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An English Commentary on 
 Dante's Divina Commedia 
 
Henry Frowde, M.A. 
 
 Publisher to the University of Oxford 
 
 London, Edinburgh 
 
 New York 
 
An English Commentary on 
 Dante's Divina Commedia 
 
 By the 
 
 Rev. H. F. Tozer, M.A. X 
 
 Honorary Fellow of Execer College, Oxford 
 Author of * The Islands of the Aegean ' 
 * A History of Ancient Geography '. v - ^ 
 
 &C. : ; ; ;« 
 
 Oxford 
 
 At the Clarendon Press 
 
 I 9 o I 
 
• • • 
 
 • • • 
 
 Oxford 
 ^'nnted at the Clarendon Press 
 .^/ By Horace Hart, M.A. 
 Printer to the University 
 
 BURDACH 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The primary aim with which these notes have been written is 
 to make Dante's meaning clear to the reader of his poem; and 
 with a view to this, in interpreting the harder passages, translations, 
 paraphrases, or explanations have been introduced, according as one 
 or other of these methods appeared better suited to that purpose. 
 With the same object — in accordance with the principle which is 
 now generally accepted, that ' Dante is to be explained by Dante ' — 
 numerous references have been made, especially for the uses of words 
 and phrases, from one part of the poem to another, and also to 
 Dante's prose works, in which, owing to the numbering of the lines 
 in the Oxford edition, passages can now be easily found. The 
 origin and exact meaning of archaic and otherwise unusual words 
 have also been investigated ; and the more marked peculiarities of 
 syntax and metre have from time to time been noticed. Further, 
 I have endeavoui-ed to elucidate the allusions and illustrative state- 
 ments with which the Divina Commedia teems, as far as the 
 restricted limits of such a work as the present admit, and the needs 
 of ordinary students require. With a view to this, attention has 
 been paid to the sources of Dante's facts and references, an accurate 
 knowledge of which is of great service towards the interpretation of 
 his meaning; and as works written in Greek, except where they 
 were translated, are excluded from consideration by Dante's ignorance 
 of that language, and generally the number of books which were in 
 circulation in his age was limited, it is possible in a large number of 
 cases to determine his authorities with some confidence — the more 
 so because the Poet is fond of introducing into his verses expressions 
 
 V 
 
 r.il0-1157 
 
PREFACE 
 
 and graphic touches which occur in his originals. The contents of 
 each Canto have been briefly sketched in the Argument prefixed to 
 it ; but in such portions of the narrative as call for special analysis, 
 and still more in the philosophical and theological disquisitions, more 
 complete summaries are introduced in the notes. Attention is also 
 drawn as occasion requires to the allegorical element which underlies 
 the story. For the sake of clearness the discussion of different 
 interpretations of the same passage has been avoided, except in cases 
 where the balance does not greatly preponderate in favour of any 
 one of them. I am in hopes that by this mode of treatment this 
 Commentary may prove useful to students of one of the sublimest 
 of poems. 
 
 The text which I have followed is that of the Oxford edition of 
 the Divina Comtnedia (1900); but the notes are intended for use 
 with other editions also : and with this object the more important 
 variations in the text have been noticed, and the meaning of the 
 passages has been explained accordingly. 
 
 The following are the works which I have chiefly used in study- 
 ing the poem with a view to these notes. For the valuable assistance 
 which I have received from them I cannot be too grateful. 
 
 Blanc. Versuch einer bloss philologischen Erklarung mehrerer 
 dunklen und streitigen Stellen der Gottlichen Komodie. 
 Vocabolario Dantesco. 
 Grammatik der Italianischen Sprache. 
 
 Butler. Edition of the poem, with prose translation and notes ; 
 three vols. 
 
 Cary. Verse translation with notes. 
 
 Casinl Edition with Italian notes. 
 
 DiEZ. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Romanischen Sprachen ; 
 4th ed., 1878. 
 Grammaire des Langues Romanes; three vols. 
 
 Fay. Concordance of the Divina Commedia. 
 KOrting. Lateinisch-romanisches Worterbuch. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Longfellow. Verse translation with notes ; three vols. 
 
 Moore. Contributions to the Textual Criticism of the Divina 
 Commedia. 
 Studies in Dante ; first series. 
 The Time-references in the Divina Commedia. 
 Tutte le Opere di Dante Alighieri (the Oxford Dante). 
 
 Philalethes. German verse translation with notes ; three vols. 
 
 ScARTAZZiNi. Two editions with Italian notes, the larger in 
 three vols., the smaller in one vol. 
 
 ToYNBEE. Dante Dictionary. 
 
 Vernon. Readings on the Inferno of Dante ; two vols. 
 Readings on the Purgatorio of Dante ; two vols. 
 
 Vocabolario Tramater ; seven vols. 
 
 Witte. La Divina Commedia, ricorretta sopra quattro dei pivi 
 autorevoli testi a penna. 
 (The references to Aristotle are made to the Oxford edition of 
 Bekker's text.) 
 
 My best thanks are due to many friends, who have supplied me 
 with information on subjects illustrative of the Divina Commedia 
 with which I am myself imperfectly acquainted ; and especially to 
 those accomplished Dante scholars. Dr. E. Moore and Mr. Paget 
 Toynbee, who have always been ready to lend me their assist- 
 ance. To the latter of these two gentlemen I owe a further debt of 
 gratitude for having with great kindness read through the proof- 
 sheets of the present volume, and having favoured me with various 
 corrections and valuable suggestions. 
 
 H. F. T. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 Commentary on Inferno ..... i 
 
 ,, ,, Purgatorio . . . . .189 
 
 „ „ Paradiso . . . . .401 
 
AN ENGLISH COMMENTARY ON 
 DANTE'S ^DIVINA COMMEDIA' 
 
 INFERNO 
 
 CANTO I 
 
 Prefatory Note on Dante's Conception of Hell. 
 
 HELL, as conceived by Dante, is a vast funnel-shaped cavity, 
 extending from the neighbourhood of the earth's surface to its 
 centre. The area which is thus formed is divided into nine^oncentric 
 cixcIeSj^ which descend one below the other, gradually narrowing, untiF 
 the pit of Hell is reached, where Lucifer is stationed. In each of 
 these circles a different form of sin is punished ; and the upper part 
 of the area, containing the first five circles, is assigned to the less 
 heinous sins ; the lower part, containing the four remaining circles , 
 to the more heinous sins. The latter of these portions, which is 
 called the City of Dis, is separated from the former by a strong 
 wall of circuit "W ithin the gate of Hell, but on the hither side of 
 the Acheron, beyond which stream the first circle commences, is 
 a sort of Ante-Hell, in which the pusillanimous, or those who did 
 neither good nor evil, are punished, together with those angels who 
 were neutral at the time of Lucifer's rebellion. The first circle is 
 the L'tmbus, which contains the souls of the virtuous heathen and of 
 unbaptized children ; the suffering of these is confined to regret for 
 their exclusion from the presence of God. 
 
 t TOZER I B 
 
INFERNO [I. 1-3 
 
 In his journey through Hell Dante follows a leftward course 
 •throughout, thai direction being intended to signify that the forms 
 ; of sin /Which he pp.Fses become steadily worse as he descends. In 
 contrast with this, .his, course through Purgatory is continuously 
 to\var(ls ; the right hapd. : 
 
 ' The time occupied ' by Dante's transit through the Inferno is 
 between twenty-four and twenty-five hours. 
 
 Argument. — Dante loses his way in a dark forest, and when at 
 last he has escaped from this, and has regained the sunshine, he finds 
 himself at the foot of a hill, which he proceeds to ascend. But his 
 progress is impeded by the sight of three beasts — a panther, a lion, 
 and a wolf — which stop his way, and he gradually retreats into the 
 forest. There he espies a human figure, which he summons to hi? 
 aid. This proves to be the spirit of the poet Virgil, who undertakes 
 to conduct him through the regions of Hell and Purgatory, intimating 
 at the same time that under other guidance he may visit Heaven also ; 
 and Dante departs in his company. 
 
 Line i. Nel mezzo, &c. : 'midway in the course of our mortal 
 life,' i. e. at thirty-five years of age, in accordance with the saying 
 of the Psalmist, ' The days of our age are threescore years and ten, ' 
 Ps. xc. lO. Dante was born in 1265, and consequently his 
 ' conversion,' which was the turning-point of his spiritual life, and 
 which he ascribes to the eifect of his Vision upon him, took place 
 in 1 300. This date was a marked one, both in the history of the 
 time, as being the great year of Jubilee, and in Dante's career, since 
 it was the year of his Priorate at Florence. 
 
 2,3. selva oscura : by this is meant, allegorically, ' the world ' 
 in the unfavourable sense of the term — the social influences which 
 darken a man's perception of the tmth, and prevent him from seeing 
 the right path. Similarly in Conv. iv. 24, 11. 123-6, Dante uses 
 the term ' the wood of error of this life ' for the world and its 
 temptations — '1' Adolescente, ch' entra nella selva erronea di questa 
 vita, non saprebbe tenere il buon cammino.' Che, &c. : ' where (in 
 which wood) the right way was lost.' If, with Witte and Scartazzini, 
 Ch^ (accented) is read, the meaning will be ' for the right way was 
 lost to me ' ; this explains why Dante found himself in the wood 
 of error. 
 
4-3^] INFERNO 
 
 4-6. quanto a dir, &c. : ^ as for describing that y/oqd .,. .,, which 
 
 at the mere thought of it renews my fears, 'tis a hare task.'!. 
 
 7. Tan to fe amara, &c. : understand questa selva ; the sufferings 
 of the Hfe of worldliness are hardly exceeded^by the pains oC death. ^ 
 
 8, 9. del ben, &c. : of his conversion. a^txe.cose,: the horrors 
 of the wood, which otherwise he would not wilhngly recall. 
 
 10. I' non so ben, &c. : the deadening influence of sin prevented 
 him from tracing the manner and the stages of his fall. 
 
 1 2. Che : the antecedent is punto ; 'at the moment when I deserted 
 the way of truth.' Che is frequently used for 'when,' especially 
 where, as here, the preposition which supplies that meaning is found 
 with the antecedent. 
 
 13, 14. un coUe: this hill, which in 1. 78 is said to be 
 'principio e cagion di tutta gioia,' is the Mountain of Salvation — ' the 
 hills from whence cometh help,' Ps. cxxi. i — which is enlightened 
 by the beams of divine grace (11. 16-18), but has to be reached by 
 the steep ascent of perseverance, valle : the selva ; cp. Inf. xv. 50, 
 ' mi smarri' in una valle.' 
 
 17, 18. pianeta : the sun, which represents allegorically the light 
 of God's grace. According to the astronomy of the period the sun 
 was one of the planets, altrui : ' persons,' ' men ' ; the word is 
 here used in a general sense ; cp. Inf. ii. 89. 
 
 20, 21. nel lago del cor, &c. : 'had settled in my heart's 
 depths ' ; lago is used of the heart as being the receptacle of the 
 blood, pieta : ' distress ' ; Dante uses pieta only in the sense of 
 'sorrow,' 'distress' — not, like^/V/<3, for 'pity.' 
 
 26, 27. a rimirar lo passo : * to look back on the wood through 
 which I had passed,' i. e. on the life of sin from which he had 
 escaped. Che non lascio, &c. : ' which never suffered a soul to 
 escape alive ' ; i. e. the life of sin (if persevered in) leads to inevitable 
 ruin. 
 
 28-30. ei: for ebbi; this form was used by other writers of 
 Dante's period ; see Moore, Text. Crit., p. 259. Si che, &c. : this 
 implies that he was ascending the hill, because in mounting the lower 
 foot is that on which the weight of the body is thrown. 
 
 32. lonza : 'panther'; the three beasts which are here intro- 
 duced — the panther, the lion, and the wolf — were suggested by 
 Jer. v. 6. The primary allegorical meaning of these is three forms 
 of temptation — lust, pride, and avarice — which present themselves to 
 
 3 B 2 
 
INFERNO [1. 37-6^ 
 
 .the converged soul, oi) its upward course ; the lonza is thus interpreted 
 I'm Inf.'.xfu T6Sy the lupa in Purg. xx. lo. The prevalence of 
 -pride z*nd avarice' {or greed) in Florentine society at this time is 
 Korice^t in -Icif. vi* 7^) 7*5 > ^^^t of corrupt living in Purg. xxiii. 94 
 
 ' '3';. dal,*<S^c'.':' 'at 'morning prime*; for this use of ila cp. Par. 
 xxxi. 118,^^ matlina, and the expressions t/a mane, da sera. 
 
 38-40. quelle stelle : the constellation of Aries, in which the 
 sun is in the early spring ; it is this season of the year which is here 
 intended. In the middle ages the world was believed to have been 
 created at the vernal equinox. quelle cose belle: the heavenly 
 bodies. 
 
 42. Di: lit. * concerning ' ; take with bene sperar — 'good 
 hope of escaping or conquering that beast.' 
 
 46-8. venesse : archaic for venisse. che 1' aer ne temesse : 
 the expression is hyperbolical, expressing the excitement of Dante's 
 feelings at the moment — an instance of the ' pathetic fallacy.' Cp. 
 Tennyson's Godiva, where, as she is described as riding naked 
 through the town — 
 
 * The deep air listened round her as she rode, 
 And all the low wind hardly breathed for fear.' 
 
 49. Ed una lupa : understand parea che contra me venesse. If 
 E d* una is read, it must be la vista (1. 45) d' una lupa. 
 
 54. deir altezza: of reaching the height. 
 
 55. quale e quel, &c. : the turn of the tide of fortune against 
 the money-making man, and his consequent despondency, is introduced 
 to illustrate Dante's discouragement arising from tJie check to his 
 upward course. 
 
 58-60. senza pace : ' merciless.' Ih. : to the darkness of the 
 selva oscura. tace : ' doth not shine '; for a similar transference of 
 the impressions of one sense to another cp. Inf. v. 28, 'loco d' ogni 
 luce muto.' 
 
 61. rovinava: ' was hastening down to,' lit. ' falling down ' ; the 
 basso loco is the valle (1. 1 4) of the selva. Allegorically, ' while 
 I was speeding on my downward way towards the life of sin.' 
 
 63. Chi, &c. : ' one who appeared enfeebled by long silence ' ; 
 i. e. he looked like one who, from long want of commerce with other 
 human beings, had lost vitality. Dante thus describes the impression 
 made on him by a disembodied spirit, which he now sees for the 
 
 4 
 
1. 68-89] INFERNO 
 
 first time ; he doubted whether he could be ' very man ' (uomo certo, 
 1. 66), though he had the aspect of a man (cp. Inf. vi. 36, lor 
 vanita, che par persona). Fioco, wherever it occurs in the Dlv. 
 Com., signifies 'feeble,' 'faint,' and it is used both of the bodily 
 powers, as in Inf. xxxiv. 22, and of the voice, as in Inf. iii. 27. 
 In the present passage, as it refers directly to Chi, it is more natural 
 to take it of the former. Every interpretation of the passage which 
 turns on the sound of Virgil's voice — as, ' hoarse from long disuse of 
 speech,' and Gary's, 'whose voice seemed faint through long disuse 
 of speech ' — is excluded by the fact that he had not yet spoken. 
 Blanc's view, that it means ' one whose long silence seemed to show 
 him faint' [Versuch, p. 12), avoids this error, but is open to the 
 objections (i) that, as Virgil appears suddenly to Dante, there was 
 no great opportunity for long silence; (2) that Dante's doubt as to 
 Virgil's being uomo certo seems to arise from something in his 
 appearance rather than from his not speaking at once. 
 
 68. Lombardi : observe the anachronism ; similarly in Par. vi. 
 49 the Carthaginians are called Arabs, and in Conv. iv. 5, 11. 160-4, 
 the Gauls are called Frenchmen. 
 
 70. sub lulio : if this means ' when Julius was head of the 
 state ' — and it probably does so, for to Dante Julius Caesar was the 
 first of the dynasty of the Caesars— it is an error, for Virgil was 
 born in 70 B.C., and at that time even the first triumvirate had not been 
 formed. But if it means ' in the time of Julius,' it is admissible, 
 since Julius Caesar was already a prominent man at that time. The 
 use of Latin in sub lulio is probably due to its being a date in 
 Roman history; cp. ab ant'tco in Inf. xv. 62. tardi : various 
 explanations are given of this ; perhaps the best is, that Virgil had 
 not risen into prominence before Caesar's death in 44 B. c. 
 
 73. giusto : Aeneas is described by this epithet in Virg. Aen. i. 
 544, 545, ' quo iustior alter Nee pietate fuit,' &c. 
 
 77. il dilettoso monte: the colle of I. 13. 
 
 83. il lungo studio : an evidence of this is found in Dante's 
 frequent quotations from Virgil's poems, which amount to about 
 two hundred ; see Moore, Studies, i. p. 4. 
 
 87. Lo bello stile: i.e. his poetic taste, as already manifested 
 in his lyric poems. 
 
 89. saggio : on the mediaeval estimate of Virgil's knowledge see 
 Prefatory Note to Canto II. 
 
 5 
 
INFERNO [I. 91-101 
 
 91. altro viaggio : the nature of this journey Virgil describes 
 below in 11. 114 foil. 
 
 94. gride : archaic for gridi. Similar archaisms in the vowel 
 endings of the inflexions of the verbs will be found in the rhymes 
 throughout the poem. It may here be remarked once for all that 
 Dante does not arbitrarily alter the forms of words for the sake 
 of the rhyme, though he employs every available license in producing 
 variety, e. g. by using archaic, dialectic, Latin, Provencal, and other 
 forms. The chief archaic and dialectic forms in the D'lv. Com. are 
 to be found in Nannucci, Voci usate da Dante in grazia della r'ttna, 
 and Blanc, Grammatik der ital. Sprache. 
 
 95. la sua via : the way that she guards. 
 
 100. Molti son, &c. : from speaking of the general character of 
 avarice Virgil passes to its influence in Italy, where it was the moving 
 power in a variety of intrigues. 
 
 I o I . il veltro : ' the greyhound.' The discussion of the question, 
 Who is meant by this expression ? has given birth to a considerable 
 literature. It has been interpreted of Christ, of an unknown but 
 hoped-for saviour of Italy, of Henry of Luxemburg, and of Can 
 Grande della Scala of Verona. The principal points in the descrip- 
 tion of the personage referred to — viz. his most prominent virtue, 
 and the scene of his influence (see the notes on 11. 103, 105) — are 
 suitable to Can Grande, if we allow for the vagueness which is 
 inseparable from an oracular intimation like the present ; and the 
 term veltro is most easily explained' as referring to the name Can 
 Grande, and to the mastiff on the coat of arms of the Scaligers. 
 When we add to this that Can Grande was a strong supporter of 
 the imperial cause, which Dante had so much at heart, and that he 
 was a prominent patron and entertainer of the poet himself, it is not 
 unnatural to suppose that Dante was, at least indirectly, referring 
 to him. But at the same time the function which he assigns to the 
 veltro in what follows is evidently one of too widely extended 
 influence to be restricted to any local potentate ; so that we are led 
 to the conclusion that the poet intends that his words should also 
 bear a more extended application as pointing to a ' coming man ' — 
 a ruler who was to be both politically and socially the regenerator of 
 Italy. Such a personage is again foreshadowed in the dux of 
 Purg. xxxiii. 43, where also the expressions used cannot be limited 
 in their application to any definite person. 
 
 6 
 
I. 103-17] INFERNO 
 
 103-5. peltro : 'pewter,* i.e. lucre; the meaning is, 'he will 
 not be greedy either of land or lucre.' This virtue is specially 
 attributed to Can Grande in Par. xvii. 84. nazion : ' dominion.* 
 tra Feltro e Feltro : between Feltre near Belluno towards the 
 north and Montefeltro in Romagna towards the south. The 
 territory thus indicated was the scene of the greater part of Can 
 Grande's operations in the imperial cause. 
 
 106. umile: 'in her low estate.' As it is Virgil who speaks, 
 and characters from the Aeneid are introduced in the next two lines, 
 this epithet is probably borrowed from Aen. iii. 522, ' humilemque 
 videmus Italiam.' The meaning ' low-lying ' in which Virgil 
 there uses it — for he is describing the low ground of the heel of 
 Italy — is inapplicable here ; and consequently we must suppose 
 that Dante has made him adapt the word to his present purposes 
 in speaking of the depressed condition of Italy in the thirteenth 
 century. 
 
 107, 108. Cammilla, &c. : in Virgil's description in the Aeneid 
 of the struggle between the Trojans and the native races for the 
 possession of Italy, Nisus and Euryalus met their deaths on the side 
 of the former {Aen. ix. 433-45), Camilla and Turnus on the 
 side of the latter [Aen. xi. 831 ; xii. 952). 
 
 III. invidia: the envy of the devil which caused the Fall of 
 man ; cp. Wisd. ii. 24, ' Through envy of the devil came death 
 into the world.' With the Fall sin arose, and in particular the sin 
 here mentioned, covetousness. 
 
 1 1 2-4. me': = wf^//o, 'benefit.' loco eterno : Hell; cp. 
 Inf. iii. 8, ' io eterno duro.' 
 
 117. Che, &c. : as regards the construction — Che and ciascun 
 are in apposition, and the latter is the subject to grida, which 
 consequently is in the sing, number. The meaning is, ' who one 
 and all invoke the second death,' i.e. express their longing for 
 annihilation; cp. Inf. iii. 46 and xiii. 118, in both which passages 
 morte^ in the sense of extinction, is used of those already dead. 
 Instances of the use of gridare in the sense of chiedere gridando are 
 given in the Vocah. Tramater. Others take grida in the more usual 
 sense of 'proclaim,' and la seconda morte as the state of the 
 damned after the final judgement, when their torments will be 
 increased after they have reassumed their bodies ; for this cp. ' the 
 second death' in Rev. ii. 11 ; xx. 14. 
 
INFERNO [i. 118-34 
 
 118. color: the souls in Purgatory. 
 
 122. Anima : Beatrice. 
 
 126. per me si vegna : ' that any should enter by my guidance.* 
 
 134. la porta di san Pietro : the gate of Purgatory, the keys 
 of which are entrusted by St. Peter to the angel that guards it ; 
 cp. Purg. ix. 117, 127. 
 
 CANTO II 
 
 Prefatory Note on the Position of Virgil and 
 Beatrice in the Poem. 
 
 The office which Virgil discharges in the Divina Commedia is 
 that of being Dante's guide in his journey through Hell and 
 Purgatory. In the allegory of the poem he symbolizes human 
 reason in its highest development, while Beatrice, who conducts 
 the poet through Paradise, represents theology or revealed truth ; 
 this is clearly explained in Purg. xviii. 46-8. Thus in the first 
 two Cantiche, where moral questions — the punishment which sin 
 brings in its train, and the discipline by which its injurious effects 
 can be remedied — are being treated of, the knowledge with which 
 Virgil is gifted suffices for Dante's guidance ; but in the third 
 section of the poem, which deals with spiritual truths and heavenly 
 mysteries, the aid of an inspired teacher is required for his instruc- 
 tion. The relation in which Dante's two guides stand to one 
 another is shown in the Earthly Paradise, where, as soon as Beatrice 
 appears on the scene, Virgil, the object of whose mission is now 
 accomplished, disappears (Purg. xxx. 49). 
 
 We may assume that Dante's primary reason for assigning to 
 Virgil so prominent a place in the action of the poem was his sense 
 of the debt which he owed him in respect of the formation of his 
 own poetic style. This feeling on his part towards the Roman 
 poet he definitely expresses in Inf. i. 85-7. He also admired 
 him as being in the yleneid the poet of the Roman Empire, the 
 belief in which institution was the basis of his own political creed. 
 At the same time it was only natural that Dante should select him 
 to be the representative of human intelligence, in consequence of the 
 extraordinarily high estimate that was formed of his powers during 
 
 8 
 
II. i] INFERNO 
 
 the middle ages. From various causes, in the minds of the vulgar 
 Virgil had come to be regarded as a poweiful magician, and among 
 the learned the character almost of omniscience was attributed to 
 him ; while Christian teachers — chiefly owing to the supposed 
 prediction of the birth of Christ contained in his Fourth Eclogue — 
 in some cases ranked him among the ancient Prophets. Dante 
 himself in Inf. i. 89 addresses him ^sfamoso saggio; and in Purg. 
 xxii. 73 Statius is made to attribute his conversion to Christianity 
 to his prophecy. (See on this subject Comparetti, Vergil in the 
 Middle Ages\ trans, by E. F. M. Benecke.) Dante also no doubt 
 felt that the fact of his companion and guide being a famous poet 
 would contribute to the treatment of the subject an element of grace 
 and . sympathy which would otherwise be lacking ; and this result 
 of their spiritual affinity constantly impresses itself on his readers 
 in the courteous and affectionate relations which they feel to exist 
 between them. 
 
 Argument. — Dante discloses to Virgil his doubt, whether he is 
 qualified to undertake the proposed journey. Virgil, in order to 
 restore his confidence, describes how Beatrice — at the instigation 
 of Dante^s special saint, St. Lucy, who in turn had been prompted 
 by the Blessed Virgin herself — had descended from heaven to 
 Limbo, where he was, to implore him to rescue his brother poet 
 from danger. Dante, being thus assured of the protection of heaven, 
 professes himself ready to start without delay. 
 
 Line i. Lo giomo se n' andava: the time is the evening of 
 Good Friday, April 8, 1300. That the day was Good Friday 
 is clearly implied by what is said in Inf. xxi. 112 (where see note). 
 That the year was 1 300 a. d. has already been deduced from what 
 is said in Inf. i. i concerning Dante's age at the time of his Vision ; 
 and in that year according to the calendar Good Friday fell on 
 April 8. From the determination of Good Friday evening as the 
 time of Dante's entrance into Hell, it further follows that he passed 
 the Thursday night preceding in the sel'va (Inf. i. 21), and that 
 the whole of Good Friday was occupied by the struggle with the 
 Beasts and his meeting with Virgil. It should be noticed that 
 Eastertide 1300 is carefully observed throughout the Dii), Com. 
 as the date of Dante's Vision, so that all references in the poem 
 to events of a later date than this are to be regarded as prophetic. 
 
INFERNO [II. 4-24 
 
 (For additional proofs of the points mentioned above see Moore's 
 Time- References In the D'lvina Commed'ia^ pp. 6 foil.) 
 
 4-6. la guerra : ' the painful struggle.' ritrarrk : ' will re- 
 count'; cp. Inf. iv. 145. chenonerra: not 'unerring,' 'infallible,' 
 but ' which does not stray,' as being fixed intently on its pui^pose. 
 
 7. O Muse: Dante defends the use of poetical invocations in 
 his letter to Can Grande, Epist. x. § 18, 11. 306-12. Observe 
 that the invocation, which in the two other Cantiche occurs in 
 Canto I (Purg. i. 8; Par. i. 13), is here found in Canto II, the 
 reason being that Canto I is introductory to the whole poem. This 
 is also the explanation of there being thirty-four Cantos in the 
 Inferno, whereas there are thirty-three in the other parts, ingeg^o : 
 ' spirit of genius,' of which the Muses are the representatives. 
 
 8. scrivesti : sc. on the tablets of memory; cp. Inf. xv. 88. 
 
 1 2. alto passo : ' hazardous transit ' through the world of 
 spirits, alto adds a superlative force to the substantive, like that 
 of * supreme' in English; and so in the present connexion may 
 mean 'dread,' 'momentous,' or 'hazardous.' 
 
 13-5. di Silvio lo parente: Aeneas, whose son Silvius is 
 mentioned in j^en. vi. 763. Corruttibile ancora : 'while still 
 clothed in human flesh'; cp. i Cor. xv. 53, 'for this corruptible,' 
 &c. secolo : ' world ' ; Virgil in the sixth Aeneid has described 
 Aeneas' visit to the world of spirits, fu sensibilmente : 'was 
 there in the body,' not in a vision. 
 
 1 6-9. Pero, &c. : * Wherefore, if the adversary of all evil 
 (God) was gracious to him, in consideration of the mighty result 
 which was to proceed from him (viz. the Roman Empire), and the 
 person (the Emperor), and his greatness, this cannot but approve 
 itself to a reflecting mind.' According to Dante's political views, 
 which he has developed in the Dc Monarchia^ the Roman Empire 
 was the embodiment of the true principles of government, and the 
 type to be followed in succeeding ages, i : = gU ; cp. Inf. xxii. 
 73 ; Par. xxix. 17. il chi, e il quale: these expressions are the 
 quis and qualis of the Schools ; quale, lit. ' of what sort,' i. e. how 
 great. 
 
 20. alma: * fostering.' suo impero : note the synizesis, jmo 
 im- being pronounced as one syllable. 
 
 22-4. a voler dir lo vero : this form of asseveration seems 
 to be a profession of faith on Dante's part in the relationship of the 
 
 10 
 
II. !2S-56] INFERNO 
 
 Empire and the Church which is here implied; perhaps also it 
 contains an apology to Virgil for giving a Christian interpretation 
 (and therefore a different one from his) of the foundation of the 
 Roman Empire, maggior : the most exalted of that name. 
 
 25-7. onde, &c. : 'for which thou dost celebrate him,' in the 
 sixth Aeneid. Intese cose, &c. ; the meaning is : — He heard 
 the prophecies concerning the Roman Empire, which gave him 
 confidence to conquer Italy, and so to cause the foundation of 
 Rome, the future seat of the Papacy. 
 
 28-30. Andowi, &c. St. Paul, the 'chosen vessel' (Acts 
 ix. 15) was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. xii. 2). vi = 
 ad immortale secoloj 1. 14. conforto, &c. : ' support (derived from 
 the sight of the spiritual world) to faith, which is the starting- 
 point,' &c. 
 
 31—3. io perche venirvi : 'why should I come thither'; the 
 infin. is used, because it is a rhetorical question, which does not 
 expect an answer, and it is hurriedly uttered, il crede : 'believes 
 this,' viz. that I am worthy. 
 
 34-6. se del venire, &c. : 'if I consent to come,' lit. 'if I 
 resign myself in the matter of coming.' For the use of abbandonarsi 
 cp. Purg. xvii. 136; Par. xvii. 108; xxxi. 75. me* eh' io non 
 ragiono : ' better than I express it in words.' 
 
 39. dal cominciar, &c. : 'withdraws wholly from what he has 
 begun.' 
 
 41. Perche, &c. : 'so that through reflexion I cancelled the 
 enterprise.' 
 
 45. oflfesa : 'impeded,' as by a stumbling-block; 'the impedi- 
 ment that checks thy spirit is cowardice.' 
 
 48. falso veder : ' mistake of sight.' 
 
 52, 53. sospesi : 'in the intermediate state' — a condition 
 intermediate between salvation and damnation, that of Limbo ; cp. 
 Inf. iv. 45. donna : Beatrice ; see 1. 70. 
 
 55. la Stella: for 'the stars' generally. Cp. Vita Nuova, 
 § 23, 11. 176, 177, 'Poi mi parve vedere appoco appoco Turbar Io 
 Sole ed apparir la Stella'; Conv. iv. 19, 11. 30, 31, ' Siccome e '1 
 cielo, dovunque e la Stella ' ; also the use of /a Jiammella for le 
 
 Jiammelle in Inf. xvii. 33. 
 
 56. soave e piana : take in sua favella with this — ' in sweet 
 low tones,' lit. ' sweet and low in her manner of speaking.' 
 
 II 
 
INFERNO [II. 60-78 
 
 60. quanto il mo to lontana : the meaning is ' to the end 
 of time,' lit. 'as far as motion extends into the distance,' the motion 
 being that of the heavenly bodies, by which time is determined. 
 mondo is also read here, and it is difficult to decide whether this 
 or moto is right. As regards the authority of the MSS., the balance 
 is slightly in favour of mondo ; on the other hand, moio is the harder 
 of the two to explain, and therefore the less likely to have been 
 substituted for another reading (see Moore, Text. Cr'tt.^ pp. 270-272). 
 The general meaning with mondo is practically the same as with 
 mo/o, viz. 'to the end of the world,' lit. 'so long as the world 
 is ever moving onward.' Some authorities regard lontana not 
 as a verb (for si lontana)^ but as an adj., agreeing with fama\ 
 in this case the construction will be, ' la fama durera tanto lontana 
 ('so far into the distant ages') quanto il moto (or, mondo) durera.' 
 
 61. L' amico, &c. : ' one whom I love, but fortune loveth not.* 
 
 66. Per quel, &c. : ' from what I have heard ' ; this is explained 
 in 11. 107, 108. 
 
 67. parola ornata : ' skill in speech ' ; cp. parole ornate in Inf. 
 xviii. 91. 
 
 70. Beatrice : on the position which she occupies in the scheme 
 of the poem see the Prefatory note to this Canto. 
 
 74. Di te mi lodero : ' I will express myself pleased with thee ' ; 
 this is the proper meaning of lodarsi di ; cp. Inf. xxii. 84, ' ciascun 
 se ne loda.' It is noticeable that the present passage implies that 
 the consciousness of God's approbation could be a source of happi- 
 ness to a spirit in Limbo. This view seems to be corroborated 
 by a passage in the Appendix to St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa, 
 Q. I, Art. 2, referring to the position of unbaptized children in 
 Limbo, who were excluded from heaven for the same cause as 
 the virtuous heathen, viz. from the lack of Christian faith and 
 baptism. ' Quamvis pueri non baptizati sint separati a Deo quantum 
 ad illam coniunctionem quae est per gloriam, non tamen ab eo penitus 
 sunt separati, immo ei coniunguntur per participationem naturalium 
 bonorum ; et ita etiam de Ipso gaudere poterunt naturali cognitione 
 et dilcctione.' 
 
 75. tacette : for tacque\ cp. Inf. xxvii. 98. 
 
 76-8. sola per cui, &c. : the meaning of this, as addressed 
 to Beatrice, is, 'It is only by means of Theology, i. e. the knowledge 
 of Divine truth, that the thoughts of man rise above this sublunary 
 
 12 
 
II. 79-9^] INFERNO 
 
 sphere.' The first of the concentric spheres which form Dante's 
 heaven is that of the moon (see Prefatory Note to Canto I of the 
 Paradiso) ; and as this is the nearest to the earth, which is the 
 centre of the system, it is the smallest — ha minor li cerchi sui. 
 Thus the expression 'everything contained by that heaven ' — ogni 
 contento Da quel ciel — is equivalent to 'everything sublunary.' 
 The idea which is embodied in these lines was probably suggested 
 to Dante by a passage in Cicero's Somnlum Scipionis, with which 
 work we know from Par. xxii. 133 foil, that he was familiar. It is 
 there said of the sphere of the moon (§ 4) — 'Infra autem iam nihil est 
 nisi mortale et caducum praeter animos munere Deorum hominum 
 generi datos : supra lunam sunt aeterna omnia ' ; after which it is 
 added (§ 6) — 'haec caelestia semper spectato, ilia humana contemnito.' 
 
 79-81. These lines must be taken in connexion with what 
 follows in 1. 82, Ma d'lmmi la cagion, &c. Virgil assures Beatrice 
 of his anxiety to comply at once with her request, but at the same 
 time his longing for an explanation of her willingness to descend 
 from heaven to hell overpowers his desire to do so. First he says, 
 with polite extravagance of speech, ' obedience to your behests comes 
 to me all too late, even were it already paid,' in other words, ' I 
 would readily, and more than readily, obey on the spot ' — ' but,' he 
 adds, ' I am anxious first to ask a question.' talento : ' desire.' 
 
 82-4. che : ' for which (reason),' ' why.' centre : according 
 to Dante the earth was the centre of the universe, and hell extended 
 from just within the surface of the earth to its centre, ampio 
 loco : the highest or Empyrean heaven, the seat of the Blessed, 
 which embraces the other spheres of Paradise; cp. Purg. xxvi. 63, 
 ' piii ampio si spazia.' 
 
 85. saper cotanto addentro : 'to know so much of the 
 heart of the matter,' ' investigate the matter so closely.' 
 
 89. altrui: 'persons,' 'men'; cp. Inf. i. 18 ; Purg. iv. 54. 
 
 91. sua merce: 'thanks to him,' an elliptical expression. 
 
 94-6. Donna e gentil : the Blessed Virgin is meant, who 
 symbolizes prevenient grace. Her name, like that of Christ and 
 other sacred names, is not allowed to be pronounced in Hell ; * see 
 note on Inf. iv. 53. impedimento : ' the hindrance to Dante's 
 onward course.' ove : 'to deal with which.' Si die, &c. : 'so 
 that she mitigates the strictness of God's judgement,' i. e. she causes 
 mercy to prevail against justice in Dante's case. 
 
 13 
 
INFERNO [II. 97-122 
 
 97. Lucia: St. Lucy, the martyr of Syracuse, who represents 
 illuminative grace. This idea arose from her name [Lucia from 
 luce\ and for this reason she is represented in art as carrying a lamp 
 (Jameson, Sacred and Legendary Art^ vol. ii. p. 614). 
 
 98. il tuo fedele: this expression implies that Dante was a 
 devotee of St. Lucy. This was probably due to her being the 
 patron saint of those who suffered from diseases of the eyes 
 (Jameson, op. cit.j p. 617), for Dante tells us that he was affected 
 by weakness of sight, first through weeping for the loss of Beatrice 
 (Fifa Nuova, § 32, 11. 1-4), and afterwards from the effects of 
 overmuch reading (Conv. iii. 9, 11. 149-153). 
 
 100-2. nimica, &c. : gentleness was one of St. Lucy's 
 characteristics. Probably, as the term crudelitas in Aquinas is used 
 of ' over-severity in punishment,' it is implied here that she would 
 naturally second the efforts of the Virgin to cause mercy to triumph 
 over justice, che ; ' I who was sitting ' ; or perhaps, ' where/ the 
 notion of place being supplied by the antecedent loco, con 1' antica 
 Rachele: cp. Par. xxxii. 8, 9. 
 
 103-5. loda di Dio vera: cp. Fita Nuova, § 26, II. 17-19, 
 * Ed altri dicevano : Questa e una meraviglia ; che benedetto sia lo 
 Signore che si mirabilmente sa operare.' uscio per te : it was his 
 determination to celebrate Beatrice which caused him to devote 
 himself to study, and thus to rise to distinction; ibid. § 43, 11. 1-7. 
 
 108. la fiumana, &c. : 'the rushing torrent, than which the sea 
 is not wilder,' lit. 'over which the sea may not boast itself.' 
 Fiumana signifies 'a full rushing stream.' The meaning of the 
 passage is not literal, but spiritual and allegorical. The rushing 
 stream is the 'world,' and the death which threatens Dante is 
 spiritual ruin. 
 
 113, 114. parlare onesto : 'skill in speech,' like the paro/a 
 omata of 1. 67. e quei, &c. : the meaning apparently is: — 'and 
 those who have heard and imitated it' ; cp. Inf. i. 86, 87. 
 
 118, 119. volse: (or voile; cp. Inf. xxix. 102. quella fiera : 
 the wolf; cp. Inf. i. 49-54. 
 
 121, 122. Dunque che h? this is the answer to Dante's 
 objections as to his fitness for the journey, allette: for a/Ietli^ 
 'give entrance to'; allettare is from Lat. adlectare, 'to entice,' 
 'invite,' frequentative of a/Iicere; cp. the use of allettarsi for 'to 
 find entrance ' in Inf. ix. 93. 
 
 14 
 
II, 128— III. 12] INFERNO 
 
 128. gl' imbianca : 'lightens upon them'; cp. Par. vii. 81. 
 
 132. franca: 'resolute.' 
 
 142. alto e silvestro : 'deep and wild.' For alto in this sense 
 cp. Inf. xvi. 114, 'alto burrato.' The meaning 'deep' is suitable 
 here, because the way lay through a valley (Inf. i. 14); and its 
 association with silvestro suggests that it is a descriptive epithet. 
 Cammin silvestro for ' wild road ' occurs again in Inf. xxi. 84. 
 
 CANTO III 
 
 Argument. — Dante, following Virgil, passes through the gate 
 of Hell, after reading the inscription over it. He then enters the 
 vestibule of Hell, a space on the hither side of the river Acheron, 
 where are punished the souls of the pusillanimous and indifferent, 
 together with the angels who were neutral at the time of Lucifer's 
 rebellion. When the Poets reach the bank of the Acheron, they 
 find there Charon, and a crowd of spirits whom he is preparing to 
 ferry across in his boat. An earthquake now occurs, by which 
 Dante is overpowered and loses consciousness. 
 
 Lines 5, 6. The three qualities here mentioned — power, wisdom, 
 and love — represent the three Persons of the Trinity ; cp. Conv. ii. 6, 
 11. 62 foil., where Dante speaks of 'la Potenza somma del Padre,' 
 and ' la somma Sapienza del Figliuolo,' and 'la somma e ferventissima 
 Carita dello Spirito Santo.' In the Paradiso amore ov prlmo amore 
 is several times used as a name of the Holy Spirit ; cp. Par. vi. 1 1 ; 
 X. I ; xiii. 57, 79. 
 
 7, 8. Dinanzi a me, &c. : Hell was created at the time of the 
 fall of the rebellious angels, and at that time the only things that 
 existed were the cose eteme, i. e. the angels, the heavens, and 
 other imperishable things, io etemo dure : ' I endure ever- 
 lastingly,' etemo being adverbial. If eterna is read, it agrees with 
 io, i. e. la porta of 1. 11. 
 
 12. duro : 'appalling'; and sospetto in 1. 14 means 'timidity,' 
 as in Inf. ix. 51. If duro is taken as 'hard to comprehend,' 
 sospetto must mean ' doubt ' ; but the former interpretation is 
 probably right, because 11. 14, 15 are in imitation of the words of 
 the Sibyl to Virgil, when he enters the infernal regions [Aen. vi. 
 261), 'Nunc animis opus, Aenea, nunc pectore firmo.' 
 
 15 
 
INFERNO [ill. 13-50 
 
 1 3. accorta : ' well-advised/ as being acquainted with the region 
 and its influences. 
 
 16-8. io t' ho detto: see Inf. i. 114 foil, il ben dell' 
 intelletto : the knowledge of God, in which the spiritual happiness 
 of man consists. 
 
 22. Quivi : they have now passed the gate of Hell, and have 
 entered the vestibule (see the Argument to this Canto). This 
 vestibule is a creation of Dante's own. 
 
 25. Diverse: ' strange,' as in Inf. vi. 13; vii. 105; xxii. 10. 
 The word gets this meaning from that of 'different from our 
 experience.' 
 
 27. fioche: 'faint,' in contrast to alte; cp. ' sospiri, pianti ed 
 alti guai' in 1. 22. suon di man: smiting the hands together 
 in despair. 
 
 28-30. s'aggira: 'swirls.' senza tempo tinta : 'dark for 
 evermore.' quando, &c. : ' when the wind blows like a whirlwind.' 
 
 31. orror: 'terror.' The majority of the MSS. here read 
 error (Moore, Text. Cr'tt., p. 275); but orror is almost certainly 
 right, the passage being imitated from Virg. Aen. ii. 559, 'At me 
 tum primum saevus circumstetit horror.' 
 
 37. quel cattivo coro, &c. : the neutral angels, like the vesti- 
 bule itself, seem to have been a conception of Dante's own. The 
 contempt which he expresses for them corresponds to that which he 
 elsewhere displays towards persons who were neutral in their views, 
 whether political or otherwise. 
 
 40, 41. Cacciarli, &c. : 'the heavens expelled them lest their 
 brightness should be dimmed by their presence, and the depth of Hell 
 refuses to receive them.' Observe that their expulsion took place 
 once for all^ whereas the refusal to receive them was permanent ; this 
 accounts for the difference of tense between Cacciarli and riceve. 
 The failure to perceive this gave rise to the reading Caccianli. 
 
 42. Che, &c. : the meaning is: — 'so that (as a consequence of 
 their being admitted) the criminals in Hell should be able to glory 
 in seeing them, who had not rebelled against God, but had been 
 cowardly, in the same condemnation with themselves.' To prevent 
 this they are excluded from Hell by the divine laws. 
 
 46. morte : this in their case is extinction, the seconda morte of 
 Inf. i. 117. 
 
 49, 50. la88a = /<r/xr/V7; cp. lass't in Inf. ii. 18. Misericordia, 
 
 16 
 
HI. 53-83] INFERNO 
 
 &c. : * mercy disdains them and justice too.' Obsei-ve the sing. vb. 
 with two subjects ; Dante often avails himself of this use for the 
 sake of the rhyme. 
 
 53, 54. girando : 'moving hither and thither.' indegna : for 
 indegnata^ ' it appeared to me to scorn delay.' The punishment 
 of dull apathy is to be kept in restless movement, goaded on by 
 stings, and treated with ignominy. Their having all to follow one 
 banner implies the want of individuality in their characters. 
 
 59, 60. Vidi e conobbi : this implies that the person spoken of 
 was some one personally known to Dante. It is usually regarded 
 as being Pope Celestine V, who abdicated within a year of his 
 election in 1294. Dante refers again to his rifiuto in Inf. xxvii. 
 105. The Poet's view of the Papal office would naturally lead him to 
 regard such an act with great disfavour, and so far the identification 
 is suitable ; but a doubt arises with regard to it, from its being un- 
 certain whether Dante could have seen Celestine. 
 
 64. sciaurati : for sciaguratu mai non fur vivi : cp. Conn). 
 iv. 7, 11. 106, 107, ' veramente morto il malvagio uomo dire si puo.' 
 
 70. mi diedi : ' I set myself to look.' 
 
 71 foil. The greater part of the remainder of the Canto was 
 suggested by Virg. Aen. vi. 268 foil. Besides Charon's boat and the 
 crossing of the Acheron, the following may be noticed as the most 
 striking points of resemblance between the two passages : the de- 
 scription of Charon, lanose gote^ 1-97 ('canities inculta,' Aen. vi. 
 1. 300) ; occhi di bragia, 1. 109 (' stant lumina flamma,' 1. 300); the 
 appearance of the Acheron, Un)ida palude, 1. 98 (' vada livida,' 1. 320); 
 the faint W^t^Jioco lume., 1. 75 ('sub luce maligna,' 1. 270); the shades 
 crowding to the stream, d'l trapassar st pronte^ !• 74 ('concursus ad 
 amnem,' 1. 318); and the simile of the leaves in autumn. Come d' 
 auiunno, &c., 1. 112 (' Quam multa in silvis auctumni frigore primo,' 
 &c., 1. 309). 
 
 73. costume: 'ordinance.* 
 
 76. Le cose ti fien conte : Virgil explains them in II. 121 
 foil, conte : ' known,' ' clear ' ; cp. Inf. xxi. 62. Conto is the Lat. 
 cognitus. 
 
 80, 81. Temendo no: cp. Inf. xvii. 76. The usage cor- 
 responds to that of the Lat. vereor ne. mi trassi : ' I restrained 
 myself,' 'abstained.' 
 
 83. bianco per antico pelo : similarly in Purg. i. 34, 35, it 
 TozER 17 C 
 
INFERNO [im 91-130 
 
 is said of Cato, ^ Lunga la barba e di pel bianco mista Portava, e i 
 suoi capegli simigliante/ Charon in the Inferno is intended to be a 
 sort of prototype of Cato in the Purgatorio. 
 
 91. per altri porti : *by another port,' viz. the port for the 
 crossing to Purgatory. The souls bound for Purgatory met at the 
 mouth of the Tiber, and were ferried across from there by an angel ; 
 see Purg. ii. 100, loi. Charon means that Dante was not a 
 condemned soul, and therefore ought not to pass by the way of 
 Hell, but by that of Purgatory. The form of expression in 11. 91, 
 92 is elliptical, and as it stands it seems to involve a contradiction. 
 In ^per altri porti Verrai a ipisiggra.,^ piaggia would mean the further 
 bank, while in ' Verrai a piaggia per passare ' it would mean the 
 hither bank. Charon's meaning is ' per altri porti verrai a piaggia, 
 non verrai qui per passare.' 
 
 93. Piu lieve legno : the vasello legg'iero of Purg. ii. 41, in 
 which the souls were ferried to Purgatory. 
 
 94-6. non ti crucciare : ' be not indignant ' at having to 
 transport him. col^ : in Heaven, dove si puote, &c. : * where 
 power accompanies will.' 
 
 106. si ritrasser : 'they congregated,' lit. 'drew in,' 'drew 
 together.' 
 
 no, III. le raccoglie : i.e. in his boat, s' adagia : 'delays 
 to enter.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. si levan : ' are stripped off.' Vede : for a similar 
 act attributed to a tree Scartazzini compares Virg. Georg. ii. 82, 
 'Miraturque novas frondes.' Rende is also read, but it has less 
 authority, and is lectio facilior . 
 
 117. per cenni, &c. : 'at (lit. because of ) his signals, as a bird 
 (falcon) at his recall.' 
 
 128, 129. E pero, &c. : * and therefore, if Charon is distressed 
 on thy account, thou canst clearly understand now what his words 
 imply.' The cause of Charon's vexation is that the laws of Hell 
 are being broken by an uncondemned soul being admitted (11. 88, 
 89). This implies that he recognizes Dante as ' anima buona,' and 
 therefore destined to be saved. Virgil gives a pleasant interpretation 
 to Charon's threats. 
 
 130. Finite questo : ' when Virgil had ceased speaking.' 
 
 18 
 
IV. 2-24] INFERNO 
 
 CANTO IV 
 
 Argument. — When Dante wakes, he finds himself on the other 
 side of the Acheron, and the Poets now enter the first Circle of the 
 Inferno. This is Limbo, or the abode of the virtuous heathen and 
 unbaptized infants, whose suffering is confined to the longing, 
 without the hope, of seeing God. When Dante inquires whether 
 any spirits had ever been delivered from this spot, Virgil answers 
 that Christ, when He descended into Hell, released the souls of the 
 Patriarchs and many others. They now perceive a bright light in 
 the distance, and as they approach it they are met by Homer and 
 three other of the greatest poets of antiquity, who greet Virgil on 
 his return, and allow Dante to be numbered in their company. They 
 all enter a noble castle, within which on a verdant meadow are 
 assembled a number of famous historical personages, and also a 
 group of philosophers and men of science, among whom Aristotle 
 holds the most conspicuous place. Leaving these, they pass into 
 the darkness of the second Circle. 
 
 Line 2. tuono : we learn from 1. 9 that this was the concentrated 
 sound of the lamentations in Hell. 
 
 7. la proda : this is the rim of the first and uppermost Circle of 
 the Inferno. We are not told how Dante was transported hither 
 across the Acheron. Similarly at the beginning of Canto VI it is 
 not explained how he passed while in a state of unconsciousness 
 from the second into the third Circle. 
 
 II. per ficcar : ' for all my fixing ' ; cp. Inf. xvi. 93, per parlar. 
 More usually per che with the subj. is used to give this sense, as in 
 I. 64. 
 
 13. cieco mondo : the world of those who are spiritually blind, 
 on whom the light of God and reason never shines ; cp. Inf. vi. 93. 
 
 16. del color : of his pallor. 
 
 22. la via lunga, &c. : 'the length of the journey urges haste.' 
 
 24. prime cerchio : this is Limbo, in which place are found 
 the unbaptized infants and the virtuous heathen — those who were 
 excluded from Heaven only through lack of baptism and of the 
 knowledge of the true faith. Dante repeats this in Purg. vii. 25—36. 
 
 19 C 2 
 
INFERNO [IV. 25-52 
 
 The Patriarchs also were believed to have previously been in this 
 abode, but they were delivered from it at the time of Christ's descent 
 into Hell. The Schoolmen generally divided Limbo into two parts, 
 the Limbus Patrum and the L'lmhus Infantium ; Aquinas, however, 
 says {Summa; Partis iii. Supplementum, Q. 69, Art. 6) that while 
 the L. Patrum and L. Infantium differed in the character of their 
 reward or punishment, the position of the two was probably the 
 same, only the L. Patrum was above the L. Infantium. 
 
 25, 26. secondo che, &c. : 'as far as I could judge from 
 hearing.' Non avea, &c. : ' there was naught of lamentation 
 beyond sighs.' avea = vi era ; cp. ha for 'vi e in Inf. vii. 118. 
 Blanc remarks [Gram., p. 483) that this use is common in Boc- 
 caccio, ma' che, ' except,' is the Lat. magis quam. 
 
 28. duel senza martiri : this is exactly the view of Aquinas, 
 Summa, 3. Q. 52, Art. 2; ' non puniuntur poena sensus (by physical 
 pain) propter peccatum actuale, sed solum poena damni (by feeling 
 what they have lost) propter peccatum originale.' 
 
 30. D' infanti e : hiatus between vowels in separate words, as 
 here — infanti | e — is very rarely admitted by Dante, unless the 
 former of the two is accented ; but, strange to say, i is unelided 
 before e three times in this Canto; cp. 1. 73, onori \ e; I. 122, 
 conobbi \ Ettore, 
 
 34-6. mercedi : ' deserts,' arising from good works, parte della 
 fede : ' an article of the faith.' 
 
 4 1 . sol di tanto offesi : ' we only suffer thus far ' ; for offesi 
 in this sense cp. offense in Inf. v. 109. 
 
 45. sospesi : ' suspended,' i. e. in a negative condition, which is 
 neither happiness nor misery, but deprivation of the presence of God ; 
 cp. Inf. ii. 52. 
 
 47, 48. per vcler, &c. : 'from the wish to certify myself con- 
 cerning that faith (the Christian faith) which overpowers all error.' 
 Dante regards the truth of Christianity as indisputable, but he desires 
 to fortify his belief in it by verifying the fact of Christ's Descent 
 into Hell, which is an article of the Creed. There is much to be 
 said, however, for the interpretation 'from the wish to be certain 
 with such faith as masters all error.' 
 
 49. Uscicci : ' did any go forth from hence.' The use of ci 
 for di qui occurs again in trasseci, 1. 55 ; cp. uscirci in Inf. xxiii. 130. 
 
 51, 52. coperto : 'veiled'; what was implied, though not 
 
 20 
 
IV. 53-69] INFERNO 
 
 expressed, in Dante's question is, * Is it true that Christ de- 
 scended into Hell and delivered the souls of the Patriarchs ? ' 
 nuovo : Virgil died in 19 b. c. 
 
 53. un possente : Christ. His name — like certain other names, 
 which are sacred either in themselves or from some association 
 attached to them, as God, the Blessed Virgin, and Beatrice — is not 
 allowed to be mentioned in Hell. A similar feeling is shown in 
 the case of the Sun, as being God's dispenser of light ; for though 
 the name of that luminary occurs in a few places in Dante's account 
 of Hell (e. g. Inf. vii. 122 ; xxvi. 117 ; xxviii. 56), yet no compu- 
 tations of time are made by it, the Moon being referred to instead. 
 
 56. This line and those which rhyme with it are ten-syllable 
 lines. The justification of this exceptional metrical usage is that 
 one of the rhyming words (here Noe) is a proper name accented on 
 the final syllable. This explanation applies to six others out of the 
 total number of fourteen groups of ten-syllable lines in the poem, 
 viz. Inf. XX. 70, ^tto, fo, Po ; xxviii. 32, ^//, qui^ cost ; xxxii. 26, 
 Osteric, Tambernic^ eric; xxxii. 62, Artu^ p'lu^ fu \ Purg. iv. 68, S'ton^ 
 orizzon, Feton\ xii. 41, Gelboe, t^i f^' See further in notes on 
 Inf. xxxi. 145, and Purg. xxiii. 74. 
 
 57. ubbidiente : this is equivalent to the title 'servant of God,' 
 which is five times applied to Moses in Scripture. As a mere 
 epithet the word would be out of place here. 
 
 60. per cui, &c. : ' for whose sake he (Jacob) served so long,' 
 viz. two periods of seven years ; Gen. xxix. 20, 30. 
 
 64. Non lasciavam, &c. : ' we did not halt on our way, for 
 all his converse.' perche : 'for all that,' 'however much,' as in 
 Inf. viii. 121 and elsewhere, dicessi : for dicesse ; cp. chiudessi in 
 Inf. ix. 60. 
 
 68, 69. di qua dal sonno : ' on the hither side of the place of 
 my repose,' i. e. from the entrance to the first Circle, where he 
 awoke, 1. i . foco : the light here mentioned proceeds from, or is 
 associated with, the castello (see 11. 103-6). The idea of it was 
 suggested by Virg. Aen. vi. 640, ' Largior hie campos aether et 
 lumine vestit Purpureo,' in which passage the abode of the blessed 
 spirits is described. It represents allegorically human reason, the 
 light of which, proceeding from the good and wise heathen, illumi- 
 nates that half of the dark Circle of the Inferno in which they are 
 (emisperio di tenebre). 
 
 21 
 
INFERNO [IV. 70-110 
 
 70, 71. Di lungi, &c. : ' we were still distant from it a space, 
 but not so far,' &c. 
 
 74. cotanta onranza : sc. that of being in the light, while the 
 rest are in darkness. 
 
 77. nella tua vita : i. e. among living men. 
 
 86. spada : Homer holds the sword as being the poet of a 
 warlike epic, the Iliad. 
 
 89. Orazio satiro : Dante calJs Horace 'magister noster 
 Horatius' in De Vulg. Eloq.^ ii. 4, 11. 33, 34. Satiro means 
 'moralist' rather than 'satirist,' for Dante's writings furnish no 
 evidence of his acquaintance with Horace's Satires. In like manner 
 he does not speak of him as a lyric poet, for the Odes of Horace 
 were almost unknown in the middle ages (Moore, Studies, i. 
 pp. 28, 29). 
 
 90. After Virgil, Ovid and Lucan are the poets whom Dante 
 quotes most frequently — Ovid about 100, Lucan about fifty times. 
 Next to them comes Statius, whom Dante glorifies in the Purga- 
 torio (Moore, p. 4). 
 
 91-3. Perocche, &c. : 'because each of them enjoys, as I do 
 (Ht. ' corresponds with me in '), the name (of poet), which was 
 proclaimed by the solitary voice (1. 79), therefore they do me 
 honour.' 
 
 94-6. la bella scuola : the five poets here introduced are 
 quoted together in the J^ita Nuova, § 25, 11. 72—97; in the De 
 Vulg. Eloq., ii. 6, 11. 79—81, the specimen poets whom Dante 
 names are Virgil, Ovid, Statius, and Lucan. Di quel signer, &c. : 
 ' of those masters of the highest flight of song, which soars,' &c. 
 
 99. di tanto : 'thereat'; cp. a tanto, 'thereupon,' Inf. ix. 48. 
 
 104, 105. cose, &c. : 'high themes, which it is as becoming not 
 to mention now, as it was becoming to discuss them there.' The 
 high themes, we may suppose, were the principles of the poetic art ; 
 to discuss them in that company was delightful, to retail them now 
 would be out of place. 
 
 106-10. nobile castello, &c. : the Castle of Limbo and 
 everything connected with it are regarded as allegorical. The 
 castle itself is philosophy, and its seven walls, by which the eminent 
 heathen arc 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, and 
 
 22 
 
IV. III-29] INFERNO 
 
 which Dante elsewhere compares to the seven Heavens of the 
 Planets {Conv. ii. 14, 11. 55-8). The river is oratory (cp. /argo 
 Jiume d'l parlar in Inf. i. 79, 80) ; and this the wise pass over 
 dry shod, because they are not dependent on the influence of 
 persuasion. 
 
 III. prato, &c. : this feature is taken from Virg. Aen. vi. 638, 
 ' Devenere locos laetos et amoena vireta.' 
 
 115. dair un de' canti : 'on one side of the meadow ' ; cp. 
 Inf. ix. 46, dal stnistro canto, 
 
 118-20. diritto : 'in front of us.' Che, &c. : * so that my 
 spirit is exalted at having seen them.' For the sentiment cp. 
 Par. xvi. 18, 'Voi mi levate si, ch' io son piCl ch' io.' ne is 
 resumptive of del vederli, and esalto is used as if reflexive. 
 
 1 2 1-3. Elettra : not the Greek heroine, but the mother of 
 Dardanus the founder of Troy; cp. De Mon. ii. 3, 11. 68-76, 
 where Dante quotes Virg. Aen. viii. 134, 135 ; 'Dardanus, Iliacae 
 primus pater urbis et auctor, Electra, ut Graii perhibent, Atlantide 
 cretus.' compag^i : these are personages connected with Troy 
 and its offspring Rome, especially Hector, the defender of Troy, 
 Aeneas, who transferred the kingdom to Italy, and Caesar the 
 founder of the Roman empire, occhi grifagni : ' falcon eyes ' ; 
 Suetonius {Vita Caesaris,, § 45) speaks of his black and lively eyes — 
 * nigris vegetisque oculis.' Possibly Dante got the idea from some 
 traditional description. 
 
 124-6. The characters in this tercet are from the Aeneid. 
 Camilla has already been mentioned as one of the martyrs of Italy 
 (Inf. i. 107); Latinus is introduced because of his alliance with 
 Aeneas, Lavinia because she became Aeneas' wife. Penthesilea 
 forms a pendant to Camilla, because she died fighting for the Trojans, 
 while Camilla fought against them ; but her name seems to have 
 been suggested to Dante by its occurring in a simile about Camilla 
 {Aen. xi. 662), who like her was an Amazon (ibid. 648 ; cp. i. 490). 
 
 128. Julia is the daughter of Julius Caesar, who married 
 Pompey. Marcia is introduced as being the wife of Cato ; cp. Purg. 
 i. 78 foil. : Cornelia as being 'the mother of the Gracchi.* 
 
 129. solo in parte : ' by himself apart ' ; in parte ^ like a parte ^ 
 bears this meaning. This solitary position is assigned to Saladin 
 because he is of a remote race and country ; see note on Inf. xii. 
 118. He is mentioned here as a specimen of an exalted character 
 
 23 
 
INFERNO [IV. 131-48 
 
 because of his magnanimity, to which reference is again made in 
 Conv. iv. II, 1. 126. 
 
 131. il Maestro, &c. : Aristotle, who in the middle ages was 
 called ' the Philosopher ' par excellence. 
 
 134-8. In these lines the leading Greek philosophers are 
 enumerated. 
 
 136. a case : the reference is to the atomic view of the origin 
 of the world which Democritus held. Cicero, who here is Dante's 
 authority, explains this as if Democritus maintained that the world 
 had come into existence by chance — ' concursu quodam fortuito,' 
 De Nat. Deor. i. 24. In reality this was not Democritus' opinion. 
 
 139. accoglitor del quale: collector of information on the 
 qualities of plants. Dioscorides wrote a work on plants, chiefly 
 from the point of view of their medical qualities. 
 
 140-4. The characters whom Dante presents to us in the 
 course of his poem are wont to be introduced in a somewhat be- 
 wildering fashion, but something of method may usually be found 
 in the grouping. Thus here, in consequence of the rhythmical 
 connexion between music and oratory, Cicero (Tullio) is placed 
 between the fabled musicians Orpheus and Linus ; and after Seneca, 
 who represents Moral Philosophy (Seneca morale), and the 
 mathematicians Euclid and Ptolemy, come. the writers on medicine, 
 Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna (Cent, x), and Averroes (Cent. xii). 
 morale : the special reason why this epithet is introduced here, is 
 to distinguish Seneca the philosopher from Seneca the writer of 
 tragedies. Strange as it now appears, the view was commonly held 
 in the middle ages that the works on these two subjects which bear 
 the name of Seneca were produced by two separate persons ; and 
 this is Boccaccio's opinion in his note on this passage. 
 
 144. Averrois : he wrote a commentary on Aristotle's works, 
 and both he and Avicenna were famous in the West from their study 
 of the Aristotelian philosophy. 
 
 145-7. ritrar di : 'give an account of.' al fatto, &c. : 
 * my tale falls short of the reality,' i. e. much is omitted. In other 
 parts of his poem also Dante speaks of the omissions necessitated 
 by the limits which he had assigned to himself. See Purg. xxxiii. 
 136-41 ; Par. xxxii. 139-41. 
 
 148. La sesta, &c. : 'the company of six (i.e. the six poets) is 
 reduced to two,' viz. Dante and Virgil. 
 
 24 
 
IV. 150— V. 4] INFERNO 
 
 150, 151. che trema: sc. through the influence of the hufera 
 infernaU which prevails in the next Circle (Inf. v. 31). This is 
 contrasted with the aura queta of this Circle, which is only moved 
 by sighs, non e che luca : ' there is nothing to give light.' 
 
 CANTO V 
 
 Argument. — In the second Circle the sin of unchastity is 
 punished, the sinners being borne hither and thither in a great 
 tempest, and bufFetted by it. At the entrance Minos, the judge 
 of the dead, is stationed, by whom the spirits, when they have 
 confessed their sins, are dismissed to their appointed place in Hell. 
 Minos warns Dante against proceeding farther, but Virgil explains 
 to him that his journey is ordained by Heaven. Among the most 
 conspicuous instances of incontinency which are seen in this Circle, 
 Semiramis, Dido, Cleopatra, and Achilles are pointed out to Dante. 
 His attention is especially attracted by two spirits moving in 
 company, and these at his request approach to converse with him. 
 They are Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paolo Malatesta, and 
 the former of these relates to him the story of their passion and 
 their fall. 
 
 Lines 2, 3. men loco : as the Circles of the Inferno are con- 
 centric, they become narrower as they descend, pugne a guaio : 
 * goads (the sufferers) to lamentation.' 
 
 4. Minos : Minos is the judge of the dead, as he is in Virg. 
 Aen. vi. 432, 433. Like Charon and other personages who will 
 be met with below, he is a figure borrowed from classical mythology. 
 One or more such personages are attached to each of the Circles 
 of Hell, and these are either Guardians of those Circles, or 
 Representative Figures ; and a symbolical resemblance is usually, 
 though not always, traceable between the Figure and the sin punished 
 in the Circle over which he presides. In the present instance there 
 is no such resemblance, because the character of Minos is determined 
 by his function of judge. The grotesqueness of these figures, as 
 they are introduced into the D'li). Com.^ seems to have been largely 
 due to Dante's regarding the heathen gods as devils, following, no 
 doubt, the statement of St. Paul to that effect in i Cor. x. 20. It 
 
 25 
 
INFERNO [v. 6--^2 
 
 was resened for Milton to infuse an element of dignity into the 
 portraiture of devils ; in Dante the majesty (so to speak) of guilt 
 is found in the powerful, but peiTerted, human characters who occur 
 here and tliere in his Inferno. 
 
 6. manda, &c. : he dispatches the criminal to his appointed 
 place of punishment according to the number of the folds he ties ; this 
 is explained in the following lines, awinghia is used absolutely. 
 
 7. mal nata: 'bom in an evil hour'; cp. Inf. xviii. 76, and 
 Ifen nail in Purg. v. 60. 
 
 II, 12. Cignesi, &c. : the process is again described in Inf. 
 xxvii. 124, 125. gradi: Circles of the Inferno. 
 
 18. r atto, &c. : 'the performance of that dread function.' 
 
 21. pur: as this word is often used with verbs in the sense of 
 ' to do nothing else than,' perhaps here it means, ' why persist in 
 clamouring ? ' 
 
 22, 23. fatale : Mestined,' i.e. appointed by Providence. 
 Vuolsi, &c. : cp. Inf. iii. 95, 96, where Virgil addresses the 
 same words to Charon. 
 
 25. incomincian. In the vestibule of Hell lamentations and 
 fierce exclamations were heard (Inf. iii. 22 foil.), but Limbo had 
 intenened, where there were only sighs ; here first the acute cries 
 of woe caused by the pains of Hell resound. 
 
 28. d' ogni luce muto : for the form of expression cp. Inf. i. 60, 
 ' dove il Sol tace.' 
 
 3 1 . che mai non resta. It should be remarked that throughout 
 the scheme of the Inferno a correspondence, either real or symbolical, 
 is traceable — sometimes more, sometimes less clearly — between the 
 sins which are expiated and the retributory punishments which are 
 inflicted. This idea is found also in the De Imitaiione Christi, i. 
 24. 3, 4, where it is said, ' In quibus homo peccavit, in illis 
 gravius punietur. . . . Nullum vitium erit, quod suum proprium 
 cruciatum non habebit.' In the present instance, where the corre- 
 spondence is symbolical, the wild and ceaseless movement to which 
 the unchaste are exposed represents the violent, uncontrolled passion, 
 the rcsdess want of self-command, which they displayed in theiV 
 lifetime. The darkness, also (aura nera, 1. 51), symbolizes the 
 darkening, blinding influence of carnal sin. 
 
 32. rapina : its 'furious rush' which sweeps them along; cp. 
 Conv. ii. 6, 11. 149, 150, 'la rapina del Primo Mobile.' 
 
 26 
 
V. 34-<5o] INFERNO 
 
 34. alia ruina : the definite article la seems to imply that niina 
 is something with which the reader is already acquainted. This 
 is in favour of the explanation which takes ruina to mean, like 
 raptna above, the ' headlong rush ' of the storm. In this case what 
 is said here must be intended to refer to the spirits when they first 
 reach their place of torment. ' As soon as they find themselves 
 face to face with the fury of the tempest, thereupon (Quivi) 
 arise,' &c. 
 
 37-9. Intesi : 'I conceived*; Dante does not tell us how he 
 came to this conclusion, but implies that it was * borne in upon 
 him' by what he saw. Enno: archaic for sono\ cp. Par. xiii. 97. 
 talento : ' the desires.' 
 
 40 foil. E come, &c. Both the similes which follow express 
 rapid, rushing, continuous motion, but the two represent different 
 features — the starlings the restless movement of the spirits, the 
 migratory cranes the cries uttered by them. Of the latter Bewick 
 says {British Birds ^ vol. ii. p. 31), 'The course of their flight is 
 discovered by the loud noise they make, for they soar to such a height 
 as to be hardly visible to the naked eye.' Probably Dante had in 
 his mind Virg. Aen. x. 264—6, 'quales sub nubibus atris Strymoniae 
 dant signa grues, atque aethera tranant Cum sonitu, fugiuntque Notos 
 clamore secundo.' 
 
 46. lai : 'dirges'; cp. tr'isti la't in Purg. ix. 13. It is the 
 Proven9al lais^ 'a lay.' For the crane as typical of sorrowful 
 laments cp. Is. xxxviii. 14, 'Like a crane or a swallow so did 
 I chatter.' 
 
 49. briga : 'harassing movement,' 'whirl.' 
 
 54. favelle: 'tongues,' i.e. 'nations' or 'races,' in which sense 
 the word is often used in Scripture. 
 
 56, 57. libito fe* licito, &c. : this is from Orosius, i. 4. 7, 8, 
 where it is said of Semiramis, ' Tandem filio flagitiose concepto, impie 
 exposito, inceste cognito, privatam ignominiam publico scelere obtexit. 
 Praecepit enim, ut inter parentes ac filios nulla delata reverentia 
 naturae de coniugiis adpetendis ut cui libitum esset liberum fieret.' 
 Orosius was a leading authority in ancient history and geography 
 with Dante and his contemporaries. 
 
 59, 60. succedette, &c. : Oros. i. 4. 4, ' Huic [Nino] mortuo 
 Samiramis uxor successit.' This is a sufficient disproof of the 
 conjecture siigger dette (' gave suck '), the only argument of weight 
 
 27 
 
INFERNO [v. 61-81 
 
 in favour of which is, that it avoids the inverted form of statement 
 involved in fu sua sposa following succedette. la terra, &c. : 
 the country here meant must be Egypt, for ' the Sultan,' of whom 
 Dante speaks as governing it in his time, can hardly be other than 
 one of the Mameluke Sultans in that country. Hence it has been 
 supposed that Dante has confused the kingdom of Babylonia (or 
 Assyria) with the Roman fortress of Babylon (Old Cairo) in Egypt, 
 and believed that the latter was the seat of Semiramis' empire. This 
 however is hardly credible, when we consider the amount of ignorance 
 which it implies on Dante's part both of the Scriptural references 
 to Babylon, and of Orosius' statements concerning the Assyrian 
 monarchy. There is more to be said for Benvenuto's explanation, 
 that Dante believed that Semiramis extended her kingdom so as to 
 include Egypt. 
 
 61. colei: Dido; her faithlessness to her dead husband Sichaeus 
 was involved in her subsequent passion for Aeneas. 
 
 63. Cleopatras: the form is peculiar; in Par. vi. 76 the name 
 is Cleopatra. The rhythm of the line seems to show that it is to 
 be pronounced Cleopatras. 
 
 66. Che con amore, &c. : ' whose final (and fatal) antagonist 
 was love ' ; Achilles, after engaging many combatants, at last met 
 love as his match. The reference is to the story of Achilles having 
 been killed by Paris, after making an assignation with Polyxena, 
 to which he went unarmed. Dante got this from Dictys, Bell. 
 Trot. iv. II. 
 
 67. Paris: this is not Paris, the hero of mediaeval romance, 
 but the Trojan Paris, who is often coupled with Tristan in poems 
 of the middle ages, when instances of the sufferings caused by love 
 are mentioned; see Toynbee, Z)/V/., p. 419. Tristano : Tristan, 
 the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, 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, after his 
 meetings with Iseult were discovered. 
 
 69. Che . . . dipartille : Che is ' whom,' and le a pleonastic 
 repetition; cp. Inf. xxviii. 113, 114, ' cosa ch' io avrei paura . . . di 
 contarA? solo.' 
 
 75. al vento . . . leggieri : this trait is symboHcal of their 
 Hghtmindedness. 
 
 81. parlar : for the omission of a here in consequence of this 
 
 28 
 
V. 82-IOO] INFERNO 
 
 preposition occurring just before with noi, see note on Purg. xi. 51. 
 altri : God, whose name may not be pronounced in Hell ; see note 
 on Inf. iv. 53. 
 
 82. Quali, &c. : this simile is taken from Virg. j4en. v. 213—17, 
 where Qualis . . . columha corresponds to Quali colombe, dulces . . . 
 nidi to dolce nido, and celeres neque commovet alas to Con 1' ali . . . 
 ferme. 
 
 85. della schiera, &c. : it is inferred from this that the condemned 
 souls in this Circle were divided into two groups, viz. ( i ) those who 
 were mastered, like Dido, by one sinful passion ; (2) those who, 
 like Serairamis, abandoned themselves to carnal sin. 
 
 88-90. animal : ' being.' perso : ' dark ' ; lit. ' purple black ' ; 
 cp. Con'v. iv. 20, 11. 14, 15, 'II perso e un colore misto di purpureo 
 e di nero, ma vince il nero.' tignemmo, &c. : the meaning is, that 
 adultery is a primary cause of bloodshed in the world. 
 
 93. mal perverse : ' distracting suffering ' ; mal here can hardly 
 be 'sin,' for its nature had not been mentioned so that Dante should 
 be able to compassionate it. 
 
 94, 95. Di quel, &c. This pathetic story is one of the best- 
 known passages in the D'lv. Com. The pathos, it is true, consists in 
 the mode of telling, and in the present circumstances of the lovers — 
 not in the story itself, which is a rather commonplace tale of adultery 
 and revenge in the higher walks of life. According to the version 
 of it which Dante has adopted here, Francesca was married for 
 reasons of state to Giovanni Malatesta of Rimini, a man of ill- 
 favoured appearance, but was in love with his brother Paolo; and 
 some time after his marriage Giovanni surprised his wife and his 
 brother together, and slew them both, vui : archaic for voi. 
 
 97-9. la terra : Ravenna, which is on the coast of the Adriatic 
 (la marina), southward of the mouths of the Po. She was known 
 as Francesca da Rimini because her husband was of that place, 
 seguaci sui : its tributaries. 
 
 100. Amor: notice how this word, which is the theme of Fran- 
 cesca's discourse, is repeated at the beginning of three tercets. It 
 may here be remarked with a view to future reference, that all the 
 instances that are found in the poem of the recurrence of initial words 
 at the commencement of tercets may be classed in respect of what 
 they denote under two heads, viz. (i) a succession of forcible ex- 
 amples of something which is to be illustrated; Purg. xii. 25 foil. ; 
 
 29 
 
INFERNO [v. 102-26 
 
 Par. xix. 115 foil.; xx. 40 foil. ; in the last instance the words 
 recur in alternate tercets : (2) emphasis or rhetorical repetition ; Inf. 
 V. 100 foil. ; Purg. vi. 106 foil. ; Par. xiii. 94 foil. ; xv. 100 foil. 
 In Inf. iii. 1-3; Par. i. 115-7; xxvii. 7-9 the repetition is in 
 consecutive initial lines, s' apprende : ' is lighted ' ; the metaphor 
 is from flame. The flame of love catches ' at the heart ' (al cor). 
 
 102. tolta: by death, il mode, &c. ; the meaning is : — 'The 
 suddenness of my death, which left no time for repentance, still 
 distresses me.' 
 
 103-5. a nullo, &c. : 'never exempts from love the object 
 of love.' non mi abbandona : ' it does not desert me.' That 
 * it ' and not ' he ' is right, is shown by the two preceding lines, where 
 her love for him is spoken of. 
 
 107, 108. Caino, &c. : Cain, the first fratricide, awaits our 
 murderer in the portion of the ninth Circle in which those who have 
 violated the bond of relationship are punished. This was called 
 from him la Caina: Inf. xxxii. 58. Instead of Caino some 
 read Caina, in which case the meaning is, that their murderer was 
 doomed to that place in Hell ; but we should rather expect to find 
 la Caina, as in the passage just referred to. da lor: Francesca 
 speaks for both, porte: 'uttered,' from por^ere; cp. porse, Inf. 
 
 1 09-1 1, oflfense: 'suffering'; cp. offesi, Inf. iv. 41. tanto 
 . . . Finche : * so long . . . until,' i. e. ' until at last.' 
 
 114. doloroso passo : 'the woful strait,' i. e. their death and 
 their punishment. 
 
 117. pio : ' compassionate,' ' sympathetic* 
 
 119, 120. A che e come, &c. : 'by what token, and in what 
 way, did Love grant that you should realize your unconfessed desires ? ' 
 conoscesti : conosceste is also read. 
 
 123. il tuo dottore: Virgil, who looks back regretfully from 
 Limbo on the pleasures of his life on earth. As Dante calls Virgil 
 il mio dottore in this very Canto (1. 70), it is difficult to think that 
 any one else is meant ; but the sentiment may be from Boethius, De 
 Cons. Phil., Lib. ii. Prosa iv, 'In omni adversitate fortunae 
 infelicissimum genus est infortunii fuisse felicem.' 
 
 124-6. Ma se, &c. : there seems to be a reminiscence here of 
 Virg. ylen. ii. 10-13, ' '^*^*^5 si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros, 
 . . . Quamquam animus meminisse horret luctuque refugit, Incipiam.' 
 
 30 
 
V. 128-41] INFERNO 
 
 128. Di Lancelotto. The romance of ' Lancelot of the Lake,' 
 who became enamoured of Queen Guinevere at the court of King 
 Arthur, was a favourite one in Dante's time. The passage which 
 is referred to below (11. 133—7) is that where Gallehault, a knight 
 who was intimate with Lancelot, arranged a secret meeting between 
 him and Guinevere, and in the course of this urged the queen to 
 give Lancelot a kiss, which was the commencement of their guilty 
 love. Dante recurs to this episode . in Par. xvi. 1 3—5, where 
 mention is made of the Lady of Malehault, one of Guinevere's ladies- 
 in-waiting, having coughed, when at an earlier stage of the interview 
 she noticed the familiarity between them. As this incident is not 
 found in the printed editions of ' Lancelot,* it was supposed until 
 recently that no copy of the version of the story as known to Dante 
 was in existence, but a MS. of the British Museum in the original 
 old French of Cent, xiii, an extract from which has recently been 
 printed by Mr. Paget Toynbee, contains this feature of the narrative. 
 See his Z)/V/., pp. 257, 258, where the passage is given. 
 
 129. sospetto : 'fear of discovery'; sospetto means 'fear' in 
 Inf. iii. 14. 
 
 1 30. sospinse : ' impelled our eyes ' to meet. 
 
 137. Galeotto, &c.: 'the book and its author played the part of 
 Gallehault,' viz. that of agent or intermediary. 
 141. morisse : arch, for morissi. 
 
 CANTO VI 
 
 Argument. — In the third Circle the gluttonous are lashed by 
 torrents of filthy rain and hail, and are tormented by Cerberus. 
 When this monster shows signs of wishing to attack and devour 
 the Poets, Virgil satisfies him by flinging earth down his three 
 throats. Dante is here recognized by Ciacco, a Florentine bon 
 vivani; and, as the spirits in Hell possess the gift of prophetic 
 foresight, Dante obtains from him information about the prospective 
 fortunes of the Black and White Guelf parties at Florence. He 
 also inquires as to the position in the world of spirits of Farinata 
 and other eminent Florentines who had lately died, and is told that 
 they are among the worst spirits in the lower portion of the Inferno. 
 Dante and Virgil now descend into the fourth Circle. 
 
 31 
 
INFERNO [VI. 1-36 
 
 Line i. A1 tomar, &c. The passage into the third, as into the 
 first Circle, is made while Dante is in a state of unconsciousness ; 
 and here, as on the former occasion, we are not told how the transit 
 was made. 
 
 2. Dinanzi: 'in the presence of,' 'at the sight of.' pietil : 
 'piteous lot.' cognati : cognato (subst.) means 'brother-in-law'; 
 this represents the relationship of the two lovers. 
 
 7. terzo cerchio, &c. : 'the third Circle, which is that of the 
 rain,' &c. The punishment of the gluttonous, like their sin, is foul 
 and material ; the three throats and vast belly of Cerberus are 
 emblems of voracity, and their own bestial condition is shown by 
 their howling like dogs. 
 
 9. Regola : ' measure.' non 1* e nuova : this implies that 
 there is no relief, as there would be if it fell in showers ; its 
 uniformity is an additional element in its oppressiveness. 
 
 13-5. Cerbero : the description here of Cerberus barking 
 through three throats, and that of Virgil pacifying his hunger in 
 11. 22 foil., are from Virg. Aen. vi. 417 foil, diversa : 'portentous'; 
 see note on Inf. iii. 25. sommersa : not 'submerged' in the 
 literal sense, for they were lying a terra (1. 37); but 'plunged in 
 Hell ' ; cp. Inf. xx. 3. 
 
 18. ingoia: 'mumbles them in his jaws,' lit. 'swallows,' 
 ' devours.' Another reading is scuoia^ ' flays.' 
 
 21. profani : the word is from Heb. xii. 16, ^zprofane person, 
 as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.' Their 
 God is their belly. 
 
 22-4. vermo : the meaning here is 'loathsome reptile'; cp. 
 Inf. xxxiv. 108, where it is similarly used of Lucifer. In both 
 these passages it is sometimes interpreted as ' sequent,' but verme^ 
 vermo does not bear that meaning in Italian, as ' worm ' does in Old 
 English. Non avea, &c. ; this was caused by his eagerness to 
 seize and devour them. 
 
 27. canne: 'gullet.* 
 
 28-30. Q.%ugnQ. =. agogna, * ravens with hunger.' pugna : 
 * struggles ' ; he devours it fiercely. 
 
 34-6. adona : 'beats down/ 'prostrates*; cp. j' adona^ 'is 
 subdued' in Purg. xi. 19: the word is obsolete, vanity : 'unreal 
 semblance'; cp. ombre vane^ Purg. ii. 79; nostra vanitate^ Purg. 
 xxi. 135. 
 
 3» 
 
VI. 43-69] INFERNO 
 
 42. Tu fosti, &c. Dante was bom in 1265; Ciacco, who is 
 here speaking, died in 1286. 
 
 47. messa : the fern, is used, because an ombra is addressed; 
 cp. una in 1. 38. 
 
 50. invidia : jealous rivalry, which gave birth to factions. 
 
 52. Ciacco: this name is said to be a corruption of Giacomo ; 
 the words Voi mi chiamaste seem to imply that it was a nickname. 
 Boccaccio speaks of him as a man of good manners and breeding, 
 but a great glutton. 
 
 56. stanno : ' are exposed.' Stare sometimes signifies simply 
 position ; the sinners hei-e were lying on the ground (1. 37). Cp. 
 stanno frescht, Inf. xxxii. 117, where the persons spoken of were 
 lying face downward in the ice. 
 
 61. partita: divided between the factions of the Bianchi and 
 Neri, the former of whom were headed by the Cerchi, the latter by 
 the Donati. 
 
 65, 66. Verranno, &c. The point of view here is that of the 
 date of Dante's Vision, viz. Easter, 1300 a. D., and consequently 
 the events mentioned, since they happened after that date, are stated 
 in the form of a prophecy; see note on Inf. ii. i. The souls in 
 Hell are supposed by Dante to have knowledge of the past and the 
 future, but not of what is happening in the world at the present 
 time; this is clearly stated in Inf. x. 97-105. al sangue : this 
 was a scuffle which took place on May i, 1300, between members 
 of the Cerchi and Donati families ; Villani, who describes it, regards 
 it as the commencement of the party dissensions at Florence (Cron. 
 viii. 39). la parte selvaggia : the Bianchi, who are so called 
 because their leaders, the Cerchi, who had recently come from the 
 country into the city, were boorish and ungracious ('salvatichi e 
 ingrati,' Villani, Hid.). Caccer^ 1' altra : the Neri were expelled 
 in May, 1301. OfFensione : 'contumely.' 
 
 68. Infra tre soli : ' within three years ' from the time at which 
 Ciacco is speaking, viz. Friday, April 8, 1300. As the Bianchi 
 were expelled by Charles of Valois on April 4, 1302 (Villani, viii. 
 ^9), it would have been more accurate to say 'within two years,' 
 but perhaps Dante thought that the greater stringency of statement 
 which this involves would hardly have been suitable to a prophecy, 
 and that a round number was preferable. 
 
 69. Con la forza, &c. : * with the support of one who just now 
 
 TOZER 33 D 
 
. INFERNO [VI. 70-93 
 
 is trimming.' Piaggiare usually means 'to coast,' and so is used 
 of steering between two views or parties, as being between the land 
 ai)d the open sea. The word bears this sense in Villani, viii. 69, 
 ' quelli che piaggiavano col cardinale.' The person intended in the 
 present passage is Boniface VIII, who in 1300 professed to be 
 a neutral as between the Bianchi and Neri, and in 1302 supported 
 Charles of Valois. 
 
 70. terrk . . . le fronti : the sing, verb terr^ is used of the 
 party, the plur. le fronti of the individuals that compose it. For 
 a similar use cp. Inf. xxxii. 13-15 and note. 
 
 73. Giusti, &c. : as Boccaccio does not know who these were, 
 we may be content to remain in ignorance about them, intesi : 
 ' listened to.' 
 
 78. facci dono : 'grant me the favour'; cp. Purg. xxviii. 63. 
 
 79, 80. The persons mentioned in these lines, with the exception 
 of Arrigo, are introduced later in the Inferno — Farinata in x. 32, 
 Tegghiaio and Rusticucci in xvi. 41 and 44, Mosca in xxviii. 106. 
 Of Arrigo nothing certain is known. Tegghiaio : the last four 
 vowels of this word metrically form one syllable ; cp. migliaio, Purg. 
 xiii. 22, and generally for the synizesis of aio, oio cp. primato^ 
 Purg. xiv. 66; beccaio, Purg. xx. 52; gennaioj Par. xxvii. 142; 
 Uccellatoio, Par. xv. no. 
 
 85, 86. tra le anime piu nere. It is a strong proof of Dante's 
 abhorrence of sin, that he places men of whom he speaks in such 
 terms of respect and regard as these and Brunetto Latini (Canto XV) 
 in torment. Diversa colpa : ' various forms of sin.' 
 
 89. Pregoti, &c. Dante attributes the longing to be remembered 
 on earth to all the souls in Hell, with the exception of a certain 
 number, who desire their flagrant crimes, especially those against 
 their fellow men, to be concealed — e. g. Caccianimico, a seducer, 
 Inf. xviii. 46, 52 ; Guido da Montefeltro, a giver of malevolent 
 counsel, xxvii. 61-6 ; and, above all, the traitors in the pit of Hell. 
 In Purgatory and Paradise, on the other hand, there is no such wish 
 that their memory should be perpetuated among the living, except in 
 the case of those in Purgatory who desire that others should intercede 
 for them. 
 
 91-3. Gli diritti, &c. : 'his fixed eyes he then turned askance*; 
 the cause of this was anguish at the thought of all that he had lost. 
 ciechi : i. e. spiritually blind ; cp. Inf. iv. 1 3 and note, 
 
 34 
 
VI. 96-115] INFERNO 
 
 96. la nimica podesta : the power hostile to evil is Christ ; 
 His name, as elsewhere in the Inferno, is not uttered. 
 
 99. quel che, &c. : 'the doom which resounds for eternity.' 
 
 106-8. tua scienza : the Aristotelian philosophy; cp. la tua 
 Etica, Inf. xi. 80, la tua Fisica, 1. loi, where the treatises of 
 Aristotle are meant. Piu senta il bene: the application of this 
 principle to the condition of the blessed in heaven is stated in 
 Par. xiv. 43 foil. 
 
 III. Di 1^, piu che di qua: Di Ih is 'after,' as di qua is 
 'before' the trump of doom {dal suon delV angelica tromba^ 1. 95). 
 piu : ' more perfect.' It will be so, because it will then possess both 
 its component elements, body and soul, through this perfection cannot 
 be moral perfection, which is the only true one (vera perfezion). 
 
 115. Pluto il gran nemico. Pluto here is, to all intents and 
 purposes, Plutus the god of wealth, and he is called ' the great enemy,' 
 because the love of money is the root of all evil (i Tim. vi. 10). 
 This view is confirmed by Pluto being addressed as lupo in the next 
 Canto (1. 8), the wolf being Dante's usual emblem of avarice and 
 covetousness, and the subject of that Canto, in which Pluto is 
 introduced as the guardian and representative mythological figure 
 of the fourth Circle, is the misuse of wealth. Certainly il gran 
 nemico cannot mean that he was the leading spirit in Hell, for 
 that position was occupied by Lucifer, while Pluto holds a quite 
 subordinate place. As a matter of fact, owing to a supposed 
 (perhaps true) derivation of the name UXovtihv from TrXoOro? 'wealth,' 
 the attributes of Plutus were attached to Pluto even by Greek 
 writers, and Pluto was regarded as the giver of wealth. Thus 
 Plato says {Crat, 403 a), to Se IlXovrwvo? [wo/xa] . . . on Ik t^? 
 yrj<: koltwOgv avUrat 6 rrXovros: and Strabo (iii. 2. 9, speaking of 
 the Spanish mines). Trap' cKctVois rov V7ro)(06viov tottov ov^^ 6 "AiSt;? 
 aXX 6 UXovTijiiv KaroLKeZ The name Plutus is of so rare occurrence 
 in Latin authors that the mediaevals can hardly have been acquainted 
 with it, but they were aware that Pluto was associated with wealth — 
 perhaps through Fulgentius, whom Boccaccio quotes in this con> 
 nexion — ' iuxta Fulgentium Pluto latine sonat divitias,' De Genealogia 
 Deorum, viii. 6. The passage in Fulgentius is, ' Quartum etiam 
 Plutonem dicunt terrarum praesulem — ttAovtos enim Graece divitiae 
 dicuntur — solis terris credentes divitias deputari.' 
 
 35 D 2 
 
INFERNO [vii. 1-13 
 
 CANTO VII 
 
 Argument. — At the entrance to the fourth Circle they find Pluto, 
 its guardian. This circle contains those who sinned by the misuse 
 of money, or worldly possessions ; and, as money can be misused in 
 two opposite ways, viz. by parsimony and by prodigality, the sinners 
 are formed into two opposing bands, who take part in one another's 
 punishment. They roll forward with their breasts huge weights 
 until they come into collision, after which they return along the same 
 course, and meet in a similar manner at the opposite point of the 
 circle. Virgil here explains to Dante the nature of Fortune, as the 
 Intelligence appointed by God to dispense temporal advantages and 
 dignities among men. They now pass into the fifth Circle, 
 descending above the fountain of the Styx, which here flows down 
 and forms a marsh. In the foul water of this are immersed the 
 wrathful and the gloomy. After making the circuit of a great part 
 of the Stygian marsh they reach the foot of a tower. 
 
 Lines i, 2. Pape, &c. : Pluto's words are unintelligible gibberish, 
 but they seem from what follows to be addressed in a threatening 
 manner to Dante. Many commentators, however, think that they 
 are a cry of warning addressed to Lucifer (Satan) below, chioccia : 
 'harsh,' ' grating.' 
 
 5. poter ch' egli abbia: abbreviated iox per poter^ &c., 'for all 
 the power he may possess.' For a somewhat similar elliptical use 
 cp. Inf. xix. 119. 
 
 7, 8. enfiata labbia : ' arrogant visage ' ; for labbia cp. Inf. 
 xiv. 67. It is only in the plur. le lahhta (= lahhra) that the word 
 bears the meaning ' lip ' ; see Vocab. Tramater. lupo : the symbol of 
 avarice; cp. Purg. xx. 10. 
 
 12. del superbo strupo : ' for the proud deed of whoredom,' i. e. 
 the revolt of the rebellious angels against God. In the Hebrew 
 prophets ' whoredom ' and similar words are often used of alienation 
 from God ; e.g. Is. i. 21 ; Ez. xvi. 22. strupo = stupro. 
 
 13-5. Quali, &c. The collapse of Pluto after his threatening 
 address is compared to the bellying sails of a vessel, which fall in 
 
 36 
 
VII. i6-3c] INFERNO 
 
 a heap when the wind breaks the mast, awolte : lit. ' wrapped 
 together.' fiacca : as this verb is not elsewhere used intrans., 
 il vento is prob. the subject. 
 
 i6. lacca: ' hollow,' i. e. the fouith Circle; cp. Inf. xii. ii; 
 also Purg. vii. 71, where it is used of the Valletta del Principi. The 
 word appears to be of Greek origin. In ancient Greek Xolkko^ was 
 used for a 'pond' and a 'pit.' In Mod. Greek both Xo-kkos and 
 XaKKa signify a ' ditch ' (see Byzantius' Lex.), and Xukkos is used 
 for a ' valley,' e. g. for the upper plain of Messenia. This word 
 probably passed into S. Italy during the Byzantine occupation, 
 which introduced numerous Greek words into the dialects of that 
 part, and /acco is used for a ' ditch ' at the present time there 
 (Ramage, Nooks and Byiuays of Italy, p. 270). 
 
 17, 18. Pigliando piu, &c : 'advancing along the doleful bank 
 (i. e. the slope of the Inferno), which contains the wickedness of the 
 whole universe' ; for pigliando piu in the sense of 'advancing along' 
 cp. Purg. xi. 109, 'del cammin si poco piglia.' universo implies 
 that the evil anjels are included. 
 
 19—21. chi stipa : this is half a question, half an exclamation; 
 ' can it be that any power accumulates ? ' viddi : arch, for v'ldi. ne 
 scipa : ' consumes us.' 
 
 22—4. Come, &c. What is here described is the meeting of the 
 waves of two opposing eddies or cun-ents, such as compose the real, 
 not the fabulous, Charybdis. 1^ sovra Cariddi : this almost 
 pleonastic use of la occurs frequently in the Inf., as xvi. 100, 
 ' la sovra San Benedetto ' ; xvii. 21, ' fa tra li Tedeschi lurchi ' ; and 
 xxvii. 29 ; xxviii. 17 ; xxxii. 27. In the Purg. and Par. it seems not 
 to be found. It is of course distinct from the use with a relative clause 
 following, as in 1. 11, 'la dove Michele,' &c. riddi : 'dance in 
 a ring ' ; this describes the movement of each of the two bands 
 half-way round the Circle (11. 34, 35). 
 
 25 foil. In this punishment the weights symbolize amassed 
 wealth — ' argenti pondus et auri ' ; while the fruitlessness of the 
 sinners' toil signifies the vain pursuit of riches. 
 
 28. pur li : 'there on the spot,' lit. 'just there'; li for // is 
 a poetic licence, the accent being removed in order that the word may 
 become enclitic to pur. 
 
 30. * Perche tieni,' &c. : the prodigals say to the misers, ' Why 
 dost hold?' the misers to the prodigals, 'Why dost squander?' 
 
 37 
 
INFERNO [VII. 31-57 
 
 For burlare In the sense of * throw away ' Casini quotes the Lettera 
 del prete lann'i^ ' quando lo vento da per questi fiumi, burla di questa 
 polvere di fuori ' ; but as the regular meaning of the word is 'to jest,* 
 and burla is ' a jest,' the more probable signification here is ' to trifle 
 away,' ' to squander.' 
 
 31-3. cerchio : this is the complete circle of the Inferno, each 
 of the two companies passing through half the circle, and meeting the 
 other at opposite points (11. 35, 44). In order to allow for the great 
 number who are said to be punished here (1. 25), we must suppose that 
 these bands came up in successive relays. Da ogni mano : ' on either 
 hand'; for this sense of ogni cp. Inf. xxii. 56; Purg. ii. 22. 
 anche : ' as before.' metro : ' refrain,' i. e. ' Perche tieni,' &c. 
 
 38, 39. cherci : for cherici and chercuti for chericut'i. 
 
 40-2. tutti e quanti: these words include both the opposing 
 bands, neither of whom observed moderation in the use of money. 
 Avarice and prodigality are similarly expiated together in the fifth 
 Cornice of Purgatory, Purg. xxii. 52-4. ferci : ci, 'here,' means 
 ' in life.' 
 
 45. dispaia : ' disjoins,' i. e. causes them to separate. 
 
 46-8. Questi, &c. : these three lines give the answer to Dante's 
 second question, ' se tutti fur cherci,' &c. (11. 38, 39); and by 
 comparing the two passages we learn that the avaricious were on the 
 left hand, and consequently the prodigal on the right hand, of the 
 Poets, che non han, &c. : who are tonsured. In cui usa, &c. : 
 ' over whom avarice exercises its supremacy.' 
 
 52. aduni : 'conceive'; the idea is that of thoughts grouping 
 themselves to form a judgement. 
 
 53? 54* sconoscente: 'purblind,' lit, 'undisccrning,' and cono- 
 scenza is 'discernment,' 'recognition.' The result of their 
 ignoring the object with which wealth was given, and consequently 
 the true purpose of life, in that their individuality of character — 
 i.e. all distinctive traits by which they might be recognized — is lost. 
 The same eflr*ect proceeding from this cause is seen in the case 
 of the usurers in Inf. xvii. 54 ; cp. the punishment of the avaricious 
 in Purgatory, whose faces are hidden, Purg. xix. 72, 118—20. 
 bruni : ' dim,' ' indistinct.' 
 
 56? 57- Questi: the misers, as being close-fisted, mozzi : 
 *cut short'; Blanc {Fersuch, p. 78) quotes the Italian proverbial 
 description of a prodigal as one who has * dissipate fino a' capelli.' 
 
 38 
 
VII. 58-87] INFERNO 
 
 58-60. lo mondo pulcro : Paradise. Qual, &c. : ' to describe 
 it, I seek for no graceful (complimentary) words.' ci : 'here,' 
 i. e. in their case. 
 
 61-3. corta bufFa : 'transient farce.' Perche, &c. : 'for the 
 sake of which mankind hustle one another.' 
 
 66. fame: ne is a pleonastic repetition of di queste anime 
 stanche. 
 
 68. di che, &c. : 'to which thou dost refer in speaking to me.' 
 tocche : arch, for tocch'i. 
 
 72. imbocche : 'hear and mark' (Gary), lit. 'take into thy 
 mouth ' ; cp. Ez. ii. 8, of the roll of a book, ' open thy mouth, and 
 eat that I give thee.' 
 
 73—96. Dante's view of Fortune which is given in this passage 
 is, that she is 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 the spheres see Par. ii. 
 112 foil.; and for the Intelhgences Par. xxviii. 25 foil.). This 
 view of Fortune — indeed the whole of the present episode — is 
 borrowed by Dante from Boethius De Consolatione Philosophiae, 
 ii. Metr. i, ii and Pros, i, ii. This is proved, not only by 
 numerous points of correspondence, but also by the fact that Dante 
 quotes a passage from this part of the De Cons., giving Boethius' 
 name, in Conv. iv. 12, 11. 73—8, where he is speaking of the same 
 subject, viz. of the Power which dispenses wealth to mankind 
 (see Moore, Studies, i. pp. 285, 286). 
 
 74-6. chi conduce : the Orders of Intelligences which guide 
 them. Si che, &c. : so that each of the nine angelic Orders shines 
 on one of the nine celestial spheres, communicating their light to 
 them in proportions corresponding to the light which they possess. 
 This is explained in Par. xxviii. 73-8. 
 
 77. splendor mondani : ' forms of human grandeur.' 
 79-81. a tempo: 'at the fitting time'; cp. Par. viii. 60. 
 Ii ben vani : ' the unreal advantages.' Oltre, &c. : in such 
 a way that human wisdom cannot prevent it ; ' beyond prevention 
 of man's wisest care ' (Gary). 
 
 82. Perche : ' for which reason.' 
 
 85-7. non ha contrasto a lei : ' has no power to oppose 
 her.' Persegue Suo regno : ' carries on her reign,' i. e. provides 
 
 39 
 
INFERNO [VII. 88-114 
 
 for the continuance of the domain entrusted to her. Dei : Intelli- 
 gences; cp. Par. xxviii. 121, where Dee has the same force. 
 
 88-90. Le sue, &c. : cp. Boethius ii. Pros, i, * Tu vero 
 volventis rotae impetum retinere conaris ? At ... si manere 
 incipit, fors esse desistit.' Si spesso, &c. : lit. 'thus one often 
 comes who wins his turn ' ; i. e. in consequence of her speed of 
 movement the succession of fortunate competitors for her favour 
 is rapid. 
 
 91, 92. posta in croce: 'persecuted/ 'vilified.' Pur da 
 color : ' by those very persons ' ; cp. the use of pur in pur come, 
 'just as.' 
 
 94-6. Ma ella, &c. : cp. Boeth. ii. Metr. i. 11. 5-7, ' Non 
 ilia miseros audit, haud curat fletus ; Ultroque gemitus dura quos 
 fecit ridet. Sic ilia ludit, sic suas probat vires.' 1* altre prime 
 creature : the angelic Orders. sua spera : the Wheel of 
 Fortune, the vohens rota of Boethius, quoted above. 
 
 97. Pieta : 'suffering'; see note on Inf. i. 21. 
 
 98. ogni Stella cade, &c. : ' every star is descending,' i. e. has 
 passed the meridian. It was now past midnight, and Dante and 
 Virgil had entered Hell at nightfall of the preceding day ; see 
 Inf. ii. I. 
 
 100-2. Noi ricedemmo, &c. : they crossed the fourth Circle 
 to its further bank, which separated it from the fifth Circle ; and 
 the bank here was above the fountain of the Styx, the water from 
 which flowed down from that bank through a dyke into the fifth 
 Circle. boUe : 'jets forth'; the water was not hot, like that 
 of Phlegethon in Inf. xiv. 134. riversa : neut., 'pours down.' 
 da lei deriva : ' draws its waters from it.' 
 
 103-5. persa: see note on Inf. v. 89. diversa : 'strange,' 
 ' weird ' ; cp. Inf. vi. 1 3. 
 
 106. palude : the 'Stygiam paludem ' of Virg. Aen. vi. 323. 
 
 109-14. In the fifth Circle, which Dante has now entered, the 
 jjin of anger is punished by the victim being immersed in a filthy 
 swamp formed by the waters of the Styx. Their attacks on one 
 another show that their ungoverned passion still tormented them. 
 The filthy water represents the debasing influence of anger; but 
 the chief symbolism turns on the derivation of the Greek '%tv^ from 
 €Trvyiiv 'to hate.' Dante, who himself knew no Greek, may 
 have obtained this from Servius (on Virg. j^en. vi. 134) or Isidore 
 
 40 
 
VII. III-30] INFERNO 
 
 (Origines^ xiv. 9), both of whom were among his authorities. 
 Isidore says, ' Styx airo rfys orTvyi/oTr/To?, i. e. a tristi/ia dicta ' ; 
 this corresponds to tristo ruscel in 1. 107. 
 
 111. sembiante ofFeso : ' look of suffering ' ; cp. Inf. iv. 41. 
 
 112. si percotean : ' were smiting one another.' 
 
 118. ha: used impers. for vi e, like avea for vi era in 
 Inf. iv. 26. 
 
 120. u' che : u', Lat. ubi^ is used poet, for o've; cp. Inf. ii. 24 : 
 hence u' che = ovunque ; ' wherever it (your eye) turns.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. The class of sinners who are here associated in punish- 
 ment with the wrathful are the sullenly despondent (tristi, 1. 121; 
 ci attristiam, 1. 124); and their state of mind is described as 
 'cloudy apathy' (accidioso fummo, 1. 123). That accidioso 
 means 'apathetic' we know from the use of accldia for 'spiritual 
 sloth' in Purg. xviii. 132; see also note on Purg. xvii. 82. The 
 relation in which accldia stands to tristi%ia is thus explained by 
 Aquinas : — ' Accidia ... est quaedam tristitia aggravans ; quae 
 scilicet ita deprimit mentem hominis, ut nihil ei agere libeat ' ; 
 Summa, II. 2^*6. Q. 3^^ Art. I. 
 
 127. pozza : 'pool,' 'pond'; it is connected with Span, ^ox^, 
 'pool,' and both are connected with \jAt. puteus (Korting, Latein.- 
 roman. W'drterhuch^ No. 6488). 
 
 128. mezzo: 'swamp,' lit. 'soft substance.' This word is 
 distinguished from mexzo, 'middle' (Lat. medius) by being pro- 
 nounced with e sharp and %% hard. It is an adj., and where it 
 is found in other authors (it does not occur again in Dante) signifies 
 " soft,' ' flabby,' and is especially used of ripe or over-ripe fruit. 
 This is in favour of the derivation from Lat. mitis (Diez), which 
 regularly bears that meaning. The hard zz points in the same 
 direction, being more naturally formed from the / of mitis (cp. 
 pala%%o from palatium, piazza from platea^ &c.) than from the d of 
 madidus^ which word has also been suggested as its etymology. 
 
 130. al dassezzo : 'at last'; cp. Purg. xxv. 139. 
 
 41 
 
INFERNO [VIII. i-ii 
 
 CANTO VIII 
 
 Argument. — In answer to a signal sent from the tower to the 
 opposite shore Phlegyas, the guardian and ferryman of the Stygian 
 marsh, appears in his boat, and takes the two Poets on board. 
 While they are crossing the muddy water, Dante is recognized by 
 Filippo Argenti, a Florentine noted for his unrestrained passion, 
 the punishment of which he is here undergoing. The walls and 
 buildings of the City of Dis — the innermost fortress of the Inferno, 
 and the abode of the worst criminals — now appear in view ; and as 
 the Poets approach, they find the gate crowded with evil spirits 
 prepared to defend the entrance. Virgil goes forward alone to parley 
 with them, but they close the gate in his face, and he returns to 
 Dante discomfited. 
 
 Line I. seguitando : 'in continuation,' i.e. continuing the 
 subject of the previous Canto. Perhaps this remark is introduced 
 because the subject of the fifth Circle is treated of at the end of one 
 Canto and the beginning of another, and the Poet wishes to mark 
 the connexion of the two parts. It seems to have given rise to the 
 story which is mentioned by Boccaccio and others, to the eifect that 
 Dante resumed the poem at this point after a long interval of time. 
 Satisfactory arguments in confutation of this story are given by Blanc, 
 Versuch^ pp. 8i, 82. 
 
 4-6. due fiammette : the tower is the signalling station for the 
 city of Dis, and the two cressets are signals addressed to the 
 watchers in that city, the number two probably denoting the number 
 of the passengers approaching. The signal in reply is sent from the 
 city, and signifies that the intimation has been understood, i' : for 
 t-v't^ Lat. ihi ; cp. u' for Lat. uli in Inf. vii. 120. cenno : such 
 fortress-signals {cenn'i d'l castelld) are referred to again in Inf. xxii. 8. 
 Tanto : take with da lungi. torre : ' catch.* 
 
 II. Gi^ puoi scorger : puoi, which elsewhere is always a mono- 
 syllable in scansion, except at the end of a line, is here pronounced 
 as a disyllabic, puo|i. The justification of this exceptional use is 
 found in the initial sc of scorger^ which, like other combinations of s 
 with another consonant, is sometimes allowed to have this influence 
 on the preceding word. The following are instances : — with sc^ 
 
 42 
 
Vlil. 16-24] INFERNO 
 
 Inf. iii. II, Vid^ i\o scritte\ viii. 93, ha\i scorta\ xxviii. 12, Zm|o 
 scrhe; with j-^, Par. xxxi. 53, mi\o sguardo\ — with sp, Par. xxiv. 
 56, perch' i\o spandessi ; with st, Purg. xx. 139, no\i stavamo ; 
 Purg. xxix. 145, col primai\o stuolo {-aio elsewhere is a mono- 
 syllable) ; Par. xxvi. 37, intelletto mi\o sterne. A similar effect of 
 these combinations is seen in the prefixing of a vowel, as in iscegliendo 
 for scegliendo, Purg. xxviii. 41 ; the retention of a vowel, as in 
 Ispagna^ which is the form when a consonant precedes, while Spagna 
 is used when a vowel precedes ; and the regular use of dello strale^ 
 quello stra%io, &c. quello che s' aspetta : ' the object which is 
 expected ' as the result of the signalling. 
 
 16-8. in quella : understand ora. anima fella : the sing, is 
 probably used because he addressed Dante and Virgil individually. 
 
 19. Flegias : Phlegyas is the Guardian of the fifth Circle, as is 
 implied in 1. 21, where Virgil says that they would not be under his 
 charge except while crossing the marsh, thereby intimating that others 
 were so. At the same time, he is the guardian of the approach to 
 the city of Dis, a function which is assigned to him because Virgil 
 mentions him in ^en. vi. 618-20 as the type of those who had 
 violated the laws of justice, in consequence of which he uttered the 
 warning, ' Discite iustitiam moniti et non temnere divos ' ; he is 
 thus a suitable figure to guard the approach to the lower part of 
 Hell, because there injustice in all its forms is punished (see the note 
 in Butler's Translation, p. 90). According to the classical story 
 Phlegyas was condemned to punishment in Hell because he set fire 
 to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. His boat, which is not men- 
 tioned in any of the ancient legends concerning him, must be an 
 invention of Dante's own, and was probably suggested by the need 
 of some agency by which the Poets might be transported across the 
 Stygian marsh. The occasions for its use must have been of very 
 rare occurrence, for the condemned souls are spoken of as being 
 dispatched by Minos straight to their appointed place of torment {giu 
 volte, Inf. V. 15 ; cp. cade, xiii. 97 ; caduto, xxvii. 26 ; piowi, xxiv. 
 122 and xxx. 95). Virgil, however, passed this way, when sent 
 by force of witchcraft from the first Circle to the pit of Hell (ix. 
 
 25-27)- 
 
 21. loto : the muddy water of the marsh. 
 
 23, 24. se ne rammarca : 'is indignant thereat ' ; rammarca 
 for rammarica. ira accolta : ' concentrated fury.' 
 
 43 
 
INFERNO [viii, 28-78 
 
 28-30. fui : the verb here agrees with the latter of two subjects ; 
 cp. Par. i. 27 ; xvi- 40. Dell' acqua piu, &c. : cp. Virg. Aen. vi. 
 413 'gemult sub pondere cymba,' &c. altrui : either Phlegyas 
 himself may be meant, or any other spirit, like Virgil on the former 
 occasion, who had followed this route. 
 
 31-3. corravam : for corre'vam, 'we were traversing'; the 
 form corravam, like salavam in Purg. iv. 31, is a peculiarity of the 
 Florentine dialect. morta gora : ' deathly channel ' ; morta 
 perhaps refers to the deadly stillness of its surface, anzi ora : 
 ' before thy time,' i. e. while still alive. 
 
 36. Vedi, &c. : this is intended as an evasive reply, his object 
 being to avoid recognition. 
 
 38, 39. Spirito maledetto. Filippo Argenti, who is here intro- 
 duced (cp. 1. 61), was one of the Adimari family at Florence, who 
 were among Dante's strongest opponents. Boccaccio in the Decam. 
 (ix. 8) tells a story which illustrates his passionate disposition. 
 ancor : for ancorchh 
 
 45. Benedetta, &c. : ' Blessed is the womb that bare thee,' 
 Luke xi. 27 ; lit. 'she who became pregnant with thee.' 
 
 47, 48. Bonta non e, &c. : 'there is no kindliness to adorn his 
 memory.' cosi : ' in like manner ' ; what he was in the world, he 
 is here. 
 
 49. si tengon : ' are reputed.' 
 
 59. alle : for the use of a ^her fare signifying ' by ' cp. Inf. xvii. 
 129; xxi. 55. 
 
 64-6. che: 'so that.' sbarro : 'unbar,' 'open wide.' 
 
 68. la citta, &c. The idea of the city of Dis — or, as it is here 
 called, the city named Dis — with its walls of iron, and a river 
 encircling them, is taken from the description of the abode of the 
 malefactors in Hell in Virg. ^en. vi. 548 foil. The city of Dis 
 comprises the whole of the remainder of Hell, for Dis is another 
 name for Lucifer (cp. Inf. xi. 65 ; xxxiv. 20), and he is placed at 
 the lowest extremity of that realm. 
 
 70. meschite: 'mosques' ; the word is intended to suggest the 
 city of unbelief. 
 
 75. in questo basso inferno: this is added to explain that 
 they stood out visible in the darkness of the nether hell. 
 
 76-8. pur : ' nevertheless,' i. e. despite the terrific sight, terra : 
 'city,' see note to 1. 130. fosse: obs. the grammatical irregularity 
 
 44 
 
VIII. 79-120] INFERNO 
 
 of the verb agreeing In number with the predicate, and cp. Purg. x. 
 112, 113, 'quel ch' io veggio . . . non mi sembran persone.' 
 
 79. far grande aggirata : this took place in following the 
 windings of the fosse, which formed a succession of moats (fosse, 
 1. 76), which were intended to render the approach more difficult. 
 
 82, 83. in suUe porte : probably this means ' on the threshold of 
 the gates.' Many take it as 'upon the gates,* but from 1. 115 it 
 appears that the gates were open. Da' ciel piovuti : these are the 
 fallen angels. 
 
 93. Che gli hai scorta : ' who hast made plain to him.* The 
 very exceptional scansion of hai as a disyllable here is explained by 
 sc following; see notes on 1. 11 above, and on Inf. xv. 26. 
 
 97-9. piii di setter probably a general number, though it is 
 possible to enumerate seven such occasions, as Philalethes has done. 
 alto periglio : ' extremity of danger ' ; alto gives a superlative 
 force; see note on Inf. ii. 12. 
 
 105. da tal : by God; but the Holy Name is not mentioned in 
 Hell. 
 
 1 10, III. in forse : ' in doubt * ; cp. Purg. xxix. i8, 'mi mise in 
 forse.' Che 1 si e '1 no, &c. : ' so that yes and no (the conviction 
 that he will return, and that he will not return) contend within my 
 brain.' Others read Che. 
 
 1 1 2-4. si porse :' was addressed ' by Virgil, a prova : 'vied 
 with one another in ' : ' pell-mell rushed back within,' Gary, who 
 gives cerfaiim, a Penvi as equivalents. 
 
 117. rivolsesi a me : the repulse of Virgil, followed by the arrival 
 of an angel from heaven who secures Dante's admittance to the city 
 of Dis, is probably 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. 
 Another explanation is, that the sixth Circle, which lies immediately 
 within the walls of the city of Dis, is that in which heresy is 
 punished, and in order to enter it the aid of a heavenly champion is 
 required, since the question of religious belief is involved, and with 
 this human reason (Virgil) is incapable of dealing. This view, 
 however, is hardly satisfactory, for the question here is that of 
 admittance, not to the sixth Circle in particular, but to the city of 
 Dis at large. 
 
 118-20. le ciglia, &c. : this describes one who is 'crestfallen.' 
 
 45 
 
INFERNO [viii. iai-30 
 
 dicea ne* sospiri : ' sighed as if he said,' lit. * said in his sighs ' ; 
 cp. aspettava in vista, 'wore an expectant look,' Purg. xiii. 100. le 
 dolenti case : ' the abodes of woe,' i. e. the lower Circles of the 
 Inferno. 
 
 1 2 1-3. perch* io m' adiri : 'for all my anger'; cp. Inf. iv. 64. 
 Qual che, &c. : ' whatever force may muster within to repel me ' ; 
 difension, lit. 'warding off'; cp. difese in Inf. xv. 27. 
 
 125. men segreta porta: the gate of Hell itself, where, 
 according to an ancient tradition, the devils opposed the entrance 
 of Christ when He descended into Hell, but He broke the gate open. 
 Cp. the Church Office for Easter Eve, Lect. iv, ' Hodie portas 
 mortis et seras pariter Salvator noster disrupit.' 
 
 127. Sopr' essa, &c. : the meaning is: — 'the gate I speak of 
 is that over which thou sawest the deathly inscription' ('characters 
 of death,' Vernon); cp. Inf. iii. i. vedestu for vedesti tu. 
 
 128-30. E gik, &c. : ' and already on the hither side of the gate 
 one (an angel from heaven ; see Inf. ix. 85) is descending the steep, 
 ... of such might that (Tal che) by his aid the city shall be opened to 
 us.' Virgil says this in the confidence of faith : that he did not knonv 
 it is shown by his subsequent attitude; see Inf. ix. 7-12. senza 
 scorta : i. e. defended by his own purity, and guided by his own 
 intuition, terra : for the use of this word in the sense of ' city ' 
 cp. Inf. ix. 104 ; x. 2 ; and 1. 77 above. This meaning, which is 
 found in Boccaccio and other writers, seems to have arisen from 
 terra being used at first of a city and its territory in conjunction, 
 without any marked distinction being made between them. 
 
 CANTO IX 
 
 Argument. — Dante, terrified by the prospect of their further 
 journey, inquires indirectly of Virgil whether he had ever entered 
 the city of Dis, and learns from him that he had once been com- 
 pelled by the witch Erichtho to descend to the lowest pit of Hell. 
 Suddenly the tliree Furies appear on the tower of the city, and 
 threaten to turn Dante to stone by displaying to him the head of 
 Medusa. But an angel from heaven is now seen crossing the marsh, 
 
 46 
 
IX. 1-23] INFERNO 
 
 and by him the rebel angels are rebuked, after which Dante and 
 Virgil pass through the gate without opposition. The space of 
 ground immediately within the wall, which they now enter, forms the 
 sixth Circle, in which the heretics are punished by being placed in 
 fiery tombs. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Quel color, &c. : the sight of Dante's pale face 
 caused Virgil to check his own fears, il suo nuovo : ' his own 
 unwonted pallor.' 
 
 5. nol potea, &c. : ' could not lead him far,' i. e. enable him to 
 see far. a lunga : understand distanza, or possibly parte, as in 
 Vita Nuova, § 24, 11. 67, 68, ' da lunga parte.' 
 
 7-9. In these lines Virgil is swaying between hope and fear. 
 Pure: 'yet,' 'still,' despite this check, punga : arch, for pugna. 
 se non (' unless . . .') expresses a doubt, but this he suppresses 
 by saying tal ne s' oiferse, ' No ; we must win, when so great a 
 power offered to aid us.' tal is probably Beatrice ; see Inf. ii. 70. 
 quanto tarda a me : ' how long it seems to me to wait ' ; for the 
 phrase cp. Inf. xxi. 25, cui tarda, 'to whom it seems long.' 
 
 10. ricoperse: 'overlaid.' 
 
 13-5. dienne : 'caused me'; ne, which elsewhere stands for 
 a not, here represents a me ; and thus dienne has the force of mi 
 diede (Blanc, Vocah., s. v. ' ne '). Diez {Gram., vol. ii. p. 80) 
 distinguishes between ne, 'us,' ' to us ' (Lat. nos, nobis), and ne, the 
 particle (Lat. /W^). eh' ei non tenne : ' than he meant.' 
 
 16-8. conca : 'cavity'; possibly ' spiral cavity': the Inferno. 
 Discende mai, &c. : ' does any spirit ever descend from the first 
 Circle (Limbo), the punishment of which consists merely in ineffectual 
 .hope ? ' The expression of doubt which had escaped from Virgil's 
 lips in the parola tronca of his former speech {se non . . ., 1. 8) 
 suggested to Dante that his conductor had not previously visited the 
 lower regions of Hell ; so, in order to satisfy himself on this point, 
 he covertly inquires whether he had done so (alcun puts the 
 question in a general form). 
 
 23. Eriton : Erichthon is the witch who according to Lucan 
 {Phars. vi. 419 foil., 507 foil.) 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. Dante's 
 reason for introducing her here seems to have been that she was, 
 
 47 
 
INFERNO [IX. 27-54 
 
 roughly speaking, a contemporary of Virgil, though, as a matter of 
 fact, Virgil did not die until thirty years after Pharsalia was fought. 
 But it is quite possible that among the many stories which were 
 current in the middle ages concerning Virgil, who was himself 
 regarded as a magician (see Prefatory Note to Canto II), the present 
 one concerning his treatment by Erichthon may have found a place. 
 
 27. cerchio di Giuda : the ninth Circle of Hell, where Judas 
 was. 
 
 29. dal ciel che tutto gira : 'from the heaven which moves 
 the whole universe round.' This is the ninth Heaven, or Primum 
 Mobile, of which it is said in Par. xxviii. 70, ' che tutto quanto 
 rape L'altro universo seco.' 
 
 31-3. Questa palude : the marsh of the Styx. Virgil mentions 
 this in order to prove to Dante his acquaintance with the features of 
 this neighbourhood, senz* ira : 'without awakening wrath,' sc. 
 in the denizens of Hell. 
 
 37,38. furon dritte: ' upreared themselves.' Tre furie: 
 Megaera, Alecto, and Tisiphone (11. 46-8). In the passage of 
 Virgil already referred to Tisiphone alone appears, Aen, vi. 555. 
 The description which follows is from Statius, Theh. i. 103 foil. 
 
 41. Serpentelli ceraste: 'small horned snakes'; both the 
 words are substantives, and they are in apposition to one another ; 
 cerasta (Gk. K€pdcrTy]<s) is a horned serpent. Others read serpentelli 
 e ceraste, ' small snakes and horned serpents,' which is regarded as 
 equivalent to ' snakes small and large ' ; but the corresponding 
 passage in Statius, ' centum illi stantes umbrabant ora cerastae * 
 (1. 103), does not suggest that large serpents are intended. 
 
 43, 44. le meschine, &c. : the handmaids of Proserpine ; for 
 meschine in the sense of 'minions' cp. meschini in Inf. xxvii. 115. 
 Proserpine or Hecate (for Dante identifies them) is again spoken of 
 in Inf. x. 80, as queen in Hell, but these classical titles are so 
 vague as hardly to be more than rhetorical expressions. 
 
 48. a tanto : ' thereupon ' ; cp. dt tanio, ' thereat,' in Inf. iv. 99. 
 
 51. sospetto : 'timidity'; see note on Inf. iii. 14. 
 
 52. Venga Medusa : i. e. let Medusa's head be brought. This 
 is // Gorgon of 1. 56, where the masc. gender is consequently used. 
 si '1 farem di smalto : ' so we will turn him into adamant.' 
 
 54. Mai non vengiammo, &c. : ' to our bane we did not take 
 vengeance on Theseus for his assault ' ; i. e. had we punished 
 
 48 
 
IX. 57-7^] INFERNO 
 
 Theseus for attempting to carry off Proserpine (1* assalto), others 
 would not have followed his example and descended hither. Theseus 
 went down to Hades with the object of abducting Proserpine, but 
 was seized and detained there as a prisoner. Virgil represents him 
 as being permanently imprisoned there {^en. vi. 617), but Dante 
 has adopted the other version of the story, which says that he was 
 liberated by Hercules. For mal in the sense of ' unfortunately for 
 ourselves,' ' to our bane,' cp. Inf. xii. 66 ; Purg. iv. 72. 
 
 57. nulla: 'no chance of.' 
 
 58-60. stessi : arch, for siesso; cp. Par. v. 133. non si 
 tenne, &c. : ' was not content with my covering my face with my 
 own hands.' chiudessi : arch, for chiudesse. 
 
 61-3. O voi, &c. By making this appeal to his readers Dante 
 desires to intimate that the allegory is one to which he attaches 
 especial importance. Cp. Purg. viii. 19-21. The passage to which 
 attention is thus drawn is that which precedes these three lines — not 
 that which follows, for E gia at the commencement of 1. 64 clearly 
 marks the resumption of the narrative after an interval. Accordingly 
 the allegory 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- 
 manently hardens the heart. Virgil's causing Dante to turn round 
 and hide his face means that human reason can resist for a while 
 the temptation to despair by refusing to contemplate it (see the notes 
 to Butler's Translation, pp. 102, 104). 
 
 68. Impetuoso, &c. : ' violent owing to the heat in the opposite 
 quarter of the heavens ' ; a rough description of the wind rushing in 
 to fill up a vacuum caused by heat. 
 
 70. porta fuori: 'carries away'; Dante probably had in his 
 mind Virg. Georg. ii. 440, 441, ' silvae, Quas animosi Euri 
 assidue franguntque feruntque.' Witte's re2iding ^ortajiori has little 
 to be said in its defence. 
 
 75. perindi: 'in that direction'; cp. indi, 'by that way,' in 
 Purg. xvi. 118. acerbo : ' painful to the sense,' and so presenting 
 an impediment to the power of sight; cp. Par. xxx. 79. 
 
 78. s' abbica : 'crouches,' lit. 'huddles itself together ' (der. 
 from bica, a ' heap ' or ' stack '). 
 
 TOZBK 49 £ 
 
INFERNO [ix. 79-112 
 
 79,80. distrutte: 'ruined/ 'lost/ al passo : 'at the 
 crossing,' i. e. the place of transit between the tower and the gate of 
 the city of Dis, where the boat of Phlegyas passed. 
 
 83, 84. la sinistra : this is mentioned because in his right hand 
 he held a wand, 1. 89 ; but also, perhaps, the movement of the left 
 hand implies a protest against sin. angoscia : ' fatigue.' 
 
 85. del ciel messo : this angelic 'messenger from heaven,' who 
 crosses the Styx dryshod, resembles the angel of Purg. ii. 29 foil., 
 who conducts the souls in his boat across the sea to the Mountain 
 of Purgatory. 
 
 93. in vol s' alletta : ' finds entrance into your hearts ' ; on 
 allettare see note on Inf. ii. 122. 
 
 95. A cui, &c. : ' whose purpose can never be brought to naught,* 
 lit. ' cut off.' 
 
 97. nelle fata: 'against the decrees of God': fata is an 
 obsolete plur. fem. o^ fato^ in the sense of an ordinance of God's 
 Providence; cp. Purg. xxx. 142. The plur. of Fata (' one of the 
 Fates ') is always Fate ; see Vocah. Tramater. dar di cozzo : 
 ' conflict with,' lit. 'butt against.' 
 
 98, 99. Cerbero, &c. : the reference is to Hercules having 
 chained Cerberus and dragged him to the upper world ; Virg. Aen. 
 vi. 395, 396, ' Tartareum ille manu custodem in vincla petivit, Ipsius 
 a solio regis, traxitque trementem.' il mento e il gozzo describes 
 the parts lacerated by the chain, vi ricorda : the verb is here 
 used impers. ; ' it recurs (recalls itself) to your minds ' : cp. Purg. 
 xxxiii. 91 ; Par. xxxiii. 79 ; also // rimembra in Inf. xi. 79. 
 
 102. altra cura, &c. : i. e. as if he were preoccupied by thoughts 
 of Heaven. 
 
 104, 105. la terra: 'the city'; cp. Inf. viii. 130. appresso : 
 * after having heard.' 
 
 108. La condizion, &c. : 'the state of those enclosed within a 
 fortress of such aspect.' Dante now enters the sixth Circle, where 
 the heretics are punished. 
 
 112. Arli, ove Rodano stagna : this describes the position of 
 Aries, at which place the Rhone divides, and begins to form the 
 marshy delta of the Camargue. The cemetery at Aries, which is 
 here referred to, was called Aly scamps {Elys'ti Camp'i). It has 
 been allowed to fall into decay, and the sarcophagi which remain are 
 arranged near the road leading to a chapel of St. Honorat on the 
 
 50 
 
IX. 113-3^] INFERNO 
 
 east side of the town. There is a view of it in Macgibbon's 
 ^Architecture of Provence, ?• 5^* 
 
 113, 114. Quamaro : the gulf of Quarnero or Quarnaro (both 
 forms of the name are in use at the present day ; Jackson, Dalmatia, 
 vol. iii. p. 81). Che Italia chiude: the province of Istria, in 
 which Pola lies, and which is bounded on the east by the gulf of 
 Quarnero, is spoken of by Dante as forming part of Italy in De 
 Fulg. Eloq. i. 10, 1. 55. 
 
 115. varo : 'uneven.' This word, which is unique, is probably 
 another form of 'vario, this change of termination being common ; 
 the meaning then is 'varied,' 'irregular.' Others derive it from 
 Lat. varus, ' bent,' ' distorted ' ; but this word, is not given by 
 Ducange as occurring in mediaeval Latin. 
 
 120. Che ferro, &c. ; 'that no handicraft (of iron-founders, 
 blacksmiths, &c.) requires iron to be more so.' 
 
 123. ofFesi : 'sufferers'; cp. Inf. vii. iii. 
 
 127. Qui son gli eresiarche. The correspondence between 
 the punishment and the sin punished in this Circle is found in the 
 tombs being appropriate to sinners who, like the Epicureans, repre- 
 sented the soul as dying with the body. This, no doubt, applies 
 to one only among the various classes of heretics, but in Dante's 
 account of these the Epicureans are far the most conspicuous. 
 Similarly in the third ring of Circle VII, where several classes of 
 sinners are punished, the form of punishment of all of them is 
 suggested by that of the sin of Sodom, though only one class was 
 guilty of that sin; see note on Inf. xv. 16. It is also noticeable 
 that no separate mythological figure is assigned to the sixth Circle, 
 this office, apparently, as well as that of guardians of the entrance of 
 the city of Dis, being discharged by the Furies. In like manner, 
 Charon and Minos in the first two Circles perform a twofold function. 
 
 131. piii, e men: i.e. according to the heinousness of the sin. 
 
 132. alia man destra. It has already been remarked (Pref. 
 Note to Canto I) that the course followed by Dante and Virgil 
 through Hell is to leftward throughout. The proof of this will be 
 found in the following passages of the Inferno — xiv. 126; xviii. 
 21; xix. 41; xxi. 136; xxiii. 68; xxix. 53; xxxi. 83. Its 
 allegorical significance is that the forms of sin which present 
 themselves to one who descends through the Circles of Hell proceed 
 from worse to worse. To the rule thus established there are two 
 
 51 E 2 
 
INFERNO [x. I, 2 
 
 exceptions, in which it is stated that the Poets* course was towards 
 the right; viz. (i) that which occurs in the present passage, (2) 
 that in Inf. xvii. 31, where they are first approaching Geryon, 
 before descending into Malebolge. The probable explanation of 
 the deviation from the leftward course towards the right is in both 
 these cases the same — that it was a declaration of adhesion to the 
 way of right, in protest against certain special forms of sin which 
 presented themselves on these occasions. In the former instance 
 this sin is heresy, or perverted belief; in the latter it is fraud, or 
 peiTerted justice, of which Geryon is the representative. 
 
 CANTO X 
 
 Argument. — Dante follows Virgil along a path between the 
 wall and the tombs. In this part of the sixth Circle are found 
 those heretics who maintained the doctrine of Epicurus that the soul 
 dies with the body. From one of the tombs Dante is addressed by 
 Farinata degli Uberti, the Florentine leader, who recognizes him 
 by his pronunciation as a native of Tuscany. While they are con- 
 versing together, another figure partly emerges from the same tomb, 
 who proves to be Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, the father of Dante*s 
 friend Guido Cavalcanti ; and when from some remarks of the Poet 
 he concludes that his son is dead, he falls backwards in grief and 
 disappears. Farinata predicts to Dante impending misfortunes, and 
 explains to him the nature and amount of the knowledge possessed 
 by the spirits in Hell. The Poets now cross the sixth Circle. 
 
 Line i. secreto calle: 'a concealed path'; cp. Virg. Aen. 
 vi. 443, ' Secreti celant calles.* 
 
 2. Tra il muro, &c. : ' between the wall of the city of Dis and 
 the torments.' The question has been much debated, why the 
 heretics occupy this position immediately within the wall of the city 
 of Dis. The best answer to this seems to be that, owing to the 
 nature of Dante's scheme of punishments, which is set forth in 
 Canto XI, it was difficult to find an appropriate place for them, 
 and that under the circumstances this suggested itself as the most 
 suitable. For Dante's classification of sins was based on a moral 
 code, in accordance with which violence and fraud are punished 
 within the city of Dis (Inf. xi. 22 foil.), and the various forms 
 
 52 
 
X. 5-27] INFERNO 
 
 of incontinence outside it (Inf. xi. 70 foil.) ; whereas heresy is a sin 
 of the intellect, and therefore finds no place among them. But, 
 as it was necessary to introduce it somewhere, it was classed with 
 the worse order of offences in the lower j)art of Hell, because heresy 
 is a sin especially abhorrent to God ; and it was placed near to 
 the entrance of the city of Dis, in order that it might be kept 
 separate from the sins of violence and fraud. 
 
 5. Mi volvi : ' dost lead me round.' This passage shows that 
 the Poets' course was curved or spiral, as it naturally would be, 
 since the Inferno was funnel-shaped, and they descended continually 
 in the same (leftward) direction. 
 
 II. Josaffat: 'the valley of judgement.' Jehoshaphat means 
 'the Lord judgeth '; and since the prophet Joel (iii. 2, 12) speaks 
 of the Valley of Jehoshaphat at Jerusalem as the place where God 
 will hold judgement, it came to be regarded as the scene of the final 
 judgement, and it is so still among the Mahometans. 
 
 15. morta fanno : 'represent as dying.' During the thirteenth 
 century the denial of the immortality of the soul was imputed by 
 the Papal Curia to many of the Ghibellines, such as Farinata (1. 32) 
 and Cardinal Ubaldini (1. 120), who in consequence of this were 
 known as ' Epicureans.' 
 
 18. che tu mi taci: Virgil elsewhere (e.g. Inf. xxiii. 25-7) 
 describes himself as being a mirror to Dante's thoughts. The 
 desire here spoken of is probably that of seeing some Florentine 
 heretics, since scepticism was rife at this time in Florence. 
 
 21. non pur mo: 'not on the present occasion only.' mo is 
 Lat. modo. The ref. is to Inf. iii. 76-81, where Dante's fear 
 of vexing Virgil by his questions is described. 
 
 23. parlando onesto : as in Inf. ii. 113, this expression 
 implies ' skill in speech,' but here it refers specially to the use of 
 refined language (the volgare illustre). 
 
 25. La tua loquela: here, as in Inf. xxxiii. 11, 12 and Purg. 
 xvi. 137, some peculiarity of the lingua Toscana is meant, probably the 
 pronunciation ; hardly the dialect, which was anything but ]-efined. 
 
 27. troppo molesto: Farinata, who is here speaking, was in 
 the middle of Cent, xiii 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 injurious ' in his treatment of Florence was 
 when, after his expulsion from the city in 1258, he retired to Siena, 
 
 63 
 
INFERNO [X. 29-63 
 
 where he and his fellow exiles concerted the measures which led 
 to the great defeat of the Florentine Guelfs at Montaperti. 
 
 29. arche: 'coffers'; i.e. the tombs or sarcophagi in which 
 the spirits were confined. 
 
 35. ergea : syncopated form of ^r/g-^^7. 
 
 39. conte: 'well-considered,' since he was dealing with a man 
 of position and a political opponent. Conto, from meaning 'known,' 
 ' clear,' readily passes into the sense of ' well thought out.' 
 
 43. ubbidir : to comply with Virgil's admonition. 
 
 47,48. primi: 'forefathers.' parte: the Ghibellines. duefiate: 
 in 1248 and 1260. 
 
 50. r una e 1' altra fiata: the first time in 1251, after the 
 death of Frederic II; the second in 1266, after the battle of 
 Benevento. 
 
 51. vostri : here, and in 1. 63, where Cavalcante is addressed, 
 vostro is used for tuo as a mark of respect to the dignity of the 
 person spoken to ; cp. the use of the plural verb in 11. 1 10, 1 14. For 
 the other instances in the poem in which this occurs see note on 
 Purg. xxxiii. 92. quell' arte: the art of returning home. In 
 1280, when a reconciliation of the Guelf and Ghibelline parties took 
 place at Florence, the family of the Uberti were excepted, and were 
 not permitted to return. 
 
 52. 53. Allor, &c. : the order of the words is — 'allora un' 
 ombra surse lungo questa, scoperchiata alia vista infino al mento.' 
 Others take alia vista scoperchiata as ' at the uncovered mouth 
 of the tomb,' comparing Purg. x. 67, where vista means 'a window.* 
 Un' ombra : this is Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, father of Dante's 
 friend the poet Guido Cavalcanti, who married Farinata's daughter. 
 Boccaccio says that Cavalcante did not believe in a future life. In 
 several places in the Vita Nuova Dante speaks of Guido as his 
 most intimate friend, e. g. V. N. § 3, 11. 98, 99. 
 
 56, 57. altri: his son Guido. suspicar : 'questioning'; the 
 word expresses mingled doubt and hope. 
 
 63. Forse, &c. : the meaning of this line has not been clearly 
 explained. As the statement is qualified by forse, perhaps it 
 signifies that contempt of Virgil might be inferred from Guido's 
 writings. By some it is supposed — on the strength of Dante's 
 saying in the Vita Nuova (§ 31, 11. 21-4) that Guido desired 
 that he should write that work throughout in Italian — that he de- 
 
 64 
 
X. 64-87] INFERNO 
 
 predated the Latin language; and that this would cause him to 
 neglect Virgil as being a Latin author. 
 
 64, 65. Le sue, &c. : Dante had discovered who Cavalcante 
 was from his implying that his son was Dante's friend, and from 
 his being punished as a sceptic. 
 
 68, 69. " egli abbe " : the past tense seemed to imply that he did 
 so no longer, ancora : ' still.' lome : arch, for lume. 
 
 73, 74. a cui posta : 'at whose desire'; cp. Inf. xvi. 81, 
 a tua posta. Farinata's request that Dante should stop is mentioned 
 in 1. 24. non muto aspetto : Farinata's self-command was 
 shown by his not wincing or betraying emotion, while the fate of 
 his son-in-law was the topic of conversation. 
 
 79. cinquanta volte: the period meant is four years and two 
 months, i.e. from April, 1300, the supposed date of the Vision, 
 to June, 1304. It was about that time that the attempts of the 
 White Guelfs to secure their restoration to Florence finally failed, 
 and that Dante separated himself from his party. If a more exact 
 date than this is required, it may be that of the departure of Cardinal 
 Niccolo da Prato from Florence on June 4, 1304, which marked 
 the failure of the embassy of reconciliation between the rival factions 
 on which he was sent by Benedict XI. 
 
 80. delta donna che qui regge : this is Hecate, who is identi- 
 fied by Dante with Proserpine as the goddess who rules in Hell. 
 Here she represents the moon, according to the view of ancient 
 mythology. Other classical names of the moon which are found 
 in the Div. Com. are Delia \ Purg. xxix. 78; Trivia, Par. xxiii. 
 26 ; laJigUa di Latona, Par. x. 67. 
 
 8 1. quanto . . . pesa : ' the difficulty of.' 
 
 82. mai : 'hereafter'; see on 1. 94. regge: arch, for reggi, 
 which stands for riedi, 2nd pers. subj. pres. from riedere, ' to return ' ; 
 ' so may'st thou return.' For another instance of se with the subj. 
 expressing a wish or prayer cp. 1. 94. When this particle is thus 
 used, it is derived, not, as might appear at first sight, from Lat. 
 sic, but from si, and has a conditional force ( = ' if you wish that,' 
 &c.) ; see Diez, Gram., vol. iii. pp. 328, 329. 
 
 84. a' miei : ' against my relations,' the Uberti ; see note on 
 
 1.51- 
 
 85-7. Lo strazio : the battle of Montaperti, which was fought 
 on the banks of the Arbia, Sept. 4, 1260. scempio : 'massacre'; 
 
 55 
 
INFERNO [x. 89-109 
 
 cp. Purg. xii. 55. It Is derived from Lat. exemplum^ and gets this 
 meaning from that of ' exemplary punishment ' ; Korting, W'ort.^ 
 No. 2941. Tale orazion, &c. : 'causes such addi-esses (i.e. 
 deliberations and decrees against the Uberti) to be made in our 
 temple.' The ' temple ' is the church of San Giovanni, where 
 popular assemblies were held. Or the meaning may be, ' causes 
 such prayers to be offered up in our church for deliverance from the 
 machinations of the Uberti.' 
 
 89, 90. A cio : at the battle of Montaperti. He sighs (so- 
 spirando) at the thought of having fought against Florence at all. 
 Senza cagion : his justification was his unjust banishment, mosso : 
 ' set forth.' 
 
 91-3. fu' io sol: take with Colui below; 'I and I only was 
 the man.' cola : at Empoli, where the Ghibellines in council 
 proposed the destruction of Florence, and Farinata opposed it single- 
 handed. In recognition of this his statue now stands in front of 
 the Ufizi among those of the heroes of Florence, a viso aperto : 
 ' openly,' ' boldly.' 
 
 94-6. Se riposi mai, &c. : on Se see note to 1. 82 ; 'so may 
 your descendants hereafter find repose,' i. e. may they be restored to 
 Florence, ha inviluppata, &c. : ' has entangled my judgement.' 
 The difficulty (nodo) which puzzles Dante is that, whereas Farinata 
 is able to predict future events (11. 79-81), Cavalcante is unaware of 
 his son's present condition (1. 60). 
 
 97-9. se ben odo : i. e. if I understand aright what I have 
 heard, tenete altro modo : 'take a different course,' i.e. are in 
 ignorance. 
 
 100—2. mala luce: 'imperfect sight,' i.e. longsightedness, 
 technically called presbyopy, when near objects are seen indistinctly, 
 but distant ones plainly, lontano : adv. Cotanto, &c. : ' so much 
 light is still vouchsafed to us by God.' 
 
 104. non ci apporta : 'does not bring us news.' 
 
 107, 108. da quel punto, &c. : after the judgement eternity will 
 commence, and then there will be no more future time. By cono- 
 scenza, then, is meant the knowledge of present and future events, 
 as distinguished from the memory of the past, which would remain 
 with them. 
 
 109. mia colpa: his remissness, in not at once answering 
 Cavalcante's question. 
 
 56 
 
X. 113-35] INFERNO 
 
 1 13, 1 14. ei : both this form and / are used for gli. Translate — 
 ' inform him that I did not answer because my thoughts were even 
 then occupied by the perplexing question (error) which you have 
 solved for me.' 
 
 116. piii avaccio : 'with more eager haste.' avaccio is an 
 obsolete adv. ; cp. Inf. xxxiii. 106. 
 
 119, 120. Federico : Frederic II, to whom Dante on other 
 grounds awards high praise in the De Vulg. Eloq. (i. 12, 11. 20 foil.), 
 was regarded by his contemporaries as a heretic, il Cardinale : 
 Ottaviano degli Ubaldini. The evidence of his scepticism was, 
 according to Benvenuto, that on one occasion he said, ' Si anima est, 
 ego perdidi ipsam miljies pro Ghibelinis.' 
 
 123. quel parlar: viz. Farinata's prophetic intimation in 11. 
 79-81. 
 
 127-32. La mente tua, &c. The general meaning of this 
 passage is as follows : ' Store up in your mind what you have heard 
 to your disadvantage, but for the present occupy yourself with what 
 lies before you ; afterwards Beatrice will reveal to you your coming 
 fortunes.' Drizzo il dito : he pointed with his finger to the scene 
 before them, thus enforcing his injunction to Dante that he should 
 give his attention to the sights and warnings of Hell (attend! 
 qui). 
 
 131. quell a : Beatrice is meant, but hers is one of the sacred 
 names which are not mentioned in Hell. In reality, when the time 
 arrives, she does not herself reveal Dante's fortunes to him, but 
 refers him to his ancestor Cacciaguida (Par. xvii. 7). 
 
 133. a man sinistra: hitherto they had been keeping the wall 
 on their right hand (see Inf. ix. 132, 133) ; hence, in order to cross 
 the circle, they had to turn to the left. 
 
 135. unavalle: the seventh Circle, fiede : ' strikes,' 'leads.' 
 
 CANTO XI 
 
 Argument. — In this Canto Virgil communicates to Dante a 
 classification of the sins which are punished in the lower part of 
 Hell. All wrong dealing {malizia) takes the form either of violence 
 or of fraud. Violence, which is punished in the seventh Circle, is 
 of three kinds, according as it is used against God, or against oneself, 
 
 57 
 
INFERNO [XI. 1-8 
 
 or against one's neighbour; and the three classes of sinners thus 
 constituted are tormented in three different rings or compartments of 
 this Circle. Violence may be done in two ways under either 
 of these three heads, according as It is offered to the person himself 
 or to that which belongs to him : hence in the first ring are placed 
 those who wrong their fellow men by murder or by robbery ; in the 
 second those who take their own lives or waste their own posses- 
 sions ; in the third those who blaspheme God or violate Nature's 
 laws. 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. Those persons who practise ordinary fraud are placed 
 in the eighth Circle ; while those who violate a special tie, i. e. 
 traitors, are in the ninth. Sins of incontinence, which are less 
 heinous than sins of violence and fraud, are punished in the part 
 of Hell which is above the city of Dis. Virgil further explains 
 to Dante why usury is an offence against God. 
 
 Lines 1-3. ripa: thisbankof rocks forms the boundary between 
 the sixth and seventh Circles, piii crudele stipa : ' throng of 
 more woful sufferers ' ; for stipa cp. Inf. xxiv. 82, ' Terribile 
 stipa di serpenti.' 
 
 4, 5. r orribile soperchio Del puzzo. In defence of the 
 introduction of this feature Burke may be quoted, who says {Essay 
 on the Sublime and Beautiful)^ ' No smells or tastes can produce a grand 
 sensation, except excessive bitters and intolerable stenches ' ; in 
 illustration of the latter point he quotes Virg. jien. vi. 239-41 and 
 vii. 83, 84. 
 
 8. Anastasio papa : this is Anastasius II, who was Pope 
 in 496-8 A. D. The story relating to him is this. During the 
 fourteen years preceding his election serious differences had existed 
 between the Eastern and Western Churches in connexion with the 
 subject of the Monophysite heresy, which had been condemned 
 at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 ; and because of a supposed 
 proclivity towards that heresy the name of Acacius the Patriarch of 
 Constantinople was struck off the roll of Patriarchs by the heads 
 of the Roman Church. Anastasius, when he became Pope, was in 
 favour of reconciliation, and accorded a favourable reception to 
 Photinus, a deacon of Thessalonica, who had been sent to him 
 from Constantinople with the view of obtaining the restoration 
 
 58 
 
XI. 13-36] INFERNO 
 
 of the name of Acacius to the roll. This action on his part 
 gave offence to the Roman clergy, and afterwards (on the authority 
 of Gratian) the story arose that Anastasius was persuaded to heresy 
 by Photinus. 
 
 13. compenso : the classification of the sins punished in Hell 
 which follows finds its counterpart in the account of those expiated 
 in Purgatory, which is given in Purg. xvii. 82 foil., and there, as here, 
 the subject is introduced in answer to an appeal on Dante's part for 
 the employment of a period of delay. 
 
 16-8. cotesti sassi : the alta r'lpa^ formed by the gran pietre 
 rotte in cerchio. cerchietti : the seventh, eighth, and ninth Circles, 
 being much smaller in circuit than the first six, are here called ' little 
 circles.' Di grade, &c. : ' descending in steps, like the Circles 
 already passed.' lassi : for lasci ; cp. lassa^ Inf. iii. 49. 
 
 20, 21. basti: i.e. without further inquiry. Hitherto Dante 
 has frequently questioned Virgil about the classes of sinners punished 
 in the different Circles ; from this time he does so no longer. 
 come, e perche, &c. : ' the system and the reason of their durance ' ; 
 i. e. the arrangement of the punishments, and the classes of sins for 
 which the punishments are inflicted. 
 
 22-4. For a resume of the classification which follows see the 
 Argument; this should be consulted throughout. Dante's system 
 is that of Aristotle, to whom he refers in 1. 80, but in the present 
 passage his immediate authority seems to be Cicero, De Off. i. 13. 
 41, ' Cum autem duobus modis, id est aut vi aut fraude, fiat iniuria, 
 fraus quasi vulpeculae, vis leonis videtur ; utrumque homine alienis- 
 simum, sed fraus odio digna maiore.' See Moore, Studies^ i. 
 p. 259. malizia : ' wrong dealing,' il fine : ' the object aimed at.' 
 
 25. deir uom proprio : because it involves the use of reason, 
 whereas violence is common to the irrational animals. 
 
 28. il prime cerchio : the seventh Circle, which is the first of 
 the three here spoken of. 
 
 31-3. puone : a Tuscan form of pub ; cp. fene, Inf. xviii. 87. 
 Casini says that in that dialect ne was attached to verbal forms 
 without having a distinctive meaning, in lor cose : this applies to 
 all three, the cose di Dio being natura e sua boniade^ 1. 48. con 
 aperta ragione : ' by clear argument.' 
 
 36. toilette dannose : ' wrongful exactions ' ; the two words 
 are equivalent to mal iolletto in Par. v. 33, the maktollettum of 
 
 59 
 
INFERNO [XI. 37-63 
 
 mediaeval Lat., which signifies ' extortions ' ; cp. also maltolta moneta 
 in Inf. xix. 98. 
 
 37. omicide : arch, iox omicidi. 
 
 42. senza pro: 'without avail'; in Purgatory the repentance 
 would be availing, in Hell it is renwrse. 
 
 44, 45. Biscazza, &c. : the principle which connects prodigality 
 and suicide is derived from Ar. Eth. iv. i . 5 SoKct 8' aTrwAeta rts 
 avrov ctvat koX rj tt}? ovcria<i cfiOopd, ws rov t,rjv 8ta. rovroiv ovroq. 
 Hence the suicides and prodigals are punished together, piange, 
 &c. : by doing so the man wastes the good things which have been 
 given him to enjoy. 
 
 47, 48. Col cor : Ps. xiv. i, 'The fool hath said in his heart, 
 there is no God'; cp. 1. 51. sua: God's. 
 
 49-51. suggella Del segno sue : 'stamps with its seal,' i.e. 
 sets its mark upon, claims as its own. Sodoma : those who do 
 violence to nature. Gen. xix. 5. Caorsa : those who do violence 
 to the gifts of nature, or wealth, by practising usury. Cahors in the 
 south of France was one of the most noted seats of usury in the 
 middle ages. E chi, &c. : ' and those who speak in their heart in 
 contempt of God.' 
 
 52. end' ogni, &c. : i.e. 'every one who commits fraud is 
 conscious of his sin ' ; the fraudulent man is not carried away 
 by passion, like many of the violent, but calculates his crime 
 beforehand. But others say — ' all mankind are conscious of being 
 guilty of deceit,' comparing Rom. iii. 11— 3, 'there is none righteous, 
 no, not one ; . . . with their tongues they have used deceit.' 
 
 54. fidanza non imborsa : ' does not repose confidence in 
 him.' 
 
 55? 56. Questo mode di retro : 'this latter mode.' Pur lo 
 vinco, &c. : ' only the natural bond of love.' 
 
 57. cerchio secondo : the eighth Circle, which is the second 
 of those now under consideration. The sins here enumerated are 
 punished in various compartments or bolge of that Circle. 
 
 58. afFattura : ' deals in witchcraft.' Ducange give affciciurator 
 as ' a sorcerer ' in mediaeval Lat. The derivation is obscure. 
 
 62, 63. quel oh* e, &c. : i. e. where there is not only the 
 universal bond which links man to man, but a special bond in addition 
 to this, arising from such causes as relationship, benefits conferred, 
 friendship, &c, cria : for crea, 
 
 60 
 
XI. 64-94] INFERNO 
 
 64, 65. cerchio minore : the ninth Circle, which is the smallest, 
 il punto : 'the centre'; cp. Inf. xxxii. 73. Dite : i.e. Lucifer; 
 cp. Inf. xii. 39. 
 
 68. ragione : 'reasoning' ; for rag'wnamento^ as in 1. 33. 
 
 70. Quel, &c. : this clause and the three following describe 
 respectively the occupants of the fifth, the second, the third, and the 
 fourth Circles ; in the latter clauses quel is to be supplied before che. 
 
 73—5. roggia : 'fiery-red'; cp. Inf. viii. 70-4. a tal fog- 
 gia: 'in such a case'; foggia, lit. 'fashion,' 'condition.' 
 
 76—8. Perche, &c. : ' why does thy mind wander so far 
 from its accustomed good sense ? or on what object in another 
 direction are thy thoughts fixed ? ' 
 
 79. ti rimembra : the vb. is impersonal; cp. 'vi r'tcorda^ Inf. 
 ix. 98. 
 
