http^//w\Anii^:ar6hi\^.brp^ta(l7tfantepaf^ THE .PARADISE. OF DANTE ALIGHIERI EDITED WITH TRANSLATION AND NOTES BY ARTHUR JOHN BUTLER LATE FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE ivdix^f^^^f- '^^^ elvat ovbkv diacp^pcL iv rots didioLS MACMILLAN AND CO. AND NEW YORK I 891 All rights reserved 'HEESE First Edition 1885. Second Edition 1891. PRELIMINARY NOTE To understand Dante's conception of Paradise, we must imagine the universe as consisting of nine spheres concentric with the earth, which is fixed at the centre, and surrounded by the spheres of air and fire. The sphere of fire is immediately in contact with that of the Moon, beyond which come in order those of Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the fixed star^. The last of all is the sphere of the First Movement, or Primum Mobile, which governs the general motion of the heavens from east to west, and by which all place and time is ultimately measured. Each of these is under the direction of one of the angelic orders,^ and exercises its special influence on earthly affairs. The three lowest spheres are allotted to the souls of those whose life on earth was marred by yielding to the temptations of the world ; the next four to those whose actions were wholly directed by virtuous motives. The last two have no special tenants assigned to them, but appear to ^ The medieval doctrine on this subject appears to have been largely drawn from Jewish Cabalistic philosophy. See Ueberweg, Hist, of Phil. vol. i. § 97, especially as to the book called Zohar, com- posed in the thirteenth century. PRELIMINARY NOTE serve as common places of meeting, the one to saints, the other to angels. Finally, outside of all, comes the Empy- rean heaven, where is neither time nor place, but light only; the special abode of Deity and resting-place of the saints. The time occupied in the journey through the different heavens is twenty-four hours. ERRATA Canto IV. line 42, for ' posci ' read * poscia. ' Canto V. line 24, for * dontate ' 7'ead ' dotate. ' Canto VI. line 2^, for * ci ' read ' d'.' Canto VII. line 100, for ' quando ' read 'quanto.' Canto VIII. line 2.%, for Mietro' read Mentro.' Canto XXII. line ^T,for ' fiio ' read * furo.' Page 335, line 2, for ' proved ' read ' moved.' 7?r PREFACE The transition from the ' Purgatory ' to the * Paradise ' will produce, it may be feared, on the minds of many readers the deterrent effect which Dante himself seems to have foreseen. Several of the reasons which, in the preface to the second Cantica, I urged as justifying the claims of that part of the Commedia to special attention no longer apply. The mere fact that the doctrine of the Church respecting the future state would preclude Dante from introducing many of his own contemporaries as already glorified spirits ^ is sufficient, in some measure, to account for a falhng-off in the human interest of the poem. Most of the personages who are introduced are, as it were, the common property of all mankind. They do not owe their very identity to their ^ Of his actual acquaintances, Carlo Martello and Piccarda are the only two who appear ; Albert the Great, Aquinas, Bonaventura, Pope John XXI (Petrus Hispanus), and possibly Cunizza, the only others whose lifetime coincided at all with his. In placing Aquinas and Bonaventura among the saints he only anticipated the Church, but even in their cases he must have stretched a point, so to speak, in order to include them. John XXI indeed (who is the only Pope seen by Dante in Paradise) went very near to be condemned as a heretic. Quinet's notion of ' the old Ghibelline from the height of heaven letting fall his sentence of proscription on all the world ' is as ludicrous as his statement that no one whom Dante had known appears in Paradise is incorrect. 118401 PREFACE place in the great poem as do Francesca, Farinata, the two Counts of Montefeltro, Forese, and a score of others whom we meet in its first two divisions. Then again it must be remembered that, while physical pain offers an endless choice of possibilities, the only pleasure which is admitted by the dignity of the Christian heaven is in its nature incapable of much variation. From the lowest sphere to the highest, it is in the contemplation of God, and the con- forming of the will to His will, that the souls of the righteous find their perfect consummation and bliss. The bodily senses, which were all available as vehicles of torment, whether for punishment or for chastening, are now reduced to sight and hearing only. From the objects of these alone can images be drawn ; and though Dante's genius is nowhere more conspicuous than in the way he has made use of the means at his disposal, till the reader himself seems almost to hear the changing melodies of Heaven and see around him its * primal, essential, all-pervading light,' we must admit that even his genius