt thou speakest of.' And he to
me : ' Vain is the thought thou conceivest. The purblind
life which defiled them renders them now obscure to all
recognition. Evermore will they come to the two jousts ;
they will rise again from the tomb, the one with closed fists,
the other with close-cut hair ³ . Wrong giving and wrong
keeping have deprived them of the beauteous world and set
them to this tussle : to describe it I seek for no complimentary
I The weights here symbolize amassed riches, and the fruitlessness of
the sinners' toil the vain pursuit of wealth. The opposing bands are
formed of the avaricious and the prodigal respectively.
2 This is the complete Circle of Hell, each of the two companies pass
ing through half the Circle, and meeting the other at opposite points.
3 An Italian proverbial expression describes a prodigal as one who has
squandered everything, even to the hair of his head.
 Hell VII, 61-93 29

words. Now mayst thou estimate, my son, the transient

farce of the gifts that are placed in Fortune's hands, for the
sake of which mankind hustle one another ; for all the gold
that is beneath the moon, and all that hath been, could not
minister repose to one of these weary souls.'
' Master, ' said I to him, ' prithee tell me further ; this The nature
of Fortune.
Fortune, to whom thou dost refer, what is she, that she hath
worldly blessings thus in her keeping ? ' And he to me:
'Ye senseless beings, how great is the ignorance which
afflicts you ! Now see thou lay to heart my judgement on
this subject . He whose wisdom surpasses all things, created
the Heavens, and assigned to them guiding spirits, so that
each Order of those spirits illuminates each part of the
Heavens, dispensing its light in due proportions : in like
manner for the splendours of the world He ordained a general
directress and guide, who at the fitting time should transfer
these misnamed blessings from people to people and from race
to race, in such wise that no human wisdom can prevent it.
Hence it is that one people rules and another languishes, in
accordance with her judgement, which is hidden, even as the
snake in the grass . Your wisdom is powerless to oppose her :
she provides, and judges, and carries on her domain, as the
other divinities do theirs. Her changes have no cessation ;
necessity causes her to move swiftly ; hence the succession of
those who win their turn is rapid. She is the Power which
is so greatly vilified by the very persons who ought to praise
her, while they blame her amiss and vituperate her. But she

I Dante here describes Fortune as an Intelligence appointed by God,

which orders the course of events in the world, in the same way as the
other Intelligences-i.e. the Angelic Orders-determine the motions and
influences of the planetary spheres. For these Intelligences cp. Par.
xxviii. 25 foll.
 30 Hell VII , 94-130

is blessed and hears not this : in company with the other

primal creations she joyfully turns her sphere, and rejoices in
her blessedness. Now let us descend to direr suffering ;
already every star is setting which was rising when I set forth,
and we may no longer delay.'
The Stygian We crossed the Circle to the opposite bank above a
mars h ; the
fifth Circle, foun tain , which gushes forth and pours down through a dike
of the which draws its stream thence. The water was darker far
wrathful.
than purple ; and we, following alongside the gloomy waves,
passed on and downward by a weird track. This dismal
rivulet forms a marsh named the Stygian marsh, when it
reaches the foot of the ill-omened grey declivities. And as
I stood intently gazing, I saw in that slough folk mud
begrimed, naked all of them and with suffering looks. These
were smiting one another not with their hands alone, but with
their heads, their chests and feet, rending their foes piece
meal with their teeth. The kindly Master said : ' My son,
thou seest now the spirits of those who were mastered by
anger and withal I would have thee believe for sure, that
beneath the water there are folk who breathe 2 ; and they
cause the surface thereof to bubble, as thine eye tells thee,
whithersoever it turns. Planted in the mud they say :
66
Gloomy were we in the sweet air, which is gladdened by
the sun, with a load of cloudy apathy in our hearts ; now we
despond in the midst of the black slime. " This hymn they
gurgle in their throat, for with articulate words they cannot
say it.' Thus did we follow a great arc of the filthy pool,
between the dry bank and the swamp, with our eyes turned
towards those who swallow the mire, and we reached the foot
of a tower at last.
The fountain of the Styx.
2 These are the spirits of the sullenly despondent.
 Hell VIII , 1-31 31

CANTO VIII. THE FIFTH CIRCLE.

Pursuing my theme I say, that long ere we reached the Phlegyas

and his
foot of the lofty tower¹ our eyes were directed upward to its boat.
summit, by reason of two cressets which we saw placed there,
while another signalled a reply from so far away that the eye
could scarce catch it. And turning me to the sea of all
wisdom I said : ' What means this sign ? And what answer
is given by that other fire ? And who are they that make it ? '
And he to me : ' Over the foul water thou canst already
discern the expected object, if the exhalation from the marsh
doth not hide it from thee.' Never did arrow impelled by
the bowstring speed so swiftly through the air, as a tiny
vessel which I saw coming towards us at that moment
through the water under the guidance of a single helmsman,
who cried : ' Ha ! art thou come, thou guilty soul ? ' ' Phle
gyas 2 , Phlegyas,' said my Lord, ' this time thou criest in vain ;
thou shalt not detain us longer than while crossing the muddy
pool.' Like one who hears of a great fraud that hath been
practised on him, whereby anon his indignation is aroused,
such in his concentrated fury did Phlegyas become. My
Guide stepped down into the boat, and then made me enter
after him, nor did it seem freighted until I was on board.
So soon as my Guide and I were in the vessel, the ancient
prow started on its course, ploughing the water more deeply
than is its wont with others 3.
While we were traversing the deathly channel, there ap- Filippo
Argenti.
The tower is the signalling station for the city of Dis, which lies on
the further side of the Stygian marsh.
2
Phlegyas is the guardian and ferryman of the Stygian marsh.
3 Because of the weight of Dante's body.
 32 Hell VIII , 32-68

peared in front of me one grimed with mud ' , who said :

' Who art thou, that comest before thy time ? ' And I to
him : ' If I come, I do not stay ; but who art thou, that
art so befouled ? ' He answered : "Thou seest that I am
one who weeps .' And I to him : ' In weeping and in
wailing, accursed spirit, do thou abide, for I recognize thee,
albeit thou art wholly foul. ' Then did he reach forth both
his hands toward the vessel ; whereupon my Master, being
ware of it, dashed him off, saying : ' Away with thee, there
with the other hounds.' Then round my neck he threw his
arms, and kissed me on the face , and said : ' Indignant soul,
blessed is she who conceived thee. This one in life was a
haughty being ; there is no kindliness to adorn his memory ;
here in like manner his shade is passionate. How many in
the world above are now deemed mighty monarchs, who here
will stand like swine in the mire, leaving behind them the
6
loathing of their dread crimes ! ' And I : Master, it would
please me well to see him soused in this wash or ever we
quit the pond.' And he to me : ' Ere the bank comes in
sight thou shalt be satisfied ; rightfully shalt thou have the
fruition of such a desire.' Not long thereafter I saw such
havoc made of him by the mud- stained folk, that even now
I praise and thank God for it. With one voice they shouted :
' Make for Filippo Argenti ! ' and that passionate Florentine
spirit turned upon himself with his teeth.
The city of There we left him, so that I say no more of him ; but a
Dis ; the
rebel angels. sound of lamentation smote upon mine ears, whereupon with
eyes wide open I gaze in front of me. The kindly Master
said : ' Now, my son, the city named Dis 2 is close at hand,
I Filippo Argenti, who is here introduced , was a member
of the Adimari
family in Florence, who were among Dante's strongest opponents.
2 The city ofDis comprises the whole of the remainder of Hell , in which
the worst malefactors are punished.
 Hell VIII , 69-108 33

with its dire citizens, its vast multitude.' And I : ' Already,
Master, I clearly see its mosques within there in the vale,
ruddy of hue, as if they had emerged from the fire. ' And
he said to me : " The everlasting fire which kindles them
within imparts to them that red colour, as thou perceivest
in this nether Hell.' We nevertheless passed within the
deep moats which intrench that disconsolate city ; the walls
appeared to me as it were of iron. Not without first making
a wide circuit we reached a point, where the helmsman cried
aloud to us : ' Go forth ; here is the entrance . ' On the
threshold of the gates I beheld a thousand and more of those
rained down from Heaven, who were saying in angry tones :
' Who is this that, while still alive, passes through the realm
of the dead ? ' And my sage Master made sign to them that
he would fain speak with them in secret. Then did they
somewhat curb their great wrath, and they said : ' Come thou
alone, and let that other go his way, who hath so rashly set
foot in this realm . Let him return by himself along the
foolhardy route ; let him make trial whether he knows it,
for thou shalt remain here, who hast made plain to him so
dark a region.' Bethink thee, Reader, whether I did not
lose heart at the sound of those accursed words, for I
believed I should nevermore return hither. ' 0 my beloved
Leader, who seven times and more hast restored my con
fidence, and delivered me from extremity of danger which
was facing me, leave me not, ' I said, ' in this sad plight :
and if further progress is denied us, let us with all speed
retrace our steps together.' And that lordly spirit who had
conducted me thither said : Fear not, for our right of pass
ing no one can deprive us of ; so great is the Power that hath
granted it to us. But do thou await me here ; and support
and cherish with good hope thy weary spirit, for I will not
leave thee in the lower world.'
TOZER D
 34 Hell VIII, 109- IX, 6

They So the sweet Father departs and leaves me there, while

oppose I remain in doubt, so that yea and nay contend within my
Virgil.
brain. The words which he addressed to them I could not
hear, but he abode not long with them there, ere they raced
back one and all within. They closed the gates, those foes
of ours, in my Lord's face, and he remained without, and
turned him round toward me with lingering steps. His eyes
were on the ground, his brows shorn of all confidence, and he
sighed as if he would say : ' Who hath denied me the abodes
of woe ? ' And to me he said : ' Be not thou dismayed for
all mine anger, for I shall come off victorious, whatever force
may muster within to repel me. This temerity on their part
is no new thing, for once before they practised it at a more
frequented gate, which still remains unfastened. It is over
that gate that thou sawest the deathly inscription : and even
now on the hither side of it one so mighty is descending the
steep, and traversing the Circles unaccompanied, that by his
aid the city shall be opened to us.'

CANTO IX . THE FIFTH AND

SIXTH CIRCLES

Virgil That hue wherewith cowardice tinged my cheeks when

hesitates.
I saw my guide turn round to return, suppressed the sooner
within him his own unwonted pallor. He stopped in attention
like one who listens, for owing to the dark air and the dense
mist, the eye could not lead him far. ' Still we are bound to

¹ The repulse of Virgil here, followed by the arrival of an angel from

heaven who secures Dante's admittance to the city of Dis, is apparently
intended to teach, allegorically, that at the greatest crises of our moral life
our ordinary means of support fail us, and a special intervention of spiritual
aid on our behalf is necessary.
 Hell IX, 7-36 35
6
win the day,' he began, unless . . . . So great a power was
that which offered to aid us. Ah! what weary waiting it
seems to me for another to arrive ! ' I noted well how he
cloaked the commencement of his speech with what followed,
for these were words irreconcilable with the former : notwith
standing, his utterance caused me fear, seeing that I interpreted
the unfinished speech more unfavourably perchance than he
intended. ' Doth any spirit ever descend into this abyss of
the gloomy cavity from the first Circle, the punishment in
which is naught but ineffectual hope ? ' This question
6
I asked, and he replied to me : Rarely doth it happen that
any of us journeys by the way that I am going. True it is
that once before I was here below, forced by the enchantments
of that cruel Erichthon 2 , who was wont to recall the shades
to their bodies. My flesh had not long been reft of me,
when she caused me to pass within that wall, that I might
bring forth thence a spirit from Judas' Circle ³. That is the
lowest and the darkest place, and the most remote from the
Heaven which sets the whole universe circling : well do
I know the way ; therefore have confidence. This marsh
which exhales the great stench girds around the city of pain,
which we cannot now enter without awakening wrath. '
And more he said, but this I remember not ; for, following The three
Furies.
mine eye, my thoughts were wholly concentrated on the lofty
tower with the burning summit, where in a moment there

¹ Dante's object in asking this question is to discover whether Virgil

himself had ever visited the lower regions of Hell.
2 Erichthon is the witch who, according to Lucan (Phars. vi. 419 foll . ,
507 foll. ) , was consulted by Sextus Pompeius before Pharsalia as to the
result of that battle, and who summoned up for that purpose the shade of
a Pompeian soldier.
3 The ninth Circle, which is the Pit of Hell.
4 The ninth Heaven, or Primum Mobile.
D 2
36 Hell IX, 37-63

suddenly upreared themselves three hellish Furies blood

bestained, who had the limbs and the mien of women, and
with bright green hydras were begirt ; in place of hair they
had small horned snakes, wherewith their fierce temples were
bound . And he , who clearly recognized the handmaids of
the queen of everlasting woe ¹ , said to me : 'Behold the
fierce Erinnyes . This one on the left side is Megaera ; that
one who utters lamentations on the right is Alecto ; in the
middle is Tisiphone : and thereupon he held his peace.
Each one with her nails was rending her breast ; they smote
themselves with their hands and shrieked so loud, that in fear
I drew close to the Poet. ' Let Medusa come, so will we
turn him into stone,' said they all with downward glances ;
"'twas an evil hour when we took no veng ince on Theseus
6
for his assault . Turn thee round, and keep thy face
concealed ; for if the Gorgon's head is displayed, and thou
wert to see it, there would be no hope of thy ever returning
to the world above . ' Thus spake my Master, and himself
turned me, and, not content with the protection of my hands,
screened me also with his own. O ye, whose intellect is
sound, mark well the lesson that is hidden beneath the veil
of these weird lines 3.

I Proserpine.
2 Theseus went down to Hades with the object of abducting Proserpine,
but was seized and detained there as a prisoner. According to the version
of the story which Dante has adopted , he was afterwards liberated by
Hercules. The Furies here mean to say that , if they had punished
Theseus as he deserved, others would not have followed his example and
descended into Hell.
3 The allegory in what precedes turns on the obstacles that here oppose
Dante's progress, by which are signified the hindrances which impede the
advance of the soul towards repentance and conversion. The Furies
represent the recollection of past sins, and the Gorgon's head, which turns
men to stone, is the despair produced by that recollection, which per
 Hell IX, 64-98 37

And now there was drawing nigh over the turbid waves A heavenly
a commotion, terrific in sound, which caused both the banks messenger
repels the
to quake, like that of a violent wind aroused by heat in the devils.
opposite quarter of the heavens ' , which smites the forest,
and with resistless force rends , beats to earth, and bears away
the branches : wrapt in dust it proudly marches onward, and
drives in flight the wild beasts and the shepherds. He freed
mine eyes, and said : ' Now direct thy visual nerve over 9
yonder ancient foam, there where that smoke is most offensive.'
As the frogs before their enemy the snake all hurry away
over the water, until each crouches on the ground, so saw
I more than a thousand lost souls flying before one, who at
the crossing was passing the Styx dryshod . From his face
he was warding off that dense atmosphere by waving his left
hand often in front of him, and only with that fatigue he
appeared weary. Clearly did I perceive that he was a mes
senger from Heaven, and I turned me to my Master, who
signed to me to remain still and make obeisance to him.
Ah ! how disdainful did he appear to me ! He approached
the gate, and opened it with a wand, for it had no power of
resistance. " O ye that were expelled from Heaven, despised
folk ' —thus he began, standing on the dread threshold
whence comes it that this arrogance finds entrance into your
hearts ? Wherefore are ye recalcitrant against that will,
whose purpose can never be brought to naught, and which
more than once hath increased your suffering ? What boots
it to oppose His decrees ? Your Cerberus, if rightly ye

manently hardens the heart. Virgil's causing Dante to turn round and
hide his face means that human reason can resist for awhile the tempta
tion to despair by refusing to contemplate it (see the notes to Butler's
Translation, pp. 102, 104).
I This describes the wind rushing in to fill up a vacuum caused by heat.
 38 Hell IX, 99-131

remember, still hath his chin and throat denuded of hair

thereby . Then he returned along the foul road, and spake
not a word to us, but wore the look of one whose thoughts
are painfully engrossed by another interest than his who stands
before him. And we advanced toward the city with confi
dence after hearing those holy words.
There we entered unopposed ; and I , eager as I was to
The Poets behold the state of those inclosed in a fortress of such aspect,
enter ; the
sixth Circle, so soon as I was within let mine eye range around ; and on
of the either hand I see a wide tract, full of suffering and torment
heretics.
dire. As at Arles, where the Rhone stagnates 2,9 and as at
Pola near the Quarnero, which is the boundary of Italy and
laves its confines ³ , the sepulchres make all the ground uneven ;
so did they there on every side, save that they were fashioned
in more painful wise ; for between the tombs flames were
scattered, whereby they were kindled to such excess of heat,
that no handicraft requires iron to be hotter. All their
coverings were thrown open, and from them proceeded lamen
tations so bitter, that in sooth they seemed to be uttered by
wretched suffering souls. And I : ' Master, what folk are
these, who, entombed within those coffers, reveal themselves
by their sorrowful sighs ? ' And he to me : ' Here are the
heresiarchs with their followers of every sect, and far more
than thou thinkest are the tombs filled. Like is buried here
with like, and the sepulchres burn, some with less, some with
I This refers to Hercules having chained Cerberus and dragged him to
the upper world ; his chin and throat were then lacerated by the chain.
2 At Arles the Rhone divides , and begins to form the marshy delta of
the Camargue. The cemetery there, which is here referred to, was called
Alyscamps (Elysii Campi).
3 The province of Istria, in which Pola lies, and which is bounded
on the east by the Gulf of Quarnero, formed part of Italy in Dante's
time.
 Hell IX, 132-X, 27 39

greater heat.' And after he had turned to the right hand,

we passed between the torments and the lofty battlements.

CANTO X. THE SIXTH CIRCLE

Now doth my Master wend his way by a secluded path The

between the wall of the city and the torments, and I follow Epicureans.
his footsteps. Thou power sublime, who dost lead me round
through the guilty Circles,' I began, ' speak to me at thy
pleasure, and satisfy my longings. The folk who lie within
the sepulchres, is it possible to see them ? Even now the
coverings are all thrown open, and no one is keeping guard .'
And he to me : ' They will all be closed, when they return
I
hither from the Valley of Judgement ¹ with their bodies which
they have left in the world above. On this side lies the
burial-place of Epicurus and all his followers, who hold that
the soul dies with the body. Wherefore the request which
thou makest of me shall soon find satisfaction here within,
and likewise the wish that thou dost not mention to me.'
And I : ' Kind Leader, if I forbear to reveal my heart to
thee, 'tis only in order that my words may be few ; nor is
this the only occasion on which thou hast so inclined me. '
' O Tuscan, who passest alive through the city of fire using Farinata
degli
speech so dignified, prithee pause at this spot. Thy language Uberti.
reveals thee as a native of that noble fatherland, to which
maybe I was too injurious 2. Such was the sound which

The Valley of Jehoshaphat at Jerusalem, which is spoken of by the

prophet Joel (iii. 2 , 12) as the place where God will hold judgement ; from
this it came to be regarded as the scene of the final judgement.
2 Farinata, who is here speaking, was in the middle of the thirteenth
century the head of the family of the Uberti, who were the leaders of
the Ghibelline party in Florence. The occasion on which he was too
 40 Hell X, 28-59

suddenly issued from one of the coffers, whereat in fear I drew

somewhat nearer to my Master's side. And he said to me :
" Turn thee ; what ails thee ? See there Farinata, who hath
upraised himself; from the waist upwards thou wilt behold.
him completely.' Mine eyes were already fixed on his face ;
and he uplifted his breast and his forehead, as if he treated
Hell with great contempt ; and my Leader with his vigorous
and ready hands impelled me between the sepulchres towards
him, saying : ' Let thy words be well considered.' So soon
as I reached the foot of his tomb, he regarded me awhile,
and then with a touch of disdain inquired of me : ' Who were
thine ancestors ?' For my part, anxious as I was to comply
with him, I kept not back the truth, but fully disclosed it
to him ; whereupon he raised his eyebrows slightly, and anon
he said : ' Fiercely were they opposed to me and to my
forefathers and to my party, so that on two occasions I put
them to flight.' ' If they were driven out, they returned from
every quarter, ' I replied to him, ' both the first and the second
time ; but your I family learnt not well that art.'
Cavalcante Then alongside of this shade there arose another ² , revealed
de' Caval
canti. to view as far as his chin ; methinks he had lifted himself
on to his knees. He looked all round me, as it were eager
to see whether another were accompanying me ; but when his
scrutiny had come to naught he said with tears : ' If through
sublimity of genius thou traversest this dark prison, where
injurious ' to that city was when, after his expulsion in 1258, he retired
to Siena, where he and his fellow exiles concerted the measures which led
to the great defeat of the Florentine Guelfs at Montaperti.
I Both here, and where Cavalcante is addressed below, and elsewhere
in the poem, the plural ' your ' and ' you ' are used for ' thine ' and ' thou'
as a mark of respect for dignity.
2 Cavalcante, the father of Dante's friend the poet Guido Cavalcanti,
who married Farinata's daughter.
 Hell X, 60-94 41

is my son, and why is he not with thee ? ' And I to him :

'I come not of mine own will : he who is in waiting there
conducts me through this region- the same whom haply your
Guido treated slightingly.' His words and the nature of his
punishment had already disclosed to me this spirit's name ;
thus it was that mine answer was so explicit. On a sudden
he raised himself up and cried : ' How saidst thou, " He
treated " ? Is he not still alive ? Doth not the sweet light
fall upon his eyes ?' When he perceived that I paused awhile
before replying, he fell backward and was no more seen.
But that other heroic spirit, at whose desire I had stopped, Farinata
announces
neither changed countenance, nor bowed his neck, nor winced. Dante's
' And if, ' said he, pursuing his previous speech, if they have impending
misfortunes.
learnt that art amiss, that torments me more than doth this
bed. But the face of the dame who is queen in this realm¹
shall not be rekindled fifty times, ere thou shalt know the
difficulty of that art. And-so mayst thou hereafter return
to the sweet world — say, wherefore is that people in all its
enactments so merciless toward my kindred ? ' Whereupon
I replied : " The rout and the dire massacre which dyed red the
Arbia ², causes such addresses to be made in our sanctuary.'
After shaking his head with a sigh he said : " On that occasion
I was not alone, and verily I should not without justification
have set forth with the others ; but there, where every one
consented to exterminate Florence, I alone was the man who
3
openly defended her ³.' ' So may your descendants hereafter

¹ Hecate, who is identified by Dante with Proserpine as the goddess

who rules in Hell ; here she represents the moon, according to the view
of ancient mythology.
2 The river which flows by the battlefield of Montaperti.
3 When the Ghibellines in council proposed the destruction of Florence,
Farinata opposed it single-handed.
42 Hell X, 95-129

find repose '— thus I besought him- ' pray untie for me the
knot, which here has entangled my judgement. It appears,
if I understand aright, that ye foresee what time is bringing in
its train, but in respect of present events it is otherwise with
you. ' 'We see,' said he, ' like one that hath imperfect sight
the things that are at a distance from us ; such a measure
of light doth the supreme Ruler still vouchsafe us. When
they draw nigh or happen, our intellect is wholly at fault, and
unless another brings us tidings we know nothing of your
mortal state. Hence mayst thou understand, that from the
moment when the gate of the future is closed to us our know
ledge will be totally extinguished .' Then said I , as being
conscience-stricken for my remissness : ' Now prithee tell
him who sank below that his son is still in the number of the
living. And if erewhile I failed to reply, inform him that
the reason was, that my thoughts were even then occupied
by the perplexing question which you have solved for me.'
And now my Master was recalling me, wherefore with more
eager haste I prayed the spirit to tell me who were in his
company. He said to me : ' I lie in this place with a thou
sand souls and more : within here is the second Frederic¹
and the Cardinal2 ; concerning the others I hold my peace.'
Thereupon he hid himself; and I turned my steps toward
the ancient Poet, musing on that speech which appeared un
friendly to me. He moved onward, and then even as he
went he said to me : ' Wherefore art thou so lost in thought?'
And I replied to his question in full . ' Store up in thy mind
what thou hast heard against thyself ' —such was that Sage's
bidding-' and now fix thy thoughts on what lies before thee ; '

¹ Frederic II was regarded by his contemporaries as a heretic.

2 Cardinal Ottaviano degli Ubaldini ; he is reported to have said that,
if he had a soul, he had lost it a thousand times in behalf of the Ghibellines.
 Hell X, 130- XI , 21 43

and he pointed with his finger. ' When thou art in the
presence of the sweet ray of that Lady I from whose beauteous
eye naught is hidden, thou shalt learn from her the journey
of thy life.' Thereupon he turned his steps leftward ; we
quitted the wall, and proceeded toward the middle by a path
that leads to a valley, which even to that height sent forth its
offensive stench.

CANTO XI. CLASSIFICATION OF SINS

On the edge of a lofty bank formed by huge rocks broken Pope

Anastasius.
all around we reached a point overlooking a throng of more
woeful sufferers ; and there, owing to the dire excess of the
stench emitted by the profound abyss, we shrank behind
the covering of a great tomb, where I saw an inscription
which said : ' I guard Pope Anastasius 2, whom Photinus
6
seduced from the right path. ' 'Tis well that our descent
should be slow, so that our senses may at first accustom
themselves somewhat to the bitter blast, and afterward may
not heed it. ' So spake the Master ; and to him I said :
'Devise some compensation, that the time may not be
wasted ; and he : Lo! that is in my thoughts.'
Anon he thus began : 'Within these rocks, my son, are The sins
three little Circles, descending in gradation, like those which punished
the
thou hast passed. All of them are filled with accursed lower Hell .
spirits ; but in order that henceforth the sight of them by
itself may suffice thee, give ear while I tell thee the system

I Beatrice .
2 Anastasius II, who was Pope in 496-8. In consequence of a visit
which was paid to him by Photinus, a deacon of Thessalonica, the story
afterwards arose, on the authority of Gratian, that he was persuaded to
heresy by Photinus.
44 Hell XI, 22-54

and the reason of their durance. Of all wrong dealing which

incurs the aversion of Heaven injury is the object, and every
such object distresses men either by violence or fraud. But
inasmuch as fraud is a sin peculiar to man, it is more dis
pleasing to God, and for this reason the fraudulent hold the
lower place, and are afflicted by greater pain . The first
Circle is occupied wholly by the violent : but seeing that
there are three classes of persons to whom violence can be
done, it is so arranged as to form three separate rings.
Violence can be done to God, to oneself, and to one's
neighbour--in their persons, I mean, and in their substance,
as by clear argument will be explained to thee. Violent
death and grievous wounds are inflicted on one's neighbour,
and on his possessions devastation, arson, and wrongful
exactions ; hence murderers and those who smite wrongfully,
pillagers also and robbers, are all tormented in divers com
panies in the first ring. A man may lay violent hands on
himself and on his goods ; and consequently in the second
ring unavailing remorse is the lot of every one who deprives
himself of your world, squanders and dissipates his posses
sions, and laments when he should be cheerful. Violence
can be offered to the Deity by denying Him in one's heart
and blaspheming Him, and by despising Nature and His
goodness ; wherefore the smallest ring stamps with its seal
I
both Sodom and Cahors 2, and those who speak in their
heart in contempt of God. Fraud, a sin which never fails to
touch the conscience, may be employed by a man against one
who trusts him, or against one who doth not repose confidence

¹ Sodom represents those who do violence to Nature ; Gen. xix. 5.

2 Cahors in the south of France was one of the most noted seats
of usury in the middle ages, and usury was regarded by Dante as violence
applied to the gifts of nature, or wealth.
 Hell XI , 55-88 45

in him . The latter form, thou seest, destroys only the

natural bond of love ; whence the second Circle is the abode
of hypocrisy, flattery and witchcraft, of falsification, theft and
simony, of panders, jobbers and such-like filth. By the other
form both the natural love is ignored, and that subsequently
accruing to it, wherefrom the special bond of faith proceeds ;
and consequently in the smallest Circle 2 , where is the centre
of the universe, the throne of Dis, all traitors are eternally
consumed .'
6
And I Master, the course of thy reasoning is quite The sins
= clear, and full well doth it describe this gulf and the folk punished
in the
who occupy it. But tell me the spirits in the foul marsh, upper Hell.
those borne by the wind, and those lashed by the rain, and
the others who when they meet use such rough words, why
are not they punished within the fiery-red city, if God regards
them with anger ? And if he doth not, wherefore are they
in such a case ? ' And he to me : ' Why doth thy mind
wander so far from its wonted good sense ? or on what
object in another direction are thy thoughts fixed ? Dost
3
thou not remember the terms in which thy Ethics ³ treats of
the three states of mind which Heaven condemns- inconti
nence, fraud and unreasoning bestiality ? and how incontinence
offends God less and receives less blame ? If thou payest
good heed to this judgement, and recallest to thy mind who
these spirits are that endure chastisement above in the outer
Hell, thou wilt readily see wherefore they are dissociated

In other words, fraud is of two kinds, according as it violates or

does not violate some special bond of confidence, such as the ties of
friendship or country.
2 The ninth Circle, which is the Pit of Hell.
3 Aristotle's Ethics, vii. I , I , Dante's familiarity with which treatise is
6
expressed by thy.'
 46 Hell XI , 89-115

from these fell souls, and wherefore God's vengeance smites

them with less severity.'
The sin of ' Thou Sun, who curest every defect of sight, thy explana
usury.
tions satisfy me so, that doubting gives me no less pleasure
than knowing. Once more return awhile in thought,' said
I, ' to the place where thou sayst that usury offends the
divine goodness, and untie the knot. ' ' Philosophy, ' he said
to me, ' if one gives attentive heed to her, points out, and
that in more than one branch of the subject, that Nature
derives her method from the mind of God and His mode of
I
working ; and, if thou studiest thy Physics aright, thou wilt
find not far from the beginning that your art, so far as its
power admits, follows Nature, as the scholar doth his master ;
so that your art is, so to speak, the grandchild of God.
From these two, if thou recall to mind the commencement of
Genesis , it is fitting that mankind should gain their liveli
hood and should prosper. And since the usurer pursues
a different course, he depreciates Nature both in herself and
in her imitator, inasmuch as he reposes his hope on somewhat
else. But follow me now, since I am desirous to proceed,
for the Fishes are quivering above the horizon ³, and the
Wain lies right over the north-west, and in that direction some
distance onward is the descent of the ridge of rock.'

1 Ar. Phys. ii. 2, 7.

2 The passages in Genesis here referred to are (1 ) Gen. ii . 15 , which
mentions the Divine appointment in the Garden of Eden that men should
get their livelihood from nature, i . e. natural fruits ; and ( 2) Gen. iii. 19,
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,' which implies that they
should get their livelihood by artificial means.
3 The Fishes are the sign of the Zodiac which precedes Aries, in which
the sun now was ; consequently the time intended is some time before
sunrise (perhaps 3 a.m.) on Easter Eve.
 Hell XII, 1-26 47

CANTO XII . THE SEVENTH CIRCLE ;

FIRST RING

The place which we reached in order to descend the bank The seventh
Circle, first
was wild, and, by reason of the other object that was there, ring ; the
was such as every eye would shun.- As is that rock -fall ¹ , Minotaur.
which on the hither side of Trent struck the Adige in flank,
either through earthquake or through failure of support ; for
from the summit of the mountain, whence it started, to the
level ground so shattered is the rock, that it would afford
a practicable track to one who was above : such was the
descent of that chasm . And on the edge of the broken
hollow lay outstretched the infamy of Crete 2 , which was
conceived in the fictitious cow ; and at the sight of us he
bit himself, like one overpowered within by passion. My
6
Sage cried out to him : Thinkest thou perchance that the
Duke of Athens³ is here, who in the world above caused thy
death ? Away with thee, monster, for this man comes not
tutored by thy sister 4 , but is journeying that he may see your
punishments .' Even as the bull, which breaks its tether at
the moment when it hath received its mortal wound, being
powerless to walk plunges from side to side, so frenzied did
the Minotaur appear to me. And Virgil perceiving this
cried Speed thee to the passage ; while he is in fury 'tis

' The Slavini di Marco near Roveredo, about fifteen miles below Trent.
2 The Minotaur ; he is called ' the infamy of Crete ' because of his
origin from a bull and Pasiphaë, who with a view to that criminal con
nexion entered the figure of a wooden cow. Symbolically, he represents
force and fury.
3 Theseus, who killed the Minotaur.
4 Ariadne, who was daughter of Pasiphaë by Minos ; she instructed
Theseus in killing the Minotaur.
 ll - 57
48 He XII , 27

well for thee to descend.' Thus did we make our way

downward over that fallen mass of stones, which often
moved beneath my feet through the unwonted weight.
The I was pondering as I went ; and he said : ' Haply thou
rock-fall.
art thinking of this ruin, which is guarded by that monster
whose fury I but now extinguished. I would have thee
know, then, that what time I descended here before into the
lower Hell , this rock had not yet fallen. But verily, if I
estimate aright, shortly before the coming of Him, who from
the highest Circle bore off from Dis the mighty spoil, on
every side the depths of the foul valley quaked so² , that
methought the universe was affected by love, through which,
as some believe, the world hath once and again been reduced
to chaos 3 and at that moment this ancient rock here and
elsewhere was thus overthrown. But turn thine eyes down
4
ward, for the river of blood is nigh, in the boiling stream
whereof are those who sin through violence against their
neighbour.'
The Alas for that blind covetousness, at once guilty and vain,
Centaurs.
which stimulates us so in our brief life, and anon in the
eternal life thus painfully macerates us ! I beheld a wide
moat bent into an arc, corresponding to that which according
to my Guide's account encloses the whole level ; and between
it and the foot of the bank Centaurs 5 armed with arrows were
running on the trail, as in the world they were wont to go
I On the occasion mentioned in Inf. ix. 22.
2 The reference is to the earthquake at the time of the Crucifixion,
which took place shortly before the Descent into Hell.
3 This is the doctrine of Empedocles, that periodically the universe
was organized and disorganized by hate and love.
Phlegethon.
5 The Centaurs, like the Minotaur, being half beast, represent brute
violence.
 Hell XII , 58-91 49

a-hunting. Seeing us descend, they halted one and all, and

from the band three of them came forth, with bows and
shafts which they had previously selected ; and one shouted
6
from afar : To what torment do ye come, ye that descend
the hillside ? Tell me from thence, or I draw my bow.'
My Master said : ' Our answer shall be made to Chiron
when we reach you there ; that hasty spirit of thine was ever
thy bane.' Then, touching my side, he said : That is
Nessus, who died for the fair Deianeira, and himself exacted
vengeance for himself¹ ; and the middle one, whose eyes
are fixed on his breast, is the mighty Chiron, who reared
Achilles ; the third is Pholus, who was so furious. They
circulate round the fosse by thousands, piercing with their
arrows whatever spirit emerges from the blood beyond the
limit appointed for its sin.'
We approached those agile beasts ; and Chiron, taking an Chiron.
arrow, with the notch end drew back his beard behind his
cheeks. When he had uncovered his great mouth, he said
to his companions : ' Are ye ware that the hinder one moves
what he touches ? It is not thus with the feet of the dead ? '
And my kind Leader, who was now over against his breast,
where the two natures join, replied : Full sure he is alive,
and 'tis mine office thus without escort to show him the
dark valley necessity it is, not pleasure, that brings him
hither. So mighty a spirit, ceasing from the Halleluia song,
entrusted to me this unwonted function : he is no robber, and
no fraudulent soul am I. But I pray thee by that Power, in
¹ Nessus attempted to carry off Deianeira, the wife of Hercules, and
was shot by him with a poisoned arrow. Before dying, he gave her
a garment imbrued with his own blood, telling her that it was a charm
by which to retain her husband's love. When Deianeira subsequently
used it for that purpose, the poison from the arrow which had mixed
with the blood caused Hercules' death .
TOZER E
 50 Hell XII , 92-121

the strength of which I pursue my way along so wild a road,

grant us one of thy band to accompany us, that he may point
out to us the ford, and carry this man on his back, for he
is no spirit that can traverse the air.' Chiron turned him
toward his right side, and said to Nessus : ' Return, and
guide them as he asks, and if thou meetest another band bid
them withdraw.'
Phlegethon; Now did we proceed with our trusty escort along the bank
the violent of the boiling crimson flood, where those within it raised
against their
neighbour. piercing cries. Some folk I saw immersed even to their
brows ; and the mighty Centaur said : Those are tyrants,
whose hands were imbrued in bloodshed and plunder. There
they shed tears for their merciless outrages ; there is Alex
ander, and Dionysius the cruel, who afflicted Sicily with
years of suffering ; and that forehead with hair so black is
Azzolino ¹ , and the other, the fair one, is Opizzo da Este²,
who, as the story truly tells, was murdered by his stepson in
the world above.' Thereupon I turned me to the Poet ;
and he said : " Regard him now as thy prime authority, and
me as secondary.' A short space beyond the Centaur halted
over against folk who were seen to emerge as far as the
throat from that boiling stream. He pointed out to us a
shade on one side apart, and said : " This is he who in
God's very bosom pierced the heart which on the Thames
is still in honour 3. Anon I beheld people, whose heads

¹ Ezzelino da Romano ( 1194–1259) , lord of the March of Treviso,

a bloodthirsty tyrant.
2 Obizzo, marquis of Ferrara ( 1264-93) , who was said to have been
murdered by his son and successor Azzo. The term 6 stepson ' as
applied to Azzo is perhaps intended to suggest the unfaithfulness of his
mother,
3 Guy de Montfort, son of Simon de Montfort, in 1270 slew Henry,
son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in the church of San Silvestro in
 Hell XII, 122- XIII , 10 SI

together with the whole of their chests stood out from the
stream ; and of them I recognized not a few. Thus by
degrees that blood reached so low a level that it did but scald
the feet ; and there it was that we crossed the dike. ' Even
as on this side thou seest the boiling flood grow ever
shallower,' said the Centaur, ' I would have thee understand
that in the opposite direction its bed sinks more and more,
until it reaches the part where tyranny is doomed to pain.
On that side doth the divine justice torment Attila, who
was a scourge on earth, and Pyrrhus I and Sextus ; and it
causes the tears to flow for evermore, which by its boiling
heat it extorts from Rinier da Corneto and Rinier Pazzo ²,
who molested so the highways.' Then he turned back, and
once more passed the ford.

CANTO XIII . THE SEVENTH CIRCLE ;

SECOND RING
Not yet had Nessus arrived at the further bank, when we The second
entered a wood unmarked by any track . Its leaves were not ring.
green, but dusky in hue ; its branches were not smooth, but
gnarled and twisted ; no fruit was there, but poisonous thorns.
Not so rough and tangled are the thickets inhabited by those
wild beasts, which between Cecina and Corneto shun the
cultivated lands ³. There the hideous Harpies make their

Viterbo during the celebration of mass. The story that Henry's heart
was preserved in a pillar on a bridge over the Thames, which is here
referred to, is almost certainly fabulous.
I Pyrrhus is placed here because he ravaged Italy, and Sextus Pompeius
on account of his piratical campaigns.
2 These two were orious highwaymen. ·
3 The river Cecina and the town of Corneto mark the northern and
southern extremities of the Tuscan Maremma.
E 2
 52 Hell XIII , 11-42

nests, who by their gloomy prediction of coming disaster

drove awaythe Trojans from the Strophades ¹ . Wide wings
they have, and the necks and faces of men, talons on their
feet, and feathers on their huge bellies ; they utter lamenta
tions upon the weird trees . And the kind Master spake to
me, and thus began : 6 Before thou enterest further, know
that thou art in the second ring 2, and wilt be there till thou
reachest the dread sand. Wherefore give good heed, and so
wilt thou see things which would discredit tale of mine.'
The wood I was ware that on every side lamentations were being
of the
suicides. uttered, yet saw I no one from whom they could proceed ;
wherefore I halted all distraught. Methinks he fancied that
I supposed all these sounds to come forth between those
stems from folk who on our account concealed themselves.
Wherefore the Master said : ' Do but tear off a twig from
one of these trees, and the thoughts of thy mind will prove
altogether at fault.' Then I reached forth my hand a little,
and from a large thorn-bush plucked a spray ; whereupon its
trunk exclaimed : 'Wherefore rendest thou me ? ' Anon,
when it had become discoloured with blood, it cried out
afresh : ' Wherefore tearest thou me ? Hast thou no particle
of compassionate feeling ? Men we were, and now are we
changed to bushes : had we been the spirits of serpents,
surely thy hand should be more tender.' As happens when
a green stick, which is ignited at one end, at the other
drips, and hisses by reason of wind which escapes, so from
The story is told in Virg. Aen. iii. 209 foll.
2 This ring contains the souls of the violent against themselves and
their possessions-i. e. the suicides and the spendthrifts. The scene and
the surroundings here are emblematical of the hopelessness and despair
which characterize suicide, and the partial loss of individuality involved
in the vegetable growth with which the spirits are identified corresponds
to the nature of their sin.
 Hell XIII, 43-75 53

the rent fragment there issued forth together words and blood ;
whereat I let fall its tip, and remained like one afeard.
'Had it been possible for him, injured spirit, ' my Sage
replied, to realize beforehand what he hath imagined only by
means of my verses ' , he would not have put forth his hand
against thee ; but it was the incredibility of the thing that
caused me to incite him to a deed which weighs on my con
science. But tell him who thou wast, so that by way of
a slight compensation he may refresh the memory of thee in
the upper world, whither he is permitted to return.'
And the trunk : 'Thy sweet words allure me so , that Pier delle
Vigne.
I cannot hold my peace ; and let it not weary you, if I be
tempted to discourse awhile. I am the man who held both
the keys of Frederic's heart 2 , and in locking and unlocking
turned them so gently, that I removed wellnigh every one
from his confidence : with such fidelity I discharged the
glorious office, that I lost thereby my slumbers and pined my
blood. The harlot 3 who never turned away from Caesar's
household her shameless eyes, that worldwide bane, and
Speculiar vice of courts, inflamed against me all men's minds ;
and these inflamed spirits so inflamed Augustus , that my
glad honours were exchanged for sad grief. Prompted by
disdainful feeling, my mind, which thought by death to escape
men's disdain, caused me, just though I was, to be to myself
unjust. By the newly struck roots of this tree I swear to
you, that I never broke my faith with my lord, who was so
I The story of Polydorus in Virg. Aen. iii. 22 foll. , which Dante has
imitated here.
2 This is Pier delle Vigne, the secretary and confidant of Frederic II ,
who was ultimately disgraced on a charge of treachery and blinded, and
died in 1249. Villani doubts whether he committed suicide. The
'keys ' here spoken of are those of good-will and ill-will.
3 Envy. 4 The Emperor Frederic.
 54 Hell XIII , 76-114

worthy of honour. And if either of you returns to the

world, let him reinstate my memory, which is still abased
through the blow that envy dealt to it.' He paused awhile,
and then, ' While he is silent, ' said the Poet to me, ' miss
not thine opportunity ; but speak, and inquire of him what
more thou desirest.' And I replied : ' Do thou question
him again of what thou thinkest would give me satisfaction ;
myself I could not, my heart is so full of pity.' Thereupon
he began once more : ' So may the man fulfil for thee without
stint, imprisoned spirit, the wishes thou dost express -- I pray
thee proceed, and tell us how the soul is linked with these
gnarled trunks ; and further, if thou canst, whether any doth
ever free himself from limbs so strange.' Then did the
trunk pant heavily, and anon that breath took form in the
following words : Briefly will I reply to you. When in
passionate mood the spirit quits the body, from which by its
own act it hath rent itself, Minos dispatches it to the seventh
gulf. It falls into the wood, nor is a special place assigned
to it, but wheresoever chance doth hurl it, it germinates like
a grain of spelt ; so it shoots up and forms a woodland tree :
the Harpies, which thereafter feed on its leaves, create pain,
and an outlet for that pain ¹ . Like the other souls, we shall
come to claim our robes of flesh ; yet shall not any be clothed
again therewith, for what a man robs himself of he may not
rightfully possess. Hither shall we drag them, and through
out the doleful wood our bodies shall be suspended, each
from the thorn-bush of its injurious shade.'
The spend We were still attentive to the trunk, thinking that he had
thrifts.
yet more to say to us, when we were surprised by a din, like
one who is ware of the boar and the hunters approaching his
station, when he hears the hounds crashing through the
I The rent made by the Harpies became an outlet for the cries of pain.
 Hell XIII, 115-144 55

brakes. And lo ! on the left hand two spirits ¹ , naked and

torn, were seen in such wild flight, that they broke through
all the tangled branches of the wood. The one in front
cried : ' Now haste thee, haste thee to mine aid, O death.'
And the other, who thought his own pace too slow, said :
'Lano, at the jousts of Toppo thy legs were not so alert as
this 2.' And haply because his breath failed him, he flung
himself into a bush to form one heap therewith . The wood
in their rear was filled with black dogs, eager and at full
speed, like greyhounds that have slipped the leash. In him
who threw himself down they fixed their teeth, and tore him
piecemeal ; anon they bore away those piteous limbs. Then
did my Guide take me by the hand and lead me to the bush,
which by reason of its bleeding gashes was uttering vain
laments. 'O Jacomo da sant' Andrea 3,' it said, ' what hath
it profited thee to use me as thy shelter ? Wherein am
I responsible for thy guilty life ? ' My Master, when he
stayed his steps hard by him, said : " Who wast thou, who
through so many wounds dost emit mournful speech and
blood withal ? ' And he to us : ' Ye spirits that have arrived
to see the shameful deed of violence that hath thus stripped
my leaves from off me, gather them together at the foot of
my sad bush. I was a citizen of that city, which exchanged
for the Baptist its first patron deity ; and he for this cause

These are souls of spendthrifts.

2 Lano da Siena, a youthful spendthrift, was said, when his fortunes
were desperate, to have exposed himself to certain death instead of
running away at the battle of Pieve del Toppo.
3 He was a spendthrift of Padua.
4 Mars, to whom, according to the story then current, a temple was
erected in Florence in the time of Augustus ; but this was converted into
a church of St. John the Baptist , i. e. the old Cathedral of Florence,
which is now the Baptistery.
 56 Hell XIII , 145- XIV, 15

will ever distress her by his art : and were it not that on the 1
crossing of the Arno¹ there are still some visible remains of
him, those citizens, who thereafter rebuilt the city on the
ashes left by Attila 2 , would have caused the work to be done
in vain. Of mine own house I made for myself a gibbet 3.’

CANTO XIV. THE SEVENTH CIRCLE ;

THIRD RING

The third Constrained by affection for my birthplace I collected the

ring ; falling scattered leaves, and restored them to the spirit, who was by
flakes offire.
this time faint. Thereafter we arrived at the limit which
separates the second ring from the third 4, where a terrible
device of justice meets the view. In order to set forth
clearly things so strange, be it said that we reached a waste,
from the surface whereof every green growth is banished.
It is girdled all round by the doleful wood 5, as that is by the
painful fosse ; there on the extreme verge we checked our
footsteps. The ground was formed of a dense dry sand,
resembling that which in days of yore was trodden by Cato's

i.e. on the Ponte Vecchio, where the statue of Mars was afterwards
set up. Dante in the present passage introduces the superstitious feelings
concerning the site which existed in his time.
2 Dante has here confused Attila, who never came near Florence, with
Totila, king of the Ostrogoths, who besieged that city, and according to
the common tradition destroyed it, though in reality he did not do so.
3 i. e. 'I hung myself at home.'
4 The third ring contains the souls of the violent against God ; and
this form of sin is of three kinds, according as it is directed ( 1) against
God Himself, when it is blasphemy ; (2) against nature, when it is
Sodomy ; (3) against the gifts of nature, when it is usury.
5 The wood of the suicides. ❝ Phlegethon.
 Hell XIV, 16-46 57

feet . Vengeance of God, what fear of thee should be felt.

by every one who reads what was displayed before mine
eyes ! Many companies of naked spirits I beheld, who, one
and all, were uttering sad, sad laments ; and they seemed to
be subject to different ordinances. Some folk were lying face
upwards on the earth ; some were sitting all hunched up,
while others were walking unceasingly. Those that paced
around were the most numerous, and those the least so who
lay exposed to their torment, but the tongues of these were
more prompt to utter cries of pain. All over the sandy
waste broad fiery flakes were raining slowly down, like a
snowfall in the mountains in windless calm . As in India,
that hot clime, Alexander saw flames falling over his host
unquenched to earth 2-wherefore he bethought him to set
his troops to trample the ground, seeing that before it spread
the fire was more easily extinguished-in such wise descended
that everlasting burning : and through it the sand caught fire,
like tinder under the influence of the steel, to increase their
pain twofold. All unresting was the play of the suffering
hands, as, now on this side, now on that, they fended off
from them the ever renewed flames.
6
I thus began : Master, thou who dost overcome all things The violent
save the stubborn demons, who at the entrance of the gate against
God ;
came forth against us, who is that huge being 3 , who looks as Capaneus.

¹ The reference here is to Lucan's description of the barren soil in the

neighbourhood of the Syrtis, over which Cato led the remains of Pompey's
army to Juba ; Phars. ix . 431-7.
2 The story in the form here given was borrowed by Dante from
Albertus Magnus De Meteoris, i. 4, 8 ; the primary source of it was the
apocryphal letter of Alexander to Aristotle.
3 Capaneus, one of the Seven against Thebes, who when mounting
the walls of that city defied Jupiter, and was smitten with a thunderbolt
by him.
 58 Hell XIV, 47-80

if he heeded not the conflagration, and lies scowling so

contemptuously that the fire-shower seems not to tame him ?'
And the spirit himself, who perceived that I was questioning
6
my Leader concerning him, exclaimed : As I was in life,
such am I when dead . Should Jove tire out his smith, from
whose hands, when incensed, he took the pointed thunderbolt
whereby on my last day I was smitten ; or should he tire in
turn the other smiths at the black forge beneath Etna, crying :
"Help, good Vulcan, help, " as he did on the field of Phlegra ',
and shoot at me with all his force, he would not be able to
rejoice in his vengeance.' Then did my Leader speak out
with a force, the like of which I had not heard from him :
O Capaneus, in that thy pride is not extinguished thy
punishment is increased ; no torment save thy madness would
be suffering adequate to match thy fury.' Anon he turned
him to me with calmer aspect, saying : " This was one of the
seven kings who laid siege to Thebes ; and he held and,
methinks, still holds God in contempt and esteems him little ;
but, even as I told him, his disdain is for his breast an amply
meet garniture. Now follow me, and beware thou set not
thy feet hereafter on the burning sand, but keep them ever
close to the wood.'
Phlegethon ; In silence we reached the spot where there gushes forth
the origin of
the infernal from the forest a tiny stream, the ruddy hue whereof still sets
rivers. my hair on end. As from the Bulicame there issues a
rivulet, which thereafter the sinful women share between them,
It was on the Phlegraean plains that the Giants were defeated by
Jupiter, when they attempted to scale Olympus.
2 A hot mineral spring near Viterbo, the water from which is carried off
in several channels. In Dante's time the prostitutes who lived in its
neighbourhood were forbidden to use the baths to which the other
women resorted, and had the water from the stream conducted to their
houses.
 Hell XIV, 81-106 59

so through the sand did that brook descend. Its bed and
both its banks had been turned to stone, and its edges at the
sides ; from this I recognized that thereby lay our way.
'Among all the other things that I have pointed out to thee,
since we entered by the gate the threshold whereof is denied
to none, no object whereon thine eyes have rested hath been
so noteworthy as the present stream, which extinguishes all
flamelets above it.' These were the words my Leader
uttered ; wherefore I besought him to impart to me the food,
for which he had awakened the craving in me. Then said
J he : ' In mid sea there lies a ruined land called Crete,
beneath whose king¹ the world of yore was innocent. There
is a mountain there, which bore the name of Ida, gladdened
once by springs and foliage, now deserted like a thing
outworn 2. Rhea once chose it as a safe birthplace for her
son, and there, to conceal him better when he cried, she
caused the clashing arms to sound 3. Within the mountain
a great Old Man stands erect, who keeps his back turned
toward Damietta, and looks toward Rome as if it were his
mirror 5. Of fine gold his head is made, and his arms and
¹ Saturn, in the age of gold.
2 This was the result of the Venetian domination in that island.
3 As Saturn had eaten her former children by him, Rhea on the birth
of Jupiter concealed his infant cries from his father by the clashing of
metal.
4 This figure was suggested by the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream
in Dan . ii. 32. As applied by Dante, it typifies the history of the human
race in its successive stages, as it passed through the golden, the silver,
the iron age, &c.
5 The city of Damietta in Egypt was well known to Dante's con
temporaries, because it had been twice captured by the Crusaders. Here
it is taken to represent the East generally ; and the meaning of the
passage is, that the human race now disregards the great ancient
monarchies which existed in that quarter, and looks towards Rome as the
seat ofthe imperial authority.
бо Hell XIV , 107-135

breast are pure silver ; then as far as the forked part he is of

copper : from that point downward he is wholly of choice
iron, save that the right foot is of baked clay, and on that
rather than the other he stands upright ' . Every part except
the gold is rifted by a fissure which drips tears ; and these,
when combined, force a passage through that cavern 2. Their
course falls in cascades into this vale, where they form
Acheron, Styx, and Phlegethon ; then it passes downward
through this narrow channel as far as the point where there is
no further descent : there they form Cocytus ; and the nature
of that pond thou wilt see for thyself, wherefore here I give
no account thereof.' And I to him: 'If the streamlet before
us hath thus its source in our world, wherefore at this edge
of the wood do we see it first ? ' And he to me : " The
place, thou knowest, is round, and albeit thou hast journeyed
so far, keeping ever to the left 3 , in descending to the depths,
thou hast not yet compassed the entire circle ; wherefore, if
a fresh object meets our view, this should not call up a look
of wonder on thy face.' And I once more : ' Master, where
are Phlegethon and Lethe ? for the one of them thou dost not
name, and of the other thou sayest that it is formed by this
fall of tears.' ' In all thy questions assuredly thou pleasest
6
me,' he replied, but one of those thou askest the boiling of
the ruddy water should have fully answered *. Lethe thou
I At the forked part the dual power of the Church and the Empire
commences ; the former of these, which is the right foot, is the more
fragile in its texture, but has been the stronger support to the human race.
2 The fissure is the corruption of the world since the Fall, which
causes men's tears to flow ; and these are the source of the infernal rivers.
3 It may here be remarked, that the leftward course of the Poets
signifies allegorically, that the forms of sin which present themselves to
one descending through Hell proceed from wors to w
4 The reason is that the name Phlegethon is derived from the Greek
pléyev, 'to burn.'
 Hell XIV , 136- XV, 19 61

shalt see, but without this gulf, at the place whither the souls
repair to lave them, when their repented sin is done away ¹.'
He added : Now 'tis time to quit the wood ; see thou
follow me : the edges, as they are not on fire, afford a way,
and above them all flames are quenched .'

CANTO XV . THE SEVENTH CIRCLE ;

THIRD RING

Now do we follow one of the hard margins, and overhead The violent
the stream of the rivulet casts a misty shade, so that it shields nature.
against
from the fire the water and the banks. As is the defence
which the Flemings make between Wissant and Bruges 2 to
force the sea to retire, through fear of the flood that rushes
toward them ; or that which the Paduans make along the
Brenta for the protection of their towns and castles, ere
Carinthia feels the summer heat 3 : in such wise were those
banks formed, albeit their designer, whoever he was, made
them not so high nor yet so massive. We had already gone
so far from the wood, that, however much I had turned me
round to look, I could not have traced its position, when we
encountered a troop of spirits that was approaching along
side the bank, and each of them gazed at us, as a man looks
at his fellow at eventide under the new moon ; and they

¹i.e. in the Earthly Paradise, after they have passed through Purga
tory; cp. Purg. xxviii. 130.
2 The town of Wissant lay between Calais and Cape Gris Nez ; that
place and Bruges formed the western and eastern limits of the Flemish
coast in Dante's time.
3 The Brenta, which flows by Padua, rises in the Carinthian Alps, and
when the snows in that region are melted by the summer heat, the river
overflows its banks.
 62 Hell XV, 20-52

puckered their eyelids towards us, even as an aged tailor doth

at the needle's eye.
Brunetto While we were being thus scrutinized by the weird com
Latini.
pany, I was recognized by one, who caught me by the hem
6
of my garment , and exclaimed : How passing strange !'
And while he reached out his arm toward me, I fixed mine
eyes on his tanned countenance, so that the scorched visage
prevented not my mind from recognizing him ; and bending
my face toward his I replied : ' Are you here, ser Brunetto ??'
And he ' Ah ! my son, take it not amiss, if Brunetto Latini
turns back awhile with thee, and lets his troop pass on.'
To him I said: With all my heart I beg this of you ; and
if it be your pleasure that I should sit with you, I will do
so, if this one approves, for with him I make my journey.'
' My son,' said he, ' whoso of this band stops but for a
moment, doth lie thereafter a hundred years without waving
his arms when the fire smites upon him. Move onward then ;
I will follow at thy skirts, and anon will rejoin my band,
which goes its way lamenting its eternal miseries.' I dared
not descend from the roadway to walk by his side, but kept
my head bent down, like one who walks respectfully.
Predictions He thus began : " What fortune or what fate before thy
of Dante's
coming life's end brings thee here below ? And who is this that
fortunes. shows thee the way? ' ' Above there in the tranquil life,'
I answered him, ' I lost my way in a valley, before the tale
of my days was fully told. But yestermorn I turned my

I He catches the hem of Dante's garment, because the sand, on which

he was walking, was on a much lower level than the embankment where
Dante was.
2 Brunetto Latini was a famous Florentine statesman and man of
letters, and he encouraged Dante in his studies. The title ' ser ' was
given to him as being a notary.
 Hell XV, 53-85 63

back upon it this one appeared to me as I was returning

thither, and is leading me homeward by this path.' And he
to me : " If thou followest thy star, thou canst not fail to
reach the glorious port, if I observed aright in the glad world
above ; and had I not died all too early for that, I should
have given thee encouragement to the work, since I saw
heaven so propitious to thee. But the ungrateful, malignant
common folk, which descended from Fiesole in days of yore ' ,
and still savours of the mountain and the rock, for thy good
deeds will become thine enemy : and that is right, for it is
not meet that the sweet fig should bear fruit amid the acid
service-berries. In the world an ancient story calls them
blind ; a covetous race, envious and proud they are ; from
their way of life see thou keep thyself clean. Thy fortune
hath so great honour in store for thee, that both one and the
2
other party will hunger for thee ; but that which they crave
shall not come near their lips. Let the beasts of Fiesole
rend and tear one another, but let them not lay hands on the
plant 3, if on their dunghill one such still springs up, wherein
the holy seed of those Romans revives, who remained there,
when it had become the home of so great wickedness . '
'Had my prayer been fully heard,' I replied to him, ' you
would not yet be an exile from human life ; for there abides
imprinted on my mind-though at this moment it pains my
heart-your kindly and affectionate paternal look, when in
the world ever and anon you taught me how man wins

' The commons of Florence, according to the tradition , were originally

immigrants from Faesulae (Fiesole) , while the nobles were colonists from
Rome.
2 Both the Black and the White Guelfs.
3 This is an obscure intimation that Dante was descended from one of
the old Roman families.
 64 Hell XV, 86-114

immortality and the depth of my gratitude all my life long

it is fitting that my tongue should declare. That which you
tell me of my fortunes I note, and reserve it together with
another utterance for the comments of a Lady 2 who will be
skilled therein, if I reach her presence. But this much
I would openly declare to you, provided that my conscience
doth not chide me, —that I am prepared for whatever fortune
wills. This agreement is no strange thing to mine ears ;
wherefore let fortune turn her wheel as pleases her, even
as the countryman turns his mattock. ' My Master then
turning round by the right looked me in the face, and said :
'He listens well who pays heed thereto.'
Other Yet none the less for all this do go my way conversing
Sodomites.
with ser Brunetto, and I inquire who are the chief and the
most famous of his companions. And he to me : ' Con
cerning some it is well to be informed ; about the rest it will
be praiseworthy to hold one's peace, for the time would be
too short for so long a recital. In brief be it known to thee
that they all were clergy and distinguished men of letters,
and of great renown, who on earth were tainted by one and
the same sin. In that awful crowd Priscian 3 goes on his way,
and Francesco d'Accorso ; and furthermore, hadst thou
desired the sight of such-like garbage, thou mightest have
beheld there the man, who was transferred by the servant
of servants from the Arno to the Bacchiglione 5 , where he
left his body exhausted by vice. Of others too I would tell ;

i.e. the undying fame which follows on a noble life.

2 Beatrice.
3 The grammarian of the sixth century.
4 Law lecturer in Oxford from 1273 onward.
5 Andrea de' Mozzi was translated by Boniface VIII from the bishopric
of Florence to that of Vicenza 1295 on account of his unseemly living.
' Servus servorum Dei ' is one of the titles of the Pope.
 Hell XV, 115- XVI , 19 65

but I may no longer walk or converse with thee, for yonder

I perceive fresh dust arising from the sandy waste. A folk
approaches whose company I may not share ; I commend to
thee my Tesoro ¹ , wherein I still live : no more I ask .' Then
he turned back ; and he looked like one of those, who on the
plain at Verona run the race for the green cloth² ; and of
them it was not the loser but the winner whom he resembled.

CANTO XVI . THE SEVENTH CIRCLE ;

THIRD RING

Already I had reached a point where the booming of the Other dis
water was audible which fell into the next Circle 3, resembling tinguished
Florentines.
the hum that proceeds from beehives, when three shades in
company issued at full speed from a band, which was passing
by beneath the agonising shower that tortured them . They
6
came towards us, and one and all shouted : Halt, thou who
seemest to us by thy dress to be an inhabitant of our sinful
city.' Ah me ! What wounds I saw, both fresh and old,
burnt by the flames on their limbs ! At the mere remem
brance of them I am still distressed. My Teacher gave heed
to their cries, and turning his face toward me said : 6 Now
wait these are persons to whom courtesy is due. And
were it not for the fire which the nature of the place shoots
forth, I should say that it were more seemly for thee than
for them to hurry.' So soon as we halted they began afresh

¹ His encyclopaedic work, the Livre dou Tresor, which was written
in French.
An annual foot-race, for which the prize was a piece of green cloth.
The competitors in it ran naked.
3 The water which falls here is that of Phlegethon ; the descent into
the eighth Circle, or Malebolge, is precipitous.
TOZER F
 66 Hell XVI , 20-52

their old refrain ; and when they reached us, they all three
formed a ring. As the champions are wont to move, when,
naked and greased, they watch for their opportunity of grip
ping, ere they engage in the strife of blows ; in such wise,
working round, each of them directed his looks toward me,
so that the neck was ever following a contrary direction to
the feet ¹.
They accost ' And if we and our prayers, ' began one of them, ' are
Dante.
rendered contemptible by the misery of this unstable region,
and by our dark and hairless faces, yet let our reputation
incline thy mind to tell us who thou art, that thus unscathed
dost plod thy way alive through Hell. This one, whose
footsteps thou seest me follow, for all that he goes naked
and bald, was of higher rank than thou supposest. Grandson
he was of the good Gualdrada, Guido Guerra by name²,
and in his lifetime he accomplished much by counsel and
by arms. The other, who treads the sand behind me, is
Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, whose fame ought to be acceptable
in the world above 3. And I, who am tormented along
with them, was Jacopo Rusticucci ; and verily my passionate
wife is the chief cause of my bane .' Had I been sheltered
from the fire, I should have flung myself down into their
midst, and methinks my Teacher would have permitted it.
But seeing that I should have scorched and burnt myself,
fear overcame my good will, which made me eager to
embrace them. Anon I began : ''Twas not contempt, but

As they moved round, they were continually turning their heads

backwards or sideways, in order to get a full view of Dante.
A distinguished Guelf leader at Florence.
3 Because he tried to dissuade the Florentines from marching against
Siena before the disastrous battle of Montaperti.
4 Her temper was the chief cause of the sin which brought him
here.
 Hell XVI , 53-90 67

grief, that your sad plight imprinted on my heart-and that

so deeply, that it will be long ere it is wholly obliterated
so soon as this my Lord spake to me words, through which
I realized that persons such as you were approaching . To
your city I belong ; and I have ever affectionately recounted
and heard others recount your deeds and your honoured
names. I am leaving behind me the gall, and go in quest
of the sweet fruits promised to me by my truthful Guide ;
but first I must descend the steep way to the centre.'
' So may thy spirit long direct thy limbs, ' replied he in They
inquire
turn, and after thy death may thy fame shine brightly— concerning
tell us, do courtesy and courage abide in our city as of yore, Florence.
or have they wholly deserted it ? For Guglielmo Borsiere,
who hath recently come to share our pains, and is passing
yonder with his company, vexes us much by his report.'
I
'Florence, the newly imported folk and the sudden growth
of riches have generated in thee pride and extravagance, so
that already thou sufferest therefrom .' Thus with uplifted
countenance I exclaimed : and the three, when they heard
that as mine answer, looked one at the other, as men look
on hearing the truth. 'If on other occasions,' they all
replied, it costs thee so little to satisfy others, happy art
thou, if thou speakest thus as liketh thee. Wherefore, if
thou lost escape from these dark regions, and returnest to
see once more the fair stars, when thou enjoyest narrating
thy past experiences, see that thou tell the folk of us.'
Then they broke up their ring, and their swift feet seemed
as wings for their flight. One could not have uttered an
Amen before they were out of sight ; wherefore the Master
thought good to depart.
' The immigrants from the country districts, who had settled in
Florence and become traders.
F 2
 68 Hell XVI , 91-117

The I followed him, and we had not proceeded far, when the
waterfall.
sound of the water was so near to us, that however loud we
might speak we should hardly have been heard. As that
river-the first that from Monte Viso eastwards on the left
flank of the Apennines hath an independent course ¹ —which
is called Acquacheta above, ere it precipitates itself down to
its low-lying bed, and at Forlì loses that name 2, booms over
St. Benedict of the upland ³, as it descends towards a declivity,
where there was to have been a settlement for a thousand * ;
so did we hear that dark water resound as it fell from a
precipitous brink, so loudly that it would speedily have
stunned our ears.
Virgil I was girt round my waist by a cord, wherewith erewhile
summons
Geryon. I purposed to master the panther with the spotted skin³ ;
and this, when in accordance with my Leader's injunctions
I had wholly loosed it from me, I twisted into a knot and
handed to him : whereupon he turned him toward the right
side, and flung it down at some distance from the edge into
that deep abyss. Now assuredly, ' I said to myself, ' some
thing strange must respond to the unwonted signal , which
my Master is thus following with his eye.' Ah ! how
The river is the Montone, which flows into the Adriatic. All the
other streams which in Dante's time flowed from the northern side of the
Apennines in this part were tributaries of the Po, which river rises in
Monte Viso.
2 i. e. changes it for that of Montone.
3 This was the name of the monastery in the neighbourhood of the
waterfall.
4 The Conti Guidi, to whom the neighbouring lands belonged, had
proposed to settle the inhabitants of that district there, but this scheme
fell through .
5 The panther here, as in Inf. i. 42 , signifies lust , and the cord by
which Dante had proposed to master it signifies the restrictions of the
ascetic life.
 Hell XVI, 118 - XVII , 12 69

careful men should be in the presence of those who not

merely behold what is done, but by their intelligence pene
6
trate the thoughts ! He said to me : The object which
I expect will quickly arise, and that which thy thoughts are
vainly fancying is soon to be revealed to thine eyes .' A
man should ever refuse utterance, so long as he may, to
a truth which bears the semblance of falsehood, seeing that
it brings upon him unmerited discredit ; but here I cannot
hold my peace : and by the verses of this Comedy, Reader,
I swear to thee- so may they not be doomed to short-lived
favour- that I saw a figure amazing to the most steadfast
heart approach, swimming up through that thick and murky
air ; even as the diver returns who descends at times to
loose an anchor grappled by a rock or other object concealed
in the sea, who stretches himself upward and draws in his
feet.

CANTO XVII . THE SEVENTH CIRCLE ;

THIRD RING

' Behold the monster with the pointed tail, who crosses Geryon
described.
mountains, and breaks through walls and defence of arms ;
lo ! this is he who fills the whole world with stench.' Thus
did my Leader begin to address me, and he beckoned to
him that he should come to land hard by the margin of the
causeway we had traversed : and that foul symbol of fraud
came on, and brought up to the bank his head and breast,
but his tail he drew not to shore. His face was that of
a righteous man, so benevolent was its exterior semblance ;
but the rest of his figure wore a serpent's shape. Two taloned
 70 Hell XVII , 13-39

arms he had, hairy up to the armpits ; and on his back and breast I
and both his sides knots and small bucklers were painted ¹.
With more colours, whether as groundwork or pattern, never
did Tartars or Turks make a cloth 2 , nor were webs so rich
placed by Arachne 3 on the loom. As ever and anon punts
are drawn up on a river-bank, so that they are partly in the
water and partly on land ; and as in the country where the
gluttonous Germans dwell the beaver prepares him for his
campaign ; so did the accursed monster post himself on
the stony border which encloses the sand. The whole
length of his tail he swinged in the void, wreathing on high
the venomous fork, wherewith, like a scorpion's, the point
was armed.
The usurers. My Leader said : ' Now must we somewhat change our
course to reach that malignant beast which is couching there ' ;
so we descended toward the right side, and proceeded for
ten paces along the verge, to keep quite clear of the sand and
fiery shower. And when we had reached him, a short space
beyond I beheld folk seated on the sand nigh where the
ground falls away. Thereupon the Master said to me : ' In
order that thou mayst bear away with thee complete acquaint
ance with this ring, hie thee, and regard their condition .

I The symbolism of Geryon's appearance is, that the face signifies

hypocrisy, the serpent figure deceit and malice, the talons rapacity, the
knots and shields which appear on his body snares and subterfuges.
2 The Tartary cloths ' were well known in Europe during the middle
ages.
3 The typical weaver or embroiderer. She challenged Minerva to
a contest in that art, and was changed by her into a spider.
4 The beaver's supposed campaign is against the fishes. From the
habit which that animal has of sitting on a river bank with its tail in
the water, there arose a fable that he used his tail for fishing purposes,
attracting the fish by the oil which dropped from it.
 Hell XVII, 40-75 71

Let thy communications there be brief ; till thy return I will

parley with this one, that he may vouchsafe us the use of his
strong shoulders.' So did I once more take my solitary way
over that seventh Circle's outermost ridge, where the melan
choly folk were seated . Through their eyes their anguish
was gushing forth : on this side and on that they defended
themselves with their hands, now from the flames, now from
the burning soil ; even as dogs do in summer, at one time
with their muzzles, at another with their feet, when bitten
by fleas or gnats or flies. After gazing at the faces of one .
and another of these on whom the painful fire falls, I recog
nized none of them ; but I became aware that from the neck
of each there hung a money-bag of distinctive colour and
pattern, and on this it seems they feast their eyes. And
when I came into their midst and looked around 2, on a
yellow purse I saw a blue patch with a lion's face and bearing.
Next, as my looks pursued their onward course , I beheld
another purse red as blood, exhibiting a goose whiter than
butter. And one spirit, whose white pouch had for its
device a pregnant sow in blue, said to me : 'What doest
thou in this gulf ? Now go thy way ; and since thou art
still alive, be it known to thee that my neighbour Vitaliano
will sit here on my left-hand side. In the company of these
Florentines am I a Paduan ; often and often do they din
mine ears with their cry : " May the prince of usurers come 3,
who will bring the bag with three kites' beaks ".' Thereat
he made a wry mouth, and put out his tongue, like an ox

The usurers. The nature of their sin has been treated of in Canto xi ,
adfinem.
2 The persons here intended were men of noble families, who were
usurers ; the devices on the bags are the arms of their families.
Giovanni Buiamonti.
 72 Hell XVII, 76-108

that licks his nose . For my part, fearing lest by tarrying

longer I should move his ire who had bidden me make but
a short stay, I returned back from those weary souls.
The Poets I found my Leader already mounted on the fierce creature's
mount on
Geryon's flanks ; and he said to me : ' Now be thou strong and coura
back. geous. Such as this are the stairways by which we hence
forth descend ; mount in front of me, for I desire to have
the middle place, that the tail may have no power for harm. '
Even as one who hath the shivering fit of the ague so near
that his nails are already blue, and he trembles all over at the
mere sight of shade, such became I when those words were
uttered : but his dread commands inspired me with shame,
which in the presence of a good master makes the servant
strong. On those huge shoulders I took my seat ; ' Be
sure '—I wished to say, but the voice came not as I intended
-'be sure thou embrace me.' But he, who on other
occasions succoured me in meeting other hazards, so soon
as I had mounted, clasped me in his arms and supported me ;
and he said : ' Now, Geryon, move thee : let thy circles be
wide, and gentle the descent : consider the unwonted burden
that thou bearest.'
The descent As with gradual backward movement a bark quits its
into the
eighth station, so from that spot did he withdraw ; and so soon
Circle, or as he felt himself wholly at liberty, where his breast was
Malebolge. before he turned round his tail, and stretching it out moved
1
it like an eel, and with his arms drew in the air toward him.
Not greater, I ween , was Phaethon's panic , when he let fall
the reins, whereby, as may still be seen, the heaven was

I When the Poets descend from the eighth into the ninth Circle, they
are deposited by the giant Antaeus ( Inf. xxxi. 130 foll. ) ; and they
pass the centre of the earth by clinging on to the body of Lucifer
(Inf. xxxiv. 82).
 Hell XVII, 109-136 73

scorched ; nor that of the ill-fated Icarus, when through

the melting of the wax he felt the wings being detached
from his loins, while his father cried to him : ' Thou goest
astray'2 ; than was mine, when I found myself in mid air,
and was ware that no object save the monster was in view.
Swimming with gentlest motion he pursues his way, wheeling
round and downward ; but of this I am unconscious, save
that the wind comes in my face and from below. Already
on the right hand I heard the abyss making beneath us a
fearful booming sound, wherefore I reached out my head and
gazed downward. Thereupon I was still more terrified at
the precipice, for I beheld fires, and heard lamentations, so
that I crouched my limbs together trembling. And after
that I realized - for before I had not - our downward
circling course, by reason of the dire torments which from
various quarters were drawing nigh to us. As the falcon
that hath been long on the wing, which without catching
sight of its lure or its prey makes the falconer exclaim : ' Ah
me ! thou art descending,' comes wearily down in a hundred
circles to the place whence it started briskly, and settles at
a distance from its master in fell and wrathful mood ; so at
the bottom did Geryon deposit us, at the very foot of the
precipitous rock ; and when he had disburdened him of our
persons, he darted off like an arrow from the string.

¹ When Phaethon obtained permission from Apollo to drive the

chariot of the sun, he approached too near the heavens, which were
thereby scorched. This, according to the fable, was the origin of the
Milky Way.
2
Icarus, when flying through the air in company with his father
Daedalus, approached too near the sun, which melted the waxen fastenings
of his wings .
 74 Hell XVIII , 1-23

CANTO XVIII

THE EIGHTH CIRCLE, OR MALEBOLGE ;

FIRST AND SECOND BOLGE

Description In Hell there is a place called Malebolge ¹ , formed all of

of Male
stone, and of iron hue, like the encircling rock which doth
bolge.
encompass it. In the very middle of the accursed area there
yawns a pit exceeding wide and deep, the structure whereof
in its proper place I will declare. Thus the enclosure that
remains is circular, lying between the pit and the foot of the
rude beetling precipice, and into ten valleys its basement is
partitioned. As is the ground plan of the spot, where to
defend a castle's walls successive moats surround it, such in
this case is the aspect which those dikes presented : and even
as for such fortresses from the thresholds of the gates to the
outermost bank small bridges run, so from the base of the
cliff rock-ridges started, which intersected the embankments
and the ravines, until they reached the pit, where they end
and meet. This was the place wherein we found ourselves,
when we descended from Geryon's back ; and the Poet
advanced leftward, while I followed in his footsteps.
The first On the right hand I beheld a strange form of woe, strange
bolgia, of torments and strange wielders of the lash, wherewith
the first
' ' Evil-pits.' This is the eighth Circle, which contains those classes
of the fraudulent who have violated no special tie or bond. These are
ten in number, and corresponding to them there are ten bolge, or deep
trench-like valleys, into which the whole area is divided. They lie one
within the other in concentric circles, separated by walls of rock, and the
passage across them is made by means of bridges. The basement of
the entire area of Malebolge ' slopes gradually towards the centre, where
is the ninth Circle, which is the Pit of Hell.
 Hell XVIII, 24-51 75

trench was filled. At the bottom were the sinners, all naked ; the panders
and
in the nearer half they came on facing us, in the further they seducers.
followed the same direction with us, though with hastier steps.
I
Like to this was the plan which in the year of Jubilee ¹ by
reason of the host of worshippers the Romans devised to let
the folk cross the bridge ; so that on the one hand all looked
toward the Castle, making for St. Peter's, on the other they
moved toward the Hill 2. On either side I saw horned
devils with huge scourges traversing the dark rock, who
smote them cruelly behind : ah ! how at the first lashes they
made them lift their shanks ! none thereafter awaited the
second or the third.
As I was passing on, mine eyes fell on a certain spirit ; Venedico
Cacciani
whereupon at once I said : " This one I have not failed ere mico.
while to see.' Wherefore I stayed my steps to scrutinize his
looks ; and my kind Leader stopped withal, and consented
that I should return back a little space. And that sufferer
from the scourge fancied that he could hide him by bending
down his face, but little did it avail him ; for I said : " O thou
who castest down thine eye to earth, if the features that thou
wearest are not deceptive, thou art Venedico Caccianimico 3 ;
but what hath brought thee to such pungent brine¹?' And he
' The great Jubilee of the year 1300.
2 The Castle is the Castle of St. Angelo , which is on the same side of
the Tiber as St. Peter's ; and the bridge is the Ponte Sant' Angelo in the
neighbourhood of the Castle. The Hill is the Capitoline Hill, which is
the most important point to attract passengers in that direction, as
St. Peter's is in the other. On the occasion here mentioned the rule of
right and left in crossing the bridge was established.
3 He was head of the Guelf party in Bologna in the latter half of the
thirteenth century.
4 This means acute pain ' ; but there is a further reference to a
valley called Salse near Bologna, where the bodies of criminals were
thrown.
 76 Hell XVIII , 52-81

to me : Much against my will I tell thee ; but the accuracy

of thine address compels me, by recalling to my mind the
former world. I was the man who induced Ghisolabella ¹ to
do the will of the Marquis, in whatever form the scandalous
story may be told. Nor am I the only native of Bologna
that suffers here ; nay, so full of them is this place, that not
so many tongues are at this moment taught to say sipa be
tween the Savena and the Reno ² ; and if thou desirest corro
boration or evidence of this, bethink thee of the avarice of
our hearts.' While thus he spake a devil smote him with his
lash, and said : ' Away, thou pander, here are no women for
hire.'
Jason. Then I rejoined mine escort, whereupon in a few paces we
reached the point where from the embankment a ridge of rock³
jutted forth ; this without difficulty we ascended, and turning
to the right over its craggy mass we departed from those
everlasting walls of circuit . When we arrived at the place
where there is a wide opening below to allow the victims of
the scourge to pass, my Leader said : ' Give heed, and see
that thou get a front view of these other ill-fated spirits 5 ,
whose faces thou hast not yet beheld, because they have
walked in the same direction with us.' From that ancient
bridge we were watching the file which came towards us on
the other side, driven in like manner by the lash ; and without

¹ Caccianimico's sister, who was persuaded by him to become the

mistress of the Marquis of Este.
2 These two rivers flow on either side of Bologna. ' Sipa ' was
Bolognese for sia.
3 The rock-bridge which crosses the first bolgia.
4 The precipices surrounding Malebolge.
5 These are the seducers ; those previously mentioned are the
panders.
 Hell XVIII, 82-115 77

my asking him the kind Master said : ' Look at that grand
figure approaching us, who for all his pain seems not to shed
a tear ; how majestic is the aspect he still retains ! That is
Jason, who through his courage and shrewdness carried off
from the Colchians the golden fleece. He passed by the
island of Lemnos, after its daring women in merciless wise
did to death all their male folk ; there by love-tokens and
skilful speech he beguiled Hypsipyle ' , that youthful maid,
C who ere that had deceived all the other dames. There left
he her alone in her pregnancy ; for that crime is he con
demned to this torment, and thereby also Medea is avenged.
In his company go those who deceive after this fashion ; let
it suffice thee to know this much concerning the first valley
and those whom it holds in its grip.'
Already were we at the point where the narrow path The second
intersects the second embankment, and makes it a buttress to bolgia,
of the
another arch . From that spot we were ware of people flatterers.
whining in the next trench, who snorted with their snouts
and smote themselves with the palms of their hands. The
banks were encrusted with a mould, through the effluvia from
below adhering there, which was offensive to the eyes and
nose. The bottom is so wide a cavity, that from no place
could we fully see it without mounting to the summit of the
arch, where the bridge reaches its highest point. Thither we
came, and thence I saw down in the dike folk immersed in
ordure, which appeared to have proceeded from human privies ;
and while mine eye was exploring there below, I beheld one

When the Lemnian women murdered by agreement all the males in

the island, Hypsipyle saved her father Thoas.
2 The path which leads across Malebolge crosses one bolgia after
another by means of the bridges, and cuts at right angles the embank
ments which intervene between them.
 78 Hell XVIII, 116 - XIX, 8

whose head was so foul with excrement, that whether he were

layman or clerk could not be distinguished. He shouted to
me : 'Wherefore art thou so eager to stare at me rather than
at the other filthy objects ? ' And I to him : ' Because, if
I remember aright, I have seen thee ere this with thy hair
unmoistened, and thou art Alessio Interminei of Lucca : that
is why I scrutinize thee more than all the rest .' And he in
reply, smiting his own pate : It is my flatteries, wherewith
my tongue was never sated, that have plunged me here below.'
Thereupon my Leader said : ' See thou direct thy looks
a space further on, so that thine eyes may clearly discern the
face of that filthy wench with dishevelled hair, who is scratch
ing herself there with her grimy nails, and at one time sits
crouching, at another stands upright. Thais the courtesan¹
is she, who when her lover said : " Am I in high favour with
thee ?" replied: " In sooth past all belief. " And herewith let
our eyes be satisfied .'