 80. la tua Etica : Ar. Eth. vii. i. i, where the three states 
 mentioned are aKpao-ta, KaKta, and OrjpioTr]'; : these correspond 
 respectively to incontinenza, malizia (fraud), and bestialitade 
 (violence). In the Latin translation of Aristotle the three Aristo- 
 telian terms are rendered by incontinentia, malltla, and bestlalltas. 
 (Hence it appears that malizia in the present passage is used in 
 a different sense from what it is in 1. 22, where it means 'wrong 
 dealing ' generally, and includes violence.) It may here be noticed 
 that Dante's knowledge of Aristotle's works — his familiarity with 
 which is implied by such expressions as la tua Etlca, la tua Flslca 
 (1. loi) — was derived from two classes of Latin translations, viz. 
 the Old, which were made from Arabic versions, and the New, 
 which were of more recent date, and were made directly from the 
 Greek. See Moore, Studies, i. pp. 307 foil. 
 
 82-4. la matta Bestialitade: ' unreasoning bestiality.' men 
 biasimo accatta : ' receives less blame ' ; cp. Ar. Eth. vii. 7. 7 
 cXttTTov 8e 67)pL6Tr]<; /caKtas. accatta : lit. ' gets.' accattare, like 
 Fr. acheter, is derived from med. Lat. accapltare {adcaptare) ; 
 Diez, Wort., p. 5. 
 
 87. su di fuor : in the upper part of Hell, outside the city 
 of Dis. 
 
 94. indietro : 1. 50, where Caorsa is mentioned as a seat of 
 usury. The view of money-lending which Dante here sets forth is 
 that of Aristotle, Pol. i. 10. 5 6 8c to/cos ytVcrat v6fXL(r/xa 
 vo/xicr/JLaros' uxrre kol /aoAtora Trapa <fiV(nv ovtos twv ■^(p'ltjfx.aTLcrixtiv 
 
 61 
 
INFERNO [XI. 96-108 
 
 l(Triv. Usury was also forbidden by the Mosaic law, but only in the 
 case of Hebrews; Deut. xxiii. 19, 20. 
 
 96. groppo : ' knot/ It is the same as our ' group ' (Skeat) ; 
 and so is used for ' heap * in Inf. xiii. 123, and for ' cluster ' in Inf. 
 xxxiii. 97. 
 
 97— III. Filosofia, &c. Virgil's answer is to this effect, 
 ' We learn from philosophy that the operations of nature proceed 
 directly from God, and those of art indirectly, because art consists 
 in the imitation of nature (11. 97—105). Again, the Bible teaches 
 us, that it is by these two principles, nature and art, that the system 
 of man's life should be ordered (11. 106-8). But usury, or making 
 money out of money, is a process which is regulated neither by nature 
 nor by art, and therefore it is not in accordance with God's laws * 
 (11. 109-11). By art — as we learn from 1. 108 (where see note) — 
 is meant the artificial production of things, which is derived by 
 imitation from nature. 
 
 98. non pure, &c. : ' in more than one branch of the subject.' 
 
 100. sua arte : i. e. God's scheme of creation and the laws He 
 appointed for it. 
 
 roi, 102. la tua Fisica : the P/^jj/Vj of Aristotle, non dope 
 molte carte : near the beginning of the treatise; Ar. Phys. ii. 2. 7 
 
 104. come, &c. : ' as the scholar does his master.* fa here, like 
 our ' does,' repeats the meaning of another and transitive verb. 
 When, as in this instance, it is followed by a case, the use is 
 somewhat rare ; cp. Inf. xxv. 132; xxxii. 132. 
 
 105. nipote : human art is the immediate descendant of nature, 
 nature of the Divine intelligence. 
 
 107. Lo Genesi dal principio : here in quoting from the Bible, 
 as in ' non dopo molte carte ' (1. 102) when quoting from Aristotle, 
 Dante gives an approximate reference. It need hardly be remarked 
 that, whether a work is subdivided or not, a poet cannot quote 
 by chapter and verse. Cp. Inf. xx. 113, where Virgil, in quoting 
 a passage from the yleneid, says, ' L' alta mia Tragedia in alcun 
 loco.' 
 
 108. Prender, &c. : 'that mankind should gain their Hvelihood 
 and prosper.' The passages in Genesis here referred to are (i) 
 Gen. ii. 1 5, which mentions the Divine appointment in the Garden of 
 Eden that men should get their livelihood from nature, i. e. natural 
 
 62 
 
XI. no— XII. 3] INFERNO 
 
 fruits; and (2) Gen. Hi. 19, * In the sweat of thy face shalt thou 
 eat bread,' which implies that they should get their livelihood by 
 artificial means. These commands were given to Adam and Eve, 
 in whom mankind (la gente) potentially existed. 
 
 no, III. Per se, &c. : 'the usurer depreciates nature, both in 
 herself, and in her imitator,' viz. art. in altro : in the unnatural 
 process of money making money. 
 
 1 13. i Pesci : the Fishes are the sign of the Zodiac that precedes 
 Aries, in which the sun now was ; consequently the time intended 
 is some time before sunrise (perhaps 3 a.m.) on Easter Eve. 
 
 114. il Carro, &c. : 'the Great Bear (Charles's Wain) lies 
 right over the north-west point ' ; this is the case at the time of the 
 rising of Pisces in the latitude of Jerusalem. Coro (Lat. Caurus) 
 from meaning the north-west wind is here used for that quarter. 
 
 115. E il balzo, &c. : ' and onward there a space (via la oltra) 
 the ridge of rock is descended.' 
 
 CANTO XII 
 
 Argument. — A steep descent now leads into the first ring of the 
 seventh Circle, which contains those who sinned by violence against 
 their neighbour ; they are plunged in Phlegethon, a river of boiling 
 blood, more or less deeply according to the degree of their guilt. 
 The approach to this ring is guarded by the Minotaur, and in the 
 neighbourhood of Phlegethon are numerous Centaurs, whose function 
 it is to watch the spirits, and ensure their receiving their due measure 
 of suffering. Chiron, their leader, at Virgil's request appoints 
 Nessus, his subordinate, as their guide to the ford by which the 
 river can be passed; and as they proceed, Nessus points out to 
 them the most conspicuous of the guilty souls, among whom are 
 tyrants like Dionysius of Syracuse, assassins like Guy of Montfort, 
 and notorious highwaymen. At the point where the stream is 
 lowest Dante crosses it, riding on the back of Nessus. 
 
 Lines 2, 3. per quel, &c. : ' owing to the object (the Minotaur) 
 which withal was there, the spot was such as every eye would shun.' 
 If the comma is omitted after anco, it runs thus — ' and withal (i. e. 
 independently of its Alpine wildness) owing to the object,' &c. 
 
 63 
 
INFERNO [XII. 4-17 
 
 4, 5. quella ruina, &c. : the ' rock-fall ' here is the Slavini di 
 Marco near Roveredo, about fifteen miles below Trent. The local 
 traditions of that place— according to which Dante became acquainted 
 with the rock-fall when residing at the neighbouring castle of 
 Lizzana, where he was entertained by its owner, the lord of Castel- 
 barco, at the time when he was at the court of the Scaligers — are 
 given by Barlow {The Vernon Dante, &c., p. 75). Taken by 
 themselves they are not of great value, but they receive some 
 confirmation from Dante's description, which implies that he had 
 seen the spot ; and the friendship which existed between the 
 Scaligers and the lord of Castelbarco suggests that a visit to his 
 castle would have been the most likely opportunity for him to 
 do so. percosse : take with nel fianco, ' struck the Adige in flank.* 
 
 6. sostegno manco : the cause of the rock- fall here given — 
 which, as Benvenuto mentions, is that assigned to it by Albertus 
 Magnus in his De Meteoris — is the true one. It was ' occasioned 
 by the fall of the oolitic and clay strata of the mountains ' ; Murray, 
 Handbook for S. Germany, p. 339. Most landslips arise in this 
 way, e. g. the well-known one of the Rossberg near Goldau in 
 Switzerland. 
 
 8, 9. discoscesa, &c. : ' the rock is so shattered, that it would 
 afford a possible track ' ; the meaning is that, whereas the mountain- 
 side was precipitous before, the landslip had made it possible, though 
 not easy, to descend. The meaning of discoscesa is determined 
 by that of the corresponding verb scoscendere, which in Inf. xxiv. 
 42; Purg. xiv. 135; Par. xxi. 12 means 'to break' or 'rend.' 
 For its etymology see note on Inf. xvii. 121. 
 
 10. burrato : 'chasm'; cp. Inf. xvi. 114. 
 
 1 1-3. punta : ' edge,' ' rim ' ; cp. testa for ' ridge ' in Inf. xvii. 
 43. lacca: 'hollow,' i.e. the Circle; see note on Inf. vii. 16. 
 L' infamia, &c. : this is the Minotaur, who is the guardian of this 
 Circle, and symbolically represents force and fury. He is called 
 ' the infamy of Crete ' because of his origin from a bull and Pasiphae, 
 who with a view to that criminal connexion entered the figure of 
 a wooden cow (la falsa vacca). The story is from Virg. Aen. 
 vi. 24-6. Creti: for Creta, as in Cowo. iv. 27, 1. 160. 
 
 15. fiacca: ' overpowers,' lit. ' breaks.' 
 
 17. il duca d' Atene: Theseus, who killed the Minotaur. 
 Shakespeare by a similar anachronism makes him Duke of Athens 
 
 64 
 
XII. 20-45] INFERNO 
 
 in the Midsummer Night^s Dream. In both cases the title was 
 suggested by that of the Frankish rulers of that place subsequently 
 to the fourth Crusade. 
 
 20. Ammaestrato, &c. : tutored by Ariadne, who was child 
 of Paslphae by Minos, and therefore sister to the Minotaur, and 
 who instructed Theseus in killing that prodigy. 
 
 22. si slaccia: 'breaks his tether'; probably at the altar, the 
 idea being suggested by Virg. Jlen. ii. 223, 224, 'fugit cum 
 saucius aram Taurus,' &c. in quella : understand ora\ cp. Inf. 
 viii. 16. 
 
 26, 27. varco : the passage, which had previously been occupied 
 by the Minotaur, ti cale : ' descend,' the track being precipitous. 
 28-30. lo scarce, &c. : 'that fallen mass of stones'; scarco 
 for scarico^ lit. ' unlading.' nuovo : ' unwonted,' as in Inf. ix. 3 ; 
 the weight of Dante's material body is referred to. 
 
 34. vuo' : for voglio. V altra fiata : the occasion mentioned 
 in Inf. ix. 22. 
 
 37, 38. poco pria, &c. : the reference in what follows (11. 40-5) 
 is to the earthquake at the time of the Crucifixion, when ' the rocks 
 were rent ' ; this took place shortly before the Descent into Hell. 
 The rending of the rocks on that occasion has given birth to various 
 legends, e. g. that relating to Monserrat (Mons Serratus) in Spain, 
 the jagged peaks of which are said to have been then formed, la 
 gran preda : the souls of the Patriarchs, who were delivered from 
 Limbo (11 cerchio superno). 
 
 42, 43. e chi creda: imitated from the Lat. 'est qui credat.' 
 The doctrine here referred to is that of Empedocles, that periodically , 
 (Fill volte) the universe was organized and disorganized by hate 
 and love. Dante was acquainted with it through Aristotle, who 
 mentions and criticizes Empedocles' views in Met. ii. 4. 15 fo^l* 
 In the present passage it is implied that love was the disorganizing 
 element. The explanation of this would be, that the universe was 
 organized by the union of unlike elements ; but love caused like things 
 to combine with like, and thus dissolved this union, and with it the 
 organization, thereby producing chaos, mondo in : the metrical 
 hiatus between these words is strange, and has given rise to several 
 various readings. 
 
 45. altrove : a similar ruined place is mentioned in Inf. xxi. 
 106-8, but it is clear from that passage that Virgil was not yet 
 
 TOZER 65 F 
 
INFERNO [xii. 46-79 
 
 aware of its existence. Hence it is probable that altrove here 
 is used generally, without reference to any particular spot known 
 to him. 
 
 46, 47. a valle: 'downwards'; cp. Inf. xx. 35. La riviera 
 del sangue : the name of this river is not given here, but it is seen 
 to be Phlegethon from Inf. xiv. 130—5. 
 
 49-51. e ria e folle: ira folk is also read, immolle: 
 ' steeps,' i. e. in the blood. 
 
 52—4. fossa, &c. : 'a moat bent into an arc, corresponding to 
 that which according to my guide's account encloses the whole level.' 
 Secondo, &c. : the information which Virgil had given on this 
 point is contained in two passages, viz. 1. 47, where the river 
 (= fossa here) is mentioned, and xi. 39, where the 'ring' (= in 
 arco torta) is spoken of. 
 
 55, 56. in traccia : ' on the trail,' i. e. in pursuit of those 
 sinners who try to escape their punishment; cp. 1. 74. Centauri : 
 the Centaurs, like the Minotaur, being half beast, represent the 
 bestial {Or)pi(i)8r)s) nature of ' brute ' violence. 
 
 66. Mai: 'to your hurt'; cp. Inf. ix. 54. tosta : 'hasty'; 
 referring to the attempt of Nessus to carry off Deianeira, the wife 
 of Hercules. The story, which Dante knew from Ovid, Mel. ix. 
 1 01 foil., was that when he seized her he was shot by Hercules, 
 and before dying, to avenge himself, gave her a garment imbmed 
 with his own blood, telling her that it was a charm by which to 
 retain her husband's love. When Deianeira used it for this purpose 
 on a subsequent occasion, the poison from the arrow which had 
 mixed with the blood caused Hercules' death. 
 
 67-9. tento: 'touched,' calling his attention, egli stesso : 
 i. e. he did not leave it to another to exact vengeance for him, but 
 provided for it himself. 
 
 70-2. che al petto si mira : ' whose eyes are fixed on his 
 breast'; perhaps this thoughtful attitude signifies that Chiron was 
 a sage, which was his character in Greek mythology. si pien 
 d' ira : cp. Virg. Georg. ii. 456, ' furentes Centauros . . . Rhoetum- 
 que Pholumque.' 
 
 75. sua colpa: they were immersed more or less in proportion 
 to the heinousness of their sin. 
 
 77. la cocca: the notch end of the arrow. 
 
 79. scoperta : ' uncovered,' ' exposed to view.' 
 
 66 
 
XII. 83-107] INFERNO 
 
 83, 84. gli era al petto, &c. : ' was over against his breast, 
 where the two natures (the human and equine parts of his body) 
 join.' 
 
 85-7. soletto : without other company. Dante lays stress on 
 the soHtude of his journey in Inf. ii. 3, to sol uno. Necessity, 
 &c. : this journey was his only hope of restoration to a godly life ; 
 cp. Purg. XXX. 136-8. 
 
 88. Tal: Beatrice; cp. Inf. ii. 70, 71. 
 
 90. ladron : i. e. one who might be condemned to this Circle. 
 anima fuia : ' a fraudulent spirit,' whose place would be in the eighth 
 or ninth Circle. For the meaning of fuia cp. Par. ix. 75, where 
 futa dise means ' concealing (lit. stealing away) itself.' It is probably 
 derived from L at. jTwr; Diez, Wort., p. 373. 
 
 91-3. per quella virtii : 'I pray thee by that divine power.* 
 a pruovo : 'near,' 'in company'; Lat. ad prope\ Diez, Gram., 
 vol. ii. p. 435. 
 
 97. destra : the three Centaurs were drawn up in front of them, 
 Chiron in the middle, Nessus on his right, Pholus on his left. 
 But the reason why Chiron's turning to the right is mentioned 
 probably is, that here he is doing a good and serviceable act, of which 
 this movement was emblematic. 
 
 98, 99. Nesso : he is chosen to guide them to the ford (1. 94) 
 because Ovid in the passage already mentioned calls him ' scitus 
 vadorum,' Met. ix. 108. Toma : 'return'; they had come to 
 meet Virgil and Dante, 1. 59. si : as Virgil had requested, 1. 94. 
 fa cansar: 'cause the other band to withdraw.' cansar for 
 cansarsl. 
 
 105. dier . . . di piglio : with sangue this means 'imbrued 
 their hands in.' There is a xeugma here (the verbal expression 
 being used in different senses with the two substantives sangue and 
 aver), for dar dt piglio means ' to lay hands on.' 
 
 106. danni : the wrongs they have inflicted. 
 
 107. Alessandro : this is supposed by some to be Alexander 
 of Pherae, who was notorious for his ferocity; and this view is 
 supported by a passage in Cicero {De Of. ii. 7. 25), where he is 
 mentioned, as he is here, in connexion with Dionysius of Syracuse 
 as a typical tyrant. But it would be strange if the name of 
 Alexander should be used without further explanation of any other 
 than Alexander the Great; and, in reality, Orosius, who was 
 
 67 F 2 
 
INFERNO [XII. 110-18 
 
 Dante's chief authority for the facts of ancient history, speaks in 
 the strongest language of the bloodthirstiness and cruelty of that 
 conqueror (see the passages quoted in Toynbee's Diet., p. 23). 
 Lucan also denounces him in similar language (Phars. x. 20 foil.). 
 No doubt Dante speaks of Alexander the Great in high terms of 
 praise in Conv. iv. 11, 11. 123-5, on account of his liberality; but we 
 have already seen in the case of Frederic II (see note on Inf. x. 119) 
 that he was able to appreciate the two sides of a historical character. 
 Dionisio : Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse. 
 
 no. Azzolino: Ezzelino da Romano (i 194-1259), lord of 
 the March of Treviso, whose atrocities are again referred to in Par. 
 ix. 29, 30. Symonds says of him (^Renaissance in Itafy^ i. p. 42), 
 ' His one passion was the greed of power, heightened by the lust 
 for blood.' 
 
 Ill, 112. Opizzo : Obizzo, marquis of Ferrara (1264-93). 
 Benvenuto applies the epithet ' violentus ' to him. figliastro : ' step- 
 son.' His son and successor Azzo is meant, by whom he was said 
 to have been murdered. The form of assertion which Dante uses 
 (per vero) implies that this was doubted. Benvenuto says that he 
 got the story from the chronicler Ricobaldo of Ferrara. The 
 expression ' step-son ' is a term of reproach, referring either to 
 the unnatural character of his crime, or to the supposed unfaith- 
 fulness of his mother. 
 
 114. Questi, &c. : Dante turned to Virgil to inquire whether 
 he confirmed these statements, and Virgil said, ' Take Nessus now 
 as your prime authority, and regard me as only second to him.' 
 
 117. bulicame: 'boiling stream.' This line and 1. 128 are 
 the only two places in the Div. Com. where this word occurs 
 besides Inf. xiv. 79, where it is the proper name of the hot spring 
 near Viterbo. Hence it seems probable that the word in its more 
 general meaning was derived from the name of that spring (so 
 Buti, Blanc, Vocab. Tramater). It is noticeable, as suggesting an 
 association of ideas between the two in Dante's mind, that Viterbo 
 was the scene of the murder which is mentioned in the next three 
 lines. 
 
 118. dair un canto sola: the reason of his solitary position 
 was that, as an Englishman, he belonged to a remote race and 
 country. Cp. the case of Henry III of England in Purg. vii. 131, 
 and that of Saladin in Inf. iv. 129. 
 
 68 
 
XII. 119-37] INFERNO 
 
 119, 120. Colui : Guy de Monfort, son of Simon de Monfort, 
 who in 1270 slew Henry, son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in 
 a church in Vitcrbo during the celebration of mass (in grembo a 
 Dio). For the use of grembo of a place cp. Purg. v. 75, 'in 
 grembo agli Antenori.' Lo cor, &c. : the story here referred to, of 
 Henry's heart being preserved in a pillar on a bridge over the 
 Thames in London, was believed at that time in Italy, but is 
 almost certainly fabulous, for it is not mentioned by any English 
 chronicler. Henry was buried in the Cistercian Abbey at Hayles 
 in Gloucestershire. 
 
 127. da questa parte: on the side from which they came. 
 
 131. si raggiunge : i. e. after having completed the circle. 
 
 133-6. di qua: on the farther side, flagello : as being 'the 
 Scourge of God.' Pirro e Sesto : Pyrrhus is placed here because 
 he ravaged Italy ; Sextus Pompeius on account of his piratical 
 campaigns, in etemo, «fec. : ' causes to flow (lit. milks) eternally 
 the tears, which by its boiling heat it extorts from,' &c. 
 
 137. Rinier : the two persons of that name here mentioned were 
 famous highwaymen. 
 
 CANTO XIII 
 
 Argument. — The second ring of the seventh Circle, which is 
 next entered, contains the souls of the violent against themselves 
 and their possessions — i. e. the suicides and the spendthrifts. The 
 scene is a pathless wood, where the souls are imprisoned in the 
 trunks of trees of forbidding aspect, and are haunted and tormented 
 by the Hai-pies. Here the Poets meet with Pier delle Vigne, the 
 secretary of Frederic II, who relates to them the story of his fall 
 from power and his suicide. He also explains to them the nature 
 of the punishment which is inflicted here. As he ceases speaking, 
 there suddenly appear two of the class of spendthrifts — Lano da 
 Siena and Jacomo da sant' Andrea of Padua — who are being pursued 
 and torn by wild black dogs. Finally, a nameless suicide from 
 Florence descants on the malign influence of the ancient statue of 
 Mars in that city. 
 
 The symbolism in this Canto is more than usually elaborate. 
 
 69 
 
INFERNO [xili. 5-25 
 
 The gloomy surroundings are emblematical of the hopelessness and 
 despair which characterize the crime of suicide. The Harpies 
 which tear off the leaves of the trees that contain the sinful souls 
 (1. loi) are essentially melancholy in character (11. 12, 15), and 
 represent brooding thoughts which prey on the mind. The pro- 
 hibition which prevents the suicides from reassuming their bodies 
 after the Judgement (11. 103—8), and the partial loss of individuality 
 involved in the vegetable growth with which they are identified, 
 correspond to the nature of their sin. Similarly in the case of the 
 spendthrifts, the dogs which rend them limb from limb (1. 128) 
 recall the manner in which they had squandered their property. 
 
 Line 5. schietti : ' straight and smooth.' 
 
 7-9. Non han, &c. : ' not so rough and tangled are the thickets, 
 which those wild beasts inhabit (han), which shun the cultivated 
 lands (i. e. inhabit the waste lands) between Cecina and Corneto.' 
 The meaning is clear, though the mode of expression is perplexing. 
 Tra Cecina e Corneto : as the river Cecina enters the sea to the 
 southward of Leghorn, and the town of Corneto lies northward of 
 Civit^ Vecchia, the district here meant is the marshy and unhealthy 
 country between the mountains of Tuscany and the sea, which is 
 known as the Maremma. 
 
 10-5. le bnitte Arpie, &c. : the story here referred to and 
 the description of the Harpies are from Virg. ^en. iii. 209 foil. 
 When Aeneas and his companions landed on the Strophades — two 
 small islands off the west coast of the Peloponnese — they were 
 driven away by the Harpies, who predicted to them impending 
 misfortunes. 
 
 18, 19. mentre Che: 'until.' sabbione : the scene of the 
 punishment of the sinners in the third ring. 
 
 21. torrien fede, &c. : 'would discredit tale of mine,' i.e. 
 would appear incredible, if I were to describe them. 
 
 25. The present Canto affords a number of instances of Dante's 
 fondness for the repetition of words, either in the same or in a 
 similar form, which device he uses for the sake of (i) antithesis, as 
 in 1. 72, ingiusto, giusto; (2) emphasis, as in 11. 67, 68, infiammb 
 &c. ; (3) mere fancifulness, as in the present line. Disdegnoso, 
 disdegno in 11. 70, 71 is another instance. For additional examples 
 see Inf. iv. 72-6, 0//0W; xxvi. 65, 66, prego\ xxx. 136, 137, sogna ; 
 
 70 
 
XIII. 3C-58] INFERNO 
 
 Purg. XX. I, 2, voler. piacer, and II. 65 foil., per ammenda ; xxiv. 
 148-51, sentii\ Par. xiv. 136, 137, escusar \ xx. 98, 99, 'vince. 
 
 30. monchi: 'maimed/ ' defective,' 'vain ' ; 'you will discover 
 that your ideas are all at fault.' 
 
 31. porsi la mano, &c. : the incident described in what follows 
 was derived from Virg. Aen. iii. 22 foil., where the story is told, 
 how Aeneas plucked a branch from a tree, whereupon blood issued, 
 and a voice was heard declaring that the shade of Polydorus, who had 
 been murdered by Polymestor king of Thrace, was imprisoned there. 
 
 38. pia : ' compassionate.' 
 
 40, 41. un stizzo verde, &c. : 'a green brand, lighted at one 
 end, which at the other drips ' : the relative is somewhat awkwardly 
 repeated, geme : for this meaning of gemere cp. Purg. xxv. 44. 
 It is similarly used as a Latin word in De Vulg. Eloq. i. 4, 
 II. 59, 60, ' ut [aer] aquam gemat.' In the present passage it will be 
 seen that geme corresponds to sangue (1. 44), while cigola corre- 
 sponds to parole. 
 
 43, 44. scheggia : ' splinter,' i. e. the torn bough, usciva : 
 a marked instance of the use of a sing, verb with two subjects, 
 because the first of the two is plur. As the verb precedes, it is 
 probably a quasi-absolute use (= 'there issued '), like that of soper- 
 chiava in Inf. xix. 22. la cima : the tip of the twig, by which he 
 was holding it. 
 
 48. Cio ch* ha, &c. : ' what he has hitherto realized only by 
 means of my poetry,' i. e. that a human life can be imprisoned within 
 a tree, as described in the case of Polydorus. 
 
 50, 51. la cosa incredibile : 'the incredibility of the thing'; 
 my object, Virgil says, was to persuade him of a thing so hard to 
 believe, a me stesso pesa : ' weighs on my conscience.' 
 
 57. Perche: here used simply for che^ 'that' ; cp. Purg. vi. 88. 
 a ragionar m' inveschi : ' am tempted (lit. ensnared) to discourse.' 
 Elsewhere in the Div. Com. the form is inviscare ; der. from Lat. 
 viscum, ' birdlime.' 
 
 58. lo son colui : this is Pier delle Vigne, the secretary and 
 confidante of Frederic II, who was ultimately disgraced on a charge 
 of treachery and blinded, and died in 1249. Various accounts are 
 given of the manner of his suicide, and Villani (vi. 22) even doubts 
 whether he killed himself at all. ambo le chiavi : the keys of 
 good-will and ill-will. 
 
 71 
 
INFERNO [XIII. 61-108 
 
 61. dal secreto, &c. : 'I removed almost every one from his 
 confidence.' 
 
 63. i sonni e i polsi : le vene e i polsi is also read, but i sonni 
 has far greater MS. authority (Moore, Text. Crit., p. 304) ; and 
 besides, le vene, &c., would mean ' it drained my life-blood,' and it is 
 not his death which is here referred to. The plur. sonni is found 
 in Italian, though it is rare. Purg. xxxii. 78, where it occurs, is 
 not a case in point, for it used there of the sleep of several persons. 
 
 64. La meretrice : 'envy'; cp. 1. 78. 
 
 67, 68. Infiammo : the repetition of the word in these two 
 lines is emphatic, expressing the spreading of the feeling. Augusto : 
 the emperor Frederic. 
 
 70-2. per disdegnoso gusto : 'prompted by disdainful feeling,' 
 lit. ' owing to my experience (taste) of the feeling of disdain.' It 
 is often interpreted as meaning ' owing to having tasted of the 
 disdain of others' ; but to take disdegnoso ('disdainful') in this 
 sense seems to be doing violence to the meaning of the adjective. 
 The disdain of others is expressed by disdegno in the following 
 line. Ingiustoy &c. : ' when I was just in my dealings with others, 
 my feelings caused me to treat myself unjustly.' 
 
 73. nuove: ' newly stmck' ; only fifty years had elapsed since 
 his death. 
 
 76, 77. di voi alcun : ' one of you two.' Conforti : 'let him 
 reinstate.' 
 
 85. Se : 'so may ' ; cp. Inf. x. 82, 94. 
 
 89, 90. nocchi : 'gnarled trunks.' si spiega : ' frees himself.* 
 
 94—6. feroce : 'in passionate mood,' that being the condition 
 of mind which is attributed to the suicide, foce : ' circle ' ; lit. 
 'opening,' 'gulf.' 
 
 98, 99. fortiina : the circumstance that the place in which they 
 spring up is determined by chance corresponds to the haphazard 
 way in which they have cast away their lives, gran di spelta : 
 this stands for any common quick-growing plant. 
 
 102. finestra : ' an outlet.' The rent made by the Harpies 
 became an outlet for the cries of pain ; cp. 11. 131, 132. 
 
 103, 104. spoglie : i. e. their bodies, which they would reclaim at 
 the Judgement. Ma non pero che : ' yet not so that any may,' &c. 
 
 108. prun : 'thorn-bush.' molesta : 'injurious,' because it had 
 wronged the body. 
 
 72 
 
XIII. 115-45] INFERNO 
 
 115. Ed ecco duo: these are souls of spendthrifts, a class of 
 sinners who, as we have seen (cp. Inf. xi. 40—4), were associated 
 with the suicides because they wasted their goods. 
 
 117. ogni rosta : 'all the tangled branches.' The primary 
 meaning of rosta, which has been much disputed, is ' a bough 
 with branches ' ; see Vocah. Tramater. 
 
 118, 119. accorri: ' hasten to my aid.' morte: as a spirit of 
 the dead is speaking, this must mean annihilation ; cp. Inf. iii. 46. 
 a cui, &c. : ' who thought his own pace too slow.' 
 
 120, 121. accorte: 'alert'; the • meaning of the passage is, 
 ' You did not run away like this, otherwise you would have escaped.' 
 The story of the time was, that Lano da Siena was a youthful 
 spendthrift, who when his fortunes were desperate, exposed himself 
 to certain death instead of running away at the battle of Pieve del 
 Toppo, when fighting against the people of Arezzo in 1288. 
 
 123. Di se, &c. : ' he flung himself into a bush so as to form 
 one heap with it,' his object being to hide himself. In this bush, 
 as we learn from 11. 131 foil., the soul of a suicide was imprisoned. 
 
 127. quel : Jacopo da sant' Andrea, a spendthrift of Padua, who 
 was put to death, it was said, by Ezzelino in 1239. 
 
 131, 132. piangea . . . invano : 'was uttering vain laments': 
 the dogs had torn him at the same time as the spirit who had taken 
 refuge under him. 
 
 134. Che t' e giovato : 'what hath it profited thee?' when 
 thou hast been lacerated notwithstanding. 
 
 136, 137. fermo : iox fermato. punte : these were the wounds, 
 which became al dolor Jinestra (1. 102). 
 
 143. lo fui, &c. : he does not tell his name, nor is it known 
 who he was. Benvenuto remarks that, as there were many suicides in 
 Florence at this time, Dante leaves the application open, so that it 
 might apply to any of them. 
 
 144. il primo padrone : Mars, to whom, according to the story- 
 then current, a temple was erected 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 (Villani, i. 
 42, 60). 
 
 145. r arte sua: i. e. in this case the propagation of domestic 
 strife. There is no great need to discuss the question whether 
 Dante himself in any degree shared the superstitious belief here 
 
 73 
 
INFERNO [xiii. 146-51 
 
 referred to. It was widely spread and very famous at this time, 
 and it is on this ground that he introduces it. In any case he 
 does not affirm it himself, but puts it into the mouth of another 
 Florentine. 
 
 146, 147. in sul passo d' Amo : 'on the crossing of the 
 Arno/ i. e. on the Ponte Vecchio, where the statue of Mars was 
 afterwards set up ; cp. Par. xvi. 47. The story was that when the 
 temple of Mars was converted into a church, the statue was set up 
 in a tower near the Arno, where it remained until the siege of the 
 city by Attila (or Totila), when it fell into the river. Subsequently 
 it was recovered and set up again on a pillar on the river-bank at the 
 point where the Ponte Vecchio was afterwards built (Villani, ii. 1 ; 
 iii. i). Rimane . . . alcuna vista ; ' there are some visible 
 remains.' 
 
 148-50. Quei cittadin, &c. : 'those citizens, who subsequently 
 rebuilt it on the ashes which remained from Attila's siege, would 
 have caused the work (of rebuilding) to be done in vain.' The 
 question is, who are meant by ' those citizens.' According to 
 Villani (iii. i) the city was rebuilt by Charles the Great and the 
 Romans, and they recovered and replaced the statue of Mars ; but 
 they were not cittadini, and il cener che d' Attila rimase would 
 be a strange way of describing a place that had been deserted for 
 several centuries. Another chronicler, Sanzanome, who lived at 
 the end of the twelfth and beginning of the thirteenth century, makes 
 no mention of Charles and the Romans, but says [Gesta Florenti- 
 norum^ p. 3) that Florence was rebuilt by the leading citizens (' per 
 proceres '), and implies that this was done immediately after its 
 destruction — both which statements are suitable to the present 
 passage. On the other hand he makes no mention of the statue 
 of Mars. From this it appears as if Dante had mixed up a number 
 of traditions on this subject which were current among the people. 
 Attila : Dante has here confused Attila with Totila, king of 
 the Ostrogoths — a mistake which is found In some other writers of 
 his time. Attila never came near Florence ; Totila besieged that 
 city, and according to the common tradition destroyed it, though in 
 reality he did not do so. 
 
 151. lo fei, &c. : the meaning is, ' I hung myself at home ' ; or 
 perhaps, ' I slung the fatal noose from my own roof ' (Cary). 
 
 74 
 
XIV. i-2i] INFERNO 
 
 CANTO XIV 
 
 Argument. — The third ring of the seventh Circle is that of the 
 violent against God, who occupy a sandy waste, and are tormented 
 by falHng flakes of fire. This form of sin — as has been explained 
 in Inf. xi. 46-51 — is of three kinds, according as it is directed 
 against God Himself, when it is blasphemy ; against nature, when 
 it is Sodomy ; and against the gifts of nature, i. e. wealth, when it 
 is usury. In the present Canto the punishment of the first of these, 
 blasphemy, is described. The most conspicuous representative of 
 this sin is Capaneus, one of the Seven against Thebes, who in the 
 midst of his suffering defies the Deity. The Poets now reach 
 the stream of Phlegethon, which issues from the wood of the 
 suicides, and crosses the waste of sand; the bank of this stream 
 they follow, because in its neighbourhood the falling fire is ex- 
 tinguished. The sight of it suggests to Virgil that he should explain 
 to Dante the origin of the infernal rivers. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Poiche, &c. : Dante here complies with the request 
 of the spirit who had last spoken (Inf. xiii. 139-42), in consideration 
 of his being a Florentine, ch' era gik fioco : ' who was by this 
 time faint ' ; the faintness must have been apparent in his voice, 
 which was the only evidence that could show it. 
 
 7,8. nuove : ' strange.' una landa : ' a waste ' ; the name of 
 the Grandes Landes, as the uncultivated district between Bordeaux 
 and Bayonne is called, illustrates the meaning of the word. 
 
 II, 12. il fosso tristo : Phlegethon ; cp. Inf. xii. 52. a randa 
 a randa : ' on the very edge ' ; the repetition of the word in this 
 and similar idioms adds precision and force to the statement. 
 randa is from the Germ, rand, ' edge ' ; Korting, JVorterbuch, 
 No. 6646. 
 
 13-5. Lo spazzo : ^the ground.' This word is derived, like 
 spa%io, from Lat. spatium, but bears a different meaning. Caton ; 
 the reference is to Lucan, Phars. ix. 411 foil., where Cato leads 
 to Juba the remains of Pompey's army. The description of the 
 barren soil in the neighbourhood of the Syrtis, which is here 
 intended, is given in 11. 431-7. 
 
 2 1 . E parea, &c. : ' it appeared that they were subject to 
 
 75 
 
INFERNO [XIV. 23-36 
 
 different ordinances,' i. e. the punishment of each of the three classes 
 who occupy this ring (see the Argument) differed in the mode of 
 its infliction and in the degree of its severity. The three Hnes 
 that follow (11. 22—4) represent respectively the condition of the 
 blasphemers, the usurers, and the Sodomites. The symbolical 
 meaning of their different positions is thought to be, that the defiant 
 now lie impotent^ the usurers, who sat at their tables instead of 
 honestly working, occupy the same position still, and the Sodomites, 
 like the incontinent of the second Circle, hurry restlessly^ as they had 
 been carried away by want of self-command on earth. 
 
 23. raccolta : 'drawn in,' 'hunched up,' their object being to 
 expose the smallest possible surface to the falling flames. 
 
 27. Ma pm, &c. : i. e. their cries of pain were louder. 
 
 30. alpe : this word, whether it is used for ' the Alps,' or, as 
 here, for ' mountains ' generally, is always singular in the Div. Com, ; 
 cp. Purg. xvii. i ; xxxiii. ill. 
 
 3 1 . Quali Alessandro, &c. : the primary source of the story 
 here given was the apocryphal letter of Alexander to Aristotle, 
 which describes how in the course of one of his marches a great 
 snowfall occurred, whereupon Alexander ordered his soldiers to 
 tread down the snow ; this was followed by flaming clouds descending 
 to the ground ' tanquam faces.' It will be seen that Dante has 
 represented the soldiers as trampling, not the snow, but the flames ; 
 this confusion however did not originate with him, but with 
 Albertus Magnus, who says in his De Meteoris (i. 4. 8), a book 
 with which Dante was acquainted, ' Admirabilem autem impressionem 
 scribit Alexander ad Aristotilem in epistola de mirabilibus Indiae 
 dicens quemadmodum nivis nubes ignitae de aere cadebant, quas ipse 
 militibus calcare praecepit ' ; see Toynbee, Diet., pp. 23, 24. 
 quelle parti calde D* India : ' that hot region of the world, 
 India ' ; this seems better than ' that hot district of India through 
 which Alexander's march lay,' for the mediaevals regarded the 
 whole of India as a hot region. Cp. Purg. xxvi. 21, where ' Indo 
 o Etiopo ' is used as equivalent to ' inhabitants of hot countries.' 
 
 35, 36. acciocche, &c. : ' seeing that the flame was more easily 
 extinguished.' When acciocche is used with the indie, (a some- 
 what rare use) it means ' inasmuch as,' ' seeing that ' ; cp. Fita 
 Nuova, § 22 1. 54; § 42. 1. 20. It cannot possibly mean 'in 
 order that,* but the variants perciocchh for acciocche and stinguesse 
 
 76 
 
XIV. 38-77] INFERNO 
 
 for stingeva show that the use with the Indie, was felt at an early 
 date to present a difficuhy. mentre ch' era solo : i. e. before the 
 fire caught and spread. 
 
 38, 39. esca Sotto focile : ' tinder under the influence of the 
 steel,' i. e. of the flint and steel used for lighting. 
 
 40—2. Senza riposo mai = sen%a mat riposarsi. tresca : 
 * play ' of the hands. It was the name of a dance In which the 
 hands took a prominent part, fresca : ' ever renewed.' 
 
 44, 45. i Demon : those at the gate of the city of Dis ; cp. 
 Inf. vlii. 82. uscinci: for ci uscinno, which = ci uscirono. The 
 form in -inno for -irono occurs again In Par. xlv. 121, apparinno\ 
 cp. terminonno for terminarono^ Par. xxviii. 105. 
 
 46-8. quel grande: Capaneus, who when mounting the walls 
 of Thebes defied Jupiter, and was smitten with a thunderbolt by 
 him. The story is from Statius, Theb. x. 897 foil., several points 
 In which passage have been adapted by Dante, torto : ' frowning.' 
 maturi : ' tames,' lit. ' mellows,' ' softens.' 
 
 51-4. Qual io fui vivo: Stat., Theb. HI. 602, [Capaneus] 
 ' superum contemptor.' il suo fabbro : Vulcan. crucciato : 
 ' Incensed ' by Capaneus' menaces. 1' ultimo dl : ' the day of my 
 death,' cp. Inf. xv. 47. 
 
 55. gli altri : sc. fabbri^ I. e. the Cyclopes, whose forge was 
 fabled to be under Etna, the mediaeval and modern name of which 
 mountain is Monglbello. 
 
 58-60. alia pugna di Flegra : the reference is to the attempt 
 of the Giants to scale Olympus, on which occasion they were defeated 
 by Jupiter ; this Is called by Statius {J'heb. x. 909) 'praelia Phlegrae.' 
 The Phlegraean plains are generally identified with the peninsula of 
 Pallene in Chalcidice, which faces Olympus, vendetta allegra : 
 ' welcome revenge ' ; i. e. he would not be able to humiliate me or 
 make me yield. 
 
 67-9. miglior labbia: 'calmer aspect'; for labbia cp. Inf. 
 vll. 7 ; xlx. 122. Ch' assiser Tebe : this was the siege of that city 
 by the EpigonI, who supported Eteocles against his brother Polynlces. 
 
 72. assai debiti fregi : 'an amply meet garniture': fregio, 
 which means the ' border ' of embroidery, is here used Ironically for 
 ' accompaniment.' 
 
 74. Ancor : 'hereafter'; cp. Par. xvli. 86. 
 
 76, 77. divenimmo Ik: 'we reached the spot'; cp. Inf. xvlli. 
 
 77 
 
INFERNO [xiv. 79-ioa 
 
 68. This somewhat rare use of diventre seems to be derived from 
 that of the Lat. devenire, * to arrive.' fiumicello : this, as we 
 learn from 11. 130 foil., is Phlegethon, i.e. the stream by which 
 the waters of that river escape from the first ring, where the violent 
 against their fellow men are immersed in it (Inf. xii. 47). Emerging 
 from the wood of the suicides (Fuor della selva), it here crosses 
 the burning sand at right angles. 
 
 79-81. Bulicame: this is the name of the hot mineral spring, 
 which rises about two miles W. of Viterbo. It issues from the 
 top of a low hillock, and the steam which proceeds from it can 
 be seen from some distance off. The water boils up from a number 
 of sources, and forms a pool of irregular shape some eighty feet in 
 circumference, from which it is now conducted in different directions 
 by five channels. In Dante's time the prostitutes who lived in its 
 neighbourhood (le peccatrici) were forbidden to use the baths to 
 which the other women resorted, and had the water from the stream 
 conducted to their houses. The points of comparison in the simile 
 here are the heat and the rush of the water. 
 
 83, 84. Fatt' eran pietra : *had been turned to stone,' i.e. 
 the water produced petrifactions, margini : the edges, which 
 formed a causeway, 1. 141 ; the pendici are the banks, il passo : 
 the way across the ring, lici : arch, for // ; cp. Purg. vii. 64. 
 
 87. sogliare = soglia, 'threshold.' The gate here meant is the 
 outer gate of Hell, as contrasted with that of the city of Dis, which 
 ivas 'denied' to Virgil, as Dante had reminded him in 1. 45. 
 
 90. ammorta: 'extinguishes'; cp. 1. 142. The flames were 
 quenched by the steam rising from it. Inf. xv. 2, 3. 
 
 94-120. In this passage Virgil describes the origin of the rivers 
 of Hell. They are formed by the tears which issue from the figure 
 of an old man, which stands within a cavern in Mount Ida in Crete. 
 
 94-96. guasto : here and in 1. 99 Dante is referring to the 
 miserable condition to which Crete had been reduced by the Venetian 
 domination. Sotto il cui rege: in the golden age, when Saturn 
 was king, casto : ' innocent.' 
 
 97-99. Una montagna, &c. : the mention of Mount Ida was 
 suggested by Virgil's introducing it in his account of Crete in 
 ^en. iii. 104-13, where ' Idaeum nemus' (1. 112) corresponds to 
 fronde here, vieta : ' outworn,' lit. ' musty.' 
 
 100-2. Rea: from what is here said of Rhea we gather that 
 
 78 
 
XIV. 103-14] INFERNO 
 
 Dante had in his mind Ovid, Fast. iv. 197-214, where the story is 
 given of Saturn having eaten her former children by him, and how 
 Rhea on the birth of Jupiter concealed his infant cries from his 
 father by the clashing of metal, le grida : i. e. the sounds which 
 are famous in story. 
 
 103. Dentro dal monte : i. e. in a cavern within the mountain; 
 cp. grotta in 1. 114. un gran veglio : the figure of the Old Man 
 of Crete was suggested by the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in 
 Dan. ii. 32, by which the successive monarchies of the ancient 
 world were symbolized. Dante's figure, however, has a wider 
 application, and typifies the history of the human race in its successive 
 stages, as it passed through the golden, the silver, the iron age, &c. 
 The reason why Crete was chosen as the locality is, that Mount Ida 
 was the scene of the golden age, though probably Dante was also 
 influenced in his choice by the position of that island on the confines 
 of the three continents in which the history of mankind was enacted. 
 The tears which proceed from this figure are the sorrows of mankind 
 arising from their sins in all ages, and by these the rivers of Hell 
 are formed. 
 
 104, 105. Che tien, &c. The figure which represents the 
 human race stands with its back to Damietta, i. e. the East, because 
 the great ancient monarchies existed in that quarter, and looks 
 towards Rome, because that was now the seat of the imperial authority. 
 Damiata : Damietta is selected to represent Egypt, and so the 
 East generally, because it was well known at this time from having 
 been twice captured by the Crusaders. 
 
 108. alia forcata : at this point the dual power of the Church 
 and the Empire commences. 
 
 109-11. eletto : 'choice.' salvo che, &c. : the right foot 
 is the Church, the left foot the Empire ; and what is said of the 
 right foot, viz. that it is of baked clay, but that the figure rests 
 especially upon it, signifies that the Church, though it is the more 
 fragile of the two, has been the stronger support to the human 
 race. 
 
 1 12-14. fuor che 1' oro : no tears were shed in the golden age, 
 which was the age of innocence, fessura : this is the corruption 
 and consequent suffering of the world since the Fall, which cause 
 men's tears to flow, foran quella grotta : ' force a passage 
 through that cavern '; quella refers to 1. 103, Dentro dal monte. 
 
 79 
 
INFERNO [xiv. 115-34 
 
 115. questa valle : the Inferno, si diroccia : * falls in cascades.* 
 
 116. Acheron te, &c. It is natural to suppose that Dante had 
 a clear conception in his own mind of the relation which the courses 
 of these three rivers bore to one another, but it is not easy to 
 determine what that conception was. The most common view is 
 that they are the same stream, appearing at various points under 
 different names and different aspects. If the difficulties involved in 
 that view — e. g. those resulting from the changes in the colour and 
 the temperature of the water — are regarded as being too great, it may 
 be supposed that, when the stream formed by the combined tears 
 (1. 114) had passed through the surface of the earth, it divided and 
 formed three separate rivers. But in that case they must have joined 
 again before reaching the channel at which Dante has now arrived, 
 for it is distinctly stated in 1. 117 that the waters which form them 
 pass through it. Flegetonta : the form here is that of the Greek 
 accus. Dante may have got it from the Culex (1. 271), which in 
 his time was regarded as a work of Virgil's, or from Servius* 
 Commentary on jien. vi. 265. 
 
 117—20. sen va : Lor cor so (1. 115) is the subject. 1^, &c. : 
 the lowest pit of Hell, where the water of Cocytus is found. 
 stagno : the 'Cocyti stagna alta' of Virg. Aen, vi. 323. non si 
 conta : * I give no account of it.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. Ed io, &c. Dante expresses surprise that he had not 
 seen this streamlet before. Virgil replies (11. 124-9) that this was 
 no matter for astonishment, because he had not yet made the entire 
 circuit of the Inferno, and therefore there must be many objects 
 in it which had not met his view, a questo vivagno : ' at this 
 edge (lit. selvage) ' of the wood. 
 
 126. Pur a sinistra: 'constantly to the left'; cp. Inf. 
 xxix. 53. This passage is an important one as bearing on the 
 leftward course of the Poets through Hell; see note on Inf. 
 ix. 132. 
 
 129. addur, &c. : 'cause a look of wonder to appear in 
 thy face.' 
 
 132. r altro : Phlegethon, of which it is said in 11. 115, 116 
 that it was formed by the fall of tears (esta piova). 
 
 134. 11 bollor, &c. : the explanation which Virgil suggests turns 
 on the derivation of the name Phlegethon from Gr. <^A.€y€tv, ' to 
 burn.' Dante was not himself acquainted with Greek, but he had 
 
 80 
 
XIV. i36~xv. 2] INFERNO 
 
 learnt this from Virg. u4en. vi. 550, 551 and Servius on 1. 265; 
 see Toynbee, Z)/V/., p. 243. 
 
 136, 137. questa fossa: the Inferno. LS, : in the Earthly- 
 Paradise ^Purg. xxviii. 130), where the soul which has passed 
 through Purgatory is delivered from the recollection of past sins. 
 
 142. vapor: 'flame/ as in 1. 35. si spegne: cp. 1. 90. 
 
 CANTO XV 
 
 Argument. — As they pursue their way along the embankment 
 of Phlegethon, they meet a troop of spirits traversing the sandy plain 
 in the midst of the falling fire. These are the Sodomites, who are 
 punished for violating the law of nature. One of them, by whom 
 Dante is recognized, is the famous Florentine statesman and man 
 of letters, Brunetto Latini. He predicts misfortunes and ill-treat- 
 ment at the hands of his fellow citizens as awaiting Dante, and at 
 the same time encourages him to pursue a bold and independent 
 course. At Dante's request Brunetto furnished him with the names 
 of some of the best-known persons in his troop, which consists of 
 ecclesiastics and men of learning. Another band, composed of sinners 
 of a different class in life, but condemned for having committed the 
 same sin, now approaches ; and as it is forbidden to these groups 
 of spirits to communicate one with the other, Brunetto is compelled 
 to quit Dante's company. As he does so, he recommends to him 
 his principal literary work, the Tresor. 
 
 Line i. margini. This line and 1. 3 which rhymes with it are 
 two of the very few twelve-syllable lines that are found in the poem. 
 The excuse for this metrical irregularity is the weakness of the last 
 two syllables, which are unaccented, and belong to the inflexional 
 part of the word. The exceptional use is more marked here and in 
 Inf. xxviii. 80, CattoUca, than in the remaining four instances, viz. 
 Inf. xxiii. 32, scendere\ xxiv. 62, malagevole \ Par. xxvi. 125, 
 inconsutnabile ', xxviii. 125, girano^ because in these latter the final 
 vowel is one which could be omitted in the middle of a line. 
 
 2. aduggia : ' casts a misty shade ' ; cp. Purg. xx. 44. The 
 primary meaning of uggia^ from which aduggiare is derived, is 'shade * 
 or 'blight.' 
 
 T02ER 8 1 G 
 
INFERNO [XV. 4-18 
 
 4-6. Quale : agreeing with schermo, ' such as is the defence 
 "which the Flemings make.' Guizzante : Wissant, a town between 
 Calais and Cape Gris Nez ; it was known in the middle ages as 
 the starting-point for the crossing to England. This place and 
 Bruges mark the western and eastern limits of the coast of Flanders, 
 as known to Dante ; so the general meaning is ' on the Flemish 
 coast.' Bruges is used roughly here for the coast in its neighbour- 
 hood, since it lies inland from Ostend. s' awenta : ' rushes,' 
 frequentative from avvenire. perche, &c. : 'to force the sea to retire.' 
 
 7-9. la Brenta : the river which descends from the Alps to 
 Padua. Anzi che, &c. : the meaning is : — ' providing against 
 the floods caused by the melting of the snows in the neighbouring 
 Alps.' As anzi che literally means 'before that,' it seems that 
 what Dante is referring to is rather the annual repair than the 
 original making of the embankments. Chiarentana : Carinthia, 
 which district in Dante's time included the head-waters of the Brenta. 
 
 II, 12. Tutto che, &c. The exactness here introduced into 
 the description is a marked instance of Dante's realism ; cp. Inf. 
 xix. 16, and Ruskin, Modern Painters, vol. iii. p. 216. Qual che, 
 &c. : ' their designer, whoever he was.' In Inf. iii. 5, 6, we are 
 told that Hell was made by God, but whether simply by the Jiat of 
 His will, or whether its details were the work of an intermediate 
 agency, angels or devils, is not said. Our ignorance on this point 
 is probably what is meant here. In contrast with this, the life-like 
 sculptures on the wall of the first Cornice in Purgatory are said to 
 be from the hand of God Himself; Purg. x. 94t6. 
 
 13-15. selva : the wood of the suicides; cp. Inf. xiv. 77. 
 Perche : ' however much.' 
 
 16, 17. anime: the Sodomites. It should be noticed that the 
 punishment of the falling flames, which is inflicted throughout 
 the whole of the third ring of Circle VII, was suggested to Dante 
 by the fate of the city of Sodom, which is described in Gen. xix. 24, 
 when ' the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone 
 and fire.' lungo : 'beside'; not 'along,' for in that case they 
 would have been sheltered from the flames. 
 
 18. come suol, &c. : the graphic comparisons which follow 
 imply that this class of sinners had a peculiar difficulty in seeing. 
 Benvenuto remarks that this is intended to signify that their sin is 
 one which especially shuns the light. 
 
 82 
 
XV. 20-53] INFERNO 
 
 20. aguzzavan, &c. : * puckered (lit. pointed) their eyebrows,' i. e. 
 peered, as persons do in a faint light. 
 
 22-4. famiglia : 'company.' Per lo lembo : the sand, on 
 \vhich Brunette was walking, was on a much lower level than the 
 embankment ; hence he catches the hem of Dante's garment. 
 
 26. Ficcai gli occhi : the metre shows that Ficcai is here 
 a trisyllable. There seem to be only two other instances in the 
 poem of the use of -at as a disyllabic at the end of a word (except, 
 of course, at the end of a line), viz. Inf. viii. 93, ha\i scorta, where 
 it is explained by sc following, and Par. xxv. 38, Ieva\i gli occhi. 
 Possibly both in the present passage and in that in the Paradiso the 
 exceptional use may be due to the influence of ^/ following. 
 
 27. non difese : lit. 'did not ward off.' 
 
 29, 30. chinando, &c. : Dante, being on a higher level, stooped 
 towards the level of Brunetto's face, voi : the plural is used out 
 of respect for a man of dignity; see note on Inf. x. 51. ser 
 Brunette: Brunetto Latini (d. 1294) played a prominent part in 
 public affairs in Florence, and encouraged Dante in his studies. 
 The title ' ser ' was given to him as being a notary. 
 
 33. la traccia : ' his troop.' 
 
 39. arrostarsi : 'waving his arms' (lit. 'fanning himself), 
 to keep off the flames. The subst. rosta, which originally meant 
 ' a bough with branches ' (Inf. xiii. 117), came to be used for ' a fan,' 
 because branches were used by the country people for fanning, keeping 
 off flies, &c. ; hence arrostarsi means ' to fan oneself.' feggia : 
 fromy^nV^. 
 
 40. a' panni : 'at thy skirts'; cp. 1. 24. 
 
 47. r ultimo di : 'the end of thy life,' as in Inf. xiv. 54. 
 
 51. Avanti, &c. : ' before the tale of my days was fully told.' 
 
 52. Pur ier mattina, &c. : Dante turned his back on the 
 seha oscura (= 'valle ; cp. Inf. i. 14) in ascending the dilettoso monte 
 (i. 13, 29). This took place on the morning of Good Friday, 
 and it was now the morning of Easter Eve. 
 
 53. Questi : Virgil's name is not given, notwithstanding that 
 Brunetto had inquired who he was. Possibly it is treated as one 
 of the sacred names, the mention of which is avoided in Hell, 
 since as Dante's guide he was employed in God's service. It is 
 certainly remarkable that, while it occurs twenty-five times in the 
 Purgatorio, it is only found five times in the Inferno, and these 
 
 83 G 2 
 
INFERNO [XV. 54-65 
 
 five are in the narrative, and not in speeches, so that they do not 
 imply that the name was uttered in Hell. 
 
 54. a ca : this is sometimes taken of the ' heavenly home ' ; 
 but more probably it means ' the world above,' ' the earth.' Though 
 Virgil was not to bring him thither, he was guiding him on his way to it. 
 
 57. Se ben, &c. : this means that Brunetto perceived that Dante 
 showed good promise; and stella in 1. 55 is to be taken in 
 a metaphorical sense, rather than as referring to the constellation 
 under which he was born. 
 
 58. per tempo : not ' before my time,' for Brunetto was about 
 eighty years of age at the time of his death, but ' too early ' to be 
 of service to Dante. As Brunetto had ample time before his death 
 in 1294 to help Dante in his early studies, we must suppose that 
 opera in 1. 60 refers to the work of his maturer years. 
 
 61. popolo : by this word the commons of Florence are meant, 
 while the 'Romans' in 1. 77 are the nobles. According to the 
 Florentine tradition, when the city of Florence was founded by the 
 Romans, its population was composed partly of colonists from Rome, 
 and partly of immigrants from the neighbouring town of Faesulae 
 (Fiesole) ; and from these two elements the nobles and the commons 
 respectively were descended. The discord arising from this cause 
 is regarded by Dante as the chief source of the factious spirit that 
 prevailed there. 
 
 62. ab antico : this is the Lat. ab antlquo, and is so rendered 
 by Villani (xii. 44), where he quotes this passage. Dante, however, 
 has used the Italian termination in antico for the sake of the rhyme. 
 For an instance of a similar, though inverse, change cp. Purg. xxiii. 4, 
 where for the same purpose j%-//«o/o, the Italian vocative, is changed 
 into Jigliuole, the Latin form. The reason why Latin is used in 
 ab antico is probably the same as in sub Julio (Inf. i. 70), viz. 
 that it describes a date or period in Roman history. 
 
 63. E tiene, &c. : i. e. it still retains the element of roughness 
 and hardness in its nature. Fiesole is situated on a hill (monte), 
 and Villani (i. 38) speaks of its inhabitants as ' ruddi e aspri di guerra.' 
 
 64. 65. per tuo ben far: because he opposed the entry of 
 Charles of Valois into Florence. Dante was banished in 1302, and 
 this opposition was one of the ostensible causes of his banishment. 
 lazzi sorbi: 'acid service-berries,' the 'acidis sorbis ' of Virg. 
 Georg. iii. 380. 
 
 84 
 
XV. 67-93] INFERNO 
 
 67-9. orbi ; Villani (ii. 1) says that this epithet was appHcd to 
 the Florentines because they put confidence in the promises of Totila. 
 forbi : ' wipe clean,' * keep clean.' 
 
 71, 72. r una parte e 1' altra : the Black and the White 
 Guelfs. avranno fame Di te : ' will desire to get thee into 
 their power.' lungi fia, &c. : * they will not be able to satisfy 
 their craving.' becco ; 'mouth,' lit. 'beak.' 
 
 73-5. Faccian . . . strame : ' let them make litter of (i. e. rend 
 and tear) themselves.' S' alcuna, &c. : the statement is purposely 
 obscure, but Dante seems to be hinting at being himself descended 
 from one of the original Roman families, probably the Frangipani. 
 
 76, 77. santa : a special epithet of ancient Rome and its citizens, 
 witli reference to their being set apart from the first by God as the 
 source from which should proceed the temporal power which was 
 to govern the world, vi rimaser, &c. : the occasion here referred 
 to does not seem to be that of the original foundation of the city, for 
 rimaser would naturally be used of a previously existing population. 
 It is better, therefore, to understand it of a subsequent period, when, 
 after the destruction of Fiesole by the Florentines in 1010, the 
 citizens of that town migrated to Florence (Villani, iv. 6). 
 
 79-81. Se fosse, &c. : the meaning is — ' if my prayers had been 
 fully heard, thou wouldest be still alive.' 
 
 82. mi accora : ' goes to my heart,' in the sense of paining. It 
 was the sight of Brunetto's ' cotto aspetto ' which suggested this. 
 
 85. s' eterna : 'wins immortality,' i. e. literary fame. 
 
 87. Convien, &c. : 'it behoves that my tongue should declare' ; 
 nella mia lingua : lit. 'in what I say,' i.e. his grateful commemora- 
 tion of Brunetto. 
 
 88—90. scrivo : 'I note,' i.e. in my memory; cp. Inf. ii. 8. 
 a chiosar : ' for comment,' i. e. for Beatrice to comment on and 
 explain, altro testo : viz. what he had heard from Ciacco (Inf. 
 vi. 64) and from Farinata (Inf. x. 79). The 'comment' is ultimately 
 furnished by Cacciaguida, to whom Beatrice refers him (Par. xvii. 
 46 foil.). 
 
 91—3. Tanto : ' this much,' viz. ' that I am prepared for fortune ' 
 (1. 93). Pur che, &c. : 'provided that my conscience does not 
 chide me ' (garra for garnsca) : ' as long as I have nothing for 
 which to blame myself, I am prepared to bear whatever is in store 
 for me.' 
 
 85 
 
INFERNO [XV. 94-118 
 
 94-6. arra : this word, like the more usual caparra, means 
 a deposit paid on making an agreement ; here, according to Buti, 
 for the agreement itself. ' I am familiar with the agreement that 
 exists between man and fortune,* viz. that man must be content with 
 the changes of fortune, e il villan, &c. : ' even as the countryman 
 turns his mattock.' This is depreciatory of the power of fortune ; 
 ' the one is no more to me than the other.' 
 
 97, 98. in sulla gota, &c. : Virgil, who is in advance, turns 
 round to address Dante, and he turns by the right, in order to 
 express approval of a well-omened speech. 
 
 99. Bene ascplta, &c. : ' he listens well who pays heed thereto.' 
 la, ' it,' stands for la cos a or la sentenza. Such elliptical uses of la 
 are common in Italian, e. g. ' farla da signore,' 'to act the gentleman.' 
 Cp. the use oi accoccarla ad uno in Inf. xxi. 102. 
 
 100. Ne per tan to di men : ' yet not the less for all that ' ; i. e. 
 notwithstanding that Virgil had interposed. 
 
 105. tanto suono : ' so long a recital.' 
 
 109, no. Priscian : the grammarian of the sixth century. No 
 such sin is attributed to him in history, but probably there was 
 a tradition to that effect in Dante's time. It has been suggested 
 that he is here taken as the type of grammar-school masters, who 
 beyond others had opportunities for this form of wickedness ; but 
 it is not like Dante to brand a character without reason. Francesco 
 d' Accorso : law lecturer in Oxford in 1273 ^^^ ^^"^ some years 
 after that date. 
 
 III. tigna : 'scurf; cp. the use oilordura as a term of contempt 
 in Inf. xi. 60. 
 
 1 1 2-4. potei : for pote'vt : on the irregularity of sequence of 
 the indie, after S' avessi avuto see note on Inf. xxix. 38. servo 
 de' servi : one of the titles of the Pope is ' servus servorum Dei.* 
 Boniface VIII is meant. Bacchiglione : the river of Vicenza. 
 Andrea de' Mozzi was translated from the bishopric of Florence 
 to that of Vicenza in 1295 on account of his unseemly living. Dove 
 lasclo, &c. : 'where he left (in death) his body exhausted by vice.' 
 
 117. fummo : 'dust,* raised from the sandy soil by the feet of 
 a multitude. 
 
 118. con la quale, &c. : these sinners, according to their station 
 and occupation in life, were partitioned in groups, which might not 
 communicate with one another. 
 
 86 
 
XV. 119— XVI. i8] INFERNO 
 
 119. il mio Tesoro : this is the Italian name of Brunette's 
 
 encyclopaedic work, the Livre dou Tresor, which was written by 
 him in French. It is largely a compilation from ancient writers, 
 but it was a popular work at that time, and was used by Dante as 
 one of his authorities. 
 
 122. Che corrono, &c. : ' who run the race for the green cloth.* 
 A piece of green cloth was the prize for a foot-race held outside the 
 city of Verona on the first Sunday in Lent of every year. A marked 
 point in the comparison is that the competitors ran naked. 
 
 CANTO XVI 
 
 Argument. — Continuing their route in the same direction, they 
 are met by another band of sinners of the same class, but differing 
 from the preceding group by being composed of men who had held 
 military or civil offices. Three of these, who were Florentines, 
 concluding from Dante's dress that he was a countryman of theirs, 
 hasten to meet him; and one of them, who gives his name as 
 Jacopo Rusticucci, inquires eagerly from him about the social 
 condition of Florence, whereupon Dante explains the causes of its 
 decay. Passing on, the Poets hear a loud sound of falling water 
 close at hand, which intimates to them their approach to the descent 
 into the eighth Circle. When they reach the precipice, Virgil 
 borrows the cord with which Dante was girt, and throws it down 
 into the abyss to summon Geryon, that he may convey them into 
 the lower regions of Hell. In answer to this summons, a weird 
 figure is seen after a time to rise from below towards them. 
 
 Line 2. altro giro : the eighth Circle, or Malebolge, into 
 which there was a precipitous descent. The water which falls 
 here is that of Phlegethon. 
 
 8. abito : the dignified costume which distinguished the 
 ancient Florentines. Most Italian cities at that time had a special 
 dress. 
 
 1 2. pur che : ' if only ' ; * at the mere recollection of it.' 
 
 15. si vuole: 'it is fitting.' esser cortese : because on earth 
 they had been men of great position. 
 
 16-8. se non fosse il foco : 'were it not for the fire.' 
 
 87 
 
INFERNO [XVI. 20-38 
 
 meglio stesse, &c. : ' it would be more suitable for you to hurry 
 to them, than for them to hurry to you.* 
 
 20, 21. verso: 'chant,' i.e. lamentation, rota: they worked 
 round and round, each in turn trying to get a near view of 
 Dante, who was on the ledge above. But a further reason for their 
 keeping in movement was, that they might escape the penalty of 
 stopping, which is mentioned in Inf. xv. 37-9. 
 
 22—4. Qual soleano i campion : the title campione was applied 
 to the hired combatants who took part in the 'judicial duels,' as the 
 pugilistic encounters were called, by which suits were from time 
 to time determined in various cities of Italy during the thirteenth 
 and the early part of the fourteenth century ; and it seems to be 
 this custom which Dante is referring to in the present passage. 
 Clear documentary evidence of the existence and the nature of these 
 * duels,' derived from the archives of several of the leading cities, 
 is given by Mr. R. Davidsohn in the Bull. Soc. Dant.^ N. S. 
 vii. pp. 39-43. For soleano some read sogliono, and tliough there 
 is but little MS. authority for this, yet the difficulty of reconciling 
 grammatically the past tense in soleano with the present sien in 
 the subject clause, and the fact that the practice here alluded to was 
 in existence in Dante's time, are strong arguments in its favour. 
 The point of the comparison is the wrestlers' moving about in the 
 same spot, and turning their heads round, first in one direction and 
 then in the other, lor presa e lor vantaggio : a favourable 
 opportunity of gripping their adversary. Prima che, &c. : i.e. 
 before the real tussle has commenced, punti : * struck.' 
 
 26, 27. in contrario, &c. : as they moved round, they were 
 continually turning their heads backwards or sideways, in order to 
 get a full view of Dante. 
 
 28-30. sollo : 'unstable,' referring to the yielding sand, brollo: 
 ' nude,' here probably ' bald and hairless ' ; cp. dipelato in 1. 35. 
 
 31—3. La fama nostra, &c. : this is a most impressive passage 
 in respect of the contrast drawn between greatness in the present 
 world and abject misery hereafter. Virgil's remarks in 11. 15—8 
 are intended to give point to this, freghi : ' dost plod thy way,' 
 lit. 'trail thy feet,' 'LdX. frlcare 'y cp. Purg. vii. 52, 'frego il dito,' 
 ' drew along his finger.' 
 
 38. Guido Guerra : a distinguished Guelf leader at Florence. 
 He took a prominent part against Manfred in the battle of Benevento 
 
 88 
 
XVI. 41-7^] INFERNO 
 
 in 1265. His grandmother Gualdrada was daughter of Bellincione 
 Beiti, who is mentioned in Par. xv. 112. 
 
 41, 42. Tegghiaio : Dante had already expressed his desire to 
 learn his fate, and that of Rusticucci, the present speaker, and 
 described them as j/ degni^ Inf. vi. 79, 80. la cui voce, &c. : 
 * whose fame ought to be acceptable,' his 'fame' being the reputa- 
 tion attaching to him for having tried to dissuade the Florentines 
 from marching against Siena before the disastrous battle of Montaperti 
 in 1260. For voce in this sense cp. Inf. xxxiii. 85. 
 
 43. posto ... in croce : 'tormented'; cp. Inf. xxxiii. 87, 
 ' porre a tal croce.' 
 
 45. La fiera moglie, &c. : ' my passionate wife is the chief 
 source of my bane,' i. e. she was the cause of the sin which brings 
 me here. He is said to have been separated from her on account 
 of her temper. 
 
 52-5. Non dispetto, &c. : this is in answer to Rusticucci's 
 words in 11. 28, 29 ; ' 'Twas not contempt, but grief, that your sad 
 state imprinted on my heart — and that so deeply, that it will be long 
 before it is wholly obliterated — as soon as,* &c. si dispoglia : 
 pres. for future, ' is likely to be obliterated.' 
 
 58-60. sempre mai : mai here only strengthens sempre. 
 ritrassi ed ascoltai : ' recounted myself and heard others recount.' 
 For r'ltrarre in this sense cp. Inf. iv. 145. 
 
 61-3. Lascio, &c. : this is in answer to the question about 
 himself and his journey in 11. 32, 33. fele is sin, dolci pomi 
 virtue, tomi : ' plunge downward,' implying a steep descent. 
 
 64, 65. Se lungamente, &c. : i. e. ' so mayst thou hve long ' ; 
 for se cp. note on Inf. x. 82. 
 
 67. Cortesia e valor . . . dimora : cp. Purg. xvi. 116, where 
 iialore e cortesia are used, as here, with a singular verb. In the 
 jDresent passage there is the further peculiarity that the participle 
 gita agrees with the one of the two substantives which is fem. 
 The reason of this seems to be that cortesia is especially referred 
 to, as we see from Dante's answer. 
 
 70-2. Guglielmo Borsiere : a person of no importance; 
 Boccaccio introduces him in the Decameron. per poco : ' for 
 a short time past ' ; he had consequently brought recent news from 
 the world above, cruccia : ' provokes ' : the reading crucia^ ' dis- 
 tresses,' suits the context better, but there is little authority for it. 
 
 89 
 
INFERNO [XVI. 78-102 
 
 78. come al ver, &c.: 'as men look [at one another] on hearing 
 the truth,' i.e. implying by their looks that they accept the inevitable. 
 
 81. a tua posta : 'to your liking/ i.e. 'as pleases you,' 
 without reference to other people; cp. a cut posta, Inf. x. 73. 
 The meaning of 11. 79—81 is, 'If on other occasions you use 
 so little reserve in answering questions, you will be well off if you 
 do not suffer more from it than you do now.' 
 
 84. dicere " lo fui " : 'to retrace the past.' Gary compares 
 Tasso, Ger. Lib. xv. 38. 7, 8, ' Quando mi giovera narrar altrui Le 
 novitk vedute, e dire : io fui.' 
 
 90. parve : ' it seemed good ' ; Lat. 'visum est. 
 
 92, 93. Che: 'when,' the meaning being explained by poco, 
 ' a short time,' preceding : cp. Inf. xxxi. 19. per parlar : ' for all 
 our speaking'; cp. Inf. iv. 11, 'per ficcar lo viso al fondo ' ; 
 xxi. 28, 'per veder.' 
 
 94-6. quel fiume : the Montone, which flows into the sea to 
 the southward of Ravenna. ch' ha proprio cammmo, &c. : 
 * which is the first river that from Monte Viso eastwards on the left 
 flank of the Apennines has an independent course.' The rivers here 
 referred to are spoken of as being on the left flank of the Apennines, 
 because we are supposed to be following the succession of streams, 
 and the corresponding mountain chain, from west to east. With 
 the exception of the Montone, all the streams that in Dante's 
 time flowed from the northern side of the Apennines in this part 
 .were tributaries of the Po, and that river rises in Monte Viso. 
 At the present day, owing to changes in the course of the Po, the 
 Lamone, which lies to the westward of the Montone, flows into 
 the sea. 
 
 97-9. Acquaqueta: Dante here says that this was the name of 
 the Montone above Forli. At the present day the name Montone 
 is found as high up as the monastery of San Benedetto, near which 
 place a torrent called the Acquacheta joins it. si divalli : ' pre- 
 cipitates itself ; der. from the Lat. vallis : cp. the use of a valle, 
 ' downwards,' in Inf. xii. 46 ; xx. 35. di quel nome e vacante: 
 ' loses that name,' i. e. changes it for that of Montone. 
 
 100-2. san Benedetto Dell' alpe : 'St. Benedict of the 
 upland ' ; this was the name of the monastery, in the neighbourhood 
 of which was the waterfall here described. Ove dovea, &c. ; 
 ' where there should have been (i. e. where it was intended that 
 
 90 
 
XVI. 103-20] INFERNO 
 
 there should be) a settlement for a thousand.* Boccaccio tells us 
 that when he was staying in the monastery he was informed by the 
 abbot, that the Conti Guidi, to whom the neighbouring lands 
 belonged, had proposed to bring together there into a settlement 
 the inhabitants of that district, but that this scheme had fallen 
 through. Another explanation of the passage is that the number 
 of monks was small as compared with the revenues ; but tiie 
 monastery does not appear to have been a rich one. 
 
 103. discoscesa : 'shattered* (see note on Inf. xii. 8), and so 
 ' precipitous.' 
 
 106-8. lo aveva, &c. : the 'panther with the spotted skin* — 
 the 'fera alia gaietta pelle ' of Inf. i. 42 — signifies lust, and the 
 cord by which Dante had proposed to master it signifies the 
 restrictions of the ascetic life. According to Buti, Dante was 
 at one time a member of the Third Order of the Franciscans, 
 whose emblem was the cord, from which they received the name of 
 Cordiglieri (cp. Inf. xxvii. 67, 68). As this statement is not 
 confirmed by any other authority, it may not be true ; but since the 
 meaning of this emblem was, as St. Francis intended it to be, that 
 the body is a beast which requires to be checked by a halter, Dante 
 in any case may be referring to it here as symbolizing asceticism. 
 But when Virgil uses this cord as a signal to summon Geryon, 
 who is the personification of fraud, a different form of symbolism 
 is introduced. Here it seems to be the emblem of truth or 
 righteousness, in accordance with such Scriptural expressions as 
 'having your loins girt about with truth,' Eph. vi. 14 ; ' righteous- 
 ness shall be the girdle of his loins,' Is. xi. 5 ; and it is used here, 
 because it is by truth that fraud is forced to come to the light and 
 show itself. 
 
 111. aggroppata : ' knotted,' with a view to throwing. 
 
 112. inver lo destro lato : the object of this was that he 
 might have his right hand free for throwing ; but here again there 
 is an underlying symbolism, for he turned to the right as a protest 
 against sin. 
 
 1 15-7. E pur convien che : 'assuredly it must be that.* 
 nuovo : ' unwonted.' seconda : ' follows.* Virgil was watching 
 to see whether any response was returned to his signal. 
 
 120. per entro, &c. : Virgil had already said that he read 
 Dante's secret thoughts, Inf. x. i8. 
 
 91 
 
INFERNO [xvi. 122— XVII. i 
 
 12 2. che: quellois understood before this, sogna : 'is vainly 
 fancying.' 
 
 124—9. Sempre, &c. This passage is a marked instance of 
 Dante's method of preparing the reader for an astonishing spectacle 
 by saying that what he is going to tell is half incredible. For other 
 instances cp. Inf. xxv. 46-8; xxviii. 11 3-7. 
 
 126. Pero che, &c. : the meaning is : — 'because it produces the 
 impression of discreditable misstatement, though such is not the 
 case.' 
 
 127-9. note: ' verses/ lit. 'strains.' commedia : Dante tells 
 us in his Letter to Can Grande (§ 10, 11. 218-25), that he gives 
 this name to his poem because it ends happily, and because it is 
 composed in the vulgar tongue. He accents both this word and 
 traged)a (Inf. xx. 113) paroxytone. S' elle, &c. : 'so may they 
 not be doomed to short-lived favour.' 
 
 132. ad ogni cor sicuro : ' to every heart, steadfast though it be.' 
 
 136. Che in su, &c. : 'who, upward springing, close draws in 
 his feet ' (Gary). This describes the action of swimmers in rising. 
 
 CANTO XVII 
 
 Argument. — Geryon, who takes up his position on the brink of 
 the precipice, is now described. While Virgil is negotiating with 
 him about their descent into the. eighth Circle, Dante is directed 
 to visit the third class of sinners who are punished in this ring, viz. 
 the usurers, who have done violence to art by causing money to 
 generate money in defiance of the recognized laws of production 
 by labour. These are seated not far off on the burning sand, with 
 the flames of fire falling on them ; and among them are several scions 
 of noble Florentine families, who made their money by usury. Re- 
 turning to Virgil, Dante finds him already mounted on Geryon's 
 back, and by his orders takes his place in front of him. They 
 descend in wide circles, until at last they are deposited at the foot of 
 the precipice. 
 
 Line i. la fiera: Geryon, who is the mythological representa- 
 tive of the eighth Circle. He can hardly be said to correspond 
 except in name to the Geryon of antiquity — a monster with three 
 
 92 
 
XVII. 6-aa] INFERNO 
 
 bodies, who was king in Spain, and whose oxen were can ied off by- 
 Hercules. A reason — in default of any better — for his representing 
 fraud may be found in a legend given by Boccaccio, to the effect 
 that Geryon was a king of the Balearic Isles, who used to entice 
 strangers into his dwelling, and afterwards kill them ; Geneal, 
 Deor. i. 21. 
 
 6. passeggiati marmi : ' the stone causeway which we had 
 traversed,' i.e. the bank of Phlegethon ; cp. Inf. xiv. 83, 141 ; xv. i. 
 
 8. sen venne: ' came on.' arrivo : here used active, ' brought 
 up to the bank'; in Purg. xvii. 78 it is used neut. in this sense; 
 der. from r'lva. Similarly in Engl. ' to arrive ' is originally ' to 
 come to shore ' ; Skeat, Etym. Diet. 
 
 10—5. La faccia, &c. : 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. Tan to benign a, &c. : ' so 
 benevolent was its exterior semblance.' 1' altro fusto : ' the rest 
 of its figure.' branche : ' talons,' i. e. here ' arms provided with 
 claws.' rotelle : the ' small bucklers ' represent the subterfuges 
 under which fraud shields itself. 
 
 16, 17. Con piu color, &c. : 'with more colours, whether as 
 groundwork or pattern, never did Tartars or Turks make a cloth.' 
 The words sommesse e soprapposts are in apposition to color. 
 The construction would be easier if we could read in before drappo, 
 'never did Tartai-s or Turks make the groundwork or pattern on 
 a cloth with more colours ' ; and as the n of /'«, which would be 
 written over (T), would easily disappear, and the i would be lost after 
 the final vowel of mai, this reading would have much in its favour 
 if there were any trace of it in the MSS. ; but there seems to be 
 none. Tartar! : the cloths manufactured by the Tartars were 
 famous in the middle ages. 
 
 18. Ne fur, &c. : ' nor were webs so rich placed on the loom by 
 Arachne.' Arachne was the typical weaver or embroiderer, who 
 challenged Minerva to a contest in that art, and was changed by her 
 into a spider. See Ovid, Met, vi. 1-145. 
 
 19. burchi : 'punts,' for river navigation. 
 
 22. Lo bevero, &c. : ' the beaver seats himself for his campaign ' 
 against the fishes. The beaver has a habit of sitting on a river bank 
 with his tail in the water, and from this arose a fable that he used 
 
 93 
 
INFERNO [xvii. 27-54 
 
 his tail for fishing purposes, attracting the fish by the oil which 
 dropped from it. As the beaver does not feed on fish, the story is 
 evidently mythical, and is to be classed with the other ' tail-fishing ' 
 myths, in which that habit is attributed in various parts of the world to 
 the bear, the jackal, the racoon, the monkey, and the jaguar. See 
 Tylor's Early History of Mankind^ pp. 364-7. 
 
 27. a guisa di sctorpion : the image of the scorpion's tail is 
 from Rev. ix. 10. The points of comparison are that the scorpion's 
 tail contains poison, and that it can curve it over the back and move 
 it in every direction. 
 
 30. si corca : for cor'tca^ ' is couching.' 
 
 31, 32. scendemmo : the reason why they went down is, that 
 the banks of Phlegethon were higher than the edge of the precipice. 
 destra : the meaning in this case of their deviation towards the right 
 from their usual leftward course through Hell is that, when ap- 
 proaching the embodiment of fraud, they intended thus to express 
 their formal adhesion to the way of right in protest against perverted 
 justice. See note on Inf. ix. 132. In like manner dieci passi 
 probably refers to the Ten Commandments as the rule of right. 
 
 33. cessar: 'avoid'; cp. Par. xxv. 133, ' cessar fatica.' Per 
 ben cessar, &c., is intended to explain in sullo stremo, it being 
 implied that the causeway at the edge of the precipice, like that of 
 Phlegethon, was free from the action of the flames of fire. 
 
 36. loco scemo : as scemo means ' diminished,' this signifies 'the 
 place where the ground falls away,' i. e. the precipice. Similarly the 
 Mountain of Purgatojy is said to be scemo, where the Valletta dei 
 Pr'tncip'i is formed ; Purg. vii. 65. 
 
 38, 39. esto giron : the third ring of the seventh Circle, mena : 
 ' condition.' 
 
 43-5. ancor : ' once more,' i. e. continuing his course, la 
 strema testa : ' the outermost ridge,' i. e. the causeway, la gente 
 mesta : ' the usurers.' On them and their punishment see notes on 
 Inf. xi. 97 and xiv. 21. 
 
 47, 48. soccorrien : ' defended themselves,' lit. ' came to the 
 rescue.' a' vapori : ' against the flames ' ; cp. Inf. xiv. 142. 
 
 54. Non ne conobbi alcun : here in the case of the usurers, as 
 with the avaricious in Inf. vii. 53, 54, the moral blindness involved 
 in ignoring the purpose with which wealth was given destroys in- 
 dividuality of character, and obliterates distinctive traits. 
 
 94 
 
xvii. 55-93] INFERNO 
 
 55, 56. tasca : ' money-bag.' On this they were condemned 
 to feast their eyes, as they had done in life, only it is now empty ; and 
 as they were men of good families, their arms are depicted on these 
 bags, and by these alone they can be recognized, certo colore, &c. : 
 the colour and pattern (segno) are those of the coats of arms. 
 
 59. azzurro : i. e. a blue object. Of the arms mentioned in 
 what follows, the lion (1. 60) represented the Florentine family of 
 the Gianfigliazzi, the white goose (1. 63) the Florentine Ubriachi, 
 the sow (1. 64) the Paduan Scrovigni, the three kites' beaks (1. 73) 
 Giovanni Buiamonti. All the persons intended were men of noble 
 families, who were usurers. 
 
 61. curro : 'course,' 'forward movement'; the phrases essere 
 sul curro, ' to be on the way to,' mettere al curro, ' to instigate,' show 
 that this is the meaning ; see Vocah. Tramater. The der. seems to 
 be from Lat. currus, ' chariot,' which passes into the meaning of 
 ' course.' 
 
 64-6. grossa : * pregnant.' questa fossa : the Inferno gene- 
 rally is meant.; cp. Inf. xiv. 136. 
 
 68, 69. Vitaliano : he was still alive, but as to who he was 
 there are conflicting views, sinistro : as being the worse of the two. 
 
 72. il cavalier soprano : i. e. the prince of usurers, Giovanni 
 Buiamonti. 
 
 74, 75. distorse la bocca : he made a wry mouth in contempt. 
 La lingua : cp. Is. Ivii. 4, ' against whom draw ye out the tongue ? ' 
 
 76. temendo, &c. : 'fearing lest by delaying I should move 
 to wrath,' &c. nol for no il. For temendo no cp. Inf. Hi. 80. 
 
 85—7. riprezzo = ribrez%o, 'shivering fit.' rezzo : 'chill'; 
 here ' a shady place ' ; ' the man trembles all over at the mere sight 
 of a shady place,' at the mere suggestion of chill. Rezzo is again 
 used for 'chill' in Inf. xxxii. 75. Both this word and orez%a 
 (Purg. xxiv. 150) are derived from Lat. aura, 'breeze,' through 
 a hypothetical form auritium; Diez, Wort., p. 31. 
 
 88, 89. porte : 'uttered,' from porgere \ cp. Inf. v. 108. mi- 
 nacce : Virgil's ' dread commands,' 11. 81-3. 
 
 91-3. spallacce : 'huge shoulders.' * Si ' : this is part of 
 Dante's speech ; take with fa ; fa si che, ' be sure that.' Some, 
 however, take it with volli dir, ' in sooth I wished to say " Embrace 
 me," but,' &c. Com' io credetti : ' as I intended,' lit. ' as I 
 thought they (the words) would ' ; fear checked his utterance. 
 
 95 
 
INFERNO [xvii. 95-125 
 
 95. Ad altro forse : ' in meeting other hazards/ 
 
 98, 99. Le rote, &c. : Virgil desires Geryon to descend gently 
 in wide circles, la nuova soma : ' the unwonted burden ' of 
 Dante's material body; cp. Inf. viii. 28-30; xii. 30. 
 
 102. a giuoco : ' at liberty.' 
 
 105. con le branche : Geryon had no wings, but paddled in the 
 air with his paws. 
 
 107, 108. Feton : Phaethon, son of Apollo, by whom he was 
 permitted to drive the chariot of the sun for one day. In doing 
 so, Phaethon approached too near the heavens, which were thereby 
 scorched (il ciel si cosse), and this was supposed to have been the 
 origin of the Milky Way (come pare ancor). The story is told in 
 Ovid, Met. ii. 200 foil. 
 
 109. Icaro : 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 ; Ovid, Met. viii. 188 foil. 
 
 116, 117. non me n' accorgo, &c. : ' I am unconscious of the 
 motion, except that I feel the wind in my face and from below.* 
 Dante perceives that he is going forward because the wind comes in 
 his face, and that he is descending because it comes from below, 
 venta : impers. use, ' it blows ' ; cp. Purg. xvii. 68. 
 
 118, 119. dalla man destra : Geryon was circling round in 
 the neighbourhood of the precipice from which he started ; and, as 
 the progress of the Poets through the Inferno is regularly towards 
 the left hand, we may assume that Geryon started in that direction. 
 Consequently, he had the precipice, and the water of Phlegethon 
 that fell over it, on his right, when he had accomplished a half-circle, 
 and was at the furthest point from it. il gorge : ' the abyss * 
 ('gorge'), from which the sound of the failing water came up. 
 Others take it in the less usual sense of ' eddying stream,' Lat. gurges^ 
 i. e. the waterfall itself, stroscio : ' plashing,' 'boom.' 
 
 121. scoscio : 'precipice,' lit. 'broken place.' The word can 
 hardly be dissociated from scoscenclere^ ' to break,' d'tscosceso, 
 ' shattered' ; see note on Inf. xii. 8. They seem all to be derived 
 from Lat. excutere^ excussto ; and the dts- of d'lscosceso may have been 
 suggested by the analogy of words where initial s stands for dts. 
 
 123. mi raccoscio : ' crouch my limbs ' ; cp. j' accoscta in Inf. 
 xviii. 132. Others say ' grip with the thighs,' 'cling closer.' 
 
 125. li gran mali : the sight of torments. 
 
 96 
 
XVII. 128— XVIII. 6] INFERNO 
 
 128. senza veder, &c. : i.e. though neither being recalled nor 
 in pursuit of prey, logoro, ' lure/ means in falconry a figure of 
 a bird, represented by two bird's wings tied to a stick, by means 
 of which the falcon was recalled. 
 
 134. A pie a pie : ' at the very foot ' ; cp. Inf. xiv. 12, a randa 
 a randa, ' at the very edge.' stagliata : ' precipitous,' lit. ' cut 
 away,' 'cut sheer.' 
 
 136. cocoa : the notch of the arrow, used for the arrow itself; 
 cp. the use of Lat. cuspis, ' point,' for ' spear.' 
 
 CANTO XVIII 
 
 Argument. — The eighth Circle, which is called Malebolge, 
 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. In the first holgia, to which we are now intro- 
 duced, are the panders and seducers of women, who are scourged 
 by demons. After seeing these, Dante crosses the bridge that 
 spans this valley, and passing the intermediate rock-ridge looks 
 down upon the second bolgia, which contains the flatterers, who are 
 immersed in filth. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Malebolge: 'Evil-pits.' The word bolgia (Lat. 
 bulga) means ' a wallet,' and so ' a hollow place.' For a description 
 of Malebolge see the Argument, la cerchia : ' the encircling 
 rock,' i. e. the precipice by the side of which they have descended. 
 che d' intomo il volge : ' which runs round it,' lit. ' which turns 
 it around.' 
 
 4-6. dritto mezzo : ' the very middle.' campo : ' area.' 
 Vaneggia : ' opens wide,' ' yawns,' lit. ' forms a void (vano).* 
 pozzo : the pit of Hell, sue loco : this Latin phrase is probably 
 borrowed from scholastic Latin, ordigno : ' structure.' 
 
 TozER 97 H 
 
INFERNO [xviii. 7-30 
 
 7. adunque = dunque, 'then.' The meaning is inferential, 
 marking the result of the position of Malebolge. 
 
 10-2. Quale, &c. : Quale agrees with iigura, which is the 
 predicate to rende. La parte dov' ei son means *the ground 
 which they occupy,' and Quale figura la parte dov' ei son rende 
 signifies ' such as is their ground-plan.' The concentric valleys of 
 Malebolge are compared to the moats which, one within the other, 
 run round a fortress. 
 
 13, 14. quelli: understand yoj-j-/. sogli: 'thresholds of the 
 gates.' 
 
 16-8. Cosi, &c. ; 'so from the foot of the precipice started 
 (movien) bridges of rock, which intersected the embankments and 
 the ravines, until they reached the pit, where they end and meet.' 
 There were bridges at intervals, which may be said to meet at the 
 circle of the inner pit, in the same way as the spokes of a wheel 
 meet at the nave, scogli : observe that throughout the account of 
 Malebolge the word scoglio is used for ' a bridge of rock ' ; e. g. infra^ 
 1. Ill; xix. 8. raccogli : for raccoglieli ; cp. accolo for accoglilo 
 in Purg. xiv. 6. 
 
 22, 23. nuova pieta : 'a strange form of woe.' frustatori : 
 'wielders of the lash' (Longf.) : in Lev. xix. 20 (Vulg.) scourging 
 is the penalty of seduction. 
 
 25. ignudi: this does not imply that the sinners in other parts 
 of Hell were clothed, but draws attention to the condition of the 
 present class, which exposed them defenceless to their punishment. 
 
 26, 27. Dal mezzo in qua: 'on the nearer side of the valley.' 
 The sinners formed two lines, one on either side, and moved in op- 
 posite directions ; those on the nearer side advancing towards the 
 Poets, those on the farther side following the same direction as they 
 were taking (con noi), only at greater speed (con passi maggiori), 
 because they were driven by the demons. The former of these 
 were the procurers, the latter the seducers. Dante and Virgil 
 were walking leftwards (1. 21) along the ridge which bounded the 
 dike or valley on the outer side. 
 
 28-30. Come i Roman: the simile is derived from what took 
 place at the Ponte Sant' Angelo at Rome during the Jubilee of 
 1300. The rule of right and left for pedestrians on bridges is 
 not unknown at the present day, for instance at Dresden, where 
 it is enforced by the police, esercito : 'host of worshippers.' 
 
 98 
 
XVIII. 3^-6i] INFERNO 
 
 Hanno» &c. : * devised a plan to let the people pass.* Pass are 
 is used trans, elsewhere in Italian, e. g. for ' to put a person across 
 a river/ &c. ; see Vocah. Tramater. 
 
 32, 33. il castello : the Castle of St. Angelo, as the Mausoleum 
 of Hadrian was then and is still called. This faces one who 
 crosses to the right bank of the Tiber, il monte : the Capitoline 
 Hill, which is the most important point to attract passengers in that 
 direction, as St. Peter's is in the other. 
 
 35. cornuti : wearing horns, the emblem of adultery. 
 
 37. levar le berze : ' quicken their steps,' lit. ' lift their shanks.' 
 
 42. digiuno : here used, as in Inf. xxvifl. 87 and Par. ii. 75, 
 in the sense of ' lacking ' ; * I have not failed erewhile to see this 
 one ' : ' with sight of this one I am not unfed ' (Longf.). 
 
 43-5. a figurarlo : ' to scrutinize his looks.' indietro : the 
 person spoken of, being a procurer, had come from the opposite 
 direction and was passing them; see note on 11. 26, 27. Dante 
 retraces his steps in order to look at him. 
 
 49-51. le fazion che porti : 'the features that thou wearest.' 
 Venedico : this person was head of the Guelf party in Bologna in 
 the latter half of the thirteenth century, pungent! Salse: 'pungent 
 brine,' i. e. acute pain. As the sinner whom Dante addresses was 
 from Bologna, there is a reference here to a valley called Salse 
 in the neighbourhood of that city, where the bodies of criminals 
 were thrown. 
 
 53. chiara favella : 'accurate address'; it was Dante's pre- 
 cise mention of him which recalled his former life and inclined 
 him to reply. 
 
 55-7. Ghisolabella : she was sister of Caccianimico, and was 
 persuaded by him to become the mistress of the Marquis of Este. 
 The reading Ghisola bella, which the old commentators give, is now 
 proved to be incorrect, for her will, which has lately been found, 
 gives her name as Ghislabella; see Toynbee, Diet., p. 271. Come 
 che, &c. : ' in whatever form the scandalous story may be told.' 
 This implies that Dante thought there was more than one version 
 of the affair, and Benvenuto speaks to the same effect. 
 
 60, 61. Che tante, &c. : the meaning is: — 'there are more 
 natives of Bologna here than there are at present in the world 
 above.' apprese : ' taught.' sipa : Bolognese for sta. Ben- 
 venuto, who resided in Bologna, asserts this ; and Casini adds 
 
 99 H 2 
 
INFERNO [xviii. 63-91 
 
 that the modern Bolognese say sepa for s'la. Hence a dicer sipa 
 means * to use the Bolognese dialect.' Savena e Reno : the two 
 rivers which flow down from the Apennines on either side of Bologna. 
 
 63. Recati a mente, &c. : i. e. ' you will find the proof of it 
 in the avarice of our hearts.' Benvenuto confirms the charge of 
 covetousness. 
 
 66. da conio : 'for hire.' 
 
 68, 69. divenimmo L^ : 'we arrived at the point ' ; cp. Inf. 
 xiv. 76. 
 
 71, 72. a destra : as the Poets had followed the embankment 
 a sinistra (1. 21), to cross the bridge they turn a destra. scheggia: 
 the ' craggy mass ' of the rock which formed the bridge, cerchie : 
 ' encircling walls.' The precipices surrounding Malebolge are 
 meant, which are called 'la gran cerchia ' in Inf. xxiii. 134. The 
 epithet eterne, as applied to these 'walls,' probably signifies that 
 they were a place of everlasting imprisonment. 
 
 73, 74. dov' ei vaneggia Di sotto : ei is the bridge {scoglio^ 
 1. 69) ; ' where it opens wide below ' ; i. e. the bridge of rock 
 forms an arch, so that the souls may pass through. For vaneggia 
 see note on 1. 5. 
 
 75, 76. che feggia Lo viso in te: lit. 'that the sight may 
 strike on thee'; feggia from ferirc, cp. Inf. xv. 39. mal nati : 
 'born in an evil hour'; cp. Inf. v. 7. The persons here spoken of 
 are the seducers. 
 
 78. con noi insieme: see note on 1. 26. 
 
 79, 80. guardavam la traccia : 'we were watching the file.' 
 The Poets are looking down over the right-hand side of the bridge, 
 towards which the sinners are approaching, dall' altra banda : 
 'on the other side' of the valley; cp. Purg. xiii. 79. 
 
 84. per dolor : ' for all his pain ' ; cp. Inf. xvi. 93, per parlar\ 
 xxi. 28, per veder. non par . . . spanda : che is understood after 
 par, as it often is in modern Italian. Jason, like Capaneus (Inf. 
 xiv. 46-8), refuses to show outward signs of pain. 
 
 86, 87. core: 'courage.' monton : i.e. the Golden Fleece, 
 fene: a Tuscan form, for/}; c]). puone^ Inf. xi. 31. 
 
 89. Poi che, &c. ; when the Argonauts landed at Lemnos, they 
 found it inhabited only by women, who had murdered by agreement 
 all the males in the island. 
 
 91. segni: 'love-tokens.' There is much to be said in favour 
 
 IQO 
 
XVIII. 92-133] INFERNO 
 
 of the reading senno here; see Moore, Tcxfj €rti.^' ipi '^2x, 
 parole ornate: 'skilful speech'; cp. Inf. ii. 67. 
 
 92, 93. Isifile : Hypsipyle, whom Jason seduced and then 
 deserted. Dante has taken the story in the main from Statius, 
 Theb. V. 403 foil. Che prima, &c. : she saved from death her 
 father Thoas, contrary to her agreement with the other women. 
 
 96. di Medea : Jason first won her love, and then deserted and 
 wronged her, after she had accompanied him to Greece. 
 
 97-9. da tal parte: 'after this fashion.' in se assanna : 
 ' holds in its grip.' 
 
 100-2. lo stretto calle : the path which leads across Malebolge 
 crosses one bolgia after another by means of the bridges, and cuts 
 at right angles the embankments which intervene between them. 
 At the point now reached it intersects (incrocicchia) the embank- 
 ment between the first and second bolge^ and starts from the farther 
 side of that to form the bridge across the second bolgia. fa di 
 quello, &c. : lit. ' makes it a buttress to another arch.' 
 
 103, 104. Quindi, &c. : in the second bolgia, which Dante here 
 overlooks, the flatterers suffer an offensive punishment, suitable to 
 their contemptible sin. si nicchia : ' whines.' isbuffa : ' snorts.' 
 
 108. facea zuffa : 'made war upon,' 'was offensive to.' 
 
 117. non parea, &c. : i. e. it could not be seen whether he had 
 a tonsure or not. 
 
 121, 122. asciutti : in their natural state, without their covering 
 of filth. Alessio Interminei : nothing is known of this man except 
 that he was a flatterer, and that he was alive in 1295, as appears 
 from a document dated in that year; see Toynbee, Diet., p. 24. 
 
 124. zucca : 'pate'; lit. 'gourd.' 
 
 130-2. scapigliata fante : 'wench with dishevelled hair.' 
 s' accoscia : ' sits crouching' ; cp. mi raccoscio in Inf. xvii. 123. 
 
 133. Taide : Thais, the courtesan in the Eunuchus of Terence. 
 The passage in that play which is here referred to is Eunuch, iii. 
 I.I, where Thraso (the soldier) says ' Magnas vero agere gratias 
 Thais mihi ? ' and Gnatho (the parasite) replies ' Ingentes.' It will 
 be seen that Dante has made the mistake of putting Gnatho's reply 
 into the mouth of Thais. The origin of this error is to be found 
 in his not having taken the words direct from Terence, but from 
 Cicero, who quotes the passage in De Amicit. xxvi. § 98 ; ' " Magnas 
 vero agere gratias Thais mihi ? " Satis erat respondere, " Magnas": 
 
 lOI 
 
INFERNO [xviii. 136— XIX. 4 
 
 "ingentes" inquiu, . Semper auget assentator id, quod is, cuius ad 
 v'oluntatem' dicitur, viilfesse magnum.' This explanation is strongly- 
 corroborated by the fact that Cicero introduces this as an instance 
 of flattery ; and since it is not definitely stated there by whom the 
 word ' Ingentes ' is spoken, it was easy for Dante to suppose that it 
 was uttered by Thais herself. It may be added that Dante does not 
 elsewhere give any evidence of being acquainted with Terence. See 
 Moore, Studies, i* PP* 261, 262. 
 
 136. quinci: 'herewith.' This line suggests Dante's reason 
 for giving such a brief account of this bolgia, viz. the contemptible 
 character of its occupants. 
 
 CANTO XIX 
 
 Argument. — The third bolgia contains those who had committed 
 the sin of simony, or trafficking in the things of God for money. 
 They are placed head downwards in fissures of the rocks, only 
 their legs being visible, and on the soles of their feet are flames of fire. 
 Dante is carried by Virgil to the bottom of the gulf, in order that 
 he may converse with a spirit, who from the violent movement of 
 his feet appears to be undergoing severe punishment. This is Pope 
 Nicholas III, who intimates to Dante that his successors in the Holy 
 See, Boniface VIII and Clement V, are destined to undergo the 
 same torment. The Poet then takes the opportunity of inveighing 
 against the rapacity of the higher clergy. After this Virgil retraces 
 his steps, bearing Dante in his arms, and deposits him at a point 
 whence the fourth gulf is visible. 
 
 Lines 1-4. O Simon mago, &c. : ' Ah ! Simon Magus ; ah ! 
 ye worthless followers of his ! (I denounce you) because, while the 
 things of God ought to be devoted to good works, yet in your greed 
 you prostitute them for gold and silver.' L. i is a denunciation of 
 the Simoniacs, or those who followed in the steps of Simon Magus, 
 the first traflRcker in spiritual things. Acts viii. 9 foil. ; and Che in 
 1. 2 gives the reason for this denunciation. The diflSculty of the 
 passage lies in the reading in 1. 3, where the MS. authority is nearly 
 equally divided between e voi rapaci and voi rapaci (Moore, Text. 
 Crit., p. 323). With the latter of these the construction and the sense 
 are clear, which is not the case with the former. But, considering 
 
 102 
 
XIX. 5-3i] INFERNO 
 
 that the tendency of copyists is to alter what is unintelHgible to 
 them into what is intelHgible, and not vice versa, it seems impossible 
 that, if voi rapaci were the original reading, it could have been 
 altered by so many scribes into e voi rapaci. In this case e has 
 to be explained as expressing contrast to a previous clause, a use of 
 which there are other instances in the Div. Com. ; cp. Inf. xxx. 
 115; Purg. iv. 90. This seem to be an extension of the use of e 
 in the sense of 'then,* ' thereupon,' where it is equally outside the 
 grammatical construction of the sentence; see note on Inf. xxv. 
 34. Deono : for Devono. spose : lit. ' brides of,* ' espoused to.' 
 
 5. suoni la tromba : ' that proclamation should be made ' ; i. e. 
 that your misdeeds should be announced to all. 
 
 7-9. tomba : * receptacle of the dead,' lit. ' tomb,' meaning the 
 bolgia. scoglio : the bridge; cp. Inf. xviii. 16, in. piomba : 
 * falls perpendicularly,' like a plumb-line. 
 
 12. quanto giusto : giusto is subst. ; 'how great justice does 
 thy power dispense.' 
 
 1 3. lo vidi, &c. : the symbolism in what follows may be thus 
 explained. Their being placed head downwards signifies their 
 perversion of holy things ; their being enclosed in a hollow of the 
 rock corresponds — as explained in 1. 72 — to putting money in their 
 purses ; and the tongues of flame on their feet recall the fiery tongues 
 of Pentecost — the gift of the Spirit, which they have profaned. 
 
 16-8. Non mi parean, &c.: in illustration of the exact realism 
 of this passage cp. Inf. xv. 11. San Giovanni : the Baptistery of 
 Florence, which at that time was the Cathedral, per loco, &c. : 
 ' as places in which the baptizing priests might stand.' In the old 
 font (now destroyed) in the Baptistery there were circular cavities at 
 the four angles for the priests to stand in, so as to escape the 
 pressure of the crowd, which was caused by baptisms only taking 
 place on specified days. The existing Baptistery at Pisa is arranged 
 in this manner; see the plan of it in Blanc, Versuch, p. 171, and 
 the view in Vernon, Readings, ii. p. 65. On the occasion to which 
 Dante refers, a boy had crept into one of these (presumably head 
 downwards, as Mr. Butler remarks), and got stuck and was being 
 suffocated, when in order to rescue him Dante, who was one of the 
 priors, broke the marble. 
 
 19—21. ancor non e, &c. : the date of Dante's priorate was 
 1300. annegava : ' was losing his life.' Annegare usually means 
 
 103 
 
INFERNO [XIX. 22-S4 
 
 * to be drowned,' but it is also used in the more general sense of the 
 Lat. enecare, from which it is derived ; see Kbrting, Wort., No. 2817. 
 suggel : ' guarantee ' ; this statement of Dante's is to be taken as a 
 guarantee (he ' sets his seal ' to it) that this is the true account, so as 
 to disabuse others of an interpretation unfavourable to him, as if it 
 was done from mischief. 
 
 22-4. soperchiava: the use of the singular verb with two 
 subjects, the former of which is plural, is explained by its preceding 
 them, so that it is quasi-absolute, ' there protruded.' grosso : ' the 
 calf.' 
 
 29. pur su per 1' estrema buccia : *over the outer surface 
 only.' buccia: lit. 'rind,' 'peel.' 
 
 31-3. si cruccia : 'shows such fury' (or 'excitement'). 
 rozza : ' rude,' ' fierce ' ; there is some authority for rossa here. 
 succia : ' licks ' ; ' over whom plays a fiercer lambent flame.' 
 
 35. per quella ripa che piii giace : 'by the lower of the two 
 embankments.' This is the one on the inner side of the bolgia, 
 which is consequently the fourth [argine quarto, 1. 40), being between 
 the third and fourth bolge. It is 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. Hence the 
 descent from the inner embankment is the shorter of the two, and 
 for that reason Virgil prefers it. All this is more fully explained 
 in Inf. xxiv. 34-40. 
 
 41. mano stanca : ' left hand ' ; cp. man manca, Inf. xxiii. 68. 
 
 43-5. anca : the same word as Engl, 'haunch.' Virgil was 
 carrying Dante; cp. 1. 34. si: for s'lno, 'until,* as in 1. 128. 
 rotto : the fracture in the cliff, piangeva con la zanca : ' was 
 showing his pain by the movement of his leg.' 
 
 46, 47. O qual che se' : this is Nicholas III, who held the 
 Papacy from 1277 to 1280. Villani says of him (vii. 54) — 'fu de' 
 primi, o il primo papa, nella cui corte s' usasse palese simonia per gli 
 suoi parenti.' come pal commessa : ' being set like a stake.' 
 
 50, 51. fitto : i.e. ' set head downward in the earth.' Plantat'io, 
 or planting head downwards, was a common punishment in Florence 
 at this time, perche la morte cessa : ' because by so doing he 
 delays his death ' ; if ^^r che is read, it means ' whereby.' 
 
 52-4. costl ritto : ' standing there.' Bonifazio : Pope Boni- 
 face VIII, whom Nicholas was expecting to join him here, but at a 
 
 104 
 
XIX. 56-84] INFERNO 
 
 later period. As Boniface died in 1303, he was still alive in 
 1 300, the supposed date of Dante's Vision, lo scritto : the record 
 of the future. We have already seen (Inf. x. 100—5) ^^^^ ^^e dead 
 could foresee the future, though they were ignorant of present events. 
 56, 57. torre a inganno, &c. : 'to carry off by fraud the 
 beauteous dame,' i. e. the Church. The reference is to his having 
 brought about the abdication of his predecessor, Celestine V, with 
 a view to his own advancement, fame strazio : by simoniacal 
 practices. Villani (viii. 64) gives numerous instances. 
 
 64. tutti : ' in every muscle ' ; for tutti in the sense of ' wholly ' 
 cp. Inf. xxxi. 1 5, ' Dirizzo gli occhi miei tutti ad un loco.' 
 
 70-2. figliuol dell* orsa : a member of the Orsini family, and 
 as greedy as a bear. The cubs (orsatti) are the young Orsini. Che 
 su, &c. : ' that in the world above I pocketed wealth, and here 
 1 have pocketed myself,' with reference to the hollow in the rock 
 vhere he was fixed. 
 
 73-5. tratti : 'dragged down.' piatti : ' squeezed within the 
 fiisures ' ; piatto means both ' flattened ' and ' hidden,' and may be 
 used in either sense here. 
 
 79. piii e il tempo, &c. : in 1300, when Nicholas III is sup- 
 posed to be speaking, twenty years had elapsed since his death in 
 1 2?o ; between the death of Boniface in 1 303 and that of Clement V 
 in 1314, which is referred to in the form of a prediction in 11. 82-4, 
 onl3 eleven years elapsed. Scartazzini, in his Companion to Dante 
 (p. J 7 7), infers from this passage that, in order for Dante to make 
 Niclolas III affirm that Clement V would be Pope for less than 
 twerty years, he must have known the year of his death ; and hence 
 he ccncludes that this part of the poem was written subsequently to 
 1314^ Mr. Butler, however, the translator of Scartazzini's work, 
 well remarks, that this does not absolutely follow ; for the number 
 of Pojes who ruled for that length of time was so inconsiderable, 
 that it night safely be conjectured that Clement would not do so. 
 On oth^r grounds so late a date as 13 14 for the composition of the 
 Inferno s highly improbable. 
 
 83, 8<. un pastor senza legge : Clement V, who is spoken of 
 as being 5i ver ponente, as being a French Pope. He was elected 
 in 1 305 through the influence of Philip the Fair, and played into his 
 hands ; b) him the Papal See was removed from Rome to Avignon. 
 Villani (ix 59) mentions his simoniacal practices and his incon- 
 
 105 
 
INFERNO [XIX. 86-1 1 1 
 
 tinence. Dante again denounces him in Par. xxx. 142-8. ricopra : 
 'lie above,' in the fessura della pietra, 
 
 86. Ne* Maccabei : 2 Mace. iv. 7 foil. Jason, by a promise 
 of money, obtained the high priesthood {circ, 175 B.C.) from 
 Antiochus Epiphanes, and introduced Greek customs among the 
 Jews, molle : ' indulgent,' in furthering his interests. 
 
 89. a questo metro : ' in this strain,' ' to this effect.' 
 
 91, 92. in prima . . . Che, &c. : 'before entrusting the keys to 
 his keeping.' in prima che is again used for prima che in Par. 
 xxx. 138, ' Verra in prima che ella sia disposta.' 
 
 98, 99. guarda ben : 'see that thou keep,' iron, lamal tolta 
 moneta : ' the money raised by extortions.' The expression here 
 is equivalent to the toilette dannose of Inf. xi. 36, and both of them 
 represent the maletollettum, 'extortions,' of mediaeval Latin. It 
 French maltote (O. F. maltolte) has the same meaning. What is 
 here referred to is the confiscation of tithes, &c., by Nicholas, and 
 it was the money thus obtained which encouraged him to oppose 
 Charles of Anjou. 
 
 1 06-1 1. Di voi pastor, &c. : the passage here intended is tie 
 description of the 'great harlot' in Rev. xvii. This, which in 
 reality refers to imperial Rome, is regarded by Dante — as it ias 
 often been by others since his time — as referring to papal Rone. 
 Dante however — probably owing to confused recollection — interprets 
 the passage quite differently from what the author of the Booc of 
 Revelation himself did. In that book the woman who sits or the 
 waters and commits fornication with the kings of the earti, is 
 seated on the beast with seven heads and ten horns (v. 3), and the 
 seven heads are explained as being both seven mountains and seven 
 kings (vv. 9, 10), and the ten horns are ten kings (v. 12), anl both 
 the heads and the horns are worldly powers. In Dante, Jn the 
 contrary, the woman herself is born with seven heads, and he' course 
 is ordered by the ten horns ; and these are good influences, because 
 (1. Ill) they prevailed so long as virtue was in the ascendant. 
 Hence it is probable that by the seven heads he meant the )evenfold 
 graces of the Holy Spirit, and by the ten horns the Ten Command- 
 ments, ebbe argomento : according to the interpretaton given 
 above this means ' took her rule of life from ' ; others say ' obtained 
 the evidence of her truth from the Ten Commandmens ' ; others 
 again ' took her emblem from.' Fin che, &c. : ' so bng as her 
 
 106 
 
XIX. 1 13-31] INFERNO 
 
 husband (the Pope) took pleasure in virtue ' ; it cannot mean ' so long 
 as her virtue was acceptable to her spouse ' (Christ), because virtute 
 by itself does not signify ' her virtue.' 
 
 113, 114. che altro e da, &c. : 'what difference is there 
 between?' cp. Purg. xxiv. 62; Par. xxxii. 57. The explanation 
 of the idiom is, that ' from . . .to * implies an interval hetnueen. 
 idolatre : plur. of idolaira. Se non, &c. : the meaning is : — 
 ' Your idolatry is a hundredfold greater than theirs, for every piece 
 of money is an object of worship to you ' ; ' where they worship 
 one, you worship a hundred.' egli for eglino. 
 
 11 6, 117. quella dote : the Donation of Constantine of the States 
 of the Church, and at the same time of the whole temporal power of 
 the West, to Pope Sylvester I. In the present passage it is rather 
 the former gift which is referred to, as appears from the epithet ricco ; 
 in Par. xx. 55—7 it is rather the latter. This donation, which is 
 new known to be fictitious, was believed to be a fact in Dante's 
 time. 
 
 119, 120. O ira o: 'whether it were anger or.' This is an 
 elliptical use; Diez {Gram. iii. p. 335) compares Boccaccio, Decam. 
 ii. T, 'o vero o non vero che si fosse.' spingava : 'kicked 
 about ' ; others read springava with the same meaning. 
 
 122. labbia : 'aspect'; cp. Inf. xiv. 67. 
 
 127, 128. distretto : ' closely clasped.' Si: for stno, 'until'; 
 cp. 1. 44. Virgil now carries Dante up the inner side of the third 
 bo/gia and then across the intervening embankment, and as far as the 
 centre of the bridge which spans the fourth bolgia. 
 
 131- soaveper: ' gently because of.' 
 
 CANTO XX 
 
 Argument. — In the fourth bolgia are seen the Necromancers, 
 who walk backwards, their faces being reversed on their bodies, in 
 punishmen; for their having pretended during their lifetime to look 
 forward in.o the future. Among them are the Theban prophet 
 Teiresias aid his daughter Manto. In connexion with her, Virgil 
 relates the jegend of the foundation of his native city Mantua, to 
 which she give her name; and, in order to describe its site more 
 
 107 
 
INFERNO [XX. 3-31 
 
 fully, he traces the course of the Mincio on which it stands, together 
 with the streams that feed that river, and the lake of Garda through 
 which they flow. Michael Scott and other diviners are also 
 noticed. 
 
 Line 3. ch' e de' sommersi: 'which canzone (or Cantka) 
 treats of those who are plunged in Hell ' ; for sommersi cp. Inf. 
 vi. 15. 
 
 5. scoperto : ' disclosed to view ' ; the two Poets were now on 
 the highest point of the bridge above; Inf. xix. 128. 
 
 8, 9. al passo, &c. : at the slow pace of a religious procession. 
 
 13, 14. dalle reni: 'towards the reins'; for da meaning 'in 
 the direction of cp. Inf. xxii. 146; Purg. ii. 55. gli : for loro. 
 
 16. parlasia: old form by contraction lox paralisia 'palsy.' 
 
 19. Se Die ti lasci : ' so may God grant thee.' 
 
 22. la nostra imagine: the human form. 
 
 28. piet^ : here used in the two senses of 'piety' and 'pity.' 
 ' Here piety lives when pity is wholly dead.' 
 
 30. passion porta: 'introduces feeling where God's judgements 
 are concerned,' lit. ' brings feeling to bear on God's judgement.' 
 There is greater MS. authority for passion comporta, and for :om- 
 passion porta (see Moore, Text. Crit.^ p. 326), but passion porta, 
 being a less familiar expression, is more likely to have been altered 
 into these than 'uice 'versa. The reading here is not affected ty the 
 question of metre, for Dante elsewhere uses passion both as a di- 
 syllabic and a trisyllable; cp. Purg. xxi. 107 ; Inf. xxxi. 72. The 
 meaning of the passage in any case is not very different. As jegards 
 the feeling displayed by Dante — he had shown compassion to Fran- 
 cesca and others in the upper Circles of Hell, but since entering 
 Malebolge he had ceased to do so; and even here the feeling he 
 expresses is rather for a class of persons, and for the disDrtion of 
 the human frame, than for individuals. The same is true in Inf. 
 xxix. 1—3, where he is again overpowered by grief. 
 
 31. a cui: this is the soothsayer Amphiaraus, one of the Seven 
 against Thebes, who in the course of that expedition was swallowed 
 up by the earth. Dante obtained the story from StatiuJ, Theb. vii. 
 690 foil. ; viii. i foil. ; and the words " Dove rui," &c., which are 
 here put into the mouth of the Thebans, were suggested by those 
 which Statius attributes to Pluto, viz. viii. 84, 85, ' At tibi quos, 
 
 108 
 
XX. 35-59] INFERNO 
 
 inquit, Manes, qui limlte praeceps Non licito per inane ruis ? ' See 
 Moore, Studies, i. p. 246. 
 
 35. ruinare a valle : * plunge downwards '; for a valle cp. Inf. 
 xii. 46. 
 
 40. Tiresia : Teiresias, 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 after 
 seven years, when he met the same serpents and struck them again. 
 The story is from Ovid, Met. iii. 320 foil. 
 
 45. le maschili penne: *his manly plumes,' i.e. his beard, 
 the sign of the male sex ; cp. the use of plume for ' beard ' in Purg. 
 i. 42. 
 
 46-9. Aronta : Amns, the Etruscan soothsayer, who foretold 
 the civil war between Pompey and Caesar. Lucan, who tells his story 
 {Phars. i. 584 foil.), speaks of him as an inhabitant of Luna — 1. 586, 
 ' Aruns incoluit desertae moenia Lunae.' The monti di Luni are 
 the Carrara group to the eastward of Spezia, on the sea-face of which 
 are the Carrara marble quarries (bianchi marmi, 1. 49) and the 
 town of the same name, al ventre gli s* atterga : ' turns his 
 back to Teiresias' front.' 
 
 55? 56. Manto : daughter of Teiresias. It is noticeable that 
 in Purg. xxii. 1 1 3, Dante, by a slip of memory, has placed her in 
 Limbo. Moreover, in the present passage he has put into Virgil's 
 mouth an account of the foundation of the city of Mantua, which is 
 different from that which Virgil himself gives in uien. x. 198-200 ; 
 and, from what he says in 11. 97—9, it would appear that (for what 
 reason we know not) he desired to correct the Virgilian legend. In 
 the Aene'id we are told that Mantua was founded by Ocnus, the son 
 of Manto and of the river Tiber — ' Fatidicae Mantus et Tusci filius 
 amnis, Qui muros matrisque dedit tibi, Mantua, nomen.' But in 
 Dante's corrected version Virgil is made to say that Manto was 
 unmarried (yergtne, 1. 82), and that she herself chose the site. The 
 latter of these statements Dante may have obtained from Isidore, 
 who says {Orig. xv. i. 59), 'Manto Tiresiae iilia post interitum 
 Thebanorum dicitur delata in Italiam Mantuam condidisse.' See 
 Moore, Studies, i. pp. 173-5, 304. cerco : intrans., 'made search,' 
 i. e. went in quest of a resting-place, dove nacqu' io : Mantua 
 was Virgil's birthplace. 
 
 59. venne serva, &c. : 'Thebes (of which Bacchus was the 
 
 109 
 
INFERNO [XX. 61-6 
 
 presiding deity) fell into servitude * ; the reference is to its capture 
 by the Epigoni. venne for elivenne; cp. Par. xxxiii. 52. 
 
 61—78. This passage is the most conspicuous illustration which 
 the poem affords of Dante's delight in physical geography, and 
 especially in the study of the courses of rivers. His object is to 
 lead up to the site of Mantua ; and in doing so he introduces a digres- 
 sion, in which the basin of the Lago di Garda is described, from 
 the headwaters of its tributaries towards the north, to its southern 
 end, where the Mincio, the river of Mantua, issues from it near 
 Peschiera. 
 
 61-3. Suso : 'in the upper world.' Apple dell' alpe, &c. : 
 ' at the foot of the Alpine chain, which forms the boundary of 
 Germany above Tyrol ' ; the mountains here intended are those which 
 rise above Meran due N. of the basin of the Lago di Garda. alpe, 
 in whatever sense it is used, is always sing, in the Div. Com. 
 Lamagna : u4lamagna is also read ; both are forms of the Italian 
 name of Germany. Tiralli : this name was applied both to the 
 country of Tyrol and to the Schloss Tirol near Meran, the 
 hereditary seat of the Counts who ruled it; here the latter is 
 probably meant, because a definite locality is pointed to. Benaco : 
 Benacus was the Latin name of the Lago di Garda. 
 
 64-6. mille fonti : these are the tributaries which feed the lake ; 
 and as the town of Garda is situated on its eastern side, and the 
 Val Camonica lies away to the north-westward of it, the district 
 here described must be the upland region of the Giudicaria to the 
 northward of it, which has to be traversed in passing from one of 
 these to the other, and which contains the principal tributaries of the 
 lake. Apennino : a few MSS. read Pennino ; in reality, as the 
 preceding word Camonica ends in «, the corruption either way is 
 easy, especially as they are proper names, and the MS. evidence does 
 not decide much between them. By Apennino the chain of the 
 Apennines cannot be meant ; and though some of the commentators 
 speak of a mountain of that name in the neighbourhood here referred 
 to, there is no evidence of its existence. Dante probably wrote 
 Pennino ; for though the Pennine Alps in the ordinary acceptation 
 of that name — i. e. the range of which the Great St. Bernard is the 
 centre — would be out of place here, yet Orosius assigns to them just 
 the required position, viz. to the south-west of Rhaetia, as the Tyrol 
 was called in antiquity ; Oros. i. 2. 60, * Pannonia Noricus et 
 
 no 
 
XX. 67-96] INFERNO 
 
 Rhaetia habent . . . ab Africo (i. e. to the S. W.) Alpes Poeninas.' 
 Dante was probably following Oroslus, who was one of his leading 
 authorities in geography. 
 
 67—9. nel mezzo : in the middle of the region thus described. 
 segnar potria: 'would be able to give his blessing,* as bishop of 
 the diocese ; by this it is implied that the three dioceses met at this 
 point. 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 (see Casini 
 ad ioc). 
 
 70-2. siede: take with Ove, 1. 72 ; *is situated where the level 
 of the surrounding country is lowest.' arnese : ' fortress,' lit. 
 * harness.' Da fronteggiar : ' to face.' The fortress of Peschiera 
 at the southern end of the lake, which lies between Verona 
 on the one side and Brescia and Bergamo on the other, belonged 
 at this time to the Scaligers, and was thus a frontier stronghold of 
 Verona. 
 
 74. pud : this line and those which rhyme with it are ten-syllable 
 lines. For the justification of this exceptional metncal usage see 
 note on Inf. iv. 56. 
 
 76-8. mette co : 'starts'; co for capo, cp. Inf. xxi. 64. 
 Govemo : now Govemolo. 
 
 79. lama : ' plain ' ; cp. Inf. xxxii. 96 ; Purg. vii. 90. 
 
 82. cruda: 'unmarried'; Statius (Theb. iv. 463) calls her 
 ' innuba Manto.' 
 
 87. vano : ' tenantless.' 
 
 93. senz' altra sorter 'without further appealing to augury,' 
 Lat. sortes. 
 
 94-6. Gi^ fur, &c. : ' formerly its inhabitants were more 
 numerous ' than now. la mattia da Casalodi : di is sometimes 
 read for da ; ' before the senseless counts of Casalodi (lit. the 
 folly of Casalodi) were led into a trap by Pinamonte.' Casalodi 
 was a fortress in the territory of Brescia, from which the family of 
 that name, who were the leading house in Mantua, were called. 
 Pinamonte, a citizen of Mantua, put himself forward as a popular 
 leader towards the end of the thirteenth century, and after persuading 
 the head of the Casalodi to remove a number of the foremost aristo- 
 crats in that city in order to appease the people, succeeded in expelling 
 or massacring the Casalodi themselves. Dante puts this remark into 
 
 III 
 
INFERNO [XX. 97-123 
 
 Virgil's mouth merely in order to narrate the recent history of 
 Mantua. 
 
 97. t' assenno : ' I counsel thee ' ; on Virgil's remark here see 
 note on 1. 55. 
 
 105. rifiede: 'reverts to,' lit. 'strikes upon afresh '; from 
 rifedire. 
 
 108-10. quando : the time of the Trojan war is meant. SI 
 che, &c. : ' so that hardly enough men remained to beget children,' 
 lit. ' for the cradles ' (Lat. curiae), i. e. for the supply of children. 
 diede il punto : ' announced the moment.' 
 
 112. cosi il canta: Virg. ^en. ii. 114-9. I" ^^^^ passage 
 we are told that Eurypylus was sent to consult the oracle of Apollo 
 concerning the return of the Greeks from Troy, but nothing is 
 said about his having given the signal for starting from Aulis. 
 Dante seems by a slip of memory to have confused the two 
 occasions. 
 
 113. Tragedia: the Aeneid is called a tragedy, because of its 
 elevated subject and style; cp. De Vulg. Eloq. ii. 4. 11. 38, 39, 
 ' per tragoediam superiorem stilum induimus.' The word Tragedia, 
 Vike commed)a in Inf. xvi. 128, is accented on the penultima contrary 
 to the modern Italian usage, alcun loco : ' a certain passage ' ; 
 for alcuno in this sense, where the thing meant is not named, cp. 
 Purg. iv. 80, alcun arte. The indefinite manner of reference is 
 here used in default of any more exact mode of quotation which 
 a poet can employ. 
 
 115, 116. ne' fianchi, &c. : unless this is a description which 
 was current at the time, we must suppose that it refers to the ema- 
 ciated appearance of a recluse student. Michele Scotto : Michael 
 Scott {circ. 1 1 90— 1250), who was reputed to be a wizard, was a 
 native of Scotland, and studied in Oxford and Paris, and lived for 
 some time at the court of Frederic II. He translated several of 
 Aristotle's works into Latin from the Arabic. 
 
 118, 119. Guido Bonatti : an astrologer of Forll patronized 
 by Count Guido da Montefeltro. Asdente : a shoemaker of Parma 
 who professed himself a prophet, avere inteso, «&:c. : ' to have 
 given his attention to his leather and his thread,' instead of meddling 
 with prophecy. 
 
 123. imago: an effigy of the person who was intended to be 
 influenced by charms; cp. Virg. EcL viii. 75. 
 
 112 
 
XX. I'ZA-S^] INFERNO 
 
 124-6. tiene, &c. : the general meaning of the passage is — 'the 
 moon is setting,' and this is used in place of 'the sun is rising,' because 
 the mention of the name of that luminary is avoided in Hell. The 
 time intended is about 6 a.m. on Easter Eve. il confine, &c. : the 
 boundary line of the two hemispheres, of which Jerusalem and the 
 Mountain of Purgatoiy were the two central points, and the Ganges 
 and the west of Spain — here represented by Seville — the extremities ; 
 see note on Purg. ii. i. Sotto : by 'below' is here meant 'beyond,' 
 ' on the further side of Seville.' The moon was now setting in the 
 northern hemisphere. Caino e le spine : the Man in the Moon, 
 here used for the moon itself. The bundle of thorns, which, 
 according to the story, Cain was condemned to carry, probably repre- 
 sents his offering of the fruit of the ground which was not accepted. 
 
 127. iernotte: 'yesternight,' i. e. the night before last, it being 
 now early morning. The moon was full on the night which Dante 
 had passed in the Seha, as is implied in the next two lines, and 
 that was the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday ; see 
 note on Inf. ii. i. 
 
 129. Alcuna volta : ' on a certain occasion,' i. e. on an occasion 
 which I do not name, but which you may remember ; cp. alcun loco 
 above, 1. 113. fonda : abbreviated for ^ro/b«^«. 
 
 130. introcque: 'meanwhile,' an archaic word = intanto. 
 
 CANTO XXI 
 
 Argument. — After crossing another embankment of rock, the 
 Poets mount to the highest point of the next bridge, from which they 
 look down Into the fifth bolgia, In which jobbery is punished. Here 
 the sinners are immersed in boiling pitch, and are tormented by 
 artful and malicious devils. A company of these evil spirits now 
 appears, and prepares to attack the Poets ; but Virgil persuades their 
 leader to allow them to proceed with an escort selected from his 
 troop. 
 
 The contempt which Dante felt for jobbers — in Inf. xi. 60 
 he speaks of them as ' baratti e simile lordura ' — allowed him to 
 
 TOZER 113 I 
 
INFERNO [XXI. 2-38 
 
 introduce into this part of the poem an element of grim buffoonery, 
 which is seen, for instance, in the names of the devils — Malebranche 
 ('Ugly claws'), Malacoda ('Ugly tail'), Scarmiglione ('Rough- 
 and-tumble '), &c. — but especially in the device of the jobber to 
 evade the devils which is described in Canto XXII. Perhaps this 
 is also intended to lighten the strain on the reader's feelings in the 
 midst of the horrors of the lower part of Hell. 
 
 Line 2. commedia: see note on Inf. xvi. 128. 
 
 7. Arzana : the Arsenal of Venice is situated towards the 
 eastern extremity of that city. 
 
 10. in quella vece: 'instead thereof,' i.e. of voyaging; cp. 
 Purg. xvi. 36. 
 
 14. volgesarte: ' twists cordage.' 
 
 17. pegola : in accordance with the saying, 'Those who handle 
 pitch shall be defiled therewith,' the pitch here symbolizes the dirty 
 work of jobbery, and the money that sticks to the jobber's fingers. 
 
 20. Ma' che : ' aught else than,' Lat. magis quam. 
 
 25. cui tarda : ' who is impatient,' lit. ' to whom it seems long' ; 
 cp. Inf. ix. 9. The person here described is influenced at once by 
 curiosity and fear. 
 
 28. per veder: 'for all his looking'; cp. Inf. xvi. 93, per 
 parlor, 
 
 30. lo scoglio : the bridge of rock. 
 
 32. neir atto acerbo : ' cruel in his aspect. 
 
 34-6. acuto e superbo : ' pointed and high.' carcava : ' en- 
 cumbered ' ; the guilty soul was carried on the shoulders of the 
 devil, who held him fast at the ankles by the tendons. 
 
 37. Del nostro pontedisse: 'from our bridge he exclaimed.* 
 Some editors make Del nostro ponte part of the speech ; in this 
 case the meaning is, 'O ye Malebranche who guard our bridge,' it 
 being implied that there was a band of them at each of the bridges 
 which spanned at intervals this bolgla. Malebranche: this is a 
 collective name for these demons; cp. Inf. xxxiii. 142: for this 
 reason Mettete (I. 39) is plural. 
 
 38. anzian di santa Zita : Elders of Lucca : the city is here 
 called by the name of the local saint who was its patron. ' Elders ' 
 was the title of its chief magistrates, as ' Priors ' was for those of 
 Florence. 
 
 114 
 
XXI. 39-78] INFERNO 
 
 39, 40. per anche : ' once more.' ch* i' n' ho, &c. : ' which 
 I have well provided with such characters.' 
 
 41. fuor che Bonturo ; ironical, Bonturo having been notorious 
 for jobbery. 
 
 42. ita : 'yes'; this is the Latin word, which is used in that 
 language in this sense. As regards the meaning of the line, Lana 
 says that, when votes were taken in the public council at Lucca, 
 two ballot-boxes were carried round, one for the Ayes, the other 
 for the Noes ; and that sometimes, when the interest of the state 
 required that they should vote ' No,' they voted 'Aye ' for a bribe. 
 
 44, 45. mai non fu, &c. : 'never was mastiff, when its leash 
 was slipped, in such a hurry,' &c. 
 
 46-8. convolto : 'doubled up,' i. e. arching his back above the 
 surface for the sake of relief, while he concealed the rest of his 
 person. This action on his part is illustrated by the comparison of 
 the porpoises in Inf xxii. 19-24. avean coperchio : they were 
 lying in wait under the arch. Qui non, &c. : ' It's no use invoking 
 the Holy Face here.' The ' Holy Face ' of Lucca was an ancient 
 crucifix, and the Lucchesi used to invoke it in time of need. 
 
 49. Serchio : the river which flows near Lucca ; formerly it 
 joined the Arno below Pisa, now it enters the sea by a separate 
 channel. Its stream was a favourite bathing-resort of the people 
 of Lucca. 
 
 52-4. addentar: 'pronged.' accaffi : 'pilfer.' 
 
 57. galli : used, like the modern galkggiare, for 'to float.' 
 
 60. che alcun, &c. : ' that you may have some screen for your- 
 self; haia for ahbia, as in Par. xvii. 140. 
 
 62, 63. ch' io ho, &c. : 'for I am conversant with the matter'; 
 for conte cp. Inf. iii. 76. altra volta : the occasion referred to 
 is that mentioned in Inf ix. 22-7, where Virgil says that he was 
 forced by the enchantress Erichtho to bring up a lost soul from the 
 pit of Hell, baratta : ' bargaining,' i. e. negotiations with the 
 demons. 
 
 64, 65. CO : for capo; cp. Inf xx. 76. la ripa sesta : the 
 embankment which separates the fifth from the sixth bolgia. 
 
 69. chiede ove s' arrest a : ' begs at the place where he stops.' 
 
 76. Malacoda : the leader of the devils in this bolgia; in 1. 115 
 he speaks of the others as questl mtei. 
 
 78. dicendo : *Che gli approda?': 'saying (to himself), 
 
 115 12 
 
INFERNO [XXL 81-114 
 
 what good will it do him ? ' lit. ' what does it benefit him ? * Virgil's 
 next remark is an answer to this, approda : der. from pro^ prode^ 
 * advantage.' 
 
 81. schermi: 'hindrances,' lit. ' means of defence.' 
 
 84. silvestro : 'wild'; cp. Inf. ii. 142. 
 
 89. quatto : 'crouching,' from Lat. coactus \ Diez, Wort., 
 p. 260. It is the same word as Engl. ' squat,' which was originally 
 'quat'; Skeat, Etym. Diet., s.v. 'squat.' 
 
 93. temetti : fortemei; cp. Inf. xxxi. 109. ch' ei tenesser : 
 ' that they would not keep ' ; the construction corresponds to that of 
 the Lat. vereor ut, while temer no or che non means ' to fear that,' 
 Lat. vereor ne\ cp. Inf. ii. 35, 64 ; iii. 80. Others read temetti non 
 tenesser here, but the MS. authority is strongly in favour of ch* ei 
 tenesser (see Moore, Text. Crit., p. 330), and non arose from a 
 misunderstanding of the idiom. 
 
 94-6. E cosi, &c. : 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. 
 The words vid' io imply that Dante was present on the occasion. 
 
 102. fa che gliele accocchi: 'mind you poke at him.' The 
 phrase here used is accoccarla ad uno, which means ' to play a person 
 a trick ' ; and gliele — which is an indeclinable form, standing for 
 glielo, gliela, glieli (cp. Inf. xxxiii. 149) — here represents gUela. 
 For the use of /a in such phrases see note on Inf. xv. 99. 
 
 106, 107. per questo Iscoglio : 'along this rocky ridge.' 
 Iscoglio here, as in Inf. xviii. 16, is the transverse ridge which forms 
 a line of bridges across Malebolge. The Poets were now on the 
 embankment which separates the fifth from the sixth bolgia (I. 65), 
 and Malacoda tells them that they cannot continue their course 
 along the transverse ridge, because the next bridge was broken ; so 
 he recommends them to follow the embankment till they reached the 
 next transverse ridge, saying that they could cross by the bridge there, 
 which was unbroken (tutto intero, 1. 126). In this last statement 
 he was deceiving them, as they discover later (Inf. xxiii. 136 foil.), 
 for there also the bridge was broken. 
 
 110. grotta : ' rock,' i. e. the embankment. 
 
 1 1 2-4. ler, &c. : ' yesterday, five hours before the present time, 
 completed 1266 years from the time when the way was broken.' ler 
 is the subject to compid. piii oltre . . . che signifies ' before.' otta 
 
 116 
 
XXI. II6-37] INFERNO 
 
 means the same as ora^ just as allotta means the same as allora ; its 
 etymology is uncertain, but it is not connected with ora. This 
 passage is of especial importance among the Time- References in 
 the Dm. Com.^ because it serves as a starting-point, from which 
 other computations of time in the poem may be made. The follow- 
 ing is the explanation of it. Malacoda, in order to inspire Virgil 
 with greater confidence in his statement, gives the exact date, com- 
 puted from the moment at which he is speaking, of the destruction 
 of the bridges, which took place at the time of our Lord's death, 
 when the rocks were rent. This, he says, was 1266 years and a 
 day (it was ier), all but five hours, before the present time. Now 
 as Dante believed that Christ died in the thirty-fourth year of His 
 age {Conv. iv. 23, 11. 95-8; 'il nostro Salvatore Cristo, il quale 
 voile morire nel trentaquattresimo anno della sua etade'), the year 
 here meant must be 1300 a. D. (1266-^34). The day of the 
 Church's year, being that which followed the day of our Lord's 
 death or Good Friday, is Easter Eve. And, as Dante held that 
 Christ died at mid-day {Conv. iv. 23, 11. 105-7 5 'onde dice Luca, 
 che era quasi ora sesta quando mono '), by deducting five hours we 
 find the present time of day to be 7 a.m. To sum up, we have now 
 reached 7 a.m. on Easter Eve of 1300 a. d. 
 
 116. se ne sciorina : 'is airing himself; 'if any of those in 
 torment in the pitch is exposing his body to the air.' 
 
 120. la decina : the company of ten devils. 
 
 124-6. pane: ior panie, plur. oi pania, 'birdlime,' here used 
 for 'tar.' scheggio : 'line of rock-bridges,' like scoglio in 1. iii. 
 intero : ' unbroken.' tane ; ' dens,' i. e. the bolge. 
 
 135. lessi : ' boiled meat,' ' stews,' i. e. the sinners who are stewing 
 in the pitch. 
 
 136. sinistro : the usual direction through the Inferno. 
 
 137. stretta; 'pressed the tongue with the teeth,' i.e. thrust 
 the tongue between the teeth. 
 
 117 
 
INFERNO [xxii. I-I2 
 
 CANTO XXII 
 
 Argument. — As the next in succession of the bridges had been 
 broken down, Malacoda, the leader of the devils, instructs the 
 escort which accompanies the Poets to conduct them towards 
 another line of bridges along the embankment which separated the 
 fifth from the sixth bolgia. As they pass, one of the devils 
 catches a sinner emerging from the pitch, and Dante takes the 
 opportunity of inquiring about him and others who are tormented 
 with him. Meanwhile the jobber outwits and escapes from his 
 captors, two of whom proceed to fight with one another. 
 
 Lines i, 2. mover campo : 'start on the march': campo, 
 which usually in the Italian of this period meant ' battlefield,' like 
 Lat. campus^ is here used for ' place of encampment.* stormo : ' an 
 attack,' Germ. Sturm, cp. Diez, Wort., p. 309. far lor mostra : 
 ' set themselves in array ' ; others say ' be reviewed.' mostra is 
 the same word as Engl, muster (= 'display,' 'review'), Skeat, 
 Etym. Diet. ; but as the other expressions in this tercet refer to a 
 force in the field, it means here rather ' array ' than ' review.' 
 
 4-6. Corridor : ' reconnoitring parties.' Aretini : as Dante 
 is said to have been present at the battle of Campaldino, in which 
 the people of Arezzo engaged the Florentines, he is probably 
 referring to that occasion, gualdane : ' raiding bands.' Ferir, &c. : 
 ' clashing tournaments and tilting jousts ' (Cary). Ferir tornea- 
 mento is the regular expression for ' to engage in a tournament ' ; 
 the verbs, however, here are neuter, ' I have seen tournaments 
 engaged in,' &c. 
 
 7,8. con campane : ' to the sound of the bell.' The reference 
 is to the great bell, called the Martinella, which was carried on 
 a car in a wooden tower, and accompanied the Florentine armies. 
 Together with it went another car, the Carroccio, on which the 
 great standard of the commonwealth was borne; Villani, vi. 75, 78. 
 cenni di castella : these ' fortress signals ' were fire-beacons and 
 the like. They are mentioned in the approach to the city of Dis, 
 Inf. viii. 5. 
 
 10—2. con SI diversa cennamella : 'to fife so strange.' 
 cennamella is derived from Lat. calamus, through mediaeval Lat. 
 
 118 
 
XXII. 14-65] INFERNO 
 
 calamella, ' reed pipe,' O. Fr. chalemelle and canemelle^ to the last of 
 which cennamella closely corresponds. segno, &c. : ' signal 
 from the land or sight of star ' ; there is a %eugma here, segno 
 being used in different senses with the two words. 
 
 14, 15. nella chiesa, &c. : i. e. adapt yourself to your company; 
 the proverb corresponds to the Engl, saying 'When you're in 
 Rome, do as the Romans do.' 
 
 16, 17. era la mia intesa: 'my looks were fixed'; intesa 
 is subst. contegno : ' feature ' ; cp. Inf. xvii. 60. 
 
 19, 20. fanno segno, &c. : on our own coasts at the present 
 day porpoises, when they come near shore, are regarded by sailors 
 as a sign of bad weather coming. Brunetto Latini {Tesoro, bk. iv. 
 ch. 5) refers to the dolphins in this connexion, and says that 
 the signal of bad weather approaching was their moving to windward 
 of a storm ; but perhaps Dante's knowledge of the subject was not 
 derived from book learning, but from his own observation. The 
 arco della schiena (which Brunetto does not notice) is the crooked 
 form which these animals assume in order to spring forward with 
 greater force. Every one who has seen a shoal of porpoises will 
 have observed this. 
 
 21. Che s' argomentin, &c. : 'that they should take thought 
 for saving their vessel ' ; for s' argomentin cp. Purg. xxv. 15. 
 
 34. d' incontra : ' over against him.' 
 
 39. E poi, &c. : ' and when they were called by name, I noticed 
 what names were given to them.' 
 
 48. To fui, &c. : the early commentators say that this person's 
 name was Ciampolo. nato : ' a native of; Dante uses nato fui 
 for nacqui in Inf. v. 97 and xxiii. 94, and similarly here it means 
 ' was sprung from,' and so ' was a native of.' 
 
 50. ribaldo: 'knave,' 'low fellow'; it is the same word as 
 Engl, 'ribald.' 
 
 52. Tebaldo : Thibaut (Theobald) II, who became king of 
 Navarre in 1253. 
 
 56. D' ogni parte : ' on either side ' ; cp. Da ogni mano^ 
 Inf. vii. 32. 
 
 60. inforco : ' bestride,' ' grip.' 
 
 63. disfaccia : ' rend,' lit. ' unmake.' 
 
 65. Latino : Italian ; cp. Inf. xxvii. 33 ; Purg. xi. 58; Conv. iv. 
 28, II. 61, 62, 'II nobilissimo nostro Latino Guido Montefeltrano.* 
 
 119 
 
INFERNO [xxii. 67-joo 
 
 67. fu di Ih. vicino: Mived in the neighbourhood of that 
 country,' i. e. Italy, the person being from Sardinia, as we learn 
 from I. 82. 
 
 72. lacerto : here 'a piece of flesh ' ; or * a sinew.' 
 
 73-5. i: for^//; cp. Inf. li. 17. decurio : the captain of the 
 decina, or band often devils, Inf. xxi. 120. mal piglio : 'frown- 
 ing aspect'; c^. piglio dolce^ Inf. xxiv. 20. 
 
 79, 80. mala partita . . . facesti : 'thou didst separate in an 
 evil hour ' ; see 11. 66-9. 
 
 81. frate Gomita: of Gallura in Sardinia. Sardinia at this 
 time belonged to the Pisans, who had taken it from the Saracens 
 in 10 1 7. It was divided by them into four provinces or jurisdictions, 
 which were administered by Pisan nobles. Gallura, the north-eastern 
 of these, was governed in the latter part of the thirteenth century 
 by Nino Visconti (the ' Giudice Nin gentil' of Purg. viii. 53), and 
 Frate Gomita acted as his administrator during his absence. This 
 man, in whom Nino placed entire confidence, released from prison 
 for a sum of money a number of his superior's enemies, and when 
 this crime was brought home to him he was hanged. 
 
 83. donno : the use of this word is accounted for by its having 
 been at that period a title in Sardinia, in which way it is introduced 
 in 1. 88, ' donno Michel Zanche.' 
 
 84. fe' SI lor, &c. : ' treated them so (in letting them escape), 
 that they express their satisfaction therewith, one and all of them.' 
 The phrase lodarsi di signifies ' to express satisfaction with ' ; 
 cp. Inf. ii. 74. 
 
 85. di piano : ' quietly,' i. e. without formal trial. It is the 
 legal Lat. term de piano ^ which from meaning * on the level ' came 
 to be used for 'below the bench,' 'out of court,' and so 'extra- 
 judicially ' ; see Lewis and Short's Z)/V/., s. v. planus, 
 
 88. usa : ' consorts.' Michel Zanche : he was administrator of 
 Logodoro, the north-west province of Sardinia, under the governor 
 Enzio, a natural son of Frederic II ; and after his death in 1 2 7 1 
 he married his widow. 
 
 93. a grattarmi la tigna : ' to scratch my scurf ; a low 
 expression like this is suited to those punished in this bolgia. 
 
 94. il gran proposto : Barbariccia, the praefect in command. 
 100. in cesso : 'in retirement,' 'aside,' so that they might not 
 
 be seen by the spirits emerging from the pitch. 
 
 120 
 
xxn. 107-32] INFERNO 
 
 107. malizia : * knavery,' in the sense of 'deceitful cunning,* 
 while malizioso in 1. no is 'malicious' in conspiring to injure 
 others. 
 
 109-11. lacciuoli: 'artifices'; the artifice in this case con- 
 sisted in diverting attention from the ma/izia imputed to him by 
 putting another construction on the word, a' miei : ' to my 
 friends,' i. e. his companions in punishment. 
 
 112. non si tenne : ' could not refrain ' ; i. e. could not resist 
 this proposal for alluring others of the sinners out of the pitch. 
 di rintoppo Agli altri : ' in opposition to the others.' 
 
 1 13-5. Se tu ti cali, &c. : Alichino means that Ciampolo had no 
 chance of escape, because he had only feet, while he himself had 
 wings. ' If you cast yourself down in hopes of escape, I shall not 
 follow you with speed of foot (i. e. running along the bank), but 
 I shall hover over the pitch, so as to be sure of seizing you.' 
 
 116, 117. Lascisi, &c. : on either side of the lake of pitch there 
 was a bank (ripa), running along above the level of the pitch ; at 
 the back of this a precipice rose, and at the highest point of this 
 (il coUe) the devils and their victim were stationed. The ' bank ' 
 here mentioned was on the opposite side, as we learn from 1. 119, 
 where the devils, following Alichino's indications, turn their eyes 
 dair altra costa. The meaning of the passage is — ' Let us leave 
 the summit, and let the bank serve as a screen (to conceal us from 
 those sinners whom it is proposed to call up from the pitch), that 
 we may see whether' — addressing Ciampolo — 'your devices for 
 escaping are cleverer than ours for preventing you.' 
 
 119, 120. dair altra costa: 'towards the opposite side'; 
 cp. 1. 146. They looked that way to see what Alichino meant, 
 and their attention being distracted, Ciampolo took the opportunity 
 to escape. For da meaning 'in the direction of cp. Inf. xx. 13 ; 
 Purg. ii. 55. cnido : ' indisposed ' ; Cagnazzo is meant, 11. 106-8. 
 
 123. dal proposto lor : ' from their design ' of further torment- 
 ing him. 
 
 126. Tu se* giunto : 'I'm down upon you,' lit. 'you are 
 overtaken.' 
 
 127-9. i» for gli; cp. 1. 73. 1' ali, &c. : 'the speed of wings 
 could not outstrip the speed of fear.' suso : because he was 
 making for the crest of the embankment. 
 
 132. rotto : ' broken in spirit.' 
 
 121 
 
INFERNO [xxii. 134— XXIII. 4 
 
 134? 135' invaghito, &c. : 'delighted that the other (Ciampolo) 
 should escape, that he might have the tussle.' 
 
 139. sparvier grifagno : 'a full-grown sparrow-hawk'; gri- 
 fagno was the name given to the bird when it had reached 
 maturity. 
 
 142. Lo caldo, &c. : 'the heat quickly separated the com- 
 batants.' sghermitor : ' intermediary,' one who separates those 
 who are quarrelling. 
 
 146. dair altra costa: ' towards the opposite side ' ; cp. 1. 119. 
 
 148-51. alia posta: 'to their respective posts.' gl' im- 
 paniati : ' those sticking in the pitch,' lit. ' in the birdlime.' 
 crosta : ' surface.' cosi impacciati : ' in this predicament.' 
 
 CANTO XXIII 
 
 Argument. — Virgil, in order to rescue Dante from the malice 
 of the enraged devils, takes him in his arms, and slides down the 
 slope of the embankment which bounds the outer side of the sixth 
 bolgia ; in this way they pass the limits assigned to those evil spirits. 
 At the bottom of this gulf they find the hypocrites, who wear cowled 
 cloaks of lead, gilded externally, the weight of which causes them 
 to walk slowly and with great pain. Among these sinners they 
 meet with two who had belonged to the so-called 'Jolly Friars,' 
 and at one point they behold Caiaphas, who is extended on the earth 
 in the form of a cross. When they reach the next line of bridges, 
 Virgil discovers that Malacoda has deceived him, and that here also 
 the bridge across the valley is broken. 
 
 Line 2. N' andavam : they were still following in a leftward 
 direction (Inf. xxi. 136) the ridge of the embankment which separates 
 the fifth from the sixth holgia (Inf. xxi. 65). 
 
 3. frati minor : Minor Friars, i. e. Franciscans. The Anonimo 
 Fiorentino says that it was their custom to walk in single file, the 
 brother of higher position going first. 
 
 4. favola d' Isopo : the story of the Frog and the Mouse which 
 is here referred to is not one of Aesop's Fables, but it is found in 
 some of the various collections of tales which passed current under 
 
 122 
 
XXIII. y-42] INFERNO 
 
 that name in the middle ages. It appears in somewhat different 
 forms, but as the point of Dante's comparison is that a person who 
 was conspiring against another (Alichino against Ciampolo) brought 
 disaster upon himself, the following seems to be the nearest of the 
 versions which have come down to us to that which Dante had in 
 his mind. 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. This 
 is found in the collection translated by Marie de France in the twelfth 
 century. See Toynbee, Z)/V/., p. 219. 
 
 7. mo ed issa : both these words mean 'now,' mo being Lat. 
 moc/o, issa Lat. ipsa (understand kora). They were both in common 
 use in Dante's time ; Blanc, F'ersuch, p. 208. 
 
 16. s'aggueflFa: 'is added.' The original meaning of ^^^«£^r<? 
 is 'to weave on to,' the latter part of the compound being from 
 O. Germ, luifan (Mod. Germ. iveheri)\ Diez, Wort.^ p. 351, who 
 compares the use oi attexere for (i) 'to weave on to,' (2) 'to add,' 
 in Latin. 
 
 23. Malebranche : a general name for these devils, as in 
 Inf. xxi. 37. 
 
 25-7. S' io fossi, &c. : 'if I were a mirror, I should not more 
 immediately assimilate your outward form, than I now receive the 
 image of your thoughts ' (la tua imagine d' entro). For impiom- 
 bato vetro in the sense of ' a mirror ' cp. Par. ii. 89, 90. impetro : 
 ' receive,' ' obtain ' ; impetrare, from meaning ' to obtain by asking,' 
 here signifies 'to become possessed of.' 
 
 30. d' intrambi, &c. : ' from the two corresponding thoughts 
 I evolved a single purpose,' viz. that of flight. 
 
 31—3. la destra costa : i.e. the descent to the sixth bolg'ia^ 
 which would be on their right, since they were proceeding leftwards 
 along the embankment, giaccia : 'slopes'; cp. I. 138, and Purg. 
 iii. 76. scendere : on this line and those which rhyme with it as 
 being twelve-syllable lines, see note on Inf. xv. I . immaginata : 
 ' which we have been picturing to ourselves.' 
 
 38. al romore : ' at the cries ' of the neighbours. 
 
 42. Tanto che, &c. : take with s* arresta above; 'does not 
 wait long enough to put on even an under-garment.' 
 
 123 
 
INFERNO [xxiii. 44-64 
 
 44, 45. Supin, &c. : 'in a reclining posture slid down (lit. 
 committed himself to) the sloping rock ' ; Virgil makes a sort of 
 glissade, tura : ' encloses,' lit. ' stops up.' 
 
 47—9. molin terragno : 'a mill on land,' where the water is 
 brought to the wheel by a sloping channel (doccia), as distinguished 
 from mills in rivers, where the water flows below. Benvenuto 
 distinguishes between molendinum terrestre^ which means a mill with 
 over-shot wheel, and molendinum positum in aqua magna, which latter 
 he illustrates by the mills in the Po. Quand' ella, &c. : the fall 
 of water in such a channel is steeper as it approaches the mill-wheel. 
 pale : the paddles of the wheel, vivagno : ' bank,' lit. ' selvage.' 
 
 54. Sopresso : 'just over'; see note on Inf. xxxiv. 41. gli : 
 ' there,' = t;/j as in Purg. viii. 69; xiii. 7. sospetto : 'cause 
 for fear.' 
 