is at times overweighted, and, in seeking to avoid monotony, is apt now and again to fall into what verges on the grotesque. Let no one, however, suppose that the ^ Paradise ' shows any failure in the author's powers. It rather affords a splendid testimony to the richness of their maturity. Where, for example, has he equalled that noble summary of Roman history put into the mouth of Justinian, in which the reader almost hears the rush of the eagle down his triumphant course ? Where has he drawn any picture with clearer and yet with more delicate strokes than in Caccia- guida's description of the old Florentine life, before pride, envy, avarice, and the lusts of the flesh had marred its tranquil purity? Where, in Dante, or indeed in any other poet, shall w^e find dignity pathetic as in the lines — perhaps PREFACE the most often quoted of the whole poem — in which his exile is foretold ? or stern as in St. Peter's invective, whereat all heaven grew red, against his unworthy succes- sors ? For pure beauty of devotion what shall we compare with St. Bernard's address to the Blessed Virgin ? Nor are these and the like merely 'purple patches,' as some may deem, inserted in a dull tissue of metaphysics and theology. For the philosophical student, to be sure, those parts will possess the deepest interest over which one who reads solely for literary enjoyment will be inclined to pass most quickly : though even he, if he does not leave them wholly unread, will appreciate the skill which has caused a spring of tender emotion to flow in a desert of metaphysics, and with a word here or an image there drawn the music of Apollo's lute out of harsh and crabbed philosophy. But those who care for such things will know that, dry and futile as the disquisitions of the schoolmen may sometimes appear, and erroneous as we now, with our improved means of observation, can see that their conclusions often were, they represent learning, acuteness, and industry combined in a measure of which the world has rarely seen the like. Between Aristotle and Bacon it would be hard to name any thinker who, for knowledge of all that was knowable in his day, and for force and clearness of reasoning upon the premises that he had, has left such a mark upon human thought as Aquinas had done, when he was cut off at the age of forty-nine. Doubtless he and the rest of the great band of philosophers whom the twelfth and thirteenth cen- turies brought forth spent their time in efforts to solve the insoluble; but are we so very much nearer to success? Will Mr. Herbert Spencer's cast seem to the twenty-fifth century very far beyond the mark of St. Thomas ? This is not the place to consider how that may be; and I only Vlll PREFACE wish here to justify myself for having been at some pains in my notes to consult the interests of those who care to trace the history of metaphysical speculation. It has seemed best to give Greek and Latin quotations in the original. Those for whom they are intended will probably prefer them in this form, while others would equally skip them if they were translated. It must, of course, be under- stood that both Dante and St. Thomas read their Aristotle only through the medium of a Latin rendering ; but this appears to have been sufficiently accurate to make it quite possible for us to follow them in the original Greek. The remarks made in the preface to the ' Purgatory ' in regard to the commentators from whom I have derived most assistance will apply equally to the present instalment. I ought, however, to have spoken with more gratitude of Dr. Scartazzini, though I still think that his work would have been more useful if it were less copious. It is hardly necessary, except perhaps where one is going to differ from the best authorities, to review all the opinions of predeces- sors upon disputed passages, still less to record interpreta- tions which are obviously erroneous. The only edition of importance that has teen added to those which we then possessed is Professor Lubin's ; ^ another comprehensive work, consisting of nearly one thousand closely printed pages. It contains elaborate studies and analyses of the poem, discussions on allegorical points, plans, and tables ; also, along with the text, an ' Ordo,' or rearrangement in a prose form. I cannot profess to have mastered it ; but it is evident that it contains much that will be of service to students, more especially in regard to such matters as the symbolism of certain passages, or the connexion of the orders of the angelic hierarchy respectively with the various 1 Padova : Stabilimento della Ditta L. Penada. 