CANTO XIX. MALEBOLGE ; THE THIRD

BOLGIA

The third Shame on thee, Simon Magus ! shame on you, his worth
bolgia,
of the less followers ! for that, whereas the things of God ought
simoniacs. to be devoted to good works, yet in your greed ye prostitute
them for gold and silver ; now 'tis fitting that for you the
trumpet should sound, inasmuch as the third trench is your
station. We had already mounted over the next receptacle
of the dead, on that part of the bridge of rock which over
A character in the Eunuchus of Terence.
2 The simoniacs, who are punished in the third bɔlgia, are those who
traffic in the things of God for money ; they are so called from Simon
Magus, the typical instance of this sin ; Acts viii. 9 foll.
 Hell XIX, 9-38 79

hangs perpendicularly the middle of the dike. Thou supreme

Wisdom, how great is the art thou dost display in heaven,
on earth and in the evil world, and how great justice doth
thy power dispense ! Along the sides and over the bottom
I perceived the livid rock to be full of holes, of the same
size all of them, and every one round. Not less wide did
they seem to me, nor yet larger, than those which in my own
I
fair San Giovanni are constructed as stations for the baptizing
priests ; one of which not many years since I broke for
the sake of one who was losing his life therein ; and let this
be a guarantee to disabuse all men. Out of the mouth of
each protruded a sinner's feet, and his legs as far as the calf,
while the rest of his person was within. All of them had
the soles of both their feet afire, by reason whereof they
twitched their joints with spasms so violent, that withes
or cordage would have been rent by them. As , when
greased objects are on fire, the flames move only over the
outer surface, so did they here from the heel to the toes.
' Master,' said I, ' who is he that displays such fury, Pope
Nicholas III.
Ewrithing more violently than the others his fellows, and over
whom plays a fiercer lambent flame ? ' And he to me : ‘ If
thou willest that by the lower of the two embankments ³
I should carry thee down there, thou shalt learn from him
concerning himself and his misdeeds.' And I : ' Whatsoever
is thy pleasure approves itself to me : thou art my Lord, and
knowest that from thy will I dissociate not myself ; thou
The Baptistery of Florence, which at that time was the Cathedral.
2 These were circular cavities at the four angles of the font, for the
priests to stand in.
3 The embankment on the inner side of the bolgia is meant ; this is
called the lower, because Malebolge slopes towards the centre, and
therefore each embankment, according as it is nearer to the centre, rises
from a lower level.
80 Hell XIX, 39-71

knowest too my unspoken thought.' Thereupon we reached

the top of the fourth bank, and turning, descended leftward
to the bottom, which was narrow and full of holes. The
kind Master set me not down from his haunch, till he brought
me nigh to the fissure occupied by him who with his leg so
6
forcibly expressed his agony. Thou soul in pain, whoe'er
thou art, that being set like a stake hast thy limbs reversed '
-such were my opening words-' speak, if thou canst. ' I
was standing like the friar that confesses the faithless assassin,
who after he is planted in the earth recalls him, since he
thereby delays his death : and he exclaimed ' : ' Art thou
already standing there, art thou already standing there, Boni
face ? By several years the record of the future lied to me.
Art thou so soon sated with those possessions, with a view
to which thou didst not fear to carry off by fraud the beau
teous dame 2, and anon to maltreat her ? ' I felt like such as,
failing to understand a reply which they receive, stand as if
mocked, and know not what to reply. Then said Virgil :
' Tell him at once, I am not he, I am not he whom thou
supposest ' ; and I made answer as was enjoined me. Thereat
the spirit writhed every muscle of his feet ; then with a sigh
and in tones of lamentation he said to me : ' What then dost
thou request of me ? If thou carest so much to learn who
I am that for this cause thou hast traversed the embankment,
be it known to thee that I was invested with the great mantle ;
and in very sooth was I an offspring of the bear ³, being so
greedy in promoting the bear-cubs, that in the world above
* The speaker is Pope Nicholas III, whose simony was notorious.
In what follows he mistakes Dante for Boniface VIII, whom he was
expecting to join him, but not so soon.
2 The Church. With a view to his own advancement Boniface brought
about the abdication of his predecessor, Celestine V.
3 A member of the Orsini family, and as greedy as a bear.
 Hell XIX, 72-101 81

I pocketed wealth, and here I have pocketed myself. Be

neath my head the others are dragged down, who were my
predecessors in the practice of simony, being squeezed within
the fissures of the rock. Thither shall I likewise fall down,
when he comes whom I supposed thee to be when I made
that abrupt inquiry. But longer is the time already that my
feet have been scorching, and that I have been thus reversed,
than he will remain planted with his feet afire ¹ ; for after
him shall come a lawless shepherd from the west 2 2, still
fouler in his practices, who shall lie over both him and me.
He shall resemble that Jason, whose story is told in the
Maccabees 3 ; and even as to that one his sovereign was
indulgent, so shall the king of France be to him.'
I know not whether at this point I was overbold, but Dante
denounces
I just answered him to this effect : ' Prithee tell me, what
simony.
sum of money did our Lord demand of St. Peter before
entrusting the keys to his keeping ? Assuredly, his only
condition was, " Follow thou me. 99 Neither Peter nor his
fellows received gold or silver from Matthias, when he was
ordained to the office forfeited by the criminal soul. So
keep thy place, for thou art righteously punished, and see
thou hold fast the money won by extortions, which em
boldened thee so in resisting Charles 4. And were I not
still restrained by the reverence due to the supreme keys

1 In 1300, when Nicholas III is supposed to be speaking, twenty years

had elapsed since his death in 1280 ; between the death of Boniface in
1303 and that of Clement V in 1314 only eleven years elapsed.
2 Clement V, who came from France. He was elected through the
influence of Philip the Fair, and played into his hands ; by him the
Papal See was removed from Rome to Avignon.
2 Macc. iv. 7 foll. Jason by a promise of money obtained the high
priesthood from Antiochus Epiphanes.
4 Charles of Anjou.
TOZER G
 82 Hell XIX, 102-133

which thou didst hold in the gladsome life, I would use

words stronger still ; for your avarice it is which afflicts the T
world by trampling on the good and uplifting the evil.
"Twas of you shepherds that the Evangelist was thinking,
when he saw her who sits on the waters commit fornication
with the kings --her, who was born with the seven heads,
and took her rule of life from the ten horns, so long as her
spouse 2 found pleasure in virtue. Of gold and silver have
ye made you your God ; and wherein do ye differ from the
idolaters, save that they worship one God, and ye a hundred ³ ?
Ah ! Constantine, how great was the evil engendered , not
by thy conversion, but by that dower which the first wealthy
father received from thee ! ' And while I addressed him
in this strain, whether it were anger or conscience that
goaded him, he kicked out violently with both his feet.
Sure I am that my Leader was well pleased ; with such
a look of contentment did he steadfastly listen to the ut
terance of my truthful words. Wherefore he took hold of
me with both his arms, and when he had lifted me up even
to his breast, he ascended once more by the same way that
he came down ; nor did he weary of clasping me thus
closely, till he bore me up to the summit of the arch, which
is the crossing from the fourth to the fifth embankment.
There he gently deposited his burden- gently, by reason
of the steep and rugged rock-bridge, which even for goats
would be no easy passage . From thence another valley was
disclosed to me.

¹ See Rev. xvii. Dante's interpretation of the seven heads and the
ten horns in a favourable sense does not suit the passage.
2 The Pope. 3 i.e. a hundred pieces of money.
4 Constantine's Donation of the States of the Church to Pope
Sylvester I. This is now known to be fictitious.
 Hell XX, 1-32 83

CANTO XX . MALEBOLGE ; THE FOURTH

BOLGIA

A new punishment must be the subject of my verse, and The fourth

furnish material for the twentieth Canto of the first Canzone, bolgia,co
of

which treats of those plunged in Hell . Already I was mancers.

wholly set on gazing into the depth thus disclosed to view,
which was bathed in tears of anguish, when I perceived folk
silently weeping, who approached along the curve of the
valley, at the pace which in our world a religious procession
observes. When they were more immediately beneath mine
eyes, they seemed to me, one and all, to be strangely con
torted between the chin and the commencement of the chest ;
for their faces were turned toward their loins, and they must
needs come on backward, inasmuch as seeing in front of them
was denied them ¹. Haply sometime through a stroke of palsy
a man hath been in this wise wholly contorted, but such a case
I never saw, nor do I believe that it exists.
So may God grant thee, Reader, to profit by thy reading- Amphi
consider for thyself, I pray, how could I keep mine eyes araus,
Teiresias,
from weeping, when I saw nigh at hand our human form so Aruns.
distorted, that the tears from the eyes laved the buttocks
through the cleft. In sooth I wept, leaning against a block
of the hard rock-bridge, so that my Guide said to me : ' Art
thou too in the number of the foolish ? Here piety lives
when pity is wholly dead. Who is more criminal than he,
who when contemplating God's judgements introduces feel
ing ? Raise, raise thy head, and regard the man for whom
in sight of the Thebans the earth opened, whereat they all
¹ The faces of the necromancers are reversed on their bodies, because
during their lifetime they pretended to look forward into the future.
G 2
84 Hell XX, 33-to

exclaimed : " Whither art thou falling, Amphiaraus¹ ? why

dost thou quit the war ? " Nor ceased he to plunge down
ward till he reached Minos, who lays his clutch on all . Mark
how his shoulders are, where was his breast ; because he
desired to see too far before him, he looks behind him and
walks backward. Behold Teiresias 2 , who altered his aspect,
when from a male he became a female, changing his limbs in
every part ; and thereafter he must needs strike again with his
wand the two serpents together wreathed, ere he could reassume
his manly plumes 3. That one who turns his back to Teiresias'
front is Aruns , who in the mountains of Luni, where the
Carrara peasant that dwells below weeds the fields, abode in
his cave amid white marble rocks, whence the view of sea
and stars was not excluded from his eyes. And she who
with her loosened tresses hides her breasts which thou seest
not, and hath every hairy part on the farther side, was Manto³,
who after making quest through many lands, fixed her habita
tion at last at my birthplace : concerning this I will that thou
lend me thine ear awhile.
' After that her father departed from life, and Bacchus'
city fell into servitude, she for a long time wandered through

" The soothsayer Amphiaraus was one of the Seven against Thebes,
who in the course of that expedition was swallowed up by the earth.
2 The Theban soothsayer, who according to the story was changed
into a woman in consequence of his having separated two serpents with
his staff, and recovered his sex when he met the same serpents and struck
them again.
3 His beard.
4 The Etruscan soothsayer, who dwelt in the mountains where are
the Carrara marble quarries.
5 Daughter of Teiresias. The story of the foundation of Mantua,
which is here put into Virgil's mouth, is curiously different from that
which he has himself given in Aen . x. 198-200.
6 Thebes. It was captured by the Epigoni.
 Hell XX, 61-88 85

the world. On earth in fair Italy, at the foot of the Alpine Manto,
and the
chain which is the boundary of Germany above Tirol, there foundation
lies a lake by name Benaco ¹ . By a thousand fountains and of Mautua.
more, I ween, between Garda and Val Camonica the Pennine
2
Alps are moistened with the water which stagnates in the
3
above-named lake. Midway in that region there is a spot ³,
where the shepherd of Trent, and he of Brescia, and he of
Verona, might each give his blessing, if he were passing by
that way. Peschiera, that fortress fair and strong to defy
the men of Brescia and Bergamo, lies where the surrounding
shore sinks to its lowest level . There must all the water
descend which Benaco cannot contain within its bosom, and
forming a river it flows down through green pastures. So
soon as it starts on its course, it is no longer called Benaco
but Mencio, as far as Governo, where it falls into the Po.
Not far has it flowed when it reaches a plain, wherein it
spreads, converting it into a marsh, and at times in summer
it is wont to be pernicious. Passing by this way the un
wedded maid in the midst of the morass perceived dry land,
uncultivated and devoid of inhabitants. There, to avoid all
intercourse with mankind, she remained with her attendants
to practise her arts, and lived, and left there her body tenant
less. Afterward the men who were scattered through the

¹ Benacus was the Latin name of the Lago di Garda.

2 The Pennine Alps are in reality the range of which the Great
St. Bernard is the centre, and this does not suit the present passage. But
Dante is probably following Orosius, one of his leading authorities in
geography, who says (Historiae adversus Paganos, i. 2 , 60) that the
Pennine Alps lie to the south-west of Rhaetia (the Tyrol) ; this is just
the required position here.
3 The place intended probably is the mouth of the river Tignalga near
Campione on the western shore of the lake, which until 1785 was the
meeting-point of the three dioceses here referred to.
 86 Hell XX, 89-117

neighbourhood congregated to that place, which was strong

by reason of the morass which lay on every side : over those
dead bones they built the city, and after her who first chose
the site, without further augury they named it Mantua. In
former days its inhabitants were more numerous, before the
senseless counts of Casalodi were led into a trap by Pinamonte '.
Wherefore I inform thee, so that, if ever thou hearest the
origin of my city narrated otherwise, no fiction may pervert
the truth.'
Other C Master, thy statements are so indisputable to
And I
necro
mancers, me, and inspire me with so great confidence, that all others
would be as dust and ashes to me. But tell me concerning
the folk that advance hitherward, if thou seest any among
them that is noteworthy ; for it is to this point only that my
mind reverts.' He made reply : 'That one from whose
cheeks his beard descends over his dark shoulders, was augur
at the time when Greece was so bereft of men-folk, that
hardly enough remained to supply the cradles 2 ; and ' twas he
that at Aulis in company with Calchas announced the moment
for cutting the first cable. Eurypylus was his name, and to
this effect doth my lofty Tragedy 3 in a certain passage sing
of him ; thou knowest it well, who knowest its every line.
That other one, who is so spare in the flanks, was Michael
Scot , who in very sooth understood the play of magic wiles.

¹ Pinamonte, a citizen of Mantua, put himself forward as a popular

leader, and after persuading the head of the Casalodi, who were the chief
family in Mantua, to remove a number of the foremost aristocrats,
succeeded in expelling or massacring the Casalodi themselves.
2 i.e. to beget children. The time of the Trojan war is meant.
3 The Aeneid is called a tragedy because of its elevated subject and
style. The passage referred to is Aen. ii . 114-9, here however no
mention is made of Aulis.
4 The learned Scotchman, who was reputed to be a wizard.
 Hell XX, 118 - XXI, 13 87

Behold Guido Bonatti¹ , behold Asdente ², who now would

fain have given his attention to his leather and his thread, but
all too late doth his repentance come. Behold the miserable
dames, who abandoned the needle, the shuttle and the spindle,
and became sorceresses, practising witchcraft with herbs and
effigies.
' But come away, for Cain with his bundle of thorns 3 is
even now on the boundary line of the two hemispheres,
touching the wave on the further side of Seville, and already
yesternight the moon was full ; well mayst thou recollect it,
for on a certain occasion in the depths of the forest it served
thee no ill turn.' Thus spake he to me, and the while we
pursued our journey.

CANTO XXI . MALEBOLGE ; THE FIFTH

BOLGIA

Thus from one bridge we passed to another, conversing The fifth

bolgia,
on other subjects whereof my Comedy cares not to sing, and of the
we had reached its summit, when we paused to regard the jobbers ;
the boiling
next rift of Malebolge and the vain laments proceeding pitch.
therefrom ; and I perceived it to be wondrous dark. As in
the Arsenal of Venice in winter time the sticky pitch doth
boil for the caulking of their unsound vessels, for it is not the
season for voyaging, but instead thereof one builds him a new
craft, another stops the ribs of a ship that hath often crossed
the main ; one hammers in the fore part, another in the aft ;
¹ An astrologer of Forlì.
A shoemaker of Parma , who professed himself a prophet.
3 The Man in the Moon , here used for the moon itself. The meaning
ofthe passage is that the moon is setting, and the time intended is about
6 a.m, on Easter Eve.
 88 Hell XXI , 14-47

some fashion oars, and some twist cordage, while others

patch the foresail or the mainsail ; so by the agency, not of
fire, but of heaven-directed art, down beneath us there boiled
a dense pitch, which besmeared the bank on either hand.
This I beheld, but within it I saw naught save the bubbles
raised by the boiling, and the whole mass swelling up, and
then, as it shrank, subsiding.
The devils While I was gazing fixedly downwards, my Leader
and the
man of exclaimed : ' Look, look ! ' and drew me toward him from
Lucca. the place where I was standing. Thereat I turned me, like
one impatient to behold that which he ought to flee, yet
overpowered by sudden panic, who for all his looking delays
not his departure ; and behind us I saw a swarthy devil
approaching at full speed over the bridge of rock. Ah !
how fierce was his look ! and how cruel in mien did he seem
to me, with outspread wings and light of foot ! His
shoulders, which were high and pointed, were laden with
the two haunches of a sinner, the tendons of whose ankles
he held in his grip. From our bridge he exclaimed : 'Ye
Malebranche ' , lo ! one of the elders of Santa Zita ² ; plunge
him beneath, for I am returning once more to the city which
I have well provided with such characters ; there every man
is a jobber, barring Bonturo 3 ; there for a bribe " No " is
exchanged for " Aye.": He flung him down, and returned
along the hard rock ; never was mastiff, when his leash was
slipped, so impatient to pursue a thief. The other was
engulfed, and returned doubled up to the surface ; but the
devils, who by the bridge were screened from view, exclaimed :

A collective name for these demons.

2 'Elders ' was the title of the chief magistrates of Lucca, which city
is here called by the name of its patron saint.
3 This is ironical, for he was a notorious jobber.
 Hell XXI , 48-82 89

'The Holy Face¹ avails not here ; swimming here is

a different matter from swimming in the Serchio ; where
fore, if thou desirest not a taste of our prongs, rise not
above the surface of the pitch.' Thereupon with a hundred
hooks and more they gripped him, saying : ' Here 'tis well
for thee to dance under cover, so that thou mayst pilfer in
secret, if thou canst.' In similar wise the cooks cause their
underlings to immerse with their hooks the meat within the
cauldron, to prevent it from floating.
The kindly Master said to me : ' In order that thy Virgil
presence here may not be noticed, crouch down behind a crag parleys
at the
to screen thyself somewhat ; and whatever treatment I may be devils.
exposed to, have thou no fear, for I am conversant with the
matter, having once before taken part in such-like negotiations.'
Then he passed on beyond the summit of the bridge, and so
soon as he found himself on the sixth embankment, good
need had he to show a bold front. With a fury and a rush,
like that with which dogs dash forth behind a mendicant,
who at the place where he stops proceeds at once to beg,
they issued from beneath the little bridge, and turned all their
"
gaffs against him ; but he exclaimed : Keep from mischief,
all of you. Before I am grappled by your hook, let one of
you advance to listen to me, and after that take thought for
gripping me.' With one voice they cried : Let Malacoda
go ' ; so one came on, while the rest remained stationary, and
as he approached him he said : ' What good will it do him?'
6
'Thinkest thou, Malacoda,' said my Master, when I have
come hither, as thou seest, unmolested thus far by all your
hindrances, that the will of God and propitious destiny have
I An ancient crucifix, which the ople of Lucca invoked in time
of need.
2 The river of Lucca.
 90 Hell XXI , 83-114

no part in this ? Suffer us to proceed , for it is the will of

Heaven that I should guide another along this wild road.'
At this so crestfallen was he, that he let the hook fall at his
feet, saying to the others : ' Now let him not be wounded .'
The devils Thereupon my Leader said to me : ' O thou who sittest
accompany crouching lowly between the huge boulders of the bridge,
with confidence thou mayst now return to me.' So I set
forth, and came to him with all speed , and the whole com
pany of devils advanced, so that I feared they would not
keep the agreement . Such fear I once saw the infantry
display, who came forth under a compact from Caprona¹ ,
when they found themselves girt with so great a host of foes.
I drew every inch of me close to my Leader's side, but mine
eyes I withdrew not from their countenances , which wore no
pleasant aspect . They lowered their hooks, saying one to
the other : ' Shall I touch him up behind ? ' and the answer
came : ' Aye, mind you poke at him .' But the demon who
was parleying with my Leader turned with all speed, saying :
'Hold, hold, Scarmiglione .' Then to us he said : " Further
along this line of bridges one cannot go, seeing that the sixth
arch lies all in fragments at the bottom of the ravine ; but if
ye desire in any case to proceed , then make your way over
this bank of rock ; close by there is another bridge which
provides a passage . Yesterday, five hours before the present
time, completed twelve hundred and sixty -six years from the
time when the way was broken 2. I am sending in that

I What is here referred to is the evacuation of Caprona, a fort in the

Pisan territory, by the Pisans in 1289, when it was captured by the
people of Lucca and the Florentines.
2 The time here intended is the date of our Lord's crucifixion, when
the rocks were rent. As Dante believed that Christ died in the thirty
fourth year of his age, this gives 1300 as the present date.
 Hell XXI , 115- XXII , 7 91

direction some of these my varlets to see whether any spirit

is airing himself ; do ye go with them, for they will not be
mischievous. Lead on, Alichino and Calcabrina ' —thus
commenced his orders- and thou, Cagnazzo ; and let
Barbariccia guide the band of ten. Come thou too, Libicocco,
and Draghignazzo, Ciriatto with the tusks, and Graffiacane,
Farfarello and hare-brained Rubicante. Pursue your quest
around the boiling tar ; let these be unharmed till they reach
the next line of bridges, which throughout its whole length
crosses the pits unbroken.'
' Ah me ! ' said I, ' Master, what is this I see ? O , ifDante's
terror.
thou knowest the way, let us go alone without an escort, for
I desire none for myself. If thou art as watchful as is thy
wont, seest thou not how they grind their teeth, and by their
eyebrows threaten us with wiles ? ' And he to me : ' Prithee,
have no fear let them grind their teeth just as they please ;
this they do because of the sufferers who are stewing.' Left
ward along the embankment they faced about ; but first each
of them held his tongue between his teeth toward their
captain as a token, and he for a trumpet used his hinder
parts.

CANTO XXII. MALEBOLGE ; THE FIFTH

BOLGIA

Erewhile I have seen cavalry start on the march, or The escort

commence an attack, or set themselves in array, and on of devils.
occasion seek safety in flight : I have seen reconnoitring
parties scour your land, ye citizens of Arezzo, and raiding
bands withal, and the clash of tournaments and tilting -jousts,
at one time to the sound of the trumpet, at another of the
 92 Hell XXII , 8-46

bell, with drums and fortress signals, in native or in foreign

wise ; yet never before to fife so strange saw I cavalry or
infantry start, nor vessel steer by signal from the land or sight
of star. Along with the ten demons we went our way ;
O escort dire ! but in church consort with saints, in the
eating-house with gluttons.' Mine eyes were wholly fixed on
the pitch, to reconnoitre every feature of the gulf, and of the
folk that seethed therein. As dolphins move, when with
arched back they warn mariners to take thought for saving
their vessel ' , so ever and anon to alleviate his pain did
one of the sinful souls expose his back, and conceal it again
with more than lightning speed. And as in a ditch frogs
seat themselves on the water's edge with only their muzzles
emerging, so that their feet and the rest of their body are
hidden, so were the sinners seated on either side : but no
sooner did Barbariccia approach than they withdrew within
the boiling mass.
The I saw— and at the thought of it my heart still palpitates—
Navarrese
jobber. one of them lingering, even as it chances that when one frog
jumps off another remains behind. And Graffiacane, who
was nearest in front of him, caught with his hook his locks
steeped in pitch, and dragged him up, so that he looked to me
like an otter. Already I knew them all by name, so carefully
did I observe them when they were selected ; and when they
addressed one another I noticed how they were called.
‘ O Rubicante, see thou fix thy claws in his back so as to
flay him ' ; thus with one voice did all the accursed creatures
cry. And I ' My Master, discover, if thou canst, who is
the poor wretch that hath fallen into his adversaries' hands.'
My Leader drew near to his side, and asked him whence he
* Dolphins were regarded as a sign of the approach of bad weather,
as porpoises are on our coasts .
 Hell XXII, 47-84 93

came; and he replied : Of the kingdom of Navarre I was

a native . My mother placed me in a gentleman's service,
having borne me to a knave who ruined himself and his
belongings. Thereafter I was waitingman to good king
Theobald ; and in that position I took to jobbery, for which
in this heat I render an account.' And Ciriatto, from either
side of whose mouth, as from a hog's, a tusk protruded, let
him feel how one of these could rend. Among malicious
cats the mouse had fallen ; but Barbariccia threw his arms
round him, saying : ' You stand off, while I am gripping
him ' ; then, turning his face toward my Master, he said :
'Question him further, if thou desirest to learn aught more
from him, before he is lacerated by others.' My Leader
said : " Then tell me now of the other guilty souls ; knowest
thou any beneath the pitch that is from Italy ? ' And he :
' But now I quitted one who came from a neighbouring land³ ;
I would I were still in concealment with him, that I might
have no fear of claws or hooks.' And Libicocco said : ' We
have borne with this too long, ' and caught his arm with his
gaff, so that, when he tore it, he carried off a sinew. Next
Draghignazzo was minded to seize him by the legs below ;
but thereupon their captain turned him this way and that with
frowning aspect. When they were somewhat quieted, with
out delay my Leader inquired of him, while his eyes were
still fixed on his wound : ' Who was the spirit, whom thou
sayest that thou didst quit in an evil hour to come to shore ? '
And he replied : " Twas Friar Gomita, he of Gallura,
a vessel of every kind of fraud, who had in his power his
master's enemies, and treated them so, that they all express

His name is said to have been Ciampolo.

2 Thibaut II , king of Navarre from 1253.
3 Sardinia is meant.
 94 .Hell XXII , 85-115

satisfaction therewith : he received a bribe, and let them go

" quietly " (to use his expression) ; and in his other functions
too no mean jobber was he, but a proficient. With him
Master Michel Zanche of Logodoro² consorts, and of talking
of Sardinia their tongues never weary. Oh me ! look at the
other how he grinds his teeth ; I've more to tell thee, but
I fear he is designing to scratch my scurf.' And the praefect
in command, turning towards Farfarello, who was leering
sideways with a view to striking, cried : ' Off with thee, vile
bird.'
He outwits Thereupon the affrighted being once more spake : ' If it be
the devils.
your pleasure to see or to listen to spirits from Tuscany or
Lombardy, I will make them come. But let those wicked
claws withdraw a space, so that they may not fear their
vengeance ; and I, abiding where I am, for myself, who am
but one, will cause seven to appear when I whistle, as is our
practice when any of us comes forth from the pitch.' At
these words Cagnazzo upraised his mouth, and said with
a shake of the head : ' Listen to his knavish device for
throwing himself down.' Whereupon he, who possessed
a great wealth of artifices, made reply : ' Only too knavish
am I, when I provide an increase of suffering for my friends.'
Alichino could not refrain, but in opposition to the others
said to him : ' If thou castest thyself down, I shall not follow
thee with speed of foot, but shall hover on the wing over the

I Sardinia at this time belonged to the Pisans, and was divided into
four provinces, the north-eastern of which was called Gallura. In the
latter part ofthe thirteenth century this was governed by the Pisan Nino
Visconti, and during his absence Frate Gomita was his administrator. He
released from prison a number of his superior's enemies for a bribe, and
was afterwards hanged for this crime.
2 Logodoro was the north-west province, and Michel Zanche was its
administrator.
 Hell XXII, 116–148 95

pitch ; let us leave the summit, and let the bank serve as
a screen ' , that we may see whether thou by thyself art
cleverer than we.' Now, Reader, there is new sport for thee
to hear of! One and all, they turned their eyes toward the
opposite side ; he first, who was most indisposed to do so.
The Navarrese chose well his opportunity, planted his feet on
the ground, and in a moment leapt, and escaped from their
plot. Thereat they all were heart-stricken for their mistake,
but chiefly he who was the author of the failure ; wherefore
he started off, crying : ' I'm down upon thee.' But little did
this avail him, for the speed of wings could not outstrip the
speed of fear ; the other plunged beneath, and the devil as
he flew upraised his breast : even so at the approach of the
falcon doth the duck in an instant dive below, while the falcon
returns upward in fell despondent mood. Calcabrina, enraged
at the trick, went flying in his wake, delighted that the other
should escape, so that he might have the tussle ; and no
sooner had the jobber disappeared, than he turned his claws
against his fellow, and they clutched each other over the dike.
But Alichino like a full -grown sparrow-hawk fixed his talons
well in him, and they fell both together into the middle of the
seething pool. The heat quickly separated the combatants,
but for all that they had no chance of rising, so thickly had
they smeared their wings. Barbariccia, dejected like the rest
of his company, caused four of them to fly with their gaffs
toward the opposite side, and with all speed they descended
to their respective posts on either hand ; then they held out

¹ Ciampolo and the devils were high up on one side of the bolgia, and
the bank here spoken of was near the pitch on the opposite side ; this
bank would serve to screen the devils from the spirits whom it was pro
posed to call up. When their eyes were turned in that direction, Ciampolo
seizes the opportunity to plunge downward and escape.
 96 Hell XXII , 149- XXIII , 20

their hooks towards those sticking in the pitch, who were by

this time seething beneath the surface ; and in this predica
ment we left them.

CANTO XXIII. MALEBOLGE ; THE SIXTH

BOLGIA

The Poets In silence and solitude without escort we pursued our

escape from
the devils. way, one in front and the other following, as the Minorites¹
walk along the road. Through the recent wrangle my
thoughts were turned on Aesop's fable, where he told the
story of the frog and the mouse 2 , for ' now ' and ' at
present ' correspond not more closely than do these to each
other, if with attention due the beginning is rightly coupled
with the end. And as from one thought another springs
forth, so did that one anon give birth to a second, which
redoubled my former fear. I reflected on this wise : ' It is
our doing that these devils have been laughed to scorn, and
that too with such hurt and ridicule, that I trow it sorely
vexes them. If on their malice anger supervenes, they will
pursue us with greater fury than the hound doth the hare on
which he pounces.' Already I felt all my hair stand on end
through fright, and my attention was backward turned, when

1 The Franciscans, who were wont to walk in single file.

2 The fable, which passed for one of Aesop's, was that a mouse and
a frog came together to a river which they had to cross, and as the mouse
could not swim, the frog proposed to convey her across by tying her to
his leg during their passage the frog tried to drown the mouse, but at
this moment a kite swooped down and carried off the frog, setting the
mouse at liberty. The moral is, that a person who conspires against
another, as Alichino did against Ciampolo, may bring disaster upon
himself.
 Hell XXIII, 21-58 97

I said: Master, I am in fear of the Malebranche, if thou

dost not speedily conceal thyself and me ; even now they are
behind us : I picture them so to myself that I already feel
them .' And he : "Were I a mirror, I should not more im
mediately assimilate thine outward form, than I now receive
the image of thy mind. This very moment thy thoughts
associated themselves with mine, corresponding in point of
view and tone of feeling, so that from the two I evolved
a single purpose . If so be the hillside towards our right
slopes in such wise that we may descend into the next trench,
we shall escape from the pursuit which we anticipate.' He
had not finished setting forth this plan, when I saw them
coming on outspread wings, and not far off, with the design
of seizing us. My Leader in a moment caught me, like the
mother that is roused by the sound of cries, and sees close at
hand the blazing flames, who seizes her child and flies, and,
taking more thought for him than for herself, tarries not even
to put on an under-garment ; and from the summit of the
rude bank in a reclining posture he slid down the declivity of
rock, which encloses one side of the next trench. Never
so swiftly did water traverse a conduit, to turn the wheel of
a mill on land ', when it approaches nearest to the paddles,
as sped my Master along that bank, bearing me off on his
breast, not as his companion but his son. Scarcely had his
feet touched the surface of the bottom, when they were on
the hill right over us ; but at this point there was no cause
for fear, for the Providence supreme, who was pleased to
appoint them to the service of the fifth dike, deprives them
all of power to depart thence.
There below we found a painted folk, who were moving

' The mill on land is here distinguished from mills in rivers, where the
water flows below.
TOZER H
 l I 2
98 Hel XXII , 59-9

The sixth round with steps exceeding slow, shedding tears, and in their
bolgia, aspect weary and worn . Capes they wore with low cowls
of the
hypocrites; coming down in front of their eyes, in fashion resembling
the Frati
Godenti. those which for the monks in Cologne are made. Without
these are gilded, so that the effect is dazzling ; but within
they are all of lead , and so heavy, that, compared with
them, those which Frederic imposed 2 were light as straw.
O mantle burdensome to all eternity ! In their company we
turned once more, keeping ever to the left, and hearkening
to their sad laments ; but by reason of the weight that weary
folk came on so slowly, that every step brought us abreast of
fresh associates. Wherefore to my Leader I said : ' Prithee
discover some one distinguished by his deeds or name, and
as we walk cast thine eyes around.' And one who recognized
the speech of Tuscany exclaimed behind us : ' Moderate
your speed, ye that press onward so through the gloomy air ;
maybe from me thou wilt obtain thy wish.' Thereat my
Leader turned him, saying : " Wait ; and afterward in walking
keep to his pace.' I halted, and perceived two spirits, who
betrayed by their looks great impatience to join me, but their
burden and the crowded way retarded them. When they
reached me, long time with eyes askance they gazed at me,
nor spake a word ; at last, turning one to the other they
said : 6 From the movement of his throat this one seems to
be alive ; and if they be dead, through what immunity go
they on their way without the covering of the ponderous
robe ?' Then to me they said : ' Thou Tuscan, who art
come unto the assembly of the doleful hypocrites, disdain not

The contrast between the outer and the inner side of the capes
symbolizes the double-faced nature of hypocrisy, which is punished here.
2 The Emperor Frederic II was said to have put criminals to death by
placing them in leaden capes over a fire.
 Hell XXIII, 93-121 99

to tell us who thou art.' And I to them : ' In the great

city by the fair stream of Arno was I born and bred, and
I still wear the body which was ever mine. But who are ye,
over whose cheeks such grievous pain as I perceive drips.
down ? and what punishment is this which so clearly reveals
itself in you ?' And one of them replied : " The orange
tinted capes are so charged with lead, that the weight thereof
causes those who support them to emit these cries . Jolly
Friars we were, and of Bologna, myself named Catalano,
and this one Loderingo ; and by thy city were we two
associated to maintain her peace, whereto one man alone is
wont to be appointed ; of our conduct the evidence remains
near the Gardingo 2.'
"
I began : ' Ye Friars, your misdeeds · " but more Caiaphas .
I said not, for mine eyes were assailed by the sight of one
crucified with three stakes upon the ground . When he
beheld me, he writhed his whole frame, panting forth sighs
into his beard : and Friar Catalano, noticing that, said to me:
' He whom thou seest thus transfixed, gave counsel to the
Pharisees, that it was expedient to cause one man to suffer
for the people 3. Naked he lies across the road, as thou
seest, and he is doomed, when any passes, first to feel his
weight ; and similarly his father-in-law is tormented in this
¹ Their proper name was Cavalieri di Santa Maria, an Order of
Knighthood which was established with the object of reconciling feuds
and protecting the weak. They obtained the nickname of Frati Godenti
from their easy manner of life. The two here mentioned were invited to
Florence to exercise conjointly the office of Podestà, but by their hypocrisy
and peculation they forfeited all public confidence.
2 The destruction by the populace of a palace in this quarter of Florence
during their time of office testifies to the condition of the city under their
administration.
3 This was an act of hypocrisy on Caiaphas' part.
4 i. e. before he has passed.
H 2
100 Hell XXIII , 122- XXIV, 3

dike, and the other members of the council, which was for
the Jews a source of woes.' Then saw I Virgil marvel
at him who was so ignominiously extended in the form of
a cross in everlasting banishment . Anon he addressed the
Friar in the following words : Be pleased to tell us, if thou
mayst, whether toward the right there lies any passage,
whereby, without compelling the black angels to come to
deliver us from this gulf, we may both be able to go forth
from hence.' Thereto he replied : ' Nearer than thou ex
pectest there is a ridge of rock, which starts from the great
encircling wall, and crosses all the wild valleys, save that at
this one it is broken and doth not span it : ye will be able
to ascend over the fallen mass, which slopes at the side, and
at the bottom rises.' My Leader paused a moment pensively ;
then said he ' Ill did that other one explain the matter,
who grips with his hook the sinners yonder ¹.' And the
Friar : ' In Bologna 2 erewhile I heard vices manifold ascribed
to the Devil, and among them this —that he is a liar, and the
father of lies.' Thereupon with mighty strides my Leader
departed, his countenance overcast by a shade of anger ; so
I too quitted those burdened spirits, following the print of his
beloved feet.

CANTO XXIV. MALEBOLGE ; THE SEVENTH

BOLGIA

In that part of the early year, in which the sun tempers his
locks beneath Aquarius ³, and now the nights retire toward
1 Malacoda had said that the bridge was standing.
2 Catalano was a native of Bologna, in which city there was a School
of Theology.
3 In the latter part ofJanuary and the beginning of February, when the
sun is in Aquarius.
 Hell XXIV, 4-37 IOI

the south ; when the hoarfrost portrays on the ground her The ascent
of the
white sister's likeness, but the fine point of her pen doth not embank
last long ; the poverty-stricken rustic rises and looks round, ment.
and sees the country side a sheet of white, whereat he smites
his thigh, returns within doors and restlessly bewails him,
like a poor wretch who is at his wit's end ; anon he comes
back again and regains hope, when he sees that in a brief
space the world hath changed its aspect, and takes his staff
and drives his sheep forth to pasture : such dismay did my
Master cause me, when I saw his brow so overcast, and with
like speed was the remedy applied to the wound ; for when
we reached the ruined bridge, my Leader turned toward me
with that sweet look which I first beheld at the Mountain's
foot 3. Then , after taking counsel awhile with himself,
first contemplating well the broken mass, he opened wide his
arms and took hold of me. And even as one who deliberates
as he works, and seems ever to be taking thought beforehand,
so, while he lifted me up toward the summit of a vast block,
he was reconnoitring another crag, and said : ' Hold fast next
by that one, but first make trial whether it will bear thee.'
That was no path for one wearing the cape 5 , for, though my
Guide was light and I was lifted by him, hardly could we
clamber up from point to point of rock . And had it not
been that on that embankment the hillside was lower than on
the opposite one -for him I cannot speak, but for myself
I should have been quite foredone. But seeing that Male
I i, e. the nights shorten.
2 When the hoar-frost produces the effect of snow, but easily melts in
the sun.
3 The foot of the Mountain of Salvation, where Virgil first met Dante.
4 Virgil and Dante now climb up the embankment over the ruins of
the broken bridge.
5 The hypocrites are meant.
 102 Hell XXIV, 38-74

bolge slopes downward throughout toward the opening of the

lowest pit, the position of each trench brings it to pass that
one side is higher and the other lower ; and thus at last we
I
mounted to the point whence the last stone ¹ splits off.
The seventh The breath was so exhausted from my lungs when I reached
bolgia,
ofthe the summit, that I could no farther go ; nay, so soon as
thieves. 6
I arrived I sat me down. By such exertion it befits thee
now to shake off sloth, ' my Master said, ' for 'tis not by
reposing on down or beneath a coverlet that fame is attained ;
and he that without fame wastes away his life, leaves behind
on earth no more trace of himself than smoke in air or foam
on water. Rise then, o'ercome thy weariness by the spirit
which in every contest wins the day, if it fail not through the
burden of the flesh. Thou hast before thee a longer stairway2
to mount ; 'tis not sufficient to have escaped from these ; if
thou comprehendest me, see thou profit thereby.' Thereupon
I rose, feigning to be better supplied with breath than I felt
myself to be ; and I said : ' Proceed, for I am strong and
valiant .' We pursued our way over the rocky ridge, which
was rugged, narrow and difficult, and steeper far than the
former one. As we went I talked to conceal my lassitude ;
and anon from the next dike a voice proceeded, ill- suited to
form articulate words. What it said I know not, though
I was already on the summit of the arch which crosses here,
but the speaker appeared to be inflamed with rage. My looks
were downward turned, but owing to the darkness mine eyes,
being those of a living man, could not penetrate to the bottom;
wherefore I said : ' Master, haste thee to reach the next
embankment, and let us descend the escarpment, for, even as
I understand not what I hear from this point, so, when I look
I
sc. of the broken bridge.
2 The ascent of the Mountain of Purgatory.
 Hell XXIV, 75-106 103

down, I can distinguish nothing.' 'My only answer,' said

he, ' is compliance with thy wish ; to a praiseworthy request
deeds without words are the rightful complement.'
We descended from the head of the bridge, where it joins The
serpents.
the eighth bank, and then the trench was clearly revealed to
me ; and within it I beheld serpents, a dire multitude, and so
various in kind, that even now the recollection of them pines
2
my blood. No more let sandy Libya vaunt herself ; for,
if she gives birth to water-snakes and asps which dart, with
trailing adders and spotted and two-headed serpents, yet, even
with all Ethiopia to boot, and the region which borders on
the Red Sea, she never displayed plagues so many and so
dire. In the midst of this merciless and most fell swarm folk
were running naked and panic-stricken , without hope of shelter
ing cranny or magic stone 3. Behind their backs their hands
were bound by serpents ; these fixed in the loins their head
and tail, and were knotted together in front.
And lo ! one of them who was hard by our bank was Vanni
Fucci.
assailed by a snake, which transfixed him at the point where
the neck is attached to the shoulders. And never was O or
I so quickly written 4 , as he took fire and burnt, and turned
helplessly all to ashes where he fell ; and as he lay thus in
ruin on the ground, the dust reunited of itself, and instantly
resumed the same form. In such wise, as the most famous

The seventh bolgia, where the thieves are punished.

2
By Libya here is meant the Roman province of Africa, which lay to
the west of Egypt. The names of the serpents of that country which
Dante here gives are taken from Lucan, Phars. ix. 706 foll. The English
equivalents which appear in the translation are borrowed in the main from
the notes in Haskins' edition of that poem.
3 This was the stone called helio ope, which had the power of render
ing the wearer invisible.
4 These letters can be written with a single stroke of the pen.
 I04 Hell XXIV, 107-140

sages testify, the phoenix dies, and anon is born again, when
it draws nigh to its five hundredth year : in its lifetime it
feeds not on herbs or grain, but only on tears of frankincense
and amomum ; and spikenard and myrrh are its winding sheet
at last. And even as one who falls and knows not how,
overpowered by an evil spirit which drags him down to
earth ' , or by other obstruction which impedes a man ; and
when he rises doth gaze around him, all bewildered by the
dire agony which he hath undergone, and as he looks emits
sighs : such was the sinner when thereafter he arose. Ah!
how stern is the might of God, which in retribution rains
down such-like blows !
His My Leader then inquired of him who he was ; and he
prophecy.
replied : From Tuscany no long time since I was hurled
down into this wild gorge. I loved the life of a brute, not
that of a man, like a mule that I was ; I am Vanni Fucci²,
a beast, and Pistoia was my worthy den .' And I to my
Leader : ' Bid him not to shirk, and inquire what sin it was
that brought him here below, for I have known him as a man
of blood and fury.' On hearing this, the sinner made no
pretence, but fixed his eyes attentively upon me, while the sad
hue of shame overspread his face : anon he said : ' Greater
grief is mine that thou hast found me in the misery wherein
thou seest me, than when I was banished from the former
life. That which thou desirest of me I cannot refuse : it is
because I robbed the richly ornamented sacristy ³ that I am
placed so deep below- a deed which erewhile was falsely
imputed to another. But, that thou mayst not rejoice in
I Cp. Luke
ix. 42.
2 A violent partisan of the Black Guelfs in Pistoia.
3 The sacristy of St. James in the church of San Zeno in Pistoia ; for
this crime another man was hanged.
 Hell XXIV, 141 — XXV , 12 105

having seen me thus, if ever thou dost emerge from the realms
of darkness, open thine ears to mine announcement, and
hearken. Pistoia first is depopulated of Black Guelfs ; anon
Florence changes her families and her fashions ' . Mars
draws from Val di Magra a mist shrouded in wild clouds ² ,
and with the rush of a fierce tempest on the field of Piceno
an engagement will be fought ; whereupon he will straightway
burst the cloud, so that thereby every White Guelf will be
wounded : and this I have told thee, that thou mayst have
whereat to grieve. '

CANTO XXV . MALEBOLGE ; THE SEVENTH

BOLGIA

As he ceased to speak the robber upraised his hands with Vanni Fucci
is mastered
both the thumbs protruding, and cried : " Take that, thou by two
God, for at thee do I level them .' From that time forth serpents.
serpents were endeared to me, for one of them at that
moment twined itself round his throat, as if to say : ' Not
a word more shalt thou speak ' ; and another round his arms,
and bound him fast, clinching itself so tight in front, that he
could not make a jerk with them. Ah ! Pistoia, Pistoia,
why delayest thou to reduce thyself to ashes and thus cease
to be, seeing thou surpassest in wickedness the seed whence

In May, 1301 , the Black Guelfs were driven out of Pistoia ; in

November, 1301, the White Guelfs were driven out of Florence by Charles
of Valois.
2 Themist ' is Moroello Malaspina, through whose territory, the
Lunigiana in the north-west ofTuscany, the river Macra flowed. He was
captain of the Florentine Black Guelfs, when in company with the
Lucchesi in 1302 they attacked Pistoia, which was then occupied by the
Whites.
 106 Hell XXV , 13-40

thou art sprung ' . Throughout the dark Circles of Hell no

spirit did I see so defiant toward God ; no, not even him
who was flung down from the walls of Thebes 2. He took
to flight, nor spake a word more ; and I beheld a Centaur
approaching full of fury, who shouted : Where, where is the
malefactor ? ' The Maremma, I ween, hath not so many
snakes as he had on his hindquarters, up to the point where
the human form begins . On his shoulders at the back of the
neck a dragon lay with wings outspread, which sets on fire
whatsoever it meets. 'He,' my Master said, ' is Cacus, who
beneath the rock on the Aventine Hill ofttimes created a pool
of blood. He follows not the same track with his brethren³,
by reason of his fraudulent theft of the mighty drove of oxen
which was in his neighbourhood ; from which cause his wily
deeds came to an end beneath the club of Hercules, who
haply gave him a hundred blows therewith, though he felt not
even ten 5.
A serpent While he thus spake the other hastened by, and three
and a man 6
blended into spirits came on beneath us, of whose presence neither I nor
one form . my Leader was ware, until they exclaimed : ' Who are ye ? '
whereupon our discourse ceased, and after that we gave heed
to them alone. I recognized them not ; but it came to pass

It was believed that Pistoia was founded by the remains of Catiline's

army.
2 Capaneus ; Inf. xiv. 46.
3 The other Centaurs in the Circle of the violent , Inf. xii. 55 foll. The
idea that Cacus was a Centaur was, however, an error on Dante's
part.
4 Cacus stole the cattle of Hercules ; Virg. Aen. viii. 193 foll.
5 Because he was dead first.
These are three Florentine thieves, Agnello Brunelleschi, Buoso degli
Abati , and Puccio Sciancato. Cianfa, who is mentioned immediately
below, was one of the Donati family, and a housebreaker ; he appears as
the serpent with six feet.
 Hell XXV, 41–81 107

-as by some accident a thing doth happen- that one had

occasion to name another, when he said : "Where hath
Cianfa remained behind ? ' Accordingly, that my Leader
might give attention, from my chin upward to my nose I laid
my finger. Reader, if now thou art slow to believe what
I tell thee, 'twill be no marvel, for I who saw it hardly admit
its truth . While I was keeping mine eyes intent on them,
lo ! a serpent with six feet darted in front of one of them,
and attached itself completely to him. It infolded his
Capaunch with its middle feet, and caught his arms with those
in front ; then in either cheek it fixed its teeth. The hinder
feet it extended to his thighs, and between these it passed its
retail, stretching it upward behind over the loins. Never was
ivy attached so closely to a tree, as round the other's limbs
the dire monster twined its own. Thereafter they adhered
together, as if they had been warm wax, and mingled their
colours, neither whereof now retained its former appearance ;
like as, when paper burns, there spreads over it in front of
by₁=
the flame a brown hue, which is not yet black, though the
The white tint is disappearing. The other two were looking on,
and both exclaimed : ' Ah me, Agnello, how thou art
Ca changing ! behold, now thou art neither two nor one.'
Already had the two heads become one, when we perceived
2005
two countenances combined to form a single face, wherein
the two were lost . The arms from being four strips of flesh
became two ; the thighs and legs, the belly and the chest,
erro took the form of limbs such as never before were seen.
Every original feature was there effaced : the unnatural figure
appeared to be both, yet neither of the two, and in such guise
with tardy steps it went its way.
oned Even as a lizard, when beneath the great heat of the dog- A serpent
days it shifts from hedge to hedge, seems a lightning flash, if and a man
 108 Hell XXV, 82-113

interchange it crosses the road : such, as it came on against the other two,
forms.
toward their belly, did a small infuriated serpent ' appear,
which was livid and black as is a peppercorn. And one of
2
them it pierced at that part whereby our nutriment is first
received ³, and then falling down it extended itself in front of
him. The spirit thus pierced gazed at him, yet spake no
word ; but halted and yawned, as if attacked by drowsiness.
or fever. His eyes were fixed on the serpent, and the
serpent's on him ; the one from his wound, the other from
his mouth, emitted a strong jet of smoke, and these two came
in contact. Now let Lucan be mute, nor tell the tale of the
ill-fated Sabellus and Nassidius 4, but give ear to that which
is about to be disclosed . Let Ovid be mute concerning
Cadmus and Arethusa 5 ; for if in his poetry he changes him
into a serpent and her into a fountain, I envy him not : for
never did he transform two natures face to face in such wise,
that both the persons were able to change their substance.
They corresponded one to other in such fashion, that the
serpent cleft its tail forkwise, and the wounded spirit drew
his feet together into one. His legs, thighs and all,
adhered so closely to each other, that presently the joining left
no visible trace. The form that there was lost the serpent's
forked tail assumed, and its skin became soft, and that of the
other hard. I saw his arms close in at the armpits, and
in proportion as they shrank, the monster's two feet, which
were short, lengthen out. Thereafter its hind feet, twisted
This, as we learn at the end of the Canto, is Francesco Guercio de'
Cavalcanti.
2 Buoso degli Abati. 3 The navel.
4 Two soldiers in Cato's army who died from the bites of serpents in
Libya ; Lucan, Phars. ix. 761 foll.
5 The change of Cadmus into a snake is described in Ovid, Met. iv.
563 foll.; that of Arethusa into a fountain in v. 572 foll.
 Hell XXV, 114-150 109

together, became the member which man conceals, and from

his own the poor wretch had put forth two such feet. While
the smoke was vesting both of them with an unwonted hue,
and causing the hair to grow on the surface of the one figure,
and removing it from the other, that one rose up, and this
one fell to earth ; yet for all that they withdrew not from
each other their baleful eyes, through the influence of which
they were interchanging their muzzles. He that was standing
drew his in the direction of the temples, and through the
excess of matter which came thitherward the ears issued from
the flat cheeks ; then, the matter which did not run back
ward, but stayed, formed with that superfluity a nose for the
face, and enlarged the lips to their befitting size. He that
was on the ground protrudes his muzzle, and draws back his
ears within his head, as the snail doth its horns ; and his
tongue, which ere this was undivided and prompt to speak,
cleaves in twain, while the forked tongue of the other closes
up, and the smoke ceases. The spirit that had been changed
into a monster fled hissing along the valley, and the other
followed him sputtering as he spake. Anon he turned on
him his newly assumed back, and said to the other¹ : ' I
will that Buoso run, as I have done, on all fours along
this path.'
Thus did I see the seventh vile gang change to and fro ;
and here let its strangeness be my excuse, if my pen be
somewhat at fault. And albeit mine eyes were a whit
confused, and my mind bewildered, they could not escape
so secretly, that I should fail clearly to recognize Puccio
Sciancato ; and he was the one who, alone of the three
companions that came at the first, had undergone no change :

¹ Guercio turned his back on Buoso, and said to Puccio, & c .

 IIO Hell XXV, 151— XXVI , 18

the other was he by reason of whom, Gaville, thou dost

mourn ¹.

CANTO XXVI . MALEBOLGE ; THE EIGHTH

BOLGIA

The Florence, rejoice, in that thou art so great, that thou

ignominy wavest thy wings over land and sea, and through Hell thy
of Florence.
name is widely known. Among the robbers five of thy
citizens, men of such rank, I found, whereby I am humiliated,
and thou dost rise to no high honour. But if at the approach
of morn dreams are true 2, within no long time thou wilt be
aware of that which Prato ³ , not to say others, covets for
thee. And had it come already it were not too soon.
O that it had, since come in sooth it must, for it will lie
heavier upon me, the more I advance in years. We departed
thence ; and over the stairs, which the juts of rock had made
for us to descend before, my Master mounted again, drawing
me after him and as we followed the solitary way between
the crags and the blocks of the line of rock 4 , without the
help of the hands the feet made no progress .

* Guercio was killed by some people of Gaville in the upper Valdarno,

and in consequence of this his relations slew many of the inhabitants of
that place.
2 Dante apparently means that coming events are now casting their
shadows before them ; the signs of the times point that way. He antici
pates misfortunes as about to fall on Florence as a judgement for the
immorality of her citizens.
3 Perhaps the reason why Prato in particular is here mentioned among
the enemies of Florence is, that shortly before this time Florence had been
laid under an interdict by Cardinal Niccolò da Prato, in consequence ofthe
failure of the mission on which he had been sent thither by Benedict XI.
4 The line which crosses the embankments and forms the bridges.
 Hell XXVI, 19-50 ILI

At that time I grieved, and now my grief is renewed, The eighth

bolgia,
whensoever I reflect on what I then beheld ; and I curb my
genius more than is my wont, that it may not go astray from fraudulent
counsellors ;
virtue's guidance ; so that, if a favouring star, or a Higher the en
Power, hath vouchsafed to me that good gift, I may not veloping
flames.
cause myself to forfeit it¹ . Many as are the fireflies which,
in the season when he who illuminates the world keeps his
face least hidden from us 2 , what time the fly gives place to
the gnat ³, the rustic reposing on the hillside sees beneath him
in the valley-there haply where he gathers his grapes or
ploughs the fields ; so many were the flames wherewith from
side to side the eighth trench glittered, as I was ware so
soon as I reached a point where the bottom was visible.
And even as he who avenged him by the bears + beheld
Elijah's chariot departing, when the horses rose aloft to
heaven ; for his eyes as they followed it failed to see aught
else than the flame alone, ascending on high like a tiny
cloud : in such wise did each move along the hollow of the
defile, for none of them gives token of what it conceals, and
every flame keeps a sinner in hiding.
I was standing on the bridge uprisen to look , so that, had Ulysses and
Diomede.
I not clutched a block of stone, without any to push me
I should have fallen below ; and my Leader, seeing me thus
absorbed, said : " The spirits are within the flames ; each of
them is wrapped in that wherewith he is on fire.' ' My
Master,' I replied, ' through hearing thee I am more assured,
' In this bolgia Dante sees conspicuous instances of the punishment
of men of great ability ; from these he draws the moral for his own
guidance.
2 In the summer season.
3 In the late evening.
4 Elisha, who caused the bears to tear the children who mocked him ;
2 Kings ii. 23, 24.
II 2 Hell XXVI , 51-75

but ere that I opined that such was the case, and already
I was desirous to ask thee : Who is within that flame,
which draws nigh with its point so parted, that it might seem
to be rising from the pyre whereon Eteocles and his brother
were laid¹ ? ' He replied to me : ' Within there Ulysses
and Diomede are tormented ; and they go in company to
meet their punishment, as they did to vent their fury2 and
within their flame is expiated the ambush of the horse, which
opened the gate whence the noble stock of the Romans
proceeded ³. There the stratagem is avenged, by reason of
which Deidamia, though dead, still laments for Achilles ' ;
there too the penalty of the Palladium 5 is borne.' " If within
that blazing fire they can speak,' said I, ' with all my heart,
Master, I pray thee once and again, so that my prayer
have the force of a thousand prayers, not to refuse to wait
till the horned flame comes hither ; thou seest how in my
longing I reach out towards it.' And he to me : 'Praise
worthy indeed is thy request, and therefore I approve it ; but
see thou keep thy tongue in check. Leave it to me to speak,
inasmuch as I comprehend thy wish ; for haply, since they
were Greeks, they would be shy of thine address.'

When the bodies of the twin brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, who
killed one another in single combat, were placed on the same pyre, they
refused to commingle their ashes, so that two separate flames went up
from them.
2 Their deeds of violence during the capture of Troy are referred to.
3 The stratagem of the wooden horse caused the capture of Troy, the
result of which was the departure of Aeneas for Italy, and the foundation
of the Roman state.
4 Ulysses and Diomede artfully persuaded Achilles to leave Scyros and
take part in the Trojan war ; and in consequence of this Deidamia, the
daughter of the king of Scyros, who was in love with him , died of
grief.
5 The tutelary statue of Athena, which was carried off by them .
 Hell XXVI, 76-113 113

So soon as the flame had reached the spot, where my The story,
Leader deemed the time and place to be suitable, in the death. of Ulysses'

following terms I heard him speak : ' Ye two who are within
a single flame, if in my lifetime I merited aught from you, if
what I merited from you was much or little, when in the
world I wrote my sublime poem ' , stay your steps, and let
one of you declare, where, after having lost his way, he went
to meet his death .' The larger horn of that ancient flame ²
began to wave itself with murmuring sound, like a flame
that is vexed by the wind. Anon, swaying its extremity to
and fro, as if it were the tongue which spake, it emitted
a voice and said : " When I quitted Circe, who for a year and
more kept me in seclusion near Gaeta, before Aeneas so
named the spot ³, neither my fondness for my son, nor my
aged sire's distress, nor the affection due which should have
rejoiced Penelope's heart, availed to overpower within me my
eagerness to win experience of the world, and of the virtues
and vices of mankind ; but I started on the expanse of the
deep sea with a single vessel, and with that small company
who had not deserted me. Both coasts I saw as far as
Spain and Morocco, and I saw the Sardinians' isle, and the
others whose shores are laved by that sea. I and my com
panions were old and weary, when we reached the narrow
strait where Hercules set up his boundary-marks , to the end
that no man should proceed beyond ; on my right hand I left
Seville behind, and on the opposite side Ceuta had already
receded from my view. " O brothers," I cried, " ye who
through dangers innumerable have reached the west, grudge

IThe Aeneid, in which he had commemorated them.

2Ulysses.
3After Caieta, his nurse ; Virg. Aen. vii. 1-4.
4The Pillars of Hercules, Calpe and Abyla.
TOZER I
 114 Hell XXVI , 114- XXVII , 4

not to the too brief waking-time of our senses which still

remains, to win, by following in the sun's wake, the know
ledge of the uninhabited world. Bethink you of your origin;
ye were not created to live the life of brutes, but to pursue
virtue and intelligence. " By this brief address I made my
companions so eager for the voyage, that hardly after that
Icould I have restrained them ; and turning our stern toward
the morn we sped our mad flight with oars for wings, ever
trending more and more to the left hand¹ . Already did
the eye of night behold all the stars of the other pole, and
our pole so low that it rose not above the sea level . Five
times was the light kindled, and as often quenched, on the
under side of the moon since the commencement of our
perilous passage, when there met our view a mountain ²2 dim
by reason of the distance, the like of which in height methought
I had never seen. Joy filled our hearts, but soon it was
turned to mourning, for from the newly discovered land
a whirlwind arose, which smote the forepart of the vessel.
Thrice with a rush of waters it whirled it round ; at the
fourth onset the stern was raised on high and the prow sank
beneath, as a Higher Power willed, until the sea closed
over us.'

CANTO XXVII . MALEBOLGE ; THE EIGHTH

BOLGIA
Guido da The flame was now erect and still, its address being con
Monte
feltro. cluded, and was departing from us with the beloved Poet's
permission, when another that followed behind attracted our

I The two statements here imply that their course lay south-westward.
2 The Mountain of Purgatory is probably meant, which was regarded
by Dante as rising from the ocean at a point antipodal to Jerusalem.
 Hell XXVII, 5-30 IIS

eyes towards its tip by a confused sound which proceeded

therefrom. As the Sicilian bull —whose first roar arose
(and justly too) from the anguish of him who had shaped it
with his file-bellowed with the sufferer's voice, so that, for
all it was of bronze, it seemed notwithstanding to be agonized
with pain similarly, from having no passage or vent, the
woful words were converted by the element of fire into its
language 2. But after they had made their way upward
through the point of the flame, imparting to it that vibration,
which the tongue had given them in their passage through the
mouth, we heard as follows : ' O thou, toward whom I direct
my voice, and who wast speaking but now the Lombard
tongue, when thou saidst : " Now go thy way, I urge thee
399
no more to speak : let it not vex thee, because I have per
chance arrived somewhat late, to stop and speak with me : thou
seest that it vexes not me, though I am burning. If thou
hast recently fallen into this blind world from the sweet land
of Italy, which is the origin of all my sin, tell me whether in
the Romagna there is peace or war ; for I came from the
mountains between Urbino and the chain whence the Tiber
issues 5.'

The brazen bull made by Perillus for Phalaris, tyrant of Agrigentum

in Sicily, in which the human victim could be burnt, so that his cries
resembled the bellowing of a bull. Perillus was the first victim who met
this fate.
2-i. e. into a rushing sound.
3 Virgil is spoken of above as having dismissed Ulysses ; as a native of
Mantua he is supposed to use the Lombard dialect.
+ Romagna was the country between the Po and the Apennines in one
direction, and Bologna and the Adriatic in the other.
5 The speaker is Guido da Montefeltro, the leader of the Ghibellines
in Romagna, and one of the ablest military commanders of his time.
Montefeltro was a mountainous district on the northern side of the
Apennines towards Urbino.
I 2
 116 Hell XXVII , 31-57

He inquires I was already bending down to listen, when my Leader

about the touched
Romagna. my side and said : ' Be it thy part to speak, this one
is an Italian .' And I, who ere this was ready with my reply,
6
delayed not, but thus began : Thou spirit that art in con
cealment below, thy Romagna is not, nor ever was, free from
feuds in its tyrants' hearts, but open war there was none when
I departed. Ravenna is as for many years it hath been ; there
the eagle of Polenta doth brood, so that it covers Cervia with
its wings . The city which erewhile endured the long siege,
and raised a bloody heap of the French corpses, abides
beneath the lordship of the green paws 2. The old and the
young mastiff of Verrucchio, who disposed ill of Montagna,
make augers of their teeth where such is their wont ³. The
cities on the Lamone and the Santerno are ruled by the lion's
cub on the white field , who between summer and winter
changes sides ; and that town whose flank the Savio laves ,
even as it lies between the plain and the mountains, lives
between tyranny and free estate. Now I beseech thee totell
us who thou art ; be not less compliant than other spirits have
been, so may thy name maintain itself in the world above.'

I The counts of Polenta, whose arms were an eagle, were now lords
of Ravenna. Cervia was a town on the coast south of Ravenna.
2 Forlì in 1282 endured a long siege by the French troops sent against
it by Pope Martin IV, until they were defeated by Guido da Montefeltro.
A green lion was the arms of the Ordelaffi, who were lords of Forli
in 1300.
3 Malatesta da Verrucchio and his son Malatestino were tyrannical
lords of Rimini. Montagna de' Parcitati, a Ghibelline chieftain, was
murdered in prison by Malatestino.
4 Faenza on the Lamone and Imola on the Santerno were governed
by Maghinardo Pagani, whose arms were a lion azure on a white field.
5 This means that he was a Guelf in Tuscany and a Ghibelline in
Romagna.
6 Cesena .
 Hell XXVII, 58-91 I 17

When the flame after its manner had roared awhile, it His sin, and
moved its sharp point hither and thither, and finally breathed what befel
him after
forth the following words : ' Did I conceive that the person death.
to whom mine answer was addressed would ever return to the
world, this flame should stand still nor vibrate more ; but
whereas from this depth, if what I hear is true, no one hath
ever returned alive, without fear of infamy I reply to thee.
A man of arms I was, and thereafter I became a Franciscan,
thinking by wearing the cord to make amends ; and verily
my purpose would have been fulfilled, had it not been for the
High Priest -may ruin seize him ! —who brought me back
to my former sins ; and how this befell, and why, I would
have thee hear. While I was the spirit that quickened the
flesh and bones which I received from my mother, my deeds
were not those of the lion, but of the fox. Shrewd plans and
underhand ways I knew them all ; and so skilfully did
I practise them, that to the ends of the earth the fame thereof
went forth. When I found that I had reached the stage of
my life, at which every one should lower his sails and take
in the shrouds, that which before was my pleasure gave me
pain, and after repentance and confession I became a monk ;
ah woe is me ! that would have been my deliverance. It
was the leader of the modern Pharisees, who, when waging
war, not with Saracens or Jews, but hard by the Lateran 2—
for all his foes were Christians, nor had any of them been
engaged in conquering Acre 3, or trafficking in the Soldan's
territories * —neither regarded in his own person his supreme

¹ Pope Boniface VIII ; he is called ' the leader of the modern Pharisees'
below.
2 i.e. with the Colonna nily, who dwelt near St. John Lateran.
3 Acre was captured by the Saracens in 1291 .
4 This traffic was now confined to the Jews.
118 Hell XXVII , 92-122

office or his Holy Orders, nor in me the cord which was

wont to emaciate its wearers. But, as Constantine sought
out Sylvester in the recesses of Soracte to cure him of his
leprosy, so did he seek out me as his director to cure him
of his fever of pride , asking counsel of me, the while I held
my peace, for his words appeared intemperate. Thereafter
he said : " Let not thy heart misgive thee ; from this time
forth I absolve thee, and do thou instruct me how to over
throw Palestrina . "Tis mine, thou knowest, both to lock
and to unlock heaven, for which reason the keys, which my
predecessor valued little 3 , are two in number." Then byhis
weighty arguments was I driven to the conclusion that to hold
my peace was the worse counsel, and I said : " Father, since
thou dost absolve me from the sin into which I am now about
to fall-by promising much and fulfilling little thou wilt
triumph on thy lofty throne. " Anon, when I was dead,
Francis came in quest of me ; but one of the black Cherubim
said to him : " Forbear to take him ; do me no wrong. It is
his lot to descend among my minions, because of the fraudulent
counsel which he gave ; from which time until now I have
been in waiting to seize him ; for he that doth not repent
cannot he absolved, and repentance cannot coexist with the
desire to commit the sin, by reason of the contradiction
which doth not admit thereof." O wretched me, how
I shuddered when he clutched me, saying : " Maybe thou

The story was that, when Constantine was suffering from a leprosy,
he was recovered from it by Pope Sylvester in his retreat in a cave on
Mount Soracte. Similarly Guido was in retirement in the Franciscan
convent at Assisi, when Boniface applied to him .
2 This was at this time a fortress of the Colonna. It was afterwards
surrendered by them under promise of an amnesty, whereupon Boniface
razed it to the ground.
3 The reference is to Celestine the Fifth's abdication.
 Hell XXVII , 123- XXVIII , 10 119

didst not bethink thee that I was a logician ! "" Unto Minos
he bore me ; and he wound his tail eight times round his
rugged back, and after biting it in excess of fury exclaimed :
"This one is condemned to the thievish I flame." Hence
it is, that this place which thou seest is the scene of my
doom, and that in this garb I walk in misery.' His tale
being thus concluded, the flame departed with sounds of woe,
writhing and agitating its pointed horn. We passed onward,
my Leader and I, over the line of rock as far as the next
bridge, which spans the dike wherein the penalty is paid by
those, who by sowing discord lay a burden on themselves.

CANTO XXVIII. MALEBOLGE ; THE NINTH

BOLGIA

Who, who could fully describe even with untrammelled The ninth
words 2 the blood and the wounds which now I saw, though bolgia,
of the
he ofttimes rehearsed the tale 3 ? Assuredly every tongue propagators
of discord.
would fall short of the task, by reason of our speech and our
intellect, the capacity whereof is all too small to embrace so
wide a field. If all the folk were reassembled, who erst
in Apulia, that fateful land, bewailed their blood , which was
shed both by the Trojans 5 , and during the protracted war,
11
¹i.e . which hides its prey.
2 In prose.
3 The ninth bolgia contains the schismatics and propagators of discord,
who are gashed with a sword by a devil, in recompense for their having
caused disunion among mankind.
4 Dante proceeds to say, that the carnage which he beheld here
exceeded the sum of all the blood shed in southern Italy (Apulia) on five
occasions which were famous in history.
5 Under Aeneas .
 I 20 Hell XXVIII , 11-33

wherein the spoil of the rings was heaped so high, as Livy's

truthful pen records : and those withal who suffered from
their wounds because they made head against Robert
Guiscard 2 ; and the other folk, whose bones are still piled at
Ceperano, where the Apulians to a man were faithless 3, and
at Tagliacozzo, where without arms old Erard won the
day : and if some of these victims showed how their limbs
were pierced, others how they were cut off, that would be
nothing to compare with the noxious sight of the ninth
trench.
Mahomet. Never from the loss of centre-piece or side-piece was cask
so rifted, as one whom I saw cleft from his chin down to the
passage of the wind : between his legs his • entrails depended ;
the vitals were exposed to view, and —gruesome sight !—the
pouch where that which is swallowed is converted into
ordure. While mine eyes were completely fastened on him,
he regarded me, and opened his breast with his hands,
saying : ' See now how I rend myself ; see how mutilated is
Mahomet. In front of me Ali 5 goes on his way lamenting,
with his visage cleft from the chin to the forelock ; and all

In the second Punic war, including the battle of Cannae.

2 The Greeks and Saracens, who were slain by the Normans under
Robert Guiscard in the eleventh century.
3 The Apulians were to have defended Ceperano on the Liris against
Charles of Anjou, but deserted their post. The battle and massacre,
however, which are here referred to, took place, not at Ceperano but at
Benevento, where Manfred was defeated in 1266.
4 At Tagliacozzo Conradin, Manfred's nephew, was defeated by
Charles of Anjou, whose success on this occasion was due to the advice
of Erard de Valéry.
5 The two great Mahometan sects, the Shiites and the Sunnites, are
divided on the question whether Ali was or was not the rightful successor
to Mahomet in the Caliphate. Hence Ali is regarded as a source of
schism.
 Hell XXVIII, 34-68 121

the rest whom thou beholdest here were in their lifetime

sowers of dissension and schism, and for this cause are they
• thus rent . In our rear there is a devil who thus cruelly
disfigures us, putting anew to the sword's edge each member
of this gang, when we have made the circuit of the dolorous
road, since the wounds close up again ere any of us reappears
in his presence . But who art thou that musest on the rock
bridge, maybe to delay thy entering on the punishmenť which
is ordained for the crimes thou hast confessed ? ' ' Death
6
hath not yet overtaken him,' my Master replied, nor doth
guilt conduct him to torment ; but, that he may be equipped
with full experience, I who am dead am appointed to guide
him here below from Circle to Circle of Hell : and this is
as true as that I speak to thee.' On hearing these words
a hundred spirits and more halted in the dike to gaze at me,
forgetting their agony in their wonderment. 'Do thou then,
who haply wilt ere long behold the sun, bear word to Fra
Dolcino, that, if he desires not to follow me hither speedily,
he should so provision himself, that a deep snow-fall may not
procure the victory for Novara's sons, which otherwise it
would be no easy task to win ¹.' These words did Mahomet
address to me, after lifting one foot with a view to starting ;
at their conclusion he set it on the ground to depart.
Another, whose throat was pierced, and his nose cut off Pier da
up to the eyebrows, and who had but one ear, having halted Medicina.
together with the others to gaze in wonder, in front of his

¹ Fra Dolcino was the leader of a sect of fanatical religious reformers

at the end of the thirteenth century. When Clement V in 1305 issued
a Bull for the extirpation of the sect, he and his followers withdrew to
the hills between Novara and Vercelli, where they occupied a strong
position ; but they were ultimately forced to surrender owing to failure
of provisions and a great fall of snow.
 I 22 Hell XXVIII , 69-93

company opened his windpipe, which outwardly was blood

stained on either side, and said : " Thou, who art not
condemned for any crime, and whom, if a strange likeness
deceive me not, I have seen above in the land of Italy,
bethink thee of Pier da Medicina ' , if ever thou revisitest the
fair plain which from Vercelli slopes downward to Marcabò² :
and intimate to the two best citizens of Fano,. Messer Guido
and Angiolello, that, if our power of foresight here is not
delusive , they shall be cast forth from their vessel, tied in
a sack, near La Cattolica, through a fell tyrant's treachery ³.
From the isle of Cyprus to Majorca never did Neptune see
so dire an outrage committed by pirates or by Argive folk 5.
The traitor who sees with but one eye 6, and possesses the city
which one in my company here would be glad never to have
beheld , will induce them to come to parley with him ; anon
he will bring it to pass that neither vows nor prayers against
the wind of Focara will be needed for them 8.'
Curio. And I to him : ' If thou desirest that I should bear news
of thee to the world above, point out to me and explain who
he is, to whom the sight he saw is painful.' Then laid he

He kept alive the strife between the families of Polenta and Mala
testa. Thus, like the other persons who are now introduced, he is an
example of promoters of political discord.
2 The plain of Lombardy, towards the head of which Vercelli lies,
while Marcabò is situated near the mouths of the Po.
3 They were invited by Malatestino of Rimini to a conference at the
coast-town of La Cattolica, and were caused by him to be drowned by
the sailors on their way thither.
4 i. e. throughout the Mediterranean.
5 The early Greek settlers in Italy were regarded as brigands.
6 Malatestino.
Rimini ; this is explained below.
They would be drowned before reaching the headland of Focara
near La Cattolica, which was dangerous owing to its storms.
 Hell XXVIII, 91-122 123

his hand on the jaw of one of his companions, and opened

his mouth, crying : ' This is he, but he doth not speak.
This man, being banished, extinguished the doubt in Caesar's
mind, by affirming that he who is prepared doth ever lose
if he endures to wait.' Ah ! how scared did he appear to
me, his tongue being severed within his throat- that Curio ¹ ,
who was so bold in speech !
Then one who had both his hands cut off, uplifting the Mosca
Lamberti.
stumps in the dusky air, so that the blood befouled his face,
exclaimed : Bethink thee of Mosca too -of me, who said,
alas ! " A deed once done hath an end " ; which words
were to the Tuscan folk a seed of ill 2.' ' And it was death
withal to thy race, ' I subjoined ; whereat he, accumulating
grief on grief, departed like a distraught and anguished soul .
But I remained to watch the troop, and I beheld a thing, Bertrand
de Born.
which on my own authority without further evidence I should
fear to narrate, were it not that my conscience emboldens me,
that trusty companion which inspires a man with confidence
beneath the breastplate of the sense of right. In sooth I saw
—and even now I seem to see it—a headless body walking,
like the others of that gloomy band ; and by the hair he was
holding the severed head suspended in his hand like a lantern,
1
Lucan, whom Dante is here following, says that after Caesar had
crossed the Rubicon he was joined at Ariminum ( Rimini) by Curio, who
urged him to advance, saying, ' Tolle moras ; semper nocuit differre
paratis.'
2
The story is this. Buondelmonte, a young Florentine nobleman ,
was betrothed to a lady of the Amidei family, but married instead
a daughter of the Donati. When the Amidei were consulting how they
could best avenge themselves for this insult, Mosca Lamberti used the
words here mentioned, by which he meant, ‘ Death settles a matter once
for all,' and accordingly Buondelmonte was murdered. The ultimate
result of this was that the Buondelmonti took the lead of the Guelf, the
Amidei of the Ghibelline faction in Florence.
 I 24 Hell XXVIII , 123 -XXIX, 9

and it gazed at us, and said : ' Oh me ! ' He used himself

as a light to guide him, and they were two in one, and one in
two : how that can be, He knows who ordains it so . When
he was just at the foot of the bridge, he lifted his arm on
high, holding the head, so as to bring nearer to us his words,
which were as follows : 6 Behold now my direful punishment,
thou who still breathing goest thy way to view the dead ;
consider whether any other doom is like unto this : and that
thou mayst bear tidings of me, know that I am Bertrand
de Born, the man who gave the Young King the wrongful
encouragement ¹. Between father and son I excited enmity ;
Ahithophel 2 did not more so between Absalom and David
by his malignant incentives. Because I severed persons so
closely united, I bear my brain severed alas ! from its origin
in this trunk. Thus in my case is the law of retaliation
observed.'

CANTO XXIX. MALEBOLGE ; THE TENTH

BOLGIA

Geri del The multitude of folk and their manifold wounds had so
Bello.
inebriated mine eyes that they longed to pause and weep ;
6
but Virgil said to me : Why art thou absorbed in gazing?
why are thy looks wholly riveted on the sad mutilated
shades below ? This hath not been thy wont in the other
trenches. Bethink thee, if thou mindest to tell their number,
that the circuit of the valley is two and twenty miles ; and

I He supported the younger Henry, eldest son of Henry II of England,

against his father. The younger Henry was called ' the Young King '
because he was crowned during his father's lifetime.
2 2 Sam. xv. 12 foll.
 Hell XXIX, 10-45 125

already the moon is beneath our feet : the time allotted to us

is now brief, and there is more to see beyond what thou
beholdest.' Thereupon I answered : ' Hadst thou given
heed to the reason of my looking, maybe thou wouldst have
vouchsafed me a still longer stay.' Meanwhile my Leader
went his way, and I was following him even while I thus
replied ; anon I added : " Within that hollow place, whereon
but now mine eyes were fixed so attentively, methinks a
spirit of my race is lamenting the sin, for which in those
depths so dire a penalty is paid.' Then said my Master :
‫ره‬ 'Trouble not thyself henceforth about him ; give heed to
other things , and let him be : for from the foot of the bridge
I saw him point at thee, and threaten violently with his
finger ; and Geri del Bello ' I heard him named. Thou at
that moment wast so wholly engrossed with him who ere
while held Altaforte 2, that thou didst not look that way ; so
he passed on.' ' O Leader mine,' I said, ' it was his
violent death, which is not yet avenged by any that is affected
by the indignity, that made him contemptuous ; this in my
judgement was the reason why he departed without speaking
to me ; and by so doing hath he made me more compassionate
toward him.'
Conversing thus we reached the first point, where from The tenth
bolgia,
the ridge the next valley, were there more light there, would of the
be revealed to its lowest depths. When we were above the falsifiers.
last cloister of Malebolge, so that its lay-brethren were
visible to our sight, I was assailed by weird lamentations,
armed, like darts, with pangs of compassion, whereupon
I shielded mine ears with my hands. Like as the suffering

A relation of Dante and a turbulent person ; he was murdered by

one of the Sacchetti family.
2 Hautefort, the name of Bertrand de Born's castle.
 126 Hell XXIX , 46-85

would be, if the diseases of the hospitals of Valdichiana ¹

from July to September, and those of the Maremma and
Sardinia, were all accumulated in one dike, such was the
suffering here ; and the stench which proceeded therefrom
was such as is wont to arise from festering limbs. From
the long bridge we descended on to the last embankment,
keeping constantly to the left, and then my sight had more
power to penetrate to the bottom, where the minister of the
Most High, justice infallible, punishes the falsifiers whom
it here assigns. Not more dismal, I ween, was the sight
of the whole people of Aegina smitten with sickness —when
so baleful was the air, that the animals, even to the tiniest
worm, all fell dead, whereupon the ancient folk, as the poets
2
affirm, were renewed from the seed of ants ²—than was the
sight in that darksome vale of the spirits pining here and
there in heaps. One on another's belly, one on another's
back, they lay ; others on all fours shifted their place along
the dreary road. Step by step we proceeded without uttering
a word, watching and listening to the sick folk, who were
powerless to raise their persons.
Their Two of them I saw seated, leaning one against the other,
loathsome
punishment. even as platter in heating leans against platter, and spotted
with scabs from head to foot : nor ever saw I groom for
whom his master is waiting, or who is kept awake against
his will, use a curry-comb so hastily, as each of these
scratched with his nails the surface of his skin, by reason
of the furious itching, which defies relief. And as a knife
doth scrape a bream, or other fish with larger scales, so did
the nails peel off the scabs. O thou who with thy fingers

The valley of the Chiana in Tuscany, which was an unhealthy

district.
2
Cp. Ovid, Met. vii. 523 foll.
 Hell XXIX, 86-123 127

dost flay thyself ' —thus spake my Leader unto one of the
two- and ever and anon makest them serve for pincers,
tell us whether among those confined within this place there
be any of Italian birth-so for thy present employment may
thy nails suffice thee everlastingly.' ' Italians we are both of
us, whom thou seest here thus mangled,' that spirit replied
with tears ; ' but who art thou, that hast inquired of us ? '
And my Leader said : ' My office is to descend with this
one, who is alive, downward from terrace to terrace, and my
purpose is to show him Hell.' Thereat they ceased their
mutual support, and both of them turned toward me trembling,
with others who heard his announcement indirectly. Then
the kind Master gave me all his attention, saying : ' Tell
them thy desire ' ; and, since such was his pleasure, I thus
6
began : So may the memory of you not disappear from
men's minds in the world of the living, but endure for many
courses of the sun-tell me who ye are and of what folk ;
let not your foul and loathsome punishment deter you from
revealing yourselves to me.'
I
' Of Arezzo I was, ' one of them ¹ replied, and Albero of Griffolino
and Ca
Siena consigned me to the flames ; but the cause of my death
pocchio the
was not that which brings me hither. True it is that I told alchemists,
him, though in jest, that I could lift myself on wings through
the air ; and he, who along with curiosity had scant intellect,
desired me to show him the device ; and solely because I
made him not a Daedalus 2 , he caused me to be burnt by one
who regarded him as his son. But 'twas for alchemy which
I practised in the world, that Minos the infallible condemned
me to the last of the ten trenches .' And to the Poet I said :
' Now was ever folk so frivolous as the Sienese ? Verily the
French fall far short of them.' Whereupon the other leprous
¹ His name was Griffolino. 2 i. e. did not teach him to fly.
 128 Hell XXIX , 124 - XXX , 14

spirit who heard me replied to my remark : ' Prithee¹ except

Stricca, who was wont to make such modest outlays ; and
Niccolò, who first invented the expensive use of cloves in
the garden where such seeds germinate ; except too the club,
wherein Caccia d'Asciano squandered his vineyards and wide
forest-lands, and Abbagliato displayed his wit. But that
thou mayst know who it is who thus supports thee in
condemning the Sienese, regard me keenly, so that my face
may answer aright thy question : and thou wilt see that I am
Capocchio's shade, who falsified metals by alchemy ; and
thou shouldst remember, if I read thy features aright, that I
was a good mimic of nature.'

CANTO XXX. MALEBOLGE ; THE TENTH

BOLGIA

Counter What time Juno was enraged on Semele's account against

feiters of
others' the Theban race, as once and again she showed, Athamas²
persons ; was seized with madness so great, that, seeing his wife
Gianni
walking with the burden of her two sons on either hand, he
Schicchi ;
Myrrha. cried Let us spread the nets, so that at the passage I may
catch the lioness and her whelps ' ; anon he put forth his
merciless clutches, grasping one of them, Learchus by name,
and whirled him round, and dashed him against a stone,
while with her other charge she drowned herself. And
when fortune brought low the Trojans' overweening pride, so

I What follows is ironical, the persons mentioned being extravagant

Sienese. The ' club ' was the Prodigal Club of Siena.
2 Athamas of Thebes and Hecuba of are here introduced as
instances of violent insanity, to illustrate the madness with which two
counterfeiters of others' persons are afflicted.
 Hell XXX, 15-53 129

that their king and his kingdom withal were ruined, sad
Hecuba, in her misery and captivity, when she had beheld
Polyxena's corpse, and on the seashore sorrowfully recognized
her Polidorus, barked madly like a dog ; so greatly was her
mind distraught by her woe. But never were so cruel bursts
of frenzy seen afflicting a soul at Thebes or Troy, or goading
either beasts or human limbs, as what I saw in two pale and
naked shades, which ran hither and thither biting the others,
as doth the hog when let out from the sty. One of them
fell upon Capocchio, and gripped him so fast by the nape of
the neck, that as he dragged him he scraped his belly along
the hard ground. And he of Arezzo ¹ , who remained be
hind trembling, said to me : ' That sprite is Gianni Schicchi,
and in this wise harrying others he pursues his mad career.'
‘ Oh,' I replied— ‘ so may not the other spirit gore with its
teeth thy back- be not loth to tell us who it is, ere it darts
off from here.' And he to me : " That is the ancient spirit
of Myrrha, the abandoned one, who loved her father with
other than rightful love. By counterfeiting another's person
she accomplished her sin with him, even as the other who
goes his way yonder, in order to win the queen of the herd
persevered in counterfeiting Buoso Donati , and dictated
a will, and gave it legal form .'
And so soon as the two wild spirits on whom I had been False
coiners
gazing had passed, I turned to regard the other ill- fated ones. Master
One I saw whose figure would have resembled a lute, had his Adam.
groin been severed where the human frame divides . The
grievous dropsy, which, through the moisture assimilating
amiss, so disproportions the members that the face forms

I Griffolino.
2 After Buoso Donati's death Gianni Schicchi personated him on his
deathbed, in order to obtain a handsome mule which belonged to him.
TOZER K
 130 Hell XXX , 54-90

a contrast to the belly , forced him to hold his lips apart, as

doth the hectic patient, who from thirst turns one lip toward
his chin and the other upwards. " O ye, ' said he to us, ' who
are exempt from punishment-though why I know not-in
the world of woe, give heed and listen to Master Adam's
sufferings : in my lifetime I had my fill of all that I desired.
and now, alas ! I pine for a drop of water. The rivulets
which from the green hills of Casentino descend into the
Arno, making their channels cool and moist, are ever present
to me, and not in vain ; for the sight of them parches me far
more than the malady which makes my face so lean . The
stern justice which chastises me takes occasion from the scene
of my crime to speed still more the flight of my sighs . There
is Romena 2 , the place where I counterfeited the currency
stamped with the Baptist, by reason whereof the body which
I left on earth was burnt. But could I behold in this place
the vile soul of Guido, or that of Alessandro or their brother,
for the fountain of Branda 3 I would not exchange the sight.
Already one of them is within here, if the shades that circuit
madly round speak truth ; but what profit is that to me whose
limbs are hampered ? Were I still active enough to advance
but an inch in a hundred years, I would ere this have started
on the track, searching for him among this worthless folk,
for all that their range is eleven miles in circuit, and not less
than half a mile across . "Tis through them that I am in such
company ; 'tis they who induced me to coin the florins which
had three carats of base metal.'

I The face was lean and the belly distended.

2 Count Guido II of Romena and his brothers instigated Master
Adam to issue adulterated coins, counterfeiting the golden florin of
Florence.
3 The copious fountain of that name at Siena.
 Hell XXX, 91-127 131
6 Perjurers ;
And I to him : Who are the two poor wretches lying
Sinon ; his
close together on thy right side, who steam like hands dipped wrangle
in water in the winter-time ?' ' Here did I find them,' he with Master
6 Adam .
replied, when I was flung down into this chasm, and since
then they have not shifted their place, nor will do So, I ween,
for evermore. One is the false woman who accused Joseph ' ;
the other is Sinon, the treacherous Greek from Troy 2 : the
acuteness of fever makes them emit such steam .' And one
of them, who haply was annoyed at being named with such
discredit, smote with his fist the speaker's hard paunch,
which resounded as it had been a drum : and Master Adam
struck him in the face with his arm, which appeared not less
hard, saying to him : ' Albeit by the heaviness of my limbs
I am deprived of movement, yet for such a function mine arm
is free.' Whereupon he answered : ' Thou hadst it not so
ready when thou wentest to the flames ; but as much and
more so when thou didst coin.' And the sufferer from
6
dropsy : In this thou speakest truly ; but thou wast not so
truthful a witness, when thou wast questioned about the truth
in Troy.' ' If I spake falsely, thou didst falsify the money,'
6
said Sinon, and I am here for a single crime, but thou for
more than any other devil.' ' Bethink thee, perjurer, of the
6
horse, ' replied he of the swollen paunch ; and be it rueful to
thee that it is known to all the world .' 'And thou mayst
rue the thirst which makes thy tongue to crack,' said the
Greek, 6 and the infected moisture which raises thy belly thus
like a hedge in front of thine eyes.' Thereto the coiner :
' By that saying thou openest thy mouth, as is thy wont, to
thine own detriment ; for, if I suffer thirst and am distended
with fluid, thou hast burning fever and an aching head, and to
¹ Potiphar's wife ; Gen. xxxix. 7 foll.
2 He persuaded the Trojans to admit the wooden horse.
K 2
 132 Hell XXX, 128— XXXI, II

I
tempt thee to lick Narcissus' mirror there would be no need
of many words .' I was wholly absorbed in listening to them,
when my Master said : ' Aye, look thy fill ; a little more and
I shall quarrel with thee .' When I was ware that he spake
to me in anger, I turned toward him with shame so great,
that even now it eddies through my memory. And like
a man dreaming of misfortune, who in his dream wishes that
it may be a dream, so that he longs for what is, as if it were
not so ; such was my case, for, desiring to excuse myself,
I found no words, but excused myself notwithstanding,
though I knew it not. ' Less shame, ' my Master said,
6 atones for a greater fault than thine hath been ; wherefore
unburden thee of all distress ; and bethink thee that I am
ever at thy side, if so be hereafter chance find thee where
folk are engaged in a similar dispute, for the desire to hear
such- like things is mean.'