 58. dipinta : this epithet refers to the gilding of their capes, 
 1. 64. The spirits here met with are the hypocrites. 
 
 61. cappe, &c. : ' capes with low cowls coming down in front of 
 their eyes.' 
 
 63. Cologna: Witte reads Clugrii. The MS. authority is 
 considerably stronger for Cologna, but it is against this reading (i) 
 that Cologna, being the more familiar name, would be less likely to 
 be changed into Clugnt than vice versa ; (2) that the line Chi in 
 Cojlogna I p^r li | m6na|ci fas|si violates the stringent metrical 
 rule, that there must be an accent either on the fourth or the sixth 
 syllable of the verse. Consciousness of this rule may have produced 
 the important variant, which is found in two of Witte's four test 
 MSS., Che per li monaci in Cologna fas si 'f but this can hardly have 
 been the original reading, being evidently lectio facilior. With the 
 reading Che in Clugni there is a certain irregularity in the non-elision 
 of Che, but this, though unusual, is found in a fair number of lines 
 in the poem. By Clugnt the Benedictine abbey of Cluny, twelve 
 miles from Macon in Burgundy, would be meant. Nothing is known 
 about the cowls worn either in Cologne or at Cluny. 
 
 64. Di fuor dorate : the bright external appearance of the cloaks, 
 contrasting with the dull leaden colour within, symbolizes the double- 
 faced character of hypocrisy. This idea, and with it the mode of 
 punishment of the hypocrites, seems to have been suggested to Dante's 
 mind by a false etymology of hypocrita, which was current in the 
 middle ages, from yper (Gk. virep), ' above,' and crisis (Gk. ;(/)vo-os), 
 
 124 
 
XXIII. 66-I03] INFERNO 
 
 'gold* — as Ugucclone da Pisa, the grammarian of the twelfth century, 
 who gives this derivation, says, ' quasi superauratus, quia in superficie 
 et extrinsecus videtur esse bonus, cum interius sit malus.' See 
 Toynbee's Z)/V/., pp. 545, 546. egli abbaglia : 'it dazzles,' egli 
 meaning ' the gilding,' implied in derate son. Perhaps this irregular 
 use of egli is an extension of the impersonal use, which is seen in 
 1. 3 1 above, egli e ; Par. xiii. 118, egli incontra^ and not infrequently 
 elsewhere ; see Blanc, Versuch^ p. 211. 
 
 dd. Che Federico, &c. : 'that the capes which the emperor 
 Frederic II used to place on criminals were light as straw in 
 comparison of them.' According to the commentators, in the 
 punishment here referred to the victims were placed in these leaden 
 capes in a boiler over a fire, and were killed by the melting of the 
 lead. In any case, however, what Dante is referring to is the weight 
 of the capes. 
 
 71, 72. che noi, &c. : 'that every step brought us abreast of 
 fresh companions.' 
 
 75. SI andando, &c. : 'as we walk, cast thine eyes around.' 
 
 76. la parola Tosca : here, as in Inf. x. 25-7, the pronunciation 
 is probably what is referred to. 
 
 79. Forse oh* avrai : ' maybe you will have '; for forse used 
 with a verbal force and followed by che cp. Purg. iv. 98 ; xxi. 121. 
 
 84. la via stretta : ' the crowded way ' ; stretta means ' con- 
 fined,' but it was so because of the multitude that crowded it. 
 
 88. air atto della gola: 'from the movement of his throat' 
 in speaking. » 
 
 91. coUegio : 'assembly,' 'company.' 
 
 97-9. distilla: in the form of tears, sfavilla : ' sparkles,' i. e. 
 clearly reveals itself. 
 
 100-2. ranee: 'orange'; from a Lat. form aurantius. Fan 
 cosi, &c. : ' make their balances (scales) thus creak ' ; i. e. make 
 those who support the weights emit these cries. 
 
 103. Frati Godenti : their proper name was Cavalieri di Santa 
 Maria, an Order of Knighthood established under the sanction of 
 Urban IV in 1 261, with the object of reconciling feuds and protecting 
 the weak ; they obtained the nickname of Frati Gaudenti or ' Jolly 
 Friars ' because of their easy manner of life. The two members 
 of the Order here named, Loderingo d' Andalo and Catalano de' 
 Catalani, who were respectively a Guelf and a Ghibelline, were invited 
 
 125 
 
INFERNO [xxiii. 106-36 
 
 to Florence to exercise the office of Podesta conjointly, but by their 
 hypocrisy and peculation they forfeited all public confidence. 
 
 106-8. un uom solingo : i. e. the man who usually exercised 
 m his single person the office of Podest^. Gardingo : a quarter of 
 Florence near the Palazzo Vecchio, where was the palace of the 
 Uberti, which was sacked and burnt by the populace during a rising 
 against the Ghibellines in the time of the two Podestas. This was 
 an evidence of the condition of the city under the administration of 
 these miscreants. 
 
 109. O frati, i vostri mail . . . : 'ye friars, your misdeeds . . .' 
 
 111. tre pali: these stakes ran through the two hands and the 
 feet, and were used instead of nails, because they were fixed in the 
 earth, there being no cross. 
 
 112. si distorse : through indignation at being seen in this 
 position by a living person. 
 
 115. Quel confitto : Caiaphas, whose hypocrisy was shown by 
 his giving his advice that it was expedient that one man should die 
 for the sins of the people ; John xi. 50. He is crucified in requital 
 for Christ's death on the cross. 
 
 118-20. Attraversato : 'laid across.' ch' ei senta, &c. : 
 ' that he should first feel the weight of every one who passes * ; ' first,' 
 i. e. before he has passed. 
 
 1 2 1-3. il suGcero : Annas, si stenta : 'is tormented'; the 
 der. is from Lat. ahstinere through a form astentare ; hence from 
 the meaning of 'to abstain,' stent ars'i in Ital. signifies (i) 'to be in 
 need,' (2) 'to be in suffering'; Diez, Wort., p. 403. mala 
 sementa : ' the source of woes,' lit. ' evil seed.' 
 
 124, 125. maravigliar; as a heathen, he would know nothing 
 of the story of Christ's passion, disteso in croce : stretched in 
 the form of a cross ' ; see note on 1. 1 1 1. 
 
 129. alia man destra : they were going to the left along the 
 bolgia (I. 68), consequently the embankment between the sixth and 
 seventh bolge was on their right hand, foce : ' passage.' 
 
 130, 131. uscirci: for the use of ci for di qui cp. Inf. iv. 49, 
 uicicci. Senza costringer, &c. : 'without compelling the black 
 angels to come to deliver us.' Virgil could require this on the 
 strength of the divine command which authorized him to pass through 
 Hell, Inf. xxi. 83, 84. 
 
 ^35) ^3^' Si move: ' starts,' cp. Inf. xviii. 16, 17; the sasso 
 
 126 
 
XXIII. i38~xxiv. 15] INFERNO 
 
 here is one of the scogU or ' rock-bridges ' mentioned in that passage, 
 while the gran cerchia is the precipice which encircles Malebolge. 
 a questo : sub. vallon^ * at this bolgiaJ 
 
 138. giace : this word and soperchia are contrasted, 'which 
 slopes at the side and rises at the bottom.' This is what would 
 happen with a fall of rock, the great mass of which would slide down 
 into the valley. For giace meaning 'slopes' cp. 1. 31. 
 
 140. contava la bisogna : ' explained the matter.' Malacoda 
 had told them that this bridge was standing, Inf. xxi. 1 1 1 . 
 
 142-4. Bologna: the speaker's native place, 1. 103. It is 
 specially mentioned here because of its School of Theology, bu- 
 giardo, &c. : cp. John viii. 44. 
 
 145. sen gi : the introduction of the ten-syllable lines here, 
 which involves the loss of the weak eleventh syllable, is perhaps due 
 to the desire of expressing a sudden movement ; see on this the note 
 to Inf. xxxi. 145. 
 
 147. incarcati : burdened with the leaden capes. 
 
 CANTO XXIV 
 
 Argument. — Dante, with the assistance of Virgil, climbs up the 
 embankment over the mins of the broken bridge, after which they 
 pass onward to the seventh bolg'ia, where the thieves are tormented 
 by serpents. As they watch the scene, one of these sinners, being 
 bitten, is reduced to ashes, and then returns again to his human 
 form. Being questioned by Virgil, he declares himself to be Vanni 
 Fucci, who was a violent adherent of the Black Guelf party, 
 and notorious on account of a sacrilegious robbery. When he 
 discovers that Dante is one of his political opponents, he prophesies 
 to him the evils impending over the White faction. 
 
 Lines 1-15. This beautiful simile — in which the effect on Dante 
 of Virgil's clouded looks and of his recovery of serenity is compared 
 to the change of feeling in the rustic, when he first sees the country 
 white with hoarfrost, and shortly afterwards finds it green again — 
 is, for Dante, unusually long and elaborate in its details. Dante 
 
 127 
 
INFERNO [xxiv. 1-13 
 
 has produced a similar effect of contrast by introducing a quiet 
 rural scene in the midst of the horrors of Malebolge in the simile 
 of the fireflies in Inf. xxvi. 25, and the description of the runlets 
 of water in Inf. xxx. 64. This mode of poetic treatment is one 
 for which he may have been indebted to Virgil, who introduces 
 similes drawn from rural life into his battlepieces, e. g. Aen. x. 803, 
 of a labourer taking refuge during a storm; xii. 473, of a swallow 
 flying round a house; xii. 587, of smoking out bees. 
 
 I, 2. quella parte: the latter part of January and the beginning 
 of February, when the sun is in Aquarius, i crin . . . tempra : 
 'tempers his locks,' i.e. warms his rays. That tempra means 
 ' warms ' is shown by the next line, which implies that it was after 
 the turn of the year ; ' cools his rays ' would rather apply to autumn. 
 
 3. E gi^, &c. : 'and now the nights retire towards the south,' 
 i. e. as the days lengthen and the sun advances towards the north, 
 the nights shorten and retreat southwards. The night is regarded 
 as occupying the part of the heavens opposite the sun (cp. Purg. ii. 
 4) ; therefore, when the sun approaches the tropic of Cancer, the 
 night approaches that of Capricorn — in other words, retires towards 
 the south. Others say — ' the nights are progressing towards half 
 the day,' i. e. the equinox is approaching. 
 
 4—6. Quando, &c. : ' when the hoarfrost portrays on the ground 
 the likeness of her white sister, but the fine point of her pen (with 
 which she portrays the snow) does not last long.' The general 
 meaning is : — ' when the hoarfrost produces the effect of snow, 
 but easily melts in the sun.' The words here used — imagine, 
 penna, tempra — show that the metaphors are drawn from the 
 art of calligraphy, tempra, in particular, meaning the ' point ' of 
 a pen, just as temper are is ' to make or mend ' a pen. assempra ; 
 lit. 'copies'; cp. Vita Nuova^ § i, 1. 6 ; der. from Lat. exemplum^ 
 which is found in O. Ital. as assemplo and assempro ; Kbrting, 
 W'drt.^ No. 2941. 
 
 7-9. a cui, &c. : 'poverty-stricken'; cp. Purg. xiii. 61, a cut 
 la rohafalla. si batte 1' anca : ' smites his thigh ' in despair. 
 
 10. qua e 1^ si lagna: 'goes complaining to and fro,' 'rest- 
 lessly bewails him.' 
 
 12. ringavagna: 'regains.' The latter part of this obsolete 
 word is, according to Diez, p. 175, from O. Fr. gaagner (Mod. Fr. 
 gagner, Ital. guadagnare). Others derive it from the dialectic Iial. 
 
 128 
 
XXIV. 18-45] INFERNO 
 
 gavagno^ cavagna, ^basket,' with the meaning ' stores up,' in support 
 ' of which Blanc compares Inf. xi. 54, ' fidanza non imborsa.' 
 
 18. al mal, &c. : 'the remedy (lit. plaster) was applied to 
 the wound.' 
 
 19—30. This passage, with its careful description of a rock-climb, 
 has been cited to prove that Dante, however unwillingly, had had 
 some experience of mountaineering. Thus Mr. Douglas Freshfield 
 says, that it reads ' like a modern description of an Aimer or 
 Devouassoud at work' [Alpine Journal, vol. x. p. 404). The 
 point is one of some interest, because, if true, it tends to show 
 that in other passages of the Div. Com. where mountain climbing 
 is referred to, the Poet is drawing on his experience rather than 
 his imagination. 
 
 20, 21. piglio : 'aspect,' 'look'; cp. mal pigUo, Inf. xxii. 75. 
 a pie del monte : at the foot of the Mountain of Salvation 
 (Inf. i. 1 3), where Virgil first met him. 
 
 24. diedemi di piglio: Virgil now takes hold of Dante, and 
 partly lifts him {levando, 1. 27), partly pushes him (sospinto, !• 32) 
 upwards. 
 
 25. che adopera, &c. : i. e. who, while he works, is deliberating 
 on the next step. 
 
 31-3. da vestito di cappa : for the hypocrites with their 
 capes of lead, sospinto : ' with the help of his pushing.' di 
 chiappa in chiappa : ' from one point of rock to another.' 
 
 34-6. da quel precinto : ' towards that enclosure,' i. e. the 
 inner embankment of this holg'ia. The reason why this embankment 
 was lower than the outer one is given in the lines which follow. 
 See note on Inf. xix. 35, in which passage, as here, the inner 
 embankment is spoken of. sarei : for sarei stato ; for other 
 instances of the omission of stato after sarei ox fora cp. Par. xxvii. 
 85 ; xxxiii. 77. 
 
 37-40. porta : ' opening,' ' mouth.' pende : ' slopes down- 
 ward.' Lo sito, &c. : ' the position of each bolgia brings it to pass 
 that one side is higher and the other lower,' lit. 'rises ' and ' sinks.' 
 
 42. Onde, &c. : 'from which the last stone (of the broken 
 bridge) splits off' ; for scoscende see note on Inf. xvii. 121. 
 
 43-5. munta : 'exhausted,' lit. 'milked out,' 'forced out'; 
 the word is similarly used of gushing tears in Inf. xii. 135. nella 
 prima giunta : ' as soon as I arrived.' 
 
 TozER 129 K 
 
INFERNO [xxiv. 52-90 
 
 52-4. ambascia : here 'weariness.' Se col suo, &c. : 'if he 
 does not give way through infirmity of the flesh.' 
 
 55—7. Piii lunga scala : the ascent of the Mountain of 
 Purgatory, da costoro, ^c. : ' to have escaped from these,* 
 i. e. the occupants of Hell. The symboHcal meaning is, that it is 
 not sufficient to escape from sin, but one must proceed to practise 
 virtue, fa si, &c. : ' see that you profit by my admonition.' 
 
 61-3. Su per lo scoglio : 'over the rocky bridge ' : scoglio 
 here is the same as the sasso of Inf. xxlii. 134, and is one of the 
 lines of bridges which cross the bolge^ Inf. xviii. 16-8. quel di 
 pria : the line of bridges which they had previously followed. 
 
 65, 66. altro fosso : the seventh bolg'ta, into which they now 
 look down. A parole, &c. : ' ill-suited to form articulate words.' 
 
 70. vivi : i. e. of one still in the body. 
 
 73. Dair altro cinghio : 'at the next (circular) embankment,' 
 i.e. the one which separates the seventh from the eighth bolgia. 
 lo muro : the bridge. 
 
 78. Si dee seguir, &c. : ' should be followed by its performance.' 
 
 81. la bolgia: it should be observed that the class of thieves 
 who are punished in this bolgia does not include the highwaymen, 
 who are placed in the Circle of the violent (Inf. xii. 137, 138). 
 The symbolism in what follows is not easy to interpret, but 
 probably the sei-pent, as the enemy of the human race, represents 
 the thief, as the foe of society at large, while its stealthy movements 
 and sudden attack signify the secrecy of the thiePs proceedings. 
 The change of form and temporary loss of identity have been 
 regarded as corresponding to the thief's ignoring the difference 
 between meum and tuum ; in any case this feature of the punishment 
 resembles the shiftiness of the malefactor's proceedings. 
 
 83, 84. mena : 'kind,' 'species.' scipa : ' pines my blood.' 
 
 85—7. Fill non, &c. : Dante is here referring to Lucan, ix. 
 706 foil., where the serpents of Libya are enumerated, including 
 the names which are here given. Libia con sua rena : ' Libya 
 and its sands,' i. e. the deserts of Libya. By Libya here is meant 
 the Roman province of Africa, which lay to the W. of Egypt; 
 this name is assigned to that district by Dante's geographical 
 authorities, Solinus and Orosius, and by the Hereford map, which 
 represents the mediaeval views on that subject. 
 
 88-90. Nd taute, &c. : ' nor did Libya, with the addition of 
 
 130 
 
XXIV. 93-I20] INFERNO 
 
 all Ethiopia, and of the region which borders on the Red Sea, 
 display plagues (of serpents) so many and so dire/ By Ethiopia 
 the country to the S. of Egypt is intended, while 'the region 
 which borders on the Red Sea ' is the eastern coast of Egypt, the 
 lito rubro of Par. vi. 79. ee : cp. Purg. xxxii. 10. 
 
 93. pertugio : a hole to hide themselves in. elitropia : the 
 stone called heliotrope, which had the power of rendering the wearer 
 invisible. 
 
 94-6. Con serpi, &c. : the snakes were knotted in front, and 
 twisted round the arms behind, and the head and tail were fixed in 
 the loins. 
 
 97. da nostra proda : 'by our bank,' i. e. near the side of the 
 embankment where we were. 
 
 100-2. Ne O, &c. : the point here is, that O and I can be 
 written with one stroke of the pen. Convenne che, &c. : ' he must 
 needs become.' 
 
 105. di butto : for di botto^ ' suddenly.' 
 
 106-8. per li gran savi, &c. : 'it is declared by the most 
 famous sages.' Among the authorities with whom Dante was 
 acquainted, Solinus (xxxiii. 1 2) gives the Hfe of the phoenix as 
 540 years ; Isidore {Orig. xii. 7) says ' quingentis ultra annis ' ; 
 Brunetto Latini {Tesoro^ bk. v. ch. xxvi), ' Li piii dicono ch' egli 
 invecchia in cinquecento anni.' Ovid, whom Dante is here following, 
 says [Met. xv. 395), ' Haec ubi quinque suae complevit saecula vitae.' 
 
 109-11. Ov. Met. XV. 393, 394, 398-400; 'Non fruge 
 neque herbis, Sed turis lacrimis et suco vivit amomi. . . . Quo simul 
 ac casias et nardi lenis aristas, Quassaque cum fulva substravit 
 cinnama myrrha, Se superimponit, finitque in odoribus aevum.' 
 son r ultime fasce : ' are its winding-sheet at last.' 
 
 113, 114. ch'a terra il tira : like the man described in Luke 
 ix. 42, who was 'thrown down' by the devil that possessed him. 
 oppilazion : ' obstruction,' i. e. an influence which prevents an 
 organ from working. 
 
 119, 120. quant' e sever a : 'how strict it is.' Another 
 reading is quanta se' vera^ ' how just art thou ' ; this deserves 
 serious consideration, because it is far the harder of explanation of 
 the two, and therefore more likely to have been altered into quant' 
 e severa than 'vice 'versa. The objection to it is, that it involves 
 a change from the second to the third person in croscia ; but 
 
 131 K 2 
 
INFERNO [xxiv. 1^3-48 
 
 this perhaps is not so great as might at first sight appear, because 
 quanta se* n)era is rather a reflexion on the poet's part ( = ' how- 
 great is thy justice ') than a real address, cotai colpi . . . croscia : 
 ' rains down such blows.' 
 
 122, 123. piowi: this word is used again of the descent 
 of a condemned soul to its 'own place' in Inf. xxx. 95. In 
 Inf. V. 15 the souls, after the sentence of Minos, are said to be 
 giu volte, gola : ' gorge,' the bolgia. 
 
 125. mul : here used in the sense of ' bastard.' Vanni Fucci : 
 a violent partisan of the Black Guelfs in Pistoia. In 1293 he 
 broke into the sacristy of St. James in the church of San Zeno 
 in that city, and for this crime another man was hanged. 
 
 127. che non mucci : 'not to shirk'; that he was a likely 
 person to do so is implied in non s* infinse, 1. 130. 
 
 133. Pill mi duol, &c. : his pain arose from the satisfaction 
 which his punishment would cause to a political opponent ; cp. 1. 140. 
 He afterwards avenges himself by predicting the misfortunes which 
 were about to befall the White Guelfs, 11. 144 foil. 
 
 138. de' belli arredi : take with la sacrestia, 'the sacristy 
 of the beauteous ornaments.' On account of the richness of its 
 decoration this sacristy was called ' il tesoro di S. Jacopo.' 
 
 143, 144. di Negri si dimagra : 'is depopulated (lit. thinned) 
 of Black Guelfs.' In May, 1301, the Black Guelfs were driven out 
 of Pistoia. rinnuova, &c. : ' changes her families and her fashions.' 
 In Nov., 1 30 1, the White Guelfs were driven out of Florence by 
 Charles of Valois. The ' fashions ' were the government, which 
 passed into the hands of the Blacks. 
 
 145, 146. Tragge, &c. : the mist which Mars draws from 
 Val di Magra is Moroello Malaspina, lord of the Lunigiana in the 
 north-west of Tuscany, through which the river Macra (Magra) 
 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, torbidi nuvoli : the thunder- 
 clouds of war. 
 
 148. campo Pi can : a district in the neighbourhood of Pistoia. 
 As there is no record of a battle having taken place there on this 
 occasion, the allusion seems to be to the capture by Moroello of the 
 stronghold of Serravalle, which was near the Campo Piceno, in 
 the course of the attack upon Pistoia; Villani, viii. 52. 
 
 132 
 
XXIV. 149 — x^v. 17] INFERNO 
 
 149. ei : the vapor, i.e. Moroello, who is symbolized by it. 
 His bursting the cloud is his charging the foe. 
 
 151. perche doler ti debbia : 'that you may have whereat to 
 grieve,' as being of the White party. 
 
 CANTO XXV 
 
 Argument. — The seventh bolgta is further treated of, two other 
 kinds of torment inflicted by serpents being described. In the former 
 of these the serpent and the man who is bitten by it are changed into 
 a single form, so that they are identified. In the latter there is an 
 interchange of forms, the man assuming the serpent's shape, and 
 the serpent the man's. Among the malefactors who suffer these 
 punishments several descendants of noble Florentine families are 
 found. 
 
 Lines 2, 3. fiche : this insulting gesture consists in thrusting 
 the thumb between the first and middle fingers. Togli : ' take that.* 
 squadro : ' level,' ' point.' 
 
 4. Da indi in qua, &c. : ' from that time forth the serpents were 
 endeared to me.' 
 
 9. un or olio : ' a jerk,' referring to the movement of the thumbs. 
 This sei^pent hindered him from his blasphemous gestures, as the 
 other had from his blasphemous words. 
 
 10, II. che non stanzi, &c. : ' why dost thou hesitate (lit. ' dost 
 thou not settle,' 'determine') to reduce thyself to ashes f" with 
 reference to what had just happened to Vanni Fucci, who was 
 a citizen of Pistoia; Inf. xxiv. 100-2, 126. 
 
 12. lo seme tuo avanzi : ' thou surpassest the seed from which 
 thou didst spring,' i. e. the gang of Catiline. It was believed at 
 that time that Pistoia was founded by the remains of Catiline's army ; 
 Villani, i. 32. For seme meaning 'progenitors' cp. Par. vii. 86. 
 
 15. quel che, &c. : Capaneus, Inf. xiv. 46, where see note. 
 
 17. un Centauro : we learn from 1. 25 that this is the monstrous 
 giant Cacus, who lived in a cave on the Aventine Hill, and stole 
 the cattle of Hercules when he passed by that way; Virg. ylen. 
 viii. 193 foil. The epithet 'half-human' (= half-savage), which 
 
 133 
 
INFERNO [XXV. 19-35 
 
 Virgil applies to him (' Semihominis Caci,' 1. 194), seems to have 
 misled Dante into the idea that he was a Centaur. 
 
 19-21. Maremma : the marshy and uncultivated district between 
 the mountains of Tuscany and the sea ; see note on Inf. xiii. 9. 
 nostra labbia : ' the human form,' i. e. the fore-part of the Centaur, 
 in contrast with groppa, which is the hind-quarters. labbia, 
 which elsewhere in the Div. Com. signifies the look of the face, 
 from meaning 'aspect' comes here to be used for ' form.' 
 
 24. afifoca : in Virgil it is Cacus himself who is described as 
 ^Orevomens ignes,' jlen. viii. 199. 
 
 26, 27. il sasso: i.e. his cave. Di sangue, &c. : Virg. j4en. 
 viii. 11. 195, 196, ' semperque recenti Caede tepebat humus.' laco : 
 lago for a 'pool' of blood is found in Purg. v. 84. 
 
 28-30. CO* suoi fratei : the other Centaurs were in the Circle 
 of the violent, Inf. xii. 55 foil, lo furar che frodolente fece : 
 this is Cacus' deceitful stratagem of dragging the oxen backwards 
 that their footprints might convey a false idea of the direction they 
 were following, Virg. Aen. viii. 1. 210. frodolente is here an adv. ; 
 others read lo furar frodolente che fece ^ in which case it is an adj. 
 ch* egli ebbe a vicino : ' which were in his (Cacus') neighbour- 
 hood.' Virgil describes (1. 204) how Hercules' drove occupied 
 a valley near the Aventine. 
 
 31-3. biece: 'sly,' 'wily.' e non, &c. : 'though he (Cacus) 
 did not feel ten of them,' because he was dead first. Virgil on the 
 other hand makes Hercules strangle Cacus. le diece : sub. percosse. 
 
 34. ed ei trascorse : 'he then passed by.' The use of ed here 
 and in 1. 50 below (cp. also Purg. viii. 94), which at first sight 
 seems pleonastic, is explained by Diez (Gram. iii. p. 317), who 
 gives numerous examples of et, ed., e used in this manner in Ital. and 
 Old French. He says that it has the force of 'then,' and is used 
 with the latter of two clauses which have different subjects, and that 
 it serves to make the latter of the two subjects the more prominent. 
 The use of e in the sense of ' yet ' seems to be an extension of this ; 
 see note on Inf. xix. 3. 
 
 35. tre spiriti : these are three Florentine thieves, Agnello 
 Brunelleschi, Buoso degli Abati, and Puccio Sciancato. Their 
 names are mentioned below in 11. 68, 140, and 148. sotto noi: 
 Dante and Virgil were on the side of the embankment below the 
 bridge; Inf. xxiv. 79, 80. 
 
XXV. 38-79] INFERNO 
 
 38. novella: 'discourse/ This meaning seems to be derived 
 from that of 'narrative,' 'talk,' Inf. xviii. 57. 
 
 40-2. ma ei seguette, &c. : ' but it came to pass, as by some 
 accident a thing doth happen, that one had occasion to name another.' 
 
 43. Cianfa : one of the Donati family, who was a housebreaker. 
 He was missing at this time, as the question here implies, because 
 he had been transformed into the serpent with six feet, 1. 50. 
 
 45. dal men to al naso : i. e. on my lips, enjoining silence. 
 From hearing Cianfa's name Dante recognized that the others were 
 Florentines. 
 
 46-8. Se tu, &c. : this form of apology or protest on Dante's 
 part is one of his devices for drawing attention to something especially 
 man'ellous; cp. Inf. xxviii. 113-7. The passage which follows is 
 one of the most remarkable in the poem for its skill in giving reality 
 to things which pass human experience, viz. loss of individuality, and 
 interchange of personality. 
 
 49-78. The change which is here described consists in the man 
 and the serpent being blended into one form. 
 
 50. ed : ' then ' ; see note on 1. 34. 
 
 63. Ne r un ne 1' altro : understand colore. 
 
 64-6. Come : the simile here is intended to illustrate misch'iar lor 
 colore in 1. 62. The indeterminate colour assumed by the two bodies, 
 which had now become one, is compared to the brown tint which 
 steals over a piece of white paper, as it burns, before it turns black. 
 ' As there spreads over (suso per) the paper in front of the flame 
 a brown hue, which is not yet black, though the white tint is 
 disappearing.' papiro : ' paper.' Paper made of cotton was in use 
 in Dante's time. 
 
 73. Fersi, &c. : 'from being four strips (of flesh) the arms 
 became two.' 
 
 77. Due e nessun, &c. : 'the unnatural figure appeared both, 
 yet neither of the two,' i. e. the likeness both of the man and of the 
 serpent was there, yet it was not the real likeness of either of them. 
 Dante here had in his mind Ovid's description of the formation 
 of Hermaphroditus, where it is said i^Met. iv. 378, 379), 'Nee duo 
 sunt et forma duplex, nee femina dici Nee puer ut possint; neutrumque 
 et utrumque videntur': see Moore, Studies^ i. p. 213. 
 
 79. Come, &c. : Dante now proceeds to describe the third effect 
 of a serpent's bite, viz. that the man changes into a serpent's shape, 
 
 135 
 
INFERNO [xxv. 83-112 
 
 the serpent into that of a man. fersa : ' heat ' ; it is probably 
 another form o^ ferza^ Mash,' which also bears this sense; thus 
 Villani (viii. 72) uses 'alia ferza del sole' for 'in the heat of 
 the sun.' 
 
 83. un serpen tello : from the reference in 1. 151 to the person 
 concealed in this form we learn that he was Francesco Guercio de' 
 Cavalcanti. acceso : ' infuriated.' 
 
 85, 86. quella parte : the navel, un di lor : Buoso degli 
 Abati. 
 
 94, 95. 1^, &c. : in Phars. ix. 761 foil. Sabellus and Nassidius 
 were two soldiers of Cato's army, who were bitten by serpents in 
 Libya. The body of Sabellus putrefied from the bite of one kind 
 of serpent (ix. 763-82), while Nassidius died from the swelling of 
 his body owing to the bite of another (ix. 790-7). 
 
 96. or si scocca : ' is about to be revealed ' ; si scocca, lit. 
 Msletfly.' 
 
 97. Ovidio : the change of Cadmus into a snake is described in Ov. 
 Met. iv. 563 foil., that of Arethusa into a fountain in v. 572 foil. 
 
 98-102. Dante maintains that his description is more wonderful 
 than those of Ovid, because Ovid only narrated the change of a human 
 being into something else, whereas he himself relates a double change, 
 viz. that of a man into a serpent and that of a serpent into a man. 
 
 1 01, 102. forme: this word may here be rendered by 'persons,' 
 materia by ' substance.' In the language of the Schoolmen forma 
 is the essential element which distinguishes a species ; hence it is 
 used of the essence or personality of living beings (cp. Par. iv. 54), 
 while materia signifies the bodies in which they reside. 
 
 103-5. Insieme, &c. : 'they corresponded one to other (insieme) 
 in such fashion ' ; what is intended is that they made a mutual change. 
 ristrinse, &c. : ' drew his feet together into one.' 
 
 106, 107. Le gambe, &c. : 'the legs (of the man), thighs and 
 all, of themselves adhered so to each other.' seco stesse : ' of 
 themselves,' i. e. simply from contact. The description here is taken 
 from Ov. Met. iv. 578, 579, of Cadmus, 'commissaque in unum 
 Paulatim tereti sinuantur acumine crura.' 
 
 1 09-1 1. Togliea, &c. : ' the forked tail (of the serpent) assumed 
 the form,' &c. quella di 1^ dura: the man's skin became hard 
 and scaly, like that of a serpent. 
 
 112. entrar: the man's arms closed in at the armpits; but the 
 
 136 
 
XXV. 1 15-40] INFERNO 
 
 use of accorciavan, * shortened ' (1. 1 1 4), implies that they did not 
 disappear altogether, but that sufficient length was left to form tlie 
 serpent's fore-legs. 
 
 1 1 5-7. li pie : i. e. those of the serpent, n* avea due porti : 
 ' had put forth two such (feet)/ thus forming the feet of the serpent. 
 porti fiom porgere. 
 
 118. il fummo, &c. : the smoke gives the man the colour of 
 a serpent, and the serpent that of a man. 
 
 119, 120. genera, &c. : 'causes the hair to grow on the surface 
 (suso) on the one figure (the serpent become a man), and removes 
 it from the other (the man become a serpent).' 
 
 122, 123. Non torcendo pero, &c. : 'yet not for all that 
 withdrawing from one another their malign eyes.' From 1. 91 
 it is seen that they were looking fixedly at one another, muso : 
 ' muzzle,' i. e. the lower part of the face. 
 
 124-34. The next six lines describe the transformation of the 
 serpent's face into that of the man; the five that follow describe 
 the converse change. 
 
 124-6. Quel che, &c. : 'the one that was upright drew it 
 (sc. muso^ the snake's projecting face) in the direction of the temples.' 
 The fore part of the snake's face had to be drawn inwards and 
 upwards, in order to form that of the man. scempie : ' flat,' lit. 
 ' simple.' 
 
 127, 128. Cio che, &c. : ' the matter which did not run backward 
 but stayed, formed with that superfluity a nose for the face.' 
 
 133. This and the following line, together with 1. 137, are from 
 Ovid, Met. iv. 585-8, of Cadmus, 'lingua repente In partes est 
 fissa duas, nee verba volenti Sufficiunt; quotiesque aliquos parat 
 edere questus, Sibilat.' 
 
 1345 135- la forcuta, &c. : 'the forked tongue of the other 
 (the snake) closes up.' il fummo rest a : the smoke, which had 
 marked the commencement of the transformation (11. 92, 93), ceases 
 when it is completed. For resta cp. Purg. xxix. 19. 
 
 138. parlando sputa : ' sputters as he speaks.' This describes 
 the process of imperfect speech, before the habit is formed. 
 
 139, 140. Poscia, &c. : 'afterwards he (the serpent in human 
 form) turned on him (Buoso in his serpent form) his newly assumed 
 back, and said to the other (Puccio), 'I desire that Buoso should 
 run,' &c. 
 
 137 
 
INFERNO [xxv. 142— xxvi. 7 
 
 142. zavorra: 'vile gang,' Lat. saburra, 'ballast'; from this 
 meaning it gets the sense of 'rubbish,' 'refuse,' and so 'a worthless 
 company.' In Modern Greek at the present day o-a^ovpa, which 
 is also derived from Lat. saburra, is used as a term of contempt 
 for ' a good-for-nothing person.' The change from initial s into z, 
 which is found in %avorra from saburra, appears also in zolfo from 
 sulphur. La settima zavorra means the occupants of the seventh 
 bolgia. 
 
 144. se fior la penna abborra : 'if my pen (style of writing) 
 is somewhat at fault.' For the origin of the adverbial use of fior 
 in the sense of 'slightly,' 'a little,' see note on Inf. xxxiv. 26. 
 abborra: Lat. aberrate 'wanders,' 'bungles'; cp. Inf. xxxi. 24. 
 
 146, 147. smagato : 'bewildered'; see note on Purg. x. 106. 
 chiusi: ' secretly,' Ht. 'hidden.' 
 
 151. L* altro : the serpentello of 1. 83. 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. 
 
 CANTO XXVI 
 
 Argument. — The two Poets now cross into the eighth bolgia, 
 where the givers of fraudulent counsel are punished by being wrapped, 
 each of them, in an enveloping flame. As they look down on these 
 moving lights from the bridge above, Dante inquires from Virgil 
 the meaning of one of the flames which has a double crest ; and 
 being informed by him that the spirits of Ulysses and Diomede 
 are contained within it, earnestly begs his guide to await their 
 approach. Ulysses, at Virgil's request, relates to them the story 
 of his last voyage and the manner of his death. 
 
 Lines 1-6. Dante with bitter irony, before leaving the company 
 of the thieves, congratulates Florence on the fame of her infamy 
 in Hell. 
 
 4-6. cotali : referring to their being men of noble birth. E tu, 
 &c. : ' and thou thereby dost rise to no great honour.' 
 
 7. presso al mattin : the idea that morning dreams are true is 
 of frequent occurrence in poetry ; Dante may have obtained it from 
 
 138 
 
XXVI. 8-24] INFERNO 
 
 Ovid, Heroid. xlx. 1 95, 196, ' sub auroram, iam dormitante lucerna, 
 Somnia quo cerni tempore vera solent.' This point is further 
 treated of in Purg. ix. 16-8. In the present passage Dante is 
 predicting misfortunes which were about to fall on Florence, and — 
 in default of any other kind of prophetic power that he could 
 claim — he professes to have had a dream to that effect. 
 
 8, 9. Tu sentirai, &c. : ' within no long time thou wilt be 
 aware of that which Prato, not to say others, covets for thee.' 
 The connexion between this remark and what precedes (11. 1—6) 
 is that Dante regards the misfortunes which are impending over 
 Florence as a judgement for the immorality of her citizens. The 
 misfortunes here pointed to seem to have been the great fire of 
 1304, and the fall of a wooden bridge over the Arno, involving 
 the loss of many lives, in the same year. As these disasters were 
 associated in the popular mind with the interdict, under which 
 the city shortly before this was laid by Cardinal Niccolo da Prato, 
 in consequence of the failure of the mission on which he had 
 been sent thither by Benedict XI, this may perhaps account for 
 Prato being mentioned among the enemies of Florence, whereas 
 she was generally on friendly terms with her neighbour. 
 
 II, 12. Cosi, &c. : 'would that it were already, since it must 
 even come, for it will lie heavier upon me, the more I advance 
 in years.' 
 
 13, 14. le scalee, &c. : ' the stairs, which the projections 
 of the rock had made for us.' borni : hornio is the same as the 
 Fr. horne^ a ' spur-stone ' projecting from the angle of a house just 
 above the ground, to ward off blows of wheels, &c. ; Diez, p. 528. 
 a scender pria : cp. Inf. xxiv. 79. 
 
 17. scoglio : the line of rock, which crosses the embankments 
 and forms the bridges. They were now crossing the embankment 
 between the seventh and eighth holge. 
 
 19-24. In these lines Dante says that he was distressed by what 
 he saw in this bolgia, viz. the punishment of men who were gifted 
 with great ability and had misused it; and that his distress is 
 renewed whenever circumstances arise which recall it to his mind ; 
 and that at such times he keeps guard over his talents to prevent 
 them from going astray, lest he should thus forfeit what Providence 
 has bestowed upon him. Ora here is sometimes interpreted to 
 mean 'at this moment,' and lo ingegno affreno is also regarded 
 
 139 
 
INFERNO [xxvi. 26-54 
 
 as referring to what the Poet is now writing, as if for the time being 
 he checked his power of expression ; but this view can hardly be 
 reconciled with what follows, for in the two stories of Ulysses and 
 Guido da Montefeltro his treatment of the subject is singularly 
 effective, and in the similes and other features of style his poetic 
 art is conspicuously seen. Ora rather means 'now, since I have 
 returned from Hell to earth,' and Quando is used in a general 
 sense for ' whenever.' Translate thus : — ' At that time I was pained, 
 and now (since my return to earth) my pain is renewed, whenever 
 
 1 reflect on what I then beheld ; and (on such occasions) I curb 
 my genius more than is my wont, that it may not pursue a course 
 which is not under the guidance of virtue ; so that, if a favouring 
 star, or a Higher Power, has vouchsafed to me that good gift 
 (of genius), I may not by my own doing cause myself to forfeit it 
 (lit. grudge it to myself).' 
 
 26, 27. Nel tempo, &c. : in the summer season, when the sun 
 is longest above the horizon. 
 
 28. Come, &c. : in the late evening, when the flies disappear and 
 the gnats come out. 
 
 34-6. E qual, &c. : the point of this simile is, that the flame 
 alone, and not the person or object within it, was seen, colui, &c. : 
 Elisha, who caused the bears to tear the children who mocked him ; 
 
 2 Kings ii. 23, 24. levorsi : for si levarono. 
 
 40-2. The symbolism involved in those who abused the tongue 
 by giving evil counsel being wrapped in flame is derived from the 
 words of St. James, iii. 6, 'the tongue is a fire,' which ' setteth on 
 fire the course of nature ; and it is set on fire of hell.' Also, the 
 words furto in 1. 41, ziA foco furo in xxvii. 127, suggest that 
 the concealment of the person was symbolical of the fraudulent crime. 
 
 41, 42. che : 'for,' explaining the appHcation of the simile. 
 il furto : ' the person whom it conceals.' invola : ' keeps in 
 hiding,' lit. ' steals away.' 
 
 48. quel ch' egli e inceso : ' that with which he is on fire.' 
 
 50. m' era avviso : ' it was my view ' ; awiso is subst. 
 
 52. diviso : forming two horns of flame, lYiQ Jiamma cornuta 
 of 1. 68. 
 
 53, 54. che par, &c. : the bodies of the twin brothers, Eteocles 
 and Polynices — the sons of Oedipus, who contended for the 
 sovereignty of Thebes, and ultimately killed one another in single 
 
 140 
 
XXVI. 55-84] INFERNO 
 
 combat — when placed on the same pyre, refused to commingle 
 their ashes, so that two separate flames went up from them ; see . 
 Statius, Theb. xii. 431, 'exundant diviso vertice flammae.' 
 
 55. si martira : observe the quasi-absolute use of the verb sing, 
 preceding the two subjects, while vanno (1. 57), which follows 
 them, is plur. 
 
 56, 57. insieme, &c. : 'they go in company to meet their 
 punishment, as they did to vent their fury ' on the Trojans. The 
 reference is to their deeds of violence when they carried off the 
 Palladium, or tutelary statue of Athena ; Virg. j4en. ii. 166, 
 'caesis summae custodibus arcis.' 
 
 59. fe' la porta, &c. : the ' ambush of the wooden horse,' 
 through which Troy was taken, was the cause of the departure of 
 Aeneas from that place, and of his founding the Roman state in Italy. 
 
 61, 62. r arte, &c. : when Achilles was left by his mother 
 Thetis in Scyros, that he might not take part in the Trojan war, 
 Deidamia, the daughter of Lycomedes king of Scyros, fell in 
 love with him, but lost him owing to Ulysses, who, in company 
 with Diomede, artfully persuaded Achilles to come to the war, 
 after which she died of grief; Statius, Ach'tll. i. 538 foil. ; ii. 15 foil. 
 ancor : with reference to morta, ' though dead, still grieves.' 
 
 65, 66. assai, &c. : 'with all my heart I pray thee once and 
 again, so that my prayer may have the force of a thousand prayers.' 
 
 67. nego : ' refusal,' for niego. 
 
 72. si sostegna : ' check itself ; i. e. keep silence. 
 
 74, 75. ei sarebbero, &c. : 'since they were Greeks, perhaps 
 they would be shy of your address,' i. e. of being addressed by you. 
 No explanation of this remark has been suggested which is wholly 
 satisfactory ; but perhaps the best is that which connects it with the 
 rule that is observed throughout this part of the poem, that Virgil 
 converses with the ancient, and Dante with the modern characters. 
 The souls in Hell may be supposed to recognize the fitness of this ; 
 and in that case what is here referred to would be Dante's ignorance 
 of the Greek language, which, if he spoke, would be a sufficient 
 evidence to Ulysses and Diomede that he was not an ' ancient.' 
 
 82-4. gli alti versi : the Aeneid, in which he had com- 
 memorated them, r un di voi : Ulysses. Dove, &c. : ' where, 
 after he had lost his way, he went to die.' gissi is for si gt used 
 impersonally, so that per lui gissi is ' it was gone by him.' 
 
 141 
 
INFERNO [xxvi. 8^-12.6 
 
 85, 86. Lo maggior como : that which represents Ulysses, 
 who is the more eminent of the two. croUarsi ; this is the result 
 of the voice struggling for utterance. 
 
 90 foil. The story of Ulysses' last voyage and death is a 
 digression, like that of the foundation of Mantua in Inf. xx, for it 
 bears no relation to the subject of the Inferno. Both of these serve, 
 however, to give variety, and to lighten the uniformity of gloom. 
 The story here given is quite different from the enigmatical descrip- 
 tion of Ulysses' peaceful end in the Odyssey (xi. 134-7), and, 
 as far as we can learn, was Dante's own invention. The idea 
 of it may have been suggested to him by the Genoese voyages of 
 discovery in search of a western continent, which were made in 
 his time; one of these expeditions started in 1291, and was never 
 heard of again; Moore, Studies, 1. p. 264 note. The story of 
 Tennyson's ' Ulysses ' is based on Dante's version. 
 
 91-3. sottrasse: 'withdrew me from the company of men.' 
 piu d' un anno : suggested by Ov. Met. xiv. 308, ' Annua nos 
 illic tenuit mora.' la presso a Gaeta : the place meant is 
 Circeii. la nominasse : after Caieta, his nurse ; Virg. ^en. 
 vii. 1-4. 
 
 94. la pieta, &c. : * the sorrow felt by my aged sire.' 
 
 98. del mondo esperto : this is the traditional character of 
 Ulysses as he is described in the Odyssey. Dante may perhaps 
 have got it from Horace, y^rs Poet., 1. 142, 'Qui mores hominum 
 multorum vidit et urbes.' 
 
 108. segno: 'set up to view,' lit. 'marked.' riguardi: 
 ' boundary-marks,' the Pillars of Hercules, Calpe and Abyla. 
 According to Perticari (quoted by Blanc, Versuch, p. 240), 
 rlguardo is regularly used in this sense in the Romagna. 
 
 III. gi^ : ' already,' for Ceuta (Setta) is opposite Gibraltar, and 
 some distance E. of Seville. 
 
 114, 115. vigilia : ' waking-time,' before 'the night cometh in 
 which no man can work.' ch' e del rimanente : ' which still 
 remains,' lit. ' which is of what remains.' 
 
 117. Diretro al sol: 'following the sun,' i. e. in a westward 
 course, del mondo senza gente : the whole world except the 
 Old Continent was then supposed to be uninhabited. 
 
 124-6. volta . . . mattino: this is equivalent to 'turning 
 our prow to the west'; but the stern is mentioned, because they 
 
 142 
 
XXVI. 1 28— XXVII. I a] INFERNO 
 
 were leaving behind them the lands towards the east. Sempre, &c. : 
 ' ever trending more and more towards the left.' Their course, 
 from being westward, became south-westward. If, as is usually 
 thought, the mountain which Ulysses at last sights is the mountain 
 of Purgatory, which according to Dante was the antipodes of 
 Jerusalem, this direction would just lead to it. 
 
 128. Vedea la notte: 'the night beheld.' Blanc quotes 
 Petrarch, ' Non vide tante stelle alcuna notte.' 
 
 131, 132. di sotto, &c. : 'on the under side of the moon,' 
 i. e. that which is turned towards the earth. alto passo : 
 'perilous passage'; see note on Inf. ii. 12. 
 
 133, 134. bruna, &c. : 'dim owing to the distance.' 
 
 139. Tre volte, &c. : cp. Virg. Aen. i. 116, 117, ' ast illam ter 
 fluctus ibidem Torquet agens circum, et rapidus vorat aequore vertex.' 
 con tutte r acque : ' with a rush of waters.' Mr. Beazeley 
 remarks [Prince Henry the Navigator, p. 14) that the Arabs said 
 that whirlpools always destroy the adventurer who sails into the 
 Atlantic. 
 
 141. altrui: God, whose name is not uttered in Hell, except 
 in blasphemy by Vanni Fucci, Inf. xxv. 3 
 
 CANTO XXVII 
 
 Argument. — After Ulysses and Diomede have passed on, 
 a voice is heard to issue from another flame, asking for news 
 concerning the present state of Romagna. When Dante has 
 satisfied his request, the imprisoned spirit informs them, though 
 without mentioning his name, that he is Guido da Montefeltro, and 
 proceeds to explain how he was persuaded by Boniface VIII to give 
 fraudulent counsel, and what befell him after death. 
 
 Line 3. licenza : 'permission'; see 1. 21, where the words 
 with which Virgil dismissed him are given. 
 
 7-12. il bue Cicilian : 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 produced the effect of 
 
 143 
 
INFERNO [XXVII. 13-21 
 
 bellowing on the part of the bull. Perillus was the first victim 
 who met this fate. Cp. Ovid, Ars Amat. i. 653-6, where 'neque 
 enim lex aequior ulla Quam necis artifices arte perire sua ' suggested 
 e cio fu dritto. temperate : ' shaped.' 
 
 13. Cosi : the application of the simile consists in the sound 
 which proceeded from the bull in the one case and from the flame 
 in the other being made by the voice of the person concealed 
 within it. 
 
 14, 15. Dal principio del foco : others read nel foco, but 
 del foco has a great preponderance of MS. authority ; see Witte, 
 Quattro Testi, p. 179; Moore, Text. Crit., p. 195. With del foco 
 the meaning is : — ' the melancholy words were converted by the 
 element of fire into its language,' i. e. into a rushing sound. It 
 must be confessed that il principio del foco, in the sense of 
 ' the element of fire,' is a more stilted expression than we should 
 expect to find in Dante's poetry. With nel foco the interpretation 
 is easier, and Dal principio means ' at first.' ' Similarly, from 
 having at first no passage or opening in the flame, the woful words 
 were converted into the language of flame,' i. e. a dull murmur. 
 Dal principio is thus contrasted with posc'ia in 1. 16. 
 
 18. in lor passaggio : i.e. in pronouncing them; ^giving it 
 (the tip of the flame) that vibration, which the tongue had given 
 them (the words) in their passage through the mouth.' 
 
 20. mo: 'just now,' Lat. modo. Lombardo : i.e. using, as 
 a Mantuan, the Lombardic dialect. 
 
 21. Dicendo, &c. : 'when thou didst say, "Now go thy way, 
 1 urge thee no more to speak " ' ; these are the words used by Virgil 
 in parting from Ulysses, which are implied in licen%a^ 1. 3. The 
 Lombard element which the spirit discovered in what Virgil said 
 is probably to be referred to the pronunciation rather than to any 
 of the words used, for issa was not peculiar to that dialect (see 
 note on Inf. xxiii. 7), and of the obsolete adizzo, 'I excite,' 
 ' urge ' (or, as some read, with the same meaning, aizzo), we know 
 nothing certain, issa : the vast majority of MSS. read htra, a 
 word of no meaning, which seems to have been introduced through 
 an early blunder on the part of copyists, for the greater number 
 of the Commentators support issa, which is found in the sense of 
 'now' in Inf. xxiii. 7 and Purg. xxiv. 55; Moore, Text. Crit., 
 PP- 338, 339- 
 
 144 
 
XXVII. 37-48] INFERNO 
 
 27. Latina : of Italy; cp. Inf. xxii. 65. ond' io, &c. : 'which 
 is the origin of all my sin,' referring to his political career there. 
 
 28. i Romagnuoli : Romagna was the countiy between the Po 
 and the Apennines in one direction, and Bologna and the Adriatic 
 in the other; cp. Purg. xiv. 92. 
 
 29. 30. io fui, &c. : the speaker is Guido da Montefeltro, the 
 leader of the Ghibellines in Romagna, and one of the ablest 
 military commanders of his rime. In the latter part of his life he 
 was reconciled to the Church, and he joined the Franciscan Order 
 in 1296. intra: the hiatus between this word and Urbino is 
 very unusual ; sopra is similarly unelided in Par. xxvi. 45. 
 il giogo : the main chain of the Apennines, ' il gran giogo * 
 of Purg. V. 116. si disserra: 'issues,' lit. 'is unlocked.' 
 Montefeltro, which is described in this and the preceding line, 
 was a mountainous district on the northern side of the Apennines 
 towards Urbino and San Marino. 
 
 31-3. ingiuso : towards the lolgia below. Latino: Italian, 
 cp. 1. 27. Perhaps the point here is that he is a 'modern,' in 
 contrast to Ulysses and Diomede, who were ' ancients ' ; see note 
 on Inf. xxvi. 75. 
 
 38, 39. suoi tiranni : these are the great families, between 
 whom there were feuds in every important city of Romagna, though 
 in 1300 there was no open war (in palese). 
 
 41, 42. L' aquila, &c. : the counts of Polenta, whose arms 
 were an eagle, were now lords of Ravenna. One of these, 
 Guido Novello, was subsequently Dante's host at that place. 
 1^ si cova : ' there doth brood.' If la si cova is read, it = se la 
 cova, ' broods over it,' ' covers it with its wings.' Cervia : a town 
 on the coast S. of Ravenna. 
 
 43-5. La terra: 'the city'; Forli is meant, which in 1282 
 endured a long siege (la lunga prova) by the French troops sent 
 against it by Pope Martin IV, until they were finally defeated by 
 Guido da Montefeltro. le branche verdi : ' the green paws ' ; 
 a green lion was the arms of the Ordelaffi, who were lords of 
 Forli in 1300. 
 
 46-8. II Mastin, &c. : the old Mastiff is Malatesta da 
 Verrucchio, lord of Rimini, and the young Mastiff is his son, 
 Malatestino. The castle of Verrucchio was presented to the 
 Malatesta family by the city of Rimini for their services, da 
 
 TozER 145 L 
 
INFERNO [xxvii. 49-75 
 
 Vemicchio goes with both vecchio and nuovo. Che fecer, &c. : 
 * who disposed ill of Montagna ' ; for governo meaning ' treatment * 
 cp. Purg. V. ic8. Montagna de' Parcitati, a Ghibelline chieftain, 
 was treacherously taken prisoner by Malatesta, and murdered in 
 prison by Malatestino. La dove, &c. : ' make augers of their 
 teeth (i. e. seize and rend the population) there where such is their 
 wont ' (i. e. in their subject lands). 
 
 49-51. Le citta, &c. : Faenza on the Lamone, and Imola on 
 the Santerno. Conduce: 'governs.' il leoncel, &c. : Maghinardo 
 Pagani, whose arms were a lion azure on a white field. He had 
 gained possession of those two cities, muta parte, &c. : ' changes 
 sides with the seasons ' (or ' from south to north ') ; the meaning 
 is, that he was a Guelf in Tuscany and a Ghibelline in Romagna. 
 
 52, 53. quella : Cesena, on the Savio. sie' : for s'lede. 
 
 56, 57. Non esser, &c. : 'be not more unyielding than other 
 spirits in the Inferno have been, so may thy name maintain itself in 
 the world above.' 
 
 61. S' io credessi, &c. : the souls In Hell, as a rule, are 
 anxious that their memories should be recalled to men's minds 
 on earth ; but those who have committed crimes at once flagrant and 
 mean against their fellow men desire not to be named : see note on 
 Inf. vi. 89. 
 
 67, 6§. Io fui, &c. : Guido now tells the story of his yielding 
 to the specious arguments ' of Boniface VIII, and giving him 
 fraudulent counsel concerning his mode of dealing with his enemies, 
 the Colonna family; and then reveals what happened after his 
 death, cordelliero : a Franciscan friar. They were so called 
 from the cord with which they were girt (si cinto). 
 
 69. veniva intero : ' was on its way to fulfilment.' For 
 nyenire used with an adj. in the sense of dlvenlre cp. Par. xxvi. 102, 
 veniagata; xxxiii. 52, venendo sincera. 
 
 70. il gran Prete : Pope Boniface VIII. a cui mal prenda : 
 ' on whom may ruin seize.' 
 
 75. Non furon, &c. : Dante here is clearly referring to the 
 passage in the De OJiciis (i. 13. 41), which he has used for the 
 distinction of sins of violence and fraud (Inf. xi. 22-4, where see 
 note), where Cicero says, ' fraus quasi vulpeculae, vis leonis videtur.' 
 The character here attributed to Guido is not that which he bears 
 in history, for he is spoken of as being a distinguished soldier. 
 
 146 
 
XXVII. 76-97] INFERNO 
 
 See Villani, vii. 44, and the Forli chronicler quoted by Philalethes, 
 p. 198. 
 
 76. accorgimenti : ' shrewd plans.' 
 
 83, 84. pentuto, &c. : 'after repentance and confession I 
 became a monk.' Rendersi is a regular expression for becoming 
 a monk; cp. Purg. xx. 54, ' renduto in panni bigi.' Both this 
 and calar le vele (1. 81) are used in Conv. iv. 28, 11. 62-4, where 
 Guido is mentioned in company with Lancelot: 'questi nobili 
 calaron le vele delle mondane operazioni, che nella loro lunga et^ 
 a religione si render©.' sarebbe : here used irregularly for avrebbe. 
 
 85, 86. Lo Principe, &c. : Pope Bonifiice, to whom Dante 
 gives this title as being the leader of the worldly clergy of his time. 
 guerra : with the Colonna family, who dwelt near St. John 
 Lateran; his struggle with them culminated in 1297. 
 
 89, 90. E nessuno, &c. : ' and none of his enemies were in the 
 number of the Saracens who conquered Acre, or of the Jews who 
 trafficked within the dominions of the Soldan.' Acre, the last 
 possession that remained to the Christians in Palestine, was captured 
 by the Saracens in 1291. The traffic here referred to was confined 
 to the Jews after the capture of Acre, for the Pope then forbade 
 all Christians to trade with Alexandria and Egypt (Villani, vii. 145 
 ad Jin.) ; before that time a considerable trade, including that in 
 material of war, had been carried on in those parts by the Genoese 
 and Venetians, as well as the Jews. 
 
 91. ordini sacri : ' Holy Orders ' in our sense of the term. 
 
 92, 93. quel capestro : the cord of St. Francis, which is 
 called /' umile capestro in Par. xi. 87. solea : the past tense 
 implies the neglect of the rule of poverty by the Franciscans. 
 
 94, 95. come Constantin, &c. : ' as Constantine sought out 
 Sylvester in the recesses of Soracte to cure him of his leprosy.* 
 According to the mediaeval story, when Constantine before his 
 conversion was suffering from a leprosy, which resulted from 
 his persecution of the Christians, he was recovered from it by 
 Pope Sylvester in his retreat in a cave on Mt. Soracte (Siratti). 
 Similarly Guido was in retirement in the Franciscan convent at 
 Assisi, when Boniface applied to him. 
 
 96, 97. maestro: 'director,' with the further implication of 
 ' physician,' which sense also the word bears, superba febbre : 
 'fever of pride,' i. e. feverish eagerness to ruin the Colonna. 
 
 147 L a 
 
INFERNO [xxvii. 98-127 
 
 98. tacetti: for facqui; cp. Inf. ii. 75. 
 
 101,102. Finer; ' from this time forth.' Penestrino : Pales- 
 trina, formerly Praeneste. This was at this time a fortress of the 
 Colonna, which the Pope was anxious to get into his power. It 
 was surrendered by them under promise of an amnesty, after which 
 Boniface razed it to the ground. 
 
 105. il mio antecessor: Celestine V, who abdicated the 
 Papacy ; see note on Inf. iii. 60. non ebbe care : ' valued little.* 
 
 107. L^ Ve, &c. : 'to the point where (i.e. to the conclusion 
 that) to hold my peace was the worse counsel,' i. e. was more 
 ill-advised than to speak. He considered that the Pope's authority 
 outweighed the sin of giving evil advice, awiso : subst., as in 
 Inf. xxvi. 50. 
 
 no, III. Lunga, &c. : 'promising much and fulfilling little.' 
 Atiendere la promessa means ' to keep one's word.' alto seggio : 
 the papal throne. 
 
 112, 113. Francesco, &c. : the description of the contest 
 between St. Francis and the devil for the possession of Guido's 
 soul is the counterpart of, though in strong contrast with, the 
 struggle for the soul of his son Buonconte, which is related in 
 Purg. V. 104 foil. Cherubini : perhaps the devil who is here 
 introduced is called by this title because of the power of argument 
 which he displays (11. 118-20), for the Cherubim were the Order 
 of angels in Heaven whose special gift was knowledge. 
 
 1 1 5-7. meschini : 'minions'; so in Inf. ix. 43 the Furies are 
 called the meschine of Proserpine. Dal quale, &c. : ' since which 
 up to the present time I have been waiting to seize him.' 
 
 119, 120. pentere e volere: 'to repent and to desire to 
 commit the crime.' nol consente : ' does not admit of it.' 
 Repentance and the desire to commit sin are contradictory to one 
 another, and two contradictories cannot be held together. It is the 
 logical form into which this statement is put which the devil refers 
 to in 1. 123. . 
 
 1 2 1-3. mi riscossi : 'I shuddered.' loico, for logico^ 'a 
 logician'; 'that I coyld argue so cogently.' 
 
 125. Otto volte: as a token that he was assigned to the 
 eighth Circle; cp. Inf. v. 11, 12. 
 
 127. furo : 'thievish,' i.e. which hides its prey; c^. furto in 
 Inf. xxvi. 41. 
 
 148 
 
XXVII. 134— XXVIII. 9] INFERNO 
 
 134-6. lo scoglio : see note on Inf. xxvi. 17. il fosso : the 
 ninth bolgia. in che, &c. : ' in which the penalty is paid by those 
 who by sowing discord lay on themselves (lit. win for themselves) 
 a burden.' For si paga il fio in this sense cp. Purg. xi. 88. 
 scommettendo : scommettere is the opposite of commettere, ' to 
 unite.' 
 
 CANTO xxvm 
 
 Argument. — The ninth lolgia contains the schismatics and 
 propagators of discord, who are rent and gashed with a sword by 
 a devil, in recompense for their having caused disunion among 
 mankind. The first of these lacerated figures which attracts 
 Dante's attention is Mahomet, who is here presented as the type 
 of religious schismatics. Others, who follow him, were persons 
 conspicuous in their lifetime as fomenters of social and political 
 discord ; conspicuous among whom are Pier da Medicina, who stirred 
 up strife between families in the Romagna ; Curio, who urged Caesar 
 to make war on the senate of Rome ; Mosca Lamberti, through whom 
 the Guelf and Ghibelline factions at Florence arose; and the 
 troubadour Bertrand de Born. 
 
 Lines 1-3. con parole sciolte: 'with untrammelled words,' 
 i. e. in prose, per narrar piii volte : ' even if he repeated the 
 tale,' lit. 'for all his repeating'; for this use oi per cp. Inf. iv. 
 II ; xxi. 28. 
 
 5, 6. Per lo, &c. : owing to the inability of human language to 
 express it, and of human intellect to grasp it. seno : lit. ' bosom ' ; 
 taken with a comprender it means ' capacity for embracing.' 
 
 7. s' adunasse ancor : these two words can hardly be taken 
 together as forming a single expression ; ' were recalled to life 
 (ancor) and assembled.' 
 
 8,9. fortunata : 'fateful,' i.e. doomed to disaster. Dante 
 now enumerates in their historical order five scenes of bloodshed 
 which had occurred in Apulia (Puglia), using that name, as it was 
 often used in the middle ages, in a wide sense, so as to embrace 
 a large part of Southern Italy ; cp. De Vulg. Eloq. i. 10. 11. 49-52, 
 where Apulia is said to be divided in two parts by the Apennines. 
 The carnage produced by these battles, he says, would not equal what 
 
 149 
 
INFERNO [xxviii. 10-23 
 
 was displayed to view in this holgia. fu del suo sangue dolente : 
 
 * suffered from their wounds.' 
 
 10-2. Per 11 Troiani: in the wars following Aeneas' landing 
 in Italy, la lunga guerra; the Second Punic War, including 
 the battle of Cannae, dell' anella : referring to the bushels of 
 rings taken by the Carthaginians from the fingers of the slain 
 Roman knights after Cannae, alte : ' high-heaped,' representing 
 the acervus of Livy xxiii. 12. Livio : his account of the battle 
 is in xxii. 47 foil. 
 
 13, 14. Con quella : understand ^^w/^ ; the Greeks and Saracens 
 are meant, who were slain in their wars with the Norman Robert 
 Guiscard during the eleventh century. Per contrastare : 'owing to 
 their making head against.' 
 
 15, 16. il cui, &c. : 'whose bones are still heaped ' ; ossame 
 (lit. ' pile of bones ') favours this translation, while s' accoglie is 
 better suited to the other, 'whose bones are still picked up.' 
 Ceperan : on the Liris near Monte Cassino. This point the 
 Apulians were to have defended against Charles of Anjou, but 
 they deserted their post (bugiardo, 'faithless'). The massacre 
 which is implied in ossame was the battle of Benevento (a. d. 
 1266), where Manfred was defeated; Dante's words imply that 
 there was an action at Ceperano, but this was not the case. 
 
 17, 18. 1^: see note on Inf. vii. 22. da Tagliacozzo : 'at 
 Tagllacozzo ' in the Abruzzi, where Manfred's nephew, Conradin, 
 the last of the Hohenstaufen, was defeated by Charles of Anjou 
 in 1268. senz' arme: by his advice, not by fighting. Erard 
 (Alardo) de Valery persuaded Charles to keep a third of his 
 forces in reserve, and when Conradin's troops thought they had 
 won the day and were pursuing their opponents, these attacked 
 and defeated them; Villani, vii. 27. 
 
 19-21. E qual, &c. ; se is here to be supplied from 1. 7, and 
 qual — qual refer to la gente^ ibid. ' 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 what was seen,' &c. 
 
 22, 23. Gik veggia, &c. : 'a cask was never so rifted from 
 the loss of centre-piece or side-piece, as one whom I saw.' The 
 position of the clauses here is curiously inverted; for a similar 
 instance cp. Inf. xxix. 16, 17. mezzul is the middle piece, 
 luUa one of the side pieces of the bottom of a cask. 
 
 150 
 
XXVIII. 25-55] INFERNO 
 
 25, 26. minugia: 'entrails.* 'corata': 'vitals.' sacco : 
 'pouch,' the stomach. 
 
 30. mi dilacco : ' I rend myself,' lit. ' dismember.' 
 
 31. Maometto : Mahomet's new departure in religion caused 
 him to be regarded as a schismatic. 
 
 32. All: the two great Mahometan sects — the Shiites, who 
 are now represented by the Persians, and the Sunnites, who are 
 represented by the Turks — are divided on the question whether 
 Ali was or was not the rightful successor to Mahomet in the 
 Caliphate, the Shiites maintaining the former view, the Sunnites 
 the latter. Thus Ali came to be regarded as a source of schism, 
 though he did not himself found a sect. For the ten-syllable 
 line here and in the rhyming lines see note on Inf. iv. 56. 
 
 33. nel volto : i. e. in the part of his person which in Mahomet's 
 case was sound, the meaning being that Ali caused a schism in 
 Mahometanism. 
 
 35. scandalo : ' dissension.' 
 
 37-40. accisma : this seems to be the same word as O. Fr. 
 acesmer, 'to set in order,' 'adorn'; here 'makes us such a sight.' 
 For a similar ironical use cp. conciando in Inf. xxx. 33. al 
 taglio, &c. : ' putting anew to the sword's edge.' risma : ' gang,' 
 lit. ' bundle,' the word being used as a term of contempt for the 
 occupants of the bolgia^ like %avorra in Inf. xxv. 142. Both in 
 origin and meaning it is the same as Engl. ' ream ' of paper, the 
 der. being from Arab, rismaf, ' bundle,' which word was imported 
 into Europe along with the introduction of cotton by the Moors ; 
 Skeat, Etym. D'lct.^ s. v. ' ream.' Quando, &c. : i. e. when we 
 have completed the circle of the bolgia. 
 
 42. Prima, &c. : ' before any of us reappears in his presence.' 
 altri for 'any one' is rare; the Vocah. Crusca compares Tasso, 
 xiii. 34, 'Non mai la vita, ove cagion onesta Del comun pro la 
 chieda, altri risparmi' ('let not any one spare'). 
 
 43-5. muse : ' musest ' ; musare is der. from muso, O. Fr. 
 muse, 'mouth,' 'snout.' Skeat (s. v. 'muse') says, 'the image is 
 that of a dog snuffing idly about.' tue accuse : ' your confession 
 of crimes,' with reference to the self-accusation, when the soul 
 confesses its sins to Minos, Inf. v. 8; cp. also Purg. xxxi. 
 40, 41. 
 
 55. Or di' : Mahomet is speaking ; cp. 1. 62. Fra Dolcin : the 
 
 151 
 
INFERNO [xxviii. 58-84 
 
 leader of a sect of fanatical religious reformers called the Apostolic 
 Brothers at the end of the thirteenth century. He is said (though 
 it was probably a calumny) to have advocated community of wives, 
 and this may account for the interest which Mahomet is here 
 represented as taking in him. The circumstances referred to in 
 what follows were these. When Clement V 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. Fra Dolcino was 
 burnt alive at Vercelli in 1307. Dante regards him as a schismatic. 
 s' armi : take with di vivanda in 1. 58. 
 
 58, 59. stretta di neve : 'a deep snow-fall ' ; the first meaning 
 of stretta is ' a compact mass.* Noarese : the people of Novara, 
 who led a crusade against him. 
 
 61-3. Poi che, &c. : if what is said here is merely a description 
 of starting to walk, it is strangely elaborate, but there is something 
 like it in Purg. xiii. 14, 15. Casini takes it as referring to the 
 brief interval occupied by Mahomet's speech, as if he were hurrying 
 his departure. Possibly it may describe his difficulty in walking 
 owing to his body being cleft. 
 
 • 64 foil. The persons who are now introduced were promoters 
 of political discord. 
 
 7 1 . Latina : Italian. 
 
 73. Pier da Medicina : he was so called from the town of 
 Medicina near Bologna. He kept alive the strife between the 
 families of Polenta and Malatesta. 
 
 75. dichina : 'slopes,' i.e. with the fall of the river. The 
 plain is that of Lombardy, Vercelli lying in the western part towards 
 its head, Marcabo near the mouths of the Po. 
 
 77. Guido : he and Angiolello were two leading men of Fano, 
 whom Malatestino of Rimini — the 'young Mastiff' of Inf. xxvii. 
 46 — shortly after 131 2 invited to a conference at La Cattolica, 
 a coast-town between Rimini and Pesaro, and caused to be drowned 
 by the sailors when they were on their way thither. 
 
 80. mazzerati : ' thrown overboard ' ; maz%erare is to throw 
 a man into the sea tied up in a sack. Cattolica : for the twelve- 
 syllable lines here and in 11. 82, 84 see note on Inf. xv. i. 
 
 82-4. Tra r isola, &c. : Cyprus and Majorca are here taken as 
 
XXVIII. 85-106] INFERNO 
 
 marking the eastern and western limits of the Mediterranean, fallo : 
 ' outrage.' Argolica : the early Greek settlers in Italy and Sicily 
 were regarded, not without reason, as brigands. 
 
 85. Quel traditor, &c. : Malatestino, who had lost an eye. 
 
 86, 87. la terra, &c. : 'the city (Rimini), which one in my 
 company here would be glad never to have seen.' This is explained 
 below (1. 102) to be Curio, who there advocated the civil strife for 
 which he is now punished. There is a suppressed relative after the 
 clause tal e qui meco. For digiuno meaning ' lacking of cp. 
 Inf. xviii. 42. 
 
 89, 90. al vento, &c. : 'neither vows nor prayers against the 
 wind of Focara will be needed for them.' Focara was a headland 
 near La Cattolica, which was dangerous on account of its storms ; 
 but they would have no need to invoke the protection of Heaven, 
 because they would be drowned before reaching it. Fa mestiere 
 is a phrase for ' it is necessary.' 
 
 93. dalla veduta amara : to whom it is painful to have seen 
 Rimini, 11. 86, 87. 
 
 96. non favella : because his tongue was severed, 1. 10 1. 
 
 97. scacciato : 'being banished.' After Caesar was declared 
 a public enemy by the Senate, Curio fled to him from Rome, and 
 urged him to commence the civil war without delay. According 
 to the facts of history he reached him at Ravenna before he crossed 
 the Rubicon, but Dante represents him as having given this advice 
 at Rimini (see note on 11. 86, 87), and therefore after he had crossed 
 the Rubicon. He is here following Lucan, who says that after 
 Caesar had crossed the Rubicon (i. 223, 224) he attacked Ariminum 
 (1. 231), and was there joined by Curio (11. 266-9); and when he 
 was hesitating whether he should advance (1. 272), Curio used the 
 words 'Tolle moras; semper nocuit differre paratis ' (1. 281). 
 
 98. 99. il fomito, &c. : ' one who is prepared always loses if 
 he endures to wait'; this is a paraphrase of 'semper nocuit,' &c. 
 These words of Lucan are quoted by Dante in his letter to Henry 
 of Luxemburg, Ep'ist. vii. 4, 11. 81-4. 
 
 102. a dire . . . ardito : Lucan speaks of Curio as 'audax 
 venali lingua,' 1. 269. 
 
 106. del Mosca : Mosca Lamberti, concerning whom Dante 
 had already made inquiries in Inf. vi. 80. His story is as follows. 
 Buondelmonte, a young Florentine nobleman, was betrothed to 
 
 153 
 
INFERNO [xxviii. 108-35 
 
 a lady of the Amidel family, but married Instead a daughter of 
 the Donati (see Par. xvi. 140). When the Amidei were con- 
 sulting how they could best avenge themselves for the Insult, and 
 various counter-Insults were proposed, Mosca exclaimed, 'Cosa 
 fatta capo ha,' meaning that 'Death settles a matter once for all'; 
 and accordingly Buondelmonte was murdered. 
 
 108. il mal seme: In consequence of this quarrel, the leading 
 nobles of Florence ranged themselves on the side of one or other 
 of these families, and ultimately the BuondelmontI took the lead of 
 the Guelf, the Amidel of the Ghlbelline faction. Hence Mosca Is 
 placed among the propagators of discord. 
 
 109. E morte, &c. : 'It was death withal to thy race.' After 
 1266 the LambertI are not heard of. 
 
 114. contarla: the use of la after che preceding Is pleonastic; 
 cp. Inf. V. 69. 
 
 117. osbergo : 'hauberk,' 'breastplate.' 
 
 119. SI come, &c. : walking onwards, like the rest of the sowers 
 of discord, though he was without his head and could not see. 
 
 124-6. lucerna : his head, thus suspended from his hand, 
 enabled him to see his way. govema : ' ordains.' 
 
 128. con tutta la testa: 'and the head along with it.' 
 Casini quotes Boccaccio, Decam. x. 9, ' il letto con tutto messer 
 Torello fu toko via.' 
 
 134. Bertram dal Bornio : Bertrand de Born, a troubadour and 
 warrior of the latter half of the twelfth century, was distinguished 
 by his wild love of fighting, which caused him to propagate strife 
 among his neighbours. With this object he supported the younger 
 Henry, eldest son of Henry II of England, against his father. 
 He is thus a type of another form of sowing discord. 
 
 135. diedi . . . i mai conforti: 'gave the wrongful encourage- 
 ment.' re giovane : ' the Young King ' was the title by which 
 the younger Henry was called, because he was crowned during his 
 father's lifetime ; Vlllani (v. 4) speaks of him by that name, when 
 he mentions his having been at war with his father. The MS. 
 authority is extremely strong in favour of the reading Giovanni^ 
 but this appears to have arisen from a mistake on the part of the 
 copyists, who confused the young Henry with his younger brother, 
 John Lackland. It seems almost impossible that Dante should 
 have been in error on this point, because the title of ' the Young 
 
 154 
 
XXVIII. 136—XXIX.9] INFERNO 
 
 King,' as applied to the eldest son of Henry II, was well known at 
 that time in Italy, and is also frequently introduced into the poems 
 of Bertrand de Born. See Moore, Text. Cr'it.^ pp. 344 foil. ; 
 Toynbee in The Academy^ vol. xxxiii. p. 274. 
 
 136-8. ribelli : 'hostile.' Achitofel : 2 Sam. xv. 12 foil. 
 non fe' piu d' : 'did not more so with,' i. e. 'did not stir up more 
 ill-will between.' 
 
 141,142. sue principio : the spinal marrow, lo contrapasso: 
 the law of retaliation. 
 
 CANTO XXIX 
 
 Argument. — While they are crossing the next embankment, the 
 Poets converse about Geri del Bello, a relation of Dante, whom he 
 believes he saw among the sowers of discord. In the tenth and 
 last holgia of the eighth Circle falsifiers are punished by being 
 afflicted with loathsome diseases, owing to which they lie helplessly 
 in various positions on the ground. In the present Canto alchemists, 
 or falsifiers of metals, are introduced; and among them Dante 
 parleys with two Italians, Griffolino and Capocchio, who had 
 committed that crime. 
 
 Lines 4, 5. Che pur guate ? ' why art thou absorbed in 
 gazing ? ' pur here, and in the following line, from meaning ' only ' 
 comes to be used with a verb for 'to do nothing else than.' 
 si soffolge: 'is riveted,' lit, 'propped,' 'stayed,' Lat. suffulcire \ 
 cp. Par. xxiil. 1 30, where the form is soffolce. 
 
 8. se tu, &c. : ' if thou thinkest to take count of them,' i. e. of 
 the number of souls in this holgia. 
 
 9. miglia ventidue : the ' valley ' here, which has the circuit 
 of twenty-two miles, is the ninth holgia^ and in Inf. xxx. 86 
 we are told that the tenth holgia is eleven miles in circuit, or half 
 that of the preceding one. Dante seems to have introduced the 
 number twenty-two for a double purpose: — first, to give an idea 
 of the size of the holgia itself and of the number of souls which 
 it contained ; and secondly, to suggest incidentally the size of the 
 
 155 
 
INFERNO [xxix. 10-23 
 
 part of Hell which still remained to be visited. For 22 : 7 was 
 understood in Dante's time to be the ratio of the circumference to 
 the diameter of a circle (cp. Brunetto Latini, Tesoro^ Bk. ii. Ch. xl : 
 Mr. Butler refers also to Dante's contemporary, Cecco d' Ascoli, 
 in his Treatise on the Sphere) ; and by the mention of twenty-two 
 miles as the circumference it is implied that the diameter was seven 
 miles ; consequently the diameter of the circle formed by the tenth 
 bolgia, which was half that size, was three and a half miles. The 
 line thus measured crossed both the tenth bolgia and the Pit of 
 Hell which was enclosed within it. The numbers given in the 
 present passage and in Inf. xxx. 86 have been taken by Philalethes 
 (p. 234) as the basis of a calculation of the size of Malebolge ; 
 starting from the assumption that all the bolge are to be reckoned 
 on the same scale, he estimates the circumference of that area 
 as 115^ miles. Agnelli, in his Topo-cronografia del Viaggio 
 Dantesco^ pp. 15 foil., has gone still farther, and extended this 
 calculation so as to apply to the size of the Inferno itself. Such 
 inferences as these, however, are doubtfully justifiable. When 
 Dante introduces numbers into his poem, they are usually intended 
 to serve the purpose of enabling his readers to realize more distinctly 
 the scenes or objects which are presented to them, and it is 
 dangerous to argue from them to larger measurements. These 
 he prefers to leave to the imagination. 
 
 10-2. E gii., &c. : the time which is thus indicated is between 
 I and 2 p.m. Here, as elsewhere in the Inferno, time is 
 measured by the moon instead of the sun ; see note on Inf. xx. 124. 
 poco : about five hours, the whole amount allowed for the Inferno 
 being between twenty-four and twenty-five hours. Ed altro, &c. : 
 ' and there is more to be seen besides what thou seest.' 
 
 15. m' avresti, &c. : 'thou wouldest have allowed me to stay 
 even longer.' 
 
 16, 17. Parte: 'meanwhile'; cp. Purg. xxi. 19. The order 
 of the words here is confused by Lo Duca, the subject to gia, being 
 introduced out of place, and so separating facendo from io, to which 
 it refers. For a similar inversion cp. Inf. xxviii. 23. 
 
 18, 19. quella cava : the holgta. a posta : ' attentively.' 
 22, 23. Non si franga, &c. : i.e. 'trouble not thyself further 
 
 about him.' The phrase resembles the Engl. ' to break one's head ' 
 
 over a matter. 
 
 156 
 
XXIX. 27-53] INFERNO 
 
 27. udl '1 nominar : 'I heard him named.' This Geri del 
 Bello was a distant relation of Dante. He was a worthless 
 character, and a turbulent person, in consequence of which he is 
 placed among the propagators of discord. He was murdered by 
 one of the Sacchetti, and afterwards, but not till later than 1300, 
 his death was avenged. 
 
 28-30. impedito : 'engrossed.' Altaforte : Hautefort, the 
 name of Bertrand de Bom's castle, si : 'so,' marking the con- 
 sequence. If a comma is substituted for the semicolon before si, 
 the meaning is ' until,' si being for sino, as in Inf. xix. 44. 
 
 32, 33. vendicata: the right of vendetta (private vengeance) 
 was legally recognized in Florence at this time, the whole family 
 being affected by the indignity (dell' onta consorte) ; and from 
 this passage it appears that Dante approved of it. 
 
 36. pio ; ' compassionate.' 
 
 38, 39. dello scoglio : ' from the ridge ' ; see note on Inf. 
 xxvi. 17. mostra : for mostrarebbe. The irregular sequence of 
 the indie, after fosse is the same idiom which is found in Lat., 
 e.g. in Hor. Od. ii. 17. 27, 'Me truncus illapsus cerebro Sustulerat, 
 nisi Faunus ictum Dextra levasset.' The literal meaning is : — 
 ' which displays a complete view of the next bolgia to its lowest 
 depths ; that is, it would do so if there were more light there.' 
 For other instances in Dante cp. Inf. xv. in, ' S' avessi avuto . . . 
 potei' ; Purg. iii. 39, 'se aveste . . . non era' ; and Purg. vii. 117; 
 Par. vii. 118; viii. 56. The present instance differs from the 
 others in using the pres. indie. 
 
 41. conversi : 'lay-brethren'; these are the inmates of the 
 ' chiostra.' 
 
 47. Valdichiana : in consequence of the sluggish character of 
 the stream of the Chiana in Tuscany (cp. Par. xiii. 23), the valley 
 in which it flowed was a marshy and unhealthy district. There 
 were hospitals at that time in various parts of it, dependent on the 
 convent of Altopascio. The river has now been diverted and 
 the valley drained. 
 
 48. Maremma, &c. : Sardinia and the Maremma on the coast of 
 Tuscany are still notorious for malarial fevers, mali : ' diseases,' 
 plur. from male. 
 
 52, 53. ultima riva : the last embankment, which was on the 
 further side of the tenth bolgia, separating it from the pit of Hell. 
 
 157 
 
INFERNO [xxix. 54-109 
 
 Del, &c. : * from the long bridge.' pur da man sinistra : 
 ' keeping constantly to the left.' 
 
 54. f u . . . piu viva : ' had more power to penetrate.' 
 
 57. che qui registrar 'whom it assigns here,' lit. 'enters in 
 the book of doom as belonging here.' 
 
 58, 59. Non credo, &c. : the order of the words here and 
 in 11. 65, 66 is — 'Non credo che il popol tutto infermo fosse 
 maggior tristizia a veder, che era a vedcr gli spirti languir,' &c. 
 in Egina: the story is told in Ov. Met. vii. 523 foil. After the 
 whole population of Aegina had been destroyed by a pestilence, 
 Jupiter in response to the prayers of Aeacus repeopled it by 
 changing ants into men, whence arose the name Myrmidons (from 
 
 69. Si trasmutava : ' shifted his place.' 
 
 74. Come, &c. : 'as platter in heating leans against platter.' 
 
 76-8. E non vidi, &c. : ' never saw I groom for whom his 
 master is waiting, or who is anxious for his night's rest (lit. ' is 
 kept awake against his will'), use a currycomb to a horse so 
 hurriedly.' signorso : for s'tgnor suo ; similarly patremo for patre 
 mio^ mogUama for mia moglie^ &c., are found, and mammata for 
 mamma tua is still in use in the Neapolitan dialect ; Blanc, Gram., 
 pp. 278, 279. 
 
 8 1 . non ha piii soccorso : ' is irremediable ' ; others say ' can 
 find no other relief.' 
 
 83. scardova : ' carp,' or ' bream.' 
 
 85. disraaglie : 'scale,' 'flay'; from maglia, ' coat of mail.' 
 
 88, 89. Latino: Italian, se : 'so may'; the sarcasm here 
 implied is merciless and repulsive. 
 
 95. balzo : rampart or terrace of rocks ; cp. Inf. xi. 115. 
 
 97-9. si ruppe, &c. : 'they ceased their mutual support ' ; i. e. 
 they started asunder, ceasing to rest against one another; cp. 1. 73. 
 di rimbalzo : ' indirectly,' since it was not addressed to them. 
 
 100-2. a me tutto s' accolse : 'turned all his attention to 
 me.' poscia, &c. : ' since such was his pleasure ' ; volse for voile. 
 
 103, 104. s' imboli : for / //2W/, ' disappear.' primomondo: 
 the world of the living. 
 
 109. lo fui, &c. : the speaker is a certain GrifFolino, an alchemist 
 of Arezzo, who practised on the credulity of Albero or Alberto, 
 a natural son of the Bishop of Siena. For this he was burnt. 
 
 158 
 
XXIX. 114-39] INFERNO 
 
 114. vaghezza : 'curiosity' or 'fondness for novelties'; the 
 meaning of the word here is intermediate between that of vago<f 
 ' eager for,' and that of vago^ 'wandering.' 
 
 116, 117. nol feci Dedalo : 'did not enable him to fly,' 
 refening to Daedalus' flight on artificial wings, a tal, &c. : ' by one 
 (the bishop) who regarded him as his son,' though he was illegitimate. 
 a is regularly used for ' by ' after y^r<? preceding. 
 
 122. vana : 'frivolous,' with reference to the 'vaghezza e senno 
 poco ' of Albert of Siena, who is taken as a representative of the 
 character of his countrymen. Dante, who seldom misses an op- 
 portunity of inveighing against the Sienese, the traditional opponents 
 of Florence, repeats this charge in Purg. xiii. 151. 
 
 125, 126. Trammene Stricca : ' prithee except Stricca.' For 
 the irony of this cp. 'fuor che Bonturo ' in Inf. xxi. 41. Stricca 
 and the rest who are mentioned here were extravagant votaries of 
 fashion at Siena, me in Trammene is the dative case, like the 
 ethic dative in Greek, expressing the speaker's interest in what he 
 says; cp. Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrenv^ i. 2. 11, 'Villain, 
 I say, knock me at this gate.' le temperate spese : ' such 
 modest outlays.' 
 
 128, 129. Del garofano : he is said to have seasoned pheasants 
 and partridges with cloves, orto : the class of epicures is meant. 
 Others take it as referring to Siena. 
 
 130-2. la brigata: the Irigata spender eccia^ or Prodigal Club, 
 of Siena, composed of twelve young men, whose aim was to run 
 through the greatest possible amount of money in riotous living in 
 a short time, la vigna, &c. : the vineyards and forest-lands were 
 his patrimony. 1' Abbagliato : a nickname of Bartolommeo de' 
 Folcacchieri, a man who held high offices of state at Siena. 
 
 133-5. ti seconda: 'supports your views' of the fatuity of the 
 Sienese. ti responda : 'may answer the question you asked,' viz. 
 ' Who are you ? ' 1. 106. 
 
 136. Capocchio : an alchemist, who was burnt at Siena in 1 293. 
 
 138, 139. se ben t' adocchio : 'if I scan thee aright,' i.e. if 
 I am not mistaken in recognizing thee, scimia : ' ape,' ' imitator.' 
 Capocchio was an artist and a clever mimic, and is said to have 
 been a fellow student of Dante. His power of mimicry is probably 
 referred to here, for scimia would hardly be used of imitation 
 in art. 
 
 159 
 
INFERNO [XXX. 1-18 
 
 CANTO XXX 
 
 Argumknt. — The tenth bolgia continued. The falsifiers treated 
 of in this Canto are (i) counterfeiters of others' persons, (2) false 
 coiners, and (3) perjurers. They are afflicted, respectively, with 
 madness, dropsy, and fever. The first of these three classes is 
 represented by two mad spirits, who rush hither and thither, 
 lacerating those whom they meet ; among the false coiners is seen 
 Master Adam of Brescia, who counterfeited the money of Florence ; 
 and among the perjurers Sinon, whose false statements were the 
 cause of the capture of Troy by the Greeks. The interest which 
 Dante shows in an unseemly wrangle between the two last-named 
 malefactors calls down Virgil's censure upon him. 
 
 Lines 1-2 i. To illustrate the madness with which two counter- 
 feiters of others' persons are afflicted, the insanity of two classical 
 personages, Athamas and Hecuba, is described. 
 
 2, 3. Per Semele : because of Jupiter's amour with Semele, 
 daughter of Cadmus, king of Thebes, una ed altra fiata : another 
 instance, besides that which Dante proceeds to give, is the murder 
 of Pentheus by his mother Agave, Semele's sister, which Juno caused; 
 Ov. Met. iii. adfn. 
 
 4. Ataman te, &c. : Athamas, king of Thebes, was struck with 
 madness by Juno, because his wife Ino brought up Bacchus, Semele's 
 son by Jupiter. The story, including the deaths of his wife and 
 children, is taken from Ov. Met. iv. 511 foil., and the resemblance 
 between the two passages is very close, extending even to some of 
 the expressions used ; see Moore, Studies^ i. p. 212. 
 
 8. al varco : ' at the passage,' i. e. where they have to pass ; in 
 Ovid it is, 'his retia tendite silvis,' 1. 512. 
 
 12. r altro carco : the other child's name was MeHcertes. 
 
 16-8. Ecuba : the story of Hecuba is given in Ov. Met. xiii. 
 403 foil., where ' Troia simul Priamusque cadunt,' 1. 404, corre- 
 sponds to 1. 15 here, cattiva : ' captive.' Polissena : Polyxena, 
 daughter of Hecuba, was offered in sacrifice to appease the shade of 
 Achilles. Polidoro : Polidonis, son of Hecuba, was murdered by 
 Polymestor, king of Thrace, to whose keeping Priam had entrusted 
 
 160 
 
XXX. 2o-6i] INFERNO 
 
 him, after which his body was found by Hecuba on the shore. Poly- 
 
 dorus has already been referred to in connexion with Inf. xiii. 31. 
 20. latro : cp. Ov. Met. xiii. 569, * Latravit conata loqui.' 
 2 2-4. furie : ^ bursts of frenzy.' in alcun : ' in the heart of 
 
 any one * ; that this is the meaning is shown by in due ombre, !• 25. 
 
 Non punger bestie : take with tan to crude ; ' so cruel in goading 
 
 beasts ' ; Non is resumptive fiom ne . . . ne above. 
 
 27. si schiude : ' is let out.' 
 
 28. node Del collo : ' nape of the neck.' 
 
 31-3. r Aretin : GrifFolino ; cp. Inf. xxix. 109. foUetto : 
 * sprite.' Gianni Schicchi : this person was an extraordinary 
 mimic, and when the thief Buoso Donati (cp. Inf. xxv. 140) died, 
 and his son Simone was afraid that he might have left his money in 
 such a way as to make amends to persons whom he had robbed, 
 Schicchi personated him as if he was on his deathbed, and dictated to 
 a notary a will in favour of Simone and himself, conciando : 
 ' harrying,' lit. ' trimming,' ' giving a dressing to.' 
 
 34-6. se, &c. : ' so may not the other of these two spirits gore 
 thee,' as Gianni Schicchi has gored Capocchio. si spicchi : ^ darts 
 off,' lit. 'detaches himself.' The word expresses . the movement 
 of the mad spirits ; so spice are un salto is ' to turn a summerset.' 
 
 38. Mirra : Ov. Met. x. 298 foil. She professed to be 
 another girl ; ' Nomine mentito veros exponit amores,' 1. 439. 
 
 42-5. r altro : Gianni Schicchi. sostenne : take with Falsi- 
 ficare, 1. 44, ' persevered in counterfeiting ' ; the word implies that 
 it was an elaborate process, la donna della torma : ' the queen of 
 the herd ' ; this was a handsome mule belonging to Buoso Donati, 
 which Schicchi claimed as part of the price of his roguery, norma : 
 ' legal form.' 
 
 48. mal nati : 'born in an evil hour ' : cp. Inf. v. 7. 
 
 49—51. lo vidi, &c. : the person who is now described is an 
 example of a false coiner, a guisa di liuto, &c. : ' so that he 
 would have resembled a lute, if his legs had been cut off at the groin,' 
 lit. ' if he had had the groin cut off towards the forked part of man.' 
 
 52—4. dispaia : ' disproportions,' by making the face lean and the 
 belly distended, 1. 54. che mal converte : ' which assimilates 
 (neut.) amiss.' 
 
 55. a: used after /^rf ; cp. Inf. xxix. 117. 
 
 61. maestro Adamo : Master Adam of Brescia, a coiner of 
 
 TOZER 161 M 
 
INFERNO [xxx. 65-90 
 
 counterfeit money, was instigated by Count Guido II of Romena, 
 and his brothers Alessandro and Aginolfo, to issue adulterated 
 coins, counterfeiting the golden florin of Florence. For this he 
 was burnt by the Florentines in 1281. 
 
 65. Casentin : Romena, the scene of his crime, was a village 
 in the Casentino in the upper valley of the Arno. 
 
 70-2. fruga : 'chastises,' lit. 'goads.' A metter, &c. ; 'to 
 give wings to my sighs,' i. e. to cause me to vent them. 
 
 74. La lega, &c. : 'the currency stamped with the Baptist'; 
 the Florentine gold coins bore the figure of St. John the Baptist, 
 the patron saint of Florence. The first meaning of lega is ' legal 
 standard of coinage' (Diez, Wort., p. 191); hence it signifies 
 ' currency.' Later it is used for ' alloy,' as in Par. ii. 139. 
 
 78. Per fonte Branda, «fec. : the meaning is: — 'I would not 
 exchange the pleasure of seeing them enduring the same torment as 
 I am for that of drinking at an ample fountain.' As they were the 
 cause of his ruin, he desired to enjoy his vengeance, fonte Branda 
 is the great fountain at Siena, which is enclosed within a large and 
 deep marble basin, and supplied with water by four channels. By 
 some it is supposed to be a fountain of that name, now dried up, 
 near Romena, and there is said to be some documentary evidence to 
 show that this spring existed at an early time (see Casini). It is not, 
 however, mentioned by the early commentators, and the fountain at 
 Siena from its volume of water would be a typical instance of a 
 copious source, such as a thirsty man would have in his mind. 
 
 79, 80. Dentro c' e 1' una : ' within this bolgia is one of them.' 
 Probably Guido is meant, but the dates of their deaths are not 
 certainly known. Ombre : those of Schicchi and Mirra. 
 
 84. sarei messo : ' would have started ' ; the full phrase is 
 metter si in cammino. 
 
 86, 87. ella volge, Szc. : ' its circuit is eleven miles,' i.e. that 
 of the gente sconcia, and consequently of the bolgia which contains 
 them. On this line see note to Inf. xxix. 9. men d' un mezzo, 
 &c. : ' it is not less than half a mile across.' 
 
 90. Che avean : as avean is metrically a disyllabic, in order 
 to make this line scan Che must be unelided. Witte, Casini, and 
 Toynbee read Che avean ben, Scartazzini Che avevan. mondiglia : 
 ' base metal,' lit. ' refuse.' The legal standard was 24 carats of 
 gold ; those which he struck had only 2 1 . 
 
 162 
 
XXX. 92-131] INFERNO 
 
 92, 93. come man bagnate : 'like hands which steam after 
 having been dipped in water.' stretti, &c. : * close together just 
 on your right hand/ 
 
 95. piowi : 'was flung down,' cp. Inf. xxiv. 122. greppo : 
 * chasm.' 
 
 97, 98. la falsa: Potiphar's wife; Gen. xxxix. 7 foil. She 
 and Sinon represent the class of perjurers. Sinon : the treacherous 
 Greek, who by his false tale persuaded the Trojans to admit the 
 wooden horse within their walls. 
 
 100-2. The cross-fire of coarse repartee between Sinon and Master 
 Adam which follows, like the scene in Canto XXII between the 
 devil and the jobber, is probably intended to lighten the strain on 
 the feelings in this part of the poem, si reco a noia : ' became 
 annoyed.' oscuro : ' darkly,' i. e. with discredit, being called y^/r<?. 
 croia : ' hard.' 
 
 no. cosi presto : ' so ready for use ' ; the criminal at the stake 
 had his arms bound. The reference is to his death by burning ; see 
 note on 1. 61. 
 
 114. del ver, &c. : ' you were asked about the truth ' ; cp. Virg. 
 j4en. ii. 149, where Priam says to him, ' mihique haec edissere vera 
 roganti.' Troia : this word must be scanned as a monosyllable. 
 
 115. e tu : 'yet thou ' ; e here expresses contrast: cp. Inf. xix. 
 3 and note ; Purg. iv. 90. 
 
 118-20. cavallo : the wooden horse, siati reo che : 'be it 
 rueful to thee, that.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. te : this word is to be regarded as a repetition of //' in 
 siati preceding ; this explains the omission of a before it. A few 
 MSS. read A te. Che il ventre, &c. : ' which thus raises thy 
 belly like a hedge in front of thine eyes,' i. e. causes it to obstruct 
 thy sight. 
 
 124, 125. Cosi, &c. : 'by saying that, thou openest thy lips to 
 thy own detriment ' ; the meaning is, that he gives an opportunity 
 for retort: this explains Che in 1. 126. si squarcia : 'opens 
 wide,' lit. 'rends itself.' 
 
 128. lo specchio di Narcisso : a pool of water, with reference 
 to the fable of Narcissus having pined away for love of his own face 
 reflected in water ; Ov. Met. iii. 407 foil. 
 
 131. Or pur mira: 'aye, look your fill,' lit. 'now do nothing 
 but look ' ; see note on Inf. xxix. 4. 
 
 163 M 2 
 
INFERNO [xxx. 335— xxxi. 4 
 
 135. si gira : ' it eddies through my memory.' 
 
 136. quale e quei, &c. : the point of the comparison here is, 
 that the person has attained what he desires without being conscious 
 of it. The man who has a painful dream, longs in his dream that 
 it may be a dream and not a reality ; and this is the case, though 
 he is unaware of it. Dante, while feeling unable through lack of 
 words to excuse himself, longs to be able to do so, and un- 
 consciously effects his object by his shame and silence. This is 
 a conspicuous instance of an interesting class of similes — viz. those 
 drawn from mental experiences — of which there are as many as 
 thirty in the Div. Com. 
 
 145-7. fa ragion : 'consider'; cp. Par. xxvi. 8. che fort una 
 t' accoglia : ' that chance finds (lit. greets) thee,' i. e. ' that thou 
 chancest to be.' piato : 'dispute,' lit. 'law-suit.' This word, 
 like Engl, 'plea' (Skeat), is the Low Lat. placitum^ as used in the 
 law-courts. Ducange gives as one of the meanings oi placitum^ ' lis 
 intentata,' and o^ placltare, ' lite contendere.' 
 
 CANTO XXXI 
 
 Argument. — From the tenth bolgia of the eighth Circle the 
 Poets pass to the ninth Circle, which is the Pit of Hell, This is 
 surrounded by a precipitous bank of rock, on the inner side of which 
 appear at intervals the forms of giants, who stand on the floor of the 
 Pit below, so that their lower half is concealed from the view of one 
 approaching from the outer side, while the upper part towers aloft. 
 Nimrod, who is one of their number, here pays the penalty of having 
 erected the Tower of Babel and thereby caused the Confusion of 
 Tongues, by his inability to speak intelligibly. Another giant, 
 Antaeus, deposits Dante and Virgil in the ninth Circle. 
 
 Line 4. la lancia, &c. : the classical fable here referred to is, 
 that a wound inflicted by the spear of Achilles could only be healed 
 by applying to it rust taken from the spear. In the mediaeval form 
 of the story it is not the rust, but the application of the spear itself, 
 which effects the cure. An additional point of interest is found in 
 the mention by Dante of the father of Achilles, i. e. Peleus, as 
 having first possessed the spear. This feature is found in Homer, 
 
 164 
 
XXXI. 6-2^] INFERNO 
 
 //. xvi. 143, HrfXidBa fxeXLrjv, T7)v irarpi (filXio Trope Xctpwv HrjXiov Ik 
 Kopvcfirjs : but Dante was unacquainted with Homer, and as it is 
 not given by any Latin writer he could not have obtained it from 
 a classical source. The story, however, including this point, is of 
 frequent occurrence in the early mediaeval poets (see the quotations in 
 Toynbee, Diet., p. 422), and from them Dante obtained it. There 
 can be little doubt that the idea that the spear first belonged to Peleus 
 was suggested to their minds by a mistranslation of ' Pelias hasta ' 
 in Ovid's line, 'Vulneris auxilium Pelias hasta tulit' {Rem. Amor., 
 1. 48), where the meaning is not, as they supposed, 'the spear of 
 Peleus,' but ' the spear from Mount Pelion ' (IlT^/WSa fxeXtrjv). 
 
 6. mancia : ' gift,' the two gifts here were the wound and the 
 remedy. 
 
 12. como : this horn, as we subsequently learn (1. 71), was 
 sounded by Nimrod, who is reckoned among the giants. 
 
 14, 15. seguitando : ' as my eyes followed the course of the sound 
 in an opposite direction to it.' The gerund seguitando here is used 
 as equivalent to a participle, tutti : ' wholly ' ; cp. Inf. xix. 64. 
 ad un loco : i. e. to the point from which it seemed to come. 
 
 16. rotta : the defeat and destruction at Roncesvalles on the 
 Spanish side of the Pyrenees in 778 of the rear-guard of Charle- 
 magne's army, commanded by his nephew Roland (Orlando), at 
 the conclusion of Charlemagne's expedition into Spain against the 
 Saracens. This disaster, which is related by Eginhard {Fi/a 
 Caroli, § 9), was the work of the Gascon mountaineers, who over- 
 whelmed and plundered that part of his forces ; but in Dante's time 
 it was attributed to the Saracens. 
 
 17. la santa gesta : 'the sacred host'; sacred, because of 
 the crusade on which they had been engaged, gesta is here used 
 in the same way as O. Fr. gesie, which often signifies ' host ' in the 
 early romances. 
 
 18. Orlando : Orlando's horn, the sound of which is frequently 
 referred to in poetiy, on this occasion is said to have been heard by 
 Charlemagne at a distance of eight miles from Roncesvalles; Turpin, 
 Chronicle, § 23. 
 
 19-21. Poco : take with Che in I. 20, 'Not long . . . when ' ; 
 cp. Inf. xvi. 91, 92. terra: 'city.' 
 
 22, 23. Pero che, &c. : 'because thou peerest (lit. penetratest) 
 through the darkness from too far off.' The form dalla lungi 
 
 165 
 
INFERNO [xxxi. 24-57 
 
 seems to be intermediate between da lungi, Inf. viii. 5, and a lunga, 
 Inf. ix. 5 : the fern, gender is used because distan%a or parte is 
 understood. 
 
 24. nel 'maginare aborri : 'thou wanderest in thy fancies.' 
 aborri : from Lat. aberrare\ cp. abborra in Inf. xxv. 144. 
 
 25-7. 1^ ti congiungi : 'approach that place,' lit. 'bring 
 thyself near there.' alquanto, &c. : ' press on (lit. spur thyself 
 on) a little more.' 
 
 3 1 . giganti : these giants are the mythological figures of the 
 ninth Circle. The reason why Dante places them in the Pit of Hell 
 is to be found in Virg. Aen. vi. 580, 581, 'Hie genus antiquum 
 terrae, Titania pubes, Fulmine deiecti fundo volvuntur in imo.' 
 The description of the giants as resembling towers when first seen 
 through the murky air is an example of Dante's method of introducing 
 an unusually impressive sight by the aid of an intermediate stage, in 
 order to render its realization more easy. Similarly, in Canto XXX 
 of the Paradiso, the Heavenly Host, before it is finally revealed to 
 Dante's sight, is presented to him in the figure of a river of light with 
 sparks issuing from it. 
 
 36. che r aere stipa : ' which thickens the air.' 
 
 41. Montereggion : the castle of Montereggione stands about 
 eight miles to the N. of Siena on the road to Empoli. Its 
 resemblance to Dante's description is very remarkable. It is round 
 in shape, and the walls (la cerchia tonda) remain to the height of 
 50 or 60 feet, with twelve towers in them, which rise at intervals 
 above the line of circuit. At the present day, the space thus 
 enclosed is partly occupied by a village of 200 inhabitants. 
 
 43, 44. Torreggiavan : 'crowned as with towers.' minaccia : 
 as Jupiter subdued the giants, when they made war on the Gods, 
 by his thunderbolts (see Inf. xiv. 58), the sound of thunder is 
 a perpetual reminder to them of what they have to fear if they 
 attempt to revolt. 
 
 48. per le coste giii : 'down along their sides.' 
 
 49~5i' quando, &c. : 'when she ceased from the craft of 
 producing creatures like these.' Per torre, &c. : 'to deprive Mars 
 (the god of destruction) of such ministers.' 
 
 52-7. Dante is here answering a supposed objection, that if 
 Nature was right in ceasing to create giants, she ought also to cease 
 from creating other monsters, such as elephants and whales. He 
 
 i66 
 
XXXI. 53-7^] INFERNO 
 
 replies that it is the possession of reason by the former which renders 
 them especially dangerous. 
 
 53. Non si pente : ' does not repent of (and therefore cease from) 
 creating.' 
 
 55. r argomento della mente: 'the equipment of the mind,' 
 i. e. the reasoning faculties ; for this use of argomento cp. Purg. 
 ii. 31 ; XXX. 136. Dante here had in his mind Aristotle, Pol. i. 2. 
 16, ^aXeTTwrarTy yap aSiKta e^ovaa OTrXa, k.t.A. 
 
 59. la pina : the bronze pine-cone, which is believed to have 
 originally stood on the summit of the Mausoleum of Hadrian, and 
 in Dante's time was in a portico in front of the old basilica of 
 St. Peter at Rome. It is now in one of the gardens of the Vatican 
 at the back of St. Peter's. Its height is 1 1 feet. 
 
 61. era perizoma : 'served him for a skirt,' lit. 'apron'; 
 perizoma, which is properly a Greek word, is taken from the Vulg. 
 of Gen. iii. 7, of Adam and Eve, ' fecerunt sibi perizomata.' The 
 meaning is, that the lower half of the giant's body was concealed by 
 the rock; cp. 11. 32, 33. 
 
 63. chioma : the part of the body here intended by 'the hair' 
 seems to be the collar-bone, thus corresponding to ' the place where 
 a man buckles his cloak,' 1. 66. 
 
 64. F risen : the Frieslanders were noted for their great stature. 
 
 65. gran palmi : ' ample spans.' Casini estimates the palmo 
 at 24 centimetres, and on this computation y^ palmi — the measure of 
 the giant from his collar-bone to his waist — would correspond to 2 1 ^ 
 ft. : adding 1 1 feet for the head and something for the neck, the 
 upper half of the giant would be about 35 feet, and his total stature 
 about 70 feet. 
 
 67. Rafel, &c. : these words are the incoherent utterances of 
 a wild and fierce being : they are shown to be unintelligible by 1. 81. 
 Observe that the metre of this line is imperfect, there being only ten 
 syllables ; and the lost syllable is not, as in other ten-syllable lines, 
 the final one or hypermeter — for dlmi is accented on the first syllable, 
 as is shown by the rhyming vjoxds palmi and salmi — and consequently 
 it is omitted from the body of the verse. Probably the Poet intended 
 in this way to make the incoherency still more conspicuous. 
 
 7 1 . Tienti col corno : ' keep to your horn ' ; tenersi con is here 
 used in the sense of altenersi a. The horn is no doubt assigned 
 to Nimrod because he was ' a mighty hunter,' Gen. x. 9. 
 
 167 
 
INFERNO [xxxi. 73-114 
 
 73-5. soga : * cord * ; it is the Low Lat. word for ' rope ' ; 
 Diez, p. 297. doga : 'crosses'; dogare is 'to fix the staves of 
 a barrel ' (doghe). 
 
 76. s' accusa : i.e. his confusion of mind and unintelligible speech 
 mark him out as the author of the Confusion of Tongues. 
 
 77. Nembrotto : the idea that Nimrod was a giant and built the 
 Tower of Babel is not found in the Bible. Dante, who repeats 
 these statements in De Vulg. Eloq. i. 7, 11. 24-31, probably found 
 them in St. Augustine, De Civ. Dei, xvi. 3, 4, where both occur. 
 coto : 'thought,' Lat. cogifaium; see note on Par. iii. 26. 
 
 84. r altro : ' the next.' 
 
 85-7. A cinger, &c. : ' who it was that had the power to bind 
 him I cannot say, but he (Ephialtes, 1. 94) was holding his left hand 
 pinioned in front,' &c. 
 
 89, 90. SI che, &c. : ' so that on the part of his body that was 
 visible (above the bank) it wound round to the number of five coils.* 
 
 94. Fialte : the only place in the classical writers with whom 
 Dante was acquainted, where the giant Ephialtes is mentioned, is 
 Virg. Culex, 1. 234, but he may have found his name also in 
 Servius on Virg. Georg. i. 280 ; see Toynbee, Diet., p. 234. 
 
 98. Briareo : Briareus, the hundred-handed giant; Stat. Theb. 
 ii. 595 foil., where immensus, 1. 596, is the original of ismisurato 
 here. 
 
 100-2. Anteo : Antaeus, who is best known for his combat 
 with Hercules, by whom he was slain, was not present at the battle 
 with the Gods (11. 1 19-21), and it is probably for that reason that 
 he is not chained (disciolto). parla : speaks intelligibly, not like 
 Nimrod. nel fondo, &c. : 'in the lowest depth of guilt,' i.e. in 
 the Pit of Hell. 
 
 106-8. Non fu, &c. : 'never was earthquake of such violence, 
 as to shake a tower so mightily as Ephialtes in a moment shook 
 himself.' This movement was an indication of Ephialtes' wrath 
 at being described as less fierce than Briareus. 
 
 109, no. temetti : for temei\ cp. Inf. xxi. 93. E non, «fec. : 
 ' and to cause death nothing beyond the apprehension was needed.* 
 dotta is connected with dubitare. 
 
 1 1 2-4. allotta : for aUora\ cp. Inf. v. 53. alle : 'ells.' 
 The old commentators are not agreed what measure of length is 
 here intended, but it was evidently more than the English ell. 
 
 168 
 
XXXI. 115-38] INFERNO 
 
 uscia, &c. : 'stood out above the rock,' which formed the bank 
 between the eighth and ninth Circles. 
 
 115. fortiinata : 'fateful'; cp. Inf xxviii. 8. The valley of 
 Bagrada near Zama — the scene of Hannibal's defeat by Scipio — is 
 meant, where, according to Lucan, iv. 587 foil., Antaeus had his 
 abode. 
 
 118. Recasti, &c. : Lucan says of him (iv. 601, 602), ' latuisse 
 sub alta Rupe ferunt, epulas raptos habuisse leones.' This com- 
 pliment on Virgil's part, and still more the suggestion that with his 
 aid the giants might have conquered the Gods (which is also from 
 Lucan, 11. 596, 597), are intended to propitiate Antaeus. The 
 Poet for once becomes 'all things to all men,' following the maxim 
 which Dante quotes, ' nella chiesa Coi santi, ed in taverna coi 
 ghiottoni,' Inf. xxii. 14. 
 
 119. che: this refers to /« in 1. 115; unless it is redundant, it 
 must be taken as ' concerning whom ' with e' si creda. 
 
 122, 123. schifo : subst., 'disdain.' Dove, &c. : 'where the 
 cold congeals (lit. locks up) Cocytus.' Cocytus is formed by 
 the waters that descend from the upper part of Hell ; cp. Inf. xiv. 
 112 foil. 
 
 124. Non ci far, &c. : ' force us not to betake ourselves to your 
 brother giants, Tityus or Typhon ' ; this is an appeal to Antaeus' 
 jealousy. Here again the names are borrowed from Lucan, 11. 595, 
 
 596. 
 
 125, 126. quel che, &c. : viz. to be remembered on earth, as 
 we see from 1. 127. torcer lo grifo : 'make a wry mouth' to 
 display unwillingness. 
 
 132. Ond' Ercole, &c. : ' the hands, of which Hercules erst felt 
 the mighty grip,' lit. ' from which Hercules once felt great pressure.' 
 The contest between Hercules and Antaeus was suggested to Dante 
 in this connexion through its being narrated by Lucan in iv. 609 foil. 
 
 136. la Carisenda : the lower of the two leaning towers of 
 Bologna, which are out of the perpendicular owing to a settlement 
 of the foundations. This one, which got its name from having been 
 built by members of the Garisendi family, is 163 ft. in height, and 
 I o ft. out of the perpendicular. 
 
 ^37) 138' Sotto il chinato : i.e. to one looking from beneath 
 its incline, quando, &c. : ' when a cloud passes over it in such 
 a manner that the tower inclines towards it.' What is here de- 
 
 169 
 
INFERNO [xxxi. 139-45 
 
 scribed is an optical illusion, when a cloud passing through the sky- 
 in the opposite direction to the incline appears to stand still, and the 
 tower seems to be falling. This exactly illustrates 11. 139, 140, 
 where Antaeus bends over the two Poets as he deposits them below 
 him. 
 
 139, 140. stava a bada : 'was on the watch.' fu tal ora, 
 &c. : ' it was so dread a moment that,' &c. 
 
 142, 143. divora: 'engulfs.' sposo : 'set us down'; from 
 sposare {j=^ posare). 
 
 145. albero : the mast here intended is one that could be raised 
 or lowered, resting on a crutch, levo : the ten-syllable line with its 
 abrupt termination, especially as it concludes the Canto, is probably an 
 adaptation of sound to sense, being intended to express the sudden- 
 ness of the rebound. Possibly the three other instances in the poem 
 of ten-syllable lines which cannot otherwise be accounted for, may be 
 explained in this manner, for in each case one of the rhyming lines 
 expresses something sudden or abrupt ; viz. Inf. xxiii. 1 45, ' Ap- 
 presso il Duca a gran passi sen gi ' ; Purg. vii. 10, ' Qual e colui 
 che cosa innanzi se Subita vede '; Par. xxv. 100, ' Poscia tra esse 
 un lume si schiari.' For explanations of the other ten-syllable lines 
 see notes on Inf. iv. 56 and Purg. xxiii. 74. 
 
 CANTO XXXII 
 
 Argump:nt. — The ninth Circle contains those classes of the 
 fraudulent who have violated some special tie or bond. The 
 malefactors here are immersed in ice, which forms the floor of 
 the Pit of Hell, gradually sloping towards the centre. The area 
 is divided into four concentric rings, which are distinguished, not 
 by any definite barriers, but by the increasing severity of the 
 punishment inflicted in them. They are called respectively Caina, 
 Antenora, Tolomea, and Giudecca. The first two of these are 
 treated of in the present Canto. In Caina those who have violated 
 the bond of relationship are fixed in ice up to the neck ; in Antenora 
 those who have betrayed their country have only part of their head 
 emerging. In the latter ring Dante discovers Bocca degli Abati, 
 the traitor on the Florentine side at the battle of Montaperti. 
 
 170 
 
xxxTi. 1-23] INFERNO 
 
 Lines i-i 2. In order to impress on his readers the extraordinary 
 character of what he now saw, Dante first dwells on his own want 
 of power to describe it, and then invokes the aid of the Muses. 
 
 I. rime: 'verses'; in Conv. iv. 2, 11. 101-8, Dante explains 
 that he uses rima both in the sense of ' rhyme ' and as ' metrical 
 rhythm,' i.e. * verse.' chiocce : 'grating.' In the only other 
 passage in the Div. Com. where ch'ioccla occurs, viz. Inf. vii. 2, 
 it is a disyllabic, and therefore it probably is so here. If so, this 
 line, as it stands, is unmetrical, being one syllable short. As the 
 conjunction e is easily lost after a final -e preceding, it seems likely 
 that rime e aspre e chiocce should be read. Witte's B has rime 
 ed aspre. 
 
 3. Sopra, &c. : ' upon which is the thrust of all the other 
 rocks ' ; the pressure of the rocky walls and declivities of the 
 other Circles converges towards the Pit of Hell. 
 
 4. lo premerei, &c. : 'I would distil the essence of my 
 imaginings,' i. e. express what is in my mind. 
 
 7-9. da pigliare a gabbo ; ' to take in jest,' ' to make light 
 of.' fondo, &c. : the Pit of Hell is at the exact centre of the 
 earth, and that, according to the Ptolemaic system, in the centre of 
 the universe, where is the centre of gravity ; cp. 11. 73, 74 ^"^^ I"^^- 
 xxxiv. 1 10, III. chiami, &c. : ' uses childish prattle ' ; cp. pappo, 
 d'lndi^ Purg. xi. 1 05. 
 
 10, II. quelle Donne : the Muses, a chiuder : ' in enclosing ' ; 
 the walls of Thebes were fabled to have been raised by the 
 music of Amphion's lyre with the aid of the Muses. 
 
 13-5. mal creata: 'created in an evil hour'; cp. mal nati, 
 Inf. XXX. 48. stai : the sing, here shows that plebe is regarded 
 as a noun of multitude, while in foste (1. 15) the individuals 
 composing it are regarded. For an analogous use cp. Inf. vi. 
 70. onde : 'of which.' qui: in the world above, zebe : 'she- 
 goats.' 
 
 17, 18. assai piu bassi : this was because of the downward 
 slope in the ice-floor, alto muro : the precipitous bank of rock 
 which surrounds the ninth Circle; see Argument to Canto XXXI. 
 
 21. fratei: these are the two brothers of whom we hear more 
 in 11. 55-7. 
 
 23. gelo : the ice symbolizes the cold-heartedness of the traitor. 
 In what follows this trait of character is revealed in their willingness 
 
 171 
 
INFERNO [xxxii. 26-54 
 
 to reveal the identity of their neighbours, while they try to conceal 
 their own. 
 
 26, 27. la Danoia in Osteric : 'the Danube in Austria 
 (Oesterreich).' Tanai : the Don, Lat. Tanais. Ik : for the use 
 see note on Inf. vii. 22. 
 
 28-30. Tambernic : this mountain has not been identified. 
 Pietrapana : the group of mountains called Pania or Alpe Apuana 
 (Lat. Petra Apuana) in the north-west of Tuscany, to which the 
 Carrara mountains belong, pur dall' crlo : ' even at the edge,' 
 where the ice breaks most easily, eric : the sound of cracking. 
 
 32. quando, &c. : the summer-time is meant. 
 
 34-6. la dove, &c. : the face, on which blushes are seen. 
 This is shown to be the meaning by col muso, &c., in the simile, 
 1. 32. Mettendo, &c. : 'setting their teeth to the note of the 
 stork,' i. e. chattering like a stork. Mettendo in nota is used 
 like metier e in music a^ ' to set to music' 
 
 37. in giii : from shame, not wishing to be recognized. 
 
 38, 39. Da bocca, &c. : ' among them (i. e. for all of them) 
 the cold procures for itself evidence from the mouth, the sadness of 
 the heart from the eyes.' The chattering of the teeth proves the 
 cold, the tears their agony. 
 
 41. Volsimi a' piedi : ' I turned my looks (downward) to my 
 feet.' 
 
 45—51. E poi, &c. : what is here described is this: — When 
 the two spirits turned their heads backwards to look at Dante, this 
 movement caused the tears to drop from their eyes, so that they 
 saw one another; and this sight so infuriated them that, when 
 they were once more blinded by the tears freezing, they struck 
 their heads violently together. Translate: — 'And when they had 
 lifted up their faces towards me, their eyes, which ere this were 
 only moist within (i. e. no tears had yet fallen), brimmed over 
 (lit. overflowed at the brims; M^ro = 'edge,' 'brim'), and the 
 cold congealed the tears within them, and closed them fast again ; 
 never did clamp fasten two logs together so firmly : whereupon 
 they butted against one another like two he-goats, such fury mastered 
 them.' 
 
 52-4. un : Camicione de' Pazzi, 1. 68; he reveals who the 
 other two are. pur: 'just as he was,' without lifting his head. 
 Perchd, &c. : ' why dost thou gaze so fixedly at us ? ' lit. ' look 
 
 172 
 
XXXII. 5^-68] INFERNO 
 
 at us as if looking at a mirror.* Though he did not see Dante, he 
 knew he was gazing at them from his remarks in 1. 43. 
 
 56. Bisenzio : the Bisenzio flows near Prato, and joins the 
 Arno below Florence. In the valley through which it passes 
 were the castles of Vernia and Cerbaia, the property of the Conti 
 Albeiti of Mangona. The two sons here mentioned, who were 
 called Napoleone and Alessandro, quarrelled about the inheritance, 
 and at last killed one another. 
 
 58. Caina : this first ring of the ninth Circle was so called 
 from Cain, the first fratricide. 
 
 60. gelatina : 'jelly,' i.e. the ice. The somewhat vapid irony 
 which this word implies does not stand alone in the Dh. Com. 
 A similar instance will be found in Inf. viii. 53, where 'attuffare in 
 questa broda ' is used of a spirit in the filthy water of the Stygian 
 marsh. 
 
 61. quelli : Modred, son of king Arthur, who tried to kill his 
 father treacherously, but was discovered and slain by him. 1' ombra : 
 according to the romance of Lancelot of the Lake the wound 
 inflicted by Arthur's sword was so wide that the sunlight appeared 
 through it. 
 
 62. con esse tin colpo : * with a single blow'; here, as 
 in Purg. iv. 27 ; xxiv. 98, where esso (Lat. ipse) is used indeclin. 
 with con^ it means ' only.' This use of esso is slightly different 
 from that with other prepositions ; see note on Inf. xxxiv. 41. 
 
 63. Focaccia : of Pistoia, who according to the early com- 
 mentators slew an uncle of his. che m' ingombra, &c. : ' whose 
 head is in my way.' 
 
 65, 66. Sassol Mascheroni : he murdered his nephew to obtain 
 his inheritance. Being convicted of this, he was first dragged through 
 the streets of Florence in a cask with nails, and then beheaded. 
 ben sai : because the mode of bis punishment caused his crime to 
 be widely known. 
 
 67,68. metti, &c. : 'involve me in further conversation.' 
 Camicion de' Pazzi : he killed one of his kinsmen ; but, as is 
 explained in the next line, he looks forward to being exculpated 
 by comparison with the darker guilt of another member of his family, 
 Carlino de' Pazzi, who betrayed for money to the Black Guelfs 
 a castle which he was defending. For this crime he would be 
 placed in the second ring, Antenora; but, as it was committed 
 
 173 
 
INFERNO [xxxii. 70-120 
 
 in 1302, it was still in the future at the supposed time of Dante's 
 Vision, whence the expression aspetto is used. 
 
 70-2. Poscia: at this point Antenora, the ring of traitors to 
 their country, begins. It was so called from the Trojan chief 
 Antenor, who according to Dictys Cretensis {Bell. Trot. iv. 22 ; 
 V. 8—10), from whom Dante obtained the story, conspired to 
 betray first the Palladium and afterwards Troy itself into the hands 
 of the Greeks, cagnazzi : ' grinning like a dog ' ; but the 
 meaning is not certain, riprezzo = rihrcz^o, ' shivering.' de' 
 gelati guazzi : ' at the sight of frozen pools.' 
 
 74, 75. Al quale, &c. : which is the centre of gravity; cp. Inf. 
 xxxiv. no. rezzo : 'chill'; cp. Inf. xvii. 87. 
 
 76. voler : the will of Heaven. 
 
 81. Mont* Aperti : the speaker, as we learn from 1. 106, is 
 Bocca degli Abati, whose treason caused the defeat of the Florentine 
 Guelfs at Montaperti, six miles to the E. of Siena, in 1260. 
 He cut off the hand of the standard-bearer, after which the rest 
 took to flight. The vendetta (1. 80) is his punishment in Antenora. 
 
 83. un dubbio : perhaps this is the question, who was the real 
 traitor at Montaperti. 
 
 91-3. care: ' of advantage ' ; cp. Purg. v. 36. 1* altrenote: 
 ' my other reminiscences.' 
 
 96. lusingar : ' to flatter,' i. e. to extract his name by fair 
 promises. lama: 'plain,' 'level,' as in Inf. xx. 79; Purg. 
 vii. 90. 
 
 97. cuticagna : the hair at the back of the head towards the 
 nape of the neck. 
 
 100-2. Perche : ' even if,' ' however much.' in sul capo, &c. : 
 ' stumble on my head,' as he had done at the first, I. 78. 
 
 105. in giu raccolti : so as not to be recognized. 
 
 107. sonar: i.e. 'chatter' from the cold; cp. 1. 36. 
 
 116, 117. quel da Duera : Buoso da Duera in 1265 was 
 posted with a considerable Ghibelline force in the neighbourhood 
 of Parma to oppose the advance of Charles of Anjou, but being 
 bribed by the French withdrew without offering any resistance. 
 stanno freschi : ' are in the cool,' iron, for ' cold ' ; probably 
 there is a reference to the colloquial expression s to fresco, ' I am in 
 a pretty pickle.' 
 
 119, 120. quel di Beccheria : Tesauro di Beccheria, abbot of 
 
 174 
 
XXXII. 121-39] INFERNO 
 
 Vallombrosa. He was beheaded at Florence in 1258 on a charge 
 of having traitorously intrigued with the exiled Ghibellines. 
 Villani however (vi. 65) believed him to be innocent, gorgiera : 
 * gorget/ ' collar,' here for ' throat.' 
 
 121. Gianni de' Soldanier : a Ghibelhne leader in Florence, 
 who at a time of civic commotion in 1266 deserted his side, and 
 put himself at the head of the popular faction. 
 
 122. Piu Ih: 'farther in that direction.' Ganellone : in the 
 legends of Charlemagne Ganelon was the traitor, who having 
 been bribed by the Moors persuaded Charles to withdraw the main 
 body of his troops from the Pyrenees, and thus caused the defeat 
 of Roncesvalles. See note on Inf. xxxi. 16. Tribaldello : 
 he betrayed his native city Faenza in 1280 to the Bolognese. 
 
 126. era cappello : i.e. overhung, fitted closely over, the other. 
 
 130. Tideo : the story is from Statius, Theb. viii. 761, 762, 
 where Tydeus, one of the Seven against Thebes, being mortally 
 wounded by the Theban Menalippus, gets possession of his enemy's 
 head, and gnaws it furiously. 
 
 T32. faceva : ' did,' resumptive of the preceding verb ; see note 
 on Inf. xi. 104. 1' altre cose: 'its purtenance,' skin, sinews, &c. 
 
 138, 139. te ne cangi: 'I may requite thee for it,' i.e. for 
 telling me the tale. Se quella, &c. : understand lingua, implied in 
 con ch' io parlo ; ' if my tongue is not dried up ' by death, i. e. 
 if I live to recount it. 
 
 CANTO XXXIII 
 
 Argument. — Count Ugolino relates to Dante how he and his 
 sons were starved to death in prison by the orders of the 
 Archbishop Ruggieri. The Poets then pass into the third ring, 
 or Tolomea, which contains those sinners who have betrayed their 
 friends or companions ; they lie in the ice with the face upwards, so 
 that the tears congeal before they escape from their eyes. One 
 of their number, Frate Alberigo, explains that in the case of some 
 of the condemned souls in Tolomea, the body still lives and moves 
 on earth, being occupied by a demon. 
 
 175 
 
INFERNO [XXXIII. 3-14 
 
 Line 3. gitasto : for guas/ato. 
 
 4. Tu vuoi : the expressions here and in 1. 9 are taken from 
 Virg. j^en. ii. 3, 12 ; see note on Inf. v. 124 (story of Francesca 
 da Rimini), where the same is the case. 
 
 II, 12. Fiorentino : the point of this seems to be that, as being 
 a Florentine, he would probably be a Guelf, and so would be likely 
 to publish abroad the crime of the Ghibelline Archbishop, quand' 
 io t' odo : his pronunciation is probibly referred to ; see note on 
 Inf. X. 25. 
 
 13-75. The story of the death of Count Ugolino, which is 
 here given, is probably the most famous passage in the Div. Com. 
 The circumstances which led up to it are these. Count Ugolino 
 della Gherardesca had succeeded in 1284 in securing for himself 
 the office of Podesta in Pisa, and in order to concentrate the Guelf 
 party, of which he was the head, in that city, he associated with 
 himself his nephew, Nino Visconti, judge of Gallura in Sardinia 
 (Purg. viii. 53), who had an important Guelf following. They 
 did not however agree, and in order to get rid of his nephew, 
 Ugolino in 1288 allied himself with Abp. Ruggieri degli Ubaldini, 
 the leader of the Pisan Ghibellines, and by his assistance Nino was 
 driven from the town. But in giving this aid the Archbishop's 
 object had been to weaken his opponent's faction ; and before long 
 he turned against him, with the result that Ugolino with his sons 
 and grandsons were forced to surrender, and were imprisoned in 
 a tower, where after eight months they were starved to death. 
 The reason why Dante has placed Ugolino and Ruggieri in 
 Antenora, where political traitors are found, is that they were 
 both factious persons, who made the interests of the state sub- 
 servient to their private ambitions. This was especially seen in 
 their combining to expel Nino Visconti, in doing which Ugolino's 
 aim was to secure for himself the sole authority in Pisa, while 
 that of Ruggieri was to divide the Guelf faction, and so secure the 
 triumph of his own party. 
 
 13, 14. fui : the past tense is used because of the title Conte, 
 in accordance with Dante's rule in treating of the world of spirits, 
 that, while permanent conditions, such as a man's name and 
 personality, are spoken of in the present tense, for those which 
 have passed away, such as his title and dwelling-place, the past 
 tense is used. The passages which most forcibly illustrate this 
 
 176 
 
XXXIII. 15-33] INFERNO 
 
 contrast are Purg. v. 88, * lofu'i di Montefeltro, io son Buonconte,* 
 and Par. vi. lO, ' Cesare yM/, e jo« Giustiniano.' In the present 
 passage this is a reason for omitting e after questi in 1. 14, though 
 it is found in the great majority of the MSS. 
 
 15. tal vicino : i.e. so hostile a neighbour, having my teeth 
 fixed in his scull. 
 
 22-4. muda: * cage,' Engl. 'mew.* della fame : a tower which 
 subsequently bore the name of ' la Torre della Fame ' in the 
 Piazza degli Anziani — now called Piazza dei Cavalieri — at Pisa. 
 It has since been destroyed. altri : ' others.* As there is no 
 evidence to show that any special person was afterwards im- 
 prisoned in the tower, this seems to be merely an anticipation 
 on Ugolino's part that his political opponents would be incarcerated 
 there. 
 
 26. lune : the MS. authority for this and lume is almost equally 
 balanced (Moore, Text. Crit., p. 357), but the meaning is strongly 
 in favour of lune. 
 
 28. maestro e donno : ' huntsman-in-chief and leader.' 
 
 29, 30. il lupo : in a dream of starvation the 'famished' wolf 
 was a natural image to present itself to the mind. It has often 
 been maintained that Ugolino is here represented by the wolf, 
 because that animal was an emblem of the Guelf party to which 
 he belonged ; and this interpretation of the symbolism would no 
 doubt be suitable to the passage, because the struggle between 
 Ugolino and Abp. Ruggieri was conspicuously one between Guelf 
 and Ghibelline. But in all the other passages in the Div. Com. 
 where IuJ)o and lupa occur, the reference is, not to the Guelfs, but 
 to elements of character, such as greed and avarice. Moreover, 
 there does not seem to be any evidence that the wolf was used 
 as a Guelf symbol in Italy, or that Dante and his contemporaries 
 thought that the name Guelf was derived from Germ. IVu/f; and 
 in default of such evidence there appears to be hardly any ground 
 for explaining lupo here in this manner, al monte, &c. : the 
 Monte San Giuliano, which is interposed between Pisa and Lucca, 
 to the N.E. of the former city. 
 
 31—3. Con cagne, &c. : 'the Archbishop had set in front of 
 himself (suborned as his agents) Gualandi, &c. (three of the chief 
 Ghibelline families in Pisa), accompanied by lean hounds (their 
 attendants and retainers), eager and well-trained.' 
 
 TozER 177 N 
 
INFERNO [xxxiii. s^-y^ 
 
 35. scane : notwithstanding the correspondence in meaning to 
 sanna, which is from the Latin, this word is probably derived from 
 Germ. zahn. 
 
 37-9. innanzi la dimane : sub. ora, ' before the morrow morn.* 
 figliuoli : by this are meant his sons Gaddo and Uguccione, 
 and his grandsons, Anselmo and II Brigata, who were sons of 
 his eldest son, Guelfo. domandar del pane : from this and 
 what is said in 1. 45 we gather that the sons and grandsons also had 
 had a dream of starvation. 
 
 46. chiavar : 'nailed up'; not 'locked,' for chiavare is used 
 everywhere else in the Div. Com. of nailing, and the sound of the 
 locking of the door would not have been sufficiently unfamiliar 
 to cause their terror. The mistake arose from the misinterpretation 
 of the story in Dante by Villani, who says (vii. 128), 'feciono 
 chiavare la porta della detta torre e le chiavi gittare in Arno.' 
 In Dante's description the sudden sound from without breaking 
 in upon the tense stillness within recalls the ' knocking ' in Macbeth, 
 the effect of which De Quincey in a well-known paper has analyzed 
 with much subtlety. 
 
 49. lo non piangeva : this is a fine instance of the ' grief too 
 deep for tears.' 
 
 60. manicar : for mangtare ; the corresponding form manucar 
 is spoken of by Dante in the De Vulg. Eloq., i. 13, 11. 17-9, 
 as a Florentinism which had become antiquated, levorsi : for 
 si levarono ; cp. Inf. xxvi. 36. 
 
 70. come tu mi vedi : ' as surely as thou dost see me.' 
 
 75. piu che, &c. : 'hunger did what sorrow could not do,' 
 i. e. killed me. By others, however, this line is taken to mean that 
 Ugolino ate his sons, and a passage in a chronicle of Cent. xiii. 
 (printed by Villari, in his / Primt due Secoli della Storm F'lorent'tna,, 
 ii. p. 250) proves that some persons at the time believed that he did 
 so. It is there said (under the year 1287), 'e cosi morirono 
 d' inopia fame {sic) tutti e cinque, cio fue il conte Ugolino, Uguic- 
 cione, Brigata, Anselmuccio e Guelfo ; e quivi si trovo che 11' uno 
 mangio de le carni all' altro.' Notwithstanding this, it is highly 
 improbable that such was the case. In the first place, after 
 eight days' fasting eating flesh is an impossibility, as a com- 
 petent medical authority has definitely stated. Besides this, Buti, 
 himself a Pisan, relates that after eight days — i.e. at the expiration 
 
 178 
 
XXXIII. 76-105] INFERNO 
 
 of the time mentioned by Dante — the bodies were taken out dead, and 
 he gives no hint of any of them having been mutilated. 
 
 76. torti : ' askance,' the effect of hatred. 
 
 79, 80. Pisa : Villani {Joe. cit.) regards the Pisans generally as 
 having been guilty of the crime. Del bel paese, &c. : Italy is 
 meant; in De Vulg. Eloq. i. 8, 11. 40 foil., Dante distinguishes 
 the districts where or, o/7, and st were used. 
 
 82. Caprara: now Capraia. This island and Gorgona lie off 
 the coast of Tuscany to the southward of the mouth (foce) of 
 the Arno. 
 
 85-7. aveva voce, &c. : * was reputed to have deprived thee 
 of thy castles by treachery.' Ugolino surrendered several Pisan 
 castles to the Florentines and the people of Lucca ; not however 
 by treachery, but in order to save his country, which was then 
 threatened by a league formed by those two peoples and the 
 Genoese. By using the words aveva voce Dante avoids com- 
 mitting himself to a condemnation of him on this ground, though 
 he regarded him as a traitor to his country on other grounds, as 
 already explained, porre a tal croce : ' expose to such suffering'; 
 cp. Inf. xvi. 43. 
 
 88-90. r et^ novella : there is something of poetic exaggera- 
 tion here, for Anselmo was the only one of them who was 
 under age. Tebe : the stories of Oedipus, Antigone, Eteocles 
 and Polynices, and others associated with Thebes, furnish a long 
 catalogue of horrors, gli altri due : Gaddo, 1. 68, and Anselmo, 
 1.50. appella : 'names.' 
 
 91. Ik Ve : this is the ring called Tolomea (see 1. 124), where 
 those who betrayed their friends and companions are placed. These 
 lie on their backs in the ice, facing upwards. 
 
 94. Lo pianto, &c. : ' their very tears prevent their shedding 
 tears,' pianto being the frozen tears ; the meaning is further 
 explained in the following line, where duol ('grief') signifies the 
 rising tears, and in sugli occhi rintoppo (' the obstacle on the 
 surface of the eyes ') are the frozen tears. 
 
 100-2. come d* un callo: 'as from a callous spot of flesh.* 
 stallo : lit. ' abode ' ; take with cessato, ' had ceased to abide 
 in,' 'had quitted my face ' ; cp. s^ astalla in Purg. vi. 39. 
 
 105. vapore: 'exhalation'; as wind was caused by exhala- 
 tions raised by heat, and in Hell there was no sun to produce 
 
 179 N 2 
 
INFERNO [xxxiii. 106-26 
 
 exhalations, Dante is surprised at wind being found there. Dante 
 derived this view of the origin of wind, as Mr. Butler has pointed 
 out, from Aristotle, MeteoroL, ii. 4. 1-4, where it is stated that 
 the sun draws up two kinds of exhalations — the moist, which is 
 the source of rain, and the dry, which is the cause of winds. 
 
 106-8. Avaccio sarai, dove: 'soon wilt thou reach a point, 
 where'; for Avaccio cp. Inf. x. 116. piove : ' showers forth,' 
 ' emits.' The cause was the motion of the wings of Lucifer, Inf. 
 xxxiv. 46-51. 
 
 no. crudeli : 'wildly criminal'; he supposes that they are 
 on their way to the final ring (1' ultima posta) or Giudecca. 
 
 117. ir mi convegna : 'may I be bound to go.' Dante 
 desires to make with this person a compact which does not bind 
 him. As he was going in any case to the bottom of the Pit of 
 Hell, he considers that in using these words he lays himself under 
 no obligation ; see 11. 149, 150. 
 
 118. Frate Alberigo : one of the Frati Gaodenti (Inf. xxiii. 
 103). He invited to a banquet his brother and his nephew, with 
 whom he had quarrelled, pretending to be reconciled to them; 
 but he had ordered assassins to be in waiting, and towards the 
 end of the entertainment gave them the signal, 'Bring in the fruit,' 
 on which they entered and murdered the victims. This took 
 place in 1285. Dante implies in what follows that Frate Alberigo 
 was still alive in 1300, the date of his Vision. 
 
 119. 120. quel delle frutta, &c. : 'the dealer in the fruits 
 of the evil garden ' of treachery ; with reference to the signal already 
 mentioned. dattero per figo : ' a Roland for an Oliver * 
 (Longf.). 
 
 1 2 1-3. ancor: 'already.' nulla scienza porto : it should 
 be remembered that the dead, though they are acquainted with the 
 past and the future, have no knowledge of the present; see Inf. 
 X. 100-5. 
 
 124. Tolomea: the ring of those who have violated the ties 
 of friendship and hospitality is so called from Ptolemaeus the son 
 of Abubus, who slew Simon the Maccabee and his sons at a banquet 
 under circumstances not unlike those of Frate Alberigo ; i Mace. 
 xvi. 1 1-7. 
 
 126. Innanzi, &c. : 'before Atropos — the third of the three 
 Fates, who severs the thread of life with " the abhorred shears " — 
 
 180 
 
XXXIII. 13^-5^] INFERNO 
 
 sets it on its way,' lit. ' gives it motion ' (mossa). The strange 
 form of punishment which is here described seems to have been 
 suggested to Dante by Ps. Iv. i6, where it is said of traitorous 
 friends, ' Let them go down quick (while they are still alive) 
 into Hell.' 
 
 132. Mentre che, &c. : * until its appointed time has fulfilled its 
 course,' lit. ' has completed its orbit.' 
 
 133-5. si fatta cisterna : the Pit of Hell, di qua retro, &c. : 
 * winters here behind me ' ; verna refers to the chilling ice, retro 
 to Branca d' Oria's position behind him upon it. 
 
 136. se tu, &c. : * if thou hast but just now come down.' 
 
 137. Branca d' Oria: a member of the famous Doria family 
 of Genoa. He caused his father-in-law, Michael Zanche, to be 
 murdered in 1290 at a feast to which he had invited him. Both 
 he and Frate Alberigo might have been in Caina, because they 
 dealt treacherously with relations, but they are placed in Tolomea 
 because the violation of the laws of hospitality was the greater 
 crime. 
 
 142-7. fosso . . . di Malebranche : the fifth bolgia, or that 
 of the jobbers, the devils that presided over which were called by 
 the collective name of Malebranche, Inf. xxi. 37. Michel Zanche: 
 cp. Inf. xxii. 88 ; the meaning here is, that before Michael Zanche 
 reached the fifth bolgia, Branca d' Oria and a relative of his who 
 was his accomplice reached this spot, and their bodies were occupied 
 by devils. 
 
 149, 150. gliele: on this indeclinable form see note on Inf. 
 xxi. 102. cortesia, &c. : ' 'Twas courtesy to be churlish in dealing 
 with him.' Courtesy changed its nature, when the subject of it 
 was so base. It has already been noticed in note on 1. 11 7, that 
 Dante, by what appears rather like juggling with words, had 
 avoided committing himself to any promise. 
 
 151, 152. Genovesi : the hiatus after this word is modified 
 by the comma, diversi D' ogni costume : ' alien to all right 
 conduct.' 
 
 154-6. spirto di Romagna: Frate Alberigo, who was one 
 of the Manfredi family of Faenza in that district. Cocito : i. e. 
 the frozen lake formed by its waters ; cp. Inf. xxxi. 123. 
 
 iSi 
 
INFERNO [xxxiv. 1-18 
 
 CANTO XXXIV 
 
 Argument. — The fourth ring of the ninth Circle is called 
 Giudecca from Judas Iscariot, the arch-traitor. In it those who 
 betrayed their benefactors are totally submerged in the ice. In the 
 centre rises Lucifer, the traitorous rebel angel, whose body is half 
 above, half below the ice ; he has three faces, and his three mouths 
 contain respectively the three greatest traitors whom in Dante's 
 estimation the world had known — Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, 
 and Brutus and Cassius, the betrayers of Julius Caesar, the founder 
 of the divinely appointed system of the Empire. The Poets now 
 pass the centre of the earth's gravity, which is at the middle of 
 Lucifer's person, and, ascending in a direction opposite to that of 
 their descent, ultimately regain the upper air. 
 
 Line i. Vexilla, &c. : this is an adaptation of the Passion 
 Hymn of Fortunatus, Bp. of Poitiers in Cent, vi, which commences, 
 * Vexilla regis prodeunt, Fulget crucis mysterium.' 
 
 7. un tal 'dificio-: here, as in the case of the Giants (see note 
 on Inf. xxxi. 31), an unusually surprising object is introduced by the 
 aid of an intermediate stage in description. 
 
 9. grotta : 'hiding-place,' 'shelter'; whether this meaning is 
 derived from that of ' cave ' or that of ' rock ' is not certain. 
 
 II. tutte : 'altogether'; cp. Inf. xix. 64; xxxi. 15. 
 
 13-5. sono a giacere: 'are lying.' Quella . . . quella: the 
 clauses marked by these words are connected in meaning with erte ; 
 ' others are in a perpendicular position, one with his head, one with 
 his soles upward.' The meaning of the four positions given in these 
 lines is thus explained. Those who lie flat are such as have betrayed 
 benefactors who were on the same level in society with them. Those 
 who are in a perpendicular position, if they stand head upwards, have 
 been, traitors to benefactors inferior to them in station, if head down- 
 wards, to such as were superior to them. Those who have betrayed 
 benefactors both inferior and superior to them, have both their head 
 and their feet downward, so that they assume the form of an arc. 
 
 18. ebbe : i. e. before his fall ; cp. 1. 34. 
 
 182 
 
XXXIV. 19-45] INFERNO 
 
 19, 20. Dinanzi, &c. : 'he moved from before me ' ; Dante had 
 sheltered himself behind Virgil, 1. 8. Dite : this name is the 
 classical equivalent of Lucifer, inasmuch as he is ' Lo imperador 
 del doloroso regno,' 1. 28. Dis, it should be remembered, is the 
 proper Latin name of this divinity, that of Pluto having been borrowed 
 from the Greek. 
 
 22. fioco : 'weak.' 
 
 26. fior d' ingegno : ' aught of wit.' The origin of this mean- 
 ing of fior is, that in early Italian ^or^, 'a flower,' is used for 
 ' a slight thing.' Fior is sometimes a substantive, as here and in 
 Purg. iii. 135, 'fior del verde ' ; sometimes an adverb, as in Inf. 
 XXV. 144, 'se fior la penna abborra.' 
 
 27. d' uno e d' altro : ' both of Hfe and death.' 
 
 30, 31. io mi convegno : ' I correspond to/ ' reach the measure 
 of; 'I approach nearer to the stature of a giant, than the giants 
 reach the measure of his arms.' 
 
 33. parte : the arms. 
 
 34-6. S' ei fu, &c. : the meaning is — ' If he was once exceed- 
 ing fair, and then defied his Maker, well may he be the primary 
 source of woe to men.' Corruptio optimi pessima : the same gifts 
 which were resplendent in him before his fall, would produce intense 
 malice and injuriousness after it. 
 
 38. tre facce : the three faces form a sort of antitype to the 
 three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. The most probable view of 
 their allegorical meaning is, that the pale sallow face denotes im- 
 potence^ the black face ignorance^ the red face ivrathjul hatred^ these 
 three qualities being the antithesis of those represented by the Persons 
 of the Trinity, viz. power, tuisdom, and love, as set forth by Dante 
 in Inf. iii. 5, 6, where see note. 
 
 41. Sopr' esso il mezzo : 'just over the middle.' Esso, Lat. 
 ipse, when it is used indeclinable, as here, and placed between the 
 prep, and its case, adds precision to the statement ; cp. Inf. xxiii. 
 54, ' Sopresso noi ' ; Purg. xxxi. 96, ' Sopr' esso 1' acqua ' ; Purg. 
 ii. 10, 'lunghesso il mare.' 
 
 42. si giungieno, &c. : 'the three faces met at the crown,' lit. 
 ' the place where the crest is ' in birds. 
 
 45. la : Ethiopia. The Ethiopians are the typical black race. 
 s' awalla : ' flows down,' der. from Lat. ad, vaUis ; cp. avvalliamOf 
 'let us descend,' in Purg. viii. 43. 
 
 183 
 
INFERNO [xxxiv. 56-87 
 
 56. maciulla : * a brake/ or instrument for breaking hemp or flax. 
 
 59, 60. Verso il graffiar : ' in comparison of the clawing.* 
 Judas thus had the severest punishment, being torn by Lucifer's 
 claws as well as by his teeth, brulla : ' bare ' ; in Inf. xvi. 30 the 
 form is brol/o. 
 
 66. non fa motto : as being defiant of pain, like Capaneus in 
 Inf. xiv. 46. 
 
 67. membruto : 'large of limb.' It has been suggested that 
 Dante derived this view of C. Cassius, Caesar's murderer, by 
 mistake from what Cicero says (Cat. iii. 7. 16) of L. Cassius, 
 ' L. Cassii adipes ' ; but the expressions do not very closely 
 correspond. Plutarch — with whose writings Dante was not ac- 
 quainted — implies that he was pale and somewhat weakly; Caes., 
 § 62 ; Brut., § 29. 
 
 68. la notte risurge : in like manner when the Poets entered 
 the Inferno we are told, ' Lo giorno se n' andava,' Inf. ii. i ; 
 consequently twenty-four hours had now been spent there. The 
 present time is nightfall of Easter Eve, whereas they entered at 
 nightfall on Good Friday. 
 
 70-85. The process which is now described is this. Dante 
 puts his arms round Virgil's neck, and Virgil lets himself down by 
 the shocks of hair on Lucifer's body until he reaches his waist, 
 where is the centre of gravity of the earth ; there he turns round, so 
 that his head is where his feet had been, and then he climbs up in 
 the opposite direction, holding on to Lucifer as before, until he 
 reaches a passage through the rocks which here close in. 
 
 71. poster 'points of vantage,' i.e. the right moment and the 
 right part of Lucifer's body, as is explained in the two following 
 lines. 
 
 74. Di vello in vello : ' from one shock of hair to another.* 
 
 76, 77. Ik dove, &c. : 'by the thigh-joint (dove la coscia Si 
 volge) just where the haunch is thickest.' 
 
 81. anche : 'once more.' Having passed the centre of gravity, 
 and having turned round, they were now ascending in the opposite 
 direction : of this Dante was not yet aware. 
 
 82. Attienti ben : ' hold fast by me.' 
 
 87. Appresso, &c. : 'thereupon he advanced towards me his 
 wary step.' After first depositing Dante, Virgil lets go of Lucifer's 
 hair, and reaches a safe foothold on the rock. 
 
 184 
 
XXXIV. 90-T 15] INFERNO 
 
 90. vidili : li is here used for lo. 
 
 91-3. s' io divenni, &c. : the meaning is — * those will best 
 understand my perplexity, who, like the uneducated masses, are 
 ignorant of the centre of gravity ' ; lit. * let the dull folk, who know 
 nothing of the point which I had passed, conceive whether I now 
 became perplexed.' travagliato : this word is derived from Lat. 
 trabs^ 'a beam,' through the (hypothetical) Low Lat. travare, 'to 
 build with beams,' ' pen in,' ' embarrass ' ; Skeat, Etym. Diet., s. v. 
 ' travail.' 
 
 96. il sole : the sun, whose name has been avoided during their 
 passage through Hell, is now once more mentioned, since they have 
 escaped from that place, a mezza terza riede : ' returns halfway 
 to the third hour ' ; terza was the name of the first of the four 
 divisions of the twelve hours of the day, computed from sunrise ; 
 consequently, if we reckon sunrise as 6. a.m., mezza terza will be 
 7.30 a.m. There is no contradiction between this and 1. 68, 
 where the time is given as nightfall, because here we are supposed 
 to be in the southern hemisphere, where consequently it is morning, 
 11. 105, 118. The time has gone back (cp. riede) twelve hours, 
 and Easter Eve is now beginning for the southern hemisphere ; see 
 Moore, Time- References, p. 55. 
 
 97-9. camminata: 'chamber'; strictly the word means 'a 
 room with a hearth in it (camera caminata) ' ; cp. the Consulte 
 Fiorentine for Feb. 22, 1279, ' congregatis dominis xiici°i .... 
 in pallatio Comunis in caminata Potestatis.' In the present passage 
 the antithesis is between a palace-chamber and a dungeon (burella). 
 disagio : ' deficiency.' • 
 
 104. poc' ora : ' short time ' ; cp. Purg. ii. 93, tanta ora, ' so 
 long time.' 
 
 108. vermo : 'worm,' i.e. loathsome reptile; cp. Inf. vi. 22, 
 of Cerberus, fora : 'pierces,' i.e. passes from one part to the 
 other, being partly in both hemispheres. 
 
 109. cotanto quant' io scesi : 'for so long as I was de- 
 scending.' 
 
 no. III. il pun to, &c. : the centre of gravity; cp. Conv. iii. 
 3. 11. 10, II, 'la terra sempre discende al centro.' The authority 
 for this doctrine was Aristotle, De Caelo, iv. i. 7. 
 
 1 1 2-5. r emisperio : by this is meant the southern hemisphere, 
 while that to which it is contrapposto is the northern hemisphere. 
 
 185 
 
INFERNO [xxxiv. 116-28 
 
 * The great continent ' (la gran secca) which covers the latter of 
 these is the dry land on its surface ; and in Dante's time all the 
 dry land on the face of the globe was supposed to be confined to 
 that hemisphere. The colmo or 'culminating point' of the 
 northern hemisphere is the zenith of Jerusalem, the scene of our 
 Lord's death, for that place was regarded as the centre of the 
 habitable world. This last idea seems to have been derived from 
 Ezek. V. 5, *This is Jerusalem: I have set her in the midst of 
 the nations, and countries are round about her.' 
 
 116— 21. Virgil here answers more specifically Dante's three 
 questions (11. 103-5) about (i) the position of the ice, (2) the 
 sudden change from evening to morning, (3) the position of 
 Lucifer. 
 
 116, 117. Tu hai, &c. : the answer to the first question is, that 
 the ice of the ring of the Giudecca forms a small circle on the one 
 side of the centre, and the rock on which Dante now is (11. 85, 
 86) forms a small circular space corresponding to this on the other 
 (Che r altra faccia fa). 
 
 118. da man : see note on Inf. i. 37. 
 
 121, 122. Da questa parte: on the side of the southern 
 hemisphere, si sporse : * rose out of the sea.' According to the 
 story here given, which appears to have been Dante's own invention, 
 there was originally land in the southern hemisphere, and when 
 Lucifer fell there, this sank through fear of him, and reappeared 
 in the northern hemisphere. 
 
 125, 126. Per fuggir, &c. : 'to escape from him, the earth 
 which is seen on this side of the globe (i. e. that which forms the 
 Mountain of Purgatory) left its place void, and mshed upwards.' 
 This is suggested to explain the formation of the chasm through 
 which the Poets now ascend to the upper air, and at the same 
 time that of the Mountain of Purgatory, which rises above, and 
 which is supposed to have been formed by the earth thus 
 thrown up. 
 