1881. PREFACE Spheres of which the heaven is composed, and so with the influences which they exercise upon earthly affairs. He also gives synoptical tables of the three Cantiche, showing in a convenient form the general structure ^ of the poem. Those who wish to study the * Paradise ' with full com- prehension will find it expedient not only to consult such commentators as those to whom I have referred, but to make themselves familiar with the authorities on whom Dante chiefly relied. I have given in notes such extracts as seemed more directly to illustrate passages under con- sideration; but extracts alone are not enough. The student should read, either in the original or in Grote, Aristotle, De Caelo, Books i. and ii. ; Metaphysica \. Ch. 6 to the end of the book ; and Plato, Timaeus, 27 E — 42 D. I pretermit any reference to Aquinas, both because it is difficult to select any particular parts where the whole system is important, and because, so far as selection is possible, the notes of Philalethes and Scartazzini will be found excellent guides. Of Dante's own works, Conv. ii. 2-6, 14, 15, iii. 5; De Mon. i. 11-13, ii. 2; and, perhaps most of all, the Epistle to Can Grande, form a useful introduction. We still await the edition of Benvenuto's Commentary, which has been promised from two quarters ; but, as I said before, an unknown hand has copied a great deal of it in a MS. belonging to the University of Cambridge, and of this I have occasionally availed myself.^ He appears to have ^ This will perhaps be the best point for drawing attention to the most notable instance of symmetry in the ' Paradise. ' The three great invectives against the Popes will be found to occur in the 9th, i8th, and 27th Cantos. ^ Through the liberality of Mr. William Warren Vernon, the Com- mentary of Benvenuto is now accessible to all students in its complete form, and a great assistance it is. It will be found that in the present PREFACE been the most intelligent of the early commentators. Pietro di Dante, as edited by Lord Vernon, is now and then help- ful ; but, on the whole, one regrets that he did not see more of his father in more senses than one. I must express my thanks to Dr. Moore for information as to MS. readings, and my hope that his labours in this line may soon bear fruit for Dante students at large. ^ To thank Mr. Henry Jackson for help is becoming a 'common form' among Cambridge men in all works w^here references to Greek philosophy have to be made. In the present case his assistance in tracing various passages to their Aristotelian source has been of great service to me. In editing the text, I have had constantly before me the reprint of the Codex Cassinensis, the MS. I call 'Gg.,' Lord Vernon's reprint of the four first editions, the two Aldines, and Witte's large edition. I do not think that there is any variant of importance which is not to be found in one or other of these. The various readings given at the foot of the pages are of course only a selection ; though I have, as a rule, recorded any which materially affect the sense, or are in some way typical. It must not, therefore, be assumed that where no variant is specified the authori- ties all agree; indeed, it may be taken for granted that wherever, for example, chiaro occurs, somebody reads caro^ and vice versa ; so with affetto and effetto. Wherever it is a question of the omission or insertion of the letter n^ MSS. are practically indeterminate, this letter being usually de- noted only by a line over the preceding vowel. To say more on this point would be trespassing on Dr. Moore's edition direct references to it have for the most part taken the place of those to ' Comm. Gg.' ^ * Contributions to the Textual Criticism of the Divina Commedia ' (Cambridge University Press) has now appeared. It will be seen that this edition has more than once profited thereby. PREFACE xi province ; but I should like here to express my belief that in many cases the difference of reading is due to the author himself, and that as the work proceeded he distributed copies among his friends, admitting modifications here and there as they suggested themselves to him. If this be so, it is clear not only that all search for an ' archetype ' will be fruitless, but that even if we found an undoubted copy in Dante's own hand it would not necessarily embody the readings on which he finally decided. A few words may perhaps be added in reference to certain forms peculiar to the last part of the Commedia. First among them comes that remarkable series of reflexive verbs compounded with in^ which are usually quite untrans- latable except by a periphrasis. Of these I have counted twenty-six which occur only in this Cantica. That chiarezza, chiarita^ chiarire, should be found here and not elsewhere, is perhaps due to the special need of terms implying bright- ness ; but this is not enough to account for parvente and parvenza^ which occur pretty frequently, though entirely absent from the former parts of the poem, nor for a large proportion of the words given in the Glossary. I am strongly inclined to suspect that an investigation of these forms might give a clue to Dante's most frequent place of residence during the time that he was engaged upon the concluding portion of his work. November i, 1885. \27id Edition^ November i^^o.'X CONTENTS CANTO I CANTO II CANTO III CANTO IV CANTO V CANTO VI CANTO VII CANTO VIII CANTO IX CANTO X CANTO XI CANTO XII CANTO XIII CANTO XIV CANTO XV CANTO XVI CANTO XVII CANTO XVIII CANTO XIX CANTO XX CANTO XXI . PAGE I 15 28 38 51 64 79 / 94 109 126 140 153 168 181 194 207 224 237 249 262 274 XIV CONTENTS PAGE CANTO XXII . . . . . . .285 CANTO XXIII 298 CANTO XXIV. 309 CANTO XXV . 