CANTO XXXI . THE NINTH CIRCLE ;

THE PIT OF HELL

The ninth One and the same tongue first wounded me, so that both
Circle, of
the traitors ; my cheeks were tinged thereby, and then supplied me with
the Giants. the remedy : similarly, we are told, Achilles' spear, which
his father also bore, was wont to bestow first a painful, and
anon a kindly gift 2. We turned our backs on the melancholy
vale, passing over the embankment that girds it around, the
which we crossed without uttering a word. There it was
less than night and less than day, so that my sight penetrated
I Narcissus pined away for love of his own face reflected in a fountain.
2 The classical story in its slightly perverted mediaeval form was, that
the spear which belonged first to Theseus and afterwards to Achilles, could
heal by subsequent application the wounds which it inflicted.
 Hell XXXI, 12-46 133

but a short space ; but I heard the blast of a horn, so loud

that it would have deadened every thunderclap, which guided
mine eyes, as they pursued an opposite direction to it, wholly
to a single point : less terrible was the blast of Roland's
horn after the disastrous rout, when Charlemagne lost the
devoted host¹ . My face had not long been turned thither
ward, when methought I saw a number of lofty towers ;
whereupon I said : " Tell me, Master, what city is this ?'
(
And he to me : Because thou peerest through the darkness
from too far off, the result is that thou wanderest in thy
fancies. If thou approachest that place, thou wilt clearly see
how much the sense is deceived at a distance ; press on
therefore a little farther.' Then taking me affectionately by
the hand he said : ' Before we advance yet more, in order
that the reality may surprise thee less, be it known to thee
that these are not towers but giants ; and they are, one and all ,
within the pit from the navel downwards around the embank
ment.' As, when a mist disperses, our sight little by little
distinguishes an object concealed by the vapour which thickens
the atmosphere, so, while I penetrated the dense dark air,
drawing ever nearer to the edge, my mistake disappeared and
my fear increased. For, even as above its circular rampart
Montereggione 2 wears a crown of towers, so round the bank
which encloses the pit towered aloft with half their persons
the dread giants ³ , whom Jove still threatens from heaven
when it thunders.
And now of one of them I discerned the face, the Nimrod.

' After the defeat of Roncesvalles the sound of Roland's horn was
said to have been heard by Charlemagne at a distance of eight miles.
2 A castle about eight miles to the north of Siena, surrounded by
a circular line of walls with twelve towers rising from it at intervals.
3 These were the giants who made war on the Gods.
134 Hell XXXI , 47-79

shoulders and breast, and in great part the belly, and both his
arms down along his sides . Verily, when Nature ceased
from the craft of producing creatures like these, she did
exceeding well, thus depriving Mars of such-like ministers ;
and if she repents not of creating elephants and whales, the
man of keen discernment will deem her more just and more
prudent on this account ; for where to power and evil will
the equipment of the mind is superadded, mankind hath no
available defence. His face, methought, in length and width
resembled the pine-cone of St. Peter's at Rome ' , and his
other limbs were proportionate thereto ; so that the embank
ment, which from the waist downwards served him for an
apron, let so much of him be seen above, that three Fries
landers 2 would vainly have boasted that they could reach his
hair ; for his person to the length of thirty wide spans was
visible to me downward from the point where a man buckles
6
his cloak 3. Rafel mai amech zabi almi 4 ' -such were the
first utterances of that furious mouth, which sweeter psalms
befitted not. And to him my Master said : ' Witless soul,

keep to thy horn, and therewith relieve thyself, when anger

or other passion seizes thee. Search about thy neck, and
thou wilt find the cord which holds it fast, bewildered spirit ;
see now, how it lies across thy broad chest.' Anon to me
he said : ' He is his own accuser ; this is Nimrod 5 , through
whose perverse attempt one single language is not spoken in
the world. Let him be ; let us not waste our words : for

1 The height of this is 11 feet.

2 They were noted for their tall stature.
3 From his collar-bone. The giant's total height would be about
70 feet.
4 These words were unintelligible.
5 St. Augustine and others regarded Nimrod as a giant, and as having
Luilt the Tower of Babel, as Dante does here.
 Hell XXXI, 80-118 135

to him all other tongues are as meaningless, as his own un

intelligible speech is to others.'
So we pursued our course leftward, and a bowshot further Ephialtes.
off we found the next, who was wilder far and bigger. Who
it was that had the power to bind him I cannot say, but he
was holding his left arm pinioned in front, and the right arm
behind, by a chain which shackled him from the neck down
wards, so that on the part of his body that was visible it
wound round to the number of five coils. 6 This haughty
6
being,' said my Leader, was fain to essay his power against
highest Jove ; such therefore is his meed. Ephialtes is his
name ; ' twas he that achieved the deeds of prowess when the
Giants inspired the Gods with fear ; the arms which then
he waved he nevermore can move.' And I to him : If it
be possible, I would fain have the sight of Briareus' pro
digious form .' Whereto he replied : ' Hard by here thou
shalt see Antaeus, who speaks and is not chained ; he will
deposit us in the lowest depth of guilt. The one whom thou
wouldst behold is far beyond ; and he is fettered, and like this
one in shape, save that the aspect of his countenance is fiercer. '
Never was earthquake of such violence, as to shake a tower so
mightily as Ephialtes in a moment shook himself. Then was
I more than ever in terror of death, and, had I not seen the
chains, the apprehension itself would have sufficed to cause it.
Thereupon we advanced still further and reached Antaeus, Antaeus ;
who stood out above the rock full five ells, not including his he deposits
the Poets
head. O thou, who in the fateful valley, whereby Scipio in the Pit
of Hell.
was endowed with glory when Hannibal and his host turned
their backs in flight ¹ , didst carry off erewhile a thousand lions
¹ The valley of Bagrada near Zama, where Hannibal was defeated by
Scipio. The legend connecting Antaeus with it is given by Lucan,
iv. 587 foll.
136 Hell XXXI , 119-145

as thy spoil ; and concerning whom some folk, it seems, still

believe that, hadst thou taken part in thy brethren's daring
war, the sons of Earth would have won the day be not dis
I
dainful, but set us down below, where Cocytus is congealed
by the cold. Force us not to betake ourselves to Tityus or
Typhon ; the boon which is coveted here 2 this man can give ;
wherefore bend downward, and make not a wry mouth. It
is still in his power to publish thy fame in the world, for he
is alive, and hath length of days in prospect, unless God's
grace call him prematurely to itself.' Thus spake the
Master, and the other speedily put forth his hands whose
mighty grip Hercules once felt, and caught hold of my
Leader. When Virgil felt that he was seized, he said to me :
'Come hither, that I may grasp thee ' ; whereupon he formed
of himself and me a single load. As the Carisenda ³ appears
to one looking from beneath its incline, when a cloud passes
over it in such wise that the tower leans towards it ; such did
Antaeus appear to me, as I was on the watch to see him
bend ; and so dread a moment it was, that I would fain have
passed another way : yet lightly he deposited us on the floor
where Lucifer and Judas are engulfed 4, nor dallied there in
his stooping posture, but like a ship's mast uplifted himself.

¹ Cocytus is the stream formed by the waters which descend from the
upper Hell.
2 To be remembered on earth.
3 One of the leaning towers of Bologna, which is out of the per
pendicular. What is here described is an optical illusion.
4 The ice-floor of the Pit of Hell.
 Hell XXXII, 1-32 137

CANTO XXXII . THE NINTH CIRCLE ;

FIRST AND SECOND RINGS

Had I at command verses rough and grating, such as The male

factors in
would befit the dismal cavity whereupon is the thrust of all the ice.
the other rocks, I would distil more fully the essence of my
imaginings ; but seeing that I have them not, it is not without
fear that I bring myself to speak thereof. 'Tis no adventure
to be lightly undertaken, to describe the base of the whole
universe, nor suited to a tongue that uses childish prattle.
I
But may those Dames aid my poetry, who aided Amphion
to raise the walls of Thebes, so that the words may corre
spond to the reality. O rabble ill -fated above all, whose
place of abode is so hard to tell of, better had ye been sheep
or goats on earth. When we were down in the dark pit
beneath the giant's feet, far below, and I was still gazing at
the lofty wall, I heard one saying to me : Beware how thou
passest ; see thy feet trample not, as thou goest, the heads of
the unhappy weary brothers.' Thereat I turned, and beheld
in front of me and beneath my feet a lake, which by reason
of the cold resembled glass rather than water 2. A covering
to its stream so dense as this never did the Danube in
Austria make in winter -time, nor the Tanais beneath the
chilling sky ; so that, if Tambernic or Pietrapana 3 had fallen
thereon, even at the edge no crack would have been heard.
And as the frog sits croaking with its muzzle above water,

The Muses. Amphion was fabled to have raised the walls of Thebes
by his music with their aid.
2 The ice symbolizes the cold-heartedness of the traitors, who are
punished in this Circle.
3 The Alpe Apuana (Pietrapana) are in the north-west of Tuscany.
Tambernic has not been identified.
 138 Hell XXXII , 33-63

what time the country-woman oft dreams of gleaning¹ , so in

the ice were fixed the doleful shades, livid up to the point
where the blush of shame appears, and setting their teeth to
the note of the stork. The face of each was downward
turned ; from the mouth the cold, from the eyes the sadness
of the heart procures for itself evidence in all of them.
The first When for a while I had gazed around, I looked toward
ring, or
Caina. my feet and beheld two in such close contact, that the hair
of their heads was mingled together. ' Tell me who ye are,'
I said, ' ye that thus clasp one another's breasts.' And they
turned their necks ; and when they had lifted up their faces
toward me, their eyes, which ere this were only moist within,
brimmed over, and the cold congealed the tears inside, and
closed them fast again ; never did clamp so firmly fasten two
logs together whereupon they butted one against the other
like two he-goats , such fury mastered them. And one, who
through the cold had lost both his ears, still looking down
6
ward, exclaimed : Why gazest thou so fixedly at us ? If
thou wouldst know who these two are, the valley whence the
Bisenzio flows down, belonged to their father Albert and to
them 2. From one body they sprang ; and shouldst thou
explore Caina 3 throughout, thou wilt not find a shade more
deserving to be set in the jelly- not him whose breast and
shadow were rent with a single blow by Arthur's hand * ;
not Focaccia 5 ; not him whose head so blocks my view that

I i. e. in the summer.
2 These are the Conti Alberti of Mangona , through whose property the
river Bisenzio flowed. They quarrelled and killed one another.
3 The first ring of the ninth Circle, where those sinners are who
violated the bond of relationship ; it is so called from Cain, the first
fratricide.
4 Modred, son of King Arthur, who tried to kill his father.
5. He is said to have slain his uncle.
 Hell XXXII, 64-94 139

I see naught beyond, Sassol Mascheroni by name ¹ : who he

was, if thou art a Tuscan, thou now knowest well . And
that thou mayst not involve me in further discourse, know
that I was Camicion de' Pazzi, and I am awaiting Carlino 2
to exculpate me.'
Thereafter 3 I saw a thousand faces grinning with the cold, The second
by reason of whom I shiver, and shall ever do so, at the Antenora
ring, or ;
sight of frozen pools. And while we were on Our way Bocca degli
Abati.
toward the mid-point which is the centre of gravity, and
I was trembling in the everlasting chill, whether it were the
will of Heaven, or destiny, or chance, I know not, but as
I walked among the heads, my foot smote one of them
violently in the face. Wailing he cried to me : ' Wherefore
dost thou trample me ? Unless thou comest to add to the
penalty of Mont' Aperti 4 , wherefore dost molest me ?' And
I : ' Pray, Master mine, await me here, so that through this
one I may solve a doubt ; after that I give thee leave to
make what speed thou wilt.' My Leader halted : and to the
spirit, who was still uttering violent imprecations, I said :
'Who art thou, that thus upbraidest others ? ' ' Who then
art thou,' he answered, ' that, as thou passest through
Antenora, smitest others ' cheeks, so that, wert thou alive, it
would be an outrage ? ' ' Alive I am,' was my reply, and
it may be to thine advantage, if fame be thy desire, that
among my other reminiscences I should record thy name.'
And he to me : 'It is the opposite that I covet : away from

¹ He murdered his nephew.

2 A relation of his, who was about to commit a worse crime.
3 Here the second ring , or Antenora , is entered, where traitors to their
country are punished ; it is so called from Antenor, who was said to have
conspired to betray Troy to the Greeks.
4 Bocca degli Abati, who is speaking here, by his treachery caused the
defeat of the Florentines by the Sienese at Montaperti.
 140 Hell XXXII , 95-128

hence, annoy me no more ; in this plain thy fair speeches

avail not.' Then did I seize him by the hair behind his
head, saying : Either thou must give thy name, or not
a lock shall remain upon thee.' And he to me : ' Strip my
hair as thou wilt, I will not tell thee who I am, nor reveal it
to thee, shouldst thou stumble on my head a thousand times.'
Already I held his hair twisted in my hand, and had pulled
out more than one lock, he the while yelling with his eyes
fixed downward, when another cried : " What ails thee,
Bocca ? Doth it not suffice thee to chatter with thy jaws,
that thou must needs yell ? What devil is vexing thee ?'
' Now, ' said I, ' I need not that thou shouldst speak,
malevolent traitor, for to thy discredit I will bear off a true
report of thee.' ' Away with thee,' he replied, and tell
what thou wilt ; but fail not, if thou escapest from this
prison, to mention him whose tongue was but now so ready.
He suffers here for the Frenchmen's bribes ; " I saw him of
Duera ," thou mayst say, "there, where the sinners are
in the cool." In case thou shouldst be asked who else was
there, he of Beccheria 2 is by thy side, whose throat Florence
severed. Further in that direction methinks is Gianni de'
Soldanier, in company with Ganelon and Tribaldello³, who
opened the gates of Faenza when men slept.'
Count We had already quitted him, when I beheld two of them
Ugolino and
Archbishop frozen in a single cavity, in such wise that the one's head
Roger. formed a covering to the other's : and even as the starving
man devours bread, so did the uppermost fix his teeth in the
¹ Buoso da Duera, who for a bribe withdrew his forces from before
the French at the time of Charles of Anjou's advance.
2 Tesauro di Beccheria, who was beheaded as a traitor at Florence in
1258.
3 of these three Gianni de' Soldanier was a traitor at Florence, Tribal
dello at Faenza, and Ganelon in the legends of Charlemagne.
 Hell XXXII , 129- XXXIII , 19 141

other at the point where the brain joins the nape of the neck.
Not otherwise did Tydeus I in his wrath gnaw Menalippus'
temples, than he did the skull and the purtenance thereof.
' O thou, who by so bestial a token dost display thy hatred
toward him whom thou gnawest, tell me the cause thereof,'
I said, ' on the understanding that, if thou hast a just
complaint against him, when I know who ye are and what
his sin, in the world above I may still requite thee, if that
wherewith I speak be not withered by death.'

CANTO XXXIII. THE NINTH CIRCLE ;

SECOND AND THIRD RINGS

Uplifting his mouth from that fell repast, the sinner wiped The story
of Count
it on the hair of the head which he had marred behind, and
Ugolino.
6
anon began : Thou wouldst have me renew the desperate
grief which oppresses my heart even now at the mere thought,
before I speak thereof. But if my words may be a seed that
shall bring forth infamy for the traitor whom I gnaw, thou
shalt see me speak and weep withal. I know not who thou
art, nor in what way thou hast descended here below, but as
I listen to thee, thou seemest to me assuredly to be a Floren
tine. Know then that I was Count Ugolino, and this one
the Archbishop Roger 2 ; now I will tell thee why I am so
dire a neighbour to him. That owing to his malicious
devices, when I reposed confidence in him, I was made
prisoner and afterward put to death, there is no need for me
to say. Wherefore thou shalt hear what cannot have reached

One of the Seven against Thebes.

2 These two personages were the leaders of the Guelf and Ghibelline
factions respectively in Pisa in 1288.
 142 Hell XXXIII , 20-56

thine ears-I mean the cruelty of my death—and shalt know

whether he hath wronged me. A narrow fissure in the cage
which is called from me the Tower of Hunger, and wherein
hereafter others shall be incarcerated, had already through its
aperture revealed to me many moons, when I dreamt the
terrible dream which rent for me the veil that hid the future.
Methought this man as huntsman-in-chief and leader was
chasing the wolf and its cubs to the mountain which hinders
the Pisans from seeing Lucca¹ . In front of him he had set
Gualandi and Sismondi and Lanfranchi 2 , accompanied by
lean hounds, eager and well trained . After a brief course
the father and sons seemed to me weary, and methought
I saw their flanks rent by the sharp fangs . When I awoke
before the morrow morn, I was ware that my sons 3 who
were with me were wailing in their sleep and asking for bread.
Hard-hearted indeed must thou be, if thou grievest not now
at the thought of what my heart forboded ; nay, if thou
weepest not, what can move thee to tears ? They had risen
now, and the hour was drawing nigh when our food was
wont to be brought, and each was in suspense by reason
of his dream, when I heard below us the entrance to the
horrible tower nailed up ; whereupon I gazed speechless at
my sons' faces . I did not weep, so petrified was my heart :
they wept, and my Anselmuccio said, " Thou lookest so
strangely, father ; what ails thee ? " For all that I shed no
tear, nor made answer all that day and the following night,
until the sun once more rose on the world. So soon as
a faint ray had entered the dismal dungeon, and in four faces

The Monte San Giuliano, which intervenes between Pisa and Lucca.
2 Three Ghibelline families.
3 His sons Gaddo and Uguccione, and his grandsons Anselmo and Il
Brigata, were imprisoned with him.
 Hell XXXIII, 57-92 143

I read mine own looks, through anguish I gnawed my two

hands. And they, supposing that I did so from desire to
eat, on a sudden arose, and said : " Father, we should suffer
far less wert thou to eat of us ; thou didst vest us in these
sorry robes of flesh, do thou divest us.” Then did I calm
myself lest I should increase their woe ; that day and the
following we abode all in silence : ah ! cruel earth, wherefore
didst thou not open ? After we had reached the fourth day,
Gaddo flung himself at full length at my feet, exclaiming :
"Father mine, why dost thou not aid me ? " There he
died ; and as surely as thou dost see me, between the fifth
day and the sixth I saw the three, one after the other, fall ;
whereupon, being now blind, I set myself to grope over each
one of them, and two days long after they were dead I called
them : at last hunger did what sorrow could not do '.' When
thus he had spoken, with eyes askance he seized afresh the
wretched skull with his teeth, which were strong as a dog's
to waste the bone. Ah ! Pisa, thou scandal of the peoples
who inhabit the fair land where St is heard 2 ; since thy
neighbours are slow to punish thee, let Caprara and Gorgona³
advance and block the Arno at its mouth, so that every soul
within thee may be drowned : for, if Count Ugolino was
reputed to have deprived thee of thy castles by treachery,
thou wast not justified in exposing his children to such
suffering. Their youthful age, thou modern Thebes , ren
dered Uguccione and Brigata innocent, and the other two
whom
my verse names above.
We passed on to where the ice rudely enwraps another
I i. e. caused his death.
2 Italy.
3 Two islands off the coast of Tuscany.
4 Thebes was famed for its tragic horrors.
 144 Hell XXXIII , 93-126

The third folk , not facing downward, but lying wholly on their backs.
ring, or
Tolomea. There the very tears prevent their shedding tears, and their
grief, meeting an obstacle on the surface of the eyes, turns
back within to increase the anguish : for the former tears
congeal together, and like a mask of crystal fill all the cavity
beneath the eyebrows. And albeit by reason of the cold all
sensation had quitted my face, as it had been a callous spot,
methought I began to feel a breath of wind ; wherefore I
said : ' My Master, who is it that moves this ? Are not all
exhalations extinguished here below ? ' And he in answer :
' Soon wilt thou reach a point, where thine eye will furnish
thee with a reply, when thou seest the cause which produces
the breeze.'
The souls, And one of the wretches in the crust of ice exclaimed to
whose
bodies live us : ' Ye souls so wildly criminal that the last station is
on earth. assigned to you, remove from mine eyes their hard coverings
awhile, so that I may give vent to the grief wherewith my
heart is charged, ere the tears freeze again .' So I to him :
' If it be thy wish that I should relieve thee, tell me who
thou art, and if I free thee not may I be bound to descend
to the lowest level of the ice.' He then made reply : ' I am
Frate Alberigo 2 ; I am the dealer in the fruits of the bad
garden, who now receive dates for figs.' 'Oh ! ' said I to
him, ' art thou then already dead ?' And he to me : ' How
my body fares in the world above, I am all unaware. This
ring of Tolomea hath this advantage, that ofttimes a spirit
descends hither before Atropos sets it on its way. And
This is the third ring, or Tolomea, where those who betrayed their
friends and companions are placed ; the name is derived from Ptolemaeus
the son of Abubus, who slew Simon the Maccabee and his sons at a
banquet ; I Macc. xvi. 11-17.
2 This man caused his brother and his nephew to be murdered at
a banquet, the signal to the assassins being, Bring in the fruit.'
 Hell XXXIII , 127-157 145

that thou mayst the more willingly remove from my face the
incrusted tears, know that, so soon as the soul plays the
traitor, as I did, it is robbed of its body by a demon, which
thereafter hath the disposal of it, until its appointed time is
fully run. The soul falls downward into this direful pit :
and haply the body of the shade which winters here behind
me is still visible above . Thou shouldst know, if thou hast
but now come down ; he is Ser Branca d'Oria ¹, and many
a year hath passed since he was thus imprisoned.' ' Methinks,'
said I to him, ' thou art deluding me, for Branca d'Oria is
in nowise dead, but eats and drinks and sleeps and wears
raiment.' ' In the dike of Malebranche² above, ' said he,
' where boils the sticky pitch, Michel Zanche had not yet
arrived, when this one left in his place a devil within his
body, and so did a relative of his who was an accomplice in
his treachery. But now reach forth thine hand hither, and
open mine eyes ' ; and I did not open them for him, and in
dealing with him ' twas courtesy to be churlish. Ah ! ye
Genoese, men alien to all right conduct, full of all corruption,
wherefore are ye not expelled from the world ? For in
company with the worst spirit of Romagna 3³ I found one of
your number so base, that for his crimes his soul is already
plunged in Cocytus, while his body is still seen alive in the
upper world.

¹ A member of the Doria family of Genoa. He caused his father-in

law Michel Zanche to be murdered at a feast in 1290.
2 The fifth bolgia, where were the devils called Malebranche. For
Michel Zanche, cp. Inf. xxii. 88.
3 Frate Alberigo, who came from Faenza in the Romagna.

TOZER L
 146 Hell XXXIV, 1-28

CANTO XXXIV. THE NINTH CIRCLE ;

FOURTH RING

The fourth 'The banners of the Prince of Hell are displayed¹ opposite
ring, or
Giudecca. to us ; wherefore look in front of thee, ' my Master said,
' to see if thou canst distinguish him.' As, when a dense
mist doth breathe, or when night is gathering in our hemi
sphere, a mill turned by the wind appears from afar, such
a structure methought at that moment I beheld : anon, by
reason of the wind, in default of other shelter I withdrew
behind my Leader. I had reached the place 2—and with
fear I express it in verse-where the shades were wholly
beneath the ice, and were visible through it like a mote in
glass. Some lie flat, others are placed perpendicularly, one
with his head, one with his soles upward ; another, bent
like a bow, turns his face toward his feet. When we had
advanced so far that my Master thought fit to disclose to my
view the being whose countenance was once so fair, he
moved from before me, and made me halt, saying : ' Lo !
here is Dis³ ; here is the spot where thou must arm thyself
with fortitude.' How numb and weak I then became, ask
me not, Reader, for I cannot write it, seeing that no words
would be adequate to the task. Death came not to me, nor
did life abide with me ; now consider for thyself, if thou hast
a grain of wit, what was my state, when both one and the
other failed me.
The emperor of the realm of pain from the middle of his

* The original of the words in italics is adapted from a Latin hymn.

2 The fourth ring, of those who betrayed their benefactors. It is
called Giudecca from Judas Iscariot, the arch-traitor.
3 The classical equivalent of Lucifer.
 Hell XXXIV, 29-68 147

breast emerged from the ice ; and I approach nearer to the Lucifer ;
Judas,
stature of a giant, than the giants reach the measure of his Brutus and
arms : conceive now how huge must be the whole which Cassius.
can correspond to such parts. If he was once as fair as now
he is hideous, and then raised his eyebrows in defiance of
his Maker, well may he be the source of all woe. Oh, how
great a marvel it seemed to me, when I perceived that his
head had three faces-one in front, which was red, while
the other two joined it just over the middle of each shoulder,
and met at the crown ; and that on the right seemed between
white and yellow, and that on the left like the natives of the
land whence the Nile flows down ¹. Beneath each of them
projected two vast wings, corresponding in size to so mighty
a bird : sails on the sea I never saw that could match them.
Feathered they were not, but fashioned like a bat's ; and
these he waved, so that three winds proceeded from him.
By these Cocytus was wholly turned to ice ; with six eyes
he wept, and over three chins his tears and bloodstained
slaver dripped. In each of his mouths he was mangling
a sinner with his teeth, as with a brake, so that he thus
tortured three of them. For the one in front the biting was
as nothing compared with the clawing, insomuch that at times
the spine remained completely bare of skin. That spirit
above which hath the severest punishment, ' said my Master,
' is Judas Iscariot, whose head is within, while he stretches
forth his legs . Of the other two, whose heads have the
lower place, he that hangs from the black muzzle is Brutus ;
see how he writhes without uttering a word : and the other,
who seems so large of limb, is Cassius 2. But night is rising

The Ethiopians, who were black.

2 Brutus and Cassius are assigned here as having been the betrayers of
Julius Caesar, the founder of the divinely appointed system of the Empire.
L 2
 148 Hell XXXIV, 69-108

again, and now 'tis time for us to depart, for we have seen
the whole.'
The Poets As he desired me, I clasped his neck, and he selected the
passLucifer. fitting time and place, and, when the wings were opened wide,
laid hold of Lucifer's shaggy flanks : anon from one shock
to another he let himself down between the matted hair and
the crusts of ice. When we reached the thigh-joint just
where the haunch is thickest, my Leader with fatigue and
anguish turned round his head where his legs had been,
and clung tight to the hair like one ascending, so that
I thought I was returning once more into Hell. ' Hold fast
by me,' said my Master, panting as for weariness, for it is
by this weird ladder that we must escape from utter woe.'
Then he passed out through the opening in a rock, and,
seating me upon the edge, thereafter advanced toward me his
wary step. I raised mine eye, and when I thought to see
Lucifer as I had left him, I beheld him holding his legs
aloft. How perplexed I then became, the dull folk can best
judge, who know not the nature of the point which I had
passed ' . ' Arise, stand up,' the Master said : ' the way
is long and the path is rude, and already the sun, which hath
gone back, is half-way to the third hour.' It was no palace
chamber where we were, but a natural dungeon, with an
uneven floor and defective light.
The centre ' Before I quit the abyss, Master mine, ' I said, when
of gravity. I had arisen, ' grant me a brief converse to deliver me from
error. Where is the ice ? and how comes it that this being
stands thus inverted ? and how in so short time hath the sun
passed over from eve to morn?' And he to me : " Thou
fanciest thyself still on yonder side of the centre, where
I clung to the hair of the evil worm that pierces the world.
The centre of the earth, which is the centre of gravity.
 Hell XXXIV, 109-139 149

So long as I was descending thou wast on that side ; when

I turned, thou didst pass the point toward which things
gravitate from every quarter : and now thou art beneath the
I
hemisphere opposite to that covered by the great continent,
under the culminating point whereof the Man who was born
and lived sinless was put to death 2 ; thy feet rest on a little
sphere, which forms the reverse of the Giudecca. Here it is
morn when there it is eventide ; and he by whose hair we
climbed is still imbedded as at first he was. On this side he
fell down from heaven, and the earth which ere that uprose
here, through fear of him shrouded itself with the sea, and
passed into our hemisphere ; and haply to escape from him
the land which is seen on this side 3³ left its place void and
70% rushed upwards .'
In the lower regions there is a place , reaching away as They come
forth from
far from Beelzebub 5 as Hell extends, which is recognized, Hell.
not by the sight, but through the sound of a rivulet which
there descends with gentle fall through a cleft of rock that it
hath worn in its tortuous course. On this secret way my
Leader and I entered to return to the bright world ; and
regardless of all repose we mounted upward, he in front
and I behind, until through a round aperture some of heaven's
bravery met my view, and thence we came forth to see once
more the stars.

The southern hemisphere.

2 Jerusalem was regarded as the centre of the northern hemisphere,
and the zenith of that place was its culminating point.
3 That which forms the Mountain of Purgatory.
4 This is the cavity, by which the ascent from Hell is made.
5 Lucifer.
 PREFATORY DESCRIPTION OF

DANTE'S PURGATORY

THE Scene of Purgatory, as conceived by Dante, is a lofty

mountain, which rises from the midst of the ocean in the
southern hemisphere, at a point antipodal to the site of
Jerusalem in the northern hemisphere. In shape it is conical,
and between its base and the sea a strip of gently sloping
ground intervenes, while the summit, which is truncated, bears
the Terrestrial Paradise, which was the original Garden of
Eden. The declivities, which intervene between these, and
are extremely steep on every side, are divided into two parts,
the upper portion being Purgatory proper, the lower the Ante
Purgatory, where the spirits of the Negligent, or those who
deferred their repentance until the end of their life, are de
tained for a time before they are allowed to enter on their
purification. Purgatory proper is composed of a succession
of Cornices, seven in number, which run round the Mountain,
one above the other, gradually narrowing in their circuit as
they rise ; on each of these the spirits who are admitted into
Purgatory are cleansed by suffering from the effects of one of
the seven deadly sins. The passage from one to another of
these Cornices is made by steep and narrow stairways, each
of which is guarded at its entrance by an Angel.
I, I-27

PURGATORY

CANTO I. INTRODUCTORY

To traverse fairer waters doth the bark of my genius now Invocation

ofthe
set her sails, leaving behind her so cruel a sea ; and of that Muses.
second realm will I sing, wherein the spirit of man is purified,
and becomes worthy to ascend to heaven. But here let my
dead poetry awake to life again, ye sacred Muses, forasmuch
as I am yours ; and here let Calliope take a somewhat higher
strain, accompanying my song with that melody, which smote
I
the ill-fated Magpies with such force that they felt their
doom was sealed.
The sweet hue of oriental sapphire, which was diffused The four
stars.
over the tranquil scene from the mid-point of the clear sky
even to the primal circle ², renewed to mine eye the sense of
joy, so soon as I emerged from the deathly air, which had
saddened mine eyes and my heart. The beauteous planet
which incites to love 3 was causing all the east to smile, while
it obscured the Fishes which were in its train. I turned me
toward the right, and gave heed to the other pole ; and
I beheld four stars, never before seen save-L by the primaeval
folk 4. In their flamelets methought the heaven rejoiced :
clime of the north, how great thy loss, for that the sight of
those is denied thee !

¹ Nine maidens , who challenged the Muses to a contest in singing,

and, having been defeated, were changed into magpies.
2 From the zenith to the horizon.
3 Venus
4 These stars represent allegorically the four cardinal virtues of Justice,
Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance.
 152 Purgatory 1, 28-66
Cato, the When I had ceased to regard them, turning a little toward
Guardian of
Purgatory. the other pole, on which side the Wain was now out of sight,
I beheld hard by me an old man all alone, worthy in his
aspect of such reverence, that a son owes no greater tribute
to a father. His beard was long and flecked with white, and
even such too was the semblance of his hair, which fell in two
bands to his breast. So brightly did the rays of the four holy
lights illuminate his face, that the sight of him was like the
sun before me. 'Who are ye, that against the course of the
darkling stream have escaped from the eternal prison ? ' So
spake he, moving those dignified locks. "Who hath been
your guide ? Who served to light you, the while ye were
emerging from the depths of night, which ever shroud in
darkness the infernal vale ? Are the laws of the abyss thus
violated ? or is a new ordinance initiated in heaven, that as
condemned souls ye come unto my rocks ?'
Virgil Then did my Leader take hold of me, and by his words
appeals to
him for and hand and gestures caused me to bend my knees and
admission, incline my brow. Anon he replied to him : ' I came not of
myself; a Lady2 descended from heaven, by reason of whose
prayers I succoured this one with my company. But since it
is thy pleasure that the real nature of our condition should be
further revealed to thee, I cannot for my part say thee nay.
This man hath never seen his closing day ; but through his
folly he drew so nigh thereto, that brief time indeed remained
for him to retrace his steps . Even as I said, I was dispatched
to him to save him ; and to accomplish this there was no
other way than that which I have set myself to follow.
I have shown him all the guilty folk ; and now I purpose to
show him those spirits who purify themselves beneath thy
I Cato the Younger, the rigid Stoic moralist.
2 Beatrice.
 Purgatory I, 67-99 153

guardianship. In what manner I have conducted him it

would be a long tale to tell thee : power descends from on
high, which aids me in leading him to see thee and to hear
thee. Now may it please thee to look favourably on his
coming ; liberty is the object of his quest, the value whereof
he knows, who for its sake forfeits life. Thou dost know
it ; for to thee death for its sake was not bitter in Utica,
where thou didst leave the robe which on the great day will
shine so bright. The eternal decrees are not violated by us,
for this one is alive, and Minos holds me not captive, but
I abide in the Circle I where are the chaste eyes of thy
Marcia 2 , who in her looks still beseeches thee, thou saintly
heart, to deem her thine ; for her love's sake then be indulgent
to us. Suffer us to pass through thy seven realms ; I shall
return her thanks for thy goodwill, if thou dost approve of
being mentioned there below.'
Thereupon he said : ' Marcia found such favour in mine Cato allows
eyes, while I was in yonder world, that whatever boon she enter.
them to
desired of me I granted. Now that she dwells beyond the
evil river 3 she can no more move me, in accordance with that
law which was ordained when I came forth thence . But
if, as thou sayest, a Lady from heaven doth move and guide
thee, persuasive words are needless ; suffice it thee that for
her sake thou askest me. Go then, and see thou gird this
one with a smooth rush 5, and lave his face, so that thou
mayst cause all grime to disappear therefrom : for it would
not be meet that, while his eye is dimmed by any mist, he
should present himself before the first minister, who is of the

1 Limbo. 2 Cato's wife. 3 The Acheron.

4 At the time of our Lord's descent into Hell.
5 The bending rush is typical of humility, which becomes a soul
entering Purgatory.
 154 Purgatory I, 100-136

number of those in Paradise ¹ . This islet throughout its

circuit, at its lowest verge where it is smitten by the waves,
bears rushes on its soft mold. No other growths, such as
put forth leaves or harden into stems , can exist there, because
they yield not to the beating of the water. Thereafter
return not in this direction ; the sun now rising will indicate
to you the easiest point for ascending the Mountain.' With
that he disappeared ; and I arose without uttering a word,
and drew close to my Leader, and fixed mine eyes upon him.
He thus began : ' Follow thou my steps ; let us turn back,
for it is on this side that the plain slopes to its lowest
border.'
Preliminary The dawn was chasing the breeze of morn which was
observ
ances. flying before it, so that I perceived from afar that the sea
was ruffled. We pursued our way over the solitary plain,
like one returning to a lost track, who until he find it feels to
be journeying in vain. When we reached a place where the
dew holds its own against the sun , and from being in a chilly
region evaporates slowly, my Master gently laid both his
hands outspread on the grass ; whereupon, as I was ware of
his design, I stretched forth to him my tear-stained cheeks ;
and there did he clearly reveal to view my natural hue which
Hell had concealed . Anon we arrived at the desert shore,
which never saw its waters navigated by any who thereafter
had experience of return. There did he gird me in accordance
with another's behests. O strange ! Such as was the lowly
plant which he selected, from the spot where he plucked it
another at once sprang up afresh.

The Angel who guards the entrance of Purgatory proper.

 Purgatory II , 1-34 155

CANTO II . ANTE-PURGATORY

The sun had now reached the horizon, the highest point An angel
of the meridian circle whereof lies over Jerusalem ; and night, conducting
a
which revolves opposite to him, was issuing from the Ganges spirits.
with the Scales, which fall from her hand when she wins
the mastery : so that at my present station the fair Aurora's
white and vermeil cheeks from advanced age were passing
into orange¹. We were still by the sea-shore, like folk who
ponder on their journey, in spirit advancing but in body dally
ing ; when lo ! as at the approach of morn by reason of his
dense vapours Mars grows red down in the west above the
sea-level, so did I see - and may I once more behold it ².
a light approaching o'er the sea with such speed, that no
bird's flight could rival its motion. And when I saw this
again, after having for a moment withdrawn mine eyes from
it that I might question my Leader, it had grown larger and
more luminous. Then on either side of it appeared an in
distinct white object, and gradually another such came forth
from it below. My Master as yet spake not a word until
the first white features revealed themselves as wings ; but
when he clearly recognized the pilot, he cried : ' See, see
thou bend thy knees ; behold the Angel of God ; fold thy
hands : henceforth thou shalt behold such-like ministers.
Mark, how he scorns all human instruments, so that he needs
no oar, nor other sail than his wings, between so distant
shores 3. Mark, how he has raised them toward heaven,

¹ What is signified in this passage is , that it was sunrise in Purgatory.

2 Dante prays that he may return to Purgatory after death as a soul
destined for Heaven.
3 These were the mouth of the Tiber, where the souls destined for
Purgatory assemble (see below), and the Mountain of Purgatory.
 156 Purgatory II , 35-72

waving the air with that eternal plumage, which changes not
like feathers of mortal growth .' Anon, as the bird of heaven
came ever towards us, he was more clearly revealed, so that,
when near, he overpowered mine eyes, and I let them droop ;
he the while came to shore in a swift bark, so light that the
water engulfed no portion thereof. In the stern the celestial
helmsman stood, so glorious that he seemed by a sure title
blest ; and more than a hundred spirits were seated within.
'When Israel came out of Egypt ' they were singing all
together in unison, with what follows of the text of that
psalm. Then signed he them with the sign of the holy cross ;
whereupon they all leapt forth upon the shore, and he departed
as speedily as he came.
The spirits The crowd which remained there seemed strange to the
approach
Dante. spot, gazing around them, like one who essays a new ex
perience. The sun, which with its clear shafts had chased
Capricorn beyond the mid-heaven¹, was darting in every
direction the rays of day, when the strange folk raised their
brows towards us, saying : ' Show us, if ye know, the way
which leads to the Mountain .' And Virgil replied : 6 Haply
ye suppose we are acquainted with this place, but we are
strangers even as ye. We came but now, a short time before
you, by another way, which was so rough and steep, that now
the ascent will appear child's-play to us.' The spirits, who
from my breathing were ware that I was still alive , through
T
amazement turned pale ; and as round a messenger who bears
the olive-branch the folk crowd to hear his news, nor doth
any appear loth to trample on his neighbour, so did those

This means that the sun had risen. As Capricorn was three signs
of the Zodiac in front of Aries, in which the sun now was , Capricorn
would pass the meridian as the sun rose.
2 This was a token of good news.
 Purgatory II , 73-105 157

happy souls, one and all, rivet their eyes on my face, for
getting, as it seemed, to go where they might make them
fair .
One of them I saw advancing to embrace me, with affec- Casella the
musician.
tion so great that he impelled me to do the like. O shades
unreal in all but outward show ! Thrice did I clasp my
hands behind him, and as oft I brought them back upon my
breast. Methinks I expressed surprise in my countenance ;
whereat the shade smiled and drew back, and I advanced in
pursuit of him . In tender tones he bade me halt ; and then
I recognized him, and besought him to wait awhile and con
verse with me. He replied : ' I loved thee while I was in
the flesh, and now that I am freed from it I love thee still ;
therefore I wait : but for what eason art thou journeying ?
'My Casella 2 ,' I said, ' the purpose of my present journey
is, that I may return to this place once more ; but how comes
it to pass that so long a time hath been lost to thee 3 ? ' And
he to me : I have suffered no wrong, if he who embarks
whom and when he pleases, hath once and again denied me
this passage, for his will is determined by a righteous will.
Nevertheless , for three months past he hath taken on board
with full acquiescence all who have wished to come ; whence
I, who had just then betaken me to the shore where the
stream of Tiber enters the sea, was graciously admitted by
him. Toward that river-mouth hath he now winged his
way, for there the souls ever assemble, which descend not in
the direction of Acheron.'

¹ To Purgatory proper, where they would be cleansed from sin.

2 A musician and friend of Dante.
3 He had been dead some time.
4 The time here meant is the early part of the great year of Jubilee,
1300 A. D., when indulgences were freely dispensed.
 ry
158 Purgato II, 106 - III , 9
Cato And I : If no new law deprives thee of the memory or
reproves
their delay. practice of those strains of love, which were wont to assuage
all my desires, be pleased by their means to refresh a whit
my spirit, which through journeying hither in the body is so
weary.' He then began : Love that within my mind doth
hold discourse ' ; and so dulcet were the notes, that their
melody still sounds in mine ears. My Master and I and his
companion spirits seemed wholly contented, as if naught else
affected any of our minds. One and all we were rapt in
attention to his strains ; when behold the dignified old man,
who cried : 'What means this, ye lingering spirits ? What
negligence, what delay is here ? Speed you to the Mountain,
to remove the film which obscures your sight of God.' Like
doves, which, when gathering corn or tares, feed all together
quietly, nor display their wonted pride ; yet, if aught appears
to frighten them, hastily desert their food, being assailed by
more pressing care : so saw I that crowd of newly arrived
spirits quit the singing and hie them toward the hillside, like
one who pursues his way unknowing of his goal : nor less
precipitate was our own departure.

CANTO III . ANTE-PURGATORY

Dante per Albeit the suddenness of their flight dispersed those spirits
ceives that
Virgil casts over the plain, in the direction of the Mountain whither
no shadow. reason impels us, I drew close to my trusty companion ; and
how without him should I have pursued my journey ? Who
would have conducted me up the mountain-side ? He ap
peared to me self-reproached. O noble, stainless conscience,
how bitter to thy taste is a trifling fault ! When his foot
The first line of one of Dante's Canzoni.
 Purgatory III, 10-43 159

steps ceased from haste, which deprives every movement of

dignity, my mind, which ere that was circumscribed, widened
its field of vision as if eager to inquire, and I turned mine
eyes to the hill which rises highest toward heaven above the
waters. The sun, which was flaming all red behind me, was
broken n front of me, tracing the shape formed by his rays
as they fell on me. When I perceived that before me alone
the ground was darkened, in fear of being deserted I turned
me sideways : and my Comforter, facing full toward me, thus
addressed me : 'Wherefore dost thou still distrust me ?
Believest thou not that I am with thee as thy guide ? 'Tis
already evening there where the body lies buried within which
I cast a shade ; Naples possesses it, and from Brundisium it
was taken ¹. Now, if no object is obscured in front of me,
be not surprised at this, more than at the heavens, which
obstruct not the passage of a ray from one to another 2. To
suffer torments through heat and cold bodies like mine are
disposed by the supreme Goodness, who wills not that to us
his mode of working should be revealed. Foolish is he who
hopes that our reason can traverse the illimitable way, which
one substance in three Persons follows. Be content, human
race, with the fact ; for, had ye been able to comprehend the
whole scheme, there had been no need for Mary to give birth :
and ye have been cognizant of the fruitless longings of men
so wise 3 , that in that case those desires of theirs would have
been fulfilled, which are now assigned to them as their
eternal bane . 'Tis of Aristotle and Plato that I speak, and

I Virgil died at Brundisium, but his remains were transferred to

Naples.
* The nine concentric spheres which formed Dante's Heaven, though
they were material, were diaphanous.
3 Of the eminent heathen in Limbo.
 160 Purgatory III, 44-77

of many besides them.' Thereat he bowed his head and

spake no more, but remained distraught.
The spirits Meanwhile we reached the Mountain's foot ; there we
ofthe
excom found the rock so sheer, that legs, however active, could not
municate. scale it. Compared with that, the wildest, loneliest track.
between Lerici and Turbia I is an easy, open stairway.
' Now who knows on which side there is a gradual slope, '
said my Master, as he halted, ' so that one not furnished with
wings may make the ascent ? ' And while he kept his eyes
cast down, scrutinizing the character of the path, and I was
gazing upwards around the rock, on my left hand there came
in view a company of spirits, who while they advanced
towards us, seemed not to be moving, so slow was their
progress . ' Master,' I said, ' lift up thine eyes ; lo ! on
this side there are folk who will give us counsel, if from
thyself thou canst not obtain it.' He regarded them, and
answered with cheerful looks : " Thither let us go, for they
linger on their way ; and thou, sweet son, be steadfast in
hope.' That band of souls was still distant a good stone's
cast from us (still distant, I mean, after we had advanced a
thousand paces toward them), when they all drew close to
the hard rocks of the lofty precipice, and stood stark and
motionless, like the mistrustful traveller who stops to recon
noitre. O happy in your death, spirits already in the
number of the elect, ' Virgil began, ' I pray you by that peace,
which, as I deem, is in store for you all, tell us at what point
the mountain slopes so that it may be possible to ascend, for
These places represent respectively the eastern and western extremities
of the Riviera.
2 The spirits who are detained for a time in Ante-Purgatory are the
Negligent, or those who deferred their repentance to the end of their
lives. The first class of these, whom we meet with here, were those who,
though they repented at the last, died under the ban of the Church.
 161
Purgatory III , 78-112

that which the man of experience specially dreads is waste

of time.' As from the fold the silly sheep come forth by
ones and twos and threes, while the others stand in timid
mood sinking to earth their eyes and mouth ; and what the
first doth the others likewise do, crowding upon him if he
halts, all innocent and gentle, nor know the reason why ; so
saw I then the foremost of that favoured flock advance
towards us, modest in aspect and in movement dignified.
No sooner did those in front perceive that on my right side
the sunlight on the earth was broken, so that my shadow
was thrown toward the rock, than they stopped and drew
back a little space ; and all the rest who followed in their
steps, though unaware of the cause, did even so. 'Without
‫ دامه‬waiting for you to ask I do confess to you, that this which
ye see is a human body, whereby the sun's rays upon the
ground are parted . Be not amazed thereat ; but be assured,
that it is not without the aid of power from on high that he
seeks to scale this wall.' So spake the Master : and that
worthy folk replied, signalling with the backs of their hands :
' Turn round, then, and pass on in front of us.'
Then one of them began : " Whosoe'er thou art, turn thy Manfred.
face as thou goest, and bethink thee whether in the other
world thou ever sawest me.' I turned me toward him and
regarded him steadfastly : fair he was and handsome, and of
noble mien, but one of his eyebrows had been cleft by a blow.
When in humble terms I disclaimed having ever seen him,
he said : ' Now look ' ; and showed me a wound at the top
of his breast. Then with a smile he added : ' I am Manfred ¹ ,

' Manfred, who was an illegitimate son of Frederic II, was crowned
king of Sicily in 1258, but was excommunicated by successive Popes, and
by them Charles of Anjou was summoned to oppose him. He was killed
at the battle of Benevento.
TOZER M
 162 Purgatory III , 113-145

grandson of the empress Constance ; wherefore, when thou

returnest, I pray thee go to my fair daughter, who is mother
of the honour of Sicily and of Aragon ¹ , and tell her the
truth, if aught else be reported. After my body was rent by
two mortal wounds, I committed myself with tears to Him
who willingly pardons. My sins were horrible ; but so wide
is the embrace of the infinite Goodness, that He accepts
whate'er betakes itself to Him.Had the pastor of Cosenza,
whom Clement set on my track, at that time read aright this
page in God's word, the bones of my body would still be
at the head of the bridge nigh Benevento, guarded by the
ponderous cairn 2. Now the rain wets them and the wind
moves them without the limits of the Kingdom, near the
Verde's banks³ , whither he removed them with lights ex
tinguished. Through their malediction souls are not so
utterly lost, that the eternal love cannot be regained, so long
as hope hath a particle of green. True it is, that he who dies
in contumacy toward Holy Church, albeit he repents at the
last, is doomed to abide without this bank thirtyfold the time
which he hath lived in a state of defiance, if such appointed
term be not reduced by pious prayers. Consider now, whether
thou canst promote my happiness by disclosing to my noble
Constance how that thou hast seen me, and withal this pro
hibition ; since we who are here can profit greatly by the
help of those on earth.'

1 Manfred's daughter Constance married Peter III of Aragon, and was

mother of Frederic king of Sicily and James king of Aragon.
2 The story was that after Manfred's body was buried near Benevento
the bishop of Cosenza by Clement IV's orders removed it thence, because
the site was in papal territory.
3 The Verde, now the Garigliano, was the boundary of the kingdom
of Naples on that side.
 Purgatory IV, 1-33 163

CANTO IV . ANTE - PURGATORY

When through delight, or maybe through pain, which one Absorption

of mind.
of our energies conceives, the soul concentrates itself wholly
on that energy, to other of its faculties it seems to pay no
heed ; and this confutes the erroneous view, that more than
one soul is generated within us. So it comes to pass that,
when aught is heard or seen which keeps the soul engrossed
upon it, time passes by without our being aware : for the
faculty which listens to what is heard is one, and that which
dominates the soul as a whole is another ; the latter is as it
were bound, the former is in free exercise. This truth was
brought home to me by experience, when I listened wonder
ingly to that spirit ; for though full fifty degrees the sun had
risen, yet was I unaware thereof, when we reached a point
where those souls with one voice exclaimed to us : Here is
that for which ye inquired .'
Wider is oftentimes the gap which the villager hedges up The ascent
with a small forkful of his thorns, when the grape is gathering through
the cliffs.
colour, than was the opening by which my Leader, and I in
his footsteps, ascended alone, so soon as the troop departed
from us. A man may make his way to Sanleo, or descend
to Noli, or mount to the summit of Bismantova , by the
help of the feet alone, but here one must needs fly- with
the swift wings and plumage, I mean, of strong desire-in
following his guidance, who was the source of hope and light
to me. Within the rifted rock we mounted, and on either
hand the wall hemmed us in, and for the pathway below

The steep stairway here is compared to the ascent to Sanleo near

San Marino, aud that to Bismantova near Reggio in the Modenese, and
to the descent to Noli on the western Riviera.
M 2
 164 Purgatory IV, 34-70

both hands and feet were needed. When we reached the

upper rim of the lofty precipice on the open hillside, I said :
6 Master, which direction shall we take ? ' And he to me :

' See that thy footsteps slip not ; ascend the Mountain
steadily in my rear, until we meet with some sage escort.'
So high was the summit that it defied the sight, and far more
steeply than a line drawn from the centre to the half-quad
rant ' did the ground rise. I was weary, when I thus began :
"Turn thee, beloved Father ; see how, if thou dost not stop,
I must remain alone.' ' Plod thy way thus far, my son, ' he
said, indicating a ridge of rock a short space higher up, which
on that side runs round the entire Mountain. So greatly did
his words stimulate me, that I constrained myself, following
him on hands and knees, until the encircling ledge was
beneath my feet.
The sun on There we both seated us, facing the east, on which side
the left
hand. we had ascended, for a man is wont to find pleasure in
looking back. First I turned mine eyes toward the low-lying
shores ; anon I raised them to the sun, and was seized with
wonder at our being smitten on the left side by his rays. It
escaped not the Poet that I was gazing in amaze at the
chariot of light, where it was passing between us and the
north. Whereupon he said to me : 'If the Twins were in
company with that mirror which imparts its light to both
hemispheres, thou wouldst see the blazing zodiac revolve still
nearer to the Bears 2, provided it did not quit its wonted
track. If thou wouldst conceive how this can be, concentrate
thy thoughts, and realize to thyself that Sion and this
mountain are so placed on the globe, that they have a common
An angle of 45° is meant.
2 In other words- in June, when the sun is in Gemini, its course,
which is marked by the zodiac, would be nearer the north pole.
 Purgatory IV, 71-105 165

horizon and are in opposite hemispheres¹ ; and consequently

thou wilt see, if thy mind gives good heed thereto, that the
path wherefrom to his misfortune Phaethon strayed, must
pass on the one side here, when it passes on the other side
there 2.' ' In sooth, my Master,' said I , ' never did I see
any matter so clearly, as now I understand —with regard to
the point which my intellect seemed not to grasp—that the
mid circle of the highest heaven that moves, which in a
certain science is called the equator, and which ever remains
between the sun and winter, for the reason which thou dost
state lies here as far away toward the north, as to the Jews
it appeared to lie toward the torrid zone. But, if it be thy
pleasure, I would fain know how far we have to go, for the
Mountain rises higher than mine eyes can soar.' And he to
6
me : The nature of this eminence is such, that ever at
starting from below it is fatiguing, but in proportion as a man
mounts he feels it less. Wherefore, when it shall appear to
thee so gentle, that the ascent is as easy as sailing downward
with the stream, then shalt thou be at the end of this path ;
there mayst thou hope to rest thy weariness. No more
I reply, but this I know for certain.'
And when he ceased from speaking, a voice close at hand Spirits who
delayed
was heard to say : ' Ere that, maybe, thou wilt feel great repentance
need of repose.' At the sound of it we both turned, and through
beheld on our left-hand a huge block of stone, whereof indole nce ;
Belacqua.
neither he nor I before was ware. Thither we betook
ourselves ; and at that spot there were folk abiding in the
shade behind the stone, in the position a man assumes through

¹i . e. Jerusalem and the Mountain of Purgatory are antipodal to one

another.
2 At the Mountain of Purgatory the sun's course is seen towards the
north, when at Jerusalem it is seen towards the south.
166
Purgatory IV, 106-138

negligence . And one of them, who methought had a weary

look, sat clasping his knees, with his face hanging far down
between them. ' O sweet my Lord,' said I, ' do look at
that one, who wears an air of greater negligence than if sloth
were his very sister.' Thereat he turned towards us and
gave heed, just moving his face along his thigh, and said :
'Now do thou make the ascent, for thou art strong.' Then
I recognized him ; and the exhaustion which still somewhat
quickened my breathing hindered me not from going to him:
and when I reached him he hardly raised his head, while he
said : Art quite satisfied about the sun driving his chariot
on thy left-hand ? ' His lazy movements and brief words
for a moment raised a smile on my lips ; anon I began:
' Belacqua , now I am not anxious on thy behalf ; but tell
me, Why art thou seated just at this spot ? Art thou waiting
for an escort, or is it merely that thy wonted habit hath once
more mastered thee ? ' And he ' Brother, what boots the
upward journey ? For the bird of God, who is seated at
the gate 3 , would not suffer me to enter on my pains. Ere
that, the heaven must needs revolve round me, while still
without the gate, for so long as it did in my lifetime, because
I postponed to the last my pious sighs, unless I first have
the aid of prayer, such as rises from a heart which lives in
grace as for other prayers, what do they avail, seeing that
in heaven they are not heard ?' And already the Poet was
mounting in front of me, and said : ' Come on now ; see
how the sun hath reached the meridian, and night, starting

I These are the second class of the Negligent, viz. those who delayed
their repentance through indolence.
2 A maker of musical instruments in Florence, who was characterized
by his indolence.
3 The Angel at the gate of Purgatory proper.
 167
Purgatory IV, 139— V, 27

from the Ganges' bank, is falling on Morocco with her

advancing foot .'

CANTO V. ANTE - PURGATORY

Already I had quitted those shades, and was following my Surprise

caused by
Leader's footsteps, when one exclaimed behind me with out Dante's
stretched finger : ' See, the sun's rays seem not to shine on shadow.
the left of the lower of the two, and his demeanour resembles
that of a living man.' At the sound of these words I turned
round mine eyes, and saw them regarding in astonishment me,
me only, and the light which was parted. ' Wherefore is thy
mind so occupied,' said my Master, ' that thou slackenest thy
speed ? Of what importance to thee is what is whispered here ?
Follow thou me, and let the folk say their say ; stand firm as
a tower, whose summit never sways for all the blasts of wind :
for he in whose mind thought arises in the wake of thought
doth ever put out of sight his aim, seeing that the one weakens
the other's force.' What could I reply except ' I come ' ?
And as I spake I was tinged a whit with the hue which ever
and anon pleads a man's excuse. Meanwhile across the hill
side a little space in front of us there passed a company²,
who were singing the Miserere³ in alternate verses. When
they were ware that my person obstructed the passage of
the rays, they exchanged their strain for a long hoarse Oh !

As it was midday in Purgatory, it would be midnight at Jerusalem ;

and the hemisphere of which Jerusalem was the centre, extending
(according to the geography of Dante's time) from the mouth of the
Ganges towards the east to Morocco in the west, would be in darkness.
2 The third class of the Negligent, or those who repented at the
moment of a violent death.
3 Ps. li.
 168 Purgatory V, 28-63

And two of their number ran to meet us in the character of

(
messengers with the inquiry : May we know what your
condition is ? ' My Master replied : " Ye may go your way,
and bear word to those who sent you, that this man's body is
flesh indeed. If, as I opine, it was at the sight of his shadow
that they halted, they have a sufficient answer ; let them pay
him honour, and that may be to their advantage.' Never saw
I ignited vapours cleave the serene heaven at nightfall, or
August clouds when the sun declines ¹ , so swiftly as those
spirits sped on their return upward ; and when they reached
their goal they turned towards us along with the others, like
a troop that comes on at full speed .
Spirits who " This company which hastes towards us is numerous, and
repent ed
the time ofat they come to ask a favour of thee,' the Poet said ; proceed
a violent therefore without stopping, and listen as thou goest.' Thou
death .
spirit, who journeyest to reach the realm of bliss with those
limbs wherewith thou wast born,' they exclaimed as they
approached, ' for a moment check thy steps. Consider
whether thou hast ever beheld any one of us, so that thou
mayst bear tidings of him to the other world. Ah wherefore
dost thou proceed ? Wherefore dost thou not halt ? We all
erewhile met a violent death, and were sinners until our last
hour ; at that moment a light from heaven admonished us, so
that, repentant and forgiving, we departed from life at peace
with God, who stirs in our hearts the longing to behold him.'
And I : ' Gaze as I will at your faces, I recognize none of
you ; but if ye desire aught that is in my power, ye spirits
predestined to happiness, tell me and I will do it-I swear to
you by that bliss, which leads me in its quest from realm to
realm, following the footsteps of the Guide whom ye behold.'
The former of the two phenomena here described are shooting stars,
the latter summer lightning.
 Purgatory V, 64-89 169
6
Then one of them began : Without thine oath we have Jacopo del
Cassero.
confidence, one and all of us, in thy beneficence, provided
that inability cancel not thy goodwill. Wherefore I beseech
thee, speaking alone before the others, that, if ever thou seest
the land which lies between the Romagna and Charles's
realm ' , thou wouldst graciously make request for me in Fano,
so that pious prayers may be offered in my behalf, to the end
that I may be permitted to cleanse away my grievous sins.
That was my birthplace ; but the deep wounds, whence
issued the blood which was the seat of my life, were inflicted
on me in the bosom of Antenor's folk 2 , where I deemed
myself more secure the instigator was the Lord of Este,
who harboured wrath against me far beyond the demands of
justice. But if, when I reached Oriago, I had fled toward
La Mira, I should still be in the land of living men. To the
fen country I sped, where the reeds and mire so hampered me
that I fell, and there I saw from forth my veins a pool formed
on the ground .'
6
Then said another : Ah ! so may the desire which Buonconte
da Monte
attracts thee to the lofty Mount be fulfilled-with kindly feltro.
compassion do thou aid my longing. Of Montefeltro I was ;
I am Buonconte 3 : neither Giovanna 4 nor any other takes

The march of Ancona, in which Fano was situated. The speaker is

Jacopo del Cassero of Fano, who was murdered at Oriago near Padua by
assassins in the employ of Azzo VIII of Este, who had a grudge against
him .
2 The people of Padua , which city was said to have been founded by
Antenor.
3 Buonconte da Montefeltro was son of Guido da Montefeltro, who is
introduced among the fraudulent counsellors in Inf. xxvii. He was
wounded, when fighting on the side of the Ghibellines of Arezzo at the
battle of Campaldino in 1289. He here describes the manner of his
death, and what followed .
4 His wife.
170 Purgatory V, 90-123

thought for me, so that I move in that company with down

cast brow.' And I to him : " What violence or what mis
chance led thee astray so far from Campaldino, that thy
burial-place was never known ? ' ' Oh, ' he replied, ‘ at the
foot of the Casentino there flows across a stream named
Archiano, which rises in the Apennines above the Hermitage.
I
At the point where its name is lost I arrived with a wound
in my throat, flying on foot and staining with my blood the
plain. There did I lose mine eyesight, and the name of
Mary was the last word I uttered ; there also I fell, and my
body remained alone. The tale I shall tell thee is true ; do
thou repeat it among the living. God's angel caught me,
while he of Hell exclaimed : " Thou denizen of Heaven,
wherefore dost thou rob me ? Thou on the strength of
a miserable tear which deprives me of this man art bearing off
the immortal part of him ; but with the other part I will deal
in other wise." Thou knowest full well how the moist vapour
which returns in the form of rain is condensed in the air, so
soon as it rises to the point where the cold seizes it. The
devil combined with intelligence the malign will which desires
naught but evil, and by the power which his nature furnished
aroused the mist and wind. Then at the close of day he
shrouded in cloud the valley from Prato Magno to the main
chain 2, and caused the sky above to become so dense that the
charged air turned to water ; the rain descended, and into
the watercourses passed whatever of it the earth could not
absorb ; and when this met the great streams, it plunged with
such speed toward the royal river 3 that no power could restrain

i. e. where it joins the Arno.

2 The upper valley of the Arno, which lies between the range of
Prato Magno and the main chain of the Apennines.
3 The Arno.
 Purgatory V, 124—VI, 16 171

it. The wild Archiano at its mouth found my corpse all

chill, and flung it into the Arno, loosening from my breast the
cross that I made with mine arms when the death-agony
mastered me along its banks and over its bed it whirled me ;
anon it covered and swathed me with its spoil.'
' Ah, when thou hast returned to the world, and reposed La Pia.
thee after thy long journey,' so after the second spirit spake
the third, ' bethink thee of me ; I am La Pia¹. Siena gave
me birth, Maremma unmade me : he is privy to my death,
who ere that had placed his ring on my finger in matrimony. '

CANTO VI. ANTE - PURGATORY

When the game of ' hazard ' breaks up, the loser remains Other
behind despondent, going over the throws again, and moodily avictims
violentof
wins experience with the other all the company depart ; one death.
goes in front of him, another plucks at his robe behind,
a third, walking at his side, recalls himself to his memory.
He halts not, but gives heed first to one and then to another ;
those to whom he proffers a gift cease to crowd round ; and
thus he keeps the throng at bay. So was it with me in that
dense multitude, as I turned my face toward them, this way
and that, and by means of promises got quit of them. There
was the Aretine 2 , who at the savage hands of Ghin di
Tacco 3 met his death, and the other who was drowned when
pursuing his foes. There with outstretched hands Federico

¹ A lady of Siena , who was put to death by her husband in the district
of the Maremma.
2 Benincasa of Arezzo . He and the others who are here mentioned
met violent or sudden deaths, but repented of their sins at the last
moment.
3 A highwayman.
 172 Purgatory VI, 17-44

Novello supplicated, and he of Pisa , through whom the good

Marzucco's strength of character was revealed. Count Orso
I saw ; and the spirit who was severed from his body through
hatred and envy- so he averred— not for a criminal deed ;
Pierre de la Brosse 2 I mean : so let the lady of Brabant take
heed here, while she still lives, lest on this account she find
herself in a worse company.
The efficacy So soon as I had escaped from all those shades, whose t
of interces
sory prayer. only prayer was that another should pray for them, in order
that their purification might be hastened, I began : ' Me
thinks in a certain passage, O my Light, thou deniest ex
pressly that prayer can alter a decree of heaven 3 ; yet what
these spirits request is naught else than this. Can it be, then,
that their hope is vain ? Or is thy saying not wholly in
telligible to me?' And he to me : " That which I wrote is
clear, and their hope is not fallacious, if with a sound mind
it be carefully regarded ; for the height of God's judgement
is not lowered, seeing that the fire of love 4 in a moment
fulfils the satisfaction required from those who here abide:
and in the instance where I laid down this principle that
which was lacking was not compensated by prayer, because
the prayer could not reach the ears of God 5. Nevertheless
on a question so profound rest not assured unless she instruct
1 Farinata, son of Marzucco degli Scornigiani of Pisa . Marzucco's
strength of character was shown by his expressing his willingness to be
reconciled to his son's murderer, instead of calling for vengeance on him.
2 He was chamberlain of Philip III of France. He was put to death
on a charge of treason brought against him by his enemies, 'one of whom
was Philip's queen, Mary of Brabant.
3 The passage is Aen. vi. 376 ' Desine fata deum flecti sperare pre
cando.'
4 i, e. the love involved in intercessory prayer.
5 Palinurus, whose case is here referred to, was a heathen, and there
fore prayers for him were unavailing.
 173
Purgatory VI, 45-85

thee who will be a light to reveal the truth to thy mind.

Is this obscure to thee ? "Tis Beatrice I mean : thou wilt
see her above, on the summit of this Mountain, smiling and
blissful.' And I : ' My Lord, let us hasten our steps : I am
not weary now, as erewhile I was ; and see how already the
hill casts a shadow.' 'We will make what further progress
we can to-day,' he replied ; but the state of the case is other
than thou imaginest. Ere thou reachest the summit thou
I
wilt witness the return of him who now is hidden by the
hillside, so that thou dost not intercept his rays. But see
there a spirit, who, stationed all alone, is looking towards us ;
he will point out to us the speediest way.
We approached him ; O Lombard soul, how proud and Sordello.
disdainful was thine attitude, how slow and dignified the
movement of thine eyes ! He spake not a word to us, but
suffered us to go our way, merely watching us, as a couchant
lion doth. Yet Virgil went up to him with the request that
he should show us the best route upward, whereupon, without
replying to his question, he inquired concerning our country
and manner of life. Then my kind Leader thus began :
' Mantua . · .' And the shade, erst so reserved, rose toward
him from his former station, exclaiming : ' O Mantuan, I am
2
Sordello thy fellow citizen ' ; and they embraced each other.
Ah ! servile Italy, abode of woe, ship without pilot in The
a wild tempest, no mistress of provinces but house of ill want of
patriotism
fame ! So eager was that noble spirit, merely at the sweet in the
Italian
name of his home, to welcome there his compatriot ; and now cities.
within thy borders thy living sons are not exempt from war,
but those molest one another who are enclosed by a single
wall and moat. Make search, ill-fated one, around thy sea
The sun .
2 The troubadour poet of the thirteenth century.
 174 Purgatory VI, 86-118

coasts, and then regard thy bosom, to see whether any part
of thee is blest with peace. What avails it that Justinian
refitted thy bridle, if the saddle is void¹ ? Were it not for
that, the discredit would be less. Ye folk, whose duty it is
to be religious, and to suffer Caesar to occupy the saddle², if
ye read aright God's appointment for you, mark how vicious
this beast hath become through not being chastised by the
spur, since ye have put your hand to the headstall. O German
Albert ³, who neglectest her that hath grown wild and un
tamable, while thou oughtest to bestride her saddlebow, may
a righteous judgement fall from the stars upon thy life, and
4
may it be strange and manifest, so that thy successor * may be
seized with fear thereat ; for that thou and thy father³,
diverted by your greed of those transalpine lands, have
suffered the garden of the empire to run to waste. Come
and see the Montagues and Capulets, the Monaldi and
Filippeschi, thou neglectful man, the former already in low
estate, the latter mistrustful. Come, hard-hearted one, come,
and see the distress of thy nobility, and heal their wrongs,
and thou wilt see how safe is Santafiora 6. Come and see
thy Rome lamenting in her desolate widowhood, while day
and night she cries : ' My Caesar, why dost thou not abide
with me ?' Come and see how much love is lost between
thy people ; or, if no pity for us affects thee, come and feel
shame at thine own repute. And if my words are not too
1
Justinian's reform of the laws is rendered unavailing through the
neglect of the sovereign power of the Empire.
2 The ecclesiastics are meant, who had usurped the temporal power.
3 Emperor from 1298 to 1308.
4 Henry of Luxemburg.
5 The emperor Rudolf.
6 This is ironical ; the misfortunes of the Counts of Santafiora are
alluded to.
 Purgatory VI, 119—VII , 4 175

bold, thou highest Jove who wast crucified for us on earth,

are thy just eyes averted from us ? Or art thou thus in the
depths of thy counsel preparing the way for some blessing,
which is wholly excluded from our range of vision ? For
the cities of Italy teem with tyrants, and every peasant churl
who plays the partisan becomes a Marcellus¹ . My Florence,
well mayst thou be content with this digression, which affects
thee not, thanks to thy folk who are so ready with pleas.
Many peoples have justice at heart, but are slow to speak
thereof, lest its name escape from them unadvisedly ; but thy
people have it on their very lips. Many decline the burden
of the common weal, but thy people eagerly reply unbidden,
exclaiming : I am girding myself for the task.' Rejoice
then, for thou hast good cause, rich, peaceful, prudent as
thou art ; whether I speak the truth the result declares.
Athens and Lacedaemon, who enacted the laws of old and
were so well-governed, gave but a feeble hint of good
administration in comparison of thee, who makest ordinances
of so fine a texture, that the threads thou spinnest in October
last not till mid-November. How many times within thy
memory hast thou changed thy laws, thy currency, thine
officers and customs, and renewed thy members ! And if
thou rememberest aright and canst perceive the truth, thou wilt
see that thou art like the sickly dame, who finds no rest on
her bed of down, but shifts her posture to alleviate her pain.

CANTO VII . ANTE - PURGATORY

When those glad and honourable greetings had been three Virgil
reveals
times and more renewed, Sordello drew back, and said : himself to
'Who are ye ? ' ' Before the souls that are worthy to ascend Sordello.
6
i. e. a demagogue ; Marcellus loquax ,' Lucan, Phars. i. 313.
 176 Purgatory VII, 5-43

to God turned their steps toward this Mountain, my bones

were interred by Octavianus' orders. I am Virgil ; and for
no other sin was I excluded from heaven than want of faith' :
such was the answer which my Leader then returned. As
is the man who on a sudden sees before him an object which
excites his wonder, who believes, yet disbelieves, saying:
'It is ; it cannot be ' ; such did he seem ; and then with
downcast eyes and humble mien he returned towards him, and
embraced him where the inferior clasps his superior. ' 0
glory of the Latins, ' he said, ' through whom our language
showed what it could achieve, O eternal honour of my birth
place, what merit or what grace reveals thee to me ? If I am
meet to hear thy words, tell me if thou comest from Hell.
and from what Circle thereof.' ' Through all the Circles of
the realm of woe,' he replied to him, ' I have come hither ;
a heaven-sent influence moved me, and in the strength of it
I come . Not through committed sin but by default I have
lost the sight of the Sun on high for whom thou longest, and
who all too late became known to me. A place there is
below, where no torment, but only darkness, afflicts the soul ;
where the laments are not cries of woe, but merely sighs :
there I abide with the innocent little ones, on whom death
closed his fangs ere they were freed from human sin. There
I abide with those who put not on the three saintly virtues¹ ,
but without sin knew all the others, and unfailingly observed
them. But direct us, if thou mayst and knowest the way, SO
that we may more quickly reach the point where Purgatory
hath its proper commencement .'
The Val He replied : 6 No fixed station is assigned to us ; I have
letta dei
Principi. licence to walk upward and around ; so far as I may I will
accompany thee as thy guide. But see already how the day
I Faith , hope and charity,
 Purgatory VII, 44-80 177

is declining, and in the night-time it is impossible to ascend ;

wherefore it is well to take thought for a pleasant resting
place. Here on our right there are spirits in seclusion ; with
thy consent I will conduct thee to them, and with their
acquaintance thou wilt not fail to be delighted. ' How so ?'
was the reply : if one wished to ascend by night, would any
hinder him, or would inability prevent him ? ' Then the
good Sordello drew his finger along upon the earth, saying :
' See, after sunset thou couldst not even cross this line ; not
because aught else than the darkness of night impedes the
ascent ; it is that which hampers the will through want of
power. 'Tis true, during the dark hours a man might retrace
his steps downward, and traverse the hillside in devious course,
while the horizon excludes the day.' Thereupon, as if in
wonder, my Lord said : ' Conduct us then to the spot, where
thou sayest we may have enjoyment while we rest.' We had
not proceeded far from that point, when I was ware of
a depression in the Mountain , such as here on earth the
valleys form. ' Thither will we repair,' said that shade,
' where the hillside retires, and there will we await the break
of day.' A winding path there was, neither steep nor yet
level, which led us to the side of the dell, where its rim is
diminished to less than half its depth. Gold and fine silver,
cochineal and white lead, Indian wood with clear harmonious
tints, emerald undimmed at the moment when it is flaked, if
contrasted with the grass and flowers within that dale, would
each of them be surpassed in hue, even as the less is sur
passed by the greater. There nature had not only used
colour, but from the sweetness of a thousand odours pro

¹ The Valletta dei Principi , where are the fourth class of the Negligent,
viz. kings and princes, who deferred their repentance owing to the cares
of state .
TOZER N
 178 Purgatory VII , 81-109

duced a perfume all unknown and subtly blended. There

saw I seated on the verdure and the flowers spirits singing
Salve Regina¹ , who, owing to the form of the valley, were
not visible from without.
The spirits ' Until the sun who is sinking attains his rest '—thus began
of the
illustrious the Mantuan who had directed us- ' desire not that I should
Sovereigns . lead you among that company. From this ridge ye will better
observe the mien and the countenances of them all, than if ye
were received in their midst in the level below. He that
occupies the highest seat, and wears the look of having
neglected his rightful duty, nor moves his lips in concert with
the others' songs, was the emperor Rudolf, who had it in his
power to heal the wounds whereby Italy hath been done to
death, so that her recovery by another 2 tarries long. The
other, who, to judge from his looks, is consoling him, was
ruler of the land 3 where rises the stream which the Moldau
bears into the Elbe, and the Elbe into the sea : Ottocar was
his name ; and he in swaddling clothes was a far better man
than is Wenceslaus his son in his maturity, pampered as he is
by luxury and ease. And he of the small nose , whom we
see earnestly conversing with the one who is so benign in
look 5, died in flight dishonouring the fleur-de-lis ; mark how
he smites his breast. Observe too the other, who, as he
sighs, hath reposed his cheek on the palm of his hand.
Father and father-in-law are they to the curse of France :

I The Compline Hymn to the Virgin.

2 Henry Luxemburg, whose possible advent Dante here anticipates.
3 Bohemia.
4 Philip the Bold of France ; he invaded Catalonia in a war with
Peter III of Aragon, but was forced to retreat, and died at Perpignan.
5 Henry the Fat of Navarre.
Philip the Fair, son of Philip the Bold, who married the daughter
of Henry of Navarre,
 179
Purgatory VII, 110-134

they are acquainted with his foul and vicious life, and thence.
arises the pain which wounds them so. That one who seems
so large of limb , and sings in concert with him of the manly
nose ², wore round his loins the girdle of all worth. And
had the youth 3 who sits behind him continued to reign in his
stead, worth would have rightly been transmitted from occu
pant to occupant- a thing which cannot be said of his other
heirs. James and Frederic hold his dominions , but neither
possesses aught of the better heritage. Rarely among men is
integrity reproduced in the branches ; and this is the will of
the Giver, in order that it may be regarded as his gift. To
him of the manly nose withal my remarks apply, no less than
to the other, even Peter, who is singing with him ; by reason
whereof Apulia and Provence are now lamenting 5. The
plant is as inferior to the seed from which it sprang, as Con
stance exceeds Beatrice and Margaret in the pride she still
feels for her husband 6. Behold the king of innocent life ,
who sits there alone, Henry of England ; he in his branches
hath more worthy issue 8 He that is seated on the ground
below the others and gazes upward, is the Marquis William ⁹,

¹ Peter III of Aragon.

2 Charles I of Anjou .
3 Alfonso, eldest son and successor of Peter III, who died early.
4 James became king of Aragon , and Frederic king of Sicily.
5 The remarks about the degeneracy of sons apply to Charles I of
Anjou because of the misgovernment of his son, Charles II of Anjou,
who was king of Naples and count of Provence.
Constance here is the wife of Peter of Aragon , while Beatrice and
Margaret are the wives of Charles I of Anjou and his brother Louis IX
of France. The meaning of the passage then is :-Charles II is as
inferior to Charles I, as Charles I and Louis IX are to Peter III.
7 Henry III . 8 Edward I.
9 William, marquis of Montferrat and Canavese. When he marched
against Alessandria in 1290, he was made prisoner and died in captivity ;
N 2
 180 Purgatory VII , 135 - VIII , 24

on whose account Alessandria and its war cause Monferrat

and Canavese to lament.'

CANTO VIII. ANTE - PURGATORY

The even 'Twas now the hour which turns homeward the longings
ing hour.
of those who sail the sea, and softens their hearts, what day
they have bidden adieu to their beloved friends ; and stirs
within the pilgrim fresh on his way a pang of love, when
he hears from afar a bell ' , that seems to lament the dying
day ; and I at that hour began to lose the sense of hearing,
and to gaze at one of the spirits, that had arisen, and with
his hand was pleading for attention. He clasped and up
lifted his two palms, looking steadfastly toward the east,
as if he said to God : For Thee alone I care .' ' Before
the ending of the day ' issued from his lips with such
devotion and notes so sweet, that it entranced me with
rapture anon the others devoutly in dulcet tones repeated
after him the entire hymn with their eyes fixed on the spheres
above.
The Look keenly here, Reader, to perceive the truth ; for
guardian
Angels. verily now the veil is so fine-spun, that it is easy to penetrate
the mystery 3. I saw thereafter that noble host look upward
in silence, pale and humble, as it were in expectation ; and

and when his son, Giovanni, advanced against Alessandria to avenge him,
he ended by losing part of his dominions.
The Angelus bell.
2 This is the commencement of the familiar English evening hymn ,
which is a translation of the Latin Te lucis ante terminum.
3 What follows is an acted parable, the Flowery Valley representing
the splendour of the life of kings, the serpent the temptations to which
they are exposed, the angels the spiritual influences which succour them.
 Purgatory VIII , 25–60 181

two angels I saw come forth from on high and descend,

bearing two flaming swords, blunted and reft of their points.
Their raiment was green as young leaves just opened, and
was smitten and waved by green wings, as it trailed behind
them. The one stationed himself close above us, the other
alighted on the opposite ridge, so that the folk were in the
space between them. The whiteness of their heads I clearly
distinguished, but in looking at their faces the eye was dazed,
like a faculty overpowered by excessive strain. " They come
both of them from Mary's bosom,' Sordello said, ' to guard
the valley, by reason of the serpent that will instantly arrive.'
Whereupon, as I knew not what its route would be, I turned
me round, and shivering with fear drew close to the shoulders
of my trusty guide. And Sordello recommenced : ' Let us
now go down into the midst of the mighty shades, and we
will converse with them : the sight of you will be well
pleasing to them.'
Methinks I had descended but three paces when I reached Nino
Visconti.
the bottom, and I perceived one who was absorbed in looking
at me, as if he would fain recognize me. It was the time of
day when the atmosphere was growing dark, yet not so much
as to prevent its revealing between his eyes and mine what
previously it concealed. He advanced toward me, and I
toward him ; O noble Judge Nino ' , how happy was I to find
that thou wert not in the number of the malefactors. No fair
words of greeting were left unsaid between us ; anon he
"
inquired : How long time is it since thou camest to the
Mountain's foot across the distant waters ? ' ' Oh ! ' said
I, ' this morning through the abodes of woe I came, and I am
in my first life, albeit by this journey I am winning the other.'
Nino Visconti of Pisa, who was governor or judge of the province
of Gallura in Sardinia.
 182 Purgatory VIII, 61-90

And no sooner was mine answer heard, than Sordello and

he shrank backward, like folk who are suddenly bewildered.
The one turned toward Virgil, the other to a spirit that was
C
seated there, exclaiming : Rise, Conrad ' ; come and behold
what God of his grace hath vouchsafed . ' Then addressing
6
me : By that special gratitude which thou owest to Him,
who so conceals His primary motive that it cannot be forded,
I pray thee, when thou art on the further side of the wide
2
waters, bid my Giovanna make supplication for me in that
quarter, where to innocent souls a reply is given. Her
mother, I ween, loves me no longer since she put off her
white weeds, for which hereafter in her sad estate she is
doomed to long³ . From her example it is full easily per
ceived how brief a space the fire of love endures in woman,
if it be not oft enkindled by the eye or touch . Theviper
which bids the Milanese encamp will not show so fair on
her tomb as the cock of Gallura would have done.' Thus
spake he, the while his countenance bore the imprint of
righteous zeal, such as burns in the heart without excess.
The My eager eyes were fixed on the heavens, at the point
serpent.
where the stars revolve most slowly, like a wheel where it is
nearest the axle. And my Leader said : ' My son, at what
art thou gazing aloft ? ' And I to him : At those three
luminaries 5, wherewith the hither pole is all afire. ' And he

1 Conrad Malaspina. 2 His daughter, who was still a girl.

3 After Nino's death she married Galeazzo Visconti of Milan, and two
years after this he was expelled from that city.
4 The viper was the crest of the Visconti. Before the Milanese army
pitched their tents, the flag which bore it had to be planted in the
ground.
5 These three stars symbolize the three Christian virtues of Faith,
Hope and Charity, in like manner as the four represent the cardinal
virtues.
 Purgatory VIII, 91–123 183

to me : ' The four bright stars which thou sawest this

morning are low down yonder, and these have risen in their
place .' As he uttered these words, Sordello drew him
towards himself, saying : ' Lo ! there is our adversary ' ; and
pointed with his finger that he should look that way. On
the undefended side of the little valley there was a snake,
haply the one which presented Eve with the bitter food.
Through the grass and flowers the evil serpent came on,
turning round its head from time to time to its back, and
licking itself like a beast that sleeks its skin. I saw not,
and therefore I cannot describe, the first movements of the
celestial hawks , but after they had started I beheld them both
distinctly. The serpent, when he was ware that the green
wings were cleaving the air, took to flight, and the angels,
turning round, flew upward again to their stations in equal
course.
The shade who at the Judge's call had drawn nigh to Corrado
Malaspina.
him, throughout that assault did not for a moment remove
his eyes from me. 6 So may the lamp which leads thee on
high find in thy free will so much wax as is required for thee
to reach the enamelled summit ' ,' he began : ' if thou hast
trustworthy intelligence of Valdimacra 2 or its neighbourhood,
tell it to me, for once I was in honour there. Conrad
Malaspina I was called ; I am not the elder of that name,
but a descendant of his : I expended on my relations that
love which here is purified. ' ' Oh ! ' said I to him, ' in your
land I have never been ; but in what part of Europe can
a man dwell, where they are not well known ? The fame

' The Terrestrial Paradise, which was on the summit of the Mountain
of Purgatory.
2 A district of the Lunigiana (at the foot of the Apennines behind
Spezia), which was ruled by the Malaspina family.
 184 Purgatory VIII , 124 — IX , 10

which dignifies your house celebrates its grandees and the

country withal, so that strangers are acquainted therewith.
And I swear to you (so may I reach the summit of this
Mountain), that your honoured race forfeits not the meed
of fame which it hath won for its purse and for its sword.
From nature and from practice it hath such prerogative, that
albeit the world is misguided by its guilty head ' , it alone
walks straight forward, despising the way of error.' And
he : 'Now go thy way, for the sun shall not rest seven times
on the bed which the Ram covers and bestrides with all his
four feet 2 , ere this favourable view will be imprinted deeply
3
on thy mind by a force more powerful than others' testimony ³,
if the course of God's judgements be not stayed.'