 127, 128. Loco e, &c. : these two lines are a description of 
 the cavity by which the ascent is made. ' In the heart of the earth 
 there is a place, which reaches away as far from Lucifer (Belzebti) 
 in one direction as Hell extends in the other ' ; both of them reach 
 from the centre to the circumference of the earth. laggiii : 
 ' below ' ; Dante speaks from the point of view of one on the 
 
 186 
 
XXXIV. 129-39] INFERNO 
 
 earth's surface, la tomba : the Inferno generally, which is called 
 fossa in Inf. xiv. 136. 
 
 129. non per vista : it is invisible in the darkness. 
 
 1 30. un ruscelletto : this rivulet is generally regarded as being 
 formed by the water of Lethe, which flows from the summit of the 
 mountain of Purgatory ; and the idea that the sins that are washed 
 away from the memory by Lethe should pass into Hell is a natural 
 one. But there is no evidence in the poem to show that the two 
 streams are connected with one another; indeed, in Inf. xiv. 136, 
 137 Virgil clearly intimates that Dante would not see Lethe before 
 he reached the Earthly Paradise. 
 
 132. Col corse ch' egli avvolge : 'in its tortuous course.' 
 poco pende : ' has not a steep fall ' ; the subject is che in 1. 130. 
 
 137. Tanto che: 'until.' delle cose belle: 'some of the 
 beauteous objects,' i. e. some of the stars ; afterwards they see the 
 whole array of stars. 
 
 139. le stelle: from Purg. i. 13-21 we learn that these were 
 the stars of early morning, so that the time might be about 5 a. m. ; 
 and as it was 7.30 a. m. on the previous morning when they 
 commenced the ascent {supra^ 1. 96), the ascent would have occupied 
 about 21 hours; see Moore, Time-Ref.^ p. 53. On the force of 
 the word stelle, with which each of the three Cantiche of the poem 
 ends, see note on Par. xxxiii. 1 45. 
 
 187 
 
PURGATORIO 
 
PURGATORIO 
 
 CANTO I 
 
 Prefatory Note on Dante*s Conception of the 
 Mountain of Purgatory. 
 
 THE Mountain of Purgatory, as conceived by Dante, is a cone- 
 shaped mountain of great elevation, truncated at the summit, and 
 surrounded by the sea, between which and its base a strip of gently 
 sloping ground intervenes. The lower part of its steep declivities 
 forms the Ante-Purgatory, within which at various intervals are 
 stationed different classes of the Negligent, or those whose admission 
 into Purgatory is delayed for a time, because they deferred their 
 repentance until the end of their life. The upper part, which forms 
 Purgatory proper, is encircled by a succession of Cornices, seven 
 in number, rising one above the other, in each of which the souls 
 who are admitted into Purgatory are cleansed by suffering from the 
 effects of one of the seven deadly sins. These Cornices are 
 connected with one another by steep and narrow stairways. On 
 the truncated summit is the Terrestrial Paradise, which was the 
 original Garden of Eden. As regards the position of this mountain 
 on the face of the globe, Dante conceived of it as rising from the sea 
 which covered the whole of the southern hemisphere, and as forming 
 the exact antipodes of Jerusalem, which was the central point of 
 the northern hemisphere. In the whole of this scheme he has 
 departed from the traditional view of the middle ages on this subject, 
 according to which Purgatory was situated beneath the earth in the 
 
 191 
 
PURGATORIO [I. 7-12 
 
 neighbourhood of Hell, and the Earthly Paradise was generally 
 supposed to be in the eastern part of Asia. He was probably 
 constrained to do this by the demands of poetic treatment, which 
 required that the scene of his second realm should be in daylight, so 
 as to afford a contrast to the gloom of the Inferno. 
 
 The course which Dante followed in ascending the Mountain 
 of Purgatory was from left to right, by which is symbolized a 
 progressive advance in virtue. In passing through the Inferno, 
 as we have already seen, the direction which he pursued was 
 leftward throughout. He starts from the foot of the mountain 
 on its eastern side, and reaches the summit on its western side 
 (Purg. xxvii. 64-6), and his course between these two points is 
 confined to the northern half of the mountain. 
 j_ The time spent by Dante in Purgatory is four days — one in 
 Ante-Purgatory, two in Purgatory proper, and one in the Earthly 
 Paradise. 
 
 Argument. — Dante and Virgil find themselves about daybreak 
 on the sea-girt slope which surrounds the base of the Mountain 
 of Purgatory. Here their eyes are first attracted by a constellation 
 of four stars, which had never before been seen by inhabitants of 
 the northern hemisphere; and afterwards they meet Cato, the 
 guardian of Purgatory, who questions them about their right to 
 enter his domain. When Virgil has satisfied him on this point, 
 he gives them injunctions as to the preliminaries which they are 
 bound to observe ; in accordance with which Virgil conducts Dante 
 to the seashore, where he cleanses his face from the murk of Hell, 
 and girds him with a reed. 
 
 Lines 7-9. la morta, &c. : ' let my dead poetry awake to life 
 again ' ; i. e. from singing of the gloom of Hell let it take a brighter 
 tone, poesl : arch, for poesia, O sante Muse : this invocation 
 corresponds to that of the Muses in Inf. ii. 7, and that of Apollo 
 in Par. i. 13. Calliope, &c. : Met Calliope (the Muse of epic 
 poetry) take a somewhat higher strain.' 
 
 10-2. Seguitando : 'accompanying.' Di cui, &c. : 'which 
 smote the ill-fated Magpies with such force that they felt their 
 doom was sealed.' The story here referred to, which is given by 
 Ovid, Met, V. 294 foil., is that of the nine daughters of Pierus, 
 
 192 
 
A 
 I. 13-21] PURGATORIO 
 
 king of Macedonia, who challenged the nine Muses to a contest 
 in singing, on which occasion the latter were represented by Calliope 
 as their champion. The challengers after they were defeated were 
 changed into magpies. 
 
 13. oriental: 'oriental,' because that gem was brought from 
 the east. 
 
 14, 15. Che s' accoglieva, &c. : 'which was diffused over 
 (lit. contained in) the tranquil scene (lit. the serene aspect of things) 
 from the mid-point of the clear sky even to the primal circle,' 
 i. e. from the zenith to the horizon. According to this interpreta- 
 tion il puro is used as a substantive with mezzo agreeing with it ; 
 cp. in Latin Hor. Od. I. 34. 7, ^ -per purum tonantes Eglt equos ' ; 
 VIrg. Georg. li. 364, ' laxis per purum Immissus habenis.' In 
 Dante sereno or il sereno is used in this manner ; cp. Purg. v. 38, 
 ' fender sereno ' ; Par. xlx. 64, ' dal sereno.' prime giro is the 
 first or fundamental circle on the sphere, which at any given place 
 determines the position of the other circles, I. e. the horizon. The 
 majority of the MSS. hitherto examined (so Dr. Moore informs 
 me) are in favour of the reading Dal mezzo, and certainly it is 
 lectio difficilior^ but there is good authority, including three of 
 Witte's test MSS., for DelV aer. With the latter reading the 
 meaning of the passage is, ' in the tranquil aspect of the atmosphere, 
 which was clear (of mists) down to the horizon.' 
 
 16. ricomincio diletto : 'renewed the (lost) sense of joy.' 
 19. conforta : 'encourages,' 'incites'; the 'planet' is Venus. 
 The morning which Is now commencing is that of Easter Day, 
 April 10, 1300, and the time is about an hour before sunrise. 
 Dante had entered Hell on the evening of Good Friday, and the 
 intervening time had been spent in that region and in the ascent 
 from It to Purgatory (see notes on Inf. 11. i and xxi. 112). The 
 appropriateness of Easter Eve as the period spent in 'the lower 
 parts of the earth,' and of Easter morning as the time of the return 
 of hope, will at once be perceived. 
 
 2 1 . Velando, &c. : ' obscuring (by her light) the Fishes which 
 were in her train.' Venus, as the morning star, would be In the 
 constellation of Pisces, because the sun was in the following constel- 
 lation of Aries ; this the sun enters at the vernal equinox, which 
 was approximately the season of the year of Dante's Vision. See 
 note on Inf. i. 38. 
 
 TozER 193 O 
 
PURGATORIO [i. 22-31 
 
 22. a man destra : i. e. towards the south, because just before 
 he was facing east, 1. 20. 
 
 23. quattro stelle : these four stars signify, allegorically, the 
 four cardinal virtues of Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance ; 
 in Purg. xxxi. 106 these virtues are made to say 'nel ciel siamo stelle.' 
 It has often been maintained that, independently of this meaning, 
 Dante intends by them to describe the constellation of the Southern 
 Cross. The stars which compose this are mentioned by Ptolemy 
 in the Almagest \ not however as a separate constellation, but as 
 forming part of Centaurus, and the name of ' the Cross ' does not 
 seem to have been attached to them before 15 17 A. D. It is 
 possible that Dante may have heard of them through travellers 
 who went far enough south to see them ; but in reality there is little 
 to show that the views of the Poet and his contemporaries were 
 modified by such discoveries. Brunetto Latini, at all events 
 {Tesoro^ Bk. iii. Ch. 2), says that the only large star visible in 
 India is Canopus. It is strongly against this identification that 
 the three stars which represent the three theological virtues, and 
 thus correspond to this group of four (Purg. viii. 89—93), are 
 confessedly imaginary. Moreover, in the present passage Dante 
 goes out of his way to say that the four stars had not been seen 
 since the Fall of man. 
 
 24. Non viste mai : allegorically this means that the cardinal 
 virtues had not been openly revealed to the eyes of men since the age 
 of innocence, when Adam and Eve were in the Terrestrial Paradise. 
 
 27. Poiche, &c. : this explains vedovo ; ' clime of the North, 
 how great thy loss, for that the sight of these is denied thee ! ' 
 
 30. Lk onde, &c. : ' on which side the Wain, or Great Bear, 
 was now out of sight.' Being below the horizon, it would be 
 invisible in that part of the southern hemisphere, in which Dante 
 supposed the Mountain of Purgatory to be. 
 
 31. un veglio solo: this is Cato the Younger, the rigid Stoic 
 moralist, and the determined defender of republican liberty at Rome. 
 Much difficulty has been felt as to Dante's choice of one who was 
 a pagan and a suicide to occupy the position of Guardian of 
 Purgatoiy, but the explanation of this is to be found in the estimate 
 that was formed of Cato in the middle ages. Like Virgil he 
 was idealized ; and in the process of idealization such points in his 
 character and life as might have been prejudicial to him passed 
 
 194 
 
I- 35-72] PURGATORIO 
 
 out of view. Dante himself says of him in the Convito (iv. 28. 
 II. 1 2 1-3), 'Quale uomo terreno pii) degno fu di significare Iddio, 
 che Catone ? Certo nullo.' But the primary cause of his selection 
 for this particular office is to be found in a line of Virgil [Aen. viii. 
 670), where he is describing Elysium, ' Secretosque pios; his 
 dantem iura Catonem.' The reason why he is spoken of as an old 
 man (veglio) and gray-haired (11. 34, 35), notwithstanding that 
 he was only 49 years of age at the time of his death, is, that 
 Lucan says of him, ' Ut primum tolli feralia viderat arma, Intonsos 
 rigidam in frontem descendere canos Passus erat, maestamque genis 
 increscere barbam,' Phars, ii. 374-6. 
 
 35. simigliante : here an adverb, 'in like manner.' 1^ ai is 
 read in place of e i, it is an adj. agreeing with barba. 
 
 37-9. Li raggi, &c. : the four stars being the four cardinal 
 virtues, this means that the highest moral virtue was conspicuously 
 seen in Cato's character, fosse davante : ' were before me.' 
 
 40-2. contro al cieco fiume : 'against the course of the 
 darkling stream,' i. e. the ruscelletto, which the Poets had followed 
 upward from the centre of the earth. Inf. xxxiv. 1 30. piume : 
 his beard ; cp. the use oi penne for the beard in Inf. xx. 45. 
 
 46-8. abisso : for the omission of the article with this word 
 where Hell is specially referred to cp. Inf. iv. 8, valle d^ abisso i 
 similarly orizzonte in Purg. xxvii. 7 1 . mutato : ' initiated ' ; but 
 the word has a pregnant force, implying ' to the subversion of former 
 counsels.' grotte : the ' rocks ' of the Mountain of Purgatory ; 
 cp. Purg. iii. 90. 
 
 51. Riverenti, &c. : 'caused me to bend my knees and incline 
 my brow.' 
 
 53. Donna: Beatrice; cp. Inf. ii. 52 foil. 
 
 56. Di nostra . . . vera : ' of the real nature of our condition,' 
 i. e. whether we are lost souls (dannati), and, if not, what we are. 
 
 59, 60. le : to death ; but here spiritual death is meant, not the 
 death of the body, in which sense F ultima sera is used in the previous 
 line, a volger : ' for retracing his steps.' 
 
 62, 63. Per lui campare: 'to save him'; campare is trans., 
 and lui accus. Che questa, &c. : i. e. than to teach him the 
 lessons to be learnt from Hell and Purgatory; cp. Inf. i. 11 2-20; 
 Purg. XXX. 136-8. 
 
 71, 72. Liberty : in Dante's case this was spiritual liberty, in 
 
 195 o 2 
 
PURGATORIO [I. 74-103 
 
 Cato's political liberty, che e si cara, &c. : ' the value of which 
 he knows, who for its sake forfeits life ' ; here the case is put 
 generally, in 1. 73 Cato is appealed to as the typical instance — 
 ' Thou dost know it/ 
 
 74, 75. In Utica: Cato committed suicide at Utica in Africa 
 rather than live under Caesar^s despotism. La vesta, &c. : ' the 
 robe of flesh, which at the resurrection will shine so bright.' 
 
 77. Minos, &c. : Virgil's place in the Inferno was in the first 
 Circle, or Limbo : the realm of Minos commenced with the second 
 Circle; Inf. v. 1-4. 
 
 79. in vista : ' in her looks,' i. e. to judge from her looks ; cp. 
 Purg. vii. 97. Marcia is mentioned as being in Limbo in Inf. iv. 
 1 28. ancor : ' still,' as she had already done in life. Cato's wife, 
 Marcia, after bearing him children, was ceded by him to Hortensius, 
 and after the death of the latter requested Cato to take her back 
 again. Lucan in his account of this represents Marcia as saying, 
 ' da tantum nomen inane Connubii ; liceat tumulo scripsisse, Catonis 
 Marcia'; Phars. ii. 342-4. Dante refers to this passage in Conv. 
 iv. 28. 11. 97 foil. 
 
 82,83. sette regni : the seven Cornices of Purgatory. Grazie, 
 &c. : perhaps, ' I shall return her thanks for thy favours ' ; but the 
 meaning is uncertain. 
 
 88-90. mal fiume : the Acheron, the stream of which encircled 
 the whole of the Inferno, including the first Circle, quella legge : 
 the law which forbade community of feeling between the saved 
 and the lost, quando, &c. : this was at the time of our Lord's 
 descent into Hell, when He delivered the souls of the Patriarchs and 
 certain others; Inf. iv. 55-61. 
 
 92,93. lusinghe: ' persuasive words.' Bastiti, &c. : 'suffice 
 it that thou askest me for her sake.' richegge : arch, for richeggi, 
 
 96. Si che, &c. : ' so that thou mayest cause all grime to disappear 
 from it.' sucidume is the deposit formed on the face by the murk 
 of Hell. 
 
 97-9. r occhio sorpriso, &c. : absolute construction; 'with 
 his eye dimmed (lit. overpowered) by any mist.' primo Ministro : 
 the angel who guards the entrance of Purgatory proper. 
 
 ioc-2. ad imo ad imo : 'at its lowest verge.' The repetition 
 of the expression increases its force; cp. Inf. xiv. 12^ a randa 
 a randa^ ' on the very edge.' giunchi : just as in Scripture 
 
 196 
 
1. 103-23] PURGATORIO 
 
 *a bruised reed' is used to signify repentant humility (Is. xlii. 3), 
 so here the rush, which bends before the beating of the waves, 
 suitably represents the attitude of the soul entering Purgatory, where 
 it submits itself to correction. 
 
 103-5. In these three lines the emblematical character of the rush 
 is still further developed. ' No other growths, such as put forth 
 leaves or harden into stems, can exist there, because they do not 
 yield to the smiting of the waves.' The words facesse fronda 
 refer to the proud display of foliage on the part of such shrubs as 
 have a stem and branches, as compared with the simplicity of the 
 undeveloped rush. The verbs facesse, indurasse are in the subj. 
 mood because che is indef., and signifies the nature of the plants or 
 trees spoken of. seconda : from the idea of ' following the move- 
 ment of the word here gets the meaning of 'yield,* 'bend.' 
 
 107. Lo sol, &c. : 'the rising sun will indicate to you the easiest 
 point of ascent,' i. e. the easiest ascent is on the eastern side. 
 
 109. su mi levai : Dante had been kneeling, 1. 51. 
 
 1 15-7. L' alba, &c. : 'the dawn was chasing (lit. conquering) 
 the breeze of morn, which was flying before it,' i. e. as the dawn 
 came on the breeze rose ; by this the surface of the sea was ruffled 
 (il tremolar della marina), ora, 'breeze' {=. aura), is found 
 again in Conv. ii. I. 11. 5-7, ' dirizzato 1' artimone della ragione all' 
 ora del mio desiderio.' Others read ora, and translate, 'the dawn 
 was mastering the morning hour,' i. e. the twilight ; in this case 
 conobbi implies that the tremulous surface of the sea was thus 
 revealed to view. 
 
 119, 120. This is one of many passages in which Dante's 
 experiences as a traveller appear. It expresses the weary sense of 
 wasted trouble in searching for a lost track. 
 
 121— 3. Quando, &c. : 'when we reached a place where the 
 dew holds its own against the sun, and from being in a chilly 
 region, evaporates slowly.' By ' the sun ' here is meant the warmth 
 of the approaching sun, for, as we see from the commencement 
 of the next Canto, the sun itself had not yet risen. The ' place 
 where the dew holds its own against the sun' is the lower slopes 
 towards the coast, for there the sun's warmth would be less soon 
 felt than on the higher ground, adorezza is from a verb adore%%are, 
 which does not occur elsewhere. Like ore%za (Purg. xxiv. 150) 
 and re%%o (Inf. xvii. 87, where see note) it is regarded as being 
 
 197 
 
PURGATORIO [I. 126— II. 9 
 
 derived from aura; and, as re%%o means 'chill* or 'chill air,' 
 adore%%are may perhaps mean 'to be chilly.' Scartazzini omits 
 e after sole in 1. 122, and reads Ove, ad ore%%a^ in 1. 123; he 
 translates, ' When we were in a place where the dew holds its own 
 against the sun owing to its being in a region where it evaporates 
 slowly from being exposed to the breeze ' (ad ore%%d), Longfellow 
 however remarks, ' the blowing of the wind would produce an effect 
 exactly opposite to that here described.' 
 
 126. che fui, &c. : 'who comprehended his design.* 
 
 128, 129. mi fece, &c. : the meaning is : — 'he brought to sight 
 once more my natural hue.' 
 
 133. altnii : Cato, whom he did not wish to name. 
 
 135. si rinacque : cp. Virg. Aen, vi. 143, ' primo avulso non 
 deficit alter,' of the golden branch plucked by Aeneas. The 
 allegorical meaning is, that divine grace, which is the source of 
 humility, is not lessened by being communicated. 
 
 CANTO II 
 
 Argument. — When the sun has risen, a boat is seen approaching 
 over the sea, on which an angel is standing, while within it are 
 a band of spirits who are in his charge. Having left them on the 
 shore, he starts on his return voyage to the mouth of the Tiber, 
 which is the assembling-place for the souls who are destined for 
 Purgatory. Among those who have newly arrived Dante recognizes 
 his friend the musician Casella. At the Poet's request he sings 
 to them ; but while they are absorbed in listening to him, Cato 
 appears among them, and rebukes them for loitering on their way 
 to the Mountain. 
 
 Lines 1-9. In these lines Dante intends to signify, though by 
 a long periphrasis, that it was sunrise in Purgatory. In order to 
 understand this it is necessary to get an elementary idea of his 
 views of mathematical geography. According to him the habitable 
 earth extends from E. to W. over half the circuit of the globe ; 
 at its eastern extremity is the mouth of the Ganges, at its western 
 extremity Gades ; Jerusalem is midway between these two points ; 
 
 198 
 
11. I-I3] PURGATORIO 
 
 the Mountain of Purgatory is the antipodes of Jerusalem, and 
 consequently midway between Gades and the Ganges on the opposite 
 side of the globe (see Purg. iv. 67-71). Hence — to take the 
 circumstances described in the present passage — when it is sunset 
 at Jerusalem, it will be midday at Gades, midnight at the mouth 
 of the Ganges, and sunrise at the Mountain of Purgatory. The 
 whole passage should be compared with Purg. xxvii. 1-5, which 
 is very similar to it as a description of the time of day. 
 
 1—3. orizzonte : by this is intended the horizon line on which 
 Gades lay, and which was the common horizon of Jerusalem and 
 the Mountain of Purgatory. Lo cui, &c. : i.e.* the highest point 
 of the meridian circle of which lies over Jerusalem.' In plain 
 English the three lines mean — ' The sun had now reached the 
 horizon at the meridian of Jerusalem'; in other words, 'it was 
 sunset at Jerusalem.' The explanation of the expression 'the 
 meridian circle of the horizon ' is this. The meridian, or meridian 
 circle, of a place is a great circle of the heavens, which passes 
 through its zenith (il suo piii alto punto) and through the poles, 
 and is crossed by the sun when it is noonday at that place. And 
 as the meridian circle of a place crosses the horizon of that place 
 at two points, and divides it into two equal parts, it can be spoken 
 of as the meridian circle of that horizon, and this is what Dante 
 does in the present passage. 
 
 4. la notte, &c. : Night, which is here personified, is identified 
 with its central point, i. e. midnight, and so is spoken of in terms 
 of place as being opposite to the sun. 
 
 5. colle bilance : the sun being in Aries, the point opposite 
 to it was Libra, the sign of the zodiac opposite to Aries. 
 
 6. Che le caggion, &c. : 'which fall from the hand of night 
 when she wins the mastery.' Night wins the mastery over the 
 sun when it extends over more than half the 24 hours, i.e. after 
 the autumnal equinox. The Scales (Libra) 'fall from her hand' 
 at that time, because the sun is then in that constellation, so that 
 night has no power over them. 
 
 8, 9. Lk dove io era : at the foot of the Mountain of Purgatory. 
 Per troppa etate : ' from advanced age,' i. e. from the near approach 
 of sunrise. 
 
 II. Come gente, &c. : i. e. in a lingering frame of mind. 
 
 13. sill presso del mattino: 'at the approach of morn'; 
 
 199 
 
PURGATORIO [II. 14-46 
 
 presso is a prep., and sul presso is formed on the analogy of 
 alF tncirca and similar phrases. Another reading is sorpreso dal 
 mattino (' surprised by the morn '), but the meaning here is far- 
 fetched. 
 
 14. Per li grossi vapor: 'owing to its dense vapours.' Mars 
 was supposed to generate vapours; cp. Inf. xxiv. 145, 'Tragge 
 Marte vapor di val di Magra' ; Con'v. ii. 14. 11. 164-7, 'esso [i. e. 
 Marte] appare affocato di colore, quando piil e quando meno, secondo 
 la spessezza e rarita delli vapori che '1 seguono.' 
 
 16. s' io, &c. : 'so may I once more behold it!' This is 
 Dante's prayer for his own salvation, the first condition of which 
 would be his own admittance to Purgatory after his death. 
 
 22-4. d' ogni lato : ' on either side ' ; for ogni cp. Inf. vii. 32 ; 
 xxii. 56. Un non, &c. : 'an indistinct white object'; this was 
 the wings of the angel, while un altro, which was di sotto, was 
 his garment. 
 
 26. Mentre che, &c. : 'until the first white objects revealed 
 themselves as wings.' 
 
 30. di SI fatti, &c. : ' such like ministers of God.' 
 
 31-3. argomenti: 'means,' 'instruments' ; cp. Purg. xxx. 136, 
 where it signifies ' expedients.' liti si lontani : the mouth of 
 the Tiber, where the souls that were destined for Purgatory assembled 
 (see 11. 100-5), ^"d the Mountain of Purgatory. 
 
 35, 36. Trattando: 'moving.' mortal pelo ; ' the feathers of 
 mortal birds.' 
 
 40-2. sen venne: 'came on.' Tanto che, &c. : 'so light 
 that no part of it was submerged,' lit. 'the water engulfed no 
 part of it.' 
 
 44. Tal che parea beato per iscripto : ' so glorious that he 
 looked as though he were blessed by a sure title,' lit. ' by a written 
 warrant.' This reading has the authority of 123 MSS., as against 
 31 for Tal che farm beato pur descritto (Moore, Text. Crit., 
 p. 372), which is also the easier reading. The latter should be 
 translated, 'so glorious that the mere description of him would 
 enchant the mind.' 
 
 46. In exitu, &c. : the spirits are celebrating their deliverance 
 from the world of sin and sorrow by singing Ps. cxiv, the subject 
 of which, the exodus of the Israelites from Hgypt, is a familiar type 
 of the redemption of mankind. 
 
 200 
 
II. 52-90] PURGATORIO 
 
 52-4. selvaggia, &c. : ' strange to the place/ nuove cose, &c. : 
 * makes trial of a new experience/ 
 
 55. Da tutte parti : ' in every direction ' ; for da cp. Inf. 
 XX. 13 ; xxii. 146. 
 
 56. colle saette conte: 'with its clear shafts': conto (I.at. 
 cognitus) is used of what is 'clearly known' in Inf. iii. 76, and 
 here, according to this interpretation, is applied to 'clear' light; 
 but such a transference of meaning from a mental to a material 
 application is altogether unusual. Possibly conto might be derived 
 from Lat. comptus^ and in that case it might mean ' polished ' here. 
 
 57. Di mezzo, &c. : 'the sun had chased Capricorn beyond 
 the meridian ' ; the succession of the heavenly bodies is imagined 
 as a pursuit. What is implied here is that the sun was above the 
 horizon. The interval between Aries (in which the sun was) and 
 Capricorn is a quarter of the zodiac ; consequently, if Capricorn 
 had cleared the meridian, Aries (and with it the sun) would be 
 above the horizon. The expression saettava il giorno in 1. 55, 
 however, suggests that the time was only just after sunrise, and 
 this is confirmed by the words Jiammeggiava roggio in iii. 16, which 
 would hardly be used of the sun if it had risen more than a short 
 time. 
 
 70—2. olivo : the olive branch, which in ancient times was the 
 token of peace, was used in Dante's time as a sign of good news 
 in general ; cp. Villani, xii. 105, ' E mandonne lettere e messi con 
 olivo al nostro comune significando la sua gran vittoria.' calcar : 
 'treading on others.' The meaning of 'to throng,' which calcare 
 bears (Purg. x. 79), is derived from this. 
 
 75. d' ire, &c. : i. e. to go on their way to Purgatory proper, 
 where they would be purified from sin. In saying a farsi belle 
 Dante refers to the consolatoiy view of Purgatory, as he usually 
 does elsewhere; cp. Purg. iii. 73, ' gia spiriti eletti.' 
 
 80, 81. Tre volte, &c. : cp. Virg. ^en. vi. 700, 701, 'Ter 
 conatus ibi collo dare brachia circum ; Ter frustra comprensa manus 
 effugit imago.' 
 
 82. Di maraviglia, &c. : i. e. I expressed my surprise in my 
 countenance. 
 
 89, 90. sciolta : the fem. is used because he is speaking of 
 himself as a spirit {anima) ; in 1. 100, where there is no such 
 special reference, he uses the masc. tu : ' you,' who are still aHve. 
 
 201 
 
PURGATORIO [II. 91-103 
 
 91. Casella : a musician and friend of Dante; in 1. 93 it is 
 implied that he had been dead some time. per tornare, &c. : 
 ' the object of my present journey is, that I may return to this 
 place at a future time.' The lessons of Hell and Purgatory were 
 necessary, in order to recall Dante to the way of salvation, and so 
 to enable him after death to reach Purgatory, and through it 
 Paradise. 
 
 93. a te, &c. : 'how comes it that so long a time has been 
 lost to you ? ' i. e. ' Why this long delay ' between the time of your 
 death and your arrival here ? For tanta ora ( = ' so long time ') 
 cip. poc* ora, ' short time,' in Inf. xxxiv. 104. There is considerable 
 authority here for tanta terra (meaning 'this great realm of Purgatory') 
 in place of tanta ora ; but the words can hardly bear this sense. 
 
 95. leva: 'takes on board'; like Engl, 'takes up passengers,' 
 cp. tolto in 1. 98. The idea expressed in this passage was suggested 
 by Virg. Aen. vi. 315, 316. 
 
 97. di giusto voler, &c. : the angel's will is determined by the 
 will of God. 
 
 98, 99. Veramente ; ' nevertheless ' ; cp. Purg. vi. 43. da 
 tre mesi : as the date of the present action of the poem is April 10, 
 1300, the three months here spoken of are the first three months 
 of that year : and as this was the great year of Jubilee, in which 
 pardons and indulgences were freely dispensed^ it is here implied 
 that during this period a corresponding freedom had been allowed 
 to the souls of the dead in respect of the transit to Purgatory. 
 con tutta pace : take with tolto, ' has taken on board with full 
 acquiescence ' ; for pace in this sense cp. con tua pace, ' with your 
 permission,' and similar uses. 
 
 100, 10 1, era ora . . . volto : 'had just at that time betaken 
 myself to.' s' insala : 'becomes salt'; or, 'enters the sea.* 
 According to Dante, the souls who die in peace with God assemble 
 at the mouth of the Tiber, and are transported thence by the angel. 
 The idea of the shore as the starting-point, like that of the ferry-boat, 
 is of classical origin ; but the selection of this place in the immediate 
 neighbourhood of Rome can hardly fail to mean that they are under 
 the protection of the Church. 
 
 103. A quella foce : 'to that river-mouth.' The angel who 
 had just left them had betaken himself thither to fetch a fresh band 
 of souls. 
 
 202 
 
II. J04-3a] PURGATORIO 
 
 104, 105. si ricoglie : both this point and the souls being 
 ferried across form a counterpart to the assembHng of the condemned 
 souls on the shore of Acheron and their passage in Charon's boat 
 in Inf. iii. 82 foil. Qual, &c. : i. e. all who are not doomed to 
 descend to Hell. 
 
 106. nuova legge : the idea that laws unknown on earth may 
 prevail in Purgatory seems to have been suggested by quella legge of 
 Purg. i. 89, by which Cato was forbidden to retain his love for 
 Marcia. 
 
 1 10. la sua persona : the corruptible body which presseth down 
 the soul, Wisdom ix. 15. 
 
 112. Amor, &c. : 'Love that within my mind doth hold 
 discourse ' ; this is the first line of the Canzone with which Bk. Ill 
 of the Convito commences. 
 
 117. Come: for come se\ 'as if they were all absorbed by this 
 alone.' 
 
 119. il veglio : Cato. 
 
 122. scoglio: 'slough,' 'husk,* 'skin,' in which senses scoglia 
 is more commonly used. Here it means a ' film ' over the eyes 
 which dims the sight. 
 
 130-2. fresca: 'newly arrived.' la costa : 'the mountain- 
 side.' ne sa, &c. : this describes the headlong flight of the 
 spirits. 
 
 CANTO III 
 
 Prefatory Note on the Spirits in Ante-Purgatory. 
 
 The spirits who are detained for a time in Ante-Purgatory are 
 the Negligent, or those who deferred their repentance until the end 
 of their lives. They are divided into four classes. (i) Those 
 who, while they repented at the last moment, died under the ban 
 of the Church; example Manfred (Canto III). (2) Those who 
 delayed their repentance through indolence ; example Belacqua 
 (Canto IV). (3) Those who repented at the moment of a violent 
 death ; examples Buonconte da Montefeltro, Sordello, &c. (Cantos 
 . V, VI). (4) Kings and Princes, who deferred their repentance 
 owing to the cares of state; numerous examples (Canto VII). 
 The first of these classes is precluded from entering Purgatory / 
 
 203 
 
PURGATORIO [III. i-ii 
 
 for a period thirty times the length of the duration of their 
 contumacy (Purg. iii. 136-9). The other three classes are detained 
 for a period equal to that of their life on earth (Purg. iv. 1 30-2 ; 
 xi. 127-31). But in every case the term of waiting may be 
 shortened by means of the intercessions of friends on earth. ^ 
 
 Dante meets with the groups of spirits who represent these four 
 classes at different stages in the ascent of the mountain. Group I 
 is found at the foot of the precipice which runs round the base 
 of the mountain (Purg. iii. 46 foil.). Group II is at some distance 
 above the precipice on the open mountain side (Purg. iv. 46 foil, 
 and 97 foil.). Group III is higher up again in the same direction 
 (Purg. iv. 136 and v. 22, 23). Group IV occupies a flowery 
 valley, which forms a recess in the slope of the hill nearer to the 
 gate of Purgatory (Purg. vii. 64 foil.). 
 
 Argument. — As they proceed, Dante, perceiving no other shadow 
 than that thrown by his own body, supposes that Virgil has left him, 
 until the reason of this is explained to him. When they reach the 
 foot of the mountain they find it precipitous ; and seeing a troop 
 of spirits approaching, they inquire of them at what point the ascent 
 is easiest. The spirits are amazed at the sight of Dante's shadow, 
 until they learn that he is a living man. Manfred, king of Naples, 
 who is one of them, informs Dante that he repented of his sins 
 before he died ; but that, in consequence of his delay in doing so, 
 and of his dying excommunicate, he is precluded for a period from 
 entering Purgatory. 
 
 1-3. Avvegnache : ' although ' ; Dante here contrasts the 
 conduct of the spirits with his own. ove ragion ne fruga : 
 'towards which reason impels (lit. goads) us.' The meaning is, 
 that our human judgement — i. e. our sense of right and wrong, and 
 our feeling of God's justice — impels us towards Purgatory, in order 
 to satisfy the demands of justice and to obtain purification. 
 
 4. compagna: for compagnia, the abstract 'company' being 
 here used for the concrete ' companion ' ; cp. the use of guUa (fem.) 
 for 'guide,' and scoria for 'escort.' 
 
 7. da se stesso rimorso : ' self-reproached,' i. e. on account of 
 his delay. 
 
 10, II. la fretta : Virgil had hurried after the other spirits. 
 r onestade, &c. : ' deprives every movement of dignity ' ; for the 
 
 204 
 
III. 12-30] PURGATORIO 
 
 sentiment cp. Purg. vi. 63, * onesta e tarda.' dismaga : lit. ' takes 
 away ' ; on dismagare or smagare, which is used in different senses 
 in the Dlv. Com.^ see note on Purg. x. 106. 
 
 12,13. ristretta: 'circumscribed'; his attention was confined, 
 first to Casella's music, and afterwards to Cato's reproofs. Lo in- 
 tento, &c. : 'widened its field of vision.' vaga : ' eager to inquire.' 
 
 15. piu alto si dislaga : 'rises highest above the waters'; 
 dislagarsi is derived from Lat. lacus, and here means ' to withdraw 
 itself from the waters.' This interpretation is confirmed by Par. 
 XX vi. 139, where the Mountain of Purgatory is called ' il monte, 
 che si leva pid dall' onda.' 
 
 16-8. Lo sol : i. e. the sun's rays, alia figura, &c. : 'tracing 
 the shape formed by his rays falling upon me,' lit. ' to the figure 
 which the resting-place of his rays on me had.' appoggio is here 
 used of that which intercepts the light. 
 
 21. Solo, &c. : in the darkness of the Inferno Dante had no 
 opportunity of observing that Virgil cast no shadow ; he now 
 discovers it for the first time. 
 
 22, 23. pur: take with difiidi ; 'why do you still mistrust me 
 after all that I have done for you ? ' tutto rivolto : ' turning full 
 towards me,' to dispel my doubts. 
 
 25, 26. Vespero, &c. : the meaning is: — 'My body is in 
 Italy, where it is now evening.' It was at this time about 6.30 a. m. 
 in Purgatory, and consequently 6.30 p.m. at Jerusalem, which was 
 its antipodes ; and as Italy was reckoned as being halfway between 
 Jerusalem and Gades, and therefore 45° to the westward of the former 
 place, the equivalent of which in time is three hours, the time of day 
 here intended by Vespero is about 3.30 p.m. Vespero is used by 
 Dante to signify the part of the day from 3 to 6 p.m. Cp. note 
 on Purg. XV. 6. 
 
 27. Napoli : Virgil died at Brundisium in 19 B.C., and his 
 remains were transferred to Naples and buried there. Brandizio : 
 Branditz is the Proven9al form of Brindisi. 
 
 28-30. nulla s' adombra : ' nothing is cast in shade,' i. e. no 
 shadow falls. Che 1' uno, &c. : the point of the comparison is the 
 diaphanous nature of tlie spheres ; ' which (heavens) do not obstruct 
 the passage of a ray from one to another.' Che means ' of which,' 
 and r uno is subject of ingombra ; lit. ' of which heavens the 
 one does not impede the passage of a ray to the other.' The 
 
 205 
 
PURGATORIO [III. 31-44 
 
 heavens, according to Dante, formed a system of concentric spheres 
 of which the earth was the centre, and these spheres were material, 
 but permeable to light. 
 
 31-3. A soflFerir, &c. : the question naturally arises — 'If 
 spiritual bodies, like Virgil's, are permeable to light, how can they 
 suffer pain ? ' Virgil answers — ' They do so, but how this comes 
 to pass is a mystery, of which God has not vouchsafed the 
 explanation.' Translate: — 'The Supreme Goodness (la virtii) 
 disposes bodies of the same substance as mine (simili corpi) to 
 suffer torments arising from heat and cold, but he wills not that his 
 mode of working (come fa) should be revealed to us.' tormenti 
 caldi e gieli : the torments of Hell are spoken of in these terms 
 in Inf. iii. 87. 
 
 35, 36. Pcssa trascorrer, &c. : 'Can traverse the illimitable 
 way. Which the one Substance in three Persons follows* (Longf.). 
 The doctrine of the Trinity is here introduced as being the highest 
 mystery of the Godhead ; the mysterious God moves in a mysterious 
 way. The ' way ' is the path of God's counsels. 
 
 37. al quia: 'with the fact'; 'be contented with knowing 
 the fact, without inquiring the reason.' quia is used for 'that' 
 in mediaeval Latin. 
 
 38, 39. se potuto, &c. : if human reason had been able to 
 comprehend the whole scheme of God's counsels, Adam would 
 not have sinned, because he would have understood the reason of 
 God's prohibition; and so the Incarnation would not have been 
 necessary, era : for sarehhe stato ; see note on Inf. xxix. 38. 
 
 40-2. E disiar, kz. : a further proof is here given of the 
 inability of the human intellect to fathom God's counsels ; had this 
 been possible, the great philosophers of old would have accomplished 
 it, whereas they have failed to do so, and thus have lost everything. 
 ' And ye (mankind) have been cognizant of the fruitless longings 
 of men of such force of intellect (Tai) that (had they possessed 
 the knowledge of divine things) those desires on their part would 
 have been fulfilled, which now are assigned to them as their eternal 
 bane.' vedeste, like State and anyeste above, refers to umana gente. 
 lutto : cp. Inf. iv. 42, ' senza speme vivemo in disio.' 
 
 44. molti altri : the eminent and virtuous heathens who were 
 in Limbo, among whom was Virgil himself. This is the source of 
 his distress. 
 
 206 
 
III. 48-90] PURGATORIO 
 
 48. indarno, &c. : i. e. legs, however active, could not scale it. 
 
 49. Tra Lerici e Turbia : as Lerici is on the gulf of Spezia, 
 and Turbia stands on the heights above Monaco, the district here 
 intended is the mountainous coast of the Riviera, the eastern and 
 western extremities of which are marked by those two places. 
 Under the Roman empire this region was traversed by good roads, 
 as it is at the present day, but during the middle ages difficult tracks 
 afforded the only means of communication. This is referred to 
 again in Purg. iv. 25, where the descent to the town of Noli on 
 the western Riviera is mentioned as a specimen of a bad road. 
 
 52. cala : 'has a gradual descent,' lit. ' slopes.' 
 
 56. del cammin la mente : 'the character of the path.' 
 
 58-60. una gente : these were the spirits who formed the first 
 class of the Negligent, i. e. those who died excommunicate, though 
 they had made their peace with God at the last (see Prefatory Note 
 to this Canto), lente : the slowness of their movements corresponds 
 to the tardiness of their repentance. 
 
 64. libero piglio: 'cheerful look'; for piglio cp. Inf. xxiv. 20. 
 
 67-9. Ancora, &c. : ' 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 towards them).' Dico explains ancora di 
 lontano. 
 
 7 2 . Come, &c. : ' as one pauses to look who advances hesitatingly.* 
 The cause of their perplexity and fear was that Dante and Virgil 
 were walking towards the left, whereas the rule in Purgatory was 
 that a right hand course should be followed. Hence the spirits 
 are seen approaching from the left (1. 58), and they cause the Poets 
 to turn with them (1. loi). It was not Dante's being in the 
 body that surprised them, for that they had not yet discovered 
 (see 1. 88). 
 
 73-5. ben finiti : 'happy in your death.' si aspetti : 'is 
 waited for by you,' meaning 'is in waiting for you.' 
 
 76-8. giace: 'slopes'; cp. Inf. xxiii. 31. perder tempo, 
 &c. : a sort of proverbial expression ; ' the man of experience 
 especially dreads waste of time.' 
 
 83. Addcssandosi a lei: 'crowding on to her.' 
 
 85. la testa : ' the foremost.' 
 
 88-90. color dinanzi : ' those in front.' Si che, &c. : ' so 
 that my shadow was thrown towards the rock.' The Poets now 
 
 207 
 
PURGATORIO [III. 101-24 
 
 had the mountain on their right hand and the sun on their left; 
 consequently Dante's shadow was thrown towards his right in the 
 direction of the precipice. 
 
 1 01. Tornate, &c. : 'turn round and pass on in front of us.' 
 intrate : lit. ' enter on the road,' ' advance.' 
 
 104, 105. cosi andando : 'as you proceed,' without stopping. 
 di 1^ : ' in the other world.' vedesti : as Manfred, who is here 
 speaking, died in 1266, it was impossible that Dante, who was born 
 in 1265, should have seen him. 
 
 107. Biondo, &c. : one of the old chroniclers describes Manfred 
 as 'homo flavus, amoena facie'; see Toynbee, Diet., p. 359. 
 
 112, 113. Manfredi : Manfred, illegitimate son of the emperor 
 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. Their armies met in 1266 
 at Benevento, where Manfred was defeated and slain. There is 
 no historical evidence of his penitence, which Dante implies in this 
 passage; see 11. 12 1-3. Nepote : he avoids mentioning his father, 
 because he was illegitimate. Costanza : wife of the emperor 
 Henry VI, and mother of Frederic II. She is introduced in 
 the Paradiso in the Heaven of the Moon. 
 
 115, 116. figlia: Constance, who married Peter III of Aragon, 
 and was mother of Frederic king of Sicily and James king of 
 Aragon. Dell' oner, &c. : i. e. the two princes just mentioned. 
 As Dante speaks of them elsewhere in unfavourable terms (Par. 
 xix. 130-8 ; Conv. iv. 6. 11. 180-3 5 ^^ ^^k- ^loq. i. 12. 11. 36, 
 37), it is necessary to regard this favourable estimate as that of 
 their grandfather who is speaking. 
 
 117. il veto : i. e. that he is in the number of the saved. His 
 object in saying this is to intimate that her prayers can avail for him ; 
 see 11. 142-5. He does not desire to rehabilitate his character, 
 for the spirits in Purgatory, unlike those in Hell, do not desire 
 to be favourably remembered by the living; see note on Purg. 
 xiii. 150. 
 
 119. due: those mentioned in 11. 108 and m. 
 121. peccati: Villani (vi. 46) describes him as dissolute and 
 irreligious. 
 
 124 foil. Villani (vii. 9) says that Manfred's body was buried 
 under a heap of stones at the foot of the bridge of Benevento; 
 
 208 
 
III. 126-45] PURGATORIO 
 
 and that by some it was reported (though he would not himself 
 affirm it), that by the orders of Clement IV the bishop of Cosenza 
 removed it from that spot, because it was ground belonging to the 
 Church, after which it was buried on the banks of the Verde. 
 
 126. Avesse, &c. : ' had read aright this page in God's word,' 
 i. e. the passages which speak of God's infinite mercy to the penitent 
 sinner. quest a refers to 11. 122, 123. faccia : ior facciata, 
 ' page.' 
 
 128, 129. go: for capo; cp. Inf. xx. 76. mora: 'cairn,' 
 the heap of stones piled over him by Charles of Anjou's soldiers : 
 moriccia in Ital. is 'a pile of rubbish.' Diez (p. 217) compares 
 moraine. 
 
 131, 132. regno: the kingdom of Naples. quasi lungo : 
 ' near the banks of.' il Verde : now the Garigliano, on the confines 
 of the kingdom of Naples and the Campagna, which was papal 
 territory, a lume spento : lights were extinguished at the funeral 
 of an excommunicate person. 
 
 1 33-5. Per lor, &c. : ' souls are not so utterly lost through their 
 malediction (i. e. that of the rulers of the Church), that the eternal 
 love (the mercy of God) cannot be regained, so long as hope has 
 aught of green,' i. e. while there is a particle of hope — in other 
 words, while a man has still time for repentance. On fior used 
 in this sense see note on Inf. xxxiv. 26. 
 
 138. da questa ripa in fuore : ' without this bank,' i. e. outside 
 this steep rock which bounds the precincts of Purgatory. 
 
 139, 140. Per ogni . . . presunzion : 'thirtyfold the time 
 which he has lived in a state of defiance.' 
 
 142. far lieto : 'advance my happiness,' by aiding to shorten 
 the time of my exclusion. 
 
 145. Che qui, &c. : 'since we who are in Purgatory can be 
 greatly benefited by the prayers of those on earth.' 
 
 209 
 
PURGATORIO [IV. i-6 
 
 CANTO IV 
 
 Argument. — The Poets climb by a steep and narrow passage 
 through the cliffs, and then pursue their way upwards, until they 
 find a resting-place on the open mountain side. Here, as they 
 are facing eastwards, Dante is surprised at finding that the sun is 
 on his left hand ; but Virgil explains to him that this is only 
 natural, because the Mountain of Purgatory is in the southern 
 hemisphere. They now discover in their neighbourhood a company 
 of spirits in indolent attitudes, one of whom, Belacqua, a former 
 acquaintance of Dante, informs him that his own entry into Purgatory 
 is delayed in consequence of his having deferred his repentance until 
 the close of his life. 
 
 Lines 1-12. Dante was so engrossed in Manfred's story and 
 his conversation, that he paid no heed to the lapse of time until 
 he reached the point where the precipice could be ascended. In 
 these lines he introduces his reflexions on the psychical phenomenon, 
 that absorption in one subject excludes all observation of others. 
 
 1-4. Quando, &c. : ' when through delight, or maybe through 
 pain, which one of our energies conceives, the soul concentrates 
 itself wholly upon that energy, it seems that it pays no heed to 
 any other of its faculties besides this.' The difference which is 
 here intended to be made between potenza and virtu is more 
 fully drawn out by Dante in Conv. iii. 2, where he distinguishes 
 between the three faculties of the soul {^potenze^ 11. 85, 86) — viz. 
 Life, Sensation, and Reason — and these same faculties in activity, or 
 energies {virtu, 11. 122, 123). These terms correspond respectively 
 to the 8wa/At? and ivipyeta of Aristotle. 
 
 5, 6. E questo, &c. : ' and this confutes the erroneous view, that 
 more than one soul is generated (lit. kindled) within us.' The unity 
 of the soul is proved by its inability to concentrate itself on more 
 than one thing at a time. The erroneous view here referred to 
 is that of Plato in the Timaeus (p. 69, C. foil.), who held that there 
 was in man an immortal and a mortal soul, the latter being again 
 subdivided into two parts. Dante was acquainted with the Timaeus, 
 
 210 
 
IV. 7-27] PURGATORIO 
 
 that dialogue of Plato having been translated into Latin. His 
 argument here is that of Aquinas on the same subject — 'una operatic 
 animae, cum fuerit intensa, impedit aliam ; quod nullo modo contingeret, 
 nisi principium actionum esset per essentiam unum ' ; Summa, i . Q. 
 76, Art. 3. Cp. Aristotle, Eth. Nic x. 5. 3, 4. 
 
 7-9. E pero, &c. : the general observation just made is here 
 applied to the particular instance in point : ' and so it comes to pass 
 that, when any thing is heard or seen, which keeps the soul engrossed 
 upon it (forte a se volta), time passes by without one's being 
 aware of it.* 
 
 10-2. Ch' altra, &c. : 'for the faculty which listens to what 
 is heard (the sense of hearing) is one, and that which dominates 
 the soul as a whole (the reason) is another (they are separate 
 faculties) : the latter is as it were bound (i. e. is prevented from 
 working), the former is in free exercise.' Two of the faculties 
 of the soul, viz. sensation and reason, are here mentioned, and 
 when one of these is in active exercise (Dante says) the other is 
 in abeyance. 
 
 15. cinquanta gradi : the time would be about 9 a.m. 
 
 18. vostro domando : ' what you inquired for.' 
 
 19-21. aperta : for apertura. impruna : lit. 'fills with 
 brambles ' ; ' wider is oftentimes the gap which the villager hedges 
 up with a small forkful of his thorns.' imbruna : ' is gathering 
 colour ' ; this clause is added, because the object of the husbandman 
 in closing the gap in his hedge is to prevent his grapes from being 
 stolen. 
 
 22. calla: this word, both here and in Purg. ix. 123, means 
 ' an entrance,' ' an opening ' ; similarly callaia in Purg. xxv. 7. 
 Both these words seem to be other forms of calle^ with a slight 
 variation of meaning, onde : ' by which.' saline : for the use 
 of ne here and in partine (1. 24) cp. vane for se ne va in 
 Purg. xxv. 42. 
 
 25-7. Vassi, &c. : the difficult ascent here is compared to 
 the staircase paths which lead up to the towns of Sanleo near San 
 Marino, and Bismantova near Reggio in the Modenese, and to that 
 which descends the mountain side to Noli between San Remo and 
 Savona. ' 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.' 
 su Bismantova in cacume : lit. ' to the height at the top of 
 
 211 p 2 
 
PURGATORIO [IV. 29-75 
 
 Bismantova.* con esso i pie : i. e. without further aid than the 
 feet. When esso indecl. is used with con, it bears this meaning of 
 'only'; cp. Inf. xxxii. 62; Purg. xxiv. 98. uom: 'one'; see 
 note on Purg. xv. 30. 
 
 29. condotto : ' guidance/ sc. that of Virgil, condotto is used 
 elsewhere in the sense of condotta ; see Vocah. Tramater. 
 
 31, 32. salavam : a Florentine dialectic form o£ salivam; the 
 MS. authority for it here is very strong, d' ogni lato, &c. : * on 
 either hand the wall of rock hemmed us in.' For ogni in the sense 
 of 'either' cp. Purg. ii. 22. 
 
 34. orlo supremo : ' upper rim ' ; they had now come out from 
 the passage through the rock on to the open hill side. 
 
 37, 38. Nessun, &c. : 'see that your footsteps slip not,' i.e. 
 
 * look well to your foothold ' — sensible advice, when the incline was 
 45° (1. 42). acquista : 'advance,' lit. 'gain ground'; the word 
 is used in a somewhat similar sense in Inf. xxvi. 126, ' Sempre 
 acquistando dal lato mancino.' 
 
 41, 42. superba: 'steep.' da mezzo, &c. : 'a line which 
 marks an angle of 45°.' As the circle consists of 360°, the fourth 
 part of that (quadrante) is 90°, and the half of that again (mezzo 
 quadrante) is 45°; and an angle of 45" is a steep gradient for 
 walking. From 1. 50 we learn that they went up on all fours 
 (carpando). 
 
 47, 48. balzo : ' ridge of rock.' il poggio, &c. : 'runs round 
 the entire mountain.' 
 
 51. Tanto che, &c. : 'until the whole of the encircling ledge 
 was beneath my feet.' 
 
 54. Che suole, &c. : ' for a man is wont to find pleasure in 
 looking back,' i. e. over the ground which he has ascended, altrui : 
 used in a general sense, for ' a person ' ; cp. Purg. xiii. 3 ; 
 xxviii. 128. 
 
 57. da sinistra : they were on the eastern side of the mountain, 
 facing outwards, and, as is subsequently explained, the sun was in 
 the north at this time of day (towards mid-day, 11. 137, 138), since 
 they were in the southern hemisphere. 
 
 60. tra noi . . . intrava : ' was passing (lit. entering on its way) 
 between,' &c. ; cp. intrate, Purg. iii. loi. 
 
 61-75. The speech of Virgil which follows amounts to this: — 
 
 * You are surprised at seeing the sun in the north ; the case is even 
 
 212 
 
IV. 61-75] PURGATORIO 
 
 stranger than you think : if you were here in the month of June, the 
 path of the sun in the heavens would appear still nearer to the northern 
 horizon (11. 61-6). The explanation of this phenomenon is, that 
 the Mountain of Purgatory is in the southern hemisphere, and forms 
 the antipodes to Jerusalem in the northern hemisphere (11. 67-71). 
 In the former the sun is seen in the northern part of the sky, just as 
 in the latter it is seen in the southern part (11. 71-5).' 
 
 6r-6. Se Castore, «fec. : 'If the sun — the luminary which 
 enlightens both hemispheres — were in Gemini (as it is in the month 
 of June), you would see the part of the zodiac which is illuminated 
 by the sun (in other words, the sun's course) revolve still nearer to 
 the north pole than it does now, supposing always that it (the sun) 
 kept to its appointed track.' Castore e Polluce : the constellation 
 of Gemini, in which the sun is in part of May and June, specchio : 
 the sun is called a ' mirror,' because it reflects the rays which emanate 
 from God. Che su, &c. : ' which causes its light to shine (lit. 
 bears the gift of its light) both in the upper and the lower hemisphere.' 
 rubecchio : ' blazing,' because of the sun's presence in it. Se non, 
 &c. : i. e. unless the impossible were to happen, viz. that the sun 
 should desert his ordinary course. At the same time there is 
 a further reference to Phaethon's mishap. 
 
 67-71. Come, &c. : 'If you desire to understand how this can 
 be, concentrate your thoughts (Dentro raccolto) and realize to 
 yourself that the relative position of Jerusalem and the Mountain 
 of Purgatory on the face of the globe is such, that they have 
 a common horizon and are in opposite hemispheres.' Sion : on 
 this line, and those which rhyme with it, as being ten-syllable lines, 
 see note on Inf. iv. 56. 
 
 71-5. onde, &c. : 'consequently you will see, if you give good 
 heed (1. 75), that it necessarily follows (come convien) that the 
 path from which to his misfortune Phaethon strayed (i. e. the sun's 
 course through the heavens, or ecliptic) must pass on the one side 
 at this place (a cestui), when it passes on the other side at that 
 place (a colui) ' ; in other words — ' at the Mountain of Purgatory 
 the sun is seen towards the N., when at Jerusalem it is seen towards 
 the S.' mal : unfortunately for himself, because it caused his death ; 
 for mal in this sense cp. Inf. ix. 54 ; xii. 66. Feton : see note 
 on Inf. xvii. 107. ben chiaro bada : 'is clear and gives good 
 heed.' 
 
 213 
 
PURGATORIO [IV. 77-106 
 
 77, 78. Non vidi, &c. : 'never did I see any matter as clearly 
 as now I understand — with regard to the point which my intellect 
 seemed not to grasp — that/ &c. 
 
 79. ' The highest heaven that moves ' (il moto supemo) is the 
 Primum Mobile^ or Crystalline Heaven ; and its ' middle circle ' is its 
 equator ; cp. Conv. ii. 4. 11. 48-58. 
 
 80. alcun' arte : * a certain science,' viz. astronomy ; alcuna 
 is used of something referred to but not named; cp. Inf. xx. 113, 
 alcun loco. 
 
 81. che sempre, &c. : this means, that when it is winter with 
 us, the sun is on the further side of the equator, and when it is 
 winter in the southern hemisphere, the sun is on the hither side 
 of the equator. 
 
 82-4. quinci, &c. : 'at the Mountain of Purgatory the equator 
 lies away as far towards the north as it appeared to the Jews 
 to lie towards the south ' (or what we call ' the hot region '). 
 The Mountain of Purgatory and Jerusalem are the centres of 
 two hemispheres, of which the equator is the common horizon. 
 Vedevan is in the past tense, because the time at which the Jews 
 possessed Jerusalem is spoken of. 
 
 88-90. Questa montagna, &c. : this is an allegorical description 
 of the progress of repentance, which in its earlier stages is hard, 
 but in time becomes more and more easy, e men fa male : ' it is 
 less distressing for all that ' ; for this use of e, expressing contrast, 
 cp. Inf. xix. 3 (where see note); xxx. 115. 
 
 93. a seconda, &c. : ' sailing downward with the stream.' 
 95. di riposar 1* a£fanno : 'to rest your weariness.' 
 98, 99. Una voce : the spirits whom we here meet with form 
 the second class of those in Ante-Purgatory, viz. those who delayed 
 their repentance until the last through indolence, forse Che : ' may 
 be that'; cp. Inf. xxiii. 79. distretta : 'need' ; 'before arriving 
 at the summit you will need to sit down.' 
 
 105. Com' uom ... a star si pone : ' in the position a person 
 assumes'; both star here and si stavano in 1. 104 signify simply 
 position. 
 
 106. un di lor: this person, as we learn from I. 123, was 
 Belacqua, who is said to have been a maker of musical instruments 
 in Florence, and an acquaintance of Dante, whose chief characteristic 
 was his indolence. 
 
 214 
 
IV. 113-38] PURGATORIO 
 
 113. Movendo, &c. : 'just moving his face along his thigh*; 
 he does not raise it until 1. 118. His overpowering indolence 
 prevents him from exerting himself further. 
 
 116. avacciava: 'quickened.' Both this word and the adv. 
 avaccio (Inf. x. 116) are obsolete. Diez (p. 353) derives them 
 from Lat. abigere, abactus^ ahact'iare. 
 
 119, 120. Hai ben, &c. : ' are you quite satisfied about the sun 
 driving his chariot on your left hand ? ' This implies a mild contempt 
 on the lazy man's part for one who troubles himself about superfluous 
 questions, as Dante had done in 11. 56 foil. 
 
 123. a me non duole, &c. : ' I am no longer distressed on your 
 account,' seeing that you are not among the lost. 
 
 125, 126. Quiritta: 'just here,' ' in this particular spot ' ; ritta 
 or r/V/o, when attached to qui^ gives additional definiteness ; cp. 
 Purg. xvii. 86, 'quiritta si ristora.' O pur, &c. : 'or is it merely 
 that your wonted habit of indolence has once more mastered you ? ' 
 
 127-9. che porta: 'what avails?' L' uccel di Dio : the 
 angel, who sits at the gate at the entrance of Purgatory proper, 
 Purg. ix. 80. 
 
 1 30-2. m' aggiri : ' should revolve round me ' ; cp. Inf. vi. 112, 
 ' Noi aggirammo a tondo quella strada.' The meaning is ' that so 
 long time should pass for me.' The class of the Negligent to which 
 Belacqua belonged was detained in Ante-Purgatory for a period equal 
 to that of their life on earth ; see Pref. Note to Canto III. Di 
 fuor da essa : ' while I am still outside the gate.' fece : ' it did 
 so.' buon sospiri : ' pious sighs of repentance.' 
 
 135. L' altra : the prayers of ungodly persons. 
 
 137. tocco : iox toccato. 
 
 138. dalla riva : ' from the bank of the Ganges ' ; see note on 
 Purg. ii. 1-9. ' Night, starting from the bank of the Ganges, is 
 now falling on Morocco with her advancing foot.' As it was 
 midday in Purgatory, it would be midnight in Jerusalem, which was 
 its antipodes ; and the hemisphere of which Jerusalem was the centre, 
 extending from the mouth of the Ganges towards the E. to Morocco 
 in the W., would be in darkness. The name Morocco — like Spain, 
 Gades, and the Pillars of Hercules — is used by Dante to denote the 
 western limit of the habitable globe, which extended over 180° of 
 longitude. 
 
 215 
 
PURGATORIO [v. 4-36 
 
 CANTO V 
 
 Argument. — As they advance up the mountain side, they meet 
 with other spirits, who had suffered a violent death, but had been 
 allowed time for repentance. Dante is accosted by three of them : 
 by Jacopo del Cassero, who describes the circumstances of his 
 murder ; by Buonconte da Montefeltro, who tells him of his death 
 after the battle of Campaldino, and of what subsequently befell his 
 soul and body; and by La Pia, a lady of Siena. 
 
 Lines 4, 5. Non par, &c. ; ' the sun's rays do not seem to 
 shine on the left-hand side of the lower of the two figures.' Dante 
 was following Virgil up the steep ascent, and therefore was below 
 him. As they were on the east side of the mountain (Purg. iv. 53), 
 and were facing towards the mountain in ascending, and it was 
 midday (Purg. iv. 137, 138), the sun was on their right hand, and 
 Dante's shadow fell towards the left. 
 
 6. come vivo, &c. : ' his demeanour resembles that of a living 
 person ' ; si conduca, lit. ' bears himself.' 
 
 10. Perche, &c. : ' why is thy mind so occupied ? ' 
 
 16-8. Che sempre, &c. : Virgil gives this as the reason, why 
 Dante should not pay attention to the comments which others make 
 upon him, viz. that they are liable to make him change his views, 
 and so divert him from his purpose. ' The man in whose mind 
 one view springs up in succession to a former view puts out of sight 
 his aim, because the one weakens the force of the other.' 
 
 20. color : the blush of shame. 
 
 23, 24. genti : these were the spirits of those who had deferred 
 their repentance until late, and had met a violent death; see 11. 52, 
 53. Miserere: Ps. li., the specially penitential Psalm, 'Have 
 mercy upon me, O God,' &c. a verso a verso : ' in alternate 
 verses ' ; this implies that they were divided into two companies. 
 
 26. Per lo mio corpo : 'owing to my body'; because it was 
 interposed. 
 
 34-6. per veder, &c. : ' owing to the sight of his shadow.' 
 esser puo lor caro : ' that may be to their advantage ' ; because he 
 can urge their friends on earth to pray for them, and thus shorten 
 their time of waiting. For caro in this sense cp. Inf. xxxii. 91. 
 
 216 
 
V. 37-69] PURGATORIO 
 
 37-9. Vapori accesi, &c. : the rapid return of the two spirits 
 is compared to the movement of shooting stars and summer lightning. 
 Both these phenomena are included by Dante under 'ignited vapours/ 
 that being Aristotle's view of their origin, Meteorol. ii. 9. i. The 
 shooting stars are those which ' cleave the clear sky/ 1. 38 ; the 
 summer lightning those which ' cleave the clouds,' 1. 39. Di prima 
 notte : Albertus Magnus — who is one of Dante's authorities — in 
 his Meteor a^ i. 3. 5, quotes Alfraganus as saying that falling stars 
 occur especially ' in crepusculo vespertine ' ; see Moore, Studies^ 
 i. p. 132. nuvole d' agosto : the construction is, ne vidi vapori 
 accesi si tosto fender* nuvole d' agosto. 
 
 42. schiera, &c. : 'a troop of horse that comes on at full 
 gallop.' 
 
 44, 45. a pregar: * to ask a favour of you.' pur va: 'go 
 on without stopping.* 
 
 46. per esser lieta: 'to reach the realm of bliss.' 
 
 50. di 1^ : to the land of the living. His desire is to obtain 
 intercessory prayer ; cp. 11. 70-2. 
 
 54. Quivi: ' at that moment.' ne fece acccrti : 'admonished 
 us ' ; this was their ' call ' from God. 
 
 57. Che del disio, &c. : ' who stirs our hearts with the 
 desire,' &c. 
 
 58. Perche: ' however much ' ; cp. Inf. iv. 64; viii. 121. 
 
 60. ben nati : 'born in a happy hour,' because destined to 
 salvation ; similarly ' anima mal nata ' is used of a condemned soul, 
 Inf. V. 7. 
 
 61-3. per quella pace, &c. : ' I swear to you by the bliss of 
 heaven, which causes me to go in quest of it,' &c. si fatta guida : 
 ' the guide whom you behold,' i. e. Virgil. Di mondo in mondo : 
 ' from one realm to another of the world of spirits.' 
 
 64. uno : this is Jacopo del Cassero of Fano, who had been 
 podesta of Bologna, and was appointed podesta of Milan by Maffeo 
 Visconti in 1298. When journeying thither, he was secretly 
 attacked and slain at Oriago in the neighbourhood of Padua by 
 assassins in the service of Azzo VIII of Este, who had a grudge 
 of long standing against him. 
 
 66. Pur che, &c. : ' provided that inability on your part cancels 
 not your goodwill.' 
 
 68, 69. quel paese, &c. : the March of Ancona, in which 
 
 217 
 
PURGATORIO • [v. 70-88 
 
 Fano was situated. It lay between the Romagna to the NW. 
 and the kingdom of Naples to the S., the latter of which was 
 ruled at this time by Charles II of Anjou (quel di Carlo). 
 
 70-2. Che tu, &c. : 'that thou wilt graciously make request 
 for me, so that pious prayers may be offered on my behalf, that 
 I may be permitted to cleanse away my grievous sins,' i. e. to enter 
 Purgatory proper, in Fano : after his death his body was conveyed 
 to Fano, his birthplace. 
 
 74. in sul qual, &c. : ' which was the seat of my life,' of me 
 the soul ; cp. Gen. ix. 4, ' the life, which is the blood ' ; Levit. 
 xvii. II. * 
 
 75. in grembo agli Antenori : 'in the bosom (the very midst) 
 of the sons of Antenor,' i.e. the people of Padua. The spot was 
 traditionally well suited for such a deed, since Padua was said 
 to have been founded by the traitor Antenor : see note on Inf. 
 xxxii. 70. For the use of in grembo a, when a place is spoken 
 of, cp. Inf. xii. 119, 'in grembo a Dio,' of a church at Viterbo. 
 The expressions here introduced suggest that Dante believed the 
 Paduans to have been in league with Azzo. 
 
 76. piu sicuro : because it was outside the territory of Este. 
 
 78. pill 1^ che, &c. : ' beyond the limits of what justice 
 demanded.' This implies that Azzo had some just claims against 
 him ; in fact, Jacopo, when he was podesth of Bologna, had accused 
 Azzo of treachery. 
 
 79. la Mira : this village was on the high road between Oriago 
 and Venice. Had Jacopo followed this road, instead of diverging 
 into the fen country {al palude, 1. 82), he would have still been in the 
 land of the living (di Ik dove si spira). 
 
 82. al palude : cj^. Par. ix. 46, v/here palude is again used 
 masc. 
 
 85. un altro : this is Buonconte da Montefeltro, son of that 
 Guido di Montefeltro who is introduced in Inf. xxvii. among the 
 fraudulent counsellors. He fought on the side of the Ghibellines 
 of Arezzo, and was wounded, at the battle of Campaldino in 1289, 
 in which Dante was engaged on the Guelf side. He here describes 
 the manner of his death and what followed. His body was never 
 found, se, &c. : ' so may that desire of thine be fulfilled.' 
 
 88. fui : the past tense is used, because his title was a thing of 
 the past ; his personal name remains to him, and therefore is spoken 
 
 218 
 
V. 89-114] PURGATORIO 
 
 of in the present tense (son); cp. Par. vi. lo, 'Cesare fui, e son 
 Giustiniano.* 
 
 89. Giovanna : his wife. Neither she nor any of his friends, 
 he says, prayed for him that he might be allowed to enter Purgatory 
 sooner. Here and in what follows Dante lays stress on every point \y 
 which enhances the feeling of desolation in Buonconte's story. 
 
 92. Campaldino : the battlefield of Campaldino is a small plain 
 on the left bank of the Arno, in the district of the Casentino, which 
 forms part of the upper valley of that river above Arezzo. 
 
 95, 96. r Archiano : this stream descends from the main chain 
 of the Apennines, and joins the Arno on its left bank, forming the 
 limit of the Casentino in that direction. Ermo : i.e. Eremo or 
 Hermitage, the name of the upper monastery of Camaldoli. 
 
 97. Dove, «&c. 'where its name of Archiano is lost in that 
 of Arno,' i. e. where it joins that stream. The distance of this 
 point from Campaldino is two miles and a half. 
 
 100. parola : lit. ' power of speech' ; 'the last word I uttered 
 was an invocation of Mary.* 
 
 103. tu il ridi* : his object in making this request was, that it 
 might be known that he was saved, and that thus he might obtain 
 the prayers of his friends; cp. 11. 87, 89. 
 
 104. L' Angel, &c. : the rival claims of the angel and the 
 devil for Buonconte's soul, as described in this passage, are the 
 counterpart of, but in strong contrast with, the contest between 
 St. Francis and the devil for the soul of his father Guido, as related 
 in Inf. xxvii. 112 foil. 
 
 106-8. r eterno : 'the immortal part.' io faro, &c. : 'with 
 the other (the mortal part) I will deal in other wise ' ; for govemo 
 meaning 'treatment' cp. Inf. xxvii. 47. 
 
 109— II. Ben sal, &c. : as Dante was on the spot during the 
 battle, he experienced this rain-storm and its effects, which he here 
 so elaborately describes. The account of the formation of rain is 
 from Aristotle, Meteor ol. i. 9. 3, crwiVrarat 7raA.1v r] arfjus ij/vxo/Jievrf 
 Bid re T7]v aTToAeti/^tv rov Oepixov kol tov tottov (the region of the air), 
 Kttt ytVerat vSwp c^ dipo^i^ yevo/xcvov Se ^eperat 7raA.tv Trpos 
 Tr]v yrjv. 
 
 1 1 2-4. Giunse, &c. : ' the devil (quel d' inferno, 1. 104) combined 
 the malign will, which desires naught but evil, with intelligence.' 
 This combination of malice and cunning is the most fruitful source 
 
 219 
 
PURGATORIO [v. 113-36 
 
 of mischief, as Dante says — 'Che dove V argomento della mente 
 Si giunge al mal volere ed alia possa, Nessun riparo vi pud far la 
 gente,' Inf. xxxi. 55-7. 
 
 113, 114. fummo : 'vapour/ Per la virtu, &c. : 'by the 
 power (= /a possa of Inf. xxxi. 56) which his nature furnished.' 
 
 115, 116. la valle, &c. : the upper valley of the Arno is 
 bounded on the NE. by the main chain of the Apennines (al gran 
 giogo), and on the SW. by the parallel range of Prato Magno. 
 
 117, 118. e il ciel, &c. : 'and caused the sky above to be 
 so compressed, that the charged air turned to water.* Aristotle 
 explains in MeteoroL ii. 4. 14, that it was the compression exercised 
 by cold on the contents of the clouds which caused them to be too 
 dense for the clouds to hold them, so that they burst in torrents 
 of rain; see Moore, Studies, i. p. 301. 
 
 119, 120. fossati : 'watercourses.' non sofferse : 'did not 
 absorb.' 
 
 121, 122. E come, &c. : 'and when it met the great streams ' : 
 by ' it ' is meant the surplus water (cio che la terra non sofferse), 
 and the ' great streams ' are the Archiano and other tributaries of 
 the Arno, which are great in comparison of the 'watercourses.' 
 lo fiume real : the Arno ; so Villani says, when speaking of the 
 rivers of Tuscany (i. 43) — 'intra gh altri reale e maggiore si e il 
 nostro fiume d' Arno.' 
 
 124. in sulla foce : 'at its mouth,' i.e. where it joined the 
 Arno; cp. 11. 97, 98. 
 
 127-9. Ch' io fei di me : i. e. by crossing his arras, il dolor: 
 the agony of death, sua preda : ' its spoil,' i. e. the dSris which 
 its stream was hurrying along. 
 
 132. Seguito, &c. : 'so spake the third after the second spirit.' 
 
 133. la Pia : La Pia was a lady of Siena, and a member of 
 the Tolomei family. She was married to Nello dei Pannocchieschi, 
 and was put to death by him in 1295, but of the manner of her 
 death nothing is certainly known. 
 
 134. disfecemi Maremma : ' Maremma unmade me,' i.e. was 
 the scene of my death. The Maremma is the district which borders 
 the coast of Tuscany. 
 
 I35i 136. Salsi : for se lo sa^ 'he is privy to it,' i. e. to my 
 death, che innanellata pria, &c. : ' who previously (i. e. before 
 putting me to death) had placed his ring on my finger in matrimony 
 
 220 
 
VI. 1-3] PURGATORIO 
 
 (disposando),* i. e. her husband Nello. There is good MS. 
 authority for the reading disposata (or disposato) in place of dis- 
 posando ; and the passage has then been translated — ' He knows 
 it who had wedded me with his ring after I had been previously- 
 married (innanellata pria)/ In support of this interpretation, 
 and of the reading which renders it necessary, it has been maintained 
 that La Pia's maiden name was Pia Guastelloni, and that she was 
 first married to Baldo dei Tolomei, and after his death became 
 the wife of Nello : but this account has been proved false by the 
 recent discovery in the Sienese archives of documents which show 
 that Pia Guastelloni was still alive, as the widow of Baldo, in 1 3 1 8 ; 
 see Toynbee, Dict.^ p. 428. 
 
 CANTO VI 
 
 Argument. — Dante is importuned by other spirits to request their 
 friends on earth to pray for them, that their time of waiting in Ante- 
 Purgatory may be shortened. Virgil now solves a doubt which had 
 arisen in Dante's mind concerning the efficacy of intercessory prayer, 
 but refers him to Beatrice for further instruction on that subject. 
 They next meet Sordello the troubadour, who, like Virgil, was 
 a native of Mantua ; and when the two spirits discover that they are 
 fellow-countrymen, they embrace affectionately. This display of 
 sympathy furnishes Dante with an opportunity of inveighing against 
 the want of patriotism in the Italian cities, and of dwelling on the 
 need of the exercise of the Imperial power to remedy their disorders. 
 
 Lines i— 12. Dante compares his position in the midst of the 
 spirits, who throng about him to solicit his good offices in obtaining 
 for them the intercession of their friends on earth, to that of the 
 winner in a game of dice, who is the object of the importunity 
 of the bystanders. 
 
 1-3. Quando, &c. : 'when the game of " hazard " breaks up,' 
 i. e. when the players disperse, zara : a game of chance, played 
 with three dice. The word is connected with Span. a%ar, Fr. hasard, 
 Engl. ha%ard, which signify ' chance ' or * risk,' and originally meant 
 * a die.' They are all derived from %dr or al %dr, which in Persian, 
 
 221 
 
PURGATORIO [VI. 5-22 
 
 Turkish, and vulgar Arabic means 'a die.' Ripetendo, &c. : ' going 
 over the throws again, and moodily learns to profit by his experience.' 
 
 5. il prende : 'plucks at his robe.' 
 
 7-9. questo, &c. : ' gives heed first to one and then to another,' 
 so as to put them off. A cui, &c. : ' those to whom he proffers 
 a gift cease to crowd round him.' calca : ' throng ' ; cp, Purg. 
 xviii. 92. 
 
 13-5. All the persons who are now mentioned met violent or 
 sudden deaths, but repented of their sins at the last moment. 
 r Aretin : Benincasa of Arezzo, who in the capacity of judge 
 passed sentence of death on one or more relations of Ghino di 
 Tacco, a famous highwayman of that time. In revenge for this, 
 Ghino attacked and murdered Benincasa in open court at Rome, 
 where he was acting as Papal assessor. 1' altro : Guccio dei 
 Tarlati of Arezzo, a young man who was drowned in the Arno, 
 when in pursuit of some adherents of another Aretine family, the 
 Bostoli, with whom the Tarlati were at feud. 
 
 17. Federico Novello : he belonged to the family of the Conti 
 Guidi of Romena, and was killed by one of the Bostoli. quel da 
 Pisa : Farinata, son of Marzucco degli Scornigiani, a gentleman of Pisa 
 who was murdered. According to the most probable version of the 
 story here referred to, the courage of Marzucco consisted in his 
 self-control. He had before this joined the Franciscan Order, and 
 on the occasion of his son's death, instead of calling for vengeance 
 on his murderer, he expressed his willingness to be reconciled with 
 him. The epithet buon agrees with this. 
 
 19-21. Cent' Orso : his death was due to his relation Count 
 Alberto di Mangona. astio : 'hate.' inveggia : 'envy,' for 
 invUia ; the form here is derived from Provencal enveja : cp. inveg- 
 g'lare for invidiare^ Par. xii. 142. commisa : for commessa. 
 
 22. Pier dalla Broccia: Pierre de la Brosse, chamberlain of 
 Philip III of France. He was put to death in 1278 on a charge 
 of treason brought against him by his enemies, one of whom was 
 Philip's queen, Mary of Brabant, whom Pierre had previously 
 accused of having poisoned Philip's son by his first wife. On the 
 strength of Pierre's own statement (Come dicea, 1. 21) Dante 
 acquits him of the charge of treason (colpa commisa), as is shown 
 by his remarks on the queen which follow, provveggia : ' take 
 heed,' by repenting in time. 
 
 222 
 
VI. 24-39] PURGATORIO 
 
 24. pero : ' because of (i. e. in retribution for) this.' di peggior 
 greggia : ' in a worse company/ i. e. among the perjurors in the 
 tenth holgia of Malebolgc. 
 
 26, 27. che pregar, &c. : 'whose only prayer was that another 
 should pray for them.' s' avacci : see note on Purg. iv. 116. 
 
 28. lo cominciai : Dante here begs Virgil to solve for him a 
 question which had arisen in his mind with regard to the efficacy 
 of prayer. 
 
 29. espresso: 'expressly/ 'in so many words.' in alcun 
 testo : ' in a certain passage ' ; this is one of Dante's methods of 
 quotation, as in Inf. xx. 113, ' L' alta mia Tragedia in alcun loco.' 
 When alcuno is thus used, it signifies something referred to but not 
 named. The passage here intended is Aen. vi. 376, ' Desine fata 
 deum flecti sperare precando.' It is not clear at first sight how the 
 question of the efficacy of prayer suggested itself to Dante's mind 
 in the present connexion, for there is nothing in what precedes 
 which directly leads up to it. It seems probable, however, that it 
 originated in two points of resemblance between the case of Palinurus, 
 which is about to be noticed, and those of the spirits in this group — 
 viz. (i) that he met a violent death, and (2) that owing to his being 
 unburied he had to wait for a period before crossing the Styx (Aen. 
 vi. 329), just as these spirits were delayed in entering Purgatory. 
 The story of Palinurus, which is thus suggested, leads him to reflect 
 on the sentiment, 'Desine fata,' &c., which occurs in the passage of 
 Virgil relating to it. 
 
 33. O non, &c. : it is noticeable that Dante does not even hint 
 at the possibility of Virgil having been himself in error. In a matter 
 of this sort he would regard him as having been to a certain extent 
 inspired. 
 
 37-9. Che cima, &c. : 'for the height of God's judgement is 
 not lowered (i. e. the strictness of God's judgement is not abated), 
 since the fervent love which is expressed by intercessory prayer 
 fulfils in a moment the satisfaction required from those who have 
 their abode here.' The question raised is — 'If God's justice is 
 absolute, how can it be tempered by pj-ayer ? ' The answer is — 
 ' The absolute satisfaction which God's justice requires is given ; 
 for the love which is involved in the intercessory prayers is an 
 equivalent for the postponement of the soul's purgation which is 
 ordained by God's justice. 
 
 223 
 
PURGATORIO [VI. 40-58 
 
 40-2. E 1^, &c. : 'and in that instance (i.e. the case of 
 Palinurus) where I laid down that principle (viz. ' Desine fata,' &c.), 
 that which was lacking was not made up for by means of prayer, 
 because the prayer could not reach the ears of God (being made 
 by one who, as a heathen, was not in covenant with God).* 
 Palinurus was helmsman to the ship of Aeneas, and was thrown 
 into the sea by the God of Sleep (Virg. Aen. v. 859) ; and when 
 he had swum to the shore of Italy he was murdered there by the 
 natives, and his body was left unburied {^en. vi. 359-62). When 
 Aeneas visited the infernal regions, he met the shade of Palinurus, 
 who entreated his aid to enable him to cross the Styx. 
 
 43-5. Veramente: 'nevertheless'; cp. Purg. ii. 98; Par. i. 
 10. a COS! alto, &c. : ' on so profound a question do not make 
 up your mind.' lume : Theology, which is represented in the 
 person of Beatrice, is the science which makes clear the highest 
 tmths to the intellect. 
 
 47, 48. in sulla vetta, &c. : i. e. in the Terrestrial Paradise, 
 which occupied the summit of the Mountain of Purgatory. It was 
 there that Beatrice revealed herself to Dante, Purg. xxx. 32. 
 ridere e felice: 'thou wilt see her smile, thou wilt see her 
 blissful ' ; there is a double construction of the infin. and the adj. 
 after vedrai. 
 
 49. a maggior fretta : the prospect of seeing Beatrice causes 
 Dante to lose his sense of fatigue, just as in Purg. xxvii. 40 foil, it 
 induces him to pass through the lire. 
 
 51. r ombra: the time is now afternoon, for in Purg. iv. 138 
 it was noon, and in vii. 43 evening is approaching ; consequently, 
 as they are on the eastern side, and the sun is declining toward the 
 west, the northern part of the mountain begins to be interposed 
 between them and the sun (1. 56), and for the same reason Dante's 
 body casts no shadow (1. 57). 
 
 54. il fatto, &c. : ' the state of the case is different from what you 
 imagine.' Dante underrated the amount of time required for the ascent. 
 
 55-7. Prima che, &c. : ' before you reach the summit, the sun 
 will have risen again.' romper : here used intrans. 
 
 58. un' anima : this is Sordello, the troubadour poet of Cent, 
 xiii. Of his life but little is known, except that he was at different 
 times a guest at the courts of many of the potentates of that period. 
 Since we find him in the part of the Ante-Purgatory which is 
 
 224 
 
VI. 61-96] PURGATORIO 
 
 assigned to those who met a violent death, it seems probable that 
 this happened in his case ; and there was a tradition to that effect, 
 though the fact is not mentioned in history. 
 
 61—3. Lombarda : he is called so, because his birthplace was 
 Goito in the Mantuan territory, so that he was a native of Lombardy. 
 Come, &c. : ' how proud and disdainful was thy attitude.' tarda : 
 the characteristics here attributed to Sordello are very much those 
 of the Magnanimous man in Aristotle, Eth. Nic. iv. 3. 34. 
 
 72. tutta in se romita : ' breaking its reserve,' lit. 'from being 
 all recluse in itself.' This description of Sordello's attitude is 
 intended to give point by contrast to his eagerness to welcome 
 a countryman. 
 
 76. Ahi serva Italia : the love of their native place which is 
 displayed by Virgil and Sordello is employed by Dante as an occasion 
 (i) for denouncing the bitter and selfish party spirit which prevailed 
 in the Italian cities, and the insubordination and want of unity which 
 was found throughout the peninsula; and (2) for proclaiming the 
 recognition of the sovereign power of the Empire as the remedy 
 for these. 
 
 81. festa: ' glad welcome.' 
 
 82. non stanno, &c. : 'are not free from war.' 
 
 86. seno : as contrasted with the prode marine, this signifies the 
 interior of the country. 
 
 88-90. Che val, &c. : the meaning is : — ' What avails it that 
 Justinian by compiling his Code of law should have recast the 
 principles of right government, if there is no one at the head 
 of affairs to enforce those principles ? ' The question is further 
 discussed in Purg. xvi. 94 foil, perche: for this word used in 
 the sense of che, 'that,' cp. Inf. xiii. 57. Senz' esse: i.e. if 
 Justinian had not reformed the legislation. 
 
 91-3. Ahi gente, &c. : the persons here addressed are the same 
 as in Guarda (1. 94) and ponesti (1. 96), viz. the ecclesiastics, 
 whereas esta fiera (1. 94) means the people of Italy. It was the 
 duty of the ecclesiastics to attend to matters of religion (esser 
 devota), and to leave the direction of politics to the emperor 
 (lasciar seder, &c.). cio che, &c. : 'the appointment of God,* 
 viz. ' Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,' Mark xii. 17. 
 
 94-6. com' esta, &c. : ' how vicious this beast (the people) has 
 become.' Poi che, &c. : ' since ye ecclesiastics have put your hand 
 
 T02ER 225 Q 
 
PURGATORTO [vi. 97-115 
 
 to the headstall,' i. e. have assumed the temporal power, predella 
 is the same word as Engl, 'bridle,' and is here used of the headstall 
 by which a horse is led; Blanc, Versuch^ ii. p. i8. 
 
 97. Alberto : son of Rudolf (// tuo padre ^ 1. 103), of the 
 Hapsburg family, emperor from 1298 to 1308; in the latter year 
 he was murdered. He paid no attention to the affairs of Italy. 
 
 loi, 102. il tuo sangue: 'thy Hfe'; a prediction of his 
 murder, from the point of view of 1300 a.d., the supposed date 
 of Dante's Vision, nuovo ed aperto : 'strange and manifest.' 
 il tuo successor : Henry of Luxemburg. The reference to 
 Albert's death shows that these lines were written after 1308, 
 while the warning addressed to Henry VII proves that they were 
 written before his death in 1 3 1 3 ; in fact, we might go further, 
 and say that, since 1. 102 implies that Henry was still hesitating 
 about coming into Italy, they were earlier than 13 10, when he 
 arrived. These inferences are of importance, as determining within 
 certain limits the date of composition of this part of the poem. 
 
 103-5. Che, &c. : 'for thou and thy father, diverted by your 
 greed of those transalpine lands (i. e. eagerness to acquire possessions 
 in Germany), have allowed that,' &c. 
 
 106, 107. Vieni: this word is repeated four times, at the 
 commencement of this and the following tercets, for the sake of 
 emphasis; see note on Inf. v. 100. Montecchi, &c. : the 
 Montagues and Capulets (to use the Shakespearian forms of the 
 names) were rival families in Verona ; the Monaldi and Filippeschi 
 were rival families, Guelf and Ghibelline respectively, in Orvieto. 
 Dante hoped that the feuds between them might be healed by the 
 coming of the Emperor. 
 
 108. tristi: 'in low estate,' owing to their feuds, con so- 
 spetti : ' mistrusting one another.' 
 
 109, no. pressura: 'distress'; cp. Luke xxi. 25 (Vulg.), 
 ' pressura gentium,' ' distress of nations.' gentili : ' nobility.' lor 
 magagne : ' the wrongs which afflict them.' 
 
 III. Santafior : Santafiora was a district in the territory of 
 Siena, sicura : this is ironical. The misfortunes of the Counts 
 of Santafiora are alluded to. Oscura is also read here, but has less 
 MS. authority ; it would mean ' darkened by calamity.' 
 
 115. quanto s' ama : iron. ; 'how much love is lost between 
 them.' 
 
 226 
 
VI. 117-44] PURGATORIO 
 
 117. A vergognar, &c. : ' come that you may feel ashamed for 
 your reputation,' i. e. by seeing and hearing the real state of the case. 
 
 118. Giove : Christ is meant; cp. Petrarch, In Vita, &c., 
 Son. 188, 'o vivo Giove,' of God. 
 
 1 2 1-3. O e, &c. : * or is it a design of providence ... to serve 
 some good end, which is wholly excluded (lit. detached) from our 
 range of vision ? ' 
 
 125, 126. un Marcel : i. e. a prominent demagogue in opposition 
 to the Empire. As the question of the Empire is here in Dante's 
 mind, he probably means the ' Marcellus loquax ' of Lucan, Phars. 
 i. 313, where Caesar mentions him as one of his bitterest opponents. 
 This M. Claudius Marcellus was consul in 5 1 b. c. Ogni villan, 
 &c. : * each peasant churl who plays the partisan ' (Longf.). 
 
 127-9. Fiorenza : the Poet here turns with bitter irony on his 
 native city, which, he says, was distinguished from the rest of Italy, 
 not by any superiority in practice, but by the loudness of her 
 professions, and by the fickleness with which she was continually 
 making changes in her administration, si argomenta : ' is so 
 very ready with pleas,' never wants an excuse. 
 
 130-2. Molti, &c. : the meaning is: — * Other peoples have 
 justice at heart, but they do not readily utter its name, lest it should 
 rise to their lips unadvisedly ; not so the Florentines.' The metaphor 
 from shooting in scocca and arco refers to letting fly 'winged 
 words.' 
 
 133-5. lo comune incarco : 'the burden of the common 
 weal,' i.e. public offices, &c. Senza chiamare: 'unbidden.' 
 lo mi sobbarco : ' I am girding myself for the task.' Benvenuto 
 says ' subarco idem est quod subcingo ' ; in Span, sohaco means 
 ' armpit,' and soharcar is ' to draw the clothes up to the armpits ' ; 
 probably all these words are derived from a Low Lat. suhbrachium, 
 ' armpit.' 
 
 138. S* io dico, &c. : ' the result proves clearly whether I speak 
 the truth or not ' : lo in nol is resumptive of S' io dico '1 ver. 
 
 140, 141. leggi : those of Solon and Lycurgus. civili: 
 * well-governed.' Fecero, &c. : ' gave but a feeble hint of good 
 administration.' 
 
 142-4. sottili : 'fine-spun.' a mezzo, &c. : 'the threads 
 you spin (i. e. the laws you establish) in October do not reach to 
 (do not continue in force till) the middle of November.' 
 
 227 Q 2 
 
PURGATORIO [VI. 145— vii. 10 
 
 145-7. ^®1 tempo che rimembre : i. e. within the memory 
 of man. moneta : Philalethes suggests that this may refer to the 
 depreciation of the silver currency at Florence during Cent. xiii. 
 rinnovato membre: this signifies the alternate banishment and 
 recall of the members of different factions, membre for membra ; 
 cp. Inf. xxix. 51. 
 
 148. vedi lume : ' canst perceive the truth.' 
 
 151. scherma : lit. 'wards off'; 'tries to rid herself of pain 
 by shifting her position.' 
 
 CANTO VII 
 
 Argument. — Sordello discovers that the Mantuan whom he has 
 embraced is Virgil, and accordingly pays him respectful homage. 
 As the evening is drawing in, so that further ascent is impossible, 
 he conducts the Poets to a point overlooking a flowery valley, which 
 is occupied by the spirits of Princes, who owing to the cares of 
 government deferred their repentance until the end of their lives. 
 Among these are seen the emperor Rudolf, Philip III of France, 
 Peter III of Aragon, Charles I of Anjou, and Henry III of 
 England. 
 
 Line 3. si trasse: 'withdrew' from the embrace of Virgil. 
 
 4, 5. Prima che, &c. : 'before Purgatory existed,' i.e. before 
 the death of Christ, by which the way to eternal life was opened ; 
 until that happened there was no place for Purgatory, which was 
 preparatory for admission into heaven. 
 
 6. per Ottavian: 'by order of Octavianus (Augustus).' Dante's 
 authority for this statement seems to be Donatus' ' Life of Virgil,' 
 in which he is said to have been buried at Naples ' iussu Augusti.' 
 There are two versions of Donatus' ' Life,' one interpolated, the 
 other uninterpolated. Dante must have used the former, in which 
 these words occur, whereas they are not found in the uninterpolated 
 version. See Nettleship's y^n«V«/ Lives of Vergil^ pp. i, 17. 
 
 10. innanzi se : the introduction of the ten-syllable line here 
 and in the rhyming verses may possibly be explained as an adaptation 
 of sound to sense, the abrupt termination corresponding to the sudden 
 movement expressed by Sub'tta, 1. 11. See note on Inf. xxxi. 145. 
 
 228 
 
vii. 15-51] PURGATORIO 
 
 15. ove, &c. : ' where an inferior clasps his superior ' : the feet 
 are meant ; cp. Purg. xxi. 1 30, where it is said of Statius, ' Gi^ si 
 chinava ad abbracciar li piedi Al mio Dottor/ In Latin ' vestigia 
 prensare ' is similarly used ; cp. also Matt, xxviii. 9, ' they came 
 and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.' 
 
 18. loco : Mantua. 
 
 21. d' inferno : this is suggested by Virgil's having said that 
 he had forfeited heaven, 11. 7, 8. chiostra : ' circle ' ; the word 
 is used in like manner of the bolge in Malebolge, Inf. xxix. 40. 
 
 24. Virtii del ciel : ' a heaven-sent influence,' viz. that of 
 Beatrice, the ' donna di virtii ' of Inf. ii. 76. 
 
 25, 26. per non far: i. e. ' per non aver fe,' 1. 8 ; cp. Inf. iv. 
 37, 38. L' alto Sol : the face of God. 
 
 28-30. Loco: Limbo. tenebre : Virgil is describing the 
 character of Limbo generally, not that of the part inhabited by the 
 illustrious spirits, which was bright. sospiri : cp. Inf. iv. 26, 
 ' Non avea pianto, ma' che di sospiri.' The description here given 
 corresponds throughout to that passage. 
 
 33. esenti : freed from original sin by receiving baptism ; 
 Inf. iv. 35. 
 
 34. le tre, &c. : the Christian graces of faith, hope, and charity. 
 
 39. dritto inizio : 'its proper commencement,' i.e. the entrance 
 to Purgatory proper. 
 
 40. Loco certo, &c. : Sordello probably means, that he and 
 the rest of the class of spirits who were assigned to this part 
 of Ante-Purgatory might go where they liked within the limits 
 of that part. But there is also an imitation of Virg. ^en. vi. 673, 
 ' Nulli certa domus.' 
 
 42. Per quanto, &c. : ' as far as I am allowed to go,' i. e. as 
 far as the gate of Purgatory, for as he was one of the Negligent 
 he was not allowed to enter. 
 
 46, 47. rimote: 'withdrawn ' ; the separate position allotted to 
 them is a tribute to their dignity, merro : for menero. 
 
 51. o non sarria, &c. : 'or would he not ascend, because 
 he would have no power to do so ? ' sarria is for saliria ; the 
 forms sarrb, sarrei from salire are also found, but sarria was 
 sufficiently unusual to be misunderstood, and from this arose the 
 reading non saria, which has about equal authority with that 
 in the text ; Moore, Text. Crii., p. 382. 
 
 229 
 
PURGATORIO [VII. 52-74 
 
 52. frego : Mrew along,' so as to mark a line; it is the Lat. 
 fricare. Similarly in Inf. xvi. '^'^fregare means 'to trail.' 
 
 55-7. briga: 'impediment.' col non peter, &c. : 'hampers 
 the will by want of power.' 
 
 58-60. con lei : ' during the dark hours.' The allegorical 
 meaning of the passage is, that when the soul of man is not illuminated 
 by heavenly grace it cannot rise, but it may fall back or spend itself 
 in wandering. Mentre che, &c. : ' while the horizon excludes the 
 day,' i. e. while the sun is below the horizon: allegorically, 'until 
 the Sun of Righteousness once more arises.' 
 
 65, 66. scemo : ' hollowed.' quici : in the world of the living. 
 
 68. grembo : lit. ' lap,' ' hollow ' ; ' where the hillside retires ' ; 
 cp. seno, 1. 76, and Lat. sinus in the same sense. 
 
 70, 71. Tra erto e piano: 'between steep and level,' i.e. 
 neither quite steep nor quite level, sghembo : ' winding ' ; perhaps 
 from Lat. scambus, ' bow-legged.' in fianco della lacca : ' to 
 the side of the dell.' For lacca = ' hollow ' see note on Inf. vii. 16. 
 
 72. L^ dove, &c. : ' where the rim (of the valley) is diminished 
 to less than half its (average) depth.' The lembo is the slope 
 between the path and the place where the princes were seated ; and 
 this, as we learn from Purg. viii. 46, was here only three paces 
 downwards. This was the reason why they stopped at this point. 
 From the expression 'la picciola vallea' in Purg. viii. 98 we may 
 infer that the place was a mere nook in the hillside. 
 
 73 foil. The Flowery Valley or Valletta del Pr'incipi is, occupied 
 by the fourth class of spirits in Ante-Purgatory, viz. those of Princes 
 who had been negligent during their lifetime owing to the pressure of 
 public cares in governing their kingdoms. The description of the 
 Valley, together with the approach to it, and the mighty shades who 
 occupy it, was probably suggested by Virg. Aen. vi. 675—81 ; but 
 as the flowers and other agreeable surroundings are nowhere spoken 
 of by Dante as being a source of present enjoyment to the Princes, 
 we may infer that they are intended to have an allegorical significance — 
 which is, to symbolize the splendour and worldly enjoyments of the 
 life of monarchs. See further on this subject in note on Purg. viii. 25. 
 
 73. cocco : ' cochineal,' the material used for producing a scarlet 
 colour, biacca : ' white lead ' ; the colour here intended is 'pearly- 
 white,* as distinguished from the brilliant white of argento fino. 
 
 74. Indico legno, &c. : ' Indian wood with clear harmonious 
 
 230 
 
VII. 75-91] PURGATORIO 
 
 tints ' ; what is meant is probably some brown wood which took 
 a fine polish. No evidence seems to be forthcoming of such a wood 
 having been imported into Italy from India at that time, but this 
 does not necessarily disprove it. There is much, however, to be 
 said for punctuating Indico, legno lucido e serene, in which case 
 Indico will mean indigo, and legno lucido e sereno a polished 
 brown wood ; the introduction of blue through the mention of indigo 
 makes the enumeration of colours more complete. 
 
 75. Fresco: 'clear,' 'undimmed,' as the emerald is 'at the 
 moment when it is broken or flaked ' ; it becomes dull in colour 
 from exposure. 
 
 76. Dair erba : ' in contrast with (lit. by the side of) the grass.' 
 79-81. pur : take with dipinto : ' Nature had not merely used 
 
 colour, but fragrance also/ un incognito, &c. : ' a perfume all 
 unknown and subtly blended.' 
 
 82. Salve Regina: this is the beginning of the Compline 
 Hymn to the Virgin, which is suitable here, both because of its 
 being sung towards nightfall, and because of the reference made in it 
 to the soul being in exile in the Valley of Tears, as the occupants 
 of the Valletta were excluded from Purgatory. In the hymn 
 beginning 'Salve nobilis regina,' which is known as 'Salve Regina' 
 (Mone, Hymni Latini Medii Jlcvi^ vol. 2. No. 489), are the lines — 
 ' In hac valle lacrimarum Nos gementes dirige' (11. 33, 34). 
 
 84. per la valle : ' owing to the concavity of the valley.' 
 
 86. volti: 'directed,' 'conducted'; cp. Purg. xxii. 2. 
 
 88-90. balzo : 'ridge'; cp. Purg. iv. 47. Che nella lama, 
 &c. : ' than if you were received among them in the level below ' ; 
 for lama cp. Inf. xx. 79. 
 
 91 foil. It has already been mentioned in note to Purg. vi. 58, 
 that Sordello had been an inmate of numerous European courts ; 
 and it is probably for this reason, as Benvenuto suggests, that Dante 
 has assigned to him the office of pointing out and naming the 
 potentates who are here seated in the Flowery Valley. This vtew 
 is confirmed by the mention in one of Sordello's most famous poems 
 — the lament on the death of Blacatz (No. 5 in De Lollis, Vita e 
 poesie dr Sordello) — of several of those whom Dante here introduces. 
 As regards the remarks on the looks and attitudes of the Princes, 
 which Dante puts into his mouth, it is noticeable that they are 
 represented as showing regret rather for their faults in administra- 
 
 231 
 
PURGATORIO [VII. 91-105 
 
 tion, or for the shortcomings of their successors, than for their own 
 neglect of religion. In doing this, Dante was availing himself of an 
 opportunity for criticizing the politics of the time. 
 
 91. pit! sied' alto : this was his right in the character of emperor. 
 fa sembianti : ' has the look.' 
 
 94, 95. Ridolfo : the emperor Rudolf, father of the emperor 
 Albert ('il tuo padre,' Purg. vi. 103); they were 'Per cupidigia di 
 costa distretti,' ibid. 1. 104. hanno . . . morta : 'have slain'; 
 cp. Par. xvi. 137. 
 
 96. Si che tardi, &c. : ' so that its recovery by another tarries 
 long,' i. e. is late in coming, altri is sing., and refers to Henry 
 of Luxemburg, whose possible advent is here anticipated by Dante. 
 That the meaning of tardi is that here given — and not ' too late,' 
 with reference to the failure of that Emperor's attempt to establish 
 the imperial power in Italy in consequence of his death — is proved 
 by Purg. vi. 102, in which passage it is implied that this part of the 
 poem was written during Henry's lifetime. 
 
 97-9. nella vista : i. e. to judge from his look of sympathy, 
 lit. 'as you may see in his looks'; cp. Purg. i. 79. la terra: 
 Bohemia. The clauses which follow afford an instance of Dante's 
 fondness for geographical detail, especially in respect of rivers. 
 Instead of naming Bohemia, he mentions the Moldau (Molta), 
 which rises in it, and then traces the course of that stream, and that 
 of the Elbe (Albia), of which it is a tributary. 
 
 100-2. Ottacchero : Ottocar II, king of Bohemia. He was 
 killed in battle, when fighting against the emperor Rudolf in 1278. 
 nelle fasce : ' he in the swaddling clothes was superior to his son 
 when a grown man (barbuto).' Vincislao : Wenceslaus IV ; 
 he was no warrior, and was at once devout and licentious. Dante 
 attributes the same character to him in Par. xix. 125. 
 
 103-5. quel Nasetto : 'he of the small nose'; this describes 
 Philip the Bold of France (reigned 1 270-1 285): Witte (Notes 
 to Germ. Trans., p. 155) remarks on this feature as appearing on 
 his effigy at Narbonne. He invaded Catalonia in a war with 
 Peter III of Aragon, but was forced to retreat, and died at 
 Perpignan. stretto a consiglio : ' earnestly conversing.' • colui : 
 Henry the Fat of Navarre ; his character in history seems not to 
 have corresponded to his benigno aspetto. disfiorando il giglio : 
 ' dishonouring t\\ejlcur-de-lys ' on the banner of France. 
 
 232 
 
VII. 109-29] PURGATORIO 
 
 109. mal di Francia : Philip the Fair, son of Philip the Bold, 
 who married the daughter of Henry of Navarre. In Dante's eyes 
 his greatest offences were the transference of the seat of the Papacy 
 to Avignon (Purg. xxxiii. 45), and his sacrilegious treatment of 
 Boniface VIII (Purg. xx. 86, 91). 
 
 1 1 2-4. membruto : 'large of limb'; this is Peter III of 
 Aragon, who after the Sicilian Vespers won the kingdom of Sicily 
 from Charles I of Anjou (colui del maschio naso). S' accorda, 
 &c. : * sings (the " Salve Regina ") in harmony with ' ; this is 
 introduced to show that after death those who before were enemies 
 are perfectly reconciled. The case was the same as regards 
 Rudolf and Ottocar above. maschio naso : Villani (vii. i ) 
 describes Charles of Anjou as ' con grande naso.' D* ogni, &c. : 
 ' wore round his loins the girdle of all worth ' ; the metaphor is a 
 common one in Scripture, e.g. Ps. Ixv. 6, 'girded about with 
 power.' 
 
 116, 117. Lo giovinetto : Alfonso, eldest son and successor 
 of Peter III, who died early, andava : ' would have passed ' ; on 
 the irregular sequence of the indie, after se fosse see note on Inf. xxix. 
 38. valor: 'worth,' 'good qualities.' vaso : 'possessor,' lit. 
 ' vessel,' ' receptacle.' 
 
 118. erede: in O. Ital. the sing, ereda and plur. erede are found, 
 and they are fem., the word being regarded as an abstract subst., 
 Y\\ie guida, scorta^ &c. ; cp. Par. xi. 112. 
 
 1 19, 1 20. Jacomo e Federico : James succeeded on his father's 
 death to the throne of Sicily ; when he became king of Aragon on 
 the death of Alfonso in 1 291, he ceded the government of Sicily 
 to his brother Frederic. Del retaggio, &c. : ' neither of them 
 possesses aught of the better heritage,' i. e. of their father's virtues. 
 
 1 2 1-3. risurge per li rami: 'passes from father to son.' 
 perche, &c. : ' in order that it may be regarded as His gift.' 
 
 124-6. Anche, &c. : 'my remarks on the degeneracy of sons 
 apply also in the case of Charles of Anjou {colui del maschio naso, 
 1. 113), as well as to Peter of Aragon, who is singing with him.' 
 Onde, &c. : i. e. in consequence of the misgovernment of his son, 
 Charles II of Anjou, who was king of Naples and Count of 
 Provence, those countries suffer. 
 
 127-9. Tant' e, &c. : 'the plant (Charles II) is as inferior to 
 the seed from which it sprang (i. e. his father, Charles I), as 
 
 233 
 
PURGATORIO [vii. 130-35 
 
 Constance (wife of Peter of Aragon) more than Beatrice and 
 Margaret (the wives of Charles I of Anjou and his brother 
 Louis IX of France), still prides herself on her husband.* The 
 meaning of the passage is : — Charles II is as inferior to Charles I, 
 as Charles I and his brother Louis are to Peter III. The deprecia- 
 tion of St. Louis which this implies is of a part with Dante's silence 
 with regard to him throughout the whole poem, especially in the 
 Paradiso, where we should certainly have expected him to be 
 mentioned. The Beatrice and Margaret who are here spoken of 
 were sisters, being the daughters of Raymond Berenger. ancor : 
 this means, that she still cherished his memory, though he had been 
 dead fifteen years — since 1285. She did not die herself till 1302, 
 and consequently was alive at the time which Dante assigns to his 
 Vision. 
 
 130-2. semplice: Villani also (v. 4) says of Henry III, 'fu 
 semplice uomo e di buona fe.* solo : as being of a remote race and 
 country; the same thing is said of Saladin (Inf. iv. 129) and of. 
 Guy of Montfort (Inf. xii. 1 1 8). migliore uscita : Edward I. 
 
 133. piii basso: 'in a lower place than the others'; this was 
 on account of his inferior dignity, just as the emperor Rudolf occupies 
 the highest position in virtue of his office. 
 
 134. in suso : probably in devotion. Guglielmo Marchese : 
 William, surnamed Spadalunga, marquis of Monferrat and Canavese, 
 districts of what is now Piedmont. In 1290 he marched against 
 Alessandria, the people of which place had risen against him, but he 
 was made prisoner by them and died in captivity. 
 
 135. Per cui : ' on whose account.' His son Giovanni advanced 
 against Alessandria to avenge his death, but ended by losing part of 
 his dominions. Hence Monferrat and Canavese are here spoken 
 of as lamenting their losses in the war with Alessandria. 
 
 CANTO VIII 
 
 Argument. — As nightfall approaches, the spirits show signs of 
 suspense and fear, and two angels, who descend from above, station 
 themselves on commanding points on either side of the valley. 
 Sordello conducts the Poets into the company of the Princes, among 
 whom Dante finds his friend Nino Visconti, and converses with 
 
 234 
 
VIII. i-2i] PURGATORIO 
 
 him. A serpent is now seen to enter the valley with the view of 
 assailing its occupants, but is repulsed by the angels, whose office 
 it is to guard them. At the close of this incident Dante is 
 addressed by Conrad Malaspina, who intimates to him in veiled 
 language that ere long he will avail himself of the hospitality for 
 which the Malaspina family is famous. 
 
 Line i. 1' ora: the evening hour, just after sunset. It is the 
 evening of Easter Sunday, April lo. volge : 'turns homeward.' 
 
 4, 5. lo nuovo peregrin : the pleasure felt by the traveller in 
 returning homeward, which is the converse feeling to that which is 
 expressed here, is described by Dante in Purg. xxvii. 109-11, and 
 is there assigned to the morning hour, squilla : the Angelus bell 
 sounding for the jive Maria at the Compline Office. The word 
 squilla was specially applied to the Ave Maria bell, both morning 
 and evening ; see Vocab. Tramater. 
 
 7, 8. a render vano L* udire : ' to hear no longer ' ; render 
 vano is 'to bring to an end,' as 'diventa vano' (Purg. v. 97) is 
 ' comes to an end.' He ceased to listen to Sordello speaking or to 
 any other sound, all his senses being absorbed in the sight which 
 presented itself. 
 
 12. non calme: for non mi cale: cp. Purg. xxx. 135, 'a lui ne 
 calse.' The feeling implied in these words is that expressed in 
 Ps. Ixxiii. 25, 'Whom have I in heaven but thee,' &c. 
 
 13-5. Te lucis ante: the Compline hymn, ' Te lucis ante 
 terminum, Rerum Creator, poscimus, Ut pro tua dementia Sis 
 praesul et custodia ' ; this is familiar in English as the evening hymn, 
 'Before the ending of the day,' &c. uscir di mente : the state 
 of feeling here described is that expressed by our word ' rapture.' 
 
 1 8. supemerote: ' celestial spheres.' 
 
 19. Aguzza, &c. : 'look keenly here. Reader, to perceive the 
 truth.* When Dante appeals in this manner to his readers, hei 
 intends to intimate that the allegory is one to which he attaches 
 especial importance; cp. Inf. ix. 61-3. 
 
 20. 2 1. il velo, &c. : 'verily the veil of allegory in this case is 
 so fine-spun, that it is easy to penetrate the mystery.' Dante 
 intends to say, that this is a typical instance of clear allegorical 
 meaning. ' Know ye not this parable ? and how then will ye know 
 all parables?' These lines have often been interpreted to mean, 
 
 235 
 
PURGATORIO [viii. 24-29 
 
 that attention was required because of the difficulty of the allegory, 
 which rendered it an easy matter to miss the true meaning; but 
 Philalethes well remarks that the words velo sottile and tra- 
 passar dentro are hard to reconcile with such a view. 
 
 24. pallido : from the expectation of an object of fear, umile: 
 pronounced umile. Dante elsewhere admits this pronunciation of 
 the word in rhyme; cp. Canzoniere; Ballata, No. 8, 1. 7, ' Un 
 angiolel d' amore tutto umile'; No. 10, 1. 13, 'Par ch' ella dica : 
 lo non sard umile*; Vita Nuo'va, § 21, 1. 17 ; § 22, 1. 68. 
 
 25 foil. Two angels bearing drawn swords now descend, and 
 take up their position at points overlooking the valley on either side 
 (11. 25-42). Presently a serpent enters the valley from its outer 
 slope, and approaches the spirits, but is put to flight by the angels 
 (II. 94—108). Allegorically interpreted, the serpent represents 
 temptation (cp. 1. 99, 'the serpent that tempted Eve'), and the 
 angels are the heavenly influences which succour the tempted ; the 
 place (the Flowery Valley) signifies the splendour of kingly courts, 
 and the time (nightfall) suggests a special time of temptation, in 
 which way night is regarded in Scripture and in the services of the 
 Church, e. g. in the prayer ' Lighten our darkness,' &c. Thus the 
 whole occurrence becomes a periodical rehearsal before the Princes 
 of their experiences in life — the grandeur of their state, the tempta- 
 tions to which they were exposed, and their deliverances from them. 
 It is an acted parable, resembling a scene in a drama, only much 
 more vivid and real. The fear which the spirits feel while it passes 
 before them does not arise from any actual di*ead of temptation, but 
 is like the shudder which comes over us at the recollection of 
 a terrible experience. There is no reason for supposing that in 
 Ante-Purgatory, any more than in Purgatory itself, there was any 
 liability to temptation ; throughout the whole poem the power to 
 commit sins, and consequently probation, is regarded as coming 
 to an end with death. The ideas introduced — a paradise, a tempter 
 in the form of a serpent, and angels armed with flaming swords — 
 are, no doubt, borrowed and adapted from the history of the Fall. 
 
 27. Tronche: probably to show that they were not to be used 
 for attack, but only for defence. 
 
 28, 29. Verdi: the colour of hope, che: percosse shows that 
 this is plur., and consequently its antecedent veste must be plur. 
 from vesta. 
 
 236 
 
VIII. 34-72] PURGATORIO 
 
 34-6. la testa bionda, &c. : the description of the angels 
 corresponds to that of our Lord in Rev. i. 14, 16, * His head and 
 his hairs were white like wool . . . and his countenance was as 
 the sun shineth in his strength.' Come virtu, &c. : * like a faculty 
 overpowered.' 
 
 37-9. del grembo di Maria: the Blessed Virgin represents 
 God's prevenient grace ; cp. Inf. ii. 94 ; Purg. xxvi. 59. via 
 via : ' instantly.' 
 
 40-2. per qual calle: 'by what route the serpent would come.' 
 spalle : of Virgil. 
 
 43. anco : ' recommencing.' 
 
 51. Non dichiarisse : 'that the atmosphere failed to reveal 
 what previously (owing to the distance) it concealed.' 
 
 53. Giudice Nin : Nino Visconti of Pisa, nephew of Count 
 Ugolino (Inf. xxxiii. 13), was governor or judge of Gallura in 
 Sardinia, the north-eastern of the four provinces into which that 
 island was divided when it belonged to the Pisans. His nefarious 
 vice-gerent, Frate Gomita, is mentioned in Inf. xxii. 81. 
 
 55. si tacque : ' was left unsaid.' 
 
 57. le lontane acque: i.e. those which intervened between the 
 mouth of the Tiber and the Mountain of Purgatory ; cp. Purg. ii. 
 100-3. Nino supposes Dante to be a spirit. 
 
 58-60. per entro, &c. : ' by way of the abodes of woe I arrived 
 this morning.' Ancor che, &c. : ' though by this journey I am 
 winning the other (the future) life'; cp. Purg. i. 61—3. 
 
 62. Sordello : as Dante had not been in sunlight since Sordello 
 had joined them (Purg. vi. 57), he had not cast a shadow, which was 
 the evidence by which his mortal body was discovered in Purgatory. 
 
 65, 66. Corrado : see note on 1. 118. volse : for voile \ cp. 
 Inf. ii. 118. 
 
 67-9. Per quel, &c. : 'I pray thee by that special gratitude 
 which thou owest.' grado from Lat. gratus. prime perche: 
 'primary motive,' 'first cause of action.' non gli ^ guado : 'it 
 cannot be forded,' lit. ' there is no ford there ' ; it is too profound 
 for the human intellect to divine it. gli = 1;/ ; cp. Purg. xiii. 7. 
 
 70-2. larghe onde : the space of sea between the Mountain of 
 Purgatory and the habitable earth. Giovanna : his daughter. She 
 was still a girl ; this explains innocenti. chiami : 'make supplica- 
 tions in that quarter (L^),' i.e. to heaven. 
 
 237 
 
PURGATORIO [viii. 73-97 
 
 73, 74. la sua madre: her maiden name was Beatrice d' Este, 
 and after Nino's death she married Galeazzo Visconti of Milan. 
 As her second marriage took place on June 24, 1300, it has been 
 thought that Dante here fails to observe the date which he assigns 
 to his Vision, viz. Easter, 1300, because the event mentioned was 
 subsequent to this, and therefore could only be introduced in the 
 form of a prophecy. But when Dante speaks of her ' putting off 
 her widow's weeds' (trasmuto le bianche bende), he is pro- 
 bably referring, not to the time of her marriage, but to that of her 
 betrothal ; and this would have taken place some little time before. 
 
 75. miser a : Galeazzo, two years after he married her, was ex- 
 pelled from Milan, and forced to live in Tuscany as a refugee. 
 ancor : 'hereafter'; cp. Par. xiv. 107. 
 
 79-81. Non le fara, &c. : the meaning is : — ' The viper on the 
 escutcheon of the Visconti of Milan will not show so well on her 
 tomb (lit. will not make for her so fair a burial-place) as the cock 
 on the escutcheon of the Visconti of Pisa would have done.' ac- 
 campa : ' brings into the field,' ' marshals ' ; and so, * under which 
 they serve.' il gallo di Gallura : this describes the crest of the 
 Pisan Visconti, because Gallura in Sardinia was said to have derived 
 its name from it. 
 
 83, 84. dritto : ' righteous,' because not in excess (misurata- 
 mente). 
 
 86, 87. 1^ dove, &c. : 'where the stars revolve more slowly,' 
 i. e. near the pole ; here the south pole is meant (// J>oIo di qua, 
 1. 90). stelo : 'the axle.' 
 
 89. tre facelle : these stars symbolize the three Christian or 
 theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity, just as the four stars 
 of 1. 91 are the four cardinal virtues; see note on Purg. i. 23. 
 These three stars are not identified with any constellation, and 
 therefore there is the less reason for identifying the four stars with 
 one. 
 
 92. di 1^ : 'yonder,' i.e. beyond the meridian; in the West. 
 The three stars now become more conspicuous than the four, because 
 we are approaching Purgatory proper, where the theological virtues 
 are more prominent than the cardinal. 
 
 94. e : 'thereupon' ; see note on Inf. xxv. 34. 
 
 97. onde : ' on which.' riparo : ' defence ' ; it is the Engl, 
 word ' rampart.' The valley was open on the lower side towards 
 
 238 
 
VIII. I03-35] PURGATORIO 
 
 the slope of the hill. The allegorical meaning here is, that tempta- 
 tion assails us on the undefended side ; and also, worldly pomp, as 
 symbolized by the flowers (1. lOo), is its natural field of operation. 
 
 103-5. lo non vidi, &c. : allegorically — the first motions of 
 God's helping grace in our souls are not perceived ; we only discover 
 its influence when it is working within us. 
 
 106. alle : a is used because the infin. is preceded by a verb of 
 perception; cp. Par. xviii. 108. 
 
 109, no. L' ombra, &c. : 'the shade of Conrad, which had 
 approached Nino, when he called to him' ; see 11. 64-6. 
 
 1 1 2-4. Se la lucema, &c. : * so may the lamp (the illumina- 
 tive grace of God) which leadeth thee on high find in thy free will so 
 much wax (so much material to feed its flame) as is required for thee 
 to reach the enamelled summit.' smalto, ' enamel,' is here used of 
 the flowery meads of the Terrestrial Paradise, which occupied the 
 summit of the Mountain of Purgatory; cp. Inf. iv. n8, where 
 iierde smalto is used for the verdure of the abode of the heroic souls 
 in Limbo. 
 
 116. Valdimacra : a district of the Lunigiana (at the foot of 
 the Apennines behind Spezia), which was ruled by the Malaspina 
 family; cp. Inf. xxiv. 145. 
 
 118, 119. Corrado Malaspina: he was grandson of Conrad I, 
 the founder of the family (1' antico). 
 
 1 20. A' miei, &c. : ' I expended on my family that love, which 
 here in Purgatoiy is purified and devoted to God.' 
 
 122. Giammai non fui : Dante is speaking from the point of 
 view of 1300 A. D. He was in Lunigiana under the patronage of 
 the Malaspina in 1306, and their hospitable treatment of him no 
 doubt prompted the panegyric which follows. 
 
 125. grida : 'proclaims,' ' celebrates.' 
 
 127-9. s* ^o» <^c. : ' so may I reach the Terrestrial Paradise' ; 
 for di sopra in this meaning cp. Purg. vi. 47. non si sfregia, &c. : 
 ' forfeits not the meed of honour for generosity and valour ' ; si 
 sfregia, lit. ' deprives itself of ornament.' 
 
 130, 131. privilegia : both here and in 1. 62 above there is a 
 sing, verb with two subjects, perche, &c. : ' notwithstanding that 
 the world is misguided by its guilty head ' ; the worldly popes and 
 Boniface VIII in particular are here meant; cp. Purg. xvi. 100-5. 
 
 133-5. il sol, &c. : 'the sun shall not rest seven times on the 
 
 239 
 
PURGATORIO [viii. 136— ix. i 
 
 bed which the Ram covers and bestrides with all his four feet ' : — 
 in other words, ' The sun shall not be seven times in Aries, in 
 which it is now ' (it being the vernal equinox) ; i. e. seven years 
 shall not pass from the present time. The reference is to Dante's 
 residence among them in 1306. letto, &c. : the space of the 
 heavens covered by the constellation of Aries. 
 
 136-8. Che cotesta, &c. : * ere this favourable view will be 
 imprinted on your mind, not as now by the testimony of others, but 
 by the force of your own personal experience.' 
 
 139. Se corso, &c. : 'if God arrests not the course of his 
 judgements ' ; i. e. ' if He carries out what in His providence He 
 has decreed.' 
 
 CANTO IX 
 
 Argument. — Dante falls asleep, and while he is still unconscious 
 and dreaming, is carried by St. Lucy, his patron saint, to the 
 neighbourhood of the entrance of Purgatory proper. In front 
 of the gate of this are three stone steps of different colours, and 
 above the highest of them an angel is seated, who, when he hears 
 that the Poets have come under heavenly guidance, first inscribes the 
 letter P seven times on Dante's forehead, and then opens the gate 
 with two keys, one golden and the other silver, and gives him and 
 Virgil admittance. 
 
 Line i. La concubina, &c. : ' The concubine of Tithonus old ' 
 is the Lunar Aurora, i. e. the lightening of the eastern sky which 
 precedes the rising of the moon. Dante has transferred Tithonus 
 from the period before sunrise, with which he is usually associated 
 in fable, to the period before moonrise ; and, while regarding the 
 Solar Aurora as his true wife, he treats the Lunar Aurora, since 
 she occupies an inferior position, as his concubine. The time 
 which is thus described is about 8.45 p.m., for the moon three 
 nights after the full, which it was now supposed to be, would rise 
 about 9. p.m. ; see Moore, Time-Re/.^ p. 86. Titone : this form 
 instead of Titono is used also by Petrarch, Trionfo della Morte, ii. 5 ; 
 and may be paralleled in Dante by such forms as pome for porno, 
 Purg. xxvii. 45. 
 
 240 
 
IX. 2-9] PURGATORIO 
 
 2. s* imbiancava : * was gathering light ' ; the Lunar Aurora 
 was beginning to appear, balco : ' balcony ' ; from this she was 
 supposed to be looking forth; cp. Tasso, Ger. Lib. ix. 74. i, 2, 
 
 * L' Aurora intanto il bel purpureo volto Gia dimostrava dal sovran 
 balcone.' Others read (not so well) baho, giving that word the 
 sense of ' terrace.* 
 
 3. Fuor dalle braccia : * leaving the embraces ' of Tithonus. 
 
 4. Di gemme, &c. : i. e. a bright constellation was shining just 
 above where the light appeared. 
 
 5. 6. freddo animale : the constellation of Scorpio. That the 
 animal here intended is the scorpion is shown by the next line, for 
 that reptile strikes with its tail, which cannot be said of any other 
 animal represented among the constellations. Dante was probably 
 thinking of Ovid, Met. xv. 371, * Scorpius exibit caudaque minabitur 
 unca.' The epithet freddo is applied elsewhere in Italian poetry 
 to the scorpion ; see the instances given by Moore, op. cit., p. 83 ; 
 it probably refers to the effect of the poison, as Brunetto Latini says 
 {Tesoro, Bk. v. Ch. i), when speaking of serpents, 'Tutti i veneni 
 sono freddi.' The determination of this point is of the first importance 
 for the interpretation of the passage, for the moon would be within 
 the sign of the Scorpion at the time of night given above ; and this 
 corroborates the view that La concubina, &c., is the Lunar Aurora ; 
 Moore, p. 86. 
 
 7. de' passi, &c. ; ^ the steps by which night rises ' can hardly 
 be anything else than the hours between sunset and midnight ; sale 
 naturally refers to the first half of the night. If passi is taken, as 
 it is by some, of the four tvatches of the night, the force of sale 
 is lost, because in that case it must apply to the whole night. 
 
 8. nel loco ov' eravamo : i. e. in Purgatory ; cp. Purg. ii. 8, 
 
 * L^ dove io era.' 
 
 9. E il terzo, &c. : i. e. the third hour had passed its middle ; it 
 was more than two hours and a half after sunset. This at the equinox 
 would correspond to 8.45 p.m. The view here maintained, that the 
 time which Dante intends in the whole of the above passage is 
 early night, and that 11. 1—3 describe the approach of moonrise, 
 is that which has been generally adopted from the earliest times ; 
 Moore, p. 85. The other view, which also finds its advocates, 
 that dawn in the ordinary acceptation of the word is meant, seems 
 to be excluded from consideration by the interpretation of the freddo 
 
 TOZBR 241 R 
 
PURGATORIO [IX. 10-27 
 
 animale and the passi which has just been given. Scartazzini's 
 reading Titan for Titone has very little in its favour. 
 
 10-2. quel d' Adamo : the burden of the flesh; cp. Purg. xi. 
 44. This is said in contrast to the condition of the spirits, who 
 could feel no fatigue, cinque : viz. Nino and Conrad, in addition 
 to Dante, Virgil, and Sordello. 
 
 15. primi guai : * its early sorrows'; the allusion is to the 
 tragic story of Tereus, Philomela, and Procne. According to 
 the version of the legend which is commonly found in the Latin 
 poets, Philomela was changed into a nightingale and Procne into 
 a swallow, while according to that which prevailed among Greek 
 writers, Philomela became a swallow and Procne a nightingale. 
 Dante follows the latter of these, for the sorrows of the swallow 
 which are here spoken of are the sufferings of Philomela, and in 
 Purg. xvii. 19, 20 he identifies Procne with the nightingale. 
 
 17, 18. e men, &c. : 'and less captive to its (worldly) imagina- 
 tions.' Alle sue, &c. : lit. ' is almost gifted with the power of 
 divination (i. e. is almost prophetic) in respect of its visions.' The 
 idea that morning dreams are true is a familiar one ; cp. Inf. xxvi. 7, 
 ' presso al mattin il ver si sogna.' 
 
 1 9. In sogno : Dante has a dream on each of the three nights 
 which he sj^ent on the Mountain of Purgatory ; the second is that 
 of the Siren in xix. 1—33, the third that of Leah in xxvii. 94—108. 
 Each takes place immediately before dawn ; and each begins with 
 the words ' Nell' ora,' and in connexion with this some feature 
 of the morning hour is noticed. In every case, also, the dream 
 is symbolical of something that follows in the narrative : the present 
 dream symbolizes Dante's being transported to the gate of Purgatory 
 by the aid of Lucia. 
 
 22-4. Ed esser, &c. : 'and methought I was at the place 
 where,' &c., i. e. on the summit of the Trojan Ida, where Ganymede, 
 son of one of the kings of Troy, was carried off by the eagle 
 of Zeus, when he was hunting there: see Virg. jieti. v. 252-7; 
 Ov. Met. x. 155-61. sommo consistoro : the 'supreme con- 
 sistory ' was the conclave of the Gods, where Ganymede became 
 cupbearer. 
 
 25-7. Forse, &c. : Dante thus explains to himself in his dream 
 how it came to pass that Ida was the scene of what happened to 
 him. ' Maybe the eagle strikes its prey only in this place front 
 
 242 
 
IX. 2S-62] PURGATORIO 
 
 habit (or association),' because it had done so before in the case 
 of Ganymede, in piede : ' in its olaws.' 
 
 28-30. roteata: 'after wheeling.' foco : the region of fire, 
 which according to Dante's system intervened between our atmo- 
 sphere and the moon ; Par. i. 79 foil. 
 
 33. convenne che, &c. : * my slumber of necessity was broken.' 
 
 34. Achille : the story of Achilles awaking in the island of 
 Scyros, whither his mother Thetis had carried him from his tutor 
 Chiron on Mount Pelion, is taken from Statius, ylchill. i. 247 foil. 
 
 39. li Greci : Ulysses and Diomede, who on behalf of the 
 Greeks — since it was fated that Troy could not be taken without 
 the help of Achilles — went to Scyros, and persuaded him to leave 
 the island; cp. Inf. xxvi. 61, 62. 
 
 40-2. si come : 'just as,' ' at the moment when.' spaventato : 
 the cause of Dante's fear was the changed circumstances in the 
 midst of which he woke. These changes were (i) the absence of 
 three of his escort (1. 43) ; (2) the time that had elapsed (1. 44) ; 
 (3) the place in which he was (1. 45). 
 
 43, 44. solo : the three other spirits, since they could not yet 
 enter Purgatory, had remained behind, il sole, &c. : the time is 
 now about 8 a.m. 
 
 48. Non stringer, &c. : ' do not draw in, but put out, all your 
 force.' 
 
 50, 51. balzo: 'rampart of rocks.' 1^, &c. : 'at the point 
 where there seems to be a break in the encircling rocks.' 
 
 52-4. Dianzi: 'just now.' dentro : ' within thee.' eadomo: 
 ' the place is adorned ' ; for the omission of the subst. cp. Purg. x. 
 79; xiv. 94. 
 
 55. Lucia : his patron saint, who comes to his aid here, as she 
 had done at the former great crisis of his life ; see notes on Inf. ii. 
 97, 98. The illuminative grace of God, which she represents, 
 enables Dante to approach Purgatory and read its lessons aright. 
 
 58, 59. I'altre: Nino and Conrad, forme: 'spirits'; this is 
 the Scholastic use of the word, the spirit being the ' form ' or essential 
 part of man ; cp. Par. iv. 54. come : ' as soon as.' chiaro : 
 even Lucia is bound by the rule of Purgatory, that nothing can be 
 done during the night. 
 
 62. Gli occhi suoi belli : the story of St. Lucy having plucked 
 out her eyes lest they should cause the ruin of a young man who was 
 
 243 R a 
 
PURGATORIO [IX. 68-99 
 
 enamoured of them, and of their being miraculously restored to her, 
 is given in Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art^ vol. 2, pp. 615—7. 
 entrata : the passage through the cliff leading to the gate ; cp. 1. 51. 
 
 68. lo balzo : cp. 1. 50. 
 
 70-2. innalzo, &c. : the description of the steps which lead to 
 the gate of Purgatory, and of everything connected with Dante's 
 reception there, is highly symbolical, and is expressed in corre- 
 spondingly elaborate ideas and language. rincalzo : 'fortify,* lit. 
 ' prop.' 
 
 73-6. eravamo, &c. : 'our position (point of view) was such 
 that I saw.' fesso, &c. : ' a rift broken through a wall ' ; the con- 
 fined passage corresponds to the ' strait gate ' and ' narrow way 
 which leadeth unto life.' 
 
 78. un portier: the angel who is thus described is the 
 Guardian of the gate of Purgatory. He symbolizes the power of 
 absolution possessed by the Church (1. 117), and by implication the 
 office of the priest-confessor, whose functions are dwelt on in 
 11. 1 2 1-9. 
 
 86. la scorta : ' your escort ' ; the angel implies, by asking this 
 question, that he knew that Dante and Virgil were not spirits destined 
 for Purgatory, and that therefore he expected them to be under some 
 special guidance. 
 
 88. Donna: Lucia, 11. 61, 62. 
 
 94-102. The three steps in front of the gate of Purgatory re- 
 present the three stages of penitence. The interpretation of their 
 symbolism which best corresponds to the features that Dante assigns 
 to them is, that the first, with its white colour and mirror-like 
 surface, signifies candour and sincerity of spirit in confession ; the 
 second, with its dark rough surface broken across, is the hard heart, 
 darkened by grief and contrite ; while the third, with its bright red 
 colour, symbolizes ardent love. The characters in the Gospel history 
 which have been regarded by Christian writers as representative of 
 these three stages are — of the first (candid confession) the penitent 
 thief on the cross ; of the second (contrition) Peter in the judgement 
 hall ; of the third (ardent love) Mary Magdalene at the banquet. 
 
 96. quale io paio : i. e. ' my very image ' ; ' I saw my image 
 reflected in it.' 
 
 97~9* perso : 'purple-black'; see note on Inf. v. 89. 
 crepata, &c. : it is tempting to adopt Miss Rossetti's suggestion 
 
 244 
 
IX. IOO-23] PURGATORIO 
 
 (see Butler, p. 107), that what is here Intended is two transverse 
 cracks in the stone, figuring the cross, at the thought of which the 
 heart is contrite. Perhaps, however, the meaning rather is, that the 
 stone was cracked throughout its whole length and breadth. 
 100. s' ammassiccia : ' rests ponderously.' 
 
 105. diamante : it is hard to say whether ' adamant * or 
 ^ diamond ' is meant here, for the word was used in both senses. 
 Perhaps the former is preferable, in which case the allegorical mean- 
 ing will be the firm foundation on which the Church, which has the 
 power of binding and loosing, is established — ' on this rock I will 
 build my Church.' 
 
 106. di buona voglia: 'with my good will,* i.e. I willingly 
 followed his drawing. 
 
 no, III. Misericordia, &c. : 'I besought his mercy that he 
 should open to me.' nel petto, &c. : ' I smote myself thrice on 
 the breast,' in token of contrition. 
 
 112, 113. Sette P : the seven P's, which the angel inscribes on 
 Dante's forehead, signify the seven deadly sins, P being the initial 
 letter of Peccato. The sword is the emblem of the divine justice. 
 lavi : ' cleanse away by passing through Purgatory.' In Dante's case 
 both the inscription of the letters and their removal are only sym- 
 bolical, and do not imply that he was at this time suffering any 
 Purgatorial penance ; this is shown by his recognizing that he will 
 have to undergo the pains of Purgatory after death, Purg. xiii. 133-8. 
 
 115. che secca si cavi : ' which is dug dry from the ground.' 
 Ashes and dust (dry earth) are the familiar emblems of penitence. 
 
 117. due chiavi : these are the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 
 The golden key is the power of absolution, the silver key the know- 
 ledge possessed by the confessor, which enables him to judge of the 
 condition of the penitent. Hence in opening the gate the silver key 
 is used first, the golden afterwards. On this subject Aquinas says — 
 * distinguuntur duae claves, quarum una pertinet ad iudicium de 
 idoneitate eius qui absolvendus est, et alia ad ipsam absolutionem ' ; 
 Summa, P. 3. Suppl. Q. 17. Art. 3. 
 
 120. Fece, &c. ; 'he plied (lit. dealt with) the gate in such 
 a manner as to satisfy me,' i. e. he opened it. 
 
 1 2 1-3. r una: 'one,' i.e. either; if either of the confessor's 
 functions is exercised amiss, the absolution is not valid, calla : 
 'opening,' 'entrance'; see note on Purg. iv. 22. 
 
 245 
 
PURGATORIO [IX. 124-38 
 
 124-6. Piti caxa, &c. : the golden key is the more precious, 
 because its power is derived from the precious blood of Christ ; 
 but the silver key demands exceedingly great skill in him who uses 
 it. troppa : for troppo ; Dante has allowed himself, for the sake 
 of the rhyme, to introduce an irregular grammatical constmction in 
 making troppa agree with arte, il nodo disgroppa : ' dis- 
 entangles the knot,' i. e. clears the conscience and enlightens the 
 mind. 
 
 127-9. Pier: St. Peter, to whom Christ committed them. Pur 
 che, &c. : a humble request for pardon is the indispensable condition 
 of obtaining it. 
 
 130-2. r uscio, &c. : 'the door of entrance to the sacred gate- 
 way.' di fuor torna : i. e. will have to return and quit Purgatory. 
 The spiritual sense is — ' The man who after repentance returns to 
 his former sins forfeits God's favour.' 
 
 133, 134. quando, &c. : 'when the pivots of that sacred gate 
 turned in their sockets.' regge is regularly used of church doors ; 
 see Vocah. Tramater. 
 
 136-8. Non rugghio, &c. : ' Tarpeia roared not so loudly, nor 
 showed itself so discordant ' ; the grating of the pivots, which is 
 compared to this, is intended to imply the infrequency of the open- 
 ing of the gate of Purgatory ; cp. Purg. x. 2, disusa. This view is 
 in accordance with Dante's own sternness, notwithstanding his 
 mention of the merciful commission given by St. Peter to the angel 
 in 11. 127, 128. The classical story here alluded to, which is taken 
 from Lucan, iii. 114-68, describes how Julius Caesar, when he 
 reached Rome after passing the Rubicon, proceeded to the temple of 
 Saturn, which served as an aerarium or state treasury, in order to 
 make himself master of its contents, but was opposed by the tribune 
 L. Caecilius Metellus, who was ultimately removed by force. The 
 lines in Lucan referring to this are — ' Protenus abducto patuerunt 
 templa Metello. Tunc rupes Tarpeia sonat, magnoque reclusas 
 Testatur stridore fores,' 11. 153-5. 'The Tarpeian rock' is here 
 taken for the Capitoline Hill, on one side of which it was situated, 
 and which is described as echoing the grating of the hinges of the 
 temple of Saturn, which lay at its foot. Dante has rendered an 
 elaborate allusion still more intricate by using Tarpeia to signify the 
 temple also, for le and macra (11. 137, 138), which refer to the 
 temple, agree with Tarpeia. come, &c. : ' when the good Mar- 
 
 246 
 
IX. 139-45] PURGATORIO 
 
 cellus was removed from it, from which cause it thereafter remained 
 impoverished.' tolto : * was removed from the temple which he 
 was defending/ per che, &c. : cp. Lucan, loc. cit., II. 167, 168, 
 'Tristi spoHantur templa rapina, Pauperiorque fuit tunc primum 
 Caesare Roma.' 
 
 139. mi rivolsi : *I turned aside/ i. e. away from the gate to- 
 wards the sound within, primo tuono : ' the commencement of a 
 burst of sound,' i. e. the first words of the Te Deum. With this 
 the spirits within were wont to celebrate the admission of those 
 newly arrived. In like manner, when a soul is freed from Purgatory 
 the Gloria in excehis is sung; cp. Purg. xx. 133-8, where it is 
 noticeable, as illustrating primo tuono here, that Dante is at first 
 overpowered by the sound. 
 
 141. dolce suono : this is the same as the tuono ; at first there 
 is a deafening, though harmonious (dolce), burst of sound ; from 
 this the words seem gradually to emerge. 
 
 142-5. Tale imagine appunto : 'just such an impression.' 
 The efl^ect thus produced on the listener is compared to that of a 
 musical performance, in which the words are only intermittently 
 heard owing to the loudness of the accompaniment. organi : 
 ' musical instruments.' 
 
 CANTO X 
 
 Prefatory Note on the Method employed by Dante 
 IN describing Purgatory proper. 
 
 This is the most elaborately symmetrical part of the whole poem, 
 a corresponding mode of treatment being introduced in each Cornice. 
 (These Cornices, seven in number, in which the seven deadly sins 
 are punished, rise one above another on the mountain side, which they 
 encircle, and every Cornice is presided over by an angel.) As Dante 
 enters a Cornice, examples of the virtue opposed to the vice which 
 is punished there are presented to him for admiration ; and before he 
 leaves the same Cornice examples of the vice are presented to him 
 
 247 
 
/. 
 
 PURGATORIO . [x. 1-9 
 
 for avoidance. The two sets of examples are presented either in the 
 same, or at least in a similar manner ; and the examples of the vice 
 that are given, as a rule, correspond in number to those of the virtue. 
 Usually, also, the examples are drawn alternately from Scripture and 
 from classical sources ; and the first example of the virtue is in every 
 case an incident in the life of the Blessed Virgin. Further, at one 
 period of Dante's passage through a Cornice a portion of one of the 
 Offices of the Church is recited by the spirits who are undergoing 
 purgation there ; and as he leaves the Cornice he is sped on his way 
 by the utterance of one of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the 
 Mount, the voice which pronounces it being in most cases — probably 
 in every case — that of the presiding angel. In the notes these points 
 will be mentioned for each Cornice at the place where that Cornice 
 is entered. 
 
 It should further be noticed that in Purgatory the most heinous 
 sins are found in the lower Cornices, and they decrease in criminality 
 as they ascend. But the punishments are not arranged in a fixed 
 order of severity; thus in Purg. xix. 117 we are told that no 
 J punishment is more severe than that of avarice, which vice is expiated 
 in the fifth Cornice. 
 
 Argument. — Having entered Purgatory, they ascend by a winding 
 passage through the rocks, until a narrow level Cornice is reached, 
 which runs round the entire circuit of the mountain. The white 
 marble cliff, which flanks the inner side of this Cornice, is ornamented 
 with exquisite sculptures, representing typical examples of the virtue 
 of humility. While they are contemplating these, they are approached 
 by a company of souls, who are expiating the sin of pride by being 
 bowed down under the weight of heavy stones. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Poi : for Poiche, 'after that.' Che,&c. : * which (gate) 
 the perverted affection of men's souls, by making them mistake wrong 
 for right, causes to be disused ' ; i. e. few souls reach Purgatory, the 
 preparatory stage for heaven, because they are led astray by the idea 
 that the satisfaction of their sinful desires is true happiness. 
 
 4. Sonando : ' by the sound,' i. e. not by the sight ; the two 
 following lines are a comment on this. 
 
 7-9. salavam : a Florentine dialectic form for salivam ; cp. 
 Purg. iv. 31. si moveva : ' undulated ' ; no real movement is 
 intended, but only the relative position of the rocks on either hand 
 
 248 
 
 y 
 
X. II-30] PURGATORIO 
 
 as the passage wound through them. Similarly in Inf. xviii. 1 7 ; 
 xxiii. 135 mover, moversi are used of rocks starting forward or 
 projecting, without the sense of motion, che fugge, &c. : ' which 
 now retires and now approaches.' 
 
 II, 12. in accostarsi, &c. : *in keeping close, now in this 
 direction, now in that, to the side of the rock which retires ' ; in 
 other words, ' in following the zigzags.' 
 
 13-6. E cio fece, &c. ; ' and this caused our footsteps to be so 
 infrequent.' lo scemo della luna : ' the moon's decreasing disk.' 
 The moon was full on Maunday Thursday, April 7 ; it was now 
 Easter Monday, April 1 1 . The time of day intended is from 9 to 
 9.30 a.m. cruna : ' needle's eye,' ' narrow passage.' 
 
 18. indietro si rauna : 'shrinks inward' (Shadwell), lit. 
 ' gathers itself backward,' so as to leave space for the Cornice. Some 
 such meaning as those here given for raunare is required, in order to 
 connect it with that of ' to assemble ' in the corresponding words 
 ragunare, radunare. 
 
 20. un piano : this is the first Cornice. Here (i) the sin 
 punished is pride ; (2) the mode of punishment is being depressed by 
 a heavy weight ; (3) the examples of the opposite virtue are the 
 Blessed Virgin, David and Trajan ; (4) the examples of the vice 
 are Lucifer and Briareus ; the Giants and Nimrod ; Niobe and Saul ; 
 Arachne and Rehoboam ; Eriphyle and Sennacherib ; Cyrus and 
 Holophemes ; (5) the mode of presentation is by sculptured figures ; 
 
 (6) the passage of a Church Office recited is the Lord's Prayer; 
 
 (7) the Beatitude pronounced is Beat'i pauper es spiritu. 
 
 22-4. confina il vano : ' borders on the void,' at the edge of 
 the precipice, ripa ; 'the wall of rock,' on the inner side, pur 
 sale: 'rises sheer' (Shadwell), lit. 'merely,' 'absolutely.' Misur- 
 rebbe : contracted for misurarehhe. in tre volte, &c. : lit. ' a human 
 body, estimated three times, would measure.' The width of the 
 Cornice would thus be about 17 ft. For the mode of measurement 
 cp. Inf. xxxi. 64, of the Frisians. 
 
 25. quanto, &c. ; only a portion of the Cornice was in view, 
 because it ran round the mountain, trar d' ale : ' wing its flight.' 
 
 28-30. Lassu : upon the Cornice. Che, dritta, di, &c. :' which, 
 being perpendicular, did not admit of being ascended.' If dritto 
 is read (it has the greatest weight of MS. authority), the meaning is, 
 ' which interdicted (lit. had lacking) the right of ascent.' 
 
 249 
 
PURGATORIO [x. 32-57 
 
 32, 33. intagli : * carvings'; these are instances of humility. 
 Policreto : the Greek sculptor Polycletus. The interchange of 
 / and r is a feature of the Tuscan dialect ; see Moore, Text. Crit., 
 PP' 525, 534' Dante was acquainted with the eminence of 
 Polycletus as a sculptor through Aristotle, who mentions him 
 in several passages in his writings, li avrebbe scomo : ' would 
 be put to shame in its presence.' 
 
 34-6. L' angel : Gabriel, the angel of the Annunciation. The 
 first example of humility is the demeanour of the Virgin on that 
 occasion, lagrimata : ' longed for with tears.' Che, &c. : ' which 
 peace (i.e. reconciliation) opened to mankind heaven which had so 
 long been denied to them,' lit. ' from its long interdict.' 
 
 41,42. immaginata : 'imaged.' quella, Che ad aprir, &c. : 
 the Blessed Virgin, by whose instrumentality our redemption was 
 initiated. 
 
 43-5. in atto impressa : ' expressed in (lit. impressed on) her 
 mien.' propriamente, &c. : ' as clearly as the figure on a seal is 
 stamped on wax.' 
 
 48. Da quella parte, &c. : they were advancing along the 
 Cornice towards the right, which is their direction throughout 
 Purgatory: at the present moment they were facing the mountain 
 side with their backs to the precipice, Dante being on Virgil's left, 
 and the next subject in relief was further on, i. e. beyond where 
 Virgil was standing ; hence Dante in order to get a nearer view 
 passes Virgil (varcai, 1. 53). onde: 'on which (side).' 
 
 49-51. mi mossi col vise : ' I turned my eyes ' ; for the form 
 of expression cp. Purg. xxxi. lOO, 'nelle braccia aprissi.' Diretro : 
 'behind,' from the point of view of one advancing along the Cornice; 
 and so, ' on the further side of.' da quella costa, &c. : ' on that 
 side of me on which my conductor was standing.' 
 
 54. Acciocche, &c. : ' that I might see it {la storia) from a good 
 point of view.' 
 
 55-7. The second example is David dancing before the ark. 
 marmo stesso : ' the very marble.' si teme, &c. : the reference 
 is to the death of Uzzah (2 Sam. vi. 7), in consequence of which 
 David left the ark three months at the house of Obed-edom ; at the 
 expiration of that time he removed it to Jerusalem and danced before 
 it, as here described. Dante has in one point slightly confused the 
 two occasions, for it was on the former that it was drawn by oxen, 
 
 250 
 
X. 59-8i] PURGATORIO 
 
 as he describes it in 1. 56 ; when David danced before it, it was 
 carried by Levites; 2 Sam. vi. 13 ; cp. i Chron. xv. 26. 
 
 59, 60. sette cori : this is from the Vulgate of 2 Sam. vi. 12, 
 * erant cum David septem chori ' ; the words are not found in the 
 Engl, version, a' due, &c. : the two senses are those of hearing 
 and sight; 'the bands of singers were so naturally represented as 
 chanting, that while my ears told me they were not doing so, my 
 eyes assured me that they were.' As regards the syntax, 1' un and 
 r altro are in partitive apposition to sensi ; ' they caused the one 
 of my two senses to say "they are not singing," the other ''they 
 are."' 
 
 61-3. al fummo, &c. : 'at the smoke of the incense (i.e. as 
 regards its reality) the eyes and nose contradicted one another.* 
 
 64-6. vaso : the Ark. Faso is used by Dante of any receptacle 
 or depository, e. g. of the triumphal car in Purg. xxxiii. 34. Tres- 
 cando : ' bounding in the dance ' ; 2 Sam vi. 1 6, ' leaping and 
 dancing before the Lord.' Trescare signifies dancing wildly. Al- 
 zato : ' high-gilt ' ; the Vocah. Tramater quotes from Fra Giordano, 
 of the Israelites at the Paschal feast, ' stando alzati,' i. e. with their 
 loins girt, piu e men, &c. : ' more than king,' because he was 
 performing a priestly function (he was wearing the ephod, 2 Sam. 
 vi. 14) ; 'less than king,' because he seemed to be debasing himself, 
 as David himself says, ' I will be base in mine own sight,' ib. v. 22. 
 
 67. vista: 'window,' lit. 'point of view'; ' Michal, Saul's 
 daughter, looked through a window,' ib. v. 16. 
 
 72. mi biancheggiava : ' beamed white upon me.' 
 
 73-5. The third example is that of the emperor Trajan and the 
 widow woman. 1* alta gloria, &c. : ' the noble deed of renown 
 of the Roman emperor ' ; principato for prmcipe^ abstract for con- 
 crete. Dante probably derived the story, which was widely spread 
 in the middle ages, from the F'tore di Filosqfi, a work which has 
 been wrongly attributed to Brunetto Latini. valore : ' worth.' 
 vittoria : ' triumph ' ; Pope Gregory the Great was believed to 
 have rescued the soul of Trajan from Hell. In Par. xx. 44, 45, 
 he is found in Heaven among the just rulers. 
 
 78. Di lagrime, &c. : 'in attitude of weeping.' 
 
 79-8 1 . Intomo, &c. : ' the space around him appeared thronged.' 
 For the absence of a proper subject to parea cp. Purg. ix. 54. 
 calcato : see note on Purg. ii. 72. 1* aquile, &c. : 'the eagles on 
 
 251 
 
PURGATORIO [x. 87-120 
 
 their golden ground seemed (in vista) to be waving in the wind 
 over his head.' The eagles, which are here described as worked 
 on banners, are a mediaeval adaptation of the Roman military eagles. 
 
 87. s'afFretta: * shows impatience.' 
 
 88-90. Chi fia dov' io : 'he that takes my place'; my suc- 
 cessor. L* altrui, &c. : ' what will another's good deeds avail (to 
 exculpate) thee, if thou dost neglect thine own.' 
 
 92. mova : ' start on my expedition.' 
 
 94-6. Colui, &c. : God, in the depth of whose counsels every- 
 thing, whether created or uncreated, exists, visibile parlare : 
 'visible converse,' i. e. language which appeals to the eye, not to 
 the ear. qui : on earth. 
 
 99. per lo fabbro, &c. : 'precious to behold for the sake of 
 God their artificer.' 
 
 100-2. Ecco : there are now seen approaching along the Cor- 
 nice a band of spirits, who are expiating the sin of pride by bearing 
 heavy weights, by the burden of which they are depressed, di qua : 
 i. e. on the left side, as is shown by 1. 105, where Dante, who is on 
 VirgiFs right (see note on 1. 48), turns towards him in order to see 
 them, ne invieranno, &c. : ' will direct us to the upper Cornices.' 
 
 103-5. amirar: 'on examining the sculptures.' The clauses 
 which follow run thus — non fur on lenti, volgendosi ver lui per 
 veder, &c. 
 
 106-8. pero : i. e. notwithstanding what I am about to tell you. 
 ti smaghi, &c. : ' fail of good resolution ' to repent. Smagare is 
 Span, desmayar, Engl. ' dismay.' Skeat (s. v. ' Dismay ') says it 
 is from O. H. G. magan (Mod. Germ, m'dgen), 'to be able,' 'to 
 have power ' : thus smagarsi is hterally ' to be deprived of strength.* 
 il debito : the expiation of sin. 
 
 109, no. la forma: 'the nature,' i.e. the terrible character. 
 la succession : the glory which is to follow, a peggio : ' at 
 worst.' 
 
 113, 114. sembran : for a similar attraction of number cp. Inf. 
 viii. 78. vaneggio : 'am confused'; cp. Purg. xviii. 143. 
 
 116, 117. li rannicchia: 'makes them crouch.' i miei occhi, 
 &c. : ' my eyes too at first had a hard struggle to distinguish them.' 
 
 118-20. disviticchia : 'disentangle,' i.e. make out clearly. 
 Viticchlo is the tendril of a vine or creeping plant ; hence avvitic- 
 ch'tarsi is used of such growths twining themselves round a thing, 
 
 252 
 
X. 123-391 PURGATORIO 
 
 and disviticchtare of clearing away these growths, si picchia : 
 * beats his breast' ; cp. Inf. xviii. 105. This action, as well as the 
 attitude of the spirits, corresponds to the description of the humility 
 of the Publican in the parable, who ' would not lift up so much as 
 his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast' ; Luke xviii. 13. 
 
 123. ritrosi: 'backsliding.' The proud, while they persuade 
 themselves that they are advancing towards the forefront, are really 
 falling into the rear. 
 
 124-6. vermi : here used for caterpillars. The argument against 
 men being proud in this life is, that here they are imperfect creatures 
 (cp. 11. 128, 129), the only object of whose existence is the develop- 
 ment of the immortal soul, which is destined to appear unveiled 
 before its just Judge, farfalla : the symbolism here implied in the 
 comparison of the soul to a butterfly is so natural, that xlrv^q seems 
 to have been the only word for a butterfly in Greek. 
 
 127-9. i^ 3-lto galla: 'exalts itself'; gallare is properly used 
 of floating on the surface, as in Inf. xxi. 57. Poi : for Poiche^ 
 ' since.' entomata in difetto : ' imperfect insects.' The word 
 entoma, from which entomata comes, is the Greek tvroixa (sc. 
 ^(3a), which is common in Aristotle for 'insects.' In Low Lat., 
 however, it seems to have been regarded as neut. sing., for in the 
 example given by Ducange ' nullum entoma ' is found. It was 
 natural that from this a plur. entomata should be formed on the 
 analogy o{ poema po'emata^ dogma dogmata^ &c. in cui, &c. : ' which 
 is undeveloped.' 
 
 131. Per mensola : ' to serve as a corbel ' ; such brackets are 
 frequently used to support the roofs of mediaeval churches. 
 