321 CANTO XXVI. 332 CANTO XXVII 345 CANTO XXVIII 358 CANTO XXIX. 370 CANTO XXX . 386 CANTO XXXI 397 CANTO XXXII 409 CANTO XXXIII 420 GLOSSARY . 431 PARADISE CANTO I ARGUMENT Dante, following the direction of Beatrice's eyes, gazes fixedly at the sun, and presently finds that he is rising on high. He is aston- ished thereat, and Beatrice expounds to him the cause of it. The glory of Him who moves all things penetrates through the universe, and shines forth in one quarter more, and less in another. In the heaven which receives most of His light was I, and I beheld things which whoso descends thence has neither knowledge nor power to tell again, seeing that La gloria di Colui che tutto muove, Per r universo penetra, e risplende In una parte piu, e meno altrove. Nel ciel che piu della sua luce prende Fu' io, e vidi cose che ridire Ne sa n^ pub qual di lassu discende ; ^ che tutto muove. S. T. ii. 2. Q. 104. A. 4: Deus est primus motor omnium qui naturaliter moventur. It will be seen throughout that God is identified with the kipovv oi KLvoifievov of Aristotle, Metaph. X. 7. See note to 1. 76, post. ^' s Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 4. B 2 PARADISE CANTO as it draws near to its desire our understanding plunges so deep, that the memory cannot go after it. Howbeit, so much of the holy realm as I could treasure up within my mind shall now be matter for my lay. O good Apollo, at my latest labour make me a vessel of thy power so fashioned as thou requirest for the gift of the beloved laurel. Up to this point the one peak of Parnassus has sufficed me, but now with both it is meet that I enter on the remaining lists. Enter thou into my breast and Perch^ appressando se al suo disire, Nostro intelletto si profonda tanto, Che retro la memoria non pub ire. Veramente quant' io del regno santo lo Nella mia mente potei far tesoro, Sara ora materia del mio canto. O buono Apollo, all' ultimo lavoro Fammi del tuo valor si fatto vaso. Come dimandi a dar 1' amato alloro. Insino a qui T un giogo di Parnaso Assai mi fu, ma or con ambedue M' e uopo entrar nell' aringo rimaso. Entra nel petto mio, e spira tue. ^ al suo disire : that is to God, to opeKrbv, klvovv ojs epwfievov. S. T. i. Q. 44. A. 3 : Omnia appetunt Deum ut finem. Cf. Conv. iii. 2. 16-18 There is some difficulty as to the two peaks of Parnassus. The mountain was * Bromio Phoeboque sacer,' but it is plain that Dante is referring to his invocations of the Muses, Inf. ii. 7 and Pg. i. 8, and an allusion to Bacchus, though some commentators have been satisfied with it, would be out of place here. Probably, like Landino after him, he confused the * biceps • Parnassus ' with HeHcon and Cithaeron. giogo, as Philalethes notes, probably suggested the other sense of the Lat. Jugum, and so the metaphor of the racecourse. I PARADISE 3 inspire, in such wise as when thou drewest forth Marsyas from the sheath of his limbs. O power divine, if thou impart thyself to me until I make manifest the image of the blessed realm which is stamped within my head, thou wilt see me come to the tree beloved by thee, and crown myself then with those leaves whereof my matter and thou will make me worthy. So seldom, Father, is aught plucked thereof for the triumphing of either Caesar or poet (a fault Si come quando Marsia traesti 20 Delia vagina delle membra sue. O divina virtu, se mi ti presti Tanto che T ombra del beato regno Segnata nel mio capo io manifesti,^ Venir vedra' mi al tuo diletto legno,^ E coronarmi allor di quelle foglie,^ Che la materia e tu mi farai degno. Si rade volte, Padre, se ne coglie, Per trionfare o Cesare o poeta a- capo in. Gg. Aid. ^ Vedrami al pie del t. d. I. Gg, ° Venir ^ e corottarmi delle f. Gg. 20 The reason for the introduction of Marsyas is not clear ; but it may be meant as an indirect warning to those who would sing without inspiration. Cf. the allusion to the Picae in Purg. i. 11. The story of Marsyas is told in Ov. Met. vi. 381 sqq. and Fasti vi. 703 sqq. 2* Some omit io, regarding manifesti as the second person, which gives perhaps even a better sense: 'grant thyself to me until thou bring to light what is now shadowed in my brain.' ^'^ che is a kind of general relative, standing for 'who,' 'whose,' 'where,' 'when,' etc., as the sense requires. See note to Purg. i. 3, and Diez iii. 348 ; also Corticelli, s. v. French que is used even more freely in a similar way. Diez considers that in this use both represent the Lat. quam. 4. 