CANTO IX . THE GATE OF PURGATORY

Dante's 4
The concubine of Tithonus old was already brightening
anticipatory
dream . on her eastern balcony, as she quitted the embraces of her
fond lover ; her brow was gleaming with jewels, set in the
figure of that chill animal which strikes the folk with its tail 5 ;
and night in the spot where we were had accomplished two of
the stages by which she rises, and the third was now droop
ing its wings when I, who was bearing my portion of
The worldly popes.
2 i. e. seven years shall not pass.
3 This is a prophecy of Dante's hospitable entertainment by the Mala
spina in 1306.
4 The Lunar Aurora-i . e. the lightening of the eastern sky which
precedes the rising of the moon - which is here intended, is spoken of as
the concubine of Tithonus, in the same way as the Solar Aurora is called
his wife.
5 The constellation of Scorpio.
6 The stages by which night rises are the hours between sunset and
midnight, and the time here intended is about 8.45 p.m.
 Purgatory IX, 11-43 185

Adam's heritage, overcome by sleep, reclined me on the grass

where all five of us were already seated . At the hour when
the swallow at the approach of morn commences her sad lays,
haply in memory of her early sorrows ¹, and when our mind,
being more estranged from the flesh and less captive to its
imaginations, is wellnigh prophetic in its visions, methought
in a dream ² I saw an eagle with feathers of gold poised in
mid-air, with wings extended and prepared to swoop ; and
I fancied I was at the place where Ganymede forsook his
friends, when he was carried off to the supreme consistory.
I reflected thus : ' Maybe the eagle from habit strikes its prey
only in this place, and haply it disdains to bear it off on high
in its claws from otherwhere.' Anon it seemed to me that
after wheeling for a space it descended, terrible as a thunder
bolt, and snatched me up even to the region of fire ³. There
methought both it and I were aflame, and so scorching was
the fancied conflagration that perforce my sleep was broken.
Not otherwise did Achilles start, and move around his St. Lucy
bears him
awakened eyes, not knowing where he was— what time his to the
mother bore him off from Chiron asleep in her arms to Scyros, entrance of
Purgatory.
whence afterward the Greeks removed him—than I started,
so soon as sleep passed away from before my face ; and
I became deadly pale, like one who is chilled by panic fear.
By my side was my Comforter alone, and already more than

' The fabled sorrows of Philomela, whom Dante identifies with the
swallow .
Ganymede was carried off by an eagle from the summit of Mount
Ida, in order that he might become cup-bearer to the conclave of the
Gods. The dream in which Dante beholds this symbolizes his being
transported to the gate of Purgatory by the aid of St. Lucy.
3 The sphere which was supposed to intervene between our atmosphere
and the moon .
4 Ulysses and Diomede ; cp. Inf. xxvi. 61 , 62 .
 186 Purgatory IX, 44-82

two hours the sun had risen, and my face was turned toward
the sea . ' Fear not,' said my Lord ; ' be of good cheer, we
have reached a favourable spot ; relax not, but put forth, all
thine energy . Thou art now arrived at Purgatory : behold
there the ridge of rock which encloses it around ; behold the
entrance at the point where it appears to be cleft. But now,
in the dawning which precedes the day, when thy spirit was
asleep within thee on the flowers wherewith the ground below
is adorned, there came a lady, who said : " I am Lucia ' :
suffer me to take this sleeper, so shall I aid him in prosecut
ing his journey." Sordello and the other noble spirits²
remained behind ; she took thee up, and so soon as it was
day wended her way upward, and I followed in her footsteps.
Here she laid thee down ; and first her beauteous eyes indi
cated to me that open entrance ; anon she and thy sleep
vanished together.' Even as one who, when doubting, is
reassured, and exchanges his fear for confidence, when once
the truth is revealed to him, so did I change ; and so soon
as my Leader saw that my trouble was relieved, he advanced
over the ridge, and I followed him toward the higher ground.
The Angel Reader, thou dost not fail to mark how my subject rises ;
at the gate . be not surprised then if I fortify it with greater art. As we
drew nigh, our point of view was such that, where first I per
ceived a gap, resembling a cleft which rives a wall, I beheld
a gate, and below it three steps of different colours leading to
it, and a door-keeper, who as yet spake no word. And as
this was more and more revealed to mine eye, I saw that he
was seated on the topmost step, in aspect such that I could
not endure the sight ; and in his hand he bare a drawn sword,
I Dante's patron saint, who succoured him at the time of his con
version ; cp. Inf. ii. 97, 98.
2 Nino and Conrad.
 Purgatory IX , 83-117 187

which reflected the sunlight in our direction so keenly, that

I turned mine eyes often towards it in vain. "Tell me from
where ye stand,' he commenced, 'What is your desire ?
Where is your escort ? Beware lest the ascent be to your
bane.' ' A heavenly dame, well versed in these mysteries,'
my Master replied to him, ' said to us but now : " Go thither
9
ward, there is the gate." ' And may she further your
progress toward happiness,' began afresh the courteous porter ;
' advance then toward our steps.'
The first stair¹ , which we now reached, was of white The three
stairs ; the
marble so smooth and clear, that my very image was reflected seven P's ;
in it. The second, which was darker than purple-black, was the two
keys.
formed of a rugged burnt rock, cracked throughout its whole
length and breadth. The third, which lies ponderously above,
looked to me like porphyry, as fiery-red as blood spurting
from a vein. On this the Angel of God had planted both
his feet, as he sat on the threshold, which appeared to me to
be of adamant. Up the three steps with my goodwill my
Leader drew me, saying : Beseech him humbly to unfasten
the lock.' I cast myself in reverence at his holy feet, and
prayed him of his mercy to open to me ; but first I smote
myself three times on the breast. With the point of his sword
he inscribed seven P's 2 on my forehead, saying : ' See thou
cleanse these wounds when thou art within.' Ashes or earth
dug dry from the ground would correspond in colour with his
raiment, and from beneath this he drew forth two keys ³.
The three stairs by which the gate of Purgatory is approached repre- !
sent allegorically the three stages of penitence. The first by its clear
colour symbolizes candour in confession ; the second by its broken surface
contrition of heart ; the third by its bright red colour ardent love.
2 These signify the seven deadly sins.
3 The Angel represents the power of absolution possessed by the
Church, and the office of the priest-confessor. The golden key is the
 188 Purgatory IX, 118–145

One was of gold and the other of silver ; first with the white,
and afterward with the yellow key he plied the gate in such
wise as to satisfy my wishes. 'Whenever either of these
keys works amiss, ' said he to us, ' so that it turns not aright
in the key-hole, this entrance doth not open. The one is the
more precious, but the other demands exceeding great skill
and insight ere it unlocks, for it is that which disentangles the
knot. From Peter I received them ; and he bade me err
rather in opening the gate than in keeping it closed, provided
that the folk prostrate themselves at my feet.' Anon he
thrust open the door of the consecrated gate, saying : ' Enter;
but be it known to you, that whoso looks back returns and is
cast forth.'
Dante and And when the mighty pivots of that sacred door, resonant
Virgil are
admitted. with their metal, turned in their sockets, Tarpeia roared not
so loudly, nor showed itself so discordant, when the good
Metellus was removed from it, whereby thereafter it remained
impoverished ¹. I turned away to listen to the commence
ment of a burst of sound, and methought I heard Te Deum
2
laudamus sung in combination with that harmony. The
impression produced on me by what met mine ear was even
such as is made when singers are accompanied by instruments,
so that the words are heard intermittently.

exercise of the former of these two functions, the silver that of the latter.
They are the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
1 The grating of the pivots is compared to that of the hinges of the
gate of the temple of Saturn , which was echoed by the Tarpeian rock,
when, on the occasion of the entrance of Julius Caesar with the object
of obtaining possession of the treasures which it contained, the tribune
Metellus who opposed him was forcibly removed. Cp. Lucan, iii. 114–68.
2 These words were sung by the spirits to celebrate the admission of
those newly arrived.
 Purgatory X, 1-33 189

CANTO X. THE FIRST CORNICE

***
So soon as we were within the threshold of the gate, The first
which the perverted affection of men's souls, by making the of pride.
wrong way to appear right, causes to be disused, I perceived
by the sound that it was closed again ; and had I turned mine
eyes towards it, what excuse could have counterbalanced the
transgression ? We ascended through a cleft in the rock,
which undulated from side to side ¹, like a wave which
approaches and withdraws. Here we must needs exercise
a little skill,' began my Leader, ' in keeping close, now in
this direction, now in that, to the side of the rock which
retires.' And this caused our footsteps to be so infrequent,
Ethat the moon's decreasing disk reached once more its bed to
repose there afresh, ere we emerged from that needle's eye 2.
But when we were free in the open space above, where the
Mountain shrinks inward, I for my part weary, and both
of us uncertain of our way, we halted on a level spot, more
desolate than a desert road. From its edge, where it borders
on the void, to the foot of the lofty rock-wall which rises
sheer, the space would be measured by a human body thrice
told ; and as far as mine eye could wing its flight, now to the
left, now to the right side, such did the character of this
Cornice appear to me.
Our steps had not yet begun to traverse it, when I noted Examples of
that that wall, which, being perpendicular, admitted not of humility ;
Mary and
being scaled, throughout its circuit was composed of white the Angel.
marble, so finely decorated with carvings, that, I will not say
Polycletus 3, but Nature herself in its presence would be put
¹i. e. formed zigzags.
2 The time of day intended is from 9 to 9.30 a.m.
3 The famous Greek sculptor.
 190 Purgatory X, 34-66

to shame. The Angel who came to earth bearing the pro

clamation of that peace, which for long years had been desired
with weeping, whereby the long interdict of heaven was raised,
was seen in front of us with a loving mien, so faithfully
engraven that it resembled not a mute figure. One would
have sworn that he said ' Hail , ' seeing that she who turned
the key to open to us the highest love was imaged there ; and
in her looks the words ' Behold the handmaid of the Lord'
were expressed as clearly as the figure on a seal is stamped
on wax .
David ' Keep not thy mind fixed on one spot,' said my kind
dancing Master, who had me on that side of him on which men's
before the
Ark. hearts are placed ; whereupon I turned my face, and saw
beyond Mary, in the direction in which my Conductor was
standing, another story incised on the rock : wherefore I
passed Virgil and came close to it, that it might be well in
view to mine eyes. There on the very marble was carved
the car with the oxen drawing the sacred ark 2 , by reason
whereof men shrink from an office not entrusted to them³.
In front of it was seen a multitude of folk, who, being divided
into seven choirs, caused one of my senses to say ' they are
not singing,' another ' they are . Similarly at the smoke
of the incense which was there portrayed the eyes and the
nose contradicted one another. There in front of the sacred
vessel went the humble Psalmist, high-girt and bounding in
the dance, and in so doing he was more and less than king³,

Gabriel, the Angel of the Annunciation.

2 The story is given in 2 Sam. vi.
3 The reference is to the death of Uzzah ; 2 Sam. vi. 7 .
4 The two senses here are the ears and the eyes.
5 More than king, because he was performing a priestly function; less
than king, because he seemed to be debasing himself.
 Purgatory X, 67-104 191

Over against him Michal was represented at the window of

a great palace, with a look of wonder, like a sad indignant
dame.
I moved onward from where I stood, to examine close Trajan and
the poor
at hand another tale, which I saw gleaming on the further widow.
side of Michal. There was figured the noble deed of renown
of the Roman sovereign, whose worth incited Gregory to
his mighty triumph -the emperor Trajan I mean ; and at
his bridle was a poor widow, in attitude of lamentation
and weeping. The space around him appeared thronged and
crowded with knights, and over his head the eagles on their
golden ground seemed waving in the wind. In the midst of
all these the sufferer appeared to be saying : ' My Lord,
avenge me for my son's death, whereby I am cut to the heart.'
And he seemed to reply to her : " Wait now until my return.'
And she, like one impatient through grief : ' What if thou
dost not return ? ' Then he : ' My successor will do it for
thee.' And she : 'What will another's good deeds avail
thee, if thou dost neglect thine own ? ' Whereupon he
replied : Now take comfort ; for I am bound to fulfill my
duty ere I start ; justice ordains it, and pity holds me back .'
He in whose eyes nothing is new created this visible con
verse, which is strange to us because on earth the like of it is
not found.
While I was rejoicing in the sight of the examples of great The spirits
of the
humility thus portrayed, which for their artificer's sake are proud.
precious to behold, in low tones the Poet said : ' See, on this
side, though their pace is slow, there come a multitude of
folk ; they will direct us toward the upper Cornices .' Mine
eyes, which were intent on gazing, were not slow in turning
I
Pope Gregory the Great was believed to have rescued the soul of
Trajan from Hell,
 192 Purgatory X, 105-139

toward him, to see an unwonted sight such as they love.

I would not, Reader, that thou shouldst fail of good resolu
tion, through hearing how God wills that the debt to Him
should be paid. Give no heed to the nature of the suffering ;
bethink thee of what is to follow ; bethink thee, that at the
worst it cannot continue beyond the final sentence. ' Master,'
6
I began, that which I see moving towards us doth not
appear to me to be human forms, and what they are I know
not, so confused is my sight of them . And he to me:
" The oppressiveness of their torment makes them crouch to
earth, so that mine eyes too at first had a hard struggle to
distinguish them. But look fixedly in that direction, and
discriminate by thy sight what comes on beneath those stones ;
now thou canst see how each one beats his breast.' Ah !
ye proud Christians, ye sad and weary souls, who being weak
in your mental vision, have confidence in your backsliding
steps ; do ye not comprehend that we are worms, created
to form the angelic butterfly, which wings its way unveiled
toward the presence of its Judge ? Wherefore is your spirit
so overweening, seeing that ye are naught else than imperfect
insects like the undeveloped worm ?
Their heavy As, to support a vault or roof, at times a figure that serves
burdens.
for a corbel is seen to approach its knees to its breast, whereby
from imaginary pain real distress is begotten in the beholder;
such was the appearance of those spirits, when I carefully
regarded them. True it is, that according as the weight on
their backs was heavier or lighter, they were more or less
contracted ; and the most patient in mien seemed to say with
tears : No longer can I endure it.'

The spirits which are expiating the sin of pride, are depressed by the
weight of heavy burdens.
 Purgatory XI, 1-38 193

CANTO XI . THE FIRST CORNICE

'Our Father, which art in heaven, not as being finite, but The spirits
recite a
by reason of the greater love thou hast for thy first creations paraphrase
on high, praised be thy name and thy might by every creature, of the
Lord's
as it is fitting to render thanks to thy sweet effluence. May Prayer.
the peace of thy kingdom come to us, for of ourselves even
with our fullest powers we cannot attain it, if it doth not come.
As thine angels, singing Hosanna, make offering of their
wills to thee, so may men make offering of theirs. Give us
this day our daily manna, without which in journeying through
this wild desert he that presses onward most doth but retrace
his steps. And as we forgive all men for the wrongs that we
have suffered, do thou too in mercy forgive us and regard not
our deserts. Our force of will, which gives way so easily,
put not thou to the proof against the old adversary, but deliver
it from him, who goads it so. This last petition, dear Lord,
we now make, not for ourselves, for we need it not, but for
those whom we have left behind us.' Thus did those spirits ,
praying for good speed for themselves and us, move forward
beneath the weight, which resembles that which at times we
feel in dreams ; tormented all of them in different degrees and
weary, in circular course over the first Cornice, cleansing
themselves from the pollutions of the world. If good words
are evermore uttered there in our behalf, what adequate return
can be made here in words or deeds by those whose wills
spring from a healthy root ? Verily it is a duty to aid them
to wash away the stains which they bore hence, so that pure
and light they may pass forth unto the starry spheres.
' I pray you so may He that is just and merciful soon Omberto
Aldo
unburden you , that ye may have the power to move your brandesco .
TOZER 0
 194 Purgatory XI, 39–78

wings, so that they may raise you in accordance with your

desires- show us on which side is the shortest approach to
the stairway, and if there be more than one passage, point out
to us the least precipitous ; for he who accompanies me, by
reason of the burden of Adam's flesh which he wears, is
chary, though against his will, of ascending.' The words
wherewith they replied to these which had been uttered by my
Guide, did not clearly reveal from whom they came ; but they
ran thus : ' Come with us toward the right along the edge,
and ye will find the pass which a living man may scale. And
were I not hampered by the stone which subdues my proud
neck, so that I must perforce bend down my face, I would
regard this one who is still alive but gives no name, to see
whether I recognize him, and to arouse his compassion for
this my load. An Italian I was, the son of a great Tuscan ;
Guglielmo Aldobrandesco was my father : I know not if his
name ever reached your ears. The ancient blood and gallant
deeds of my ancestors made me so overbearing, that, forgetting
our common mother, I treated all men with contempt so deep
that it caused my death, as the Sienese are aware, and every
child in Compagnatico ¹. I am Omberto ; and not of my ruin
only was pride the cause, for it hath dragged all my relations
into disaster along with it. And by reason hereof, until
satisfaction be made to God, I must needs support this burden
here among the dead, because among the living I did not so.'
Oderisi As I listened I bent my face downward ; and one of them
d'Agobbio. (not he who spake) turned him beneath the weight which
hampered his movements, and saw me and recognized me and
called me, the while he kept his eyes painfully fixed on me,
as I walked in a crouching posture in their company. 'Oh!'

¹ He was murdered in his castle of Compagnatico by emissaries of the

Sienese.
 Purgatory XI, 79-109 195

said I to him, art not thou Oderisi, the pride of Agobbio ' ,
and the pride of that art which in Paris is called illuminating ?'
6
' Brother,' said he, fairer are the pages which Franco
Bolognese's pencil adorns ; he now wins men's praise in full,
I but in part. True, I should not have been so gracious in
my lifetime, by reason of the vehement desire of pre-eminence,
for which my heart yearned. It is for such pride that the
penalty here is paid ; nor should I yet be here, were it not
that while it was still in my power to sin I turned to God.
Alas for the vainglory of human talents ! for how brief a space
doth verdure remain on its summit, if it be not succeeded by
2
an age of dullness ! In painting Cimabue thought he held
the field, and now Giotto hath the cry, so that the other's
fame is overcast. Even so in language the one Guido hath
eclipsed the other's high renown 3, and haply one is born who
shall supplant them both 4. Worldly fame is naught else than
a breath of wind, which blows now from this quarter now
from that, and changes its name because it changes its direc
tion. Even before the lapse of a thousand years, what will it
advantage thy reputation to have put off thy robe of flesh in
old age, instead of dying ere thou hadst ceased from childish
prattle ? And a thousand years are a briefer period in com
parison of eternity, than is the movement of an eyelid compared
with that sphere 5 which makes its revolution in heaven most
slowly. The name of him who creeps so on his way in front

' Oderisi d'Agobbio (or Gubbio) was a famous miniature painter.

2 The founder of the Italian schools of painting; Giotto was his
pupil.
3 The two poets here intended are probably Guido Guinicelli ( 1230
76) and Guido Cavalcanti ( 1255-1300) .
4 Dante himself is probably meant .
5 The Heaven of the Fixed Stars. The comparison here is between
the time occupied by the movement of the eyelid and of the sphere.
0 2
 196 Purgatory XI, 110-140

of me all Tuscany proclaimed ; and now it is hardly whispered

in Siena, of which place he was leader, when the madness of
the Florentines was discomfited ' , which at that time was as
proud as now it is abased. The fame of men is like the
colour of the grass, which comes and goes, and is faded by
him 2 , through whose agency it springs fresh and green from
the earth .'
Provenzano 6
And I to him : Thy truthful words infuse into my heart
Salvani.
righteous humility, and thou dost abase the pride that swells
within me but who is he, of whom but now thou wast speak
ing ?' ' That is Provenzan Salvani ³,' he replied ; and he is
here, because he was ambitious of bringing Siena wholly under
his power. Ever since his death he hath pursued his way in
this fashion, and doth so unceasingly ; such is the quittance
paid by one who in the world hath aspired too high.' And
I : If a spirit who before repenting waits to the extreme
verge of life, must abide below, nor ascend to this upper
region, until a period equal to his lifetime hath elapsed, unless
he be aided by pious prayers, how is it that it was permitted
him to come ?' 'When he was at the acme of his glory,' he
said, of his own free will, laying aside all shame, he took
his place in the great square at Siena ; and there, to deliver
a friend from the penalty he was undergoing in Charles's
prison, he shrank not from trembling in every vein . More
I will not add, and I know that what I say is past belief;
yet but a short time will elapse ere thy neighbours will so
At the battle of Montaperti ; cp. Inf. x. 85, 86.
2 By the sun.
3 An eminent Ghibelline leader.
4 This friend was taken prisoner by Charles of Anjou , and a large sum
of money was demanded as the price of his life. In order to obtain
this, Provenzano openly begged for contributions from the citizens of
Siena.
 Purgatory XI, 141 — XII , 27 197

behave, that it will be in thy power to illustrate it ¹ . This

act of his it was, which saved him from that place of durance. '

CANTO XII. THE FIRST CORNICE

Side by side, like oxen beneath the yoke, I went my way The
sculptured
with that burdened spirit, so long as my kind Preceptor per- road.
mitted ; but when he said : ' Leave him and proceed ; here
'tis well that each with all his might should speed his bark
with sail and oar, ' I resumed the upright attitude which is
natural in walking, albeit my thoughts were still depressed
and lowly. I had started, and was gladly following in my
Master's footsteps, and both of us were now displaying our
nimbleness ², when he said to me : 6 Turn thine eyes down
ward ; thou wilt do well, in order to lighten the journey, to
regard the resting-place of thy feet. ' As over the buried
dead, to perpetuate their memory, underground tombs bear
engraved the likeness of what they were in life ; whence tears
are ofttimes shed on the spot by reason of the pangs of
remembrance, which excite only the compassionate ; with
such figures, but of more perfect aspect corresponding to the
craftsmanship, I saw the whole space covered, which projects
from the Mountain to form a road.
On one side I saw him who was created noble above all Examples
of the fatal
other creatures ³, fall like lightning down from heaven. On effects of
pride.
In 1302 Dante became an outcast from Florence.
2 In contrast to the burdened spirits.
3 Lucifer. The examples of the fatal effects of pride, which are here
sculptured on the roadway of the Cornice, are arranged in pairs, one of
them being in each case taken from Scripture, the other from heathen
sources.
198 Purgatory XII , 28–53
I
the other side I beheld Briareus lying pierced by the celestial
shaft, a burden to the earth through the chill of death.
Apollo I saw, and Pallas and Mars withal, still in arms
and grouped around their father, contemplating the Giants'
scattered limbs. I beheld Nimrod at the foot of his mighty
structure 2 , bewildered in his look, as he gazed at the folk
who in Shinar were partners in his pride. O Niobe, with
what woful eyes I saw thee represented on the roadway with
seven of thy dead children on either hand 3 ! O Saul, how
wast thou displayed there dead, fallen on thine own sword
in Gilboa, where thereafter dropped neither rain nor dew✨ .
Thee too I beheld, O vain Arachne, already half changed
into a spider, in despair over the shreds of the web which
was wrought in an evil hour for thee 5. O Rehoboam, thy
form as sculptured there no longer wears a threatening look,
but is borne away on a chariot terror-stricken, or ever another
puts it to flight . Furthermore the hard pavement set forth
to view how Alcmaeon caused the luckless ornament to
appear to his mother too costly a gift 7. It declared too how
Sennacherib's sons fell upon him within the temple, and

One of the Giants, who assaulted heaven ; he is here mentioned

apart from the others.
2 The Tower of Babel, which in the Middle Ages was believed to
have been built by Nimrod.
3 Niobe's children were killed by Apollo and Diana, because she
boasted that she had many children, whereas Latona had only two.
4 Cp. 1 Sam. xxxi. 1-6 ; 2 Sam. i . 21 .
5 Arachne challenged Minerva to compete with her in weaving, but
when she had completed her work Minerva tore it in pieces. Arachne
was afterwards changed into a spider.
6 I Kings xii. 14, 18.
7 Alcmaeon avenged on his mother Eriphyle the death of his father
Amphiaraus, whom she betrayed for the bribe of a necklace. Her pride
arose from the possession of the necklace.
 Purgatory XII, 54–82 199

how after his death they left him there¹ . It represented

the rout which Tomyris inflicted, and the ghastly deed of
blood, when she said to Cyrus : ' Thou didst thirst for
blood, and of blood I give thee thy fill 2. It displayed the
Assyrians flying in disorder after Holofernes' death, and his
headless trunk withal ³ . There I saw Troy all ashes and
gaping hollows : O Ilion, how fallen, how abject didst thou
appear in the portraiture which there is seen! What master
of the brush or the pencil could be found, capable of portray
ing the shades and outlines, which there would arouse the
admiration of every appreciative spirit ? The dead appeared
dead, the living alive ; he that saw the original of what was
beneath my feet while I advanced in a stooping posture, saw
not the figures more clearly than did I. Now plume your
selves, and walk with haughty countenance, ye sons of Eve,
nor turn your looks downward so as to perceive the dangerous
path ye tread.
Already had we circled round more of the mountain- side, An Angel
shows the
and the sun had advanced still further in his course than my Poets the
mind thus engrossed was aware, when he who went ever on passage
upward.
the watch in front of me thus began : ' Uplift thy head ; 'tis
no longer the time to walk thus preoccupied. See there an
Angel who is preparing to come to meet us ; see how the
sixth handmaiden is returning from the service of the day 5.
Bedeck with reverence thy mien and looks, so that it may
I 2 Kings xix. 37.
2 Cyrus attacked the Massagetae, and slew the son of their queen
Tomyris, but was afterwards defeated with great slaughter, and himself
lost his life. Tomyris then ordered his head to be cut off and thrust into
a vessel full of blood.
3 Judith xiii-xv.
+ This Angel guards the stairway leading to the second Cornice.
5 i. e. the sixth hour is just passed.
 200
Purgatory XII, 83-113

please him well to send us upward ; bethink thee that to-day

will never dawn again.' Well used was I to his admonishing
me evermore to waste no time, so that on that subject his
speech could not be dark to me. The beauteous being came
on towards us robed in white, and in countenance like to the
quivering morning star. He opened wide his arms, and then
outspread his wings, and said : ' Come ye ; here the steps are
near at hand, and now the ascent is easy to you. Few, few
are they who come in answer to this announcement. O race
of men, created for an upward flight, why fall ye so soon
before a slight breath of wind ? ' He led us to a point where
the rock was rifted ; there he waved his wings over my brow,
and anon he guaranteed me a safe progress.
A 'P ' is Even as, for the ascent of the mountain, where stands the
removed I
from church that above Rubaconte's bridge dominates the city of
Dante's good government, on the right hand the bold abruptness of
forehead.
the rise is broken by the steps, which were made in the days
when the ledger and the stave were safe 2 ; so the steepness
of the slope is moderated, which there descends full rapidly
from the next Cornice ; but the high rock presses close on
either hand. As we betook ourselves thitherward, ' Blessed
are the poor in spirit 3 ' was sung in words, the melody whereof
language could not express. Ah ! how unlike are these
approaches to those in Hell, for here the entrance is made

I San Miniato, which overlooks Florence ; at the foot of the hill on

which it stands lies the bridge then called Rubaconte from the name of
the Podestà who laid its foundation stone.
2 i. e. in the days when honesty prevailed. The reference is to two
notorious instances of official dishonesty in Dante's age, the one in
tampering with the public ledger, the other in diminishing the standard
of the bushel measure.
3 This is the Beatitude proper to this Cornice, which is pronounced
as Dante leaves it.
 Purgatory XII , 114—XIII , 10 201

with strains ofjoy, and there below with wild laments. We

were now mounting the sacred stairs, and I felt myself
strangely lighter than I had felt before on the level pathway ;
wherefore I said : " Tell me, Master, what weight hath been
taken off me, that in walking I should feel scarce any fatigue?'
He made reply : ' When the P's, which, though all but
obliterated, still remain on thy face, have been completely
cancelled, as the first one hath ¹ , thy feet will be so mastered
by thy good will , that, far from feeling fatigue, they will
rejoice in being impelled upward.' Then did I act like one
who walks with an object on his head, whereof he would be
unaware, were it not that others by their glances awake his
suspicions ; whereupon his hand sets itself to ascertain the
´truth, and searches and finds it, thus discharging the function
which the eyes are powerless to fulfill ; and with the fingers
of my right hand, one by one, I found the letters, which he
who holds the keys inscribed on my temples, to be but six ;
on seeing which my Leader smiled.

CANTO XIII. THE SECOND CORNICE

We ad reached the summit of the stairway, where the The second
Mountain which on its ascending stages frees men from sin Cornice, of
envy.
is cut
away for the second time : there doth another Cornice
gird the hill around in like manner as the first, save that it
curves its arc more quickly 2. Nor shadow, nor sculptured
figure is there in view ; both the wall of rock and the footway
look blank and bare from the livid colour of the stone 3. " If
we wait here for folk of whom to inquire our way,' the Poet
The first P was removed by the Angel waving his wings.
2 i. e. it forms a narrower circle.
3 This is the typical colour of envy.
 202 Purgatory XIII , 11-42

remarked, ' I fear me our choice may be long delayed.' Anon 婴

he fixed his eyes steadily on the sun ; then turning on the
6 *
pivot of his right side he wheeled round the left. Thou
kindly light, ' he said, ' trusting in whom I enter on the
A
unwonted road, do thou conduct us, as we need to be con
ducted in this spot : thou warmest the world, thou dost
enlighten it ; when other reason prompts not a different
course, thy rays should ever guide us. '
Examples of Already we had advanced there the distance which here
charity; the
punishment on earth is reckoned for a mile -and that too with speed,
of envy . so eager were our wills-when we were ware, through the
ear, not through the eye, of spirits flying towards us, who
uttered courteous invitations to the feast of love ¹. The first
voice which passed us in its flight said in loud tones, ‘ They
have no wine ' ; and as it sped on it repeated this in our
rear. And ere it had wholly ceased to be heard by reason of
the distance, another went by exclaiming, ' I am Orestes 3' ;
and it too stayed not its course. ' Oh !' I cried, ' my
Father, what voices are these I hear ? ' And even as I asked
the question, -lo the third, which said : ' Love those who
have done you wrong .' And the kind Master : ' In this
circle the sin of envy is chastised, and for this cause the
lashes of the scourge are derived from love. The curb is
wont to have the contrary tone ; methinks, if my judgement
errs not, thou wilt hear it ere thou reachest the Pass of

¹ The voices proclaim examples of charity, the virtue which is the

opposite of the vice of envy. These are the Blessed Virgin and Pylades.
2 This showed the Virgin's thoughtful care for others at the marriage
feast at Cana.
3 Pylades desired to personate Orestes , and to be put to death in his
stead.
4 From the Sermon on the Mount.
5 The examples which deter from envy.
 Purgatory XIII , 43–76 203

Pardon . But look onward through the air with keen

attention, and thou wilt behold folk sitting in front of us,
stationed, one and all, along the bank of rock.' Then did
I more than ever open mine eyes, and gazing before me I per
ceived shades wearing mantles which in colour resembled the
stone. And when we had moved forward a little space,
I heard them cry : ' Mary, pray for us ' ; and then invoke
Michael, Peter, and all the Saints 2. There walks not the
earth this day, I ween, a man so hard- hearted, that he would
not feel a throe of compassion at what I thereupon beheld ;
for when I approached so near to them that their looks were
fully revealed to me, my load of grief found a vent through
mine eyes. In mean sackcloth they seemed to me to be
clothed, and with their shoulders they supported one another,
while all of them were supported by the bank. In such wise
do the poverty-stricken blind folk station themselves to beg
their livelihood at the places where indulgences are granted,
and one reclines his head upon another, that pity may the
sooner be awakened in strangers, not by the sound of their
words alone, but by the sight, which craves help not less
importunately. And even as the blind are not benefited by
the sun, so on the shades, in the place whereof but now
I spake, the light of heaven doth not bestow its boon ; for
the eyelids of all of them are pierced by an iron wire, which
stitches them, even as the lids of an untamed hawk are
stitched to cure its restlessness.
I seemed to myself, as I passed along, to be committing an Dante ad
dresses the
outrage in seeing others while I was myself unseen ; where
spirits.
fore I betook myself to my sage Counsellor. Well did he
comprehend my meaning, though I had not opened my lips ;
I The entrance to the next stairway.
2 They sing the Litany of the Saints.
 204 Purgatory XIII , 77-113

accordingly he waited not for me to ask, but said : ' Speak,

but be concise and to the point.' Virgil came between me
and that side of the Cornice where there is risk of falling,
because no parapet encompasses it ; on the other side of me
were the devout shades, who through the grievous stitching
were forcing out the tears so that they bathed their cheeks.
I turned me toward them, and thus began : ' Ye folk, who
are assured of seeing the sole object of your longings, the
Light sublime ; so may grace, I pray, speedily dissolve the
impurities which clog your conscience, in order that through
it the current of your thoughts may flow down in limpid
stream : tell me-- for the news will be acceptable and welcome
to me— whether there be here in your number an Italian
spirit ; and haply it may be well for him if I learn his name.'
'My brother, there is one true city whereof all are citizens¹ ;
but thou meanest a spirit that lived in Italy during its earthly
pilgrimage.' This was what methought I heard in reply, a
brief space beyond where I was standing ; whereupon I made
myself heard still further on.
Sapia. Among the other shades I beheld one which wore an
expectant look ; and should any one ask, ' How was this
expressed ? ' 'twas thus ; it raised its chin, as is the manner
of the blind. ' O spirit, ' I said, ' who dost subdue thyself
that thou mayst rise, if thou art the one that replied to me,
reveal thyself to me by thy name or thine abode.' ' Of
6
Siena I was, ' it answered, and in company with these others
I here cleanse the stains of my sinful life, praying Him with
tears to vouchsafe to us His presence. Sapient I was not,
albeit Sapia was my name ; and in others' calamities I rejoiced
far more than in mine own good fortune and lest thou
shouldst fancy that I am deceiving thee, hear whether I was
1 The city of God.
 Purgatory XIII, 114–146 205

not as foolish as I say. I was already on my life's downward

slope, when hard by Colle¹ my fellow citizens met their foes
in the field, and I prayed to God for that which he had
himself ordained. There were they routed, and forced into
the bitter straits which attend on flight ; whereat, as I watched
the chase, I conceived a joy great beyond all compare, so that
I uplifted my face defiantly, and cried aloud to God : ' Now
no more I fear thee ' ; as doth the blackbird in a short spell
of sunshine 2. At my life's end I desired reconciliation with
God ; and I should not yet be reducing my debt by penance ³ ,
4
were it not that Pier Pettinagno felt loving compassion for
me, and remembered me in his holy prayers. But who art
2 thou, that goest thy way inquiring of our condition, with
thine eyes at liberty, as I conceive, and dost breathe as thou
speakest ? ' ' Of mine eyes, ' I replied, ' I shall hereafter be
deprived in this place, but not for long ; for slight is the sin
which they have committed by envious glances. Far greater
is the fear which possesses my soul of the suffering below, so
that even now the burden of that lower Cornice weighs me
down 5.' And she to me : 6 Who then hath led thee up here
into our company, if thou expectest to return below ? ' And
I ; ' He that accompanies me but doth not speak ; and I am
alive ; wherefore proffer thy request, elect spirit, if thou
desirest that I should exert myself hereafter for thee in the
other world.' ' Oh this,' she replied, ' is so strange a thing
to hear, that it is a mighty token of God's love for thee ; do
' A town of Tuscany, in the neighbourhood of which the Sienese were
defeated by the Florentines.
* According to the story, the blackbird uses these words after a suc
cession of fine days in winter.
3 i. e. I should be in Ante-Purgatory in the number of the Negligent.
4 A hermit.
5 Because his chief sin was pride.
 206
Purgatory XIII , 147 — XIV, 18

thou then ever and anon aid me with thy prayers. And
by thy dearest object of desire I conjure thee, if ever thou
dost set foot on the land of Tuscany, to restore my good
repute in my relations' eyes. Thou wilt find them in the
number of that vain folk, who put their trust in Talamone ' ,
and will waste more hope there than in the search for the
3
Diana 2 ; but what their commanders shall expend ³ is costlier
still.'

CANTO XIV . THE SECOND CORNICE

Guido del 'Who is this that makes the circuit of our Mountain ere
Duca and death hath lent him wings to fly, and opens his eyes and closes
Rinieri da
Calboli. them at pleasure ? ' ' I know not who he is, but I know that
he is not alone ; do thou inquire of him, who art nearer to
him than I, and greet him kindly, so that he may speak to us.'
Thus did two spirits, reclining one against the other, converse
there on my right hand concerning me ; and anon they up
turned their faces to address me. Then one of them said :
" Thou spirit, that, while still imprisoned in the body, pur
suest thy way toward heaven, for love's sake compassionate
us, and tell us whence thou comest and who thou art ; for the
grace conceded to thee excites in us such wonder as is due to
an unheard-of thing.' And I : " Through mid Tuscany there
wanders a streamlet, which hath its birth in Falterona *, nor
rests content with a course of a hundred miles. From its

A port on the coast of the Maremma, on which the Sienese were

expending much money.
2 A subterranean stream in Siena.
3
viz. their lives, owing to the unhealthiness of the site.
4 The ridge of the Apennines to the north-east of Florence.
 Purgatory XIV, 19-51 207

banks comes the person which I wear ; to tell thee who I am

would be a waste of words, for as yet my name doth not
resound afar.' Then did the spirit that spake before reply to
me: If my mind penetrates thy meaning aright, thou speakest
of the Arno.'
And the other said to him: 'Wherefore did he withhold Vices of the
inhabitants
the title of that river, even as men do when speaking of of the Arno
direful things ?' And the spirit of whom that question was valley.
asked delivered himself thus : ' I know not, but in sooth ' tis
well that the name of that valley should perish ; for from its
starting-point—where the rugged mountain chain from which
Pelorum is torn away is so prolific 2 , that at few points it
exceeds that measure --till
1 it reaches the place where it yields
up its stream in compensation for those particles of the sea
which the atmosphere absorbs, and which provide the rivers
with their train of waters, virtue is expelled as an enemy by
all men, like a snake, either from ill fortune attaching to the
spot, or from bad habit which goads them on ; whence the
inhabitants of that wretched valley have so changed their
nature, that one might think they had been bred in Circe's
sty. Mid filthy swine ³, more fit to feed on acorns than on
other food adapted to human use, it first directs its scanty
track. Anon in its downward course it meets with curs 4 ,
disposed to snarl more than their strength demands, and at
them in contempt it twists its muzzle 5. Still it descends,
and in proportion as it widens, the accursed and ill-fated dike
¹ The north-eastern promontory of Sicily, which was believed by the
ancients to have been torn away from the Apennines at the extremity of
Italy by a convulsion of nature.
2 i . e. forms a knot, from which several branches diverge.
The rude inhabitants of the Casentino.
The people of Arezzo.
5 As it approaches Arezzo the Arno makes a sharp bend.
 208
Purgatory XIV, 52-83

finds the dogs replaced by wolves ' . Thereafter, flowing

down through many a deep abyss, it reaches the foxes 2,2, who
are so replete with cunning, that they fear no cleverness that
can master them. Nor will I cease from speaking because
others are listening to me ; and it will be to that man's profit,
if hereafter he remembers that which a truthful inspiration
doth unravel to me. I behold thy grandson 3 , who becomes
the hunter of those wolves on the cruel river's bank, and
dismays them all while they are still alive he traffics in their
flesh ; anon he slaughters them like ancient beeves ; many
he deprives of life, and himself of good repute. Bloodstained
he issues from the dismal wood, leaving it in such case, that
in a thousand years from now it shall not regain its former
foliage.' As at the announcement of distressing misfortunes
the countenance of the hearer is troubled, from whatever side
the danger may attack him ; so saw I the other spirit, who
had turned him round to listen, become distraught and sad, as
soon as he had laid those words to heart.
Degenera The speech of the one and the other's looks had made me
tion of the
anxious to learn their names, and these not without entreaty
Romagna
families. I inquired ; whereupon the spirit that first spake to me began
once more : ' Thou desirest that I should condescend to do
for thee, what for me thou wilt not do ; but inasmuch as it is
should
God's good pleasure that such a measure of His grace
manifest itself in thee, I will not be niggardly toward thee :
be it known to thee then that I am Guido del Duca. So
fevered by envy was my blood, that at the sight of another's
The rapacious Florentines. 2 The Pisans.
3 The speaker here is Guido del Duca, the person addressed Rinieri
da Calboli ; the grandson of the latter was Fulcieri da Calboli, who, when
Podestà of Florence in 1302 , persecuted the White Guelfs, who are here
called wolves on account of their rapacity.
4 i. e. tortures them with a view to his own advancement,
 Purgatory XIV, 84-118 209

enjoyment thou mightest have seen me tinged with a livid hue.

From the seed thus sown this straw is the harvest that I reap.
O human race, wherefore set ye your heart on things where
interdict of partnership must be ? This one is Rinieri ; this
is the honour, the pride of the house of Calboli, wherein none
other hath since inherited his worth. Nor hath his family
alone, between the Po and the mountains, and the Reno and
the sea , been denuded of the virtues which righteous dealing
and gentle living need ; for the country enclosed by these
boundaries is full of poisonous growths, so that now it would
be long ere cultivation could reduce them. Where is the good
Lizio ? where Arrigo Mainardi, and Pier Traversaro and
Guido di Carpigna ? Alas for Romagna's sons who now are
bastards ! When doth a Fabbro take root again in Bologna ?
when in Faenza a Bernardin di Fosco, the noble scion of
a lowly plant ? Marvel not, thou Tuscan, if I weep at the
recollection of Ugolino d' Azzo who dwelt among us, and
withal of Guido da Prata, and of Federico Tignoso and his
company, of the house of Traversara and the Anastagi -two
families alike devoid of heirs ; of the dames and the cavaliers,
the toils and the repose, which inspired our souls with love
and courtesy, there where men's hearts have become so
depraved. O Brettinoro, why dost thou not vanish, seeing
that thy family hath departed, and with them many folk to
escape from iniquity ? "Tis well for Bagnacavallo that it hath
no progeny, and ill for Castrocaro, and worse for Conio, that
it takes thought for perpetuating such-like Counts. The
3
Pagani ³ will conduct themselves aright from what time their
I These are the boundaries of the Romagna.
2 The names here given are those of virtuous gentlemen and families
of the Romagna of former times.
3 They were lords of Faenza and Imola ; the head of the family,
Maghinardo, was surnamed the Devil.'
TOZER P
 210 Purgatory XIV, 119-151

Devil departs, yet not so that their record can ever remain
untarnished. Ugolino de' Fantolini, thy name is safe,
since no longer is there any in prospect whose degeneracy
may dim its lustre ¹ . But go thy way now, thou Tuscan, for
tears are for the moment far more grateful to me than speak
ing, so greatly hath our discourse oppressed my mind.'
Examples We knew that those dear spirits were ware of our departure ;
of envy.
hence their silence inspired us with confidence in the road we
took. So soon as we pursued our way alone , a voice like that
when lightning cleaves the air came on to meet us, and this
was what it said : "Whoso findeth me shall slay me 2 ' ; anon
it sped afar, even as thunder which dies away after it hath
suddenly rent the cloud. When from this voice our ears had
truce, lo another came with a crash so loud, that it resembled
a thunder-clap following closely on the flash ; and it said :
"
I am Aglauros, who was changed into stone 3.' Thereupon,
that I might draw close to the Poet, instead of advancing
I withdrew my footstep. When now the air was still on
"
every side, he said to me : That was the harsh bit, which
should restrain a man within his proper bounds. But ye take
the bait, so that the old adversary's hook doth draw you to
him ; and then neither curb nor recall is of much avail. The
heaven calls you and revolves around you, displaying before
you its eternal beauties, the while your eyes are fixed only on
the earth ; and therefore doth the all-seeing One chastise
you.'

I He died without heirs.

2 The first example of envy here given is Cain ; cp. Gen. iv. 14.
3 Aglauros, finding that Hermes was in love with her sister Herse,
attempted to prevent him from entering Herse's house ; on which she
was changed by him into stone.
 2II
Purgatory XV, 1–32

CANTO XV. THE THIRD CORNICE

So much of the sun's course toward nightfall seemed at The Angel

of the
this moment to remain, as between the beginning of the day second
and the end of the third hour is seen of the sphere which, Cornice.
like a child, is ever in restless motion ; it was eventide there
and midnight here ¹ . And, seeing that we had made the
circuit of the Mountain so far, that now our course lay straight
toward the west, his rays were smiting us full in the face,
when I felt that mine eyes were overpowered by the brilliant
light far more than at the first, and something- but what,
I knew not—dazed me : wherefore I raised my hands to the
ridge of mine eyebrows, to form a screen such as modifies
the excessive brightness of an object. As when from water
or from a mirror a ray darts off in the opposite direction,
rising at a corresponding angle to that at which it falls, and
deviates as far from the perpendicular, when at an equal
distance therefrom-a fact which observation and science
prove ; so did it appear to me that the space there in front
of me was smitten by refracted light, wherefore I speedily
averted my looks. Kind Father, what is that,' I said,
' from which I cannot effectually shelter mine eyes, and which
seems to be moving towards us ?' ' Marvel not, ' he replied,
'ifthe ministers of heaven still dazzle thee ; it is a messenger,
who comes to invite us to ascend. Ere long such sights
as these will not be oppressive to thee, but a source of joy,
I The statement made in this passage is expressed with great circum
locution, The sphere of the Heavens here spoken of is that which
revolves with the sun, and the period of its revolution between 6 and
9 a.m. is three hours ; hence, as a corresponding period is said now to
remain before sunset, the time intended will be about 3 p.m. in Purga
tory. It is called eventide, because Dante regarded that portion of the
day as commencing at 3 o'clock. In Italy the time would be midnight.
P 2
 212
Purgatory XV, 33-65

even to the utmost capacity of thy nature.' So soon as we

reached the blessed Angel ' , in glad tones he said : ' Enter ye
here, where the stairway is far less steep than the former
6
ones.' Quitting that spot we ascended, and Blessed are the
merciful ' was chanted in our rear, and ' Rejoice thou who
conquerest.'
Temporal My Master and I, we two alone, proceeded upward, and as
and spiritual we went I bethought me how I might profit by his discourse ;
blessings.
so I addressed myself to him with the following question:
'What meant the spirit from Romagna, when he spake of
"interdict " and " partnership " 3 ? Whereto he replied:
' He is ware of the detriment caused by his besetting sin * ;
what wonder then, if he reproves men for it, in order that
they may rue it the less ? It is because your desires aim
things, whereof a portion is lost when they are shared, that
envy plies the bellows to excite your regrets. But if the
love of the highest sphere turned your longings toward things
above, the fear of that would not oppress your hearts ; for
there, the greater the number is of those who say " ours," the
greater is the amount of blessing which each possesses, and
the amount of love which burns in that mansion.' ' I lack
satisfaction more, ' I said, ' than if erewhile I had held my
peace, and more questions gather in my mind. How can
it be that a blessing widely dispensed should make its more
numerous recipients richer in possessing it, than had it been
the property of a few ? ' And he to me : 'Because thou
fixest thy mind solely on things of earth, thou pluckest
I The Angel of the second Cornice, who guards the stairway leading
to the third.
2 The Beatitude for the Cornice where envy is expiated.
3 Guido del Duca had said : ' O human race, wherefore set ye your
heart on things where interdict of partnership must be? ' Purg. xiv. 86,
87 (p. 209). 4.Envy.
 Purgatory XV, 66-98 213

darkness from the very light. That infinite and unspeakable

Good which dwells on high, is attracted to love , even as
a ray of light to a luminous body. It communicates its
ardour in proportion to what it finds ; so that, the more
widely love extends, the greater is the measure in which God's
grace is imparted to it and according as the number of
harmonious spirits above is greater, there are more objects
of pure love, and more love is felt there, and this is reflected,
as by a mirror, from one to the other. And if this argument
of mine doth not appease thy cravings, thou wilt see Beatrice,
and she will fully relieve thee of this and every other desire.
Only use diligence that the five remaining wounds, which
can be healed by means of contrition, may speedily be
removed, as are already the other two. ' When it was on
my lips to say : " Thou hast contented me, ' I perceived
that I had reached the next Cornice, so that my eager eyes
imposed silence upon me.
There methought I was suddenly rapt into an ecstatic The third
vision , and saw in a temple an assemblage of persons, and ange
Cornice,
r; exof
at the entrance a dame with a mother's loving mien, who amples of
gentleness.
said : ' My Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? Behold
thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.' And on this,
as she ceased to speak, the first scene disappeared . Next
I beheld another dame 2, adown whose cheeks fell such drops
as grief distils, when it arises from deep indignation against
others ; and she said : " If thou art ruler of that city, whose
name aroused so great controversy between the gods ³ , and
¹ The examples of gentleness presented in this vision are the Blessed
Virgin, Pisistratus and St. Stephen.
2 The wife of Pisistratus, whose daughter had been kissed by a young
man in public.
3 Neptune and Minerva contended for the privilege of giving their
name to Athens.
 214 Purgatory XV, 99-137

from which all knowledge radiates, avenge thyself, O Pisi

stratus, on those audacious arms which embraced our daughter.'
And to her, methought, with a tranquil countenance the
prince replied in kind and gentle wise : If we condemn one
who loves us, how shall we deal with such as desire our
bane ? ' Anon I saw a crowd of men inflamed by wrath,
who were massacring a youth with stones, and with loud
voices shouted amain one to another : ' Slay, Slay ' ; and
him I beheld bowing down to earth under the hand of death
which was already oppressing him, yet ever opening wide his
eyes toward heaven, the while in the midst of that dread
struggle he prayed the Lord above to forgive his persecutors,
wearing the look which evokes compassion.
Virgil When my spirit returned to the outer world, to face those
stimulates
Dante's realities which are external to it, I recognized the vanity of
vigour. my imaginations, which yet had a semblance of truth. My
Leader, in whose eyes my demeanour was like that of one
shaking off sleep, said : " What ails thee, that thou canst not
stand upright, but hast walked for more than half a league
with drooping eyelids and unsteady gait, like a person over
powered by wine or sleep ? ' ' My loving Father, ' I replied,
'if thou wilt hearken to me, I will tell thee what appeared to
me when I was so bereft of my walking powers.' And he :
' Hadst thou a hundred masks on thy face, thy thoughts,
however insignificant, would not be hidden from me. The
object of thy vision was, that thou mightest not be loth to
open thy heart to the waters of peace, which emanate from
the eternal fountain. When I asked : " What ails thee ?"
'twas not as he might inquire, who looks only with the eye
which ceases to see when the body lies deserted by the soul;
my purpose in asking was, that I might stimulate thy progress :
'tis thus that the sluggish should be incited, who are slow to
 Purgatory XV, 138—XVI , 25 215

avail themselves of their waking hours when these return.'

We pursued our way during the evening hour gazing onward,
far as our eyes could reach, fronting the bright rays of closing
day ; when lo, little by little there came on towards us a smoke
dark as night, from which no place of shelter presented itself ;
through this our eyesight and the pure air were lost to us.

CANTO XVI . THE THIRD CORNICE

Darkness of Hell, or of night, when night is bereft of Spirits

enveloped
every planet beneath a barren sky, being overcast to the in dense
utmost by clouds, never drew before my sight a veil so thick smoke.
or so harsh to the sense, as the smoke which there enveloped
us, for it suffered not the eye to remain unclosed ; wherefore
my sagacious and trusty Guide drew close to me and proffered
me his shoulder. Even as a blind man follows his conductor,
lest he lose his way, or strike against an object which may
harm him, or haply cause his death, in such wise did I pass
through the foul and bitter air, hearkening to my Leader, who
said repeatedly : ' Give heed that thou be not parted from
me.' I was ware of voices, which, methought, one and all
prayed the Lamb of God, who taketh away sin, for peace
and mercy. With Agnus Dei they alike commenced ; all
used the same words and the same tone, so that full concord
seemed to exist between them ¹. 'These whom I hear, my
Master, ' I said, ' are they spirits ? ' And he to me : " Thou
judgest rightly ; and they are freeing them from the bonds
of anger.'
(
Say, who art thou, that passest through our smoke, Marco
Lombardo.
1 The concord thus expressed forms a contrast to the discord arising
from anger, the sin from which the spirits are purged in this Cornice.
 216 Purgatory XVI, 26-62

talking of us, as if forsooth thou didst still measure time by

calends ?' So spake one of the voices. Whereupon my
Master said : ' Reply, and inquire whether here is the passage
upward.' And I : "Thou being, who art purifying thyself,
that thou mayst return with fair aspect to thy Creator, if thou
wilt follow me thou shalt hear a wondrous tale.' ' As far as
I may I will accompany thee,' he replied ; and if the smoke
forbids our seeing, instead thereof hearing shall be our bond
(
of union.' Thereupon I thus began : Within the swathing
bands which death unbinds 2 I pursue mine upward way, and
through the anguish of Hell I came hither ; wherefore
seeing that God hath so wondrously infolded me in His
grace, that it is His pleasure that I should visit His court in
a manner all unwonted in these latter days -forbear not to
disclose who thou wast before thy death, but tell me this,
and withal whether I am on the right road toward the
passage ; and thy words will serve to guide us.' ' A Lombard
I was, and Marco was my name : I was conversant with the
world, and loved that nobility of soul, whereat all men now
have ceased to aim. For the upward course thou art on the
right track.' Such was his reply, and then he added :
'When thou art above, I beseech thee pray for me.' And
I to him : Faithfully I engage to fulfil thy request ; but
there is a question which doth harass me, until I am quit
thereof. Erewhile its force was single, but now it is in
creased twofold, when I hear thy assertion, which certifies
me, as I compare the present with a former statement, of the
fact to which that question refers. The world full sure is
bereft of every virtue, even as thy words declare, and is
pregnant with wickedness , and overshadowed thereby; but
indicate to me, I pray, the cause, so that I may see it myself
i. e. as if thou wert still alive. The body is meant.
 Purgatory XVI, 63-96 217

and make it known to others, for some men attribute this to

the heavens , and some to an agency on earth .'
After uttering a deep sigh, which anguish forced into Planetary
influences
a cry, he thus began : Brother, the world is blind, and in and freewill
sooth thou comest therefrom. Ye who are alive refer every
cause to the high heavens alone, as if they moved all things
by necessity along with them. If this were true, the freedom
02 of the will would be annulled in you, and it would not be just
that virtue should be requited by happiness and vice by suffer
ing. The heavens originate your impulses ; I say not all of
them ; but supposing I did say so, yet light is given you to
teach you right and wrong, and freewill, which, though it
hath a hard struggle in its first encounters with the heavenly
X influences, in the end wins the day completely, if it be well
sustained. It is a higher Power, and a better nature whereto
ye are subject, though still free ; and this it is which creates
the mind in you, which the heavens do not control. Where
fore, if the world at present goes astray, the cause is in you,
and in you it should be sought, and for the search I will now
be a faithful pioneer to thee.
'From the hand of Him who contemplates it lovingly Temporal
and spiritual
before it is created—all guileless , like a child which plays overn
its little part with tears and smiles -the soul comes forth, ment.
unwitting, save that, under the influence of its glad Creator,
it betakes itself readily to that which pleases it. The taste
for trivial enjoyments first attracts it ; by these it is beguiled,
and these it pursues, unless a guide or a curb divert its desires .
Wherefore there was need of the restraint of law, and of
a king withal, who should discern at least the bulwark of the
I i. e. to the planetary influences, by which, according to Dante, the
characters and fortunes of men were affected. These influences, and the
spiritual agencies which regulate them, are treated of in Par. ii, 112 foll,
218
Purgatory XVI, 97-121

true city . The laws exist, but who administers them ? No

one ; because the shepherd , who goes before the flock,
though he can chew the cud, hath not the cloven hoof³ : and
so the folk, who see their guide aim only at covetous gains,
make these their livelihood, and seek for naught beyond.
"Tis plain to see that evil guidance, and not the corruption of
your nature, is the cause which hath vitiated the world.
Rome, which created the world of good order, was wont to
have two Suns, which enlightened both roads, that of the
world and that of God. The one Sun hath extinguished
the other ; the sword is united with the pastoral staff ; and
the two together must of necessity follow the road to ruin,
forasmuch as, being combined, they fear not one another.
If thou dost not approve my saying, consider the ear of corn,
for every plant is known by its fruits 4. In the country
watered by the Adige and the Po 5, worth and courtesy pre
vailed ere Frederic was involved in strife ; at the present
time, whoso from sense of shame hath ceased to communicate
with the good or seek their company, can without misgiving
pass that way. Three aged men, 'tis true, remain there

1 The bulwark of the city of God is justice.

2 The Pope .
3 According to the allegorical interpretation here, ' chewing the cud'
signifies acquiring wisdom ; and ' having the cloven hoof' means (1) the
practice of good morals, which sustains society, in like manner as the
divided hoof causes the animals which have it to tread firmly ; ( 2) the
separation of the temporal and spiritual powers, which the Popes had
ignored. By unprincipled conduct, and appropriating the temporal power,
the heads of the Church had corrupted the world.
4 i. e. consider the evil results of the system.
5 Lombardy is meant.
The evil result of the Popes taking up the sword is shown by the
ruin which had fallen on Lombardy owing to the conflict between
Frederick II and the Papal See.
 Purgatory XVI , 122- XVII , 4 219

still, in whose persons the days of yore reprove the modern

age, and they think it long ere God remove them to a better
life-even Corrado da Palazzo, and the good Gherardo, and
Guido da Castello, whose French title of the guileless
Lombard ' is his more fitting name. Henceforward say that
the Church of Rome, through combining in its own hands
two spheres of government, falls in the mud, and befouls
itself and its burden.'
'My Marco,' said I, ' thy reasoning is sound ; and now The good
Gherardo.
I perceive why the sons of Levi were devoid of inheritance.
But what Gherardo is he, who, thou sayest, hath remained
as a specimen of the past generation, to reprehend a depraved
age ?' ' If thy words are not in mockery, they would fain
6
inveigle me,' he replied ; for, though thou speakest the
Tuscan tongue, thou professest ignorance ofthe good Gherardo.
I know him by no other surname than what I might derive
from his daughter Gaia ' . God be with you, for I accompany
you no longer. See how the lustre which flashes through
2
the smoke beams white already ; the Angel is there, and
I must retire ere I appear in his presence.' With that he
turned, and no longer hearkened to me.

CANTO XVII . THE THIRD AND

FOURTH CORNICES

Bethink thee, Reader, if ever in the mountains a cloud Sunset.

came over thee, through which thou couldst no more see than
a mole through its film 3 , how, when the moist thick vapours

¹ Dante appears to have mentioned her because she was distinguished

for her vices.
The Angel ofthe third Cornice.
3 The eyes of the mole were believed to be covered by a membrane.
 220 Purgatory XVII , 5-35

begin to disperse, the sun's orb penetrates feebly through them ;

and thy imagination will promptly realize, how at the first
I saw the sun reappear, which even now was setting. Thus,
faithfully following in my Master's trusty footsteps, did
I emerge from that cloud into its rays, which on the low
lying shores had already disappeared.
Examples O imaginative power, that dost ever and anon transport us
of anger.
so, that a man heeds not though a thousand trumpets bray
around him, by whom art thou excited when the senses pre
sent no objects to thee ? It is by light, which takes form in
the heavens, either from its inherent power, or through the
Will which sends it down to earth. On my imagination that
woman's crime was figured, who was transformed into the bird
which most delights in song ' ; and therewith my mind was
so concentrated on itself, that no external object was then
admitted by it. Next there rained within my exalted fantasy
the figure of one crucified, haughty and fierce in aspect, and
with that look he died 2. Around him stood the lordly
Ahasuerus with Esther his spouse and the just Mordecai, who
was so upright in word and deed. And no sooner had this
imagery of itself dissolved, like a bubble when the water which
composed it fails, than there arose in my vision a maiden
convulsed with grief, who said : ' O Queen 3 , wherefore hath

¹ The examples of anger which are presented in this ecstatic vision

are Procne, Haman and Amata. Procne in revenge for the faithlessness
of her husband Tereus killed her son Itys, and served up his flesh to be
eaten by his father ; for this she was changed into a nightingale.
2 Haman's rage against Mordecai resulted in his being himself crucified
instead of his intended victim ; Esther iii. 5 ; vii. 10.
3 This is Amata, wife of king Latinus, who hanged herself in anger,
because she believed, though mistakenly, that Turnus, to whom her
daughter Lavinia was betrothed, had been slain by Aeneas. Lavinia is
speaking here.
 221
Purgatory XVII , 36–72

anger impelled thee to take thy life ? To avoid losing Lavinia

thou hast destroyed thyself; now thou hast lost me : it is my
turn to grieve, and that too , mother mine, for thy death before
I have to bewail another's.'
As, when on a sudden an access of light assails our closed The Angel
of the third
eyes, our sleep is broken, and comes and goes ere it entirely Cornice.
ceases ; so did my imaginings come to naught, so soon as my
face was smitten by a light far more powerful than aught
within our ken . When I turned me to see where I was, my
mind was diverted from every other thought by a voice which
said : ' Here is the ascent ' ; and this inspired me with so
eager a longing to see who was the speaker, that I could not
rest until I met him face to face. But even as our eyes are
overpowered by the sun, which veils from us its form through
excess of light, so at that moment did my power of sight fail
me. " This is a spirit from heaven, who directs us unsolicited
on our upward way, and by his own radiancy conceals him
self. He deals with us I as men treat themselves ; for he

who waits to be intreated, when he sees the need, is already

setting himself in a grudging spirit to refuse. In response to
so generous an invitation let us now move forward ; let us use
all diligence to ascend ere the darkness falls, for after that it
is impossible until the return of day.' Thus spake my Leader,
and toward a stairway we together turned our feet ; and so
soon as I reached the first step, I was conscious in my neigh
bourhood of what seemed the movement of a wing ², and of
fanning in the face, and of a voice which said : ' Blessed are
the peacemakers, who are devoid of unrighteous anger.'
Already the last rays which precede the night fell so high The fourth
above us that in many quarters the stars were visible . ' Where- Cornice,
of sloth.
1 sc. in directing us without being solicited.
2. That of the Angel,
 222 Purgatory XVII , 73-109

fore doth my natural vigour fail me thus ? ' I said to myself,

for I felt that my limbs were spent. We had reached the
point where the stairway ceased to rise, and were forced to
halt, even as a vessel which hath come to shore : for a while
I listened to discover if I could hear aught on the Cornice we
had just reached ; then turning to my Master I said : ' Tell
me, kind Father, what sin is purged here in the present Circle ?
Stay not thy speech, albeit our steps are stayed.' And he to
6
me : 'Tis even here that the love of good, when in defect,
recovers itself; here the too laggard oar is plied anew¹ ; but,
that thou mayst still more fully understand the matter, give
heed to me, and thou shalt reap some profit from our delay.
The sins "Neither the Creator, nor any of his creatures, my son,' he
expiated in began, ' was ever devoid of love, either instinctive or rational ;
Purgatory.
and this thou knowest. The instinctive love doth never go
astray ; but the other may err through aiming at an evil
object, or through defect or through excess of vigour. So
long as it is directed toward the highest goods, and observes
moderation in respect of secondary goods 3 , it cannot be the
cause of sinful pleasure ; but when it turns aside toward evil,
or pursues good either in excessive or defective measure, then
God's handiwork acts in opposition to its Maker. Hence
thou mayst understand, that love is of necessity the seed
within you, whence every virtue springs, and every action that
merits punishment. Now, seeing that love cannot but regard
the welfare of him who feels that love, all beings are exempt
from hatred of self ; and seeing that no one can be considered
¹i. e. previous apathy is made up for.
2 'Love ' here is used in the sense of · desire.' Instinctive desire is
unerring, because it is implanted by God ; but rational desire—i, e. that
which proceeds from reflection-is liable to err, because it is subject to
freewill.
3 i. e. temporal blessings.
 Purgatory XVII , 110-139 223

as existing by himself, independently of the source of being,

every affection is incapable of hating Him. Thus it follows,
if in the distinction here drawn I judge aright, that the evil
which a man loves is his neighbour's, and in your earthly
nature this love arises in three ways. There are who hope
to be exalted through the depression of their neighbour, and
solely for this reason desire that he should be abased from his
high estate. Others fear the loss of power and favour and
honour and fame through another's superiority ; and are so
distressed thereby that they desire for him the contrary. Some
again from wrongs received feel such offence that they thirst
for vengeance ; and these are wont to devise another's harm .
Desire in these three forms is expiated below us¹ ; now
I would have thee turn thy thoughts toward the other kind,
which pursues good in an ill-regulated manner. Every one
hath a vague conception of a good wherein the mind may find
repose, and doth desire it ; this therefore they strive, one and
all, to attain. If the love which draws you on toward the
knowledge or the acquisition of that good be defective, for
this the present Cornice 2 after due repentance torments you,
Another form of good 3 there is which doth not make a man
happy ; it is not happiness, it is not the good essence, which
is both the origin and the consummation of every good. The
love which surrenders itself overmuch to this is expiated in
three Circles above us ; but in what way it is spoken of as
tripartite, I say not, in order that thou mayst investigate it for
thyself.'
In the first three Cornices, where ( 1 ) pride, (2) envy, and (3) anger
are purged.
2 The fourth, where sloth is purged .
3 viz, temporal goods.
✦ The last three Cornices, where Avarice, Gluttony and Lust are
purged.
 224 Purgatory XVIII, 1-30

CANTO XVIII . THE FOURTH CORNICE

The nature The illustrious Teacher had concluded his discourse, and
of love or
desire. was gazing attentively at my face to see whether I appeared
content ; and I, who was stirred by yet another craving, said
to myself, though no word escaped my lips : ' Maybe my
repeated questions weary him.' But that guileless Father,
who was ware of the timid wish that was undisclosed, by
speaking himself gave me confidence to speak. Whereupon
I said : ' Master, in thy light my power of sight is so
quickened, that I clearly perceive all the points which thy
reasoning introduces or describes : wherefore I pray thee,
kind and dear Father, to explain to me the nature of love¹ ,
to which thou dost refer every good action and the contrary
thereof. ' 'Fix keenly on me, ' he said, 'the eyes of thine
understanding, and the error of the blind folk who profess
themselves leaders will be manifest to thee. The soul ,
which from its birth is disposed to love, turns readily toward
every pleasing object, so soon as by that pleasure it is aroused
to activity. Your power of apprehension derives from a real
object an image, which it sets forth to view within you,
so that it causes the soul to turn towards it. And if, after it
hath so turned, it inclines thereto, that inclination is love
it is the natural instinct getting fresh hold on you by reason
of the pleasure. Then, even as fire tends upward, because
it is of the nature of its essence to rise to that sphere where it
abides most in kindred matter 3 ; so, when the soul is thus

I Here, as in the preceding Canto, ' love ' signifies desire generally.
2
Virgil here proceeds to describe how desire, from being an instinct
of the soul, becomes actual desire when the attractive object is presented
to it, and finally reaches fruition.
3 Tothe sphere of fire ; cp. Purg. ix. 30.
 Purgatory XVIII , 31-56 225

captured, it is affected by desire- which is a spiritual move

ment— nor can it rest until it rejoices in possessing the desired
object. Now thou canst clearly see, how blind to the truth
are the folk ¹, who affirm that every form of love in itself is
praiseworthy; for haply desire in general is to be regarded
as always good ; but, though the wax may be good, not every
impression of a seal upon it is good also ??
' Thy words, ' I replied, ' and my reflection thereupon, have The
revealed to me the nature of love ; but my doubts have been free doctrine
will. of
multiplied thereby for, if love arises in the soul from external
objects being presented to it, and is itself the only cause of the
soul's movements, then the soul is not responsible for right or
wrong action.' And he to me : 'So far as reason is cognizant
of this matter, I can explain it to thee ; for what lies beyond
its sphere place thy hopes in Beatrice alone, since it is a
question of faith 3. Every human soul , which is distinct
from matter, and at the same time united with it, hath a specific
power 5 gathered into itself, which power is not perceived
independently of its working, or otherwise revealed than by
its effects, in like manner as the life of a plant is shown
by its green leaves. Consequently man is in ignorance as to
the origin, both of his knowledge of primary ideas, and of his

The Epicureans.
2 i. e. desire is good potentially, but is not necessarily good when it
becomes actual desire.
3 Beatrice represents theology or revealed truth.
4 The main argument in what follows is this : There is implanted in
the soul an instinctive desire for what is good ; and, in order that the
desires which subsequently arise may harmonize with this, the faculty of
judgement exists in the soul, which distinguishes between right and
wrong; and the power which men possess of accepting the one of these
and rejecting the other involves the freedom of the will.
5 This specific power is the origin of individuality of character.
TOZER Q
 226 Purgatory XVIII, 57-87

liking for the primal objects of desire, which exist in you, as

doth the honey-making instinct in the bee ; and this original
desire doth not admit of the recompense of praise or blame ¹ .
Now, in order that with this desire every other desire may
harmonize, the power which counsels is innate within you,
and should hold the threshold of assent. This is the source
whence is derived the cause of merit in you, according as
it receives and winnows out good and evil desires. Those
who in the process of argument sounded the matter became
aware of the innate freedom of the will which this involves ;
and consequently they left behind them a system of moral
teaching to the world. Hence it may be laid down, that
every desire which is kindled within you arises of necessity,
but the power of controlling it is in your hands. This
supreme power Beatrice understands to be the freedom ofthe
will ; see then that thou bear this in mind, if ever she enters
on the subject with thee. '
Spirits rush The moon, belated nigh to midnight, in sight like unto
ing onward ; a bucket all afire, caused the stars to appear to us less
examples
of zeal. numerous, and was moving against the course of the heavens
along that track, which the sun enkindles, when the Romans
see him set between Sardinia and Corsica 3 ; and that noble
spirit, by reason of whom Pietola surpasses in fame every
other Mantuan village , had removed the burden which
oppressed me : thus it came to pass that, after receiving a
clear and luminous argument on the subject of my questions,
I stood like one in a drowsy reverie. But from this somno

Because it is instinctive.
2 The daily retardation of the moon is referred to.
3 The ' track ' is the part of the zodiac, viz. the sign of Sagittarius, in
which the sun is, when he sets west by south from Rome.
4 Virgil, who was born at the village of Andes, now Pietola.
 Purgatory XVIII , 88-119 227

lence I was suddenly awakened by folk ' , who, approaching

from behind, had now come round towards us. And as in
days ' of yore Ismenus and Asopus beheld along their banks
by night a furious throng 2 , if haply the Thebans were in
need of Bacchus' aid ; in such wise, to judge from what
I saw, did the spirits, who are of the number of those that
are swayed by an upright will and virtuous love, come on,
as they circled round that Cornice. In a brief space they
reached us, for the whole of that mighty host advanced at
full speed ; and two of them 3 in front exclaimed with tears :
'Mary sped with haste to the hill country ' ; and : ' Caesar,
that he might subdue Ilerda, attacked Massilia in passing,
and then hasted into Spain.' Whereupon the others cried :
' Press on, press on, that no time be lost through defect
of love ; so may zeal in well-doing quicken God's grace
within us.'
'Ye folk, in whom maybe keen ardour now doth com- The Abbot
ofSanZeno.
pensate for negligence and delay, which through lukewarmness
ye introduced into well-doing, this man, who is alive (in
sooth this is no lie), desires to mount upward so soon as the
sun renews his light ; tell us therefore at what point the
opening is nigh at hand .' Such were the words my Master
spake ; and one of those spirits replied : Follow in our
wake, and thou wilt find the gap. The desire of movement
doth so absorb our hearts that we cannot rest ; forgive us,
then, if our longing to make amends appear to thee discourtesy.
I was Abbot of San Zeno in Verona in the good Barbarossa's

The spirits of the slothful, who atone for their sin by rushing
unceasingly round the Cornice.
The Theban revellers, who were wont thus to invoke their patron
deity.
3 These two spirits proclaim the examples of zeal, viz. the Blessed
Virgin (Luke i. 39) , and Julius Caesar on his march into Spain.
Q 2
 228 Purgatory XVIII, 120-145

reign, of whom in Milan men still speak with tears¹ ; and

by reason of that monastery a man who hath already one foot
in the grave will ere long lament, and will regret his former
influence there, for that in the place of its rightful pastor he
hath appointed his son, who is deformed in body, and baser
still in mind, and of unseemly birth. ' Whether he continued
to speak or held his peace I know not, so far beyond us had
he already sped ; but this I heard, and was well pleased to
remember.
Examples of Then said he who was mine aid in every need : ' Turn
lukewarm
ness. thee in this direction ; behold two spirits approaching, who
are expressing their repugnance to sloth.' In the rear of the
rest they said 3 : The folk for whom the sea retired were
dead ere Jordan beheld its inheritors ' ; and again : " They
who would not endure affliction to the end with Anchises'
son, consigned themselves to a life of ignominy.' Thereafter,
when those shades were so far removed from us that they
were out of sight, a fresh thought took form within me, and
from this again others, many and various, arose ; and from
one to another I passed so confusedly, that through wandering
of mind I closed mine eyes, and my thoughts were transmuted
into a dream.

¹ Because Barbarossa destroyed that city in 1162.

2 Alberto della Scala of Verona, who made his son Giuseppe, who was
lame and illegitimate, abbot of San Zeno.
3 The examples of lukewarmness are (1 ) the Israelites in the wilder
ness, who for their faint-heartedness were not allowed to enter the
Promised Land (Num . xiv) ; and ( 2 ) the companions of Aeneas who
preferred to remain in Sicily (Virg. Aen. v. 751).
 Purgatory XIX, 1-31 229

CANTO XIX . THE FIFTH CORNICE

I
At the hour when the heat of day can no longer temper A dream of
worldliness.
the chill arising from the moon, being overpowered by the
earth, or at times by Saturn 2 ; when diviners see their ' greater
fortune 39 rise in the east, before the dawn, by a path which
remains but a short time dusk for it : there came to me in
4
a dream a stammering woman, with squinting eyes and
deformed legs, maimed in her hands and pallid of complexion.
I gazed at her ; and even as limbs oppressed by the chill of
night are invigorated by the sun, so did my looks give fluency
to her tongue, and anon within a brief space completely
straitened her, and invested her ghastly face with the hue
which love approves . So soon as her tongue was thus
unfettered, she began to sing with such dulcet strains that
hardly could I have withdrawn my attention from her.
' I am,' she sang, ' I am the sweet Siren, who bewitch
mariners on the high seas, so passing delightful is my voice to
hear. By my song I turned aside Ulysses from his wander
ing course ; and he that shares my intimacy doth rarely quit
me, so full is his contentment.' She had not closed her lips,
when, to put her to shame, there appeared hard by me
a saintly dame of fervent mien. O Virgil, Virgil, who is
this ?' indignantly she said ; and he came on with his eyes
engrossed on that august lady. The other woman he seized,

I The hour preceding the dawn.

2 The cold planet.
3 Fortuna major was the name of a certain arrangement of spots on
the ground by which wizards divined ; here it is used of a corresponding
group of stars.
4 This dream represents the deceptiveness of worldly objects of
attraction.
 230 Purgatory XIX, 32-64

and rending apart her robes disclosed her front, and pointed
to her paunch ; and through the stench which proceeded there
from I woke.
The Angel Toward the kind Master I turned mine eyes, and he said :
of the fourth Three times and more have I called thee ; arise and come ;
Cornice.
let us find the opening whereby thou mayst enter.' I rose ;
and lo ! all the Cornices of the holy Mountain were already
illuminated by the full daylight, and the newly risen sun was
behind us as we went. While I was following him with
a downward brow, even as one who, burdened by his thoughts,
curves like the arch of a bridge in half its span, I heard the
6
words, Come ye, here is the passage,' uttered in sweet and
gentle tones, the like of which in our earthly realm are all un
known. Unfolding his wings, which resembled swans' wings,
he who thus addressed us¹ directed us upward between the
two walls of the hard rock. Thereupon he waved his plumes
and fanned us therewith, affirming the while that they who
mourn are blessed, for with comfort their souls shall be
indued.
Virgil 'What ails thee, that thine eyes are ever fixed on the
interprets
the dream, ground ? ' such were the opening words which my Guide
addressed to me, when we two had mounted for a space above
the Angel. And I : " That which causes me such misgivings
as I walk, is a new vision, which allures me so that I cannot
abstract myself from the thought thereof.' 'Hast thou
beheld,' he said, ' that ancient witch, who is the sole cause of
the sufferings which remain now to be seen above us ? Hast
seen how man can liberate himself from her ? Enough !
press vigorously forward ; turn thine eyes toward the lure,
which the eternal King with His mighty spheres causes to
revolve before thee.' As the falcon, which at first is gazing
The Angel of the fourth Cornice.
 Purgatory XIX, 65-98 231

at his feet, afterward turns him to the cry of the prey, and
reaches forth through the longing for his food which attracts
him toward it ; so was it with me, and in such a spirit I pur
sued my way, as far as the rock is cleft to afford a passage
to one ascending, till I attained the point where the circling
course commences.
So soon as I had come forth clear on to the fifth Cornice, The fifth
Cornice, of
I beheld throughout it folk who wept, as they lay upon the avarice;
6
earth facing completely downward. My soul cleaveth to the Pope
Adrian V.
dust,' I heard them say with sighs so deep that the words
were hardly audible. 'Ye elect of God, whose sufferings
hope and the sense of justice alleviate, direct us on our way
toward the steep ascents.' ' If ye come here exempt from
prostration, and desire more speedily to find the way, let your
right hands be ever on the outer side.' Such was the Poet's
request, and such the answer which came from one of them
a short space in front of us ; wherefore by his words I became
aware of his person which was hidden from me ¹ , and then
I turned mine eyes toward my Lord whereupon with a glad
sign he granted what my eager looks requested. Being able
now to dispose of myself at will, I drew near to that being
whose words had erst attracted my attention, saying : ' Thou
spirit, in whom lamentation matures that disposition, without
which it is impossible to return to God, for my sake suspend
a moment thy absorbing task. Tell me who thou wast, and
wherefore your backs are upward turned, and whether it be
thy wish that I should obtain aught for thee in the world
which I left while still alive.' And he to me 2 : ' Wherefore
heaven causes us to turn our backs upon it, thou shalt be told ;
3 Because he lay face downward.
2 The speaker is Pope Adrian V, who was elected in 1276, and held
the office only thirty-nine days.
 232 Purgatory XIX, 99–136
but first be it known to thee that I was a successor of Peter.
Between Sestri and Chiavari there flows down a fair river¹,
in the name whereof the title of my family doth glory. For
little more than a month I felt how heavy the great mantle
lies on him who would guard it from the mire, so that in
comparison thereof every other burden seems like down. My
conversion, alas ! was long deferred, but when I was created
Pastor of Rome the falsity of life was revealed to me. Then
saw I that in that position the heart had no contentment, nor
in the life on earth could a higher stage be reached ; where
fore the desire of this life was kindled within me. Upto
that moment I was a miserable soul, alienated from God,
consumed by avarice ; now, as thou seest, I here receive the
punishment thereof. The effect of avarice is here revealed by
the mode in which the repentant souls are purged, and the
Mountain hath no bitterer punishment to show. As our eyes,
being fixed on earthly things, refused to soar on high, so hath
justice here abased them to earth . As avarice extinguished
our love of every good, so that all power of action was lost to
us, so doth justice here hold us in fetters, fast bound hand
and foot ; and so long as it pleases the righteous Lord out
stretched and motionless shall we abide.'
Earthly I had fallen on my knees, and would have spoken ; but so
distinctions
cease with soon as I commenced, and he was ware, though through the
death. ear alone, of my obeisance, "What motive,' he cried, ' hath
caused thee thus to kneel ? ' And I to him : ' By reason of
your dignity my conscience pricked me for my upright posture.'
' Stand erect, brother, arise, ' he replied : ' deceive not thyself;
with thee and with thy brethren I am a fellow servant of the
selfsame Power. If ever thou didst understand that holy

The Lavagna on the eastern Riviera. Adrian's family were Counts

of Lavagna .
 Purgatory XIX, 137 — XX, 19 233
‫ܐ‬
gospel utterance, which saith : " They shall not marry ',' thou
canst clearly see wherefore I use these words. Now go thy
I will not have thee tarry longer, for thy staying here
disturbs my lamentation, whereby I am maturing that whereof
thou spakest. A niece I have in yonder world, Alagia by
name, good in herself, if so be our house by its example
corrupt her not ; and she alone doth there remain to me ².'

CANTO XX. THE FIFTH CORNICE

Ill strives the will against a better will ; wherefore, to The curse
please him, though being myself ill pleased, I drew forth of avarice.
from the water the sponge which thirsted for more ³. I set
forth ; and my Guide advanced through the unoccupied spots
nigh to the rock, as men pass along a wall close to the battle
ments ; for in the other direction, the folk who distil through
their eyes drop by drop the all-pervading vice of avarice ,
approach too near to the outside. A curse light upon thee,
ancient she-wolf, who by reason of thine unsatiable hunger
hast more victims than any other beast. Thou heaven, by
[ whose rotation, we know, men believe that the fortunes of
this lower world are changed, when will the man arise by
whom this monster shall be expelled ?
We proceeded with lingering steps and slow, and I was Examples of
listening to the shades, whom I heard piteously lamenting and poverty and
liberality.
making moan, when, as it chanced, the invocation ' Sweet
¹ Matt. xxii. 30, ' In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage ' ; in the present application the words are used in
a more general sense, to signify that after death all earthly distinctions
cease.
2 Adrian mentions her, in order that Dante may request her to pray
for him .
3 i. e. I ceased from asking further questions.
 234 Purgatory XX, 20-49

Mary ' fell on mine ear ¹ , uttered in front of us with a tearful

cry like that of a woman in travail ; and further : ' How
2
poor thou wast, that hostel testifies, where thou didst lay
down thy holy burden.' Anon I heard : " O good Fabricius³,
thou didst prefer virtue with poverty for thy possession,
rather than great riches with iniquity.' So grateful were
these words to me, that I moved forward to acquaint myself
with the spirit from whom they seemed to come : and he
went on to tell how Nicolas bounteously dowered the maidens,
to direct their young lives toward good fame 4.
Hugh Capet ' Thou spirit, who utterest these gracious words, ' I said,
and his ' tell me who thou wast, and wherefore thou alone dost renew
descendants.
these worthy praises . That which thou sayest shall not be
unrewarded, if I return to complete the brief journey of that
life which hastens to its close .' And he : I will tell thee,
not for the sake of aid which I expect from thence, but
because such wondrous grace before thy death doth manifest
itself in thee. I was the root of the evil tree, which casts
over the whole Christian land a shade so blighting, that good
fruit is rarely gathered therefrom 5. But, if Douai and Lille
and Ghent and Bruges availed to strike, vengeance would
speedily arise ; and for this I pray to Him who judges all.
On yonder earth Hugh Capet was the name I bore ; from
The examples of the virtue appropriate to this Cornice which are
here recited are the Blessed Virgin, Fabricius and St. Nicolas.
2 The stable at Bethlehem .
3 Fabricius, the Roman consul, refused the bribes of Pyrrhus, and died
in poverty.
4 St. Nicolas of Myra portioned three sisters in order to save them
from a life of infamy. He is an example of liberality.
5 The speaker, Hugh Capet, proceeds to expose the covetousness of
his descendants.
The reference is to the cruel treatment of Flanders by Philip the
Fair in 1299.
 Purgatory XX, 50-71 235

me descended the Philips and the Louis by whom France

hath of late been governed. Of a butcher of Paris I was the
son '. When the line of the ancient kings expired, save one
who assumed the monastic garb, my hands, I found, had so
tight a grip of the reins of government of the kingdom, and
my newly acquired power was so great, and so well provided
was I with friends, that unto the widowed crown my son's
head was promoted, from whom the consecrated lineage of
the aforenamed sovereigns commenced. Up to the time
when through the great dower of Provence the sense of
shame was lost to my race, though its power was small it did
no wrong. At that point commenced their career of rapine
accompanied by force and fraud 3 ; and thereafter they seized
4
Ponthieu and Normandy and Gascony in compensation 5.
Charles came into Italy, and, in compensation, sacrificed
Conradin ; and anon he sped Thomas on his way homeward
to heaven , in compensation. I see the time, at this moment
8
not far off, when another Charles proceeds from France, to
In this and the following sentence Dante has fallen into a confusion
between Hugh Capet and his father Hugh the Great.
? Provence was added to the kingdom of France through the marriage
of Charles of Anjou with the daughter of Raymond Berenger, Count of
Provence.
3 Poitou and the kingdom of Navarre were annexed in the reign of
Philip the Bold (1270-85).
4 Gascony and Ponthieu were obtained by Philip the Fair ( 1285
1314) , and in his reign the English claim on Normandy was renounced .
5 This thrice-repeated expression implies that the kings of France made
amends for crime by committing greater crimes.
I ❝ Charles of Anjou defeated Conradin, the last of the Hohenstaufen, at
Tagliacozzo, and afterwards executed him.
7 The story that St. Thomas Aquinas was poisoned by Charles's orders
was believed in Dante's time.
8 Charles of Valois, who was invited to settle the disorders of Florence,
and came into Italy in 1301 .
 236 Purgatory XX, 72-99

reveal the true character of himself and his followers. Un

armed he comes forth alone, bearing the lance wherewith
Judas combated¹ ; and with this he deals so violent a thrust,
that the vitals of Florence are rent thereby. Thence he shall
win not land but sin and shame, more grievous for himself, in
proportion as he makes light of such-like crimes. The third',
who, having been taken prisoner from his vessel, was lately
set free, I behold selling his daughter under a bargain, as do
the corsairs with other female slaves. O avarice, what lower
depth hast thou in store for us, now that thou hast so
mastered mine offspring, that they take no thought for their
own flesh and blood ? In order that their crimes, past and
future, may be cast into the shade, I see the fleur-de-lis enter
Alagna, and Christ made captive in the person of his Vicar ³.
I see him once more derided ; I see the vinegar and gall
renewed, and himself done to death between living robbers.
I see the new Pilate so merciless , that this doth not content
him, but, unauthorized, he directs the sails of his cupidity
against the Temple 4. O Lord my God, when shall I be
gladdened by the sight of that vengeance, which, though
shrouded from us, causes thine anger to repose peacefully in
thy secret counsels ?
Examples of " That which I said concerning the one and only spouse of
avarice.
the Holy Spirit 5, and which caused thee to betake thyself to
I Treachery.
2 Charles II, King of Apulia . He was taken prisoner by Roger di
Lauria, admiral of Peter of Aragon , in an engagement in 1284, and was
released in 1288. He gave his young daughter in marriage to the aged
Marquis of Este, Azzo VIII , on consideration of receiving a large sum of
money.
3 Boniface VIII was insultingly treated by the agents of Philip the
Fair at Anagni in 1303.
4 Philip the Fair proceeded against the Order of the Templars in 1307.
5 Hugh Capet's mention above of the poverty of the Virgin.
 Purgatory XX, 100-123 237

me for an explanation, serves for an answer to all our prayers

so long as the day lasts ; but when night falls, instead thereof
we take up the contrary strain ¹ . Then we repeat Pygmalion's
name 2, who through his unbridled lust of gold became a
traitor, a robber, and a murderer of his kin ; and the avaricious
Midas' misery, the result of his covetous request ³, which
never fails to raise a smile. Anon each one recalls to mind
how the foolish Achan stole the spoils ¹, so that here Joshua's
stern sentence seems to afflict him still. Thereafter we
censure Sapphira and her spouse 5 ; we approve the hoof-beats
which Heliodorus received 6 ; and throughout the circuit of
the Mountain the infamy of Polydorus' murderer Polymestor
is proclaimed. Finally the cry is raised : " Tell us, Crassus,
for thou knowest, what is the flavour of gold 8 ? " At times
the voice of one is loud, of another low, according to the
feeling which incites us to speak now with stronger, now with
weaker tones : hence, in proclaiming but now the virtuous
acts which we rehearse here by day, I was not alone ; but no
other person in this neighbourhood raised his voice."