 133, 134. La qual, &c. : the meaning is : — 'the pain expressed 
 in which, though imaginary, causes real distress to arise in the mind 
 of him who sees it.' 
 
 138, 139. E qual, &c. : 'the most patient in his mien seemed in 
 his lamentation to say, " I can endure it no longer." ' 
 
 253 
 
PURGATORIO 
 
 CANTO XI 
 
 Prefatory Note on Dante's View of the Purpose of 
 Purgatorial Suffering, and of the Effect of Inter- 
 cessory Prayer in lessening its Duration. 
 
 Dante holds a twofold view of the purpose and operation of Pur- 
 gatorial suffering, viz. (i) as being a corrective or remedial agency; 
 (2) as being punitive or penal. According to the former of these, 
 the suffering purifies the soul from the stain of sin, so as to render it 
 lit to appear in the presence of God, and brings the will into har- 
 mony with the Divine will. Thus the souls in the first Cornice are 
 spoken of as ' Purgando le caligini del mondo ' (Purg. xi. 30) ; this 
 aspect of Purgatory presents itself so constantly in this part of the 
 poem that it hardly needs farther illustration. According to the 
 second view, the suffering is a satisfaction due to God's justice as 
 being the payment of the temporal penalty incurred by sin. This 
 temporal penalty is not to be regarded as forming any part of the 
 eternal penalty of sin, for that is already remitted through the mercy 
 of God, but as the temporal penal consequences of sin working 
 themselves out, in the same way as the violation of any of the laws 
 of Nature produces inevitable results. This view is found in such 
 passages as Purg. xi. 70-2, ' E qui convien ch' io questo peso porti 
 Per lei, tanto che a Dio si satisfaccia, Poi ch' io nol fei tra' vivi, 
 qui tra' morti ' ; xi. 125, 126, ' cotal moneta rende A satisfar^ \ 
 xix. 114, 'Or, come vedi, qui ne son punita.* There can, how- 
 ever, l>e no question that the remedial or purificatory view held by a 
 long way the first place in Dante's mind. 
 
 Dante's views of the effect of intercessory prayer offered in behalf 
 of those in Purgatory correspond to these. First, he regards it as 
 quickening the effect of suffering in cleansing the soul; this is 
 clearly stated in Purg. xi. 34-6, ' Ben si dee loro aitar lavar le note, 
 Che portar quinci, si che mondi e lievi Possano uscire alle stellate 
 rote.' In this way it resembles prayer offered for the living that 
 they may profit by the experience of sorrow and other trials. From 
 this it can result that the time spent in Purgatory may be shortened, 
 because the disposition of the sufferer may be affected by Divine 
 influence in answer to intercessory prayer, and thus its purgation 
 
 254 
 
XL 1-14] PURGATORIO 
 
 may be more speedily perfected. Secondly, he attributes to it the 
 power of bringing about the remission of what is due to God's justice 
 in Purgatory, because the love and devotion which prayer involves 
 make up for what is due in expiation of the sin. This latter prin- 
 ciple is expressed in Purg. vi. 37, 'cima di giudizio non s' avvalla, 
 Perche foco d' amor compie in un punto Cio che dee satisfar chi qui 
 s' astalla ' ; here the reference is to the shortening of the delay in 
 Ante-Purgatory, but it applies equally well to the duration of Pur- 
 gatorial suffering. Instances of this view of intercessory prayer are 
 Purg. xxiii. 90, where Forese says that his wife's prayers have freed 
 him from, or shortened the term of his punishment in, the lower 
 circles of Purgatory, and xxvi. 147, where Arnaut Daniel desires 
 that prayer may be offered for his deliverance from pain. Dante 
 indeed nowhere formulates his view of the effect of the prayers of 
 the living on the condition of those in Purgatory in such a way as to 
 exclude either of these two views, and most of the passages in 
 which this subject is referred to are reconcilable with either of them ; 
 but that which is connected with the remedial aspect of suffering 
 would naturally be the one on which he would chiefly desire to 
 dwell. 
 
 Argument. — The spirits who are undergoing their punishment 
 recite a paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer. When Virgil inquires from 
 them the nearest ascent toward the higher part of the Mountain, the 
 spirit who replies to him gives his name as Omberto Aldobrandesco. 
 Dante now recognizes Oderisi of Gubbio, the illuminator, who 
 moralizes on the transitoriness of human fame, and points out to him 
 the shade of Provenzano Salvani of Siena. 
 
 Line i. O Padre, &c. : in this paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer, 
 which is uttered by the spirits, a tercet is assigned to each clause. 
 
 2, 3. Non circonscritto : ' not as being finite.' primi eflfetti 
 di lassu : God's ' first creations on high ' are the angels. 
 
 6. vapore: 'breath,' ' efHuence,' i.e. Wisdom. Cp. Wisdom, 
 vii. 25, ' For she is the breath (Vulg. nyapor) of the power of God, 
 and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty.' 
 
 13, 14. manna : the grace of God, which is the support of our 
 spiritual life, diserto : the word ' manna ' causes the spirits to 
 liken Purgatory to the Wilderness of the Wanderings. 
 
 255 
 
PURGATORIO [XL 19-66 
 
 19-21. virtu: ^ power of wilP — not 'virtue,' as is shown by 
 che SI la sprona, I. 21. s' adona : ' is subdued,' ' gives way ' ; 
 in Inf. vi. 34 adona is 'subdues,' 'beats down.' awersaro : the 
 Evil One. Dante follows the same interpretation of the passage 
 which is adopted in our Revised Version, sprona : ' incites to 
 evil.' 
 
 23. non bisogna: because the spirits in Purgatory were beyond 
 the reach of temptation. 
 
 25-7. buona ramogna : 'good speed.' talvolta, &c. : when 
 a nightmare causes a feeling of oppressive weight. 
 
 28. Disparmente: 'in different degrees ' ; cp. Purg. x. 136. 
 a tondo : ' in a circular course,' because the Cornice was 
 round. 
 
 32, 33. che dire, &c. : 'what adequate return can be made in 
 word or deed?' ch' hanno, &c. : this is added, because the 
 prayers of the wicked are not heard; cp. Purg. iv. 133-5. 
 
 36. rote : ' spheres ' ; cp. Purg. viii. 18. 
 
 37. giustizia e piet^: i.e. God, who is at once just and 
 merciful ; hence the verb is sing. 
 
 40. la scala : the stairway leading upward to the next Cornice. 
 45. parco : ' chary.' 
 
 48. Non fur, &c. : this was because their heads were low and 
 their faces downwards. 
 
 49. A man destra : the regular direction through Purgatory. 
 The point of view from which this is estimated is that of one facing 
 towards the mountain-side. 
 
 51. persona: the prep, a is omitted before this word, the rule 
 being that, when a preposition occurs twice in the same clause, it 
 may be understood once ; cp. Inf. v. 81, ' Venite a noi parlar.' See 
 Blanc, Gram.^ p. 554. 
 
 58-60. Latino : Italian ; cp. Inf. xxii. 65. The speaker is 
 Omberto Aldobrandesco ; little is known of him beyond what 
 is mentioned here. The form of pride which he is expiating is pride 
 of family. The Aldobrandeschi were counts of Santafiora in the 
 Maremma of Siena, and were frequently at war with the Sienese. 
 fu vosco : ' was known to you.' 
 
 61-3. leggiadre: 'gallant.' comune madre : Eve, from whom 
 all are equally descended; cp. Figliuoli d* Eva in Purg. xii. 71. 
 
 64-6. tanto avante : ' to such a degree.' mori : he was 
 
 256 
 
XI. 68-87] PURGATORIO 
 
 murdered in his castle of Campagnatico by emissaries of the Sienese 
 in 1259. ogni fante : 'every child* ; it is so widely known that 
 every child is acquainted with the story. For fante see note on 
 Purg. XXV. 61. 
 
 68. consorti : ' members of my family.' 
 
 72. nol fei : 'did not bear the burden/ i.e. show a submissive 
 spirit. 
 
 73. chinai in giii, &c. : both these words and tutto chin (1. 78) 
 signify that Dante was stooping as he walked in order to listen to 
 the words of one of the crouching spirits (ascoltando). This is 
 mentioned here in order to explain how it came to pass that he was 
 recognized by another of the crouching spirits (1. 76). There is no 
 reason for thinking that Dante himself in any sense partook of the 
 punishment. This is true also of those cases where he is affected 
 by the Purgatorial pains — as in Cornice III, where he is blinded 
 by the smoke (Purg. xvi. 1-7), and in Cornice VII, where he 
 passes through the fire (Purg. xxvii. 10, 11) — for on both these 
 occasions this is unavoidable. Again, though he says that he 
 expects to have to expiate the sin of envy (Purg. xiii. 133-5), yet 
 in Cornice II, where that offence is purged, there is no sign of his 
 experiencing any anticipatory punishment. 
 
 79. Oderisi : Oderisi d' Agobbio (or Gubbio) was a famous 
 miniature painter of the latter half of Cent, xiii, who was employed 
 both at Bologna and Rome. The form of pride which he was here 
 expiating is pride of artistic skill. 
 
 81. alluminare : in modern French enluminer ; in Italian miniare. 
 Paris and the French name of the art are here mentioned, because 
 that city was the great centre for the production of illuminated MSS. 
 at this time. 
 
 84. L' onore, &c. : ' he enjoys men's admiration in full measure, 
 I only in partial measure.' The explanation of e mio in parte, 
 which would make it mean, ' yet still I have some claim to praise,' 
 is inconsistent with the humility which we should expect from one 
 who was expiating the sin of pride. Oderisi's object is to depreciate 
 himself — * Franco holds the first place, I an inferior one.' This 
 agrees with what follows. Franco Bolognese was a contemporary 
 of Oderisi, but survived him. Vasari, when comparing the two 
 artists, gave a decided preference to the former. 
 
 87. eccellenza, &c. : ' pre-eminence, for which my heart yearned.' 
 
 TozER 257 S 
 
PURGATORIO [XI. 89-108 
 
 89, 90. Ed ancor, &c. : ' and I should not yet be here (i. e. 
 I should be among the Negligent in Ante-Purgatory), were it not 
 that, while still possessing the (full) power to sin, I turned to God ' ; 
 he means that he repented while still in his full strength, before his 
 end was near. Similarly Guido Guinicelli says — ' gik mi purgo Per 
 ben dolermi prima ch' all' estremo ' ; Purg. xxvi. 92, 93. 
 
 92, 93. Com' poco, &c. : ' how short a time verdure remains 
 on its summit, if it be not succeeded (lit. overtaken) by an age of 
 dulness,' i. e. unless the following generation contrasts unfavourably 
 with it. 
 
 94. Cimabue : Oderisi here illustrates his own fortune by that 
 of the great painter Cimabue (i 240-1 302), who adapted the 
 Byzantine style of art, and was the founder of the Italian schools, 
 but in the latter part of his life was surpassed by his pupil Giotto 
 (1266-1337). 
 
 97. Cosi, &c. : the same thing is true in poetry. The two 
 Guidi who are here mentioned are most probably Guido Guinicelli 
 (1230-1276) and Guido Cavalcanti (1255-1300); some however 
 would substitute Guittone d' Arezzo (circ. 1 230-1 294) for Guido 
 Cavalcanti. 
 
 99. caccer^ di nido : 'shall supplant.' Dante probably means 
 himself here, and the addition of the qualifying forse favours this 
 supposition. It is to be remembered that in Inf. iv. 102 he places 
 himself among the six great poets of the world. 
 
 102. muta nome, &c. : i.e. is sometimes called North wind, 
 sometimes East wind, &c., because it changes its direction. 
 
 103-6. Che voce, &c. : the meaning is: — 'Even before the 
 expiration of a thousand years, what difference will it make to thy 
 reputation, if thou put off thy robe of flesh in old age instead of 
 dying in infancy ? ' voce : iorfama ; cp. Inf. xvi. 41 ; Purg. xxvi. 
 121. scindi: 'separate from thee,' 'put off.' il pappo e il 
 dindi: 'childish interests'; pappo is a child's word for 'food,' 
 Lat. papa; dindi for denari. For similar infantile words cp. 
 mamma, hahho, Inf. xxxii. 9. 
 
 106-8. ch' e piu corto, &c. : ' and a thousand years is a shorter 
 period compared with eternity, than is (the time occupied by) the 
 movement of an eyelid, compared with (that occupied by the 
 movement of) that circle which makes its revolution in heaven most 
 slowly.' (Observe that the comparison of the eyelid and the heavens 
 
XI. I09-24] PURGATORIO 
 
 is in respect of the time occupied by their movement, not the rapidity 
 of it.) The 'circle' here intended is the Heaven of the Fixed 
 Stars, which, according to Dante [Conv. ii. 15. Ih 102-4), 
 progresses one degree in 100 years, and consequently makes its 
 complete revolution of 360 degrees in 36,000 years. The motion 
 which he thus regarded as peculiar to this Heaven was its 'pre- 
 cessional' movement from W. to E., which it had in addition to the 
 diurnal movement from E. to W., of which it partook along with 
 the other Heavens. (Precessional movement. When the zodiac was 
 divided into twelve equal parts, with twelve signs or constellations 
 corresponding to them, it was so arranged that the time at which the 
 sun entered Aries should correspond to the vernal equinox. In 
 the course of time, however, it was discovered that the sun was 
 no longer at the first point of Aries at that time, but some way to 
 the westward of it in Pisces; and further, that this change took 
 place at the rate of 1° in 100 years. This is called the 'precession 
 of the equinoxes.') 
 
 109-11. Colui, &c. : 'the name of him, who progresses so 
 slowly on his way in front of me, all Tuscany proclaimed.' si poco 
 piglia : cp. Inf. vii. 17. sono : cp. Inf. iv. 92 ; Purg. xvi. 59. 
 sen pispiglia : ' do men whisper his name.' The person intended 
 here, as we learn from 1. 121, is Provenzan Salvani, an eminent 
 Ghibelline leader in Siena at the time when the Florentines were 
 defeated by the Sienese in the battle of Montaperti in 1260; 
 cp. Inf. X. 85, 86. His form of pride was personal ambition, 
 11. 122, 123. 
 
 1 1 2—4. Ond' era sire : ' of which he was lord.' putta : ' base,' 
 Mow.' 
 
 1 1 5-7. La vostra, &c. : 'the fame of men is Hke the colour 
 of the grass'; the idea here is from Is. xl. 6, 7, 'All flesh is 
 grass,' &c. e quel, &c. : ' and he (the sun) doth cause it to fade, 
 by whose agency it springs green from the earth.' acerba : first 
 'unripe' (cp. Par. xi. 103), and thence 'fresh and green.' The 
 meaning of the comparison in these lines is this — ' as the sun first 
 gives colour to the grass, and then withers it by its heat, so "the 
 process of the suns " (i. e. the lapse of time which the sun marks) 
 first ripens human fame, and then causes it to fade.' 
 
 119. appiani : 'thou dost bring low.' 
 
 124. Ito e cosi: 'he has gone on his way in this fashion,' i.e. 
 
 259 s 2 
 
PURGATORIO [XI. 125-4;^ 
 
 bowed down by the weight on his neck. Ito for andato ; cp. Inf. 
 xvi. 91 ; Purg. xiii. 23. 
 
 125, 126. cotal, &c. : ' such payment has he to make in com- 
 I^ensation, who in the other hfe has been too daring.* 
 
 129. Laggiu: in the Ante- Purgatory. 
 
 131. quanto visse : cp. what Belacqua says, Purg. iv. 130-2. 
 
 134? 135' Liberamente, &c. : 'of his own free will, laying 
 aside all shame (fear of ridicule) he took his place in the great square 
 at Siena.' The story is this. Vinea or Vigna, a personal friend 
 of Salvani, was taken prisoner by Charles of Anjou at the battle of 
 Tagliacozzo, and required by him to pay a large sum of money 
 within a month as the price of his life. In order to obtain this 
 for him, Salvani seated himself in the piazza at Siena, and humbly 
 begged contributions for this purpose from the citizens, by which 
 means the money was obtained and the captive regained his liberty. 
 campo di Siena : the great piazza of that city, or Piazza del 
 Campo, now called the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. 
 
 138. Si condusse, &c. : 'he brought himself to manifest the 
 agitation arising from the humiliation caused by begging from others.' 
 
 139-41. scuro, &c. : i.e. such a show of feeling is hardly 
 credible, poco tempo, &c. : ' but a short time will pass ere your 
 countrymen (i tuoi vicini) will treat you so, that you will be able 
 from your own experience to illustrate (lit. comment on) the feeling 
 of humiliation in begging from others.' The reference is to Dante's 
 experiences as an outcast; his banishment took place in 1302, 
 and therefore less than two years from the supposed date of his 
 Vision. 
 
 142. Quest' opera, &c. ; ' it was this act on Provenzano's part,* 
 Oderisi says, 'that saved him from that place of durance,' viz. the 
 Ante-Purgatory. The plur. confini is regularly used of 'a place 
 of confinement.' 
 
 260 
 
XII. 1-34] PURGATORIO 
 
 CANTO XII 
 
 Argument. — Dante at Virgil's bidding studies the sculptures 
 which adorn the footway of the Cornice, giving examples of the 
 vice of pride and of its fatal results. An angel now appears, who 
 shows them the passage by which to ascend, and then by the move- 
 ment of his wings obliterates one of the P's on Dante's forehead, 
 after which they hear the Beatitude uttered, Beati pauper es sp'iritu. In 
 mounting the stairway Dante is surprised at finding that his sense 
 of fatigue is lessened, and Virgil explains to him that this is due to 
 the absence of the letter which the angel has removed. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Di pari : Dante was walking side by side with 
 Oderisi, and bowed down like him ; cp. Purg. xi. 78. pedagogo : 
 ' preceptor ' ; probably this, and not ' guide,' is the meaning. The 
 source from which Dante got the word seems to have been Gal. 
 iii. 24, where the Engl. Trans., 'the law was our schoolmaster to 
 bring us unto Christ,' would favour the latter signification, but the 
 Vulgate, which Dante used, gives ' lex paedagogus noster fuit in 
 Christo,' which supports the former. 
 
 4. varca : ' proceed.' 
 
 7-9. Dritto, &c. : ' upright, as one is wont in walking.' vuolsi : 
 lit. ' it is natural ' ; this meaning is derived from that of ' it is fitting,' 
 Inf. xvi. 15. chinati: 'depressed,' by the sense of humiliation 
 which remained on the mind after seeing the punishment of pride ; 
 cp. Purg. xiii. 138. scemi : 'lowly.' 
 
 12. leggieri : i.e. in contrast to the burdened souls whom they 
 were leaving. 
 
 1 5. lo letto : ' the resting-place.' The examples of pride and 
 its punishment are so placed, that the spirits undergoing Purgatory 
 tread them under their feet, and are also compelled to see them. 
 
 17. tombe terragne: tombs beneath the pavement, as dis- 
 tinguished from those built into the walls of churches, or raised 
 above the ground. 
 
 21. solo ai pii : 'to the compassionate alone.' 
 
 22-4. Si vid' io, &c. : 'with such figures, but of more perfect 
 
 261 
 
PURGATORIO [XII. 25-63 
 
 aspect corresponding to the craftsmanship, I saw there the whole 
 space covered, which projects from the mountain-side to form 
 a road.' di miglior . . . artificio signifies that these sculptures, 
 like those on the walls which are described in Purg. x. 28 foil., 
 were of divine workmanship {ibid. 11. 94-6), and consequently sur- 
 passed all human works of art. 
 
 25-63. These lines, in which the examples of pride are described, 
 are the most striking passage in respect of symmetrical arrangement 
 that occurs in the Div, Com. A similar, though less highly 
 wrought, artificial system, is found in Par. xix. 11 5-41; and in 
 both cases the object aimed at is the same, viz. to draw attention 
 to a number of forcible examples by which something is to be 
 illustrated. The symmetry in the present passage is traceable (i) 
 in the initial words of the tercets; (2) in the arrangement of the 
 examples. As regards the former of these points it will be observed, 
 that each example is described in a single tercet ; and that these 
 tercets are marked off into groups of four by the correspondence 
 of their initial words, those of the first group commencing with 
 Fedea (II. 25-36), those of the second with (11. 37-48), and 
 those of the third with Mostrava (11. 49-60). Finally, in the last 
 tercet — which contains the most comprehensive and typical example 
 of the overthrow of pride, viz. the fall of Troy — these three words 
 are brought together, and form the initial words of the three lines 
 which compose it (11. 61-3). Mr. Toynbee has further suggested 
 that the initial letters in these groups, viz. V, O, and M, have them- 
 selves a significance, because they stand for UOM, i. e. uomo, 
 ' Man,' whose root-sin, the special cause of his Fall, was pride. 
 They may thus have been intended to emphasize the lesson which is 
 inculcated, by the instances of pride which are here symmetrically 
 arranged. See Moore, Studies, ii. p. 268. As regards the second 
 point; the examples throughout are arranged in pairs, one of them 
 being taken in each case from Scripture, the other from heathen 
 sources, as the following enumeration will show — Pair i. Lucifer 
 and Briareus ; 2. The Giants and Nimrod ; 3. Niobe and Saul ; 
 4. Arachne and Rehoboam ; 5. Eriphyle and Sennacherib ; 6. Cyrus 
 and Holofernes. Also, in most, though not in all, of these pairs 
 there is a well-marked point of resemblance between the two 
 examples. Thus, Lucifer and Briareus were cast down by lightning; 
 the Giants and Nimrod attempted to scale heaven ; Eriphyle and 
 
 262 
 
XII. 25-36] PURGATORIO 
 
 Sennacherib were killed by their sons ; Cyms and Holofernes were 
 slain by a woman's hand. 
 
 25-7. colui: Lucifer. Folgoreggiando : Luke x. 18, *I 
 beheld Satan as lightning (Vulg. sicut fu/gur) fall from heaven.' 
 da un lato : take with Vedea, ' I saw on one side of the Cornice ' ; 
 to this c/air alh'a parte corresponds in 1. 29. 
 
 28—30. Vedea: both here and in 1. 61 Witte reads Vedevw, 
 and this is probably right, because (i) all Witte's test MSS. give 
 Vedeva'y (2) if Vedea is read, the termination -ea in these two lines 
 must be a disyllable ; and this is a metrical solecism, for elsewhere 
 it is always used as a monosyllable for purposes of scansion, except 
 at the end of a line. It is objected to Vedeva that it breaks the 
 uniformity of the commencement of the corresponding tercets. This 
 is the case ; but the same objection applies, though in a lesser degree, 
 to Vedea, because with it also the symmetry is marred by its 
 having to be pronounced, and scanned in these two lines as a tri- 
 syllable, while in II. 25, 31, and 34 it is a disyllable. Briareo : 
 Dante here places Briareus, one of the Giants who assaulted heaven, 
 apart from the other Giants, who are mentioned in the next tercet ; 
 in this he is following Statius, Theb. i\. 595 foil. Grave, &c. : 'an 
 oppressive weight to the earth from being lifeless.' 
 
 31—3. Timbreo : Apollo, who was called 'Thymbraeus' as 
 being worshipped at Thymbra in the Troad. He bears that name 
 in Virg. uien. iii. 85 and Stat. Theb. i. 643. le membra, &c. : 
 *■ the carnage of the Giants.' The example of pride abased which 
 is here given is the slaughter of the Giants after their attempt to 
 scale heaven, and in the sculpture the triumphant divinities are repre- 
 sented as contemplating their remains. Apollo, Pallas, and Mars 
 are introduced by Statius in connexion with Briareus in Theb. ii. 
 597-9, and they were evidently suggested to Dante by that passage, 
 though he has transferred them to the story of the Giants. 
 
 34—6. Nembrot : Dante regarded Nimrod as being a giant (Inf. 
 xxxi. 58-66), so that in this point he would correspond to the 
 classical giants. He also believed that Nimrod built the Tower of 
 Babel (il gran lavoro); for his authority on these points see 
 note on Inf. xxxi. 77. smarrito : 'bewildered'; this word and 
 riguardar express the helplessness produced by the Confusion of 
 Tongues; cp. Inf. xxxi. 76 foil. Sennaar : the tower of Babel, 
 as we learn from Gen. x. 10, was erected in the land of Shinar 
 
 263 
 
PURGATORIO [XII. 37-57 
 
 (Vulg. Sennaar). superbi : Gen. xi. 4 ; the builders of the tower 
 said one to another, 'Let us build us a city and a tower, whose 
 top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name {cekbremus 
 nomen nostrum)^ 
 
 37-9. Niobe : Niobe boasted herself against Latona as having 
 many children, while Latona had only Apollo and Diana ; whereupon 
 those deities in revenge slew all her sons and daughters. The story 
 is from Ovid, Met. vi. 146 foil., where the numbers of the children 
 are given, 'hue natas adiice septem, Et totidem iuvenes,' 11. 182, 
 183 (settee sette). 
 
 40-2. Saul: cp. I Sam. xxxi. 1-6. Gelboe: on the ten- 
 syllable lines here see note on Inf. iv. 56. non senti, &c. : 2 Sam. 
 i. 21, 'Ye mountains of Gilboa,' David exclaims, 'let there be no 
 dew, neither let there be rain, upon you.' 
 
 43-5. Aragne : Arachne challenged Minerva to compete with 
 her in weaving, but when she had completed her work Minerva tore 
 it in pieces. Thereupon Arachne hanged herself in despair, but 
 Minerva saved her life, and changed her into a spider. Ovid, 
 Met. vi. 5 foil. Both this story and that of Niobe are mentioned 
 by Ovid as a warning against pride, stracci : ' shreds ' ; those of 
 Arachne's web, which Pallas had rent; Ovid, Met. vi. 131. mal 
 per te : 'in an evil hour for thee.' 
 
 46-8. Roboam : the story here referred to is that of Rehoboam's 
 defiant answer to the remonstrances of the people, followed by his 
 hurried flight when he heard of his agent Adoram being stoned ; 
 I Kings xii. 14, 18. Quivi : on the Cornice, il tuo segno: 
 'thy sculptured form.' 
 
 50, 51. Almeon, &c. : ' Alcmaeon caused the luckless ornament 
 to appear to his mother too costly a gift.' Eriphyle for the bribe of 
 a necklace revealed the hiding-place of her husband Amphiaraus, 
 and thus caused his death ; but before he died he charged his son 
 Alcmaeon to ^venge him, and by him Eriphyle was slain. Her 
 pride arose from the possession of the necklace; Statius, Theh. ii. 
 265 foil. 
 
 52-4. i figli, &c. : 2 Kings xix. 37. Sennacherib's pride 
 consisted in his defying the God of Israel, v. 22. quivi il 
 lasciaro : v. 37, 'they escaped into the land of Armenia.' 
 
 55-7. ruina: 'overthrow,' 'rout of the army.' scempio : 
 ' slaughter * ; see note on Inf. x. 85. Cyrus attacked the Massagetae, 
 
 264 
 
XII. 58-8i] PURGATORIO 
 
 and slew the son of their queen Tomyris, but afterwards was 
 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. Dante obtained the story from Orosius, ii. 7, where the 
 words which he puts into the mouth of Tomyris occur, ' Satia te 
 sanguine quem sitisti.' 
 
 58-60. in rotta, &c. : Judith xiii-xv. Holofernes, whose 
 head was cut off by Judith, is described as ' the chief captain of 
 Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians,' Judith ii. 4. le reliquie 
 del martiro : the headless trunk of Holofernes ; cp. Jud. xiv. 1 8, 
 ' Holofernes lieth upon the ground without a head.' 
 
 61. Troia : the fall of Troy is the crowning instance of the 
 overthrow of pride. The pride of Troy is referred to in Inf. i. 75 ; 
 XXX. 14. caverne: 'gaping spaces,' i.e. intervals between piles 
 of ruin. 
 
 62, 63. Ilion : probably the citadel of Troy is meant, for Dante 
 seems to be imitating Virg. ylen. iii. 2, 3, ' ceciditque superbum 
 
 Ilium (Ilion basso e vile), et omnis humi fumat Neptunia 
 
 Troia (Troia in cenere).' Segno: 'portraiture'; cp. 1. 47. 
 
 64-6. Qual, &c. : the meaning is: — 'What human artist 
 could have portrayed the shades and outlines of these designs ? ' 
 For the use of qual cp. Inf. xxxii. 87. stile: this word properly 
 means a metal pencil for outline drawing, ogn' ingegno sottile : 
 i. e. every one who possessed the power of fine appreciation. 
 
 68, 69. il vero : 'the reality,' the actual objects represented. 
 Quant' io, &c. : ' of all that was beneath my feet as far as 
 I advanced in a stooping posture,' i. e. bending to examine them. 
 
 72. Si che, &c. : ' so as to see in these instances to what ruin 
 your pride may lead.' 
 
 73—5. volto : this word implies the circular form of the Cornice. 
 del cammin, &c. : ' the day was further advanced than I was aware, 
 being engrossed in the examination of these objects.' 
 
 76-8. atteso: 'watchful.' sospeso : 'preoccupied'; cp. 
 Purg. xiii. 136. 
 
 79-81. un Angel: this angel is the guardian of the stairway 
 leading to the second Cornice, toma, &c. : ' the sixth handmaiden 
 (of the day, i. e. the sixth hour) is returning from the service of the 
 day ' ; in other words, ' noon has just past ' ; for the expression 
 ancella del di signifying one of the hours, cp. Purg. xxii. 118. 
 
 265 
 
PURGATORIO [XII. 83-108 
 
 83. i: for g/i; cp. Inf. xxli. 73: Jilefiare is sometimes, though 
 very rarely, used with the dat. ; see Vocab, Tramater. 
 
 84. Pensa, &c. : from 1. 86 we learn that this means, 'make the 
 best use of the present time.' 
 
 85-7. tiso : for usato, ' familiar with.' chiuso : ' darkly,' so 
 that I should fail to understand; cp. Par. xi. 73. 
 
 93. omai : now that the weight of pride has been removed. 
 
 94-6. A questo, &c. : some editors regard this and the two 
 following lines, not as the words of the angel, but as the Poet's own 
 remark ; and it is true that they correspond to the comments which 
 he makes elsewhere ; cp. 11. 70-2 ; Purg. x. 12 1-9. Perche, &c. : 
 this continues the metaphor contained in 'volar su : ' why, instead 
 of pursuing your upward flight, do you fall to the earth when assailed 
 by a slight blast of temptation to pride ? ' 
 
 97, 98. ove, &c. : ' where there was a rift in the rock.' batteo, 
 &c. : it is thus that the first of the P's inscribed on Dante's forehead 
 is removed, as he presently discovers, 1. 116. 
 
 1 00. Come, &c. : the steep ascent is compared to the steps by 
 which the church of San Miniato at Florence is reached from the 
 city. These ascended the hill to the right hand (a man destra) 
 of the ordinary and easier way, which led from the gate of the city 
 to the church. 
 
 loi, 102. soggioga : 'dominates,' rising high above it. La 
 ben guidata : iron. ; Florence, ' the city of good government.' 
 Rubaconte: the easternmost of the bridges of Florence, which 
 lies under the hill of San Miniato ; it was so called from Rubaconte 
 da Mandello, who, as Podesta, laid the foundation stone in 1237 ; 
 Villani, vi. 26. Its modern name is Ponte alle Grazie. 
 
 103-5. del montar, &c. : 'the bold abruptness of the ascent.' 
 ad etade, &c. : i. e. in the good old times when honesty prevailed. 
 il quaderno e la doga : ' the ledger and the stave ' ; the reference 
 is to two acts of official dishonesty — the former of which consisted 
 in abstracting a page containing compromising entries from the public 
 ledger (cp. Par. xvi. 56), the latter in the diminution of the standard 
 bushel measure by an officer of customs by means of withdrawing 
 a stave (cp. Par. xvi. 105). 
 
 106-8. cosl : i. e. by steps, la ripa : 'the steep slope.' Ma : 
 in contrast to the openness of the steps leading to San Miniato. 
 rade : ' presses close ' on the path and those who pass along it. 
 
 266 
 
xiL 109-35] PURGATORIO 
 
 1 09-1 1. Noi volgendo ivi : ' as we turned thitherward ' ; this 
 is probably the meaning, for they are first described as ascending in 
 1. 115. voci, &c. : ' was sung in words (lit. words sang), the 
 effect of which language could not express ' ; for the use of voci 
 cp. Purg. xxii. 5. If the word is to be taken in its natural sense as 
 ' voices,' the Beatitude must be supposed to have been uttered by 
 more than one person — perhaps by some of the spirits in the first 
 Cornice. But it is against this, that in five out of the other six 
 Cornices — and probably in the remaining one also, viz. Cornice V 
 (cp. Purg. xxii. 4) — it seems to be the Angel who recites the 
 Beatitudes. 
 
 112,113. foci: 'entrances, "approaches.' canti: 'strains of joy.' 
 
 116, 117. troppo piu lieve: 'ever so much lighter'; for 
 troppo in this sense cp. Purg. ix. 124 ; xiv. 125. per lo pian : 
 on the level Cornice below. Dante in ascending feels that a weight 
 has been taken off him, and learns from Virgil that this is due to the 
 removal of the first of the P's from his forehead. 
 
 122. presso ch' estinti : pride being the original root of sin, 
 when it is removed the other sins tend to disappear. 
 
 126. pinti : ' impelled ' by the force of the will. 
 
 127. AUor, &c. : Dante puts his hand to his forehead to discover 
 what Virgil is referring to : this is compared to the action of one 
 who perceives from the glances of the passers-by that he has some 
 object on his head of which he is unaware. 
 
 1 30. ad accertar s' aiuta : ' applies itself to ascertain the 
 truth ' ; cp. Purg. xxxiii. 84. 
 
 133-5. scemipie : 'outspread,' lit. 'single,' i.e. not forming, as 
 we say ' a bunch of fives.' Quel dalle chiavi : the Angel who 
 had the keys of the gate of Purgatory ; Purg. ix. 112. 
 
 CANTO XIII 
 
 Argument. — The Poets now reach the second Cornice, where 
 the sin of envy is purged. As they pass along it, they hear the 
 voices of invisible spirits flying through the air, which proclaim con- 
 spicuous instances of the virtue of charity. They then j^erceive the 
 souls of the envious, clothed in sackcloth and seated on the ground, 
 with their eyes sewed up by an iron thread. Dante converses with 
 
 267 
 
PURGATORIO [xiii. 1-23 
 
 Sapia, a Sienese lady, who describes to him the malignant feelings by 
 which she had been possessed during her lifetime. 
 
 Line i. In the second Cornice (i) the sin which is expiated is 
 envy ; (2) the punishment is the sewing up of the eyelids ; (3) the 
 examples of the opposite virtue are the Blessed Virgin and Pylades ; 
 (4) those of the vice are Cain and Aglauros ; (5) the mode of their 
 presentation is by voices in the air ; (6) the Church Office is the 
 Litany of Saints ; (7) the Beatitude is Beati misericordcs, 
 
 2, 3. Ove, &c. : ' where the mountain is cut away for the second 
 time,* i. e. so as to form the second Cornice, salendo : ' as it 
 ascends,' i. e. in its successive stages, or Cornices, altrui : ' men ' ; 
 cp. Purg. iv. 54; xxviii. 128. dismala : 'frees from sin,* 
 ' shrives.* 
 
 6. r arco, &c. : ' its arc curves more quickly,' because it forms 
 an inner circle. 
 
 7-9. Ombra : this word is used, as in Purg. xii. 65, of the 
 shadows in the intaglios of the preceding Cornice ; and segno refers, 
 as in Purg. xii. 47, 63, to the sculptured figures in them. In like 
 manner la ripa and la via in 1. 8 correspond to the positions of the 
 two sets of sculptured figures in that Cornice — the one to the wall 
 of rock {ripa, x. 23, 29), the other to the level footway {yia, xii. 
 24). In contrast to those the wall of rock and the footway in the 
 present Cornice look blank and bare (schietta, lit. ' plain ') from the 
 livid colour of the rock, gli = 1;/, as in Purg. viii. 69. livido : 
 the colour of envy (livore). 
 
 10-2. Se qui, &c. : 'if we wait here for persons of whom to 
 inquire our way, I fear our choice of the direction to be followed 
 will haply be long delayed.' 
 
 13-5. al sole : it was now past midday (Purg. xii. 81), and the 
 Poets were on the northern side of the Mountain ; consequently the 
 sun was on their right hand. Virgil first looks towards the sun, 
 and then ' faces right about ' towards it. The military precision 
 with which this movement is made is perhaps a sort of homage to 
 the great luminary, which he then proceeds to address. 
 
 18. come, &c. : ' as one requires to be conducted.' 
 
 21. duci : the result of this is that, following the course of the 
 sun, they move forward along the Cornice towards the right. 
 
 2 2; 23. di qua: 'here on earth.' migliaio : the last four 
 
 268 
 
XIII. 27-52] PURGATORIO 
 
 vowels of this word form metrically one syllable ; cp. Teggh'iaio^ Inf. 
 vi. 79. dilk: 'onwards.' iti : for andati; cp. Purg. xi. 124. 
 
 27. cortesi inviti : the 'courteous invitations to the feast of 
 love ' are exhortations to large-heartedness or charity, the virtue that 
 is the opposite of the vice of envy, which is here expiated. These 
 are uttered by spirits passing through the air, but who the spirits are 
 we are not told. They consist of the usual examples of the virtue — 
 in this case two in number — together with our Lord's command to 
 love our enemies. These three utterances represent three forms of 
 charity, viz. (i) consideration of the wants of others; (2) self- 
 sacrifice for the sake of others ; (3) forgiveness of injuries done by 
 others. 
 
 29. Vinum non habent: this is what the Virgin said at the 
 marriage feast at Cana in Galilee (John ii. 3), showing her thought- 
 ful care for others. 
 
 31—3. del tutto, &c. : 'had ceased entirely to be heard owing to 
 the distance.' lo sono Oreste : this was the exclamation of 
 Pylades, when he desired to personate Orestes, and to be put to 
 death in his stead. Dante's authority for the story was probably 
 Cicero, De Am'tcit. vii. 24, for he was well acquainted with that 
 work, anco, &c. : ' this voice also stayed not its course.' 
 
 36. Amate, &c. : from the Sermon on the Mount, Matt. v. 44. 
 
 39. Tratte,&c. : 'the lashes of the scourge are derived from love'; 
 i. e. the heinousness of their sin is brought home to the envious 
 by the examples and precepts which enforce the opposite virtue. 
 
 40. Lo fren : the bridle, or, as we say, the deterrent from sin, 
 is found in the examples of the ruin which envy entails on the envious 
 (Purg. xiv. 133-9). These are del contrario suono because 
 their moral is not love but fear. 
 
 42. passo del perdono : the Pass of Pardon is the passage 
 through the rock, which leads from this Cornice to the next. It is 
 at the entrance to this that they meet the Angel (Purg. xv. 34-6), 
 who, as we infer from what happened in Cornice I, removes the 
 second P from Dante's forehead. 
 
 45. lungo la grotta : * against the face of the cliff.' 
 
 48. color : the livid colour of envy; cp. 1. 9. 
 
 50. Maria, &c. : the Church Office which is used in this Cornice 
 is the Litany of the Saints. 
 
 52. ancoi : ' at the present time ' ; for anche oggu 
 
 269 
 
PURGATORIO [XIII. 57-87 
 
 57. Per gli occhi, &c. : 'my load of grief found a vent through 
 my eyes ' ; Ht. ' I was drained of my grief through the passage of 
 my eyes'; for munto cp. Inf. xii. 135. 
 
 59. sofferia : ' supported.' They were in pairs, with their backs 
 against the rock, and propped up by one another's shoulders. The 
 mutual help which this implies was an antidote to envy. 
 
 61-3. a cui la roba falla: 'poverty-stricken'; cp. Inf. 
 xxiv. 7. Stanno, &c. : ' station themselves at places where in- 
 dulgences are granted,' i. e. at pilgrimage churches and similar holy 
 places, a walla : ' reclines,' lit. ' lowers.' 
 
 66. agogna : ' craves help.' 
 
 67, 68. approda : if this word is derived from pro, prode, 
 ' advantage ' (Lat. prodesse), the meaning is ' does not benefit,' cp. 
 Inf. xxi. 78 ; if, on the other hand, it is derived from proda, 
 ' shore,' it means ' arrives at ' ; ' the sun does not reach their eyes.' 
 1^ V io, &c. : ' in the place of which I was just speaking.' 
 
 7 1 . cuce : in the punishment of the envious by sewing up their 
 eyes the retribution corresponds to the sin, because envy arises from 
 looking in a malignant spirit at the prosperity of others; cp. 1. 135, 
 ' occhi con invidia volti.' At the same time there is an allusion 
 to the etymology of invidia, as being derived from in and video, 
 come a sparvier : Philalethes (p. 119) refers to the emperor 
 Frederic II as mentioning in his treatise on Falconry that this 
 practice was in use in taming' hawks ; the technical name for the 
 operation was cileare, 
 
 73, 74. A me, &c. : ' I seemed to myself as I passed along to 
 be committing an act of outrage in seeing others without being seen 
 myself.' This feeling impels Dante to reveal himself to the spirits. 
 
 76-8. lo muto: 'though I had not opened my lips.' arguto : 
 ' to the point.' 
 
 79-81. Virgilio, &c. : to protect Dante from the risk of falling 
 over, since there was no parapet encircling the Cornice, Virgil places 
 himself on his outer side, da quella banda : ' towards that side ' ; 
 for banda cp. Inf. xviii. 80. 
 
 82—4. devote : ' devout,' as being engaged in chanting the Litany. 
 che per, &c. : ' who were pressing out the tears through the grievous 
 stitching of the eyelids.' 
 
 85-7. sicura, &c. : here, as elsewhere in Purgatory, Dante shows 
 his sympathy with the souls in pain by referring, not so much to 
 
 270 
 
XIII. 88-120] PURGATORIO 
 
 their present suffering, as to the certainty of their future blessedness ; 
 and in this instance he introduces the aspect of that blessedness which 
 appealed most forcibly to them in their sightless condition, viz. the 
 sight of God. Che, &c. : ' which is the sole object of your longings.* 
 
 88. Se : 'so may,' the usual form of appeal, le schiume, &c. : 
 a limpid stream is a natural image to represent the current of pure 
 thoughts ; the conscience is the channel through which they flow ; 
 the schiume are the accretions of sinful feelings, like envy, which 
 impede their passage through that channel ; these accretions are 
 removed by divine grace by means of the sufferings of Purgatory. 
 
 91—3. che mi fia, &c. : 'for the news will be acceptable and 
 welcome to me.' latina : Italian ; cp. Purg. xi. 58. sark buon : 
 because Dante might persuade his friends on earth to pray for him. 
 r apparo : 'learn his name.' 
 
 95, 96. una vera citt^ : the city of God. tu vuoi, &c. : 
 ' you mean, a spirit that lived in Italy during its pilgrimage on earth.' 
 
 99. mi feci, &c. : ' I made myself heard (by raising my voice) 
 still farther on.' 
 
 100, 1 01. aspettava, &c. : 'wore an expectant look'; cp. 
 Purg. vii. 97. se volesse, &c. : 'if you ask how expectancy 
 was expressed in its looks.' 
 
 103. che per salir, &c. : ' who dost subdue thyself (by penance) 
 that thou mayest rise ' ; the underlying idea is — ' he that humbleth 
 himself shall be exalted.' 
 
 106-8. r fui Sanese: this is Sapia of Siena; her story is 
 sufficiently given in what follows. Lagrimando, &c. : ' praying him 
 with tears to vouchsafe himself to us,' i. e. to grant us his presence. 
 
 114. discendendo, &c. : Sapia means that she was past middle 
 age; cp. Conv. iv. 24. 11. 30, 31, ' il colmo del nostro arco e nelli 
 trentacinque.' 
 
 1 15-7. Colle : a town of Tuscany near Volterra, in the neigh- 
 bourhood of which the Sienese, commanded by Provenzan Salvani (on 
 whom see note on Purg. xi. 109), were defeated by the Florentines. 
 Sapia, who was in exile there, watched the battle from a tower. 
 di quel ch* ei voile : her request (^that they might be discomfited) 
 coincided with what God had ordained. She obtained her wish, 
 but not in answer to her prayer. 
 
 119,120. Passi: ' straits,' 'difficulties' ; cp. Par, iv. 91 ; xxx. 
 22. a tutte, &c. : ' surpassing every other joy.' 
 
 271 
 
PURGATORIO [xiii. ii53-5o 
 
 123. Come, &c. : 'as the blackbird does when there is a short 
 spell of fair weather.' The story to which Dante is referring is, 
 that the blackbird, when a succession of fine days occurs in winter 
 time, exclaims, ' I fear thee no more, O Lord, for the winter is 
 over.' It is said also that in Lombardy the warm days at the end 
 of January are called 'i giorni della merla.' 
 
 125, 126. ancor, &c. : 'my debt would not yet be reduced by 
 penance,' i. e. 'I should not yet be in the way of expiating my sin ' ; 
 in other words, 'I should still be in Ante-Purgatory,' having deferred 
 repentance to the end of my life. 
 
 128, 129. Pier Pettinagno : a hermit who lived in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Siena. A cui, &c. : 'who was distressed for me,' 
 ' felt compassion for me.' 
 
 132. come io credo : the blind are naturally observant, and so 
 Sapia infers that Dante is not blind from his moving about, and 
 from his speaking as if he was not undergoing the punishment of 
 this Cornice. 
 
 133-5. Gli occhi, &c. : 'I shall be deprived of my eyesight 
 here ' by the ' orribile costura.' ancor : ' hereafter,' i. e. when he 
 would have to undergo Purgatory. 1' offesa, &c. : ' the sin that 
 they have committed by envious glances.' 
 
 136-8. sospesa: 'preoccupied'; cp. Purg. xii. 78. Che gia, 
 &c. : ' for the weight which presses on the necks of the spirits in 
 the lower (first) Cornice already weighs me down.' Dante confesses 
 that pride is his besetting sin. 
 
 140. giti: 'to the Cornice below,' with reference to laggiit^ I. 138. 
 
 142-4. richiedi: 'proffer thy request.' mova, &c. : 'exert 
 myself among the living (lit. move my mortal feet in the world 
 beyond) hereafter for thee,' i. e. endeavour to obtain for thee the 
 intercessions of others. 
 
 148-50. per quel, &c. : ' by thy dearest object of desire,' i. e. by 
 thy hope of eternal life, mi rinfami : by assuring them that I am 
 not in Hell but in Purgatory, and consequently that their prayers 
 will avail for me. The hope of obtaining intercessory prayer, it 
 will be observed, is what both Dante (11. 143, 144) and Sapia 
 herself (1. 147) have been referring to. It is not meant that she 
 desired to be favourably remembered by the living, for the spirits in 
 Purgatory do not long for this, as those in Hell do (see note on 
 Inf. vi. 89). 
 
 272 
 
XIII. 151— XIV. 6] PURGATORIO 
 
 151. vana : for this as an epithet of the Sienese cp. Inf. 
 xxix. 122. Here, as elsewhere in the Div. Com., the traditional 
 hostility of the Florentines to the Sienese is apparent in Dante's 
 remarks. 
 
 152. Talamone: a port of the Sienese on the coast of the 
 Maremma, on which they spent much money, but failed to make it 
 serviceable owing to the unhealthiness of the spot, perderagli : 
 gli is for W, as in 1. 7. 
 
 153. la Diana: a subterranean stream, which the Sienese spent 
 much money in searching for, in order to supplement their water 
 supply. Subsequently to Dante's time they found such a stream ; 
 and a well called the po%%o Diana is now shown in the convent of 
 S. Maria del Carmine there. 
 
 154. Ma piu, &c. : 'but the officers in command there will 
 expend more upon it than their hopes,' viz. their lives. For the 
 use of mettere here cp. Villani, vii. 8, ' la parte gbibellina, ch' io ho 
 cotanto servita e messo in loro cotanto tesoro.' 
 
 CANTO XIV 
 
 Argument. — Dante is recognized as being a living man by two 
 spirits, Guido del Duca and Rinieri da Calboli, who were natives 
 of Romagna. When they discover that his birthplace was in the 
 valley of the Arno, the former of them first denounces the vices 
 which characterized the peoples who dwelt along the course of that 
 stream, and afterwards proclaims the degeneracy of the great families 
 in the cities of Romagna. Dante and Virgil, as they proceed, hear 
 other voices in the air, resembling the former ones but loud as 
 thunder, which recall examples of the disastrous effects of envy. 
 
 Line i. Chi e, &c. : the two spirits who are here introduced as 
 conversing with one another — Guido del Duca and Rinieri da 
 Calboli — have overheard part of Dante's conversation with Sapia, 
 and consequently are aware that he is alive and in the body, and 
 that he has a companion; cp. Purg. xiii. 141, 142. 
 
 5, 6. che piu, &c. : ' who art nearer to him than I am.' acco' 
 lo : iox accoglilo\ cp. raccogli iox raccoglieli^ Inf. xviii. i8. 
 
 TOZER 273 T 
 
PURGATORIO [XIV. 7-31 
 
 7-9. chini : resting against one another with their shoulders, 
 as described in Purg. xiii. 59. a man dritta : as Dante was 
 facing the rock when talking to Sapia, and these spirits were further 
 on, they would be on his right, supini : ' upturned * ; cp. Purg. 
 xiii. 102, ' Lo mento, a guisa d' orbo, in su levava.' 
 
 10—2. r uno : Guido del Duca. ditta : here used for d?. 
 
 14. tua grazia. : 'the grace conceded to thee.' 
 
 17, 18. Un fiumicel : the Arno, which is here called 'a small 
 stream,' probably because its source is mentioned in the words which 
 follow. Falterona : this is the name of the ridge of the Apennines 
 which rises to the NE. of Florence, sazia : the use of the sing, 
 here with a plur. subject is a construction according to sense, cento 
 miglia di corso being equivalent to un corso di cento miglia. 
 
 19. Di sopr' esso : from its banks, i. e. from Florence. 
 
 22. accarno : the first sense of accarnare is 'to penetrate the 
 flesh,' of a tooth or a weapon ; hence metaphorically it signifies 
 ' to penetrate the meaning of.' 
 
 25. r altro : Rinieri da Calboli. 
 
 29. Si sdebito : 'delivered itself,' 'expressed its sentiments.' 
 In what follows Guido del Duca traces the course of the Arno 
 from its source to its mouth, and denounces the vices of those who 
 dwelt on its banks, designating the inhabitants of the Casentino 
 as hogs on account of their brutishness (11. 43—5), the people of 
 Arezzo as curs because of their mean and quarrelsome temper 
 (11. 46—8), the Florentines as wolves for their rapacity (11. 49—51), 
 and the Pisans as foxes for their cunning (11. 52-4). 
 
 30. valle : both here and in 1. 41 valle means the Val d' Arno ; 
 but notwithstanding this the river itself is implied, for it is this 
 which is referred to m princip'to suo (1. 31) and si rende (1. 34). 
 
 31. dov' e, &c. : the description which Dante here gives of the 
 Apennines as 'the rugged mountain from which Pelorum is torn 
 away ' illustrates his love of pliysical geography ; for, whereas the 
 feature of which he is here speaking is the Monte Falterona in the 
 northern part of the chain, he carries us to the other extremity of 
 Italy to remind us that the chain had been broken through by a con- 
 vulsion of nature at the Straits of Messina, in accordance with the 
 view that prevailed on that subject among Greek and Roman poets 
 and geographers, pregno : this epithet is best explained of the 
 * prolific ' character of this part of the chain, since at this point the 
 
 374 
 
XIV. 32-4«] PURGATORIO 
 
 Apennines form a knot, from which several branches diverge. 
 Others refer it to the abundance of water, of which pregno is used in 
 Purg. V. ii8 ; Par. x. 68 ; and this view they support by the fact 
 that both the Arno and the Tiber have their sources in this neigh- 
 bourhood. Others again take it as signifying elevation, and in 
 illustration of this quote Lucan's description of the Apennines 
 {Phars. ii. 396—438), where intumutt (1. 398) is thought to corre- 
 spond to pregno here. The mountains, however, of which Lucan 
 is speaking in that passage, are those at the back of Capua ; and 
 Dante must have been well aware that the Monte Falterona is far 
 from being the highest point of the Apennines. 
 
 32, 33. Peloro : the disruption of Sicily from Italy at this 
 point is referred to by Lucan in the passage just mentioned (11. 437, 
 438), and is more fully described in Virg. j^en. iii. 414—9. passa, 
 &c. : ' it exceeds that measure (lit. mark) ' ; the meaning of this 
 will depend on the interpretation oi pregno above. 
 
 34-6. Infin, &c. : ' as far as the point (the mouth of the Arno) 
 where it yields itself up in compensation for those particles of the 
 sea which the heat of the atmosphere absorbs, and which provide 
 the rivers with their train of waters.' 
 
 37. per nimica si fuga : ' is driven out as an enemy.' 
 
 38, 39. o per sventura, &c. : ' either from ill fortune attaching 
 to the spot, or from bad habit which goads them on.' The two 
 influences which are here intended are divine appointment and human 
 freewill ; the sventura Del loco, according to Dante's view of the 
 scheme of Providence, would be caused by planetary influences ; see 
 note on Purg. xvi. 63. 
 
 42. par che, &c. : 'one might think they had been bred in 
 Circe's sty ' ; avere in pastura means ' to feed.' The reference 
 is to Circe's changing human beings into the forms of various beasts, 
 Virg. jien. vii. 17-20. 
 
 43-5. brutti porci : the rude inhabitants of the Casentino 
 in the upper valley of the Arno. povero calle : ' feeble course,' 
 with reference to the scanty supply of water in this part ; cp. Purg. 
 xvi. 2, ' pover cielo.' 
 
 46-8. Botoli : ' curs ' ; by these the people of Arezzo are meant. 
 Ringhiosi, &c. : ' disposed to snarl more than their force requires,' 
 i. e. there is more bark than bite in them. Ed a lor, &c. : ' and 
 contemptuously makes a wry face (lit. twists its muzzle) at them.' 
 
 275 T 2 
 
, PURGATORIO [XIV. 50-66 
 
 What is here described is the course of the Amo in this part, for, 
 whereas before it approaches Arezzo it flows towards the SE., in 
 the neighbourhood of that city it bends sharp round towards the 
 NW. This being the case, it seems perhaps preferable to read 
 (with Casini) E da lor, ' it contemptuously turns away its muzzle 
 from them/ disdegnosa : this agrees with valle supplied from 
 above, and signifying the river ; see note on 1. 30. 
 
 50, 51. di can farsi lupi : the dogs of Arezzo are replaced by 
 the wolves of Florence ; thus the river passes from bad to worse. 
 The wolf is the emblem of rapacity, fossa : ' dike,' a contemptuous 
 term for ' river.' 
 
 52—4. piii pelaghi cupi : 'many a deep abyss'; this refers to 
 the gorges through which the river passes above Empoli. volpi : 
 the Pisans are so designated on account of their fraudulent cunning. 
 ingegno, &c.: 'any form of cleverness that can master them.' 
 
 55. perch' altri m' oda : 'because I speak in the presence of 
 others.' The statement is put in a general form, but refers to 
 Rinieri, who might be distressed at the mention of the misdeeds of 
 a member of his family, and to Dante, who might be ashamed at 
 hearing the terms which are applied to Florence. 
 
 56, 57. costui : Dante ; it will be good for him, because he will 
 learn what disasters await his party, so that he may himself be fore- 
 warned, se ancor, &c. : ' if hereafter (i. e. when he has returned 
 to the world of the living) he remembers that which a truthful 
 inspiration unravels (i. e. clearly reveals) to me.' 
 
 58—60. tuo nipote : Fulcieri da Calboli, grandson of Rinieri, 
 who was made Podesta of Florence in 1302, and fiercely persecuted 
 the White Guelfs, whom Dante, notwithstanding that they were 
 of his party, classes among the lupi on account of their greed. 
 fiero : ' the cruel river,' even the name of which should be concealed 
 (11. 25—30) on account of the malignity of those who dwelt on its 
 banks. 
 
 61-3. Vende, &c. : this seem to mean — 'violates their persons 
 for gain,' the reference being to his torturing his victims, on the 
 strength of which he was continued in his office for six months longer. 
 come antica belva : 'hke ancient beeves' (Longf.). pregio : 
 ' good repute.' 
 
 64-6. trista selva : Florence. Fulcieri is spoken of as leaving 
 Florence (esce) because, not being a Florentine, he only resided 
 
 276 
 
XIV. 69-108] PURGATORIO 
 
 there during his term of office, primaio : the last three vowels of 
 this word form metrically one syllable ; cp. heccato^ Pu^'g- xx. 52 ; 
 gennaio, Par. xxvii. 142. non si rinselva : 'does not regain its 
 foliage.' 
 
 69. qualche : for qualunque. assanni ; ' grips.' 
 
 71, 72. Stava : here, as often elsewhere, stare merely signilies 
 position. The spirits were seated on the ground, a se raccolta : 
 'laid to heart,' 'fully comprehended.' 
 
 77, 78. mi deduca : ' should condescend.' che tu, &c. : cp. 1. 20. 
 
 81. Guide del Duca : little is known of his history. 
 
 84. di livore sparso : ' tinged with a livid hue.' 
 
 87. Lk V e, &c. : ' where interdict of partnership must be ' 
 (Longf.), i. e. on objects which do not admit of being shared by 
 others ; temporal, as distinguished from spiritual, goods are meant. 
 The Poet recurs to these words in Purg. xv. 44. The construction 
 is — ove divieto di ccnsorto e mestieri. 
 
 91-3. E non pur, &c. : Dante proceeds by the mouth of Guido 
 to lament over the demoralization of the Romagna. bruUo, &c. : 
 ' destitute of the good qualities (del ben) required for righteous 
 dealing (il vero) and gentle living (il trastuUo, lit. amusement),' 
 in other words, 'for well-ordered society.' Tra il Po, &c. : the 
 country intended in this line is the Romagna, which is described by its 
 boundaries, viz. to the N. the Po, to the S. the Apennines (il monte), 
 to the E. the Adriatic (la marina), to the W. the river Reno which 
 flows near Bologna. 
 
 94-6. e ripieno : the subject of the sentence is ' the land ' under- 
 stood ; cp. Purg. ix. 54 ; x. 79. tardi, &c. : ' it would be long 
 before they could be reduced by cultivation ' : the sterpi are the 
 demoralized families. 
 
 97. Lizio : this name, and the others which follow, are those of 
 the virtuous gentlemen of the Romagna of former times : little is 
 known of their history. 
 
 100-2. si ralligna : 'takes root again.' Verga gentil, &c. : 
 i. e. a man of noble character, though of humble extraction. 
 
 105, 106. vivette : for v'tsse. brigata : 'company,' 'as- 
 sociates'; cp. Inf. xxix. 130. 
 
 108. diretata : ' devoid of heirs ' ; from Low Lat. dehaeritare : 
 in mod. Italian it would be d'tredata. The two families here spoken 
 of belonged to Ravenna. 
 
 277 
 
PURGATORIO [XIV. 109-39 
 
 109, no. gli affanni, &c. : 'the toils and the repose, which 
 inspired our souls with love and courtesy.* 
 
 112. Brettinoro : now Bertinoro, a small town between Forli 
 and Cesena ; it was Guido del Duca's own birthplace. The family 
 which is spoken of in 1. 113 is probably that of the Mainardi. 
 
 115, 116. Bagnacaval : this place and the two following were 
 castles belonging to powerful families. 
 
 1 18-20. i Pagan : the Pagani were lords of Faenza and Imola ; 
 the head of the family was Maghinardo, surnamed ' the Devil.' 
 ' They will conduct themselves aright from the time when their Devil 
 departs ; but, for all that (pero), not so that their record can ever 
 be untarnished,' because Maghinardo had permanently compromised 
 the reputation of the family. Maghinardo is the ' leoncel dal nido 
 bianco ' of Inf. xxvii. 50. 
 
 121. sicuro : he died without heirs, so that there was no longer 
 any fear of his name being compromised. 
 
 125, 126. Troppo : 'far'; cp. Purg. xii. 116. ragion : for 
 ragionamento, cp. Purg. xxii. 1 30 ; 'so much has our discourse dis- 
 tressed my mind.' 
 
 128. pero, &c. : ' as they knew in which direction we were going, 
 and said nothing to the contrary, we concluded that we were right.' 
 
 130, 131. Poi : for Poiche. The voices in the air which are 
 now heard proclaim examples of the punishment of envy, viz. Cain 
 and Aglauros. Folgore : ' thunder.' 
 
 133. Anciderammi, &c. : Cain's exclamation in Gen. iv. 14, 
 ' every one that findeth me shall slay me ' ; Cain's envy is noticed in 
 I John iii. 12. 
 
 134? 135* sidilegua: 'dies away.' scoscende : 'it rends the 
 cloud ' ; for the etymology of the word see note on Inf. xvii. 121. 
 
 136-8. ebbe tregua : 'had truce from it'; when it ceased to 
 strike the ear. ed : ' thereupon ' ; see note on Inf. xxv. 34. 
 tuonar, &c. : ' a thunder-clap following quickly on another,' i. e. on 
 that mentioned in 1. 134. 
 
 139. Aglauro : the story of Aglauros is told in different ways ; 
 but the version of it to which Dante is alluding is that found in 
 Ovid, Met. ii. 708 foil., in which alone envy is a prominent feature. 
 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 a stone. 
 
 278 
 
XIV. I40— XV. 3] PURGATORIO 
 
 140. ristringermi : from fear of the terrible voices. 
 
 143, 144. camo : 'the bit' here, like lo fren in Purg. xiii. 40, 
 expresses the deterrent force of these examples. The word camo 
 is taken from Ps. xxxi. 9 (Vulg.), 'in camo et freno maxillas eorum 
 constringe.' sua meta ; the bounds of duty. 
 
 I45~7* 1* esca; the devil's bait is the temptation to sin. 
 richiamo : the metaphor here is changed ; the richiamo is the 
 ' recall ' of a falcon ; cp. Inf. iii. 117. The nature of the ' recall * 
 is explained in the lines that follow. 
 
 151. vi batte, &c. : 'the all-seeing God punishes you.' 
 
 CANTO XV 
 
 Argument. — An angel of dazzling brightness points out to them 
 the passage leading upwards. As they ascend, Virgil solves a doubt 
 which had arisen in Dante's mind from an expression in Guido del 
 Duca's speech, concerning the participation with others of temporal 
 and spiritual blessings. When the third Cornice is reached, in which 
 the sin of anger is expiated, Dante sees an ecstatic vision, in 
 which three examples of gentleness are presented to him. 
 
 Line i. Quanto, &c. : the first five lines of the Canto are 
 intended to express — though they do so with great circumlocution — 
 that it was now about 3 p.m. in Purgatory. Paraphrase thus — 'As 
 much as is seen (par) of the sun's path (of the movement of the 
 sphere in which the sun is fixed) between the end of the third hour 
 (9 a.m.) and the beginning of the day' (i.e. inverting the form 
 of statement, ' between 6 and 9 a.m.'), 'so much of his course 
 towards nightfall (i. e. about three hours) seemed at this moment to 
 remain ' ; that is, it was about 3 p.m. 
 
 2, 3. par: 'is seen,' i. e. along which the sun is seen to pass. 
 della spera, &c. : ' the sphere which is ever in restless motion like 
 a child ' is the celestial sphere in which the sun is fixed, and which 
 contains the ecliptic, or the path of the sun through the heavens. 
 It is said to be in restless motion (scherza does not here mean 
 luayivard motion), because it is revolving unceasingly in company 
 with the sun round the earth. 
 
 279 
 
PURGATORIO [XV. 6-20 
 
 6. Vespero la, &c. : this line expresses in a different way the 
 same thing as has been expressed in the preceding Hnes. Vespero 
 is used by Dante of the last of the four divisions of the day, viz. 
 from 3 to 6 p.m. {Conv. iv. 23. 11. 129-33). 'It was 3 o'clock 
 in Purgatory (1^), and consequently in Italy, where the Poet is 
 writing (qui), it was midnight.' The latter of these statements 
 becomes clear, if we understand that, as it was 3 p.m. in Purgatory, 
 it would be 3 a.m. in Jerusalem, which was antipodal to it ; and it 
 would be three hours earlier, i. e. midnight, in Italy, for according 
 to Dante's mathematical geography Italy was 45° westward of 
 Jerusalem, and 45' of distance = three hours of time. (45°, being 
 |- of 360*^ — the circumference of the earth — corresponds to three 
 hours, which are | of 24 hours, or the time occupied by a revolu- 
 tion of the sun.) 
 
 7, 8. per mezzo il naso : directly in front, si: 'so far'; as 
 they started from the east, and at this point began to face westwards, 
 they had now completed one-fourth of the circuit of the Mountain. 
 
 10-2. io senti', &c. : Dante here describes the dazzling 
 appearance of the Angel of the second Cornice, who was now 
 in front of him. ' I perceived that my brows (my eyesight) were 
 overpowered by the brilliant light far more than at the first, and 
 something — I knew not what — dazed me.' 
 
 13-5. Ond' io, &c. : Dante here shades his eyes with his hands. 
 Che, &c. : ' which diminishes (lit. files away a part of) the excessive 
 brightness of an object.' il visibile here is a subst. (cp. il sensibih^ 
 Purg. xxxii. 15), and soperchio is an adj. agreeing with it; 
 lit. 'the excessive visible object.' The expression is from Ar. 
 De An. ii. 12. 3, twv alaOrjTtjjv at VTrep^okat. 
 
 1 6. Come, &c. : the light which emanates from the angel is 
 reflected into Dante's eyes from the surface of the Cornice in front 
 of him. This he compares to the reflexion of a sunbeam from 
 water or from a mirror. 
 
 18, 19. per Io modo, &c. : i.e. at a corresponding angle to 
 that at which it falls. 
 
 20. Dal cader della pietra: 'fom the perpendicular'; as 
 we say, ^ from the plummet line.' in egual tratta : this is an 
 expansion of the meaning contained in tanto ; ' deviates as far 
 as the descending ray does, at an equal distance from it (the 
 perpendicular).' 
 
 280 
 
XV. 23 57] PURGATORIO 
 
 23, 24. percosso : ' that the ground in front of me was smitten * ; 
 the subst. is understood, as in Purg. xiv. 94. a fuggir, &c. : 
 i. e. 'I quickly turned my eyes away.' 
 
 26. tanto, &c. : ' so much that it (my sight) may avail me ' ; 
 i. e. sufficiently to enable me to see. 
 
 30. ch' uom saglia : ' that we (lit. one) should ascend ' ; uomo 
 in this use corresponds to Fr. on ; cp. Purg. iv. 27. 
 
 33. Quanto, &c. : 'even to the utmost capacity of thy nature.' 
 
 34-6. Poi : for Poiche. vie men, &c. : the ascents from 
 cornice to cornice become less steep in proportion as they are higher 
 up the Mountain. 
 
 39. retro: 'in our rear'; this Beatitude salutes Dante on his 
 leaving the Cornice where envy is punished. 
 
 42. Prode: 'advantage,' from Lat. prodesse. The word is 
 shown to be of the neut. gender by Par. vii. 26, 'a suo prode.' 
 
 44, 45. lo spirto, &c. : Guido del Duca. " divieto " e " con- 
 sorto " : ' interdict and partnership ' ; in Purg. xiv. 87 Guido blames 
 the human race for setting their affections on temporal goods, which 
 do not admit of being shared by others [consorto di'vieto) ; in what 
 follows, Virgil is made to explain the difference between spiritual and 
 temporal goods in respect of their beings or not being, participated in 
 by many persons. 
 
 46-8. Di sua, &c. : ' the detriment arising from his greatest 
 failing (envy) ' ; by the detriment he means his punishment, non 
 s' ammiri, &c. : ' it is not surprising (lit. let no one wonder) if he 
 reproves men {gente umana, Purg. xiv. 86) for it, in order that they 
 may rue it the less.' 
 
 49— 51. Perche, &c. : ' it is because your desires are pointed at 
 things, a portion of which is lost (lit. deducted) when they are 
 shared, that envy plies the bellows to excite your regrets ' ; in other 
 words — ' The reason why men's hearts are inflamed by envy is, 
 that the objects which they desire are temporal advantages, which 
 are diminished by being shared with others.' 
 
 54. quella tema : the fear of your advantages being lessened. 
 
 55—7. per quanti, &c. : 'in heaven (li) the increase in the 
 number of those who share its blessings multiplies proportionately 
 the blessings enjoyed by each individually, and enhances the love 
 that bums in that mansion.' si dice . . . nostro : 'the word 
 "ours" is used.' chiostro : cp. Purg. xxvi. 128. 
 
 281 
 
PURGATORIO [XV. 58-87 
 
 58-60. lo son, &c. : 'I lack satisfaction more* ; for this use of 
 digiuno cp. Inf. xviii. 42. aduno : 'I gather'; *more doubt 
 arises in my mind'; cp. Inf. vii. 52. 
 
 63. Di se : take with ricchi, ' rich in the enjoyment of it.' 
 
 66. Di vera, &c. : 'thou pluckest darkness from the very light' 
 (Longf.), i. e. the clearness of my explanations only produces 
 perplexity in thy mind. 
 
 67-9. bene: God, the fountain of love, is meant. 'The love 
 which emanates from God is communicated to men in proportion to 
 their power of receiving it, just as the rays of the sun cause objects 
 to be brilliant in proportion to their luminous nature.' 
 
 70—2. ardore : the fire of love. 'God communicates his love 
 in proportion to the love he finds in men.' Cresce, &c. : ' the 
 might of God's love increases so as to magnify it,' lit. 'over it,* 
 sc. carit^. 
 
 73-5. quanta gente, &c. : ' in proportion as the number of the 
 inhabitants of heaven who have this fellow-feeling (s* intende, ' are 
 in accord ') is increased, there are more to feel pure love, and 
 consequently more love is felt there, and this is reflected from one 
 to the other.' 
 
 76, 77. ragion: for ragionamento^ 'argument.' Beatrice: as 
 the question is strictly a theological one, Virgil rightly refers him 
 to Beatrice, who represents theology. 
 
 79-81. Procaccia: 'use diligence'; cp. Purg. xvii. 62. che 
 teste, &c. : ' that the remaining five of the seven P's may be soon 
 erased from your forehead.' si richiudon, &c. : ' are healed up by 
 means of contrition.' 
 
 82-4. appaghe : for appaghi. This word contains the answer 
 to Virgil's doubt in 1. 76. le luci vaghe : 'my eager eyes,' i.e. 
 desirous of seeing new objects ; cp. Purg. x. 104. 
 
 85. Ivi: in this, the third Cornice, (i) the sin punished is 
 anger ; (2) the mode of punishment is by being enveloped in a dense 
 atmosphere of smoke ; (3) the examples of the opposite virtue, viz. 
 gentleness, are the Blessed Virgin, Pisistratus, and St. Stephen ; 
 (4) the examples of the vice are Procne, Haman, and Amata ; (5) 
 the manner of their presentation is by an ecstatic vision ; (6) the 
 Church Office is the Agnus Dei; (7) the Beatitude is Beati pacifici. 
 
 87. piu persone : the Jewish doctors, in the midst of whom in 
 the temple our Lord was found by his Mother; Luke ii. 46. The 
 
 282 
 
XV. 93-1^7] PURGATORIO 
 
 mildness of the Virgin's remonstrance to her Son is the first example 
 of gentleness. 
 
 93. Cid che pareva prima : the first scene in the vision. 
 
 94. un' altra : the story which follows is this. A young 
 man who was in love with Pisistratus' daughter kissed her in public, 
 whereupon her mother begged of her husband that the offender 
 should be punished ; but Pisistratus replied, 'If we put to death 
 those who show love towards us, what shall we do to those who 
 hate us ? ' The authority for the incident is Valerius Maximus, 
 V. I. Ext. 2, where it is mentioned as an example of ' Humanitas 
 et dementia.' 
 
 96. dispetto in : ' indignation against.' 
 
 98. Del cui nome, &c. : from Ovid, Met. vi. 71, 'antiquam 
 de terrae nomine litem.' In the lines which follow this Ovid 
 describes the contest between Neptune and Minerva for the privilege 
 of giving their name to Athens. 
 
 107, 108. un giovinetto : the third example is St. Stephen 
 praying for his murderers, Acts vii. 54 foil. There is nothing in the 
 Scripture narrative which implies that St. Stephen was a young man, 
 but an idea to that effect seems to have prevailed, and has found its 
 expression in art. Mrs. Jameson says of him {Sacred and Legendary 
 Art^ vol. ii. p. 532), 'he is generally represented young.' a se : 
 ' one to another.' 
 
 109-14. chinarsi : 'he kneeled down,' v, 60. degli occhi, 
 &c. : ' he looked up steadfastly into heaven,' v. 55. guerra : 
 ' painful struggle ' ; cp. Inf. ii. 4, ' la guerra del cammino.' piet^ 
 disserra : ' calls forth (lit. unlocks) the compassion of others.' 
 
 1 15-7. torno, &c. : 'returned to the outer world (from its 
 previous condition of rapture) to those realities which are external 
 to it,' i. e. to the objects of sense. lo riconobbi, &c. : ' I recognized 
 the vanity of my imaginations, which yet had a true significance.' 
 They were non falsi, because they represented real events, and 
 conveyed a true moral. 
 
 119, 120. dal sonno si slega: 'is shaking off sleep.' non 
 ti ptioi ten ere : ' canst not stand upright,' lit. ' hold thyself up.' 
 
 122, 123. Velando, &c. : 'with eyes half closed and with 
 unsteady gait.' piega : ' overpowers,' lit. ' bends.* 
 
 127. Se tu avessi, &c. : cp. Inf. xxiii. 25-7, where Virgil had 
 already assured Dante of his power of reading his inmost thoughts. 
 
 283 
 
PURGATORIO [XV. 130-44 
 
 1 30, 131. Cio che, &c. ; ' the object of the vision was, that you 
 may not excuse yourself from,' &c. ; scuse for //' scusi. acque 
 della pace, &c. ; the waters of divine peace are the spirit of gentle- 
 ness, which is the antidote to anger, and of which Dante is to learn 
 the lessons in passing through this Cornice. 
 
 133-6. Non domandai, &c. : Virgil, having just assured Dante 
 that he is acquainted with his inmost thoughts, now proceeds to 
 explain to him what was his object in asking him the question, 
 'What ails thee, that thou canst not stand upright?' 1. 120. The 
 general purport of what he says is — ' I asked this, not in order to 
 learn your condition, as one gifted only with mortal sight would 
 do — I have no need to do this, because I know already what was 
 occupying your thoughts, and so caused you to reel in walking — but 
 I did so in order to stimulate you to exertion.' per quel che, &c. : 
 lit. ' with the object with which a person would ask the question, 
 who looks only with the eye which ceases to see when the body 
 lies deserted by the soul (in death),' i. e. with a mortal eye. 
 
 138. vigilia : 'wakefulness'; the present clause describes 
 Dante's condition, viz. that having regained consciousness he failed 
 to exert himself. 
 
 139-41. per lo vespero : 'during the evening hour.' attenti 
 Oltre : ' gazing onward.' raggi serotini : ' rays of evening,' 
 which consequently shone straight in their faces. 
 
 144. da cansarsi : 'to escape from it'; the smoke occupied 
 the whole width of the Cornice. 
 
 CANTO XVI 
 
 Argument. — Dante finds himself enveloped in a dense smoke, 
 in the midst of which are heard voices singing the Agnus Dei ; 
 these proceed from spirits who are being purged from the sin of 
 anger. One of them, Marqo,JUombardo, explains to Dante that, 
 though the life of man is affected by planetary influences, yet he is 
 in no sense enslaved by them, because his will remains free ; and 
 that what is most needed for his welfare is a central governing 
 power by which the laws may be enforced. Such an agency, how- 
 
 284 
 
XVI. 1-36] PURGATORIO 
 
 ever, Is rendered impossible by the present attitude of the Papacy, 
 which claims for itself the temporal as well as the spiritual power. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Buio : here used as a subst. ; ' darkness of Hell, or 
 of night, when night is bereft of every planet beneath a barren sky 
 (lit. a sky impoverished of stars), overcast to the utmost by clouds.' 
 The symbolism seems to be, that anger, which is 'a brief madness,' 
 clouds the judgement and obscures the conscience, in the same way 
 as smoke takes away the power of sight. Smoke, moreover, like 
 anger, is harsh and irritating. 
 
 6. Ne a sentir, &c. : ' nor did the darkness ever make to my 
 sight a veil of so hard texture to feel.' 
 
 8. saputa : ' sagacious,' like savio, ' sage,' the familiar epithet of 
 Virgil, only saputa has the sense of practical wisdom. 
 
 15. mezzo: 'separated'; lit. 'cutoff.' 
 
 17. per pace, &c. : in the Agnus Dei, which these spirits were 
 singing, the bestowal of peace and mercy is the burden of the 
 prayer — 'Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. 
 Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, da nobis pacem.' The 
 English of these words is familiar in our Litany. 
 
 20, 21. Una parola, &c. : ' all used the same words and the same 
 tone ' ; the ' concord ' thus produced is contrasted with the discord 
 arising from anger. 
 
 24. solvendo 11 nodo : ' untying the knot ' ; freeing themselves 
 from the bondage of the sin of anger, which keeps them from 
 ascending to heaven. 
 
 25-7. fendi: 'passest through.' pur, come se, &c. : 'just as 
 if thou wert not one of us, but wert in the number of the living ' ; 
 lit. 'as if thou didst still divide (measure) time by calends,' as men 
 do on earth. The Roman calends, as being the first day of every 
 month, are here taken as a specimen division of time — 'by such 
 time-marks as calends.' The form calendi for calende is found 
 also in Boccaccio and other writers. 
 
 30. si va sue : ' is the passage upward ' to the next Cornice. 
 
 34-6. quanto mi lece : we see from Purg. xv. 142 that the 
 smoke did not extend over the entire Cornice; consequently the 
 spirits who were undergoing penance were confined within certain 
 limits, in quella vece : 'instead thereof,' I.e. of seeing; cp. 
 Inf. xxl. 10. 
 
 285 
 
PURGATORIO [XVI. 37-63 
 
 37-9. fascia : ^ swathing band ' (Longf.), i. e. the body or outer 
 man, which enwraps the soul, la infemale ambascia : ' the 
 anguish of Hell ' ; this is shown to be the meaning by the use of 
 the same expression in this sense in Par. xxvi. 133. 
 
 40—2. se: 'inasmuch as*; but the conditional particle puts the 
 statement more modestly, richiuso : 'enfolded,' 'embraced me in 
 his grace'; cp. Par. ix. 102. fuor, &c. : 'unwonted in these 
 latter days ' ; subsequently to St. Paul no living person had been 
 carried up to heaven. 
 
 44, 45. varco : 'passage.' tue parole, &c. : i.e. the sound of 
 your voice will guide us through the darkness of the smoke. 
 
 46. Lombardo : ' a Lombard.' Benvenuto says that he was 
 called a Lombard because he was intimate with the leading men of 
 his time in lyombardy. Little is known of this Marco, but he is 
 said to have been a Venetian nobleman of the second half of Cent, 
 xiii, who was learned and courteous. 
 
 47, 48. valore: 'worth,' 'nobility of character.' disteso : 
 ' unbent ' ; 'at which men now neglect to aim.' 
 
 51. su: in Heaven. 
 
 55-7. Prima, &c. : the question (dubbio) in Dante's mind was 
 concerning the cause of the deep-seated corruption of his age. This 
 question first suggested itself when Guido del Duca affirmed the 
 existence of that corruption (Purg. xiv. 37, 38, 'Virtil cosj per 
 nemica si fuga Da tutti '), and so far it had only a single or simple 
 force (era scempio), because it started from the statement of a 
 single person ; but its force was doubled (fatto doppio), when the 
 existence of that corruption was asserted by Marco also (Nella 
 sentenza tua), for the repetition of the statement caused Dante 
 to feel certain of the fact from which the question originated in his 
 mind (quelle ov' io 1' accoppio). Qui ed altrove : ' comparing 
 the present with the former statement' (Marco's with Guido del 
 Duca's). quelle, &c. : lit. ' that to which I attach the question.' 
 
 59, 60. suone : for suoni^ 'dost declare'; cp. 11. 47, 48. di 
 malizia, &c. : ' big with malice and overshadowed by it.' 
 
 63. nel ciel, &c. : Guido del Duca had already suggested that 
 in the formation of men's characters two powers were at work, 
 viz. divine appointment and human freewill, when he said that the 
 corruption of the inhabitants of the Arno valley was caused ' o per 
 sventura Del loco, o per mal uso che li fruga,' Purg. xiv. 38, 39. 
 
 286 
 
XVI. 64-86] PURGATORIO 
 
 In the present passage the same thing is affimied, but it is more 
 definitely stated that the agency through which the divine appoint- 
 ment works is the influence of the planetary spheres (il cielo). By 
 these the order of nature is determined, and the characters and 
 fortunes of men are variously affected. This doctrine is concisely 
 declared in Purg. xxx. 109-11, and is more fully set forth, together 
 with an account of the Angels or Intelligences who direct these 
 spheres, in Par. ii. 112 foil. The point in connexion with it which 
 is now insisted on is, that notwithstanding these influences the will 
 of man is free, and he is a responsible agent. 
 
 64. strinse in * hui ' : ' forced into a cry.' 
 
 68. cosicomese: 'just as if.' 
 
 71, 72. non fora, &c. : i.e. in that case there would be no 
 justice in a system of rewards and punishments. 
 
 73-5. Lo cielo, &c. : 'the planets originate in the soul some at 
 least of the impulses which move it.' Lume, &c. : * light is given 
 you (in reason and conscience, independent of planetary influences) 
 to teach you right and wrong.' 
 
 76-8. se fatica, &c. : 'though it has to endure fatigue in its 
 first encounters with the planetary influences (i. e. the conditions 
 imposed by them), in the end wins a complete victory.' For the 
 construction in vince tutto cp. Inf. viii. 122, 'vincero la prova.' 
 
 79-81. A maggior, &c. : 'it is to a higher power and a better 
 nature than that of the spheres (i. e. to the power and nature of 
 God) that ye are subject, though still free; and this it is which 
 creates the mind in you, which the spheres do not control.' 
 
 82-4. disvia : 'goes astray'; this is in answer to Dante's 
 question in 11. 58 foil, si cheggia : ' let the cause be sought.' 
 vera spia : ' a faithful pioneer,' to explain the matter. 
 
 85 foil. Marco, having combated the view that the planetary 
 influences destroy man's freewill and his responsibility, proceeds to 
 show the real cause of the prevailing corruption. The soul, he says, 
 when it leaves its Creator's hands, naturally seeks after what pleases 
 it, and is liable to be misled unless it is guided and restrained ; 
 hence arises the need of laws, and of one to administer them. But 
 at the present time the laws are in abeyance owing to the paralysis 
 of government arising from the spiritual power having appropriated 
 the temporal power, and itself showing a bad example. 
 
 85, 86. la vagheggia, &c. : ' contemplates it lovingly before it 
 
 287 
 
PURGATORIO [XVI. 91-101 
 
 is created ' ; the idea of it has existed from the first in the Creator's 
 mind. The view of the origin of the soul which is here given is 
 that of Creationism — according to which it proceeds directly from 
 God — as against that of Traducianism, which regards it as being 
 inherited from the parents. 
 
 91. picciol bene: paltry enjoyments. 
 
 96. Delia vera cittade : i. e. of the city of God ; cp. Purg. 
 xiii. 95. la torre : the bulwark or tower of defence which the 
 ruler is to have in view is justice; cp. De Mon, i. 13. 11. 54—7, 
 where Dante says of the Monarch, ' ipse vel omnino, vel maxime 
 bene dispositus ad regendum esse potest, quia inter caeteros iudicium 
 et iustitiam potissime habere potest.' 
 
 97, 98. pon mano ad esse: 'administers them.' precede: 
 
 * goes before the flock.' 
 
 99. Ruminar, &c. : the terms here used refer to the tests by 
 which beasts were determined to be clean under the Mosaic law, viz. 
 that they should chew the cud and divide the hoof (Lev. xi. 3). 
 As applied to the Heads of the Church, the allegorical meaning of 
 
 * chewing the cud' seems to be the acquisition of wisdom by 
 pondering on sources of knowledge ; but in respect of ' dividing the 
 hoof the symbolism is twofold, as is shown by the use which the 
 Poet makes of it in two separate passages. First, it signifies 
 the practice of good morals, in accordance with what St. Augustine 
 says — ' Fissa enim ungula ad mores, ruminatio vero ad sapientiam 
 pertinet. Quare ad mores fissa ungula? Quia difficile labitur' 
 \Serm. cxlix. 3. 4); and it is applied in this sense in 11. 100-5, 
 where it is explained that it was the unprincipled conduct of the 
 Roman Court which had demoralized the world. Secondly, the 
 dividing of the hoof represents the separation of the temporal and 
 spiritual powers, which principle the popes had ignored. This 
 interpretation is found in 11. 127-9, where the Church of Rome 
 is spoken of as a beast of burden, which falls in the mud in 
 consequence of its not distinguishing between these two spheres 
 of government, the reference obviously being to the support given 
 to such animals in slippery ground by the divided hoof (see note 
 on 11. 127-9). The two allegorical applications are not wholly 
 unconnected with one another, because it was greed of worldly gains 
 which led to the appropriation of the temporal power by the Papacy. 
 
 10 1. Pure a quel ben ferire: 'aim only at that advantage.* 
 
 288 
 
XVI. 103-25] PURGATORIO 
 
 103. mala condottal ' evil guidance.' 
 
 106, 107. il buon mondo feo : 'created the world of good 
 order,' i. e. originated the good government of the world. Due 
 Soli : these are the source of temporal guidance in the Empire, 
 and that of spiritual guidance in the Papacy. The principle laid 
 down in this passage is the text of Dante's De Monarchia. Dante 
 here identifies Christian Rome, which soleva due Soli aver, with 
 Pagan Rome, che il buon mondo feo ; this is due to his belief 
 in the continuity of the Roman power. 
 
 1 09-1 1. L* un, &c. : 'the spiritual power has extinguished the 
 temporal,' by appropriating it to itself. Per viva forza : take 
 with convien, ' must of necessity ' ; this use is illustrated by the 
 corresponding phrase ' per viva necessity.' 
 
 112. Perocche, &c. : while the two powers were in separate 
 hands, they were restrained from transgression by fear of one 
 another ; now that they are in the same hands, that fear has ceased. 
 
 113, 114. pon mente, &c. : ' consider the ear of corn, for the 
 plant is known by its fruits (lo seme) ' ; in other words — ' look at 
 the corruption which has arisen from it.' To illustrate this, Marco 
 now adduces the condition of his own country, Lombardy. 
 
 1 15-7. In sul paese, &c. : 'the country irrigated by the Adige 
 and the Po ' is Lombardy in its widest acceptation, i. e. the entire 
 plain of Upper Italy. Observe that both in this line and the next 
 there is a singular verb with two subjects, avesse briga : ' was 
 involved in strife.' The evil arising from the Popes taking up the 
 sword is shown by the ruin that had befallen Lombardy owing to 
 the conflict between Frederic II and Honorius III, Gregory IX, 
 and Innocent IV. 
 
 118-20. Or puo, &c. : the meaning is: — 'at the present time 
 so few good characters are left there, that a man, who from sense 
 of shame at his own criminality wished to avoid holding communication 
 with respectable persons, could pass through the country without 
 fear of doing so (sicuramente).' indi : ' by that way.* lasciasse : 
 'has ceased to' ; cp. Purg. xiv. 55. 
 
 121-3. en : for enno (= son6)\ cp. Par. xiii. 97. in cui, &c. ; 
 ' in whose persons the ancient age reproves the modern.' par lor 
 tardo, &c. : ' they think it long, ere God remove them to a better life.' 
 
 124, 125. The three noblemen here mentioned were of Brescia, 
 Treviso, and Reggio respectively. Little is known of them. 
 
 TOZER 289. U 
 
PURGATORIO [XVI. 125-40 
 
 126. Francescamente : 'as the French are wont to do'; he 
 is said to have been hospitable and helpful to the French who passed 
 through his country. il semplice Lombardo : ' the guileless 
 Lombard,' in contrast to the Lombard usurers, from whom the 
 Rue des Lombards in Paris and Lombard Street in London obtained 
 their names. This contrast gives its point to Francescamente. 
 
 127-9. oggimai : 'henceforward.' la Chiesa, &c. : the Church 
 of Rome is here likened to a beast of burden slipping in the mud in 
 consequence of its not dividing the hoof. The purpose served by 
 the cloven hoof in the animals that possess it is to steady their footsteps 
 in yielding or slippery ground by the additional support which is thus 
 given to them. This is what St. Augustine means in the passage 
 quoted in note to 1. 99, when he says, ' Fissa ungula .... difficile 
 labitur.' The separation of the temporal from the spiritual government 
 of the world, and the assignment of them to the Emperor and the 
 Pope respectively, is compared to the cloven hoof in respect of the 
 safety which it affords ; but the Church of Rome (the Poet says) 
 by combining in its own hands these two spheres of government 
 destroyed this safeguard, and so broke down, and brought disgrace 
 both on itself and on the office which it discharged, la soma : 
 'the burden which it carries,' i.e. the work of government which 
 it has taken upon it. 
 
 131, 132. perche, &c. : cp. Deut. xviii. 2, 'They (the tribe 
 of Levi) shall have no inheritance among their brethren ' ; the reason 
 for this injunction, which Dante now perceives, was that they might 
 not be entangled in the care of temporalities ; cp. De Mon. iii. 14. 
 11. 29-35. 
 
 133, 134. quel clie, &c. : 'he who, you say, has remained as 
 a specimen,' &c. 
 
 136—8. O tuo, &c. : ' you must be either mocking me or drawing 
 me on to some further statement,' for it is impossible that you have 
 not heard of him, as you come from Tuscany. This implies that 
 Gherardo was well known in that country. The peculiarity of the 
 lingua Toscana which Marco recognizes in Dante's speech was 
 probably in the pronunciation; cp. Inf. x. 25 ; xxxiii. 11, 12. 
 
 139, 140. Per altro, &c. : from these lines it appears that, when 
 in 1. 133 Dante professes ignorance about Gherardo, he must have 
 done so with a definite purpose, viz. in order that his daughter Gaia 
 might be mentioned as a conspicuous person. The question then 
 
 290 
 
XVI. 142— XVII. 9] PURGATORIO 
 
 arises, for what was she conspicuous ? and to this there are two 
 opposite answers, for whereas both accounts represent her as being 
 beautiful, one says that she was distinguished for her virtues, the 
 other for her vices. The latter of these is antecedently the more 
 probable, for as Dante is here inveighing against the corruption 
 of the age, it would be to his purpose to mention a descendant 
 of a paragon of virtue who became notorious for vice. 
 
 142. 1' albor: this white light proceeds from the Angel who 
 guards the passage to the next Cornice ; see Purg. xvii. 47. 
 
 144. L* Angelo e ivi : this is a parenthesis. 
 
 CANTO XVII 
 
 Argument. — The sun is setting as Dante emerges from the 
 smoke, and he now falls into another ecstatic trance, in which he 
 sees examples of the evil results of anger. After this they mount /' 
 to the fourth Cornice, where the sin of sloth or lukewarmness is 
 expiated ; this they reach at nightfall. To compensate for the 
 delay caused by the darkness, Virgil explains to Dante the origin 
 and character of the vices from which the souls are cleansed by 
 Purgatory, and the corresponding arrangement of the Cornices. 
 
 Line i. aipe: here for 'high mountains' generally; cp. Inf. 
 xiv. 30. In the Div. Com. the word is always singular. 
 
 3. per pelle talpe: cp. Virg. Georg. i. 183, 'oculis capti . . . 
 talpae.' The ancients believed that the mole had no power of sight, 
 its eyes being covered by a membrane ; Ar. Hist. AnlmaL i. 9. 3 ; 
 De An. iii. i. 5; cp. Brun. Lat. Tesoro, Bk. v. Ch. 64, 'la talpa 
 non vede lume, ch^ natura non voile adoperare in lei d* aprire le pelli 
 de' suoi occhi, si che non valgono niente, perche non sono apeiti.' 
 This idea arose from the mole's eyes being extremely small, and 
 usually being completely hidden in its fur. 
 
 4. Come: this depends on Rtcorditi. Dante's gradually seeing 
 the sun's rays as he passes out of the smoke is compared to what 
 happens when a cloud disperses in the mountains. 
 
 7-9. imagine: 'imagination'; cp. Par. i. 53. leggiera : 
 'ready/ lit. 'nimble.' in pria : 'at first,' i.e. when it began 
 
 291 V 2 
 
PURGATORIO [XVII. 13-34 
 
 to appear, nel corcare : this was towards the end of the first day 
 in Purgatory proper. 
 
 12. mortigia: ' which had already disappeared ' ; on the lower 
 level they would disappear earlier. 
 
 13-5. Dante here intimates that he fell into a trance, and saw 
 another ecstatic vision, corresponding to that which he beheld on 
 entering the Cornice,, only here examples of the vice of anger are 
 presented to him. ne rube . . . di fuor : ' dost transport us,' 
 lit. 'take us out of ourselves.' Perche : 'however much,' 'even 
 though.' 
 
 16. se il sense, &c. : 'if the senses present no objects to you.' 
 
 17, 18. s' informa : 'takes form,' i.e. the form of the object 
 or scene to be presented to the mind. Per se, &c. : 'either from 
 power inherent in the light itself (i. e. from the planetary influences), 
 or from the will of God, which sends (lit. conducts) it down to 
 earth.' 
 
 19. The first example of anger, which is derived from the 
 classics, is that of Procne, who 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 night- 
 ingale : as to this last point see note on Purg. ix. 15. The story is 
 from Ovid, Met. vi. 412 foil. ; the murder of Itys is related 
 in 11. 639-41. 
 
 21. imagine: see note on 1. 7. orma : 'representation,' 
 lit. 'footprint,' 'impression.' 
 
 23, 24. di fuor, &c. : 'no external object was admitted by 
 it,' lit. 'no object came from without that was then received 
 by it.' 
 
 25. piovve, &c. : 'there rained within (i. e. descended from 
 on high and entered) my exalted fantasy the figure of one crucified.' 
 P'wvere is used in a similar manner of spiritual influence descending 
 from heaven, Par. iii. 90. 
 
 26. Un crocifisso : the second example of anger and its disastrous 
 consequences, which is taken from Scripture, is Haman in the book 
 of Esther, whose rage against Mordecai resulted in his being himself 
 crucified in the place of his intended victim ; Esther iii. 5 ; vii. 10. 
 The word in Esther v. 14, which in Engl. Vers, apj^ears as 
 'gallows,' in the Vulg. is rendered by crucem. 
 
 34. Surse, &c. : the third example of anger is Amata, wife 
 
 292 
 
XVII. 36-69] PURGATORIO 
 
 of king Latinus, who hanged herself in anger, because she believed 
 that Turnus, to whom her daughter Lavinia was betrothed, had been 
 slain by Aeneas, which however was not the case ; Virg. j4en. xii. 
 595-607. The figure introduced in the vision is that of Lavinia, 
 whose frantic distress at her mother's death is described by Virgil, 
 and expressed in words by Dante. 
 
 36. esser nulla : ' to destroy thyself.' 
 
 37-9. per non perder : if she lived, she would lose Lavinia, 
 because she would become the bride of Aeneas, io son, &c. : 
 Lavinia means to say — 'Your grief. Mother, was for Turnus; now 
 it is my turn to grieve, but not as yet for Turnus' (altrui) death, 
 but for yours,' lit. ' at your death, before I have to grieve at that of 
 Turnus.' 
 
 40-2. di butto : for di hotto^ ' suddenly.' Che fratto, &c. : 
 ' which (sleep), being broken, quivers (i. e. comes and goes, is 
 intermittent) ere it ceases entirely.' 
 
 45. Maggiore, &c. : ' far more powerful than that to which 
 we are accustomed,' i. e. the light of the sun. The light here 
 proceeds from the Angel. 
 
 48. intento : ' thought ' ; cp. Par. xxi. 3. 
 
 51. Che mai, &c. : the statement here becomes general, and 
 therefore the present tense is used ; ' so eager that [in such a case] 
 the wish can find no rest, until it meets the object of its desire.' 
 
 52, 53- grava : 'oppresses'; cp. Purg. xv. 10. per soper- 
 chio, &c. : ' veils his form from us through excess of light.' 
 
 58-60. Si fa, &c. : this is a comment on ne drizza senza prego, 
 and embodies the principle of ' Love thy neighbour as thyself.' 
 ' No man in providing for his own needs waits for another to ask 
 him ; and in like manner the angel forestalls our request by offering 
 of his own accord to guide us.' Che quale, &c. : ' for he who 
 waits to be entreated, when he sees the need, is already setting 
 himself in a grudging spirit to refuse.' 
 
 61—3. accordiamo . . . il piede : 'let us make our footsteps 
 correspond to,' i.e. 'move forward in accordance with.' Pro- 
 cacciam: 'let us use diligence'; cp. Purg. xv. 79. non si 
 poria : because the Mountain of Purgatory could not be ascended 
 by night ; cp. Purg. vii. 44. 
 
 67-9. Senti' mi, &c. : 'I was conscious in my neighbourhood 
 of what seemed like the movement of a wing, and of fanning in the 
 
 293 
 
PURGATORIO [xvii. 70-84 
 
 face, and of a voice which said,* &c. The subject is purposely 
 suppressed before the infinitives ventar and dir, because the Poet 
 wishes to intimate that the angel was invisible to him, being con- 
 cealed by his brilliancy. He only describes his own sensations. 
 mala: 'unrighteous,* for there is such a thing as righteous 
 indignation. 
 
 70, 71. Gi^ eran, &c. : the meaning is, that the rays of the 
 setting sun were only seen where they illuminated the summit of 
 the Mountain. 
 
 73-5. ti dilegue: 'dost thou fail me,* lit. 'melt away,' Lat. 
 deltquescere. Nightfall having arrived, Dante finds himself unable 
 to proceed. Now commences the first night spent in Purgatory 
 proper, posta in tregue : ' suspended,* lit. ' put in truce ' ; cp. 
 Purg. xiv. 136. 
 
 76. Noi eravam, &c. : in the fourth Cornice, which they had 
 now reached, (i) the sin punished is spiritual sloth or lukewarmness ; 
 (2) the mode of punishment is rushing round the Cornice with 
 impetuous speed ; (3) the examples of the opposite virtue of zeal 
 are the Blessed Virgin and Julius Caesar ; (4) the examples of the 
 vice are the Israelites in the Wilderness and the companions of 
 Aeneas ; (5) the examples are presented by two spirits rushing past ; 
 (6) the passage from a Church Office is wanting, probably because 
 the rapid movement of the spirits does not admit of its being 
 recited ; (7) the Beatitude is Beafi qui lugent. The hours of night, 
 which Dante passes in the Cornice where sloth is expiated, have 
 a symbolical fitness, because during them ' no man can work ' ; he 
 leaves that Cornice with the sol nuovo^ Purg. xix. 39. Its 
 occupants are passed over with slight notice owing to the con- 
 temptible character of sloth ; only one of its inmates speaks to the 
 Poets, viz. the Abbot of San Zeno. 
 
 78. arriva: 'brings up to the shore*; der. from rtva\ cp. 
 Inf. xvii. 8. 
 
 82. quale offensione: the sin of spiritual sloth is called in 
 Purg. xviii. 132 accidia; this word only occurs in that passage of 
 the poem, but the adj. accidioso is found in Inf. vii. 123. ylcctdia 
 is derived from the Greek aK-qhta^ ' indifference,* ' torpor,* which 
 passed into Lat. as acedia^ and in that form is used by Aquinas. 
 
 84. Se i pid, &c. : the account which Virgil gives in Inf. xi. 
 of the principle according to which the sins that are punished in the 
 
 294 
 
XVII. 85-95] PURGATORIO 
 
 Inferno are classified, corresponds in method to that which is given 
 in the present passage ; and it is similarly introduced by an appeal 
 to him on the part of Dante to improve the time which would other- 
 wise be wasted — '"Alcun compenso," Dissi lui, "trova, che il 
 tempo non passi Perduto,'" Inf. xi. 13-5. 
 
 85— y. scemo, &c. : 'which falls short of what it ought to be/ 
 i. e. ' is in defect.' quiritta : 'just here/ ' in this particular spot * ; 
 see note on Purg. iv. 125. si ribatte : 'is plied anew'; former 
 apathy is made up for. 
 
 90. dimora : the delay caused by the arrival of night. 
 
 9 1 foil. The system of classification here given of the sins which 
 are expiated in Purgatory is as follows. Sin arises from faulty 
 desire; and desire may be faulty, first, when it takes the form 
 of wishing evil to one's neighbour, in which case the sinful feeling 
 which prompts it may be either (i) Pride, or (2) Envy, or (3) 
 Anger: accordingly these three are expiated in the first three Cornices. 
 Secondly, desire may be faulty from being in defect in seeking after 
 what is truly good; this is Spiritual Sloth, which is expiated in 
 the fourth Cornice. Thirdly, desire may be faulty from being in 
 excess in seeking after temporal goods ; and this, according to the 
 nature of that on which it is exercised, will take the form of either 
 (i) Avarice, or (2) Gluttony, or (3) Lust. These are expiated in 
 the last three Cornices. 
 
 91-6. Ne creator, &c. : paraphrase thus: — 'All beings — both 
 God and his creatures — are affected by love (by which term all 
 forms of desire and longing are here intended) ; and in created 
 beings this feeling is either instinctive (naturale) — in which case 
 it is rightly directed, 1. 94 (since it is im] lanted in them by God 
 himself) — or it is the result of reason and reflexion (d' animo), and 
 in this case it is liable to err, 1. 95 (because it is subject to the 
 operation of free-will). There are three ways in which love or 
 desire may err : (i) it may be directed towards what is evil ; (2) it 
 may be in defect ; (3) it may be in excess.' -; 
 
 93. tu il sai : Dante has treated of this subject of love or desire 
 in Conv. iii. 3. 
 
 95. male obbietto : this, it should be observed — and similarly 
 il male in 1. 100 — does not mean a wrong or dangerous object of 
 desire, like illicit pleasure, for the pursuit of that would be regarded 
 by Dante as desiring in excess ; it means something which is desired 
 
 295 
 
 CV 
 
PURGATORIO [xvii. 97-114 
 
 because it is harmful. It is for this reason that no man can desire 
 such a thing for himself (11. 106-8). 
 \^ 97-102. These lines are a comment on the two preceding ones. 
 ' The second form of desire — that which proceeds from reason, and 
 so from choice — does not cause sinful pleasure, so long as it is fixed 
 on spiritual things, and is moderate in the pursuit of temporal 
 blessings ; but when it turns away from God and seeks what is 
 evil, or either pursues spiritual goods too little or worldly goods too 
 much, then it falls into sin, because it is acting in opposition to the 
 will of God.' ^■-■^ 
 
 97, 98. ne' primi ben: 'towards the highest goods,' i.e. God 
 and spiritual blessings ; ' the secondary goods ' (i secondi) are 
 temporal advantages. There is, however, good authority for the 
 reading nel primo in place of ne' primi ; with this the meaning is — 
 'when it is directed aright (ben diretto) in respect of the first 
 (i. e. the object), and is temperate (lit. moderates itself) in respect 
 of the other two (i. e. defect and excess).' 
 
 102. Contra, &c. : 'God's handiwork (man) acts in opposition 
 to its Maker.' 
 
 104. Amor: 'love' in the sense of 'desire'; cp. Aquinas, 
 Summa^ i. Q. 20, Alt. i, 'Primus motus voluntatis et cuiuslibet 
 appetitivae virtutis est amor.' 
 
 106-13. Paraphrase: — 'To take the first of these forms of 
 faulty desire : — when a man desires evil (i. e. desires that some 
 evil may happen), he cannot desire it for himself, for that is unnatural 
 (11. 106-8); nor can he desire it for God, because man exists in 
 God, and in hating him he would be hating himself (11. 109-11); 
 it remains then that he must desire it for his neighbour (11. 112, 
 
 "3)-' 
 
 106-8. non puo, &c. : 'love (i.e. the feeling of desire) cannot 
 
 but regard the welfare of its subject (the person who feels the 
 
 desire).' Dall' odio, &c. : ' no beings (and therefore no man) can 
 
 hate themselves.' 
 
 109-11. in tender, &c. : 'no one can be regarded as existing 
 independently of the source of being,' i. e. God. deciso : ' cut oflF 
 from,' 'prevented from.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. se dividend©, &c. : ' if I judge aright in the distinctions 
 which I draw.' vostro limo : ' your clay,' i. e. your earthly 
 nature. 
 
 296 
 
XVII. 115-39] PURGATORIO 
 
 115-23. There are three motives for wishing evil to one's 
 neighbour, viz. Pride, which makes us think that we shall be 
 exalted by another's depression (11. 115-7); Envy, which fears 
 to be depressed by another's exaltation (11. 118-20); and Anger, 
 which desires to avenge an injury received (11. 121— 3). 
 
 1 1 5-7. soppresso : 'kept down.' di sua, &c. : 'abased from 
 his high estate.' 
 
 120. il contrario : the abasement of his neighbour, which is 
 ' the contrary ' of sormontare. 
 
 123. il male, &c. : 'should devise another's harm.' Improntare 
 (from impronta = imprenta) is 'to strike an impression,' and so 'to 
 imagine to oneself.' 
 
 124-6. quaggiu: in the first three Cornices. con ordine 
 corrotto : 'in an ill-regulated manner,' i. e. too much or too little. 
 
 127-37. The remaining sins arise from faulty appreciation of 
 what is truly good (11. 127-9) — ^'^^' Spiritual Sloth, which is caused 
 by want of earnestness in the pursuit of the highest good (11. 130—2) ; 
 Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust, by following with too great eagerness 
 the lower and imperfect forms of good (11. 133-7). 
 
 127, 128. confusamente, &c. : 'has a vague conception of 
 a good, in which the mind may find repose ' ; the ' good ' here 
 meant is the Divine Being. 
 
 130—2. Se lento, &c. : 'if the love which draws you either 
 towards the contemplation of him, or towards winning him for 
 yourselves, is defective.' penter : repentance is the condition of 
 being admitted to Purgatory at all. 
 
 133, 134. Altro ben: temporal goods, la buona Essenza : 
 the good essence is God himself. 
 
 138, 139. come, &c. : ' in what way it is spoken of as tripartite, 
 I say not.' Virgil states the fact of there being three divisions, but 
 declines to give an account of them, because Dante will have the 
 opportunity of investigating them for himself. 
 
 / 
 
 297 
 
PURGATORIO [xviii. 10-27 
 
 CANTO XVIII 
 
 Argument. — Virgil proceeds to instruct Dante, first in the 
 nature of love or desire, and afterwards in the doctrine of free-will. 
 They then become aware of a company of the spirits who occupy 
 this Cornice rushing past them at full speed, this restless movement 
 being assigned to them in expiation of their former sloth. Two of 
 their number, who precede the rest, proclaim conspicuous examples 
 of the virtue of zeal. The Poets are addressed by one of the band, 
 who declares himself to have been Abbot of San Zeno at Verona. 
 After this, two other spirits follow, naming instances of lukewarm- 
 ness. When they have departed, Dante is overpowered with sleep. ' 
 
 Lines 10-2. s* awiva: 'is quickened.' Quanto, &c. : 'all 
 the points which thy reasoning introduces or describes ' ; ragion 
 for ragionamento. 
 
 14, 15. dimostri: 'explain,' 'define.' a cui riduci, &c. : see 
 Purg. xvii. 103-5. 
 
 1 8. ciechi : these are the Epicureans, as appears from the 
 statement of their tenets in 11. 34-6. 
 
 19-33. Virgil here sets forth the nature of love or desire, which, 
 he shows, has three stages of development : — (i) It exists J)OtentiaIIy 
 as an instinct in the soul (11. 19-21); (2) It becomes actual desire^ 
 when the attractive object^is presented to it (11. 22-7) ; (3) It exists 
 in fruition (II. 28-33). 
 
 19-21. presto: 'ready,' 'disposed to love'; cp. Inf. xv. 93. 
 in atto e desto : ' it is aroused to activity.' 
 
 22-4. Vostra apprensiva, &c. : 'your power of apprehension 
 derives the image which it presents to you from some real object, 
 and sets it forth to view within you, so that it causes the soul to 
 turn towards it.' An image derived from some real object is 
 presented to the mind through the medium of the senses, and this 
 image, being developed by the operation of fancy, attracts the notice 
 of the soul, intenzione : this word is here used in the Scholastic 
 sense of ' image.* 
 
 25-7. E se, &c. : 'and if the soul, when it has so turned, 
 inclines towards it, that inclination is love — it is the natural instinct 
 
 298 
 
XVIII. 28-45] PURGATORIO 
 
 (natura) getting a fresh hold on the soul by reason of the pleasure.' 
 si lega : ' attaches itself/ ' gets hold.' 
 
 28-30. movesi in altura : ' tends upwards.' forma: 'essential 
 nature ' ; form^ as distinguished from matter^ is that which constitutes 
 the essence of a thing. So the adj. formale means ' essential,' cp. 
 Par. ii. 71, principti formali. L§l dove, &c. : 'to the sphere of fire, 
 where it abides most in kindred matter.' Fire abides most in 
 kindred matter in that sphere, because it is the proper home of the 
 element of fire; cp. Par. i. 79-81 ; Conv, iii. 3. 11. 5—13. This 
 sphere intervened between our atmosphere and the Heaven of the 
 Moon. 
 
 31-3. Cosi: the comparison here is between the upward move- 
 ment of fire towards its natural resting-place, and the striving of the 
 soul to reach the desired object. I' animo, &c. : ' the soul, thus 
 captured, is thereupon moved by desire — which is a spiritual move- 
 ment — and it cannot rest until it has the satisfaction of possessing 
 the desired object.' spiritale : the movement of the soul is 
 ' spiritual ' — not material, like that of fire which movesi in altura. 
 
 35. gente : the Epicureans, who are the ciechi of 1. 18. 
 
 37-9. Perocche, &c. : the argument is : — The desire of pleasure 
 is not, as the Epicureans affirm, in all cases good, because, though 
 it is good potentially — man being creato ad amar^ 1. 19 — it is not 
 always so when it becomes actual desire ; just as wax may be beautiful 
 in itself, before a stamp has been impressed upon it, but if the stamp 
 is ugly the impression in wax becomes ugly, sua matera : this 
 is shown to mean desire in general by comparing sua materia in 
 1. 30, which means the element of fire in general : ' desire in general 
 is to be regarded as (appar) always good.' 
 
 43-5. Che, &c. : ' for, since desire is excited in the soul by 
 external objects being presented to it (cp. 11. 22—6), and desire is 
 the cause of all the movements of the soul, whether towards good 
 or evil (cp. Purg. xvii. 103-5), it follows that the man does not 
 deserve reward or punishment for acting rightly or wrongly ' — in 
 other words, he takes no part in determining his own actions, and 
 therefore is not responsible for them. Dante's objection takes 
 the form of what is now called Determinism, non va con altro 
 piede : ' is not impelled by any other motive power than desire ' ; 
 piede is used in this metaphorical sense because it is the foot which 
 causes the forward movement of the body. 
 
 299 
 
PURGATORIO [xviii. 46-53 
 
 46-8. Quanto, &c. : as Virgil represents human reason, his 
 explanations are limited to points of which human reason is cognizant ; 
 that which lies without its sphere, and belongs to the domain of 
 faith, must be left to Beatrice, who represents theology, t' aspetta : 
 'place your hopes in '; cp. Par. xvii. 88, 'A lui t' aspetta.' 
 // 49-72. Virgil here expounds the relation which desire bears to 
 free-will ; the general argument is to the following effect. The human 
 soul possesses by nature a desire for what is good (11. 49-51), 
 which desire is seen in its effects, though its origin is unknown to 
 us (11. 52-7); but as this feeling is Instinctive, its workings are not 
 controlled by the soul, and therefore are not a subject for praise 
 or blame (11. 58-60). But, in order that the desires which sub- 
 sequently arise in the soul may be assimilated to this instinctive 
 desire, and may, like it, be directed to what is good, there is 
 implanted in man the power of judgement, which distinguishes good 
 from evil, and is intended to direct the soul aright, when it is 
 preparing to give effect to Its desires (11. 61-3). It is from this 
 power of judgement that the merit of right actions proceeds, because 
 the soul is thus enabled to accept the good and reject the evil 
 (11. 64-6) : and reflexion on this process involves the belief In the 
 freedom of the will, because It Implies that man possesses the power 
 of preferring right to wrong (11. 67-72). ■' 
 
 49—51. Ogni, &c. : 'eveiy soul of man, which Is distinct from 
 matter (being immaterial or spiritual), and at the same time united 
 with it (because It exists in a body), has a distinctive power gathered 
 into Itself.' forma sustanzial : by ' substantial form ' is meant 
 ' constituent element ' or ' essence,' I. e. when speaking of man, the 
 soul. Thus Aquinas says {Summa^ i. Q. 76. Art 4), 'nulla alia 
 forma substantlalis est in homine nisi sola anima intellectiva.' The 
 term 'substantial' Is here distinguished from 'accidental,' or that 
 which does not belong to the essence, setta : ' distinct from,' lit. 
 ' cut off from,' Lat. secta. Specifica virtu : the 'distinctive power ' 
 which the soul possesses 'gathered into itself,' Is that from which 
 individual traits of character In men proceed. It includes, as we see 
 from 11. 55-7, the knowledge of the primary Ideas and the liking 
 for the primary objects of desire ; but In the present passage Dante 
 is treating more particularly of the latter of these. 
 
 52, 53. La qual, &c. : the only evidence of the existence of 
 this power is Its working, and the effects which it produces ; it 
 
 300 
 
XVIII. 55-7^] PURGATORIO 
 
 cannot be known in itself, ma* che: * except,' Lat. magis quani; 
 cp. Inf. iv. 26. 
 
 55-7. Pero, &c. : ' consequently (since the power is only known 
 through its effects) we are in ignorance as to the origin of our 
 knowledge of primary ideas (i. e. whether they are innate, and so 
 forth), and as to the origin of our liking for the primal objects of 
 desire.' The latter of these is the natural tendency towards what 
 is good, true, pleasant, &c. 
 
 58-60. Che sono, &c. : ' which (viz. lo intelletto and /' ajetto) 
 exist in you, just as the instinct (studio) for making honey exists 
 in the bee ; and this original desire (prima voglia) does not admit 
 of the recompense of praise or blame.' 
 
 61. perche, &c.: ' in order that every other desire may harmonize 
 with (lit. gather round, unite itself with) this instinctive desire.' 
 The reason why it is to be wished that the other desires should 
 follow the lead of the instinctive desire is, that it by its nature 
 cannot err ; cp. Purg. xvii. 94. 
 
 62. Innata, &c.: ' the power which counsels is innate within you.' 
 This is reason, or the power of judgement in the mind, which dis- 
 tinguishes good from evil; cp. Conn), iv. 26. 11. 41-3, 'Veramente 
 questo appetito conviene essere cavalcato dalla ragione.' 
 
 63. E, &c. : 'and should hold the threshold of assent,' i.e. 
 should determine to which side (right or wrong) assent should be 
 given, assenso is the act of directing the desire towards the 
 object. 
 
 64-6. Quest' e, &c. : ' this (viz. reason) is the source from 
 whence is derived the cause of merit in you, according as it receives 
 and winnows out (i. e. distinguishes between) good and evil desires.' 
 The merit of actions depends on the judgement, because it accepts 
 the good and rejects the evil. 
 
 67, 68. Color, &c. : 'those (i.e. the philosophers) who in the 
 process of argument sounded the matter, became aware of the innate 
 freedom of the will which this involved (esta).' The judgement is 
 the guiding power, but the motive power resides in the assent, which 
 proceeds from the will. 
 
 69. Pero, &c. : ' and consequently (because they recognized 
 human responsibility) they left behind a system of moral teaching 
 (i. e. Ethics) to the world.' 
 
 70-2. Onde, &c. : ' so it may be laid down, that every desire 
 
 301 
 
PURGATORIO [xviii. 73-90 
 
 which is kindled within you arises of necessity (i. e. independently 
 of your will), but you possess the power of controlling it.' 
 
 Y3-5. La nobile virtu, &c. : 'Beatrice regards the freedom of 
 the will as being this supreme power,' which guides the soul, a 
 parlar : Beatrice does this in Par. v. 19-24, where she speaks of 
 free-will as being the greatest gift of the Creator to his creatures. 
 
 76. La luna, &c. : the passage which follows merely signifies, 
 though in an elaborate manner, that the hour was approaching mid- 
 night. ' The moon, belated nigh to midnight (in other words, ' at 
 that late hour nigh to midnight '), was causing the stars to appear to 
 us less numerous.' tarda agrees with luna, not with notte. The 
 brightness of the moon, which is implied by the statement that its 
 light was causing the lesser stars to disappear, is against the view 
 that moonrise is intended, and that tarda signifies that it was rising 
 late. 
 
 78. Fatta, &c. : 'in sight like to a bucket all a-fire'; this 
 represents the gibbous moon, when it is some days after the full. 
 
 79-81. correa contra il ciel : this describes the 'backing' of 
 the moon relatively to the movement of the heavens, which causes 
 its daily retardation, per quelle strade, &c. : ' along that course, 
 which the sun enkindles then, when he of Rome (i. e. an inhabitant 
 of Rome) sees him set between Sardinia and Corsica ' ; that is, 
 along that part of the zodiac, viz. the sign of Sagittarius, in which 
 the sun is towards the end of November, when he sets west by 
 south from Rome, il vede : as Corsica and Sardinia are not visible 
 from Rome, this must mean that he sees the sun set, not actually 
 between those islands, but in the direction in which he knows the 
 Straits of Bonifacio which separate them to be. 
 
 82, 83. per cui, &c. : 'by reason of whom Pietola is more 
 famous than any other Mantuan village.' The village of Pietola, 
 situated about two miles from Mantua, is generally identified with 
 Andes, Virgil's birthplace. 
 
 84. Del mio, &c. : ' had removed the burden (of doubt) by 
 which I was oppressed.' carcar for caricar, 
 
 85-7. che la ragione, &c. : 'who had received (lit. gleaned) 
 a clear argument on the subject of my questions.' vana : ' wanders 
 in mind,' ' is in a reverie ' ; this word, like vaneggiare^ is der. from 
 l^at. vanus. 
 
 89, 90. gente: these are the slothful, who, to atone for their 
 
 302 
 
XVIII. 91-105] PURGATORIO 
 
 inertness, unceasingly both by night and day run round the Cornice. 
 che dope, &c. : ' who, approaching us from behind, were at this 
 moment coming round to us.' When the Poets had reached the 
 top of the stairway and found themselves on the Cornice (Purg. xvii. 
 76, 77), we must suppose that they faced to the right — as they 
 usually did — so that the mountain-side would be on their left, and 
 they would be prepared to walk onward when daylight came. Hence 
 the spirits, since they also moved towards the right, would come 
 from behind them (dope Le nostre spalle) ; and they are described 
 as ' coming round ' (volta) because of the circling course which they 
 followed round the Mountain. 
 
 91-3. E quale, &c. : the rush of the band of spirits is compared 
 to that of the Theban revellers who invoked their patron god Bacchus 
 to the aid of their city. Dante here had in his mind Statius, Theb. 
 ix. 434, where the Bacchic revelry is mentioned, and 1. 449, where 
 the Ismenus is associated with ' frater Asopos * as rivers of Thebes ; 
 probably also Virg. Aen. iv. 301-3. furia e calca : this is a 
 hendiadys, ' a furious throng ' ; for calca cp. Purg. vi. 9. Pur 
 che: * if haply.' 
 
 94—6. sue passo falca : ' goes circling round,' lit. ' turns his 
 steps round,' following the circular Cornice; falcare (^^rova falce^ 'a 
 sickle') means 'to shape like a sickle,' 'to form into a curve.' Per 
 quel che, &c. : this implies that they were dimly seen in the dark- 
 ness. Cui, &c. : 'whoever is ridden (influenced) by,' &c. 
 
 97. correndo : take with Si movea ; 'came on at full speed.' 
 
 99-102. gridavan, &c. : here are introduced the examples of 
 zeal, the virtue which is the opposite of the vice expiated in this 
 Cornice — viz. (i) the Blessed Virgin, of whom it is written, 'Mary 
 arose in these days and went into the hill country iv'tth haste^^ Luke 
 ^* 39 > (2) Julius Caesar, who, when on his way to subdue Ilerda 
 (Lerida) in Spain, attacked Marseilles, but refused to be turned 
 aside from his primary object by waiting to besiege that city, and, 
 entrusting that work to Brutus, continued his march with all speed. 
 Lucan, who is Dante's authority here, describes Caesar's attitude 
 at Marseilles by the words, 'impatiens haesuri ad moenla Mart is,' 
 Phars. iii. 453. punse : 'made a passing attack upon,' lit. 'made 
 a thrust at.' 
 
 105. Che, &c. : 'so that zeal in well-doing may quicken God's 
 grace within us.' 
 
 303 
 
PURGATORIO [xviii. 108-44 
 
 108. Da vol, &c. : 'which through lukewarmness you have 
 introduced into well-doing.* 
 
 no, III. purche : 'provided that,' and so 'as soon as.' per- 
 tugio : the opening of the passage leading to the next Cornice. 
 
 114. Diretro a noi : i. e. ' in the same direction with us * ; the 
 Poets could not follow them at once, because it was night. 
 
 117. Se, &c. : 'if thou regardest our desire to make amends 
 (giustizia) as discourtesy.' 
 
 118-20. lo fui: this person was called Gherardo II, and died 
 in 1187 ; nothing more is known of him. dolente : because that 
 city was destroyed by him in 1 162. 
 
 1 2 1-3. tale: this is Alberto della Scala, the father of Can 
 Grande of Verona, who made his son Giuseppe abbot of San Zeno. 
 Alberto died in 1301, and at the date of the Vision (in 1300) had 
 ' already one foot in the grave.' quel monastero : i. e. the wrong 
 which he had done to that monastery, possa : the power of ap- 
 pointing its abbot. 
 
 124, 125. suo figlio, &c. : Giuseppe was lame (mal intero 
 del corpo) and illegitimate (che mal nacque). 
 
 132. dando, &c. : 'expressing their repugnance to (lit. gnawing) 
 sloth ' ; this they do by mentioning two lamentable examples of it, 
 viz. (i) the children of Israel who died in the Wilderness without 
 seeing the Promised Land ; (2) those companions of Aeneas, who 
 preferred being left behind in Sicily to following their leader to the 
 last, accidia : for this word see note on Purg. xvii. 82. 
 
 133. Prima, &c. : the lukewarmness of the IsraeHtes in the 
 Wilderness was shown by the discouragement which they felt at 
 the report brought by the spies, Numb. xiv. i foil. ; in consequence 
 of this they were excluded from the Promised Land, vv. 22, 23. 
 
 138. senza gloria: Virgil characterizes them as 'animos nil 
 magnae laudis egentes,' j4en. v. 751. 
 
 143, 144. vaneggiai: 'I passed confusedly.' vaghezza: 
 'wandering of the mind.* 
 
 304 
 
XIX. 1-6] PURGATORIO 
 
 CANTO XIX 
 
 Argument. — Dante dreams a dream, in which the deceptiveness 
 of worldly objects of attraction is allegorically represented to him. 
 They then ascend to the fifth Cornice, in which the sin of avarice 
 or covetousness is purged ; there they find the spirits uttering lamen- 
 tations as they lie face downwards on the ground. One of these, 
 of whom they inquire their way, proves to be Pope Adrian V, who 
 tells them that he was converted to God after he had attained 
 the highest office. When Dante kneels by his side in token of 
 reverence, he forbids him to do so, on the ground that after death 
 all earthly distinctions cease. 
 
 Line i. ora : we have now reached the hour before dawn on 
 Tuesday, April 12, the third day on the Mountain of Purgatory. 
 That this hour is meant, is shown (i) by its being the coldest of 
 the twenty-four, 11. 1-3 ; (2) by the later stars of Aquarius and the 
 foremost ones of Pisces being on the horizon (11. 4-6), for these 
 stars would now be rising shortly before daybreak, since the sun 
 was in Aries, the next sign of the zodiac, non puo, &c. : what 
 is implied is, that the heat of the day continues to temper the cold 
 of night until the last hour before dawn. 
 
 2. della luna : ' caused by the moon ' ; the moon is generally 
 regarded as producing cold. The origin of this belief is, that clear 
 bright nights are the coldest because then the radiation is greater. 
 
 3. da terra : ' by the chilliness of the earth.' da Saturno : 
 Saturn was known as the cold planet; cp. Gon'v. ii. 14. 1. 201, 
 'la freddura di Saturno'; Virg. Georg. i. 336, ' frigida Saturni . , . 
 Stella.' talor, ' sometimes,' is added, because Saturn is not always 
 above the horizon. 
 
 4. i geomanti, &c. : Geomancy is divination by spots on the 
 ground, one arrangement of which, viz. : : • • , was called Fortuna 
 maior. The stars which were supposed to resemble this group, viz. 
 the later stars of Aquarius and the foremost ones of Pisces, were 
 now just above the eastern horizon. 
 
 6. per via, &c. : ' by a path which remains but a short time 
 dusk for it,' i. e. for the magglor fortuna, or rather, for the stars 
 TozER 305 X 
 
PURGATORIO [XIX. 7-29 
 
 which form it. The ' path ' is the eastern sky, which will soon be 
 illuminated by the rising sun, so that these stars will disappear. 
 
 7—9. in sogno : the figure of a woman which is introduced in 
 the dream is explained in 11. 58, 59 as representing the vices of 
 avarice, gluttony, and lust, which are expiated in the three remaining 
 Cornices, and which may be classified together as cupidity. The 
 dream is an allegory of the deceitfulness of the things which attract 
 worldly and carnal men. (On the subject of Dante's three dreams 
 in Purgatory see note on Purg. ix. 19.) femmina : the woman is 
 first seen as she is in reality — a hideous object, with stammering lips, 
 squinting eyes, deformed feet, maimed hands, and pallid complexion. 
 The allegorical interpretation of these traits is, that worldly and 
 carnal pleasures are destructive of clear reasoning, straightforward 
 judgement, active movement, and useful employment, and produce 
 an unhealthy tone of mind. 
 
 10-5. This repulsive figure is idealized by the imagination of one 
 who gazes long upon it, so that its defects pass out of sight, and it 
 exercises a powerful attraction upon him. Similarly, the pleasures 
 of the world and of sense dazzle the man who falls under their 
 influence, so that their true nature is concealed from him. facea 
 scorta La lingua : ' gave fluency to her tongue ' ; scorta, ' apt ' 
 to speak; cp. Villani, viii. 10, 'scorti in ben parlare.' la driz- 
 zava : ' straightened her distorted limbs.' lo smarrito, &c. : 
 ' invested her ghastly face with the proper hue of love,' i. e. 
 rosy tints. 
 
 20. dismago : 'cause to be distraught in mind,' lit. 'deprive of 
 power.' The more usual form of the word is smagare; for the 
 etymology see note on Purg. x. 106. 
 
 22, 23. lo volSi, &c. : 'I turned aside Ulysses from his 
 wandering course.' Homer makes Ulysses successfully resist the 
 Sirens, but Dante, who was unacquainted with Homer, may have 
 got the story from Cicero, who in De Fin. v. 18. 49 adapts the 
 Homeric version of it, and speaks of Ulysses as being ' ensnared ' 
 (irretitus). See Moore, Studies, i. pp. 264, 265. meco si ausa : 
 ' shares my intimacy.' 
 
 26. una donna : this is co-operative grace, which sets in motion 
 human reason (Virgil) to reveal the deceptions of sensuality. 
 
 29. Fieramente : she says these words 'in indignation' at the 
 false character of the Siren. 
 
 306 
 
XIX. 31-66] PURGATORIO 
 
 31. prendeva : the subject of this is Virgil, who carries out the 
 behests of the ' lady ' ; allegorically — human reason, aroused by 
 grace, strips off the false show which conceals the repulsiveness of 
 vice. If the ' lady ' were the subject, as some take it, there would 
 be no reason for introducing Virgil at all. 
 
 36. la porta : the entrance to the stairway. Others read /' aperta, 
 for which word in the sense oi apertura cp. Purg. iv. 19. 
 
 39. andavam, &c. : as the sun was behind them (alle reni), 
 and had risen some little while, their direction was now south-west- 
 ward. 
 
 42. fa di se, &c. : i.e. stoops in walking. 
 
 43-5. Venite, &c. : ' come ye ; here is the passage ' ; these 
 words proceed from the Angel of the fourth Cornice, marca : 
 'region'; der. from Germ. Marh^ 'frontier,' Engl, 'march.' 
 
 47. Volseci in su : 'directed us upward.' 
 
 49-5 1 . ventilonne : ' fanned us ' ; here the fourth P is removed 
 from Dante's forehead; cp. Purg. xvii. 68, ' ventarmi nel viso.' 
 Qui lugent : this is the Beatitude which is used in this Cornice. 
 It is not easy to discover any special appropriateness in its use, the 
 nearest approach to this being the circumstance that the inmates of 
 the Cornice pass piangendo^ Purg. xviii. 99. avran, &c. : ' they 
 shall be comforted,' lit. ' they shall have their souls possessed of 
 (i. e. in possession of) consolation.' 
 
 54. sormontati : a pendent participle ; ' we two having mounted 
 somewhat above the Angel,' lit. ' from where the Angel was.' 
 
 55. suspizion : ' misgiving.' 
 
 58-60. quella antica strega, &c. : 'that ancient witch 
 (Cupidity), who is the sole cause of the sufferings that remain for us 
 to see in the three Cornices above us ' ; see note on 1. 7. omai : 
 ' from this point onward.' si piagne : Ht. ' is lamented for.' si 
 slega : 'can liberate himself; cp. Purg. xv. 119. 
 
 61-3. Bastiti: 'enough!' no further teaching is needed. 
 batti, &c. : ' press vigorously forward,' lit. 'let thy footsteps strike 
 the earth.' logoro : the ' lure ' is the attraction of the celestial 
 spheres, which God himself causes to move before men's eyes ; cp. 
 Purg. xiv. 148, 149. The metaphor is derived from falconry, and 
 suggests the simile which follows; see note on Inf. xvii. 128. 
 
 64-6. ai pie si mira : i. e. is looking downwards ; this describes 
 the posture of the bird in repose, before it is aroused by the cry of 
 
 307 X 2 
 
PURGATORIO [xix. 67-93 
 
 its prey (si volge al grido) ; it thus corresponds to Dante's ab- 
 sorbed condition and downward looks, 1. 52. pasto : the falcon 
 was always allowed his share of the prey, la : towards the prey, 
 which is implied in grido. 
 
 67-9. e tal : 'and in such a spirit,' i. e. as one aroused from 
 inertness to action, eve il cerchiar, &c. : ' where one commences 
 to move round ' along the curve of the Cornice. 
 
 70. quinto giro : in this Cornice (i) the sin punished is avarice 
 or covetousness ; (2) the mode of punishment is by being extended 
 face downwards on the earth ; (3) the examples of the virtues which 
 are opposed to this sin, viz. poverty and liberality, are the Blessed 
 Virgin, Fabricius, St. Nicolas ; (4) the examples of the vice are 
 Pygmalion and Midas ; Achan, Ananias and Sapphira, and Helio- 
 dorus ; Polymestor and Crassus ; (5) the mode of presentation of 
 these is by one spirit speaking ; (6) the passage from a Church Office 
 is Ps. cxix. 25; (7) the Beatitude is Beatl qui sitiunt. fui 
 dischiuso : ' I had come forth clear.' 
 
 72. Giacendo, &c. : the position is symbolical of the grovelling 
 nature of avarice. 
 
 73. Adhaesit, &c. : Ps. cxix. 25. 
 
 77, 78. giustizia : the sense of God's justice, which caused 
 them to be resigned, saliri r ' ascents ' of the mountain. Both in 
 this word and in soffriri above the infin. has become so completely 
 substantival as to be used in the plur. 
 
 79-81. dal giacer : i.e. from the punishment of this Cornice. 
 furi : iov fuori. If they advanced in this manner, i. e. keeping the 
 precipice on their right hand, they would be taking the usual direction 
 along the mountain-side. 
 
 83, 84. ne : ' from (one of) them.' Nel parlare, &c. : ' by 
 his words I became aware of what else of him was hidden from 
 me ' ; i. e. though I could not distinguish him as he lay face down- 
 wards on the ground, I discovered his presence from his speaking ; 
 cp. 1. 90. 
 
 87. la vista del disio : * my eager looks.' 
 
 88—90. potei, &c. : i. e. as having obtained Virgil's assent, notar 
 mi fenno : ' attracted my attention.' 
 
 92, 93. Quel, &c. : the purification of the soul is meant, tua 
 maggior cura : ' the work on which thou art intent,' i. e. the 
 expression of penitence. 
 
 308 
 
XIX. 94-135] PURGATORIO 
 
 94-6. avete : the plur. number implies ' you and your associates.* 
 se vuoi, &c. : what Dante means is — ' tell me whether you wish 
 me to obtain for you the prayers of the living.' di la, &c. : ' in the 
 world which I left while still alive.' 
 
 97, 98. Perche, &c. : this is another way of saying, 'Thou 
 shalt know why heaven causes us to turn our eyes away from it.' 
 The explanation is given in 11. 118-20. 
 
 99. Scias, &c. : 'be it known to you that,' &c. The speaker is 
 Pope Adrian V, who was elected in 1276 and was pope only 39 
 days. There is nothing in history to confirm the imputation of 
 avarice which is here brought against him. The declaration which 
 he here makes is in Latin, because that was the official language of 
 the Papacy ; similarly, Dante employs it as the language of the 
 Church or of Canon Law in Par. xii. 93, and as the language of 
 dignity in Par. xv. 28-30. 
 
 100-2. Intra, &c. : the river here spoken of is the Lavagna, 
 which flows down (si adima) between the towns of Sestri and 
 Chiavari on the eastern Riviera, del sue nome, &c. : ' the title of 
 my family glories (fa sua cima) in its name.' Adrian's family, 
 the Fieschi of Genoa, were Counts of Lavagna. 
 
 109. li : in the position of highest Pontiff. 
 
 115, 116. Quel che, &c. : ' the effect of avarice (i. e. the debased 
 character which it produces) is shown by the nature of the punish- 
 ment by which it is purged ' ; see 11. 118-20. converse: 'which 
 repented ' before death. 
 
 118-20. aderse: 'uplifted,' from adergere, Lat. aderigere. 
 merse : ' sank.' 
 
 122. onde, &c.: 'in consequence of which the power of working 
 was lost,' because the love of good is the mainspring of right action. 
 
 127-9. inginocchiato : Dante knelt to show reverence for 
 the Papal office, and Adrian becomes aware of his position from the 
 sound of his voice. 
 
 131, 132. vostra : the plural is used to express respect for his 
 dignity; before he was aware of this Dante had used tua, !• 93 ; 
 see note on Purg. xxxili. 92. dritto, &c. : 'stung me with 
 remorse for standing upright.' 
 
 135. con gli altri : 'with thy brethren'; the passage here is 
 imitated from Rev. xix. 10, ' I am a fellow-servant with thee and 
 with thy brethren,' &c. 
 
 309 
 
PURGATORIO [xix. 136— xx. 3 
 
 136, 137. evangelico suono: 'utterance of the gospel/ Neque 
 nubent : this is our Lord's answer to the Sadducees concerning the 
 souls after the resurrection, Matt. xxii. 30. What is there said with 
 regard to the relation of married persons, is applied here by Adrian 
 in a more general sense; 'after death,' he would say, 'all earthly 
 distinctions cease.* Perhaps, however, there is an additional and 
 more special meaning, referring to the pope being the spouse of the 
 Church, as in Purg. xxiv. 22; so that he means to say that his 
 sacred office was now at an end. 
 
 140, 141. la tua stanza: 'thy staying here.' cio che tu 
 dicesti: cp. 11. 91, 92. 
 
 142. Alagia: this Alagia de' Fieschi married Moroello Mala- 
 spina, on whom see note on Inf. xxiv. 145. She is mentioned in 
 answer to Dante's question in 11. 95, 96, which is an offer to obtain 
 for Adrian the intercession of those on earth. 
 
 145. questa sola, &c. : this means, not that she was his only 
 surviving relation, but that, the rest being wicked, she was the only 
 one whose prayers would avail for him. 
 
 CANTO XX 
 
 Argument. — The spirits who are punished in this Cornice are so 
 numerous, that Dante in passing onward is forced to keep close 
 to the inner wall of rock. The examples of the virtues of poverty 
 and liberality are presented by a single voice, which proceeds from 
 the spirit of Hugh Capet. By him the vices of his descendants 
 who had occupied the throne of France are loudly denounced. 
 After he has recited the examples of avarice which he and his 
 fellow-sufferers are accustomed to proclaim during the night, the 
 Mountain is suddenly shaken, and from every part of Purgatory 
 the words ' Glory to God in the Highest ' are heard to arise. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Contra, &c. : ' ill strives the will against a better 
 will ' ; this refers to Adrian's dismissal of Dante at the end of the 
 preceding Canto, which the latter was forced to accept. Trassi, 
 
 310 
 
XX. 4-25] PURGATORIO 
 
 &c. ; i. e. though only half satisfied by the answers he had received, 
 he forbore from asking further questions. 
 
 4-6. il Duca mio, &c. : 'my Guide advanced through the 
 unoccupied spots on the Cornice close to the wall of rock.' It 
 is explained in 11. 7-9 that this line of passage through the prostrate 
 spirits, though narrow, was preferable to that on the outer side 
 towards the precipice, which was still narrower on account of the 
 spirits being more numerous in that direction, per muio, &c. : 
 this describes the 'aliu-e,' as the footway is called, which runs 
 along near the top of the wall inside the battlements in mediaeval 
 fortifications. 
 
 7-9. che fonde, &c. : * who distil through their eyes drop by 
 drop the all-pervading vice of avarice.' Dall' altra, &c. : ' in the 
 opposite direction (to the wall of rock) approaches too near to the 
 outside.' 
 
 10—2. Maledetta, &c. : the sight of the crowds of victims which 
 are found in this Cornice calls forth this imprecation on Dante's 
 part, lupa : the wolf from its insatiable hunger is symbolical of 
 avarice or covetousness ; cp. Inf. i. 49, 50. cupa : 'ravenous,' 
 lit. ' hollow,' ' deep ' ; it here expresses the ' void' of hunger. 
 
 ^3-5* par che si creda : 'men, as we know, believe'; par 
 does not here imply doubt on Dante's part ; he has already affirmed 
 in Purg. xvi. 73 that human affairs are affected by celestial or 
 planetary influences; cp. also Conv. ii. 14. 11. 25-30. Quando, 
 &c. : ' when will the man arise by whom this beast is to be expelled? ' 
 This is the 'coming man' of Dante's anticipations, who is fore- 
 shadowed in the Feltro of Inf. i. loi, where his campaign against 
 avarice is spoken of in similar terms. 
 
 17. Ed io : understand andava. 
 
 19. udi' : the voice, as we afterwards learn (1. 49), is that of 
 Hugh Capet ; by him the examples of the virtue appropriate to this 
 Cornice are recited — viz. the Blessed Virgin, Fabricius, and 
 St. Nicolas. These are rehearsed by day, while the examples 
 of the vice are given by night (11. 100—2). 
 
 23. queir ospizio : the stable at Bethlehem. 
 
 25. Fabbrizio : Fabricius, the Roman consul, who rejected the 
 bribes of Pyrrhus, and died so poor that he was buried at the public 
 expense ; Dante refers to him in a similar manner in De Mon. ii. 5. 
 11. 90-9. 
 
 3»i 
 
PURGATORIO [XX. 28-54 
 
 28. piaciute : here used for ^/^rf«//. 
 
 32. Niccolao : the two former examples represented virtuous 
 poverty ; this one represents liberality. St. Nicolas of Myra portioned 
 three sisters in order to save them from a life of infamy. 
 
 37-9. Non fia, &c. : because Dante would obtain the intercessions 
 of the living in his behalf, quella vita, &c. : ' that (mortal) life 
 which hastens to its close ' ; cp. Purg. xxxiii. 54, where human 
 life is called ' un correre alia morte.' 
 
 40-2. non per conforto, &c. : this probably means, that he 
 had no virtuous descendants whose prayers would avail him. grazia : 
 cp. Purg. xiv. 79, 80 ; in both passages the reference is to Dante*s 
 passing in the body through the world of spirits. 
 
 43, 44. mala pianta : the Capetian dynasty, aduggia : 'casts 
 a blighting shade over ' ; see note on Inf. xv. 2. As this family 
 in 1 300 A. D. ruled in France and Naples, they might be said to 
 overshadow the Christian world. 
 
 46-8. Doagio, &c. : the reference is to the cruel treatment 
 of Flanders (the chief towns of which were Douai, Lille, Ghent, 
 and Bruges) by Philip the Fair in 1299. The 'vengeance' which 
 is here imprecated arrived in 1302, when the French were defeated 
 with tremendous loss in the battle at Courtrai. giuggia : for giudica; 
 from giuggiare, Fr. juger. 
 
 49. Ugo Ciappetta : Dante seems here to have fallen into 
 a confusion between Hugh Capet and his father Hugh the Great, 
 who was duke of France and count of Paris. It was the latter to 
 whom the (fictitious) story was attached that he was the son of 
 a butcher (1. 52) ; and it was he who secured the reins of power 
 (11. 55, 56); and it was due to the influence which he obtained 
 that, thirty years after his death in 956, his son became king and 
 founded the Capetian dynasty (11. 57-60). 
 
 50. i Filippi e i Luigi : for two centuries and a half — that 
 is, from 1060 to 131 6 — there was either a Philip or a Louis on the 
 throne of France. 
 
 52. beccaio : the last three vowels of this word are pronounced 
 as one syllable ; cp. primaio, Purg. xiv. 66. 
 
 54. renduto : rendersi was the expression for ' becoming a monk'; 
 cp. Inf. xxvii. 83. Dante seems here to have fallen into a further 
 confusion between the Carlovingians, who immediately preceded the 
 Capets and must be the regi antichi here mentioned, and the 
 
 312 
 
XX. 55-68] PURGATORIO 
 
 Merovingians, the last of whom, Childeric III, became a monk, 
 whereas Charles of Lorraine, the last representative of the Carlo vingian 
 line, certainly did not do so. 
 
 55-7. Trovaimi, &c. : 'I found that I had a tight grip of the 
 reins of government of the kingdom.* Di nuovo acquisto : * newly 
 acquired.' e si, &c. : ' and I found myself so well provided with 
 friends ' ; Trovaimi is repeated here, mi being accus., not dat. as 
 in I 55. 
 
 58—60. vedova : ' bereaved of its former sovereigns.' dal quale, 
 (fee: the meaning is: — 'who founded the line of kings just men- 
 tioned (1. 50), whose persons (lit. bones) were consecrated by 
 unction.* 
 
 61-3. Mentre che, &c. : Hugh Capet proceeds to trace the 
 history of his descendants, and shows that greed of gain was their 
 dominant motive. The meaning here is — ' So long as the sense of 
 shame was not lost to my race, as it was through the great dower 
 of Provence, though it (my race) possessed small power, yet it did 
 no wrong.' The ' great dower of Provence ' was the accession of 
 that important province to the kingdom of France through the 
 marriage of Charles of Anjou with the daughter of Raymond 
 Berenger, count of Provence. 
 
 64-6. LI: 'at that point'; the seizure of the neighbouring 
 provinces commenced in the reign of Philip the Bold (1270-85), 
 who obtained possession of Poitou and the kingdom of Navarre; 
 his successor (poscia) Philip the Fair (128 5- 131 4) annexed 
 Gascony and Ponthieu in Picardy, which were ceded to him by 
 Edward I in 1294, with a secret understanding, afterwards re- 
 pudiated, that the cession was to be formal only ; Normandy was 
 taken from John as early as 1203, but the English claim on it was 
 not renounced until the time of Philip the Fair, so that Dante may 
 perhaps be excused for relegating its acquisition by the French 
 monarchy to the later period, per ammenda : the kings of France 
 made amends for crime by committing greater crimes. The three- 
 fold repetition of the phrase in the rhyming lines adds force to the 
 irony; cp. the emphasis given by the triple repetition of vidi'in rhyme 
 in Par. xxx. 95-9. Ponti : the final vowel of this word is accented, 
 and therefore unelided, because it stands for the French Ponthieu. 
 
 67, 68. Carlo : Charles of Anjou defeated Conradin, the last 
 of the Hohenstaufen, at Tagliacozzo in 1268, and afterwards 
 
 313 
 
PURGATORIO [XX. 69-93 
 
 executed him. As this took place before the reign of Philip the 
 Fair, per ammenda here must be taken as signifying ' in amends 
 for ' previous acts of aggrandizement, not those for which Philip was 
 1 esponsible. 
 
 69. Tommaso : the story (now discredited) that St. Thomas 
 Aquinas was poisoned by Charles's orders was currently believed in 
 Dante^s time. 
 
 70, 71. non molto dopo ancoi : 'not far off at this moment'; 
 the time intended is the year 1301 ; see below, ancoi ■=.anche oggi\ 
 cp. Purg. xiii. 52. Che tragge, &c. : 'when another Charles 
 advances ' ; for tragge intrans. cp. Purg. ii. 71. This Charles is 
 Charles of Valois, who in 1301 came into Italy on the invitation of 
 Boniface VIII to settle the disorders of Florence. By his aid the 
 party of the Black Guelfs triumphed, and the Whites, including 
 Dante, were banished. 
 
 73, 74. la lancia, &c. : treachery is meant. 
 
 76-8. terra: his nickname was Sans-terre. piu grave, &c. : 
 ' his doom in Hell will be the more grievous, because he makes light 
 of such crimes,' and therefore will not repent of them. 
 
 79-81. L' altro : Charles II, king of Apulia, son of Charles I 
 of Anjou. che gi^, &c. : ' who lately was set free (gi^ usci), 
 after having been taken as a prisoner from his vessel (preso di 
 nave).' He was taken prisoner by Roger di Lauria, admiral of 
 Peter of Aragon, in an engagement in the Bay of Naples in 1284, 
 and was released in 1288. vender, &c. : ' sell his daughter under 
 a bargain,' lit. ' and make a bargain for her.' He gave his young 
 daughter in marriage to the aged Marquis of Este, Azzo VIII, on 
 consideration of receiving a large sum of money, dell' altre 
 schiave : ' with other female slaves '; ' other,' because the daughter 
 was thus treated as a slave. 
 
 85-7. Perchd, &c. : 'as if to cast into shade by contrast the 
 crimes, past and future, of my descendants.' Veggio, &c. : Hugh 
 Capet here prophesies the ignominious treatment of Boniface VIII 
 by the agents of Philip the Fair at Anagni in 1303. lo fiordaliso : 
 thcjleur-de-lys on the banner of France, catto : ' made captive.' 
 
 90. vivi ladroni : the ' living malefactors ' who insulted the 
 Pope as contrasted with those who died in company with Christ. 
 They were Sciarra Colonna and William of Nogaret. 
 
 91-3. il nuovo Pilato : Philip the Fair. Porta, «fec. : 'he 
 
 314 
 
XX. 95-115] PURGATORIO 
 
 directs the sails of his cupidity against the Temple.' Philip pro- 
 ceeded against the Order of the Templars in 1307. 
 
 95, 96. che nascosa, &c. : 'which, while it is hidden from us, 
 causes thine anger to repose peacefully in the heart of thy secret 
 counsels ' ; the certainty with which God foreknows the coming of 
 the vengeance causes him to suppress all immediate tokens of his 
 wrath: for the sentiment cp. Par. xxii. 16. 
 
 97-9. Cid eh', &c. : this was Hugh Capet's mention of the 
 poverty of the Virgin in 11. 19-24 ; Dante's request for an explana- 
 tion (chiosa, lit. ' comment ') was in 11. 34-6. 
 
 100-2. e risposta, &c. : 'this trait in the Virgin's character is 
 the answer to our prayers which presents itself to us.' prece : for 
 preci, poet, for preghi. Contrario suon : the repetition of examples 
 of the vice and its results ; thus the virtue and the vice are fittingly 
 associated with day and night respectively; cp. I. 121. in quella 
 vece : 'instead thereof ' ; cp. Purg. xvi. 36. 
 
 103 foil. The arrangement of the examples of the vice of avarice 
 which are here given is, that three derived from Scripture — viz. 
 Achan, Ananias and Sapphira, and Heliodorus — are placed between 
 two sets of two from the classics, viz. (i) Pygmalion and Midas, 
 (2) Polymestor and Crassus. Scartazzini remarks that these seven 
 correspond to the seven results of avarice as given by Aquinas. 
 
 103-5. Noi, &c. : ' we repeat the story of Pygmalion.' He was 
 Dido's brother, who killed her husband Sychaeus for the sake of 
 his possessions; cp. Virg. Aen. i. 346-52, where the titles of 
 traitor, robber, and parricide, which Dante assigns to him, find their 
 justification. Obs. that patricida or parr'icida is sometimes used in 
 Ital., as here, of kindred murder in general. 
 
 106. la miseria, &c. : the disastrous results of his turning 
 whatever he touched into gold, as described by Ovid, Met. xi. 
 106-130. 
 
 109-11. Acan: Josh. vii. 16-25. si che, &c. : 'so that he 
 seems (to the imagination) to be still suffering the results of Joshua's 
 sentence.' 
 
 113. i calci, &c. : 'the hoof-beats which Heliodorus received.' 
 When Heliodorus attempted to rob the treasury of Jeiusalem, there 
 appeared ' a horse with a terrible rider upon him .... and smote at 
 Hehodorus with his fore-feet,' 2 Mace. iii. 25. 
 
 114, 115. in infaraia, &c. : i.e. his infamy is proclaimed 
 
 315 
 
PURGATORIO [XX. 116-34 
 
 throughout the circuit of the Mountain. Polinestor : Polymestor, 
 king of Thrace, the murderer of Priam's son Polidorus, who had 
 been entrusted to his keeping ; his was the ' auri sacra fames ' ; cp. 
 Virg. jien. iii. 49-57 ; Ov. Met. xiii. 429-38. 
 
 116, 117. Crasso, &c. : the story is, that after the defeat and 
 death of Crassus in Parthia, Orodes, the king of that country, 
 caused molten gold to be poured into his mouth in contempt of his 
 rapacity. It is not clear from what source Dante obtained this ; 
 the Latin author in whom it occurs is Florus (Epit. iii. 11), and 
 Dante does not seem otherwise to have been acquainted with his 
 writings. Perhaps he found it in some mediaeval collection of 
 stories. 
 
 120. Ora a maggiore, &c. : take with dir; 'to speak, now 
 with stronger, now with weaker tones'; passo, lit. 'pace,' but it 
 cannot imply movement, because the spirits here are restricted 
 to one spot. 
 
 121-3. ^1 ^6^1 &c. : this is said in answer to Dante's inquiry 
 in 11. 35, 36, why Hugh Capet's voice was heard alone : ' in 
 proclaiming the virtuous examples, which are spoken of here in the 
 daytime, I was not alone just now (though you thought so) ; but no 
 other person in this neighbourhood spoke in tones sufficiently loud 
 for you to hear him.' 
 
 126. quanto, &c. : this probably refers to the narrowness of the 
 track they had to follow ; cp. 1. 5. 
 
 130-2. non si sec tea, &c. : the movement of the Mountain is 
 compared (not very appositely) to that of Delos, which was shaken 
 by the waves when it was a wandering island, before Latona took 
 up her abode there, and brought forth her twin offspring. Dante 
 had in his mind the lines in which Ovid describes this — ' Insta- 
 bilemque locum Delos dedit. Ilia duobus Facta parens,' Met. vi. 
 191, 192. Virgil relates how Apollo subsequently made it fast; 
 Aen. iii. 75-7. li due occhi, &c. : Apollo and Diana — the Sun 
 and the Moon. 
 
 133, 134. un grido : this burst of praise proceeds from all the 
 souls throughout the whole Mountain; cp. Purg. xxi. 35, 36. 
 Both it and the quaking of the Mountain celebrate the completion 
 by a soul of its time of purgation, as is explained in Purg. xxi. 
 58-60. inver di me, &c. : Virgil's object was to calm Dante's 
 fears arising from the overpowering sound. 
 
 316 
 
XX. 136— XXI. 6] PURGATORIO 
 
 136. Gloria: this word is here metrically a trisyllable, which 
 it is not elsewhere in the Div. Com., and its final vowel is not 
 elided before that which commences the following word. This is 
 due to its forming part of a Latin quotation, for in Dante as a rule 
 every syllable of Latin words is pronounced separately, and their final 
 vowels are not cut off. For instances of the former use cp. Purg. 
 xxiii. 11; Par. xv. 29; xviii. 91 : of the latter Purg. ii. 46; 
 X. 44. 
 