4 PARADISE CANTO and a reproach of the wills of men) that the leaf of Peneus ought to bring forth joy upon the joyous godhead of Delphi whenever any is athirst for it. A mighty flame follows a little spark ; haply after me will men pray with better words, for Cirrha to make answer. Through divers passages arises to mortals the lamp of the world ; but from that one which joins four circles with three crosses, it issues with a better course and in conjunc- (Colpa e vergogna dell' umane voglie), ^30 Che partorir letizia in su la lieta ^ Delfica Deita dovria la fronda, Peneia, quando alcun di se asseta.^ 'oca favilla gran fiamma seconda : Forse diretro a me con miglior voci ^ Si preghera, perche Cirra risponda. Surge ai mortali per diverse foci La lucerna del mondo ; ma da quella, Che quattro cerchi giugne con tre croci, d altrui Gg. ® Dietro da sefo7'se Cass. 14; da me 23. Forse retro d. m. W, ^^ Cirrha, on the coast a few miles distant from Delphi, seems to have been by the Latin poets confused with Crissa, the town more immediately connected with the oracle. Pliny (iv. 4), however, dis- tinguishes them. See on the whole subject, Grote, Hist. Gr. Part II. ch. xxviii. Here, of course, Cirra is practically synonymous with Delphi. 37 *Dividitur ista pars, seu tertia cantica, quae Paradisus dicitur, principaliter in duas partes, scilicet in prologum et parte77i executivam. Pars secunda incipit ibi : Surgit mortalibus per diversas fauces. ' Epistle to Can Grande. 38, 39 'pj^g equator, the ecliptic, and the equinoctial colure, or great circle through the equinoxes and the pole of the equator, intersect on the first point of Aries. At sunrise about the spring equinox this point is therefore on the horizon, which makes the fourth circle : the three crosses being made by the others with it. Aristotle (De Gen. et I PARADISE 5 tion with a better constellation, and more to its own fashion moulds and seals the wax of the world. The morning on that side and the evening on this had made that passage as it were, and there all that hemisphere was white, and the other part dark, when I saw Beatrice turned round upon the left flank, and gazing at the Sun : never did eagle so fix himself on it. And as a second ray is wont to issue from the first and mount upwards again. Con mighor corso e con migliore Stella 40 Esce congiunta, e la mondana cera Pill a suo modo tempera e suggella. Fatto avea di la mane e di qua sera Tal foce quasi, e tutto era la bianco ^ Quello emisperio, e 1' altra parte nera, Quando Beatrice in sul sinistro fianco Vidi rivolta, e riguardar nel sole : Aquila si non gH s' affisse unquanco. E SI come secondo raggio suole Uscir del primo e risalire insuso, 50 ^ Tal foce e quasi Gg. Bi. Corr. ii. 9) holds that the cause of creation and dissolution is the sun's movement in the ecliptic : ovx V irpuirrj (popcL alria earl yev^aeias /cat (pdopds, dX\' 7) KarcL rbv \o^bv ktjkKov . . . opCcfiev yap on irpoffibvTos fxkv Tov rjkiov yiveais iarLv' dindvTos dk (pOiaLS. So Met. X. 5j 6. 43-45 'pj^g time, as we know from Purg. xxxiii. 104, was just mid-day (not, as Philalethes takes it, * the moment of sunrise '), and accordingly the hemisphere in which Dante was, was all illuminated, mane must be understood as the space from sunrise to noon. For fatto, cf. Purg. ix. 8. On this side of the earth the 'evening,' i.e. the time from sunset to midnight, had * made ' the like ' passage ' on the other side. It may be noted that Hell is entered at sunset, Purgatory at sunrise, and Heaven at * high noon. ' quasi, because the time was a few days after the equinox, and therefore the sun's path did not pass exactly through the point named. It seems better to take it thus than to read with Bianchi, * e quasi tutto. ' 6 PARADISE CANTO even like a pilgrim who wills to return ; so of her action, poured through the eyes into my imagination, did mine frame itself, and I fixed my eyes on the Sun beyond our wont. Much is lawful there which here is not lawful to our powers, thanks to the place made for a property of the human kind. I endured it not much, but not so little that I did not see it sparkle all about, like iron which comes forth seething from the fire. And of a sudden day seemed to be added to day, as though He that has the power had adorned the heaven- with a second sun. Beatrice was standing all fixed with her eyes upon the eternal wheels ; Pur come peregrin che tornar vuole, Cos! deir atto suo, per gli occhi infuso Neir immagine mia, il mio si fece, E fissi gli occhi al sole oltre a nostr' uso.^ Molto e licito la, che qui non lece AUe nostre virtu, merce del loco Fatto per proprio dell' umana spece. lo nol soffersi molto, ne si poco Ch' io nol vedessi sfavillar dintorno, Qual ferro che bollente esce del fuoco. 