¹i. e. we recite the examples of avarice.

2 Dido's brother, who killed her husband Sychaeus for the sake of his
possessions ; Virg. Aen. i. 346-52.
3 The disastrous effect of his turning whatever he touched into gold ;
Ovid, Met. xi. 106-30.
+ Joshua vii. 16-25.
5 Acts v. I- II.
6 When Heliodorus attempted to rob the treasury at Jerusalem, a horse
appeared, which smote at him with its forefeet ; 2 Macc. iii. 25.
7 Polymestor murdered Priam's son Polydorus, in order to obtain the
gold which had been entrusted to him along with him ; Virg. Aen. iii.
49-57.
8 After the defeat of Crassus in Parthia, the king of that country
caused molten gold to be poured down his throat in contempt of his
rapacity.
 238 Purgatory XX, 124— XXI , 4
The Moun We had already left him, and were striving to traverse the
tain is
shaken. road with what speed our powers allowed, when I was ware
that the Mountain quaked as it would fall ; whereat a chill
came over me, like that which seizes a man who is being led
to death. Delos in sooth was not so violently shaken, ere
Latona made there her nest, to give birth to the two eyes of
heaven . Then there commenced on every side a burst of
sound, so loud that my Master drew close to me, saying :
' Fear not, while I am thy guide. ' ' Glory to God in the
highest ' was what they all uttered, as I discovered from those
near me, from whose lips I could distinguish the words of the
cry. Motionless and preoccupied we stood, like the shepherds
who first heard that song 2 , until the quaking ceased and the
chant was concluded. Anon we resumed our pilgrimage,
watching the shades extended on the earth, who now had
returned to their wonted lamentation. No ignorance ever
excited in me so keenly the longing for information, if my
memory is not here at fault, as that which methought I then
felt when reflecting on these things ; yet owing to our speed
I ventured not to inquire, nor of myself could I discover
aught in the matter : so in timid and thoughtful mood
I pursued my way.

CANTO XXI . THE FIFTH CORNICE

The poet The natural thirst distressed me, which is never quenched
Statius.
save by that water 3, the boon whereof the Samaritan woman
craved ; and our rapid course impelled me in my Leader's
1 Apollo and Diana- the Sun and the Moon.
The shepherds of Bethlehem.
3 The living water, or spiritual truth.
 Purgatory XXI, 5-34 239

footsteps along the obstructed road, and I was compassionating

those who endure that righteous punishment ; when lo in
I
like manner as Luke records that Christ, when now he had
risen from the chamber of the dead, appeared to the two
disciples on their way, there appeared a shade, who followed
behind us, regarding the crowd of prostrate spirits at his feet ;
nor were we ware of his presence until he spake first, saying :
'My brothers, God grant you peace.' Instantly we turned,
and Virgil replied to him with the corresponding greeting 2.
Then he thus began : " May the infallible tribunal, which
consigns me to eternal banishment, place thee in peace in the
company of the Blessed .' ' How ? ' said he, the while we
were speeding on our way, if ye be shades whom God doth
not admit to his realm on high, who hath guided you so far
along his stairway ? ' And my Teacher : ' If thou givest
heed to the marks which this one bears, and which the Angel
is wont to trace, thou wilt clearly perceive that he is destined
for the kingdom of the Saints ³. But, seeing that she who
spins both by day and night had not yet drawn off for him
all the flax, which Clotho places for each on the distaff and
packs together , his soul, which is thy sister and mine ,
could not pursue its upward course alone, inasmuch as it sees
not things as we do. Wherefore I was summoned forth
from the wide gorge of Hell to show him the way, and this
I shall continue to do, so far as my knowledge may avail
to lead him. But tell us, if so be thou knowest, wherefore

1 Luke xxiv. 13 foll .

2 viz, and to thy spirit.'
3 As Purgatory was preparatory to Heaven, the P's on Dante's fore
head proved that he was destined for Heaven.
4 i.e. since he is still alive. Of the three Fates Clotho placed the flax
(the allotted term of life) on the distaff, and Lachesis spun the thread of
life.
 240 Purgatory XXI, 35-68

but now the Mountain quaked so violently, and wherefore all

its denizens down to its wave-washed base seemed with one
voice to raise a cry.'
The cause His question hit so faithfully the needle's eye of my desire,
of the
earthquake. that by the mere hope the keenness of my thirst was moderated.
6
The other then began : Nothing is affected irregularly by the
divinely appointed system of the Mountain, or is exceptional.
All things in this realm are free from variations of whatsoever
kind ; the cause of such an occurrence here can proceed from
a soul being received by Heaven into itself through its own
agency, but from that alone : wherefore no rain, nor hail, nor
snow, nor yet dew, nor hoar-frost falls above the brief
stairway which the three steps form. No clouds are seen
there, whether dense or thin ; no lightning flash, nor Thaumas'
daughter , who in yonder world oftentimes shifts her region.
Dry vapour 2 rises not beyond the highest of the three steps
whereof I spake, on which Peter's deputy rests his feet.
Below that limit the earth may quake more or less violently ;
but here above no trembling was ever produced by the wind
which from some occult cause is confined within the earth.
It doth tremble here, when a soul feels itself pure, so that
rises or starts on its upward way ; and then that cry accom
panies it. The evidence of its purification is furnished by
the higher will alone, which seizes the soul, when it is wholly
free to change its company ; and the soul rejoices in exercising
that will. Ere that, it hath the righteous desire to rise, but
the lower will prevents it, which the justice of God fixes
on the purgatorial suffering, even as it was previously fixed
on the sin, in opposition to the higher will. And so I, who
have lain prostrate in this anguish five hundred years and
Iris, the rainbow.
2 This, according to Aristotle, was one of the causes of earthquakes.
 Purgatory XXI, 69-103 241

more, felt but now the unchecked desire of a better abode.

This is why thou didst feel the earthquake, and hear the
devout spirits throughout the Mountain rendering thanks to
the Lord : may He, I pray, soon bid them ascend on high ! '
Thus spake he ; and since the pleasure of drinking is pro
portionate to the thirst, no words of mine can tell how great
delight he caused me. And my wise Leader said : ' Now
I perceive the net which holds you here, and how one escapes
therefrom, and moreover the cause of the earthquake, and the
reason of your common rejoicing. Prithee tell me further
who thou wast, and let thy words inform me wherefore thou
hast lain here so many centuries.'
' At the time when the good Titus by the aid of the Statius does
supreme King avenged the wounds, whence issued the blood homage to
Virgil.
which Judas sold,' that spirit replied, ' in yonder world I bore
the title which lasts longest and bestows most honour ¹ , in
fame renowned, but as yet devoid of faith. So sweet was
my gift of song, that being a citizen of Toulouse , I was
invited to Rome, where I was deemed worthy to have my
brows decorated with the myrtle crown. Statius is the name
whereby in the land of the living I still am called : I sang of
Thebes, and anon of the great Achilles, but I sank on the
way under the second burden ². The source of my inspira
tion was the enkindling sparks of the divine flame, whereby
thousands have been enlightened--the Aeneid I mean, which
was the mother and the nurse of my poetic art ; apart from it
I had not a feather's weight. Aye, to have lived on earth in
Virgil's age, I would agree to remain a year beyond the time
appointed for my escape from exile.' At these words Virgil

I The name of poet.

2 Statius' chief works which were known to Dante were his Thebaid
and Achilleid, but he died before completing the latter of these.
TOZER R
 242 Purgatory XXI, 104 - XXII , 3

turned toward me with a look which mutely said : ' Hold

thy peace ' ; but there are things which the power of will
cannot compass ; for smiles and tears follow so closely on
the feelings whence they respectively arise, that in the most
truthful spirits they are least at the will's command. In
sooth I smiled, a smile of intelligence ; whereupon the shade
ceased speaking, and looked me in the eyes, where expression
6
mostly dwells. Then said he : So mayst thou accomplish
well thy great task, tell me why thy face just now revealed to
me a flashing smile .' Now am I in straits betwixt the two ;
one bids me hold my peace, the other adjures me to speak ;
whereat I sigh, and my Master, who heard the sigh, said to
me : ' Fear not to speak ; nay speak, and tell him what he
so eagerly inquires.' Anon I said : 'Maybe thou wonderest,
thou ancient spirit, at the smile which crossed my lips ; but
I have a still greater marvel in store for thee. This one,
who guides mine eyes aloft, is that Virgil, who gifted thee
with the power to sing of gods and men. If to any other
cause thou didst attribute my smile, put that aside as untrue,
and ascribe it to thy words concerning him.' Already he
was bending to embrace my Teacher's feet ; but he said:
' Do it not, brother ; thou art a shade, and it is a shade thou
seest.' Then he arose, and said : ' Now thou mayst con
ceive the intensity of that love wherewith I burn for thee,
when I forget our unreality, and would handle a shade as
it were a solid body.'

CANTO XXII . THE SIXTH CORNICE

The Angel Already the Angel had been left behind us-the Angel
of the fifth who had directed us toward the sixth Circle, after obliterating
Cornice.
one of the strokes upon my face ; and he had pronounced for
 Purgatory XXII, 4-38 243

us those to be blessed whose desires are fixed on righteousness ,

and his words completed that saying with 'Who thirst,'
adding nothing thereto ¹ . And I, feeling lighter than in the
former passages, was walking with such ease, that I followed
the fleet spirits upward without fatigue, when Virgil thus
began : Love, when kindled by virtue, doth ever excite
reciprocal love, provided that its flame appear outwardly.
And so, from what time Juvenal , who revealed to me thy
affection, descended among us into the Limbus of Hell, my
good will toward thee was as great as ever possessed a man
for one not seen, so that now these steps will seem to me but
a brief ascent . But tell me and as a friend forgive me, if
too great confidence makes me overbold, and now as a friend
converse with me— how came it to pass, that with all the
wisdom, whereof through thy diligence thou hadst great store,
avarice found a place within thy heart ? '
At first these words raised a faint smile on Statius' face ; Opposite
6 vices are
anon he made reply : Thine every word is a precious token expiated
of love to me . In sooth things ofttimes present themselves together.
toOus, which furnish subjects for doubt that are untrue owing
to the true causes being concealed. Thy question proves to
me that it is thy belief that I was avaricious in the other life,
perchance because of the Circle where I was. Now I would
have thee know that avarice was too far removed from me,
and this excess thousands of revolutions of the moon have
punished. And had it not been that I rectified my views of
life, when I pondered on the passage where thou dost exclaim,

¹ The full Beatitude here is, ' Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after righteousness,' but that part of it which refers to hunger is reserved
for sixth Cornice, where gluttony is expiated. In the present Cornice
the thirst for righteousness or just dealing is regarded as the antidote to
the thirst for wealth.
R 2
 244 Purgatory XXII , 39-65

as if indignant against human nature : " Through what a course

of wickedness dost thou not lead the desires of men, accursed
lust of gold¹ ? " rolling the weights I should be experiencing
the dismal jousts 2. Then I became aware that the hands
might be too lavish in expenditure, and I repented of that
along with my other sins. How many will rise again with
their hair shorn 3, by reason of ignorance, which prevents
repentance for this sin during men's lifetime and at their last
hour ! Know also, that the transgression which is the direct
opposite of any sin, dries its green rankness + here in company
with that sin : wherefore, if with a view to my purification I
abode among the folk who suffer for avarice, this hath befallen
me owing to its opposite.'
Virgil the 'When thou didst sing of the merciless war of Jocasta's
cause of
Statius ' con twin affliction 5,' said the bard of the bucolic strains, ' to
version . judge from that whereof by Clio's aid thou there dost treat,
the faith without which good deeds avail not had not yet,
I ween, made thee a true believer . If this be so, what light
from heaven or earth dispersed thy darkness so, that thou
didst thereafter set thy sails in the Fisherman's ' wake ? '
6
And he replied : "Twas thou, who didst first direct me
toward Parnassus to drink within its grots, and then, next

¹ Virg. Aen. iii. 56, 57, ' Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, Auri sacra
fames ? ' but Dante's interpretation of the passage is not clear.
2 i. e. I should be suffering the punishment of the avaricious and the
prodigal in Hell ; cp. Inf. vii.
3 This was an emblem of extravagance.
4 Reduces its superfluity.
5 The war between Polynices and Eteocles, the twin sons of Jocasta,
who were of incestuous birth. This was the subject of Statius' Thebaid.
6 i. e. Statius had not been converted to Christianity when he wrote
the Thebaid.
7 St. Peter.
 Purgatory XXII, 66-102 245

after God, didst enlighten me. Thou didst play the part of
one, who, walking by night, carries behind him a light, which
benefits him not, but directs those who follow him, when thou
saidst : " The age begins anew ; justice returns and man's
primal era, and a new progeny descends from heaven ¹."
Through thee I was a poet, through thee a Christian ; but
that thou mayst see more clearly what I sketch in outline,
I will set my hand to fill it in in colour. Already the whole
wide world was impregnated with the true faith, which had
been sown by the messengers of the eternal kingdom , and thy
above-mentioned saying in sooth was in harmony with the new
preachers ' doctrines ; thus it befell that I was wont to consoft
with them . Anon they grew so saintly in mine eyes, that
when Domitian persecuted them, their sufferings did not fail
to move me to tears ; and so long as I remained on yonder
earth I aided them, and the uprightness of their lives caused
me to esteem lightly all other schools ; and ere I brought the
Argives to the Theban rivers in my poem 2 I received baptism :
but through cowardice I was a concealed Christian, for a long
while professing paganism , by reason of which lukewarmness
I was condemned for four hundred years and more to make
the circuit of the fourth Circle . Do thou then, who hast
lifted the veil whereby all the blessing whereof I speak was
hidden from me, tell me during the remainder of our ascent,
if thou knowest, where Terence, our early poet, and where
Caecilius, Plautus and Varro are : tell me if they are among
the damned, and in what section of them. ' ' They, and.
Persius, and I myself and many more,' my Leader replied,
' are in the company of that Greek 3 whom the Muses fostered
1
Virg. Ecl. iv. 5-7.
2 i. e. ere I reached the latter part of the Thebaid.
3 Homer.
 246 Purgatory XXII , 103-136

beyond all others, in the first Circle of the gloomy prison.

Oftentimes we converse about the mountain I where our foster
mothers ever dwell. Euripides is in our number there and
Antiphon, Simonides, Agathon, and many another Greek,
whose brows erewhile were decked with bay. There from
among thy personages may be seen Antigone, Deiphile and
Argea, and Ismene in sadness as of yore. There is seen the
dame who pointed out Langia 2 ; and Teiresias' daughter
withal 3 , and Thetis, and Deidamia in company with her
sisters.'
The sixth The two poets had now ceased from speaking, being once
Cornice, of
more occupied in gazing around, when the ascent and the walls
gluttony ;
examples of of rock no longer impeded them ; and already four hand
temperance. maidens of the day had passed, and the fifth was at the pole
of the car, directing ever upward its blazing point, when my
6
Leader said : Methinks we ought to turn our right side
toward the outer edge, following in our wonted direction the
curve of the Mountain. ' Thus habit was there our guide, and
on the strength of that noble spirit's approval we started more
confidently on the way. They walked in front, and I by
myself behind, the while I listened to their discourse, which
gave me insight into the poetic art. But soon that sweet
parley was interrupted by a tree, with fine sweet- scented fruit,
which met our eyes midway in the road. And as a fir doth
taper upward from branch to branch, so did that tree taper
downward, to prevent its being ascended, as I divine. On
the side toward which our road was enclosed there dripped
I Helicon, which was sacred to the Muses.
2 Hypsipyle, who showed the spring of Langia to Adrastus and his
army, when they were in need of water ; Stat. Theb. iv. 716 foll.
3 Manto, whom by an oversight Dante in Inf. xx. 55 places in
Malebolge.
Four hours.
 Purgatory XXII , 137 - XXIII , 13 247

from the high rock a limpid moisture, which diffused itself

among the leaves above. As the two Poets drew nigh to the
tree, a voice within the foliage exclaimed : Of this food ye
shall not partake '.' Anon it said : 6 Mary took more
thought for the marriage feast being seemly and complete, than
for her own lips 3, which now intercede for you. Also the
Roman women of old were content with water for their drink,
and Daniel disdained meat and won for himself wisdom 4.
The primal age, which was fair as gold, found in hunger
a relish for acorns, and by the aid of thirst nectar in every
brook. Locusts and honey were the food which supported
the Baptist in the wilderness ; wherefore glory is his meed,
and that high dignity which the Gospel doth set forth to
you.'

CANTO XXIII . THE SIXTH CORNICE

While I was peering through the green foliage, as doth the The punish
ment in
man who wastes his time in pursuing little birds, my more flicted by
than father said to me : ' Come on now, dear son ; our hunger and
thirst.
allotted time should be more profitably apportioned.' I turned
mine eyes, and not less promptly my steps, to follow the
Sages, whose discourse was so enchanting that it compensated
the weariness of the way. And lo ! the words ' O Lord,
open thou my lips ' were heard in strains so mournful and so
6
sweet, that they begat at once delight and grief. Beloved
Father,' I began, ' what is that which I hear ? ' And he :
' The sin of gluttony is expiated in this Cornice by the pangs of
hunger and thirst, which are excited by the sight of attractive food.
2 These are the examples of the virtue of temperance.
3 At the marriage at Cana of Galilee Mary said ' They have no wine, ’
John ii. 3.
4 Dan. i. 11 , 12, 17.
 248 Purgatory XXIII , 14-43

"They are shades pursuing their way, who haply are freeing
them from the bonds of their debt.' As is the wont of
pensive pilgrims, who, when they overtake stranger folk on
the road, turn toward them but do not halt, so did a company
of spirits, devout and mute, coming from behind with more
rapid steps and passing us, regard us with looks of wonder.
All of them were dark about the eyes and hollow, pale in
face, and so lean that the skin followed the shape of the
bones. Erysichthon , I ween, was not so dried up to
merest rind through starvation, when his fear thereof was at
6
its greatest. I said to myself in thought : Behold the folk
who lost Jerusalem, what time Mary preyed on her own
child 2. The sockets of their eyes resembled rings devoid
of jewels ; he that in the human face reads omo, would here
have clearly recognized the m3. Who would believe that
the scent of an apple, or that of a liquid, could produce this
result by exciting a craving, if he knew not how it came to
pass ?
Forese I was wondering what could famish them so, since the
Donati.
reason of their leanness and their sadly withered flesh was
not yet clear, when lo ! from the depths of his head a shade
turned his eyes upon me, and gazed attentively ; anon he
exclaimed aloud : ' What gracious boon is mine ! ' By his
face I should not a whit have recognized him ; but byhis

¹ A Thessalian, who cut down trees in a grove sacred to Demeter, and

was punished by her with insatiable hunger.
The story of the mother who ate her own child during the final
siege of Jerusalem is told by Josephus Bell. Jud. vi. 3, 4.
3 It was a mediaeval conceit, that the title ' man ' (omo, Lat. homo)
was written in the human face, the eyes being the two o's, the nose with
the eyebrows and cheekbones the m. In the case of these spirits the
hollows of the eyes made the bones which enclosed them more con
spicuous.
 Purgatory XXIII, 44–79 249

voice was revealed to me that which his aspect had suppressed

within it. This spark quickened anew and to the full my
knowledge of the altered lineaments, and I recalled to mind
Forese's ' face. ' Ah, pay no heed to the parched and withered
surface which discolours my skin ' - such was his appeal
'nor to my lack of flesh ; but tell me the truth concerning
thyself, and say who those two spirits are who there form
thy escort ; be not remiss in speaking to me.' ' Thy face,
which I bewailed erewhile as dead, ' I replied, 6 moves me
now no less to tears, when I behold it so disfigured. Tell
me then, in God's name, what it is which thus withers you ;
force me not to speak when full of wonderment, for the man
who is preoccupied expresses his thoughts but ill. And he
to me : From the eternal Counsel virtue descends into the
water, and into the tree which we have left in our rear, and
this it is which attenuates me thus. All this folk who chant
so mournfully, because they pursued gluttony beyond measure,
in hunger and thirst are here restored to saintliness. The
scent which proceeds from the fruit, and from the sprinkling
water which diffuses itself over the foliage, kindles in us the
craving for food and drink : and not once only, as we make
the circuit of this area, is our punishment renewed -punish
ment I call it, but I should rather say our solace--for the
same desire² doth conduct us to the tree, which moved
Christ to say with joy : " Eli, " when by his blood he won
our freedom.'
6
And I to him : Forese, from the day when thou didst Immodesty
of the
migrate to a better life up to the present time five years have Florentine
not run their course. If the power of committing further women.

' Forese Donati, an early friend of Dante, and a relation of Dante's

wife, Gemma Donati.
2 The desire to conform our wills to the will of God.
250 Purgatory XXIII, 80-114

sin came to an end in thee ere the hour of pious penitence

which reunites us with God arrived, how comes it that thou
hast ascended here ? Methought I should find thee still
below , where loss of time is compensated by delay.' And
he replied : " It is my Nella, who by her bursts of tears hath
led me so soon to drink of the sweet wormwood of these
pains. She by her devout prayers and sighs hath removed
me from the mountain side, the place of waiting, and hath
set me free from the other Circles. My sweet widow, whom
I so greatly loved, is more precious in God's sight and dear
to Him in proportion as she stands alone in her good works ;
for in respect of its women the Barbagia of Sardinia² is far
more modest than that Barbagia where I left her ³ . Beloved
brother, what more can I say ? Even now a coming time is
within my range of vision, a time to which the present will
not seem far remote, when the shameless Florentine women
shall be forbidden from the pulpit to expose their bosoms, as
they walk, even to the teats. What Berber women were
there ever, what Saracen women, who needed correction,
whether spiritual or otherwise, to force them to conceal their
persons ? But did those bold-faced dames know assuredly
what the swift heavens are laying up in store for them, even
now their mouths would be opened wide to howl ; for, if in
this matter my forecasts deceive me not, they shall be sad,
ere he who now is quieted by lullaby hath bearded cheeks.
Now prithee, brother, conceal from me no longer the truth
concerning thyself ; thou seest how not I alone, but all this
folk are gazing at the spot where thou dost intercept the sun.'

¹ In Ante-Purgatory.
2 A district of Sardinia inhabited by a wild and dissolute race.
3 Florence .
4 Women of Barbary in northern Africa.
 Purgatory XXIII, 115— XXIV, 11 251

So I replied : If thou dost recall to mind what were thy Dante and
Forese.
relations to me and mine to thee, the recollection thereof will
even now be painful ' . From that course of life did he that
walks in front of me convert me, a few days past, when the
sister of that luminary '-and I pointed to the sun- displayed
to you her full orb. He hath conducted me through the
depths of night, wearing the real flesh which follows him,
from among those who are dead indeed. Thence his en
couragements have drawn me upward, ascending and circling
round the Mountain that restores your uprightness which the
world distorted . Anon he engages to accompany me till
I reach the spot where Beatrice shall be found ; there I must
needs be bereaved of him. The one who promises me this'
and I indicated him - ' is Virgil ; the other is the shade, on
whose account your realm, which discharges him from its
keeping, quaked but now throughout all its declivities .'

CANTO XXIV. THE SIXTH CORNICE

The discourse stayed not our progress, nor the progress The poet
our discourse, but as we conversed we walked with speed, Bonagiunta
of Lucca.
like a ship impelled by a favouring wind. The shades the
while, which looked like things twice dead, through the sockets
oftheir eyes expressed their marvel at me, having learnt that
I was alive. Then continuing my address I said : ' Mayhap
for others ' sake he 2 pursues his way upward more slowly
than he otherwise would do . But tell me, if thou knowest,
where Piccarda 3 is ; tell me moreover whether amid this
¹ The correspondence between Dante and Forese in the form of
sonnets, which still exist, is vituperative and implies careless living.
2 Statius.
3 Forese's sister. Dante afterwards meets her in the first sphere of
Paradise.
 252 Purgatory XXIV, 12-40

folk who gaze at me so I see any noteworthy person.' ' My

sister, of whom I know not whether she were more virtuous
or more fair, already rejoices triumphantly in her crown
in Olympus on high.' Thus he commenced, and then con
tinued : Here there is naught to prevent our naming each,
seeing that by our abstinence our likeness is so effaced . This
one '—and he pointed with his finger-' is Bonagiunta ¹,
Bonagiunta of Lucca ; and he 2 on yonder side of him, whose
face is emaciated beyond the others, held Holy Church in his
embrace from Tours he came, and by fasting he atones for
the eels of Bolsena and the vernage wine.' Many others did
he name to me one by one ; and all seemed pleased when
their names were mentioned, so that I perceived not one dark
look in consequence. I saw Ubaldin dalla Pila through
hunger use his teeth in vain, and Bonifazio 3 , who shepherded
a large flock with his rook. Messer Marchese I saw, who
of yore had leisure at Forlì for drinking with less thirst than
here, and even thus was so great a sot that he never had
his fill.
Gentucca ; But like as he doth, who after scanning a company gives
the new
style of one of its members the preference, so did I to him of Lucca,
poetry. who seemed beyond the rest to crave information regarding
me. He spake inarticulately, and I was ware of a sound
like ' Gentucca ' there where he felt the wound of justice
which macerates them so. ' Thou spirit,' said I, ' who

1 A minor poet.
2 Pope Martin IV, who had been Canon of Tours ; he was said to
have died from a surfeit of eels.
3 Archbishop of Ravenna. The ' rook ' here spoken of was a pastoral
staff, shaped in its upper part like the castle or ' rook ' at chess. A
pastoral staff corresponding to this description, which has lately come to
light, now exists at Ravenna.
4 In his mouth, where he felt the craving for food.
 Purgatory XXIV, 41-69 253

seemest so eager to talk with me, speak so that I may under

stand thee, and satisfy by thy conversation at once thyself
and me.' ' There lives a woman ' ,' he began, 6 and as yet
she wears not the veil 2 , who shall cause my city to be
pleasing in thine eyes, however men may blame it ³. With
this anticipation go thy way ; if by my lisping speech thou
hast been misled, the facts will hereafter make the matter
clear to thee. But say, do I see before me him who evoked
the new style of verse, when he thus commenced : " Ladies,
who have intelligence of Love " ? ' And I to him : ' I am
one who, when Love inspires me, lend an ear, and express in
words what he dictates in the form of thought. ' ' O brother,
now I recognize,' said he, ' the impediment, which prevented
the Notary, and Guittone 5 and me from adopting the sweet
new style which I hear. I clearly perceive how that your
pens follow closely the spirit that dictates, the which in sooth
was not the case with ours. And whoso sets himself to
regard the matter more closely, finds no distinction beyond
this between the one and the other style ' ; and here as if
satisfied he held his peace.
As the birds which winter on the banks of Nile, at The doom
times marshal themselves in the air, and anon wing their way of Corso
Donati.
more speedily and advance in file ; so did all the folk that
were there turn away their faces from us, and quicken their
steps, agile as they were through their leanness and their

¹ Gentucca, a lady of Lucca, to whom Dante became attached.

2 The head-dress of married women.
3 The city of Lucca bore an evil name.
4 This is the commencement of the first canzone in Dante's Vita
Nuova,
5 Guittone d' Arezzo ; the Notary is Jacopo da Lentini. These poets
and Bonagiunta were conventional, while the writers of the new school,
to which Dante belonged, were natural.
 254 Purgatory XXIV , 70-104

zeal. And as the man who is weary with running lets his
companions go their way, and walks until his heavy breathing
is assuaged ; so did Forese suffer the saintly flock to pass on,
and followed behind with me, saying : ' When will the time
come for me to see thee again?' ' How long I am to live
6
I know not, ' I replied ; but my return will not occur so
soon, that I shall not ere that in wish have reached the shore ;
seeing that the place where I was ordained to live is daily
more and more depleted of virtue, and manifestly doomed to
dismal ruin .' ' Now go thy way, ' said he, ' for I behold
him who is most guilty in this matter ¹, dragged at a horse's
tail toward the abyss where expiation can never be made.
At each step the beast tears faster onward, ever increasing
its speed until it smites him, and leaves his corpse hideously
mutilated. These spheres shall not long revolve ' —and he
looked aloft to heaven- ' ere that which I can no further
explain in words will become clear to thee. Now I must
leave thee, for in this realm time is so precious , that by
accompanying thee thus step by step I lose overmuch.'
Examples of As from a troop that is riding onward a horseman ever and
gluttony.
anon dashes forth at a gallop, to win the honour of the first
encounter, so did he depart from us with lengthened strides;
and I pursued my way with those two alone, who on earth
were so mighty leaders. And when he had advanced so far
in front of us, that mine eyes went in pursuit of his person,
even as my mind did of his words 2, I perceived the verdant
branches of another tree, laden with fruit, at no great distance

¹ Corso Donati, Forese's brother, leader of the Black Guelfs. He was

killed by certain Catalans, after he had thrown himself from his horse,
so that Dante's account of his death in this passage is, to say the least,
dramatic.
2 Both were on the strain,
 Purgatory XXIV, 105-139 255

from me, since I had but then turned in that direction.

Beneath it I saw folk uplifting their hands, and uttering vague
cries towards the leaves, like eager thoughtless children, who
beg, while he of whom they beg gives no response, but, in
order to stimulate their longing, holds on high the object of
their desire and conceals it not. Anon they departed as it
were undeceived ; and we now reached the great tree, which
rejects so many supplications and tears. ' Pass ye on, but
I
draw not nigh hither ; higher up is the tree whereof Eve
did eat, and from it this one is sprung ' : so spake a mysterious
voice amid the branches ; whereupon Virgil and Statius and
I drew close together, and moved forward on the side which
rises.
6 Call to mind, ' it said, ' the accursed ones ², the

cloud-begotten, who, when drunk with wine, with their hybrid

breasts encountered Theseus ; those Hebrews 3³ also, who
drank without restraint, by reason whereof Gideon had nonc
of them in his company, when he descended the hills to fight
with Midian.' Thus we passed on, keeping close to one of
the two edges, and listening to examples of the sin of gluttony,
which were followed erewhile by a disastrous recompense.
Anon, when we were at large on the solitary road, we pro
ceeded full a thousand paces and more, each of us rapt in
silent thought.
' On what are ye musing thus, as ye walk, ye three alone ? ' The Angel
Thus on a sudden spake a voice ; whereat I started, as doth of the sixth
Cornice.
a beast when smitten with panic fear. I raised my head to
see who it was ; and never in a furnace was glass or metal
seen so bright or so ruddy, as one that I beheld, who said :

In the Earthly Paradise, on the summit of the Mountain of Purgatory.

2 The Centaurs, who were born of Ixion and the Cloud, and were over
come by Theseus at the marriage feast of Hippodamia and Pirithous.
3 Judges vii. 6, 8.
 256 Purgatory XXIV, 140- XXV, 20

' If it be your pleasure to mount upward, here ye must turn ;

on this hand is the way for such as seek for peace.' His
countenance had deprived me of sight ; wherefore I turned me
round, and went behind my Teachers, like one who in walking
guides himself by sounds. And as the breeze of May, that
heralds the dawn, rises and breathes fragrance, impregnate all
with the scent of grass and flowers ; so did I feel a wind
strike me full on the forehead, accompanied by the waving of
a wing, which imparted ambrosial perfume . And I heard the
6
words : Blessed are they whom so great grace enlightens,
that the pleasure of taste excites not in their hearts excessive
craving, seeing that they ever hunger in due measure.'

CANTO XXV. THE SEVENTH CORNICE

How can The hour was so advanced that the ascent admitted not of
a shade
become delay, for the sun had left the meridian circle to the Bull,
emaciated ? and midnight to the Scorpion¹ . Wherefore, like one who
halts not, but goes his way, whatever object may present
itself, if the pressure of need goad him on, so did we enter
the passage, one before the other, mounting the stairway, the
narrowness whereof forces those who ascend to walk singly.
And as the fledgeling stork lifts its wing in its desire to fly,
yet ventures not to quit the nest, and lets it fall again ; so
was the longing to ask a question kindled and quenched
within me, until at last I assumed the look of one who essays
to speak. For all the swiftness of our pace my beloved
Father forbore not, but said : ' Let fly the bow of speech,
which thou hast drawn even to the arrowhead.' Then with
confidence I opened my lips, and thus began : "How can
I The time intended is about 2 p.m.
 Purgatory XXV, 21-49 257

emaciation be produced, where the person is not affected by

want of nutriment ? ' ' If thou wouldst call to mind how
Meleager was wasted by the wasting of a brand ' ,' he said,
' this point would not present so great difficulty to thee : and
if thou wouldst reflect how, when ye move, your reflection in
a mirror moves also, what now seems hard to thee would
appear easy² ; but, in order that thou mayst master the
subject to thy heart's content, see here is Statius ; to him
I appeal, and of him I pray, that he would now be the healer
of thy wounds.'
'If in thy presence I explain to him the eternal view,' Formation
Statius replied, my excuse must be that I cannot say thee andthe
of body
soul in
nay.' Anon he thus commenced : ' If thy mind, my son, man.
gives due heed to my words tak them home, they will
elucidate the question thou dost ask. Perfect blood ³, which
in no case is drawn from the thirsty veins, and which remains
behind, like food that is removed from table, receives in the
heart informing power for all the members of the human
body, like the other blood which courses through the veins
in order to be converted into those members. After being
digested a second time it descends to the part whereof it is
more seemly to keep silence than to speak, and thence it
afterwards drops in the natural receptacle 4 upon another's
blood : there the one blood and the other mingle-the one
appointed to be passive, the other to be active owing to the
5
perfect place whence it proceeds. And being united with

' Meleager's life was made to depend on the occult influence of a

burning brand ; similarly the spiritual body is wasted by the occult influ
ence of the sight of food.
2 The changes in the shade correspond to the changes of feeling in the
soul.
3 The semen is meant. 4 The matrix.
5 The heart.
TOZER S
258 Purgatory XXV, 50-76

it, it commences to operate, first by amalgamating with it,

and anon it vivifies that to which it gave consistency, that it
might serve as the material for it to work upon. The active
power having become a soul , like that of a plant-only
differing from it in this, that the former is in progress, while
the latter hath reached its goal 2—thereafter 3 works so much
that it now moves and feels, like a zoophyte ; and, as the
next stage, it takes in hand to provide with organs the
faculties which spring from it. At this point, my son, is
expanded, at this point is developed the power that proceeds
from the heart of the begetter, in which Nature is intent on
forming all the members : but how from being an animal it
becomes a child , thou seest not yet ; this is so difficult
a point, that erewhile it led astray one more wise than thou³,
so that in his teaching he separated from the soul the " possible
intellect 6" because he saw not any organ appropriated by it.
Open thy heart to the truth which is coming, and know that,
so soon as in the fetus the brain is perfectly organized, the
Prime Mover, rejoicingʻin this display of skill on Nature's
part, turns Him toward it, and infuses a new spirit replete
with power, which appropriates to its own essence the active
element which it finds there, and forms a single soul, which
lives and feels, and is conscious of its own existence. And
that thou mayst find my saying less strange, bethink thee how

This is the vegetative soul.

2 The soul in the human embryo is in an elementary stage, while the
life of the plant has reached its ultimate development.
3 Here commences the formation of the sensitive soul.
4 i. e. how it obtains the rational soul. This, Statius proceeds to say,
is infused directly by God.
5 Averroes.
The higher intellectual power in man, as distinguished from the
active intellect.
 Purgatory XXV, 77-114 259

the sun's heat, passing into the juice which the grape distils,
forms wine. The soul, when Lachesis hath no more thread, Formation
shade
of thedeath.
separates from the flesh, and carries with it potentially both its after
human and its divine element, whereof the former set of powers
are one and all inoperative, while memory, intelligence and will
are far more keen in their working than before. Without
pause, by its own agency it descends in wondrous wise to one
of the two shores¹ ; there it first learns the way it is to take.
No sooner is it circumscribed there by place, than the forma
tive power radiates around, in the same manner and the same
measure as it did in the limbs during life ; and as the air,
when it is charged with moisture, is bedecked with manifold
colours through another's ray which is refracted in it, so here
the neighbouring air takes the form, which by its innate
power the soul that alighted there impresses on it : and
thenceforward, as fire is followed by its flame whithersoever
it moves, in like manner the spirit is accompanied by its new
form . Because by this means it thereafter becomes visible,
it is called a shade ; hence too it provides organs for every
sense, including even sight. Thus it is that we speak, thus
we smile, thus we give vent to the tears and sighs which thou
mayst have noticed along the Mountain. According as we
are impressed by our desires and other emotions the shade
shapes itself; and this is the cause of that which excites thy
wonder.'
We now had reached the last winding 2, and had turned to The seventh
Cornice, of
the right, and another source of anxiety occupied our thoughts . lust ; spirits
Here the rock-wall shoots forth flames, and from the edge of in the
flames ;
the Cornice a blast of wind blows upward, which beats them examples of
back, and removes them to a distance from it. Hence we chastity.

' The shore of the Acheron, and the shore at the mouth of the Tiber.
2 The last turning of the ascent which leads to the seventh Cornice.
S 2
 260 Purgatory XXV, 115- XXVI, 8

were forced to pass along the unprotected side in single file,

and I was afraid on the one hand of the fire, and on the other
of falling over. 'In traversing this place, ' my Leader said,
' there is good need to control well the eyes, seeing that
a false step is easily made.' Then did I hear ' O God of
clemency supreme ' sung in the heart of that glowing heat,
whereat I was not less anxious to turn me thitherward ; and
I beheld spirits walking in the flame : wherefore I kept both
them and my footsteps in view, glancing this way and that
from time to time. So soon as the conclusion of that hymn
was reached, they cried aloud ' , ' I know not a man ' ; then
in low tones they recommenced the hymn. At its ending
once more they cried : ' Diana stayed in the wood, and
expelled Helice therefrom, in whom the poison of the goddess
of love had worked.' Then they resumed their chant ; and
thereafter they proclaimed the names of wives and husbands
who were chaste, as virtue and the marriage bond prescribe.
And this alternation, I ween, suffices them throughout the
time that they are burning in the fire ; by such treatment and
such diet must the wound at last be closed.

CANTO XXVI . THE SEVENTH CORNICE

Dante's While we were thus proceeding along the rim, one before
shadow cast
on the fire. the other, and the kind Master said repeatedly : ' Beware ;
profit by my warnings, ' my right shoulder was smitten bythe
sun, whose rays were now turning from a blue to a white tint
all the western sky ; and I by my shadow caused the fire to
assume a ruddier hue, to which token, slight though it was,

The examples of chastity are the Blessed Virgin's reply to the Angel
(Luke i. 34) , and Diana's chaste indignation against Helice.
 Purgatory XXVI, 9–45 261

I saw many shades as they passed give heed. This was the
cause which gave them occasion to speak of me, and they
began to say one to another : " This one looks not like an
unreal body.' Anon certain of them advanced toward me,
as far as was in their power, while giving constant heed not
to exceed the limits of the burning. O thou, who, not from
greater slackness, but maybe from reverence, dost walk behind
the others, make answer to me, who am burning with thirst
and fire ; nor I alone am longing for thy reply, for all these
desire it with keener thirst, than ever for cold water Indian
or Ethiopian felt. Tell us how it is that thou dost exclude
the sun, as if thou hadst not yet passed within the net of
death.'
So spake one of them to me, and I should at once have Spirits
revealed myself, had I not been absorbed in another strange meetingand
kissing.
sight which then appeared ; for midway on the fiery road Examples
of inconti
there came on facing these a folk, by gazing at whom my nence.
thoughts were engrossed . There saw I all the shades on
either hand speed them, and exchange kisses each with each,
without halting, contented with a brief enjoyment. Similarly
the ants in their dark train salute one another mouth to mouth,
haply to inquire their road and the prospects of their journey.
So soon as they break off the friendly greeting, and ere they
move a footstep thence, each one exerts himself to outcry
the other ; the newly arrived folk exclaim : ' Sodom I and
Gomorrah ' ; "
the others : Pasiphaë entered within the cow,
that the bull might have access to her wantonness.' Anon,
like the cranes, part of whom fly toward the Rhipaean
mountains², and part toward the desert sands, the latter
shunning the frost, the former the sun, the one company
I
Sodom and Pasiphaë are the examples of incontinence.
2 An imaginary chain of mountains in northern Europe.
 262
Purgatory XXVI, 46-80

departs, the other comes on, and with tears they resume their
previous chants and the exclamation which best suits their
case ; then the same spirits who had besought me drew nigh
to me as before, wearing on their faces an expectant listening
look.
The two For my part, having once and again perceived their desire,
companies
of sinners . I thus began : 'Ye souls, who are assured at your appointed
time of entering into peace, my limbs have not remained
behind in yonder world either in youth or age, but together
with their blood and their muscles accompany me here. To
escape from blindness I am ascending by this way ; a Dame¹
there is on high who wins grace for us, in the strength of
which I pass through your realm wearing this mortal frame.
But--so may your highest longing soon be satisfied, so that
that Heaven which is replete with love and extends most
2
amply may entertain you tell me, in order that hereafter
I may record your answer ; Who are ye ? and who are that
crowd which is departing in your rear ?' Even as the
mountaineer is perplexed with wonder, and gazes speechless,
when rude and uncouth he enters the city, such was the look
which all the shades assumed ; but so soon as they were
quit of their amazement, the which in noble hearts is soon
allayed, the one who before had inquired of me began afresh :
' O happy thou, who with a view to a more blessed death dost
lay up experience won from our domains ! The folk who
walk apart from us committed the sin, which erst caused
Caesar in his triumph to hear himself reviled with the name
of " Queen." For this cause, when they depart, they exclaim
" Sodom 3," upbraiding themselves, as thou hast heard, and
1 The Blessed Virgin.
2 The highest, or Empyrean Heaven.
3 Cp. Gen. xix. 5.
 Purgatory XXVI, 81-107 263

promote by their shame the operation of the fire. Our sin

was hermaphrodite ; but since we observed not the law
ordained for man, being led like beasts by our desires, when
we depart, to mark our ignominy we recite the name of her
who made herself brutish within the wooden cow. Now
thou knowest our lives, and the sin whereof we were guilty ;
if haply thou wouldst know who we are by name, the time is
not fitting, nor could I recount them . Thy desire of knowing
myself in sooth I will satisfy ; I am Guido Guinicelli 2, and
I am already purging myself 3 because I fully repented ere
I reached the term of life .'
As was the eagerness of the two sons to recognize their Guido
Guinicelli.
mother, what time Lycurgus was afflicted , such were my
feelings -though I was not so overcome by them— when
I heard his own name uttered by him, who was a father to
me, and to all the others my superiors, who ever composed
sweet and graceful love-poetry : and without hearing or
speaking I walked rapt in thought, for a long while gazing
at him, though by reason of the fire I drew not nearer
thither. So soon as I had my fill of looking, I announced
myself devoted to his service, adding the assurance which
6
inspires confidence 5. And he to me : Thou leavest on my
memory, by reason of the words I hear, an imprint so marked

¹ Hermaphroditus was a type of unlimited indulgence in sensuality

between the two sexes.
2 He was the best of the Italian poets before Dante, and the originator
of the ' sweet new style.'
3 i. e. I have not been detained in Ante-Purgatory.
4 When Opheltes, the son of Lycurgus, lost his life, Lycurgus attributed
this to the negligence of Hypsipyle, and was about to put her to death,
when her two sons, rushing impetuously in, recognized and saved her ;
Stat. Theb. v. 720-2.
5 An oath.
 264 Purgatory XXVI , 108-138

and clear, that Lethe cannot obliterate or obscure it. But if

that be true which thy words but now asseverated, tell me
the reason why both in thy speech and thy looks thou givest
evidence of affection for me.' And I to him : ' It is your¹
sweet lays, which, so long as the modern use endures, will
cause the very ink wherewith they are written to continue
precious.' ' My brother, ' he said, ' this one whom I indi
cate to thee with my finger, ' and he pointed to a spirit in
front of him, 6 was a better craftsman of his mother tongue.
Poets of love and writers of prose romances he surpassed
them all, whatever the fools may say who give the bard of
3
Limoges the preference. It is a cry rather than the truth
that they regard, and thus they fix their opinions before art
or judgement gets a hearing from them. So in days of yore
did many in Guittone's case, passing on from mouth to
mouth in loud tones his praise and his alone, until in most
men's minds the truth hath mastered him. Now, seeing thou
art so highly privileged that it is permitted thee to visit the
cloister 5 where Christ is the head of the community, say
to him a Pater noster on my behalf, so far as is needful
for us in this world, where it is no longer in our power to
sin "." Then, haply to make room for others who chanced
to be near him, he disappeared through the flames, like a fish
in water when it sinks into the depths.
Arnaut I advanced a space toward the person designated, and said
Daniel.
that my desire of knowing him prepared me beforehand to

I Here, as elsewhere, ' your' is used for ' thine ' as a token of profound
homage.
2 The Provençal poet, Arnaut Daniel.
3 Giraut de Borneuil.
4 Guittone d' Arezzo.
5 Paradise .
i. e. omitting the last petition, Lead us not into temptation ,' &c.
 Purgatory XXVI, 139 - XXVII , 15 265
welcome his name . Thereupon without reserve he thus
began : ' So grate ful to me is your courteous request, that
I cannot and will not hide me from you. I am Arnaut , who
shed tears, and chant as I go my way ; my past folly
I regretfully regard, and I joyfully look forward to the
hoped-for bliss. Now I beseech you by that power which
guides you to the summit of the stairs, in due season be
* mindful of my pain 2.' Anon he hid himself in the fire which
refines them.

CANTO XXVII. THE SEVENTH CORNICE

As when the sun scatters its first rays at the place where Dante
its Creator shed His blood, while the Ebro lies beneath Libra passes
through
on high, and the waves of the Ganges are heated by the noon- the fire.
tide, such was its position now ; so day was departing 3, when
the Angel of God with glad mien appeared to us. Without
the flames he stood on the edge, and sang, in tones far clearer
than the human voice : ' Blessed are the pure in heart.' Anon,
when we drew nigh to him, he said : ' No further can ye go,
ye saintly souls, without first feeling the grip of the fire :
enter within it, and fail not to listen to the chanting beyond ' ;
whereupon, as I heard him, I became like the malefactor who

The original of what follows is in the Provençal language.

2 i. e. pray that my time in Purgatory may be shortened.
3
According to Dante's geography the Mountain of Purgatory was the
antipodes of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was the centre of the habitable
world, which extended over half the circumference of the globe from
east to west, with the mouth of the Ganges and Spain as its extreme
limits ; consequently, when it was sunrise at Jerusalem, it would be
midnight on the Ebro, midday on the Ganges, and (which is the point
here) sunset in Purgatory.
266
Purgatory XXVII, 16-48

is set in the pit . I clasped my hands and bent forward over

them, peering at the fire, and vividly picturing to myself human
bodies which I had erewhile seen burning. My kind Con
ductors turned toward me, and Virgil said : ' My son, tor
ment there may be here, but not death. Bethink thee, bethink
thee . . . and if even on Geryon's back I guided thee in safety,
how shall I not do so now, when so much nearer to God?
Know this for sure that, wert thou to abide full a thousand
years in the bosom of this flame, it would not denude thee of
a single hair. And if haply thou thinkest that I am beguiling
thee, advance towards it, and put it to the test thyself with
thine own hands on the hem of thy garments. Cast off now,
cast off all fear ; turn thee this way, and come on with confi
dence.' Yet I remained immovable in defiance of my con
science. When he saw me stand thus stark and stubborn,
with a touch of vexation he said : ' Mark you, my son ; this
barrier separates thee from Beatrice.' As Pyramus at the
name of Thisbe opened his eyes when on the verge of death,
and gazed at her, what time the mulberry assumed a ruddy
hue 2 , so, all my obstinacy giving way, did I turn toward my
wise Leader, at the sound of the name which evermore springs
up in my mind. Thereupon with a shake of the head he
said : ' Well ? are we to stay this side ? ' and then he smiled,
as at a child that is conquered by an apple. Anon he passed
within the flame in front of me, requesting Statius, who ere that
for a long distance had separated us, to come behind me.
One form of punishment was to set the criminals head downwards
in the earth.
2 Pyramus under the impression that Thisbe had been killed slew
himself. When Thisbe appeared, and assured her lover that she was his
Thisbe, he looked up at her and then died. Thisbe then took her own life;
and in answer to her dying prayer the colour of the fruit of the mulberry,
which tree had been their trysting-place, was changed from white to dark.
 Purgatory XXVII , 49-87 267

So soon as I was within, gladly would I have flung myself The last
into molten glass to cool me, so excessive there was the torrid stairway.
heat. To cheer me my loving Father talked without pause of
Beatrice as he went, saying : ' Methinks already I behold her
eyes.' A voice I which chanted on the further side was our
guide, and giving heed to it alone we issued forth where the
ascent began. 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, ' was heard
within a light at that spot, so bright that it overpowered me,
and I could not face it. The sun is departing,' it continued,
' and evening is at hand ; halt not, but hasten your steps, ere
the western sky be darkened.' The path rose straight within
the rock, and its direction was such, that I broke in front of
me the rays of the sun, which was already low² ; and I and
my sage companions had made essay of but few steps, when
through the disappearance of my shadow we were ware that
the sun was setting behind us. And ere the horizon through
out its vast expanse had assumed a uniform hue, and night
had spread through all its wide domain, each of us reclined
upon a separate stair ; for the nature of the Mountain annulled
within us, not the pleasure, but the power of ascending. As
goats, which ere they ate their fill scoured the mountain-tops
with daring speed, repose quietly in the shade, chewing the
cud, while the sun is hot, guarded by the shepherd, who
leans on his staff, and tends them as he leans : and as the
herdsman, who abides in the fields, spends the night peacefully
along with his cattle, on the watch that no wild beast may
harry them : so was it then with us three ; I was like the
goat, they like the shepherds, the while we were hemmed in

¹ This proceeded from an Angel, who guarded the approach to the

Terrestrial Paradise.
2 The path ascended eastwards, because the sun, which was in the
west, cast Dante's shadow in front of him as he faced the Mountain,
 268 Purgatory XXVII , 88-120

by a high rock on either hand. But little of the outer world

could there be seen ; yet in that narrow space I beheld the
stars, both brighter and larger than is their wont.
Dante's While thus ruminating, and thus gazing at them, I was
dream of
Leah and overcome by sleep ; sleep, which ofttimes before an event
Rachel. hath the intimation thereof. At the hour, methinks, when
from the eastern sky Venus, who appears ever enkindled by
the fire of love, shed her first beams on the Mountain ' ,
I seemed to see in a dream a lady young and fair, gathering
flowers as she roved through a meadow ; and these were the
words she sang : ' Would any ask my name, let him know
that I am Leah, and as I go I cull the blossoms with my
fair hands to make me a garland. To give me pleasure before
my mirror here deck myself ; but Rachel my sister with
draws not her eyes for a moment from hers, but sits before
it all day long. Her joy consists in regarding her beauteous
eyes, as mine doth in adorning me with my hands ; she is
satisfied by contemplation, I by working 2.'
Virgil And now, by reason of the brightness that precedes the
resigns
office ofhis dawn, which rises more welcome to the returning pilgrim
guide. the nearer to his home he lodges, the shades of night were
flying on every side, and along with them my sleep ; where
upon I arose, seeing the great Masters already risen. That
3
sweet fruit ³ , the quest of which along so many branches
mortals anxiously pursue, will this day appease thy hunger' :
such were the words which Virgil addressed to me ; and
never was there guerdon, the charm whereof could compare

I The time intended is early morning ; and this is mentioned because

' morning dreams are true.'
2 The figures of Leah and Rachel here foreshadow those of Matelda
and Beatrice in the Terrestrial Paradise.
3 The knowledge of God.
 Purgatory XXVII , 121 -XXVIII , 5 269

with them. My desire of reaching the summit gained two

fold strength, so that thereafter at every step I felt the
feathers grow to speed my flight. So soon as the whole
stairway was scaled and lay beneath us, and we stood on the
topmost step, Virgil fixed his eyes upon me, and said : "The
temporal fire and the eternal thou hast seen, my son, and
thou hast reached a region, where of myself I can descry
naught beyond. By the force of wit and skill I have con
ducted thee hither ; henceforward let thine own pleasure be
thy guide ; from both the steep and the narrow ways¹ thou
now art free. Behold yonder the sun which shines in thy
face ; behold the grass, the flowers and the shrubs, which
the earth here spontaneously produces. Until the beauteous
eyes, which tearfully summoned me to thine aid², appear
with joyful aspect, thou mayst sit or walk among them at thy
will. No longer await either word or sign from me : free,
sound and upright is thy will, and it would be amiss not to
do its bidding ; wherefore over thyself I invest thee with
supreme control.'

CANTO XXVIII . THE TERRESTRIAL

PARADISE

Eager now to scan within and around the divine forest Dante
enters the
with its dense fresh foliage, which tempered to the eyes the Terrestrial
early day, without further delay I quitted the bank, roaming Paradise.
through the meadow with lingering steps, where the ground

The steep ways are the descents in Hell, the narrow the stairways in
Purgatory.
2
The eyes of Beatrice, when she summoned Virgil to rescue Dante
from the wood of error ; Inf. ii. 52 foll.
 270 Purgatory XXVIII, 6–42

whereon I trod breathed fragrance on every side. A sweet

breeze, unvarying in its movement, smote my brow as tenderly
as a gentle gale ; by reason whereof all the leaves, quivering
responsively, swayed toward that quarter where the holy
Mountain casts its first shadow ' , yet were not so far deflected
that the birds on their summits must needs cease from fulfilling
their tasks ; but with full delight they welcomed by their
songs the breeze of morn within the leaves, which were
chanting a refrain to their lays, like that which gathers from
branch to branch in the pine-forest on the shore of Classe²,
when Aeolus sets free the south-east wind.
The stream Already had my dallying steps borne me so far within
of Lethe.
that ancient wood that I could not recognize the point at
which I entered, when lo ! my further progress was checked
by a stream³, which by its ripples swayed leftward the grass
which grew on its banks. The clearest waters that are found
on earth would betray, one and all, an element of impurity
when compared with that transparent rill, albeit it pursues
its course in profound darkness beneath the perpetual shade,
which never suffers sun or moon to shine there. I checked
my steps, and let mine eyes pass on beyond the brook, to
gaze at the wondrous variety of the fresh green branches ;
and there I beheld- as one doth suddenly behold an object,
which through wonder banishes every other thought— a solitary
Dame , who, as she went, was singing, and making choice
among the flowers wherewith all her path was bedecked.

1 Towards the west.

2 This pine-forest lies to the southward of Ravenna.
3 Lethe , the river of forgetfulness .
4 Matelda, who represents the active life, as Leah had done in Dante's
dream . She is probably Matilda, the ' Great Countess ' of Tuscany
(1046-1115).
 Purgatory XXVIII, 43-76 271

' Ah, Lady fair, who dost bask in the rays of love, if Matelda.
I may trust thy looks, which are wont to bear witness for the
heart, may it please thee to advance so far toward this stream ,'
said I to her, ' that I may hear what thou art singing. Thou
dost recall to my mind the mien of Proserpine and her
surroundings, what time her mother lost her, and she her
wealth of flowers ¹.' As in dancing a lady turns, with
her feet close to the ground and close to each other, scarcely
advancing a single step the while ; so on the crimson and the
yellow blossoms did she turn toward me, like a maiden who
casts down her chaste eyes ; and she fulfilled my petition
by drawing so nigh, that along with her sweet tones the
meaning also reached me. So soon as she attained the point
where the grass is laved by the fair stream's waves, she
vouchsafed me the boon of lifting her eyes. Not so bright,
I ween,
was the light which shone beneath Venus' eyelids,
when she was wounded by her son, who that once failed of his
wonted aim 2. From opposite on the right bank she smiled,

still culling with her hands the gay flowers, which that high
land produces without seed. By three paces did the river
separate us ; but the Hellespont, where Xerxes crossed it—
he who even now is a curb to human pride ³ -was not more
odious to Leander 4 by reason of its current between Sestos
and Abydos, than was that stream to me, because it parted
not then its waters.
'Ye are new-comers,' she began, and haply, because I She explains
Dante's
1 difficulties.
Proserpine, the daughter of Ceres, was carried off by Pluto , when
she was gathering flowers in the valley of Enna.
2 Venus, being accidentally wounded by one of Cupid's arrows, became
passionately enamoured of Adonis.
3 Because of his ignominious retreat from Greece.
4 Because it separated him from Hero.
272 Purgatory XXVIII , 77-104

smile in this chosen birthplace of the human race ' , through

surprise a question arises in your minds ; but from the psalm
Delectasti light proceeds, which may disperse the cloud from
off them. And thou who art in front, and didst proffer to
me the request, say if thou wouldst fain hear aught further,
since I have come prepared to answer to thy satisfaction
every inquiry of thine.' The water, ' I said, 6 and the sound
the forest makes, are at variance, methinks, with a statement
to the opposite effect, which but now I heard and believed ³.'
And she replied : " I will explain to thee the cause of that
which excites thy wonder, and will remove the cloud of doubt
which assails thee. The highest Good, who alone is well
pleasing to Himself, created man good and with a prospect of
good, and assigned to him this place as a guarantee of eternal
peace. Through his own transgression his sojourn here was
brief; through his own transgression he exchanged chaste
smiles and blithe enjoyment for lamentation and anguish. In
order that the disturbances caused below through their natural
force by exhalations from the water and the earth, which
follow the heat upward so far as they can, might not in any
wise disquiet man , this Mountain rose so high toward
heaven ; and from the point where the gate is locked it is
exempt from them. Now, seeing that the atmosphere revolves
throughout in accordance with the first sphere of movement ,
The Terrestrial Paradise is the Garden of Eden.
2 Ps. xcii. 4, ' Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work :
I will triumph in the works of thy hands.' " Her joy was in the forest
and the flowers.
3 Statius had said in Purg. xxi, that there was no change, atmospheric
or otherwise, above the gate of entrance to Purgatory proper,
4 i. e. while he was an occupant of the Garden of Eden.
5 The Primum Mobile, or ninth Heaven, where the motion of the
spheres is initiated. The atmosphere follows along with this, while the
earth itself is stationary.
 Purgatory XXVIII , 105-142 273

unless at some point its rotation be impeded, this summit, which

is completely disengaged in the clear air, is smitten by that
motion, which causes a rustling in the dense forest ; and such
prolific power have the trees when shaken, that with their
potency they impregnate the breeze, which thereafter scatters
it as it revolves round the globe : and the remainder of the
earth, according as it is qualified in soil and climate, conceives
and bears from divers germinal forces divers trees. Hence
forth, when this is known, it need seem no marvel in yonder
world, when a tree takes root there from no visible seed.
Know, too, that the holy meadow where thou art teems
with all manner of seeds, and produces such fruit as is not
elsewhere gathered . The water which thou seest rises not
from a source which is fed by moisture condensed by cold,
like a river which increases and decreases in volume, but
issues from a steady unvarying fountain, which through the
agency of God's will is supplied afresh with the same
quantity which it pours forth, as it opens in two directions .
On this side it descends with an influence which frees men
from the memory of sin ; on yonder side it restores the
memory of every good deed. On this it is called Lethe, and
correspondingly on the other Eunoë¹ ; nor doth it take effect,
until both the one stream and the other have been tasted. Its
flavour surpasses every other ; and albeit, even if I reveal
naught else to thee, thy thirst may be fully quenched, I will
further as a free gift present thee with a corollary 2 ; and my
address, I ween, will not be less acceptable, if it widens its
field beyond its promise to thee. Haply the poets who in
days of yore sang of the golden age and its state of bliss
dreamt on Parnassus of this spot. Here the progenitors of
I The stream of ' kindly thoughts.'
2 A supplementary statement.
TOZER T
 274 Purgatory XXVIII , 143- XXIX, 28

the human race were innocent ; here evermore is spring with

all manner of fruits ; this source is the world-renowned
nectar.' Thereupon, when I turned me round and faced my
Poets, I perceived that they had heard the last sentence with
a smile : anon mine eyes reverted to the beauteous Dame.

CANTO XXIX. THE TERRESTRIAL

PARADISE

The mystic Singing like a lady inspired by love, at the conclusion of

procession. her speech she added : Blessed are they whose sins are

covered.' And like the nymphs, who were wont to roam

the woodland shades alone, one desiring to behold, another to
avoid, the sunshine, she then set forth against the stream,
following along the bank, while I kept pace with her, making
her tiny steps the measure of mine own. Less than fifty
paces each had we advanced, when the two banks turned
correspondingly, so that my course lay eastward. Nor had
we in this wise yet progressed far, when the Lady faced full
toward me, saying : ' My brother, look steadfastly and listen .'
And lo ! a sudden brilliancy shot through the great forest on
every side, so that it made me wonder if it were lightning.
But seeing that lightning ceases as instantaneously as it comes,
and this light remained with ever-increasing splendour, I said
to myself : ' What can this be ? ' Then did a sweet melody
pervade the luminous air ; whereupon I was impelled by
righteous indignation to censure the audacity of Eve, who,
where heaven and earth were obedient, being a woman, alone,
and but just created, would not endure to abide under any
veil ; beneath which had she been submissive, I should
¹i. e. desired to acquire the knowledge of good and evil.
 Purgatory XXIX, 29-57 275

earlier and for a longer season have tasted those ineffable

delights. While I was walking amid firstfruits so wondrous
of the eternal pleasure, all entranced, and ever longing for
more enjoyments, in front of us beneath the green boughs the
air assumed the aspect of a burning fire, and the sweet tones
were now perceived to be a song. Ye Virgins sacrosanct ¹, if
ever for your sake I endured hunger, cold and vigils, good
need have I to crave a recompense . Now must Helicon pour
forth its streams for me, and Urania 2 with her choir lend
me their aid to express in verse things hard to conceive in
thought 3.
A short space further on the semblance of seven trees of The seven
candle
gold was counterfeited through the long interval which still sticks ;
interposed between us and them ; but when I had drawn so the four
nigh to them, that the ' common object 49 which deceives the and-twenty
elders.
sense lost not through distance any of its features, the faculty
which furnishes reason with the materials for argument 5
discovered that they were candlesticks , and in the words of
the chant distinguished Hosanna. In its upper part the fair
equipment flamed far more brilliantly than the moon in mid
night calm when her month is in mid-course. Full of
wonderment I turned me to the kind Virgil, and he responded
to me with a countenance not less oppressed by stupor. Then

1 The Muses.
2 The Muse of astronomy, and so of heavenly subjects.
3 The mystic procession which now approaches represents the triumph
of the Church as the supporter of Theology or Revealed Truth, of which
here, as elsewhere in the poem , Beatrice is the embodiment.
4 This is a technical expression , signifying a quality perceived by all
the senses alike—in the present instance the qualities of size and shape.
5 The faculty of apprehension.
" The seven candlesticks which lead the procession are emblematic of
the seven spirits of God ; cp. Rev. iv. 5.
T 2
 276 Purgatory XXIX, 58–91

did I once more regard the sublime objects, which were

moving towards us at a pace so slow, that they would have
been outstripped by a newly married bride. The Lady ex
claimed to me : 'Wherefore art thou thus fired by the spectacle
of the lustrous lights alone, and payest no heed to that which
comes on in their rear ? ' Then saw I following close behind
them, as under their guidance, folk robed in white ; never on
this earth was such whiteness seen. On its left side the
water glistened, and when I looked upon it, it reflected back
again, like a mirror, my left flank. When on the bank where
I stood my position was such, that naught but the river
separated me from them, to obtain a better view I stayed my
steps ; and I saw the flamelets move onward, leaving the air
behind them tinted, like strokes of the painter's brush, so that
there above it remained lined with seven bands ¹ , all in those
hues, whereof the sun forms his bow and Delia her girdle².
These standards stretched further to the rear than I could
see ; and, so far as I could judge, the outermost were ten
paces apart. Beneath a fair sky such as I describe four-and
twenty elders ³, two by two, came on with lilies crowned.
They all were singing : Blessed among the daughters of
Adam art thou¹, and blessed for evermore may thy loveli
ness be.'
The four So soon as the flowers and the other verdant plants opposite
living
creatures ; me on the further bank ceased to be trodden by that chosen
the car ; the folk, as one star in heaven succeeds another star, there came

I These signify the seven gifts of the Spirit, viz. wisdom, understanding,
counsel, might, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord ; cp. Isa. xi. 2
(Vulgate).
2 The girdle of Delia ( i. e. the Moon) is the lunar halo.
3 These represent the books of the Old Testament.
4 Luke i. 42 ; these words are here addressed to Beatrice.
 Purgatory XXIX, 92-120 277

close after them four living creatures , crowned all of them Gryphon ;
the dancing
with green leaves. Each one was feathered with six wings ; ladies.
the feathers were full of eyes, and the eyes of Argus, when
they were alert, would have resembled them. To describe
their forms I can expend no more verses, Reader ; for other
outlay is so pressing in its demands, that to this I cannot be
bountiful. But read Ezekiel 2, who depicts them as he saw
them come from the cold clime with wind and cloud and fire ;
and as thou wilt find them in his pages, such were they there,
save that as regards their wings John differs from him and
sides with me 3. The space within the four living creatures
contained a triumphal chariot supported on two wheels, which
was drawn by the neck of a Gryphon 4. Between the mid
most band and the three on either side he uplifted his two
wings, so that they passed through, and injured none of them.
So high they rose that they were lost to sight ; his limbs were
golden, so far as he was bird, and the others were partly
white and partly red. With so magnificent a car Rome
gladdened not the heart of Africanus or Augustus ; nay, the
chariot of the sun would be mean in comparison thereof-the
chariot of the sun, which swerved from its course, and was
consumed by fire through the intercession of the prayerful
Earth, when Jupiter in his secret counsels was just 5. By the
¹ The emblems of the Evangelists, here used to signify the Four
Gospels.
2 Ezek. i. 4-6.
3 Ezekiel gives the living creatures four wings, St. John (Rev. iv. 8)
and Dante six.
4 The chariot is the Church, which is drawn by our Lord, whose two
natures correspond to the two elements of the lion and the eagle in the
Gryphon.
When Phaethon drove the chariot of the sun amiss, the earth was
saved from conflagration by Jupiter, who destroyed the chariot by
lightning.
 278 Purgatory XXIX, 121-147

right wheel came on three Ladies ' dancing in a ring : one so

red, that she would hardly have been distinguished in the fire ;
while the next appeared as if her flesh and bones were made
of emerald, and the third resembled newly fallen snow. And
they seemed to be led now by the white Dame, now by the
red ; and by the latter's singing the other two regulated the
speed or slowness of their steps. By the left wheel four²,
robed in purple, were making holiday, following the move
ments of one of their number, who had three eyes in her
head 3.
The seven Behind all the group here treated of I saw two aged men,
elders.
unlike in dress, but like in their bearing, which was dignified
and composed. The one showed himself to be a disciple
of that supreme Hippocrates 5, whom nature made for her
favourite creature's benefit. The other? gave evidence of
the opposite vocation by a sword so sharp and bright, that
even on the hither side of the stream it inspired me with fear.
Anon I beheld four in humble guise, and walking last of all
a solitary elder, who though asleep had keenness in his looks.
And these seven, like the company in front, were dressed in
white, but the garland round their heads, instead of lilies, was

The three theological virtues of Love , Hope and Faith.

2 The four cardinal virtues of Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and
Temperance.
3 Prudence, who views the past, the present, and the future.
4 The figures which conclude the procession represent the remaining
books of the New Testament-St. Luke, the Acts of the Apostles ; St.
Paul, St. James, St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude their Epistles ; and
St. John again the Apocalypse.
5 The great physician of antiquity. St. Luke, ' the beloved physician,"
is here spoken of as his follower.
6 Man.
St. Paul, who smites with the sword of the spirit.
 Purgatory XXIX, 148—XXX , 13 279

composed of roses and other crimson flowers¹ ; looking from

a little distance one would have sworn that from their brows
upward they were all afire. And when the car was opposite
me, a thunder-clap was heard ; and that dignified folk seemed
to be denied further progress, since along with the standards
in front they halted there.

CANTO XXX . THE TERRESTRIAL

PARADISE

When the Septentrion of the highest heaven 2—which Beatrice

never knew rising or setting, nor was obscured by other cloud the
descends on
chariot.
than sin, and which in that spot was intimating to each his
rightful movement, as doth the lower constellation of seven
stars 3 to him who turns the rudder to come to port—halted
in station, the truthful folk , who ere that had walked
between it and the Gryphon, turned toward the chariot, as to
their repose : and one of their number 5, like a messenger
from heaven, exclaimed three times with tuneful notes :
' Come from Lebanon, my bride ' ; and this all the rest
repeated. As at the final summons the blessed will rise with

I Allegorically-as the writings of the Old Testament are characterized

by purity of faith, so are those of the New Testament by the warmth of
Christian love.
2 The Septentrion or constellation of seven stars of the highest heaven
signifies the seven Spirits of God, and so in the present connexion the
seven candlesticks which represent them in the mystic procession.
3 The Bear.
4 The four-and-twenty elders.
5 The one who represented the book of Canticles.
6 Cant . iv. 8.
 280 Purgatory XXX, 14-52

speed each from his sepulchral chamber, while the voice of

their renewed humanity raises Alleluia ; so over the heavenly
car at the sound of that elder's voice did a hundred ministers
and messengers of eternal life arise. ' Blessed art thou who
comest ' ,' they all were saying ; and Offer lilies in hand
fuls 2 ,' the while they scattered flowers above and around.
I have seen erewhile at early morn all the eastern sky of
a roseate hue, and the rest of heaven arrayed in tranquil
beauty, and the sun's face rising dimly, so that through the
tempering influence of the mist the eye could long endure it :
in such wise, within a cloud of flowers which uprose from
the angels' hands, and descended again both within and
without, there appeared to me a Lady crowned with olive
over a white veil, and wearing beneath a green mantle a robe
of the colour of living flame. And my spirit, for which so
long time had passed since it was overpowered with trembling
awe at her presence, albeit mine eyes revealed naught further
to me, through an occult influence proceeding from her was
conscious of the great might of its early love.
Virgil So soon as the sublime power, which even before I emerged
disappears. from boyhood³ had pierced me through and through, smote
me on the face, I turned me leftward with that confidence
wherewith a young child hastes to its mother when assailed
by fear or grief, to say to Virgil : ' To the last drop my
blood is quivering ; I recognize the tokens of my ancient
flame.' But Virgil had left us bereaved of his presence,
Virgil my most tender father, Virgil, to whom for my salva
tion I surrendered myself; nor did all the joys which our

1 Cp. Matt. xxi. 9. This is now addressed to Beatrice.

2 Virg. Aen. vi. 884.
3 Dante was nine years old when he first saw Beatrice ; Vita Nuova,
§ 2, 11. 14, 15.
 281
Purgatory XXX, 53-86

first mother lost avail to prevent my cheeks, which had been

cleansed with dew 2, from being once more stained with tears.
' Dante, for all that Virgil hath departed, lament not yet, Beatrice
, reproaches
not yet, for thou must lament by reason of another weapon. " Dante for
As an admiral surveys, now from the prow, now from the having de
serted her.
stern, the folk who ply their tasks in the other vessels, and
stimulates their diligence ; so on the left side of the chariot,
when I turned me at the sound of my name, which perforce
is mentioned here, I saw the Dame, who first appeared to me
veiled beneath the angels' pageantry 3,
³, direct her eyes toward
me on the hither side of the stream . Albeit the veil which
descended from her head, garlanded with the leaves which
Minerva loves , suffered her not to be clearly seen, in queenly
wise, still haughty in her demeanour, she proceeded, like one
who, while he speaks, keeps in reserve his severest utterances :
' Regard me well ; I am, aye I am Beatrice : how durst thou
approach the Mountain ? Knewest thou not that here man
is happy?' Mine eyes as they fell rested on the pellucid
stream ; but when I saw myself therein I withdrew them to
the grassy bank, so great was the shame which oppressed my
brows. As commanding as a mother appears to her son, did
she appear to me ; from which cause the flavour of severe
compassion hath a taste of bitterness. She held her peace,
and on a sudden the angels sang : ' In thee, O Lord, have
6
I put my trust 5 ' ; but beyond thou hast set my feet in
a large room ' they did not proceed . As amid the living
rafters on the ridge of Italy the snow is congealed by the
F
' The delights of the Terrestrial Paradise.
2
By Virgil at the foot of the Mountain of Purgatory ; Purg. i . 124–9 .
3 The cloud of flowers.
4 Olive leaves.
5 Ps. xxxi . I. 6 Trees.
 282
Purgatory XXX, 87–120

freezing breath of the Slavonian winds ¹ , and anon melts and

filters into itself, if haply a breeze comes from the land where
shadows are lost 2 , even as wax is melted at the fire : so was
I devoid of tears and sighs ere they began to sing, who ever
make melody, following the music of the eternal spheres ;
but so soon as through their sweet harmonies I perceived
their compassion for me, more clearly than if they had said :
'Wherefore, Lady, dost thou unman him so ? ' the chill
which had gathered round my heart dissolved in breath and
water, and issued painfully from my breast through the mouth
and eyes.
The story She, still standing motionless on the same side of the
of his fall.
chariot, thereafter addressed in turn the compassionate beings
in the following words : ' Ye keep watch in the eternal day,
so that from you neither night nor sleep conceals one step
which the ages make in their course ; wherefore my reply is
the rather made in order that he who is weeping yonder may
hear me, so that his suffering may be proportionate to his sin.
Not only through the working of the mighty spheres, which
dispose each seed toward a certain end according to the star
that doth accompany it 3 ; but through the abundance of
divine graces, which are showered down from clouds so
elevated that our sight cannot approach thereto, this one was
such potentially in his early life, that every right disposition
would have produced wondrous results in him. But by
harmful plants and want of cultivation land becomes more
noxious and more wild in proportion to its native fertility.

I North-east winds from the Dalmatian mountains.

2 From the tropics, where the sun at certain times of the year is
vertical and casts no shadow.
3 The planetary influences on human character are meant ; these are
explained in Par. ii.
 Purgatory XXX, 121 — XXXI , 2 283

Awhile I sustained him by my countenance ; by displaying

to him my youthful eyes I led him with me in the right
direction. So soon as I was on the threshold of my second
I
age and passed to a better world, this one deserted me and
devoted himself to another 2. When from the mortal I had
risen to the immortal life, and beauty and virtue had accrued
to me, I was less dear to him and less pleasing ; and he went

astray on the way of error, pursuing delusive images of good,

such as fulfil no promises. Nor did it avail me to obtain for
him by prayer communications from Heaven, whereby both in
dreams and otherwise I recalled him ; so little cared he for
them. So low he fell, that all expedients were now inade
quate to rescue him, save that of showing him the lost folk.
With a view to this I visited the gate of the dead, and tear
fully uttered my prayers to him who hath conducted him
upward to this spot. A sublime appointment of God would
be violated, were he to cross Lethe, and taste the food which
is in prospect, scot-free of such repentance as causes tears to
flow.'

CANTO XXXI. THE TERRESTRIAL

PARADISE

'O thou, who art on yonder side of the sacred stream Dante con
fesses his
thus she began afresh , continuing without delay, and turning sin.
' The second period of life according to Dante commenced at twenty
five years of age, and Beatrice was in her twenty-fifth year when she died.
2 Who the lady was who is here intended is not certain ; allegorically
interpreted, she signifies philosophy (cp. Conv. iii . 11. 2−4) , and it is
implied that Dante for a time allowed himself to be absorbed in that
study the neglect of theology ; but in what follows Beatrice means to
say further, that he became engrossed in worldly interests and pleasures,
to free himself from which conversion was necessary.
284
Purgatory XXXI , 3–44

toward me the point of her speech, which when it only smote

edgewise seemed to me severe--'say, say whether this is true;
a charge so grievous must needs be followed by thy confession.'
My faculties were so perplexed, that my voice, though it arose,
expired again, ere it escaped from the organs of speech. After
a pause she said : ' Of what art thou thinking ? Answer me:
for the water hath not yet impaired within thee those sad
memories.' Confusion and fear combined caused an ' aye ' so
feeble to issue from my lips that the eyes were needed to
perceive it. As a crossbow, when it goes off from being too
tightly drawn, doth break its string and bow, and the shaft
hits the mark with less force, so beneath that heavy burden
did I break down, giving vent to tears and sighs, and my
voice flagged in its passage. Whereupon she said to me :
'In the midst of the passion that I inspired, which was lead
ing thee to love that Good beyond which there is no object
of aspiration, what dikes across thy path or what chains didst
thou find, to force thee thus to deprive thyself of the hope of
a further advance ? And what attractions or what profit
appeared in the aspect of the other forms of good, that thou
must needs pay court to them ? ' After heaving a bitter sigh,
hardly could I find the voice to answer, and my lips with
difficulty gave it form. With tears I said : " The present
world with its deceptive pleasure turned my steps astray, so
soon as thy countenance was hidden from me. ' And she:
' Hadst thou kept silence, or denied what thou dost confess,
thy sin would not be less manifest, so dread a Judge is
cognizant thereof. But when from a man's own mouth the
charge of sin proceeds, in our assize the whetstone turns
against the weapon's edge. Nevertheless, in order that thou
mayst now feel shame at thy transgression, and in future at
I Lethe.
 Purgatory XXXI , 45-81 285

the voice of the Sirens mayst be more resolute, cease from

sowing tears, and listen ; so shalt thou hear how in the
opposite direction my buried form should have impelled thee.
Never did nature or art exhibit to thee aught so charming as
the fair limbs wherein I was enclosed, and which are resolved
into earth and if by my death the choicest pleasure was thus
lost to thee, how should aught else on earth thenceforward
induce thee to desire it ? Assuredly at the first assault of
delusive things thou shouldst have soared aloft, following me
who was no longer of that nature. No mere girl, or other
vain object of so brief enjoyment, should have depressed thy
wings, and forced thee to await renewed attacks. Two or
three such a young bird doth await, but in the sight of full
fledged in vain is the net spread or arrow aimed.' As
children stand mute with shame, their eyes fixed on the
ground, the while they listen, and realize their fault and feel
repentant, so was it with me ; whereupon she said : ' Since
what thou hearest makes thee sad, uplift thy beard , and thou
wilt be more distressed by what thou seest.' Less resistance
doth a stout oak offer, when uprooted either by the north
wind, or by that which blows from Iarbas' land ¹ , than did
I, when bidden by her to raise my chin ; and when she
designated my face by the beard, I clearly recognized the
sting which that implied ².
So soon as I lifted my head, I was ware that those first- He is
immersed
created beings had ceased to scatter flowers ; and mine eyes, in Lethe.
which still had scant confidence, perceived that Beatrice had
turned toward the animal 3, which is one only person in two

I The southor south-west wind, which was called by the Romans Africus.
Iarbas was king of the Gaetulians in Africa ; Virg. Aen. iv. 196 foll.
2 It reminded him that he was a grown man.
3 The Gryphon, who represents our Lord.
 286
Purgatory XXXI, 82–117
natures. Beneath her veil, and on the further side of the
stream, she seemed to me to surpass―to surpass, I say, her
former self, more than in this world she excelled all other
women. So keenly there did the sting of repentance wound
me, that such things as withdrew me most from her by the
love they inspired, became above all others repulsive to me.
Self- conviction so deep assailed my heart, that I sank over
powered ; and what was then my condition, she only knows
who was the cause thereof. Anon, when my heart rein
vigorated my senses, I beheld above me the Lady whom
I had found in solitude ¹ , and she was saying : ' Hold fast,
hold fast by me.' Up to the neck she had immersed me
in the river, and she was traversing the surface of the water,
light as a shuttle, drawing me behind her. As I neared the
blessed bank, I heard ' Thou shalt purge me 29 sung in such
dulcet tones, that, far from describing it, I cannot recall
it. The fair Lady opened her arms, and clasping my head
plunged me so deep that I must needs imbibe the water ;
anon she drew me forth, and after my immersion presented
me in the midst of the four beauteous Dames who were
dancing, and each one of them outstretched her arm above me.
He sees ' Here we are nymphs, and in the heaven we are stars ;
Beatrice
unveiled . ere Beatrice descended to the world we were ordained to
be her handmaidens . We will lead thee to her eyes ; but
the three Dames yonder will furnish thee with a clear vision
of the glad light which shines in them, for their insight
is more profound.' Thus they commenced with song ; and
then they conducted me in their company to the Gryphon's
breast, where Beatrice stood facing us. ' Be not chary of
thy looks,' they said ; we haveset thee in the presence
of those emeralds, whence Love erewhile aimed his shafts at
I Matelda. 2 Ps. li. 7.
 287
Purgatory XXXI, 118–145

thee.' A thousand longings of more than fiery heat attracted

mine eyes to those radiant eyes, which were steadfastly fixed
on the Gryphon alone. In them,like the sun in a mirror,
the animal of two natures beamed, now with the one, now
with the other function ¹ . Bethink thee, Reader, whether
I marvelled, when I saw the thing, though in itself unchanged,
take more than one form as seen in its image 2. While my
soul, in fullness of rapture and delight, was tasting that food,
for which he that hath his fill thereof still thirsts, the other
three Dames, evincing by their bearing their higher rank,
came forward, dancing to their angelic song. "Twas thus
6
they sang Turn, Beatrice, turn thy saintly eyes toward thy
votary, who for the sight of thee hath journeyed so far. Of
thy grace do us the favour to reveal to him thy mouth, that he
may discern the second charm ³ which thou dost conceal.'
O radiance of eternal living light, who ever grew so pale +
beneath Parnassus ' shade, or drank so deeply from its fountain,
that he would not feel his mind oppressed, when he essayed
to represent the semblance thou didst wear in that spot where
the Heaven with its harmonies shows thy perfect image 5 ,
when thou didst unveil thyself in the open air ?