 138. Onde, &c. : ' from whose mouths one could distinguish the 
 words of the cry.* 
 
 139. Noi stavamo : the i of Noi forms metrically a separate 
 syllable owing to the st of stavamo following ; for similar instances 
 see note on Inf. viii. 11. 
 
 140. 141. i pastor: the shepherds of Bethlehem, ed ei, &c. : 
 * and it (the hymn of praise) was concluded.* 
 
 145-8. Nulla, &c. : ' no ignorance ever caused me to be desirous 
 to know with so great anxiety ... as that which methought I then 
 felt, when I reflected on the circumstances (the earthquake and the 
 thanksgiving).* guerra means ' struggle or strain of the feelings.' 
 sapere : ' to know the explanation.* 
 
 149, 150. la fretta : the speed of Virgil's progress. Ne per 
 me, &c. : ' nor of myself could I discover aught in the matter (li).* 
 
 CANTO XXI 
 
 Argument. — Dante and Virgil are joined by a spirit, who 
 explains to them that the movement of the Mountain which they 
 had felt did not proceed from natural causes, but announced the 
 completion by him of his appointed term in Purgatory, and that 
 the song of praise had reference to the same event. He then 
 manifests himself to them as the poet Statius, and adds that the 
 primary source of his poetical inspiration was the Jieneid of Virgil. 
 The smile which rises on Dante's face on hearing this statement 
 leads to the revelation that he is in the presence of that Great 
 Master ; whereupon Statius does obeisance to him. 
 
 Lines 1-6. La sete natural : the desire of knowledge is 
 meant; cp. Conv. i. i. 1. 66. In the present instance it was 
 
 317 
 
PURGATORIO [XXI. 7-27 
 
 Dante's desire to know the significance of the earthquake and the 
 burst of praise ; cp. Purg. xx. 145-8. sazia : here used intrans., 
 ' is quenched.' 1' acqua : the Hving water, i. e. the revelation of 
 spiritual truth; John iv. 14, 15. onde : take with la grazia, 
 ' the boon of which.' la fretta : Virgil's rapid progress, referred 
 to already in Purg. xx. 149. impacciata : obstructed by the 
 prostrate spirits, condoleami : ' felt compassion.' 
 
 7. Luca: Luke xxiv. 13 foil. 
 
 10. un' ombra: this, as we shall see (1. 91), was the poet 
 Statius. It seems probable that he is intended to represent allego- 
 rically philosophy as enlightened by Christianity; hence in Canto 
 XXV Aquinas' view of the generation of man is put into his 
 mouth. All the statements which Dante introduces with regard 
 to Statius' life — his conversion, his prodigality, &c. — appear to be 
 his own invention. 
 
 1 2. ci addemmo di lei : ' did we become aware of his presence ' ; 
 addemmo is from addare, a verb of unknown origin, perf. addiedi : 
 the Vocah. Tramater gives other instances of its use. si : for sino^ 
 ' until ' ; cp. Inf. xix. 44 : others take it as marking the consequence, 
 *so he spoke first.' 
 
 15. il cenno, &c. : 'the corresponding greeting,' viz. 'And to 
 thy spirit.' The Latin forms are ' Pax vobiscum ' and ' Et cum 
 spiritu tuo.' 
 
 17. la verace corte : the tribunal of God. 
 
 19-21. e parte, &c. : 'and meanwhile (while he was speaking) 
 we were speeding on our way ' ; for parte in this sense cp. Inf. 
 xxix. 16. che Die, &c. : 'whom God does not approve as 
 denizens of heaven.' la sua scala : the stairway of penitence, 
 i.e. the Mountain of Purgatory. 
 
 22—4. i segni : the P's on Dante's forehead, profila : 'is 
 wont to trace,' lit. ' outlines ' ; the present tense here puts the 
 statement generally, not as applying to Dante's case only, vedrai, 
 &c. : his being allowed to pass through the stage of purification 
 in Purgatory, which is preparatory to being received into Heaven, 
 shows that he is destined for the company of the Blessed. 
 
 25-7. lei: Lachesis. Of the three Fates, Clotho placed the 
 flax (i. e. the allotted span of life) on the distaff (impone) and 
 packed it together (compila), while Lachesis spun the thread of 
 life (fila). Ncn gli avea, &c. : ' had not yet drawn off all the 
 
 318 
 
XXI. 29-48] PURGATORIO 
 
 flax for him,' i. e. had not brought his life to an end. The word 
 conocchia means first the distaff, and then the flax on the distaflP. 
 
 29, 30. sola: without a guide, al nostro, &c. : 'does not 
 look at things as we disembodied spirits do,' who see things im- 
 mediately without the intervention of the senses. 
 
 33. mia scuola : ' my principles of knowledge,' i. e. the teaching 
 of human reason, of which Virgil is the representative ; cp. Purg. 
 xviii. 46, 47. 
 
 36. suoi pie molli : ' its wave- washed base.' 
 
 37. SI mi die*, &c. : 'by his question he hit so exactly the 
 needle's eye of my desire.' 
 
 40-57. Statius prefaces his explanation by saying that the move- 
 ment of the Mountain was not, like an ordinary earthquake, the 
 result of natural causes,, which operate irregularly. In Purgatory 
 proper everything is regulated immediately by divine appointment, the 
 working of which is uniform. 
 
 40-2. Cosa non e, &c. : 'nothing here is affected Irregularly by 
 (sanza Ordine senta) the divinely appointed system (la religione) 
 of the Mountain, or is exceptional (fuor d' usanza).' 
 
 43. Libero, &c. : 'here all is free from variations of whatsoever 
 kind.' For the omission of the substantive where 'the place' is 
 meant cp. Purg. ix. 54 ; x. 79 ; xiv. 94. 
 
 44, 45. Di quel che, &c. : in these two lines Statius gives the 
 reason for the movement of the Mountain, which seems to be an 
 exceptional occurrence, and so to contradict the statement just made. 
 He says that this takes place only when a purified soul is passing 
 from Purgatory to Heaven, and that its movement heavenward is 
 brought about by the direct agency of Heaven. 'The cause [of 
 what appears an unusual occurrence] can proceed here (Esserci 
 puote cagione) from a soul being received by Heaven (Di quel che 
 il ciel riceve) into itself (in se) by its own agency (da se), but 
 from naught else (e non d' altro).' Da se means propria motu^ 
 independently of influences proceeding from the natural world ; it is 
 the attraction exercised by Heaven upon the soul which causes it to 
 rise. Others interpret thus — ' that which, having originally proceeded 
 from Heaven (da se), the Heaven receives into itself; but the bra- 
 chylogy which this involves seems extravagant even in the Dm. Com. 
 
 46-8. Perche: ' wherefore,' i. e. because there is no variation. 
 la scaletta : the three steps in front of the gate of Purgatory. 
 
 319 
 
PURGATORIO [xxi. 50-66 
 
 50, 51. figlia di Taumante : in mythology Iris or the rainbow 
 is said to be the daughter of Thaumas. Che di Ih, &c. : ' who on 
 earth often shifts her region.' 
 
 52—4. Secco vapor : this ' dry vapour * is the ava6v/xLa(Ti<s irjpd 
 of Aristotle, Meteorol. ii. 9. 20, which i$ there stated to be the 
 common cause of wind, lightning, thunder, and earthquakes, ch' io 
 parlai : 'of which I spoke'; for the use of che cp. Par. i. 27. 
 11 vicario, &c. : the Angel who guards the gate ; see Purg. ix. 
 78, 127. 
 
 55? 56- piu gm : in the Ante-Purgatory, per vento, &c. : 
 Aristotle's theory of the origin of earthquakes, which after his time 
 was generally accepted, was that they were due to the action of 
 winds, which were confined beneath the surface of the earth, and 
 were endeavouring to find a vent ; Meteorol. ii. 8. 
 
 59, 60. surga : ' rises from the ground ' ; this applies to the 
 prostrate spirits in this Cornice, while si mova refers to those in 
 the other Cornices, tal grido : the singing of the Gloria in excelsis. 
 seconda : ' accompanies the spirit.' 
 y; 61-6. Statius now explains what is the evidence of a soul being 
 ^ freed from the stain of sin, its purgation being accomplished. In 
 order to understand his meaning, we must observe that there are two 
 forms of will in man — the higher (voler, voglia), which is always 
 aiming at the highest good, i. e. God and heavenly things ; and the 
 lower (il talento), wjiich is fixed on inferior objects, and thus pre- 
 cludes the exercise of the higher will. This lower will during man's 
 life on earth tends towards sin ; in Purgatory by a special dispensation 
 of God it is fixed on the punishment, and the desire of undergoing 
 this restrains the action of the higher will. When the purgation is 
 completed, the function of the lower will ceases, and the higher will 
 immediately exerts itself, so that the soul tends upwards towards 
 ^ Heaven. 
 
 /^ 62, 63. Che, &c. : 'which (higher will) seizes the soul, when it 
 is wholly free to change its company, and it (the soul) rejoices in 
 exercising that will.' For convento cp. Par. xxii. 90. 
 
 64-6. Prima vuol ben : ' before that (i. e. before it has accom- 
 plished its purification) it has the right desire to rise, but it is 
 prevented from doing so by the lower will, which the justice of God 
 fixes on (i. e. causes to long for) the purgatorial suffering, just as it 
 was previously fixed on the sin, in opposition to the higher will.' 
 
 320 
 
 y' 
 
XXI. 68-90] PURGATORIO 
 
 Thus the longing for Heaven is suspended, being excluded by the 
 craving for purgatorial suffering. 
 
 68. Cinquecento, &c. : in Purg. xxii. 92, 93 Statius says that 
 he passed more than 400 years in the fourth Cornice, where the 
 spiritually slothful are purified. As he died about 96 a. d., this 
 would leave about 300 years to be accounted for to bring up the 
 date to 1 300 A. D. This period, we may suppose, was spent in 
 Ante-Purgatory. 
 
 69. Libera, &c. : ' unimpeded desire of a better abode.' 
 
 72. che tosto, &c.: this is a prayer on Statius* part; ' may he 
 soon, I pray, send them on high.' 
 
 73-5. ei si gode: 'one enjoys'; this is the impersonal use of 
 the verb with ei, egU. quant' ei, &c. : ' how much he benefited 
 me ' ; for prode see note on Purg. xv. 42. 
 
 76. la rete: the net which holds the souls in Purgatory is the 
 desire of expiatory suffering; cp. 1. 64. 
 
 81. mi cappia: 'that I may understand by your words, why,' 
 &c. cappia is subjunct. from the neut. verb capere, which means 
 'to have sufficient room'; cp. Par. iii. 76; xvii. 15. The full form 
 of the phrase here used would be 'questo mi cape nell' animo,' 
 ' there is room for this (lit. this has room) in my mind,' and che 
 mi cappia, which is an abbreviated expression, signifies ' that I may 
 understand ' ; see Vocab. Tramater, s. v. ' capere.' 
 
 82. Nel tempo, &c. : the dates of the birth and death of Statius 
 are not certainly known, but they were about 45 and 96 a.d. 
 (Teuffel, Hist, of Rom. Lit. i. p. 123, Engl. Trans.). Thus the 
 capture of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 a.d. would fall in the middle of 
 his lifetime. 
 
 83. le fora: ' the wounds '; /on is used in the same sense in 
 Purg. v. 73. Statius speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus 
 as an act of retribution for the crucifixion of Christ. Dante derived 
 this view from Orosius, who says of Titus that ' ad vindicandum 
 Domini lesu Christi sanguinem iudicio Dei fuerat ordinatus,' Hist, 
 vii. 3. 8. 
 
 85-7. piu onora : ' bestows most honour ' ; the name here meant 
 is that of poet, con fede : i. e. a Christian. 
 
 88-90. vocale spirto : ' gift of song.' Tolosano : in reality 
 Statius was a native of Naples. Dante's error as to his having been 
 born at Toulouse was derived from Lactantius, who in his com- 
 
 T02ER 321 Y 
 
PURGATORIO [XXI. 92-135 
 
 mentary on the Thebaid confounds him with a rhetorician of Toulouse 
 of the same name, mirto : the meed of success in poetiy. Dante 
 here puts into Statius' mouth his own estimate of that poet ; in 
 De Vulg. Eloq. ii. 6. II. 79-81 he mentions under the title of 
 standard poets Virgil, Ovid, Statius, and Lucan. 
 
 92, 93. Cantai, &c. : the works of Statius which were known 
 to Dante were his Thebaid and Achilleid, His Silvae were unknown 
 at that time in Italy, caddi in via, &c. : Statius died before he 
 had completed the Achilleid. 
 
 94. ardor: 'poetic fervour.' 
 
 97-9. Eneida : at the conclusion of the Thebaid Statius says, 
 apostrophizing his work — ' nee tu divinam Aeneida tenta, Sed longe 
 sequere, et vestigia semper adora,' Theb. xii. 816, 817. mamma: 
 ' mother.' fermai : ' weighed ' ; lit. ' made stationary in the scale,' 
 i. e. balanced. 
 
 10 1, 102. assentirei, &c. : 'I would agree to remain a year 
 more than I am bound to do with a view to (i. e. as the condition of) 
 my escape from my place of exile.' Purgatory is regarded as the 
 place of exile for those who are destined to be denizens of Heaven. 
 
 105. non pud tutto, &c. : ' the power that wills is limited in its 
 influence.* 
 
 1 06-8. Che rise, &c. : ' for smiles and tears follow so directly on 
 the feelings from which they respectively arise, that in the most 
 truthful spirits they follow less the will,' i. e. the more candid a man 
 is, the less they are under his control. 
 
 111. ove, &c. : 'where expression mostly dwells.' 
 
 112. se tanto, &c. : ' so mayest thou accomplish well thy great 
 task ' ; i. e. the task of visiting the world of spirits. 
 
 121. Forse che: 'maybe that'; for che attached to /orse cp. 
 Purg. iv. 98 ; xxxiii. 46. 
 
 128. e credi : 'and believe that the cause was.' 
 
 133-5. quantitate: 'intensity.' vanitate: 'unreality,' 'in- 
 corporeal state.' 
 
 322 
 
XXII. 1-6] PURGATORIO 
 
 CANTO XXII 
 
 Argument. — Dante and Virgil, accompanied by Statius, ascend 
 to the sixth Cornice, where the sin of gluttony is punished. On 
 the way, Statius explains to Virgil that prodigality, the vice of 
 which he was himself guilty, is expiated along with avarice, which 
 is its opposite, in the Cornice which they had just left. He also 
 declares that his conversion to Christianity was due in the first 
 instance to Virgil's prophetic utterances in his fourth Eclogue. 
 They now perceive a spreading tree, rich with fruit, over which 
 a fountain falls in showers; from it a voice proceeds, which pro- 
 claims examples of the virtue of temperance. 
 
 Line i. Gik: they had now entered the passage which leads 
 up from the fifth to the sixth Cornice, passing the Angel who 
 guards the approach to it. 
 
 2, 3. volti: 'directed'; cp. Purg. vii. 86. un colpo : one 
 of the ' strokes ' or marks formed by the P's on Dante's forehead. 
 
 4-6. E quel, &c. : ' and the Angel had pronounced for us those 
 to be blessed whose desires are fixed on righteousness, and his words 
 completed that saying with the expression "who thirst," adding 
 nothing thereto.' Here, as in other Cornices, as the travellers pass 
 out, the Angel of the Cornice recites an appropriate Beatitude to 
 speed them on their way. In this instance the complete Beatitude 
 is ' Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt iustitiam,' Matt. v. 6 ; but as the 
 expression which relates to hunger, viz. 'qui esuriunt,' is reserved 
 for use in the sixth Cornice where gluttony is expiated (Purg. xxiv. 
 1 5 1-4), 'qui sitiunt' alone (senz' altro) is used here. The motto 
 ' Beati qui sitiunt iustitiam ' is appropriate to the Cornice in which 
 avarice is expiated, because the thirst for justice is the opposite or 
 antidote to the thirst for wealth. As regards the text of this 
 passage, the readings of the Oxford Text, viz. avea in I. 5 and 
 sitiunt in 1. 6, have been unhesitatingly followed here, though 
 aiyean has about the same support from the MSS. as avea, and 
 sit'io predominates enormously over sitiunt ; in fact, sitiunt is almost 
 destitute of MS. authority. (On these points, and on the passage 
 
 323 y 2 
 
PURGATORIO [xxn. 7-34 
 
 generally, see Moore, Text. Crh., pp. 405 foil.) With avean and 
 sitio the meaning of the passage is taken to be — 'and those who 
 have their desires fixed on justice (i. e. the spirits within this Cornice) 
 had recited for us the text " Beati quorum tecta sunt peccata" (Ps. 
 xxxii. i), and their voices added thereto " I thirst," but no further 
 word.' On this interpretation sitio may either represent the cry 
 of our Lord on the cross, or may express a feeling on the part of 
 the spirits themselves. But the objections to this explanation of 
 the passage, and consequently to the reading, are insuperable, (i) 
 Beati, as it is used to introduce a Beatitude in all the corresponding 
 passages (Purg. xii. no; xv. 38; xvii. 68 ; xix. 50; xxiv. 151 ; 
 xxvii. 8), can hardly be used otherwise here. (2) This Cornice 
 alone would be without a Beatitude. (3) In five cases out of the six 
 besides the present one it is either distinctly stated, or fairly implied, 
 that the Beatitude was recited by the Angel : as to the sixth instance 
 see note on Purg. xii. no. (4) sitio has very little force, while 
 sitiunt gives exactly the meaning which is needed. 
 
 7. piu lieve : in consequence of the removal of another P. 
 
 10—8. Virgil here declares that he had ere this time reciprocated 
 Statins* good will. 
 
 12. Pur che, &c. : 'provided that its flame appear outwardly,' 
 i.e. if there is outward evidence of the feeling. 
 
 14. Juvenale: Juvenal's date is circ. 47-130 a. D. (Teuflfel) ; 
 consequently he was a contemporary of Statins. 
 
 16, 17. quale, &c. : ' as great as ever held a man for one whom 
 he had not seen.' 
 
 20. sicurt^: 'confidence.' 
 
 24. per tua cura : ' by thy diligence,' i. e. long continued study. 
 
 28-30. Veramente, &c. : 'Verily things often present them- 
 selves to us, which furnish subjects for doubt which are untrue 
 owing to the true causes being concealed.' His being found in the 
 company of the avaricious suggested the erroneous idea that he had 
 committed that sin, whereas the real explanation of his being there 
 was that he had erred by prodigality, and that these two sins were 
 punished together. 
 
 31. tuo creder, &c. : 'proves to me that it is your belief.' 
 
 34. fu partita, &c. : 'was removed too far from me,' i.e. that 
 he erred in the opposite extreme of prodigality. From the example 
 of Statius we learn, that in Purgatory the vices of avarice and 
 
 324 
 
XXII. 36-48] PURGATORIO 
 
 prodigality are punished together, as they are in the fourth Circle 
 of the Inferno. As has already been intimated in the note to Purg. 
 xxi. 10, there appears to be no historical groundwork to the story 
 of Statius' prodigality; in fact Juvenal (vii. 86, 87) implies that 
 he was a needy man, so that he could not have had much money 
 to spend. 
 
 36. Migliaia, &c. : 'thousands of revolutions of the moon'; 
 as Statius has said in Purg. xxi. 68 that he had been 500 years 
 in Cornice V, the exact number here intended is 6,000 months. 
 
 37-9. drizzai mia cura : 'rectified my views of life.' intesi 
 I^ : ' pondered on that passage.' Crucciato : ' indignant.' 
 
 40, 41. Per che, &c. : the passage in Virgil which these lines 
 are intended to represent is Aen. iii. 56, 57, 'Quid non moitalia 
 pectora cogis, Auri sacra fames ?' (' To what crimes dost thou not 
 compel the hearts of men, accursed lust of gold ? ') No explanation 
 of Dante's rendering of this which is wholly satisfactory has yet 
 been given. Perhaps the following is the best: — 'Through what 
 a course of wickedness dost thou not lead the desires of men, 
 accursed lust of gold ? ' Sacra in this case must be regarded as 
 the Latin word borrowed from Virgil's original, for sacro does not 
 bear the sense of 'accursed' in Italian. It is 2, prima facie objection 
 to this interpretation — in fact to the introduction of the passage of 
 Virgil in its proper sense at all — that it denounces avarice, while 
 Statius is denouncing prodigality; but to this it may perhaps be 
 replied, that the desire of wealth is an accompaniment of prodigality 
 as well as of avarice. Others think that Dante misunderstood 
 Virgil's meaning, and take reggi in the sense of 'restrain,' and 
 sacra as signifying 'holy,' 'righteous,' 'temperate'; so that the 
 passage is to be understood, not as denouncing greed of wealth, but 
 as advocating moderation in its use — 'Why dost thou not restrain 
 the desires of mortals, O temperate hunger for gold ? ' 
 
 42. Voltando, &c. : 'rolling the weights I should be experi- 
 encing the dismal jousts ' : the reference is to the punishment of the 
 avaricious and the prodigal in Hell, who roll forward heavy weights, 
 with which they charge against one another. The words voltando 
 pesi and giostra occur in that connexion in Inf. vii. 27, 35. 
 
 46-8. scemi: 'shorn'; cp. mo%%i in Inf. vii. 57. The 
 reference is to the Italian proverb concerning spendthrifts, ' Egli ha 
 dissipate lino a' capegli.' Per ignoranza, &c. : ' from ignorance 
 
 325 
 
PURGATORIO [XXII. 49-82 
 
 (of the sinfulness of prodigality), which prevents repentance for this 
 sin during men's lifetime and at their last hour.' 
 
 49-51. che rimbecca, &c. : 'which rebuts by direct opposition,' 
 i. e. is the direct opposite of. sue verde secca : ' dries its green 
 rankness/ i. e. reduces its superfluity, and so returns to the mean. 
 
 54. Per lo, &c. : ' this has befallen me owing to its opposite.' 
 
 55-7. cantasti, &c. : Statius in his Thebaid related the story of 
 ' the merciless war of the twofold affliction of Jocasta,' i. e. the war 
 between Polynices and Eteocles, the twin sons of Jocasta, who are 
 called her ' affliction ' on account of their incestuous birth, buco- 
 lici : Virgil is here spoken of as the 'singer of the bucolic strains,' 
 because reference is about to be made in 1. 70 to his fourth Bucolic 
 or Eclogue. 
 
 58, 59. Per quelle, &c. : ' from the evidence furnished by the 
 matter of your poem,' lit. ' to judge from that which you by Clio's 
 aid deal with there.' Tastare means ' to touch,' ' treat of,' ' deal 
 with.* fedele : ' a true believer.' 
 
 61-3. qual sole o quai candele : 'what light from heaven or 
 earth.' diretro, &c. : ' in the wake of the fisherman,' i. e. St. 
 Peter — ' the pilot of the Galilean lake.' 
 
 65, 66. grotte : ' grots,' ' caves,' which are frequently associated 
 with sacred sources. Probably in this instance Dante was thinking 
 of Castalia, though that spring does not issue from a cavern, 
 appresso Dio : ' next after God.' 
 
 67. quel : the servant, who walks before his master and lights 
 him on his way. 
 
 70-2. dicesti, &c. : Virg. Ed. iv. 5-7, 'Magnus ab integro 
 saeclorum nascitur ordo. lam redit et Virgo, redeunt Satumia 
 regna ; lam nova progenies caelo demittitur alto.' The fourth 
 Eclogue was generally regarded during the middle ages as a prophecy 
 of the birth of Christ. 
 
 73-5. cristiano : see note on Purg. xxi. 10. mei : for meglio; 
 more commonly written me\ disegno : ' sketch,' in contrast with 
 colorare, ' to fill in in colour.' 
 
 80. Si consonava : ' in sooth was in harmony with ' ; Si 
 consonava is also read. 
 
 82. Vennermi, &c. : lit. 'they came to appear to me'; when 
 used in this way with the gerund, 'venire is almost redundant, but 
 it usually implies duration : cp. Par. xxiii. 1 8, ' venir rischiarando.' 
 
 326 
 
XXII. 85-105] PURGATORIO 
 
 85-7. mentre, &c. : ' throughout the time that I remained on 
 earth.' sette : ' schools,' of philosophy or religion. 
 
 88, 89. pria, &c. : 'before I described in poetry the arrival of 
 the Argives (i Greci), who came to support Polynices, at Thebes ' ; 
 i. e. before I reached the latter part of the poem (Book IX), in 
 which their arrival is narrated, fiumi : by these Dante probably 
 means the Ismenus and the Asopus ; see note on Purg. xviii. 91-3. 
 
 90-3. chiuso : ' concealed.' mostrando : ' professing.' il 
 quarto cerchio : the Circle or Cornice in which lukewarmness 
 or spiritual sloth was expiated, al quarto centesmo : * for 400 
 years.' 
 
 94, 95. che levato, &c. : * who (by thy prophetic verses) hast 
 lifted the veil, which hid from me all that great blessing of which 
 I speak,' i. e. the Christian faith. 
 
 96. Mentre che, &c. : 'during the remainder of our ascent'; 
 soperchio means ' that which remains over.' This clause is to be 
 taken with what follows. 
 
 97-9. nostro antico : 'our early poet.' Cecilio : Caecilius, 
 the writer of comedies, is mentioned among popular Roman poets in 
 two passages of Horace, viz. Epist. ii. i. 58, 59, and Ars Poet. 
 54) 55 > ^^ ^^ former in conjunction with Plautus and Terence, in 
 the latter with Plautus, Virgil, and Varius. Dante seems to have 
 had one or both of these passages in his mind. Varro : it is not 
 certain whether Dante here means Varro Reatinus, who was famous 
 in antiquity for his great learning, or Varro Atacinus the poet. 
 As the other writers who are here mentioned were poets, we should 
 expect the latter to be meant, but it is doubtful whether Dante had 
 heard of him. His name occurs in Horace, Sat, i. 10. 46, but 
 Dante does not seem to have been acquainted with the Satires. 
 On the other hand, he must have known Varro Reatinus, because 
 that author is spoken of at some length and with high praise by 
 St. Augustine {fie Civ. Dei, vi. 2 foil.) ; at the same time, though 
 he wrote satires, he was comparatively little known as a poet. Some 
 would prefer to read Vario here, but there is hardly any MS. 
 authority for the reading, vico : 'region,' lit. 'alley,' 'quarter'; 
 the word is used for the sake of the rhyme as an equivalent 
 of cerchio. 
 
 1 01. quel Greco : Homer. 
 
 104, 105. monte : both Parnassus and Helicon were sacred to 
 
 327 
 
PURGATORIO [xxii. 106-20 
 
 the Muses (le nutrici nostre), but since in Purg. xxix. 37-42 
 Helicon is introduced in connexion with them, it is probably the 
 mountain which Dante means here. 
 
 1065 107. Antifonte : both Antiphon and Agathon were tragic 
 poets. 
 
 109-11. genti tue: 'thy folk,' i.e. the personages who are 
 introduced in your poems. For the use of genti plur. in the sense 
 of ' people * cp. ' le perdute genti ' of Purg. xxx. 138, which is the 
 equivalent of ' la perduta gente ' of Inf. iii. 3. Deifile, &c. : 
 Deiphile and Argea were daughters of Adrastus, the former of 
 whom was married to Tydeus, one of the Seven against Thebes, 
 the latter to Polynices. si trista : the life of Ismene was one of 
 almost unbroken sorrow. 
 
 1 1 2-4. quella, &c. : Hypsipyle, who is mentioned by Statius 
 {l^heb. iv. 716 foil.) as having shown the spring of Langia near 
 Nemea to Adrastus and his army, when they were on their way to 
 Thebes, and were distressed by want of water, la figlia di 
 Tiresia: Manto (Stat., Theb. iv. 463 foil.), whom Dante in Inf. 
 XX. 55 places among the soothsayers in Malebolge. This is an 
 oversight on the Poet's part. Teti, &c. : Thetis, the mother 
 of Achilles, and Deidamia, the object of his early love, are often 
 mentioned in the Achilleid. The description of the latter in the 
 company of her sisters (con le suore sue) occurs in Achill. i. 
 285-96. 
 
 117. Liber i, &c. : they were now emerging from the passage 
 on to the sixth Cornice. Here (i) the sin punished is gluttony; 
 (2) the punishment is the sight of trees laden with fruit and sprinkled 
 with fresh water, of which the sinners may not partake ; (3) the 
 examples of the virtue of temperance are the Blessed Virgin ; 
 ancient Roman women ; Daniel ; the Golden Age ; St. John the 
 Baptist ; (4) the examples of the vice are the Centaurs ; the 
 companions of Gideon ; (5) they are presented by a voice from 
 the branches of the mystic trees ; (6) the passage from a Church 
 Office is Labia mea^ Domine ; (7) the Beatitude is Beati qui esuriunt. 
 
 118-20. ancelle del giorno : for the use of this expression in 
 the sense of ' hours ' cp. Purg. xii. 81; ' four hours of the day had 
 now passed.' la quinta, &c. : ' the fifth hour was at the pole of 
 the sun's car (i. e. was leading on the day), directing ever upwards its 
 blazing point.' As the sun was regarded as mounting the sky until 
 
 328 
 
XXII. 1 31-50] PURGATORIO 
 
 noon, the pole of its chariot would be conceived of as pointing 
 upwards. Since the day commenced at 6 a. m., the time here 
 intended would be between lo and ii a.m. The day was Easter 
 Tuesday, the 12th of April. 
 
 1 2 1-3. alio estremo, &c. : 'towards the outer side of the 
 Cornice.' By turning their right side towards this, and then 
 walking on, they would be taking the direction to the right hand 
 along the Mountain, which they had hitherto followed. 
 
 130,131. ragioni: 'discourse'; cp. Purg. xiv. 126. un arbor: 
 this tree is regarded as having spmng from the Tree of Life, in the 
 same way as the corresponding tree which is mentioned below (Purg. 
 xxiv. 116, 117) sprang from the Tree of Knowledge, in the Garden 
 of Eden (Gen. ii. 9). The trees in this Cornice torment the souls 
 which look at them from beneath by holding their fruit beyond their 
 reach. 
 
 133. si digrada : 'tapers'; the fir-tree is broad below and 
 narrows upwards, while this tree is broad at the top and narrows 
 downwards. 
 
 136. Dal lato, &c. : 'on the side towards which our road was 
 enclosed,' i. e. the side towards the Mountain ; while that towards 
 the precipice was open. 
 
 141. caro : for carestia, 'dearth,' 'lack.' 
 
 142—4. disse : the voice from the mystic tree here proclaims 
 the examples of the virtue of temperance, which is the opposite of 
 the vice of gluttony. As in the other Cornices, so here, the 
 Scriptural and classical examples alternate with one another. Maria : 
 at the marriage at Cana of Galilee, when she said ' they have no 
 wine,' John ii. 3. risponde : 'intercedes.' 
 
 145-7. 1® Romane, &c. : this statement is found in Val. Max. 
 ii. 1 . 5, who says ' Vini usus olim Romanis feminis ignotus fuit ' ; 
 but probably Dante got it from Aquinas, Summa, ii. 2dae Q, j^^. 
 Art. iv, ' Secundum Valerium Maximum mulieres apud Romanos 
 antiquitus non bibebant vinum.' Daniello : see Dan. i. 11, 12, 
 ' Daniel said to the steward ... let them give us pulse to eat and 
 water to drink,' and God gave him 'knowledge and skill in all 
 learning and wisdom,' v. 17. 
 
 148-50. quant' oro, &c. : 'was as fair as gold,' i.e. it was 
 the Golden Age. le ghiande, &c. : probably Dante was thinking 
 of Ovid, Met. i. 104, 106, Arbuteos fetus montanaque fraga legebant 
 
 329 
 
PURGATORIO [XXII. 1 54— XXIII. 20 
 
 . . . Et quae deciderant patula lovis arbore glandes,* and 1. iir, 
 * iam flumina nectaris ibant.' 
 
 154. r Evangelic: Matt. xi. 11, 'Verily I say unto you, 
 Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater 
 than John the Baptist.* 
 
 CANTO XXIII 
 
 Argument. — As they pass along the Cornice they are overtaken 
 by a company of spirits, whose emaciated faces testify to the pangs of 
 hunger and thirst with which they are afflicted through the sight of 
 the fruit of the tree and of the dripping water. Dante is recognized 
 by a friend of his youth, Forese Donati, who explains to him that, 
 though he had repented late in life, yet he had escaped delay in Ante- 
 Purgatory through the intercessions of his wife ; and the mention of 
 her saintly character leads him to denounce the want of modesty 
 which prevailed among the women of Florence. Dante expresses 
 regret for his and Foresees relations to one another In their former 
 life. 
 
 Line 3. Chi retro, &c. : the bird-catcher, ' who wastes his time 
 in pursuing little birds.' 
 
 4-6. Figliuole : Dante has here attached the termination of the 
 Latin vocative to an Italian word for the sake of the rhyme, im* 
 posto : ' ordained,' ' assigned.' compartir : ' apportion.' 
 
 8. sie : for st, ' In such sort ' ; I. e. on such lofty topics. 
 
 1 1 . Labia, &c. : this is the portion of a Church Office which is 
 recited in this Cornice ; ' O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth 
 shall show forth thy praise,' Ps. II. 15. The lips which had been 
 devoted to gluttony here express a wish to be devoted to the praise 
 of God. 
 
 15. di lor dover, &c. : 'untying the knot of their debt'; i.e. 
 freeing themselves by Purgatorial suffering from the debt of sin which 
 binds them : for dovere in the sense of ' indebtedness * cp. Purg. 
 xiii. 126. 
 
 17. Giugnendo : 'coming up with,' ' overtaking.' 
 
 19, 20. diretro, &c. : 'coming on behind us with more rapid 
 steps and passing us.' 
 
 330 
 
XXIII. :i4-48] PURGATORIO 
 
 24. dair ossa, &c. : 'the skin took the form of the bones,' 
 owing to the absence of flesh. 
 
 25-7. Non credo, &c. : 'I do not conceive that Erysichthon 
 was so dried up to merest (lit. outermost) rind.' Erysichthon was 
 a ThessaHan, who cut down trees in a grove sacred to Demeter, and 
 was punished by her with insatiable hunger ; his pangs are described 
 by Ovid, Met. viii. 738 foil, quando, &c. : 'when he most feared 
 starvation.' 
 
 30. die' di becco : 'preyed on,' lit. 'pecked.' The story of the 
 woman who ate her own child from extremity of hunger during the 
 final siege of Jerusalem is told by Josephus, Bell. lud. vi. 3. 4. 
 Dante probably obtained it from the Speculum Histor'iale of Vincent 
 de Beauvais (x. 5), which work is one of his historical authorities ; 
 see Toynbee, Diet., p. 368. 
 
 32, 33. omo : mediaeval preachers were fond of the 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 the 
 cheekbones the m — thus VR. See the exposition of this in a sermon 
 by the Franciscan monk, Berthold of Regensburg, given by Long- 
 fellow, p. 428. Ben avria, &c. : ' he would have clearly recognized 
 the M in these faces,' because the hollows of the eyes made more 
 conspicuous the bones which enclosed them. 
 
 35, 36. Si governasse: 'should have ordained things so,' 
 ' brought this to pass.' non sapendo como : i. e. if it were not 
 explained to him how the result was produced. The explanation is 
 furnished in 11. 6 1 foil. 
 
 38, 39. Per la cagione, &c. : this follows ammirar, 'because 
 the reason was not yet clear.' squama : ' withered flesh ' ; both 
 here and in scabbia (1. 49) this, rather than 'scales' or 'scabs,' 
 seems to be the meaning. 
 
 45. Cio che, &c. : ' that which his aspect had suppressed within 
 it,' i. e. his identity, conquiso : from conquidere ; the meaning ' to 
 subdue,' ' suppress,' is poetical. 
 
 46, 47. raccese, &c. : 'quickened anew my knowledge of (alia, 
 lit. respecting) the altered face' ; for labbia cp. Inf. xiv. 67. 
 
 48. Forese : this is Forese Donati, an early friend of Dante, 
 and a relation of Dante's wife. Gemma Donati, and brother of 
 Corso Donati, the head of the Black Guelfs. Four sonnets exist, 
 which passed between Dante and Forese in their younger days, and 
 
 331 
 
PURGATORIO [xxiii. 49-84 
 
 in the first of these Dante reproaches Forese with his gluttony. 
 The original of the two by Dante will be found in Fraticelli's Opere 
 M'tnort di Dante^ vol. i. pp. 291, 292, and all four are given in an 
 English translation by Rossetti in his Dante and his Circle, p. 243. 
 The authenticity of these poems, which are vituperative and in- 
 delicate, has sometimes been doubted, but at the present day is 
 generally admitted. 
 
 49. contendere: used in the sense of attendere, 'pay attention 
 to * ; the Vocab. Tramater (s. v.) gives other instances. 
 
 54. Non rimaner, &c. : ' delay not to speak to me.' 
 
 57. torta: 'disfigured.' 
 
 58. sfoglia : ' dries up,' ' withers ' ; cp. note on squama in 1. 39. 
 
 59. 60. Non mi far, &c. : ' force me not to speak when full of 
 wonderment, for when the mind is preoccupied a man cannot rightly 
 express himself.' 
 
 63. Rimasa retro : 'which we have left behind'; cp. 11. 1-7. 
 
 64. piangendo canta : cp. 1. 10. 
 
 68, 69. dello sprazzo ; the scent of water is noticed in Job 
 xiv. 9, ' Through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth 
 boughs like a plant.' su per, &c. : ' over the foliage of the tree.' 
 
 70, 71. non pure una volta : another tree of the same kind is 
 mentioned in Purg. xxiv. 113. spazzo : the area of the Cornice. 
 si rinfresca : ' is renewed.' 
 
 73-5. quella voglia : the desire to conform our wills to the will 
 of God. a dire : Eli : this should be taken as referring rather to 
 Christ's offering himself to the Father upon the cross, which was 
 consummated in the words, ' My God ! my God ! why hast thou 
 forsaken me ? ' than to the actual words, for lieto could hardly be 
 used in such a connexion. Obs. that this is a ten-syllable line, the 
 irregularity being justified by its ending with a Hebrew word accented 
 on the last syllable ; cp. Par. vii. i, ' Osanna sanctus Deus Sabaoth.' 
 la sua vena : i. e. his blood. 
 
 77. mutasti mondo, &c. : 'didst migrate (lit. change worlds) 
 to a better life.' 
 
 79-84. Se prima, &c. : Forese's was a case of what we should 
 call 'a deathbed repentance.' His power of committing sin had 
 come to an end before his repentance (1* ora Del buon dolor ch' a 
 Dio ne rimarita). Hence Dante expects to find him in the Ante- 
 Purgatory (laggiu di sotto, 1. 83), but he learns that he had been 
 
 332 
 
XXIII. 86-103] PURGATORIO 
 
 freed from the delay by his wife's prayers. Ancora : take with 
 laggiu di sotto, ' still below ' in Ante-Purgatory. Some editors 
 prefer to put the question-mark after ancora, and to connect that 
 word with venuto ; in this case ancora means ' already,' as in Inf. 
 xxxiii. 121. Dove tempo, &c. : 'where loss of time is com- 
 pensated by delay.' 
 
 86, 87. dolce. assenzio : 'sweet wormwood'; the explanation 
 of the oxymoron involved in this expression will be found in 11. 7 2-5. 
 assenzio is the Fr. absinthe. Nella : Forese's widow. As Dante 
 had made offensive remarks about her in the second of his two 
 sonnets to Forese, it has been thought that he is making amends in 
 the present passage. Nella is an abbreviation of Giovanella. 
 pianger dirotto : ' bursts of tears.' 
 
 90. liberator this perhaps does not mean 'delivered,' as if he 
 was excused the punishment of the lower Cornices, but may signify 
 ' set free ' after a term of punishment. This term in any case was 
 short, since Forese had recently died. 
 
 91-3. Tant' e, &c. : 'my widow is the more beloved of God, 
 in proportion as she stands alone in her good works.' 
 
 94-6. la Barbagia di Sardigna : a district of Sardinia inhabited 
 by a wild race, called Barbaricini, who had been originally transplanted 
 thither from Africa by the Vandals. The dissoluteness of their life 
 was notorious at this time. dov* io, &c. : Florence is referred to. 
 
 100. in pergamo, &c. ; 'it shall be forbidden from the pulpit.' 
 From Forese's words in 1. 98, 'm' e gi^ nel cospetto,' a definite 
 occasion would seem to be referred to ; and from ' discipline ' in 
 1. 105 the prohibition appears to have taken the form of an edict, 
 and was not merely a denunciation ; but no mention exists of such 
 an occurrence having taken place during Dante's lifetime. There is 
 ample evidence of the extravagance and immodesty of the Florentine 
 women of this period. 
 
 103. Quai Barbare, &c. : the name of Barbary for northern 
 Africa dates from the Arab geographers, and therefore was in 
 existence in Dante's time, and Barbari signified the natives of that 
 region. Again, ' Saracens ' was used in the middle ages as an 
 appellation of unbaptized persons generally, and conversely in Ariosto 
 the Saracens are constantly called ' Pagani.' Thus the expression 
 ' Berbers and Saracens ' is equivalent to 'godless folk,' much in the 
 same way as we speak of ' heathen ' practices. 
 
 333 
 
PURGATORIO [xxiii. 107-33 
 
 107. ammanna: 'is preparing/ lit. 'is binding in a sheaf 
 {manna) J 
 
 1 09-1 1, r antiveder: 'my knowledge of coming events.' 
 Prima, «&c. : ' they shall be sad, ere he who now is quieted with 
 lullaby has bearded cheeks.' The intimation of time here given 
 describes vaguely the period between 1300 a. D. and the date at 
 which Dante was writing. The disasters alluded tp are the numerous 
 misfortunes which befell Florence in the early years of the fourteenth 
 century, owing to the struggles between the Black and White Guelfs. 
 
 114. dove il sol veli : 'where thou dost intercept the sun's 
 rays,' i. e. ' dost cast a shadow.' 
 
 1 16. Qual, &c. : 'what were our relations to one another.' The 
 relations here meant seem to have been (i) their ribald attacks on 
 one another in the Sonnets mentioned in note to 1. 48 ; (2) their 
 boon companionship and careless living, the latter of which is implied 
 in 11. 118, 119, for it is this mode of life which was symbolized by 
 the selva oscura which is there referred to. 
 
 119, 120. r altr' ier : 'the other day'; the moon was full 
 (tonda) live days before this, viz. on the night of Maundy Thursday 
 (see note on Inf. xx. 127), whereas it was now Easter Tuesday. 
 vi : 'to you.' 
 
 121— 3. Costui : Dante now replies to Forese's question in 
 11. 52, 53, with regard to his two companions, seconda : 'accom- 
 panies.' 
 
 126. drizza : 'straightens*; a proverb says, 'bent timbers are 
 straightened by the lire.' 
 
 127. dice, &c. : 'he speaks of accompanying me'; dice is 
 similarly used in 1. 130. 
 
 131— 3. queir ombra : Statius. ogni pendice: 'all its de- 
 clivities.' sgombra : ' discharges.' 
 
 CANTO XXIV 
 
 Argument. — Forese points out other spirits of note in this 
 Cornice, and among them the poet Bonagiunta of Lucca, who 
 converses with Dante on the difference between the earlier and the 
 newer style of lyric poetry in Italy. Forese then predicts the violent 
 death of his own brother, Corso Donati, Dante's political enemy. 
 
 334 
 
XXIV. 1-29] PURGATORIO 
 
 Farther on, another tree like to the former one appears, and from 
 the branches of this a voice proceeds, proclaiming examples of the 
 vice of gluttony and its evil results. The passage leading to the next 
 Cornice is now reached, and Dante is blinded by the effulgence of 
 the Angel who guards it. 
 
 Line i. lui: the conversation. 
 
 4-6. rimer te ; ' twice dead * ; this word, which seems not to be 
 found elsewhere, may have been suggested to Dante by ' arbores . . . 
 bis mortuae' in Jude 12. Traean : 'expressed,' lit. 'drew forth.' 
 
 8, 9. Ella : the spirit (amrna) of Statius, of whom Dante was 
 speaking at the end of the previous Canto, altrui : primarily Dante is 
 meant, on account of his burden of human flesh ; but also Virgil, be- 
 cause Statius desired to enjoy his conversation ; cp. Purg. xxii. 96-9. 
 
 10, II. Piccarda : sister of Forese and Corso Donati, who was 
 a nun of Santa Clara, and is placed by Dante in the first sphere of 
 Paradise — the a/to Olimpo of 1. 15 ; see Par. iii. 46-9. da notar : 
 ' worthy of note.' 
 
 16-8. non si vieta : 'there is nothing to prevent,' i. e. no offence 
 can be taken; cp. 11. 26, 27. munta via: 'effaced,' lit. 'milked 
 out' ; cp. the use of munta in Inf. xxiv. 43. In this Cornice fasting 
 had rendered the spirits unrecognizable. 
 
 19. Bonagiunta : a minor poet, of whom Dante speaks un- 
 favourably in De Vulg. Eloq. i. 13. 1. 8 as composing verses in the 
 dialect of Lucca. He is said to have been a bon vi'vant. 
 
 20—4. quella faccia : this is Pope Martin IV, who had previously 
 been Canon of Tours (Torso, 1. 23) ; he used to have the eels from 
 the lake of Bolsena cooked in wine for his table, and is reported 
 to have died in consequence of a surfeit of them, trapunta : for 
 trapuntata^ from trapuntare^ ' to work embroidery ' ; here it means 
 'rough and punctured,' from the resemblance of the perished skin 
 in these respects to the surface of a piece of embroidery. Ebbe, &c. ; 
 as Pope he was Spouse of the Church, vernaccia : a red wine, 
 which was known in Engl, as 'vernage.' 
 
 27. pero: 'thereat.' atto bruno : 'dark look.' 
 
 29. Ubaldin : he was father of Abp. Roger, the murderer of 
 Count Ugolino, Inf. xxxiii. 14. Bonifazio : Abp. of Ravenna 
 from 1274-94 ; he was of the family of the Fieschi of Genoa, and 
 nephew of Pope Innocent IV. 
 
 335 
 
PURGATORIO [xxiv. 30-6 
 
 30. Che pasture, &c. : ' who shepherded a large flock with his 
 rook.' Rocco is the name of the castle or ' rook ' at chess, and 
 Lana, who takes the word in that sense, says in explanation that the 
 pastoral staff of the archbishops of Ravenna was not curved like 
 those of other archbishops, but was shaped in its upper part like the 
 'rook' at chess. This, if true, would determine the meaning of 
 the passage ; but there is no further evidence to support L ana's 
 statement, nor is it confirmed by anything that is found on the 
 monuments of archbishops at Ravenna, or by any traditions now 
 existing there. The natural inference therefore is, that this was an 
 ex post facto explanation on that commentator's part. Recently, 
 however, a pastoral staff of mediaeval workmanship, with a head- 
 piece of the shape of a castle at chess, has come to light, which was 
 preserved in the Camaldolese monastery of Classe, and now exists in 
 the public library of Ravenna. (See Toynbee's Z)/V/., s. v. ' Ravenna.') 
 The resemblance between so unusual an object as this and that which 
 Dante appears to be here describing is a thing so remarkable that it 
 is not easy to ascribe it to chance ; and it has been suggested — since 
 Lana's statement about the archbishops of Ravenna generally, as we 
 have seen, is unconfirmed — that this is the original staff to which 
 Dante is referring, and that it was a special possession of Bonifazio, 
 and is here mentioned in connexion with him on account of its 
 peculiarity of form. This is quite possible ; but as the origin and 
 history of the existing staff are unknown, it is difficult to determine 
 the question satisfactorily, molte genti: this refers to the great 
 extent of the diocese, which included the whole of the Romagna, 
 and part of the Emilia. 
 
 31-3. Marchese: one of a noble family at Forli. Little is 
 known of him, except his answer to those who said he was always 
 drinking, ' Why do they not say that I am always thirsty ? ' eh' ebbe 
 spazio, &c. : ' who of yore had leisure at Forli for drinking with 
 less thirst than he feels here in Purgatory, and even so was such 
 a toper that he never felt satisfied.' 
 
 34-6. come fa, &c. : 'as he does, who scans a number of men, 
 and after doing so rates one more highly than another, so did 
 I to Bonagiunta of Lucca, who seemed more than the others to 
 desire information concerning me.' s' apprezza : fa pre%%a is 
 also read, with the same meaning, fe' io a ; the final vowel of 
 fel and both vowels of io are lost in scansion; cp. Purg. iv. 132. 
 
 336 
 
XXIV. ^^-^^] PURGATORIO 
 
 voler contezza : cp. 1. 49 ; aver conte%%a^ ' to be acquainted with,' 
 is also read. 
 
 37-9. non so che, &c. : 'I was conscious of a sound like 
 Gentucca there where he was conscious of the wound of justice which 
 macerates them so.' mormorava and non so che imply that 
 Bonagiunta spoke indistinctly from his lips being parched with 
 hunger and thirst. Gentucca : this is generally regarded as the 
 name of a lady of Lucca, to whom Dante became attached, though 
 not necessarily otherwise than in an honourable way — the femmtna 
 of 1. 43. 1^ ove, &c. : in his mouth, where he felt the craving 
 for food, pilucca : this word is derived from Lat. pilare, ' to pull 
 off the hair,' 'denude'; Diez, Wort., p. 247. In Italian it is 
 first used of stripping off grapes ; here it refers to the wasted 
 flesh, like sfogl'm in Purg. xxiii. 58. 
 
 43-5. non porta, &c. : i.e. 'is still unmarried'; the veil 
 (benda) was the headdress of married women and widows, come 
 che, &c. : ' however men may blame it ' ; this refers to an evil name 
 which was popularly attached to Lucca, rather than to Dante's own 
 vituperation in Inf. xxi. 41, 42. 
 
 48. Dichiareranti, &c. : 'the facts (le cose vere) will make 
 the matter clear to thee.' 
 
 49-51. che fuore, &c. : 'who evoked (i.e. brought into 
 prominence) the verses in the new style,' the dolce st'il nuovo of 
 1. 57. Donne, &c. ; this is the first line in the first Canzone in 
 Dante's Vita Nuova. 
 
 52-4. To mi son, &c. : 'I am one who, when Love inspires 
 me, attend, and express in words the thoughts which he suggests 
 to the mind,' lit. ' express his meaning in words, in the same way 
 as he dictates it in the form of thoughts (dentro).' mi spira : 
 cp. spirarmi, Par. vi. 23. vo : andare with the gerund is here 
 almost redundant; cp. the use oi venire in Purg. xxii. 82. 
 
 55—7. issa: 'now'; see note on Inf. xxiii. 7. ¥ or t\\Q hiatus 
 before issa, modified by the stop, cp. Purg. xxix. 135. 'Now 
 I perceive the impediment (lit. knot, restraint), which prevented the 
 Notary and Guittone and me from adopting (lit. detained us on the 
 hither side of) the sweet new style.' The impediment was their 
 not understanding the principle on which the ' new style ' was based, 
 viz. that the words should be inspired directly by the thoughts and 
 feelings, and should correspond to them. This is what is set forth 
 
 TozER 337 Z 
 
PURGATORIO [XXIV. 58-91 
 
 by Dante in 11. 5 2-4, and is expressed in other words by Bonagiunta 
 in 11. 58, 59. The schools of poetry which preceded the ' new 
 style' were (i) the Sicilian school, under Proven9al influence, to 
 which the Notary (Jacopo da Lentini, in the first half of Cent, xiii) 
 belonged ; and (2) the scuola dottrinale^ which theorized and philo- 
 sophized on love, to which Guittone d' Arezzo (second half of Cent, 
 xiii) and Bonagiunta belonged. The writers of the new school, 
 to which Dante belonged, were distinguished from these by being 
 natural, while they were conventional. 
 
 58, 59. le vostre penne, &c. : ' your pens follow closely the 
 inspiration of Love (il dittator, him who dictates).' 
 
 61, 62. E qual, &c. : 'and he who sets himself to look more 
 closely into the matter finds no further distinction than this between 
 the two styles'; i. e. this is the essential point of difference. For 
 the force of the prepositions in 1. 62, and the explanation of the 
 idiom, cp. Inf. xix. 113, 'E che altro e da voi all' idolatre,' 'what 
 difference is there between,' &c. 
 
 64. gli augei : the cranes. The flight of these birds has already 
 furnished Dante with a simile in Inf. v. 46, 47, and probably they 
 are also meant in Par. xviii. 73-5. 
 
 72. Fin che, &c. : 'until his heavy breathing is assuaged,' lit. 
 ' exhaled.' 1' affollar : ' the panting,' lit. ' pressure,' from folla^ 
 ' crowd,' 'press.' 
 
 75. riveggia : i. e. here in Purgatory. 
 
 80, 8 r. si spolpa: 'is depleted.' disposto : 'ordained,' 
 'doomed'; cp. Par. viii. 104. 
 
 82-4. quei : Corso Donati, Forese's brother, leader of the 
 Black Guelfs. According to Villani (viii. 96) he met his death at 
 the hands of certain Catalans, after he had thrown himself from his 
 horse to escape from being given up to the citizens. Dante's 
 account of the occurrence is diflPerent, and possibly various versions of 
 it existed ; but it looks as if the Poet had given it a colouring of his 
 own, so as to make it appear miraculous, la valle, &c. : the abyss 
 of the Inferno, ' where there is never forgiveness.' 
 
 86,87. Crescendo: 'increasing in speed.' vilmente disfatto : 
 ' hideously mutilated.' 
 
 88. molto : the time was eight years, for the date of Corso 
 Donati's death was Oct. 6, 1308. 
 
 91. ti rimani : in other words, ' I must leave thee.* 
 
 338 
 
XXIV. 95-1 26] PURGATORIO 
 
 95-7. che cavalchi : ' which Is riding to meet the enemy.' del 
 primo intoppo : 'of being the first to engage the foe.' valchi : 
 'steps,' an archaic word. 
 
 98, 99. con esse i due : ' with those two only * ; for the use of 
 esso with con cp. Inf. xxxii. 62; Purg. iv. 27. maliscalchi : 
 ' leaders,' lit. ' marshals ' ; Virgil and Statius are meant. 
 
 100-2. entrato : entrare innanzi is used for ' to pass on in front'; 
 cp. Purg. iii. loi. 'And when he had passed on in front of us so 
 far, that my eyes went in pursuit of his person, as my mind did of 
 his words ' ; i. e. I was straining my eyes to keep him in view, 
 as my mind was straining after the meaning of what he had said. 
 
 105. Per esser, &c. : 'because I had only just then turned 
 (round the curve of the Cornice) in that direction.' laci : cp. //V/, 
 Purg. vii. 64. 
 
 no, III. per fare, &c. : 'in order to render their longing 
 exceedingly keen, he (il pregato) holds on high the object of their 
 desire.' 
 
 116. Legno : the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, which 
 grows in the Terrestrial Paradise on the summit of the Mountain 
 (piu su) ; cp. Purg. xxxii. 38. 
 
 119, 120. ristretti, &c. : 'drawing close together, we passed 
 onward on the side which rises,' i. e. on the side towards the 
 Mountain. They passed between the tree and the flank of the 
 Mountain, and the narrowness of the space forced them to draw 
 close together. 
 
 1 2 1-3. dicea : in like manner as the voice in the former tree 
 had recited the examples of temperance (Purg. xxii. 142 foil.), so 
 the voice in this tree proclaims the examples of gluttony. These 
 are (i) the Centaurs ; (2) the companions of Gideon — one from the 
 classics, the other from Scripture, maledetti : the Centaurs, who 
 were born of Ixion and the Cloud (Nei nuvoli formati), and whose 
 two natures, of man and horse, were joined at the breast (doppi 
 petti). When they were drunk with wine (satoUi) at the marriage 
 feast of Hippodamia and Pirithous, they strove to carry off the bride 
 and the other women, but were resisted and overcome by Theseus 
 and the Lapithae. The story is told in Ovid, Met. xii. 210 foil., 
 which was Dante's authority, as we see from the epithet nuh'igenae 
 (1. 211), and the expression duo pectora (1. 377). 
 
 124-6. molli : *weak,' i.e. unrestrained. These were the 
 
 339 z a 
 
PURGATORIO [xxiv. 127-54 
 
 people in Gideon's company who ' bowed down on their knees to 
 drink water/ in contrast with the three hundred who 'lapped, putting 
 their hand to their mouth ' ; in consequence of which Gideon ' sent 
 all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three 
 hundred men ' (Judges vii. 6, 8). non v' ebbe : read non ri ehhe ; 
 ' had none of them in his company.' discese i colli : ' the camp 
 of Midian was beneath him in the valley,' v. 8. 
 
 127-9. ^^' ^^» ^^' • '^o 0^^ (^^^ inner) of the two edges' of 
 the Cornice; cp. 1. 120. vivagni : lit. 'selvages'; cp. Inf. xiv. 
 123. udendo, &c. : 'listening to examples of the sin of gluttony, 
 which were followed erewhile by a disastrous recompense ' ; ' ere- 
 while,' because they were stories of old days. 
 
 130-2. rallargati: 'once more at large' (Gary); this is in 
 contrast with ristretti of 1. 119. sola: from which the spirits 
 had departed. Contemplando ciascun : ' each of us rapt in 
 thought.' 
 
 135. poltre: 'sluggish'; cp. spoltrare^ 'to get rid of sluggish- 
 ness,' in Inf. xxiv. 46 : our word 'poltroon' is connected with this 
 (Skeat). 
 
 136. fossi: archaic form of 3 sing, imperf. subj., {ox fosse \ cp. 
 Inf. iv. 64, dicessi ; ix. 60, chiudessi. 
 
 139-41. un : the Angel of the sixth Cornice, dar volta : to 
 turn towards the entrance of the passage, per pace : to seek the 
 repose of the Blessed. 
 
 143, 144. mi volsi, &c. : ' I turned round and went behind my 
 instructors, like one who in walking guides himself by sounds ' (of 
 words or footsteps). 
 
 149, 150. la piuma : the Angel's wing. By the movement of 
 this the sixth P is obliterated from Dante's forehead, ambrosia : 
 i. e. heavenly dainties, in contrast to those which tempt human 
 appetite, orezza : ' breath,' ' fragrance ' ; der. from Lat. aura^ 
 see note on Inf. xvii. 87. Dante appears here to have had in 
 his mind Virg. Georg. iv. 415, ' liquidum ambrosiae difFundit 
 odorem.' 
 
 1 5 1-4. Beati : the Beatitude for this Cornice is 'Blessed are 
 they that hunger for righteousness,' but it is adapted here, so as to 
 mean, ' Blessed are they who hunger in accordance with right,* i. e. 
 who observe the just mean in respect of diet. The part of this 
 Beatitude which refers to thirst has been already used in the fifth 
 
 340 
 
XXV. i-i6] PURGATORIO 
 
 Cornice, non fuma : ' does not excite ' ; the transitions of meaning 
 through which this sense q,{ fumare is arrived at seem to be ' smoke/ 
 'exhale,' 'excite.' Esuriendo : 'hungering for'; take with 
 r amor del gusto : the word is from the Lat. esurire, which 
 occurs in the Beatitude. 
 
 CANTO XXV 
 
 Argument. — As they mount the ascent Dante propounds the 
 question, How can disembodied spirits, which have no need of 
 nutriment, grow lean? At Virgil's request, Statius in answer to 
 this explains the origin and development of the body, and of both 
 the lower and the higher soul, in man. He further declares that 
 after death the formative power which resides in the soul impresses 
 itself on the air in such a manner as to reproduce the likeness of the 
 living man ; and the result is what is called a shade. This figure is 
 affected by impressions communicated through the desires and feelings ; 
 and thus it is that a spirit can grow lean by contemplating objects 
 which excite hunger. They now reach the seventh Cornice, where 
 the spirits of the lustful are purified in the fire. 
 
 Line i. Ora era onde, &c. : 'the hour was such that the 
 ascent did not admit of delay ' ; lit. ' it was an hour in consequence 
 of which (i. e. so advanced that) the ascent did not brook hindrance.' 
 
 2, 3. Che il sole, &c. : 'for the sun had left the meridian circle 
 to the Bull, and night (i. e. the point of midnight) to the Scorpion.' 
 The sun being now in Aries, the time when Taurus is on the 
 meridian of noon would be about 2 p.m. Scorpio is only mentioned 
 because it is the sign opposite Taurus, whence it is at this time on 
 the meridian of midnight. 
 
 7-9. callaia : ' opening,' ' passage' ; lit. ' a gap in a hedge.' 
 dispaia : ' forces to walk singly,' lit. ' uncouples.' 
 
 14, 15. venendo, &c. : 'arriving at last at the movement of the 
 lips which he makes who is preparing to speak.' For atto cp. Inf. 
 xxiii. 88, 'atto della gola'; and for s' argomenta Inf. xxii. 21. 
 
 16. Non lascio : ' did not forbear speaking ' ; cp. Purg. xiv. 55, 
 ' Ne lascero di dir.' per 1' andar, &c. : ' owing to the swiftness of 
 
 341 
 
 •> 
 
PURGATORIO [XXV. 17-108 
 
 our pace ' ; the subjunct. fosse shows that che is not a pronoun but 
 a conjunction ; it is not ' owing to our pace, which was swift/ but 
 * owing to our pace, that it was swift.' ratto : it will be remarked 
 that, as Dante had now only one P remaining on his forehead, he 
 makes no mention of fatigue, as he had done in the lower Cornices of 
 Purgatory. 
 
 17, 18. Scocca, &c. : the form of expression involves an 
 apparent confusion between the bow and the arrow ; ' let fly the bow 
 of speech, which thou hast drawn even to the head of the arrow.' 
 
 21. non tocca : ' does not affect the person.' 
 
 22-4. Meleagro : shortly after Meleager's birth the Fates 
 appeared, and declared that he would die as soon as a piece of wood 
 which was burning on the hearth should be consumed. His mother 
 Althaea, on hearing this, extinguished the brand and concealed it in 
 a chest. In consequence of this he wore a charmed life ; but at last, 
 when he had slain his mother's brothers, she in revenge lighted the 
 brand, and he died. The story is given in Ovid, Met. viii. 260 foil. 
 The point of the comparison is, that as Meleager was wasted away 
 by the secret working of the burning brand, so the spiritual body is 
 pined by the occult influence of the sight of food, agro : ' difficult,' 
 lit. 'sour'; cp. acerbe, Par. xxx. 79. 
 
 25—7. The point here is that, as the likeness in the mirror 
 follows the changes of the face reflected in it, so the shade is affected 
 by changes of feeling in the soul to which it belongs, vizzo': 
 'easy,' lit. 'flaccid,' 'yielding.' 
 
 28. per che : 'in order that you may master (lit. be at your ease 
 in) the heart of the subject (dentro) according to your wishes.' 
 
 31, 32. la veduta eterna : 'the eternal view' is the aspect of 
 the matter as it appears to God. As Statius represents philosophy 
 enlightened by Christianity, Virgil, being a heathen, rightly deputes 
 him to deal with such a subject, dislego : 'explain,' lit. 'untie.' 
 dove tu sie : ' in thy (Virgil's) presence.' 
 
 36. al come, &c. : 'the "how" that thou sayest'='thy 
 question ' ; see 1. 20. 
 
 37-108. In order to answer the question, ' How can one grow 
 lean there, where there is no need of nourishment (i. e. where the 
 persons affected are spirits) ? ' Statius explains first the theory of the 
 formation of the body with the vegetative and sensitive soul (11. 37- 
 60) J next the infusion into this of the rational soul (11. 61-78); 
 
 342 
 
XXV. 37-45] PURGATORIO 
 
 then the mode of existence of the soul, after it is separated from the 
 body by death (11. 79-87) ; and finally, the formation of the ' shade ' 
 and its nature (II. 88-108). The account of the origin and develop- 
 ment of the human body and soul which is here given, is due in the 
 first instance to Aristotle, who discussed the subject in his De 
 Generatione Animalium^ i. 19, &c. (see the passages in Butler's 
 Translation of the Purgatorio, p. 319); his view was aftei*wards 
 elaborated and interpreted by Aquinas in his Summa, i. Q. 118, 119 ; 
 and Dante, who follows these authorities, has treated of the question 
 in Conv. iv. 21. 11. 32 foil. 
 
 37-9. Sangue, &c. : 'perfect (i.e. highly refined) blood, which 
 in no case is drawn from the thirsty veins, and which remains behind, 
 like food that you remove from table.' By ' perfect blood ' is meant 
 the semen, che mai, &c. : this remark is inserted to exclude the 
 idea, which Aquinas condemns as erroneous, that the semen is an 
 excretion of the blood which passes through the veins, assetate : 
 
 * thirsty,' because the veins are continually supplying the nutriment 
 to the limbs, and consequently require to be replenished. si 
 rimane : this is the origin of the semen, which is that part of the 
 digested food which remains, after the rest has been carried off 
 through the veins, alimento, &c. : the remains of a meal, which 
 is cleared away after the guests (i. e. here the veins) are satisfied. 
 leve : archaic for levi. 
 
 * 40-2. Prende, &c. : 'receives in the heart informing power for 
 all the members of the human body, just like the other blood which 
 takes its course through the veins in order to be converted into those 
 members ' ; i. e. just as the ordinary blood supports the parts of the 
 body in the grown man, so the ' perfect blood ' after passing through 
 the heart possesses the power of forming the various members in 
 the embryo, nel core : the heart, according to Aristotle, is the 
 source of life in the embryo, Z)e Gen. Animal, ii. 4. 15, oipxi 7^P 
 Trj<s cfiV(T€iD<s 7] Kaphia. vane : for se ne va. 
 
 43-5. Ancor, &c. : ' after the second process of digestion it 
 descends to the part of which it is more becoming to keep silence 
 than to speak, and afterwards it drops thence upon another's blood 
 in the natural receptacle,' i. e. the matrix. Ancor digesto : the 
 first process of digestion is the ordinary one of food, the second 
 that which takes place in the heart, geme: for the meaning 'drops' 
 cp. Inf. xiii. 41. 
 
 343 
 
PURGATORIO [xxv. 46-61 
 
 46-8. Ivi, &c. : ' there the one blood and the other mingle ; — 
 the one (that of the female) appointed to be passive, the other (that 
 of the male) to be active owing to the perfect place (the heart) from 
 which it proceeds.' Per lo, &c. : this refers to 1* altro a fare 
 only. Aristotle distinctly maintains that the female does not con- 
 tribute semen; Z)e Gen. Animal, i. 19. 155 to OtjXv ov o-u/x^aXAcrat 
 cnripixa els rrjv yivediv. 
 
 49—51. E giunto lui, &c. : this, as far as the construction is 
 concerned, is continued from 1. 45, the intermediate lines forming 
 a parenthesis. ' And being united with it (i. e. with the blood of 
 the female) it commences to operate, first by amalgamating with it, 
 and afterwards it vivifies that to which it gave consistency that it 
 might serve as the material for it to work upon.' 
 
 52-7. These lines describe the formation of the sensitive soul, 
 as the part of the argument which precedes describes that of the 
 vegetative soul. ' The active power (i. e. that which proceeds from 
 the male) having become a soul (i. e. a vegetative soul), like that 
 of a plant — only differing from it in this, that the soul in the human 
 embryo is in an elementary stage (lit. in progress), while the life of 
 the plant has reached its ultimate development (riva, its destina- 
 tion) — thereafter works so much that it now moves and feels, like 
 a zoophyte (which has a sensitive soul, but in the lowest stage of 
 development) ; and, as the next stage, it takes in hand to provide 
 with organs the faculties which spring from it (lit. of which it is 
 the seed).' organar : for the meaning cp. 1. loi. le posse: 
 the faculties of seeing, hearing, &c. 
 
 58-60. Or si spiega, &c. : ' at this point, my son, is expanded 
 and developed the power which proceeds from the heart of the 
 begetter, in which nature is intent on forming all the members.* 
 ove, &c. : the statement here is a repetition of that in 11. 40, 41. 
 
 61. fante : ' a child,' and by inference ' a rational being.' Fante^ 
 fantol'ino are used elsewhere in Dante for 'infant,' 'young child'; 
 cp. Par. xxxiii. 107 ; Purg. xxiv. 108 : they are abbreviated from 
 infante. This is corroborated by the fact that fanti in the sense 
 of 'foot-soldiers' — which is found both in Dante and Villani, and 
 therefore at an early period of the language, and which originally 
 signified ' young men attendant on knights ' (see Skeat, Etym. Dict.^ 
 s. v. 'Infantry') — is abbreviated from infanti. In the present 
 passage yiz«/f is taken by most commentators as meaning 'one gifted 
 
 344 
 
XXV. 63-71] PURGATORIO 
 
 with speech ' (from Lat. far'i), and by inference ' one who has 
 reason ' ; but no other instance ol fante in the sense of ' a speaking 
 being ' seems to be found in Italian. 
 
 63. piu savio di te : Averroes is meant, who deals with this 
 subject in his Commentary on Aristotle (the gran comento of Inf. iv. 
 144). Dante however, like Aquinas whom he is here following, 
 misunderstood Averroes, for the view which is here attributed to 
 him with regard to the intellecius possihUis, was really held by him 
 concerning the intellectus agens. For the explanation of these terms 
 see next note. 
 
 64-6. Si che, &c. : 'so that in his teaching he separated from 
 the soul the "possible intellect," because he did not see any organ 
 appropriated by it ' ; i. e. he found that every function of the soul 
 has its corresponding organ — eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, &c. — 
 but there was no organ corresponding to the higher soul at large ; 
 hence he concluded that the rational element in man does not form 
 part of the individual soul, but belongs to the universal intellect, 
 which is one and indivisible for all men. From this it would follow 
 that there would be no separate personal existence after death, il 
 possibile intelletto : the ' possible intellect ' is the Scholastic name 
 for the higher intellectual power in man, which deals with abstract 
 ideas ; the ' active intellect ' gathers the abstract ideas from sensible 
 objects, and communicates them to the 'possible intellect.' Ac- 
 cording to Averroes the element in men, which exists independently 
 of them and is indivisible, though they partake of it, is the ' active 
 intellect'; see Renan, Averroes et I' A'verro'isme^ p. 123. 
 
 67. Apri, &c. : Statius here proceeds to expound the origin of 
 the rational soul, on which subject two views existed in the middle 
 ages, viz. (i) Creationism, which maintained that this element in 
 every case came direct from God; (2) Traducianism, which regarded 
 it as being inherited from the parent. Statius adheres to the former, 
 which was that of Aquinas. 
 
 68, 69. feto : t\iQ fetus is the young when perfectly formed in 
 the womb ; before that it is the embryo. L* articular ; by ' arti- 
 culation ' is meant the organization of the parts. 
 
 70, 71. Lo Motor primo : God, who is here represented as 
 rejoicing (lieto) in the work of creation ; cp. Purg. xvi. 89, ' lieto 
 fattore.' arte : ' display of skill,' viz. the art or skill of nature 
 shown in the structure oi tht fetus. 
 
 345 
 
PURGATORIO [XXV. 73-84 
 
 73, 74. Che cio, &c. : the rational soul, which is infused by the 
 Creator, appropriates to itself the active element, which it finds in 
 the fetus^ i. e. the vegetative and sensitive soul, sola : this word 
 provides against the view that there can be more than one soul in 
 man ; this opinion has been noticed in Purg. iv. 5, 6. 
 
 75. se in se rigira: 'turns itself in upon itself,* i.e. is con- 
 scious of its own existence, which power distinguishes the rational 
 being from all other animals. These words explain the function 
 of the higher part of the soul, as distinguished from that which vive 
 e sente. 
 
 77, 78. Guarda, &c. : as the heat of the sun passes into the 
 juice of the grape and forms wine, so the rational soul, which 
 proceeds from God, entering into the vegetative and sensitive soul, 
 forms the perfect human soul, cola : 'percolates,' ' distils.' 
 
 79. E quando, &c. : ' and when the thread of life has run out * ; 
 for Lachesis see note on Purg. xxi. 27. Statius here proceeds to 
 describe what happens to the soul after death, and how it forms 
 a ' shade,' the appearance of which can be affected by external 
 objects, such as those which excite hunger; he thus solves the 
 difficulty which Dante had originally suggested. The reason why 
 Dante elaborated the theory of the formation of the ' shade ' or 
 aerial body which he here describes probably is, that for the purpose 
 of his poem it was necessary to represent the souls as visible and 
 capable of being recognized, just as the twilight of the Inferno was 
 indispensable for the exigences of his treatment of that part of his 
 subject. His views on this point are at variance with those of 
 Aquinas, who says 'anima separata a corpore non habet aliquod 
 corpus' (Summa, iii. Suppl. Q. 69, Art. i). 
 
 80-4. Solvesi, &c. : ' the soul separates from the flesh, and 
 carries with it potentially (in virtute) both its human and its divine 
 element.* The human element is the powers of the vegetative and 
 sensitive soul, the divine element those of the rational soul ; and 
 ' potentially ' is added, because the former set of powers — L' altre 
 potenze of 1. 82 — are inoperative (mute) ; that is to say, the 
 powers which depend on the body exist in the soul after death, but 
 cannot act without the body, in virtute : Aquinas {Summa^ i. Q. 
 77, Art. 8) says of the powers of the vegetative and sensitive soul 
 after death — 'virtute tantum manent in anima'; the expression is 
 equivalent to tlie Scholastic term virtualiter, which, like ' virtually ' 
 
 346 
 
xxv. 86-108] PURGATORIO 
 
 in Engl., is opposed to * actually.* L' altre potenze : this is 
 governed by porta seco, and represents 1' umano, while Memoria, 
 intelligenza, e voluntade stand for il divino. in atto, &c. : 
 *far more keen in their working than before,' since they are no 
 longer impeded by the burden of the flesh. 
 
 86, 87. air una, &c. : the lost souls to the shore of the 
 Acheron (Inf. iii. 71), those destined for Purgatory to the shore at 
 the mouth of the Tiber (Purg. ii. 100-5). 1® sue strade : the 
 direction it is to take, whether to Hell or Purgatory. 
 
 88-90. Tosto che, &c. : ' as soon as it is circumscribed there 
 by place,' i. e. has reached a definite spot, one of the two rive. 
 la virtii formativa : this ' formative power ' works in the same 
 way as the virtute informatiiia of 1. 41, but is not the same with it, 
 for that belongs to the vegetative soul, which is now inoperative. 
 raggia intorno : 'radiates (i.e. disperses its influence) around.' 
 Cosl, &c. : ' in the same manner and the same measure as it did in 
 the limbs during life.' 
 
 92. Per r altrui, &c. : * owing to another's (the sun's) ray 
 which is refracted in it (the air).* 
 
 94-6. Cosi r aer, &c. : ' so here the neighbouring air takes the 
 form which the soul that alighted there impresses on it by its innate 
 power.' The formation of the 'shade' or aerial body by the 
 influence of the formative power of the soul on the neighbouring 
 air is compared in the simile to the colouring of the atmosphere by 
 the sun's rays when a rainbow is formed. Virtualmente refers to 
 the virtu formativa of 1. 89. 
 
 100-2. Perocche, &c. : 'the soul, inasmuch as it afterwards 
 becomes visible (lit. has its visibility) by means of this aerial body, 
 is called a shade.* The stress of the sentence is not so much on 
 quindi as on ha sua paruta. The point which is in common 
 between the soul seen in this aerial form and a shadow is, that both 
 are visible and both are impalpable. Hence the name of ' shade ' 
 came to be used, as it was by the ancients, for this condition of the 
 soul, organa, &c. : ' it provides organs for every sense, even in- 
 cluding sight' ; for the meaning of organa cp. 1. 57. 
 
 106-8. affiggono : 'impress'; the other uses of this verb — 
 e. g. / piedi ajissi, Inf. xviii. 43 ; j* ajisse, ' stopped,' Inf. xii. 
 115 — suggest that it is from the Lat. affigere. si figura : ' shapes 
 itself,* i. e. takes this or that aspect, di che tu ammiri : ' of that 
 
 347 
 
PURGATORIO [xxv. 109-32 
 
 which causes thy wonder,* viz. the shades in this Cornice appealing 
 wasted with hunger. 
 
 109 foil. E gia : in the seventh Cornice, which is now reached, 
 (i) the sin expiated is lust; (2) the punishment is passing through 
 the fire ; ( 3) the examples of the virtue of chastity are the Blessed 
 Virgin and Diana ; (4) the examples of the vice are Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, and Pasiphae ; (5) the manner of their presentation is 
 by the voices of spirits in the fire ; (6) the passage from a Church 
 Office is Summae Deus clementiae; (7) the Beatitude pronounced is 
 Beaii mundo corde. 
 
 109. ultima tortura : the last turn or winding of the ascent; 
 such windings are described in Purg. x. 7-9. 
 
 III. cura : 'source of anxiety'; this is explained by what 
 follows. 
 
 1 1 2-4. Quivi, &c. : the meaning is : — flames burst out from 
 the wall of rock, and a wind blows upward from the edge of the 
 Cornice, which wind turns back the flame, and removes it to a 
 distance from the edge. In this way a passage clear of the flames 
 was formed along the edge. The fire here corresponds symbolically 
 to the burning passion of lust. 
 
 119, 120. tenere, &c. : 'to curb the eyes tightly,' i.e. to 
 prevent them from wandering to either side, per poco : ' easily.' 
 
 121. Summae, &c. : this is the first line of the Matins hymn 
 for Saturday. In modern Breviaries it appears as ' Summae Parens 
 clementiae,' but in Dante's time the form in use was that which he 
 has given here ; see Moore, Studies^ i. p. 38. The following verses 
 of this hymn are specially suitable to those who are punished in this 
 Cornice:- — 'Nostros pius cum canticis Fletus benigne suscipe, Ut 
 corde puro sordium Te perfruamur largius. Lumbos iecurque 
 morbidum Flammis adure congruis: Accincti ut artus excubent 
 Luxu remoto pessimo.' 
 
 123. Che di volger, &c. : 'which caused me to be not less 
 anxious to turn towards the sound than to keep my eyes on the path.' 
 
 128. Virum, &c. : this is the first example of chastity, viz. the 
 Blessed Virgin, who said to the Angel, ' How shall this be, seeing 
 I know not a man ? ' Luke i. 34. 
 
 130-2. Al bosco, &c. : the second example, which is from the 
 classics, is that of the chaste indignation of Diana against Helice ; 
 ' Diana stayed in the wood, and expelled Helice from it.' Helice 
 
 348 
 
XXV. 134— XXVI. 6] PURGATORIO 
 
 or Callisto, one of the attendant nymphs of Diana, was seduced by 
 Jupiter ; and having been discovered by Diana in a wood to which 
 the goddess and her companions had retired to bathe, and her 
 unchastity having been revealed, she was banished by her from 
 her company. Dante took the story from Ovid, Met. ii. 401 foil., 
 where 'nemus gelidum' (1. 455) corresponds to bosco, and 'I 
 procul hinc, dixit' (1. 464) to Elice caccionne. As to si tenne — 
 it is implied by Ovid that Diana kept within the wood, and this is 
 interpreted by Dante as being a proof of her modesty and chastity. 
 
 134, 135. Gridavano : 'they proclaimed the names of.' im- 
 ponne : for ne impone^ ' enjoins upon us.' 
 
 136. questo modo : the alternation of the hymn and the 
 examples. 
 
 138, 139. Con tal, &c. : 'by such treatment and by such diet 
 must the wound (of sin) at last be closed (lit. sewn up).' The 
 treatment is the fiery purgation, the diet the hymn and the examples. 
 For dassezzo cp. Inf. vii. 130. 
 
 CANTO XXVI 
 
 Argument. — Dante and his companions, as they proceed along 
 the Cornice, keep close to the outer edge, the remaining part being 
 covered by the flames. The spirits in the fire discover that Dante 
 is a living man from the shadow which he casts ; and one of them 
 questions him concerning this. When Dante perceives that the 
 speaker is Guido Guinicelli, he expresses profound admiration for 
 his verses; but Guido points out to him another shade, whom he 
 considers to be superior to all his contemporaries as a writer of 
 lyrics. This is Arnaut Daniel, the Proven9al poet, with whom 
 Dante afterwards converses. 
 
 Line 3. giovi, &c. : ' profit by my warnings,' lit. ' let it profit 
 thee that I call thy attention.' 
 
 4-6. Feriami, &c. : the time is apparently about 4 or 5 p.m., 
 since the sun is getting low in the west. This is indicated by two 
 circumstances ; (i) the blue of the western sky is turned pale by his 
 
 349 
 
PURGATORIO [XXVI. 7-36 
 
 light ; and (2) his rays strike Dante on the shoulder, which indicates 
 a low altitude; see Moore, Time-Ref.^ p. 108. Mutava, «fec. : 
 ' was turning all the western sky from a blue to a white hue,' lit. 
 ' into a white tint from being blue.' 
 
 7-9. pill rovente : the red hue of fire is deepened when seen in 
 shade, pure a tanto indizio . . . poner mente : ' notice merely 
 so slight a token ' of my being more than a shade. 
 
 II, 12. cominciarsi, &c. : 'they began to say to one another, 
 "that does not look like an unreal body." ' By fittizio the aerial 
 body of the shades is intended. 
 
 14, 15. con riguardo, &c. : they were anxious not to delay 
 their purification even for a moment. 
 
 16-8. O tu : the speaker here is Guido Guinicelli. sete : i. e. 
 the desire to know Dante's condition ; cp. the use of the word in 
 
 I. 20. 
 
 21. fredda Indo : the metrical hiatus between these words is 
 exceptional. Etiopo : the geographical authorities whom Dante 
 followed placed the Ethiopians in the extreme south of Africa, and 
 therefore, according to them, in the Tropics ; cp. Oros. i. 2. 88 ; 
 Brun. Lat. Tesoro, Bk. iii. Ch. 4. 
 
 25, 26. fora, &c. : ' I should have revealed myself ; fora is 
 for sarei, manifesto for manifestato. 
 
 29. Venia gente, &c. : the first of these two bands is composed 
 of the incontinent who have not violated the laws of nature, the 
 second of those who have done so ; this distinction is explained in 
 
 II. 76-87. 
 
 31, 32. farsi presta: 'hasten.' baciarsi : the kiss of 
 brotherly love in Purgatory takes the place of the kiss of sensual 
 indulgence in the former life. 
 
 34-6. Cosi, &c. : in this simile of -the ants Dante is thought 
 to have borrowed his information from a passage in Pliny's Natural 
 History (xi. 109, iio), where the habit of that insect which is 
 here mentioned is described in a veiy similar manner. Dante, 
 however, does not elsewhere betray any knowledge of Pliny's work, 
 though he mentions him among famous prose writers (see Moore, 
 Studies, i. p. 7). It seems more probable that the remarks which 
 he introduces here are the result of personal observation. Any one 
 who watches two lines of ants meeting, and notices how they nose 
 one another in passing, will understand what he means by his simile. 
 
 350 
 
XXVI. 37-6o] PURGATORIO 
 
 Forse, &c. : ' perchance to inquire about their road and the prospects 
 of their journey.' 
 
 37-9. Tosto che, &c. : 'soon as they break off the friendly 
 greeting, and ere they move a footstep from their meeting-place/ lit. 
 ' before the first footstep passes on there.' Sopragridar : ' to 
 outcry (cry louder than) the other.' 
 
 40-2. The examples of the vice, two in number, are here recited 
 by the spirits ; the former of them, which is taken from Scripture, 
 is that of Sodom and Gomorrah ; the latter, which is taken from 
 the classics, that of Pasiphae. Soddoma : Gen. xix. 5. Pasife : 
 Pasiphae, in order to have intercourse with a bull, entered the figure 
 of a wooden cow, the ' falsa vacca '* of Inf. xii. 13: cp. Virg. Aen. 
 vi. 24, 25 ; Ov. Ars Amat. i. 325. Pasiphae represents the brutish- 
 ness of unrestrained indulgence ; see note on 1. 83. 
 
 43-5. Rife : the Rhipaean mountains were an imaginary chain of 
 mountains in northern Europe, in the existence of which, however, 
 both the Greeks and the Romans believed. Among Dante's 
 geographical authorities they are mentioned by Solinus, xvii. i, 
 by Orosius, i. 2. 52, and by Isidore, Ortg. xiv. 8, who says, 
 ' Riphaei montes in capite Germaniae sunt, a perpetuo ventorum 
 flatu nominati (ptc^yy).' Volasser : ' might fly.' The mood shows 
 that the description of the flight of the cranes is hypothetical, and 
 this lessens the difficulty involved in the Poet's seeming to describe 
 flights of cranes going northwards and southwards at the same 
 season, whereas they fly in one direction in spring, in the other 
 direction in autumn. That the same season is not intended is clear 
 from 1. 45 ; but some awkwardness remains, for the point of the 
 passage is the two bands separating, and this is accentuated by 
 parte . . . parte. V arene : the parched country of the south. 
 
 47, 48. primi canti : the hymn mentioned in Purg. xxv. 121, 
 while il gridar is the recitation of the examples, ih'id. 11. 128-32. 
 che piii, &c. : ' which suits best their particular case.' 
 
 52. lor grato : 'their desire,' lit. 'that which was pleasing 
 to them.' 
 
 55. acerbe: from meaning 'unripe' (Purg. xi. 117) acerho 
 comes to mean ' in an early stage ' ; hence acerbe ne mature 
 signifies ' neither in youth nor in age.' 
 
 58-60. per non, &c. : that my eyes may be enlightened by the 
 sights of the spiritual world. Donna : the Blessed Virgin ; cp. 
 
 351 
 
PURGATORIO [xxvi. 61-84 
 
 Inf. ii. 94. ne : ' for us,' i. e. for men in general, il mortal : 
 cp. 'this mortal' of i Cor. xv. 53 (Engl. Trans.). 
 
 61-3. se, &c. : 'so may your highest longing (the desire of the 
 higher life) soon be satisfied.' piu ampio, &c. : ' extends most 
 amply.' The heaven here meant is the Empyrean, where all the 
 souls of the Blessed abide, though they revealed themselves to Dante 
 in the lower spheres; see Par. iv. 28 foil, and note there. This 
 heaven encircles all the other heavens. 
 
 64. acciocche, &c. : 'that hereafter I may commit your answer 
 to writing ' ; lit. ' may mark paper with it.' Since among the spirits 
 in Purgatory there was no desire to be remembered on earth, as 
 there was among those in Hell, the appeal here must be to their 
 desire to obtain the prayers of the living on their behalf. 
 
 72. s* attuta : 'is quieted' ; the word is probably derived from 
 Lat. tutus. 
 
 73. marche : 'marches,' 'domains'; cp. Purg. xix. 45. 
 76-8. La gente: this is the band composed of those who in 
 
 their incontinency had violated the laws of nature. Di cio, &c. : 
 Dante appears to have here combined two stories which are told by 
 Suetonius {Vita lul. Caes. c. 49) with regard to Caesar's youthful 
 debaucheries with Nicomedes king of Bithynia — one to the effect 
 that his soldiers on the occasion of a triumph sang a ribald song 
 about them, the other that on another occasion a person named 
 Octavius addressed him as 'Queen.' Dante's authority, however, 
 was probably not Suetonius, with whose writings he appears not 
 to have been acquainted, but Uguccione da Pisa, in whose Magnae 
 Derivationes the incident is narrated in the same manner as in Dante, 
 the two original stories being similarly amalgamated. See Toynbee, 
 Diet.., p. 149. 
 
 81. aiutan, &c. : the meaning is, that the sense of shame by its 
 moral influence acts coincidently with the physical punishment in 
 producing the purgatorial purification. 
 
 82-4. ermafrodito : the mythical figure Hermaphroditus, being 
 a compound of both sexes, is taken by Dante as a type of unlimited 
 indulgence in sensuality between the two sexes ; hence the use of 
 the adjective ' hermaphrodite ' here, umana legge : the law of 
 reason and conscience, which assigns the due limits to such inter- 
 course, whereas animals are led by appetite only. This passage 
 has sometimes been interpreted as referring to the baser form of 
 
 352 
 
XXVI. 85-98] PURGATORIO 
 
 unnatural crime, viz. intercourse with the lower animals ; but it is 
 to be observed that in the corresponding part of the Inferno (Cantos 
 XV, XVI) this vice is not mentioned. This being so, it would 
 be strange to find it introduced in Purgatory, especially in the 
 cases of men like Guido Guinicelli and Arnaut Daniel, for whom 
 Dante had so great respect. 
 
 85-7. si legge; 'is recited.' schegge : the planks which 
 formed Pasiphae's wooden cow. 
 
 90. Tempo, &c. : ' it is not a fitting time to tell their names,' 
 because the sun is getting low. non saprei : i. e. non saprei dire,, 
 * I could not tell them, because they are so numerous that I do not 
 know them all.' 
 
 91. Farotti, &c. : 'I will satisfy in sooth (ben for hensi) thy 
 desire of knowing me ' : the construction is, ti faro scemo di voler 
 saper ch'i sono to,, lit. ' I will make thee void of the wish to know 
 who I am ' ; cp. 'ouo'i saper ch'i semo in 1. 89. 
 
 92. 93. Guido: Guido Guinicelli of Bologna, the best of the 
 Italian poets before Dante, and the originator of the 'dolce stil 
 nuovo' (on which see Purg. xxiv. 55-7 and note); born circ. 
 1230 ; from the present passage we learn that he died before 1300, 
 the date of Dante's Vision. He is referred to also in Purg. xi. 97. 
 e gi^, &c. : ' and I am already purging myself (without having to 
 delay in the Ante-Purgator)') because I fully repented before arriving 
 at the end of my life ' ; i. e. he had not deferred his repentance, like 
 the Negligent. 
 
 94, 95. Quali, &c. : when Hypsipyle was about to be put to 
 death by Lycurgus king of Nemea, who believed that she had 
 caused by her negligence the death of his son Opheltes (la tristizia 
 di Licurgo), she was recognized and saved by her two sons, Euneus 
 and Thoas. Statins {lloeb. v. 720-2) says of the recognition — 
 ' per tela manusque Irruerunt, matremque avidis complexibus ambo 
 Diripiunt flentes.' It is to this that Dante compares the impetuosity of 
 his feelings on finding himself in the presence of Guido Guinicelli. 
 
 96. non a tanto, &c. : ' I do not rise to such a height of 
 feeling,' i. e. 'I am not so carried away,' for fear of the flames ; 
 cp. 1. I02. 
 
 98. miei miglior : ' my masters ' ; notwithstanding the unusual 
 self-depreciation on Dante's part which this involves, this seems to 
 be the right rendering. 
 
 TozER 353 A a 
 
PURGATORIO [xxvi. 105-23 
 
 105. r aflFermar: 'the form of assurance/ viz. an oath; cp. 
 giuraro, 1. 109. 
 
 106-8. Tu lasci, &c. : 'thou art leaving so marked and clear 
 an imprint on my memory by reason of the words I hear, that the 
 waters of Lethe cannot obliterate or obscure it.' The impression 
 of which Guido speaks is Dante's declaration in 11. 55-60 that he 
 is still in the body, and his explanation of the object of his journey. 
 
 112— 4. detti; 'lays.' vostri : Dante here uses the dignified 
 vostri for tuoi, as addressing his master ; just as he uses voi fgr tu 
 in addressing Brunetto Latini in Inf. xv. 30 : see note on Purg. 
 xxxiii. 92. r USD moderno : the use of the vulgar tongue in 
 writing of Love, i lore inchiostri : ' the very ink with which 
 they were written.' 
 
 1 15-7. questi: Arnaut Daniel, the Provenfal poet of the latter 
 half of Cent, xii., who, like Giraut de Borneuil mentioned below, 
 is often referred to by Dante in the De Vulg. Eloq. It was from 
 him that Dante got the sestina; cp. De V. EL ii. 10. 11. 24-8. 
 Fu miglior, &c. : ' was a better craftsman of his mother tongue,' 
 i. e. of the Provencal dialect. 
 
 1 18, 1 19. Versi, &c. : the meaning is : — ' he surpassed in literary 
 skill all writers of his time, whether they composed in verse or in 
 prose ' ; and this is equivalent to saying that he was superior to all 
 Provenfal and all French writers, for Dante tells us in the De Vulg. 
 Eloq. (i. 10. 11. 12—20) that everything in vernacular prose was 
 written in the langue cPo'i'l, i. e. French. The expressions Versi d* 
 amore and prose di romanze are used to signify writers in those 
 two forms of composition. At first sight, indeed, the words seem 
 to imply that he surpassed all other writers in romances in prose ; 
 but Dante cannot have meant this, for Arnaut Daniel never wrote 
 any prose romances. The high estimate of his poetry which is here 
 given was shared by Petrarch (cp. Trionfo (V Amore^ iv. 40-2), but 
 modern writers take a different view. See Toynbee, Z)/V/., pp. 50, 51. 
 
 .120. quel di Lemosl : Giraut de Borneuil of Limoges, a con- 
 temporary of Arnaut Daniel. He introduced into the Proven9al 
 lyrical poetry a more popular element, and this may have been the 
 reason why Dante did not appreciate him. The general opinion has 
 been that he is superior to Arnaut Daniel. 
 
 1 2 1-3. voce: 'a popular cry.' Prima, &c. : 'before the 
 principles of art or right judgement get a hearing from them.' 
 
 354 
 
XXVI. 12^471 PURGATORIO 
 
 2f-47] 
 
 124-6. Guittone : Guittone d' Arezzo ; see Purg. xxiv. 56 
 and note, and cp. De Vulg. Eloq. ii. 6. 11. 85-9, where Dante again 
 depreciates Guittone. Di grido, &c. : ' passing on in loud tones 
 from mouth to mouth his praise and his only (pur lui), until in 
 most men's minds the truth has mastered him ' ; i. e. until a true 
 judgement has declared against him. 
 
 128. chiostro : Paradise. 
 
 131. Quanto, &c. : i. e. omitting the last petition, ' Lead us not 
 into temptation,' ^c, which is not applicable to those in Purgatory; 
 cp. Purg. xi. 22-4. 
 
 1335 134' P^r ^^^» <^c.: 'to make room for others who chanced 
 to be near him,' lit. ' according as (secondo Che) he had them near.' 
 If a comma is read after secondo, that word should be taken with 
 loco ; but in any case altrui cannot refer to Arnaut, because he is 
 said to have been in front, 11. 116, 136. 
 
 136-8. lo mi feci, &c. : ' I advanced a little towards the person 
 designated'; cp. 11. 115, 116. E dissi, &c. : 'and I said that my 
 desire of knowing him prepared me beforehand to welcome his 
 name.' 
 
 139. liberamente : 'frankly,' i.e. without waiting for further 
 solicitation. 
 
 140-7. Tan m' abelis, &c. : these lines, in which Arnaut 
 Daniel addresses Dante, are in the Proven9al language. The 
 following is Longfellow's literal verse translation of them, altered in 
 some points so as to suit the Oxford Text. ' So pleases me your 
 courteous demand, I cannot and I will not hide me from you. I am 
 Arnaut, who weep and singing go ; Contrite I see the folly of the 
 past, and blissful see the hoped-for joy before me. Now do I 
 supplicate you, by that power Which guides you to the summit of 
 the stairs. Be mindful in due season of my pain.' Consiros : lit. 
 ' thoughtful,' connected with Lat. consider are. iauzen : Lat. 
 gaudens. A^a = ora. Sovenha vos, &c. : i. e. pray when the 
 occasion offers that my time in Purgatory may be shortened. 
 
 355 A a 2 
 
PURGATORIO [xxvii. 1-5 
 
 CANTO XXVII 
 
 Argument. — The angel who presides over this Cornice announces 
 to Dante that in order to advance further he must pass through the 
 fire ; and the fear by which he Is seized in consequence of this Is 
 only overcome by Virgil's reminding him that on the farther side 
 he will behold Beatrice. On emerging from the flames they are 
 directed by another angel to the last of the stairways on the 
 Mountain ; and here, as night is approaching, they make for them- 
 selves a resting-place until the morning. Dante now dreams a dream, 
 In which his meeting with Matelda and Beatrice in the Terrestrial 
 Paradise is foreshadowed. At daybreak they continue the ascent, 
 and when they have reached the summit of the stairs Virgil formally 
 declares that his office as Dante's guide and instructor is at an end. 
 
 Lines 1-5. Si come, &c. : the general meaning is: — 'the 
 position of the sun as seen from the Mountain of Purgatory cor- 
 responded to (Si stava il sole . . . come) sunrise at Jerusalem, 
 midnight in Spain, and noon on the Ganges.' In the notes to Purg. 
 ii. 1-9 and iv. 138 it is pointed out that according to Dante the 
 Mountain of Purgatory was the antipodes of Jerusalem, and the 
 habitable world extended over half the circumference of the globe 
 from E. to W., the extreme limits being respectively the mouth of 
 the Ganges and Spain. Here we are told that the sun is rising at 
 Jerusalem, and It is midnight on the Ebro in Spain, and midday 
 on the Ganges ; consequently It Is sunset in Purgatory. Sunset 
 here Is spoken of approximately, for the actual disappearance of 
 the sun is not mentioned until 1. 61. vibra : 'scatters.' hk: at 
 Jerusalem. Cadendo : the English equivalent, when the position 
 of a place relatively to the heavenly bodies is spoken of, is ' lying.' 
 Ibero : the Ebro, Seville, Gades, the Straits, and Morocco are used 
 indiscriminately to represent the western limit of the wq^ld. 1' alta 
 Libra : ' Libra on high,' I. e. on the meridian. As the sun was 
 now in Aries, it being the vernal equinox, the middle point of night, 
 which was directly opposite to the sun, was In Libra, the constella- 
 tion opposite to Aries ; cp. Purg. Ii. 4, 5. Thus to say that the 
 Ebro was under Libra Is equivalent to saying that it was midnight in 
 Spain, nona : ' noon.' Skeat remarks {Etym. Did., s. v. ' Noon ') 
 that * noon ' meant originally the ninth hour of the day, or 3 p.m., 
 
 356 
 
XXVII. 6-2g] PURGATORIO 
 
 but afterwards the time of the Church service called nones was altered, 
 and the term came to be applied to midday. In ordinary Italian 
 nona is only used for ' nones/ riarse ; an absolute participle, 
 corresponding to cadendo, ' the waves of the Ganges being heated 
 by the noon-tide.' Translate the whole passage thus: — 'As when 
 the sun scatters its first rays at the place where its Creator shed his 
 blood, while the Ebro lies beneath Libra on high, and the waves of 
 the Ganges are heated by the noon-tide, such was its position now.' 
 
 6. r Angel di Dio : the angel here resembles the former ones 
 in saying the Beatitude, but differs from them in not being stationed 
 at the foot of the next stairway. His office is to guard the Cornice, 
 while the angel at the stairway is the guardian of the approach to 
 the Terrestrial Paradise (cp. 11. 58-60). It is also to be remarked 
 that neither of these angels removes the last P from Dante's forehead ; 
 and it has been suggested that this takes place when he passes through 
 the fire. 
 
 8. Beati, &c. : ' blessed are the pure in heart ' ; this is the 
 Beatitude for those who have expiated the sin of Lust. 
 
 10-2. se pria, &c. : 'without first feeling the burning (lit. grip) 
 of the fire.* It is to be observed that Dante passes through the fire 
 unavoidably ; therefore nothing can be deduced from it concerning 
 his having committed the sin expiated in this Cornice, di 1^ : on 
 the further side of the flames. The ' chant ' was that of the angel, 
 which is mentioned in I. 58. They are bidden to give ear to this, 
 because its sound was to guide them through the fire. 
 
 15. fossa : ' pit,' referring to the punishment of malefactors who 
 were set head downwards in the earth ; cp. Inf. xix. 50. 
 
 16-8. In sulle man, &c. : the description of the attitude of fear 
 is very vivid. Dante clasps his hands, and bends forward over them, 
 peering at the flames, gih veduti : ' which I erewhile had seen.' 
 Burning was a mode of punishment at Florence at this period, and 
 Dante himself had been condemned to be burnt alive at the time of 
 his banishment. 
 
 23. esso : this pronoun, when placed between a prep, and its case, 
 gives precision and is indeclinable ; cp. Purg. xxxi. 96, ' Sopr' esso V 
 acqua'; Inf. xxxiv. 41 and note. Gerion : cp. Inf. xvii. 81 foil. 
 
 29, 30. fatti far, &c. : 'put it to the test thyself with thy own 
 hands on the hem of thy garments.' Dante is here adapting the 
 phrase 'far la credenza,' which was used of 'tasters,' who secured 
 
 357 
 
PURGATORIO [xxvii. ^^-y^ 
 
 their masters against poisoned food : see the instances in Vocah. 
 Tramater. 
 
 33. Ed io pur, &c. : *and, notwithstanding, I stood immovable.' 
 37-9. Tisbe : the Babylonian lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe, were 
 wont to meet under a mulberry tree ; and one day Pyramus found 
 Thisbe's veil on this spot covered with blood, and thinking that 
 she had been killed slew himself. When Thisbe appeared, and 
 addressing her lover assured him that she was his Thisbe, he looked 
 up at her and then died. Thisbe then took her own life. In 
 consequence of this, in accordance with Thisbe's dying prayer, the 
 colour of the fruit of the mulberry changed from white to dark. 
 Cp. Ov. Met. iv. 145, 146, * Ad nomen Thisbes oculos iam morte 
 gravatos Pyramus erexit, visaque recondidit ilia ' : — Thisbe says to 
 the tree — 1. 160, ' Signa tene caedis, pullosque et luctibus aptos 
 Semper habe foetus, gemini monumenta cruoris ' : — finally we are 
 told that her prayer was heard — 1. 165, 'Nam color in pomo est, 
 ubi permaturuit, ater.* 
 
 48. per lunga strada : i. e. while we had been traversing a 
 length of road. 
 
 57. la dove, &c. : at the point where the ascent of the final 
 passage commenced. 
 
 58. Venite, &c. : Matt. xxv. 34 ; the words are uttered by the 
 Angel who guards the approach to the Terrestrial Paradise. 
 
 62. studiate il passo : 'hasten your steps.' 
 
 64-6. Dritta : not winding, like the previous ones. tal 
 parte : the east, because the sun, which was nearly setting, threw 
 Dante's shadow in front of him as he faced the Mountain. Thus 
 Dante emerges from the last Cornice on the western side of the 
 Mountain after having started from the eastern side. 
 
 67-9. levammo i saggi : 'we made trial.' il sol corcar ; 
 this marks the end of the third day on the Mountain of Purgatory, 
 and the second spent in Purgatory proper ; it was Easter Tuesday. 
 r ombra, &c. : ' my shadow which had disappeared.' 
 
 70-2. pria che, &c. : the meaning is : — before the daylight and 
 the tints of sunset had faded out of the sky. For the omission of 
 the article before orizzonte cp. Par. xiv. 69 ; see also ahisso in 
 Purg. i. 46. dispense: lit. 'distributions'; ' ere night had spread 
 through all its wide domain.' 
 
 74, 75. la natura, &c. : cp. Purg. vii. 49-57. aflfranse : 
 
 358 
 
XXVII. 76-IOO] PURGATORIO 
 
 'broke down,' 'exhausted.' il diletto : 'the pleasure ' ; by this is 
 meant, not the pleasure of mountain climbing for its own sake, but 
 that of ascending. That Dante had some experience of mountains 
 is suggested by his descriptions of the wide spaces of sky as seen 
 from the mountain side (1. 70), of camping out on the rocks (I. 73), 
 and of the increased size and brightness of the stars (1. 90). See 
 also the note on Inf. xxiv. 19. 
 
 76-87. In the two similes which follow the position of the three 
 companions is described, first from the point of view of Dante, and 
 next from that of Virgil and Statius. 
 
 80, 81. in sulla verga, &c. : 'leans on his staff, and tends 
 them as he leans.' Instead of lor poggiato serve, Witte and 
 others read lor di posa serve^ i. e. ' ministers repose to them ' ; but 
 the repetition of the word poggiato is quite in Dante's manner ; 
 see note on Inf. xiii. 25. 
 
 87. Fasciati, &c. : 'begirt on either hand by lofty rocks.' 
 
 88, 89. del di fuori : ' of the world without.' per quel poco : 
 ' in that small space of sky.' 
 
 93. le novelle : ' the intimation of it.' 
 
 94, 95. Nell' ora, credo, &c. : the planet Venus, as we see from 
 Purg. i. 19, 20, was now in the eastern sky on the Mountain of 
 Purgatory in early morning; the time is mentioned here, because 
 'morning dreams are true'; cp. Purg. ix. 16-8. credo is added, 
 because Dante was asleep at the time. 
 
 97, 98. sogno : this dream, like those of the two previous 
 nights which Dante spent on the Mountain of Purgatory, is sym- 
 bolical of something which is about to occur in the narrative ; see 
 note on Purg. ix. 19. Here the figures of Leah and Rachel 
 foreshadow those of Matelda and Beatrice in the Earthly Paradise. 
 landa: 'plain,' ' meadow.' 
 
 100. Sappia, &c. : Leah and Rachel, according to the alle- 
 gorical interpretation of the mediaeval theologians (see Toynbee, 
 Diet., pp. 334, 335), stand in the same relation to one another as 
 Martha and Mary in the New Test., Leah representing the active, 
 Rachel the contemplative life; cp. 1. 108. Both find their ultimate 
 bliss in the glorified spiritual life — or, as it is here expressed, in 
 seeing themselves reflected, as in a mirror, in the face of God — but 
 Leah attains it by means of good works, Rachel by means of 
 contemplation. 
 
 359 
 
PURGATORIO [xxvii. 101-32 
 
 1 01, 102. vo movendo, &c. : the words movendo intomo 
 le belle mani express the process of gathering the flowers; 
 ' I gather as I go the flowers with my fair hands to make me 
 a garland.' The gathering represents the practice of active virtue, 
 the garland the grace and merit which accrue from it. 
 
 103, 104. Per piacermi, &c. : ' to give me pleasure when 
 I look in my mirror/ i. e. that I may see myself reflected more 
 brightly in the face of God owing to good works, si smaga : 
 'withdraws her eyes from,' lit. 'falls away from'; see note on 
 Purg. X. 106. 
 
 106. veder: the construction of the passage is irregular; if 
 fully expressed, it would be niaga de' suo't hegli occh'i^ di vederli. The 
 meaning is that she desires to see herself reflected in God. 
 
 109-11. splendor! antelucani : 'the brightness that precedes 
 the dawn.' men lontani : the MS. authority and the early 
 Commentators are about equally divided between this and plu 
 lontani. The latter reading probably arose from piii in the line 
 above catching the scribe's eye (see Butler's note), and also perhaps 
 from the desire of making the antithesis of the two clauses complete. 
 \i piu is read, the explanation is, that the farther one is from home, 
 the more grateful it is to turn one's face homeward ; but this is 
 very forced, while men lontani gives a natural and poetical 
 meaning, and one that suited Dante's present circumstances as he 
 was drawing near to the Earthly Paradise. 
 
 115. Quel dolce pome: the highest good, i.e. God. per 
 tanti rami : i. e. in so many different ways. Men seek for the 
 highest good in many diflferent forms, and often mistakenly, as when 
 they suppose it to be power or pleasure; but it is found in the 
 knowledge of God only. 
 
 119. strenne: 'guerdons.' 
 
 129. Dov' io, &c. : as Virgil represents human reason, his 
 knowledge, and consequently his power of guiding others, comes to 
 an end at the approach to the realm of faith," i. e. the region of 
 beatified spirits and the presence of God : cp. Purg. xviii. 46-8. 
 per me : 'by myself.' 
 
 130-2. ingegno : 'wit,' while arte is 'skill.' erte : the 
 * steep ways' represent the descent of the Poets through Hell, 
 the ' narrow (arte) ways * the passages between the Cornices in 
 Purgatory. 
 
 360 
 
XXVII. 133-42] PURGATORIO 
 
 133-5. il sol : on the level summit of the Mountain, which they 
 had now reached, the sun, which was fully risen, but had hitherto 
 been concealed by the Mountain interposing, became visible, sol 
 da se : cp. sen%a seme, Purg. xxviii. 69 ; the explanation is given 
 in Purg. xxviii. 1 1 2—7. 
 
 136-8. gliocchi: of Beatrice ; cp. Inf. ii. 116. Seder: this 
 represents the contemplative, andar the active life. We have now 
 reached a region of allegory, and must expect to find recondite 
 meanings at every turn. 
 
 141. non fare, &c. : ' not to do its bidding,' i. e. that of the arhitrio. 
 
 142. Perch' io, &c. : 'wherefore I confer on thee plenary 
 jurisdiction over thyself.* The two words corono and niitrio are 
 used to strengthen by repetition the force of the expression. No 
 doubt they contain a reference to the imperial and papal crowns 
 as being emblems of the two supreme powers which governed the 
 world ; but they must not be regarded as implying that Virgil 
 conferred on Dante self-government in spiritual as well as temporal 
 matters ; to do this would be beyond his powers, and a usurpation 
 of the function of Beatrice, who was Dante's spiritual guide. 
 Consequently all reference to religious belief, and even to religious 
 life, in mitrio must be excluded; and if anything is intended by 
 the passage beyond the simple meaning which has been given above, 
 it can hardly be more than that corono should refer to conduct^ and 
 mitrio to conscience \ and even this seems doubtful. N.B. Virgil 
 after this does not speak again, though he accompanies Dante until 
 Beatrice appears. 
 
 CANTO xxvm 
 
 Argument. — Dante now enters the Terrestrial Paradise, where 
 is a delightful forest, in which a pleasant breeze is blowing and birds 
 sing on the branches. On the farther side of a stream which flows 
 through it he beholds a beautiful lady, Matelda, gathering the flowers 
 with which the ground is carpeted ; and by her certain doubts are 
 solved, which had arisen in his mind on meeting with wind and 
 mnning water in a region where the ordinary causes which produce 
 such phenomena are wanting. She tells him also that the stream is 
 
 361 
 
PURGATORIO [xxviii. 4-26 
 
 that of Lethe, and that the forest was the abode of man during his 
 state of innocency, and was the scene of the golden age of the poets. 
 
 Line 4. la riva : the ' bank ' is the outer edge of the Terrestrial 
 Paradise, which they had reached on mounting the topmost step of 
 the stairway; Purg. xxvii. 125. 
 
 7. senza, &c. : it came steadily from the same quarter and with 
 equal force. ' 
 
 10-2. pronte : ' responsively,' the leaves being ready to follow 
 the movement of the wind, piegavano : here used intrans. alia 
 parte, &c. : towards the west ; as the wind which swayed them 
 blew in Dante's face (1. 8), and he was facing eastward (Purg. xxvii. 
 133), it must have come from the east. The cause of the direction 
 of the wind is given in 11. 1 03 foil. 
 
 13—5. Non pero, &c. : 'yet they were not swayed so far from 
 their upright position, that the birds on their summits must fain cease 
 from fulfilling any of their tasks,' i. e. from song and joyful 
 movement. 
 
 16—9. r ore prime . . . ricevieno : 'breathed the morning 
 breeze'; ore for aure^ cp. Purg. i. 115. It is better however to 
 read ore (' welcomed the hours of morn '), because the breeze of 
 morn, as such, would not be found in the Terrestrial Paradise, since 
 the movement of the wind there was always even, tenevan bordone, 
 &c. : ' were chanting a refrain ' (i. e. making an accompaniment) to 
 their lays, like that of the whispering pine-forest (Tal qual, &c.).' 
 The word bordone means originally a droning sound, and the bass 
 in music : see Skeat, s. v. ' burden.' 
 
 20, 21. Chiassi : the famous pine-forest of Classe lies on the 
 coast of the Adriatic to the southward of Ravenna. Quand' £olo, 
 &c. : 'when Aeolus (the guardian of the winds; cp. Vug.Aen. i. 52) 
 sets free the south-east wind.' The winds, according to classical 
 mythology, were imprisoned in a cavern in the Aeolian islands. 
 
 25, 26. un rio : this is Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, which 
 extinguishes in the mind the memory of past sin; cp. 1. 128. In 
 Inf. xiv. Virgil, when describing to Dante the courses of the rivers 
 in Hell, informs him (11. 136-8) that Lethe, which Dante knew by 
 means of the classical writers as one of the infernal rivers, would be 
 met with on the Mountain of Purgatory, inver sinistra : as the 
 course of the Poets was towards the east, the river which here 
 
 362 
 
XXVIII. 30-63] PURGATORIO 
 
 interposed must have been running in this part from south to north. 
 The words inver sinistra may possibly have an allegorical force, 
 with reference to the memory of evil being carried away by Lethe ; 
 but this view rests on somewhat slippery ground, because we are 
 told in Purg. xxix. 11, 12 that the stream had previously flowed at 
 right angles to this. 
 
 30. nulla nasconde: 'hides nothing,' i.e. is perfectly transparent. 
 
 36. mai : 'green branches ' ; strictly maio is the laburnum tree. 
 
 40. Una Donna : this lady's name, as we learn from Purg. 
 xxxiii. 119, is Matelda ; she represents the active life, as Leah had 
 done in Dante's dream. She is generally regarded as being Matilda, 
 the ' Great Countess' of Tuscany (1046-1115), who was a strong 
 upholder of her own rights, and also of those of the Papacy, having 
 been the ally of Pope Gregory VII in his warfare with the Empire. 
 She would thus be a fitting person to represent the life of action. 
 The function discharged by Matelda in the Div. Com. is that of 
 guiding and instructing Dante from the time when Virgil ceases to 
 perform that office until Beatrice undertakes it. She thus leads 
 Dante to Beatrice, as the active life leads up to the contemplative. 
 
 41. iscegliendo, &c. : ' making choice among the flowers.' 
 43-5. amore : the love of God is meant. Ti scaldi : ' dost 
 
 bask.' testimon : for testimone, 'a witness,' which word is found 
 in Petrarch, Boccaccio, and elsewhere ; see Vocab. Tramater. 
 
 49-51. dove, &c. : Proserpine, the daughter of Ceres (Demeter), 
 was gathering flowers in the valley of Enna in Sicily, when she 
 was carried off by Pluto, primavera : the flowers which she had 
 gathered ; primavera is used again in the sense of ' flowers ' in Par. 
 XXX. 63, 'Dipinte di mirabil primavera.' That this is the meaning 
 here Is rendered almost certain by the passage in Ovid, which Dante 
 evidently had in his mind when writing t\\is— Met. v. 397-9, 
 ' Matrem saepius ore Clamat ; et, ut summa vestem laniarat ab ora, 
 Collect! flores tunlcis cecldere remlssis.' 
 
 52, 53. strette, &c. : 'close to the ground and close to one 
 another.' 
 
 59, 60. Si appressando se, &c. : at first he heard only the 
 melody, but as she came near he distinguished the words also. 
 
 61-3. 1^ dove, &c. : ' where the grass is now laved ' ; gi^ marks 
 the point where a person approaching reaches the edge, mi fece 
 done : ' granted me the boon ' ; cp. Inf. vi. 78. 
 
 363 
 
PURGATORIO [xxviii. 54-87 
 
 64-6. Non credo, &c. : the story of Venus being accidentally 
 wounded by one of Cupid's arrows, and fired by passionate love for 
 Adonis in consequence, is found in Ovid, Met. x. 525, 526, ' Nam- 
 que pharetratus dum dat puer oscula matri, Inscius exstanti destrinxit 
 arundine pectus.' fuor, &c. : 'by no means with his wonted aim,' 
 lit. ' differently from what he was ever wont ' ; he did it inadvertently 
 (this Ovid expresses by Inscius), whereas Cupid's darts were not 
 wont to fly astray. 
 
 67—9. dritta : take with riva, 'from the farther bank, which 
 was the right bank'; if dritta is taken as agreeing with Ella, 
 meaning 'erect,' then for Traendo in the next line Trattando, 
 ' handling ' (i. e. twining), must be read, for in gathering flowers 
 Matelda could not be upright. Three of Witte's test MSS. read 
 Trattando. Traendo piu color : ' continuing to gather flowers ' ; 
 piu means 'additional to what she had gathered before,' cp. 1. 41. 
 With Trattando it must mean 'many,' as in Par. xxv. 3, 'per piii 
 anni.' Che, &c. : ' which that high land produces without seed ' ; 
 this is explained in 11. 1 1 2-4 ; at the same time Dante probably had 
 in his mind Ov. Met. i. 108, ' natos sine semine flores,' for Ovid's 
 description of the golden age in which this occurs was familiar to him. 
 
 72. Freno : the Hellespont is a ' curb ' to human pride, because 
 it witnessed both the passage of Xerxes* army and his own miserable 
 flight. Dante refers to this again in De Mon. ii. 9. 11. 49-60, where 
 he quotes Lucan, Phars. ii. 672, 673, which was probably his 
 authority for the story. 
 
 73, 74. da Leandro : because it interposed between him and 
 Hero ; Ov. Hero'id. xviii. 173, 174. Per mareggiare : 'by reason 
 of its current.' 
 
 78-80. nido : ' home,' the Garden of Eden having been the 
 abode of our first parents, sospetto : ' questioning ' ; in the follow- 
 ing line Matelda explains the reason of her smiles by referring to 
 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. 
 
 82-4. dinanzi : from the time that Virgil had withdrawn from 
 his office as guide (Purg. xxvii. 139) Dante had walked in front 
 of the other two poets, tanto che basti : ' to your satisfaction.' 
 
 87. cosa : this is the statement of Statius in Purg. xxi. 43 and 
 52-4, to the efl^ect that there was no change, atmospheric or other- 
 
 364 
 
XXVIII. 88-1 1 1] PURGATORIO 
 
 wise, above the gate at the entrance to Purgatory proper. This 
 would seem to exclude the movement of the wind which sways 
 the trees, and the flow of the water. 
 
 88-90. come procede, &c. : Ht. ' how that comes to pass in 
 respect of its cause,' i. e. what is the cause of that, la nebbia, &c. : 
 ' the cloud of doubt that assails thee.' 
 
 91. esso: here used in the proper sense of the Lat. ipse^ 'himself.' 
 
 97-100. il turbar, &c. : ' the disturbances (arising from winds), 
 which below the entrance to Purgatory proper (sotto) are caused by 
 exhalations from the water and the earth through their natural force 
 (da se).' This is from Ar. MeteoroL ii. 4. 13 ; see Moore, Studies, 
 i. p. 131. Che, quanto posson, &c. : 'which (exhalations) follow 
 the heat (upwards) as far as they can.' Aristotle in the passage 
 just mentioned speaks of the heat ascending and leaving the moisture 
 behind (Moore, ibid.) : quanto posson refers to the ascent of the 
 vapours being checked, either by reaching a colder stratum of air or 
 by some other influence, like that which excludes them from 
 Purgatory. AH' uomo, &c. : ' might not in any wise disquiet man,' 
 i. e. man in his innocence, when he inhabited the Terrestrial Paradise. 
 
 102. libero, &c. : 'it is free from such disturbance from the 
 point where it is locked,' i. e. from the gate of Purgatory. 
 
 103-8. Or, &c. : Matelda now proceeds to explain the existence 
 of the wind which moves the trees in the Terrestrial Paradise. This 
 she attributes to the movement of the atmosphere, which revolves 
 (si volge in circuito), following the motion initiated by the Pr'imum 
 Mobile or first sphere of movement (la prima volta), and imparted 
 by it to the whole universe. As the earth is stationary, this move- 
 ment causes a steady breeze to be felt in an elevated region like the 
 Terrestrial Paradise, which is not affected by the currents of air 
 which move irregularly below. 
 
 105. Se non, &c. : 'unless its rotatory movement is interfered 
 with at some point.' 
 
 106-8. disciolta, &c. : ' disengaged in the clear air.' percote : 
 take with la selva below. 
 
 109-20. These lines explain the propagation of various kinds of 
 trees on the face of the earth from those planted by God in the 
 Terrestrial Paradise. 
 
 III. girando, &c. : 'scatters it (sua virtute) as it revolves 
 round the globe.' 
 
 365 
 
PURGATORIO [xxviii. 112-41 
 
 1 1 2-4. r altra terra : the earth at large, as distinguished from 
 the Terrestrial Paradise, degna, &c. : ' fitted to receive these 
 germinal forces in respect of soil (per se) and climate (per suo ciel).' 
 concepe, &c. 'conceives and bears from divers germinal forces 
 divers trees.' 
 
 115. di la: 'in yonder earth.' 
 
 1 20. si schianta : ' is plucked,' ' gathered.' 
 
 121. L' acqua, &c. : Matelda now turns to Dante's other 
 difficulty, the existence of a river where there was no rain to feed it. 
 
 122. 123. Che ristori, &c. : this seems to refer both to the 
 formation of rain by condensation, which has already been described 
 in Purg. V. 1 09-11, and to Aristotle's theory of the formation of 
 springs by the condensation of subterranean moisture, Meteorol. i. 13. 
 9 : enrcp Ka/cet [i. e. in the air] Sia ij/vxpoTrjTa avvLa-raTat 6 dr/xt^wv 
 arjp €is vSiop, Koi vtto rrjs iv rrj yrj i}rv)(p6Tr)Tos rb avrb tovto Set 
 vo/xt^eiv a-vix^atveiv. See Moore, Studies, i. p. 134. lena ; 
 'volume,' lit. 'breath,' 'force.' 
 
 124-6. fontana: the idea here is derived from Gen. ii. 6, 
 where the Vulg. gives ' fons ascendebat e terra,' while the Engl. 
 Vers, is ' there went up a mist from the earth.' salda : ' steady.' 
 Che tanto, &c. : ' which by the agency of God's will is supplied 
 afresh with the same quantity which it pours forth opening in two 
 directions.' 
 
 128, 129. altrui : ' from men ' ; cp. Purg. iv. 54 ; xiii. 3. la : 
 i. e. la memoria. 
 
 131, 132. Eunoe : the stream of 'kindly thoughts,' Gk. €vvov<s. 
 chiama : this word seems here to be metrically a trisyllable, though 
 it is not used so elsewhere in the Div. Com. non adopra : ' it 
 does not produce its effect ' ; the subject of the verb is acqua, 1. 121, 
 and the meaning is, that it does not render the soul fit to ascend to 
 Heaven until the conscience of past sins has been removed, and the 
 memory of good deeds has been revived. 
 
 135. perche : 'supposing that,' 'even if.' 
 
 136-8. coroUario : 'corollary,' i.e. a deduction, or supple- 
 mentary statement, per grazia : ' of grace ' ; it is really equivalent 
 to oltre promission below, Matelda having fulfilled her agreement 
 by answering Dante's questions, si spazia : * widens its field ' ; 
 cp. Purg. xxvi. 63. 
 
 141. in Parnaso : ' to dream on Parnassus ' means in prose ' to 
 
 366 
 
XXVIII. 142— XXIX. i9j PURGATORIO 
 
 conceive poetical imaginations.' Dante does not appear to have been 
 acquainted with Persius' writings, otherwise we might suppose that 
 he was thinking of his Hne [ProL 2), 'Nee in bicipiti somniasse 
 Parnasso.' 
 
 142-4. Qui fu, &c. : this description of the Golden Age is 
 chiefly derived from Ov. Met. i. 89-112, where there is mention in 
 particular of ' ver aeternum ' and ' flumina nectaris.' 
 
 146, 147. con riso : because they were in the number of the 
 * ancient poets,' and were pleased by this interpretation. 1' ultimo 
 costrutto : ' the last sentence.' 
 
 CANTO XXIX 
 
 Argument. — Heralded by a brilliant light and sweet music, there 
 now appears a mystic procession on the opposite side of the river to 
 that on which Dante is standing, the central feature in which is a car, 
 as yet unoccupied, drawn by a gryphon. 
 
 Line 3. Beati, &c. : Ps. xxxii. i, ' Blessed are they whose 
 sins are covered.' Matelda sings these words in anticipation of 
 Dante's immersion in the waters of Lethe, by which his sins were 
 hidden from his memory. 
 
 7. contra il fiume : the direction would be towards the south, 
 from which quarter the stream was here flowing ; see note on Purg. 
 xxviii. 26. Consequently, when Dante shortly afterwards finds that 
 he is going eastward, the stream must have turned at a right angle 
 
 (II. II, 12). 
 
 10. Non eran, &c. : the meaning is, ' we had advanced less than 
 fifty paces each ' ; lit. ' the number of paces was not a hundred, 
 what with hers and mine.' For a somewhat similar use of tra cp. 
 Par. xxxi. 41, 'tra esso e il gaudio.' 
 
 16-8. lustre: the lustre and the melody (1. 22) are found to 
 proceed from the Procession of the Church (11. 49-54). di balenar, 
 &c. : ' it made me doubt (i. e. wonder) if it were lightning ' ; cp. Inf. 
 viii. no, ' io rimango in forse.' 
 
 19. come, &c. : 'ceases as suddenly as it comes.' For this 
 sense oi restate cp. Inf. xxv. 135. 
 
 367 
 
PURGATORIO [xxix. 23-34 
 
 23-30. buon zelo, &c. : Dante's holy zeal, or righteous 
 indignation against Eve, arose from his feeling that owing to her 
 sin, which caused the human race to be excluded from Paradise, 
 he had been prevented from inhabiting it hitherto, and had not 
 enjoyed the delights here described, as would otherwise have 
 been the case. 
 
 25. Che, &c. : ' who, where all creation was obedient, being 
 a woman (and therefore naturally timid) — alone (without accomplices 
 to encourage her) — and but just created (and therefore inexperienced 
 in sin) — would not endure to stay beneath any veil,' i. e. ' would not 
 be content that anything (and in particular the knowledge of good and 
 evil) should be hidden from her.' 
 
 30. prima, &c. : i. e. from the time of my birth and throughout 
 my life. 
 
 34 foil. The mystic procession which now approaches represents 
 the triumph of the Church as the supporter of Theology — 'the 
 Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth,' 
 I Tim. iii. 15. The car on which Beatrice (Theology) stands 
 represents the Church. It is drawn (i. e. the Church is moved and 
 guided) by the Gryphon (our Blessed Lord). By its right wheel 
 are stationed three female figures (the theological virtues), by the left 
 wheel four (the cardinal virtues). In front of it are twenty-four 
 figures (the books of the O. T., which preceded the revelation of the 
 gospel in Christ), and at the head of the procession are seven 
 candlesticks (the seven Spirits of God, which lead men to the 
 Truth). The car is flanked by four figures, two on either side, 
 representing the four Gospels, which embody the revelation of 
 Divine Truth. Behind the car are seven figures, representing the 
 remaining books of the N. T. From this it will be seen that 
 the central point in the symbolical representation is not the Church 
 in and for itself, but Divine Truth as supported by the Churcli. 
 The predominance in it of figures emblematic of the Scriptures 
 points to this, and so does the position of Beatrice as its central 
 personality : it is not until she arrives on the scene that the pageant 
 is complete ; and again, it is not until she has left the car (Purg. 
 xxxii. 36) — in other words, until the glorification of Theology or 
 Revelation is concluded — that the Church and its fortunes become 
 the subject of the allegory. The purpose which the procession 
 serves in the poem is that of introducing Beatrice, who is to be 
 
 368 
 
XXIX. 36-48] PURGATORIO 
 
 Dante's guide through Paradise, and who, as representing Theology, 
 is the interpreter of all the heavenly mysteries which are there 
 presented to his view. The object of the latter part of the vision, 
 which concerns the history of the Church, is that Dante may 
 communicate it to his contemporaries, in order that they may 
 learn the lessons which it teaches, as we are definitely told in 
 Purg. xxxii. 103-5. 
 
 36. per canto, &c. : ' was now perceived to be singing.' 
 
 37. Vergini : the Muses, whom Dante invokes because of the 
 difficulty of the task which now lies before him. 
 
 40—2. versi : 'pour forth its streams.' The fountains on 
 Helicon, whose waters caused poetic inspiration, were Aganippe and 
 Hippocrene. Urania : the Muse of astronomy, and so of heavenly 
 subjects, coro : the rest of the Muses. Forti, &c. : ' to express 
 in verse things hard to conceive in thought.' For the omission of 
 the prep, a before mettere see note on Purg. xi. 51. 
 
 43-5. Poco, &c. : ' A little farther on, seven trees of gold In 
 semblance the long space still intervening Between ourselves and 
 them did counterfeit ' (Longf.). The objects which are here said 
 to resemble trees, as seen from a distance, prove to be seven candle- 
 sticks (1. 50). 
 
 46-8. Ma quando, &c. : ' but when I was so near to them, 
 that the ' common object ' which deceives the sense, did not lose 
 owing to distance any of its features ' ; i. e. when they were near 
 enough for their size and shape to be clearly visible, obbietto 
 comun : cp. Conn}, iv. 8. 11. 49, 50, ' sensibili comuni, la dove 
 il senso spesse volte e ingannato.' The technical term obbietto 
 comune or sensibile comune is derived from Aristotle, De An. ii. 6. 
 1—4, where the distinction is drawn between the general and the 
 particular object of sense (the kolvov ala-Orjrov and the lSlov ala-Orp-ov), 
 the latter of which terms is applied to qualities perceived by one 
 only of the senses — e. g. colour by the eye, and sound by the ear — 
 the former to qualities perceived by all the senses alike, e. g. motion, 
 rest, number, form and size. In the case of the latter, he says, there 
 can be deception, in the case of the former there cannot. The 
 expression obbietto com.un, as used in this passage, is liable to 
 cause confusion, because it appears at first sight to signify the object 
 in which certain qualities are inherent ; but Dante uses it as a technical 
 term, and as the equivalent of sensibile comune^ which clearly refers 
 
 T02ER 369 B b 
 
PURGATORIO [xxix. 49-66 
 
 to the qualities themselves. In the present instance, as has already 
 been intimated, tlie qualities intended are size and shape. per 
 distanza : this also is from Aristotle, who says (^De An. iii. 3. 
 20) — taking motion as his example of the koivov alorOrjTov — that 
 error is especially liable to arise when the object of sense is distant 
 (orav TToppo) to alaOrjTov rj). 
 
 49-51. La virtu, &c. : 'the faculty which furnishes reason with 
 the materials for argument ' ; this is the faculty of apprehension, 
 which communicates the images of external objects to the mind, 
 as has been described in Purg. xviii. 22—4. animanna : lit. 
 'prepares'; cp. Purg. xxiii. 107. siccome, &c. : 'discovered 
 that they were candlesticks, and in the words of the chant dis- 
 tinguished Hosanna.' candelabri ; these represent allegorically 
 the seven Spirits of God ; Rev. iv. 5, ' There were seven lamps 
 of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God/ 
 Two other passages seem to have contributed to form the image in 
 Dante's mind, but only in a subsidiary manner, since neither of them 
 is exactly suitable ; viz. (i) the description of the golden candlestick 
 in the Jewish Temple (Ex. xxv. 31 foil.), where however the 
 object is a single candlestick with seven branches; (2) the seven 
 golden candlesticks of Rev. i. 12; but these signify the Seven 
 Churches of Asia (v. 20). 
 
 52-4. Di sopra : 'in its upper part.' amese : 'equipment,' 
 i. e. the seven candlesticks. suo mezzo mese : the middle of 
 the lunar month, when the moon is full. 
 
 57. Con vista, &c. : as what is here revealed relates to spiritual 
 truth, Virgil, who represents human reason, is as much at fault as 
 Dante in interpreting it. 
 
 60. foran vinte, &c. : 'they would have been distanced by 
 a newly married bride ' ; the reference is to the timid gait of a bride, 
 when leaving her father's house for that of her husband. 
 
 61, 62. Perche, &c. : ' why look you with such eagerness only 
 at the spectacle,'* &c. If affetto is read for aspetto, it must be 
 taken with ardi ; ' why are you so eager in your desire for ? ' 
 
 64—6. Genti : these are the four and twenty elders of I. 83, the 
 originals of whom are found in Rev. iv. 4, where they are described 
 as * arrayed in white garments.' di qua : ' on this earth ' ; Dante's 
 point of view is that of the place from which he writes, fuci : 
 for c'lfu. 
 
 370 
 
XXIX. 67-93] PURGATORIO 
 
 67-9. dal sinistro fianco : 'on its left side,' i.e. in that part 
 of the stream which was near the left bank, la mia sinistra 
 costa : Dante was still walking upwards along the bank of the 
 stream, and had the stream on his left hand, anco : take with 
 rendea, ' reflected back again.' 
 
 70, 71. Quand' io, &c. : what is implied in these two lines is, 
 ' when I was directly opposite the procession and close to it.' 
 
 75. tratti pennelli : 'strokes of the painter's brush'; others 
 say 'trailing pennons,' and this is supported by ostmdali in 1. 79. 
 avean : Jlammelle (understood) is the subject to this, signifying the 
 lights and the bands which streamed from them. 
 
 76-8. rimanea : sc. V aer^ supplied from 1. 74. sette liste : 
 as these bands of light emanate from the candlesticks, which represent 
 the seven Spirits of God, it is natural to regard them as the seven 
 gifts of the Spirit, which are enumerated in Isa. xi. 2 (Vulg.) as 
 wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, piety, and fear 
 of the Lord. (N. B. The Engl. Vers, does not include piety.) 
 Delia: Diana, i.e. the moon, il cinto : 'her girdle,' the 
 lunar halo. 
 
 79-81. ostendali: 'standards.' eran maggiori, &c. : 'stretched 
 further than I could see.' Dieci passi, &c. : ' the outermost ones 
 were ten paces apart.' 
 
 82-4. diviso : 'describe.' Ventiquattro : though the idea of 
 the four and twenty elders, as has already been remarked, is taken 
 from Rev. iv. 4, Dante here employs them to represent the books 
 of the O. T., which were twenty-four in number, as computed by 
 St. Jerome, fiordaliso : the lily is here the emblem of purity in 
 faith and doctrine. 
 
 85, 86. Benedetta, &c. : the salutation of Elizabeth to Mary, 
 Luke i. 42. It is here addressed to Beatrice; and this need cause 
 us the less surprise, when we find that in Purg. xxx. 19 the saluta- 
 tion with which Christ was hailed on His triumphal entry is offered 
 to her also. 
 
 90. Libere fur : ' were no longer trodden by.' 
 
 91-3. Si come, &c. : 'as one star in passing across the heavens 
 follows and replaces another star.' quattro animali : the four 
 living creatures represent the Four Gospels — not here the four 
 Evangelists, though that is their usual symbolism, verde : the 
 colour of hope. 
 
 371 B b 2 
 
PURGATORIO [xxi^. 94-114 
 
 94-6. Ognuno, &c. : Rev. iv. 8 ; ' the four living creatures, 
 having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about 
 and within.' Perhaps the best interpretation of the allegory intended 
 by Dante here is, that the wings (representing motion) signify the 
 all-pervading power, the eyes the spiritual insight, of the Gospels. 
 gli occhi d' Argo, &c. : ' the eyes of Argus, when they were 
 alert, would have resembled them.' The keenness of sight of 
 Argus the guardian of lo is proverbial. Dante in this passage 
 had in his mind the story of Argus in Ov. Met. i. 568 foil, vivi : 
 in full activity — not asleep, as Ovid describes them to have been 
 in 11. 713, 714, where Mercuiy charms the eyes of Argus, 'vidit 
 Cyllenius omnes Succubuisse oculos adopertaque lumina somno ' ; 
 see Moore, Studies., i. p. 223. sarebber : for sarebbero stati; cp. 
 sarei for sarei stato in Inf. xxiv. 36. 
 
 98. spesa : 'outlay'; i.e. demands upon my available space. 
 For other passages in which Dante refers to his limited space cp. 
 Purg. xxxiii. 136—41 ; Par. xxxii. 139-41. 
 
 100-2. Ezechiel: Ez. i. 4-6, * Behold, a stormy wind came 
 out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself. . . . And 
 out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures . . . 
 and every one of them had four wings.' 
 
 104, 105. salvo, &c. : the number of wings according to St. 
 John and Dante was six, according to Ezekiel four. 
 
 107, io8. Un carro, &c. : the chariot is the Church, which 
 supports the Divine Truth, i.e. Theology, in the person of Beatrice: 
 the gryphon by which it is drawn is our Lord, whose two natures, 
 human and divine, correspond to the two elements of the lion and 
 the eagle which are found in the gryphon; cp. Purg. xxxi. 80, 81. 
 Of the numerous explanations of the two wheels perhaps that 
 which best suits the function of the Church here given is that of 
 Philalethes, that they are Scripture and Tradition. 
 
 1 09-1 1, ale: this form of the sing, is not found elsewhere in 
 Dante, but the plural which is derived fiom it, alt., is common, 
 e. g. in 1. 94. Tra, &c. : between the middle one of the seven 
 bands and the three on either side of it. fendendo : ' by cleaving 
 (i. e. passing through) it.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. Tanto, &c. : the wings rose until they were out of 
 sight. This signifies that the Divine Nature of our Lord is incom- 
 prehensible. Le membra, &c. : the description in this and the 
 
XXIX. 115-35] PURGATORIO 
 
 next line is derived from that of the Bridegroom in the Canticles, 
 V. lo, II — 'My beloved is white and ruddy. . . . His head (i.e. 
 here the part like a bird) is as the most line gold.' 
 
 115, 116. Non che, &c. : 'not only did not Rome gladden 
 Scipio Africanus or Augustus with so magnificent a triumphal 
 chariot.' 
 
 118-20. Quel del Sol, &c. ; the reference is to the story of 
 Phaethon driving the chariot of the sun, as related in Ovid, Met, 
 Bk. ii. The splendour of the chariot, which is the point of the 
 comparison here, is described by Ovid in 11. 107-10 ; its swerving 
 from its course (sviando) in 1. 205 ; the intercession of the Earth 
 in order to save the world from conflagration in 11. 272 foil. ; the 
 destruction of the chariot by Jove's lightning in 11. 316-8. devota: 
 ' prayerful ' ; the speech of the Earth in Ovid is one long prayer. 
 Quando, &c. : ' when Jupiter in his secret counsels was just.' 
 It would be more natural to understand the words to mean, ' when 
 the justice of Jove moved in a mysterious way,' implying that there 
 was something in his treatment of Phaethon which is hard to recon- 
 cile with our ideas of justice ; but there is nothing in the story to 
 support this explanation. 
 
 121. Tre donne : the three theological virtues — Love, Hope, 
 and Faith, who are here distinguished by their appropriate colours. 
 
 126. mossa: 'shed,' 'fallen.' 
 
 127-9. Ed or, &c. : faith leads hope and love, because until it 
 arises they cannot exist ; love leads faith and hope, because they 
 iind their perfection in love, dal canto, &c. : it is the inspiration 
 of love which regulates the movement of faith and hope. 
 
 130-2. quattro : the four cardinal virtues — Justice, Prudence, 
 Fortitude, and Temperance. They are dressed in purple, the 
 imperial colour, because they regulate human conduct. facean 
 festa : 'were making holiday,' i.e. were dancing, una di lor: 
 Prudence, which forms the groundwork of the other cardinal virtues. 
 Her three eyes look at the past, the present, and the future; cp. 
 Conv. iv. 27. 11. 42-6. 
 
 133-5. il pertrattato nodo : ' the group here treated of.' due 
 vecchi : St. Luke, representing the Acts of the Apostles, and 
 St. Paul, representing his Epistles. The figures which follow 
 these stand for the remaining books of the N. T., so that the entire 
 canon of Scripture has its place in the procession, in abito, &c. : 
 
 • 373 
 
PURGATORIO [xxix. 136-54 
 
 * unlike in dress, but like in carriage, which was dignified and com- 
 posed.' The difference in dress seems to have been that St. Luke 
 wore the garb of a physician, St. Paul, to judge from his sword, 
 that of a soldier, atto, ed : the metrical hiatus between these words 
 is somewhat modified by the pause; cp. Purg. xxiv. 55. 
 
 136-8. L' un : 'Luke, the beloved physician,' Coloss. iv. 14. 
 de' famigliari, <^"c. : ' one of the disciples of that supreme Hippo- 
 crates ' ; the great physician of antiquity is here regarded as the 
 representative of the medical profession, che natura, &c. : ' whom 
 nature made for the benefit of her favourite creature,' viz. man. 
 
 139. la contraria cura: that of wounding. St. Paul, whose 
 emblem is a sword, smites the conscience with the sword of the 
 spirit. 
 
 142-4. quattro : St. James, St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude, 
 representing their Epistles. They are ' in humble guise,' because 
 their Epistles were of less importance. un veglio : St. John, 
 representing the Apocalypse ; he is asleep, as being in a trance, but 
 his looks are keen, because he is listening in spirit to that which is 
 being revealed to him. 
 
 145. col, &c. : 'were dressed in white to correspond to the 
 company which preceded the car'; cp. 1. 65. primaio : the 
 termination in aio is elsewhere in Dante a monosyllable for metrical 
 purposes, as in primaio, Purg. xiv. 66; beccaio, Purg. xx. 52 : here 
 the final is pronounced separate in consequence of st following ; 
 see note on Inf. viii. 11. 
 
 148. Anzi, &c. : as the writings of the O. T. are characterized 
 by purity of faith and doctrine, which is symbolized by the lily, so 
 those of the N. T. are characterized by the warmth of Christian 
 love, which is symbolized by crimson flowers. 
 
 149. Giurato, &c. : 'one looking from a little distance (lit. 
 a look from no great distance) would have sworn.' 
 
 152-4. Un tuon: this was a sign from Heaven, insegne : 
 the golden candlesticks with the bands of light proceeding fiom 
 them. 
 
 374 
 
XXX. i>6] PURGATORIO 
 
 CANTO XXX 
 
 Argument. — The figures who form the procession invoke Beatrice, 
 and in the midst of a cloud of flowers scattered by a company of 
 angels, she appears and takes up her position in the car. Dante 
 overpowered at the sight turns to Virgil for aid, but finds that he 
 has disappeared. Beatrice now addresses him reproachfully, and 
 then, turning to the angels, describes her good influence over him 
 during her lifetime, and his alienation from her after her death, not- 
 withstanding which she had watched over him, and at the last had 
 summoned Virgil to her assistance to save him from ruin. 
 
 Line i. il settentrion del primo cielo : the first or highest 
 heaven is the Empyrean, where is the presence of God; and 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 by which the Seven Spirits are represented in 
 the mystic procession, il settentrion is the subject to Fermo si 
 affisse in 1. 7, and the meaning is, 'when the seven candlesticks stood 
 still.' There is much difference of opinion whether by il setten- 
 trion the Great or the Little Bear is intended. It is in favour of 
 the latter that it was by the Pole-star that men steered (1. 6, Qtml 
 timon giro) ; in Lat. also the Little Bear was called Septentrio Minor ^ 
 e.g. Cic. De Nat. Dtor. ii. 43. iii ; and it has seven stars. On 
 the other hand, Septentrio is much more commonly used of the Great 
 Bear ; and Dante has the latter in his mind in Par. xiii. 7-9 ; xxxi. 
 32 ; and in Can%. xv. 29. 
 
 2—6. Che ne, &c. : ' which (like the Bear) never rises or sets, 
 and which is never obscured by cloud, except that of sin which hides 
 it from men's eyes.' Thus far the seven Spirits of God are spoken 
 of; what follows refers to the seven candlesticks which represent 
 them. ' And which at that spot (li) was intimating to each member 
 of the procession his proper movement,' i. e. was guiding those who 
 followed, come il piii basso, &c. : ' as the Bear guides him who 
 turns the rudder to come to port,' i. e. the mariner. The Bear is 
 called ' the lower constellation of seven stars ' in contrast with ' the 
 Septentrion of the highest heaven,' because according to Dante's 
 
 3V5 
 
PURGATORIO [XXX. 7-36 
 
 scheme it is two spheres below the Empyrean in the eighth heaven, 
 or that of the fixed stars. 
 
 7-9. la gente, &c. : the four and twenty elders, who are verace, 
 because they represent the inspired books of the O. T. Venuta, 
 &c. : who up to this time had been between the gryphon, who drew 
 the chariot, and the candlesticks. Al carro, &c. : ' turned towards 
 the chariot (the Church), as to their repose ' ; their repose was their 
 fulfilment in the establishment of the Church. 
 
 10, II. un di loro : the one of the twenty-four elders by whom 
 the book of Canticles is represented. We cannot say Solomon, 
 because according to the arrangement here introduced (see note on 
 Purg. xxix. 83) the three books which were attributed to him — 
 Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles — were represented by three 
 separate elders. Veni, &c. : Cant. iv. 8 ; on the present occasion 
 this is used as an invocation addressed to Beatrice. 
 
 13-5. Quali, &c. : the sudden appearance around the chariot of 
 a company of angels heralding the approach of Beatrice, is compared 
 to the dead rising from their graves at the Judgement. They are 
 shown to be angels by 11. 29, 82. bando : 'proclamation,' 'the 
 final summons.' alleluiando : this is an absolute construction; 
 ' the voice of their renewed humanity raising alleluia.' 
 
 16, 17. basterna : ' car' ; it is a Lat. word signifying 'a litter.' 
 Dante may have obtained it from Isidore, Orig. xx. 12. 5, or from 
 the Catholicon of Giovanni da Genova. ad vocem, &c. : ' at the 
 sound of that elder's voice.' The Lat. words here were probably 
 introduced to furnish a rhyme for vents and plenis. 
 
 19-21. Benedictus, &c. : the salutation addressed to our Lord 
 on the occasion of His triumphal entry. Matt. xxi. 9. It is now 
 addressed to Beatrice. Manibus, &c. : from the lament for Mar- 
 cellus in Virg. Aen. vi. 884. We have here an illustration of Dante's 
 fondness for combining a Scriptural and a classical allusion. 
 
 26, temperanza: 'tempering influence.' 
 
 32. Donna: Beatrice, who represents Divine Wisdom or 
 Theology. Dante here redeems the promise which he had made at 
 the end of the Vita Nuova (§ 43, 11. 10, 11), that he hoped to say 
 of Beatrice what had never been said of any other woman. She 
 appears dressed in the colours of Faith, Hope, and Charity (cp. 
 Purg. xxix. 1 2 1-6), and wears a crown of olive in token of peace. 
 
 34-6. cotanto, &c. ; Beatrice had been dead ten years in 1300. 
 
 376 
 
XXX. '>,i-^^'\ PURGATORIO 
 
 che alia, &c. : 'since it was overpowered with awe at her presence.' 
 Dante describes the impression made upon him by his first meeting 
 with Beatrice in the following words : — ' In quel punto dico verace- 
 mente che lo spirito della vita, lo quale dimora nella segretissima 
 camera del core, comincio a tremare si fortemente, che apparia ne' 
 menomi polsi orribilmente ; e tremando disse queste parole : Ecce 
 Deus forttor me, qui veniens dominabitur mihV {F'ifa Nuova, § 2. 
 11. 19-25). 
 
 37. degliocchi: 'by my eyes.' 
 
 40—2. Tosto che, &c. : Dante here describes the effect produced 
 on him by the sight of Beatrice's person ; he could not see her face, 
 which was still hidden by her veil ; cp. 11. 67-9. puerizia : Dante 
 tells us in Fila Nuova, § 2. 11. 14, 15, that he was nine years old 
 when he first saw Beatrice. 
 
 43. rispitto : ' confidence ' ; it is from a Provencal word respleit, 
 which signifies ' expectation ' ; from this is deduced the meaning of 
 ' confident expectation,' and so ' confidence.' 
 
 48. Conosco, &c. : a translation of Virgil's words in Aen. iv. 23, 
 ' Agnosco veteris vestigia flammae.' 
 
 49-51. Virgilio : by the arrival of Beatrice, or Divine Wisdom, 
 as Dante's guide, Virgil, or Human Reason, is superseded in that 
 ofHce, and consequently he has disappeared. Notice the threefold 
 repetition of Virgil's name, which is probably in imitation of the 
 similar repetition of that of Eurydice in Virg. Georg. iv. 525-7. die' 
 mi: 'I surrendered myself; cp. Inf. ii. 139, 140. 
 
 52—4. Ne quantunque, &c. : 'nor did all (the joys of the 
 Terrestrial Paradise) which our first mother (Eve) lost, avail to 
 prevent my cheeks which had been cleansed with dew (by Virgil, 
 Purg. i. 124-9) f^o"^ being once more stained with tears.' atre : 
 'dark,' the Lat. ater', cp. Inf. vi. 16. 
 
 55-7. Dante: this is the only passage in the poem in which the 
 Poet's name occurs ; and, as he tells us inl. 63, it is only introduced 
 here because it is unavoidable, perche : ' notwithstanding that.' 
 altra spada : a wound inflicted by another sword, i. e. Beatrice's 
 reproaches. 
 
 61. sinistra: this would be the side opposite Dante. 
 
 65. r angelica festa : the cloud of flowers, 1. 28. 
 
 68. fronde di Minerva : olive leaves. ^ 
 
 70-2. ancor proterva: 'still haughty in demeanour.' che 
 
 377 
 
PURGATORIO [XXX. 73-96 
 
 dice, &c. : ' who, while he speaks, keeps in reserve his severest 
 utterance.' 
 
 73-5. sem : for stamo: both this and ci of guardaci are the plural 
 of dignity; see note on Purg. xxxiii. 92. Come degnasti, &c. : 
 ' how wast thou able to approach the Mountain ?' Beatrice was aware 
 that Dante had been conducted to the Mountain of Purgatory by 
 divine grace, but this she puts out of sight in order to reproach him 
 with his sinfulness, which rendered him unfit to enter the Terrestrial 
 Paradise. Casini remarks that degnare^ like the Provencal denhar^ 
 in the language of poetry signified ' to be able.' degnasti is re- 
 garded by some as being used ironically here in the modern sense of 
 ' deign ' ; but irony seems out of place in this connexion, felice : 
 Beatrice implies that the sinful man cannot be happy, and therefore 
 has no place there. 
 
 80, 81. per che, &c. : 'from which cause (i.e. owing to the 
 display of haughtiness) the flavour of severe compassion has a taste 
 of bitterness.' This is a general sentiment. 
 
 83, 84. In te, &c. : Ps. xxxi. i, 'In thee, O Lord, do I put 
 my trust,' to v. 8, ' Thou hast set my feet in a large room.' The 
 passage implies the absolute confidence of the soul in God's power 
 to save, and the angels by singing it interpret Dante's feeling at the 
 moment. The remainder of the Psalm does not refer to this feeling, 
 and is therefore omitted. 
 
 85-7. vive travi: 'living rafters,* i.e. trees: the Lat. trabs is 
 often used thus in poetry, lo dosso d' Italia : the ridge of the 
 Apennines, soffiata : ' breathed on.' venti schiavi : north-east 
 winds from the Dalmatian mountains. The country called Slavonia 
 in Cent. xiv. lay between the Dalmatian coast and the Drave. 
 
 88-90. in se, &c. : 'filters into itself,' the upper layer trickling 
 through into those below. Pur che, &c. : ' if haply a warm wind 
 comes from the land where shadows are lost,' i. e. from the tropics, 
 where the sun is vertical, and consequently casts no shadow, at 
 certain times of the year. SI che, &c. : ' even as wax is melted at 
 the fire,' lit. ' so that fire seems to be melting a candle.' 
 
 92, 93. che notan, &c. : 'who ever make melody, following the 
 music of the eternal spheres.' For the music of the spheres see 
 note on Par. i. 78. 
 
 94-6. tempre : 'harmonies'; cp. Par. x. 146. stempre : 
 * unnerve,' ' unman,' lit. ' dilute.' 
 
 378 
 
XXX. IOO-26] PURGATORIO 
 
 100, 1 01. la detta coscia : the left side, 1. 6i. sustanzie 
 
 pie : ' compassionate beings.' 
 
 T04-7. ^ "^o^ ^o^ fura, &c. : 'cannot conceal from you one 
 step which the ages make in their course.' ' Ye know everything 
 that passes in the world, and therefore ye know the history of 
 Dante's life ; consequently my reply is made (not for your sakes, 
 but) rather in order that he may hear,' &c. 
 
 109-11. rote magne : the celestial spheres. These determine 
 the bias of each man's character and life in a certain direction, 
 according to the character of the planet under which he was born. 
 The system here referred to is fully set forth in Par. ii. 112 foil. 
 
 113, 114. Che SI alti, &c. ; ' which (divine graces) are showered 
 down upon us from a region so elevated (lit. which have such lofty 
 clouds to furnish their rain) that our sight cannot approach thereto.' 
 The elevated region is the profundity of God's counsels, nostre : 
 that of all finite beings ; Beatrice includes herself. 
 
 1 1 5-7. sua vita nuova : 'his early life,' i.e. the first period 
 of man's life, reaching to 25 years of age; see note on 1. 125. 
 Virtualmente : ' potentially.' Fatto, &c. : ' would have produced 
 wondrous results in him.' 
 
 119, 120. col mal seme, &c. : ' by harmful plants and want of 
 cultivation ' ; when there are weeds in the soil and there is no tillage, 
 the land is soon overrun with noxious growths, and the more so in 
 proportion to its natural fertility. 
 