60 E di subito parve giorno a giorno Essere aggiunto, come Quei che puote Avesse il ciel d' un altro sole adorno. Beatrice tutta nelF eterne ruote s volsi il viso al s. Gg, ^7 Cf. Pg. xxviii. 92, 3. So Aquinas, S. T. i. Q. 104. 2 : Para- disus est locus conveniens humanae habitationi secundum primum primae immortalitatis statum. ^^ Cf. Isaiah xxx. 26. I PARADISE 7 and I, my eyes fixed on her, removed from on high, in her aspect became such inwardly as Glaucus became in the tasting of the herb, which made him a consort in the sea with the other Gods. To signify in words transhumanation were impossible : wherefore let the example suffice him to whom grace is reserving an experience. If I was only that part of me which thou last createdst, O Love who orderest Fissa con gli occhi stava ; ed io in lei Le luci fisse, di lassu remote, Nel suo aspetto tal dentro mi fei, Qual si fe Glauco nel gustar dell' erba, Che il fe consorto in mar degli altri Dei. Trasumanar significar per verba 70 Non si poria : pero F esempio basti A cui esperienza grazia serba. S' io era sol di me quel che creasti Novellamente, Amor, che il ciel governi, Tu il sai, che col tuo lume mi levasti. ^^ Glaucus tells his own story" in Ov. Met. xiii. 918 sqq. The lines to which reference is here made are 944-7 : ' Vix bene combiberant ignotos guttura sucos Quum subito trepidare intus praecordia sensi, Alteriusque rapi naturae pectus amore. Nee potui restare loco.' And 956-9 : ' Hactenus acta tibi possum memoranda referre ; Hactenus et memini ; nee mens mea cetera sensit. Quae postquam rediit alium me corpore toto, Ac fueram nuper, nee eundem mente, recepi.' ''^ I.e. *I was in my body': that being the part of man which is last to be created. Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 2, 3. 8 PARADISE CANTO the heaven, thou knowest, for with thy light thou Hftedst me. When the revolution that thou makest everlasting through desire, brought itself to my attention, with the harmony which thou temperest and distributest, so much of the heaven then appeared to me kindled by the flame of the sun, that rain nor river ever made so widespread a Quando la rota, che tu sempiterni Desiderato, a se mi fece atteso Con r armonia che temperi e discerni,^ Parvemi tanto allor del cielo acceso Dalla fiamma del Sol, che pioggia o flume 80 Lago non fece mai tanto disteso.^ ^ Co7i la rota 145 ; isterni Aid. (i) Land. Dan. ^ L. non fece alcun Gg. 134; loco . . . alcun Cass, ^^' ^ Literally, * which thou, being desired, makest everlasting. ' We are reminded of the language of the Platonic Timaeus : Belcxv apx¥ TJp^aTO dirajjo-Tov /cat ^/mcppopos ^iov irpbs rbv ^viiiravra 'xp^vov (chap. 36) ; but the germ of the doctrine that the movement of the heavens pro- ceeds from the desire which all created things have for God is rather to be sought in Ar. Met. X. 7. (1072 a) : ecW tl 6 ov Kivovfievov Kivel^ didiov Kal ovaia koI hipyeta odaa. Klvcl 8^ tD5e* rb opeKrbv Kal t6 vorjrbp klvcl ov KLvoTJixevov. Cf also de An. iii. 10. In de Caelo, ii. 2, the various movements of the heavens are explained as depending on their nearness to the divine origin. Aquinas (S. T. i. Q. 105. A. 2) translates Aristotle : ' Deus movet sicut desideratum et intellectum. ' See also Q. 70. So again Conv. ii. 4 : per lo ferventissimo appetito che ha ciascuna parte di quello nono cielo . . . d' esser congiunta con ciascuna parte di quello divinissimo cielo quieto in quello si rivolve [sc. il primo mobile] con tanto desiderio che la sua velocita e quasi incompren- sibile. 7^ armonia. It is curious that Dante should have adopted, as he appears here to do, the Pythagorean and Platonic doctrine of a harmony caused by the revolution of the heavenly bodies. Aristotle (de Caelo, ii. 9) discusses it, and decides against it. Aquinas, on Job xxxviii. 37 ('concentum caeli quis dormire faciet '), follows Aristotle, and holds that the * concentus ' must be taken metaphorically ' pro sola con- venientia caelestium motuum qui nunquam dormiunt. ' I PARADISE 9 pool. The strangeness of the sound and the great Hght kindled in me a desire for their cause never before felt with such keenness. Wherefore she who saw me as I see myself, to set at rest my disturbed mind, before I could do it to ask, opened her mouth, and began : * Thou thyself makest thyself gross with false imagining, so that thou seest not that which thou wouldest have seen, if thou hadst shaken it off. Thou art not on the earth as thou deemest : but a thunderbolt flying from its proper abode never sped as thou dost who art returning to the same.' If I was stripped of the first doubt by the few short words which were smiled La novita del suono e il grande lume Di lor cagion m' accesero un disio Mai non sentito di cotanto acume. Ond' ella, che vedea me si com' io, A quietarmi 1' animo commosso,^ Pria ch' io a dimandar, la bocca aprio : E comincio : Tu stesso ti fai grosso Col falso immaginar, si che non vedi Cio che vedresti, se 1' avessi scosso. 