¹i.e. Christ was revealed in theological truth at one time as God, at

another as man .
2 i. e. reflected in the eyes of Beatrice.
3 Beatrice's smile, which represents persuasion, as her eyes represent
demonstration .
4 With study.
5 The word which is found in the original here (adombrare, ' to
shade ') seems to be used in the pictorial sense of to give the finishing
shades or touches to ' ; cp. Ariosto, Orl. Fur. I. lviii. 7 , 8, ' Non starò
per ripulsa o finto sdegno, Ch' io non adombri e incarni il mio disegno.'
I am indebted for this explanation of a much debated passage to my
friend Dr. Shadwell.
 288 Purgatory XXXII , 1-30

CANTO XXXII . THE TERRESTRIAL

PARADISE

The Mine eyes were so absorbed, and so eager to quench their

procession
retires. ten years' thirst , that every other sense was in abeyance
within me ; and they were restrained by a wall of indifference
on either hand, so powerfully with its old attraction did the
saintly smile ensnare them ; when my looks were perforce
turned leftward by those divinities 2, since I heard one of their
number say, ' Too keen thy gaze .' That condition of the
sight which is found in eyes just smitten by the sun blinded
me for a while ; but so soon as my visual power adapted
itself once more to the inferior splendour ³—inferior, I mean,
compared with that superior object, from which I was forced
to avert mine eyes—I saw that the glorious army had wheeled
to the right, and were retracing their steps with the sun and
the seven flames in front of them. As a squadron, which
turns to retreat under cover of its shields, first wheels round
with its standard ere the whole force can change its station,
so did all those soldiers of the celestial kingdom who were in
front pass us, ere the pole of the car was turned . Anon the
Ladies returned to the wheels, and the Gryphon moved
the blessed burden onward, yet so that not one of his feathers
was thereby shaken 4. The fair Dame who drew me through
the ford, with Statius and myself, followed the wheel which
described the smaller arc in turning. As we went our way

As Beatrice died in 1290, ten years had elapsed since that time at
the date of Dante's Vision in 1300.
2 The three theological virtues.
3 The car and its accompanying pageant.
4 Christ, though He moves the Church, is Himself immutable.
 289
Purgatory XXXII , 31-52

through the lofty forest, which was uninhabited by reason

of her sin who trusted the serpent, our steps were regulated
by an angelic strain.
Maybe an arrow shot from a bow would measure in three The car is
attached
flights the space that we had advanced when Beatrice de to a tree.
scended ¹ . I heard them, one and all, murmur ' Adam ! ² '
anon they encircled a tree, whose every bough was stripped
of flowers and leaves. Its branches, which expand in pro
portion as they rise, would be from their height an object.
of wonder to the Indians in their woods. ' Blessed art
thou, O Gryphon, who pluckest not with thy beak aught of
this tree, which is sweet to the taste, because the belly is
made bitter thereby 3.' Thus around that mighty tree did
the others exclaim ; and the animal of two natures said :
'In this wise is preserved the seed of all righteousness.'
Then turning round toward the pole which he had drawn,
he dragged it to the foot of the leafless tree, and left bound
to it that which proceeded therefrom 4. Even as our trees,
I With the descent of Beatrice from the car a change takes place in
that which is represented ; hitherto it has been the glorification of
Theology in the person of Beatrice, now the main subject is the fortunes
of the Church (the car).
2 This denouncement of Adam's transgression is made as they approach
the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. This tree, however, in what
follows is regarded allegorically from another point of view, viz. as
representing the Empire.
3 This is a protest against the appropriation by the Church of the
temporal advantages of the Empire. Christ renounced all temporal
power, and those of his followers who attempt to seize it suffer for
doing so.
4 The pole of the car with its cross-piece represents the Cross, and
this according to the mediaeval legend was made of wood which was
derived from the Tree of Knowledge. It is now attached to this tree in
order to signify the connexion which exists between the Church and the
Empire, though the two act independently.
TOZER U
 290 Purgatory XXXII , 53-84

what time the light of the great luminary descends to earth

in combination with that which beams in the wake of the
heavenly Roach ' , put forth their buds, and anon are renewed
each with its proper colour ere beneath another constellation
the sun yokes his steeds ; so did the tree, whose boughs
were erewhile so bare, renovate itself, disclosing a hue inter
mediate between rose and violet. The hymn which that folk
then chanted I understood not, nor in this world is it sung,
nor could I to the end bear to listen to the tune.
Beatrice Were it in my power to describe how the merciless eyes
remains,
with the sank asleep at the story of Syrinx 2-those
² eyes, whose too
Ladies and great watchfulness cost them so dear—like a painter copying
the seven
candle from an original picture, I would relate how slumber overcame
sticks. me ; but let him that would describe the process see that he
do it well. Wherefore I pass on to the time of my awaking,
and say that the veil of sleep was rent for me by a lustre, and
by the cry : Arise, what ails thee ? ' As Peter, James and
John ³ , when they had been led to see a few flowers of the
apple-tree, which causes the angels to hunger for its fruit, and
makes in heaven a perpetual marriage feast, and were over
powered at the sight, recovered themselves on hearing the
word whereby slumbers more profound were broken, and
perceived that their company was diminished by both Moses
and Elias, and that their Master's robe had changed ; so did
I recover, and I beheld standing over me that compassionate
Dame, who ere this had guided my steps along the stream ;
ster
In the early spring, when the sun is in Aries, the sign of the zodiac
which follows Pisces.
2 The watchful Argus was lulled to sleep by Mercury, who related to
him the story of the nymph Syrinx, and was afterwards slain by him.
3 Dante's loss and recovery of consciousness is compared to that of the
three Apostles at the time of the Transfiguration.
 Purgatory XXXII , 85-118 291

and all in doubt I said : " Where is Beatrice ? ' And she
replied : Behold her seated on the root of the tree beneath
its freshly grown leafage. Behold the retinue which surrounds
her ; the others are ascending on high in the wake of the
Gryphon with songs more sweet and of sublimer import. '
Whether her speech were prolonged further I know not, for
that Dame was now before mine eyes, who had excluded
from my mind all other thoughts. Alone on the bare ground
she was seated, being left there in guardianship of the car,
which I saw attached by the animal of two natures. Around
I
her the seven nymphs formed a defence, bearing in their
hands those lights, which neither the North wind nor the
South disturbs. 6 Here for a short space thou shalt be a
forest-dweller; and in my company thou shalt be everlastingly
a citizen of that Rome where Christ is a Roman ; wherefore,
for the benefit of the depraved world , fasten now thine eyes.
on the car, and that which thou beholdest, see thou record
when thou hast returned thither.' So spake Beatrice ; and
I, who was the willing slave of her injunctions, turned my
thoughts and mine eyes where she desired.
Never did lightning, when it darts from the remotest region The crises in
of the air, descend from a dense cloud so swiftly, as I saw the history
of
the bird of Jove rush downward along the tree, tearing off its Church.
bark, and the flowers and fresh leaves withal 2 ; and with its
full force it smote the car, whereat it staggered, as doth
a ship in a storm, now to starboard, now to larboard, when
mastered by the waves . Anon I saw how into the body of

The four cardinal and the three theological Virtues. They, together
with the graces of the Spirit (the seven candlesticks) and the true Faith
(Beatrice) , are henceforth the guardians of the Church.
2 This signifies the persecution of the Church by the heathen em
perors.
U 2
292 Purgatory XXXII , 119-151

the triumphal chariot there crept a fox ' , which seemed to be

starving from all wholesome food : but my Lady, upbraiding
it for its foul sins, turned it in flight as swiftly as its fleshless
bones could bear. Thereafter I saw the eagle descend from
the same quarter whence erewhile it came on the interior of
the car, and leave it covered with its plumage 2. Then pro
ceeded from heaven a voice, such as issues from a heart
distraught with woe, and thus it spake : ' O my beloved bark,
how ill thou art freighted ! ' Anon methought between the
two wheels the earth opened, and from it I saw come forth
a dragon 3, which drove its tail upward through the car ; and
drawing in that noxious weapon, as a wasp withdraws its
sting, it bore away a portion of the floor, and departed in
devious course. What remained of the car covered itself
anew with feathers * —a gift, maybe, which a sound and
generous motive prompted—as fertile earth doth clothe itself
with grass ; and in less time than it takes for a sigh to pass
the lips both one and the other wheel and the pole were over
spread therewith. Through the change thus wrought the
sacred fabric put forth heads on its several parts, three upon
the pole, and one at each angle. The former were horned
like oxen, but the four on their foreheads had a single horn ;
never before was so weird an object seen. Seated upon it ,
firm as a fortress on a mountain height, I beheld an abandoned
harlot with eyes quick to glance around. And as if to prevent

The early heresies, especially Arianism .

2 The (fictitious) Donation of the States of the Church by the em
peror Constantine, which introduced corruption.
3 Mahometanism.
4 Gifts of land bestowed on the Church by Pepin and Charlemagne.
5 What follows represents the relations of the Papacy and the French
Monarchy, especially in the time of Boniface VIII.
 Purgatory XXXII , 152— XXXIII , 21 293

her from being taken from him, I saw upright beside her
a giant, and they kissed each other again and again ; but
because she turned toward me her roving lustful eyes, from
head to foot that furious suitor lashed her. Anon, full of
suspicion and embittered by rage, he detached the portentous
vehicle , and dragged it so far through the wood, that
between me and the harlot with her transformed monster he
made a screen of that alone.

CANTO XXXIII. THE TERRESTRIAL

PARADISE

'O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance ' ; Beatrice en
thus in alternate verses did the Ladies, now three, now four, Dante.
courages
commence with tears their sweet psalmody ; and with sighs
of compassion Beatrice listened to them, so wan in aspect,
that hardly did Mary change countenance more beside the
cross. But when the other virgins made way for her to
speak, rising erect to her feet, and fiery red in hue, she
6
replied : A little while, and ye shall not see me, and again
a little while, my beloved sisters, and ye shall see me.' Anon
she stationed them all seven in front of her, and by a gesture
she bade me and the Dame, and* the Sage who remained ², to
follow her. In this wise she started, and she had not,
methinks, advanced ten paces over the ground when her eyes
fell on mine, and with a serene look she said : " Quicken thy
steps, so that, if I address thee, thou mayst be in a favourable
position to hear me.'

This means the removal of the Papal See to Avignon .

2 Statius, who remained when Virgil departed.
 294 Purgatory xxxIII , 22—47
The im So soon as I was by her side, as was my duty, she said to
pending while
ruin of the me : 'Wherefore, brother, dost thou not venture now,
enemies of walking in my company, to question me ?' As happens to
the Church.
men who are overcome by bashfulness when speaking in the
presence of their superiors, so that their voice is inaudible
when it reaches the lips, so was it with me, when in broken
accents I commenced : ' My Lady, you know my need, and
what avails to help it.' And she to me : 6 From fear and
shame I will that henceforth thou shouldst free thee, that thou
mayst no longer speak like one in a dream. Know that the
vessel which the serpent broke, was and is not ¹ ; but let him
who is responsible for this 2 bethink him that God's vengeance
fears not any sop³ . The eagle 4 which left its feathers on
the car, whereby it became a prodigy and afterwards a prey,
will not be forever without an heir ; for in sooth I see (and
therefore I relate it) stars even now drawing nigh, secure
against all opposition and restraint, to assign us the time at
which a ' five hundred ten and five 5,' sent by God, shall slay
the fraudulent dame along with the giant who is her partner in
sin. Maybe my dark utterance, like that of Themis and the

¹i.e. in the eyes of God the Papacy, which represents the Church,
ceased to exist when its seat was transferred to Avignon.
2 Philip the Fair, who was the chief agent in bringing about this
change.
3 i.e. cannot be impeded. The reference is to a limitation which
• effect that if the
existed to the practice of the vendetta in Italy, to the
murderer could eat a sop of bread and wine at the grave of his victim
within nine days from the time of death, he was free from the vengeance
of the family.
4 The Imperial line.
5 This number, which in Roman letters is DXV , is generally regarded
as equivalent to the Latin Dux by transposition of the last two letters.
The person who is thus darkly intimated is probably a hoped-for
regenerator of Italy.
 Purgatory XXXIII , 48–81 295

Sphinx, persuades thee less, because after their manner it

obscures the intellect ; but ere long events will be the inter
preters, who will solve this perplexing enigma without injury
to sheep or crops. Do thou give heed thereto ; and announce
these words, even as I utter them, to those who live that life
which is a race towards death : and bear in mind, when thou
dost write them, not to disguise the condition in which thou
hast seen the tree, which now hath twice been here despoiled.
Whoso plunders it or rends it, through blasphemy in act
offends God, who created it sacred to His service alone.
For eating thereof, the first- created soul for more than five
thousand years in pain and longing pined for Him, who in His
own person expiated that bite. Thy intellect must be torpid,
if it doth not recognize that there is a special cause for its
great height and its strangely shapen summit '. And had not
thy mind been encrusted by worldly thoughts as by the water
of Elsa ², and discoloured by the pleasure thereof as the mul
berry was by Pyramus 3 , from all these incidents without
further aid thou wouldst recognize God's justice in the pro
hibition not to touch the tree, in its moral interpretation.
But, inasmuch as I perceive that thine intellect is petrified and
stained withal, so that thou art dazzled by my illuminative
speech, I desire further that thou bear it stored in thy memory,
if not in words, at least in outline, for the same reason for
which a pilgrim carries his staff girt with palm-leaves *.'
And I : Like wax stamped with a seal, which bears The effect
of the water
unchanged the figure imprinted on it, my brain is now stamped of Lethe.

¹ It widened as it ascended (cp. Purg. xxxii. 40, 41 ) , in order that its

branches might not be reached by the hands of spoilers.
2 A stream with petrifying power.
3 See note on Purg. xxvii. 39 (p. 266) .
4 As a memorial token.
 296 Purgatory XXXIII , 82-116

with your impress. But wherefore doth your longed-for

utterance soar so far above my sight, that it loses it the more,
in proportion as it applies itself to understand it ?' 'It is in
order that thou mayst estimate the school whereof thou hast
been a disciple,' she said, and mayst see how little its teaching
can follow in the wake of my discourse ; and that thou mayst
learn, that your ways are as far removed from the ways of
God, as the highest of the revolving spheres is distant from
the earth.' Whereupon I replied : " I remember not that
I ever alienated myself from you, nor for this doth my con
science reproach me.' ' If thou canst not remember it,' she
6
smilingly replied, prithee recall to mind, how but now thou
didst drink of Lethe ; and as from smoke we infer the presence
of fire, this forgetfulness of thine is a clear proof that the
attention thou didst pay to another was culpable ¹. Hence
forward in sooth what I say will be clear, so far as it may
fitly be revealed to thy unpractised view.'
Dante And now in full brightness and with lingering steps the
drinks of
the water sun had reached the meridian circle, which varies its place
of Eunoë. according to the point of view, when, even as one who pre
cedes a company as guide halts , if he finds some strange
object in his track, the seven Ladies halted where the pale
shade ceased, the like of which beneath green leaves and dark
branches above their cold brooks the Alps wear. . In front of
them methought I saw Euphrates and Tigris issue from
a single fountain , and lingeringly part, like friends, from one
another. O light, O glory of the human race, what stream
is this, which here diffuses itself from a single source, and

Because it is only of sins that Lethe causes forgetfulness.

2 The idea that these two rivers had a common source is found in
Lucan (Phars. iii. 256–9) and other writers. Dante is reminded of this
by seeing the common source of Lethe and Eunoë.
 Purgatory XXXIII , 117-145 297

withdraws one portion of its waters from the other ? ' To

this request the answer came : ' Ask Matelda to inform thee ' ;
whereupon, like one who exculpates herself, the beauteous
6
Dame replied : Both this and other points I have explained
to him ; and sure I am that the water of Lethe hath not con
cealed it from him.' Then Beatrice : ' Perchance a more
pressing care, such as ofttimes annuls the memory, hath
dulled the eyesight of his mind. But behold Eunoë which
rises there ; lead him thither, and, as thou art wont, revive
his suspended faculties.' Like a gracious person, who with
out seeking an excuse conforms his own to another's will, so
soon as by some intimation it is revealed, the beauteous Dame,
taking me by the hand, set forth, and said to Statius with
courteous grace : ' Do thou accompany him .' Reader, had
I more ample space for writing, I would sing, at least in part,
of that sweet draught whereof I could never have had enough ;
but seeing that all the sheets assigned to this second Cantica
are filled, the restrictions of my art suffer me to proceed no
further. From that most sacred fount I returned renovated,
like young trees renewed with fresh foliage, pure and prepared
to soar aloft to the stars.
 PREFATORY DESCRIPTION OF

DANTE'S PARADISE

ACCORDING to Dante's system there are ten Heavens,

forming concentric spheres, all of which, with the exception
of the tenth or outermost, revolve round the earth, which is
at the centre and is stationary. Between the earth and the
first of these Heavens the spheres of air and of fire intervene.
The velocity of the movement of the spheres increases in
proportion to their distance from the earth. Further, in
accordance with the views of mediaeval theology, Dante
represents each of the first nine Heavens as being regulated
by one of the Angelic Orders, and as exercising under their
guidance a special influence on the earth and its inhabitants.
In the first Heaven, that of the Moon, which is directed by
Angels, are seen the spirits of those who failed to keep their
monastic vows. In the second, that of Mercury, which is
directed by Archangels, are the spirits of those who were
incited to noble deeds by the desire of fame. In the third,
that of Venus, which is directed by Principalities, are the
spirits of lovers. In the fourth, that of the Sun, which
is directed by Powers, are the spirits of the theologians. In
the fifth, that of Mars, which is directed by Virtues, are the
spirits of martyrs and of warrior saints. In the sixth, that
of Jupiter, which is directed by Dominions, are the spirits of
those who were pre-eminent in justice. In the seventh, that
of Saturn, which is directed by Thrones, are the spirits of
 Pref. Description of Dante's Paradise 299

the contemplative. The eighth, that of the Fixed Stars,

which is directed by Cherubim, has no special occupants, but
in it the Triumph of Christ is revealed to Dante. The ninth
Heaven, which is called the Crystalline, or Primum Mobile,
and is directed by Seraphim, is the source of the general
motion of the Heavens from east to west. The tenth is the
Empyrean Heaven, in which is the visible presence of God ;
here there is neither motion, nor time, nor place. It is the
permanent abode of the Blessed, who only reveal themselves
in the lower spheres in order to intimate to Dante their
various degrees of felicity, and the celestial influences by
which they were affected during their life on earth .
 I, 1–24

PARADISE

CANTO I. THE SPHERE OF FIRE

Invocation THE glory of Him who moves all things pervades the
of Apollo .
universe, yet in one part it shines more brightly, in another
less. In the Heaven which receives the amplest share of
His light was I , and I beheld things, which he that descends
from that exalted region hath neither the knowledge nor the
power to recount, seeing that our intellect, in drawing nigh
to the object of its desire, reaches such depths that the
memory cannot follow it ; nevertheless, so much of the
saintly realm as I was able to treasure up in my mind shall
now be the theme of my song. Benign Apollo, with a view
to my final task make me a fit receptacle of thy power, such
as for the gift of thy loved bay thou dost require : hitherto
one summit of Parnassus hath sufficed me, but now, when
commencing the remaining struggle, I need the help of both .
Enter into my breast with that inspiration which thyself didst
feel, when thou drewest Marsyas from forth the scabbard
which encased his limbs 2. O influence divine, if thou dost
vouchsafe me thyself in such measure, that I may express
in words that shadowy image of the blessed realm which is

¹ Dante means that in writing of Paradise he needs a twofold measure

of poetic inspiration.
2 An extravagant expression, to signify that Marsyas was flayed by
Apollo.
 Paradise 1, 25-53
301

stamped on my brain, thou wilt see me approach thy beloved

tree, and crown myself then with those leaves, whereof the
subject and thine aid will make me worthy. So rarely,
O Father, do men pluck them for an emperor's or a poet's
triumph (woe worth the meanness, the shame of human
aspirations ! ), that the heart of the gladsome Delphic god
must be gladdened by the foliage of the Peneius , when it
inspires any one with longing for it. A tiny spark is followed
by a burst of flame ; after me perchance by worthier voices
prayer will be made to evoke a reply from Cirrha ².
At various entrance-gates doth the lamp of the world rise Dante and
Beatrice
to mortals 3 ; but when he comes forth from that point which ascend to
joins four circles with three crosses 4 , his course is most the sphere
of fire.
propitious, and he is in combination with the most beneficent
constellation 5, and modifies and moulds the material substance
of the earth most after his own fashion . It was nigh this
point that he had made morning there and eventide here, and
the whole of that hemisphere was now in light, and the
opposite hemisphere in darkness, when I saw that Beatrice
had turned leftward and was facing the sun ; never did eagle
so steadfastly gaze thereat. And even as from the primal
ray the reflected ray proceeds, springing upward again, like
a pilgrim longing to return, so from her action, which through
the medium of sight passed into my imagination, did mine

¹ The bay-tree.
2 The name of Cirrha, the port of Delphi, is here used for the oracle
itself.
3 i.e. the sun rises at different points of the horizon.
4 The time here meant is the vernal equinox, when the ecliptic, the
equator, and the equinoctial colure intersect one another and the horizon,
and the intersections of the three former of these circles with the horizon
form three crosses.
5 Aries.
 Paradise I, 54-85
302

own action arise, and beyond our wont I fixed mine eyes
upon the sun. Many a thing, which defies our powers here,
is possible there, in virtue of the spot , which was created
expressly for the human race. For a short space I endured
it, yet not so short that I failed to see the orb sparkle all
round, like iron that comes forth molten from the fire ; and
on a sudden the light of day appeared to be increased twofold,
as if He who hath the power had adorned the heaven with
another sun. Beatrice kept her eyes intent on the eternal
spheres, and I fixed mine on her, withdrawing them from
above ; and by looking at her I became inwardly such, as
Glaucus became by tasting of the herb, which made him
a peer of the marine divinities 2. To express in words the
change from an earthly to a heavenly nature is beyond our
power ; wherefore let this example suffice to him, for whom
God's grace hath the experience thereof in store. Whether
I was only that part of me which Thou didst last create³,
O Love who reignest in Heaven, Thou knowest ; Thou by
Thy light didst raise me on high.
Question When the motion of the spheres, which through their
ings in
Dante's longing for Thee Thou causest to be eternal, by the harmony
mind. which Thou dost modulate and distinguish had attracted my
regard, so vast a tract of heaven seemed to me to be kindled
by the sun's flame, that never did rain or river create a lake so
wide. The unwonted sound and the expanse of light fired
me with a desire to learn their cause, more keen than I had
ever felt before ; whereupon she who read my thoughts even

I The Terrestrial Paradise.

2 Glaucus, a fisherman, in consequence of eating a divine herb which
grew near the sea-shore was changed into a sea-god. Ovid, Met. xiii.
904 foll.
3 i. e. whether I was in the spirit only.
 Paradise I, 86-117
303

as I myself, to calm my excited spirit opened her lips in

answer to my question ere I did mine to ask it, and thus
"
began : By a false conception of thine own thou dost cloud
thine intellect, so that thou seest not what thou wouldst see,
hadst thou put away from thee that delusion . Thou art not
on earth, as thou fanciest ; nay, the lightning, when it quits
its natural home, ne'er sped so swiftly as thou hast done in
returning thither '.' If by these brief words expressed with
smiles I was extricated from my former doubt, I was the
more entangled in the meshes of a new one ; and I said :
' A moment ago I was satisfied, and had truce from great
wonderment ; but now I am marvelling how it comes to pass
that I rise above these light substances.' Thereupon, after
uttering a sigh of compassion, she regarded me with the
expression which a mother wears towards a delirious child,
and spake as follows.
' All things are ordered in mutual correspondence ; and Beatrice ex
plains the
this order is the formative principle, which causes the universe order of the
to resemble God. Therein do the sublime Intelligences trace universe.
the footstep of His eternal might, to correspond whereto as
its final object the system I mentioned is ordained. In the
order whereof I am speaking all natures gravitate, though
variously allotted, some nearer to, some more remote from ,
Him from whom they proceed : hence they shape their course
over the ocean of existence to various havens, each of them
impelled by the instinct given it to bear it thither. This
instinct causes fire to rise toward the moon ; this is the
motive force in living beings ; this binds together and unifies
I
¹ Dante had risen to the sphere of fire, which intervenes between the
earth and the Heaven of the Moon, and was regarded as the ' natural
home' of the lightning. As his spirit originally proceeded from God,
his ascent is spoken of as ' returning.'
 304 Paradise 1, 118-II , 5

the earth. Nor only the creatures devoid of intelligence doth

this bow impel, but those too which possess understanding
and love. The Providence which regulates this mightyframe,
causes by His light that Heaven to be ever tranquil, within
which the most swiftly moving sphere 2 revolves ; and now
towards it, as to an appointed resting-place, we are borne by
the force of that bowstring, which directs to a joyous mark
the arrows which it shoots. True it is that, even as often
times the form produced agrees not with the artist's design,
because the material is dull in responding to it, so ever and
anon from this upward course doth the creature turn aside,
which hath the power, after being thus impelled, to swerve in
another direction (as lightning may be seen to fall from a
cloud), if its original impulse, diverted by false pleasure,
brings it to the ground. There is no more cause for wonder,
if I judge aright, in thy ascending, than in a stream descending
to the valley from a mountain height. The marvel in thy
case would be, if, when quit of all hindrance, thou hadst
remained below, even as repose on earth would be strange in
a living flame.' On this she turned heavenward again her
looks.

CANTO II . THE FIRST HEAVEN ;

OF THE MOON

Address to O ye, who, in your eagerness to listen, have followed in

the Reader. a little boat the track of
my vessel which pursues its way
with song, return to revisit your shores, put not out to sea ;

The highest or Empyrean Heaven, which does not move.

2 The Primum Mobile, which is immediately within the Empyrean.
 Paradise II, 6-37
305

for haply, should ye lose me, ye would remain bewildered.

The waters which I enter have never yet been sailed ; Minerva
wafts me, and Apollo is my pilot, and new Muses point out
to me the polar stars. But ye, the few in number, who have
timely uplifted your minds toward the bread of Angels ¹ ,
whereon man feeds here, yet leaves not the board sated ;
ye can safely launch on the main your bark, keeping close to
my trace in front of the water which resumes its calm
surface. That glorious band who voyaged to Colchis 2, when
they beheld Jason turned ploughman³, marvelled not so
much as ye will do.
The innate and unquenchable thirst for the realm which The first
Heaven, of
exists in the mind of God was bearing us onward wellnigh the Moon
as swiftly as ye see the heaven move. Beatrice was gazing
upward, and I at her ; and maybe in so long a time as an
arrow takes to hit the mark, to fly through the air, and to be
discharged from the peg, I perceived that I had reached
a spot, where a wondrous object attracted my sight ; where
upon she, from whom the working of my mind could not be
concealed, turning toward me as glad as she was fair, said :
' Raise thy mind in gratitude to God, who hath brought us
in contact with the first star 4. We seemed to me to be
enveloped in a cloud, which was luminous, dense, solid and
smooth, like a diamond smitten by the sun. Within itself
the everlasting pearl received us, even as water receives a ray
of light, remaining unbroken the while. If I was a material
body, and here on earth it is impossible to conceive how one
¹ The knowledge of higher subjects, and especially of theology.
2 The Argonauts.
3 One of the labours imposed on Jason in Colchis was to plough the
ground with fire-breathing bulls.
4 The Heaven of the Moon, which they now enter, contains the
spirits of those who had neglected their vows.
TOZER X
 e
306 Paradis II , 38-64

corporeal substance could admit the presence of another such,

which must be the case when one body passes within another,
good reason is there why we should be fired the more with
longing to behold that essence ' , wherein the co-existence of
our nature and the Deity is seen. There that verity which
we hold by faith will not be perceived by a process of
reasoning, but will be self-evident, like the primary truths
which man believes.
The spots 'My Lady,' I replied, from the depth of my heart
on the I render thanks to Him, who hath withdrawn me from the
moon's
surface. mortal world. But tell me, what are the dark spots upon
this body, which cause men to tell the story of Cain on earth
below ? ' She smiled awhile, and then replied : ' In sooth
the shaft of wonder should not now assail thee, if in matters
which the key of sense doth not unlock the views of men are
at fault, since reason, as thou seest, even when guided by the
senses, hath but feeble wings. But tell me thine own opinion
on the question.' And I : " The variations which we perceive
in this heavenly body arise, I imagine, from the rarity and
density of its component parts.' And she : ' Assuredly thou
wilt see that thy view is sunken in the depths of error, if thou
givest good heed to my arguments in answer thereto. The
eighth sphere³ displays to you many luminaries, which both
1 The Person of Christ.
2 The Man in the Moon ' was regarded in the middle ages as repre
senting Cain bearing a bundle of thorns ; cp. Inf. xx. 126.
3 The Heaven of the Fixed Stars. Dante argues from the analogy of
these to the case of the moon. The fixed stars were recognized as
exercising a variety of influences on the characters and fortunes of men,
and consequently these influences, and the corresponding differences of
brightness and colour in the stars, must proceed from a number of con
stituent principles, and not from one only. Similarly the differences of
light and dark on the surface of the moon must be attributed, not to one
cause only, such as rarity and density, but to many.
 Paradise II , 65-103
307

in the colour and the amount of their light can be seen to

differ in appearance. If rarity and density were the sole
cause of this, there would be but one influence in all of them,
apportioned in some cases more, in some less, in others
equally with one another. A variety of influences must
needs arise from a number of constituent principles, and
according to thy argument it would follow that all but one
of these principles would be annulled. Further, if rarity
were the cause thou art trying to discover of this dimness,
either this planet would be in certain portions thus defective
in its matter right through, or it would interchange the leaves
in its volume, in the same manner as the fat and the lean are
apportioned in a body. If the former of these were the case,
this would be apparent in an eclipse of the sun, because its
light would be visible through it, as when it is transmitted
through any other thin material. This is not so ; wherefore
we must consider the other alternative, and if so be I disprove
that, then thy view will have been proved wrong. If it be
true that the rarity doth not run right through, there must be
a limit beyond which the dense stratum suffers naught to pass ;
and from this the other luminary's rays will be thrown back,
as colours are reflected by glass coated behind with lead.
Now thou wilt say, that there the ray appears duller than
elsewhere, because it is reflected from a point further back.
From this objection experiment may free thee, if thou wilt
essay it—experiment, which is wont to be the source whence
human arts are derived. Take three mirrors, and place two
of them at the same distance from thee, and let the third, at
a greater distance, meet thine eyes between the former two.
When thou facest these, let a light be placed behind thee in
such wise as to illuminate the three mirrors, and to be reflected
back to thee from them all. Albeit the more distant image
X 2
 308 Paradise II , 104-133

doth not present so wide a surface as the other two, yet thou
wilt see there, that of necessity it shines as brightly as they.
The order "Now, since thine intellect hath been cleared- even as
of the
heavenly ground which hath lain beneath the snow, when smitten by
spheres. the burning rays, remains clear of its previous whiteness and
chill - I desire to quicken thee with light so keen, that it will
appear to thee to sparkle. Within the Heaven of the divine
peace a body I revolves, on the influence whereof the essence
of all that is contained within it depends. The next Heaven,
wherein are so many bright objects, divides that essence among
various existences, distinct from it, though contained within
it. The other spheres in various changing modes dispose
their inborn characteristics to produce their purposes and their
effects. These instruments of the world, as thou dost now
perceive, proceed in gradation so, that they receive power
from above, and exercise it below.
The Intelli 'Give good heed to me, as I advance by way of this point
gences to the truth which thou desirest, so that in future thou mayst
which guide
them. be competent by thyself to hold the passage. The motion
and power of the sacred spheres must proceed from the
blessed Intelligences which move them 2 , as the craft of the
hammer doth from the workman ; and the Heaven which so
many lights adorn 3, receives its impression from the profound
mind which causes it to revolve, and makes itself the seal
thereof. And as the soul within your earthly bodies diffuses

¹ The Primum Mobile. In this the celestial influences originate, and

thence they pass into the eighth Heaven, where they are partitioned
among the fixed stars ; from these again they are transmitted downwards
into the lower spheres.
2 These are the various Angelic Orders, to each of which one of the
spheres of Heaven is assigned. Their nature is explained in Canto xxviii.
3 The Heaven of the Fixed Stars.
4 The mind of its presiding Intelligence.
 Paradise II , 134—III , 19
309

itself through different members, adapted to various faculties,

so doth this Intelligence partition its good influence in mani
fold wise among the stars, while itself revolving in its unity.
Each different power forms a different alloy with the precious
body that it quickens, wherewith it combines, as life doth
with your bodies. Owing to the glad nature whence it is
derived, this mingled power shines through the body, as joy
beams through the pupil when the eye kindles. From this,
and not from density and rarity, proceeds the difference in
brightness between star and star : this is the formative prin
ciple, which, conformably to its goodness, produces the dull
part and the bright part in the moon.'

CANTO III. THE FIRST HEAVEN,

OF THE MOON

That Sun, which erewhile inflamed my heart with love, Spirits who
had neglect
had revealed to me, alike by proof and disproof, the sweet ed their
aspect of fair truth ; and I , to confess myself corrected and vows.
assured, uplifted my head in fitting measure to express my
mind : but a sight presented itself, which held me so fixed in
contemplation of it that I forgat my confession. As through
glass transparent and clear, or through bright still water, not
so deep that the bottom is lost to view, the outlines of our
features are so faintly reflected, that a pearl on a white
forehead is not harder for our eyes to discern ; such was
a group of faces I beheld, all eager to speak : whereupon
I fell into the opposite mistake to that which caused the man
to be enamoured of the fountain . No sooner was I ware of
¹ Narcissus mistook the reflexion of his face in the water for a real
person ; Dante mistook these real persons for reflexions.
 310 Paradise III, 20-52

them , than, deeming them to be reflected countenances,

I turned mine eyes back to see whose they were ; and dis
cerning naught, I once more turned them forward, facing the
light of my sweet Guide, whose holy eyes were glowing with
a smile. ' Marvel not, ' she said, ' if I smile at thy puerile
conceit, because it doth not yet take its stand on the truth,
but, as is its wont, makes thee go astray in error. These
are real substances which thou seest, assigned to this sphere
by reason of broken vows. Speak to them, then, and listen,
and give them credence ; for the truthful light which grants
them contentment suffers them not to withdraw their footsteps
from itself.'
Piccarda Anon I turned me to the shade which appeared most
Donati ;
perfect con desirous to converse, and like one overpowered by excess
tentment 6
of longing I thus began : Thou spirit born in a favouring
with inferior
beatitude. hour, who in the beams of life eternal dost feel that sweetness,
which without being tasted is inconceivable ; 'twould please
me well, if thou wouldst grant me to know thy name and
your condition.' Whereupon with smiling eyes she promptly
6
replied : The love we feel doth no more refuse a righteous
will's request, than doth that Love, who would have all the
members of His court resemble Himself. In the world
I was a virgin sister ; and if thy mind doth give good heed
to me, the increase of my beauty will not hide me from thee,
but thou wilt recognize that I am Piccarda ' , who, being
stationed here with these other happy saints, am blessed in
the sphere of slowest movement 2. Our desires, which are
¹ Sister of Forese and Corso Donati, who, having become a nun of the
Order of St. Clare, was taken by violence from her convent by Corso,
and forced to marry a Florentine noble called Rossellino della Tosa ; in
a short time after this she was taken ill and died.
2 The sphere of the Moon, being nearest to the earth, had the smallest
revolution, and consequently the slowest movement.
 Paradise III, 53-93
311

kindled solely at the Holy Spirit's pleasure, find their happi

ness in being disposed according to His order. And this
condition, which seems so lowly, is allotted to us, because
Our VOWS were neglected, and in some point imperfect.'
And I replied : ' In your wondrous looks there beams a
divine element, which transforms you from our previous
conceptions : wherefore I was tardy in remembering ; but
now what thou hast said assists me, so that I can more easily
recall thy features. But tell me ye who here enjoy felicity,
do ye desire a more exalted place, that ye may win a clearer
sight, a fuller love ? ' At first with those other shades awhile
she smiled ; anon with such gladness she replied to me, that
methought she was glowing in the primal fire of love :
'Brother, our wills are tranquillized by the power of love,
which causes us to desire that only which we have, and to
thirst for naught beyond. If we longed for a higher station,
our wishes would be at variance with His will who assigns us
here ; the which thou wilt perceive to be inadmissible in
these spheres, if here we must needs exist in love, and if
thou dost clearly note what love implies : nay, it is of the
essence of this our blessed state to be circumscribed by the
divine will, whereby our very wills become one. So that,
according as we are ranged, station above station, throughout
this realm, the whole realm is well pleased, as is the Sovereign
who identifies our will with His : and His will is our peace ;
it is that sea toward which all things move, both what itself
creates, and what Nature produces.' Then was it clear to
me that every place in Heaven is Paradise, and yet the grace
of the highest good is not dispensed there in one measure
only.
But, as it happens that, when one viand cloys, and the
appetite for another still remains, we ask for the latter, and
 Paradise III , 94–124
312

Piccarda's decline with thanks the former, so did I both by my looks

story ; the
empress and words, that I might learn from her what was the web¹ ,
Constance. through which she had not passed the shuttle to the end.
'A perfect life and exalted merit,' she said, ' place in a higher
Heaven a Lady 2 , according to whose rule in your world
below they wear the habit and the veil, in order that till death
they may be, waking or sleeping, in the company of that
Spouse, who accepts every vow which love renders con
formable to His pleasure. To follow in her footsteps, while
still a girl I withdrew from the world and wrapped me in her
habit, and took upon me the rule of her Order. Anon men
versed rather in sin than in right-doing snatched me from
forth my well-loved cloister ; and what mine after-life was
God knoweth. And that which I say of myself this other
lustre, who on my right hand is revealed to thee, glowing
with the fullest light our sphere can show, doth to herself
apply; she was a sister, and similarly her head was reft of
the shadow of the holy veil. But after that against her will
and in defiance of right practice she was brought back to the
world, the veil of the heart she never put away. This is
the light of the great Constance 3, who from the second wind
of Suabia gave birth to the third, the last imperial ruler '?
These words she spake to me, and then she began to sing
Ave Maria ; and as she sang she disappeared, as through
deep water a weighty substance doth. Mine eyes, which

¹ Piccarda's religious vows, which she had failed to observe unto the
end of her life.
2 Santa Clara of Assisi, who founded her Order under the direction of
St. Francis.
3 The empress Constance, wife of the emperor Henry VI, and mother
of Frederic II.
4 Dante regarded Frederic II's successors as not being Roman em
perors, because they had not visited Italy.
 Paradise III, 125-IV, 19 313

followed her to the utmost, so soon as they lost her, reverted

to their object of highest longing, and faced full toward
Beatrice ; but she flashed so brightly on my face, that at first
my looks could not endure it ; and thus I was more loth to
ask my questions.

CANTO IV. THE FIRST HEAVEN,

OF THE MOON

Between two kinds of food, at an equal distance from him, Dante's dif
ficulties and
and equally appetizing, a man, though possessing free will, Beatrice's
would die of hunger ere he could bring either of them within solutions.
range of his teeth. Similarly a lamb would stand still between
two fierce and ravening wolves from being equally afraid of
them ; similarly, again, a hound would stand still between two
does. Wherefore, impelled as I was in an equal degree by
my two questions, I neither praise nor blame myself for
holding my peace, seeing that it was unavoidable. I spake
not, but in my looks my longing was expressed, and, accom
panying it, my inquiry, which was far more eager than if
uttered in articulate speech. Beatrice acted as Daniel did,
when he freed Nebuchadnezzar from the wrath which had
made him unjustly cruel¹ ; and she said : ' I clearly perceive
that both one and other of thy longings impels thee so, that
thy anxiety hampers itself to such a degree that it cannot find
utterance. Thou arguest thus : " If my righteous will is

I Nebuchadnezzar ordered the Chaldaeans to declare to him the dream

that he had forgotten, and to interpret it ; and when they professed their
inability to do so commanded that they should be put to death : Daniel
appeased him by telling him the dream and the interpretation. See
Dan. ii. Similarly Beatrice comes to Dante's aid, and calms his excite
ment, by divining his thoughts and expressing in words what he could
not express.
 Paradise IV, 20-49
314

steadfast, on what principle is the estimate of my deserts

lowered by reason of the violence of others ? " Another
cause of doubt arises in thy mind from the spirits appearing to
return to the stars in accordance with Plato's view. These
are the questions which press equally upon thy will ; where
fore I will deal first with that which is most baneful '.
The relation 'Not that one of the Seraphs ( let me tell thee) who is
ofthe spirits
to their nearest to God's presence, not Moses, Samuel, or either John,
spheres. nor even Mary, have their seats in any other Heaven than
those spirits have who but now appeared to thee, nor do they
differ the one from the other in the term of their existence :
but they all adorn the highest Heaven, and enjoy sweet life
in different degrees, through feeling more or less the eternal
effluence. Those who revealed themselves here did so, not
because this sphere is allotted to them, but to indicate that
sphere in the Empyrean which is least exalted. 'Tis thus
we must communicate things to your faculties, because it is
only from objects of sense that they apprehend what they
afterwards render a fit subject for the intellect. This is why
Scripture condescends to your capacities, and attributes hands
and feet to God, while it means something different ; and
Holy Church represents Gabriel and Michael for you in the
likeness of men, and the other who cured Tobit of his blind
ness 2. The view concerning the souls which Timaeus sets
The second question was the more dangerous of the two, because it
touched on the origin and nature of the soul, and so might involve
unorthodox views. Plato says in the Timaeus that the soul of each man
proceeds from one of the stars, and that, if his life on earth is virtuous,
it returns to that star after death, and spends a blessed existence there.
Beatrice, in the course of her remarks on this view, explains that all the
Blessed have their abode in the empyrean Heaven, but manifest them
selves to Dante in different spheres in order to enable him to understand
more clearly their various degrees of blessedness.
2 Raphael ; Tob. xii. 14.
 Paradise IV, 50-88
315

forth doth not correspond to what is seen here, inasmuch as

he seems to mean what he saith. He saith that the soul
returns to its star, believing that it was taken from that star,
when Nature gave it to be the essential part of a man. And
haply his opinion is different from what his words seem to
signify, and may embody a meaning which should not be
lightly treated. If he means that what returns to these revolv
ing spheres is the honour and the blame attaching to their
influences, then maybe the arrow from his bow hits an element
of truth. A misunderstanding of this principle in former
days led almost the whole world astray, so that they per
versely called certain stars Jupiter, Mercury and Mars.
"The other question which troubles thee hath less venom , The justice
inasmuch as its noxious force could not lead thee away from of assigning
these spirits
me. If divine justice appears in the eyes of mortals to be to the
lowest
unjust, this is an argument in favour of belief, not of sinful sphere.
unbelief ; but seeing that your reasoning powers can fully
comprehend this truth, in accordance with thy wishes I will
satisfy thee. If violence is when its victim doth not a whit
co-operate with him who offers it, these souls were not excus
able on this ground ; for the will cannot be extinguished
without its consent, but acts as Nature doth in the case of
flame, though violence deflect it a thousand times ; because, if
the will yields in any degree, it follows along with the force :
and that is what these souls did, when it was in their power
to return to their religious home. Their will, had it been
sound, like that which held Laurence on the gridiron, and
made Mucius unsparing to his hand, would in like manner
have forced them to return along the way to the place whence
they were dragged, as soon as they were at liberty to do so ;
but so staunch a will is all too rare. And by these words,
¹ Because it shows that God's judgements are incomprehensible.
 316 Paradise IV, 89-127

if thou hast rightly taken them home, the argument is refuted,

which ever and anon would have vexed thee in the future.
The case of 'But now there meets thee a further difficulty so great,
Constance.
that of thyself thou couldst not escape therefrom, but wouldst
first be weary. I have told thee as a certainty, that a blessed
spirit cannot lie, because it is ever in the presence of the
source of truth : and anon thou heardest Piccarda say, that
Constance was true to her love of the veil ; so that here we
seem to contradict each other. Many a time ere this, brother,
it hath happened, that to escape from danger a man hath done
against his will what he should not have done ; Alcmaeon,
for instance, who in compliance with his father's request took
his own mother's life ; that he might not fail in filial affection
he became merciless. In respect of this point I would have
thee consider that the force and the will combine, and act
in such a manner that the misdeed hath no excuse. In itself
the will consents not to the wrong forced upon it ; but it doth
consent, in so far as it fears to incur worse suffering if it
withdraws itself from the pressure of that force. Wherefore
Piccarda in her statement refers to the absolute will, and I to
the relative, so that we both speak the truth.' Such was the
rippling of the holy rill, which issued from the fountain whence
all truth doth spring ; by this both the one and the other of
my longings were satisfied .
How doubt " O beloved of the primal Lover, O divinity, ' I thereupon
can minister
to truth. exclaimed, ' whose speech doth inundate and warm me so,
that it quickens me more and more, the depth of my emotion
is not such as adequately to render to you thanks for your
favour ; but may He who hath the insight and the power
thereto recompense it to you. Full well I perceive that our
intellect is never content, if it be not illuminated by the truth
which comprehends all other truth . In that it reposes, like
 Paradise IV, 128 - V, 18
317

a beast in its lair, so soon as it attains it : and it can attain it,

for otherwise all desires would be vain. Through this desire
doubt rises, like a sapling, from the root of truth ; and this is
natural process, which impels us from height to height unto
the summit. This doth induce me, Lady, this doth give me
confidence, to inquire of you with all reverence concerning
another truth which is obscure to me. I would fain know,
whether a man can make such satisfaction to Heaven for
broken vows by other good deeds, that they may be equiva
lent in your scales.' Beatrice regarded me with eyes sparkling
with love, so divine, that my powers were overcome and failed
me, and with drooping eyes I all but lost consciousness.

CANTO V. THE FIRST AND SECOND

HEAVENS

' Marvel not if I blaze on thee with the heat of love in The ques
tion of com
excess of the measure which is seen on earth, so that I over- pensation
power thine eyes ; for that proceeds from my perfect vision, for broken
vows.
which, in proportion as it perceives the light, makes corre
sponding advance in respect of the blessing which it hath
perceived ¹. I see full well that now on thy mind the eternal
light doth shine, which by the mere sight of it ever kindles
love ; and if another object leads men's desires astray, 'tis
but a misapprehended glimmer of that light, which reveals
itself therein. Thou desirest to know, whether by other
services a man can compensate for broken vows sufficiently to
secure his soul from a further claim.' Such were the words
wherewith Beatrice commenced this Canto ; and like one who
doth not interrupt his speech, she pursued as follows her holy
¹i.e. is itself more illuminated by that light.
 e
318 Paradis V, 19-55

6
train of argument. The greatest gift which God, as creator,
of His bounty bestowed, and the most conformable to His
goodness, and most highly prized by Him, was the freedom
of the will, wherewith all reasoning beings, and only they,
were and still are endowed. Now thou wilt perceive, if thou
arguest from this, the grave importance of the vow, if it be so
made that God's approval accompanies thy approval ; seeing
that, when the agreement is ratified between God and the
man, a sacrifice is made of this so great treasure, and is made
voluntarily. What then can be repaid in compensation ? Ifthou
thinkest to make good use of that which thou hast offered ',
what is this but doing good deeds with ill-gotten gains ?
When and " Of the main point thou now art certified ; but inasmuch
how far
commuta as Holy Church doth give dispensation in that matter, which
tion is seems in opposition to the truth I have set forth to thee, 'tis
allowable.
well that thou shouldst sit yet a while at table, because the
solid food which thou hast taken requires further aid for thee
to digest it. Open thy mind to receive what I disclose to
thee, and store it there, for to have heard a thing, without
remembering it, doth not constitute knowledge. Two things
combine to form the essence of this sacrifice ; whereof the
one is the service which forms it, the other the vow itself.
The latter of these can never be cancelled save by being
observed, and concerning it I have stated the rule so strictly
above ; for which reason to the Jews the offering in any case
was indispensable, albeit some kinds of offerings might be
commuted , as thou art well aware. The other, which is
known to thee as the matter of the vow, can easily be of such
a nature that without transgression it may be commuted for
other matter. Yet let no man exchange the burden on his

¹i . e. if, after making an offering of your free- will, you recall it, and
then think to use it in God's service. 2 See Lev. xxvii.
 Paradise V, 56-87 319

shoulders on his own authority, without the turning both

of the silver and the golden key ; and let him regard every
commutation as vain, if the thing relinquished be not con
tained in that which is undertaken as four is in six 2. Where
fore for anything which weighs in itself so heavily as to
overbalance every counterpoise, satisfaction cannot be made
by means of other outlay. Let not men take vows in
a trifling spirit : be faithful to them, yet not perverse in so
doing, as Jephtha was in offering the first object which
he saw ; whose duty it was rather to say : " I have done
amiss," than by keeping his vow to commit greater sin.
So too thou wilt rightly convict the great chieftain of the
Greeks 3 of an act of folly, by reason of which Iphigenia
lamented the beauty of her face, and caused all men, whether
wise or simple, who heard the tale of so monstrous a rite, to
shed tears for her. Christians, be more considerate in what
ye undertake ; be not like a feather moved by every wind,
nor deem that every water can cleanse you 4. Ye have the
Old Testament and the New, and the pastor of the Church
to guide you ; let this suffice to insure your salvation. If
unrighteous covetousness suggest to you aught else, quit you
like men, be not like silly sheep, so that the Jew who dwells
in your midst should deride you. Behave not like the lamb,
which deserts its mother's milk, and in innocent sportive
mood, following its bent, brings itself to harm.' In such
wise, even as I write it, did Beatrice address me ; anon with
ardent longing she turned her toward that quarter 5, where
the universe hath fullest life.
The two keys represent the power of the priest-confessor ; cp. Purg.
ix. 117.
2 That which is substituted must be half as great again.
3 4 i.e. that you can easily obtain dispensation.
Agamemnon.
5 The Empyrean.
 Paradise V, 88-125
320

The second Her ceasing to speak and the change in her look imposed
Heaven,
Mercury.of silence on my eager spirit, which still had fresh questions in
store ; and swift as an arrow, which ere the string ceases to
vibrate strikes the mark, we sped to the second realm ' .
There did I see my Lady so gladsome, when once she passed
within the light of that Heaven, that the planet thereby
increased in brilliance. And if the star thus smiled with
altered aspect, how was it with me, who merely from being
a mortal man am liable to every phase of change ! As in
a still clear fishpond the fish move towards an object, which
comes from without in such wise that they deem it to be their
food, so saw I more than a thousand lustrous lights move
towards us, and proceeding from each were heard the words :
' Lo, here is one who will augment our love ' : and as each
approached us, the spirit was seen to be full of joy by the
luminous brightness which proceeded from it. Bethink thee,
Reader, if the tale here commenced went no farther, what
painful craving for fuller knowledge would be thine ; and of
thyself thou wilt understand how great was my anxiety to
learn from these their state, so soon as they revealed them
selves to mine eyes .
The Thou spirit born in a happy hour, whom grace permits,
emperor ere the warfare of life is over, to see the thrones of the eternal
Justinian.
triumph, the light which is diffused throughout the whole
Heaven doth illuminate us ; wherefore, if it be thy wish to be
enlightened by us, satisfy thyself to thy heart's content.'
These words were addressed to me by one of those saintly
spirits ; and Beatrice said : ' Speak out with confidence, and
trust them as if they were divinities.' ' I clearly see how
thou art enveloped in thine own light, and that it proceeds
This is the Heaven of Mercury, where are the spirits of those who
were incited to noble deeds by the desire of fame.
 Paradise V, 126- VI, 8 321

from thine eyes, because they glisten as thou smilest ; but

who thou art I know not, nor wherefore, lofty spirit, the rank
of that sphere is assigned to thee, which is veiled from mortals
I
by another's rays.' Thus spake I , facing the light which
had before accosted me ; whereupon it assumed a brightness
far surpassing its former sheen. Even as the sun conceals
itself by excess of light, when the heat hath consumed the
dense vapours' tempering influence, so through increase of joy
the saintly form was hidden within its brilliancy, and when it
was thus wholly enwrapped, it replied to me as the following
Canto sings.

CANTO VI . THE SECOND HEAVEN,

OF MERCURY.

'From the time when Constantine turned the eagle's flight Justinian
reveals his
against the course of heaven, which , it followed under the
identity.
guidance of the ancient hero who took Lavinia to wife2, for
two hundred years and more the bird of God maintained its
position at the extremity of Europe 3 , nigh to the mountains
whence it first came forth ; there beneath the shadow of its
sacred wings it governed the world, passing from hand to

' The sun's. Mercury, in which they now are, owing to its near
ness to the sun is seldom visible to the naked eye.
2 The turning of the flight of the eagle (the symbol of Roman
sovereignty) against the course of heaven (from west to east) signifies the
removal of the administrative centre of the Roman empire by Constan
tine from Rome to Constantinople ; the eagle had previously flown from
east to west, when Aeneas brought it from Troy to Italy.
3 From the foundation of Constantinople to the accession of Justinian
somewhat more than 200 years elapsed.
4 The mountains are the chain of Mt. Ida behind the plain of Troy,
which was relatively near to Constantinople.
TOZER Y
 Paradise VI, 9-33
322

hand, and thus by succession into mine it came. Emperor

I was, and I am Justinian, who, inspired by the primal Love
whose power I feel, removed what was redundant and what
was useless from the body of the laws ¹. Ere I devoted my
attention to that work, I believed that there was but one
nature in Christ, and was satisfied with that belief ; but the
blessed Agapetus, who was supreme pastor, by the words he
spake directed me towards the orthodox faith 2. I believed
him , and now I see his article of faith as clearly as thou seest
that of contradictories one must be false, the other true. So
soon as I walked in accordance with the Church, it pleased
God of His goodness to inspire me with the mighty task³,
and to that I wholly devoted me : and mine arms I entrusted
to my Belisarius, with whom Heaven's right hand was so
closely allied, that this was a sign that I should rest there
from.
The de 'Here then mine answer to thy first question ends ; but the
velopment nature of that reply constrains me to pursue a sequel to it, in
of the
Roman order that thou mayst see how little men are justified in pro
power. ceeding against the sacred emblem, both those who claim it
as their own and those who oppose it *. Consider what

This describes the reform and codifying of the Roman law by

Justinian.
2 In reality Justinian was guiltless of Monophysite views, which are
the heresy here spoken of ; the person connected with him who held
them was the Patriarch Anthimus, who was convicted of this in Justi
nian's presence by Agapetus, when he was sent on an embassy to Con
stantinople in 515 by Theodatus, king of the Goths.
3 The reform of the laws.
4 The former of the factions here intended is the Ghibellines, the
latter the Guelfs ; as both of these, though in different ways, were now
impairing the authority of the Empire, Justinian proceeds to sketch the
history of the development of the power and majesty of Rome in order
to incriminate them.
 Paradise VI , 34-60
323

mighty deeds have made it worthy of reverence ' : and he

commenced his tale from the hour when Pallas died to endow
it with the sovereignty '. 'Thou knowest that for three
centuries and upwards it made its abode in Alba, until at last
the three against the three² once more contended it for it.
Thou knowest, too, what it did under seven kings from the
rape of the Sabines until Lucretia's wrong, in conquering the
neighbouring tribes around. Thou knowest what it did, when
borne by the illustrious Romans against Brennus, against
Pyrrhus, and against the other chieftains and confederates ;
whence Torquatus, and Quinctius who was named from his
unkempt locks 3, and the Decii and the Fabii won the fame
which I rejoice to embalm. By it was brought low the pride
of the Arabs , who following Hannibal crossed the Alpine
chain whence flows the Po. Beneath it in their youth Scipio
and Pompey triumphed, and to that hill at whose foot thou
wast born it showed no mercy 5. Anon, when the time was
nigh, at which Heaven willed to bring back the whole world
to its own serene mood , Caesar assumed it by the will of
Rome ; and what it accomplished between the Var and Rhine
the Isère and Saône beheld, and the Seine withal, and every
valley from which the Rhone is filled 7. That which it

¹ Pallas, who was fighting on the side of Aeneas, was slain by Turnus,
and in consequence of this Turnus was slain by Aeneas. By Turnus'
death Aeneas became possessed of Lavinia, and of the kingdom of
Latinus. Thus the death of Pallas ultimately caused the eagle to obtain
the sovereignty.
2 The Horatii and the Curiatii.
3 Cincinnatus. 4 The Carthaginians.
5 Faesulae (Fiesole), which was built on a hill overlooking Florence,
was said by tradition to have been destroyed by the Romans after the
defeat of Catiline.
6 When the time of Christ's coming approached.
? This sentence describes the scene of Caesar's campaigns in Gaul.
Y2
324 Paradise VI, 61-89

achieved after it started from Ravenna and crossed the Rubi

con, was of so rapid flight that neither tongue nor pen could
follow it. Toward Spain it wheeled round its host, and
anon toward Durazzo ; and it smote Pharsalia with such
force, that grief was felt on the hot Nile's banks 2. Antan
dros 3 and the Simois, its starting-place, it revisited, and the
spot where Hector lies, and then it roused itself in an evil
hour for Ptolemy ; thence it descended like a lightning-flash
on Juba, and anon turned toward your western lands *, where
it heard the Pompeian trumpet. To that which it did under
the next standard-bearer 5 Brutus and Cassius direfully testify
in Hell, and Modena and Perugia it caused to mourn . By
reason of it, too, the sad Cleopatra laments, who, fleeing
before it, by means of the snake inflicted on herself a dire
untimely death. In his hands it sped as far as the Red Sea
shore ; in his hands it caused the world to repose in such
peace, that Janus' shrine was closed. But all that the emblem
which is the subject of my speech had accomplished before
and was to accomplish thereafter for the empire of the world
which is subject to it, makes but a dim and feeble show, if
with clear eye and unbiased feelings we regard it as wielded
by the third Caesar ' ; for the living Justice, who inspires me,
granted to it, in his hands of whom I speak, the glory of

I Dyrrhachium, to which place Caesar crossed the Adriatic from

Brundisium in pursuit of Pompey.
2 Because Pompey was slain in Egypt.
3 Antandros is mentioned because Aeneas set sail from thence.
4 Spain, where the battle of Munda was fought against the sons of
Pompey.
5 The emperor Augustus.
6 Under Augustus a murderous battle took place before Mutina, and
Perusia underwent a long siege.
7 Tiberius, in whose reign Christ was put to death.
 Paradise VI, 90-114
325

avenging His wrath ¹. Now mark the strangeness of my

repetition 2 : thereafter in Titus' hands it proceeded to avenge
that which avenged the primal sin³. And when the holy
Church was bitten by the Lombard tooth, it was beneath its
wings that Charlemagne by his victory succoured her *.
' Now canst thou form a judgement of those classes of men Guelfs and
Ghibellines.
whom I erewhile accused, and of their sins, which are the
cause of all your misfortunes. The one opposes to the world
embracing standard the yellow lilies, while the other appro
priates it to a party 5 ; so that it is hard to see which is most
in fault. Let the Ghibellines practise their devices beneath
another emblem, for of that emblem he is ever an unworthy
follower who alienates it from justice : nor with his Guelfs
let this younger Charles 6 overthrow it, but let him fear the
claws whereby a mightier lion hath been flayed. Ofttimes ere
this the sons have rued their fathers' crimes, nor let any think
that for Charles's lilies God will change his bearings.
'This little planet is adorned with those good spirits, who Spirits ofthe
ambitious.
lived laborious days that honour and fame might accrue to
The argument is this :-As God willed that Christ's death should be
authorized by Pilate, a vice-gerent of the Roman emperor, and in His
death the whole human race was vicariously punished to satisfy God's
justice, it was implied that God recognized the Empire as de iure the
governing power in the world. Cp . De Monarchia, ii . 13 , ll. 29–49.
2 The repetition is the use the word avenge ' in two different
applications.
3 By the destruction of Jerusalem the Roman eagle took vengeance
on the Jews for causing Christ's death.
4 When Desiderius, king of the Lombards, persecuted the Church,
Pope Adrian I called in Charlemagne to its defence. As a matter of fact,
however, when this took place, Charlemagne was not yet crowned em
peror ofthe West.
5 The Guelfs oppose to the eagle the fleur-de-lis of France, i. e. the
Angevins ; the Ghibellines treat the eagle as their special emblem .
6 Charles II of Apulia, now the leader of the Guelf party.
 326 Paradise VI, 115- VII, 3

them ; and when toward that aim men's desires rise, thus
deviating from the right course, the rays of the true love
must ever ascend upward with less fervour. But our joy in
part consists in balancing our rewards against our deserts,
because we see that they are neither less nor greater ; hence
doth the living Justice so tranquillize our feelings within us,
that they can never be perverted to any unrighteousness. As
on earth voices of different tone form sweet concord, so in
our life in Heaven the different grades give forth sweet
harmony among these spheres.
Romeo. 'Within this pearl also the light of Romeo ¹ shines, whose
fair and noble deeds were ill recompensed : but the Provençals
who attacked him have not whereat to rejoice ; and so it is,
that he who regards another's good deeds as a wrong to
himself is following the road to ruin . Each of Raymond
Berenger's four daughters became a queen, and this was
accomplished for him by Romeo, a man of low estate and
a pilgrim ; anon calumnious tongues incited him to demand an
account from this just one, who had paid him his own with
usury. In poverty and old age he quitted that court ; and
did the world know how great courage he showed in begging
by morsels his daily bread, much as it praises him, it would
praise him more.'

CANTO VII . THE SECOND HEAVEN,

OF MERCURY

'Hosanna, holy God of hosts, who by Thy brightness dost

illuminate from above the happy fires of these realms ! ' These

* Chiefminister of Raymond Berenger IV, count of Provence. The

story of his banishment which is here given is legendary.
 Paradise VII, 4-40 327

words, as it returned to its singing, that spirit, on whose Was the de

I struction of
head two forms of glory equally rest, appeared to me to
Jerusalem a
chant ; then both it and the others betook them to their just retribu
tion?
dance, and like swift-flashing sparks were lost to my sight
by sudden distance. I was possessed by a doubt, and was
saying to myself : Tell it to her, tell it to my Lady, who
quenches my thirst with her sweet drops of wisdom ' ; but
that feeling of reverence, which at the mere sound of BE and
ICE masters me completely, caused me to droop my head like
one falling asleep. In this mood Beatrice suffered me not
long to remain, but beaming on me with a smile, which even
in the fire would make a man happy, she thus began : "Through
the guidance of my infallible judgement I am aware, that the
question, how a just vengeance could be justly punished, hath
set thee thinking ; but I will at once unburden thy mind, and
do thou give heed, for my words will impart to thee a pro
found doctrine. Because he would not endure a beneficial
restriction on his power of will, the man who was not born ²,
by bringing damnation on himself, brought it also on all his
descendants ; from which cause for long ages in the world
below the human race lay sick in dire estrangement, until the
Word of God was pleased to descend to the place, where by
the sole agency of His eternal Love He united in one person
with Himself that nature which had alienated itself from its
Creator. Now regard well that which I proceed to tell thee :
so long as this nature was in unison with its Creator, it was
innocent and good, as it was created ; yet by its own agency
it was exiled from Paradise, because it deviated from the
way of truth and from its rightful life. Consequently, if the
penalty which the cross provided be estimated in reference to

The titles of emperor and lawgiver. 2 Adam.

 e
328 Paradis VII , 41-74

the nature which Christ took upon Him, no punishment was

ever so justly inflicted ; and, correspondingly, none was so
unjust, if we regard the person that underwent it, with which
that nature was combined. Hence from a single act two
different results proceeded ; for one and the same death was
a satisfaction to God and to the Jews ' ; reas thereof
the earth shook and Heaven opened. Henceforward it
should no longer appear to thee a difficulty, when it is said
that an act of just vengeance was afterwards avenged by a just
tribunal.
The ' But now I perceive that thy mind by a succession of
mystery of thoughts is entangled within a difficulty, from which it is
Redemp
tion. longingly waiting for deliverance. Thou sayest : " I fully
comprehend what I hear, but wherefore God preferred this
method in particular for our redemption is a mystery to me."
This ordinance, brother, is hidden from the eyes of every
one, whose nature hath not attained maturity in ardent love.
Nevertheless, seeing that this question is so much studied and
so little understood, I will tell thee wherefore this method
was the fittest. The divine Goodness , which is alien to
a grudging spirit, while in itself it burns with love, doth
sparkle so brightly, that it manifests in others its eternal
beauties. Whatsoever emanates immediately from God is
thereafter eternal, because when He sets His seal the im
pression is indelible. Whatsoever proceeds immediately from
Him is wholly free, because it is not subject to the power of
things of later birth. It resembles Him more closely, and
therefore is more pleasing in His sight ; for the fire of divine

¹ To God as an atonement for sin, to the Jews as gratifying their

malice.
2 The earthquake is mentioned as an evidence of God's displeasure
with the Jews.
 Paradise VII, 75-109
329

love, which irradiates all things, shines more brightly in that

which most resembles it. Of all these things the human
being hath the privilege ; and if one of them is lacking, he
needs must fall from his noble estate. It is sin alone which
deprives him of his liberty, and renders him unlike the
Highest Good, for which cause he is but little irradiated by
His light ; nor can he ever regain his high position, unless,
to counterbalance his criminal enjoyments, he makes up the
amount reduced by sin by suffering the due penalty. Your
nature, when it sinned completely in the person of its first
parent, was excluded from these prerogatives, as it was from
Paradise ; nor could it otherwise be reinstated (as careful
reflexion will teach thee), than by passing one of the two
following fords-either that God of His benignity alone
should have granted pardon, or that man of himself should
have made satisfaction for his folly. Now fix thine eyes
deep in the abyss of the eternal counsel, concentrating them
attentively, so far as in thee lies, on my discourse. That
finite being man could never make satisfaction, seeing that he
could not descend so low in humility by subsequent obedience,
as he had aimed at ascending high by his disobedience¹ ; and
this is the reason why man was rendered incapable of making
satisfaction of himself. Hence it was needful that God
should restore man to his integrity by the ways at His
command-by one only, I mean, or by both together. But
inasmuch as the work of him who works approves itself as
more excellent in proportion as it sets forth in larger measure
the goodness of the heart whence it proceeds, the divine
Goodness, which is imprinted on the world, was pleased to
•
Our first parents aspired to become as gods ' by eating of the
forbidden fruit (Gen. iii. 5 ) ; now no self-abasement on man's part could
furnish an equivalent for this.
 Paradise VII, 110-146
330

set on foot your restitution to your high estate by both His

methods at once ; nor hath there been or will there be from
the first day until the final night a proceeding equally sublime
and magnificent, either through the one or the other agency.
For God was more bountiful in giving Himself, in order to
enable man to recover from the Fall, than if by his fiat alone
He had pardoned him ; and every other way would have
failed to satisfy justice, had not the Son of God abased
Himself to take our flesh.
Why some 'Now, that I may fully satisfy every longing of thine, I go
created
things are back to clear up a certain point, that in that matter thou
incorrup mayst see as clearly as I. Thou sayest : " I see that the
tible, others water and the fire, and air and earth, and all their combina
corruptible.
tions come to corruption and have but a brief stay, and yet
these things were God's creations ; wherefore, if what I said
above is true, they should be incorruptible. The Angels,
brother, and the region of pure matter wherein thou art, may
rightly be spoken of as created in the perfect state in which
they now are ; but the elements which thou hast named, and
the things which are composed of them, received their nature
from a power itself created. The matter was created whereof
they consist ; created, too, was the constituent power, which
resides in these stars that revolve around them. The life
of the brute creation and of plants is drawn forth by the
2
brightness and the motion of the holy lights from the
combination of elements in them, which is endued with
power thereto . But your life is breathed into you immediately
by the highest Benevolence, who inspires it with love of
Himself, so that ever after it desires Him. And from this
thou mayst further infer your resurrection, if thou dost reflect

By the combined agency of mercy and justice.

2 The stars.
 Paradise VII, 147 - VIII, 21 331

how the human body was then made, when both our first
parents were created ¹.'

CANTO VIII . THE THIRD HEAVEN, OF

VENUS

The world was wont to believe to its peril that the fair The third
Cyprian goddess 2, revolving in the third epicycle ³, beamed VenusHeaven,; the
of
forth delirious love ; for which reason the ancient folk in their spirits of
lovers.
old- world error not only worshipped her with sacrifices and
votive cries, but paid honour to Dione and Cupid, the former
as her mother, the latter as her son, who, they said, reposed
in Dido's bosom 4 ; and from her, with whom I commence
this Canto, they derived the name of the star that courts the
sun, now following, now in front ³. Of my ascent into it
I was not aware ; but that I was within it the sight of my
Lady's augmented beauty amply proved ". And as within
a flame a spark is seen, and as within a voice a second voice
is distinguished, when one holds the note and the other comes
and goes ; so within that luminary did I see other lights
revolving with greater or less speed , in proportion, I ween, to

The human bodies both of Adam and Eve were created immediately
by God, and therefore must be immortal.
2 Venus.
3 The term ' epicycle ' means a circle, the centre of which is carried
round upon another circle ; according to Ptolemy each planet moved in
such a circle of its own in addition to the revolution of the sphere to
which it belonged. The epicycle of Venus is called the third, because
the sphere of Venus is the third in order in the heavens.
4 Cp. Virg. Aen. i. 715-9.
5 Sometimes as the evening star, sometimes as the morning star.
6 The third Heaven, which they have now entered, contains the spirits
of lovers.
 Paradise VIII, 22-51
332

their eternal powers of vision. Never from a chill cloud did

winds, whether visible or otherwise, descend with speed so
great, that they would not appear tardy and slow to one who
had seen those divine lights approach us, ceasing from the
circling dance which they had erewhile commenced amid.
the exalted Seraphim. And from among the foremost who
revealed themselves Hosanna was heard in such tones, that
thenceforward I have not ceased to long once more to hear it.
Carlo Anon one of their number drew nearer to us, and thus
Martello.
alone began : ' We would fain do thy pleasure, one and all,
that thou mayst win joy from us. Our movement corresponds
in its circular form, its eternal continuance, and its intense
longing with that of the heavenly Principalities , whom thou,
when citizen of earth, didst thus address : " Ye who by
your intelligence move the third Heaven 2 " ; and so full of
love are we, that, to please thee, we should not less enjoy
a brief repose.' Mine eyes, after they had appealed in
reverence to my Lady, and she had satisfied them with the
assurance of her approbation, reverted to that light whose
promise had been so bounteous ; and ' Say who are ye?'
were the words impressed with deep emotion which I uttered.
How marvellously then did I see it increase in magnitude and
brightness through the fresh delight, which, as I spake, was
superadded to its former bliss ! Such was its aspect when it
said to me ³ : ' The time was brief which I spent in the world
below ; had it been longer, much evil that shall be would not

I These are the Intelligences, which preside over the third Heaven.
2 This is the first line of the first Canzone of the Convivio.
3 The speaker is Carlo Martello, eldest son of Charles of Anjou, king
of Naples. He married Clemence, daughter of Rudolf of Hapsburg. In
1294 he visited Florence, and he probably met Dante on that occasion.
He died in 1295 , aged twenty-four.
 Paradise VIII, 52-79
333

have been. My joy which beams around me keeps me hidden

from thee, and by it I am concealed, like the silk-worm
enfolded in its cocoon. Thou didst love me much, and thou
hadst good cause ; for, had I remained on earth below,
I should have manifested to thee not the leaves only of my
I
love. The territory which on its left bank the Rhone
laves after mingling with the Sorga, looked forward to me in
due time as its ruler ; and so did that horn of Italy, which
embraces the towns of Bari, Gaëta and Catona, from where
the Tronto and the Verde flow into the sea . Already on
my forehead shone the crown of that land which the Danube
irrigates after quitting the German shores ; and fair Sicily,
which between Pachynus and Pelorum 3 , above the bay which
is most exposed to the east wind's onset, is darkened, not
by Typhoeus' agency, but by that of nascent sulphur, would
still have been looking forward to her succession of kings,
descended through me from Charles and Rudolph, had not
tyranny, which ever rouses to fury subject peoples, moved
Palermo to cry : " Do them to death 4." And could my
brother 5 foresee this, he would at the present time shrink from
employing the greedy poverty of the Catalans, that it might
not injure his cause ; for verily there is good need that he
* Carlo now describes the countries which he either ruled or had the
prospect of ruling. These are ( 1 ) Provence, ( 2) Apulia , ( 3) Hungary,
(4) Sicily.
2 These two rivers form the northern limit of the kingdom of Apulia,
flowing respectively into the eastern and the western sea.
3 The southern and northern extremities of the east coast of Sicily ;
the land between these was darkened by the smoke of Etna, under which
mountain the giant Typhoeus was fabled to lie.
4 The massacre of the Sicilian Vespers is referred to, which caused the
expulsion of the French from the island.
5 Robert. He had introduced Catalan mercenaries, whose greed and
violence had exasperated the people in the kingdom of Naples.
 Paradise VIII, 80-112
334

should make provision, either himself or by others' aid, that

on his heavily freighted bark an additional weight may not be
placed. His avaricious nature, which descended from one
that was liberal, would need such officials as would not care
to hoard.'
The origin ' Inasmuch as I believe that thou seest in His face, who
of varieties is the aim and source of all good, as fully as I myself am
ofcharacter
in men. conscious of it, the supreme joy which thy words, my Lord,
communicate to me, my gladness is increased ; and this also
delights me, that thou seest in God that I believe it. Thou
hast made me joyful ; do thou then likewise explain to me,
since by thy words thou hast aroused a doubt within me, how
from a sweet seed a bitter fruit can spring.' Thus spake
I to him ; and he to me : If I can make clear to thee
a certain truth , the subject of thine inquiry will be as mani
fest to thee, as now it is hidden from thee. The highest
Good, who causes the whole realm through which thou art
ascending to revolve and to be satisfied, makes his providence
to be an active power in these mighty bodies ² ; and not only
are these creations ordained in the mind which is perfect in
itself, but along with them all that conduces to their right
working. Wherefore whatever is discharged from this bow
descends ordained to a foreseen purpose, like a thing directed
to its mark : were it not so, the effect of the working of the
Heavens through which thou art journeying would be to
produce, not a perfect scheme, but a chaos : and that cannot
be, unless the Intelligences which direct these spheres are
defective, and the First Cause withal, who in that case hath
not created them perfect. Wouldst thou have this truth

I The truth here meant is the operation of God's providence through

the influences of the stars in directing and modifying the order of nature.
2 The planets .
 Paradise VIII, 113-141 335

more clearly stated ? ' And I : "Tis needless, for I see

that it cannot be that Nature should fall short in providing
I
what is requisite .' Then he once more ¹: " Say now, would
6
man lose on earth, if he were not a social being ? ' ' Aye,'
6
I replied, and of this I need no proof.' ' And can he be
so, unless in the world below there are various modes of life
in various functions ? He cannot, if your Master's 2 writings
say the truth.' Thus he proceeded by inference to the
present point ; anon he concluded thus : " The roots, then,
from which your operations arise, must needs be diverse : and
for this reason one is born to be a Solon, another to be
a Xerxes, another a Melchisedek, and another like him who
lost his son when flying through the air ³. The nature of the
revolving spheres, which, like a seal on wax, imprints itself
on mankind, exercises its art well, but doth not favour one
family above another. Hence it comes to pass that Esau
differs by birth from Jacob, and Romulus springs from so
mean a father that he is attributed to Mars. The nature of
the son would ever follow a like course to that of the parents,
were it not mastered by divine providence.
'Now that which was hidden from thee is revealed to The practi
cal lesson.
thee ; but that thou mayst know that I love thee well, I would
have thee possess thyself of a corollary 4. Ever doth nature,
when placed in circumstances ill-suited to it, fail to prosper,
like any other seed when out of its congenial soil. And did

He goes on to say, that the differences of character and abilities

which are required for the working of society cannot be produced by the
ordinary process of generation, but are introduced by the stellar influences.
2 Aristotle.
3 One is born to be a lawgiver, one to be a warrior, another a priest,
another a craftsman like Daedalus.
4 The practical lesson is, that persons should not be forced into pro
fessions for which they are ill-suited.
 336 Paradise VIII, 142— IX, 27

the world below give heed to the foundation laid by nature,

by following the lead of this it would cause society to be
virtuous but ye pervert from his natural bent to the service
of religion one who is born to gird on the sword, and make
him king who is fitted for the pulpit ; and thus your course
misses the right road.'

CANTO IX. THE THIRD HEAVEN,

OF VENUS

Carlo After thy Charles, fair Clemence, had enlightened me, he

Martello
withdraws. related to me the treacherous treatment which his offspring
was fated to receive ; but he said : ' Hold thy peace, and let
the years roll on ; so that I can say nothing, save that just
punishment will follow in the wake of your wrongs. And
now the spirit of that holy light had turned toward the Sun
that doth replenish it, for He is that Good which avails to
enlighten all things. Alas for you, deluded souls, ungodly
beings, who turn away your hearts from such perfection, while
ye direct your thoughts toward vanity !
Cunizza da And lo, another of those splendors approached me, and by
Romano. brightening
outwardly intimated its wish to gratify me. The
eyes of Beatrice, which as before were fastened on me, assured
6
me of her loving assent to my desire. Ah, speedily satisfy
my longing, blessed spirit,' I said, ' and prove to me that thou
canst read my thoughts.' Whereupon the light, which was
as yet unknown to me, from the depths of its lustre whence
its chant before proceeded, like one who delights in well
doing continued thus : In that part of the depraved land of
Italy which lies between Rialto and the sources of the Brenta
 Paradise IX, 28-53 337

and the Piava there rises a hill of no great altitude ¹ , whence

erewhile a firebrand 2 descended , which fiercely assailed the
neighbouring lands. From the same root both it and I were
sprung ; Cunizza was my name, and I shine here because the
light of this planet mastered me ³. But in a glad spirit I look
kindly on that which assigned me here, nor doth it vex me,
though to your common folk this might haply appear a hard
saying.
The brilliant and precious jewel of our Heaven, which is Corruption
of the
nearest to my side , hath left behind him great fame ; and Marca Tri
ere it expires the century which is now ending will be in- vigiana.
creased fivefold 5. Bethink thee whether a man should not
aim at excellence, so that when his first life ends another 6
may survive. Yet of this no thought affects the present
rabble which dwells between the Tagliamento and the Adige ",
nor hath chastisement yet brought them to repentance. But
soon it will come to pass that the Paduans at the marsh will
discolour 8 the water which laves Vicenza, because the folk
are stubborn in refusing that which is their duty 9. And
where the Sile and Cagnano unite 1º, one so vile ¹¹ lords it and
carries his head high, that already the net to catch him is
being woven. Feltro will yet rue its inhuman pastor's
¹ The district here meant is the Marca Trivigiana between Venice
and the Alps, and the place is the castle of Romano.
2 The tyrant Azzolino III , whose sister Cunizza was.
3 She carried on various amours. 4 Folco da Marsiglia.
5 i.e. his fame will last for an indefinitely long time.
6 His good name. 7 The inhabitants of the Marca Trivigiana.
8 With their blood. The river of Vicenza is the Bacchiglione.
⁹ They resisted the emperor Henry VII, but were defeated with great
slaughter by Can Grande.
10 At Treviso.
1 Riccardo da Camino, who was assassinated in consequence of his
adulteries.
TOZER Ꮓ
 ise
338 Parad IX , 54-81

treachery , which will be disgraceful beyond any for which

criminals have been imprisoned in Malta 2. The vat which
should contain the blood of Ferrara's sons must needs be
exceeding ample, and weary would he be who should weigh
it ounce by ounce ; which blood this courteous priest will
offer as a boon to prove his partisanship 3 ; and such-like gifts
will be in conformity with the conduct of his people. On
high there are mirrors-ye call them Thrones 4-whereby
God's judgements are clearly revealed to us, so that we
approve these utterances.' With that she ceased, and showed
me that she had turned to other thoughts by entering the circle
where she was before.
Folco da The other glad spirit 5, which was already known to me as
Marsiglia.
an object of admiration, presented to me the appearance of
a fine ruby smitten by the sun. In Heaven joy produces an
access of brightness, even as on earth it produces a smile ;
while in Hell the outward semblance of the shades is darkened
in proportion as the mind is sad. God sees all things, and
thy sight is in Him, blessed spirit, ' I said, ' so that no wish
can be concealed from thee. Why then doth not thy voice,
which in harmony with the songs of those saintly ardours that
covered themselves with six wings 6 doth ever enrapture
Heaven, grant satisfaction to my longings ? If I could read
thy thoughts as thou readest mine, I should not now be

¹ A bishop of Feltro surrendered to the Guelf governor of Ferrara

a number of citizens of Ferrara of the Ghibelline faction, who had sought
refuge with him ; and they were put to death.
2 Malta was the name of a prison within a castle.
3 To prove himself a good partisan of the Guelfs.
4 The third Order in dignity of the Intelligences.
5 Folco da Marsiglia, who was a gay troubadour, but later in life
became a monk, and was made bishop of Toulouse.
6 The Seraphim ; cp. Isa . vi . 2.
 Paradise IX, 82-108 339

waiting for thee to question me.'' 'The largest of the basins ¹

wherein the water is outspread which issues from the ocean
that surrounds the earth ' -such were then his opening words
-'extends so far against the sun's course between the con
trasted coasts , that it makes midday at the place where,
looking from its starting-point, is its horizon. On the shore
of that basin I was born, between the Ebro and the Macra,
which in its brief course separates the Genoese from the
Tuscans. Sunset and sunrise wellnigh correspond at Buggea
and the city whence I came, by the blood of whose citizens
erewhile the waters of its port were heated 3. Folco I was
called by those who knew my name, and this Heaven is
influenced by me, as I was by it ; for not more impassioned
was Belus' daughter 4, when she grieved at once Sichaeus and
Creusa, than was I, so long as it beseemed my hair ; nor the
maid of Rhodope 5, who was beguiled by Demophoon ; nor
Alcides , when Iole was enfolded in his heart. Yet here
contrition is not felt, but we smile, not at the sin, for that
recurs not to the mind, but at the Power whose providence
ordained this. Here in contemplating the skill which perfects
us we consider the greatness of the result, and we recognize
the Good, for the sake of which the world below returns to
that above.