 125, 126. seconda etade : in Conv. iv. 24. 11. 1-13 Dante 
 divides human life into four ages or periods ; the first of these is 
 Adolescence, the second Youth ; and Youth commences at 25 years. 
 Beatrice was in her twenty-fifth year at the time of her death in 
 1290, and consequently was on the threshold of her second age 
 when she passed to another life (mutai vita). diessi altrui : 
 the person — or at least the chief person — here intended by altrui, 
 is the same as the donna gentile, or 'lady of the window,' in Vita 
 Nuova, §§ 35-7, who for a time usuqjed Dante's affections ; but 
 who that lady was is a disputed question. Her significance, when 
 allegorically interpreted, is given in Conv. iii. 11. i\. 2-4, 'questa 
 Donna e quella Donna dello intelletto che Filosofia si chiama ' ; and 
 the reference in diessi altrui is to Dante having for a time allowed 
 himself to be absorbed in the study of philosophy to the neglect of 
 theology. 
 
 379 . 
 
PURGATORIO [xxx. J31— XXXI. 1^ 
 
 131, 132. Imagini, &c. : 'false images of good* are such 
 enjoyments as seem to be good but are not really so. Che nulla, 
 &c. : * which fulfil (rendono intera) no promises.* 
 
 I33~5* Ne impetrare, &c. : 'nor did it avail me to obtain for 
 him by prayer communications from Heaven.' in sogno, &c. : ' in 
 dreams and visions (altrimenti),' such as those mentioned towards 
 the end of the Vita Nuova (§ 40. 11. 1-8 ; § 43. 11. 1-6). calse : 
 the verb is impersonal ; ne calse a lui, ' he cared for them ' ; cp. 
 calme in Purg. viii. 12. 
 
 136, 137. argomenti : ' means/ ' expedients ' ; cp. Purg. ii. 31. 
 corti : ' insufficient.* 
 
 139-41. visitai : cp. Inf. ii. 52 foil, morti : the lost souls, 
 the ver'i morti of Purg. xxiii. 122. porti : ' uttered,' from porgere : 
 cp. Inf. V. 108; xvii. 88. 
 
 142—4. fato : 'appointment.' tal vivanda : ' the food which 
 is in prospect,' i. e. the joy of seeing Beatrice's eyes, the cibo of Purg. 
 xxxi. 128. scotto : ' payment ' ; the word is the same in deriva- 
 tion and meaning as Engl. ' scot ' in ' scot-free,' ' to pay one's 
 shot,' &c. 
 
 CANTO XXXI 
 
 Argument. — Beatrice, once more addressing Dante, accuses him 
 directly of unfaithfulness to her; whereupon Dante confesses his 
 sin, and after expressing his repentance falls into a swoon. When 
 he recovers consciousness, he finds that Matelda has plunged him in 
 the stream of Lethe, and when he reaches the farther bank, he is 
 conducted to a position in front of the car. Here he is privileged 
 to gaze into the eyes of Beatrice unveiled and to enjoy her smile. 
 
 Lines 2, 3. punta: the 'thrust' is the direct appeal, the 'cut,' 
 which strikes ' edgewise ' (per taglio), the indirect charge, as set 
 forth in her address to the angels. 
 
 4. cunta : ' delay ' ; an archaic word, der. from Lat. cunctari. 
 
 9. dischiusa : ' had been emitted from the organs of speech.' 
 
 10-2. Poco sofFerse: 'she paused a while.' dall' acqua 
 offense : ' impaired by the water of Forgetfulness.' 
 
 380 
 
XXXI. 15-30] PURGATORIO 
 
 15. le viste : the eyes were needed to see the movement of the 
 lips. 
 
 17, 18. tesa : 'tension'; 'when it goes off from being too 
 tightly drawn.' asta : ' shaft,' ' arrow.' 
 
 19-21. esso : 'that'; the word is here used as an adjectival 
 pronoun; cp. Par. viii. 19, ' essa luce.' allento, &c. : 'flagged in 
 its passage.' 
 
 22 foil. Ond' ella, &c. : throughout this address Beatrice is 
 speaking in the twofold character of a lady who has been slighted 
 for another lady, and (allegorically) of a higher study (Theology) 
 which has been neglected for a lower one (Human Philosophy) ; 
 see note on Purg. xxx. 126. The view that what Beatrice imputes 
 to Dante in this part of the poem is of purely allegorical significance, 
 referring to philosophy only, and not to any moral (or sentimental) 
 aberration on his part, is hardly reconcilable with such expressions 
 as ' Le presenti cose, Col falso lor piacer,' 11. 34, 35, and 'pargo- 
 letta, O altra vanita con si breve uso,' 11. 59, 60. 
 
 22-4. Per entro, &c. ; 'in the midst of (i.e. when thou wast 
 under the influence of) the love that I inspired.' lo bene, &c. : 
 ' the highest good (God himself), beyond which there is no further 
 object of aspiration.' 
 
 25-7. Quai fossi, &c. : 'what trenches lying across thy path, 
 or what chains (closing a gate) didst thou find ? ' (' What bar of 
 thwarting foss or linked chain,' Gary); i.e. 'what hindrances of 
 various kinds didst thou meet with, that owing to them (per che) 
 thou shouldst thus have deprived thyself of the hope of a further 
 advance ? ' 
 
 28-30. agevolezze : ' affability ' and so ' attractions.' avanzi : 
 ' profit.' degli altri : these words agree with bent understood, 
 which is to be supplied from ad amar lo bene in 1. 23. They mean 
 the lower objects of desire as compared with the highest good. The 
 terms used in this passage are partly literal, partly allegorical ; thus, 
 while agevolezze and fronte apply rather to Beatrice's rival, altri 
 is used in the allegorical sense for the attractions of human wisdom 
 which led Dante away from the divine wisdom, passeggiare 
 anzi : ' pay court to ' ; if this is the right meaning, it is derived 
 from that of 'to promenade in front of a lady's window, and so 
 'to serenade,' 'to court.' According to Blanc, Vocab.^ the ex- 
 pression refers to a servant walking before his master, and means 
 
 381 
 
PURGATORIO [XXXI. 39-75 
 
 ' to play the servant/ ' be subservient to ' ; but the former explanation 
 is preferable. 
 
 39. tal giudice ; God. 
 
 42. Rivolge se, &c. : ' the wheel (of the whetstone) turns against 
 (and so blunts) the edge (of the weapon).' 
 
 46. Pon giii, &c. : ' cease from sowing tears ' ; Dante perhaps 
 had in his mind Ps. cxxvi. 5, ' They that sow in tears shall reap 
 in joy/ though sowing tears and sowing in tears are two different 
 things. 
 
 51. e sono : cJje is to be supplied before sono from in che of the 
 previous hne. in terra sparte : ' resolved into earth.' This seems 
 to be the right reading, notwithstanding that the great majority 
 of the MSS. give j-o«o terra sparte \ see Moore, Text. Crit., pp. 433, 
 434. This passage, it may be observed, is strongly in favour of 
 Beatrice having been a living woman, and not merely an allegorical 
 Hgure. 
 
 52-4. ti fallio : 'failed thee,' 'was lost to thee.' trarre, &c. : 
 ' to have induced thee to desire it.' 
 
 55~7- per lo prime, &c. : 'at the first assault (lit. dart) of the 
 delusive attractions of the world.' tale : i. e. cosafallace. 
 
 58—60. Non ti dovea, &c. : ' no mere girl, nor other vain 
 object of so brief enjoyment, should have depressed thy wings, so 
 that thou shouldst be exposed to more attacks of temptation.' 
 
 61—3. due o tre : understand colp'i^ i.e. assaults; si saetta in 
 I. 63 corresponds in meaning to this, dinanzi, &c. : Prov. i. 17, 
 ' In vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird ' — in the Vulg. 
 • ante oculos pennatorum ' (dei pennuti, ' of full-fledged birds '). 
 
 66. se riconoscendo : ' realizing their fault.' 
 
 69. riguardando : i. e. from the sight of my perfections which 
 you have neglected. 
 
 70-2. Con men, &c. : Dante here describes his reluctance to 
 face the reproving gaze of Beatrice, nostral vento : the tra- 
 montana, or violent north wind of Italy, quel, &c. : the south or 
 south-west wind, which was called by the Romans Africus. larbas 
 was king of the Gaetulians in Africa, and one of Dido's suitors ; 
 Virg. Aen. iv. 196 foil. 
 
 74? 75' quando, &c. : 'when, in asking me to Uft my face, she 
 said "your beard," I clearly perceived the sting which that implied,* 
 viz. that he was no infant, but a grown man. 
 
 382 
 
XXXI. 76-9^] PURGATORIO 
 
 76-8. si distese: 'uplifted itself,' lit. 'opened itself out to 
 view.' Posarsi, &c. : ' I saw that the angels had ceased to scatter 
 flowers'; cp. Purg. xxx. 28-30. 
 
 79-81. sicure: 'confident in themselves.' volta : from standing 
 sideways in the car to face Dante, she had turned towards the front 
 of the car. fiera : the gryphon, the two elements in which, the 
 eagle and the lion, represent the two natures in our Lord ; cp. Purg. 
 xxix. 108. 
 
 84. Vincer che, &c. : Vincer is here repeated from the 
 preceding line, and 'v'lncea is understood after Che ; ' to surpass, 
 I say, her former self more than she surpassed other women,' &c. 
 The form of expression is awkward, and Che vincer or Che viricea 
 would be preferable readings, but the MS. authority is strongly in 
 its favour. 
 
 86, 87. di tutt' altre, &c. : ' of all other things, that which most 
 turned me aside (from Beatrice) in my love of it, became most repulsive 
 to me.' 
 
 88-90. riconoscenza : ' self-conviction ' ; cp. se riconoscendo^ 
 1. 66. e quale, &c. : ' and what was my state, when in that swoon 
 (allora), she (Beatrice) alone knows, who was the cause of my 
 fainting.' Salsi : ^or se lo sa', cp. Purg. v. 135. 
 
 91—3. quando, &c. : 'when my heart restored power to my 
 outward senses,' i. e. when I recovered from fainting. La Donna, 
 &c. : Matelda, the Donna soletta of Purg. xxviii. 40. dicea, &c. : 
 ' she was saying, " Hold fast to me." ' Matelda, who represents 
 the active life of good works, which leads up to the contemplative 
 life (Beatrice), plunges Dante in Lethe, and causes him to drink of 
 its waters, thus taking away from him the recollection of past sin, 
 after which he is allowed to see Beatrice unveiled. In this part of 
 the poem the interest of the story is so concentrated on Dante that 
 we hear nothing of Statius having drunk of the water of Lethe, 
 though in Purg. xxxiii. 134, 135 it is implied that he drank of that 
 of Eunoe. But we may infer that he did so, for it appears from Inf. 
 xiv. 136-8 that all the souls which passed out of Purgatory partook 
 of Lethe. 
 
 96. Sopr* esse : 'just over,' 'over the surface of; for esse 
 see note on Inf. xxxiv. 4 1 . spola : a weaver's shuttle, which is 
 here taken as the emblem of light and swift movement. 
 
 98. Asperges me : Ps. li. 7, ' Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, 
 
 383 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxi. ioo-25 
 
 and I shall be clean ; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than 
 snow.' This is sung by the angels, who here, as in Purg. xxx. 82, 
 represent the element of compassion. 
 
 100-2. nelle braccia aprissi : 'opened her arms'; for the 
 form of expression cp. Purg. x. 49, ' mi mossi col viso.' mi 
 sommerse, Ove : ' plunged me to a depth at v/hich.' 
 
 104, 105. quattro belle: the four cardinal virtues; see Purg. 
 xxix. 130, where they are described as dancing {^facean festa). 
 coperse : in token of protection, signifying that he was thenceforth 
 secure against vice. 
 
 106-8. stelle : these are the same four stars, which are mentioned 
 in Purg. i. 23. As has been remarked in the note to that passage, 
 they are probably allegorical, and real stars are not referred to. Pria 
 che, &c. : allegorically — before the knowledge of the Divine Wisdom 
 was revealed to men, the cardinal virtues were ordained to prepare 
 the way for it. 
 
 1 09-1 1. Menrenti : for // meneremo. nel giocondo, &c. : ' the 
 three theological virtues, which are on the other side of the car, as 
 they have greater intuition in spiritual things, will help your eyes 
 to see more clearly in the glad light which shines in those of 
 Beatrice.' Faith, Hope, and Love are the true preparation for the 
 study of divine truth. 
 
 114. volt a a noi : when Dante stood facing the Gryphon which 
 drew the car, Beatrice who was standing on the front of the car 
 would be opposite to him. 
 
 115. Fa che, &c. : ' be not chary of thy looks.' 
 
 120. Che pur, &c. : 'which were steadfastly fixed on the 
 Gryphon alone.' 
 
 123. Or con uni, &c. : 'now with the one, now with the other 
 function.' This is explained by doppia in the preceding line. Christ 
 was reflected in the eyes of Beatrice (was revealed in theological 
 truth), at one time in the semblance of an eagle (as God), at another 
 time in that of a lion (as Man). 
 
 125, 126. Quando vedea, &c. : 'when I saw that the thing 
 (the Gryphon), while it was in itself unchanged (the two elements, 
 the eagle and the lion forming one creature), yet, as seen in its image 
 (as reflected in the eyes of Beatrice), took more than one form (was 
 seen sometimes as an eagle, sometimes as a lion).' Allegorically 
 this means — Christ in himself is one Person, with two natures 
 
 384 
 
XXXI. 129-45] PURGATORIO 
 
 inseparably and indivlsibly united in that Person ; yet in theology he 
 may be regarded sometimes as God, sometimes as Man. 
 
 129. saziando, &c. : cp. Ecclus. xxiv. 21, where Wisdom 
 says — ' They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink 
 me shall yet be thirsty.' The ' food ' is the eyes of Beatiice. 
 
 130-2. tribo : 'rank,' Lat. tribus: 'showing by their bearing 
 that they were of the higher rank,' i. e. higher than the cardinal 
 virtues. 1' altre tre : the theological virtues, caribo : a song to 
 accompany dancing, like lallata : Casini refers to D' Ancona, Antiche 
 Rime Volgari^ vol. i. p. 388, where the word is used in this sense 
 by Giacomo Pugliese, a poet anterior to Dante. 
 
 135. ha mossi, &c. : ' has journeyed so far.' 
 
 136-8. Per grazia, &c. : 'of thy grace do us the favour.' La 
 seconda bellezza : this is Beatrice's smile, her former charm being 
 her eyes : the eyes represent demonstration, i. e. the statement of the 
 truth; the smile persuasion. Cp. Conv. iii. 15. II. 13-6, ' Gli 
 occhi della Sapienza sono le sue dimostrazioni, . . . . e '1 suo riso 
 sono le sue persuasioni.' 
 
 140-2. pallido: pale with study. 'Who ever studied so 
 assiduously beneath the shades (i. e. groves) of Parnassus, or drank 
 such inspiration from its fountain (Castalia), as not to feel his mind 
 oppressed.' 
 
 144, 145. La, dove, &c. : ' in the Terrestrial Paradise, where the 
 Heaven envelops (lit. overshadows) thee In its harmonies ' ; the 
 meaning apparently is, that the revelation of Beatrice's face calls down 
 the music of the spheres ; but it is a very obscure passage. Quando, 
 &c. : ' when thou didst unveil thyself in the open air.' 
 
 CANTO XXXII 
 
 Argument. — The procession moves away from the neighbour- 
 hood of the stream, and halts at the foot of a lofty tree, to the 
 trunk of which the Gryphon attaches the pole of the car. Dante 
 now falls asleep, and on waking finds that Beatrice has left the car, 
 and is seated on the ground beneath the tree surrounded by the 
 Virtues, while the Gryphon has ascended into Heaven, accompanied 
 by the remaining figures that formed the procession. In the scene 
 
 TOZER 385 C C 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxii. 2-21 
 
 which follows the principal crises in the history of the Church are 
 allegorically described. 
 
 Lines 2, 3. la decenne sete : Dante's longing for the sight of 
 Beatrice, which had lasted from her death in 1290 until the date 
 of the Vision in 1300. spenti : 'extinguished/ i. e. in abeyance. 
 
 4-6. Ed essi, &c. : ' and my eyes were restrained by a wall of 
 indifference on either hand,' being concentrated on what was before 
 them. The form of expression was probably suggested by Ex. xiv. 
 22, 'The waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on 
 their left.' 1' antica rete : the attractiveness which won Dante's 
 love on earth. 
 
 8, 9. quelle Dee : the three theological virtues, which had just 
 invoked Beatrice (Purg. xxxi. 131). As they were stationed on 
 the right of the car (Purg. xxix. 121), they were on the left of 
 Dante, who was facing it. Troppo fiso : ' you are contemplating 
 Beatrice's face too attentively ' ; allegorically — ' Do not pry into the 
 mysteries of Revelation.' 
 
 10. a veder : take with disposizion, 'condition of the sight,' 
 lit. ' disposition towards seeing.' 
 
 I3~5* ^1 poco : 'my sight adapted itself once more to the 
 inferior splendour — inferior, I mean, compared with that superior 
 object, from which perforce I turned my eyes.' The inferior 
 splendour is the car and its accompanying pageant, the superior the 
 eyes of Beatrice. Sensibile ; lit. ' object of the sense of sight ' ; 
 for the substantival use cp. visibile, Purg. xv. 1 5. 
 
 16-8. Vidi, &c. : ' I saw that the glorious army (the procession) 
 had wheeled to the right, and were retracing their steps with the 
 sun and the seven flames (the candlesticks) in front of them.' The 
 sun, which was in the east, would now be in front of (opposite to) 
 the procession, because the procession had previously been moving 
 westwards, as is shown from Dante having met it when he was 
 going east ('a levante mi rendei,' Purg. xxix. 12). 
 
 19-21. Come, &c. : the movement of the procession in turning 
 gradually round is compared to that of a squadron retiring from 
 the field in a similar manner, the fore part of the column with 
 its standard (col segno) drawing off, before the centre begins 
 to move. In this movement by the right a letreating force would 
 have the shield-arm towards the enemy (sotto gli scudi). 
 
 386 
 
XXXII. 22-39] PURGATORIO 
 
 22-4. Quella milizia, &c. : the twenty-four elders, il primo 
 legTio : the pole. 
 
 25-7. alle rote, &c. : the two bands composed of the theolo- 
 gical and cardinal virtues, which had come forward to conduct 
 Dante to Beatrice and present him to her (Purg. xxxi. 109, 131), 
 now return to their original position by the right and left wheels 
 respectively. il grifon, &c. : ' the Gryphon drew the car with 
 its sacred burden (Beatrice) onward, yet so that not one of his 
 feathers was thereby moved.' Allegorically — Christ, though He 
 moves the Church, is in Himself immutable. 
 
 29, 30. la rota, &c. : the right wheel, on which the car was 
 turning, and which consequently described a smaller arc than the other. 
 
 31-3. vota, &c. : 'uninhabited in consequence of Eve's sin.' 
 crese : for credeite. temprava, &c. : ' regulated our steps.' 
 
 34-6. prese : ' is wont to measure.* scese : the descent of 
 Beatrice from the car marks a change in that which is represented : 
 whereas hitherto the glorification of Theology (Beatrice) has been 
 the purpose of the divine pageant, now the main subject is the 
 fortunes of the Church (the car). We learn from 11. 103-5 that 
 the scenes which follow were introduced in order that Dante might 
 record them for the instruction of mankind. 
 
 37-9. Adamo : the mention of the name is a protest against 
 Adam's sin, as they approach the Tree of Knowledge of good and 
 evil, cerchiaro : ' encircled,' in the sense of ' formed a circle 
 round,' cp. 1. 46. pianta : this tree has already been referred 
 to in Purg. xxiv. 1 1 6 as growing on the summit of the Mountain 
 of Purgatory. But we enter here on another system of allegory, 
 for the tree is also symbolical of the Empire. The connexion 
 between these two allegorical interpretations is traceable in two 
 points, viz. (i) that the tree is the symbol of submission to authority; 
 (2) that it cannot be violated with impunity. The former of these 
 applies to the Tree of Knowledge as representing the prohibitive 
 commandment of God, to the Empire as being the institution which 
 embodies the idea of temporal authority. The latter is true of the 
 Tree of Knowledge because its fruit was forbidden to be plucked, 
 of the Empire because it was an ordinance existing under divine 
 sanctions ; cp. Purg. xxxiii. 55-63. The views of the Empire 
 here mentioned are everywhere conspicuous in Dante's De Mon- 
 arch'ta. dispogliata : the tree is spoken of as being stripped of 
 
 387 c c 2 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxii. 40-60 
 
 its flowers and leaves, because the Roman Empire before the coming of 
 Christ was destitute of those virtues which are the ornament of a state. 
 
 40-2. coma : this must mean the branches and twigs, since 
 there were no leaves, si dilata : this feature has been already 
 found in the trees in the Circle of the gluttonous (Purg. xxii. 
 133-5), one of which was derived from the tree spoken of in the 
 present passage (Purg. xxiv. 115-7). In the case of those trees 
 its object is to prevent the branches from being reached ; and here 
 in like manner it is intended to signify that no man may lay hands 
 on or tamper with the Empire; cp. Purg. xxxiii. 65, 66, and note. 
 Indi : Virgil {Georg. ii. 122-4) speaks of the height of the trees 
 in India — 'ubi aera vincere summum Arboris baud ullae iactu 
 potuere sagittae.' 
 
 43-5. non discindi, &c. : 'dost not pluck aught of this tree,' 
 i. e. dost not appropriate the temporal advantages of the Empire. 
 Christ renounced all temporal power ; He said, ' My kingdom is 
 not of this world.' dolce al gusto, &c. : cp. Rev. x. 10, where 
 it is said of the little book, ' It was in my mouth sweet as honey, 
 and as soon as I had eaten it my belly was bitter.' si torce il 
 ventre : this intimates allegorically the result of the spiritual power 
 interfering with the temporal. 
 
 46-8. robust D : cp. Dan. iv. 20 (Vulg. iv. 17), 'Arborem, 
 quam vidisti sublimem atque rohustam^^ in which passage the kingly 
 power is spoken of, as here the imperial. binato : ' of two 
 natures'; cp. Purg. xxxi. 81. Si, &c. : by abstention on the part 
 of the Church from things temporal. The words are adapted from 
 Matt. iii. 15, 'Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.* 
 
 49-51. volto al temo, &c. : this implies that the Gryphon 
 turned round and faced the pole of the car. The pole with its 
 cross-piece represents the Cross, by which Christ draws His Church. 
 His attaching this to the stem of the Tree of Knowledge denotes 
 the connexion which exists between the Church and the Empire, 
 though the two act independently, vedova frasca : ' leafless tree.' 
 quel di lei, &c. : ' left bound to the tree that which proceeded from 
 the tree,' viz. the Cross. Buti gives the story, that when Adam was 
 dying the angel who guarded the gate of Paradise gave to his son 
 Seth a branch from the Tree of Knowledge ; this was planted, and 
 from it was taken the wood of which the Cross was made. 
 
 52-60. In these lines Dante describes, by the symbolism of the 
 
 388 
 
XXXII. 5^-74] PURGATORIO 
 
 bare tree bursting into flower, the vivifying effect on the Empire of 
 its contact with the Chui-ch. 
 
 52-4. quando, &c. : in the early spring, when the sun is in 
 Aries ; ' when the light of the great luminary descends to earth in 
 combination with that light which beams in the wake of the heavenly 
 Roach,' i. e. with Aries, the sign of the zodiac which comes next to 
 Pisces. 
 
 56, 57. pria che, &c. : before the sun enters another constella- 
 tion of the zodiac. 
 
 58-60. Men che, &c. : * disclosing a hue intermediate between 
 rose and violet ' ; this probably means the colour of the imperial 
 purple, ramora ; archaic plur. from ramo. sole : ' bare.' 
 
 61-3. qui: on earth, soffersi : 'endured to Hsten to.' 
 
 64-6. assonnaro : intrans. ' sank asleep ' : the reference here, 
 as in Purg. xxix. 95, is to the story of Argus, whom Mercury lulled 
 to sleep by relating to him the history of the nymph Syrinx, and 
 afterwards slew ; Ov. Met. i. 689-719. spietati : ' merciless ' in 
 their watchfulness in guarding lo. a cui, &c. : ' whose too great 
 watchfulness cost them so dear,' i. e. caused the death of Argus. 
 
 67-9. che con, &c. : ' who has an original picture from which to 
 copy.' qual vuol, &c. : ' he that would describe the process of 
 falling asleep must look to it that he do it well ' ; lit. ' let it be 
 that (sia che) whosoever wishes to attempt it (qual vuol) should 
 describe well the falling asleep.' The meaning is, that it is no easy 
 matter to represent the transition state between consciousness and 
 unconsciousness. Philalethes remarks that Dante has been singularly 
 successful in doing this in Purg. xviii. 141 foil. 
 
 71. un splendor : this arose from the mystic procession depart- 
 ing to Heaven. 
 
 73-81. Dante's losing and recovering consciousness is compared 
 to the change which passed over the three Apostles at the time of 
 our Lord's Transfiguration. 
 
 73, 74. a veder : take with condotti, 1. 76. del fioretti, &c. : 
 ' some few flowers of the apple-tree,' &c. The apple-tree is Christ, 
 the glory of whose presence was enjoyed in foretaste (as flowers, 
 fioretti) by the three Apostles, but is partaken of in its fulness (as 
 fruit, porno) in Heaven. The apple-tree is specially chosen because 
 of Cant. ii. 3, ' As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is 
 my beloved among the sons.' 
 
 389 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxii. 76-160 
 
 76-8. condotti: 'led' by Christ; cp. Matt. xvll. i, 'Jesus 
 bringeth them up into a high mountain apart.* E vinti, &c. : ' and 
 having been overpowered by the sight, recovered themselves on hearing 
 the word by which Christ raised the dead.* The word meant is 
 Surgi^ 1. 72. After the Transfiguration Jesus said, ' Arise, and be not 
 afraid,' Matt. xvii. 7. 
 
 79-81. E videro, &c. : 'and saw their company diminished by 
 (the loss of) both Moses and Elias.' cangiata : ' changed,* because 
 it had lost its brightness. 
 
 87. in sulla sua radice : as the tree is the Empire, and the 
 roots of that are Rome, this means that Christian truth (Beatrice) 
 resides in Rome under the protection of the Empire. 
 
 88, 89. la compagnia : the Virtues ; see 11. 97-9. senvanno 
 suso : ' are ascending to Heaven ' ; the figure of our Lord (the 
 Gryphon), and the whole of the procession, except the car and the 
 seven candlesticks and the seven Virtues, have disappeared. In other 
 words — the Church no longer enjoys the visible presence of Christ and 
 of those who testified to His truth (the representatives of the Books 
 of the Old and New Testament), but is left to the guidance of the 
 Holy Spirit (the Seven Candlesticks), and is quickened by the practice 
 of virtue (the seven Nymphs). Beatrice (the true Faith) is also 
 present there. 
 
 93. Quella, &c. : ' Beatrice, the sight of whom had excluded all 
 other thoughts from my mind.* 
 
 94-6. Sola : this means that Christian truth is self-sufficing, and 
 needs no extraneous support, terra vera : ' the very, bare earth.' 
 Allegorically, this is an amplification of what is signified by sola, 
 viz. that Theology is absolutely detached from other aids, alia : 
 a is used here in the sense of ' by ' of the agent after a verb of 
 perception ; cp. Purg. viii. 106. 
 
 100-2. silvano : 'a forest-dweller* ; Dante would be so while 
 he remained in the Terrestrial Paradise, quella Roma, &c. : the 
 kingdom of Heaven, of which Christ himself is a citizen. 
 
 1 09-60. The part of the allegorical vision which here commences 
 relates the principal crises in the history of the Church. The historical 
 sequence of the events referred to affords some help towards the 
 interpretation. The following is a summary of them, according to 
 the explanation which is given below, (i) The persecution of the 
 Church by the Roman emperors, 11. 109-1 7. (2) The early heresies, 
 
 390 
 
XXXII. 109-26] PURGATORIO 
 
 and especially that of Arius, 11. 118-23. (3) The Donation of 
 Constantine, 11. 124-9. (4) '^^^ "^^ of Mahometanism, 11. 130-5. 
 (5) The gifts of land bestowed on the Church by Pepin and Charles 
 the Great, and their effects, 11. 136-47. (6) The relations of the 
 Papacy and the French Monarchy, especially in the time of Boniface 
 VIII, 11. 148-56. (7) The removal of the Papal See to Avignon, 
 11. 157-60. 
 
 109-11. Non scese, &c. : the expressions used in this simile 
 are best explained by a reference to Ar. Meteorol. ii. 9. 2-4, from 
 which passage Dante has taken his theory of the formation of lightning. 
 This, Aristotle says, is generated in the higher regions of the air 
 (cp. quel confine che piu va remoto), because, the cold there 
 being most extreme, the clouds are the most dense (cp. spessa 
 nube). Lightning, being squeezed out by the density of the cloud, 
 falls downwards (cp. piove) instead of ascending, as fire usually 
 does. See Moore, Studies, i. p. 130. For piove in the sense 
 of ' falls ' cp. Inf. xxiv. 122; xxx. 95. piu va remoto ; 'stretches 
 farthest into the distance.* 
 
 1 1 2—5. 1' uccel di Giove, &c. : the eagle is the Imperial symbol, 
 and its striking the car (1. 115) signifies the persecutions of the 
 Church by the heathen emperors. And as the flowers and leaves 
 which the bare tree had put forth (11. 58-60) signify the graces and 
 virtues which contact with the Church had produced in the Empire, 
 the rending of them signifies the diminution of those graces, and the 
 tearing of the bark of the tree the consequent injury to the Empire 
 itself. The description of the eagle rending the tree is from 
 Ezek. xvii. 3, 4. 
 
 116, 117. fortuna: *a storm.' or da poggia, &c. : 'now to 
 starboard, now to larboard.' Poggia is the rope which is attached 
 to the right hand side, orza that attached to the left hand side, of 
 the yard. 
 
 1 18-20. cuna : ' the body of the car,' lit. ' cradle.' volpe : this 
 is Heresy, which treacherously creeps into the bosom of the Church, 
 but is expelled by Theology or sound doctrine, pasto buon, &c. : 
 'starving from wholesome food,' i. e. refusing sound doctrine. 
 
 122. futa: 'flight,' an archaic word. 'My Lady put him to as 
 swift a flight As such a fleshless skeleton could bear ' (Longf.). 
 Dante regarded heresy as unhealthy and contemptible. 
 
 125,126. area: ' the interior of the car.' disepennuta: the 
 
 391 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxii. 128-45 
 
 feathers left by the eagle In the car signify the (fictitious) Donation 
 of the States of the Church by the emperor Constantine to Pope 
 Sylvester. This commencement of temporalities Dante denounced 
 in Inf. xlx. 115-7 as the origin of the corruption of the Church. 
 
 128, 129. cotal disse, &c. : the early commentators refer to 
 a legend, that after the Donation of Constantine a voice from Heaven 
 was heard saying — ' Hodle diffusum est venenum in Ecclesia Dei.' 
 
 131. un drago : the figure is suggested by the dragon of Rev. 
 xli. 3, 4, whose tall drew the third part of the stars of heaven. In 
 the present passage it probably signifies Mahometanism, which robbed 
 the Church of a large portion of the world. Some think it is the 
 Iconoclastic controversy ; but that was not specially important from 
 a Western point of view, and, moreover, it was a breach within the 
 Church, whereas in what is described here the attack comes from 
 without, and from the powers of Hell. This last objection applies 
 also to the view that the Great Schism is intended ; and this too 
 does not suit the historical order, because that event occurred after 
 the time of Pepin and Charles the Great, whereas here they are 
 Introduced later. 
 
 135. del fondo : part of the floor of the car. vago vago : 
 ' in devious course ' ; the original meaning of the word, ' wandering,' 
 suits the irregular, tortuous movement of the serpent. Allegorically 
 this Implies the unstable character of a false religion. 
 
 136-9. Quel che rimase, &c. : 'the remaining part of the car 
 covered itself anew with the feathers, which were presented to it, 
 maybe, with a sound and generous motive.' The feathers, as before, 
 are donations of the emperors, and those here meant are the gifts of 
 land bestowed on the Church by Pepin and Charles the Great. 
 
 140, 141. El* una, &c. : by the two wheels and the pole the 
 remaining part of the car Is intended, in tanto, &c. : ' in less time 
 than it takes for a sigh to pass the lips.' 
 
 142-6. Trasformato cosi : 'owing to the change thus wrought,' 
 i. e. under the pernicious influence of temporal possessions. il 
 dificio santo : the car. teste : in what follows the seven heads 
 and ten horns are evidently taken from Rev. xiii. i. The meaning, 
 as they are here introduced, has been variously interpreted, but the 
 most probable view is that of Phllalethes, that the heads are the seven 
 deadly sins ; and that, as the horn is the symbol of strength, the 
 first three of these, Pride, Envy, and Anger, being sins of the spirit, 
 
 392 
 
XXXII. 148-60] PURGATORIO 
 
 have two horns each, while the remaining four, Sloth, Avarice, 
 Gluttony, and Lust, being sins of the flesh, have one each. 
 
 148-50. rocca : ' fortress.' Seder, &c. : ' sitting upon the car 
 I beheld an abandoned harlot, with eyes quick to glance around.' 
 The figure of the harlot is from Rev. xvii. 3 ; here it represents the 
 Papacy in the hands of Boniface VIII and Clement V, while the 
 giant (1. 152) is the French monarchy represented by Philip 
 the Fair. 
 
 1 5 1-3. come, &c. : this explains the position and attitude of the 
 giant ; ' as if to prevent her from being taken from him, I saw upright 
 beside her a giant.' baciavansi, &c. : this is adapted from Rev. 
 xvii. 2, ' with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication.' 
 The sympathy which existed between the Popes and Philip the Fair 
 in opposition to the Emperors is here referred to. 
 
 ^55) ^5^' A me: Dante introduces himself, because he is 
 supposed to be present at this scene, and the presence of any man 
 is sufficient to excite the desires of the harlot and the jealousy of 
 her lover. The rapprochements here intended are those between 
 Boniface and Albert of Austria. La flagello : this means the 
 shameful treatment of Boniface by the agents of Philip at Anagni, 
 which resulted in his death. 
 
 158-60. il mostro : this expression, and also the ' strange beast ' 
 of 1. 160, mean the Church in its corrupt and perverted state 
 (Trasformato, 1. 142). Disciolse signifies the removal of the 
 Papal See to Avignon by Clement V, who was the creature of Philip ; 
 by this proceeding the Church was detached from the Empire (the 
 tree), and removed to a distance from Rome. The ' wood ' is the 
 world with its unprincipled and entangled politics. Observe that both 
 this event and the ill treatment of Boniface were subsequent to 1 300, 
 and consequently are mentioned in the form of prophecies from the 
 point of view of that date, sol di lei, &c. : ' he made a screen 
 (lit. shield) of it (the wood) alone between me and the harlot with 
 her transformed car ' ; the interposing trees sufficed to hide these 
 objects from my sight. Dante here speaks in the character of an 
 ordinary pious Catholic of the period, to whom the removal of the 
 Papacy from Rome was an obscuration of the idea of the true 
 Church. At the same time he rejoices that that calamity was partly 
 shrouded from his view by the political complications which ac- 
 companied it. 
 
 393 
 
PURGATORIO [XXXIII. 1-24 
 
 CANTO XXXIII 
 
 Argument. — Beatrice leaves the tree, accompanied by the seven 
 Virtues, and by Matelda, Statius, and Dante. After bidding Dante 
 to walk beside her, she foretells to him that the troubles which the 
 Church was then passing through would be compensated by the 
 punishment of those who caused them, and orders him to publish 
 this announcement to mankind. At last they reach a fountain, 
 from which the streams of Lethe and Eunoe issue, and flow in 
 different directions ; here Matelda, following Beatrice's injunctions, 
 conducts Dante to the water of Eunoe, and causes him to drink of it. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Deus, &c. : Ps. Ixxix. i, 'O God, the heathen 
 are come into thine inheritance ' ; this is here applied to the havoc 
 wrought in the Church by hostile powers, such as the French 
 monarchs. Le donne : the three theological and the four cardinal 
 virtues, singing the psalm antiphonally (alternando). 
 
 4-6. pia : 'compassionate.' si fatta : 'in aspect such.' si 
 cambio : ' changed countenance.' 
 
 9. colorata, &c. : i. e. blushing with indignation and zeal. 
 
 10-2. Modicum, &c. : the words are our Lord's, John xvi. 16. 
 The reference in non videbitis me is to the removal of the Papal 
 See to Avignon, which from the point of view of that time was 
 a subversal of true Church principles ; and that in vos videbitis me 
 is to the subsequent restoration of the Papal See to Rome, ac- 
 companied by a moral reformation in the Church. Beatrice, who 
 represents true doctrine in general, is here regarded as signifying the 
 right view of God's government in the Church, which would be 
 temporarily obscured and afterwards reaffirmed. The ten -syllable 
 lines here and in 11. 8 and 1 2 are justified by the rhyming words in 
 two of them being in Latin ; the same metrical peculiarity is found 
 in Purg. xxiii. 74 and Par. vii. i, where the rhyming words, or 
 one of them, are in Hebrew. 
 
 15. il Savio, &c. : Statius, who remained when Virgil departed. 
 
 21. ben disposto : ' in a favourable position.' 
 
 22-4. Si come, &c. : 'as soon as I was by her side, as was 
 
 394 
 
XXXIII. 34-43] PURGATORIO 
 
 my duty ' — from obedience to her commands, perche non, &c. : 
 ' why dost thou not venture to ask me for explanations ? ' 
 
 34-6. il vase : the car, i. e. the Church, is meant ; cp. Purg. 
 xxxii. 131, 132. Vaso is similarly used of the Ark in Purg. x. 64 ; 
 its primary meaning in this metaphorical sense is that of ' receptacle.' 
 Fu, e non e : from Rev. xvii. 8. The meaning is, that in the eyes 
 of God the Papacy, which represents the Church, ceased to exist 
 when its seat was transferred to Avignon, ma chi, &c. : ' but let 
 him who is responsible for the deed (Philip the Fair, who was the 
 chief agent in bringing about this change) lay this to heart, that the 
 vengeance of God fears not (is not liable to be hindered by) any 
 sop.* The reference in suppe is to a certain limitation which existed 
 to the practice of the vendetta, viz. that if 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. 
 The relations of the murdered man kept watch to prevent this. 
 Beatrice's meaning then is — there are no limitations to hinder the 
 execution of divine vengeance. 
 
 37-9. Non sar^, &c. : ' the eagle (the Imperial line) which left 
 its feathers on the car (cp. Purg. xxxii. 125, 126) will not be for 
 ever without an heir.' According to Dante there had been no real 
 Emperor since Frederic II (see Conv. iv. 3. 11. 38-43), because his 
 successors had neglected the affairs of Italy, which Dante regarded 
 as the most important function of the Emperor, as he says in his 
 appeal to the emperor Albert in Purg. vi. 97-105. Per che, &c. : 
 ' owing to which (the dotations) it became first a prodigy (Purg. 
 xxxii. 136 foil.) and afterwards a prey {ibid. 1. 158).' 
 
 40, 41. io veggio, &c. : ' I see stars (stellar influences by which 
 the fortunes of men are regulated) even now drawing nigh, to assign 
 us the time, at which (Nel quale, 1. 43).' 
 
 43. un cinquecento diece e cinque : the idea of describing 
 a person by a number is derived from the number of the Beast in 
 Rev. xiii. 18. The great majority of expositors regard the number 
 here, which in Roman letters is DXV, as equivalent to DUX by 
 transposition of the last two letters. If we accept this view, we can 
 hardly interpret its significance apart from that of the Veltro in Inf. 
 i. 1 01. It seems probable that in both cases a 'coming man' is 
 intended, to whom Dante looked forward as the regenerator of Italy, 
 and the restorer of the Church and the Papacy to their rightful 
 
 395 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxiii. 45-8 
 
 position. In the Inferno the person who is darkly hinted at as 
 destined to fulfil this office is Can Grande della Scala, while here 
 men's hopes are turned towards a member of the Imperial line, who 
 is soon to arise (11. 37, 38). His primary function is to exact 
 vengeance for the iniquitous alliance between the Papacy and the court 
 of France {anddera,&c., 11. 44, 45). According to another explanation, 
 which has been proposed by Dr. Moore in a pamphlet entitled ' The 
 "DXV" Prophecy in the Divina Commedia' (printed for private 
 circulation), the person here intended is definitely the emperor Henry 
 VII. This conclusion he deduces primarily from a careful con- 
 sideration of the language of the context preceding ; but he also 
 thinks that the same result may be obtained by estimating the 
 numerical values assigned to the letters which form his name in 
 the Hebrew alphabet. He has proved that there is a very large 
 amount of mediaeval Kabbalistic literature, in which this method 
 of interpretation by the numerical value assigned to the Hebrew 
 letters is practised ; and also, that some of the writers of this class, 
 and certainly the mystical system of interpretation itself, can hardly 
 fail to have been well known to Dante. Now the name Arrico — 
 which is a legitimate form of the name of Henry of Luxemburg — 
 when the numerical value of the letters which compose it is estimated 
 according to the Hebrew computation, is equivalent to 511 (^ = i, 
 r = 200, r = 200, / = 10, c = 100), without taking into account 
 the value of the final letter 0. This vowel does not appear (like 
 the rest) to have had, at least in mediaeval times, any definitely 
 recognized equivalent in the Hebrew alphabet, and therefore its 
 numerical value requires to be assigned on independent lines ; this, 
 according to Dr. Moore, might probably have been taken by Dante 
 as 4, inasmuch as it is the fourth vowel. Thus the total becomes 
 515, the number which Dante gives. 
 
 45. fuia : ' robber' ; see note on Inf. xii. 90. 
 
 46-8. forse che, &c. : ' maybe that my dark utterance persuades 
 thee less'; for the use of forse che cp. Purg. iv. 98; xxi. 121. 
 Qual Temi, &c. : ' Hke (that of) Themis and the Sphinx.' The 
 riddles of the Sphinx are well known. The enigmatical response of 
 Themis, which is here referred to, is that which she gave to 
 Deucalion and Pyrrha after the Flood, Ov. Mei. i. 379-89. 
 attuia : ' obscures * ; the etymology of the word is doubtful ; some 
 connect it with Lat. obiurare^ 'to close up.' 
 
 396 
 
XXXIII. 49-72] PURGATORIO 
 
 49-51. Ma tosto, &c. : ' but soon events will be the interpreters*; 
 coming events will furnish the explanation. The history of the 
 meaning here attached to Naiade is a curious one. Though it is 
 now known from MSS. discovered since Dante's time that Ovid in 
 the passage here referred to {Met. vii. 759, 760) wrote ' Carmina 
 Laiades non intellecta priorum Solverat ingeniis ' — where ' Laiades ' 
 means Oedipus, who solved the riddle of the Sphinx — yet all the 
 MSS. of Ovid that were known in the middle ages read 'Naiades 
 . . . solvunt'; hence Dante, following his text of Ovid, regarded the 
 Naiads as the interpreters of enigmas. Senza, &c. : ' without (as 
 in the case of Thebes) its causing ruin to the flocks ' ; cp. Ovid, 
 1. 764, 'exitio pecorum.* 
 
 52-4. porte: 'uttered'; cp. Purg. xxx. 141. Del viver, &c.: 
 take with ai vivi ; ' the Hving (I mean) who live that life which 
 is a race towards death.' The real life is the eternal life which 
 Beatrice herself enjoys. 
 
 565 57' qiial hai, &c. : 'in what condition thou hast seen the 
 tree.' due volte : very different views exist as to the two occasions 
 which are here referred to ; but the special mention of Adam's sin 
 in 1. 61 seems to point to that as one of them ; and Beatrice's in- 
 tention that a lesson should be drawn by Dante's readers (1. 55) 
 suggests that the separation of the car from the tree (i. e. of the 
 Church from the Empire), which was effected by the' giant (Purg. 
 xxxii. 158), is the other. 
 
 59. bestemmia di fatto : sacrilege. 
 
 62, 63. Cinquemili' anni e piii : in Par. xxvi. 118-23 Adam 
 is made to say that he spent 930 years on earth and 4,302 in Limbo, 
 i. e. 5,232 years in all. Colui : Christ, who paid in His own person 
 the penalty for Adam's sin in eating of the apple. 
 
 65, 66. Per singular, &c. : i. e. that the grandeur and inviola- 
 bility of the Empire is ordained by Providence, travolta : ' in- 
 verted,' because it widened as it ascended, so that its branches might 
 be out of reach of the hands of spoilers ; cp. Purg. xxxii. 40, 41. 
 
 67-9. E se, &c. : 'and, had not your mind been hardened by 
 worldly thoughts, and stained by the pleasure derived from them.' 
 Elsa : a tributary of the Arno with petrifying powers. Piramo : 
 the death of Pyramus was the cause of the mulberry changing from 
 white to a dark colour ; cp. Purg. xxvii. 39. 
 
 70-2. Per tante, &c. : ' by all these incidents (of the vision) 
 
 397 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxiii. 74-99 
 
 without further aid thou wouldst recognize the justice of God in the 
 prohibition not to touch the tree, in its moral interpretation/ In 
 other words — the moral of the symbolical occurrences which you 
 have seen is, that no one should put forth his hand to attack the 
 Empire, just as our First Parents were forbidden to pluck the fruit 
 of the Tree of Knowledge, moralmente : Dante explains in Conv. 
 ii. I. 11. 42-51, that the moral, as distinguished from the literal and 
 the allegorical sense of a statement, is that in which it is regarded 
 in its application to life and practice. 
 
 74. ed, impietrato, tinto : 'and, in addition to being hardened, 
 stained.' 
 
 76-8. se non, &c. : 'if not in words, at least in outline.' per 
 quello, &c. : 'for the same reason, for which a pilgrim (' palmer ') 
 carries his staff girt with palm-leaves,' viz. as a memorial token — in 
 Dante's case, as a remembrance of his visit to the Terrestrial 
 Paradise. 
 
 84. s' aiuta : ' it applies itself to understand it ' ; cp. Purg. 
 xii. 130. 
 
 85-7. Perche, &c. : 'in order that you may estimate the worth 
 of that school which you have followed, and may see how little its 
 teaching is capable of following in the wake of my discourse.' By 
 the ' school ' are meant the disciples of human philosophy, which 
 study Dante had cultivated to the disregard of theology. 
 
 88-90. vostra: the plural here signifies 'of you and your school.' 
 si discorda : ' is separated ' ; cp. Is. Iv. 9, ' as the heavens are 
 higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.' piii 
 alto festina : the highest or outermost of the moving spheres, 
 which consequently revolves the most rapidly, is the Frimum Mobile; 
 cp. Conv. ii. 4. 11. 19—21. 
 
 91. mi ricorda: for this impersonal use see note to Inf. ix. 98, 
 ' se ben vi ricorda.' 
 
 92. voi : this is the plural of dignity. The other personages in 
 the poem whom Dante addresses in this manner are Farinata (Inf. 
 X. 51), Cavalcante (Inf. x. 63), Brunetto Latini (Inf. xv. 30), 
 Adrian V (Purg. xix. 131), Guido Guinicelli (Purg. xxvi. 112), 
 and Cacciaguida (Par. xvi. 10). 
 
 96. ancoi : 'but now,' for anche oggi. 
 
 97-9. se dal fummo, &c. : 'just as, when we see smoke, we 
 infer the presence of fire, so your having turned your thoughts to 
 
 398 
 
XXXIII. 100-12] PURGATORIO 
 
 another than me (tua voglia altrove attenta) is shown to have 
 been culpable by your having forgotten it in the water of Lethe,' for 
 it is only of sins that Lethe causes forgetfulness. 
 
 IOO-2. oramai, &c. : 'henceforward what I say will be clear, so 
 far as it will be suitable to reveal it to your unpractised view.' 
 
 103-5. E piu, &c. : the time is now midday of the fourth day on 
 the Mountain of Purgatory. At noon the sun is brightest (piii cor- 
 rusco), and the imagination naturally conceives that it pauses or 
 slackens its speed (con piti lenti passi) when it reaches the highest 
 point of its course : thus Shelley in his Hymn of Apollo makes the Sun 
 to say, ' I stand at noon upon the peak of heaven,' and Sophocles 
 says {Ant. 415, 416), ev aWipt fxicni} KaTeamr) XafXTrpos rjXlov kvkXos. 
 Dante repeats the idea in Par. xxiii. 11, 12, where he describes the 
 meridian as 'la plaga, Sotto la quale il sol mostra men fretta.' Che, 
 &c. : ' which, with the point of view, shifts here and there' (Longf.) ; 
 i. e. the meridian circle, which is crossed by the sun at midday, varies 
 at each place according to its longitude. 
 
 108. novitate a sue vestigge : 'some strange object in his 
 track.' 
 
 109-11. al fin, &c. : i. e. where the shadow of the forest came 
 to an end. The reason why the darkness of the forest is noticed 
 especially at this point is the contrast with the light into which they 
 emerge. Sopra, &c. : ' above their cold brooks the Alps wear ' ; 
 Alpe, in whatever sense it is used, is always sing, in the Div. Com. ; 
 cp. Purg. xvii. i. 
 
 112. Eufrates e Tigri : Dante could hardly have failed here to 
 be thinking of the description in Gen. ii. 10, 14 of the common 
 source of the four rivers of Paradise, of which the Tigris (Hiddekel) 
 and the Euphrates were two. But the idea of a common source for 
 these two rivers independently of the other two he derived from the 
 classics. It is mentioned by three authors with whom Dante was 
 familiar. Thus Lucan says [Phars. iii. 256-9), ' Quaque caput 
 rapido tollit cum Tigride magnus Euphrates, quos non diversis 
 fontibus edit Persis, et incertum, tellus si misceat amnes, quod potius 
 sit nomen aquis.' Boethius {De Cons. v. Metr. i) writes 'Tigris et 
 Euphrates uno se fonte resolvunt, et mox abiunctis dissociantur 
 aquis.' Isidore {Orig. xiii. 21. 10) quotes Sallust to the same 
 effect : ' Sallustius, auctor certissimus, ita asserit Tigrim et Euphra- 
 tem uno fonte manare in Armenia.' For a possible explanation of 
 
 399 
 
PURGATORIO [xxxiii. 113-45 
 
 the origin of the fable see H. F. Tozer's History of Ancient 
 Geography, pp. 270—2. 
 
 113, 114. Veder mi parve : ' methought I saw ' ; he saw what 
 resembled the descriptions of the two rivers. E quasi amici, &c. : 
 'and lingeringly part, like friends, from one another.' 
 
 116, 117. Che acqua, &c. : 'what stream is this, which here 
 diffuses itself from a single source, and withdraws one portion of its 
 waters from the other ? ' 
 
 119. Matelda : Beatrice commissions Matelda to answer this 
 question, because this is her suitable function as being a regular 
 occupant of the Terrestrial Paradise. N.B. This is the only place 
 in which the name of Matelda is given. 
 
 121. Questo : the source of the two rivers was described by 
 Matelda in Purg. xxviii. 121 foil. 
 
 124-6. maggior curat the sights which had been presented to 
 him in the Terrestrial Paradise, priva : 'takes away.' negli 
 occhi OS cur a : ' dull of vision.' 
 
 127-9. vedi Eunoe : the non-elision of the vowel before 
 Eunoe, and the similar use before Euf rates in 1. 112, seem to show 
 that Dante admitted hiatus before the diphthong eu. usa : for 
 usata ; cp. Purg. xii. 85. ' As thou art wont ' seems to imply that 
 this was Matelda's office in behalf of all the souls that had passed 
 through Purgatory. 
 
 132. per segno : ' by some intimation.' 
 
 133. preso : 'taken by the hand.' 
 
 137, 138. pur, &c. : ' I would sing at least in part.' LfO dolce 
 ber : the water of Eunoe restores the recollection of every good 
 deed; cp. Purg. xxviii. 127-32. 
 
 139, 140. piene, &c. : we have here a strong evidence of the 
 symmetry of the plan of the poem. The total number of verses in 
 the Div. Com. is 14,233, and of these 4,720 are in the Inf., 
 4,755 in the Purg., and 4,758 in the Par., so that the number 
 assigned to each part is approximately equal. See Mariotti, Dante 
 e la Statistical p. 25. Ordite : ' planned,' lit. ' warped ' ; the proper 
 meaning of the verb or dire is ' to begin a web.' 
 
 143-5. piante novelle, &c. : 'young trees renewed with fresh 
 foliage.' For the fanciful repetition in novelle, Rinnovellate, 
 novella cp. Inf. xxx. 136, 137, and the note on Inf. xiii. 25. 
 stelle: see note on Par. xxxiii. 145. 
 
 400 
 
PARADISO 
 
 401 D d 
 
PARADISO 
 
 CANTO I 
 
 Prefatory Note on Dante's Conception of Heaven. 
 
 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 move- 
 ment of the spheres increases in proportion to their distance from 
 the earth. This system is based in the main on that of Ptolemy, 
 whose astronomical views were known to Dante through the Elementa 
 Astronomica of Alfraganus (Alfergan), the Arabian astronomer of 
 Cent, ix., which is an epitome of Ptolemy's work. 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 
 
 403 D d 2 
 
PARADISO [I. 1-36 
 
 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 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. 
 
 The subject of the Paradiso is one which tasked Dante's poetic 
 skill to the utmost, not only on account of its sublimity and its 
 transcendental character, but because of the uniformity of treatment 
 which it involved. In contrast with the exciting incidents of the 
 Inferno, and the frequent change of scene in the Purgatorio, the 
 accompaniments — the atmosphere, we might almost say — of this part 
 of the poem are light, music and rhythmic movement. The regular 
 recurrence of these, and the absence of variety which results from it, 
 required to be counterbalanced by the introduction of other elements, 
 such as imagination and art can furnish ; and of devices of this 
 nature the Poet has largely availed himself. In illustration of this it 
 may be remarked, that the number of the similes which are found 
 in the Paradiso is very large, so that they exceed by one-third those 
 that occur in either of the other two parts of the poem. 
 
 Argument. — This part of the Divina Commedia commences with 
 a Prologue, in which the Poet invokes the aid of Apollo to help him 
 in accomplishing this, the most arduous portion of his task. Dante 
 and Beatrice are suddenly caught up from the summit of the Earthly 
 Paradise to the sphere of fire, which intervenes between our atmosphere 
 and the Heaven of the Moon. When Dante is bewildered at 
 finding that he has ascended contrary to the laws of gravitation, 
 Beatrice, in order to explain how this has come to pass, reveals to 
 him the order of the universe. 
 
 Lines 1-36. These lines are to be regarded as a Prologue or 
 
 404 
 
I. 2-18] PARADISO 
 
 Introduction, as Dante tells us in his letter to Can Grande, Epist, 
 X. § 17. 11. 287-92. 
 
 2. e risplende: 'yet it shines'; though the glory of God 
 pervades the universe, yet it is manifested in different degrees in 
 different parts of that universe. Dante himself explains this so 
 in Letter to Can Grande, § 20. 11. 349-52. 
 
 4-6. Nel ciel che piu, &c. : this is the highest Heaven, or 
 Empyrean, where was the immediate presence of God. Fu' io : 
 this is almost equivalent to ' I have been.' Dante is apologizing here 
 for the inadequacy of his account of Paradise, and in doing so he 
 says that in one part of his journey through that realm he was in the 
 abode of God's presence, which no mortal can describe. Ne sa, 
 ne puo : he has not the knoivledge^ because he does not recollect 
 them; he has not the^ow^r, because human language cannot express 
 them: cp. Letter to Can Grande, § 29. 11. 573-5. chi, &c. : one 
 who, like Dante, or like St. Paul (cp. 2 Cor. xii. 2-4), had been 
 in Heaven and had returned to earth, 
 
 7-9. Perche, &c. : ' because our intellect, in drawing near to the 
 object of its desire (God), reaches such depths, that the memory 
 cannot follow it,' so as to bring away an account of what it saw; 
 Letter to Can Grande, § 28. 1. 530, 'memoria sequi non potest.' 
 
 10, II. Veramente : 'nevertheless'; cp. Purg. ii. 98; vi. 43. 
 far tesoro : ' store up,' 'treasure up.' 
 
 13-5. Apollo : in the two other Cantiche Dante had invoked 
 the Muses (Inf. ii. 7 ; Purg. i. 8) ; here he invokes Apollo himself. 
 si fatto vaso, &c. : ' a fit receptacle of thy power, such as thou 
 dost require for the gift of thy loved bay,' i. e. as a condition of 
 bestowing on the Poet the crown of bay-leaves, amato refers to 
 Apollo's love for Daphne ; cp. diletto^ 1. 25. According to the 
 story which is given in Ov. Met. i. 543-52, Daphne, who was 
 a daughter of the river Peneius, was metamorphosed on its banks 
 into the bay-tree, in order to save her from Apollo who was 
 pursuing her. In consequence of this the bay is called by Dante 
 fronda Pene'ta, !• 32. 
 
 16-8. Infino, &c. : the general meaning of the passage seems to 
 be: — 'Hitherto I have been content with the ordinary measure of 
 poetic inspiration ; for the more exalted subject which remains 
 I require a twofold measure.' It is well to notice the origin of 
 the idea concerning the summits of Parnassus, from which Dante's 
 
 405 
 
PARADISO [i. 19-21 
 
 metaphorical language is drawn. That mountain rises to a single 
 conspicuous summit ; and when the Greek poets speak of its two 
 summits (Soph. Ant. 11 26; Eurip. Bacch. 307; cp. Ion. 86-8) 
 they mean, not the real summit of the mountain, but the two peaks 
 that rise above Delphi, which are several thousand feet lower. 
 These expressions were misunderstood by the Roman poets, who 
 regularly describe Parnassus as rising to two summits ; e. g. Ov. 
 Met. i. 316, ' Mons ibi verticibus petit arduus astra duobus. Nomine 
 Parnassus'; Lucan, v. 72, 'Parnassus gemino petit aethera colle.' 
 Dante followed them, and naturally fell into the same mistake. 
 Then, as Parnassus is the representative of poetic inspiration, he 
 quaintly regards the two summits as a double portion of that inspira- 
 tion. There is no sufficient ground for saying, as some commentators 
 do, that one peak was sacred to Apollo, the other to Bacchus and 
 the Muses ; and that when the two peaks are named it is implied 
 that Dante, who hitherto has invoked the Muses, now invokes Apollo 
 also. Great confusion existed in the minds of post-classical writers 
 about these two (supposed) peaks of Parnassus, and by some — e. g. 
 Servius (on Aen. vii. 641 and x. 163) and Isidore (Or/g-. xiv. 8) — 
 they were identified with Helicon and Cithaeron. But the two 
 divinities to whom they were regarded as being sacred were Apollo 
 and Bacchus ; and no writer, so far as we know, with whom Dante 
 was acquainted, regarded one peak as dedicated to Apollo and the 
 other to the Muses. In fact, the only passage which may be taken 
 to imply this is found in the Scholia in Bucolica et Georgtca attributed 
 to Probus the Grammarian (Georg. iii. 43), and there is no reason to 
 suppose that Dante knew that work. 
 
 19-21. spira tue, &c. : the meaning is: — 'Grant me that in- 
 spiration which thou didst thyself feel, when thou didst vanquish 
 and flay Marsyas.' Marsyas challenged Apollo to a contest of skill 
 in -music, and the god, after he had vanquished him, flayed him alive. 
 spira refers to the inspiration of Apollo's music, not to his breathing 
 into the flute, for the instrument which he employed in this contest 
 was the lyre, traesti, &c. : the act of flaying is somewhat extra- 
 vagantly described as drawing the victim forth from the scabbard 
 which encased his limbs. As Dante has borrowed the story from 
 Ov. Met. vi. 382 foil., this expression was probably in part suggested 
 by Marsyas' exclamation which occurs in that passage, ' Quid me 
 mihi detrahis ? ' 1. 385. 
 
 406 
 
I. 22-42] PARADISO 
 
 22-4. O divina, &c. : ' O divine inspiration (of Apollo), if thou 
 dost vouchsafe me thyself in such measure, that I may express in 
 words that shadowy image of the blessed realm which is stamped on 
 my brain.' 
 
 25-7. diletto legno: the bay-tree, as in 1. 15. Che: 'of 
 which'; cp. Purg. xxi. 53, ' dei tre gradi ch' io parlai.' Instances 
 of the omission of the prep, with the relative, as here, are most 
 commonly found when the same prep, occurs with the antecedent. 
 la materia e tu : 'the subject and thy aid.' farai : the verb here 
 agrees with the latter of the two subjects; cp. Inf. viii. 28. 
 
 29. Per trionfar, &c. : ' for (in honour of) the triumph either of 
 an emperor or a poet.' This is an imitation of Statius, Ach'ill. i. 15, 
 ' geminae florent vatumque ducumque Certatim laurus.' 
 
 31-3. Che partorir, &c. : 'that the foliage of the Peneius (the 
 bay-tree) must gladden the heart of the gladsome god of Delphi, 
 when it inspires any one with longing for it.' The epithet lieta 
 here expresses the character of Apollo as the god of brightness and 
 joy. 
 
 34-6. Poca, &c. : ' a tiny spark is followed by a burst of flame ' ; 
 similarly, Dante implies, greater poets may be inspired by his example. 
 Si pregher^, &c. : ' prayer will be made, to evoke a favourable 
 reply from Delphi.' Cirra : the name of Cirrha, the port of 
 Delphi, is here used for the oracle itself, as it is by Statius, Theh. 
 iii. 106, 455, 474. 
 
 37-45. The Prologue having been concluded with the preced- 
 ing line, the Paradiso proper here commences. Dante begins by 
 stating the time of year, and the time of day, at which his ascent 
 from the Terrestrial Paradise to Heaven took place. The time of 
 year was the Vernal Equinox, which is regarded as the most 
 propitious season because it ushers in the spring. The time of day 
 was noon (see note on 11. 43-5), which is the culminating point of 
 the twenty-four hours. Thus the moment of his ascent was 
 a peculiarly auspicious one. 
 
 37, 38. Surge, &c. : the meaning is: — 'The sun rises at 
 different points of the horizon ' according to the time of year. 
 foci : lit. ' entrances,' as we speak of the ' gates ' of day. 
 
 38-42. ma da quella, &c. : 'but when he comes forth from 
 that point, which joins four circles with three crosses, his course is 
 most propitious, and he is in combination with the most beneficent 
 
 407 
 
PARADISO [1. 43-6 
 
 constellation, and modifies and moulds the mass of the earth most 
 after his own fashion/ che quattro cerchi, &c. : the point on 
 the horizon (foce) here intended is that at which the sun rises at 
 the vernal equinox. At that time 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. Stella : the constellation of Aries, in which 
 the sun is at the beginning of spring, when he brings bright weather 
 in his train (miglior corso). suggella : the formative influence 
 of the sun on the surface of the earth in bringing on vegetation and 
 crops, drying marshes, forming streams, &c., is compared to the 
 impress of a seal on wax. 
 
 43-5. Fatto avea, &c. : the difficulty of this passage arises 
 from the Poet having introduced into one sentence two times of day, 
 viz. sunrise — which is mentioned in connexion with the preceding 
 six lines in order to determine the season of the year — and midday, 
 which is the time intended in the narrative. This difficulty 
 disappears, if we give due weight to the tenses of the verbs, 
 pluperfect and imperfect respectively. Paraphrase thus : — ' It was 
 near this point on the horizon that the sun had risen, making 
 morning there (in the southern hemisphere, where the Mountain of 
 Purgatory was), and consequently evening here (in our hemisphere) ; 
 and the whole of the southern hemisphere ivas nonv (at midday) in 
 light, and the whole of the opposite hemisphere in darkness.' Tal 
 foce quasi : lit. ' this* point of sunrise or nearly this point ' ; the 
 qualifying adverb quasi is added to tal foce, because it was now 
 April 1 3, and the vernal equinox was on March 2 1 . tutto, &c. : 
 from what is here said, viz. that the whole of the southern 
 hemisphere was in light, it follows that it was midday at the 
 Mountain of Purgatory, which was its central point, as Jerusalem 
 was that of the northern hemisphere. Consequently Dante's ascent 
 from the summit of the Terrestrial Paradise must have taken place 
 at that hour, and not at sunrise, as many interpreters maintain. To 
 this latter view it is a further objection, that in that case he would 
 without any reason have passed 1 8 hours on that summit, which he 
 would have reached at noon on the previous day (Purg. xxxiii. 104). 
 
 46. sinistro : Dante's course from his entrance into the 
 Terrestrial Paradise until he reached its highest point (and 
 consequently that of Beatrice after she joined him) was from W. to 
 
 408 
 
I. 49-72] PARADISO 
 
 E. ; cp. Purg. xxvili. 7-12; xxix. 12. Consequently, in order 
 to face the sun — which at midday was in the N., since they were 
 in the southern hemisphere — she had to turn to the left. 
 
 49-51. SI come, &c. : Dante compares his action in imitating 
 Beatrice by looking full at the orb of the sun, to the reflexion of 
 a ray of sunlight from a bright surface. Pur come, &c. : the ray 
 of light naturally returning to the heaven from which it came is 
 further compared to a pilgrim longing to return when he has reached 
 the term of his journey. For another instance of a simile within 
 a simile cp. Par. iii. 10-5. 
 
 52, 53. Cosi, &c. : ' so from her action (of looking at the sun), 
 which passed through the medium of my eyes into my imagination, 
 did my action arise' ; cp. 11. 46, 47, where Dante is represented as 
 looking at Beatrice, while she looks at the sun. 
 
 56. loco : the Terrestrial Paradise; cp. Purg. xxviii. 92, 93. 
 
 58-60. ne si poco, &c. : ' yet not for so short a space of time 
 that I failed to see the orb of the sun sparkle all round.' bogliente : 
 ' molten.* 
 
 61-3. parve, &c. : 'the light of day appeared to be increased 
 twofold, as if God, who has the power to do so, had adorned the 
 heaven with another sun.' The increase of light was due to Dante's 
 ascent towards heaven, of which at the time he was unconscious. 
 
 64-6. rote : the spheres of Heaven, di lassu remote : ' with- 
 drawing them from above,' i. e. from the sun. 
 
 67-9. Nel suo, &c. : '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.' The story of Glaucus — a fisherman, who 
 in consequence of eating a divine herb which grew near the seashore 
 was changed into a sea-god — is given by Ov. Met. xiii. 904 foil. 
 Glaucus there says of himself (11. 949-51), ' Di maris exceptum 
 socio dignantur honore, Utque mihi quaecumque feram mortalia 
 demant Oceanum Tethymque rogant'; and again (11. 958, 959), 
 ' alium me corpore toto Ac fueram nuper, nee eundem mente recepi.' 
 Similarly, the effect on Dante of contemplating the eyes of Beatrice, 
 who represents the Divine Wisdom, was to raise him above the 
 level of his humanity. 
 
 70-2. Trasumanar, &c. : 'to express in words the change 
 from an earthly to a heavenly nature is impossible ; wherefore (as an 
 aid to realizing it) let the example (of Glaucus) suffice to him, for 
 
 409 
 
PARADISO [i. 73-8 
 
 whom the grace of God has the experience of it in store (in the 
 future life).' 
 
 73~5' S' io era, &:c. : the meaning is: — 'whether I was at 
 this time in the spirit only, or in the body also, God only knows.' 
 This is an adaptation of St. Paul's words concerning his having 
 been caught up to Heaven — ' whether in the body, I know not ; or 
 whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth ' (2 Cor. xii. 
 2). Lit. 'whether I was only that part of me which thou didst 
 last create (i. e. the spirit), thou knowest.' According to the 
 Creationist view of the origin of the rational soul which Dante 
 maintained (see note on Purg. xxv. 67-75), when the fetus was 
 formed in the womb, the rational soul was infused by God himself, 
 and consequently came last in the order of creation, novellamente : 
 this word properly signifies ' recently ' ; here it means ' recently as 
 compared with my body,' and so 'last in order of creation.' 
 Amor, &c. : God is meant. The expression is from Boethius, 
 De Cons. ii. Metr. 8, ' caelo imperitans Amor.' 
 
 76, 77. la rota, &c. : 'the motion of the spheres, which thou 
 dost cause to be etei-nal through their longing for thee,' lit. ' being 
 longed for by them.' The ninth sphere, or Prinium Mobile, which 
 originated the rotatory movement of the other spheres, was itself set 
 in motion by its longing to approach to the presence of God ; hence 
 God is ' colui che tutto move,' supra, 1. i. This idea was 
 derived in the first instance from Aristotle, who says i^Metaph. xi. 
 7. 2) that the divinity, by being the object of desire, attracts, and 
 thus sets in motion, the universe.' Cp. Coni). ii. 4. 11.. 19— 30. 
 
 78. r armonia : this is the 'ninefold harmony' of the 'crystal 
 s])heres ' in Milton's Ode on the Nativity ; Dante refers to it also in 
 Purg. xxx. 93. It was supposed to be produced by the spheres 
 of Heaven in their revolution. The idea was of Pythagorean origin, 
 and Dante was acquainted with it through Cicero, Somnium Scipionis, 
 § 5. che temper! e discerni : ' which thou dost modulate and 
 distinguish.' In order for harmony to be produced, there must be 
 a number of different sounds, and these must be made to accord 
 with one another. The former of these conditions is implied in 
 discerni, 'dost distinguish,' because God assigns different sounds 
 to the various spheres ; the latter is implied in temperi, ' dost 
 modulate,' because God regulates or harmonizes these sounds. 
 Cp. Somn. Scip., ' Hie [dulcis sonus] est, qui intervallis coniunctus 
 
 410 
 
I.79-I4T] PARADISO 
 
 imparibus, sed tamen pro rata parte ratione dtstlnctls^ impulsu et 
 motu ipsorum orbium conficitur, et, acuta cum gravibus temperans^ 
 varios aequabiliter concentus efficit/ 
 
 79. Parvemi, &c. : Dante has now been transported, though 
 unconscious of the change, into the region of fire, which intervenes 
 between our atmosphere and the sphere of the moon ; the vast 
 extent of this, as it appears to him, he can only compare to 
 a broad lake. 
 
 83, 84. Di lor cagion, &c. : ' kindled in me a desire to learn 
 their cause, more keen than 1 had ever felt before.' 
 
 85-7. vedea me, &c. : ' read my thoughts, even as I did 
 myself.' A similar power of insight has been frequently attributed 
 to Virgil in the earlier portions of the poem, e. g. Inf. xxiii. 25-30. 
 Pria ch' io, &c. : ' before I opened my lips to ask the question.' 
 
 88-90. Tu stesso, &c. : the meaning is: — 'Thou art thyself 
 in fault, through obscuring thy mind by the false notion that thou 
 art still on earth.' se 1' avessi scosso : ' if thou hadst shaken 
 thyself clear (disabused thyself) of that notion.' 
 
 92, 93. Ma folgore, &c. : Beatrice here informs Dante of the 
 transit which he has made, and of its rapidity, proprio site : 
 lightning descends from the sphere of fire, which is its natural 
 home; Dante is returning to Heaven, the home from which, 
 according to the views of Creationism, his soul originally proceeded. 
 
 95. sorrise : ' expressed with smiles.' 
 
 97-9. Gia, &c. : 'a moment ago I was satisfied, and i^ad truce 
 from great wonderment ; but now I am marvelling how it comes 
 to pass that I rise above these light substances.' The 'light 
 substances ' are air and fire, and when Dante rises above them 
 he violates the law of gravitation. In what follows Beatrice 
 proceeds to solve this fresh difficulty in Dante's mind by explaining 
 to him the order of the universe, requievi : Lat. form. 
 
 100. pic : ' compassionate.' 
 
 103-41. Beatrice's explanation may be thus summarized. The 
 order of the universe is appointed by God, so that every part of 
 it has its proper function, and is impelled towards the discharge 
 of this function by an instinct implanted in it (11. 103-14). This 
 principle applies alike to inanimate nature, to the brute creation, and 
 to rational beings (11. 115—20). The instinct of the last-named 
 class impels them upward towards the presence of God, but this 
 
 411 
 
PARADISO [l. 104-23 
 
 influence may be interfered with by man's possession of free will, 
 which allows of his being drawn in another direction by lower 
 attractions (11. 121-35). But when, as in Dante's case, the counter- 
 influence of sin has been removed, the higher instinct reasserts itself, 
 and impels him upward towards Heaven (11. 136—41). 
 
 104, 105. questo e forma, &c. : 'this order is the formative 
 principle, which causes the universe to resemble God ' ; for forma 
 in this sense cp. Par. xxxiii. 91. 
 
 106-8. Qui veggion, &c. : 'in this (the orderly working of the 
 universe) the angels and other higher intelligences trace the footstep 
 (find the evidence) of God's excellence, which is the end, or final 
 object, to correspond to which the system just mentioned is or- 
 dained.' 
 
 1 09-1 1. Neir ordine, &c. : ' in the order of which I am speak- 
 ing all natures gravitate (towards the divine essence).' per diverse 
 sorti : ' variously allotted,' i. e. assigned to different positions, higher 
 and lower, and exercising different functions, in the scheme of the 
 universe. Piu, &c. : ' some nearer to, some more remote from, him 
 from whom they are derived.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. Onde, &c. : 'hence it is that they shape their course 
 over the ocean of existence to various havens (i.e. their rightful 
 places), each of them impelled by the instinct given it to bear it 
 thither.' 
 
 1 15-7. Questi ne porta, &c. : 'this instinct it is which causes 
 the element of fire to rise towards the moon.' The region of fire 
 extended upwards to the limits of the sphere of the moon, cor 
 mortal! : i.e. all living creatures; in 11. 118-20 Beatrice goes on 
 to say that men as well as brutes are included, in s^ stringe, &c. : 
 ' this instinct it is, which binds together and unifies the earth.' The 
 instinct in this case is the force of gravitation towards the centre, 
 which causes the earth to perform its appointed function in the 
 scheme of the universe. 
 
 119. quest' arco saetta : ' does this bow shoot forth,' i.e. ' does 
 this motive power impel and direct.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. cotanto assetta : ' regulates this mighty frame.' From 
 Inf. xvii. 22, 91 it appears that the first meaning of assettare is 'to 
 seat,' ' settle ' ; and so it is probably derived from Lat. seder e. del 
 suo lume, &c. : ' causes by his light that Heaven to be ever tranquil, 
 within which revolves that which moves most rapidly.' il ciel, 
 
 412 
 
I. 124-41] PARADISO 
 
 &c. : the Empyrean, which does not move, quel, &c. : the Pr'imum 
 Mobile^ which is immediately within the Empyrean. As this is the 
 highest (outermost) of all the spheres which move, it has the most 
 extensive, and therefore the most rapid, revolution. 
 
 1 24-6. n : to the Empyrean, a sito decreto : ' to an appointed 
 resting-place/ quella corda, &c. : ' the string of that bow (the in- 
 stinct), which directs to a joyous mark the arrows which it shoots.' 
 
 127-9. Ver' e, &c. : the failure of human nature to attain to that 
 towards which its higher instinct impels it, is here compared to the 
 failure of human art to realize the conception which it desires to 
 represent, owing to the imperfection of the material which it has to 
 employ, forma, &c. : ' the form produced does not correspond 
 to what the artist intends to represent.' e sorda : ' is dull in re- 
 sponding to what he demands of it.' 
 
 130—2. questo corso : its upward course, ha potere, &c. : 
 ' has the power (owing to free will), after it has received this 
 (upward) impulse (cosl pinta), to swerve in another direction.' 
 
 133. E SI come, &c. : this deflection of the soul from its upward 
 course is compared to lightning, which instead of rising, which it is 
 the nature of fire to do (cp. Purg. xviii. 28-30), falls downward. 
 
 134, 135. se r impeto, &c. : ' if its original (instinctive) impulse, 
 having been diverted from its course by false pleasure, biings it to 
 the ground.' The instinct to attain the highest good continues to 
 be the moving force, but it is misdirected by a wrong conception of 
 what the highest good is. In 1. 135 there is another reading^ terra 
 e torto^ but it has hardly any MS. authority ; see Moore, Text. Crit., 
 
 P- 437. 
 
 136-8. Non dei, &c. : Beatrice here finally solves Dante's 
 difficulty. ' There is nothing more surprising in your rising upward 
 than in a stream flowing downward ' ; it is the natural tendency in 
 both cases, se non come : ' any more than ' ; cp. Par. x. 90 ; 
 xxxii. 54. 
 
 139-41. privo, &c. : the impediment which would have prevented 
 Dante from rising was the power of sin, and this had been annulled 
 by the water of Lethe, assiso : this word implies permanent 
 abode, come a terra, &c. : 'just as repose on earth would be 
 strange in a living flame.' ' On earth ' is used here in contrast to 
 'in its own sphere, that of fire,' where it would naturally be at rest. 
 
 413 
 
PARADISO [II. 1-12 
 
 CANTO II 
 
 Argument. — Dante and his spiritual guide now pass from the 
 sphere of fire into the Heaven of the Moon, in which are seen 
 the spirits of those who having taken monastic vows were forced 
 to violate them. Dante inquires from Beatrice the nature and cause 
 of the spots on the moon's surface ; and she in reply first confutes 
 Dante's erroneous view on the subject, and then explains the 
 operation of the heavenly spheres, and the superintendence which 
 is exercised over them by the Intelligences or Angelic Orders, and 
 shows that it is in these influences that the explanation of the spots 
 is to be found. 
 
 Lines 1-9. Before commencing his description of the first 
 objects which he saw in Paradise, Dante in these lines warns off 
 those of his readers who had paid no attention to philosophy and 
 theology ; in 11. 10—5 he encourages those who had done so. 
 
 I, 2. barca : the voyager in the 'little boat,' which follows in 
 the wake of the larger vessel, is the uninitiated but inquisitive reader, 
 to whom the mysteries which Dante is about to reveal would be 
 unintelligible. The metaphor in barca is the same as in the 
 ' navicella del mio ingegno ' of Purg. i. 2 ; cp. Par. xxiii. 67—9. 
 seguiti : take with siete, ' have followed (thus far).' 
 
 6. Perdendo me, &c. : divested of metaphor this means — ' if 
 you fail to follow my guidance in philosophical and theological 
 questions, you may lose your way in those subjects.' 
 
 8, 9. Minerva, &c. : ' the goddess of wisdom wafts me on my 
 course, the god of song is my pilot, and new Muses (a new source 
 of poetical inspiration) give me my bearings.' nova : this epithet 
 is introduced because of the unwonted character of the task 
 (r acqua che giammai non si corse). The word is also explained 
 as meaning ' nine,' but it seems unpoetical to give the number of 
 the Muses, even if the object of doing so be to express their 
 collective force. 1* Orse : the polar stars, by which mariners steer. 
 
 10-2. drizzaste il collo : i. e. 'have upHfted your minds.' pan 
 degli Angeli : the heavenly manna, i. e. the knowledge of higher 
 subjects, and especially of theology ; cp. Conv. i. i. 11. 52, 53. 
 
 414 
 
"• 15-45] PARADISO 
 
 non sen vien satollo : ' does not leave the board sated,* ' ever 
 craves for more/ 
 
 15. Dinanzi, &c. : lit. 'in front of the water which resumes 
 its calm surface ' ; in other words, ' following closely to make sure 
 that the track is not obliterated.' 
 
 16-8. Quel gloriosi, &c. : the Argonauts, bifolco : 'plough- 
 man,' Lat. bubulcus. One of the labours imposed on Jason by 
 Aeetes, king of Colchis, was to plough the ground with fire- 
 breathing bulls. Dante knew the story from Ov. Met. vii. 104-21, 
 but he remembered the passage imperfectly, for, as Mr. Butler has 
 pointed out, Ovid represents the Colchians, and not the Argonauts, 
 as wondering; 1. 120, ' Mirantur Colchi; Minyae clamoribus 
 implent, Adiiciuntque animos.' 
 
 19-21. La concreata, &c. : ' the innate and unquenchable thirst 
 for (i. e. the instinct which impels the soul towards) the Empyrean.' 
 This latter is called il deiforme regno, because it exists only in 
 the mind of God; cp. Conv. ii. 4. 11. 37-9, 'esso non k. in luogo, 
 ma formato fu solo nella prima Mente.' come il ciel, &c. : 'as 
 swiftly as ye see the heaven move.' The heaven here is the 
 Heaven of the Fixed Stars, the movement of which we see from 
 the earth ; its velocity is the greatest of all after the Primum Mobile^ 
 to which it is the nearest. 
 
 23, 24. in tanto, &c. : Dante here describes the rapidity of his 
 passage to the Heaven of the Moon, posa, &c. : ' reaches its 
 mark, flies through the air, and is discharged from the peg of the 
 crossbow.' Observe the inverted form of the statement, which is 
 intended to imply that the stages of the process here given were 
 almost simultaneous, noce : this ' nut ' was a peg or button on the 
 crossbow, to which the cord was attached before shooting ; it was 
 so called from its shape. It is erroneously rendered by ' notch.' 
 
 27. mia opra : 'what was passing in my mind.' 
 
 30. la prima stella : the Moon, which according to the 
 Ptolemaic astronomy was one of the planets. 
 
 33. adamante: here used for ' diamond.' 
 
 37-45. The reflexions which follow are suggested by the words 
 permanendo unita. When Dante's body entered the orb of the 
 moon, it did not displace any of the matter of which that orb is 
 composed; but since the laws of nature do not admit of two 
 bodies occupying the same space, this occurrence was supernatural 
 
 415 
 
PARADISO [II. 37-60 
 
 or miraculous ; hence Dante regards it as a fitting introduction 
 to the cognate, though higher, miracle of the co-existence of two 
 natures, perfect God and perfect Man, in the Person of our Lord. 
 
 37—40. S' io era corpo, Sec. : ' if I was a material body, and 
 here on earth it is impossible to conceive how one corporeal substance 
 could admit the presence of another such — and this must be the 
 case when one body passes (lit. creeps) within another body — we 
 ought to be more than ever fired by the desire,' &c. The doubt 
 on Dante's part whether he was in the body or out of the body, 
 which is expressed by S' io era corpo, has already occurred in 
 Par. i. 73. qui: 'here on earth'; this is contrasted with D 
 in 1. 43, which means ' in Heaven.' dimension : a Scholastic term 
 for ' corporeal substance.' 
 
 42. s' unio : the singular verb with two subjects expresses the 
 perfect union of the two Natures in one Person in Christ. Cp. 
 Par. xxxiii. 116, ' Parvemi tre giri,' where the Trinity in Unity 
 is spoken of. 
 
 43-5. Li si vedr^, &c. : 'there (in Heaven, where Christ is 
 present in His two Natures) that verity which we hold by faith will 
 be seen, not by means of a process of reasoning, but will be self- 
 evident, like the primary truths which man believes.' per se, &c. : 
 it will be known by intuition, like such primary tmths as the sense 
 of personality, of right and wrong, &c., which come to us without 
 any conscious process of reasoning. Our knowledge will then be 
 immediate, not mediate. 
 
 49 foil. Dante now proceeds to inquire concerning the nature of 
 the spots on the Moon's surface, a question which was much 
 discussed during the middle ages. 
 
 51. Cain : cp. Inf. xx. 126, ' Caino e le spine,' and note there. 
 altrui : 'men,' 'persons'; cp. Purg. xxviii. 128. 
 
 52-7. S' egli erra, &c. : 'you have good reason now not to be 
 surprised if men's views are at fault in matters which the senses are 
 unable to explain, because you see that reason, even where it has 
 the guidance of the senses, can fly but feebly.' In other words — 
 ' If men are in error about a thing which they can see with their 
 eyes, like the spots on the moon, how much more must this happen 
 in spiritual matters, where the senses cannot help them.' poi in 
 1. 56 is for poiche. 
 
 59, 60. quassu diverso : i. e. light and dark on the face of 
 
 416 
 
II. 61-72] PARADISO 
 
 the moon, i corpi rari e densi : ' the rarity and density of the 
 materials which compose it.* This explanation was originally given 
 by Averroes, De Substantia Or bis, Ch. ii., and was adopted by 
 Dante in Conv. ii. 14. 11. 69-76; he now proceeds to retract it 
 by the mouth of Beatrice. 
 
 61 foil. The remainder of the Canto is taken up with (i) the 
 refutation of Dante's view (11. 61-105), and (2) the statement of 
 the tme view (11. 106-48). The refutation takes the form of two 
 arguments — one proceeding on abstract principles, the other derived 
 from observation — viz. (a) that the explanation of the markings on 
 the moon's face by variations of rarity and density is irreconcilable with 
 what we know of God's government of the universe (11. 64-72); 
 (b) that, if the darkness of certain portions of the moon's orb is due to 
 the rarity of its substance, and consequently inferior power in reflecting 
 the sun's rays, in those parts, this must imply either (a) that the 
 rarity extends right through the orb, or (ft) that the denser stratum 
 lies further back in these parts of the orb, and consequently the 
 sun's light is less brightly reflected (11. 73-8). But both these 
 alternatives are shown by observation to be inadmissible (11. 79-105). 
 
 64-72. These lines contain Beatrice's first argument in answer 
 to Dante's explanation of the spots on the moon. In order to 
 understand it we must remember that in mediaeval theology the 
 fixed stars were regarded as the primary medium through which 
 the celestial influences (virtii) were dispensed in various forms 
 to the planetary spheres and the earth ; and these influences were 
 regarded as the constituent principles (principii formali), which 
 determined the nature both of the different fixed stars and of the 
 planets. This system is explained below in 11. 112 foil. In the 
 present passage Beatrice argues from the analogy of the fixed stars 
 to the case of the moon, assuming that what applies to the one will 
 apply to the other. The fixed stars, she says, are seen to difl^er 
 from one another in colour and in brightness (11. 64-6). If in 
 their case the diflference were solely due to rarity and density, 
 all of them would exercise the same influence (virtii) though in 
 different degrees (11. 67-9). But where there is a variety of 
 influences (and in the fixed stars this variety is acknowledged 
 to exist), these must proceed from a number of constituent prin- 
 ciples (principii formali), and not from one only. Consequently, 
 rarity and density are not the sole cause of the difference in 
 
 TOZER 417 EC 
 
PARADISO [II. 64-105 
 
 luminousness between the various fixed stars ; and In the analogous 
 case of the moon Dante is wrong in assuming this as the cause of 
 the difference of hght and dark on its surface (11. 70-2). 
 
 64-6. La spera ottava : the sphere of the fixed stars, quale : 
 by ' quality ' is here meant the colour, by ' quantity ' the amount, 
 i. e. intensity, of their light. Notar, &c. : ' can be seen to differ 
 in appearance.* 
 
 67-9. cio facesser tanto : 'were the only cause of this*; 
 tanto here=:Lat. tantum] cp. Par. xviii. 13. Piii e men, &c. : 'in 
 some cases more, in some less, in some equally with one another.' 
 
 70-2. convengon : here used for the impers. conviene — a rare 
 use. principii formali: ' formal' is here contrasted with 'material,' 
 the formal or formative principle being that which differentiates a 
 thing from other things, and makes it what it is. N.B. principii 
 formali here means ' a number of formal principles,' this meaning 
 being given by the plural, e quei, &c. : ' according to your line of 
 argument it would follow that all but one of these principles (viz. 
 that of rarity and density) would be annulled.' Seguiterieno : 
 ' would consequently be.' ragion : for ragionamento, 
 
 73-8. Ancor, &c. : here commences the second argument in 
 refutation. " Further, if rarity were the cause you are trying to 
 discover of this dimness (i. e. of the spots,) then either this planet 
 would be in certain portions (in parte) thus defective in its matter 
 right through (oltre), or — in the same manner as the fat and the 
 lean are apportioned in a body — it (the planet) would interchange 
 the leaves in its volume,' i. e. would have alternating strata of rare 
 and dense, like leaves in a book. 
 
 79-81. Se il primo, &c. : 'now, if the rarity passed right 
 through the moon's orb, this would be apparent in an eclipse of the 
 sun, because (the sun being behind the moon) its light would be visible 
 through it, as when light is allowed to pass through (lit. introduced 
 into) any other thin material.* ingesto is the Lat. ingestus 
 adapted. 
 
 83, 84. cassi : ' quash,* ' disprove.' Falsificato, &c. : ' then 
 your view (your explanation of the spots on the moon) will have 
 been proved to be wrong,' because both alternatives will have been 
 disposed of. 
 
 85-105. The argument is: — If the rarity does not pass right 
 through, there must be a certain point where the density intervenes, 
 
 418 
 
II. 86-T48] PARADISO 
 
 and this dense stratum will reflect the sun*s light like a mirror 
 (11. 85-90). It may be suggested in answer, that the reason of the 
 dimness where the spots are is, that the point at which the sun's 
 light is reflected lies farther back (II. 91-3); but this can be 
 disproved by the experiment of placing two mirrors at an equal 
 distance from you, and a third between them but farther off. 
 Then place a light behind you as you face them, and you will find 
 that, though the reflexion from the third is smaller in size, it will 
 be equally bright with the others, thus showing that brightness of 
 reflected light is not affected by the distance of the reflecting object 
 (11. 94-105). 
 
 86, 87. un termine, &c. : 'a limit, beyond which the dense 
 does not suffer anything to pass.' 
 
 88-90. altrui : the sun. come color, &c. : ' as colours are 
 reflected by a mirror ' ; the expression implomlato vetro is used for 
 a mirror in Inf. xxiii. 25. 
 
 91. tetro: 'dull,' Mark.' 
 
 94-6. instanzia : ' objection ' ; it is a Scholastic word, corre- 
 sponding to the Greek cvo-Tacrt?. Ch' esser, &:c. : ' experiment, 
 which is the usual source from which human arts are derived.' 
 
 97-9. e due, &c. : ' and place two of them at the same distance 
 from you.' ritrovi : 'meet your eyes.' 
 
 loi. accenda : 'illuminate.' 
 
 103—5. Benche, &c. : 'though the more distant image (i.e. 
 object of sight) does not present as wide a surface as the other two, 
 yet you will see there (in the instance which it furnishes) that of 
 necessity it shines as brightly as they do.' 
 
 106-48. Beatrice, having confuted Dante's erroneous view of the 
 origin of the spots on the moon, proceeds to expound the true view. 
 In order to do this, she explains (i) the operation of the stellar influences 
 which affect the various Heavens or spheres (11. 1 1 2-23), and (2) the 
 functions of the Intelligences or Angelic Orders, by whom those 
 influences are dispensed (11. 127-38). She then proceeds to prove 
 that the brightness or dimness of the stars is caused by the purity 
 or alloyage of the influence which proceeds from God and is 
 communicated to them by the Intelligences ; and that the brightness 
 or dimness of portions of the moon's surface are to be explained in 
 the same manner (11. 139-48). This is an a priori argument, such 
 as the Scholastic philosophy aflfected. 
 
 419 £62 
 
PARADISO [II. 106-23 
 
 106-8. come ai colpi, &c. : the effect of Beatrice's arguments 
 in clearing Dante's mind from a false view is compared to the sun's 
 rays causing the snow to disappear from the face of the earth. 
 Delia neve, &c. : ' that which lay beneath the snow (i. e. the face 
 of the earth) remains clear both of the whiteness and the cold which 
 it had before.' 
 
 no, III. luce SI vivace: the illuminative power of her ex- 
 position, ti tremolera, &c.: 'it will appear to you to sparkle,' 
 lit. ' it will sparkle in the aspect which it presents to you.' 
 
 112-23. Summary: — The celestial or stellar influences originate 
 in the ninth Heaven or Primum Mobile (11. 11 2-4); thence they 
 pass into the eighth Heaven, where they are partitioned among the 
 fixed stars (11. 1 15-7) ; the lower spheres possess distinctive charac- 
 teristics of their own (11. 118-20); the celestial influences are 
 transmitted downwards from one sphere to another (11. 12 1-3). To 
 this we may add, though Dante does not here state it : — these celestial 
 influences combine with the independent influences of the several 
 spheres, as Aquinas says (Summa, i. Q. 115. Art. 3), 'Actiones cor- 
 porum caelestium diversimode recipiuntur in inferioribus coi^poribus 
 secundum diversam materiae dispositionem.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. ciel, &c. : the Empyrean, un corpo, &c. : the Primum 
 Mobile, ' on the beneficent influence of which depends the being or 
 essence of all that is contained within it,' i. e. of the whole universe 
 in its different spheres. The movement which is originated by the 
 Primum Mobile, and communicated by it to the other spheres, is to 
 them the source of order and life and distinctions of time ; this is 
 explained in Par. xxvii. 106-20; cp. Conv. ii. 15. 11. 132-8 and 
 152—7. Observe that the use of the word corpo here shows that 
 Dante regarded the spheres of Heaven as material ; cp. cerchi corporai 
 in Par. xxviii. 64. 
 
 1 15-7. Lo ciel seguente: that of the fixed stars, vedute : 
 'bright lights,' lit. 'objects of sight'; cp. the use of vista in Par. 
 xxiii. 30 ; xxx. 9. diverse essenze, &c. : the fixed stars, which 
 are ' contained in that heaven, but distinct from it.' 
 
 1 18-20. Gli altri, &c. : ' the other spheres dispose their different 
 inborn characteristics so as to produce the purposes for which they 
 were intended (lor fini) and the eflPects which they are designed to 
 cause (lor semenze).' 
 
 1 2 1-3. Questi, &c. : 'these instruments by which the world is 
 
 420 
 
II. i24-3«] PARADISO 
 
 regulated (organi del mondo), as thou dost now perceive, proceed 
 in regular gradation in such a manner, that they receive power from 
 above, and exercise it (lit. operate) below,' i. e. communicate it to 
 the lower spheres. 
 
 124-6. Riguarda, &c. : 'give good heed to me, as I. advance 
 by way of this point (viz. the order of the spheres and their influences) 
 to the truth which thou desirest (the solution of the question of the 
 spots on the moon).' sol tener lo guado : ' by yourself to hold 
 the passage,' lit. ' ford ' ; i. e. to explain the matter without my help. 
 guado is used of an explanation in Purg. viii. 69. 
 
 127-48. Summary: — Having described the working of the 
 spheres, Beatrice now proceeds to speak of the spiritual agencies 
 which regulate them. The spheres, being inanimate, have no active 
 power of their own ; the power which they possess proceeds from 
 the Intelligence or Angelic Order which presides over each sphere 
 (11. 127-9). In particular, the Intelligence of the eighth Heaven 
 communicates its influence to that Heaven (11. 130-2), partitioning 
 it there among the fixed stars (11. 133-8). This influence is 
 modified in each star by its peculiar characteristics (11. 139-41), and 
 it is this mixed or modified influence which causes the brightness 
 of the heavenly bodies, because in the first instance it proceeded 
 from God (11. 142-4). The greater or less brightness of the 
 stars arises from the greater or less purity in which they possess 
 this influence (11. 145, 146), and the light and dark portions 
 of the moon's surface are to be explained in the same manner 
 (11. 147, 148). 
 
 127-9. •^o moto, &c. : 'just as in the craft of the hammer the 
 moving power proceeds from the artisan, so the motion and power of 
 the spheres must proceed, not from themselves, but from the Intelli- 
 gences which move them.' For the Intelligences which preside 
 over the several spheres see Canto XXVIII. 
 
 130-2. il ciel, &c. : the Heaven of the fixed stars, mente : 
 the mind of the Intelligence which presides over that sphere, fassene 
 suggello : ' makes itself its seal,' i. e. in turn imprints it upon the 
 separate stars. 
 
 133-5. E come, &c. : 'and as the soul within your dust (bodies) 
 diflPuses itself through different members, adapted to various faculties 
 (sight, feeling, «&c.).' 
 
 136-8. r intelligenza, &c. : the Intelligence of the eighth 
 
 421 
 
PARADISO [ii. 139— III. 10 
 
 Heaven is meant, as in 1. 131 ; the influence of this passes into the 
 stars, but it remains one itself, and revolves with its sphere. 
 
 139-41. Virtii, &c. : 'each different power forms a different 
 alloy with the precious body (i. e. star) that it quickens, with which 
 it combines, as life does with your bodies.' 
 
 142-4. Per la natura,&c.: 'owing to the glad nature (of God) 
 from which it is derived, this mingled power shines through the 
 body (i. e. the star), as joy beams through the pupil when the eye 
 kindles.* lieta : cp. lieto fattor in Purg. xvi. 89, of God rejoicing 
 in His works. 
 
 145. cio che, &c. : 'the difference in brightness between one 
 star and another star.' 
 
 147, 148. Essa e, &c. : 'this is the formative principle, which, 
 conformably to its goodness, produces the dull part and the bright 
 part ' in the moon. 
 
 CANTO III 
 
 Argument. — Certain of the spirits in this sphere now reveal 
 themselves to Dante ; and one of them, Piccarda Donati, converses 
 with him, and satisfies his mind concerning their perfect content- 
 ment with the inferior degree of beatitude which they enjoy. She 
 then refers to her own life, and also points out to him the spirit of 
 the empress Constance, who, like herself, had been forced to renounce 
 her vow of chastity. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Quel sol, &c. : 'that sun (Beatrice), who erewhile 
 (during her lifetime) inflamed my heart with love, had revealed to me 
 the sweet aspect of fair truth (concerning the spots in the moon), 
 proving the tme view and refuting my erroneous view.' 
 
 4—6. corretto e certo : ' corrected in my error and confident in 
 the truth.' tanto : take with Levai ; ' I lifted my head more erect 
 in fitting measure to express myself,' i. e. not over boldly. 
 
 7-9. che ritenne, &c. : 'which kept my eyes so fixed in 
 contemplation of it.' per vedersi : lit. ' that it might be seen by 
 me.' mi sovvenne : here used impersonal. 
 
 10. Quali : in the similes which are here introduced a special 
 point is made of the reflexions being faint {deb'ili^ 1. 14), and vetri 
 trasparenti means a pane of glass or other transparent surface of 
 
 422 
 
III. 12-33] PARADISO 
 
 that material by which objects are faintly reflected, in contrast to 
 a mirror, per : ' through ' ; in reality the reflexion comes from 
 the surface of the glass or the water, but the face thus seen seems to 
 be on the farther side of it, and therefore can be described as 
 appearing through it. 
 
 12. Non SI, &c. : 'not so deep that the bottom is lost to view.' 
 This is another way of saying that the water is not very deep ; and 
 the remark is introduced in order to lay stress on the faintness of the 
 reflexions, for reflexions in water are strong in proportion to the depth 
 of the water, persi {or perduti, though it is not found elsewhere in 
 the Div. Com., is not uncommon in other writers, and the perfect 
 perse is used by Dante, persi is taken by some as meaning ' dark ' ; 
 but since the adj. perso properly signifies 'blue-black* or 'purple- 
 black' (see Conv. iv. 20. 11. 14, 15), and is used elsewhere in Dante 
 of a very pronounced hue, it may be doubted whether it would be 
 suitable here. 
 
 13-5. postille : 'lineaments,' lit. 'marginal notes,' 'jottings,' 
 and so metaphorically 'sketches,' 'traits.' non vien, &c. : ' is not 
 more difficult for our eyes to distinguish.' 
 
 17. error, &c. : the reference is to the story of Narcissus (Ov. 
 Met. iii. 407 foil.), who fell in love with his own face reflected in 
 a fountain. Dante's error was the opposite of this, for, while 
 Narcissus mistook his reflexion for a real person (1. 417, 'corpus 
 putat esse quod umbra est '), Dante mistook these real persons for 
 reflexions. 
 
 2 1 . gli occhi torsi : as the supposed reflexions were in front of 
 him, Dante fancied that the real objects were behind him. 
 
 26-8. appresso, &c. : 'after (noticing) thy puerile conceit.' 
 coto : Lat. cogitatum; see Diez, Wort., p. 103, where cot tare, 
 O. Ital. for cogitare, is also given. Poi : ior poiche ; ' because it (thy 
 thought) does not yet take its stand on the truth, but, as is its wont, 
 causes thee to turn back ineffectively,' lit. ' in vain.' The meaning 
 is, that Dante was trying to explain the sights which he saw in 
 Heaven by physical causes, such as reflexions, forgetting that these did 
 not apply there, il vero is spiritual, and therefore supernatural, truth. 
 
 30. Qui rilegate : ' assigned to this sphere.' per manco di 
 voto : ' on account of broken vows ' ; hence the ' inconstant ' moon 
 is a suitable habitation for them. 
 
 32, 33. Che: this gives the reason for ^:r^^/ ; they are safe guides, 
 
 423 
 
PARADISO [III. 36-60 
 
 because the light of God's presence, which gives them contentment, 
 leads them infallibly in the way of truth. 
 
 36. ismaga : ' confuses,' ' overpowers ' ; cp. Inf. xxv. 146, and 
 note on Purg. x. 106. Dante was * overpowered by excess of 
 longing ' to hold converse with the spirit. 
 
 37-9. ben create : 'born in a favouring hour' ; cp. ' mal creata 
 plebe,' Inf. xxxii. 13. a* rai, &c. : 'in the beams of eternal life 
 dost feel that sweetness, which is inconceivable without being tasted.' 
 
 41. vostra : of yourself and your companions. 
 
 43-5. non serra porte : 'does not refuse the request of,' lit. 
 ' deny entrance to.' se non come, &c. : ' any more than that Love 
 (God, who is love) does, who desires that all the denizens of Heaven 
 should resemble him in showing love to others.' For se non come 
 cp. Par. i. 137. 
 
 47, 48. ben si riguarda : 'doth well reflect.' Non mi ti 
 celera, &c. : it is to be noticed that in the three lowest spheres of 
 Paradise, to which the spirits which occupy them are relegated on 
 account of some defect of virtue, they are visible in their human 
 aspect. In the remaining spheres their faces and figures are concealed 
 by the light which envelops them. For sphere II cp. Par. v. 107, 
 108; for sphere III Par. viii. 52, 53, and the notes to both 
 passages. 
 
 49. Piccarda : 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. 
 
 51. piu tarda: the sphere of the Moon, being nearest to the 
 earth, had the smallest revolution, and consequently the slowest 
 movement. 
 
 52-4. aflfetti: 'desires.' Letizian, &c. : ' find their blessedness 
 in being disposed according to his order.' The whole universe is 
 constituted according to the design of the Holy Spirit, and the 
 pleasure of each member of it consists in having its appointed place 
 in that order; cp. Par. i. 103-5. 
 
 57. voti, &c. : 'in some point im]:>erfect.' In Piccarda's case 
 this arose from her having lost her virginity. 
 
 60. primi concetti : ' our previous conceptions of you,' i. e. 
 Dante's recollection of Piccarda's appearance. 
 
 424 
 
III. 63-90] PARADISO 
 
 63. latino: 'clear and easy'; cp. Conv. li. 3. 1. i, 'A piti 
 latinamente vedere la sentenza litterale.' According to Diez, Wbrt.^ 
 p. 189, since Latin was regarded as the mother tongue of Italian, 
 Latino came to signify any mother tongue ; and, since a man's mother 
 tongue is easy to him, it thence obtained the meaning of ' clear and 
 easy,' as in this passage. 
 
 66. Per piu, &c. : ' in order to have a fuller sight of God, or to 
 become more familiar with Him.' Others take it as Per vedere p'lu 
 amid, per farvi p'lu, 'to see more of the friends whom you have 
 known, or to make fresh friends.' 
 
 68, 69. Da indi : ' thereupon.' primo foco : ' the primal fire 
 of love,' i. e. the immediate and nearest presence of God. The 
 Blessed in the Empyrean partook in different degrees of God's 
 prei^ence ; cp. Par. iv. 34-6. 
 
 70-2. la nostra, &c. : ' our wishes are tranquillized by the virtue 
 of love.' d' altro, &c. : ' does not cause us to long (thirst) for aught 
 beyond.' 
 
 75. ne cerne : ' gives us our appointed place,' lit. ' separates us '; 
 cp. Par. xxxii. 34. 
 
 76-8. non capere : 'finds no place,' ' is inadmissible ' ; for this 
 use of capere see note on Purg. xxi. 8 1 . necesse : a word derived 
 from Scholastic Latin ; cp. Par. xiii. 98. sua natura : the nature 
 of love, which consists in the conformity of wills. 
 
 79-81. formale : 'essential'; 'it is of the essence of this our 
 blessed state.' Per che : ' from which cause our very wills (God's 
 will and our wills) become one.' 
 
 82-4. di soglia in soglia : 'station above station.' The word 
 is used of the grades of Paradise in Par. xviii. 28 ; xxx. 113. ne 
 invoglia : ' identifies our will with his.' 
 
 86, 87. quel mare : the open sea is one of the finest emblems 
 that nature offers of the infinity of God. tutto si move : this is 
 the principle of the aspiration and attraction of the whole universe 
 towards God, which is described in Par. i. 103 foil. Cio che, &c. : 
 God created immediately the angels and intellectual powers, while 
 the rest of creation, which consisted of matter as well as spirit, is 
 attributed to Nature, which is the handmaid of God. The term 
 'Nature,' when used thus of an intermediate agency, is only another 
 name for the planetary influences ; see note on Par. viii. 1 12-4. 
 
 88-90. dove: here a subst., 'place'; cp. Par. xii. 30, 'al suo 
 
 425 
 
PARADISO [III. 91-114 
 
 dove.* e SI : ' and even so,* ' granting that.' d* un modo, &c. : 
 *is not dispensed there in one measure only.' 
 
 91-3. Ma SI, &c. : Dante, having obtained an answer to his 
 question about the contentment of the spirits in this sphere, proceeds 
 to inquire in what way Piccarda's vows in life had been imperfectly 
 observed ; cp. 11. 55-7. gola : ' appetite.' quel si chiede, &c. : 
 ' we ask for the latter, and decline with thanks the former.' 
 
 94-6. atto : 'look'; cp. Purg. xxiv. 27. la tela: in the 
 metaphorical language which Dante here uses ' the web ' signifies 
 Piccarda's religious life, and by her ' not having passed the shuttle 
 through the web to the end ' is intended her having failed to observe 
 her religious vows until the end of her life, co : for capo. 
 
 97-9. Perfetta, &c. : ' a perfect life and exalted merit place in 
 a higher Heaven a lady, according to whose rule in your world below 
 they wear the habit and the veil.' Donna : Santa Clara of Assisi, 
 who founded her Order in 12 12 under the direction of St. Francis. 
 
 100-2. Perche, &c. : 'in order that till death they may be, 
 waking or sleeping, in the company of that spouse (Christ), who 
 accepts every vow which love renders conformable to His pleasure,' 
 i. e. which is pleasing to Him from being made through love, and not 
 from any lower motive. 
 
 104, 105. chiusi : 'wrapped me in her habit' ; the word gives 
 the force of clothing and concealing, promisi, &c. : ' undertook 
 the rule of her Order ' ; setta, Lat. secta^ is used of a philosophical 
 or religious school in Inf. ix. 128 ; Purg. xxii. 87. 
 
 106-8. Uomini : Corso Donati and his followers; see note on 
 1. 49. usi : for usat'i. fusi : for si fu. 
 
 1 09-1 1, quest* altro splendor: the empress Constance, wife 
 of the emperor Henry VI (mar. 11 85), and mother of Frederic II. 
 It was believed in Dante's day, though the story is now known to be 
 fabulous, that she was once a nun, and was taken from the convent 
 in order to be married to Henry VI ; as this was done against her 
 will, she was regarded as having remained faithful in heart to her vow. 
 tutto il lume, &c. : i. e. the highest degree of brightness that our 
 sphere can give. 
 
 1 1 2-4. di se intende : 'recognizes as applicable to herself.' 
 cosl : ' similarly.' 1' ombra, &c. : ' the shadow (covering, conceal- 
 ment) of the holy veil * ; bende is similarly used of widow's weeds 
 in Purg. viii. 74. 
 
 426 
 
III. 1 15— IV. 9] PARADISO 
 
 1 1 5-7. pur: the word here has a concessive force, * indeed,' 
 * 'tis tme ' ; * she was indeed brought back, yet against her will * ; 
 cp. Par. xvii. 126. Non fu, &c. : i. e. she remained in heart a nun. 
 
 119, 120. vento di Soave : the three 'winds of Suabia' are 
 the three great Emperors of the house of Suabia, Frederic Barbarossa, 
 Henry VI, and Frederic II ; their impetuous careers are effectively 
 likened to the rushing wind, e 1' ultima possanza : ' who was 
 the last imperial ruler.' Dante regards Frederic IPs successors as 
 not being Roman emperors, because they had not visited Italy ; cp. 
 Conv. iv. 3. 11. 38-43, ' Federico di Soave, ultimo Imperadore de' 
 Romani {ultimo dico per rispetto al tempo presente, non ostante che 
 Ridolfo e Adolfo e Alberto poi eletti sieno appresso la sua morte 
 e de' suoi discendenti).* 
 
 122. vanio : the sjnrits which thus appear to Dante in the various 
 spheres, when their interview with him is finished resume their 
 accustomed places in the Empyrean ; cp. Par. iv. 34-9. 
 
 126. segno, &c. : Beatrice, who was the object (lit. mark) of 
 Dante's highest longing. 
 
 129, 130. non sofFerse : this was due, not to any change in 
 Beatrice's appearance, but to the contrast in respect of brightness 
 which her face presented to the faces of those whom Dante had 
 lately been regarding, a domandar : to ask the questions which 
 are answered in the next Canto. 
 
 CANTO IV 
 
 Argument. — Beatrice now solves two difficulties which have 
 arisen in Dante's mind. The first of these, which is suggested 
 by the sight of the spirits in the Moon, relates to Plato's view, 
 that the soul of each man after death returns to the star from which 
 it originally proceeded. The other is suggested by an inferior 
 position in Heaven being assigned to those who had been forced 
 by others to violate their vows — an appointment which seems at 
 first sight not to be reconcilable with the justice of God. 
 
 Lines 1-9. In consequence of what he has heard from Piccarda 
 Dante is anxious to propound to Beatrice two questions which have 
 arisen in his mind ; but the desire to do so is so equally balanced 
 between the two that he is unable to propound either of them. 
 
 427 
 
PARADISO [IV. 1-18 
 
 This influence of the equipoise of motives in paralysing the will 
 he illustrates by three similar instances, where the same thing applies 
 to appetite, to fear of danger, and to an animal's desire of seizing 
 its prey. 
 
 1-3. Intra, &c. : 'between two kinds of food, at an equal 
 distance from him, and equally appetizing (lit. exciting to the 
 appetite), a man, though possessing free will, would die of hunger 
 before he could bring either of them within range of his teeth.' 
 This is taken almost literally from Aquinas, Summa^ i. 2^^^. Q. 13. 
 Art. 6, ' Si aliqua duo sunt penitus aequalia, non magis movetur 
 homo ad unum quam ad aliud; sicut famelicus si habet cibum 
 aequaliter appetibilem in diversis partibus, et secundum aequalem 
 distantiam, non magis movetur ad unum quam ad alterum ' ; and 
 this again is derived from Aristotle, to whom Aquinas there refers ; 
 De Caelo, ii. 13. 28, [6 Trept] rov Tretvwvro? /cat 8ti/^covT09 [Xdyos] 
 (TcjioSpa /x€v ofxoiMS 8e kol twv iBioStfxwv kol ttotcov lctov d7re;(OVT09 
 (xat yap tovtov rjp^fxeiv avayKcdov). 
 
 4-6. Si, &c. : ' similarly a lamb would stand still (without 
 trying to escape) between two fierce and ravening wolves, from 
 being equally afraid of the one and the other : similarly, again, 
 a hound would stand still between two does (without attempting 
 to attack either of them).' 
 
 7-9. Per che, &c. : 'wherefore, impelled as I was in an equal 
 degree by my two questions, I neither praise nor blame myself for 
 holding my peace, for it was unavoidable.' 
 
 10—2. lo, &c. : ' I held my peace, but my longing was expressed 
 in my looks, and, accompanying it, my inquiry, which was far more 
 eager than if uttered in articulate speech.' 
 
 13-5. Fe' SI, &c. : 'Beatrice acted in the same manner as 
 Daniel did, when he freed Nebuchadnezzar from the wrath which 
 had made him unjustly cruel.' The reference is to Dan. ii., where 
 Nebuchadnezzar orders the Chaldaeans to declare to him the dream 
 that he had forgotten, and to interpret it (v. 5), and when they 
 professed their inability to do so commanded that they should be 
 put to death (v. 12): Daniel appeased him by telling him the dream 
 and the interpretation (vv. 31 foil.). Similarly Beatrice comes to 
 Dante's aid, and calms his excitement, by divining his thoughts and 
 expressing in words what he could not express. 
 
 16-8. tira: 'forces,' 'impels.' si che, &c. : 'so that your 
 
 428 
 
IV. 19-3^] PARADISO 
 
 anxiety (to propound both questions) hampers itself to such a degree, 
 that it cannot declare itself in words.' 
 
 19-21. Tu argomenti, &c. : Dante's first question is — Why 
 should those whose vows have been broken be assigned to a lower 
 place in Heaven, if this was forced upon them against their will ? 
 ' If I continue to desire to observe my vow, on what principle is 
 the estimate of my deserts lowered because others force me to 
 violate it?' Dante, by being represented as using the first person, 
 is supposed to put the case as if it were his own. 
 
 22-4. Ancor, &c. : Dante's second question is suggested by 
 his meeting this class of spirits in the Moon. He is desirous to 
 know whether the same system prevails in Heaven which is described 
 in the Timaeus of Plato, where it is said 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 exist- 
 ence there; Tim. xli., xlii. Dante was acquainted with the Timaeus, 
 alone of Plato's works, through a Latin translation. Parer, &c. : 
 this infinitival clause is really the subject to d^; cp. 1. 67. 
 
 25—7. velle : 'will'; this Lat. infin., and similarly (fj-j*? in the 
 sense of 'existence,' 'being' (cp. Par. iii. 79), are frequently used 
 substantively in Dante's prose works. Pontano : 'press,' ' weigh 
 upon ' ; the word is here used, as in Inf. xxxii. 3, in the architectural 
 sense ' thrust.' felle : ' gall,' ' poison,' i. e. dangerous qualities ; cp. 
 the similar use of velen, malizia in 1. 65. The dangerous quality 
 is unorthodoxy (cp. 11. 64-6), the risk of which is involved in this 
 question, because it touches on the origin and nature of the soul. 
 
 28-32. In the important passage which follows Beatrice explains 
 that all the Blessed have their abode equally in the empyrean Heaven 
 in the presence of God, but that they manifest themselves to Dante 
 in the different spheres in order to enable him to understand more 
 clearly their various degrees of blessedness. From this it is at once 
 seen, that the doctrine propounded in the Timaeus of the return 
 of the soul to its proper star from which it originally proceeded 
 is inapplicable to Paradise. Dei Serafin, &c. : the negative of 
 1. 31 applies to the whole of this sentence, and is repeated with 
 Maria in 1. 30. ' Not that one of the Seraphs who is nearest to 
 the presence of God, not Moses, Samuel, or either John (lit. that 
 John whom you prefer to take), I say, nor even Mary (i. e. none 
 of the most exalted spirits), have their seats in any other Heaven 
 
 429 
 
PARADISO [iv. 33-60 
 
 than those spirits have, who but now appeared to you.' s' India : 
 lit. ' exists in God ' ; similar verbs compounded with in are of frequent 
 occurrence in the Paradise, e.g. intuassi, tmmii in ix. 81. quel 
 Giovanni, &c. : either the Baptist or the Evangelist, io dico : 
 this applies to the whole sentence ; ' be it known to you,* lit. ' I tell 
 you,' ' understand this.' 
 
 33. Ne hanno, &c. : i. e. nor do they differ from one another in 
 respect of their immortality. 
 
 34-6. il prime giro : the Empyrean. V eterno spire : the 
 divine effluence. 
 
 38, 39. per far segno, &c. : 'to indicate that sphere in the 
 Empyrean [spera celestial) which is least exalted.' The Blessed in 
 the Empyrean are conceived of as seated in successive circular tiers 
 rising one above the other. 
 
 40—2. Cesl, &c. : i. e. this mode of manifestation on the part of 
 the spirits is an adaptation to human conceptions. Perocche, &c. : 
 ' because your mind apprehends only from what is perceived by the 
 senses that which afterwards it renders a fit subject for the intellect.' 
 This is in other words the principle, ' Nihil in intellectu quod non 
 prius in sensu.' 
 
 45. ed altre intende: 'while it means something different,' 
 viz. the divine powers, which are symbolized by these limbs. 
 
 48. r altre : Raphael, who cured Tobit of his blindness, Tob. 
 xii. 14. Tobia : Tobias is the Vulgate form of the name Tobit. 
 
 49-51. Timeo : the character in the Platonic dialogue of that 
 name, come dice, &c. : ' he seems to mean what he says ' ; i. e. 
 his meaning is literal, not allegorical. 
 
 53, 54. Credendo, &c. : 'believing that the soul was taken (lit. 
 severed) from the star, when nature gave it (the soul) to be the 
 essential part (forma) of the man.' Dante refers to this subject 
 again in Conv. iv. 21. 11. 17—9. 
 
 55-7. E forse, &c. : ' and haply his opinion is different from 
 what his words seem to signify, and it may embody a meaning which 
 does not deserve to be lightly treated.' 
 
 58-60. S' egl' intende, &c. : Beatrice here refers only to that 
 part of the doctrine propounded in the Timaeus which relates to the 
 return of the souls to their native stars, because that was the question 
 which Dante originally asked (1. 23); but what she says applies 
 with even greater force to the soul having proceeded from its star 
 
 430 
 
IV. 61-72] PARADISO 
 
 (I. 53). * If Plato's meaning is, that what returns to these revolving 
 spheres is (not the souls themselves, but) the honour attaching to the 
 good influences, and the blame attaching to the evil influences (which 
 proceeded from the stars and helped to shape the lives of those souls 
 on earth), then haply the arrow from his bow hits an element of 
 truth.* The element of truth here meant is the doctrine of the 
 influence of the planets in directing the destinies and afl^ecting the 
 characters of men on earth, which Dante affirms elsewhere ; see 
 Purg. xvi. 73. 
 
 61-3. Questo, &c. : 'a misunderstanding of this principle (of 
 the influence of the stars) in former days led nearly the whole world 
 astray, so that it erred so far as to call certain stars Jupiter, Mercury, 
 and Mars.' In other words : — The heathen perversely assigned to 
 certain planets the names of certain divinities, whose characteristics 
 corresponded to the influences which, owing to their appearance, 
 were supposed to attach to those stars ; e. g. that of Jupiter, the 
 highest god, to the brightest planet ; that of Mars, the god of war, 
 to the red planet, &c. In Par. viii. 1-12 Dante shows that this 
 took place in the case of Venus. 
 
 64-90. Dante's second question, which Beatrice now proceeds 
 to answer, relates to the justice of lessening the reward of those who 
 have been forced against their will to violate their vows. The 
 answer is, that these spirits, though they were the victims of 
 violence, still were not whole-hearted in resisting that violence, as 
 they proved by not returning to the monastic life when they might 
 have done so. 
 
 65, 66. velen: 'noxious force'; cp. felle^ 1. 27. da me 
 altrove : as Beatrice represents Theology or Divine Truth, this 
 means : — This question is not, like the former one, dangerous to 
 your acceptance of Revealed Truth, for it can at once be remedied 
 by the exercise of faith. How this is so, is explained in the next 
 three lines. 
 
 67-72. Parere, &c. : 'if divine justice (nostra, as it appears 
 to us in Heaven) seems to men to be unjust, this is an argument in 
 favour, not of unbelief, but of belief (because it shows that God's 
 judgements are incomprehensible, and therefore should be accepted 
 without questioning); but in the present case, since the matter is 
 one within the scope of your reasoning powers, I will explain it 
 to you.' 
 
 431 
 
PARADISO [IV. 73-105 
 
 73-8. Se, &c. : 'if violence is when the person who suffers 
 violence does not co-operate in the least degree with the person who 
 offers it, these souls (Piccarda and her companions) were not 
 excusable on the ground of being victims of violence, since the 
 power of will cannot be extinguished without its consent, but acts 
 as nature acts in the case of fire, (which finds its way upward) even 
 if it be violently forced out of its natural direction a thousand times.' 
 torza : for torc'ta, from torc'mre, an old form corresponding to torcere. 
 
 79-81. Perche, &c. : '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 the scene of their religious 
 life.' They accommodated themselves after a while to the life 
 which had been forced upon them, and so were involved in com- 
 plicity with the force. 
 
 82-4. intero : 'sound,' 'firm of purpose.' Come, &c. : 'as 
 his will held St. Laurence on the gridiron, and made Mucius 
 Scaevola unsparing to his hand.' 
 
 85, 86. Cosi, &c. : ' so their will would have forced these spirits 
 to return along the way to the place whence they were dragged, 
 as soon as they were at liberty to do so.' 
 
 89, 90. e 1' argomento, &c. : ' the argument is refuted, which 
 would have given you trouble from time to time in the future.' The 
 argument here meant is that in 11. 19-21. 
 
 91. Ma or, &c. : Beatrice now replies to a supposed objection 
 on Dante's part, that, whereas Piccarda had spoken of Constance 
 as having always in heart remained a nun (Par. iii. 117), this appears 
 irreconcilable with her having continued to live with her husband in 
 the world, passo : ' difficulty ' ; this meaning is derived from that 
 of ' a difficult passage.' 
 
 94. nella mente messo : Beatrice had done this in Par. iii. 3 1-3. 
 
 100-14. The answer to the objection is, that though Constance, 
 as Piccarda said, throughout her life preferred and longed for the 
 life of the convent, yet she was prevented from returning to it by 
 the fear of worse suffering. Much of what follows, including the 
 example of Alcmaeon, is taken from Ar. Eth, Nic. iii. i. 6. 
 
 102. Si fe' di quel: 'a man has done a thing,' lit. 'there has 
 been done of that.' 
 
 103-5. Almeone : Alcmaeon, in accordance with the injunctions 
 of his father Amphiaraus, slew his mother Eriphyle who had 
 
 432 
 
IV. 106-29] PARADISO 
 
 betrayed his father; cp. Purg. xii. 50, 51. Being influenced by 
 the pressure of counterbalancing motives, he chose the alternative 
 which seemed likely to bring upon him the less severe Nemesis. 
 Per non, &c. : ' that he might not fail in filial affection he became 
 merciless.' piet^, which refers to Alcmaeon's behaviour towards 
 his father, is used in the sense of the Lat. pietas, while spietato, 
 'cruel,' 'merciless,' applies to his treatment of his mother. In 
 Ovid's account of the story, which Dante here had in his mind, the 
 passage occurs, ' Ultusque parente parentem, Natus erit facto pius et 
 sceleratus eodem,' Met. ix. 407, 408 ; the epithets />/z/j' and sceleratus 
 here appear to have suggested pietk and spietato. 
 
 io6-8. A questo punto : 'in reference to this point.' si 
 mischia : the combination of force and the will, so that the two 
 act together, produces 'mixed action,' which is partly involuntary, 
 partly voluntary, fanno Si, &c. : ' they act in such a manner,' &c. 
 
 109-14. Voglia assoluta, &c. : assoluta here means 'absolute' 
 as contrasted with 'relative.' Independently of the circumstances 
 (i. e. of the pressure of fear) the will does not consent to the wrong 
 forced upon it ; but when affected by fear of worse suffering in case 
 of withdrawing itself from the pressure of that force, so far it does 
 consent. So Piccarda, when she speaks of Constance's life, does 
 not take into account her yielding to fear, while Beatrice does take 
 it into account, and therefore regards her as defective in the 
 observance of her vows. Thus both their statements are true. 
 
 115-7. ondeggiar: 'rippling'; the gentle onward movement 
 of Beatrice's argument, del fonte, &c. : from God. uno ed 
 altro : both the questions mentioned in 11. 19—24. 
 
 118. amanza, &c. : 'beloved of the primal Lover.' 
 
 122, 123. voi : dative case, for a vol. grazia per grazia : 
 ' thanks for favour.' Ma quei, &c. : ' but may He who sees (the 
 greatness of the favour) and can (make a return) render you an 
 adequate recompense.' 
 
 125, 126. il ver, &c. : Divine Truth, which comprehends all 
 other truth, si spazia : lit. ' extends.' 
 
 127-9. Posasi, &c. : 'our intellect reposes in the Divine 
 Verity, like a beast reposing in its lair, as soon as it reaches it.' 
 Se non, &c. : this is an application of the doctrine of final causes ; 
 the existence of the desire proves the possibility of obtaining the 
 object of desire. 
 
 TozER 433 F f 
 
PARADISO [IV. i3o~v. 12 
 
 130-2. Nasce, Szc: 'owing to this desire of knowing the 
 Divine Verity, doubt arises at the foot of truth, as saplings rise from 
 the foot of a tree.' Apple del vero : this is another way of saying 
 that it springs from the root of truth, that idea being suggested 
 by the metaphor : the doubt is a germ of truth, e natura, &c. : 
 'it is a natural process, which impels us from height to height unto 
 the summit.' By the questions which arise from learning a truth, 
 we are led on to the apprehension of a higher truth, and so onwards 
 till the highest is reached. 
 
 133. Questo : this desire of knowing the truth. 
 
 136-8. puo satisfarvi, &c. : ' may make satisfaction to Heaven 
 for broken vows with other good deeds, which may be equivalent in 
 your scales.' satisfarvi: vi here means 'to you,' i.e. to the 
 heavenly powers, in which sense vostra is also used in 1. 138. 
 statera : the Lat. form of the Ital. stadera, ' balance.' 
 
 141. diede le reni : ' failed me,' lit. ' took to flight.' 
 
 CANTO V 
 
 Argument. — Beatrice proceeds to explain that in the case of 
 a broken vow no adequate compensation can be made, but that 
 under certain conditions other services can be substituted for those 
 undertaken in connexion with it. Dante and Beatrice then ascend 
 to the second Heaven, that of Mercury, where the spirits of the 
 ambitious are found; here the Poet is accosted by the spirit of 
 the emperor Justinian. 
 
 Lines i, 2. S' io, &c. : 'if I blaze on thee with the heat of 
 love in excess of the measure which is seen on earth.* 
 
 5, 6. Da perfetto veder : 'from perfect vision,' i. e. the power 
 of seeing the divine light in all its intensity, come apprende, &c. : 
 * in proportion as it perceives the light, makes corresponding advance 
 in respect of the good which it has perceived,' i. e. is itself more 
 illuminated by that light. 
 
 9. vista sola : ' merely through being seen.' 
 
 10-2. E s' altra, &c. ; 'and if aught else leads men's 
 
 434 
 
V. 13-63] PARADISO 
 
 (vostro, plur.) desires astray, this is nothing but a faint trace of 
 that eternal light, misunderstood, which makes itself seen in the 
 object of desire.' The view here stated is the same which is 
 found in Purg. xvii. 103-5 and 127—9, viz. that both virtue and 
 vice in man proceed from love, or the desire of what is good, 
 only in the case of vice the desire is misled by a false appearance 
 of good. 
 
 13—5. Tu vuoi, &c. : Beatrice here proceeds to answer Dante's 
 question in Par. iv. 136-8. se, &c. : 'whether by other good 
 deeds one can compensate for broken vows sufficiently to secure 
 one's soul from any further claim.' litigio is a claim at the bar 
 of God's judgement. 
 
 16-8. Si comincio, &c. : these three lines are introduced to 
 explain that 11. 1-15 are a sort of prologue to the argument which 
 follows, questo canto : ' this Canto ' ; cp. 1. 1 39. non spezza : 
 * does not interrupt.' processo : ' train of argument.' 
 
 19-33. Beatrice's reply is, that it is impossible to make adequate 
 compensation in this case, because the vow implies the surrender 
 of free-will, which is the greatest gift that man can make to God. 
 
 24. furo e son : were at the time of their creation, and are so 
 still, even subsequently to the Fall. 
 
 27. Che Dio, &c. : 'that, when man makes the vow, God 
 approves it.' 
 
 29, 30. Vittima, &c. : ' a sacrifice is made of this treasure (of 
 the gift of free-will), the value of which I have mentioned {Lo 
 maggior don of 1. 19), and is made voluntarily,' lit. 'by the act of 
 free-will.' 
 
 32, 33. Se credi, &c. : the meaning is: — 'If, after making an 
 offering of your free-will, you recall it, and then think to use it 
 in God's service, what is this but doing good deeds with ill-gotten 
 gains ? ' mal tolletto is the mediaeval Lat. maletollettum^ ' ex- 
 tortions.' Some editors read maltolletto in one word, but mal is 
 here used in contrast with buon, and the analogy of toilette dannose 
 in the same sense in Inf. xi. 36 suggests that the subst. tolletto 
 can also be used separately. 
 
 34-63. Having settled the main point, viz. that no equivalent 
 can be given for broken vows, Beatrice proceeds to the question of 
 the substitution of other meritorious deeds under the dispensation 
 of the Church for the service undertaken in accordance with the 
 
 435 Ff2 
 
PARADISO [v. 35-60 
 
 vow. Such substitution, she says, is allowable, provided that it is 
 sanctioned by ecclesiastical authority, and that the thing substituted 
 is half as great again as that for which it is substituted. 
 
 35. in cio dispensa: 'exercises a dispensing power in that 
 matter.' 
 
 37-9. Convienti, &c. : ''tis 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.' The ' solid food ' is the difficult 
 question under consideration, and ' remaining at table ' is waiting for 
 further explanation. 
 
 4 1 . fermalvi entro : ' store it in your memory.' non fa 
 scienza : ' does not constitute knowledge.' 
 
 43-5. Due cose, &c. : 'two things combine to form,' &c. : 
 the two things are (i) the vow itself (la convenenza), involving 
 the sacrifice of free-will; and (2) the things undertaken under the 
 vow (quella Di che si fa), such as fasting. 
 
 46-8. non si cancella, &c. : ' cannot be cancelled except by 
 being observed.' Si preciso, &c. : ' I have stated the rule so 
 strictly above,' in 11. 31-3. 
 
 49-51. Pero, &c.: this is an analogous instance from the Mosaic 
 Law. ' For this reason to the Jews the offering in any case (Pur) 
 was indispensable, though some kinds of offerings might be com- 
 muted ' ; see Lev. xxvii., where vows are being spoken of. offerere : 
 arch, for offrirc, cp. Par. xiii. 140. 
 
 52-4. che per, &c. : 'which is known to you as the matter of 
 the vow,' i. e. the things undertaken under the vow. Puote, &c. : 
 ' may easily be such, that it is not amiss if it be commuted with 
 other matter.' 
 
 55-60. Ma non, &c. : here follow the two conditions under 
 which substitution is permissible, viz. (i) that it should be authorized 
 by the priest; (2) that the thing substituted should exceed in a 
 definite proportion that for which it is substituted, della chiave, 
 &c. : for the golden and the silver key as representing the powers of 
 the priest-confessor see note on Purg. ix. 117. Se la cosa, &c. : 
 ' if the thing relinquished is not contained in that which is under- 
 taken, as 4 is in 6 ' ; i. e. that which is substituted must be half 
 as great again. The numbers here are sometimes taken as meaning 
 nothing more than an increase generally, but, since in Levit. xxvii., 
 which is here referred to, one-fifth was added in case of commutation 
 
 436 
 
V. 61-72] PARADISO 
 
 (vv. 13, 15, 19, 31), it is probable that Dante intended to signify 
 a ddinite proportion. 
 
 61-3. Pero, &c. : the meaning is: — As it is an indispensable 
 condition of commutation that what is substituted should be greater 
 than that for which it is substituted, it follows that no substitution 
 could be made in the case of the vow of perpetual virginity which the 
 spirits in this Heaven had undertaken and had forfeited, because no 
 equivalent could be found for it. tragga ogni bilancia : 'out- 
 weighs everything that can be placed in the other scale.' con altra 
 spesa : ' by means of other outlay ' of meritorious actions. 
 
 64. a ciancia: 'in a spirit of trifling,' lit. 'banter.' 
 
 65. Siate, &c. : the meaning is : — Be faithful in observing your 
 vows, and at the same time in doing so avoid adopting perverse 
 views of duty (bieci, lit. 'squinting'). The point of the two 
 examples which follow consists in the perverted views of duty which 
 were adopted in consequence of a vow, and to this Beatrice draws 
 attention in 11. 67, 68. The connexion of the whole passage with 
 what precedes and follows is found in its incidentally pointing out 
 how much is involved in taking a vow, and consequently how great 
 caution is required in doing so. 'If you take a vow,' she says, 
 'you are bound to keep it; but in some cases there is a danger 
 in doing so of running into worse sin, and this you must avoid'; 
 and then, considering the risks involved, she repeats in 1. 73 the 
 warning which she had given in 1. 64, ' Think well before you bind 
 yourself.' 
 
 66. prima mancia : the offering (lit. gift) of the first object 
 which met him coming out of his house. The story of Jephthah's 
 vow is given in Judges xi. 30, 31, and 34. Observe that in the 
 Vulg., from which Dante quoted, the words are ' quicunque primus 
 egressus fuerit,' where ' primus ' has no equivalent in the Engl. Vers. 
 
 69. lo gran duca : Agamemnon. Dante derived the story of 
 his voiv from Cic. De Off. iii. 25. 95, where it is said that he 
 promised to sacrifice to Diana the most beautiful thing that was 
 born in that year, and found none more beautiful than his daughter. 
 This explains. Dante's mention of Iphigenia's beauty as the cause 
 of her death in 1. 70. See Moore, Studies^ i. p. 263. 
 
 70-2. Onde, &c. : 'in consequence of which (Agamemnon's 
 folly) Iphigenia lamented the beauty of her face, and (by her death) 
 caused all men, whether wise or simple, who heard the tale of so 
 
 437 
 
PARADISO [v. 73-105 
 
 monstrous a rite, to shed tears for her.' Ifigenia : the metre shows 
 that this was pronounced Ifig/n'ta. 
 
 73-5. Siate, &c, : 'be more considerate in proceeding to under- 
 take such vows ; be not impulsive in approaching them, like a feather 
 moved by eveiy wind ; do not suppose that you can easily obtain 
 dispensation from them/ 
 
 76-8. Avete, &c. : 'there is no need of vows to insure your 
 salvation ; you have sufficient guidance in the Old and New Testament, 
 and in the Pope as the representative of the Church.' 
 
 79-81. se, &c. : 'if unrighteous covetousness suggests to you 
 a different course, then behave like men and not like silly sheep * ; in 
 other words : — 'if the hope of gain which the religious life holds 
 out tempts you to take the vows, quit you like men in resisting 
 the temptation, and thus avoid the risk of afterwards breaking your 
 vows.' Si che, &c. : ' so that the Jew who lives in your midst 
 may not have the laugh of you.' The Jews (who are here intro- 
 duced because of the mention of the vows under the Mosaic Law 
 in 1. 49) observe their vows, and therefore have a right to despise 
 those Christians who break theirs. 
 
 82-4. Non fate, &c. : the meaning is: — Do not by mshing 
 unadvisedly into new engagements ignore the guidance of the Bible 
 and the Church which has hitherto supported you. e semplice, 
 &c. : ' and in innocent sportive mood, following its bent, brings 
 itself to harm.' 
 
 87. quella parte, &c. : the Empyrean is probably meant, because 
 Beatrice was preparing to ascend to the next Heaven, and therefore 
 would be looking upward. 
 
 90. davante : ' presenting themselves to it.' 
 
 92. sia . . . queta : 'ceases to vibrate.' 
 
 93. secondo regno : the second realm is the Heaven of Mercury, 
 in which Dante meets the spirits of the ambitious, i. e. those who 
 had high aims in life for the sake of fame. In consequence of their 
 being influenced by this lower motive they occupy the lowest sphere 
 but one. 
 
 98, 99. che pur, &c. : ' who merely from being a mortal man 
 am liable to every phase of change.' 
 
 102. Per modo che: take with vien ; 'which comes in such 
 sort that they deem it to be their food.' 
 
 105. chi crescerk, &c. : Dante is referred to; 'one who will 
 
 43B 
 
V. 107-38] PARADISO 
 
 augment in us the feeling of love.' The spirits anticipate an increase 
 of their love, because they know that Dante has a favour to ask 
 of them, and rejoice in the prospect of granting it; cp. 11. 115 foil. 
 
 107, 108. Vedeasi, &c. : 'the spirit was seen to be full of joy 
 by the brightness which proceeded from it.' This statement implies 
 that the spirit was visible, notwithstanding the light which emanated 
 from it; cp. II. 136, 137. On this characteristic of the three 
 lowest spheres of Paradise see note on Par. iii. 48. But whereas 
 in sphere I no light emanates from the spirits, this takes place here, 
 and still more markedly in the third sphere, Par. viii. 52. 
 
 III. carizia : archaic for carestia, 'dearth,' 'unsatisfied craving.' 
 
 1 15-7. bene nato : ' born in a happy hour ' ; cp. ben creato^ Par. 
 iii. 37. Prima che, &c. : 'before the warfare of life is concluded.' 
 
 120. Da noi, &c. : 'to be enlightened by (receive information 
 from) us.' 
 
 121— 3. un : this was the emperor Justinian. credi, &c. : 
 'trust them as if they were divinities.' 
 
 124, 125. t' annidi : 'art enveloped'; for the metaphor cp. 
 Par. iv. 127, 'come fiera in lustra.' traggi : ' that the light pro- 
 ceeds (lit. that thou dost draw it forth) from thine eyes.' 
 
 129. altrui ; the sun, owing to its nearness to which Mercury 
 is seldom visible to the naked eye; cp. Conv. ii. 14. 11. 99, 100, 
 where Dante says of Mercury, ' piil va velata de' raggi del sole che 
 null' altra Stella.' 
 
 130. diritto : ' facing,' ' turning myself towards.' 
 
 133-5. stessi: archaic form of stesso^ used only as a personal 
 pronoun ; cp. Inf. ix. 58. come il caldo, &c. : ' when the heat 
 has consumed the tempering influence of the dense vapours.' 
 
 138. chiusa chiusa : ' completely enveloped.' 
 
 CANTO VI 
 
 Argument. — Justinian first reveals his own identity, and then 
 from the mention of the Imperial office which he held proceeds to 
 sketch the history of the development of the power and majesty of 
 Rome, with the object of incriminating the Guelf and Ghibelline 
 factions, which were now, though in different ways, impairing the 
 
 439 
 
PARADTSO [VI. 1-12 
 
 authority of the Empire. Afterwards he relates the story of one of 
 the spirits in this sphere, Romeo, the seneschal of Raymond 
 Berenger, describing the services which he rendered and the 
 ingratitude with which he was repaid. 
 
 Lines 1-27. Justinian here answers the first of Dante's two 
 questions (cp. Par. v. 127), viz. who he was. But before mention- 
 ing his name he explains that he became emperor of Rome more 
 than 200 years after the transference of the chief seat of the 
 government to Constantinople (11. 1-9). 
 
 1-3. Posciache, &c. : the removal of the administrative centre 
 of the Roman empire by Constantine from Rome to Constantinople 
 is described as his having turned the flight of the eagle (the symbol 
 of Roman dominion) against the course of Heaven, i. e. from W. to 
 E., whereas it had previously flown from E. to W., when Aeneas 
 brought it from Troy to Italy. Dietro, &c. : ' following the 
 ancient hero (Aeneas), who took Lavinia to wife ' ; tor moglie means 
 ' to marry.' 
 
 4-6. Cento, &c. : ' two hundred years and more the bird of God 
 maintained its position at the extremity of Europe.' The accepted 
 date for the foundation of Constantinople, as distinguished from its 
 subsequent dedication, is a. D. 324, and that of Justinian's accession 
 is 527, so that the interval would be 203 years. But there is good 
 reason for thinking that Dante's authority here is Brunetto Latini, 
 and he in his Trhor (i. 2. 87) gives the dates as 333 and 539 
 respectively, in which case the interval would be 206 years. 1' 
 uccel di Dio : the eagle, which is called ' T uccel di Giove ' in 
 Purg. xxxii. 112; here ' the bird of God,' because the Roman 
 empire according to Dante was a divine institution. Vicino, &c. : 
 as Troy was regarded as the birthplace of the Roman empire, ' the 
 mountains from which the eagle first came forth ' signify Mt. Ida, 
 which lies behind the plain of Troy. As this is situated at one end 
 of the Sea of Marmora, and Constantinople at the other end, they 
 are relatively near to one another. 
 
 7, 8. delle sacre penne v ' of its sacred wings.' di mano in 
 mano : ' passing from hand to hand,' from one emperor to another. 
 
 1 0-2. fui, e son : this is a marked instance of Dante's rule of 
 using the past tense when giving the title of the dignities or offices of 
 his characters, the present when the personal name only is used ; see 
 
 440 
 
VI. J4-3^] PARADISO 
 
 note on Inf. xxxiii. 13, 14. per voler, &c. : 'Inspired by the 
 primal Love (the Holy Spirit) whose power I feel/ Justinian's 
 inspiration in this matter is again referred to in 1. 23. For ' primo 
 amore ' as a title of the Holy Ghost, cp. Inf. iii. 6 and note there. 
 D' entro, &c. : ' removed from the body of the laws what tvas 
 redundant and what was useless.' The reform and codifying of the 
 Roman Law was the great work of Justinian's reign. 
 
 14. Una natura, &c. : this is the doctrine of the Monophysites, 
 which was condemned by the Fourth General Council in 451. In 
 reality Justinian himself was orthodox in this matter, though his wife, 
 the empress Theodora, inclined towards that heresy. Probably 
 Dante got the view unfavourable to Justinian from Brunetto Latini, 
 who says (Tesoro, ii. 25) — ' Tutto ch' ei fosse al cominciamento 
 negli errori degli eretici, al fine riconobbe lo suo errore per lo 
 consiglio di Agabito.' 
 
 16. Agapito : Agapetus, bishop of Rome, was sent in the year 
 5 1 5 by Theodatus, king of the Goths, on an embassy to Justinian 
 at Constantinople ; and during his stay there he convicted the 
 Patriarch Anthimus of Monophysite views in the emperor's presence. 
 Dante regards Justinian as having been converted to the orthodox 
 belief on this occasion. Perhaps his reason for introducing this 
 episode in Justinian's history was, that he wished to illustrate his 
 own view of the rightful functions of the Emperor and the Pope 
 as being respectively the temporal and spiritual governors, by showing 
 that it was accepted in Justinian's time. 
 
 19-21. cio che, &c. : 'his article of faith (the two Natures in 
 Christ) I now see clearly, in the same way as you see that of two 
 contradictories one must be false, the other true ' ; i. e. not as 
 a matter of opinion or inference, but with absolute certainty. 
 
 22—4. con la chiesa, &c. : ' I walked in accordance with the 
 Church's teaching.' di spirarmi : ' to inspire me with ' ; for 
 spirare in this sense cp. Purg. xxiv. 53, 'Amor mi spira.' 1' alto 
 lavoro : the reform of the laws. 
 
 25-7. BelHsar : Belisarius, who overthrew the Vandal Kingdom 
 in Africa, and reconquered Italy from the Goths, commendai : 
 ' entrusted.' dovessi posarmi : ' should rest ' from military 
 occupations. 
 
 28-30. Or qui, &c. : ' here then ends my answer to your first 
 question ; but the nature of my reply constrains me to pursue 
 
 441 
 
PARADISO [VI. 31-50 
 
 a sequel to it ' ; i. e. I cannot leave the subject of the Roman empii-e, 
 to which I have referred, without adding some further remarks. 
 
 31-3. Perche, &c. : ' that you may see with how much (meaning 
 ' how little ') justification men proceed against the sacred emblem.' 
 chi '1 s' appropria : the Ghibellines. chi a lui s' oppone : the 
 Guelfs and their supporters ; cp. 11. 100-8. 
 
 35, 36. E comincio : ' and Justinian commenced.' Justinian 
 now sketches in outline the rise and history of the Roman empire ; 
 on this compare De Mon. ii. 11, and Conv. iv. 5. Observe that the 
 power which is spoken of from here to 1. 82 — ' ij segno che parlar 
 mi face ' — and is frequently the subject of the verb, is the Roman 
 eagle. Pallanta, &c. : Pallas, who was fighting on the side of 
 Aeneas, was slain by Turnus. His death led to that of Turnus, 
 because Aeneas would have spared the latter's life, had he not seen 
 the belt of Pallas which he was wearing (Aen. xii. 940-50). 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. 
 
 37-9. che fece, &c. ; ' that the Roman eagle made its abode in 
 Alba Longa for 300 years and upwards, until at last (lit. until the end 
 when) once more the Horatii and Curiatii contended for it.' The 
 victory of the three Roman Horatii over the three Alban Curiatii 
 finally determined the end of the Alban sovereignty and the 
 commencement of the sovereignty of Rome ; up to that time the 
 Albans held the first place, as being the elder branch of the Trojan 
 stock (Liv. i. 2'^ ad init.). Dante's authority for the period of ' 300 
 years and upwards ' was probably Virg. Jlen. i. 267-74, where the 
 interval between the foundation of Alba by Ascanius and the birth 
 of Romulus and Remus is computed at 300 years. 
 
 40, 41. dal mal, &c. : the rape of the Sabines in the time of 
 Romulus and the wrong done to Lucretia by Tarquinius Superbus 
 mark the beginning and the end of the period of the kings. 
 
 45. collegi : for collegali^ ' confederates.' 
 
 46-8. dal cirro Negletto : Cincinnatus. This word, which 
 properly signifies ' curly-haired,' is here taken to mean * with unkempt 
 locks.' mirro : ' embalm,' from mtrra^ ' myrrh.' 
 
 49, 50. Arabi : an anachronism for ' Carthaginians.' L' al- 
 pestre, &c. : the chain of the Alps between Piedmont and France ; 
 the Po rises in Monte Viso. 
 
 442 
 
VI. 5^-69] PARADISO 
 
 52-4. giovinetti : Scipio was 24 years old when he commenced 
 his successful campaign against the Carthaginians in Spain, and 
 32 when he defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama. Pompey, 
 while quite a young man, was one of Sulla's most distinguished 
 generals in the war against Marius. a quel colle, &c. : ' the 
 Roman eagle showed itself harsh towards that hill beneath which 
 thou wast born.' The hill is that of Fiesole, which looks down 
 on Florence. According to the tradition to which Dante here 
 refers, and which is given by Villani (i. 37), Faesulae was destroyed 
 by the Romans after the defeat of Catiline. 
 
 55—7. presso, &c. : ' when the time was nigh, at which it was 
 the will of Heaven to bring the whole world to its serene mood,' i. e. 
 when the time of Christ's coming approached. The modo sereno 
 here recalls ' No war nor battle's sound Was heard the world around,' 
 «&c., mM.Wtovi's Ode on the Nativity. toUe: for ioglie, 'assumes it,' 
 viz. the Roman eagle. 
 
 58-60. E quel, &c. : these three lines describe the scene of 
 Caesar's campaigns (or, more accurately, the exploits of the Roman 
 eagle in Caesar's hands) in Gaul by an enumeration of the principal 
 rivers of that country — viz. the Var and the Rhine, which were its 
 boundaries on the side of Italy and Germany respectively, and, in 
 the interior, the Isere, the Saone (Lat. Arar, whence Era), the 
 Seine, and the Rhone and its tributaries. These river-names are 
 borrowed from Lucan, i. 399 foil., but the mention of them here is 
 a marked instance of Dante's geographical interest in rivers, ogni 
 valle, &c. : by ' every valley from which the Rhone is filled ' is 
 meant the ' basins ' drained by the rivers which feed it. 
 
 61, 62. Ravenna : this was Caesar's starting-point when he 
 advanced on Rome, tal volo : ' so rapid flight ' on the eagle's 
 part. 
 
 64-6. In ver, &c. : 'it wheeled round its host toward Spain.' 
 Caesar's rapid march into Spain, in the course of which he attacked 
 Massilia, has been already noticed as an instance of energetic action 
 in Purg. xviii. 10 1, 102. Durazzo : the ancient Dyrrhachium on 
 the eastern coast of the Adriatic, to which Caesar crossed from 
 Brundisium in pursuit of Pompey. al Nil, &c. : because Pompey 
 fled to Egypt and was slain there. The epithet caldo is transferred 
 from the country to the river. 
 
 67-9. Antandro, &c. : the eagle revisited its starting-place, the 
 
 443 
 
PARADISO [vi. 70-87 
 
 neighbourhood of Troy. Antandros is mentioned as being the place 
 from which Aeneas set sail ; cp. Virg. Aen. iii. 6. Ettore, &c. : 
 Hector's tomb is mentioned in ylen. v. .371; but probably Dante 
 was rather thinking of Lucan, ix. 976-8, because in the Hnes that 
 precede that passage Caesar's visit to Troy is described, mal, &c. : 
 ' roused itself in an evil hour for Ptolemy.' Caesar took part with 
 Cleopatra against Ptolemy in the matter of the kingdom of Egypt. 
 
 70-2. Juba: in consequence of Juba, king of Numidia, having 
 protected the Pompeians and Cato and Scipio, Caesar reduced his 
 kingdom to a Roman province, vostro occidente : ' the West 
 of your world below.' Spain is meant, where the battle of Munda 
 was fought against the sons of Pompey. 
 
 73—5. baiulo : 'standard-bearer'; L.at. haiulus, 'bearer.' 'The 
 standard-bearer next in succession ' is the emperor Augustus, latra : 
 take with Di quel ; ' to that which the eagle did in company with 
 Augustus, Brutus and Cassius direfully testify in Hell.' Brutus 
 and Cassius are in the mouth of Lucifer in the pit of Hell (Inf. 
 xxxiv. 64—7) ; and, as it is said of Brutus in that passage that he 
 does not utter a word {non fa motto), latra can hardly be taken 
 here in the sense of ' howls in pain.' It is their sufferings in Hell 
 which bear witness to their overthrow by Augustus, when they were 
 defeated at Philippi. E Modena, &c. : ' the eagle caused Modena 
 and Perugia to mourn.' Dante was here thinking of Lucan, i. 41, 
 ' Perusina fames Mutinaeque labores ' ; and from this we see that 
 what he is referring to is the murderous battle in which Augustus 
 defeated Antony before Mutina, and the straits endured by the 
 inhabitants of Perusia during the siege of that city, when it was 
 defended by Lucius Antonius against Augustus. 
 
 78. atra: 'dire.' 
 
 79. Con costui, &c. : the meaning is : — ' In Augustus' hands the 
 eagle conquered all Egypt as far as the Red Sea shore.' lito rubro 
 is a reminiscence of ' litore rubro ' in Virg. j4en. viii. 686. 
 
 82-4. il segno, &c. : 'the Roman eagle, which is the subject of 
 my speech.' lo regno mortal : the Roman empire is meant. 
 
 86, 87. Se, &c. : 'if we fully and fairly regard the Roman 
 authority (the eagle) as wielded by Tiberius,' in whose reign Christ 
 was put to death. The superior position here attributed to the 
 Roman empire under Tiberius arose from this — that it was then 
 recognized by divine sanction as the power which should govern 
 
 444 
 
VI. 88-96] PARADISO 
 
 the world. It was so recognized in the following manner, as Dante 
 argues in De Mon. ii. 13. 11. 29-49. The object of Christ's death 
 was that it should be a vicarious punishment for the sins of the 
 whole world ; in other words, the whole human race was punished 
 in the person of Christ. But punishment, in order to be rightly so 
 called (as distinguished from vengeance or arbitrary punishment), 
 must be inflicted by one who has lawful authority over those who 
 are punished. Therefore it was necessary that Christ should be 
 condemned to death by one who had lawful authority over the whole 
 human race. Hence, when God willed that Christ should be 
 condemned by Pilate, the vice-gerent of Tiberius, who in turn 
 represented the Roman empire, it was recognized by Him that the 
 empire was de iure the governing power in the world. 
 
 88-90. la viva, &c. : ' the living justice (i. e. the justice of 
 God) which inspires me'; for spira cp. 1. 23. Gloria, &c. : 
 ' the glory of avenging the wrath of God,' i. e. of pacifying God's 
 anger against the sins of men by putting Christ to death who made 
 atonement for those sins. The glory arose from the position thus 
 attributed to the Roman empire, as explained in note to 11. 86, 87. 
 
 91—3. Or qui, &c. : 'now mark the strangeness of (lit. regard 
 with wonder) my repetition.' The repetition is that of the word 
 vendetta in two different applications, corresponding to the twofold 
 mission of the eagle ; first it avenged God's wrath against Adam's 
 sin (vendetta del peccato antico) by putting Christ to death; 
 then it took vengeance on the Jews for bringing about Christ's death 
 by the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. This point is more fully 
 treated in Par. vii. 19 foil. On Titus as the avenger of Christ see 
 Purg. xxi. 82-4. 
 
 94-6. E quando, &c. : when Desiderius, king of the Lombards, 
 persecuted the Church, Pope Adrian I called in Charles the Great 
 to its defence, vincendo : by his victory over Desiderius. The 
 date of this was 774, and Charles was not crowned emperor of the 
 West until 800, so that at the time when it took place he was not 
 under the protection of the Roman eagle (sotto alle sue ali). 
 Dante's error here is of a part with his more serious mistake in 
 De Mon. iii. 11. 11. 1-7, where he says that Charles was crowned 
 emperor by Adrian I while the emperor Michael was on the throne 
 of Constantinople — whereas in reality he was crowned by Leo IH 
 during the reign of Irene. 
 