90 Tu non se' in terra si come tu credi ; Ma folgore, fuggendo il proprio sito, Non corse come tu ch' ad esso riedi.^ S' io fui del primo dubbio disvestito Per le sorrise parolette brevi, ^ acquetarmi Cass. 1 coriHa Gg» ^2 il proprio sito, i.e. the sphere of fire, in which it is generated and to which it belongs. ^^ corse, in aorist sense. See note to Purg. xxxii. 34. 95 sorrise parolette. Cf. arrisemi tin cemtOj xv. 71, and see Diez iii. 107 for other examples of neuter verbs used transitively with cognate nouns. 10 PARADISE CANTO / on m^ inwardly I was more enmeshed in a new ; and I said : ' Already I have rested content from a great wonder- ing ; but now I wonder how I may rise past these light bodies.' Wherefore she, after a kindly sigh, directed her eyes toward me with that countenance which a mother makes over a son whose reason wanders, and began : ' All things whatsoever have an order among themselves ; and this is form, which makes the universe in the likeness of God. Here the created beings on high see the traces of the eternal goodness, which is the end whereunto the rule aforesaid has been made. In that order which I say have Dentro ad un nuovo piu fui irretito : E dissi : Gik contento requievi Di grande ammirazion : ma ora ammiro Com' io trascenda questi corpi lievi. Ond' ella, appresso d' un pio sospiro, loo Gli occhi drizzb ver me con quel sembiante, Che madre fa sopra figliuol deliro : E comincib : le cose tutte quante Hann' ordine tra loro ; e questo e forma, "^ Che r universe a Dio fa simigliante. Qui veggion 1' alte creature 1' oriiia Dell' eterno valore, il quale e fine, Al quale e fatta la toccata norma. Nell' ordine ch' io dico sono accline "^ questo mforma 5. ^^ Bianchi notes the Lat. form requievi, and compares the audivi of Inf. xxvi. 78. 99 corpi lievi, i.e. air and fire, through the spheres of which he is now passing. 103-111 ggg noi^ at the end of this Canto. '^^^ r alte creature. Cf. Pg. xi. 3, * i primi effetti di lassii. ' PARADISE all natures their propension, through divers lots, [as they are] more or less near to their origin : whereby they move to divers ports through the great sea of being, and each with instinct given to it to bear it. This bears away fire towards the moon ; this is tlie motive power in the hearts of men ; this binds the earth together and makes it one. Nor only the creatures which are outside of understanding does this bow shoot forth, but those that have intellect and love. The Providence that settles so much, gives ever that Tutte nature per diverse sorti, no Pill al principio loro e men viclne ; Onde si muovono a diversi porti Per lo gran mar dell' essere, e ciascuna Con istinto a lei dato che la porti. Questi ne porta il fuoco inver la Luna ; Questi nei cuor mortali^ permotore; Questi la terra in se stringe ed aduna. Ne pur le creature, che son fuore . D' intelligenza, quest' arco saetta. Ma quelle ch' hanno intelletto ed amore. 120 La provvidenza, che cotanto assetta, Del suo lume fa il ciel sempre quieto, 115 cf. Pg. xviii. 28. 118-20 cf^ s^ X. i. Q. 2. A. 3 : Ea quae non habent cognitionem non tendunt in finem, nisi directa ab aliquo cognoscente et intelligente, sicut sagitta a sagittante ; ergo est aliquid intelligens, a quo omnes res ordinantur ad finem : et hoc dicimus Deum. 121, 122 J g^ ^j^g Empyrean, or fixed heaven, * luogo di quella somma Deit^ che se sola compiutamente vede,' and therefore at rest ; while as to that next within it, as we have seen, ' per lo ferventissimo appetito che ha ciascuna parte di quello nono cielo . . . d' essere congiunta con ciascuna parte di quello Cielo divinissimo quieto in quello si rivolve con tanto desiderio, che la sua velocita e quasi incomprensibile,' Conv. ii. 4. See also note to 1. 76. 12 PARADISE CANTO heaven rest in His light, within the which turns that one which has greatest speed. And now thither, as to a site appointed, the virtue of that string is bearing us away, which directs to a happy mark whatsoever it shoots forth. True is it that as form many times accords not with the intention of the art, because the matter is deaf to respond, so from this course the creature departs at whiles ; for it has the power, when thus urged, to swerve in another Nel qual si volge quel ch' ha maggior fretta. Ed ora 11, com' a sito decreto, Cen porta la virtu di quella corda, Che cio che scocca drizza in segno lieto. Vero e che come forma non s' accorda Molte fiate alia intenzion dell' arte. Perch* a risponder la materia e sorda ; Cos! da questo corso si diparte 130 Talor la creatura, ch' ha podere Di piegar, cosi pinta, in altra parte, (E si come veder si pub cadere 125. 