1 Folco begins by mentioning his birthplace ; but instead of giving its

name, Marseilles, he describes it periphrastically as a place on the shore
of the Mediterranean, equidistant from the mouth of the Ebro in Spain
and that of the Macra in Italy, and in the same longitude as the town of
Buggea (now Bougie) in Africa.
2 Those of Europe and Africa.
3 The reference is to the carnage there, when Pompey's adherents
were defeated by D. Brutus, who commanded Caesar's fleet.
4 Dido, whose passion for Aeneas offended both Sichaeus, her former
husband, and Creusa, Aeneas' former wife.
5 Phyllis, who killed herself for love. 6 Hercules.
Z 2
 Paradise IX, 109-142
340

Rahab. The ' But in order that the wishes which have arisen in thy
avarice of
the higher heart in this sphere may be fully satisfied, I must yet further
clergy . prolong my discourse. Thou desirest to learn who is in this
light, which sparkles hard by me here, like a ray of sunshine
in clear water. Know then that within it Rahab¹ enjoys
perfect peace, and being associated with our order, contributes
exceedingly to its glory. By this Heaven, in which the
shadow of your world reaches its point 2 , first of all the souls
in Christ's triumph she was received on high. In sooth it
was meet to leave her in one of the spheres of Heaven as
a trophy of the mighty victory won by Christ's two palms
on the cross, seeing that she lent her aid to Joshua's first
triumph in the Holy Land, to which the Pope's memory gives
but little heed³. Thy city, which is an offspring of him *,
who first turned his back on his Creator, and whose envy is
the cause of so great woe, produces and disseminates the
accursed flower 5, which by converting the shepherds into
wolves hath led both the sheep and the lambs astray. For
the sake of this the Gospels and the great Doctors are
neglected, and the Decretals alone are diligently conned, as
their margins testify. This occupies the minds of the Pope
and the Cardinals ; toward Nazareth, the place whither Gabriel
winged his flight, their thoughts are not directed . But from
this prostitution the Vatican and the other Holy Places of
Rome, where lie the bones of the martyr host who followed
Peter, will ere long be delivered.'
* See Josh. ii.
2 The apex of the shadow of the earth was believed to be in the
sphere of Venus.
3 Boniface VIII took no thought for a Crusade for its recovery.
4 The Devil.
5 The lily on the golden florin of Florence.
6 Books of Ecclesiastical Law, the study of which was profitable.
 Paradise X, 1-31
341

CANTO X. THE FOURTH HEAVEN,

OF THE SUN

The primal and unspeakable Might, looking in the face of of The delight
contem
2 his Son with that Love which from both of them eternally plating the
proceeds, created in such order all things that revolve in mind system of
the universe.
or place , that whoso gazes thereat cannot but participate in
the fruition of Him. Lift then thine eyes, Reader, with me
to the spheres on high, toward the point where the one motion
intersects the other 2 ; and there begin to contemplate with
joy the art of that Master, who loves it so, as it exists within
His mind, that His eye is never withdrawn therefrom. See
how from that point branches off the oblique circle which
bears the planets³, to minister to the needs of the world
which invokes their aid ; and if their path were not oblique,
much influence in Heaven would be fruitless, and wellnigh
every agency on earth below would fail. And if it deviated
more or less from the right line , much would be imperfect in
the order of the world, both in the southern and the northern
hemisphere. Now keep thy seat, Reader, and reflect on that
whereof thou hast had a foretaste, if thou wouldst enjoy thy
fill ere thou art weary. I have spread the board for thee ;
partake now for thyself, for the subject on which I have
undertaken to write claims all my attention.
The highest of Nature's ministers 5, who impresses on the The fourth
Heaven, of
world the influence of Heaven, and by his light measures the Sun ;
time for us, being in contact with the point above mentioned, the Theo
logians.
Whether in the spiritual or the material world.
2 Where the equator and the ecliptic intersect one another ; this takes
place at the equinox.
3 The zodiac. 4 The equator. 5 The sun .
 342 Paradise X, 32-69

was revolving in the spirals, wherein he shows his face earlier

day by day and I was in his company ; but of my ascent
I was no more aware, than a man is conscious of a first
thought before it comes. O Beatrice - she who is seen to
increase in brilliancy so suddenly, that her change of appear
ance doth not reveal itself in time-how bright in herself she
must have been ! As for the objects within the sun which
now I entered, distinguishable not by colour but by access of
light, how much soever I may call genius, art and practice
to my aid, I would not say that they were ever imagined ;
yet a man may believe in them, and long to see them. And
'tis no marvel if for such sublimity our imaginings are all too
mean, for light superior to that of the sun eye never did
behold. Such in this sphere was the fourth family¹ of the
sublime Father, who evermore contents them by revealing
to them his relation to the Spirit and the Son. And Beatrice
6
began : Give thanks, give thanks to the Sun of the Angels,

Agents
vargra
who to this visible sun hath by His grace exalted thee.'
Twelve Never was heart of man so disposed to devotion, or so
spirits en
circle Dante ready with full satisfaction to surrender itself to God, as
and Bea I became on hearing those words ; and all my love was so
trice.
absorbed in Him, that Beatrice was eclipsed in oblivion.
She was not displeased thereby ; nay, so brightly did she
smile, that by the splendour of her beaming eyes my mind,
from being concentrated on one object, was diverted to the
observation of many. I beheld how manifold lustres, vivid
and dazzling, taking us for their centre formed a circle round
us, by the sweetness of their voices surpassing the brightness
of their looks. In such wise 2 ever and anon we see Latona's
daughter girdled, when the air is so charged, that it retains
The spirits of the Theologians.
2 The halo round the moon is here described.
 Paradise X, 70-99
343

the thread which forms her zone ¹. In the court of Heaven

whence I have returned many jewels there are so rare and
beautiful, that they cannot be transported from their rightful
seat ; and in the number of these was the singing of those
lights : whoso taketh not to himself wings to soar thither,
will learn no more from thence than if he question the dumb.
After those burning suns, chanting these strains, had thrice St. Thomas
Aquinas ; he
revolved around us, like the stars in the neighbourhood of names his
the steadfast poles, I likened them to ladies, who have not companions.
ceased from the dance, but pause in silence, listening till they
catch the recommencement of the music. And from one of
them² I heard the following words proceed : ' Since the beam
of grace, whereby true love is kindled, and which through
loving makes manifold increase, shines so brightly in thee,
that it conducts thee upward by that stairway, which no one
descends without mounting thither again ³ , he that should
refuse thee the wine from his vial to quench thy thirst must
be the victim of constraint, like water debarred from flowing
downward to the sea. Thou wouldst fain know of what
plants this garland is composed, which contemplates with joy
on every side the fair Lady, who empowers thee to ascend
to Heaven. I was one of the lambs of the holy flock that
Dominic leads by the path, where a man thrives well, if he
gives not himself unto vanity. He who is nearest to me on
my right was my brother and my master ; he is Albert of
Cologne , and I am Thomas of Aquino. If thou wouldst
It retains the light, which is the material that forms the halo.
2 St. Thomas Aquinas (thirteenth century) , the greatest theologian of
the middle ages.
3 This implies Dante's ultimate salvation.
4 The Dominican Order.
5 Albertus Magnus (thirteenth century), one of whose pupils Aquinas
was.
344 Paradise X, 100-128

have information concerning all the others, following my words

pass thine eyes round over the blessed garland. The next
radiance proceeds from the smile of Gratian, who benefited so
the one and the other court , that it causes joy in Paradise.
The other, who by his side adorns our choir, was that Peter,
who in the spirit of the poor widow made offering of his
treasure to Holy Church 2. The fifth light, which is the
fairest in our number, breathes forth such love, that all the
world below doth crave for news concerning it. Within it
dwells the lofty mind³, which was the receptacle of wisdom so
profound, that, if the Truth be true 4, in grasp of thought his
equal hath not arisen. Nigh to him thou seest the light of
that taper 5 , who, when in the flesh on earth, possessed a pro
found insight into the nature of the angels and their ministry.
In the tiny lustre which is next, the champion of the Christian
6
ages doth smile, of whose studied work Augustine availed
himself. Now, if thy mind's eye, following my praises, passes
from light to light, thou hast reached the eighth in thine
inquiry. Within it rejoices in the sight of the Highest Good
that saintly soul ' , who to those that listen to him aright doth
demonstrate the vanity of the world. The body whence he
was expelled lies in Cieldauro below, and his soul came from
¹ Gratian (twelfth century) by his Decretum brought into agreement
the secular and the ecclesiastical law.
2 Peter Lombard (twelfth century) in the Preface to his Sententiarum
Libri speaks of that work as a mite contributed to the Lord's treasury.
3 Solomon . 4 See I Kings iii. 12.
5 Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts xvii. 34), who was (erroneously)
supposed to have been the author of the De Caelesti Hierarchia, on
which work the scheme of the Paradiso is based.
6 Orosius (fifth century), the author of the Historiae adversus
Paganos.
7 Boëthius (sixth century), who wrote the De Consolatione Philo
sophiae.
 Paradise X, 129 - XI , 7 345

martyrdom and exile to this peace. Beyond him behold all

aflame the fervent spirits of Isidore , of Bede 2, and of
Richard ³, whose powers of contemplation were more than
human. This one, from whom thy looks come back to me,
is the lustre of a spirit so lofty, that in his grave meditations
the approach of death seemed to him all too slow. Th is
the immortal light of Sigier , who, when lecturing in the
Street of Straw 5, drew true conclusions which brought odium
upon him.'
Then, like a clock, which summons us at the hour when They circle
round.
the bride of God arises to serenade her bridegroom that she
may win his love, one part whereof pulls and impels the other,
sounding ' tin, tin ' with so sweet a note, that the devout
spirit teems with love ; so did I see the glorious circle move,
and sing responsively with such harmony, such sweetness, as
can only there be known where joy becomes eternal.

CANTO XI. THE FOURTH HEAVEN,

OF THE SUN

O insensate solicitude of mortals, how feeble are the argu- Contrast of

heaven and
ments which make thee wing thy course downwards ! One earth.
man was pursuing the law, one the precepts of medicine, one
the priestly office ; one was occupied in ruling by force or
fraud, one in committing robbery, one in civil business ; one

Bishop of Seville (seventh century), author of the Origines.

2 Ecclesiastical historian of Britain (eighth century) .
3 Richard of St. Victor (twelfth century), author of the De Contem
platione.
♦ Philosopher and theologian (thirteenth century) .
5 The Rue du Fouarre at Paris, which was the centre of the famous
University. 6 The Church.
 346 Paradise XI, 8-41

was wearying himself with the engrossing pleasures of the

flesh, and one was given up to sloth ; while I , exempt from
such-like cares, in Beatrice's company received so glorious
a welcome in Heaven above.
St. Thomas So soon as they had returned, each to the point in the
discourses
on St. Fran circle where he was before, they stopped as still as a candle
cis. on its stand. And I was ware that the spirit within that
light which had erewhile addressed me, increasing in bright
ness, thus with a smile commenced : ' Even as my brilliancy
proceeds from God's rays, so , when I regard the face of that
eternal light, I read there the origin of thy thoughts. Thou
art in doubt, and desirest that my words, where I said above :
'Where a man thrives well ',' and where I said : ' His
equal hath not arisen 2 ,' should be sifted anew in language so
clear and so explicit, that they may be brought down to the
level of thy perception ; and here there is need of lucid
explanation. The Providence which governs the world with
wisdom so great that every created eye fails to fathom it, in
order that the spouse of Him who to the sound of a loud cry
espoused her with His precious blood, might follow the path
which leads to her Beloved, confident in herself, and withal
more faithful to Him, ordained in her behalf two Chieftains³,
to serve as her guides on either hand . The one was wholly
seraphic in his ardour ; the other through wisdom was an
effulgence of cherubic light on earth. I will tell of one of
them , because the praise of one, whichever be chosen,
* This was said of the Dominicans in the preceding Canto (1. 96).
2 This was said of Solomon (1. 114) .
3 St. Francis and St. Domenic.
4 St. Francis. St. Thomas, a Dominican, is here chosen to sing the
praises of St. Francis, and in Canto XII St. Bonaventura, a Franciscan,
celebrates St. Domenic, in order to exclude the idea of rivalry between
the two Orders.
 Paradise XI , 42-65
347

applies to both, seeing that their works tended to the

same end.
'Between the Tupino and the water which descends from Francis
the hill which Saint Ubaldo chose, there slopes the fertile espouses
Poverty.
declivity of a lofty mountain , whence Perugia toward the
Porta Sole feels cold and heat 2, while behind it Nocera and
Gualdo groan under a heavy yoke³.yoke 3. From this declivity
where it falls most gently there dawned upon the world a sun,
as from the Ganges at times this planet doth. Wherefore
let him who speaks of that place not call it Ascesi * —that
would express too little-but Oriente 5, if he would give its
rightful name. He was not as yet far distant from his
18 rising, when he began to impart to the earth some comfort
from his mighty influence ; for while still a youth he incurred
6
his father's wrath for a lady's sake, to whom, even as to
death, no one doth unlock the gate of pleasure : and before
his spiritual court , and in his father's presence, he was
joined in marriage with her ; thereafter day by day he loved
her more devotedly. She, after being bereaved of her first
Spouse , for more than eleven centuries in contempt and

¹ Assisi, St. Francis' birthplace, is situated on the lower slopes of the

Monte Subasio, with the Tupino flowing on its southern side, and the
Chiascio on the western. The Chiascio rises near Gubbio, where
St. Ubaldo had his hermitage.
2 The Porta Sole is the eastern gate of Perugia ; the temperature of
the city, Dante says, is affected on that side by the neighbourhood of the
Monte Subasio.
3 These places were oppressed by the people of Perugia.
4 'I rose ' ; this is a play on the name Ascesi, which was the popular
form of Assisi in Dante's time.
5 The East,' a more dignified title.
6 Poverty. He embraced a life of poverty.
7 In the presence of the Bishop of Assisi he renounced his inheritance.
8 Christ, who lived a life of poverty..
 ise
348 Parad XI , 66-98

obscurity remained until his time without a suitor ; nor availed

it aught that men heard, how that he who inspired the whole
world with terror found her, in company with Amyclas,
unmoved at the sound of his voice ; nor did it avail that she
was enduring and courageous, so that, where Mary remained
at the foot of the cross, she was elevated on the cross with
Christ. But, that I may not continue to speak too darkly,
understand henceforth that these two lovers in my prolonged
discourse are Francis and Poverty.
His life and 6
Their unanimity and the gladness of their looks brought
his mission. it to pass that love and admiration and sympathetic regard
produced thoughts of saintliness ; - so much so that the
venerable Bernardo first went barefoot, and hasted in pursuit
of that perfect peace, and for all his haste he seemed to him
self to linger. O unimagined riches, O fruitful blessing !
Egidio goes barefoot, Silvestro goes barefoot in the bride
groom's footsteps ; so attractive is the bride. Then doth
that father, that master go on his way with his lady, and
with that family which now was girding on the humble cord ;
nor were his brows depressed with shame for that he was
Pietro Bernardone's son, and an object of unutterable con
tempt : but like a prince he declared to Innocent 2 his stern
intention, and received from him the first seal of his monastic
rule. After the sons of poverty multiplied under his lead
3
whose wondrous life would more fitly ³ be celebrated in the
glory of Heaven, the eternal Spirit speaking through Honorius

Two instances of the moral grandeur of poverty, which nevertheless

the world ignored, are here given-viz. the poor fisherman Amyclas, who
showed no signs of fear when Caesar visited him (Lucan, v. 504 foll.),
and Christ hanging naked on the cross.
2 Pope Innocent III, who in 1214 approved the Order.
3 More fitly than by unworthy Franciscan friars on earth.
 Paradise XI, 99-131
349

placed a second crown on this archimandrite's holy purpose ¹ ;

and when, in his thirst for martyrdom, he had preached in
the proud Sultan's presence of Christ and the others his
followers 2 ; and finding that folk all unripe for conversion,
that he might not tarry unavailingly, had returned to the
harvest of the Italian crop ; amid the rude rocks between the
Tiber and the Arno he received from Christ his final seal³ ,
which two years long his limbs did bear. When it seemed
good to Him who ordained him to such beatitude to exalt
him to the reward which by his self-abasement he had
merited, to his brethren, as his rightful heirs, he confided his
well-loved lady, and bade them love her faithfully ; and from
her bosom, when returning to his realm, the sublime spirit
willed to pass away, and for his body he desired no other
bier 4.
' Bethink thee now how great a man was he 5, who was Degenera
his worthy colleague in keeping the bark of Peter safe in the tion of the
Dominican
open sea by steering it aright ! And this man was our Order.
patriarch ; wherefore thou mayst be sure, that whoso follows
him in accordance with his behests is freighted with good
merchandise. But his flock have become so greedy of new
fare, that they needs must stray through various mountain
pastures ; and the more his sheep wander afar from him, the
smaller is the supply of milk which they bring back to the
sheepfold. True it is that some among them through fear of
harm keep close to the shepherd ; but so few they are, that
1 Honorius III gave his approval in 1223.
2 St. Francis visited Egypt in the hope of converting the Sultan.
3 The stigmata, which he is said to have received on the Monte
Alvernia in the Casentino.
4 When he felt his end approaching, he desired that he should be con
veyed to his chapel of the Portiuncula near Assisi , and should be laid on
the ground ; and there he died. 5 St. Domenic.
 350 Paradise XI, 132- XII, 21

it requires little cloth to make their cowls. Now, if my

words are not vague, if thou hast listened attentively, if thou
dost recall to mind what I have said, thy desire will in part
be satisfied ; for thou wilt recognize the tree from which the
splinter is broken , and withal the meaning of the wearer of
the thong 2 , when he saith : " Where a man thrives well, if
he gives not himself unto vanity."'

CANTO XII . THE FOURTH HEAVEN,

OF THE SUN

A second So soon as the saintly flame took up its final word to give
circle of
it utterance, the holy millstone began to revolve ; and it had
spirits is
formed. not completed its rotation ere it was encircled by another,
which followed its lead in the dance and in the song-the
song, which as far surpasses our Muses, our Sirens, in those
sweet instruments, as the original beam outshines the reflected
ray. As through a filmy cloud two arcs are described,
corresponding in lines and colours, what time Juno commands
her handmaid ³, the outer arc proceeding from the inner, like
the speech of that wandering sprite , who was consumed by
love as vapours are by the sun ; and they cause mankind
to augur, by reason of God's covenant with Noah, that the
world will not henceforth be destroyed by a flood 5 : so did
the two garlands of those everlasting roses revolve around us,
and so to the innermost did the outermost correspond.

I i. e. the fact from which the deduction is made.

2 The Dominican friar, St. Thomas. 3 Iris, the rainbow.
4 Echo, who wasted away through love of Narcissus.
5 Gen. ix. 12-15 .
 Paradise XII, 22-54
351

When the dance and the sublime festivity alike of singing St. Bona.
ventura
and of glistening, light sharing with light their joy and their extols
affection, had ceased correspondingly in time and in accord— St.Domenic.
like the eyes, which perforce, following the volition that
moves them, open and close together-from the heart of one
of the newly arrived lights there proceeded a voice, which
made me turn towards its station like the needle to the pole
star ; and it thus began : " The love which beautifies me
induces me to discourse concerning the other leader, for
whose sake so great praise hath been accorded to mine own ¹.
Fitting it is, that where one is introduced the other should be
also, so that, as they fought in the same service, their glory
in like manner should shine in common. Christ's host, which
cost so dear to arm afresh 2, was moving slowly, without
confidence, and in scant numbers behind its standard, when
the Emperor who reigns eternally took thought for his waver
ing soldiery, out of pure grace, not for their merit's sake ;
and, as hath been told, to succour his spouse he ordained
two champions, through whose deeds and words the mis
guided folk bethought them of their ways. In that region 3
where sweet zephyr rises to open the fresh leaves wherewith
Europe sees her attire renewed, not far withdrawn from the
beating of the waves + , behind which, to repose from his long
impetuous course, the sun at times hides him from mankind,
lies Calahorra the fortunate, beneath the protection of the
mighty shield, whereon the lion holds both the higher and
The praise which St. Thomas had accorded to St. Francis was
intended to lead up to that of St. Domenic. The speaker, St. Bona
ventura, is a Franciscan.
2 By the death of Christ which regenerated mankind,
3 Spain.
4 The Bay of Biscay is meant, where, from the point of view of Italy,
the sun sets in summer, since it lies to the north-west of that country.
352 Paradise XII, 55-82

the lower place . Within it was born the passionate lover

of the Christian faith , the saintly athlete, kindly to his
friends, but to his foes severe ; and so replete with living
power, even from its creation, was his spirit, that while he
was in his mother's womb it caused her to be prophetic ³.
After that the espousals were ratified between him and the
Christian faith at the holy font, where they endowed each
other with mutual safety, the lady who was his sponsor
beheld in a dream the wondrous fruit which should proceed
from him and from his followers ; and that he might be in
title what he was in truth, there proceeded from these realms
an inspiration, to assign him a name derived from His, who
possessed him entirely 5. Domenic he was called ; and of
him I speak as of the husbandman, whom for the benefit of
his garden Christ elected. In sooth he seemed a messenger
and a servant of Christ, for the first love which revealed itself
in him, was for the counsel of perfection which Christ gave.
Many a time was he found by his nurse awake and kneeling in
silence on the earth, as if he said : " For this I have come
into the world." How rightly was his father called Felice ?!
How rightly was his mother called Giovanna ³, if the wonted
interpretation of the name be true ! Not from worldly views,
for which men nowadays weary themselves, after the example

¹ In one of the quarterings of the arms of Spain the Lion is above the
Castle, in another beneath.
2 St. Domenic was the champion of orthodoxy.
3 She dreamed that she brought forth a dog, spotted black and white,
which bore a lighted torch in its mouth.
4 His godmother dreamed that he bore a star on his forehead, which
illumined the world.
5 Dominicus, derived from Dominus.
The rule of poverty ; cp. Matt. xix. 21. 7 Happy..
8 Favoured of God.
 Paradise XII , 83-118
353

of him of Ostia and of Taddeo 2, but from love of the true

manna, in a brief space he acquired so great learning, that he
set himself to make inspection of the vineyard, which soon
withers if the vine-dresser is wicked : and from the See,
which aforetimes was more friendly to the righteous poor
(not by its own fault, but by his who occupies it, who goes
astray), he requested- not licence to dispense a fraction of
a dole ³, not the option of the first vacant benefice, not the
tithes which belong rightly to God's poor -but liberty to
combat with the sinful world for the seed 4 , whence sprang
the four-and-twenty plants that encircle thee. Then in the
strength at once of learning and of zeal, invested with his
apostolic office he went forth, like a torrent bursting from
a mountain source, and smote by his onset the undergrowth
of heresy, most vigorously there where the resistance was
most stubborn. Anon from him proceeded manifold rills 5
whereby the garden of the Church is watered, so that its
shrubs display new life.
' If such was one wheel of the car, wherein Holy Church Corruption
of the
defended herself, and was victorious in the field in her civil Franciscans.
war, thou must recognize without fail the excellence of the
other, of whom before my arrival Thomas spake so courteously.
But the track which was left by the topmost part of its felly '
is forsaken, so that where once the crust was, there is now
the mould. His family, which at starting walked strictly in
his footsteps, hath so changed its course, that it sets the point
of the foot upon the heel7 ; and soon there will be evidence
A writer on the Decretals. 2 A celebrated physician.
3 i. e. to keep back the greater part of a charitable bequest.
4 The Faith, by which the Theologians were nurtured.
5 His followers.
6 By this expression St. Francis himself is meant.
7 i. e. walks in the opposite direction.
TOZER A a
 Paradise XII , 119-145
354

of the result of this bad husbandry, when the tares complain

that they are excluded from the granary ¹ . Doubtless I would
affirm , that whoso examined our volume leaf by leaf would
still find pages where he could read the words ' I am as I am
wont ' ; but such would not come from Casale, nor from
Acquasparta, the representatives of which so regard the
Franciscan rule, that while the one shirks it, the other makes
it more stringent 2.
Other ' I am the spirit of Bonaventura of Bagnoregio , who in the
eminent
theologians. discharge of high offices ever gave temporal interests the
second place. Illuminato and Augustino are here, who were
among the first of the barefooted paupers, who by wearing
the cord became the friends of God. Hugo of St. Victor 3
4
is here in their company, and Petrus Comestor and Petrus
Hispanus 5 , whose fame on earth twelve treatises proclaim ;
Nathan the prophet, and the metropolitan Chrysostom, with
Anselm , and that Donatus ' who deigned to treat of the
first of the sciences ; Rabanus 8 is here, and by my side
the Abbot Joachim of Calabria shines, who was gifted with
the spirit of prophecy. To celebrate this mighty champion
of the Faith the courteous enthusiasm of Brother Thomas
and his discreet address compelled me ; and not me only, but
this company withal.'
I This refers to a schism in the Franciscan Order.
2 Matteo d'Acquasparta relaxed the rule ; Ubaldino di Casale rigidly
enforced it.
3 A mystic theologian (twelfth century).
4 So called as being a devourer of books (twelfth century).
5 Author ofthe Summulae Logicales (thirteenth century) ; he became
Pope John XXI.
Author of the Cur Deus homo ; Archbishop of Canterbury (twelfth
century). 7 Grammarian of the fourth century.
8 Rabanus Maurus, theologian of the eighth and ninth centuries.
⁹ Mystic theologian (twelfth century) .
 Paradise XIII, 1-24 355

CANTO XIII. THE FOURTH HEAVEN,

OF THE SUN

Let him imagine ¹ , who would fully understand what I now The circles
of spirits
saw (and while I speak let him retain the image firm as sing and
a rock) , that fifteen stars, which quicken divers spaces of the dance.
sky with light so clear, that it overpowers all density of
the atmosphere- let him imagine that the Wain, for which
the vault of our heaven suffices both by night and day, so
that no part of it disappears with the turning of its pole-let
him imagine that the mouth of that horn, which commences
2
at the point of the axle round which the first sphere of the
Heavens revolves-that these had formed themselves into two
constellations in the sky, resembling that which Minos'
daughter 3 formed, what time she felt the chill of death ; and
that the one was encircled by the other's rays, and that both
revolved in such wise, that one moved forward and the other
backward : and he will have an image of the true constella
tion, and of the twofold dance, which was moving round the
point where I was—a faint image, for that as far surpasses
our experience, as the motion of the Heaven which exceeds
in speed the rest surpasses the movement of the Chiana ¹.
In this passage the Poet compares the appearance of the twenty-four
spirits of the Theologians, as they dance around him, to that of twenty
four of the brightest of the fixed stars, if grouped into two concentric
circles. The twenty-four required stars are made up of fifteen taken
from various parts of the sky, seven from the Great Bear (the Wain) ,
and two from the Little Bear, which is here compared to a horn.
2 The pole-star.
3 Ariadne, from whose head at the time of her death Bacchus took the
garland which she wore, and placed it among the stars as the Corona
Borealis.
4 The swiftest of the Heavens is the Primum Mobile ; the Chiana is
a very sluggish stream.
A a 2
 356 Paradise XIII , 25-52

There the theme of their song was not Bacchus, nor Apollo,
but three Persons in the divine nature, and that nature joined
with the human in one person .
The ques The singing and the circling accomplished their measure,
tion of
Solomon's and those saintly lights gave heed to us, joyfully passing from
unrivalled one function to the other. Anon the silence amid the
wisdom .
harmonious divinities was broken by that light, the spirit '
within which had narrated to me the wondrous life of God's
pauper 2 ; and he said : ' Now that one ear of corn hath been
threshed, now that the grain from it hath been garnered,
kind love induces me to thresh the other 3. Thou thinkest
that into the breast, whence the rib was taken to form her
fair cheek, whose taste costs all the world so dear ; and into
that breast, which, when transfixed by the spear, made so full
satisfaction for all sins, past and future, that it outweighs in
the scale the transgressions of all mankind ; all the light
which human nature may possess was infused by that Power
which created both of them : and therefore thou art surprised
by what I said above, when I declared that the blessed spirit
enclosed within the fifth light had no equal. Now open
thine eyes to the answer which I give thee, and thou wilt see
that thy thoughts and my words correspond as exactly in
the statement of the truth as do the radii of a circle to one
another.
6
All things , be they incorruptible or corruptible, are

St. Thomas Aquinas. 2 St. Francis.

3 The question which St. Thomas proceeds to discuss is that arising
from the statement that Solomon had no equal in wisdom. It has
occurred to Dante's mind that Adam and Christ ought to be preferred
before him in that respect. St. Thomas, while admitting this, explains
that the wisdom which was poken of in Solomon's case was practical
wisdom, and with this qualification the statement is true.
4 The argument is, that only what is created immediately by God is
 Paradise XIII, 53-84
357

naught else than a bright ray emanating from our Master's The supe
thought, which is generated by His love ; for that living Adam
riority and
of
Light, which proceeds in such wise from its Source of light, Christ.
that it cannot but be in Unity both with Him and with the
Love which forms with them a Trinity, out of its good will
focuses its rays, as in a mirror, in nine subsistences ¹ , itself
remaining eternally one. From these its rays pass downward
to their last stage of working, descending so far through
successive phases of action, that at last they produce but
perishable results ; and these I understand to be things gene
rated, such as, either with or without seed, the Heavens by
their movement create. Both the matter which forms these
things and the influence which guides them are variable ; and
therefore afterward the wax which hath been stamped by the
divine idea shows varying degrees of brilliancy : hence it
comes to pass that trees of the same species produce fruits
of different quality, and that ye are born with differences of
character. If the wax were moulded in perfection, and the
Heavens exercised their influence completely, the brightness
derived from the seal would appear in full ; but Nature ever
supplies this in diminished measure, thus resembling in her
work the artist who hath experience in his art, but an unsteady
hand. Yet, if the fervent Love disposes and seals the clear
Vision of the primal Power 2 , in that case the greatest possible
perfection is the result. Thus once the " dust of the ground "
was made worthy to form a living being 3 in every respect
perfect ; thus it was that the Virgin conceived a Child.
perfect, and as Adam and Christ in His human nature were the only men
so created, their wisdom must have been superior to that of all other
men, including Solomon.
The nine Intelligences, which preside over the nine Heavens.
2 i. e. if all the Persons of the Trinity combine to operate im
mediately. 3 Adam .
 358 Paradise XIII , 85-116

Wherefore I approve of thy opinion, that human nature never

hath been, and never will be, what it was in those two
persons.
Solomon's ' Now, if I continued my speech no farther, " How then
was practi
cal wisdom . was he of whom thou spakest without an equal ? " is what
thou wouldst begin to say. But in order that what is obscure
may become fully clear, bethink thee who he was, and what
was the cause which prompted his request, when it was said
to him : " Ask¹." My speech hath not been so dark, that
thou shouldst fail to see clearly that he was a king, who asked
for wisdom in order that he might be a competent king ; —not
that he might know the number of the Intelligences who
move the spheres on high, or whether from a necessary and
a contingent premiss the conclusion may be necessary ; not
whether we must grant that motion had a beginning, or
whether it is possible to inscribe in a semicircle a triangle
which should not have a right angle. Hence, if thou heedest
this and what I said before, that unrivalled insight on which
the shaft of mine intention strikes is kingly prudence. And,
if thou regardest aright the expression " Hath arisen 3,” thou
wilt see that it refers to kings alone, who are many in number,
but the good are rare. Accept my saying with this limitation,
and it is reconcilable with thy view concerning the first father
and Him who is our joy 4 .
The danger ' Further, let this be ever a clog to thy steps, to cause thee
of hasty
to move slowly, like a weary man, towards either affirmation
judgements.
or negation, where thy view is not clear ; for whoso asserts or
denies without qualification is very low down in the number
1 1 Kings iii. 5, ' God said , Ask
what I shall give thee.'
2 These which follow are speculative questions.
3 In the sense of ' Rose above others.'
4 Concerning Adam and Christ.
 Paradise XIII, 117— XIV, 5 359

of the foolish, as much in the one as in the other case ;

seeing that it happens, that a hastily formed opinion full often
inclines to the wrong side, and thereafter the judgement is
hampered by personal feeling. He that investigates truth.
without due equipment, not only gains nothing by loosing his
moorings, but returns in worse plight than when he started :
and of this the world hath clear evidence in Parmenides,
Melissus, Brissus and others ' , who went they knew not
whither. The same was the case with Sabellius and Arius 2,
and those fools, who in their treatment of the Scriptures were
like a sword-blade, which distorts the natural countenance ·
Let not the folk be as yet too confident in their judgements,
like one who sets a value on the corn in the field ere it be
ripe ; for I have seen the brier, after wearing a stiff and rude
aspect throughout the spring, anon bear the rose on its
summit ; and erewhile I saw a vessel, which traversed the
sea in a straight and swift course throughout, sink at last at
the harbour's mouth. Let not Madam Bertha or Sir Martin4
think, when they see one man steal and another make
offerings, that they behold their lives even as God's judgement
sees them, for the one may rise and the other fall.'

CANTO XIV. THE FOURTH AND FIFTH

HEAVENS

From the centre to the circumference, and from the cir- The nature
of man's
cumference to the centre, water moves in a round bowl,
glorified
according as it is smitten within or without. This which body.
I say dropped of a sudden into my mind, so soon as the

Sophistical philosophers. 2 Heretics.

3 i. e. when the face is reflected in it. 4 Ordinary persons.
 360 Paradise XIV, 6-42

glorious spirit of Thomas ceased from speaking, by reason of

the resemblance which arose between his utterance and that
of Beatrice, who after him was pleased to commence as
6
follows. This one hath need, though neither by his voice
nor as yet in thought doth he declare it to you, to sound the
depths of another verity. Tell him whether the light which
emanates from your substance will abide with you eternally as
it is at present ; and if it will, tell him how it can be, after
ye have once more become visible, that the sight • thereof
should not harm you.' As those who are dancing in a round,
when impelled and drawn by an access of delight, all together
uplift their voices and enliven their gestures ; so at that earnest
and pious prayer did the saintly circles display fresh joy in
their rotatory movement and their wondrous harmony. He
that laments because we must die here as the condition of
living in the world above, hath not seen there the refreshment
of the eternal rain.
Solomon That one and two and three that lives for aye, and reigns
discourses
upon it. evermore in three and two and one, incomprehensible and
2
comprehending all things, had thrice been sung by each of
those spirits with such melody as for the highest merit would
be a full recompense, when within the divinest light of the
lesser ring I heard a modest voice³ reply, haply like that of
the Angel addressing Mary : So long as the festival of
Paradise shall last, our love will radiate around us such
a vesture. Its brightness will correspond to our fervour, the
fervour to our power of sight, and that is in proportion to
the grace it hath in addition to its natural gifts. When the

The point illustrated by the comparison is the movement of the

voices in opposite directions.
2 The subject of their song is the Trinity in Unity.
3 The voice of Solomon.
 Paradise XIV , 43-84
361

glorious saintly flesh hath been resumed, our person will be

more acceptable because of its completeness. By this the free
gift of light which the Highest Good bestows-light which
empowers us to behold Him-will be increased ; and thus
our vision of Him must increase, and therewith the fervour
which is kindled by it, and the brightness withal that pro
ceeds therefrom. But, as is the case with a live coal which
sends forth flame, yet by the intensity of its brightness so far
overpowers it, that it can be still distinctly seen, so this efful
gence, which now envelops us, will be surpassed in the clear
ness of its aspect by the flesh, which now the earth doth ever
hide ; nor will that keen light have power to fatigue us, for
the organs of the body will avail for every object that can
give us pleasure.' So ready on the instant to say ' Amen '
did either choir appear to me, that they clearly manifested
their desire to regain their dead bodies ; nor only for them
selves, maybe, but for their mothers, their fathers, and the
others whom they loved ere they became eternal flames.
And lo, around them a lustre of equal brilliancy arose in A third ring
of spirits is
addition to what was there, like the horizon when it brightens. formed.
Then, as at the approach of eve new lights begin to appear.
in the sky, so that the sight seems real, and yet unreal,
methought I began to see new spirits there, who formed a ring.
without the other two circles. O veritable scintillation of the
Holy Spirit, how in a moment did it display its brilliancy
to mine eyes, which were overpowered and endured it not !
But Beatrice presented herself to me so fair and smiling, that
this I must leave in the number of those sights which have
passed out of my mind. From it mine eyes regained the
power to lift themselves afresh, and I found myself alone with
my Lady translated to higher blessedness ¹.
I They now enter the fifth Heaven, where are the Warrior Saints and
Martyrs.
 362 Paradise XIV, 85-121

The fifth Well was I aware that I had risen aloft, by reason of the
of
Mars; the planet's burning smile, which, methought, was ruddier than
figure of the its wont. With a full heart, and in that language which is
Cross.
common to all mankind ' , I made my holocaust to God, in
measure corresponding to the newly conferred boon ; andthe
ardour of that sacrifice had not yet been quenched within my
breast, when I perceived that this offering of mine was found
acceptable and welcome ; for within two rays splendours 2 so
luminous and so ruddy appeared to me, that I exclaimed :
' O Sun, who dost adorn them thus ! ' As, variegated by
greater and lesser lights, the galaxy gleams so white from
pole to pole, that it perplexes minds exceeding wise ; with
stars so grouped did those two rays form in the depths of
Mars the venerable sign, which quadrants joining in a circle
make. Here doth my memory overtax my powers, for from
that cross Christ beamed forth so radiant, that I can find
naught adequate to illustrate it : but he who takes up his cross
and follows Christ will hereafter pardon me for my omission,
when he sees Christ blaze forth in the brightness of that
cross. From one arm of the cross to the other, and from the
summit to the foot, lights were moving, which sparkled keenly
as they met and as they passed. In such wise here on earth
motes of all sizes are seen to move -level and aslant, swiftly
and slowly, changing their appearance -within a ray of light,
wherewith at times the shade is streaked, which to ward off
the sun men contrive for themselves with cunning art. And
as a violin or harp, tuned in harmony with many strings,
makes a sweet tinkling in his ears who hath not caught the
tune ; so from the lights which there appeared to me there

The language of the heart , not expressed in words.

2 These are the spirits grouped in two luminous stripes, which are
placed transversely to one another so as to form a cross.
 Paradise XIV, 122- XV, II 363

gathered along the cross a melody, whereby I was enraptured

without comprehending the hymn. Right well I recognized
that it was a burst of sublime praise, seeing that the words
' Arise and conquer ' ' reached me, like one who, though
hearing, understands not : by this I was so enamoured, that
till then no other thing had captivated me with bonds so sweet.
Maybe, my words seem overbold, in that I depreciate the
charm of those fair eyes, in gazing on which my desire finds
repose. But he who bethinks him that the quickening seals.
of every form of beauty are more active in proportion as they
are higher, and that in that sphere I had not turned me
toward those eyes, may excuse me for that whereof I accuse
myself in order to exculpate myself, and may see that I speak
the truth, because in what I say the holy joy is not ignored,
since by rising upward it is intensified ³.

CANTO XV. THE FIFTH HEAVEN,

OF MARS

Benevolence of will, into which the love which inspires Warrior

Saints and
righteous feelings ever resolves itself, as doth cupidity into Martyrs.
an unjust will, imposed silence on that sweet lyre, and caused
those saintly chords, which are pulled or slackened by
Heaven's right hand, to cease their strains. How should
those spirits fail to listen to pious prayers, when, to en
courage me to solicit them, they with one accord were
silent ? "Tis just that he, who through his love of things
I With these words the warrior spirits celebrate Christ as conqueror.
2 The planetary spheres.
3 Dante means that Beatrice's eyes still surpassed every other source
of delight, but that he had not seen them since their beauty was enhanced
by entering this higher sphere.
 Paradise XV, 12-47
364

transitory deprives him for evermore of that love, should

lament eternally.
A bright As across a serene and spotless sky ever and anon there
spirit ap
proaches. shoots a sudden fire, causing the eyes which were before at
rest to move, and seems as it were a star that shifts its site,
save that in the quarter whence it flashes none is lost, and
itself abides not long ; so from the arm of that cross which
stretches to the right, even to its foot there sped a star from
forth the constellation which glitters there ; nor did the jewel
pass the limits of its ribbon, nay, it ran across the brilliant
stripe, resembling a flame seen through alabaster. With like
affection, if we may trust our prince of poets¹ , did Anchises'
shade reach out towards his son when he met him in Elysium.
Caccia ' O mine own offspring² ! O grace of God shed over
guida, thee ! to whom, as to thee, hath the gate of Heaven ever
Dante's
ancestor, been twice opened 3 ?' So spake that light ; whereupon I
addresses
him . gave heed to him . Anon I turned my face toward my Lady,
and found cause for wonderment on either hand ; for within
her eyes there appeared a smile so glowing, that methought
I had fathomed with mine own the depths of my grace and
of my blessedness. Then with gladness in his speech and
looks did the spirit follow up his initial words with themes
of so deep meaning that I comprehended them not : nor was
it from choice that he concealed his meaning from me, but
of necessity, because his thought rose above the mark of
mortal men. And when the impulse of his burning love
was so far moderated, that his speech was lowered to the
level of our intellect, the first thing that I understood was
this : Blessed art Thou, O Three in One, who toward
Virgil : cp. Aen. vi. 684-6.
2 The speaker is Cacciaguida, Dante's great-great- grandfather.
3 ' Twice,' because he would be admitted to Heaven again after death.
 Paradise XV, 48-81
365

mine offspring art so gracious.' Then he continued : ' A

pleasing desire of long standing, contracted by reading in the
mighty tome , wherein no entry, whether fair or foul, is ever
erased, thou hast appeased in me, my son, robed as I am in
this light wherein I speak to thee, thanks to her, who hath
invested thee with wings for thy lofty flight. Thou deemest
that thy thought passes to me from Him who is the first
Existence, even as from the unit, when once it is known,
other numbers radiate² : and therefore thou askest me not
who I am, or wherefore I appear to thee more joyous than
any other in this glad company. Thou deemest rightly ; for
all, whether great or small, in this our life look into that
mirror, wherein thy thought, ere it is formed, is manifested.
But in order that the sacred love wherein I watch, perpetually
gazing, and which causes me to thirst with sweet desire, may
have fuller satisfaction, let thy voice with confidence and
strength and gladness proclaim the wish, proclaim the long
ing, whereto my reply already is determined.'
I turned me toward Beatrice, and ere I spake she heard Dante's
reply.
me, and vouchsafed a token, which caused the wings of my
desire to grow. Anon I thus began : From what time the
first Equality was revealed to you ³ , feeling and power of
thought were equally balanced in each one of you, because
the Sun, who enlightened and kindled you by His heat and
His light, is so equal in His attributes that all comparisons
are nothing worth. But in mortal men, for a reason which
ye clearly see, the wish and the means to give effect to that
wish are developed in different degrees. Hence I who am a

I The book of God's foreknowledge.

2 Are calculated from it as from a starting-point.
3 From the time of your entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, when
God, in whom all attributes equally exist, was revealed to you.
 366 Paradise XV, 82-110

mortal am aware of this disparity in my powers, and therefore

by my heart alone I express my gratitude for thy paternal
welcome. Yet I beseech thee, O living topaz, that dost as
a gem adorn this precious jewellery 2 , to satisfy my longing
with thy name.'
The life of ' My leaf, in whom I took pleasure even while I waited
Florence in
the olden for thee, I was thy root ' : such were his opening words, as
time. he replied to me. Anon he said : ' He from whom thy
family takes its name ³ , and who for a hundred years and
more hath been moving round the first Cornice of the Moun
tain ¹, was my son and thy great-grandfather : rightly shouldst
thou shorten by thy good offices 5 the long term of his weari
ness. Florence then within her ancient enclosure, from
which she still takes both tierce and nones 6, abode in peace,
sober and chaste. No fine chains had she, no coronets, no
gaily sandalled ladies, no belts that attracted the eye more
than the figure did. Not yet did the daughter at her birth
inspire her father with fear, for the marriageable age and the
dowry transgressed not the due limit on either hand. Florence
had no childless families ; not yet had Sardanapalus 7 entered
there to show what chambering may do. Not yet by your
8
Uccellatoio was Montemalo surpassed, which, as it was out
By feeling without words. Dante here excuses himself for being
unable to thank Cacciaguida aright. 2 The cross .
3 Cacciaguida's son, Aldighiero, from whom the Alighieri obtained
their name. 4 The Cornice where pride was expiated.
5 By intercessions in his behalf.
• The reference is to the chimes of the Badia, which stood just within
the ancient walls.
7 The typical representative of effeminacy and luxury.
⁹ Uccellatoio and Montemalo (now Monte Mario) were the hills from
which respectively Florence and Rome were seen by one coming from the
north. The points of view are here taken to stand for the cities them
selves.
 Paradise XV, III -144
367

rivalled in its rise, will be so likewise in its fall. I saw

Bellincion Berti¹ walk with leather belt and clasp of bone,
and his lady come from her mirror without paint on her
cheeks ; and I saw the heads of the Nerli and the Vecchietti ²
content with undraped leathern suits, and their ladies content
with the spindle and the flax on the distaff. O fortunate
dames ! they were sure, one and all, of their burial-place ;
nor for the sake of France was any yet deserted in her bed ³.
One kept careful watch beside the cradle, and in her lullaby
used the language in which fathers and mothers first find
delight ; another, while drawing its tresses from off the
distaff, recounted to her household stories of the Trojans,
of Fiesole, and of Rome. In those days a Cianghella or a
Lapo Salterello would have been deemed as great a portent
as Cincinnatus and Cornelia would be now. To a citizen
life so serene, so seemly, to so trustworthy a community, to
so sweet an abode Mary consigned me, when invoked with
loud cries 5 ; and in your ancient baptistery I was at once
baptized and named Cacciaguida. Moronto and Eliseo were
my brothers ; from the valley of the Po my wife came to
me, and thence arose the surname thou bearest 6. Anon I
followed the emperor Conrad 7, who made me one of his
belted knights, so greatly by my good service did I win his
favour. In his train I proceeded against that unrighteous
rule , whose followers, through the fault of the shepherds

¹ A fine specimen of the worthy citizens.

2 Two noble Florentine families.
3 They were not forced to emigrate, nor did their husbands leave
them , and settle in France as traders.
4 Two dissipated Florentines.
5 i.e. in the pangs of childbirth. 6 Alighieri.
7 Conrad III of Suabia, who was one of the leaders of the Second
Crusade. 8 The Mahometan religion .
 368 Paradise XV, 145— XVI , 21

of the Church, usurp your just rights. There by that base

folk was I freed from the trammels of the delusive world,
the love whereof debases many a soul, and from my martyr
dom I came to this repose.'

CANTO XVI . THE FIFTH HEAVEN,

OF MARS

Dante's Alas for our noble birth, unworthy possession ! never

pride of
birth. henceforth shall I wonder, if here on earth, where our
aspirations are so faint, thou causest men to glory in thee,
seeing that in that realm where desires are not misdirected—
in Heaven, I mean- I gloried therein. In sooth thou art
a mantle that quickly shrinks, so that, unless thou art added
to day by day, time goes about thee with his shears . My
speech recommenced with ' You 2,' the form of address that
Rome first permitted , and which her sons less carefully
maintain. Whereat Beatrice, who had withdrawn a brief
space, by her smile resembled that lady 3, who coughed at
Guinevere's first recorded transgression. I thus began :
'You are my father ; you bestow on me full confidence in
speaking ; you exalt me so that I rise above myself. By
so many rills my mind is filled with gladness, that it takes
pleasure in itself at being able uninjured to contain so much
I e. thou art constantly being diminished by time.
¹i.
2 The plural of dignity. This use was introduced at a late period of
the Roman empire, and was being neglected by the Romans of Dante's
time.
3 The Lady of Malehault, who coughed when she noticed the
familiarity between Guinevere and Lancelot on the occasion of their first
meeting. Similarly Beatrice by her smile intimated that she noticed
Dante's pride in his ancestor.
 Paradise XVI , 22-52
369

joy. Tell me then, dear forefather mine, who were your

ancestors, and what the years which were registered in your
boyhood . Tell me concerning the sheepfold of St. John,
what was then its size 2, and who were the folk within it
worthy ofthe highest dignities.'
As, when the winds breathe, coal quickens into flame, so Caccia
at my blandishments did I see that light shine brighter ; and guida's date
and ance s
as it became more beautiful to mine eyes, so too in tones tors ; the
more sweet and gentle, but not with the modern mode of population
" "" of Florence.
speech we use, it said to me : From the day when " Ave
3
was spoken to the date of the birth-pangs whereby my
mother, who is now a saint, was delivered of me with whom
she was pregnant, this planet came five hundred and eighty
times to the Lion, its proper sign, to renew its fires beneath
5
his paw . My ancestors and I were born in the place
where the last ward is first reached by him who runs in your
annual sports.Of my progenitors suffice it us to hear this
much ; who they were, and whence they came hither, it
beseems me more to leave unspoken than to tell . The full
number of those who were then capable of bearing arms in
that city between Mars and the Baptist , were a fifth part
of those who live there now. But the body of the citizens,
which now is mixed with immigrants from Campi, from
Certaldo, and from Fighine, was seen to be pure down to the
lowest artisan. Ah, how far better would it be, that the

1 i.e. what was about your date.

2 What was the population of Florence at that time.
3 From the Annunciation ; in other words, from the Christian era.
4 The date which is here intended for Cacciaguida's birth is about
1090.
5 The Mercato Vecchio.
6 Between the Ponte Vecchio, where stood the statue of Mars, and
the church of St. John the Baptist, which is now the Baptistery.
TOZER B b
 Paradise XVI , 53-81
370

families of whom I speak should be your neighbours, and

that your confines should be at Galluzzo and Trespiano ¹ ,
than that ye should have them in your midst, and should
endure the offensiveness of the churl of Aguglione ², and of
him of Signa, who even now hath keen eye for jobbery !
If that class who are the most degenerate of mankind had
not acted like a stepmother to Caesar ³ , but had been
benevolent, as a mother to her son, some who have become
Florentines and discount and trade, would have returned to
Simifonti, where their grandfathers were wont to go a-begging.
Montemurlo would still be in the possession of the Conti
Guidi ; the Cerchi would be in the parish of Acone, and
haply the Buondelmonti in the valley of the Greve. Ever
hath the intermingling of persons been the source of woe to
cities, as superfluity of food is to the human frame. And
the blind bull meets with a more sudden fall than a blind
lamb, and ofttimes a single sword inflicts more and sharper
wounds than five swords do 4. Bethink thee how Luni and
Urbisaglia have passed away, and how in their wake Chiusi
and Sinigaglia are disappearing, and it will seem no hard or
strange thing to thine ears to be told that families die out,
seeing that cities come to an end. All earthly things perish
as yourselves do ; but in some, which exist for long, the
downfall is not seen, and withal men's lives are brief. And

Two villages within a few miles of Florence.

2 Baldo d'Aguglione, who took part in the decree of perpetual banish
ment against Dante in 1311.
3 The meaning of this passage is, that, if the clergy had not set them
selves to oppose the Imperial power, there would not have been those
feuds in the small Italian towns, which ruined them, and caused their
inhabitants to take refuge in Florence, where they became traders.
4 Increase of size is a source of danger, and increase of numbers is an
impediment to action.
 Paradise XVI, 82-111 371

as by its revolution the Heaven of the moon doth unceasingly

I
conceal and reveal the sea-shores ¹ , so doth fortune deal with
Florence ; wherefore that which I shall tell thee of the
eminent Florentines whose fame time hath obscured need
appear no marvel.
' I saw the Ughi, I saw the Catellini, the Filippi, the The leading
families in
Greci, the Ormanni and the Alberichi already in their his day.
decline, illustrious citizens ; I saw too, grand in estate no
less than ancient lineage, the head of the Sannella, and him
of the Arca family, and the Soldanieri, the Ardinghi, and
the Bostichi. Over the gate 2, which at the present time
is laden with recent treachery of so great burden, that ere
long it will cause the loss of the vessel, were the Ravignani,
from whom Count Guido is descended, and whoso hath
subsequently taken the great Bellincione's name. He of the
La Pressa family already understood the art of ruling, and
Galigaio already had the hilt and the pommel designed in
gold upon his house . Already was the column vair 3 in
honour, with the Sacchetti, the Giuochi, the Fifanti, the
Barucci, and the Galli, and they who blush by reason of
the bushel . The stock whence the Calpucci sprang was .
already eminent, and the Sizii and the Arrigucci were already
summoned to the curule chairs. In how high estate did
I see those who are ruined by their pride ! and the golden
balls 5 embellished Florence in all their mighty deeds . Such
I i. e. causes the ebb and flow of the tide.
2 The Porta San Piero, where now the Cerchi lived, who were the
heads ofthe White Guelfs.
3 A column decorated with spotted fur, which the Pigli bore on their
shield.
4 The Chiaramontesi, one of whose members had falsified the bushel
measure.
5 These were on the arms ofthe Lamberti.
Bb 2
 Paradise XVI, 112-140
372

too was the conduct of the ancestors of those ' , who, as

often as your bishopric is vacant, enrich them by abiding.
in their consistory. That overbearing race 2 , which pursues
like a dragon one who flies, and toward one who shows his
teeth, or maybe his purse, is as peaceful as a lamb, was
already rising, though its numbers were small, so that Ubertin
Donato was ill-pleased by his father-in-law afterward making
him their relation. Already from Fiesole Caponsacco had
come down to the market-place, and Giuda and Infangato
were good citizens. What I now shall mention, though
incredible, is true ; the inner circle was entered by a gate,
which took its name from the Peruzzi ³. Every one who
shares the honour of bearing the fair ensign of the Great
Baron 4 , whose name and whose honour the festival of
Thomas renews, derived from him his knighthood and his
privileges, albeit the man who surrounds it with a border 5 , at
the present time espouses the popular side. Already the
Gualterotti and Importuni were in existence ; and had they
lacked new neighbours, the Borgo would have remained more
tranquil. The house which was the source of your distress 6
by reason of the just indignation which hath done you to
death, and brought to an end the gladness of your life, was
honoured both in itself and its connexions. O Buondelmonte,
Two families, who were custodians of the bishopric of Florence, and,
when a vacancy occurred, appropriated the revenues until a successor was
appointed.
2 The Adimari.
3 This seemed strange, because they were now forgotten.
4 The Marquis Hugo of Brandenburg, viceroy of the emperor Otho III
in Tuscany ; he died on St. Thomas's day.
5 Giano della Bella. His arms were the same as Hugo's with the
addition of a golden border.
6 The Amidei, whose quarrel with the Buondelmonti was regarded as
the origin of the Guelf and Ghibelline factions in Florence.
 Paradise XVI , 141 - XVII , 7 373

in what an evil hour didst thou at another's instigation flee

thy nuptials with that house ! Many who are sad would be
joyful, had God surrendered thee to the Ema, when first
thou camest to the city 2. But it was suitable that to that
mutilated stone 3 which guards the bridge Florence should
offer a victim in the last days of her peace. With these
families and others their associates I saw Florence enjoying
such calm repose, that she had no cause to mourn. With
these families I saw her people so glorious and so upright,
4
that the lily was never reversed on the lance, nor made
vermilion by party feuds.'

CANTO XVII. THE FIFTH HEAVEN,

OF MARS

As was his mood, who still makes fathers chary toward Dante in
their sons 5, when he came to Clymene to certify himself quires about
his coming
concerning that which he had heard to his disparagement ; fortunes.
such was mine, and such was it perceived to be, both by
Beatrice, and by the saintly lustre, who ere this for my sake
had changed his station. Wherefore my Lady said to me :
I
Young Buondelmonte, who was engaged to a lady of the Amidei,
was persuaded by Gualdrata Donati to desert her and to marry her
daughter.
2 The first Buondelmonte who came to Florence had to cross that
river ; Cacciaguida expresses the wish that he (and so hypothetically his
descendant) had been drowned on that occasion.
3 The broken statue of Mars ; cp. Inf. xiii. 143 foll .
4 The emblem on the banner of Florence.
5 Phaethon is meant, who persuaded his father, the Sun, to allow him
to drive his chariot, the results of which proceeding were disastrous.
When Epaphus denied that Phaethon was the son of Phoebus, he
questioned his mother Clymene on this subject.
 Paradise XVII , 8-47
374

' Give vent to thy fervent desire, so that it may come forth
with a clear impression of the stamp within ; not that by thy
words our knowledge may be increased, but that thou mayst
accustom thyself to declare thy thirst, so that one may mingle
the cup for thee.' ' Dear seed-plot whence I sprang, who art
so exalted that, even as earthly minds perceive that in a tri
angle two obtuse angles are inadmissible, so thou dost see
contingent things ere they actually happen, thine eyes being
fixed on the point 1 to which all times are present ; while
I was in Virgil's company, ascending the Mountain which
heals men's souls, and going down into the world of the dead,
words of grave import were spoken to me concerning the
future of my life, albeit I feel myself in truth four-square to
meet the strokes of fate. Wherefore I would fain hear what
fortune awaits me, for the arrow that is foreseen comes with
less sudden blow.' Thus spake I to that same light which
had before addressed me, and in accordance with Beatrice's
wishes my desire was confessed.
Cacciaguida Nor was it with ambiguous speech, in which the foolish
prophesies folk in days of yore insnared themselves, ere the Lamb of
his expul
sion from God who taketh away sin was slain, but in clear words and
Florence.
definite language, that that paternal love replied, concealed the
(
while, and revealing himself by his own smile. Contingent
events, which are confined to the compass of your material
world, are all depicted in the face of God ; yet are they not
thereby rendered necessary, any more than the motion of
a ship downstream is determined by the eye wherein it is
reflected . From thence, even as from an instrument sweet
harmony falls on the ear, the days that are in store for thee
dawn on my view. In like manner as Hippolytus was driven
from Athens by his merciless and perfidious stepmother 2, thou
I The face of God. 2 By the false accusations of Phaedra.
 Paradise XVII , 48–80 · 375

art fated to be driven from Florence. This is what is wished,

this is what is sought, and soon will be accomplished, by him
who is devising it in that place where Christ is ever bought
and sold¹ . By the popular cry, as usual, the blame will be
attributed to the wronged party ; but the vengeance that shall
follow will testify whose unerring judgement it is which dis
penses it. Thou wilt leave behind every object of thy dearest
love, and this is the shaft which the bow of exile doth first
discharge. Thou wilt learn by experience how bitter is the
taste of another's bread, and how hard a path it is to ascend
and descend another's stairs. But that which beyond all else
shall lie heavy on thee will be the dull depraved company 2
with whom thou shalt descend into the vale of misery ; for
utterly thankless, utterly mad and inhuman will they become
in their treatment of thee ; but in no long time they, and not
thou, shall blush with shame for it. Of their brutishness
their proceedings will furnish the evidence, so that it will be
to thine honour to have formed a party to thyself. Thy first Bartolom
meo della
refuge and thy first hostel will be the courtesy of the great Scala ; Can
Lombard, who above the ladder bears the holy bird³ ; and so Grande.
benevolently will he regard thee, that, in conferring and asking
favours, between you two that will come first which between
others comes later 4. With him thou wilt see the man 5, who
at his birth was impressed so mightily by this potent star, that
his achievements will be famous. As yet by reason of his
youth men have no knowledge of him, for only nine years

I Boniface VIII in Rome. 2 His fellow-exiles.

3 The arms of the Scaligers of Verona were a golden ladder sur
mounted by a black eagle. The great Lombard here spoken of is
Bartolommeo della Scala.
4 viz. conferring favours.
5 Can Grande.
 376 Paradise XVII, 81-116

have these spheres revolved around him ; but ere the Gascon ¹
deceives the great Henry, bright tokens of his mighty spirit
will appear in his indifference alike to money and to fatigue.
His glorious deeds will hereafter be so widely known, that
his foes will be unable to hold their peace concerning them.
In him and his good offices place thy hopes ; through him the
fortunes of many will be altered, with interchange of estate
between rich and poor. And thou shalt bear away with thee
in thy mind a record concerning him, but shalt not divulge
it ; and he mentioned things, which those who witness them
will not believe. Anon he added : ' My son, these are the
explanations of that which hath been intimated to thee ; these
are the snares which are excluded from view by a few revolv
ing years. Howbeit I would not have thee envy thy neigh
bours, seeing that thy life will be prolonged far beyond the
punishment of their perfidies.'
He counsels When by its silence that sainted soul showed that it had
Dante to
divulge his finished putting the woof into that web which I had given to
Vision. it warped, I began, like one who, when in doubt, appeals for
advice to a man who hath insight, and is upright in will, and
loves him : ' My father, I clearly see that time is speeding
toward me, to deal me such a blow as falls heaviest on him
who goes heedless on his way ; wherefore ' tis well that
I should arm me with foresight, so that, if my best-loved
dwelling-place be lost to me, I may not by my poetry be
deprived of the others. Below in the world of everlasting
pain, and on the Mountain from whose fair summit my Lady's
eyes uplifted me, and afterwards in Heaven, passing from
light to light, I have learnt things, which, should I repeat

I Clement V, who supported Henry of Luxemburg when he came to

Italy in 1310, but afterwards opposed him.
2 i. e, through too plain speaking in what he wrote.
 Paradise XVII , 117- XVIII, 6 377

them, to many persons would taste full bitterly ; yet, if I am

faint-hearted in advocating the truth, I fear lest I should cease
to live in the memory of those, who will call our time the
days of old.' The light within which my treasure whom
I found there was smiling, first brightly gleamed, as doth
a golden mirror in a ray of sunlight, and anon replied : " The
conscience which is darkened either by its own or by another's
shame, 'tis true, will feel thy speech to be rough. Notwith
standing do thou, putting away all untruth, publish abroad thy
Vision without reserve, and let them scratch who feel the
itch ; for though at the first taste thy words will be unpalat
able, after they have been digested they will leave vital
nutriment behind . This utterance of thine will act as doth
the wind, which smites with greatest force the highest
summits ; and hereby no slight proof of worth is furnished.
This is the reason why in these spheres, on the Mountain,
and in the doleful vale only the spirits of note have been
shown to thee ; for the mind of the hearer doth not rest
satisfied or feel confidence on the strength of an example
drawn from what is unknown and hidden, or of other proof
which is not clear to view.'

CANTO XVIII. THE FIFTH AND SIXTH

HEAVENS

Now was that blessed mirror rejoicing by himself in his Distinguish

own thought, and I was ruminating on mine, tempering the pions
ed cham
ofthe
bitter with the sweet ; and that Lady, who was conducting Faith.
me to God, said : " Change thy thoughts ; bethink thee that
I stand in the presence of God, who lightens the burden of
378 Paradise XVIII , 7-44

every wrong .' At the loving sound of my Comforter's

voice I turned me round ; and as for the love which I then .
beheld in her saintly eyes, I relinquish at this point the task
of describing it ; not alone for that I mistrust my power of
speech , but by reason of my mind, which without another's
guidance cannot so far return upon itself. Of that moment
this only can I relate, that as I gazed on her my heart was
free from every other longing. While the eternal pleasure
which shone immediately on Beatrice, when it beamed from
her fair face contented me with its reflected aspect, over
powering me by a radiant smile she said : ' Turn thee and
hearken, for not only in mine eyes is Paradise found .' As
ever and anon here below the feelings are revealed in the
countenance , if they are so keen that the whole soul is
absorbed in them, so in the flashing of the saintly splendour
toward which I turned me, I recognized his willingness to
converse awhile longer with me. He thus began : ' In this
fifth grade of the tree, which draws its life from its summit¹ ,
and evermore bears fruit, and never loses its foliage, there are
blessed spirits, who ere they ascended to Heaven were of
great fame on earth, so that they would be a rich subject for
the highest Muse. Wherefore turn thine eyes toward the
arms of the cross, and he that I now shall name will do
there what in a thunder-cloud its swift flash doth.' I saw
a light pass along the cross at the name of Joshua, even as
it was uttered, nor did my hearing anticipate my sight. And
at the name of the great Maccabeus I saw another go whirl
ing on its way, and joy was the lash that set the top in
motion . In like manner my watchful look followed two such
lights, corresponding to Charlemagne and Roland, even as
I The Heaven of Mars is the fifth sphere of Paradise, the life of which
realm proceeds from God in the Empyrean.
 Paradise XVIII , 45-78
379

the hunter's eye follows his falcon in its flight. Anon by

William ¹ and by Renouard mine eyes were drawn along that
2
cross, and by Duke Godfrey and Robert Guiscard 3. Then,
departing and taking his station among the other luminaries,
the spirit that had spoken to me displayed to me his skill
amid the heavenly choir.
I turned me toward my right side, to learn from Beatrice The sixth
Heaven, of
by word or gesture what I ought to do, and I beheld her eyes Jupiter;
so lucid, so joyful, that her countenance surpassed its former, spirits of
and even its latest wont. And as through increased sense of just rulers.
pleasure in good works a man is daily conscious of his pro
gress in virtue, so did I become aware that the circle which
I described in revolving with the heavens had increased its
circumference , by seeing that marvel of beauty more glorious
still. And as is the change which quickly passes over a fair
lady's face, when it casts off the burden of shame, such, when
I turned me, was the change which I perceived 5, by reason
of the whiteness of the temperate sixth planet, which had
received me into itself. Within that torch of Jove I saw the
sparkling of the love that it contained delineate before mine
eyes our human speech. And even as birds, rising from off
a river-bank, as if to express their mutual enjoyment of their
food, group themselves, now in a ring, now in other figures ;
6
so, enveloped in those lights, did saintly beings sing as they
flitted, and form now D, now I, now L in the shapes they

1 Count of Orange in Charlemagne's age, who fought against the

Saracens in the south of France. Renouard was his companion in arms.
2 Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade.
3 The leader of the Normans, who expelled the Saracens from Italy.
4 Dante has now entered the Heaven of Jupiter, which is higher, and
therefore wider in its revolution, than the preceding one.
5 The ruddy hue of Mars is exchanged for the white light of Jupiter.
The spirits of just rulers.
 380 Paradise XVIII , 79-111

assumed. First, as they sang, they followed their music in

their movements ; anon, when they took the form of one of
these letters, they paused awhile and held their peace.
The Im O Pegasean goddess ' , who dost glorify men of genius and
perial Eagle. render them immortal, as they by thine aid do cities and
kingdoms, give me of thy light, that I may describe their
forms as I have conceived them ; in these scant verses of
mine may thy power appear. In five and thirty vowels and
consonants the saintly beings displayed themselves ; and I
noted the parts, as methought they were indicated. Diligite
iustitiam² were the first verb and noun of all that was depicted ;
qui iudicatis terram were the last. Then on the M of the
fifth word they remained in their positions, so that Jupiter
there resembled silver inlaid with gold ³. And other lights
I saw descend where was the summit of the M, and settle
there, celebrating in song, I ween, that grace which doth
attract them. Anon, as when burnt logs of wood are smitten
innumerable sparks arise, wherefrom the simple folk are wont
to divine, so from that point a thousand lights and more
were seen to rise again, and to ascend, some more, some less,
according as the Sun who kindles them ordained for them ;
and when they had settled, each in his rightful place, I be
4
held an eagle's head and neck represented by that inlaid fire.
The Artist who designs that figure hath none to guide Him,
but is Himself the guide, and we recognize that from Him the
power proceeds, which is the formative instinct whereby birds

I The Muse.
2 These are the first words of the Book of Wisdom, ' Love righteous
ness, ye that be judges of the earth .'
3 A pattern of gold on a field of silver.
4 The Empire, of which the eagle was the emblem, was to Dante the
embodiment ofjustice.
 Paradise XVIII , 112–136 381

build their nests ¹ . The other saintly band, which seemed

at first content to take the shape of the lily in forming the M²,
with slight change of position followed out the figure ³.
O lovely planet, by how many and how bright gems was The need
it made plain to me, that our justice is derived from that the
on earth
interof
Heaven whereof thou art the jewel ! Wherefore I beseech position of
Heaven.
the Mind, in which the origin of thy motion and thy power
is found, to consider whence the smoke proceeds which
bedims thy ray ; so that now, as once before, He may wax
wroth against the buying and selling in the temple , whose
walls were built of the blood and sufferings of martyrs. Ye
heavenly host, on whom my thoughts are fixed, supplicate
on behalf of those, who on earth by the guiding of bad
example are all led astray. Erewhile the sword was the
weapon of war ; but at the present time it is waged by inter
dicting, now here, now there, the bread which the merciful
Father denies to none. But do thou 5 , who issuest excom
munications only to revoke them, bethink thee that Peter
and Paul, who died for the vineyard which thou spoilest, are
yet alive. Doubtless thou mayst say : ' So steadfastly is my
heart set on the eremite, who through another's dancing was
brought to martyrdom 6, that of the Fisherman and Paul I
have no knowledge.'

The power which groups these spirits into the figure of the eagle is
the Mind of God , which in like manner by an instinctive process causes
birds to build their nests.
2 The Gothic M closely resembles the fleur-de-lis in shape.
3 i. e. completed the shape of the eagle by forming the body and wings.
4 The corruptions of the Papal court are meant.
5 John XXII, who was Pope at Avignon at the time when Dante was
writing.
6 St. John the Baptist, or rather his figure on the golden florins, which
were coined by John XXII in imitation of those of Florence.
 382 Paradise XIX , 1-36

CANTO XIX . THE SIXTH HEAVEN,

OF JUPITER

The eagle With wings outspread the fair image appeared in front of
speaks .
me, which the banded spirits, rejoicing in their sweet fruition,
composed. Each of them resembled a ruby wherein a sun
beam flamed so glowingly, that it refracted that ray into mine
eyes. And that which I must now describe, no tongue hath
expressed, nor ink recorded, nor hath imagination ever con
ceived ; for I saw, nay, more, I heard the beak utter words,
and form with its voice the sound of ' I ' and ' mine,' when
what was meant was ' we ' and ' our.' It thus commenced :
' On the strength of my justice and my mercy I am here
exalted to glory so great, that it surpasses all that can be
desired ; and the record which I left behind on earth is such,
that the sinful folk there praise it, though they heed not the
moral of the tale .' As from many burning embers a single
heat is felt to proceed, so did a single sound arising from
loves manifold issue from that image. Thereupon I said :
'Ye unfading flowers of the eternal gladness, who cause all
your odours to appear but one to me, allay for me by your
breath the keen hunger, wherewith for a long season I have
been afflicted, finding on earth no food to appease it. Full
sure I am that, if another of the heavenly realms is ordained
by the divine justice as its mirror, your realm beholds it
unveiled . Ye know with what attention I am prepared to
listen ; ye know too the nature of the doubt, which is to me
a craving of so long standing.'
As a falcon, when its hood is withdrawn, moves its head
and claps its wings, exhibiting its readiness and preening
The Order of the Thrones is meant ; cp. Par. ix. 61 , 62.
 Paradise XIX , 37-66 383

itself ; such was the aspect which I saw that figure assume, The exclu
which was composed of beings in whom the glory of the sion of the
virtuous
divine grace appears, uttering songs , the rapture whereof he heathen
from
knows who rejoices on high. Anon it began¹ : ' He who Heaven.
turned round his compasses at the world's outer verge ², and
within it wrought effects so various- some dark to us, some
clear-could not leave the impress of His power on the whole
universe so forcibly, that His wisdom should fail to be
infinitely in excess of it. Hence it is clear that the first
proud spirit 3, who was the highest of all created beings, fell
while still immature, because he would not wait for light :
and from this it appears, that every nature inferior to his hath
scant power of comprehending the infinite and incomparable
Good. Consequently, our gift of sight, which assuredly is but
one of the rays that emanate from the Mind which pervades
all things, from its very nature cannot possess so great power,
that the Being from whom it proceeds should fail to see far
beyond its range of vision . Wherefore the sight wherewith
your world is endowed penetrates just so far into the depths
of the eternal justice, as doth the eye into the sea ; for, albeit
from the shore it sees the bottom, in the deep sea it doth not
so ; yet it is there notwithstanding, but the depth hides it
from view. There is no light, but what proceeds from the
serene Heaven which is never overcast ; all other light is
darkness, being either the shadow of the flesh or the poison

The question is : How is it reconcilable with God's justice, that

virtuous heathen, who have not heard the name of Christ, or had an
opportunity of receiving baptism, should be excluded from Paradise ?
The answer ultimately arrived at is, that it is an inscrutable mystery,
hidden in the depths of God's justice, which it is impossible for the
human intellect to fathom.
2 i.e. measured the earth ; cp. Job xxxviii. 5.
3 Lucifer.
 384 Paradise XIX , 67-102

thereof . The covert is now laid fully open to thy view,

which concealed from thee the living justice, concerning
which thou hadst so frequent questionings : for thou saidst :
"On the banks of Indus a man is born, where there is none
to tell of Christ, or to read or write of Him ; and all his
wishes and acts are good, so far as human reason sees, without
taint of sin in his life and his discourse. He dies unbaptized
without knowledge of the faith ; say, is it justice to condemn
him ? Is it his fault, if he doth not believe ? "" Now who
art thou, who wouldst take thy seat on the bench, to pass
judgement on what is a thousand miles away, when thine
eyesight reaches but a span ? In sooth, if the Scripture did
not determine the matter for you 2 , the man who meets me
with such subtle arguments would have surprisingly good
reason for doubting. Ye earthly beings ! Ye dull under
standings ! The primal Will, which in itself is good, can
never be other than itself, the Highest Good. That only
is just, which is consonant with that Will ; no virtue in the
creature doth attract it ; nay itself, by diffusing its rays, doth
cause that virtue.' As the stork circles round above the nest
after she hath fed her young, and as the bird that hath been
fed regards her, so was it with that blessed image, which
waved its wings, impelled by so many wills, and in such
wise did I uplift mine eyes. As it wheeled round it chanted,
saying : As are the words of my song to thee who compre
hendest them not, such to you mortals is the judgement of
the eternal One.'
Examples of After those luminous ardours of the Holy Spirit ceased
unrighteous to move,
sovereigns. still forming the figure which caused the world to

Either ignorance or sensuality.

2 The Scripture says that none can be saved without faith in Christ
and baptism.
 Paradise XIX, 103-130
385

reverence the Romans , it began anew : ' Unto this realm

none ever ascended who did not believe in Christ, either
before or after He was nailed to the cross. But mark you,
many exclaim " Christ," " Christ, " who at the judgement shall
be far less near to Him than one who knows not Christ ;
and such-like Christians the Ethiopian 2 shall condemn, when
the two companies shall separate, the one for evermore rich,
the other poor . What charges will not the Persians have
against your kings, when they see that volume opened,
wherein all their discreditable actions are recorded ? There
among Albert's deeds will be seen that one, which will soon
set in motion the recording Angel's pen-that deed whereby
the kingdom of Prague will be laid waste ³. There will be
seen the misery which is caused on the banks of Seine,
through adulteration of the coinage, by him who shall meet
his death from the charge of a boar . There will be seen
the pride which creates thirst, whereby the rulers of Scotland
and England are so intoxicated, that they cannot restrain
themselves within their borders 5. The wantonness and
effeminate life of the sovereign of Spain will be seen, and
of him of Bohemia , who never understood or desired upright
ness. Against the name of the Cripple of Jerusalem ³ it will
be seen that his virtue is marked by an I, his vice by an M9.
There will be seen the avarice and meanness of him who

I The eagle.
2 This and the Persians ' below signify any heathen peoples.
3 The emperor Albert invaded and devastated Bohemia.
4 Philip the Fair, who died in consequence of a fall from his horse,
caused by the charge of a boar.
5 The border wars in the time of Edward I are referred to.
6 Ferdinand IV of Castile, 7 Wenceslaus IV.
8 Charles II of Naples, who claimed the title of king of Jerusalem .
9 His virtue by a unit, his vice by a thousand.
TOZER сс
 386 Paradise XIX , 131 - XX, 3

rules the island of fire ' , where Anchises ended his long life ;
and to let men know how paltry he is, the writing against him
will take the form of abbreviations, which within a small
space will enumerate many crimes : and his uncle's and his
brother's foul dealings, which have dishonoured so noble
a family and two crowns, will be manifest to all . There
too the kings of Portugal and Norway 5 will be recognized,
and he of Rascia , who in an evil hour saw the coin of
Venice. O happy Hungary, if she suffer herself no longer
to be evil entreated ' ! Happy too Navarre, if she should
defend herself with the mountain that girds her ! And
men will do well to reflect, that even now, in proof of this,
Nicosia and Famagosta are lamenting and complaining aloud
by reason of their inhuman lord, who walks hand in hand
with the aforenamed evil- doers.'

CANTO XX . THE SIXTH HEAVEN,

OF JUPITER

The spirits When he who enlightens the universe sinks so far beneath
sing.
our hemisphere that the daylight fails on every side, the sky,

1 Frederic II, king of Sicily.

2 James, king of the Balearic Islands. 3 James Aragon.
of
4 Dionysius. 5 Hakon Longshanks .
Stephen Ouros , king of Rascia, the modern Illyria and Dalmatia.
He struck coins of debased metal in imitation of the Venetian ducat.
7 Hungary, after a succession of corrupt princes, had now a good king
in Andrea III.
8 The Pyrenees. Joan of Navarre had married Philip the Fair, but
governed her kingdom independently.
9 Cyprus, of which these were the chief cities, was being badly
governed by Henry II of Lusignan. This was a warning to Navarre to
keep the French at bay.
 Paradise XX, 4-43
387

which ere that is illuminated by him alone, suddenly reveals

itself anew by numerous lights, which are but the reflexion of
one ¹. This change which passes over the heavens occurred
to my mind, so soon as the ensign of the world and of its
leaders kept silence in its sacred beak ; for all those living
lights , becoming brighter far, began to sing songs so hard to
retain that they have passed away from my memory. O sweet
love, that dost vest thyself in smiles , what ardour didst thou
manifest in those flutes, which were inspired by saintly
thoughts alone !
After the precious gleaming gems, wherewith I saw the The pupil
and eye
sixth luminary adorned, had imposed silence on their angelic brow of
chime, methought I heard the murmuring of a stream, whose the eagle's
limpid current descends from rock to rock, displaying the eye .
wealth of waters of its mountain source. And as at the neck
of the guitar a sound takes form, and as at the vent of a reed
pipe doth wind that enters it, so without further delay that
murmuring sound within the eagle rose upward through the
throat, as if it were perforated . There it became a voice, and
thence it issued through its beak in the form of such words as
I inscribed on my expectant memory. ' That organ of mine
which in mortal eagles sees and endures the sun, ' it began,
' thou shouldst now regard steadfastly, because among the
fires whereof my figure is composed, those wherewith mine
eye sparkles in my head are the highest of all the orders of
their sphere. He that shines in the centre as the pupil was
the Holy Spirit's singer 2 , who transported the ark from town
to town. Now he is aware of the merit of his song, so far
as it proceeded from his own free will, through the equivalent
remuneration. Of the five which form a curve to represent
¹ According to the astronomy of this time all the stars derived their
light from the sun. 2 David.
CC 2
388 Paradise XX, 44-75

mine eyebrow, he that is nearest to my beak consoled the

poor widow for her son ' . Now he is aware how dear it
costs not to be Christ's disciple, through experience of this
sweet life and of the contrary 2. And he who comes next in
the curve whereof I speak, on the ascending arc, by sincere
penitence postponed his death 3. Now he is aware that the
eternal judgement is not changed, when on earth a worthy
prayer postpones to the future that which was ordained for
the present time. The next in order , moved by a good
purpose which bore evil fruit, bearing with him the laws and
me, to make way for the Pontiff became a Greek 5. Now
he is aware that the bad results of his good actions injure him
not, albeit the world is ruined thereby. And he whom thou
6
seest on the downward slope of the arc, was that William
whom the country regrets, which is suffering from Charles'
and Frederic's present rule. Now he is aware that Heaven
loves well a righteous king, and in the aspect of his effulgence
he reveals it still. Who in the misguided world below would
believe that Rhipeus the Trojan was the fifth of the sainted
lights in this arc ? Now he knows much of the mystery of
God's grace which is hidden from the world, albeit even his
sight cannot fathom it.'
Even as a lark, which sings at first while it soars in air,
and anon is silent, content with the fullness of its final melody,

Trajan. The story is given in Purg. x. 73-93.

2 Trajan was in Hell, until he was delivered by St, Gregory's prayers.
3 Hezekiah ; 2 Kings xx. 1, 6.
4 Constantine.
5 i. e. in founding Constantinople he left Rome under the influence of
the Pope.
6 William the Good, king of Apulia and Sicily, which countries were
now governed by Charles the Lame and Frederic of Aragon respectively.
7 The most just man in Troy ; Virg. Aen . ii. 426 , 427.
 Paradise XX , 76–114
389

such to my mind was the image¹ of the imprint of the divine The ad
mission of
pleasure, according to whose will everything assumes its Trajan and
proper nature. And albeit I revealed my doubt as trans- Rhipeus
into
parently as doth glass the colour which mantles it, that doubt heaven.
would not endure to bide in silence a fitting time ; but by its
pressure it forced from my lips the words : ' How can these
things be ?' whereat I beheld great joy of coruscation.
Thereupon, to deliver me from suspense of wonderment, with
eye still brighter the blessed emblem replied to me : ' I per
ceive that thou believest these things because I say them, but
how they can be true thou seest not ; so that, though they
receive thy assent, they still are dark to thee. Thou resemblest
one, who knows a thing well by name, but cannot see its true
nature unless another explain it to him. The kingdom of
Heaven suffers violence from ardent love and lively hope, which
conquer the divine will ; not as when one man wins pre
eminence over another, but they conquer it because desires
to be conquered, and by being conquered triumphs through its
benevolence . The first of the spirits in the eyebrow and the
fifth cause thee surprise, because thou seest the region of the
Angels adorned with them. They quitted their bodies, not,
as thou supposest, as heathens, but as Christians, in steadfast
faith, the one in Christ's feet before they suffered, the other
after; for the latter of them ² returned to his human frame from
Hell, where none doth ever regain an upright will, and this
was the reward of lively hope ; of lively hope, which infused
efficacy into the prayers offered to God 3 for his restoration
to life, so that his will might be capable of being moved.
The glorious spirit whereof I speak, after returning to the
flesh , wherein he abode but a brief space, believed in Him
¹ The eagle, which represents the divinely appointed Monarchy.
2 Trajan. 3
By St. Gregory.
390 Paradise XX, 115-148

who had power to aid him ; and through that belief he was
kindled to so great ardour of true love, that when he died
a second time he was worthy to be admitted to this festivity.
The other , through grace, which emanates from a fountain
so deep, that eye of created being did never penetrate to the
first movement of its waters, set his affections, when on earth,
wholly on righteousness ; and therefore, in his progress from
grace to grace, God opened his eyes to our coming redemp
tion so that he believed in it, and thenceforward endured no
longer the corruptions of paganism, and censured the froward
people for its taint. For him in the stead of baptism the
three Ladies whom thou sawest at the right wheel did stand,
a thousand years and more ere that rite was instituted.
O predestination, how far withdrawn is thy root from the
views of those, who see not the first cause in its entirety !
And ye, O mortals, be not overbold in passing judgement, for
we who see God's face know not as yet all the elect ; and
this lack of knowledge is pleasing to us, inasmuch as our good
is perfected in this good, that God's will is also our will.'
Thus by that divine image was a grateful remedy provided to
clear my defective sight. And as a good harp-player accom
panies a good singer with the vibration of his strings, whereby
the charm of the song is enhanced ; so while it spake I re
member that I saw the two saintly lights 3 wave their flamelets
in accordance with its words, simultaneously with each other,
like the movement of the eyes.

I Rhipeus.
2 Faith, Hope and Charity, whom Dante had seen by the right-hand
wheel of the Car in the Earthly Paradise.
3 The spirits of Trajan and Rhipeus.
 Paradise XXI, 1-29
391

CANTO XXI . THE SEVENTH HEAVEN,

OF SATURN

Already were mine eyes fastened anew on my Lady's The seventh

countenance, and with them my mind, which had withdrawn Heaven, of
Saturn ; the
itself from every other thought ; and she smiled not, but contempla
addressed me thus : ' If I should smile, thou wouldst become tive spirits.
like Semele, when she was turned to ashes ; for my beauty,
which in passing from stair to stair of the eternal palace
becomes more radiant, as thou hast seen, in proportion as it
rises, were it not modified, hath so great lustre, that before
its effulgence thy mortal powers would be even as a leaf that
is rent by the lightning-flash. We are exalted to the seventh
luminary 2, which now beneath the burning Lion's breast
sheds downward its influence mingled with his power. Let
thy mind follow thine eyes attentively, and let them mirror
for thee the figure ³, which in this mirror will reveal itself
to thee.' He that could conceive my joy in feasting mine
eyes on that blest countenance, could estimate the greatness
of my delight in obeying my celestial Guide as I turned my
thoughts towards another interest, when he balanced the one
scale against the other.
Within the crystal sphere, which, as it revolves round the The celestial
world, bears its illustrious sovereign's name, beneath whose stairway.
rule all malice was extinguished 5, I beheld a stairway, in
colour like unto gold whereon sunshine gleams, which rose

This was the result of her seeing the full majesty of Jupiter.
2 Saturn. In the spring of 1300, which was the supposed time of
Dante's Vision, this planet was in the sign of Leo.
3 The stairway, which is described below.
4 The planet, which shone by the sun's reflected light.
5 The reign of Saturn was the Golden Age.
 392 Paradise XXI, 30-66

aloft so high that my sight failed to follow it. Withal adown

its stairs I saw lustres I so manifold descend, that I fancied
all the lights which shine in heaven were there outspread.
And as at dawn of day, following their natural wont, the
rooks rise all together to warm their chilly plumage, and
anon some depart and turn not back, while some repair again
to their starting-place, and others abide wheeling round and
round ; so was it there, methought, with those bright spirits
which arrived in company, so soon as they lighted on a
certain stair ; and the one which stayed its movement the
nearest to us 2 became so luminous, that to myself I said :
' In sooth I perceive the love thou dost intimate to me.' But
she to whose guidance I look for the manner and the time of
speech and silence, is mute ; and so, though all unwilling,
I do well in withholding my question. Wherefore, viewing
my silence, as she did, in the face of the all-seeing One, she
6
said to me : Appease thy fervent desire.'
Divine pre And I began : ' No merit of mine makes me deserve
destination. a reply from thee ; yet for her sake who grants me leave

to ask, blessed spirit, who art shrouded with thy gladness,

declare to me the cause which hath brought thee so nigh to
me ; and tell me wherefore in this sphere the sweet symphony
of Paradise is not heard, which in the others below sounds so
6
rapturously.' Thy hearing,' he replied, ' even as thy sight,
is mortal ; wherefore for the same reason for which Beatrice
doth not smile no songs are uttered here ³ . 'Twas only that
I might greet thee with my speech, and with the light that
doth invest me, that I have descended so far along the steps

The spirits of the Contemplative, who are found in this Heaven.

2 This is St. Peter Damian (eleventh century) .
3 The reason is, that Dante's faculties would have been paralysed by
it, owing to the sublime spirituality which is produced by contemplation.
 Paradise XXI, 67-106 393

of the sacred stairway : nor was it greater love which caused

me to be more eager, for love as great as mine or greater
doth flame above us here, as the coruscation testifies to thee ;
but that sublime affection, which makes us ready ministers of
the Mind that rules the universe, ordains our functions here,
as thou perceivest.' ' I clearly see, thou sacred luminary,'
I said, ‘ that in this court love doth avail self-guided to
execute the designs of the eternal providence ; but the point
which I find hard to discern is this, wherefore thou alone of
all thy company wast predestined to this office.' Ere I had
reached my concluding word that light, taking for a centre its
midmost point, revolved like a mill-stone at full speed ; anon
the love that was within it made reply : ' A ray divine doth
alight upon me, passing through this light wherein I am
embosomed ; and its power in conjunction with mine insight
doth transport me so, that I behold the supreme essence
whence it emanates. This is the source of the gladness
wherewith I blaze, for in proportion to the clearness of my
vision of God is the brightness of my flame. But neither
the soul in Heaven that hath most light, nor the Seraph
whose eye is most riveted on God, could satisfy thine inquiry,
seeing that what thou askest lies so deep in the abyss of the
eternal ordinance, that it is withdrawn from mortal ken. And
when thou returnest to the world of men, do thou report this
truth, that they may no more presume to move their feet
toward so high a goal. The mind which here is clear, on
earth is obscured by smoke ; consider then, how can it do
below, what is beyond its power even when received in
Heaven ? '
The check his words imposed on me was such, that St. Peter
Damian.
I relinquished the question, and confined myself to inquiring
humbly who he was. 'Between two coasts of Italy, at no
 Paradise XXI , 107-139
394
I
great distance from thy fatherland, a rocky ridge doth rise
so high that the sound of the thunder is heard far below ;
and it forms a mountain-height named Catria, beneath which
a monastery is consecrated, which was wont to be devoted
to worship only.' Thus he commenced anew to me his
third address ; anon pursuing his speech he said : ' There to
God's service I dedicated myself so earnestly, that with the
juice of the olive for my only food I cheerfully experienced
heat and cold, contented with my contemplative reflexions.
Erewhile to these spheres that cloister yielded an abundant
crop ; but now it hath become unfruitful, so that its true
character must soon be revealed. In that place I was known
as Peter Damian ; and Peter the Sinner was my name in the
house of Our Lady on the Adriatic shore ³ . A brief spell
of mortal life remained to me, when I was sought out and
forced to wear the hat , which in passing from one holder
to another only goes from bad to worse. When Cephas and
the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit 5 came, they were lean and
barefoot, and got their food from any chance hostelry. Now
the pastors of these latter days need supporters on either side,
so ponderous are they, and others to lead them, and to hold
up their trains. With their capes they overspread their
palfreys, so that two beasts move beneath one skin : long
suffering of God, how great the load thou endurest ! ' At
the sound of these words I saw manifold flamelets descend
revolving from stair to stair, and with each gyration they
increased in beauty. Around that spirit they gathered, and

The Apennines.
2 The monastery of Fonte Avellana in the neighbourhood of Gubbio.
3 The monastery of Santa Maria in Pomposa, where St. Peter Damian
resided for two years in the early part of his life.
4 He was made Cardinal. 5 St. Paul ; Acts ix. 15.
 Paradise XXI, 140- XXII , 32 395

halting there, raised a cry of such intensity, that no comparison

could be found for it on earth ; nor did I comprehend the
meaning, being overpowered by its thunder.

CANTO XXII . THE SEVENTH AND

EIGHTH HEAVENS

Oppressed by stupor I turned me to my Guide, like a child Dante is

over
that ever betakes itself to its best source of confidence ; and powered by
she, like a mother who promptly succours her pale and breath- the cry of
the spirits.
less offspring with her voice which reassures it, said to me :
'Knowst thou not that thou art in Heaven ? and knowst
thou not that in Heaven all is holy, and that what is done
here proceeds from righteous zeal ? Now thou canst con
ceive how the singing would have overpowered thee, and I by
my smile, seeing that this cry hath appalled thee so ; whereby,
hadst thou understood its supplication, the vengeance which
ere thy death thou shalt behold would even now be known
to thee. The sword of these high realms is not hasty to
strike, nor yet remiss, save in the view of him who awaits
it in longing or in fear. But turn thee round now toward
the other spirits, for exceeding noble are those whom thou
wilt see, if, as I bid thee, thou revert thine eyes.'
I looked as she directed me, and beheld a hundred little St. Benedict.
globes of light, which all together increased in splendour
through their mutual brilliancy. I stood like one who represses
the urgency of his desire, and from dread of exceeding his
limits ventures not to inquire. Then did the greatest and most
luminous of those pearls advance, to satisfy my wish con
cerning itself. Anon within it I heard as follows : " If thou
couldst see, as I do, the love which glows among us, the
 396 Paradise XXII , 33-68

conceits of thy mind would find expression ; but that thou

mayst not by waiting be delayed in reaching thy lofty goal,
I will reply to the thought alone which thou art so scrupulous
I
of uttering. The mountain on the slope whereof Cassino
lies, was of yore on its summit the resort of misguided and
perverse folk ; and I am he who first bore aloft there the
name of Him, by whom the truth which so exalts us was
brought to earth and so great a measure of grace illuminated
me, that I converted the neighbouring towns from the impious
worship which led the world astray. These other fires
were all contemplative men, enkindled by that fervour which
generates the flowers and fruits of saintliness . Here is
Macarius 3 , here is Romuald 4 ; here are my brethren, who
abode steadfastly within their cloisters and remained sound
at heart.'
Corruption And I to him : " The good will thou dost evince in speaking
of the
Benedictine to me, and the benevolent aspect which I see and note in all
Order. your flames, have expanded my confidence, even as the sun
doth the rose, when it opens to the utmost of its power ;
wherefore I pray thee, father, let me know for sure, whether
I can win such a measure of grace, that I may behold thee
with unveiled form 5.' And he replied : ' Brother, thy lofty
desire will find its satisfaction in the last sphere , where all
other desires, including mine own, are satisfied. There every
longing is perfect, mature and complete ; in it alone every
part abides where it hath ever been, seeing that it doth not
exist in space or turn on poles ; and unto it our stairway
1 Monte Cassino, where St. Benedict (480-543 ) founded his monastery.
It stands about half-way between Rome and Naples.
2 Paganism.
3 The Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century.
4 Founder of the monastery of Camaldoli in 1012.
5 i. e. without the enveloping light. 6 The Empyrean.
 Paradise XXII, 69-104 397

reaches, for which cause it is thus hidden from thy sight.

Unto that height the patriarch Jacob saw it uplift its summit,
when it met his eyes bearing a multitude of Angels . But
now to ascend it no one lifts his feet from off the earth, and
my Rule remains but to cause waste of paper ¹. The walls
which were wont to form an abbey have become dens of
thieves, and the cowls are sacks filled with worthless flour.
But grievous usury rises not up as so great an offence against
God's will, as that fruit whereby the monks' hearts are
rendered so insensate 2 ; for whatever is in the Church's
keeping belongs wholly to those who petition for it in God's
name, not to kinsfolk or to fouler claimants. The flesh of
mankind is so weak, that on earth a good commencement
doth not maintain its efficacy from the springing of the oak
till its acorns are formed. Peter founded his society without
gold and silver, and I mine with prayer and fasting, and
Francis his in the spirit of humility. And if thou regardest
each of these at its starting-point, and thou dost consider
it in its changed estate, thou wilt see that what once was
white hath become dark. Nevertheless the turning back of
Jordan's stream, and the retreating of the sea, when God so
willed, were greater miracles to behold than relief in the
present case would be 3. Thus spake he to me, and thereupon
withdrew into his company, and that company closed together ;
anon like a whirlwind it rose aloft.
By a single gesture my sweet Lady impelled me up that The eighth
Heaven, of
stairway in their wake, so wholly was my nature mastered by the Fixed
her influence ; nor ever here below, where we rise and fall Stars ;
Gemini.
according to nature's laws, was movement so rapid, that it

The rules ofthe Benedictine Order are copied out but not observed.
2 Covetousness in misappropriating the revenues of the Church.
3 The meaning is, that the case is not desperate,
 398 Paradise XXII , 105-141

could compare with my flight. As surely, Reader, as I hope

to return sometime to the triumph of the Saints, with a view
to which I oftentimes bewail my sins and smite my breast,
thou wouldst not, after putting thy finger in the fire, as swiftly
withdraw it, as, after seeing the constellation which follows
the Bull , I found myself within it. O glorious stars,
O light that teems with mighty influence, from which I
recognize that whatever genius I possess proceeds 2 , in your
company did he who is the source of human life rise and set,
what time I first inhaled the Tuscan air ; and after, when the
boon was granted me of entering the exalted Heaven which
bears you round, your region of the sky was assigned to me.
Unto you my soul doth now devoutly sigh, to obtain power to
execute the arduous task which demands its attention.
Dante looks ' Thou art so nigh to the source of all beatitude ' —thus
downward Beatrice began that there is good need for thine eyes to
to the earth.
be clear and keen. Wherefore, ere thou approachest nearer
thereto, look downward, and see how great a part of the
universe I have already caused to lie beneath thy feet ; so
that thy heart may present itself in fullness of joy before
the triumphant throng ³, which comes rejoicing through this
ethereal ring.' I looked back at one after another of the
seven spheres, and beheld this globe of ours so small, that
I smiled at the meanness of its appearance ; and that view
I approve as best, which estimates it lowest ; and whoso
turns his thoughts elsewhere may be called truly just. I
saw Latona's daughter illuminated without that shadow
which caused me erewhile to ascribe rarity and density to

Gemini. Dante has now risen to the Heaven of the Fixed Stars.
2 In astrology persons born when the sun was in Gemini were endowed
with genius.
3 The Triumph of Christ, which is described in the next Canto.
 Paradise XXII , 142—XXIII, 17 399

her ¹. The aspect of thy son 2, Hyperion, I there endured, and

I saw how Mercury and Venus make their revolutions in his
neighbourhood. From that point I beheld the tempering
influence of Jupiter between his father and his son 3 ; thence
too their changes of site were explained to me : and all seven
revealed to me their magnitude and their velocity, and the dis
tance of their relative position . That little plot of ground on
which we pride ourselves, from the hills to the river-mouths
appeared to me in all its details, while I was revolving with
the eternal Twins : anon to the beauteous eyes I turned
mine own .

CANTO XXIII. THE EIGHTH HEAVEN, OF

THE FIXED STARS

As waits the bird, which through the night, when all is The
dark to us, hath rested amid the well -loved foliage on the of
Triumph
Christ
nest where her sweet offspring lie, but, in hopes of seeing appears.
their longed-for faces, and finding the food wherewith to
nurture them—a grateful though a weary task-anticipates
the time upon an open spray, and with ardent affection awaits
the sun, watching intently for the breaking of the dawn ; so
did my Lady stand erect and vigilant, facing that region of
4
the sky beneath which the sun doth moderate his speed ; so
that, seeing her distraught and wistful, I became like one who
is possessed by a vague longing and contents him with the
hope. But the interval was brief between the one and the
other time—the time of my waiting, I mean, and that when
* See above, Canto ii. Dante now sees the obverse side of the moon,
so that the spots were hidden from him .
2 The sun.
3 Mars was the fiery, Saturn the cold, Jupiter the temperate planet.
4 The meridian ; cp. Purg. xxxiii. 103.
 400 Paradise XXIII , 18–57

I saw the heaven becoming more and more clear : and

Beatrice exclaimed : Behold the squadrons of Christ's
triumph, and all the fruit that hath been harvested from the
revolutions of these spheres.' Her face, methought, was all
aglow, and her eyes were so full of joy, that I must needs
pass them over in silence. As on serene nights of full moon
Trivia ' smiles amid the eternal nymphs, which bespangle the
sky through all its depths, I beheld, outshining thousands of
luminaries, a Sun 2 which enkindled them all, as our sun doth
the bright objects on high ; and so brilliantly did the gleam
ing figure beam through the keen light on mine eyes, that
they could not endure it. O Beatrice, how sweet, how
loving was thy care ! She said to me : " That which over
masters thy sight is a power which no eye can bear. There
is the Wisdom and the Might, who set open the roads that
lead from earth to Heaven, for which mankind ere that had
so long pined.' As from a cloud the lightning bursts, when
from its expansive force it finds no room therein, and contrary
to its nature falls down to earth, so my mind, when ex
panded by that banquet of delight, was transported beyond
itself, and is powerless to remember what happened to it.
Beatrice's ' Open thine eyes, and see what loveliness is mine ; thou
indescrib
able loveli hast beheld things so sublime, that thou hast won the power
ness. to endure my smile.' I was like one who revives the im
pression of a forgotten vision, but strives in vain to recall
that vision to his mind, when I heard this invitation, which
deserved such a measure of gratitude, that it never can be
erased from the book which registers the past 3. Should all
the tongues which with their sweetest milk Polyhymnia and
her sisters 4 made most lubrical, now sound in my behoof,
¹ Diana, i . e. the Moon. 2 Christ.
3 The tablets of memory. 4 The Muses.
 Paradise XXIII , 58-94
401

I could not attain a fraction of the truth, when singing of

that saintly smile, and how it illuminated the saintly counte
nance. So too, in describing Paradise, the sacred poem
must needs skip over, like one who finds an interruption to
his road. But whoso reflects on the gravity of the theme,
and on the human shoulders which bear the burden, would
not find fault if they tremble beneath it. 'Tis no fit voyage
for a little boat, this which my daring prow pursues as it
cleaves the main, nor for a pilot who spares himself.
'Wherefore doth my face so enamour thee, that thou The Blessed
turnest not toward the fair garden, which blossoms beneath Virgin and
the Arch
Christ's rays ? There is the rose , wherein the divine angel
Gabriel.
Word was made flesh ; there are the lilies 2 , by whose
odour men were led to pursue right road.' So spake
Beatrice ; and I , who was the willing slave of her injunctions,
essayed once more the struggle of the feeble eyelids.
erewhile mine eyes, themselves in shadow, have seen a
flowery mead in a ray of sunlight, which passes undimmed
through the break in a cloud, so did I behold multitudes of
gleaming lights irradiated from above by glowing beams,
though the source of that brilliancy was hidden from me.
O kindly Power who dost influence them thus 3, thou didst
ascend to afford me scope to use mine eyes there, which
before were powerless. The name of the fair flower which
I evermore invoke both at morn and eventide, concentrated
my mind on discovering the greatest of those lights. And
as soon as the splendour and the magnitude of the living star,
who excels in Heaven above, as she did on earth beneath,
was depicted on both mine eyes, from the depths of Heaven
The Blessed Virgin . 2 The Apostles and Martyrs.
3 Christ has now ascended, but illuminates from above the company of
Saints.
TOZER Dd .
 402 Paradise XXIII , 95-133

a torch ' descended, resembling a crown in its circling move

ment, and cinctured her and revolved around her. The
melody which sounds sweetest here below, and most allures
the soul, would resemble thunder bursting from a cloud, in
comparison of the strains of that lyre, whereby the fair sap
phire was encircled, which forms a jewel in the brightest
Heaven. ' Angelic love am I , who revolve round the source
of joy sublime, the womb where our Desire abode ; and there,
O Queen of Heaven, I shall revolve until thou followest thy
Son, and makest more divine the highest sphere by entering
there.' Therewith that melody, as it circled round, came to
an end ; and all the other luminaries proclaimed aloud the
name of Mary.
The com The royal mantle which envelops all the revolving spheres
pany ofthe
Saints, of the universe 2-that which is most ardent, and most en
kindled by the breath of God's spirit and by its working—
had its inner surface so far above us, that from my present
station its aspect was not yet in view ; wherefore mine eyes
were powerless to follow the cinctured flame, which ascended
in its offspring's wake. And like an infant, which, after it
hath been suckled, reaches out its arms towards its mother,
through the impulse which kindles into outward show, each
one of those bright spirits stretched its flame aloft, so that
the deep affection which they felt for Mary was revealed to
me. Then they remained there before mine eyes, singing
Regina caeli in such dulcet tones, that the delight thereof
hath ne'er been lost to me. O how great are the riches
stored in those most wealthy coffers, which were good acres
for sowing here on earth ! There they live joyously on the

¹ The Archangel Gabriel, who circles rapidly round the Blessed Virgin.
2 The Crystalline Heaven or Primum Mobile, which lies outside all
the other spheres.
 Paradise XXIII , 134- XXIV, 27
403

treasure, which was won by tears in the Babylonian exile ¹ ,

where they made naught of gold . There, beneath the
exalted Son of God and Mary, doth he triumph in his
victory, in company with the saints of the Old and the New
Covenant, who holds the keys of this transcendent glory.

CANTO XXIV. THE EIGHTH HEAVEN,

OF THE FIXED STARS

" O brotherhood, who are called to the great supper of the The spirits
danceand
blessed Lamb, who doth regale you so, that your desires are sing ;
ever satisfied ; if this man through God's favour hath a fore- St. Peter
advances .
taste of what falls from your table e'er death assigns him his
appointed time, bethink you of his unbounded longing, and
besprinkle him with dew ; ye ever drink at the fountain
whence the subject of his thought proceeds.' Thus spake
Beatrice and those glad spirits formed themselves into
spheres revolving on fixed poles, which flashed keenly like
comets. And as in the mechanism of clocks the wheels
circulate in such wise, that to one who watches, the innermost
appears at rest and the outermost in rapid motion, so those
bands of dancers by their difference in speed , according as
they were swift or slow, enabled me to estimate the fullness.
of their grace. From the band which appeared to me the
3
most beautiful I saw a flame ³ come forth so full of gladness,
that none more luminous remained behind it ; and thrice it
revolved round Beatrice, uttering so divine a song, that my
fantasy fails to recall it to me ; wherefore my pen skips over,
and I write it not, for our imagination—not to say our
language- is of a tint too glaring to represent such cadences.
In their mortal life. 2 St. Peter. 3 St. Peter.
Dd 2
 404 Paradise XXIV, 28-62

Beatrice 'O saintly sister mine, who dost so earnestly beseech us,
begs him
to examine by thine ardent love thou dost detach me from yon beauteous
Dante on ring.' Such were the words which that blest flame, so soon
Faith.
as it had stayed its movement, breathed toward my Lady.
And she : O light eternal of the great man, to whom our
Lord consigned the keys of this wondrous abode of joy,
which he brought down to earth, examine this one, as
pleaseth thee, on questions, be they easy or difficult, apper
taining to the faith, in the strength of which thou didst walk
upon the sea. Whether he be sound in love and hope and
faith, thou knowst full well, since thine eyes are fixed there ',
where all things are visibly portrayed. But seeing that it is
through the true faith that this kingdom hath won its citizens,
'tis well, in order to omote its glory, that he should have
occasion to speak thereof. '
The nature As, while the Master is propounding the question 2 , the
of Christian Bachelor in silence equips himself, to adduce the proofs,
Faith.
not to determine it ; so during her speech did I equip me
with every argument, that I might be ready to answer such
6
a questioner, and to make such a profession. Say, good
Christian, and let thy reply be clear ; What is faith ?'
Whereupon I lifted mine eyes toward that light from which
these words were breathed ; anon I turned me to Beatrice,
and she promptly made signal to me, that I should give vent
to the stream from the fountain-head within me. "May the
grace which grants me the privilege of making my confession
of faith in the presence of the great centurion of the Church,
cause my thoughts to be well expressed.' Such were my
opening words, and I proceeded thus : ' As thy beloved

On the face of God.

The allusion is to an examination in the mediaeval Universities.
 Paradise XXIV, 63-98 405

brother , who in thy company set Rome on the right track,

wrote for us, father, with his truthful pen, faith is the
substance of things hoped for, and the proof of things not
seen 2 ; and this appears to me to be its essence. ' Thereupon
6
I heard : Thy view is right, if thou correctly understandest
wherefore he classed faith, first among the substances, and
secondly among the proofs.' And I in turn : The mysteries,
the sight whereof is granted to me here, are so hidden from
the eyes of men on earth, that they exist there in faith alone,
whereupon sublime hope is founded, for which cause it receives
the name of substance 3 ; and from this faith we are bound to
reason without seeing aught beyond ; in this way it comes
to be called a proof. ' Then did I hear : ' If whatever on
earth is learned by teaching were as clearly understood as
this, sophistry would find no place there.'
Such was the utterance of that ardent love ; anon it Thegrounds
ofChristian
continued : ' The alloy and the weight of this coin have now Faith.
been fully dealt with ; proceed to tell me whether thou hast
it in thy purse.' And I replied : ' Aye ; so bright and
round, that in its stamp there is no shade of doubt.' There
upon from the depths of the light which shone there came
forth the words : This precious jewel, which is the ground
work of every virtue, whence came it to thee ? ' And
I : The copious outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which is
diffused over the pages of the Old and the New Testament,
is an argument which hath proved it to me with clearness so
intense, that in comparison thereof every other form of proof
seems to me pointless.' Anon I heard : 6 The Old and the
New Testament, which draw this conclusion for thee, where

I St. Paul. 2 Heb. xi. I.

3 The word ' substance ' (substantia) is here used in the sense of
' foundation ' (id quod substat) .
 Paradise XXIV, 99-132
406

fore dost thou deem them to be the word of God ? ' And
I : The evidence which reveals to me the truth is found in
the miracles that accompanied it, for the production of which
Nature never heated iron or smote the anvil '.' Then came
the reply : Say, who gives thee assurance that those miracles
occurred ? Thy guarantee is none other than the very book
which claims to be authorized by them.' ' If without miracles
the world was converted to Christianity,' I said, this by
itself is so great a miracle, that the others are as nothing in
comparison thereof; for thou in poverty and need didst go afield
to sow the good plant, which erewhile was a vine, and now
hath become a bramble 2. At the close of these words ' We
praise thee, O God ' resounded from the saintly imperial Court
throughout their spheres with such melody as is sung on high.
The car Then that Baron, who now in his examination had led me
dinal doc
trine. so from branch to branch, that we were drawing nigh to the
outermost leaves 3, commenced afresh : " The grace which
dallies with thy mind hath hitherto opened thy lips appropri
ately, so that I approve that which proceeded from them ;
but now thou must declare the articles of thy faith, and on
what ground they appealed to thy belief.' ' O holy father,
spirit who now beholdest that in which thou didst so firmly
believe, that in entering the sepulchre thou didst anticipate
the steps of a younger man '—thus I began- thou desirest
me here to state the essential features of my unhesitating
belief, and didst inquire withal the grounds thereof. This is
my reply : I believe in one only God, the eternal God, who,
Himself unmoved, doth set in motion the whole Heaven

I1 i, e. which must have been produced by divine agency.

2 The corruptions of the Church are referred to.
3 To the last points which required to be dealt with.
4 John xx. 4-6.
 Paradise XXIV, 133— XXV , 9 407

through love and longing for Him ; and this belief is assured
to me, not only by physical and metaphysical proofs, but also
by the truth which is outpoured from these Heavens through
Moses and the prophets and the psalms, through the Gospel
and through you who wrote after the fire of the Spirit gave
you fostering power : and I believe in three eternal Persons,
and that these are one substance so truly one and three, that
it admits in concordance of the use of " are ” and “ is.”
With the mystery of the divine nature, which I now mention,
the teaching of the Gospel in manifold passages doth imprint
my mind. This is the cardinal doctrine ; this is the spark,
whence afterward is developed a living flame , and which
glitters in me like a star in the sky.'
Even as the master, who hears good tidings, in his joy at St. Peter's
approval.
the news thereupon embraces his servant, so soon as he ceases
to speak ; so, when I held my peace, did the apostolic light,
at whose bidding I had spoken, thrice circle round me,
chanting a benediction ; so pleasing to him were my words.

CANTO XXV . THE EIGHTH HEAVEN,

OF THE FIXED STARS

If ever it come to pass that the sacred poem, to which both St. James
advances.
heaven and earth have lent a hand, so that for many a year it
hath made me lean, overmasters the cruelty which excludes
me from the fair sheepfold 2, where as a lamb I slept, a foe to
the wolves which assail it³ ; with other song, with other
4
locks as a poet I shall then return, and at my baptismal font

¹i. e. system of belief. 2 Florence.

3 The leaders of the Florentine factions.
4 His hair having grown grey.
 se
408 Paradi XXV, 10-39

shall receive the laureate's crown ; seeing that there I was

initiated into the faith which unites men's souls with God,
and that Peter afterward on the strength of that faith thus
circled round my head. Anon a light advanced towards us
from the same sphere whence he came forth, whom Christ
left on earth as the first of his vicegerents ; and in fullness of
delight my Lady said to me : ' Look, look ; behold the
Baron, for whose sake on earth men visit Galicia ¹.'As,
when a dove alights hard by its mate, by circling round and
cooing they display their mutual affection, so did I see one of
those great and glorious nobles welcomed by the other, with
praises of the fare whereof they partake in Heaven. But so
soon as their congratulations were completed, they both stood
still in silence facing me, so radiant that my sight was over
powered thereby.
He ques Then Beatrice smiling said : ' Illustrious spirit, by whom
tions Dante the bounteousness of our celestial court was recorded², pro
on the
subject of claim aloud the virtue of hope here on high ; thou knowst that
Hope.
on every occasion when Jesus revealed Himself more clearly
to the three Apostles 3 thou dost represent it.' ' Raise thy
head, and see thou take confidence ; for whatsoever ascends
hither from the mortal world must needs be ripened by our
rays.' These words of encouragement came to me from the
second flame ; whereupon I lifted up mine eyes unto the hills * ,
which erewhile overpowered and depressed them. 'Seeing
I St. James the Greater, to whose shrine at Compostella pilgrimages
were made.
2 Cp. James i. 17, ' Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above.' Dante is here at fault, for the Epistle of James was written, not
by St. James the Greater, but by St. James the Less.
3 Peter, James and John ; the occasions were the Transfiguration, the
raising of Jairus' daughter, and the Agony in the Garden.
4 Ps. cxxi. I. The two Apostles are here meant.
 Paradise XXV, 40-75
409

that of his grace our Sovereign wills, that before thy death
thou shouldst meet his nobles face to face in his innermost
palace-chamber, so that, after beholding the true aspect of
this Court, thou mayst encourage therewith in thyself and in
others the hope which on earth begets saintly love ; tell me
what is the nature of hope, and to what degree it blossoms in
thy mind, and whence it came to thee ' : thus did the second
luminary pursue his speech. And that compassionate one,
who guided the plumage of my wings unto so lofty a flight,
thus anticipated my reply : No son of the Church militant.
hath fuller hope than he, as is recorded on the face of that
Sun who illuminates all our host ; wherefore it is permitted
him, ere his warfare is accomplished, to come from Egypt to
visit Jerusalem ¹ . The other two questions which have
been asked, not in order to know his views, but that he may
report to men how dearly thou dost love this virtue - I leave
to him, for they will not be hard, nor a subject for self-praise ;
so let himself reply, and this favour may God's grace vouch
safe him .'
Like a scholar, who promptly and willingly replies to his The nature,
thegrounds ,
teacher on a subject wherewith he is conversant, in order that and the
his proficiency may be displayed, I said : ' Hope is a confi- object of
dent expectation of future glory, arising from the grace of God Christian
Hope.
and from precedent merits. From many stars this light
cometh to me ; but the one which first shed it on my heart
was the sublime singer of the sublime Chieftain 2. In his
Book of Sacred Song he saith : " Let them place their hope
in Thee, who know Thy name 3 99 ; and who doth not know
it, if he hath faith like mine ? Anon in thy Epistle 4 thou

1 From the world to the City of God in Heaven.

2 David, who was God's Psalmist. 3 Ps. ix. 10.
4 Not in any special passage, but in its general teaching.
 410 Paradise XXV , 76-107

didst bedew me with his bedewing, so that I am saturated

therewith, and shower afresh on others the rain which pro
ceeded from you two.' While I was speaking, within the
living core of that blaze of light there quivered a flash like
lightning, sudden and recurrent. Then it breathed forth this :
"The love wherewith I still burn for that virtue, which
followed me till I won my palm and quitted the battle-field,
bids me reply to thee, that thou mayst rejoice therein ; and
it is my pleasure that thou shouldst say what it is which
hope promises thee.' And I : ' The scriptures of the New
and of the Old Testament set forth the emblem ¹ , and this
doth indicate it to me. Of the souls whom God hath
embraced in His love Isaiah saith, that in their land each of
them shall be robed in a double garment ² ; and by their land
is meant this joyful life. Thy brother also, where he dis
courses of the white robes 3 , doth far more explicitly declare
to us this revelation.'
St. John the Immediately after the conclusion of these words, first Sperent
Evangelist in te was heard above us, whereto all the choruses replied ;
appears.
and anon in their midst a light became so brilliant, that, it
Cancer possessed a similar crystal, one month of winter would
be perpetual day . And as a maiden gladly rises, and
advances, and joins the dance, solely to do honour to the
youthful bride, not from any unworthy motive ; so did I see
that enkindled lustre 5 approach the other two, who were

I i. e. declare the truth figuratively.

2 Isa. Ixi. 7. By ' a double garment ' Dante understands body and soul
to be meant. 3 Rev. vii. 9.
4 For a month in mid-winter the constellation of Cancer is in the sky
all night long ; and Dante says that, if it possessed a star as bright as the
light which now appeared, there would be perpetual daylight during that
time : from this it results that this luminary had the brightness of the sun.
5 St. John the Evangelist.
 Paradise XXV , 108-139 4II

revolving according to the measure of their ardent love.

There he joined in their song and their tune ; and on them
my Lady gazed steadfastly, like a still and silent bride.
I
'This is he who reclined upon our Pelican's breast, and who
from upon the cross was ordained to his exalted office 2.'
Thus spake my Lady ; nor, for all that, did her words cause
her looks thereafter more than before to withdraw their rapt
attention. As one, who, intently looking, essays to see the
sun in part eclipsed, by using his sight loses the power of
sight, so was it with me in the presence of that last flame, the
while he thus bespake : ' Wherefore dost thou daze thine eyes
to see an object which is not present here 3 ? My body is earth
in earth, and will there abide along with the others until our
number corresponds to God's eternal ordinance. In the
blessed cloister the only spirits who wear both their robes are
the two luminaries who ascended 4 ; and this truth thou shalt
report to your world below.' At the sound of this voice the
ardent circling spirits ceased from their movement, simul
taneously with the sweet harmony which proceeded from the
three Apostles' breath ; even as, to avoid fatigue or danger,
the oars which before were plied in the water stop all together
at a whistle's call. Ah how sadly was my mind distraught,
when on turning to regard Beatrice my sight failed me, albeit
I was close to her, and in the world of bliss !

The pelican was taken as an emblem of our Saviour, because of the

fable in which it was said to feed its young with blood from its own
breast.
2 That of taking charge of the Blessed Virgin.
3 Dante was anxious to learn whether the legend was true, which
reported that St. John had his earthly body in Heaven.
4 viz. Christ and the Virgin, who had just ascended from the Triumph.
2
 412 Paradise XXVI , 1-28

CANTO XXVI . THE EIGHTH HEAVEN,

OF THE FIXED STARS

St. John Through loss of eyesight I was still in doubt, when from
examines
Dante on the lustrous flame which quenched it there came forth a voice
Love ; God which claimed mine attention, saying : ' The while thou art
the object
of Love. regaining the sense of sight, which thou hast extinguished by
gazing at me, 'tis well thou shouldst compensate for it by
conversing with me. Begin then, and say what is the object
of thy soul's desire, and bethink thee that thy visual power
is dazed and not destroyed, for the Lady who guides thee
through this heavenly realm hath in her looks the power
which Ananias' hand possessed ¹.' ' Sooner or later,' I replied,
' according to her good pleasure let mine eyes be cured, which
were the gates, when she entered with the fire wherewith
I ever burn. The Good which fulfills the desires of this
Court, is the Alpha and Omega of every precept, which love
either gently or forcibly doth teach me 2.'
The proofs The same voice which had delivered me from the fear
of this.
arising from sudden blindness, inspired me with the desire
to speak again, and said : ' In sooth by the use of a finer
sieve³ thou must needs explain thy views ; it behoves thee
to say, who caused thee to aim at such a target 4.' And I :
'It is by philosophical reasoning, and by authority which T
descends from here on high, that the love I speak of must
impress itself upon me ; for that which is good , inasmuch
as it is good , when its true nature is perceived doth kindle

¹ Ananias restored St. Paul's sight ; Acts ix. 17, 18.

2 i . e. God is the beginning and the end of all the lessons of love,
whether in its lighter or its deeper forms.
3 In greater detail . 4 To fix thy affections on God.
 Paradise XXVI , 29-59
413

love, and that in a higher degree in proportion to its own

inherent goodness. Consequently the mind of every one who
perceives the truth on which this proof is based¹ cannot fail
to be moved in love toward the essence, in which there is
such supreme perfection, that every good which is external to
it is naught else than a reflection of its light, rather than
towards any other essence. This truth is set forth to my
intellect by him , who shows me what is the primal object
of love to all the eternal substances. It is set forth also
by the voice of the truthful Author, who saith to Moses,
speaking of Himself, " I will make all good to pass before
thee 3." Thou thyself too dost set it forth, at the beginning
of thy sublime announcement , which beyond every other
proclamation declares on earth the secret of Heaven. '
6
Then heard I this : By the guidance of human intellect, Influences
and of authorities which accord therewith, the highest of which tend
to produce
thine affections is directed toward God. But tell me further, the love of
whether thou art conscious of other inducements which attract God.
thee to Him, so that thou mayst declare how many reasons
compel thee to love God.' The holy purpose of Christ's
eagle 5 was not obscure ; nay, I at once perceived whither he
would lead my profession of faith ; wherefore I commenced
anew : ' All the impulses which avail to turn the heart to
God have co-operated to produce my love ; for the existence
of the world, and mine own existence, the death which He

I The principle that God is the highest good.

2 Aristotle, who taught that God is the power which attracts all things
to itself by their desire for it, and thus causes the movement of the uni
verse.
3 Exod. xxxiii. 19.
4 Rev. i. 8, ' I am Alpha and Omega, ' &c., where God's goodness is
to be inferred from the other attributes ascribed to Him.
5 The eagle is the emblem of St. John.
 414 Paradise XXVI , 60-96

endured that I may live, and that which every true believer,
like myself, doth hope for, together with the afore- mentioned
confident persuasion, have rescued me from the ocean of false
love, and set me on the shore of the true. The leaves where
with the whole garden of the eternal Gardener is decked¹
I love in proportion to the good gifts which He hath bestowed
upon them.' No sooner had I ceased, than a chant of
wondrous sweetness resounded through Heaven, and my Lady
6
joined the rest in singing : Holy, Holy, Holy.'
The spirit And even as sleep is broken by a flashing light, by reason
of Adam
appears. of the visual power turning toward the brightness which
passes from one to another of the coats of the eye ; and the
awakened spirit shrinks from what it sees, so unconscious is
it when suddenly aroused, as long as the faculty of reflexion
fails to succour it ; so from mine eyes was every mote removed
by Beatrice through the effulgence of her own, which shot their
beams to infinite distance ; whereupon I saw more clearly
than before, and in amaze made inquiry concerning a fourth
luminary 2 , which I beheld in our company. And my Lady
said : "Within those rays the first soul which the primal
Virtue ever created gazes on its Maker.' As a leaf deflects
its point while the wind is passing, and anon uplifts itself
through its natural force which inclines it upward ; so was
I overcome with wonder while she was addressing me, and so
thereafter was my confidence restored by the desire to speak
which fired me ; and I began : ' O apple, that alone wast
produced full-ripe, O ancient father, to whom every married
woman is daughter and daughter-in-law 3 , with the utmost
devotion I beseech thee to speak to me ; thou knowest what
I long for, and in order to hasten thy reply I name it not.'
1 Mankind are meant. 2 This is the spirit of Adam.
3 Because every woman and every man is a descendant of Adam.
 Paradise XXVI , 97-129 415

At times an animal within a wrapping wriggles in such He answers

various
wise, that its feelings cannot fail to be expressed by the questions
covering following its movements ; even so did that first of for Dante.
souls reveal to me through his envelopment , how greatly
it delighted him to comply with my request. Then he
breathed forth this : ' Albeit thou dost not thyself reveal
to me thy wishes, yet I discern them more clearly than thou
dost whatever is most certain to thee, inasmuch as I behold
them in the truthful mirror, who Himself reflects all things ,
while none of them reflects Him. Thou wouldst fain know
how long time it is since God placed me in the lofty garden 2,
where yonder Dame prepared thee for thy present long
ascent ; and for what period it was a delight to mine eyes ;
and what was the true cause of the dire wrath which I incurred ;
and what the language which I formed and spake. Mark
now, my son, the eating of the fruit of the tree was not
in itself the cause of that sad banishment, but only the
transgression of the appointed limit 3. From that place ¹,
whence thy Lady urged Virgil to come, for four thousand.
three hundred and two revolutions of the sun I longed for
this assembly ; and nine hundred and thirty times did I see
him return along all the lights of his highway, the while
I was on earth. The language which I spake had wholly
died out long ere Nimrod's folk were engaged on the work
which might never be completed 5 ; for by reason of the
changes in men's inclinations under the influence of the stars,
no product of human reason ever remained permanently the

The enveloping light. 2 The Earthly Paradise.

3 The desire of our first parents to be as gods in knowing good and
evil ; Gen. iii. 5. 4 Limbo.
5 The Tower of Babel, which Dante attributed to Nimrod ; cp. Inf.
xxxi. 77.
 416 Paradise XXVI , 130- XXVII , 16

same. Human speech is an operation of nature ; but whether

it takes this or that form, nature leaves it to you to determine
afterwards according to your pleasure. Ere I descended to
the anguish of Hell, I was the name on earth for the
Highest Good, from whom proceeds the joy which enfolds
me ; anon He was called El ; and such change is meet, for
the usage of men is like the leaves on a bough, whereof one
goes and another comes. On the Mountain which rises
highest from the sea I abode in the innocent and the fallen
life from the first hour to that which, when the sun changes
quadrants, follows the sixth "."

CANTO XXVII . THE EIGHTH AND NINTH

HEAVENS

St. Peter de 6
To the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit glory
nounces the
crimes of be, ' all Paradise began to sing, so that the sweet chant in
the Roman ebriated me. Methought what I beheld was a smile of the
Pontiffs.
universe ; thus both through the hearing and the sight mine
ecstasy found entrance. O joy! O gladness unspeakable !
O perfect life of love and peace ! O wealth secure, and
exempt from longing ! Before mine eyes the four torches
stood enkindled, and the one which first approached 3 began
to display a more vivid light : the aspect it assumed was
such as Jove might wear, if he and Mars were birds and
exchanged plumage 4. The providence, which in those

i.e. Jah or Jehovah.

2 There was a mediaeval tradition to the effect that the duration of
Adam's stay in the Earthly Paradise was seven hours.
3 St. Peter.
4 The light which enveloped St. Peter assumed the ruddy hue of the
planet Mars ; this colour is here intended to betoken indignation.
 Paradise XXVII , 17-51
417

realms assigns to each his fitting time and function, had

imposed silence on the blessed choir on every side, when I
heard as follows : ' Marvel not, if I change colour, for while
I am speaking thou wilt see all those spirits change colour
also. He that on earth usurps my seat ¹, my seat, my seat,
which in the sight of the Son of God is vacant, hath turned
my burial-place 2 into a sewer of blood and filth, whereat the
reprobate 3 who fell from here above rejoices in Hell below.'
Then with that hue, wherewith the sun from the opposite
quarter tints the clouds at morn and eve, did I see the whole
heaven overspread. And as a virtuous lady, while confident
in herself, at the mere mention of another's transgression
becomes bashful, so did Beatrice change countenance ; and
the darkness, I ween, was such as veiled the sky, when the
Almighty suffered death. Anon with a voice so unlike its
natural tone, that the change in his aspect was not greater,
he thus continued his speech : ' It was not to serve as an
instrument for amassing gold that the spouse of Christ was
nurtured with my blood, and with that of Linus and of
Cletus ; but in order to win this blissful life Sixtus and
Pius, Calixtus and Urban, after manifold sufferings shed
their blood. It was no purpose of ours, that one part of the
Christian folk should sit on the right hand of our successors,
and another on the left 5 ; or that the keys which were
entrusted to me should become an emblem on a banner, to
be used in combat against baptized Christians ; or that I
1 Boniface VIII, who owing to his crimes was in the sight of Christ
an apostate.
2 Rome. 3 Satan.
4 These, and the other bishops mentioned below, were St. Peter's
successors in the See of Rome.
5 i. e. that the Guelf party should be favoured, and the Ghibelline per
secuted, by the Popes.
TOZER E e
 ise
418 Parad XXVII , 52-79

should serve for a figure on a seal attached to venal and

mendacious indulgences, whereat I oftentimes blush and flash
with fire. In the garb of shepherds rapacious wolves are
seen from here above in all the pastures : ye weapons of
God's armoury, wherefore are ye ever at rest ? Sons of
Cahors and Gascony are preparing to drink of our blood ;
O fair commencement, in how base downfall art thou doomed
to end ! But the sublime providence, which by the hands
2
of Scipio maintained for Rome the empire of the world,
will speedily, as I conceive, afford relief. And do thou, my
son, who by reason of the burden of the flesh shalt return
again to earth, open thy lips, and conceal not that which I
do not conceal.'
Dante again As with congealed vapours our atmosphere falls in flakes,
looks down what time the horn of the heavenly Goat is in conjunction
to earth.
with the sun ³ , so did I see the sky aloft richly dight, and
flaked with triumphant vapours , which had there sojourned
in our company. Mine eyes were pursuing their forms, and
still pursued them, until the vastness of the intervening space
prevented them from penetrating further. Whereupon my
Lady, who was ware that my task of gazing upward was at
an end, said to me : Turn thy looks downward, and see
how far thou hast gone round.' Since the time 5 when I

1 John XXII and Clement V, with their adherents.

2 Scipio Africanus, the conqueror of Hannibal.
3 In mid-winter, when the sun is in Capricorn.
4 The spirits which formed the Triumph of Christ, now ascending to
the Empyrean .
5 In what follows it is described how Dante, who was in the constella
tion of Gemini, and had already looked down to the earth in the longi
tude of Jerusalem (Par. xxii. 151-4), had passed across to the longitude
of Gades, and thence beheld to the west the Atlantic Ocean , and to the
east the Mediterranean almost as far as the coast of Phoenicia.
 Paradise XXVII , 80-112 419

before had looked, I perceived that I had traversed the entire

arc, which the first clime forms from its mid-point to its end ;
so that on the further side of Gades I beheld the scene of
Ulysses' mad voyage ¹, and on the hither side I wellnigh saw
the shore, on which Europa became a sweet burden 2. And
yet more of the surface of our plot of ground would have
been revealed to me ; but the sun was passing onward beneath
my feet at the distance of more than a sign of the zodiac from
me. My enamoured spirit, which ever dallies with my Lady,
was more eager than before to recall mine eyes to her : and
if nature or art prepared a banquet of delights, whether in the
form of human flesh or in pictures thereof, to captivate the
eyes and so possess the mind, all these combined would seem
as naught in comparison of the divine charm which beamed
upon me, when I turned toward her smiling face ; and the
power which her look bestowed upon me snatched me away
from the fair nest of Leda ³, and bore me on to the Heaven
of swiftest motion 4.
Its parts, lofty as they are and exceeding full of life, are The ninth
or Crystal
so uniform, that which of them Beatrice selected for my line Heaven,
station I cannot say but perceiving my desire, with a smile the Primum
Mobile.
so glad, that the joy of God Himself seemed to beam in her
countenance, she thus began to speak : ' The nature of the
universe, which causes the central point 5 to be at rest, and
all the other parts to move around, begins from here as from
its starting-point : and this Heaven hath no other place than
in the mind of God, where the love which causes it to revolve
and the influence which it imparts originate. Light and love

1 Cp. Inf. xxvi. 125.

2 Jupiter in the form of a bull carried off Europa from the Phoenician
coast.
3 Gemini. 4 The Primum Mobile. 5 The earth.
E e 2
 Paradise XXVII , 113-144
420

form a sphere encircling it, even as this sphere encircles the

other spheres ; and over that circle He alone who embraces
it presides. The motion of this sphere is not determined by
any other ; nay, by this one the other spheres are measured,
even as ten is by its half and by its fifth . Now mayst thou
clearly see, that in this sphere, like a plant in a flower-pot,
time hath its roots, and in the others its leaves 2. O covetous
ness, how in thy depths dost thou submerge mankind, so that
none hath strength to lift his eyes from beneath thy waters ³ !
The will in man puts forth fair flowers, but by the unceasing
rainfall the sound fruit is blasted. Only in the very young
are faith and innocence found ; anon, ere their cheeks are
bearded, both of these depart. One, who while a lisping
child observes the fasts, anon when his tongue is fluent eats
greedily any kind of food in any season ; another, who while
a lisping child loves and obeys his mother, anon when his
speech is perfect desires to see her buried. So doth the
fair skin of the beauteous daughter of him who brings morn
ing and leaves evening grow dark as soon as seen 4. That
this may not seem strange to thee, bethink thee that on earth
there is none who rules, and thus the human race doth go
astray. But ere January passes wholly out of winter into
spring by reason of the neglect of the hundredth part of a
day in the world below 5, these spheres on high will roar so

I Two and five when multiplied together, make ten ; this is given as
a specimen of perfect measurement.
2 Distinctions of time originate in the Primum Mobile, but are visibly
revealed in the sun and the planets.
3 Beatrice here denounces the mean interests, which blind men to the
sublime verities.
4 Human nature, which is the child of the sun, degenerates from the
first.
5 The reference is to the growing error in excess in the reckoning of
 Paradise XXVII , 145- XXVIII, 21 421

loudly, that the long expected good fortune will turn round
the sterns where are now the prows, so that the fleet shall
follow a straight course ; and the flower shall be succeeded
by healthy fruit ¹ .'

CANTO XXVIII . THE NINTH HEAVEN,

OR PRIMUM MOBILE

When she who lifts my mind to the joys of Paradise, by The point
denouncing the present life of wretched mortality had revealed the
of light
nineand
to me the truth, anon, as in a mirror a taper's flame is seen circles.
by one who is lighted by it from behind, or ever it presents
itself to his eyes or his thoughts, whereupon he turns him
round to see whether the glass tells him true, and finds that
it corresponds as faithfully thereto as a tune to the metre of
its verse, such -- as my memory testifies -was the case with
me, as I gazed at the beauteous eyes, which became the noose
that Love spun to ensnare me 2. And when I turned round,
and mine eyes were smitten by what is visible in that sphere,
when it is rightly regarded in respect of its rotation, I beheld
a point ³, which emitted a light so keen , that the eyes which
it illuminates must perforce close by reason of its piercing
brightness ; and the star which from the earth appears the
smallest of all would seem a moon, if placed by the side of
this point as one star is placed by another star. As closely,

the Julian calendar, by which January was being advanced toward the end
of winter and the beginning of spring. The meaning is-' before a very
long time has elapsed.'
Beatrice here anticipates the coming of a regenerator of society.
2 Dante saw a bright light reflected in the eyes of Beatrice.
3 The point, being indivisible, is taken to represent the Unity of the
Godhead.
 422 Paradise XXVIII , 22-54

maybe, as the halo seems to surround the luminary which

furnishes its light, when the vapour whereon it is formed is
densest, around the point a fiery circle was revolving with
rapidity so great, that it would have outstripped the motion
which most swiftly encompasses the universe ² ; and this
circle was enclosed by a second, and that by the third, and
anon the third by the fourth, and the fourth by the fifth, and
then the fifth by the sixth. Without these followed the
seventh, which had reached so ample a width, that Juno's
messenger 3, were its circle perfect, would be too narrow to
contain it. In like manner the eighth and ninth ; and each of
them was slower in movement according as its number was
more distant from the point of Unity : and the flame of that
one was the clearest, from which the pure spark was least
remote ; methinks because it partakes most of its perfection.
My Lady, who saw that I was absorbed in anxious thought,
6
said : On that point both Heaven and all Nature depend.
Regard that circle which is nearest to it, and know that the
cause of its velocity is the ardent love whereby it is impelled.'
Correspon And I to her : ' If the system of the universe corresponded
dence of
these circles to the order which I behold in those circles, the food that is
with the set before me would have contented me ; but in the world of
material
spheres. sense the spheres are seen to partake more largely of the
divine influence, in proportion as they are more distant from
their centre : wherefore, if my desire is to be appeased in this
wondrous temple of the angels, which hath no other limit save

1 The nine concentric circles of light, which revolve round the point,
are the nine angelic Orders, which are the Intelligences who guide the
spheres. Their names are 1. Seraphim ; 2. Cherubim ; 3. Thrones ;
4. Dominions ; 5. Virtues ; 6. Powers ; 7. Principalities ; 8. Archangels ;
9. Angels.
2 The Primum Mobile. 3 Iris, or the rainbow.
 Paradise XXVIII , 55-83 423

light and love, I must needs be further told how comes to

pass that the original and the copy do not accord, for of
myself I investigate this in vain ¹.' ' It is no marvel if thy
fingers are incapable of disentangling such a knot, so hard it
hath become through lack of trying.' Thus spake my Lady ;
and then she said : ' If thou wouldst fain be satisfied , accept
what I shall tell thee, and exercise thy subtlety upon it. The
material spheres are wide or narrow according to the amount
of the divine power, which is diffused through every part of
them. A greater amount of the power produces greater
salutary influence ; and greater salutary influence is contained
in a larger body, if it be equally perfect in all its parts. Con
sequently that sphere 2, which bears along with it all the rest
of the universe, corresponds to the circle 3 which hath the
fullest love and fullest knowledge. Hence, if thou appliest
thy estimate, not to the circular form in which the angelic
natures are revealed to thee , but to the power which they
possess, thou wilt discover that each sphere corresponds
exactly to the Intelligences which guide it, the wider sphere
to the superior, the narrower to the inferior Order.'
As, when from his mildest quarter Boreas breathes, the The Orders
vault of Heaven remains bright and clear, since the rack and chiesHierar
of
whereby erewhile it was overcast clears off and disperses, so Angels.
1 The difficulty is this :-The material spheres of Heaven revolve more
swiftly in proportion to their distance from their centre, the earth ; now,
as the Angelic circles are the prototype of those spheres, we should
expect to find that they revolve more swiftly in proportion to their dis
tance from their centre, God : but in reality the contrary of this is the
case. The answer is, that what the Angelic circles are to be estimated
by is the rank and relative power of the spirits which compose them ;
and thus each material Heaven corresponds to the Order of Intelligences
which guides it, the wider and swifter sphere to the superior, the narrower
and slower to the inferior power.
2 The Primum Mobile. 3 That of the Seraphim.
424 Paradise XXVIII , 84-117

that with the lustre of its full pageantry the sky doth smile ;
so was it with me, when my Lady had furnished me with her
clear reply, and the truth was seen as distinctly as a star in
the heavens. And as soon as she ceased from speaking, the
circles coruscated like the sparkling of molten iron. The
sparks accompanied each its own burning train ; and so many
were they, that their number runs into more thousands than
the doubling of the chess '. I heard them sing Hosanna
choir by choir to the fixed point, which holds and will for
ever hold them fast to the place in which they ever were.
And she who was ware of the questionings in my mind, said :
6
The first two circles have revealed to thee the Seraphim
and Cherubim. With the speed which thou perceivest they
follow their bonds 2 , to assimilate themselves to the point as
far as in them lies, and that is in proportion to the sublimity
of their sight. The other loving spirits which move around
them are called Thrones of the face of God ; and thus they
completed 3 the first group of three. And be it known to
thee, that the joy which they all feel is in proportion to the
depth of their insight into the Truth, wherein every spirit
finds repose. Hence it is clear that the state of beatitude
consists in the act of seeing, not in that of loving, which is
subsequent ; and the power of sight is determined by merit,
which arises from grace and goodwill ; such are the steps of
the development. The second group of three, which similarly
germinates in this eternal spring, which no autumn season

By doubling a grain of wheat as many times as there are squares on

a chess-board—that is, one grain for the first square, two for the second,
four for the third, and so on to sixty-four-an almost incalculable number
is obtained.
2 The attraction of love.
3 The past tense is used, because the period of their creation is re
ferred to.
 Paradise XXVIII , 118- XXIX, 3 425

strips of its leaves, doth evermore warble Hosanna in three

strains, which proceed from the three glad Orders whereof its
triple nature is composed. In this Hierarchy are the follow
ing three divinities ; to wit, first Dominions, and then Virtues,
while the Powers constitute the third Order. After them
in the two gyrations which precede the last Principalities and
Archangels revolve ; festive Angels alone compose the last.
These Orders all gaze upwards, and exercise their influence
below in such wise that, while they are all attracted toward
God, they all attract those beneath them . To the study of
I
these Orders Dionysius applied himself with so great long
ing, that he named them and arranged them as I have done.
After him Gregory maintained a different view² ; and so it
came to pass when he opened his eyes in this Heaven,
he smiled at his mistake. And if so great a mystery was
revealed by a mortal man on earth, prithee marvel not ; for
this truth, and others manifold concerning these spheres, were
made known to him by one who beheld them here above ³.'

CANTO XXIX . THE NINTH HEAVEN,

OR PRIMUM MOBILE

When Latona's twin offspring +, surmounted by the Ram

and by the Scales, are girdled at once by the horizon, as long
1 Dionysius the Areopagite, the convert of St. Paul at Athens, was the
reputed author of the De Caelesti Hierarchia, which was the textbook
of angelic lore in the middle ages.
2 St. Gregory placed the Principalities in the second Hierarchy, and the
Vi -tues in the third.
3 By St. Paul, who was caught up to the third Heaven ; 2 Cor. xii. 2 .
4 Apollo and Diana, i . e. the sun and moon. Beatrice now ceases
from speaking for an instant, and the instantaneous character of this
pause is illustrated by the correspondence in position of the setting sun
and the rising full moon at the equinox, which can only be momentary.
 426 Paradise XXIX , 4-34

Questions as is the time which elapses from the moment when the
the Angels; zenith makes an equipoise between them, until, changing
their crea their hemispheres, they both escape from that cincture, so
tion.
long, with her countenance irradiated by a smile, did Beatrice
hold her peace, gazing fixedly at the point which had over
powered me. Anon she thus began : " That which thou
fain wouldst hear I tell thee without inquiring of thee,
inasmuch as I have seen it there ' , where all time and every
place are present. Not with a view to the acquisition of
good for Himself, for that cannot be, but in order that His
glory by being manifested in other beings might be able to
proclaim its existence, in His eternity beyond the bounds
of time and beyond every other limit, according to His good
pleasure the eternal Love manifested Himself in nine loves².
Not that ere this God lay as it were inactive ; for neither
before nor after aught else did the movement of the Spirit
of God on the face of these waters take place. Form and
matter, both in combination and uncombined ³, came forth
into perfect being like three arrows shot from a three- stringed
bow¹ ; and as on glass, on amber, or on crystal a ray no
sooner falls than it illuminates them throughout, so did the
threefold result beam forth simultaneously from its Lord in
completeness of its being without any distinction of time
in their commencement. The order of these substances was
created and ordained along with them, and those were the
crown of the universe, in which pure intellect was produced.
Pure receptivity held the lowest place ; between these was

In the face of God. 2 The nine angelic Orders.

3 By 'form ' intellect is meant. Pure form is the angelic nature.
Pure matter is the material universe. Form and matter combined is the
human race.
4 The three strings represent the three Persons of the Trinity.
 Paradise XXIX, 35-66 427

receptivity combined with intellect, and these were held

together by a bond so powerful that it can never be unbound.
In Jerome's writings you will find it said of the Angels, that
they were created long ages before the rest of the universe
was made ; but the truth which I affirm I is recorded in
manifold passages by the inspired writers, as thou wilt
discover if thou givest good heed ; and reason also in a
measure perceives it, for it would not allow that the Intelli
gences which move the spheres could lack so long the
perfection of their being 2. Now thou knowest where and
when these loving spirits were created, and in what fashion ;
so that already three of thine ardent desires are appeased.
'Moreover, ere in counting one could reach twenty, a part The re
3 bellious and
of the Angels disturbed the nethermost of your elements the faithful
The other part remained, and commenced the practice of this Angels.
art which thou beholdest ; and that with so great delight,
that they never cease from revolving. The origin of that
Fall was the accursed pride of him, whom thou sawest
compressed by the gravity of the whole universe. Those
whom thou seest here were humble in recognizing that they
proceeded from the Goodness which had created them
qualified for so great intelligence ; wherefore their power of
sight was sublimated by illuminative grace and by their merit,
so that their wills are perfect and immutable. And I would
have thee believe undoubtingly, that to accept grace is a
meritorious act in proportion to the receptivity of the affection.
I viz. the simultaneous creation of the Angels and the rest of the uni
verse.
2 The office of the angelic Intelligences was to move and guide the
spheres ; this would have been purposeless while the spheres did not yet
exist.
3 The earth, which was disturbed by Lucifer's fall ; cp. Inf. xxxiv.
121-6.
 428 Paradise XXIX , 67-103

Now without further aid thou mayst fully devote thy thoughts
to the subject of this assembly, if thou hast laid to heart my
words.
The facul ' But seeing that on earth it is taught in your schools that
ties ofthe
Angels ; per the angelic nature possesses intelligence and memory and
verse views will, I will pursue my discourse, that thou mayst see clearly
of spiritual the truth which there below men confuse , equivocating in
subjects.
such prelections. These spirits , from what time they were
blest with the sight of God, withdrew not their eyes from
His face from which naught is hidden ; wherefore their vision
is intercepted by no fresh object, and thus they need not
recollection to recall a thought which hath been excluded from
view : so that on earth men dream with their eyes open,
some believing that they speak the truth, some not ; but the
latter incur greater sin and greater disgrace. Ye below in
your philosophizing follow not the one right way, so greatly
are ye carried away by the love of display and by pondering
thereon. Yet here in Heaven even this is borne with less
indignation than the neglect or the perversion of Holy Writ.
On earth men reflect not on the amount of blood that hath
been the price of disseminating it in the world, or how
acceptable to God is he who in humility holds fast by it.
Display is what each one aims at, inventing new views of his
own ; and these are the preachers' themes, while the Gospel
is not mentioned. One says that at the time of Christ's
passion the moon returned on its course and came between,
and this was why the sun shed not its light below ; another,
that the light disappeared of itself, and therefore the Spaniards
and the Indians, equally with the Jews, were affected by this
eclipse. There are not in Florence so many Lapi and Bindi²,
Dante here maintains that the Angels have no need of memory,
because they forget nothing. 2 'Common men ' are meant.
 Paradise XXIX, 104-138 429

as are the fictions of this character which in the course of

a year are proclaimed in the pulpit from one side or the
other ; so that the poor silly sheep return from their pasture
fed with wind, yet are not excused by ignorance of their
bane. Christ said not to his first band of followers : " Go
forth and preach * frivolities to the world, " but gave them
a sure foundation of truth ; and that alone proceeded from
their lips, so that for their combat in propagating the Faith
the Gospel served them for shield and spear. Nowadays
with witticisms and buffooneries men essay to preach, and if
so be a good laugh is raised, the preacher's cowl is puffed up,
and more than that he asks not. Yet in the angle of the
cowl such a winged monster ¹ nestles, that the multitude, could
they see it, would learn the value of the indulgences wherein
they put their trust ; by reason of which such folly prevails
on earth, that without any evidence of their authorization
men are ready to rush together at every promise of them.
On this St. Antony fattens his pig, and others withal who
are more foul than swine, making his payments in uncoined
money 2.
' But seeing that our digression hath been full long, return Their
number and
now in thought to the subject which I was pursuing, that my degrees of
statement may be brief to suit the allotted time. The angelic grace .
nature is so vastly multiplied in number, that it exceeds all
power of expression and thought of man ; and if thou
regardest aright what Daniel reveals, thou wilt see that when
he speaks of thousands no fixed number is expressed ³ . The
primal Light, which irradiates it throughout, is received into
it in as many modes as are the bright beings wherewith it is
1 The devil. 2 i. e. unauthorized indulgences.
3 Dan. vii. 10, ' Thousand thousands ministered unto him,' &c. This
only means an indefinitely great number.
 430 Paradise XXIX , 139- XXX, 22

mated ; whence, inasmuch as the affection is in proportion

to the assimilation of that light, the sweetness of love is
more or less warm in it in different degrees. Now canst thou
understand the sublimity and the immensity of the eternal
Might, since He hath created so many mirrors which partake
of His light, while Himself retaining unchanged His unity.'

CANTO XXX . THE TENTH , OR

EMPYREAN HEAVEN

Disappear Six thousand miles ¹ , maybe, the glowing hour of noon is

ance of the distant from us, and our world now inclines its shadow well
heavenly
host. nigh to a level, when the mid-heaven high above us is gathering
so much light, that here and there a star is lost to sight
on earth below ; and as the brightest handmaid of the sun
advances, the heaven closes, light after light even to the most
beautiful : in such wise the triumphant host, which ever joy
fully revolves around the point that overpowered me, which
seems to be enclosed by that which it encloses, gradually faded
from my gaze ; so that through the disappearance of that
sight, and withal through love, mine eyes must fain revert
to Beatrice . If all her praises that have hitherto been sung
were gathered up into a single eulogy, it would be inadequate
to furnish forth this occasion. Not only doth the beauty
which I beheld pass the limits of our conception, but verily
I believe that her Creator alone hath full enjoyment of it.
By this hard task I confess myself vanquished, more than

The nine angelic circles now gradually fade from Dante's sight ;
this is compared to the gradual disappearance of the stars at dawn, which
is described by an elaborate periphrasis.
 Paradise XXX, 23-59
431

comic or tragic poet ever was by a difficulty in his subject ;

for, even as weak eyes are overpowered by the sun, so by the
recollection of that sweet smile is my mind paralysed. From
the first day when I beheld her face in this life until the
present view my song hath not been hindered from pursuing
that theme ; but now I must desist from the attempt to express
her beauty in my verse, as every artist must desist from
pursuing his ideal.
With that sublimity, which I leave to a loftier heralding Thetenth or
Empyrean
Heaven ;
than that of my trumpet which is bringing to a close its arduous
task, and with the look and voice of a thoughtful guide, she symbolical
intimation
thus once more began : " We have passed forth from the of it.
most spacious of the material Heavens into that which is pure
light -light intellectual replete with love, love of the true
good replete with joy, joy which surpasses all else in sweetness.
Here shalt thou see both one and the other of the hosts
of Paradise 2, and the one wearing that aspect which at the
final Judgement thou shalt behold 3." Even as a sudden
lightning-flash annuls the power of sight, so that it deprives
the eye of the impression of more striking objects ; so did
there gleam around me a vivid light, which left me so enfolded
6
in its lustrous veil that I saw naught beyond. Such is the
greeting wherewith the Love which tranquillizes this Heaven
doth ever receive a soul into its presence, to prepare the taper
to be lighted by its flame.' No sooner had these brief words
reached mine ears, than I was ware that I rose above the
level of my powers ; and a new faculty of sight of such
keenness was enkindled in me, that no lustre is so clear that

1 From the Primum Mobile into the Empyrean.

2 The company of the Angels and the company of the Blessed.
3 The Blessed would be seen in their real form, not concealed by the
enveloping light.
 432 Paradise XXX , 60-96

I
mine eyes would not have endured it : and I beheld a light,
in form like unto a river, gleaming with brightness, between
two banks adorned with a wondrous wealth of flowers. From
out this stream there proceeded living sparks, which settled
on the flowers on either hand, resembling rubies set in gold.
Anon, as if inebriated by the odours, they plunged again into
the marvellous torrent, and as one passed in another issued
forth.
The full 'The exalted longing to have cognizance of what thou
revelation.
seest, which now stimulates and impels thee, is the more
pleasing to me in proportion as it increases ; but thou must
needs drink of this water, ere thy eager thirst can be
quenched ' thus did the sun of mine eyes address me.
Furthermore she added : " The river and the topaz-lights
which pass in and out, and the smiling flowers, are shadowy
anticipations of their reality ; not that in themselves these
things are hard to understand, but the defect is on thy part,
for thy range of sight is as yet too limited. ' Never did infant
so suddenly turn its face toward its mother's breast, if it
chanced to wake long after its wonted time, as I turned mine,
to increase still more my power of vision, bending downward
to the water, which issues forth that men may therein be
perfected. And so soon as the rim of mine eyelids had
drunk thereof, I perceived that from having been long it had
become round. Anon, as folk disguised by masks wear a
different aspect, if they put off the alien semblance whereby
they were concealed, so did the flowers and the sparks change
into more radiant sights of joy, and I beheld both the courts
of heaven displayed to view.

¹ This is a symbolical representation of what is to follow. The river

is the illuminative grace of God, the sparks are the Angels, and the
flowers the Blessed.
 Paradise XXX, 97-133
433

O splendour divine, in the strength of which I saw the The celes

tial Rose.
sublime triumph of the truthful kingdom, grant me the power
to describe how I beheld it. In Heaven above there is light,
which reveals the Creator to every creature that finds its
peace in the sight of Him alone ; and this extends in a circular
form so widely, that its circumference would be a more than
ample cincture for the sun . All that is thus displayed is
formed of a ray reflected on the surface of the Heaven
of First Motion ¹ , which derives therefrom its vitality and its
influence. And as a hill-side reflects itself in water at its
foot, as if to behold its bravery, when it is rich in verdure.
and flowers, so saw I reflected in that light, as they rose
above it all round in more than a thousand tiers, all the souls
that have returned from earth to Heaven. And if the lowest
tier bounds so great an expanse of light, how vast must be
that rose in its outermost petals ! In surveying its width.
and height my sight was not at fault, but embraced all the
immensity and the quality of that blessedness. There naught
is added by nearness or excluded by distance, for where God
immediately rules the law of Nature 2 hath no force.
Into the yellow centre of the everlasting rose³ , which The seat
reserved for
opens out, and descends in gradation, and breathes forth the
Henry of
fragrance of praise to the Sun of the eternal springtide, Luxem
Beatrice drew me, like one that is silent though he fain would burg.
speak ; and she said : ' Behold the white-robed assembly,
how vast it is ! Behold our city, how wide is its circuit !
See how our benches are so occupied, that now to fill them
but few are needed. On that grand seat, whereto thine eyes

i. e. on the outer surface of the Primum Mobile.

2 The law of perspective is meant.
3 The sea of light, which is the reflexion of God's glory, is compared
to the yellow centre formed by the stamens of the rose.
TOZER F f
 Wea
|(pag ta
434 Paradise XXX, 134 - XXXI , 13

are attracted by the crown which is already set above it,

ere thou shalt partake of this marriage supper a soul shall sit,
which on earth shall bear the imperial dignity ; even the soul
of the great Henry ' , who shall come to reform Italy before
it is prepared. The blind covetousness which bewitches you
hath made you like the child which, when dying of hunger,
drives away its nurse ; and in the divine court such an one
will then be president , that both openly and covertly he will
follow a different road from him ³. But not for long thereafter
will God tolerate him in his sacred office ; for he shall be
thrust down there where Simon Magus is for his deserts 4, and
will cause him of Anagni 5 to sink lower still .

CANTO XXXI . THE EMPYREAN HEAVEN

The Angels Thus in the form of a white rose was the saintly host
and the revealed to me, which Christ espoused with His blood ; but
Blessed.
the other host , which, as it flies, beholds and celebrates in
song the glory of Him who inspires it with love, and His
goodness which created it so excellent, like a crowd of bees,
which one while settle on the flowers, and anon return to the
7
place where their labour is converted into sweetness, de
scended on the great flower which is adorned with so many
petals, and rose again from off it to the region where its
Love doth ever dwell. The faces of all of them were like

1 Henry of Luxemburg.
2 Pope Clement V, whose double-dealing with Henry has already been
noticed ; Par. xvii. 82.
3 i. e. will oppose him.
4 In the third bolgia of Malebolge ; Inf. xix. 82-4.
5 Boniface VIII. 6 The Angels. 7 The hive.
 Paradise XXXI , 14-47
435

living flame, and their wings like gold, and the rest so white,
that the purest snow attains not such perfection. When they
descended on the flower, from tier to tier they communicated
the peace and the fervour which they acquired by waving
their wings ¹ . Nor did the interposition of so great a multi
tude of flying creatures between the flower and that which
was above impede the sight of the splendour, for the light
divine pervades the universe in proportion to its receptivity,
so that naught can interrupt it. This realm of safety and of
blessedness, peopled by folk of the Old and the New Dis
pensation, had its looks and its love fixed on one object alone.
O Trinal light, that, glistening upon their eyes in a single
star 2, dost so content them, look down on our tempestuous
life here on earth.
If the barbarians, coming from that clime 3 where Helice + Dante's
is ever high in the heavens, revolving in company with her stupefaction.
son whom she loves, were amazed at the sight of Rome and
its lofty edifices, what time the Lateran surpassed all mortal
things5 ; with what amazement, think you, was I filled, who
from human life had come to the divine, from time unto
eternity, and from Florence to a just and upright people ! In
sooth, what with the stupefaction and the joy, I was well
pleased to hear nothing and to remain speechless. And like
a pilgrim, who rejoices in gazing at the temple of his vow,
and hopes ere long to describe to others its appearance, so,
traversing with mine eyes the living light, I let them range
By flying upwards to God.
2 The Divine Unity. 3 The North.
4 A nymph who was placed in heaven as the constellation of the Great
Bear, while her son was made the constellation of Bootes.
5 The time of the barbarian invasions is probably meant, when the
Lateran palace had become the Papal residence, and the basilica of
St. John Lateran was the grandest existing Christian church.
F f 2
 436 Paradise XXXI , 48-88

over the tiers, now up, now down, and now revolving round.
Countenances I beheld persuasive to love, decked with Another's
light and their own smiles, and gestures graced with every
form of seemliness.
Beatrice The general form of Paradise mine eye had now fully com
leaves him ,
and St. prehended, though as yet it had rested nowhere ; and with
Bernard freshly enkindled longing I turned me to my Lady, to
becomes
his guide. question her on subjects which held my mind in doubt.
One thing was in my thoughts, and another met my glance ;
I thought to see Beatrice, but what I beheld was an old man
robed like the glorious folk. With benign joy his eyes and
cheeks were overspread, and his affectionate look was such
as beseems a tender father. Then suddenly I said : ' Where
is she ?' And he : To conduct thee to the desired end
Beatrice bade me quit my station ; and if thou raisest thine
eyes to the third circle counting from the highest tier, thou
wilt recognize her on the throne which her merits have
allotted to her.' Without replying I looked aloft, and
beheld her wearing a crown formed by the eternal rays which
she reflected from her. The region of the sky where the
highest thunders roll is not so far removed from that man's
eye, who suffers himself to sink into the ocean's lowest
depths, as Beatrice there was distant from my sight ; but
this affected me not, for her likeness, as it reached me
below, was obscured by no medium. ' O Lady, in whom
is the strength of my confidence, and who for my salvation
didst endure to leave in Hell thy footprints, to thy might and
thy goodness I ascribe the grace and power, which have
enabled me to see all the objects that have met mine eye.
Thou hast led me forth from bondage into liberty by all the
ways, by all the means, whereof to that end thou couldst
avail thyself. This gift of thy bounty do thou assure to me,
 Paradise XXXI, 89-125 437

so that my soul which thou hast restored to soundness may

quit its mortal frame acceptably to thee .' Such was my
prayer ; and she from so far away , as it seemed , regarded
me with a smile ; anon she turned her to the eternal fountain .
Then spake the aged Saint : In order that thou mayst The glory
of the
accomplish thy journey perfectly, to which end I was sent Blessed
hither by prayers and holy love, let thine eyes range over this Virgin.
garden, for the sight of it will enable thy looks to mount
higher along the divine ray. And the Queenof Heaven,
with love for whom I am all on fire , will bestow on thee
a full measure of grace thereto, seeing that I am her loyal
Bernard.' As are his feelings, who, haply from Croatia,
comes for the sight of our Veronica ¹, and by reason of its
ancient fame cannot look his fill, but saith to himself the
while it is exhibited : ' Lord Jesu Christ, who art very
God, say, was this the likeness of thy countenance ? ' such
were mine, as I regarded that fervent, loving spirit, who
through contemplation tasted in this world the peace of
Heaven. ' Child of grace, ' he began, this joyous life will
not be known to thee, if to these lower tiers thou dost
restrict thy view ; nay, scan the others even to the most
distant, so that thou mayst see where sits the Queen, whom
this realm doth devotedly obey.' I looked aloft ; and as at
morn the eastern horizon surpasses that where the sun de
clines, so, rising as it were from vale to mountain-top, mine
eyes beheld a portion of the utmost verge exceeding in bright
ness all else that faced me. And as at the point, where the
car which Phaethon guided amiss 2 will soon appear, the

The likeness of our Lord's face, which according to the story was
impressed on a napkin or handkerchief, which was presented to Him
that He might wipe the sweat from His face, when He was on the way
to crucifixion. 2 The sun.
 438 Paradise XXXI , 126 - XXXII , 5

brilliancy increases, while on either side of it the light

diminishes ; so did that oriflamme of peace ¹ display a brighter
glow at its mid-point, and on either hand the lustre lessened
correspondingly. And at that mid-point I saw more than
a thousand Angels exulting on outspread wings, each differ
ing from the other in radiance and in forms of joy. There
I beheld smiling on their sports and songs a loveliness, which
gladdened the eyes of all the other Saints ; and even if my
wealth of language equalled my imaginative power, I would
not dare attempt to express the least particle of its delight.
Bernard, so soon as he saw that mine eyes were riveted on
the object of his burning love, turned toward her his own
with so great devotion, that mine thereby became more eager
to gaze .

CANTO XXXII. THE EMPYREAN HEAVEN

The While still absorbed in his delight, that contemplative

arrange
ment of the spirit assumed spontaneously the office of instructor, and
Blessed in commenced these holy words 2 : ' The wound which Mary
the celestial closed and healed, was inflicted and aggravated by that
Rose.
The oriflamme was the warlike banner of the French kings. What
is here meant is the part of Heaven in which the Virgin was, and she
herself is the mid-point. '
2 The description which St. Bernard here gives of the grouping of the
saints in the Celestial Rose is as follows. The tiers of seats which com
pose it are divided vertically into two halves by two lines running down
wards opposite to one another from the highest tier to the sea of light.
These lines are formed by the most eminent saints, who are seated one
below the other, those on one side being female, those on the other
male saints. The two portions of the entire area which are thus divided
from one another are occupied in their upper part by the saints of the
Old and of the New Testament respectively ; but the lower part is
devoted to the innocent children who were beatified.
 Paradise XXXII , 6-38
439

Dame ' , who sits in so great beauty at her feet . Beneath

her again, in the line formed by the third tier, Rachel is
seated in company with Beatrice, as thou seest. Sarah,
2
Rebecca, Judith, and her who was great-grandmother to
the singer who in penitential sorrow said, " Have mercy
upon me, " thou mayst see descending in gradation from row
to row, as clearly as do I , who pass down along the rose
from leaf to leaf, assigning to each her rightful name. And
from the seventh grade downward, even as above it, Hebrew
women follow in order, dividing all the tresses of the flower ;
because they form the wall of partition between the rows of
saints according to the aspect of their faith in Christ. On
this side, where the flower is complete in all its leaves ³ , are
seated those who believed in Christ before His coming ; on
the other side, where the semicircular tiers are interrupted
by vacant spaces, are stationed those, whose eyes were turned
to Christ after His coming. And as here the glorious seat of
the Lady of Heaven and the other seats below her form that
marked division, so in the opposite direction doth the seat
of the great John, who in unfailing saintliness endured the
wilderness and martyrdom, and thereafter Hell for the space
of two years ; and beneath him in like manner Francis,
Benedict and Augustine, and others from one circle to
another down to this lowest range, were appointed to form
the boundary line. Now mark the sublimity of God's provi
dence, in that the one and the other aspect of the faith shall
1 Eve, whose sin was the cause of the curse, which was removed when
the Virgin gave birth to the Saviour.
2 Ruth.
3 Because the number of the saints of the Old Dispensation was
complete.
4 He was in Limbo during the two years which elapsed between his
death and that of Christ.
 Paradise XXXII , 39-74
440

equally furnish forth this garden. Know too, that downward

from the tier, which in the middle of the area cuts across the
two dividing lines, the seats are assigned for no merit of their
occupants, but for that of others, under certain conditions ;
for all these are spirits who were freed from the flesh ere
they possessed true power of choice. This thou canst clearly
perceive from their faces, and withal from their infant voices,
if thou dost duly regard and listen to them.
The spirits 'Now thou art in doubt , and notwithstanding that doubt
of infants in
Heaven. dost hold thy peace ; but I will relieve thee from the grievous
bonds within which thy perplexing thoughts constrain thee.
Within this boundless realm a thing of chance can no more
find place than grief or hunger or thirst ; for all that thou
seest is ordained by an eternal law, so that here the ring
exactly fits the finger : and therefore this folk, who were
called before their time to the true life, are not without reason
some in higher, some in lower grades. The Sovereign,
through whom this kingdom doth repose in so great love and
joy that no desire can aspire beyond, while He creates all
souls in the light of His countenance, of His good pleasure
endows them with different degrees of grace ; and in this
matter let the fact suffice. This truth is expressly and
clearly indicated to you in Holy Writ in the case of those
twins who struggled together in their mother's womb 2.
Wherefore it is fit and proper that the beatitude of Heaven
should crown their heads in proportion to the measure of the
grace bestowed on them at their birth. Consequently, though
devoid of merit accruing from their lives, they are placed in

The doubt in Dante's mind is this :-If these infants were saved by
no merit of their own, how comes it that they have different degrees of
blessedness ?
2 Esau and Jacob ; cp. Rom. ix. 10-12.
 Paradise XXXII , 75-112 44I

different tiers, solely by reason of the difference in their

innate power of vision. Now in the early ages of the world
the faith of their parents, combined with their own innocence,
was sufficient by itself for their salvation ; after the close of
the primitive period it was ordained for the male children that
their innocent wings should be empowered by the rite of
circumcision ; but when the time of grace arrived, those
innocents who received not perfect Christian baptism were
consigned below. Now fix thine eyes on the face which is
most like to Christ, for naught else than its brightness can
dispose thee aright to look on Christ. '
Over her I saw outpoured so great joy, borne by the holy Theposition
spirits I which were created to wing their way through that eminent
of the most
high Heaven, that naught which I before had seen rapt me saints.
so greatly with admiration, or displayed so great likeness to
God. The love which first descended upon her 2 outspread
his wings before her, singing : ' Hail, Mary, thou that art
endued with grace ' ; and to that divine song the assembly of
the Blessed responded on every side, so that the bliss on all
their faces was enhanced thereby. O holy Father, who for
my sake dost endure to abide here below, leaving the sweet
place where by eternal appointment thou sittest ; who is the
Angel, that regards with such glee the eyes of our Queen, so
impassioned that his looks are all afire ? ' Thus once more
I betook me for instruction to him, who was gathering beauty
from the face of Mary, as the morning star doth from the
sun. And he to me : ' The highest confidence, the brightest
grace of movement, that can exist in Angel or in spirit, is
2 found in him ; and this is pleasing to us, for he it was who

I The Angels.
2 The Archangel Gabriel, who descended during the Triumph of
Christ ; Par. xxiii. 94.
442 Paradise XXXII , 113-146

bore the palm-branch down to Mary, when the Son of God

willed to take upon Him our burden. But follow now with
thine eyes the course of my speech, and note the great
patricians of this most just and pious empire. The two who
are seated there above in highest bliss from being nearest to
the Empress, ar the two roots, as it were, of this rose¹ .
He that is next to her on the left hand is the father, through
whose unbridled craving mankind taste so great bitterness.
On the right thou beholdest that ancient father of Holy
Church, to whom Christ entrusted the keys of this beauteous
flower. And he who ere his death saw all the times of
affliction of the fair spouse who was won by the lance and
the nails, doth sit beside him ; and beside the other rests
that leader3, under whom the thankless, inconstant, dis
obedient folk were fed with manna. Opposite to Peter thou
seest Anna seated, who is so happy in contemplating her
daughter, that even while singing Hosannah she withdraws
not her eyes from her ; and opposite the first father of our
race sits Lucy, she who dispatched thy Lady, what time
with drooping eyes thou wast hurrying downward 4. But
seeing that the time allotted to thy Vision is passing swiftly,
here we will stop, like the careful sempster who cuts his coat
according to his cloth ; and we will direct our eyes toward
the primal Love, so that by gazing thereat thou mayst as far
as possible penetrate its lustre. Notwithstanding-lest haply
by moving thy wings 5 thou shouldst go backward while

The heads of the two families of those, who believed in Christ before
and after His coming respectively-Adam and St. Peter.
2 St. John the Evangelist, who had the vision of the Apocalypse.
3 Moses.
4 When Dante was in the wood of error ; Inf. i. 61 ; ii. 100.
5 i. e. by trusting thy own powers.
 Paradise XXXII , 147- XXXIII , 32 443

thinking to go forward- it behoves us to obtain grace by

prayer-grace from her who hath power to aid thee ; and do
thou follow me in feeling, so that thy heart may not fail
to accompany my words ' : anon he began the following
saintly prayer.

CANTO XXXIII . THE EMPYREAN HEAVEN

' Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son, humble and exalted St. Bernard
intercedes
beyond all created beings, predestined object of the eternal with the
counsel, 'tis thou who didst ennoble human nature so, that its Virgin for
Dante.
Creator disdained not to become its creature. In thy womb
was rekindled the love, through the warmth whereof this
flower hath thus expanded in the eternal peace. Here thou
art to us a noonday beam of love, and among mortals below
thou art a quickening fount of hope . Lady, thou art so noble
and so powerful, that whoso longs for grace and betakes him
not to thee, would fain without wings speed the flight of his
desires. Thy kindliness doth not alone aid the suppliant, but
oftentimes spontaneously anticipates the asking. In thee is
compassion, in thee is pity, in thee is magnificence, in thee all
the virtues of created beings are combined. Now this one,
who from the lowest abyss of the universe even unto this
height hath viewed, one after another, the spiritual realms,
doth pray thee of thy grace to endow him with so great power,
that his eyes may soar still higher toward the source of
blessedness . And I, who never more eagerly desired the
sight of God for myself than now I do for him, beseech thee
instantly, and pray that my petitions may not fail, that thou
by thy prayers shouldst dissipate every cloud of his mortality,
 444 Paradise XXXIII , 33-70

so that He who is the fullness of joy may be manifested to

him. Furthermore I beseech thee, O Queen, thou who canst
accomplish what thou wilt, after that glorious sight to pre
serve untainted his desires. His human impulses let thy
watchful care restrain : see how with Beatrice a multitude of
saints in advocacy of my supplication clasp their hands.'
Dante's The eyes which God both loves and reveres ¹, intently 1
power of
sight is fixed on the speaker, revealed to us how grateful to her are
sublimated. devout prayers. Anon they turned them toward the eternal
Light, into the essence of which, we must believe, no eye of
created being can penetrate with equal clearness. And
I, who was drawing nigh to the goal of all desires, felt, as
was meet, that the ardour of longing ceased within me².
With smiling countenance Bernard signed to me to look
upward ; but already of myself I was fulfilling his wish, for
my sight, becoming perfectly clear, passed inward more and
more through the beam of the sublime Light, which in itself
is true. Fro
rom this point onward that which I beheld tran
scends our powers of speech, which fail to describe such F
a sight, and our memory fails to recall such immensity. As
when a man sees objects in a dream, and thereafter the feeling
it produced remains, but the rest recurs not to his mind, such
is my case, for my vision is all but obliterated, yet the sweet
ness which proceeded therefrom even now distils within my
heart. Thus before the sun doth snow dissolve ; thus before
the wind the Sibyl's oracles, inscribed on the flitting leaves,
were lost. O Light supreme, who dost rise so far above
mortal thought, grant to my mind once more a faint image of
the semblance thou didst wear, and so empower my tongue,

The Virgin is loved by Christ as God, and revered by Him as

Man.
2 Desire was being replaced by fruition and tranquillity.
 Paradise XXXIII , 71-106 445

that it may leave to future ages but a spark of thy glory ; for,
should it return in a measure to my memory, and be pro
claimed, though faintly, in these verses, a higher conception
will be formed of thy surpassing might.
So great was the keenness of the living ray which I endured, He sees the
face of God.
that, had I withdrawn mine eyes from it, methinks I should
have been dazed ; and for this cause, I remember, I was the
more emboldened to endure, so that I fixed mine eyes on the
infinite Majesty. O bounteous gift of grace, in the strength
of which I dared to gaze so steadfastly within the eternal
Light, that I beheld to the full all that was visible there !
I saw how within its depths is stored, bound together in one
volume by the force of love, all that throughout the universe
forms separate leaves- substance and accidents and their mode
of operation, combined together, as it seemed, in such wise,
that what I speak of is one simple light. The Essence which
pervades this combination I believe myself to have seen,
because while I say this I am conscious of an access of joy.
A single moment hath effaced this sight from my mind more
completely, than five-and-twenty centuries have effaced the
enterprise, which caused Neptune to wonder at the shadow of
the Argo¹. Thus did my mind, all absorbed, gaze stead
fastly in rapt attention, and as it gazed it was more and more
enkindled. In the presence of that Light the spirit is so
entranced, that it never can consent to turn from it to regard
aught else ; for all the good at which our wishes aim is com
prehended therein, and apart from it that is defective which
within it is perfect. Henceforward my speech will be more
¹ In other words :-' I forgot in a single moment more of what I saw
in the face of God, than men have forgotten in twenty-five centuries of
the Argonautic expedition,' the earliest important event recorded in
history. Neptune wondered at the Argo, because it was the first vessel
which crossed the sea.
 446 Paradise XXXIII , 107-139

inadequate to express even what I remember, than that of

a child which still sucks its mother's breast.
The Not because there was more than a single aspect in the
mystery of living Light which I was regarding-for that is ever what it
the Trinity,
and that of was before--but because my sight gained strength as I gazed,
the two
Natures in that which had but one appearance presented itself differently
Christ. to me as I myself changed. In the deep clear substance of
the sublime Light I beheld three circles of three colours and
of one dimension ; and the second appeared to be reflected
from the first, as rainbow is from rainbow, and the third
resembled fire proceeding equally from both. O how defec
tive is language, how feeble to represent my conceit ; and
this, compared with what I saw, is so slight, that ' little ' is
too weak a word. O Light eternal, who alone abidest in
Thyself, alone understandest Thyself, and being understanded
of Thyself and understanding Thyself dost love and smile !
That circle which seemed to be begotten in Thee like
reflected light, after I had contemplated it with mine eyes
awhile, appeared to me to be painted within of its very own
colour with our likeness 2, for the sight of which my looks
were fastened upon it. As is the geometrician, who is all
intent on measuring the circle 3 , yet for all his thinking fails
to discover the principle which he needs ; such was I in the
presence of that unwonted sight : I desired to see how the
image conformed itself to the circle, and how it finds its place
therein ; but for so high a flight mine own unaided wings
The expressions used in this sentence represent the Divine Unity,
and the relations of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity to one
another.
2 This describes the mystery of the Incarnation.
3 i. e. attempting to square the circle, which is considered to be im
possible.
4 How Christ's Humanity can be united with His Divinity.
 Paradise XXXIII , 140--145
447

availed not, had it not been that my mind was smitten by

a bright beam, which contained the object of its desire. Here
failed the power of my lofty fantasy ; but still my desires and
my will were guided, like a wheel revolving uniformly, by the
Love which moves the sun and the other stars .
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