126 Aquinas uses the simile again, S. T. i. Q. 23. Art. i : Ad illud ad quod non potest aliquid virtute suae naturae pervenire, oportet quod ab alio transmittatur ; sicut sagitta a sagittante mittitur ad signum : unde, proprie loquendo, rationalis creatura, quae est capax vitae aeternae, perducitur in ipsam, quasi a Deo transmissa ; and again, S. T. ii. I. Q. 4. A. 5 : Voluntas tendit in finalem actum intellectus, qui est beatitudo ; et ideo recta inclinatio voluntatis praeexigitur ad beati- tudinem : sicut rectus motus sagittae ad percussionem signi. ^^ Cf. De Mon. ii. 2 : Perfecto existente artifice, atque optime organo se habente, si contingat peccatum in forma artis, materiae tantum imputandum est; and wS. T. ii. I. Q. 4. Art. 4: Finis com- paratur ad id quod ordinatur ad finem, sicut forma ad materiam, etc. ■^^ I.e. as fire, under certain conditions, may behave in a way con- trary to its nature, so may the natural impulses of the soul. Cf. Purg. xviii. 28-33. I PARADISE 13 direction (even as fire may be seen to fall from a cloud), if the first impulse brings it to earth, being turned aside by a false pleasure. . Thou oughtest no more to wonder, if I rightly judge, at thy ascent, otherwise than at a river if it falls from a high mountain down to the bottom. It would be a marvel in thee, if being rid of impediment thou hadst sate below, as would be living fire quiet on the ground.' Herewith she turned again towards the heaven her gaze. Fuoco di nube), se T impeto primo \J atterra torto da falso piacere.^ Non dei piu ammirar, se bene stimo, Lo tuo salir, se non come d' un rivo,^ Se d' alto monte scende giuso ad imo. Maraviglia sarebbe in te, se privo D' impedimento giu ti fossi assiso, 140 Com' a terra quieto fuoco vivo.^ Quinci rivolse inver lo cielo il viso. "^ Laterra torta delf. p, Gg.; dal^ ; da\2\', laterra a torto da Cass.; A terra ^ torto Aid. Land. ^ satire, non Gg.; per lotuo salir se non Cass. P aterra quieta il f. v. Gg.; a terra quiete in Cass.; in terra quietc in 3 W.; comniatera quiete in 145 ; come matera quieta in 2. 137 ge non come, lit. *-if not as,' sc. thou wouldst wonder at. So iii. 44, where the use is still more curious, d' un rivo : for the genitive see Diez iii. 151. 1^1 As to the many v. 11. of this line see Moore, * Textual Criticism,' p. 439 sqq. Note to lines 103 sqq. This passage, though it is introduced merely as an explanation of the process by which Dante is enabled to rise through a medium lighter than his body, contains in a few lines so perfect a specimen of the method by which the Aristotelian philosophy was fitted to Christian doctrine as to 14 PARADISE CANTO i deserve comment and illustration. The general drift of it is as follows : The Final Cause {jh o5 eveKa) of created things is eternal happiness, which consists in the sight of God. (S. T. i. Q. 23. Art. i : Finis ad quern res creatae ordinantur a Deo est duplex ; unus ... est vita aeterna, quae in divina visione consistit.) With line 106 we may com- pare the famous passage in Plato, Phaedrus, 247 c : {KaOopg. fjih avrrjv biKaioa^v-qv , Kadopq, 8^ auxppocr^yqv , k.t.X. ). But to this end it is neces- sary that the creature should become like God. (S. T. i. Q. 86. Art. I : Requiritur ad cognoscendum ut similitudo rei cognitae sit in cogno- scente quasi quaedam forma ipsius. So Ar. Met. /3 4 (1000 b) : 'H yvQats Tov ofioiov r(f 6/jLol({}. And cf. i St. John iii. 2.) Now God being one — iv /cat \6y(i> Kai dpid/iK^ to irpCbrov klvovv dKivrjTOP 6v, Met. X. 8 (1074 a) — likeness to Him can only be obtained in unity which ' pertains to the essence of goodness : as Boethius proves by the fact that as all things desire the good, so they desire unity, with- out which they cannot exist, for everything exists in so far as it is one.' (S. T. i. Q. 103. Art. 3. and cf. Boeth. Cons. Phil. iii. Prosa. 11. So again De Mon. i. 17 : 'In omni genere rerum illud est optimum, quod est maxime unum, ut Philosopho placet, in iis quaede simpliciter ente.') But this unity, and therefore likeness with God, is found in the order of creation. (Met. X. 10. irdvTa 8k avvTeTaKral ttws, dXX' ovx o/jlolujs — per diverse SOrti — Kal TrXwro, /cat TrrTjvd /cat (pvrd. Kat ovx oi/rws ^X€t wcrre /X77 eTvat daTipup irphs ddrepov firjSep, dXX' earl irpbs n. Jlpbs ixkv yap ip dwavra cvvTiraKTaL. S. T. i. Q. 47. Art. 3 : Ipse ordo in rebus a Deo creatis existens unitatem mundi manifestat. Mundus enim iste unus dicitur unitate ordinis, secundum quod quaedam ad alia ordi- nantur. Quaecunque autem sunt a Deo, ordinem habent ad invicem et ad ipsum Deum. ) This order, then, is the Formal Cause, or quiddity (6 X670S TTjS ovalas, rb ri ^v eXvai) of creation ; and it is by virtue of this that all things animate and inanimate have their natural propension, acting more or less strongly according as they are nearer to or farther from their Efficient Cause or dpx^] rrjs KLv-qcreitir; ' TOLa^rrj yap iKdcrrov dpxi o-vtCov 7]