 445 
 
PARADISO [VI. 97-117 
 
 97-9. Omai, &:c. : Justinian's object in extolling the greatness 
 of the Roman empire was, as he stated before beginning to do so 
 (II. 29-33), to show the sinfulness of those who in Dante's time 
 were endeavouring to lower its position, quel cotali : ' those 
 classes of men.' 
 
 100-2. L* uno, &c. : 'the one (the Guelfs) opposes to the 
 world-embracing standard (the eagle) the yellow lilies (the Jieur- 
 de-lys of France, i. e. the Angevins) ; the other (the Ghibellines) 
 appropriates it to a party (treats it as their special emblem).' This 
 passage shows how independent Dante was at this period of his life 
 of both parties in Italy ; cp. Par. xvii. 68, 69. 
 
 103-5. faccian lor arte: 'practise their devices (play their 
 game).' sempre : take with segue, la giustizia, &c. : ' alienates 
 it from justice.' 
 
 106-8. Carlo novello: Charles II of Apulia, son of Charles 
 of Anjou, now leader of the Guelf party, piu alto leon, &c. ; 
 the statement is probably general ; ' have despoiled greater chieftains 
 than him.' 
 
 109— II. li figli : it is difficult to think that this is only a general 
 statement. Possibly there is an allusion to the misfortunes of Charles 
 Martel, son of Charles II, whom Dante introduces in Par. viii. 
 31 foil, non si creda, &c. : ' let no man think that God purposes 
 to change his own bearings (the divinely appointed eagle) for his 
 (Charles's) lilies,' i. e. that he intends the Angevin emblem to 
 supersede that of the empire. 
 
 II 2-4. Justinian now proceeds to answer Dante's second 
 question (Par. v. 127-9), ^i^* ^^y he was found in the sphere of 
 Mercury. This, he says, is the place assigned to those who had 
 pursued high aims in life for the sake of honour, picciola : cp. 
 Conv. ii. 14. 1. 92, 'Mercurio e la piil piccola Stella del cielo.' 
 Mercury is sixteen times smaller than the earth, si correda : ' is 
 adorned,' lit. 'equipped,' 'furnished.' li succeda : 'may accrue 
 to them.' li is dat. case, archaic for gli, which latter is used for 
 loro, as in Inf. xx. 14. 
 
 115-7. poggian quivi : 'rise thither,' i.e. towards fame. 
 Poggiare is der. from pogg'w^ ' a hill.' disviando : ' deviating 
 from the right course,' not aiming at the glory of God, which is 
 the true motive, pur convien, &c. : ' the rays of the true love 
 (their love for God) must ever (pur) rise upwards with less ardour.' 
 
 446 
 
VI. II8-42] PARADISO 
 
 This is the reason why a lower place is assigned to them in the 
 court of Heaven. 
 
 1 1 8, 119. nel commensurar, <fec. : 'our joy in part consists 
 in balancing our rewards against our deserts.' gaggi is the same 
 word as Engl, 'wages.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. Quindi, &c. : 'hence doth the living justice (God, the 
 fountain-head of justice) so tranquillize our feelings (the desire of 
 a higher place) within us, that they can never be perverted to any 
 unrighteousness ' ; i. e. to discontent with their lot, or envy of 
 others. For the sentiment here cp. Par. iii. 70-2. 
 
 124-6. Diverse, &c. : 'as on earth (giii) voices of different 
 tone form sweet concord, so in our life in Heaven the different 
 grades (lit. tiers of seats) give forth sweet harmony among these 
 spheres.' 
 
 127-9. margarita: here used of Mercury; similarly of the 
 moon in Par. ii. 34. Romeo : chief minister of Raymond 
 Berenger IV, count of Provence, to whom his services w^ere of 
 great advantage. According to Dante, he became the object of 
 jealousy and misrepresentation on the part of the courtiers, and 
 was banished and died in poverty. This story, which is found 
 also in Villani (vi. 90), is purely legendary, mal gradita: 'ill 
 recompensed.' 
 
 131, 132. Non hanno riso : they suffered at the hands of 
 Charles of Anjou, son-in-law of Raymond Berenger, into whose 
 hands Provence passed by inheritance — 'la gran dote Provenzale' 
 of Purg. XX. 61. e pero, &c. : ' and so it is, that he who (through 
 jealousy) regards others' good deeds as an injury to himself, is 
 following the road to ruin.' 
 
 I33~5' Quattro figlie, &c. : these were Margaret, wife of 
 Louis IX of France; Eleanor, wife of Henry III of England; 
 Sancia, wife of Richard earl of Cornwall, king of the Romans ; 
 and Beatrice, wife of Charles I of Anjou. peregrina : ' pilgrim ' ; 
 the story of his having come to the court of Raymond Berenger 
 when returning from a pilgrimage to Compostella arose from his 
 name Romeo (= pilgrim). 
 
 136-8. le parole biece : the calumnies of the courtiers. 
 ragione : ' an account.' assegno, &c. : ' paid over to him 
 12 for 10 ' — his own with interest. 
 
 140-2. il cor, &c. : 'the courage which he showed.' Justinian 
 
 447 
 
PARADISO [VII. i-i:z 
 
 speaks as one who knew this in Heaven : the world, as Dante 
 impHes, and as Villani states {Joe. cit.), knew nothing of his 
 subsequent life. Assai, &c. : ' much as it praises him, would 
 praise him more.' 
 
 CANTO VII 
 
 Argument. — Justinian and the spirits in his company now with- 
 draw, and Beatrice, in order to relieve Dante's mind from certain 
 doubts which had been suggested by Justinian's speech, explains to 
 him the mystery of Redemption. After this she discusses the 
 nature of created things, distinguishing those which are incorruptible 
 from those which are corruptible. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Osanna, &c. : ' Hosanna, holy God of hosts, who 
 by Thy brightness dost illuminate from above the happy fires of these 
 realms.' These verses appear to have been Dante's own, not a 
 hymn of the Church ; but they are in Latin, to correspond to other 
 mediaeval hymns, malachoth : as Dante required a rhyme for 
 Sabaoth — no easy thing to find — he availed himself of the word 
 malachoth, which he met with in St. Jerome's Preface to the Vulgate, 
 where it is translated by regnorum. The proper form of this, which 
 is read in modern edd. of the Vulgate, is mamlachot, but in Dante's 
 time malachoth was the accepted reading. 
 
 4—6. Co SI, &c. : * these words, as it returned to its singing, it 
 appeared to me that spirit chanted.' The singing has not been 
 mentioned before in this connexion ; it is here implied that it was 
 the habitual occupation of these spirits, sustanza : the 'spirit,' 
 which is the essential part of man ; cp. ' forma sustanzial ' in Purg. 
 xviii. 49. Sopra, &c. : ' on whose head two forms of glory 
 equally rest,' lit. ' over whom a double splendour pairs itself.' The 
 meaning is : — Justinian is dignified in an equal degree by the two 
 glorious titles of emperor and of lawgiver. 
 
 7. danza : this is the first instance which we meet with in the 
 Paradiso of the rapid and intricate movement, which together with 
 light and music form the most marked characteristics of the spirits 
 in Heaven. 
 
 10-2. lo dubitava, &c. : ' I was possessed by a doubt, and was 
 
 448 
 
'vii. 13-29] PARADISO 
 
 saying to myself, "Tell it to her, tell it to my lady, who quenches 
 my thirst with her sweet drops of wisdom " ' ; the drops are 
 Beatrice's arguments. 
 
 13-5. s' indonna, &c.t 'masters me entirely.' pur, &c. : 
 * merely at the sound of BE and ICE.' Some think that ' Bice,' 
 the abbreviation of Beatrice, is meant; cp. 'monna Bice' in Vita 
 Nuova^ § 24. 1. 58 ; in this case it is better to read B than BE. 
 If, however, the name ' Bice ' seems somewhat too familiar under 
 the circumstances, then ' BE and ICE ' may mean 'a part (i. e. the 
 mere suggestion) of the name of Beatrice.' Mi richinava, &c. : 
 ' caused me to droop my head like one falling asleep.' 
 
 19-21. Secondo, &c. : 'I am aware, through the guidance of 
 my infallible judgement, that the question, how a just vengeance 
 could be justly punished, has set thee thinking.' The subject of ha 
 miso is the clause Come . . . fosse. In 11. 20, 21 Beatrice is 
 referring to Justinian's remarks in Par. vi. 88-93 on the sacrifice of 
 Christ by the Jews, and the retributive punishment inflicted on them 
 in consequence. Dante's difficulty is — If Christ was justly put to 
 death, how could it be just to punish those who put Him to death ? 
 The answer is — that He was justly punished in His human nature 
 (11. 40-2), but unjustly as God (43-5). It was from the latter 
 point of view that the Jews justly incurred the punishment which 
 was inflicted on them. This argument is highly Scholastic in its 
 over-subtlety ; and moreover it ignores the unity of the Person of 
 Christ. 
 
 24. Di gran, &c. : 'will give thee largess of (present thee with) 
 a profound doctrine.' The doctrine is that of Redemption, pre- 
 sente, as a subst., meaning 'gift,' 'offering' (Engl, 'present'), is 
 from Low hcit. praesentia, which is used in the same sense, and 
 is der. from Lat. praesentare, ' to exhibit,' ' offer ' ; Diez, Wort., 
 p. 256. 
 
 25-7. Per non, &c. : 'owing to his not enduring that a restric- 
 tion, which was to his advantage, should be imposed on his power 
 of will (la virtu che vuole), Adam by bringing damnation on 
 himself brought it also on all his descendants.' The restriction was 
 the command not to eat of the forbidden fruit, prode : der. from 
 l^at. prodesse ; cp. Purg. xv. 42. 
 
 28, 29. infer ma: take with in grande err ore; 'lay sick in 
 estrangement from God.' giu : in the world below. 
 
 TozsR 449 G g 
 
PARADISO [vii. 31-120 
 
 31-3. U*: for Lat. ubi; 'to the place (the earth) where he 
 united in one person with himself human nature, which had estranged 
 itself from its Creator, by the sole agency of the Holy Spirit,* who 
 caused the Virgin to conceive. For amore as a title of the Holy 
 Spirit cp. Par. vi. 11. 
 
 35. Questa, &c. : ' as long as human nature was in unison with 
 (not estranged from) its Creator.' 
 
 39. sua vita : the life of innocence and happiness in Paradise. 
 
 40-2. La pena, &c. : 'consequently, if the penalty which the 
 cross provided be estimated in reference to the (human) nature which 
 Christ took upon Him, no punishment was ever so justly inflicted.' 
 nulla is an adj. agreeing with pena understood. 
 
 43-5. cosi: 'correspondingly,' 'on the same principle.' per- 
 sona : the divine Person, with which that nature was combined 
 (contratta). 
 
 47, 48. Ch* a Dio, &c. : the same death was a satisfaction to 
 God and to the Jews, but in different ways — to God as an atone- 
 ment for the sins of mankind, to the Jews as gratifying their malice. 
 tremo la terra: the earthquake is mentioned as an evidence of 
 God's displeasure with the Jews. 
 
 49-51. parer piii forte: 'to appear any longer a difficulty.' 
 Quando, &c. : see note on 11. 19-21. giusta corte: the emperor 
 Titus, who is spoken of as the agent of God's vengeance in Par. 
 vi. 92. 
 
 52-4. ristretta, &c. : 'entangled by a succession of thoughts 
 within a knot,' i. e. a difficulty ; the thoughts are here regarded as 
 the threads which go to form the knot, solver s' aspetta : ' it is 
 waiting for deliverance,' i. e. for the solution of the difficulty. The 
 infin. solver is here used substantively. 
 
 55-7. Tu dici, &c. : Beatrice proceeds to explain the mystery of 
 Redemption in answer to Dante's difficulty. The question is — why 
 did God prefer that mankind should be saved by means of the death 
 of Christ rather than in any other way ? 
 
 59, 60. il cui, &c. : ' whose nature has not reached maturity in 
 ardent love.' 
 
 61. Veramente: 'yet'; cp. Par. i. lo. questo segno: 'this 
 question,' lit. 'point.' 
 
 64-120. Argument: — Man, inasmuch as his soul proceeded 
 direct from God, possessed the gifts of immortality, free-will, and 
 
 450 
 
VII. 64-7^] PARADISO 
 
 likeness to God, and on these depended his high position (11. 64-78). 
 By the Fall the freedom of his will and his likeness to God were 
 impaired, and his position was lost (11. 79-81). There were only 
 two ways by which he could recover this, viz. either (i) that he 
 should make satisfaction himself for his sin, or (2) that God in His 
 mercy should pardon him freely (11. 82-93). ^^^ former of these 
 it was impossible for man to do, because he could not render any 
 adequate recompense ; it remained therefore for God to guarantee 
 his pardon (11. 94-105). This God did in a manner at once most 
 consonant with His own nature, as being perfect Goodness, and most 
 advantageous to man, and most in accordance with the demands of 
 justice. He followed both the way of mercy and the way of justice. 
 By the Incarnation and death of Christ He enabled man to regain 
 his lost position, and at the same time made the satisfaction for his 
 sins which justice required (11. 106—20). 
 
 64-6. La divina, &c. : ^the divine Goodness, which is un- 
 grudging in its nature, while in itself it burns with the fire of love, 
 sparkles so (is so bright), that it manifests in its creatures its eternal 
 beauties.' da se, &c. : * removes far from itself (is utterly alien to) 
 all envy (grudging spirit).' It is part of the divine nature to com- 
 municate itself to other beings. Cp. Boeth. De Cons. Bk. iii. Metr. 
 9. 11. 4-6, of God creating the universe — ' Quem non externae 
 pepulerunt fingere causae Materiae fluitantis opus, verum insita summi 
 Forma boni, livore car ens,* 
 
 67-9. Cio che, &c. : ' whatever emanates directly from God is 
 eternal, because wherever God sets His seal the impression is in- 
 delible.' 
 
 70-2. Cio che da, &c. : ' that which proceeds directly from Him 
 is wholly free, because it is not subject to the power of things of later 
 birth.' By 'things of later birth' are meant second causes, as 
 distinguished from God, who is the great First Cause. Others 
 interpret the cose nuove as being the planetary and other influences. 
 
 73-5. Piu r e, &c. : * that which proceeds immediately from 
 God resembles Him more closely than other beings do, and 
 therefore is more pleasing in His sight ; for the fire of divine love, 
 which irradiates all things, shines more brightly in that which most 
 resembles it.' 
 
 76. queste cose: they are (i) immortality, (2) freedom of the 
 will, (3) resemblance to God. 
 
 451 G g 2 
 
PARADISO [vii. 79-103 
 
 7-9-81. disfranca: 'deprives man of his liberty* by impairing 
 the freedom of his will. Perche, &c. : 'in consequence of which 
 he is but little irradiated by God's light ' : for imbianca cp. Inf. 
 ii. 128. 
 
 82-4. Ed in, &c. : 'nor can he ever regain his high position, 
 unless by suffering the penalty due to him he makes up the amount 
 which is reduced by sin (lit. unless he fills up where transgression 
 empties), thus counterbalancing his criminal enjoyments.' 
 
 85, 86. tota : the Lat. word is used for tutta for the sake of the 
 rhyme, seme suo : ' the seed from which it sprang/ Adam. For 
 the use of seme in the sense of ' progenitor * cp. Inf. xxv. 1 2 ; Purg, 
 vii. 127. dignitadi : the plural is used to signify the three original 
 privileges mentioned above. 
 
 90. Senza, &c. : ' without passing one or other of the two 
 following fords.' For guadd in the sense of ' a means of escaping 
 from a difficulty,' cp. Par. ii. 126, where the solution of a difficulty 
 in argument is spoken of. 
 
 91-3. O che, &c. : 'either that God of His benignity alone should 
 have granted pardon, or that man of himself should have made 
 satisfaction for his folly.* isso : Lat. ipsum ; cp. issa for ipsa 
 (sub. hora)^ 'now,' in Inf. xxiii. 7^ Purg. xxiv. 55. 
 
 96. distrettamente : 'attentively*; the meaning 0^ distretto is 
 the same as that of stretto. 
 
 97-100. nei termini suoi : 'within his limitations,' i.e. as 
 a finite being, per non poter, &c. : ' because it was impossible for 
 him to descend so low in humility by subsequent obedience, as he had 
 aimed at ascending high by his disobedience.' The reference is to 
 Gen. iii. 5, where the temptation which Satan presents to Eve is, 
 that by eating of the forbidden fruit they should become as 
 gods ; now there is no depth of self-abasement which man can 
 reach equivalent to his sinful aspiration to partake of the divine 
 nature. 
 
 102. Da poter, &c. : 'rendered incapable of (lit. excluded from 
 the power of) making satisfaction of himself.' 
 
 103. con le vie sue : ' by the two ways open to him — I mean 
 (Dico, &c., 1. 105), either by one only, or by both together.* The 
 two ways were, (i) the way of mercy, by granting a free pardon; 
 (2) the way of justice, by requiring satisfaction. God might either 
 have pardoned man without requiring satisfaction, or have pardoned 
 
 45^ 
 
VII. 106-29] PARADISO 
 
 him and obtained satisfaction at the same time. The latter mode of 
 proceeding was adopted in the vicarious sacrifice of Christ. 
 
 106— II. The general meaning is: — It was God's desire to 
 display in the Redemption of man the grandest instance of His 
 goodness by the combined agency of mercy and justice. Ma perche, 
 &c. : ' but because the work of him who works approves itself as 
 more excellent (e piii gradita, lit. ' is more acceptable ') in pro- 
 portion as it sets forth in larger measure the goodness of the heart 
 whence it proceeds, the divine Goodness — that same attribute which 
 is seen imprinted on the face of the world — was pleased to set on 
 foot your restitution to your high estate by both his methods at once 
 (per tutte le sue vie).' 
 
 1 12-4. Ne, &c. : ' nor throughout the whole history of the world 
 has there been or will there be any other proceeding equally sublime 
 and magnificent, either through the agency of mercy or of justice.' 
 
 1 1 5-7. piii largo, &c. : the sentiment expressed in these lines is 
 that of Aquinas, where he says of Christ's Atonement (Summa, iii. 
 Q. 46. Art. i), 'hoc fuit abundantioris misericordiae, quam si peccata 
 absque satisfactione dimisisset.' A far, &c. : by taking our nature 
 Christ enabled us to recover from the effects of the Fall, dimes so : 
 'excused,' 'pardoned.' 
 
 118-20. erano scarsi, &c. : 'would have failed (lit. fell short) 
 to satisfy justice.' erano scarsi . . . se non fosse is an irregular 
 sequence ; for other instances see note on Inf. xxix. 38. 
 
 121 foil. Beatrice now returns, to her remark (11. 67-9) that what 
 is created immediately by God is in itself eternal ; this might seem 
 to imply that the lower material creation is eternal. She explains 
 that the lower material creation was not created by God immediately, 
 but through the intervention of other agencies. The lower material 
 creation is here distinguished from the heavens, which are composed 
 of pure matter. 
 
 122, 123. Ritorno, &c. : 'I go back to furnish an explanation 
 with regard to a certain point, in order that in that matter (li) you 
 may see as clearly as I do.' 
 
 125. lor misture ; combinations of the four elements which have 
 just been mentioned. 
 
 127-9. creature: i.e. created by God. Perche, &c. : 'and 
 consequently, if what I said (11. 67-9) is true, they should be 
 incorruptible.' 
 
 453 
 
PARADISO [vii. 130-48 
 
 130-2. il paese sincero : ' the region of pure matter,' i. e. the 
 heavens, dir si posson, &c. : ' may (rightly) be spoken of as 
 created (by God) in the perfect state in which they (now) are.' 
 
 135. Da creata, &c. : 'are infomied by (receive th^ir forma or 
 essential part from) a power which was itself created.' The power 
 or influence here meant is that of the stars, and this was a mediate 
 influence between God and the lower material creation, so that the 
 latter was not created immediately by God, and therefore is not 
 incorruptible. 
 
 136-8. Creata fu, &c. : these three lines are a fuller statement of 
 what precedes. These elements (fire, water, &c.) are derived from 
 what was already created, in respect both of their material and 
 formal constituents, i. e. the matter of which they were made, and 
 the stellar influences which gave them their essence, che intorno, 
 &c. : ' which revolve around them.' 
 
 139-41. L' anima, &c. : from speaking of things without life 
 Beatrice passes to those which possess the sensitive or the vegetative 
 life without the rational soul. These also are not incorruptible, 
 because their life is produced mediately by the influence of the stars, 
 acting on those elements of their nature (i. e. of the matter of which 
 they are composed) which are capable of being aflPected by them. 
 ' The brightness and the motion of the holy lights (the stars) draws 
 forth the life of brutes and plants from the combination of elements 
 (complession) in them, which is endued with power (potenziata) 
 thereto,' i. e. to be so affected, complession in its technical use 
 means ' a combination of elements,' e. g. of humours of the body, or 
 properties of matter. 
 
 142, 143. Ma vostra, &c. : in contrast with the preceding, the 
 rational soul of man proceeds directly from God, and therefore is 
 incorruptible. ' But your life is breathed into you immediately by 
 the highest Benevolence * ; cp. Purg. xxv. 70-3. 
 
 145-8. E quinci, &c. : the meaning is : — The resurrection of 
 the body may be inferred from what has been said above (11. 67 foil.) 
 concerning the immortality of that which has been created immediately 
 by God, for this was the case with the human body when God made 
 Adam and Eve; and consequently our bodies must be immortal. 
 ancora : ' further.' Come, &c. : ' how the human body was then 
 made, when both our first parents were created.' intrambo : cp. 
 Inf. xix. 25. 
 
 454 
 
VIII. I-I2] PARADISO 
 
 CANTO VIII 
 
 Argument. — Dante ascends with Beatrice to the third Heaven, 
 that of Venus, in which the souls of lovers are found. Here he sees 
 the spirit of his former friend Carlo Martello, son of Charles II king 
 of Naples, who after referring to the countries, of which, had he 
 lived, he would have been the sovereign, explains the origin of 
 varieties of disposition and character in men, and the reason why 
 sons differ in these respects from their fathers. 
 
 Lines i— 12. In these lines it is said that the name of the planet 
 Venus was derived from that of the heathen goddess, and that she 
 was supposed to send forth from it the influences of sensual love. 
 Dante himself believed that love was imparted to men by this planet, 
 but through the agency of angels. 
 
 1-3. in suo periclo : ' to its peril,' because the sin which 
 proceeded from this cause endangered the soul. Others say ' in its 
 time of peril,' i. e. in the time of heathenism, when there was no hope 
 of salvation. With this latter interpretation nelF antico errore in 1. 6 
 is a repetition of the same idea. Ciprigna : Venus, the goddess of 
 Cyprus, whose temple was at Paphos in that island, il folle, &c. : 
 ' beamed forth delirious love.' For raggiasse cp. Conn), ii. 7. 
 11. 90-2, ' li raggi di ciascuno cielo sono la via, per la quale discende 
 la loro virtii in queste cose di quaggiu.' volta, &c. : ' revolving in 
 the third epicycle.' The term * epicycle ' means a circle, the centre 
 of which is carried round upon another circle ; cp. Con'v. ii. 4. 
 11. 78-88. To account for the apparent irregularities in the orbits 
 of the heavenly bodies which resulted from the vi .w that they revolved 
 round the earth which was stationary, Ptolemy suggested that each 
 planet moved in such a circle of its own in addition to the revolution 
 of the sphere to which it belonged. In the case of Venus this is 
 called the third epicycle, because the sphere of Venus is the third 
 in order in the heavens. 
 
 6. antico errore : the errors of heathenism. 
 
 9. ei sedette : Virg. Aen. i. 715-9; Dido's passion is intro- 
 duced as a typical instance of Cupid's supposed influence. 
 
 10-2. costei, &c. : Venus, with whom the Canto commences. 
 Pigliavano, &c. : ' they derived the name of the star that courts 
 the sun, now following, now in front ' ; i. e, is in attendance on the 
 
 455 
 
PARADISO [viii. 15-37 
 
 sun, sometimes as the evening star, sometimes as the morning star. 
 coppa : ' back of the head.' 
 
 15. ch' io vidi far: *whom I saw become,* far ^ox fars't. 
 
 16-8. E come, &c. : in both these similes the point is the rapid 
 movement of one object within the other which is at rest, e ferma : 
 * holds the note.' 
 
 19-21. essa luce: the planet Venus. Al modo, &c. : 'in 
 proportion to (according to the measure of) their eternal powers of 
 vision.' eteme : ' eternal,' as distinguished from temporal. If 
 interne is read, it means ' inner,' i. e. spiritual. 
 
 23. O visibili o no : this means ' either in the form of lightning 
 or in that of hurricane.' Dante's authority here is Aristotle, who 
 held lightning to be simply wind rendered visible by ignition ; cp. 
 Meteorol. iii. i. 6, in which passage cold as the origin of these 
 phenomena, and their downward movement from the cloud from 
 which they proceed, are noticed ; cp. Di fredda nuhe and disceser in 
 1. 22. See Moore, Studies^ i. p. 133. 
 
 26, 27. il giro, &c. : 'the dance, which they had previously 
 commenced in the company of the exalted Seraphim.' The giro is 
 that which is mentioned in 1. 20. The spirits, before they descended 
 to the Heaven of Venus to speak with Dante, were engaged in this 
 dance together with the Seraphim in the Empyrean ; cp. Par. ix. 
 76-8, where their singing in harmony with the Seraphim is spoken of. 
 
 28, 29. E dentro, &c. : 'and among the foremost who revealed 
 themselves Hosanna was heard in such tones,' &c. 
 
 33. perche, &c. : ' that you may win joy from us.' 
 
 34, 35. principi : these are the Principalities, as the Order of 
 angels is called, who preside over the Heaven of Venus as Motors 
 (cp. Par. ii. 129) or Intelligences. In Conv. ii. 6. 1. 109 Dante 
 makes the Thrones the Motors of this Heaven, but this view he now 
 alters. For the succession of the angelic hierarchies, and their 
 correspondence to the nine spheres of Heaven, see Prefatory Note 
 to Canto I. D' un giro, &c. : the movement of the spirits 
 corresponds to that of the Intelligences which guide them, (i) in 
 respect of its circular form (D' un giro); (2) in respect of its 
 eternity (d' un girare) ; (3) in respect of its intensity, which is 
 caused by its longing (sete) for the presence of God. 
 
 36, 37. del mondo : 'when on earth,' 'as a citizen of earth.* 
 Voi che, &c. ; ' Ye who by your intelligence move the third Heaven.* 
 
 456 
 
Vlll. 39-60] PARADISO 
 
 This is the first line of the first Canzone of the Convito; Dante 
 explains its meaning in Conv. ii. 6. 11. 1 51-61. 
 
 39. un poco di quiete : ' a brief repose from our movement.' 
 
 42. di se, &c. : 'satisfied and confident of her approbation.' It 
 is to be observed that, whenever any theological truths are communi- 
 cated to Dante by other spirits, the permission of Beatrice as 
 representing Theology is required. 
 
 43-5. promessa, &c. : see II. 32, 33. chi siete: *who you, 
 the occupants of this sphere, are.' La voce mia, &c. : 'the words 
 I uttered, bearing the stamp of deep feeling ' ; this feeling was 
 caused by the spirit having shown that he was acquainted with him 
 by quoting from one of his poems. 
 
 46. E quanta, &c. : the light of joy which emanated from the 
 spirit (see 11. 52, 53) caused it to increase (far piiie) in size (quanta) 
 and in brightness (quale), far {orfarsi, as in 1. 15. 
 
 49. Cosi fatta : ' in such semblance.' mi disse : the speaker 
 is Carlo Martello, eldest son of Charles II 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 24. 
 
 51. Molto, &c. : this stands for Molto di mal che sara non sarehhe 
 stato. The evils here referred to are the disastrous state of the 
 kingdom of Naples under his younger brother Robert. 
 
 52-4. celato : the brightness which conceals this spirit from 
 Dante, it should be observed, was temporary, for it was caused by 
 its pleasure ; under other circumstances it would have been seen in its 
 human form, like those in the two lower spheres ; see notes on Par. 
 iii. 47-9 ; V. 107, 108. animal, &c. : the silkworm in its cocoon. 
 
 55-7. Assai, &c. : the position, character, and prospects of 
 Carlo Martello seem to have made a great impression on Dante, 
 and caused him to regard him as an ideal personage. This view 
 is confirmed by Carlo saying in what follows that, had he lived, he 
 would have justified Dante's hopes in him. mostrava : irregular 
 sequence of the indie, after s' io fossi ; cp. Par. vii. 1 18—20: strictly 
 the meaning is — ' I was intending to show you — and should have 
 shown you, had I remained on earth below.' piii oltre, &c. : ' not 
 merely the promise of fruit, but the fruits themselves.' 
 
 58-60. The passage that follows, down to 1. 70, which describes 
 the countries which Carlo Martello either ruled or had the prospect 
 
 457 
 
PARADISO [viii. 61-70 
 
 of ruling, illustrates Dante^s love of descriptive and political geo- 
 graphy, i. e. the features and boundaries of countries. Quella, 
 &c. : the country on the left or eastern bank of the Rhone, below 
 the junction of the Sorgue with that river above Avignon, was the 
 * gran dote Provenzale' of Purg. xx. 61 — embracing Avignon, 
 Aries, Marseilles, and Aix — which Charles of Anjou obtained by 
 his marriage with the daughter of Raymond Berenger, and to which 
 Carlo Martello would have succeeded on the death of Charles II 
 in 1309. a tempo : 'at the fitting time.' 
 
 61-3. quel corno, &c. : 'that horn (i.e. projecting part) of 
 Italy, which embraces the towns of,' &c. The kingdom of Apulia, 
 which Carlo would have inherited from his father, is here accurately 
 described, for Bari lies on the Adriatic coast, Gaeta on the western 
 shore, and the small town of Catona on the Straits of Messina to 
 the northward of Reggio ; while the Tronto, which flows into the 
 Adriatic below Ascoli, forms the northern limit on one side, and 
 the Verde — i. e. the Garigliano under a different name — on the other. 
 
 64-6. Fulgeami, &c. : Carlo inherited the kingdom of Hungary 
 through his mother, and was crowned king in 1290, but he never 
 was more than a titular sovereign. Poi che, &c. : this means that 
 Hungary was lower down the course of the Danube than Germany. 
 
 67-70. Trinacria: one of the classical names of Sicily. The 
 reason of its use here is, that ' king of Trinacria ' was the recognized 
 title of Frederic II, the present ruler of that island (i 296-1337), 
 because ' king of Sicily ' would have implied sovereignty over the 
 two Sicilies ; see Toynbee, D'lct.^ P* 537* che caliga, &c. : ' which 
 is darkened (overshadowed with clouds) . . . not (as the fable tells) 
 by the agency of the giant Typhoeus, but by that of nascent sulphur.* 
 The reference is to the clouds of sulphureous vapour which hang about 
 the summit of Etna, under which mountain the giant Typhoeus was 
 said to have been placed by Jupiter; cp. Ov. Met. v. 346-55, from 
 which passage the names here given are taken. There is something 
 unusual in Dante's thus refuting an old fable by assigning a natural cause 
 to the phenomenon. The explanation of this may perhaps be found 
 in a passage of Isidore, one of Dante's authorities {Orig. xiv. 8), 
 where the volcanic fires of Etna are attributed to sulphur which 
 is ignited by currents of air driven by the force of the waves 
 through caves in the side of the mountain. See Toynbee, Z)/V/., 
 p. 525. Tra Pachino, &c. : this and the following line describe 
 
 468 
 
VIII. 71-84] PARADISO 
 
 the eastern coast of Sicily, with its slightly concave outline (il 
 golfo), and the headlands of Pachynus and Pelorum at its southern 
 and northern extremities. Che riceve, &c. : ' which is most exposed 
 to the onset of Eurus (the east wind).' 
 
 71, 72. Attesi, &c. : 'would still have been looking forward 
 to her succession of kings, descended through me from Charles of 
 Anjou (my father) and from Rudolf of Hapsburg (my father-in-law).' 
 
 73-5. Se mala, &c. : 'had not tyranny (lit. bad government), 
 which ever rouses to fury subject peoples, moved the Palermitans 
 to cry " Do them to death." ' The massacre of the French at 
 the time of the Sicilian Vespers in 1282 is meant. 
 
 76-8. E se, &c. : 'and if my brother could foresee this (viz. 
 the fatal results of tyranny in his own case), he would at the present 
 time (in 1300) shrink from employing the greedy poverty of the 
 Catalans (the needy and grasping followers whom he had brought 
 with him from Catalonia), that it might not injure his cause.' The 
 brother here mentioned is Robert, who with two others was left in 
 Spain as hostages for Charles II from 1288-95 (cp. Purg. xx. 79) ; 
 and L' avara poverty, &c., refers to the associates whom he brought 
 from that country in 1295, and the Catalan mercenaries employed 
 by him, whose greed and violence exasperated the subject population 
 of the kingdom of Naples. Se questo antivedesse is a prophetic 
 anticipation on Carlo Martello's part, since Robert did not come to 
 the throne till 1309. 
 
 79-81. Che veramente, &c. : 'for verily there is good need 
 that he should make provision, either himself or by the aid of others, 
 so that an additional freight may not be placed on his bark which 
 is already heavily freighted.' sua barca means the kingdom of 
 Naples, and the clause si che, &c., must be taken as referring 
 entirely to the future ; ' so that, when at a later time he enters 
 on his kingdom already overtaxed, a still heavier burden may not 
 be laid upon it.' For iarca in the sense of the ' vessel * of the state 
 or commonwealth cp. Par. xvi. 96. 
 
 82-4. che di larga, &c. : 'which, being itself avaricious, 
 descended from one that was liberal.' In Par. xix. 128 Dante 
 implies that his father, Charles II, possessed the one virtue of 
 generosity, avria mestier, &c. : ' would need such officials as 
 would not be anxious to hoard,' i. e. being avaricious himself he 
 should not make matters worse by employing avaricious subordinates. 
 
 459 
 
PARADISO [viii. 85-105 
 
 milizia perhaps has a special reference to the Catalan soldiers who 
 were in his service. 
 
 85-90. These lines are intended to signify Dante's inability fully 
 to express his thanks in words. In default of this, he declares his 
 pleasure at feeling that Carlo — who, like the other spirits in Paradise, 
 can read the thoughts of others in the face of God — is aware both 
 of his sentiments themselves, and of Dante's knowledge that he 
 (Carlo) is cognizant of them. ' Inasmuch as I believe that thou 
 seest in the face of God, who is the source and aim of all good, 
 as fully as I myself am conscious of it, the joy which thy words 
 communicate to me, my lord, my joy is increased; and this also 
 delights me, that thou seest in God that I believe it ' (il = cJ) to 
 credo^ &c.). For the use of Perche meaning ' that ' cp. Purg. vi. 88. 
 
 93. Come, &c. : the question how it comes to pass that a bad 
 son can be born of a good father is started in Dante's mind by the 
 remark concerning Robert in 11. 82, 83, ' di larga parca Discese.' 
 
 94—6. S' io posse, &c. : ' if I can make clear to thee a certain 
 truth, thou wilt see the solution of thy difficulty as manifestly as 
 now it is hidden from thee.' The 'truth' is the operation of 
 God's providence through the influences of the stars in directing and 
 modifying the order of nature. This having been established. Carlo 
 proceeds to show how by this means variety is introduced into the 
 characters and lives of men, which variety is the basis of social life. 
 
 97-1 1 1. The argument is as follows: — God, in creating the 
 universe, provided not only for the existence of things, but for their 
 working in the most perfect manner ; and the instnimentality which 
 He appointed for that purpose was the stellar influences, which are 
 directed by the angels or Intelligences who preside over them. 
 Were it not for these, chaos and not order would prevail. 
 
 98, 99. Volge e contenta : ' causes to revolve and to be satis- 
 fied.' fa esser, &c. : ' makes his providence to be an active power 
 in these mighty (i. e. heavenly) bodies,' the planets. 
 
 100-2. E non pur, &c. : 'and not only are the things in them- 
 selves (le nature) provided in the mind of God, but along with 
 them all that is necessary to their performing their functions rightly ' 
 (la lor salute, lit. ' that which safeguards them '). 
 
 103-5. Perche, &c. : 'wherefore everything that is discharged 
 from this bow (from the stellar influences) descends ordained to 
 (accomplish) a foreseen purpose, like a thing (a shaft) directed to its 
 
 460 
 
VIII. io6-a6] PARADISO 
 
 mark/ quantunque is used here and elsewhere in the Paradiso 
 for ' all that/ Lat. quantumcunque. 
 
 106-8. Se cio, &c. : 'were it not that a divine purpose runs 
 through all creation, the effect of the working of the spheres (lit. of 
 the Heaven through which you are journeying) would be to produce, 
 not a perfect scheme, but a chaos.' 
 
 1 09-1 1. E cio, &c. : 'and that cannot be, unless we are to 
 suppose (that which is impossible) that the Intelligences which 
 direct these spheres are defective, and also the great First Cause, 
 who (on that supposition) has not created them perfect.' perfetti : 
 for perfe%ionati^ being adapted from the Lat. particip. perfectus. 
 
 1 1 2-4. s' imbianchi : ' should be rendered clear.' Che la 
 natura, &c. : ' that nature should tire (fall short) in providing all 
 that is necessary ' for the order and perfect working of the universe ; 
 cp. De Mon. i. lo. 11. 4, 5, ' quum Deus et natura in necessariis 
 non deficiat.' By natura Dante generally means the working of 
 the stellar influences ; cp. De Mon. ii. 2. 11. 36—8, ' a caelo, quod 
 organum est artis divinae, quam Naturam communiter appellant.' 
 
 115-35. Ond* egli, &c. : having established his primary proposi- 
 tion. Carlo goes on to say that man is a social being, and in order for 
 society to exist it is necessary that various functions should be 
 performed; and for this purpose men of diflferent characters and 
 abilities are required. These differences could not be produced 
 by the ordinary process of generation of son from father, but are 
 introduced by the stellar influences. 
 
 118-20. E puo, &c. : ' can men exist in society, unless on earth 
 there are various modes of life in various functions ? ' il maestro : 
 Aristotle, 'il Maestro di color che sanno,' Inf. iv. 131. The 
 passage here referred to is Pol. ii. 2. 3, ov fxovov 8' e/c ttAciovcov 
 ayOpwTTOiv iaTLV r) ttoAis, d\Xa kol i^ et8et Sta^epovrwv • ov yap 
 ytv€Tat TToAis i$ ofjLOLwv. The remarks also in the preceding verses 
 (11. 113-7) are from Aristotle, for ovSev /jLdryjv y (ftva-L^ Trotct and 
 ^v(T€L TToXtTLKos ttv^pooTTog arc commottpkces of that writer. 
 
 1 2 1-3. venne deducendo : 'he proceeded by inference.' Dun- 
 que, &c. : ' consequently the roots from which your operations arise 
 (i. e. the elements of character) must needs be diverse.' 
 
 124-6. Per che, &c. : ' for this reason one is born to be a law- 
 giver, another to be a warrior, another a priest, another a craftsman.' 
 quello, &c. : Daedalus, the typical artificer. The story of the 
 
 461 
 
PARADISO [viii, 127-48 
 
 flight of Daedalus and his son Icarus is referred to in Inf. xvii. 
 109-11. 
 
 127-9. L^ circular natura, &c. : *the nature of the revolving 
 spheres, which, like a seal on wax, imprints itself on mankind, exer- 
 cises its art well, but does not distinguish one house from another.' 
 In other words: — The stellar influences produce individuality of 
 character in men, but do not favour one family more than another by 
 perpetuating excellence in it. Dante is returning to the question, 
 How can a bad son proceed from a good father ? 
 
 130-2. Quinci, &c. : 'hence, as these influences operate in- 
 dependently of such limitations, two brothers, like Esau and Jacob, 
 may differ in character, and a great king, like Romulus, may be 
 sprung from a mean father.' Per seme: 'by birth,' i.e. in his 
 inborn character, si rende, &c. : ' he is attributed to Mars ' ; 
 his successors, to conceal the meanness of his origin, said that 
 Mars was his father: cp. Virg. jien. i. 273, 'regina sacerdos Marte 
 gravis,' &c. 
 
 133-5. Natura, &c. : ' were it not for the interposition of divine 
 providence (operating through the stars), the nature (i. e. character 
 and ability) of the son would always follow the same course as that 
 of the parents.' 
 
 136-8. retro: cp. 11. 95, 96. mi giova: here used impers. ; 
 'that I have pleasure in thee'; cp. Par. ix. 24. corollario : 
 'corollary' or supplementary statement; cp. Purg. xxviii. 136. t' 
 ammanti : ' take to thyself,' lit. ' invest thyself with.' 
 
 139-41. Sempre, &c. : the corollary here is a practical lesson, 
 to the effect that persons should not be forced into professions for 
 which they are by nature ill-suited. ' Ever doth nature, when placed 
 in circumstances unsuitable to it, fail to prosper, like any other seed, 
 when out of its habitual soil and climate.' 
 
 143. Al fondamento, &c. : 'to the foundation laid by nature,' 
 i. e. the gifts and character implanted in men. 
 
 145-8. torcete, &c. : 'ye pervert from its natural bent to the 
 service of religion.' da sermone : ' suited to the pulpit.' Carlo is 
 thought to be here alluding to his two brothers — Louis, who became 
 a Franciscan and was made Bishop of Toulouse ; and Robert, king 
 of Naples, who took pleasure in composing sermons ; some of these 
 have been preserved and published (by D' Ancona). la traccia, 
 &c. : ' your course misses the right road.' 
 
 462 
 
IX. I-I2] PARADISO 
 
 CANTO IX 
 
 Argument. — Dante is next addressed by Cunizza da Romano, 
 who discourses of the crimes of the inhabitants of the Marca Trivi- 
 giana, the land of her birth ; and afterwards by Folco da Marsiglia, 
 the troubadour poet, who, after speaking of his own life on earth, 
 points out the soul of Rahab as one of the denizens of the Heaven 
 of Venus. 
 
 Line i. Clemenza: it has been much debated whether Carlo 
 Martello's wife, Clemence of Hapsburg, or his daughter, Clemence 
 the wife of Louis X of France, is here meant. The expression 
 Carlo tuo is more suitable if addressed to the wife ; but a difficulty 
 arises from Clemence the elder having died in 1295, and con- 
 sequently long before the Paradiso was written. This can only 
 be met by the supposition that the address is a rhetorical one, and 
 this use is rarely employed by Dante. In the case of Clemence the 
 younger, Carlo's daughter, there is no such difficulty, for she was 
 living when Dante wrote; so that it seems probable that she is 
 intended. 
 
 2. inganni : * treacherous treatment.' Carlo Martello's son, 
 Carlo Roberto, the rightful heir to the throne of Naples and Sicily, 
 was dispossessed by his uncle Robert. 
 
 5, 6. non posso, &c. : ' I can reveal no more of the prophecy 
 than that righteous punishment (lit. suffering) will follow in the wake 
 of your wrongs.' This appears to be an anticipation in general 
 terms of misfortunes about to fall on the usurper Robert and his 
 family, vostri : ' of yourself and your family ' ; as Clemence the 
 younger was daughter of the eldest son of Charles II, she had 
 herself presumptive claims to the throne of Naples, and her brother. 
 Carlo Roberto, was at the present time unjustly excluded from that 
 throne. 
 
 7-9. la vita, &c. : the spirit within that light, al sol, &c. : 
 to God, the fountain of light, ad ogni, &c. : ' sufficient to furnish 
 light to everything.' 
 
 10-2. fatture : 'creatures.' si fatto : 'such.' temple: 
 here used for ' heads,' ' thoughts.' 
 
 463 
 
PARADISO [IX. 15-35 
 
 15. nel chiarir, &c. : 'by brightening outwardly'; cp. Par. v. 
 106-8. 
 
 16-8. fermi, &c. : 'fastened on me.' certificato fermi: 
 
 ' assured me.' 
 
 19-21. compenso: 'satisfaction.' fammi, &c. : the meaning 
 is : — ' Prove to me (by answering my unspoken question) that thou 
 canst read my thoughts.* 
 
 22-4. nuova : 'unknown.' suo profondo, &c. : 'the depths 
 of its Hght, from which its chant before proceeded.' a cui, &c. : 
 for the construction cp. Par. viii. 137. 
 
 25-8. In quella, «fec. : the place of which Dante speaks in 
 1. 28 as situated on a low hill is the castle of Romano, the patrimony 
 of the Ezzelini. The exact position of this spot is not known, but 
 the part of Italy which is here described as situated between Rialto 
 and the fountains of the Brenta and the Piave is the Marca Trivi- 
 giana, which lay between Venice (here represented by the island 
 of Rialto) and the neighbouring part of the Alps, in which those 
 two rivers rise. See also note on 11. 43, 44 below, prava : here, 
 as in Purg. vi. 76, Dante includes the whole of Italy in his 
 condemnation. 
 
 29, 30. una facella, &c. : 'a brand, which fiercely assailed that 
 neighbourhood.' This is Ezzelino or Azzolino III, whom Dante 
 places among the tyrants in the river of boiling blood in Hell 
 (Inf. xii. no). A story was current, that at the time of his birth 
 his mother dreamt that she was giving birth to a brand, which burnt 
 the whole of the Marca Trivigiana. 
 
 32. Cunizza: this is Azzolino's sister, Cunizza da Romano. 
 Nothing sufficiently favourable to her character is known, to explain 
 Dante's placing her in Heaven. She was three times married, and 
 carried on various amours, among which was one with the troubadour 
 Sordello. 
 
 34-6. lietamente, &c. : the meaning is: — 'In a glad spirit 
 I look kindly on (lit. pardon to myself) those sins of mine which 
 cause my lot to be in the Heaven of Venus.' The spirits in this 
 Heaven were placed in this lower sphere, like those in the two 
 previous spheres, because of their failings — in this case their 
 proneness to sensual love. Che, &c. : ' though this might haply 
 appear a hard saying to your common folk.' The justification of it 
 is given below, 11. 103-5, where see note. 
 
 464 
 
IX. 37-48] PARADISO 
 
 37-40. questa, &c. : the spirit by her side which Cunizza here 
 refers to is Folco da Marsigha (Fulk of Marseilles) ; see note on 
 I. 67. In what follows she contrasts the duration of his fame 
 on earth with the neglect of the good opinion of posterity which 
 characterized the inhabitants of the Marca Trivigiana. pria che 
 muoia, &c. : ' before his fame expires, the century which is now 
 ending (viz. in 1300) will be increased fivefold,' i.e. his fame 
 will last five centuries longer. ' Five centuries ' is here used for an 
 indefinitely long time. 
 
 41, 42. Vedi, &c. : ' consider whether a man ought not to aim 
 at excellence, so that, when his life on earth has passed away, another 
 life (his good name) may remain behind,' lit. ' so that his first life 
 may leave behind another.' 
 
 43-5. cio : on leaving a good name behind them, la turba 
 presente : ' the present rabble ' ; the inhabitants of the Marca 
 Trivigiana, which is here said to be bounded by the Tagliamento 
 and the Adige. Its true boundaries at that period were the Livenza 
 towards the NE., and a line drawn between the Adige and the 
 Mincio to the S. (see Spruner-Menke, Handatlas, No. 23), so 
 that it nearly corresponded to the modern province of Venetia ; 
 but the description which Dante gives is approximately accurate, 
 for the line of the Tagliamento is at no very great distance beyond 
 that of the Livenza, and the Adige might roughly be regarded 
 as the limit in the opposite direction. This district included the 
 cities of Padua, Vicenza, Treviso, and Feltro ; of their shortcomings 
 Dante now proceeds to speak, battuta : ' scourged by tyrants.' 
 
 46-8. Ma tosto, &c. : 'but soon it will come to pass that the 
 Paduans will discolour with their blood at the marsh the water 
 which laves Vicenza, because the people are stubborn in refusing 
 that which is their duty.' This refers to the resistance of the 
 Paduans to the emperor Henry VII. They were defeated with 
 great slaughter by Can Grande in 1 3 1 2 near the Bacchiglione, the 
 river of Vicenza and Padua, which there formed a marsh. Others 
 think that the reference is to what happened in a district near the 
 stream of the Bacchiglione called // Palude, where the Paduans, 
 finding that the waters of that river had been cut off by the 
 Vicentines, who were at war with them, diverted into it a portion of 
 the Brenta. This interpretation, however, seems to miss the point 
 of the passage, which is to declare that in a number of instances, of 
 
 TOZER 46^ H h 
 
PARADISO [ix. 49-66 
 
 which this is the first, misfortune will follow on the misdeeds of the 
 cities of the Marca Trivigiana. al palude : for palude masc. cp. 
 Purg. V. 82. 
 
 49-51. E dove, &c. : *and where the rivers Sile and Cagnano 
 unite,' lit. 'join company'; the place where they join is Treviso. 
 Tal signoreggia, &c. : * one of such a character lords it and 
 carries his head high, that already the web to catch him is being 
 formed.' This is Riccardo da Camino, son of the * good Gherardo ' 
 of Purg. xvi. 124, and brother of Gaja, ibid. 140. He succeeded 
 his father as lord of Treviso, but was murdered by an assassin, 
 in consequence of his adulteries. 
 
 52-4. diflfalta: * treachery.' A Bishop of Feltro in 13 14 
 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. Pianger^ refers to Feltro 
 having subsequently passed under the dominion of the family of 
 Camino just mentioned, sconcia, &c. : 'disgraceful beyond any 
 for which criminals have been imprisoned in Malta.* Of several 
 places which bore this name the one which Cunizza, who is speaking, 
 would be most likely to mention was a prison built in the castle 
 of Cittadella by Ezzelino III — ' mortalis career nominatus la Malta ' 
 (Muratori, Ant. ltd. iv. 1139, quoted by Casini). 
 
 55-60. Troppo, &c. : what follows is added to show the 
 enormity of the crime of the Bishop of Feltro. ' The vat which 
 could contain the blood of the Ferrarese refugees shed on that 
 occasion must needs be exceedingly ample, and weary would he 
 be who should weigh it ounce by ounce; which blood this 
 courteous priest (the Bishop of Feltro) will offer as a boon to prove 
 himself a good partisan of the Guelfs ; and such Hke gifts will be in 
 conformity with the usual treacherous conduct of the people of Feltro.' 
 
 61-3. Su sono, &c. : 'in the Empyrean there are mirrors — ye 
 call them Thrones — by which God's judgements are directly revealed 
 to us.' Cunizza adds this, to assure Dante of the certainty of her 
 prediction. The Thrones are the third Order in dignity of the 
 Intelligences. Aquinas (Summa, i. Q. 106. Art. 6) says, 'Throni 
 dicuntur secundum Gregorium per quos Deus sua iudicia exercet.' 
 SI che, «&c. : ' so that these utterances (i. e. predictions) of mine 
 seem to us to be true.' 
 
 65, 66. Che fosse, &c. : ' that she had turned to other thoughts, 
 
 466 
 
IX. 67-93] PARADISO 
 
 judging from the circular movement which she followed, as she had 
 done before/ The circular movement is the rotatory dance of the 
 spirits in this sphere, the giro of Par. viii. 20. 
 
 67-9. L' altra, &c. : Foico da Marsiglia (1180-1231). He 
 was a gay troubadour, and a favourite at the courts of many princes. 
 Later in life he became a monk, and was made bishop of Toulouse, 
 and was a fierce persecutor of the Albigenses — as Longfellow says, 
 *The nightingale became a bird of prey.' As in the case of 
 Cunizza^ it is hard to say why Dante assigned to him a conspicuous 
 place in Heaven, che m' era, &c. : ' which was already known to 
 me as an object of admiration ' ; this was from what Cunizza had said 
 in 1. 37. balascio: a kind of ruby of especially brilliant hue. 
 
 70-2. Per letiziar, &c. : 'in Heaven (lassu) joy produces 
 additional brightness, just as on earth (qui) it produces a smile; 
 while in Hell (giii) the outward semblance of the shades is darkened 
 when the thoughts are sad.' 
 
 73-5. tuo veder, &c. : * thy sight is in Him ' ; inluiarst is a verb 
 created by Dante from in and lui. nulla, &c. : ' no wish can be 
 concealed from thee.' Dante implies that Folco was aware of the 
 question which he desired to ask him, puote esser fuia di se 
 means ' can hide (lit. steal, withdraw) itself ; for other instances in 
 which yw/o occurs cp. Inf. xii. 90; Purg. xxxiii. 44. 
 
 77, 78. col canto, &c. : * in harmony with the songs of those 
 saintly ardours (the Seraphim) which covered themselves with six 
 wings'; cp. Par. viii. 25-30. Dante's description of the Seraphim 
 is derived from Isa. vi. 2, ' Above him stood the seraphim : each 
 one had six wings ; with twain he covered his face, and with twain 
 he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.' cuculla (Lat. 
 cucullus) is a monastic robe ; Dante uses the form cocolla with the 
 same meaning in Par. xxii. 77. Instead of facean la cuculla 
 many editors read fannosi cuculla. The imperf. facean refers to 
 the occasion mentioned by Isaiah. 
 
 80, 81. Gik non, &c. : *I should not now be waiting for you 
 to question me, if I could read your thoughts as you read mine ' ; 
 in other words — 'If I were in your place, I should answer without 
 being questioned.' For the formation of the verbs intuassi, immii 
 cp. inluia in I. 73. 
 
 82-93. These lines, in which Folco tells Dante that he was 
 a native of Marseilles, are a typical instance of the Poet's periphrastic 
 
 467 H h 2 
 
PARADISO [IX. S2-7 
 
 method of description. Here his birthplace is denoted ; but instead 
 of giving its name, Dante first describes the Mediterranean Sea, on 
 the shore of which it lay ; then he fixes on a point on its northern 
 coast intermediate between a given point in Spain and another given 
 point in Italy; but he is not content with this, but goes on to 
 determine the longitude of that point relatively to a place on the 
 coast of Africa. The result is — Marseilles. 
 
 83-4. La maggior valle, &c. : the basin of the Mediterranean; 
 valle here = ' depression.' Fuor di, &c. ; ' issuing from (an inlet 
 from) the ocean which surrounds the earth.' This was the view 
 which prevailed in ancient and mediaeval times ; cp. Brunetto Latini, 
 Tesoro, Bk. iii. Ch. i., 'il grande mare, il quale e chiamato mare 
 Oceano, dal qual sono istratti tutti gli altri mari, che sono sopra la 
 terra in diverse parti, e sono tutti quasi come bracci di quello.' The 
 Mediterranean was the largest of these inlets. 
 
 85-7. The Mediterranean is here described as stretching east- 
 ward for 90° between the coasts of Europe and Africa. Trai 
 disccrdanti liti: * between the contrasted shores.' This was 
 probably suggested by Virg. u^en. iv. 628, ' Litora litoribus con- 
 traria,' &c., which is said of the Romans and Carthaginians; but 
 the application is different here, the reference being to the contrasts 
 which Europe and Africa present in their temperature, the colour 
 of their inhabitants, and their religion, their populations being 
 Christian and Mahometan respectively, contra il sole, &c. : ' it 
 extends so far from W. to E., that it has the sun on the meridian 
 at the place (L^) which at its starting-point (pria) it regards as its 
 horizon ' (i. e. its astronomical horizon). The starting-point from 
 which the Mediterranean 'sen va' is Gades or the Straits, and 
 the place intimated by L^ is Jemsalem at its eastern extremity; 
 at the latter it would be midday, when it was sunrise at the former. 
 The distance corresponding to this interval of time, or six hours, 
 would be 90°, or J of 360°, the entire circumference of the globe ; 
 and this according to Dante's computation was the distance between 
 Gades and Jerusalem, for he regarded the habitable earth as ex- 
 tending from E. to W. over half the circuit of the globe, or 180°, 
 and of this Gades and the mouth of the Ganges were the extreme 
 limits, and Jerusalem was midway between them, or 90° from 
 both. The word pria must not be taken as referring to time, 
 but as marking the starting-point in the survey, which is supposed 
 
 468 
 
IX. 88-99] PARADISO 
 
 to be instantaneous; for, in order to give any measurement from 
 the position of the sun, the points where it is sunrise and midday 
 must be regarded at the same moment. To put the same thing in 
 another form : — If one could be suddenly transported from one end 
 of the Mediterranean to the other, the sun which was on the horizon 
 at the one point would be on the meridian at the other : so that, 
 if the sun were rising at Gades, it would be noon at Jerusalem, at 
 the other end of the same inland sea. 
 
 88-90. littorano : ' born on the shores of,' at Marseilles. 
 Tra Ebro, &c. : the longitude of Marseilles is just equidistant from 
 that of the mouth of the Ebro and that of the mouth of the Macra. 
 The latter of these streams, though it has a short course (cammin 
 corto), was of some importance in Dante's time, because it was 
 the political boundary of the two peoples whom he names. 
 
 91, 92. Ad un, &c. : Buggea is mentioned by Brunetto Latini, 
 Tesoro^ Bk. iii. Ch. 4., in his description of N. Africa as one of the 
 towns there; Bougie, as it is now called, is situated on the coast 
 east of Algiers. By saying that sunset and sunrise nearly corre- 
 spond there and at Marseilles, Dante means, that the two places 
 were almost on the same meridian of longitude. It is true that they 
 are so, but it is surprising at first sight that the Poet should have 
 been aware of it. This difficulty however disappears, when we 
 remember that an extensive commerce existed at that time between 
 Buggea and Marseilles (Reclus, Geogr. Unhers. vol. xi. p. 440), 
 and that the compass was already employed for purposes of navigation 
 in European seas (see note on Par. xii. 29). Under these circum- 
 stances the fact might have been then ascertained, and might have 
 come to Dante's knowledge. 
 
 93. Che fe', &c. : the reference is to the defeat of the adherents 
 of Pompey, aided by the people of Massilia, off that city in 49 B.C. 
 by D. Brutus, who commanded Caesar's fleet. The carnage on 
 that occasion is referred to in exaggerated terms by Lucan, Phars, 
 iii. 572, 573, *cruor altus in undis Spumat, et obducto concrescunt 
 sanguine fluctus.' 
 
 96. Di me, &c. : 'is influenced (lit. stamped) by me, as I was 
 by it.' The influences of Venus affected him on earth, and he now 
 contributes to the brightness of the planet. 
 
 97-9. la figlia, &c. : Dido, in her passion for Aeneas. Noi- 
 ando, &c. : ' offending thereby both Sichaeus, Dido's former 
 
 469 
 
PARADISO [IX. 100-17 
 
 husband, and Creusa, Aeneas' former wife.' infin che, &c. : ' so 
 long as It beseemed my hair,' i. e. before my hair grew grey. 
 
 100-2. Rodopeia: Phyllis, who lived in Thrace near Mt. 
 Rhodope; she killed herself, after having been deserted by her 
 lover Demophoon: Ov. Hero'td. ii. i, 2, ' Hospita, Demophoon, 
 tua te, Rhodopeia Phyllis, Ultra promissum tempus abesse queror.' 
 Alcide : Hercules, who plied the distaff for love of lole. richi- 
 usa : ' enfolded.' 
 
 103-5. Kon pero, &c. : the consciousness of committed sin, 
 and with it the feeling of repentance, had been removed by the 
 water of Lethe in the Earthly Paradise ; what is felt by the souls 
 in Heaven is admiration of the scheme of Providence, which had 
 ordained the influences that had affected their lives and had brought 
 them safe to the goal, valore : the Power. 
 
 106-8. Qui si rimira, &c. : ' here (in Heaven), in contemplating 
 the skill by which our souls are perfected (nell' arte che adoma), 
 we consider the greatness of the result (si rimira Cotanto effetto), 
 and we recognize the highest Good, for the sake of which (i. e. in 
 order to obtain which) the world below returns to that above.' 
 Folco, instead of lamenting the influence of the planet Venus, 
 glorifies it, as being in God's providence a means of bringing men 
 to Him at last. For Cotanto effetto others read Con tanto 
 qffetto^ and translate thus — ' In Heaven we contemplate profoundly 
 (si rimira in) the skill which beautifies the world with so great 
 love.' Also, for al mondo some read // mondo^ and translate — 
 * and we are conscious of the benevolent power (the stellar influences) 
 by means of which the world above guides that below.' It is in 
 favour of this reading as against al mondo, that with the latter 
 toma is used in the same sense as the rhyming word torna in 1. 104, 
 which is contrary to Dante's practice, whereas tl mondo is not open 
 to this objection. 
 
 no. che son nate: 'the wishes which have arisen in your 
 heart' ; this is explained in 1. 112. 
 
 1 1 5-7. si tranquilla : 'enjoys perfect peace.' Raab : for the 
 story of Rahab see Josh. ii. ; for the high position assigned to her, 
 Heb. xi. 31. congiunta : 'and being associated with our order 
 (the grade or rank of the spirits in Venus) she contributes in the 
 highest degree to its glory (lit. it receives an impress from her) ' ; 
 cp. ' Di me s* imprenta ' in 1. 96. The inversion of syntax which 
 
 470 
 
IX. II8-35] PARADISO 
 
 this Involves is awkward. Di lui is also read, with the meaning 
 * she has its seal set upon her ' ; but lui xsfacitior lectio. 
 
 118-20. s' appunta: the apex of the shadow of the earth 
 was believed to be in the sphere of Venus. Dante's statement to 
 this effect is based on what Alfraganus says in his chapter on the 
 eclipse of the moon, Element. Astronom.^ cap. 28 ; but it is intended 
 to have also an allegorical significance, viz. that mundane influences, 
 the effects of which were shown in broken vows, ambition, and 
 unchastity, affected the position of the spirits as far as this sphere. 
 pria che, &c. : ' she was taken up and received by this Heaven 
 first of all the souls in Christ's triumph.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. Ben, &c. : 'verily it was meet to leave her in one of 
 the spheres of Heaven as a palm (i. e. trophy) of the mighty victory- 
 won by Christ's two palms extended on the cross.' In illustration 
 of the description here given of the Crucifixion by the mention 
 of Christ's hands, cp. the similar one in Par. xx. 105 by the mention 
 of His feet, and that in Par. xxxii. 129 by the spear and the nails. 
 In vittoria there is a reference to the trionfo di Crista in 1. 120. 
 
 124-6. Perche, &c. : as Rahab lent effective aid towards the first 
 triumph of the Chosen People in the Holy Land, the capture of 
 Jericho, she fitly represented the crowning triumph of the sacrifice 
 of Christ, papa : Boniface VIII, who took no thought for 
 a Crusade with the object of recovering the Holy Land. Of him 
 Dante says in Inf. xxvii. 85-7, ' Avendo guerra presso a Laterano, 
 E non con Saracin, ne con Giudei.' 
 
 127-9. Dante here takes the opportunity of Inveighing against the 
 covetousness both of the Florentines and of the Papal court, colui: 
 the Devil. Florence is spoken of as 'an offspring of the Devil' on 
 account of the avarice and envy that prevailed there. Che pria, &c. : 
 ' who first turned his back on (rebelled against) his Maker.' For 
 the use of pria cp. Par. iv. 26. E di cui, &c. : ' and whose envy 
 is so much lamented ' ; the envy felt by the Devil at God's supremacy 
 was the cause of the Fall of man and the miseries which resulted 
 from it. 
 
 130-2. fiore : the golden florin of Florence, on which the emblem 
 of the lily was stamped, le pecore e gli agni : ' the flock, both 
 great and small.' lupo : ' it has converted the shepherds (the clergy) 
 into wolves.' The wolf is the emblem of avarice ; cp. Inf. I. 49. 
 
 133-5. per questo : for the sake of the golden florin. Dottor 
 
 471 
 
PARADISO [IX. 138— X. 3 
 
 magni: the Fathers of the Church. Decretali : the Decretals, or 
 books of Ecclesiastical Law. It was through the study of these that 
 money was to be got. vivagni : * edges,' ' margins ' ; cp. Purg. 
 xxiv. 127 ; the margins of the Decretals were well annotated. 
 
 138. L^ dove, &c. : ' the place towards which Gabriel directed 
 his flight ' at the time of the Annunciation. Nazareth was one of 
 the Holy Places, which should have been recovered by a Crasade. 
 
 139-42. parti elette : the Holy Places of Rome, sanctified by 
 the deaths of martyrs, milizia : the noble army of martyrs, who 
 followed St. Peter's footsteps. adulterio : ' prostitution ' ; the 
 quest of money on the part of God's ministers is regarded as traffic 
 in what is sacred ; cp. adulterate. Inf. xix. 4. The impending 
 deliverance from this (libere fien) has been explained as referring to 
 the death of Boniface VIII, or the transference of the Papal seat to 
 Avignon in 1305, or to the coming of an unknown deliverer, such as 
 is anticipated elsewhere in the Div. Com. 
 
 CANTO X 
 
 Argument. — Dante and Beatrice ascend to the fourth Heaven, 
 that of the Sun, in which are seen the spirits of the Theologians. 
 Twelve of the most conspicuous of these form a circle round the 
 Poet and his guide, and one of them, St. Thomas Aquinas, points out 
 to Dante and mentions by name one after another of his companions. 
 In their number are Solomon, Boethius, Isidore, Bede, Peter Lombard, 
 and Albert the Great. 
 
 Lines 1-6. Before proceeding to urge the reader, as he does in 
 11. 7—27, to pursue the study of the movement of the heavenly bodies 
 as an evidence of the wisdom and love of God, Dante here dwells 
 on the delight of contemplating the system of the universe, which was 
 ordained by the operation of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. 
 All these introductory remarks (11. 1-27) are suggested by Dante's 
 ascent to the Heaven of the Sun, and his entering it at the season 
 of the equinox, at which time the Vision took place (11. 28—36). 
 
 1-3. r amore, &c. : by ' the Love which eternally proceeds from 
 the Father and the Son ' is meant the Holy Spirit, who is called ' il 
 primo amore * in Inf. iii. 6. For this, and for the co-operation of all 
 
 472 
 
X. 4-2i] PARADISO 
 
 three Persons of the Trinity in the work of creation, cp. Aquinas, 
 Summa, i. Q. 45. Art. 6, ' Creare non est proprium alicui personae, 
 sed commune toti Trinitati. . . . Deus Pater operatus est creaturam 
 per suum Verbum, quod est filius, et per suum amorem, qui est 
 Spiritus sanctus.' Lo primo, &c. : God the Father. 
 
 4-6. permenteo per loco: whether in the spiritual or the material 
 world, gustar di lui : ' participation in the enjoyment of Him.' 
 
 7-9. alte rote : ' the spheres on high.' a quella parte, &c. : 
 ' to that point in the sky where the equator and the ecliptic intersect 
 one another.' This intersection takes place at the equinox, at or 
 just after which the sun is now supposed to be. The term moto is 
 applied to the equator and the ecliptic, because the motion of the 
 fixed stars from E. to W. corresponds to the former, and that of 
 the planets from W. to E. to the latter. 
 
 10-2. a vagheggiar nell' arte : 'to contemplate with joy the 
 art.' dentro a se 1* ama : ' loves this art as it exists within his 
 mind.' non parte : God's love for the universe which He has 
 created causes His providence to watch over it constantly. 
 
 13—5. Da indi : 'from that point,' viz. the point of intersection, 
 queila parte of 1. 8. si dirama : ' branches off.' L' obbliquo 
 cerchio : the zodiac, within which, according to the Ptolemaic 
 system, the planets performed their annual revolutions. Per satis- 
 far, &c. : ' to minister to the needs of the world which invokes 
 (i. e. requires) their aid.' The planetary influences are referred to, 
 and also the formative influences which the sun exercises on the 
 face of the earth, as is explained in the following lines. 
 
 16-8. E se la strada, &c. : 'and if their path (the zodiac) 
 were not inflected (i. e. oblique), much influence in Heaven would 
 be fruitless, and almost every agency on earth below would fail.' 
 It is the obliquity of the zodiac which causes the changes of the 
 seasons ; without it the sun could not produce the effect for which 
 it was designed, and such agencies as those which originate life and 
 growth in plants and animals, movement in winds and streams, 
 changes of temperature, and the like, would no longer exist. 
 
 19-21. E se dal dritto, &c. : 'and if the zodiac deviated more 
 or less from (i. e. formed a greater or a smaller angle with) the 
 equator (il dritto, lit. the right line, as opposed to the oblique), 
 much would be imperfect in the order of the world, both in the 
 southern and the northern hemisphere.' If the sun's path through 
 
 473 
 
PARADISO [x. 22-45 
 
 the heavens were other than what it now is, heat and cold, and 
 similar factors, would be differently, and less beneficially distributed 
 than they are at present. For the use of giii e su cp. Purg. iv. 63. 
 
 22-4. Or ti riman, &c. : 'now keep your seat at the feast 
 of reason, and reflect on the subject of which I have given you 
 a foretaste, if you desire to have your fill of enjoyment before your 
 mind is weary.' 
 
 26, 27. a se torce, &c. : i.e. 'I can pursue this subject no 
 farther ; I must devote myself to that which I have undertaken.' 
 
 28, 29. Lo ministro, &c. : the sun. Che del valor, &c. : 
 ' which stamps on the world the impress of the influence which 
 it (the sun) has received from on high.' 
 
 31-3. Con quella, &c. : ' being in contact with the point above 
 mentioned (in 1. 8),' viz. the point of intersection of the ecliptic and 
 the equator ; in other words — the sun being in Aries, si girava, &c. : 
 ' was revolving in the spirals, in which day by day he shows his 
 face earlier ' ; i. e. it was the vernal equinox, when the days were 
 lengthening. The spiral upward motion of the sun according to 
 the Ptolemaic system is mentioned by Dante in still more definite 
 terms in Conv. iii. 5. 11. 148-50, where he speaks of the sun rising 
 higher and higher day by day ' like the screw of a press ' (' a guisa 
 d' una vite d' un torchio '). 
 
 34-6. del salire: Dante now ascends to the fourth Heaven, 
 that of the Sun. se non, &c. : ' any more than a man is conscious 
 of a first thought before it comes ' ; the meaning is that the process 
 was instantaneous. For se non come cp. 1. 90. 
 
 37-40. O Beatrice, &c. : ' O Beatrice — she who is seen (si 
 scorge) to pass from good to better (i. e. to increase in brilliancy) 
 so suddenly, that her change of appearance (1* atto suo) does not 
 reveal itself in time — how bright must she have been in herself (i. e. 
 when wholly revealed).' In 1. 37 both E and E are read in place 
 of O, but the MS. authority for O is much greater. 
 
 41, 42. Quel ch' era, &c. : i.e. the spirits which were seen 
 within the sun. Non per, &c. : ' distinguishable, not by difference 
 of colour, but by additional brilliancy.' 
 
 43-5. Perch' io, &c. : 'however much I may call to my aid 
 genius, art, and practice.' SI, &c. : ' true, I would not say ' ; // in 
 this use has a concessive force, di veder, &c. : ' let a man desire 
 to see it.* 
 
 474 
 
X. 48-75] PARADISO 
 
 48. sopra, &c. : ' never could eye conceive a light superior to 
 that of the sun.' 
 
 49-51. la quarta famiglia : the band of spirits in the fourth 
 Heaven ; these are the Theologians, che sempre, &c. : ' who 
 evermore contents them by revealing to them His relation to the 
 Spirit and the Son.' God causes the Theologians to rejoice 
 especially in the manifestation of the relation of the Persons of the 
 Blessed Trinity, as being the profoundest Christian mystery. 
 
 53, 54. a questo Sensibil : understand sole ; ' to this sun which 
 is perceived by sense,' as contrasted with the Sol degli Angeli. 
 
 55-7. digesto : 'disposed.' tutto il suo gradir: 'full 
 satisfaction of heart.' 
 
 59, 60. in lui si mise : 'was fixed on God.' eclisso, &c. : 
 ' was eclipsed in oblivion,' passed out of my mind ; for ecltssare neut. 
 cp. Par. XXV. 119. 
 
 63. Mia mente, &c. : ' caused my mind, which was occupied 
 with one thing, to contemplate many things.' From an attitude 
 of concentration on one object (the thought of God) Dante's mind 
 was diverted and disposed towards the observation of many (the 
 spirits which now presented themselves). 
 
 64, 65. vincenti : 'overpowering' to the sight, corona: 
 ' circumference of the circle.' 
 
 67-9. cinger: neut. 'girdled.' The halo round the moon is 
 referred to, the luminous circle of spirits being compared to it; 
 cp. Par. xxviii. 22-4. la figlia di Latona: Diana or the Moon; 
 for the other names of the moon in the D'l'v. Com. see note on Inf. 
 X. 80. quando, &c. : ' when the air is so charged with vapour, 
 that it retains the thread which forms her zone.' The thread is the 
 light of the moon, which, being retained by the vaporous atmosphere, 
 forms the halo. This is called a thread, because it is the material 
 out of which the zone is woven. 
 
 70-3. rivegno : ' I have returned,' lit. ' I am one who has 
 returned.' trar del regno : ' be transported from their rightful 
 seat ' ; this music is one of those things which cannot be described 
 so as to be intelligible on earth. 
 
 74) 75* Chi non, &c. : 'the man who does not take to himself 
 wings to fly to Heaven, must expect to learn no more of what passes 
 there than if he were questioning the dumb ' ; in other words — 
 ' without going to Heaven oneself one cannot learn aught of it.' 
 
 475 
 
PARADISO [x. 76-104 
 
 76—8. Poi : for Po'tche, vicine, &c. : the stars in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the poles seem to revolve round the poles. The epithet 
 ' steadfast ' (fermi) is added, because Dante and Beatrice, round 
 whom these spirits moved, were still. 
 
 79-81. non da ballo, &c. : 'who have not ceased from the 
 dance, but pause in silence, listening till they catch the recommence- 
 ment of the music' In the hallata of Dante's time there were 
 pauses both in the singing and the dancing between the stanzas 
 (see Casini's note). The spirits now suspend their dancing that 
 they may accost Dante. 
 
 82. Quando : 'since.' The speaker is St. Thomas Aquinas 
 (1225—74); he was the greatest theologian of the middle ages, and 
 bore the name of Doctor Angelicus, 
 
 85-7. Multiplicato : take with cresce amando, 'through 
 loving makes manifold increase.' senza risalir : ' without mounting 
 thither again' ; this implies Dante's ultimate salvation. 
 
 88-90. il vin, &c. : 'the wine from his vial,' i. e. an answer to 
 your questions, in liberta, &c. : i. e. must be the victim of con- 
 straint, contrary to his natural impulse, as when water is prevented 
 from running downwards. Se non come means ' any more than ' ; 
 cp. Par. i. 137 ; xxxii. 54. 
 
 91-3. di quai, &c. : 'of what plants this garland is composed, 
 which contemplates with joy (cp. 1. 10) on every side the fair lady 
 who empowers thee to mount to Heaven.' Beatrice, who represents 
 theology, is naturally a subject of joyful contemplation to the 
 theologians. 
 
 94-6. lo fui, &c. : St. Thomas belonged to the Dominican 
 Order. U' ben, &c. : ' where one thrives (lit. fattens, i. e. makes 
 progress in virtue) well, if he does not give himself up to vanity.' 
 
 98. Alberto: Albertus Magnus (i 193-1280), surnamed Z)<7r/or 
 Universalis on account of his extensive learning ; he taught at 
 Cologne, where Aquinas was one of his pupils. 
 
 loi, 102. Diretro, &c. : 'following my words (as I name them) 
 pass your eyes round over the blessed garland.' su per here, as 
 often elsewhere, simply means motion over, without any sense of 
 ' upwards.' 
 
 104. Grazian : Gratian, the canonist of Cent, xii., who in his 
 Decretum brought into agreement the secular and the ecclesiastical law. 
 These are the two courts here mentioned (1* uno e 1' altro fore). 
 
 476 
 
X. I07-26] PARADISO 
 
 iC/, io8. Pietro : Peter Lombard (middle of Cent, xii.), the 
 'Master of the Sentences,' so called from his Smtentiarum Libri, an 
 elaborate system of dogmatic theology. He says in the Preface to 
 that work, that he desired, like the poor widow in the Gospel (la 
 poverella) to contribute his mite to the Lord's treasury. 
 
 1 09-1 1. La quinta: Solomon, the question of whose ultimate 
 salvation was much discussed during the middle ages. Hence the 
 craving for information about him which is here mentioned, tale 
 amor : the reference is to Solomon's Song. 
 
 113, 114. se il vero, &c. : 'if the Ti-uth be true'; i.e. as we 
 know on the authority of God's word: cp. i Kings iii, 12, 'I have 
 given thee a wise and understanding heart ; so that there was none 
 like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto 
 thee.' A veder tanto, &c. : 'in power of sight (grasp of thought) 
 his equal has not arisen.' 
 
 1 1 5-7. quel cero:. the 'taper' is Dionysius the Areopagite, 
 the convert of St. Paul at Athens, Acts xvii. 34. He was 
 erroneously supposed to be the author of the De Caelesti Hierarchia^ 
 a work which exercised a wide influence on the systematic beliefs of 
 the middle ages, and in particular on the scheme of the Paradiso ; 
 see note on Par. xxviii. 130. piu addentro vide: 'possessed 
 a profound insight into.' 
 
 119-20. Queir avvocato : Orosius, whose historical com- 
 pendium, entitled Historiae adversus Paganos, was written in Cent, v., 
 at the suggestion of St. Augustine, as an answer to those who 
 asserted that Christianity had done more harm than good to the 
 world. St. Augustine made use of it in writing his De Civitate Dei, 
 and it is frequently employed by Dante for his historical references. 
 tempi cristiani : ' the Christian ages.' Orosius repeatedly uses the 
 phrase tempora Christiana in this sense. Del cui, &c. : ' of whose 
 studied work Augustine availed himself.' latino here signifies 
 'careful composition,' just as it is used in Par. xii. 144 for 'a 
 studied address,' and in Par. xvii. 35 for ' style.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. trani: for traini, 'trail,' 'pass on': trainare is Fr. 
 trainer^ and they are der. from Lat. trahere ; cp. Diez, Wort., 
 p. 324. con sete rimani: the meaning is: — 'you have now 
 reached in your inquiry the eighth figure.' 
 
 124-6. Per vedere, &c. : ' within it doth rejoice in the sight of 
 the Highest Good that saintly soul, who demonstrates the vanity of 
 
 477 
 
PARADISO [x. 128-38 
 
 the world to those who listen aright to him.* This is Boethius, the 
 author of the De Consolatione Philosoph'iae^ which was a favourite 
 book with Dante. He lived in the latter part of Cent. v. and the 
 beginning of Cent. vi. a.d., and held the office of consul at Rome, 
 but fell under the displeasure of Theodoric, and was imprisoned at 
 Pavia, and finally put to death by torture. By 'those who listen 
 aright to him ' are meant those who learn the lesson contained in 
 his book. 
 
 128. Cieldauro : the church of San Pietro in Cieldauro in Pavia, 
 which now is partly ruined. Philalethes describes the tomb as 
 existing in his time — ' a marble urn supported on four columns/ 
 
 131, 132. Isidoro : Isidore, bishop of Seville at the commence- 
 ment of Cent, vii., a man of extraordinary learning for his age. His 
 Origines are one of Dante's authorities on geography and scientific 
 subjects. Beda : the Venerable Bede, the ecclesiastical historian of 
 Britain, who lived at the end of Cent. vii. and beginning of Cent. viii. 
 Riccardo : Richard of St. Victor ; he and his master Hugo of St. 
 Victor (for whom see Par. xii. 133), were mystical theologians of 
 the early part of Cent, xii., and lived in the monastery of St. Victor 
 near Paris. Dante in his letter to Can Grande {^Ep. x. 28. 
 II. 552-4), when justifying himself for dealing with transcendental 
 subjects in the Paradiso, appeals to Richard's work De Contemplatione. 
 a considerar : * in contemplation.' 
 
 133-5. onde, &c. : 'from whom your eyes come back to me.* 
 The meaning is : — ' after whom I shall be the next object that meets 
 your eyes, now that you have made the round of the circle of spirits.' 
 Sigier was next to Aquinas on his left hand, uno spirto, che, &c. : 
 che here stands for tal che, 'such that,' as in Par. xxiii. 47; 
 ' a spirit so lofty, that in his grave meditations death seemed to him 
 to come all too slowly,* lit. ' it seemed to him a long delay (tardo) 
 to come to die ' (or, ' it seemed to him that he came slowly to death '). 
 For the expression venir a morir cp. Inf. xxvi. 84, ' a morir gissi.* 
 
 136-8. Sigieri : philosopher and theologian of Cent. xiii. 
 leggendo, &c. : ' when lecturing in the Street of Straw.* This 
 is the Rue du Fouarre at Paris, which was the centre of the famous 
 University. Sillogizzo, &c. : * drew tRie conclusions which 
 brought odium upon him.* He was prosecuted for heretical teaching, 
 and met his death at the hand of a mad clerk at Orvieto between 
 1277 and 1284. 
 
 478 
 
X. 139— XI. 5] PARADISO 
 
 139-41. Indi, &c. : in what follows the rhythmical movement of 
 the dancing spirits is compared to the working of the striking apparatus 
 of a clock which served to call the brethren in a monastery to prayers ; 
 and their harmonious singing is compared to the sound of the notes. 
 'Then, even as a clock, which summons us at the hour when the 
 bride of God (the Church) arises to serenade her bridegroom that 
 she may win his love,' lit. ' in order that he may love her.' The 
 word mattinar bears the two meanings of * to say matins ' and ' to 
 serenade a person at daybreak.' 
 
 142. Che, &c. : 'in which one part pulls and impels the other.' 
 The words tira and urge express two different movements, and — 
 as far as our imperfect knowledge of the striking clocks of Dante's 
 time allows us to speak on the subject — they mean, that the 
 mechanism first pulls back the hammer (tira), and then impels it 
 (urge) against the bell. Or, possibly, tira refers to the action of 
 the weight or spring in moving the wheel, and urge to that of the 
 wheel in starting the hammer. The point of the comparison is the 
 regularity of the movement and the interdependence of the parts — not 
 the circulation of wheels or any such detail. 
 
 146-8. intempra: ' in harmony ' ; cp. Par. xiv. 118. dove, 
 &c. : ' where joy becomes eternal.' 
 
 CANTO XI 
 
 Argument. — St. Thomas discourses in rapturous language on 
 e life of St. Fr " ' - - - 
 
 Franciscan Order. 
 
 the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and on the foundation of the 
 
 Lines 1-12. The revelation of the joys and the glory of the 
 life of spirits in Heaven which has just been presented to Dante, 
 causes him to turn his thoughts downwards to earth, and to reflect 
 on the paltriness of men's occupations there. 
 
 2, 3. Quanto, &c. : 'how weak are the reasons (lit. arguments) 
 which make thee wing thy course downwards,' i.e. 'pursue low 
 aims.' For sillogismi cp. sillogi%%o in Par. x. 138. 
 
 4, 5. aforismi : the study of Medicine is meant, the ' Aphorisms ' 
 (medical precepts) of Hippocrates being taken to represent it. In 
 this and the foUowing line the three learned professions of Law, 
 
 479 
 
PARADISO [XI. 6-27 
 
 Medicine, and the Church are described. The Ministry of the 
 Church (sacerdozio) is here regarded, like the other professions, 
 as a means of worldly advancement. 
 
 6—9. E chi regnar, &c. : the construction of the remainder of 
 the sentence is not clear. It is possible, with Scartazzini, to make 
 regnar and rubare depend on S' afifaticava, but then there is 
 no government for civil negozio ; and, moreover, Chi in 1. 8, not 
 being introduced by a conjunction, appears to be the commencement 
 of a separate statement. It seems preferable to understand sen giva 
 a (supplied from what precedes) with the three clauses in 11. 6, 7 
 (E chi sen giva a regnare, &c.), and to start afresh in 1. 8. 
 sofismi : ' false claims,' as a Pretender, nel diletto, &c. : ' was 
 wearying himself by being absorbed in the pleasures of the flesh.' 
 
 15. come, &c. : the point of the comparison is, that a candle in 
 a candlestick, unlike a swinging lamp or a taper carried in a pro- 
 cession, is fixed. 
 
 16. senti': the suppression of the predicate after this verb, 
 notwithstanding that sorridendo and facendosi refer to it, aptly 
 suggests that the spirit concealed within its own light was invisible. 
 
 19-21. suo raggio: that of the luce eterna, God. 'My 
 own brightness is derived from the face of God; and, in like 
 manner, when I look into His face, I read there the origin of what 
 is passing in your mind,' lit. 'your thoughts, whence you derive 
 (cause) them.' For the statement that the Blessed in Heaven read 
 the thoughts of others in the mind of God, cp. Par. viii. 85-9 ; 
 XV. 61-3. 
 
 22-6. hai voler, &c. : 'you desire that my words, where 
 I said above U' ben s' impingua, &c., should be sifted anew 
 in language so clear and so explicit, that they may be brought down 
 to the level of your perception.' U' ben, &c. : Par. x. 96. Non 
 nacque, &c. : Par. x. 114. nacque here has a great preponderance 
 of MS. authority over surse^ which is often read. The latter was 
 probably introduced because it is the actual word used in x. 11 4. 
 
 27. che ben, &c. : 'that we should make the points under 
 discussion quite clear.' St. Thomas now addresses himself to 
 Dante's first difficulty, which relates to the two great Orders of the 
 Franciscans and the Dominicans. The other difficulty, which 
 relates to the wisdom of Solomon, he recurs to in Par. xiii. 
 31 foil. 
 
 480 
 
XI. 31-45] PARADISO 
 
 31-4. Perocche, &c. : ' in order that the spouse of Him who 
 to the sound of a loud cry espoused her with His precious blood 
 (the Church), might follow the path which leads to her Beloved 
 One (might make progress in the Christian life), confident in herself, 
 and withal more faithful to Him.' ad alte grida : ' uttering loud 
 cries,' Matt, xxvii. 46, 50. 
 
 35, 36. Due Principi : St. Francis and St. Domenic. Observe 
 how, to exclude the idea of rivalry between the founders of the two 
 Monastic Orders, and between their followers, St. Thomas, a 
 Dominican, here sings the praises of St. Francis, while in Canto 
 Xn St. Bonaventura, a Franciscan, celebrates St. Domenic. quinci 
 e quindi : ' on either side * ; quinci, meaning the latter, refers 
 to a lui piu Jida^ love being the bond of conjugal faithfulness ; 
 quindi, meaning the former, to In se sicura, orthodoxy being the 
 guarantee of the Church's safety : the applicability of this to the 
 Due Principi is explained in the next three lines. 
 
 37-9. L' un, &c. : St. Francis was distinguished by the intensity 
 of his love and devotion both to God and to his fellow men, while 
 St. Domenic (L' altro) was conspicuous as a champion of orthodoxy 
 in doctrine. The Seraphim were regarded as embodying love, the 
 Cherubim knowledge ; hence the application of the epithets serafico 
 and cherubico to these two saints. 
 
 40 foil. St. Francis (1182-1226), who is here spoken of, was 
 the son of Pietro Bernardone, a wool merchant of Asslsi. At 
 2 4 years of age he devoted himself to a religious life, and took upon 
 him vows of poverty, which also he established as the rule of 
 the Order which he founded. This Order received the sanction, 
 first of Innocent III, and afterwards of Honorius III. In 12 19 
 he went to Egypt with the object of converting the Sultan of that 
 country, but his preaching was unsuccessful. Towards the end 
 of his life he retired to the monastery of Alvernia in the Apennines, 
 where he is said to have received the ' stigmata ' or marks of our 
 Lord's crucifixion in his hands and feet and side. 
 
 43-5. Intra, &c. : Asslsi, which is here described, is situated 
 on the lower slopes of the Monte Subasio (alto monte), an outlier 
 of the Apennines, with the river Tupino flowing on its southern 
 side, and the Chiascio on the western. These join their waters 
 at some distance below the town, and then flow into the Tiber. 
 The Chiascio rises near Gubblo, of which place St. Ubaldo was 
 
 TOZER 481 I i 
 
PARADISO [XI. 46-57 
 
 bishop, and where he had his hermitage ; it is rather this latter 
 point which is referred to in eletto del beato Ubaldo. 
 
 46. Perugia : this city is situated on high ground fourteen 
 miles to the westward of Assisi, and separated from it by the valley 
 of the Tiber. It can with truth be said to get its cold — especially 
 on its eastern side, on which the gate of Perugia called the porta 
 Sole stands — from the Monte Subasio, because the cold winds 
 blow off the Apennines from that quarter. What is meant by 
 its getting its heat from thence, it is not so easy to say, for the 
 distance is too great for Perugia to be affected by the reflexion 
 of heat from those mountains (though possibly Dante thought that 
 this was the case). Perhaps it means that the sun rises in that 
 quarter. 
 
 47, 48. diretro, &c. : the towns of Nocera and Gualdo lie 
 on the opposite side of the Monte Subasio to Assisi. They 
 are said to ' groan under a heavy yoke ' because they were oppressed 
 by the people of Perugia. 
 
 50, 51. un sole: St. Francis. Come fa, &c. : 'as the sun in 
 which we are (questo) rises at times from the Ganges,' i. e. from 
 the east, the mouth of the Ganges being to Dante the limit of the 
 habitable world in that direction; cp. Purg. ii. 4, 5. Tal volta 
 (' at times ') means in the summer season, and thus enhances 
 St. Francis' meed of praise, since it implies that it is only when 
 the sun is brightest that it can be compared to him. For the use of 
 tal volta here cp. Par. xii. 51. 
 
 52-4. Pero, &c. : 'wherefore let him who speaks of that place 
 not call it Ascesi ("I rose"), which would give an inadequate 
 meaning, but Oriente ("the East"), if he would give it a suitable 
 name.' Ascesi was in Dante's time the popular name of Assisi ; 
 playing on this, St. Thomas says that ' I rose ' insufficiently 
 expressed its dignity, and that ' the East ' should be substituted for 
 it, since it was the place where a Sun (un sole, 1. 50, i. e. St. Francis) 
 had risen. 
 
 55-7. Non era, &c. : 'this Sun was not far distant from his 
 rising,' i. e. St. Francis was not far advanced in years. He was 
 24 years old, when he was seized with the desire of renouncing the 
 world. Ch' ei, &c. : ' when he began to cause the earth to feel 
 some comfort from his mighty influence'; terra is here used 
 instead of mondo, because the metaphor of the sun is still maintained. 
 
 482 
 
XL 58-72] PARADISO 
 
 58-60. Chd, &c. : * since while yet a youth he incurred his 
 father's wrath for a lady's sake, to whom, even as to death, no one 
 doth unlock the gate of pleasure.' The lady is Poverty (see 1. 74), 
 who, like death, is an unwelcome guest where pleasure dwells. 
 The biographers of St. Francis dwell on his father's strong opposi- 
 tion to his desire of embracing a life of poverty. 
 
 61, 62. Ed innanzi, &c. : St. Francis renounced all right to his 
 inheritance in the presence of his father and of the Bishop of Assisi, 
 even giving up his clothes, and putting on those of an artisan which 
 the Bishop gave him; see Milman, Lai. Christianity^ iv. pp. 172, 
 173. sua spirital corte : the court of the bishop of his native 
 city. Et coram patre : the words are in Lat. as being a legal 
 form, the marriage between St. Francis and Poverty being regarded 
 as a formal contract, unito : 'joined in marriage'; this is 
 represented in a fresco by Giotto in the church at Assisi. 
 
 64-6. primo marito : Christ, who lived a life of poverty. 
 mille cent' anni e piii : this represents the interval between 
 the death of Christ and the vow of St. Francis. The date of the 
 latter was 1207, and consequently more than 11 00 years after 
 the death of Christ. The round number is used, as in Par. vi. 
 4 and 38, because exact dates are inadmissible in poetry, senza 
 invito : ' without courtship,' ' without a suitor.' 
 
 67-9. Ne valse, &c. : 'nor did it avail aught (in her behalf) 
 that men heard (lit. for men to hear) how that Caesar, who inspired 
 the whole world with terror, found her, in company with the fisher- 
 man Amyclas, unmoved at the sound of his voice.' In describing 
 two typical instances of the moral grandeur of poverty, which 
 nevertheless the world had ignored, Dante follows the method 
 which he has observed elsewhere, of taking one instance from 
 the classics, the other from Scripture. The story of the poor 
 fisherman Amyclas, whom Caesar visited by night in order that 
 he (Amyclas) might convey him across the Adriatic, is given 
 by Lucan, v. 504 foil. The moral of this, relating to the indepen- 
 dence and confidence of poverty, which Lucan draws, is as follows : — 
 ' O vitae tuta facultas Pauperis angustique lares ! O munera nondum 
 Intellecta deum ! Quibus hoc contingere templis Aut potuit muris, 
 nullo trepidare tumultu, Caesarea pulsante manu ? (11. 527—31).' 
 These lines are translated by Dante in Coni). iv. 13. 11. 1 10-21. 
 
 70-2. Ne valse esser, &c. : 'nor did it avail her (Poverty) 
 
 483 I i 3 
 
PARADISO [XI. 73-93 
 
 that she was enduring and courageous — so much so, that where 
 Mary remained at the foot of the cross, Poverty was elevated on 
 the cross itself with Christ.' Thus Poverty was more closely 
 associated with Christ in His dying hour even than His Mother. 
 Christ hanging naked and destitute on the cross is the instance 
 taken from Scripture of the moral grandeur of poverty, feroce : 
 the word is here used in the proper classical meaning of Lat. ferox, 
 viz. ' high-spirited,' ' courageous.' salse : others read p'lanse. 
 
 73-5. troppo chiuso : ' in too obscure terms.' parlar diflfuso: 
 * prolonged discourse.' 
 
 76-8. La lor, &c. : 'their unanimity and the gladness of their 
 looks (i. e. the perfect resignation and cheerfulness with which 
 St. Francis led a life of poverty) brought it to pass that the love 
 and admiration and sympathy (which they excited in men's minds) 
 produced thoughts of saintliness ; — to such a degree that (Tanto 
 che),' &c. The sight of St. Francis' self-sacrifice caused others 
 to follow his example. 
 
 79-81. Bernardo: Bernard of Quintavalle, a wealthy man, 
 who was the first follower of St. Francis. Si scalzo : ' went 
 barefoot,' according to St. Francis' example, which was adopted 
 by his Order. 
 
 82-4. ferace: 'productive,' because of the rapid increase of 
 disciples. Egidio : another wealthy man, who became St. Francis' 
 third disciple. Silvestro : a priest at Assisi. si la sposa place : 
 ' such are the charms of the bride,' i. e. the attractions of poverty. 
 
 85-7. sen va : 'goes on his way,' to Rome; this is seen to be 
 the meaning from 11. 91, 92. legava, &c. : 'was girding on the 
 humble cord ' ; it was from this cord that the Franciscans obtained 
 the name of Cordiglieri. 
 
 88-93. N® &1^ gravo, &c. : 'nor was he depressed (lit. forced 
 to cast down his eyes) with shame, either at being the son (fi' for 
 Jiglio) of Pietro Bernardone, or at being an object of unutterable 
 contempt.' This must be taken in connexion with II. 91, 92, 
 where he is spoken of as presenting himself before the Pope. On 
 that occasion he was not shamefaced on account of the meanness 
 of his origin or his contemptible appearance, but 'like a prince 
 declared to Innocent his stern intention ' of founding his Order. 
 It is a little difficult to reconcile the statement about the meanness 
 of his origin with the fact that his father was a well-to-do merchant ; 
 
 484 
 
XL 96-117J PARADISO 
 
 but this appears to be the meaning, for St. Bonaventura in his Life 
 of St. Francis says that, when the epithets ' boorish ' and ' mercenary ' 
 were appHed to him, the Saint was wont to reply, that such re- 
 proaches were suitably addressed to Pietro Bernardone's son (' Talia 
 enim licet audire filium Petri de Bernardone'). "Innocenzio : 
 Pope Innocent III, who signified to him in 1214 his approval of 
 the Order, sigillo, &c. : ' seal of approval of his monastic rule.' 
 
 96. Meglio, &c. ; 'better in high Heaven' than by unworthy 
 Franciscan fnars on earth. That this is the meaning is rendered 
 probable by the following passage in an early life of St. Francis by 
 Prudenzano, which Dante may well have seen : — ' Dai Serafini 
 (tanta era stata la virtil del Santo) le Salmodie in onore di lui meglio 
 e piit degnamente sarehhersi cantate nella gloria del cielo, anziche da' 
 suoi frati degeneri in coro.' See Moore, Studies^ i. p. 86, where 
 the authority is the Studi Danteschi of da Carbonara. 
 
 98, 99. per Oncrio, &c. : 'by the eternal Spirit speaking 
 through the mouth of Honorius.' Pope Honorius III approved 
 the Order in 1223. archimandrita : this title, which is in use 
 in the Greek Church, originally signified the Head of a monastery 
 i/xdvSpa, ' sheepfold ') ; hence it is suitably employed here of the 
 founder of a monastic Order. In De Mon. iii. 9. 1. 123 Dante 
 applies it to St. Peter. 
 
 loi, 102. Soldan : the Sultan of Egypt in his camp before 
 Damietta ; see note on 1. 40. gli altri : the lives of his apostles 
 and saints. 
 
 103-5. acerba: 'unripe'; cp. Purg. xi. 117. per non, &c. : 
 ' that he might not tarry unavailingly.' Reddissi : from reddire, 
 arch, form of riedere, here used as a reflexive verb, al frutto, &c. : 
 ' to the harvest of the Italian crop ' (Butler) ; i. e. to minister to the 
 faithful in Italy. 
 
 106-8. sasso : the Monte Alvernia in the Casentino, between 
 the upper waters of the Tiber and the Arno, where St. Francis 
 founded his monastery, and where he is said to have received the 
 stigmata. These were the ultimo sigillo, or ' final seal of approval,' 
 in which expression ultimo is used in reference to the primo sigillo 
 of 1. 93, and the seconda corona of 1. 97. portamo : iov portarono, 
 
 112. erede: 'heirs'; see note on Purg. vii. 118. 
 
 115-7. ^^^ s^o grembo : 'from her (Poverty's) bosom.' Ed 
 al, &c. : ' and for his body desired no other bier ' than the bosom 
 
 485 
 
PARADISO [XI. 118-39 
 
 of Poverty, i. e. than the bare ground on which he lay. When he 
 felt his end approaching, he desired that he should be conveyed to 
 his chapel of the Portiuncula (Santa Maria degli Angeli) near Assisi, 
 and should be laid on the ground ; and there he died. 
 
 118-20. Pensa, &c. : St. Thomas now returns to the point 
 from which he originally started, the solution of Dante's difficulty 
 raised by the words ' U' ben s' impingua se non si vaneggia ' (1. 25 ; 
 cp. Par. X. 96), which refer to the original excellence and subsequent 
 corruption of the Dominican Order. Having described the life of 
 St. Francis, he turns to his compeer St. Domenic, and remarks on 
 the degenerate condition of his followers, a mantener, &c. : ' to 
 keep the bark of Peter (the Church) safe in the open sea (where 
 storms prevail) by directing it to its proper destination (the kingdom 
 of Heaven).' segno : lit. ' a mark for which to steer.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. nostro : St. Thomas being a Dominican, qual segue, 
 &c. ; ' when a man follows faithfully in his wake, you can be sure 
 that he is freighted with good merchandize.' carca : for carica. 
 
 126. salti : ' mountain pastures ' ; the eagerness of the Domini- 
 cans to obtain high offices in the Church is here censured. 
 
 128, 129. esso : their leader, St. Domenic. latte: spiritual 
 nutriment for others. 
 
 130-2. Ben, &c. : 'true it is that there are some among them.' 
 le cappe, &c. : * it requires little cloth to make their cowls.' 
 
 133. fioche : ' weak,' ' vague in meaning.' 
 
 136, 137. In parte: because one of your two difficulties will 
 have been explained, la pianta, &c. : ' the tree from which the 
 splinter is broken,' i. e. the fact from which the deduction is made ; 
 the fact being the corruption of the Dominican Order, the deduction 
 St. Thomas's remark upon it in Par. x. 96, ' U' ben,' &c. Other 
 interpreters say ' the plant that is chipped away,' i. e. the Dominican 
 Order that is being corrupted. 
 
 138, 139. E vedrai, &c. : coreggier here is taken to mean 
 * the wearer of a strap or thong {coreggia\^ a title invented by Dante 
 for the Dominicans, to correspond to Cord'tgliero^ the name of the 
 Franciscans. ' And you will see what the Dominican friar means, 
 when he uses the words, "where one thrives well, if he does not 
 give himself up to vanity." ' The Dominican friar here is St. Thomas 
 himself, and the meaning is — 'you will understand what I as 
 a Dominican friar meant by what I said above (in Par. x. 96).' 
 
 486 
 
XII. 1-9] PARADISO 
 
 Corregger is sometimes read in place of coreggier, and it is 
 impossible from the MSS. to decide between them. With regard 
 to this point Dr. Moore writes to me: — ' "I" is so often inserted 
 in MSS. between "g" and "e" (e.g. '' scorgier," " ieggie," 
 ^' reggie,^^ &c.), and also the double consonant is so habitually- 
 neglected, that unless one were dealing with a MS. which was 
 quite unusually careful in its orthography, one could never feel very- 
 confident in respect of such evidence.' With this reading the 
 passage is best translated thus : — ' you will see the reproof (/'/ 
 corregger) implied in the words,' &c. 
 
 CANTO XII 
 
 Argument. — The band of spirits which has hitherto appeared to 
 Dante in this Heaven is now joined by another band, who form 
 a second circle round them. One of these, St. Bonaventura, a 
 Franciscan, sings the praises of St. Domenic. After this he 
 enumerates the names of those who form his own company, among 
 whom are found St. Chrysostom, St. Anselm, and Hugo of 
 St. Victor. 
 
 Lines 1-3. 1* ultima, &c. : ' the saintly flame took up the final 
 word to give it utterance.' mola : the circle of saints is compared 
 to the millstone in respect of its rotatory motion ; perhaps also it 
 indicates that the movement was not vertical but horizontal ; cp. 
 Conv. iii. 5. 1. 176, where the motion of the sun is said to be ^non 
 a modo di mola, ma di rota.' 
 
 4-6. nel suo giro, &c. : ' had not completely described its 
 circle.' un' altra : from 1. 96 we learn that the two circles were 
 composed of twenty-four spirits in all. E moto, &c. : ' and danced 
 and sang in corresponding measure ' ; lit. ' took up its movement by 
 the other's movement, and its singing by the other's singing.' 
 
 8, 9. Sirene : ' sweet singers.' tube : ' instruments,' i. e. the 
 spirits who sang, quel ch* ei refuse : ' the light which it gives 
 by reflexion ' ; 'as much as the original ray surpasses in brightness 
 the reflected ray.' 
 
 487 
 
PARADISO [xii. 10-32 
 
 10-2. Come, &c. : * as through a filmy cloud two arcs are 
 described, corresponding in Hnes and colours.' per tenera nube 
 means, that the rainbow is formed by the sunlight passing through 
 a fine cloud dissolving in rain. Note the three similes, one within 
 the other : ( i ) the two circles of saints are like the double rainbow ; 
 
 (2) the formation of the second rainbow is like that of the echo; 
 
 (3) the death of the nymph Echo through pining for love is like 
 vapours being dried up by the sun. sua ancella : Iris, the rainbow, 
 was the handmaid of Juno. 
 
 14, 15. quella vaga : ' that wandering sprite.' Ch' amor, &c. : 
 Echo wasted away through love of Narcissus until only her bones 
 and her voice remained. The story is given in Ov. Met. iii. 
 356 foil., where her death is thus described — 'Attenuant vigiles 
 corpus miserabile curae, Adducitque cutem macies, et in aera sucus 
 Corporis omnis abit ; vox tantum atque ossa supersunt (11. 396-8).' 
 
 16-8. E fanno, &c. : 'and (the rainbows) cause mankind to 
 augur . . . that the world will not henceforth be destroyed by a 
 flood'; cp. Gen. ix. 12-5. 
 
 2 1 . estrema : the outermost, ultima : the innermost. 
 
 22-4. tripudio : 'dance,' Lat. tripudium. Luce, &c. : this is 
 a pendent clause, though perhaps the words may be in apposition to 
 tripudio and festa ('consisting of lights,' &c.). Scartazzini 
 removes the comma after fiammeggiarsi, and brings the clause 
 under its construction. 
 
 25, 26. Insieme, &c. : 'paused correspondingly in time and in 
 accord ' ; at the same moment and unanimously, al piacer, &c. : 
 ' in accordance with the volition which moves them.' 
 
 28-30. una: St. Bonaventura; on him see note on 1. 127. 
 che r ago, &c. : ' which caused me in turning towards its position 
 to resemble the magnetic needle turning towards the pole-star.' For 
 the substantival use of dove cp. ogni dove in Par. iii. 88. The 
 point of comparison is the instantaneousness of the responsive move- 
 ment. The magnetic needle is shown to have been used before this 
 time to indicate the pole-star by the mention of it in Brunetto Latini's 
 Tesoro, Bk. ii. Ch. 49 ; and other evidence to the same effect has 
 been collected by Humboldt in his Cosmos, vol. ii. pp. 629, 630, 
 Otto's trans. 
 
 32. altro duca: St. Domenic (1170-1221). He was born at 
 Calahorra in Old Castile in Spain, and was noted from an early 
 
 488 
 
XII. 33-5'^] PARADISO 
 
 period of his life for his self-denial and charity. In his maturer 
 years he was distinguished as a champion of orthodoxy, and he took 
 an active part in combating the doctrines of the Albigenses. The 
 preaching Order of the Dominicans, which he founded, received the 
 formal sanction of Pope Honorius III in 1217. 
 
 33. Per cui, &c. : ' by reason of whom such praise is accorded 
 to my leader,' St. Francis. Cp. Par. xi. 118-20, where it is seen 
 that the praise of St. Francis was intended to lead up to that of his 
 compeer, St. Domenic. 
 
 35. ad una; 'together,' i.e. in the same service; cp. Purg. 
 ix. 63. 
 
 38, 39. riarmar: *to arm afresh' against the assaults of the 
 Devil ; this was effected by Christ's death. Man at his creation 
 wore the armour of innocence ; he lost this at the Fall, but was 
 regenerated by Christ's death, and so was provided with fresh 
 armour. Si movea : * was moving ' ; this refers to the period 
 preceding the establishment of the two Orders, suspiccioso : 
 ' without confidence.' 
 
 41. alia milizia, &c. : 'for his soldiers who were wavering.' 
 For other instances of in forse in the sense of ' in doubt ' cp. Inf. 
 viii. 1 10; Purg. xxix. 18. 
 
 43-5. com' e detto : cp. Par. xi. 31-6. sua sposa : the 
 Church, si raccorse : from raccorgersi, ' bethought them of their 
 errors.' 
 
 46. quella parte : Spain, the land from which the West wind 
 comes. 
 
 49-52. Non molto, &c. : 'not far removed from the beating of 
 the waves, behind which, to repose from (lit. because of) his long 
 impetuous course (la lunga foga), the sun at times hides him from 
 men, lies Calahorra the fortunate.' By la lunga foga is meant the 
 sun's course in summer, when it is longest ; tal volta ( ' at times ') 
 signifies * in the summer season ' ; and by onde the Bay of Biscay 
 is intended, because in the summer the sun sets to the W. of N., 
 which is the direction of that bay from the point of view of Italy. 
 This interpretation suits the position of Calahorra (Calaroga), which 
 lies near the upper waters of the Ebro, and is ' not far removed from ' 
 the Bay of Biscay, whereas it is at a great distance from the Atlantic. 
 For the use of tal volta cp. Par. xi. 51. fortunata: as being 
 St. Domenic's birthplace. 
 
 489 
 
PARADISO [XII. 53-78 
 
 53, 54. scudo, &c. : * shield,' ^ coat of arms.' In one of the 
 quarterings of the arms of Spain the Lion is above the Castle, in 
 another beneath it. These emblems represent the kingdoms of Leon 
 and Castile. 
 
 55-7. r amoroso drudo : ' the passionate lover.' cnido : 
 * harsh,' ' severe,' as being a strong opponent of heretics. It is not 
 certain whether he encouraged the persecution of the Albigenses, but 
 he undoubtedly took part against them. 
 
 58-60. come : ' as soon as ' ; cp. Par. xv. 74. * His spirit, as 
 soon as it was created, was so replete with living power, that while 
 he was in his mother's womb it caused her to be prophetic' Before 
 the birth of St. Domenic his mother dreamed that she had brought 
 forth a dog, spotted black and white, which bore a lighted torch in 
 its mouth. The figure of the spotted dog was emblematic of the 
 black and white dress of the Dominican Order, and in that con- 
 nexion was frequently at a later time introduced in art with a play on 
 Domini canes, the Dominicans being regarded as the Lord's watchdogs. 
 
 61. le sponsalizie: 'the espousals' are his baptism, when he 
 plighted himself to the Christian faith. 
 
 64-6. La donna, &c. : his godmother dreamed that he bore 
 a star on his forehead, which illumined the world, erede : his 
 followers ; cp. Par. xi. 112. 
 
 67-9. perche, &c. : *that he might be in name what he was 
 in reality.' costrutto : ' the form of his name ' ; similarly in 
 Purg. xxviii. 147 costrutto means ' a form of words ' or * sentence ' ; 
 and in Par. xxiii. 24 sen%a costrutto is 'without putting it into 
 words.' Quinci, &c. : the meaning is: — 'An inspiration from 
 Heaven (Quinci) was communicated to his parents to name him 
 by the possessive adjective (viz. Dominicus) derived from the name 
 of the Lord (Dominus) who possessed him entirely.' 
 
 71. Cristo : observe that here and elsewhere no other word 
 is allowed to rhyme with the name of Christ. 
 
 75. primo consiglio: 'prime counsel,' i.e. counsel of per- 
 fection; Matt. xix. 21, 'If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that 
 thou hast, and give to the poor,' &c. For St. Domenic's observance 
 of this rule see note on 1. 32. 
 
 76-8. Spesse fiate, &c. : these are instances of his early 
 renunciation of everything temporal for Christ. He was found 
 by his nurse awake and kneeling on the earth in silent prayer. lo 
 
 490 
 
XII. 79-99] PARADISO 
 
 son, &c. : ' I have come into the world for this,' viz. to watch and 
 pray and renounce enjoyments. 
 
 79-81. veramente: ' rightly named.' Giovanna: ^favoured 
 by God/ according to its meaning in Hebrew. In the next line 
 Dante confesses his ignorance of that language. He may have got 
 the interpretation from Isidore, Orlg. vii. 9 ; or from the Magnae 
 Derivationes of Uguccione da Pisa; see Toynbee, Diet,, p. 277. 
 
 83. Ostiense: Henry of Susa, Cardinal, and Bishop of Ostia, 
 d. 1 271. He wrote a commentary on the Decretals. For the 
 study of these as a worldly pursuit cp. Par. ix. 134, 135. Taddeo : 
 Taddeo Alderotti of Bologna, a celebrated physician, d. 1303. In 
 this line and 1. 92 the pursuit of preferment or gain in the three 
 learned professions is referred to, as above in Par. xi. 4, 5. 
 
 86, 87. la vigna: the Church, imbianca: 'is bleached,' i.e. 
 fades and withers. 
 
 88-90. alia sedia, &c. : governed by Addomandh (1. 94) ; ' he 
 requested of the Holy See . . . not opportunities of enriching himself 
 {Non dispensare, &c., \\. 91-3), but,' &c. gii, fa, &c. : ' aforetimes 
 was kinder,' i. e. is now less kind than of old. non per lei, &c. : 
 this is a comment on the preceding clause ; ' not by its own doing, 
 but by his who occupies it, who goes astray ' ; the Pope is meant, 
 and Boniface VIII in particular. 
 
 91-3. dispensare, &c. : 'the power of giving away (lit. dis- 
 tributing) one-third or one-half (of moneys bequeathed for benevolent 
 purposes),' and keeping back the rest, la fortuna, &c. : ' the 
 opening oifered by the first vacant benefice ' ; prima probably agrees 
 with eccksia understood. The reference is to the expectationes, or 
 nominations to posts not yet vacant, which the Popes of that time 
 used to make, decimas, &c. : ' the tithes which rightly belong to 
 God's poor ' ; the words are in Latin, because that is the language 
 of the Church or of Canon law. 
 
 94-6. contro, &c. : St. Domenic visited Rome in 1205, and in 
 1207 commenced preaching against the Albigenses. lo seme, &c. : 
 ' the seed from which are sprung the twenty-four plants which 
 encircle thee,' i. e. the Faith, by which the theologians who form 
 two circles round thee were nurtured. 
 
 97-9. volere: i. e. zeal. 1* offizio apostolico : ' his apostolic 
 office,' i. e. the authority conferred upon him by Innocent III. ch* 
 alta, &c. : 'bursting from an elevated source.' As a 'torrent' is 
 
 491 
 
PARADISO [xii. 101-20 
 
 being spoken of, and its impetus is the point of the comparison, 
 alta seems to mean ' elevated ' rather than ' deep-seated,* as some 
 explain it. Moreover Aristotle, who on points like this is Dante's 
 usual authority, remarks on the high position of the sources of 
 rivers; Meteor ol. i. 13. Il, at Kpr\va.i oX TrAetorai o/oecn Kat tottois 
 
 Vlj/r]\oLS yeLTVLWCTLV. 
 
 1 01. quivi : in the neighbourhood of Toulouse, which was the 
 chief centre of the Albigenses. 
 
 103. diversi rivi: the followers of St. Domenic. They were 
 the streams, which proceeded from the torrent, and fertilized the 
 garden of the Church (1' orto cattolico). 
 
 106-8. biga: Lat. for 'two-horsed car'; here used by Dante 
 for ' two- wheeled car.' The Church has already been represented 
 by this emblem in the triumphal procession in Purg. xxix. 107. 
 In the present passage the two wheels are the founders of the two 
 great Orders, civil briga : ' civil war,' i. e. the contest with 
 heresy, which was a struggle within the Church itself. 
 
 no, III. deir altra, &c. : of St. Francis, who was lauded by 
 St. Thomas Aquinas in the preceding Canto. 
 
 1 1 2-4. St. Bonaventura now proceeds to denounce the degeneracy 
 of his own Order, the Franciscans, as in Par. xi. 124 foil. Aquinas 
 had denounced that of the Dominicans, orbita : Lat. for ' wheel- 
 track.' la parte somma, &c. : ' the topmost part of the circum- 
 ference of the wheel ' ; by this expression St. Francis himself is 
 meant. His followers had forsaken his track, la muffa, &c. : 
 the metaphor is taken from a cask of wine ; ' where once the crust 
 was, there is now the mould.' 
 
 117. quel dinanzi, &c. : 'his family (the Franciscan Order) 
 sets (gitta) the point of the foot (quel dinanzi, the forepart) upon 
 the heel (quel diretro, the hinder part); i.e. they follow their 
 leader's footsteps in the exactly opposite direction. 
 
 1 18-20. E tosto, &c. : ' and soon there will be evidence of the 
 harvest (i. e. result) of this bad husbandry, when the tares complain 
 that they are excluded from the granary,' i. e. when the unprofitable 
 brethren complain that they are excluded from the Church. The 
 reference is to the sect of the Spiritualists, or rigid maintainers of 
 the Franciscan rule, who separated from that Order and from the 
 Church; see note on 11. 124-6. This schism, St. Bonaventura 
 says, was the result of previous corruption in the Order. Another 
 
 492 
 
XII. 121-35] PARADISO 
 
 and simpler interpretation of the passage would make it refer to the 
 Judgement, when the tares shall be burnt and the wheat gathered 
 into the barn (Matt. xiii. 30) ; but this is hardly admissible, for 
 in that case tosto would imply that Dante believed the end of the 
 world to be close at hand. 
 
 1 2 1-3. Ben dico, &c. : the Saint guards against too sweeping 
 a condemnation by saying that there are exceptions. 'Doubtless 
 I would affirm that, should one examine our volume leaf by leaf, 
 he would still find pages where he could read the words " I am as 
 I am wont." ' Some members of the Order maintain their profession 
 still unchanged. 
 
 124-6. Ma non, &c. : 'but such an instance will not be derived 
 from Casale, nor from Acquasparta, the representatives of which 
 places so interpret the rule of the Order (la scrittura), that while 
 the latter shirks it, the former makes it more stringent.' In 1289 
 Matteo d' Acquasparta, general of the Franciscans, relaxed the 
 rule ; but, in reaction from this, Ubaldino di Casale insisted on 
 a stricter interpretation, and headed the sect of the Spiritualists. 
 
 127-9. vita: 'spirit.' Bonaventura : he was called the 
 Doctor Seraphicus, and was born in 1221 at Bagnoregio (now 
 Bagnorea, near the lake of Bolsena), and became general of the 
 Franciscan Order. His views were Platonist and mystical, and 
 in this respect he formed a strong contrast to Aquinas, who was 
 Aristotelian and logical. Dr. Liddon has suggested, that the fact 
 that the two died within four months of one another may have had 
 much to do with the position assigned to . Bonaventura in the 
 Paradiso {Essays and Addresses^ p. 199). la sinistra cura ; the 
 desire of temporal advantages ; cp. Aquinas, Summa, i. 2^^^. Q. 102. 
 Art. 4, ' Sapientia pertinet ad dextram, sicut et caetera spiritualia 
 bona ; temporale autem nutrimentum ad sinistram, secundum illud 
 Prov. iii. 1 6, in sinistra illius divitiae et gloria.' 
 
 130—2. St. Bonaventura now proceeds to name the spirits who 
 form the outer circle, as St. Thomas had named those of the inner 
 circle. Illuminato ed Augustin : two early followers of 
 St. Francis, scalzi : ' barefooted friars ' ; cp. Par. xi. 80. 
 capestro : Ibid. 1. 87. 
 
 I33~5* Ugo, &c. : Hugo of St. Victor, a mystic and theologian ; 
 see note on Par. x. 131. Pietro Mangiadore: Petrus Comestor 
 (Cent, xii.), so called as being a devourer of books. Pietro Ispano : 
 
 493 
 
PARADISO [xii. 136-45 
 
 Petrus Hispanus; he became Pope John XXI in 1276. The 
 libelli here mentioned are his Summulae Logkales. gid : in the 
 world below. 
 
 136-8. Natan : Nathan, who rebuked David; 2 Sam. xii. 
 7 foil. He is supposed to be introduced here as a companion to 
 St. Chrysostom, because both rebuked kings. Chrysostom opposed 
 the emperor Arcadius. il metropolitano : he was Patriarch of 
 Constantinople. By his homilies he deserved a place among the 
 theologians. Anselmo : St. Anselm (Cent, xii.) ; Archbishop of 
 Canterbury ; author of the Cur Deus homo. Donato : Donatus, 
 the grammarian of Cent, iv., and author of the Latin grammar. 
 St. Jerome was one of his pupils, prim' arte : Grammar, which 
 was the first in order of the seven sciences of the Trivium and 
 Quadrivium; see Conv. ii. 14. 11. 55-7. 
 
 139-41. Rabano : Rabanus Maurus (Cent. viii. and ix.), theo- 
 logian, and Bishop of Mainz. Gioacchino : the Abbot Joachim 
 of Calabria (Cent, xii.), mystic and theologian. After his death he 
 was credited with numerous visions and prophecies. 
 
 142-5. Ad inveggiar, &c. : ' to celebrate this mighty champion 
 of the Faith.' St. Domenic, of whom Bonaventura has been 
 speaking, must here be meant, and this determines the meaning of 
 inveggiar. From signifying ' to envy ' it seems to be used in the 
 favourable sense of ' to hold up to wondering admiration.' cortesia : 
 this was shown by St. Thomas, a Dominican, singing the praises 
 of St. Francis, il discrete latino : ' his discreet address ' ; for 
 latino see note on Par. x. 120. mosse, &c. : the outer circle 
 danced and sang at the conclusion of St. Thomas's address, as 
 described in 11. 5, 6. 
 
 CANTO XIII 
 
 Argument. — After the two circles of spirits have sung and 
 danced round Dante and Beatrice, St. Thomas resumes the office 
 of speaker, and solves the difficulty which had arisen in Dante's 
 mind in consequence of his saying that Solomon had no equal in 
 wisdom. In conclusion, he enters a warning against hasty judge- 
 ments, in respect of theological and philosophical doctrines, and of 
 the characters and future prospects of men. 
 
 494 
 
XIII. 1-24] PARADISO 
 
 Lines 1-24. In these lines 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 construction of 11. i— 13 
 is as follows : — Immagini . . . Qu'mdici stelle . . . [^] quel carro . . . 
 [^] la bocca di quel corno . . . averfatto di se due segni in cielo. 
 
 I. cupe : from Lat. cupere; 'desires.* 
 
 4-6. Quindici: the 24 required stars are made up of 15 taken 
 from various parts of the sky, 7 from the Great Bear, and 2 from 
 the Little Bear, plage : from Lat. plaga ; ' regions ' of the sky. 
 sereno : here used substantively ; ' serenity,' ' clear light ' ; cp. 
 Purg. XXX. 24. compage: hat. compages ; 'density'; 'lights© 
 clear that it overpowers all density of the atmosphere.' 
 
 7-9. quel Carro : our ' Charles's Wain.' a cui, &c. : ' to 
 which suffices (i. e. which never goes beyond) the vault (lit. bosom) 
 of our (the northern) heaven both by day and night, so that no 
 part of it disappears (beneath the horizon) as its pole (the pole 
 of the car) turns.' The meaning is, that the Great Bear never 
 sets to us. 
 
 10-2. quel corno, &c. : the Little Bear is here compared to 
 a horn, the mouth of which is formed by the two stars most distant 
 from the pole-star, while the orifice to which the lips are applied is 
 the pole-star itself, punta dello stelo : the pole-star is described 
 as ' the point of the axle round which revolves the first circle of the 
 heavens.' The first circle of the heavens is the Primum Mobile; 
 and this revolves round the earth's axis, of which the pole-star in 
 the heavens is the extreme point. 
 
 13-5. segni: 'constellations'; the comparison that follows 
 shows that circles of stars are meant, la figliuola, &c. : Ariadne, 
 from whose head at the time of her death Bacchus took the garland 
 which she wore, and placed it among the stars, where it is known as 
 Ariadne's Crown, or Corona Borealis ; Ov. Met. viii. 174-82. 
 
 16-8. E r un, &c. : the meaning is, that the two circles were 
 concentric, and moved in opposite directions to one another, al 
 prima : ' towards the front,' while al poi is ' towards the rear,' 
 i. e. one forwards, the other backwards. 
 
 22-4. e tanto, &c. : 'surpasses the range of our experience as 
 far, as the motion of the heaven which exceeds in speed all the 
 others (the Primum Mobile) surpasses the movement of the Chiana.' 
 
 495 
 
PARADISO [xiil. 25^51 
 
 In other words : — ' Our conceptions of speed no more bear com- 
 parison to the rapid movement of the circling spirits, than the 
 motion of the sluggish stream of the Chiana does to that of the 
 swiftest of the heavenly spheres/ For the Chiana see note on Inf. 
 xxix. 47. 
 
 25-7. Peana: the hymn which was sung in honour of Apollo. 
 Ed in, &c. : ' and it (the divine nature) joined with the human 
 nature in one person ' (the Person of our Lord). 
 
 28-30. sua misura : 'their measure,' i.e. their appointed 
 duration, attesersi : ' gave heed to us.' Felicitando se, &c. ; 
 'joyfully passing (lit. making themselves happy in passing) from 
 one employment to the other,' i. e. from singing and dancing to 
 answering my question. 
 
 31-3. numi : ' divinities,' i. e. blessed saints, in cui : ' by the 
 spirit within which light ' ; St. Thomas Aquinas is meant, who had 
 related the life of St. Francis (il poverel di Dio). 
 
 34-6. Quando, &c. : ' now that one ear of corn has been 
 threshed; now that the grain from it has been garnered, kind 
 love induces me to thresh the other.' St. Thomas, having fully 
 discussed (threshed out) one of Dante's difficulties — viz. that sug- 
 gested by the words, ' U' ben s' impingua ' (Par. x. 96) — now 
 proceeds to discuss the other — viz. that arising from the statement, 
 that Solomon had had no equal in wisdom (Par. x. 114). It 
 had occurred to Dante's mind that Adam and Christ ought to be 
 preferred before him in that respect. 
 
 37-9. nel petto, &c. : 'in Adam's breast, whence the rib was 
 taken to form Eve's fair cheek, whose palate (taste) costs all the 
 world so dear,' i. e. whose eating of the apple caused the Fall 
 of man. 
 
 40-2. in quel, &c. : ' in Christ's 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.' 
 
 45. Da quel valor, &c. : 'by that Power, which created both 
 Adam and Christ's human body.' 
 
 48. Lo ben, «fec. : Solomon; cp. Par. x. 109-14. 
 
 50, 5 1 . vedrai, &c. : ' you will see that what you think and 
 what I said correspond as exactly in stating the truth as the centre 
 (is the meeting-point of the radii) in a circle.' The meeting of the 
 radii in the centre of a circle is taken as an illustration of exact 
 
 496 
 
XIII. 5^-^^] PARADISO 
 
 correspondence. Dante has here expressed himself — to say the 
 least — very succinctly. 
 
 52-87. The general argument is : — What is created directly by 
 God is perfect, whereas that which is created indirectly by Him 
 through intermediate agencies and materials is imperfect ; and there- 
 fore Dante is right in thinking that Adam, and Christ in His human 
 nature, who belong to the former class, must have been superior in 
 wisdom to all men, and therefore to Solomon. 
 
 52-4. Cio che, &c. : 'all things, whether incorruptible or cor- 
 ruptible, emanate like a bright ray from the thought of God, which 
 is generated by His love.' 
 
 55-7. quella viva luce, &c. : the work of creation is here 
 asserted to be the work of all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. 
 ' That living light (the Son), which proceeds from its source of light 
 (the Father) in such a manner that it cannot but be in Unity both 
 with Him and with the Love (the Holy Spirit) which forms with 
 them a Trinity.' s' intrea : for the compound with in cp. immiarsi^ 
 Par. ix. 81 ; inluiarsi, Par. ix. 73. 
 
 58, 59. Per sua, &c. : ' out of his good will (i. e. of free grace) 
 focuses his rays, as in a mirror, in nine subsistences,' i. e. the nine 
 Intelligences that preside over the nine Heavens ; see Prefatory Note 
 to Canto I. These are called ' subsistences,' because this is the 
 Scholastic term for that which exists by itself, and not in anything 
 else; cp. Aquinas, Summa^ i. Q. 29, Art. 2, 'Ilia enim subsistere 
 dicimus, quae non in alio sed in se existunt.' 
 
 61—3. Quindi, &c. : 'from these the creative energy (/7 raggiar 
 delta viva luce) passes downwards to its last stage of working, 
 descending so far (Giu tanto divenendo) through successive phases 
 of action, that at last it only produces imperfect and perishable 
 results.' 'Contingency' is the Scholastic term for that which 
 may be and may not be, and therefore is not incorruptible ; cp. 
 Aquinas, Summa, i. Q. 86, Art. 3, ' Contingens est quod potest 
 esse et non esse.' 
 
 64-6. E queste, &c. : 'and by these "perishable results" are 
 meant things generated (animals, plants, &c.), such as the heaven 
 by its rotation produces either with or without seed.' Some plants 
 and animals were believed to grow without seed: for plants cp. 
 Purg. xxviii. 109-17; for animals the bees in Virg. Georg. iv. 
 197-201 ; see also Ar. Metaph. vi. 7. 4. 
 
 TozER 497 K k. 
 
PARADISO [XIII. 67-89 
 
 67-9. La cera, &c. : 'both the matter (lit. wax) of which the 
 things generated are formed, and the stellar influences which affect 
 it, are variable, and consequently, when the wax has received the 
 imprint of the divine idea (il segno Ideale), it has varying degrees 
 of brilliancy.' In traluce the force of the preposition is lost ; cp. 
 Par. xxi. 28. 
 
 70—2. Onde, &c. : ' hence arise the differences in quality between 
 the fruits produced by trees of the same kind (un medesimo legno 
 Secondo specie), and between the characters of individual men.' 
 On these effects proceeding from the stellar influences cp. Par. viii. 
 97-105, 127-35. 
 
 73-5. Se fosse, &c. : 'if the wax were moulded in perfection, 
 and the stellar influences were in complete activity, the brilliancy 
 derived from the seal would appear in full.' 
 
 76-8. Ma la natura, &c. : 'but nature ever supplies this 
 brilliancy in diminished measure, thus resembling in (the imper- 
 fection of) her work the artist, who, while he possesses experience 
 in his art, has an unsteady hand' ; cp. Par. i. 127-9. 
 
 79-81. Pero, &c. : 'yet, if the fervent Love (the Holy Spirit) 
 disposes and seals the clear Vision (the Son) of the primal Power 
 (the Father), in that case the greatest possible perfection is the 
 result ' J in other words — ' when all the Persons of the Trinity 
 combine to operate immediately, there can be no imperfection.' The 
 terms in which the Trinity is here described correspond to those in 
 11. 55-7. Pero expresses the contrast between the perfection here 
 mentioned and the imperfection spoken of in the previous tercet. 
 For pero = 'yet' cp. Inf. xxii. 143 ; xxxiii. 19. 
 
 82-4. The meaning of the three lines is — ' It was by the im- 
 mediate action of the Blessed Trinity that Adam and Christ's 
 human body were formed.' la terra : the earth from which 
 Adam's body was made ; ' thus once the " dust of the ground " 
 was made worthy to form a living being in all respects perfect.' 
 
 88-1 1 1. St. Thomas now explains, that in thus affirming that 
 Adam and Christ were superior to Solomon in respect of wisdom, 
 he does not contradict his previous statement that Solomon had no 
 equal in wisdom, for that was made in reference to his wisdom in 
 discharging the kingly oflfice, and not in respect of knowledge in 
 general. 
 
 89. cestui: Solomon; cp. 11. 46-8. 
 
 498 
 
XIII. 9^-105] PARADISO 
 
 92, 93. che il mosse, &c. : * which moved him to make his 
 request, when it was said to hira, "Ask."' See i Kings iii. 5, 
 ' God said, Ask what I shall give thee.* 
 
 94-6. Non ho, &c. : ' I have not spoken so vaguely that you 
 should fail to see clearly that he was a king, who asked for wisdom 
 in order that he might be a competent king.' Solomon said (v. 9), 
 * Give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people,* &c. 
 posse: archaic for ^oj-j-a. 
 
 97—102. In these lines four branches of speculative knowledge are 
 mentioned; viz. (i) speculative theology ; (2) dialectic; (3) meta- 
 physic ; (4) geometry. Solomon did not desire speculative, but 
 practical wisdom, which is necessary for kings that they may rule 
 aright. 
 
 97-9. enno : for sono, as in Inf. v. 38 ; cp. <?«, the abbreviated 
 form in Purg. xvi. 121. Li motor, &c. : the celestial Intelligences, 
 who move the spheres. Dante himself discusses the question of 
 their number in Conv. ii. 6. se necesse, &c. : whether from two 
 premisses, one of which is necessary, the other contingent, the con-- 
 elusion can be necessary. This question is discussed by Aristotle 
 in Analyt. Pr. i. 16. 
 
 100-2. si est dare, &c. : 'whether we must grant that motion 
 had a beginning,' the alternative being to go back ad infinitum in 
 seeking for the origin of motion ; see Ar. Phys. Bk. viii., ad init. 
 The words si est dare, &c., and necesse in the two preceding lines, 
 are borrowed from Scholastic Latin. O se, &c. : ' or whether it is 
 possible to inscribe in a semicircle a triangle which should not have 
 a right angle.' This is impossible. 
 
 103—5. Onde, &c. : 'whence, if you give heed to what I said 
 before (Par. x. 114, 'A veder tanto non surse il secondo') and 
 what I have just said (viz. that Solomon desired practical wisdom), 
 that unrivalled insight (i. e. grasp of thought) to which I desire to 
 refer (lit. on which the shaft of my intention strikes) is kingly 
 prudence (i. e. the prudence which a king requires).' impari here 
 means 'that which has no equal,' 'unrivalled,' and thus corresponds 
 to senza pare in 1. 89. If, however, e be read instead of e after 
 prudenza, impari must be a verb, and the passage must be 
 rendered, * You come to understand kingly prudence and that insight 
 to which I desire to refer,' i. e. you learn that they correspond one 
 to the other. The meaning is the same in either case. 
 
 499 K k 2 
 
PARADISO [xiii. 106-30 
 
 106. Surss : here taken in the sense of 'rose above others.* 
 St. Thomas further justifies his original statement, because, he says, 
 this word impHes that kings are being spoken of. 
 
 1 09-1 1. Con questa, &c. : 'if you accept my remark about 
 Solomon with this Hmitation (i. e. that he is spoken of as a king), 
 then it is reconcilable with your view about (the superiority in 
 wisdom of) the first father (Adam) and our Joy (Christ).' 
 
 112 foil. In the remainder of the Canto Dante warns his readers 
 through the mouth of St. Thomas against hasty and over-confident 
 judgements. Dr. Liddon remarks in this connexion on the 
 intellectual caution which Aquinas himself displays in his opinions 
 and writings {Essays, &c., p. 125). 
 
 114. Ed al si, &c. : 'whether in the direction of affirmation or 
 of negation, concerning which you are not clear.' 
 
 117. Neir un, &c. : 'as well in the one case as in the other*; 
 as well in affirming as in denying. 
 
 118-20. egr incontra, &c. : 'it is the case that an opinion 
 hastily formed commonly inclines to the wrong side, and subsequently 
 personal feeling hampers the judgement.' corrente here is used to 
 contrast with mover lento in I. 113. The 'personal feeling' is the 
 amour propre which makes a man unwilling to renounce an opinion 
 which he has already expressed. 
 
 1 2 1-3. Vie piu, &c. : the meaning is : — ' The man who speculates 
 without adequate preparation not only gains nothing by loosing his 
 moorings, but suffers from being involved in strange and erroneous 
 opinions.' 
 
 125. Parmenide: Parmenides, the founder of the Eleatic school 
 of philosophy ; Melissus was one of his disciples. Mr. Butler 
 remarks (p. 178) that these two are constantly coupled by Aristotle 
 as examples of bad reasoners. Brisso : Bryson attempted to square 
 the circle ; Aristotle {Sophist. Elench. xi. 3.) condemns his method 
 of proof as sophistical. 
 
 127-9. Sabellio ed Arrio : Sabellius maintained that the Father 
 himself became man in Christ. Arius denied the divinity of our 
 Lord. quegli stolti : i. e. other heretics. Che furon, &c. : 
 * who in their treatment of the Scriptures resembled the blade of 
 a sword, which distorts the natural face ' which is reflected in it. 
 diritti: lit. 'with the features straight.' 
 
 130 foil. From the hasty formation of opinions St. Thomas turns 
 
 500 
 
XIII. 131— XIV. 14] PARADISO 
 
 to hasty and premature judgements of our fellow men In respect of 
 their final acceptance or rejection by God. 
 
 131. stima : 'estimates,' 'puts a value on.' 
 
 134. Ilprun: 'the brier.' rigido e feroce : 'stiff and rude.' 
 
 138. foce: 'harbour.' 
 
 139-41. donna Berta o ser Martino : ordinary persons. 
 Per vedere, &c. : ' let them not think that, when they see one 
 man steal and another make offerings, they read their lives as God 
 reads them.' oiferere : for offrire ; cp. Par. v. 50. 
 
 CANTO XIV 
 
 Argument. — Solomon explains to Dante certain points relating 
 to man's glorified body after the resurrection. Other spirits now 
 appear, and form a third luminous circle of lights around the other 
 two. Dante and Beatrice then pass upwards to the fifth Heaven, 
 that of Mars, in which are the souls of Warrior Saints and Martyrs ; 
 these are arranged in the form of a cross, in token of the Faith for 
 which they died. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Dal centre, &c. : after St. Thomas is silent Beatrice 
 commences speaking ; and as she is with Dante at the centre of the 
 circle of spirits among whom is St. Thomas, the movement of their 
 voices in opposite directions is compared to the waving motion of 
 water in a bowl, which moves outward or inward according as it 
 receives an impulse from within or from without. 
 
 4-6. case : for caduta ; ' of a sudden dropped into my mind.' 
 vita : ' spirit.' 
 
 7, 8. Per la, &c. : ' owing to the resemblance to which his and 
 Beatrice's discourse gave birth.' 
 
 10-2. e nol, &c. : ' though he tells it not to you.' ne pensando 
 ancora : Beatrice perceives the thought, which was forming, but 
 Jiad not yet come to the birth, in Dante's mind. The thought 
 related to the nature of the glorified body after the resurrection, 
 concerning which the questions arose, (i) Would the bodies of the 
 saints be luminous? (2) If so, could their eyes endure so brilliant 
 a light ? 
 
 13, 14. onde, &c. : 'which emanates from your substance,' lit. 
 
 501 
 
PARADISO [xiv. 18-51 
 
 ' with which your substance blossoms ' : the ' substance ' or ' essence ' 
 is the spirit. 
 
 18. ch' al veder, c^c. : *that the sight of it should not harm 
 you/ lit. ' that it should not harm you at the sight of it.' 
 
 19-21. pinti e tratti : these words describe how, in moving 
 round in a ring, each dancer impels the one before him, and draws 
 the one that follows him. Alia fiata : ' all at once,' ' all together ' ; 
 Fr. h la fois. vanno a rota: 'are dancing in a round'; rota, 
 like ' round ' in Engl., was a kind of dance ; Benvenuto says, 
 ' faciunt tripudium, quod appellatur rota more romano.' 
 
 25-7. Qual, &c. : 'he that laments because death in this world 
 is the condition of living in the world above (lit. because one must 
 die here, in order to, &c.), has not seen there (quive for quivi^ in 
 Heaven) the refreshment of the eternal rain,' i. e. the quickening 
 influence of the love which proceeds from God. Otherwise 
 expressed, the meaning is : — ' No one who has been a spectator 
 of the joys of Heaven could lament that death is the condition,' &c. 
 
 28. Queir lino, &c. : their song is of the Trinity in Unity. 
 due signifies the Father and the Son, from whom the Holy Spirit 
 proceeds ; from this point of view they are regarded apart from him. 
 
 33. giusto muno : ' full recompense' ; muno is Lat. munus. 
 
 34-6. luce piu dia : the spirit of Solomon; cp. Par. x. 109, 
 where it is called ' luce piii bella.' This was in the inner ring of 
 spirits (minor cerchio), which first appeared to Dante, fu: at 
 the Annunciation. 
 
 39. cotal vesta : the envelopment of light : ' our love will 
 radiate around us such a vesture.' 
 
 40-2. La sua, &c. : 'the brightness of our garb of Hght will 
 correspond to the fervour of our love, and that to our power of 
 seeing God, and that power is in proportion to the free grace which 
 is bestowed on each in addition to his natural gifts.' For seguirit. 
 some read seguita. Quanta is for Quanta, attracted to the gender 
 of grazia. 
 
 43-5. Come : ' when.' Piii grata : ' more acceptable to God.' 
 tutta e quanta : ' complete.' 
 
 46-51. Per che, &c. : the order of statement which is followed 
 in 11. 40-2 is here inverted. 'Owing to this (viz. to our persons 
 being more acceptable to God) God's gift of free grace (gratuito 
 lume), which renders us capable of seeing Him, will be increased ; 
 
 502 
 
XIV. 52-84] PARADISO 
 
 and consequently our vision of Him must increase, and with it the 
 fervour of love which is kindled by it, and the brightness of our 
 enveloping light which proceeds from that fervour.' 
 
 52-4. Ma si, &c. : 'but, just as is the case with (a live) coal 
 which sends forth flame, yet through the intensity of its brightness 
 so far overpowers it, that It maintains its own appearance,' i. e. is 
 clearly visible In the midst of the flame. 
 
 56, 57. in apparenza: 'in the clearness of its aspect,' lit. 
 ' visibility.' Che tutto di, &c. : ' which (now) the earth doth 
 ever hide.' 
 
 59, 60. saran forti, &c. : ' will avail for (i. e. will be strong 
 enough to bear) every object that can give us pleasure.' This Is 
 the answer to the second question, which is stated in 11. 16—8. 
 
 62, 63. r uno e r altro core : the two circles of saints. 
 Amme : ' Amen.' disio : ' desire to regain.' 
 
 64-6. per le mamme, &c. : for their relations and friends, that 
 they also might win the full measure of heavenly bliss. Anzl 
 che, &c. : ' before they (the spirits In this Heaven) became eternal 
 flames.' 
 
 67, 68. di chiarezza pari: 'equal in brightness to what was 
 already seen.' If any difficulty is found In reconciling this with 
 what Dante says in 11. 76-8 of his eyes being overpowered by this 
 new apparition, which had not been the case with the former ones, 
 pari may be explained as 'equally brilliant In all its parts.' sopra : 
 * in addition to.' 
 
 71, 72. Comincian, &c. : 'new objects begin to appear in the 
 sky, so that the sight seems real, and yet unreal.* The stars peep 
 out, disappearing and reappearing. 
 
 73, 74. Parvemi, &c. : 'methought I began to see': for this 
 impersonal use of parere with the infin. cp. Purg. xv. 85, 'mi parve 
 esser tratto.' sussistenze : ' spirits ' ; see note on Par. xlii. 59. 
 The revelation of numerous other spirits, which form a third ring 
 outside the other two, seems to be intended to show that the 24 
 saints who have hitherto appeared are only the more conspicuous 
 occupants of this Heaven. 
 
 80, 81. tra quelle, &c. : ' her appearance must be left undescribed 
 as one of those sights which have passed out of my mind'; cp. 
 Par. I. 9. seguir : for segutrono. 
 
 82-4. Quindi: from the sight of Beatrice, salute: 'blessedness.' 
 
 503 
 
PARADISO [XIV. 86-105 
 
 86, 87. Stella : the fiery planet, Mars, which Dante and Beatrice 
 now enter, che 1* usato : 'than its wont,' i.e. than what we on 
 earth are wont to see it to be. 
 
 88. quella favella, &c. : the language of the heart, not expressed 
 in words, which is common to all mankind. 
 
 93. £sso litare: 'this offering of mine'; litare is Lat. for 
 ' to sacrifice.' 
 
 94-6. Che con tanto, &c. : ' for splendours appeared to me so 
 luminous (con tanto lucore) and so ruddy within two rays.' The 
 spirits are grouped in two luminous stripes or bands, which are 
 placed transversely to one another, so as to form a cross, robbi : 
 from adj. robblo (Lat. rubeus\ ' ruddy.' O £lios, &c. : * O Sun, 
 who dost thus adorn them.' The name of the sun in Greek 
 (Helios), and its fancied derivation from the Hebrew Eli^ which 
 would justify Dante in using it in addressing God, may have been 
 known to him from the Magnae Derivationes of Uguccione da Pisa, 
 where it is said, ' Ab ely, quod est deus, dictus est sol elyos, quod 
 pro deo olim reputabatur.' See Toynbee, Z)/V/., p. 213. 
 
 97-9. Come, &c. : the points in respect of which the Milky 
 Way is compared to the cross in Mars are, that the stars which 
 compose it form a band of light, and (especially) that they vary in 
 magnitude, distinta, &c. : * variegated by greater and lesser lights.' 
 che fa, &c. : ' that it causes men exceedingly wise to doubt.' The 
 doubts here referred to relate to the nature of the Milky Way ; 
 cp. Conv. ii. 15. 11. 45-7, ' Perche e da sapere che di quella 
 Galassia li filosofi hanno avuto diverse opinioni ' ; see also Ar. 
 Meteor ol. i. 8. 
 
 100-2. Si costellati, &c. : 'with lights thus grouped (the 
 greater with the lesser) did those two rays (bands) form in the 
 depths of Mars the venerable sign (the Cross), which quadrants 
 joining in a circle make.' The quadrants are the four equal parts 
 into which the area enclosed by a circle can be divided ; and the 
 giunture are the meeting-points of these — or, in other words, two 
 diameters of the circle, intersecting one another at right angles. 
 The cross in this case is the Greek cross, the limbs of which 
 are equal. 
 
 I03~5' Qui vince, &c. : 'here my memory overcomes my 
 genius (i. e. I remember what I saw, but it defies my power of 
 description) ; for that cross beamed forth Christ in such a manner, 
 
 504 
 
XIV. IC6-23] PARADISO 
 
 that I can find nothing adequate to illustrate it.* CRISTO : for 
 the uniform rhyme cp. Par. xii. 71-5. 
 
 106-8. Ma chi, &c. : 'but the man who takes up his cross and 
 follows Christ will hereafter (in the future life) pardon me for my 
 omission, when he sees Christ shine forth in the brightness of that 
 cross (in quell' albor).' In the figure of the cross in Mars Christ 
 crucified is shown forth and reproduced in the lives of Crusaders 
 (i. e. those who bore the badge of the Cross), and of martyrs and 
 others, who in the metaphorical sense conspicuously bore the cross 
 after Him. Dante, being incapable of describing this figure himself, 
 holds out to his readers the hope of seeing Christ crucified thus 
 revealed in it, if they in like manner observe Christ's injunction to 
 take up their cross and follow Him, and thus win eternal life. For 
 ancor in the sense of 'hereafter' cp. Purg. viii. 75 ; Par. xvii. 86. 
 lasso : for lascio. 
 
 1 09-1 1 1. Di corno, &c. : 'from one arm of the cross to the 
 other, and from the summit to the base.' lumi : the spirits within 
 the cross, nel congiungersi, &c. : ' as they met and passed one 
 another ' ; they then ' sparkled ' from mutual love. 
 
 112— 7. Cosi, &c. : the movement of these spirits within the 
 limbs of the cross is compared to that of motes in a sunbeam seen in 
 a darkened room. ' In like manner here on earth motes of all sizes 
 (lit. the particles of bodies, long and short) 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,' 
 i. e. by blinds, shutters, &c. The correspondence between these 
 lines and the description of the same objects which is given in 
 Lucretius, ii. 113 foil. — especially in the words Le minuzie dei 
 corpi when compared with 11. 116, 117, ' Multa minuta modis 
 multis per inane videbis Corpora misceri radiorum lumine in ipso ' — 
 is too strongly marked to be the result of accident. Since, however, 
 Dante appears to have been otherwise unacquainted with Lucretius' 
 poem, it seems likely that he got this passage at second hand. See 
 Moore, Studies^ i. p. 295. 
 
 118-20. giga: 'violin'; Germ. Geige. in tempra, &c. : 
 ' tuned in harmony with many strings.' tintinno : ' tinkling,' i. e. 
 an indefinite melodious sound, la nota : ' the tune.' 
 
 121— 3. apparinno ; for apparirono\ cp. uscinc't for ct usctnno 
 
 505 
 
PARADISO [xiv. 125-39 
 
 {=usdrono) in Inf. xiv. 45. S' accogliea : 'there gathered,' the 
 sounds combining, rapiva : ' enraptured.' 
 
 125, 126. Risurgi e vitici : these words are addressed to 
 Christ, whom the warrior spirits in Mars are specially represented 
 as celebrating as a conqueror. They appear to be a fragment of a 
 hymn, che non, &c. : ' who, though he hears, does not understand.' 
 
 129. vinci: ' bonds,' for wW^/. 
 
 131. Posponendo, «fec. : 'because I account less even the joy 
 of seeing Beatrice's eyes.' 
 
 133-9. Ma chi, &c. : 'but he who bethinks him that the 
 quickening seals of every form of beauty (the planetary spheres) 
 work with greater force as they ascend (i. e. cause more delight 
 according as they are higher), and that I had not there (in the 
 Heaven of Mars) turned towards them (the eyes of Beatrice, 1. 131), 
 may excuse me for that whereof I accuse myself in order to excul- 
 pate myself, and may see that I speak the truth, because the holy 
 joy (of Beatrice's eyes) is not ignored (dischiuso) in what I say 
 (qui), since their beauty is intensified (si fa piu sincere) as she 
 rises from sphere to sphere.' Dante here justifies himself for having 
 said that the melody which he had just heard delighted him more 
 than anything he had hitherto met with in Paradise, by doing which 
 he had assigned the second place to the joy of seeing Beatrice's 
 eyes. In order to justify himself (Per escusarmi), he accuses 
 himself of not having looked at Beatrice's eyes since his arrival 
 in the Heaven of Mars (1. 135) ; and his excuse for this (Escusar 
 puommi) is that he was attracted by the delights of that Heaven, 
 which surpassed those of the previous Heavens, according to the 
 system of Paradise, in which the beauty and joy increase in ascend- 
 ing from sphere to sphere (11. 133, 134). Consequently, what 
 he had said about the delight of the melody of this Heaven sur- 
 passing all previous delights was true, inasmuch as it is reconcilable 
 with the superior attractions of Beatrice's eyes, for their beauty had 
 increased since the Heaven of Mars had been reached, but Dante 
 was not aware of this because he had not seen them (11. 138, 139); 
 cp. Par. XV. 32, 33. i vivi suggelli, &c. : the planetary spheres 
 are called ' the quickening seals of every form of beauty,' because it 
 is by their impress, as exercised by the Intelligences, that the order 
 of Nature is regulated, dischiuso : lit. ' excluded ' ; for this 
 meaning of the word cp. Par. vii. 102. 
 
 $06 
 
XV. 1-24] PARADISO 
 
 CANTO XV 
 
 Argument. — Dante's ancestor Cacciaguida, who had been a 
 Crusader, descends from his station in the right Hmb of the Cross, 
 and welcomes Dante on his arrival in this Heaven. He then 
 contrasts the simplicity and morality of Florentine society during 
 his lifetime with the display and immodesty which now prevailed. 
 
 Lines 1-4. The spirits, perceiving that Dante is desirous of 
 expressing a wish, cease from their singing. Benigna, &c. : * a 
 benevolent will (on the part of the spirits) into which the love which 
 inspires righteous feelings resolves itself (lit. is liquefied), in like 
 manner as cupidity resolves itself into an unjust will, caused that 
 sweet harmony to cease.' The desires or feelings are here described 
 as passing into, taking form in, the action of the will, si liqua is 
 from Lat. liquare. 
 
 5, 6. corde : the spirits, who combine to produce the harmony, 
 which is expressed by lira. Che la destra, &c. : ' which are 
 pulled and slackened (i. e. caused to sing and to cease from singing) 
 by the right hand of Heaven,' i. e. by the will of God. 
 
 7—12. Dante takes the opportunity of enforcing the duty of 
 invoking the intercession of saints, whose willingness to listen was 
 thus exhibited ; and of justifying the eternal punishment of those 
 who for the sake of temporal and transitory pleasures fail to attain 
 to the love which the saints display, per darmi voglia: 'to 
 encourage me.' Ben e : ' 'tis right.' 
 
 13-5. seren : here used for 'the clear sky' in the plur., as it is 
 in Purg. V. 38 and xxix. 53 in the sing. In the former of these 
 passages he explains, what he only implies here (cp. j' accende, 1. 17), 
 that he regards shooting stars as ignited vapours ; see note there. 
 movendo, &c. : ' causing the eyes which before were fixed to move,' 
 in following it. 
 
 19. como : the limb of the cross. 
 
 22-4. la gemma! the 'jewel' is the spirit, the 'ribbon' the 
 figure of the cross ; the spirit in its movement kept within the outline 
 of the cross, per la lista radial : ' along the brilliant stripe.' 
 Che, &c. : ' so that it resembled a flame seen through alabaster.' 
 The point of the comparison is, that the star was visible as it passed 
 
 507 
 
PARADISO [XV. 25-54 
 
 along the bright cross, in the same way as a moving light is seen 
 behind transparent alabaster, though the alabaster itself is illuminated 
 by it. 
 
 25, 26. Si pia, &c. : ' so affectionately did the shade of Anchises 
 reach out towards Aeneas,* when he met him in the Elysian Fields ; 
 cp. Virg. Aen. vi. 684-6, ' Isque ubi tendentem adversum per 
 gramina vidit Aenean, alacris palmas utrasque tetendit, Effusaeque 
 genis lacrimae.' nostra maggior Musa : Virgil. 
 
 28-30. O sanguis meus, &c. : the Latin language is used 
 in these three lines as a sign of dignity in the speaker. At the 
 same time, the expression sanguis meus is borrowed from Virg. 
 j4en. vi. 836, where Anchises says to Julius Caesar, ' Proiice tela 
 manu, sanguis meus.' The speaker is Cacciaguida, Dante's great- 
 great-grandfather. His existence is attested by documentary evi- 
 dence; see Toynbee's Diet., p. 107: beyond this nothing more is 
 known of him than what we learn from this and the following Cantos. 
 ' O my offspring ! O grace of God shed over thee ! to whom, as 
 to thee, has the gate of Heaven ever been twice opened ? ' ' Twice,' 
 because he would be admitted to Heaven again after death. 
 
 33. quinci e quindi : both at the increased beauty of Beatrice, 
 and at being addressed by the unknown spirit as being his descendant. 
 
 35, 36. io pensai, &c. : ' methought with my own eyes 1 had 
 fathomed the depths both of the grace allotted to me and of my 
 blessedness.' For Paradise in this sense cp. Par. xviii. 21, 
 ' Che non pur ne' miei occhi e Paradiso.' 
 
 38. al sue principio : 'to his opening words.' 
 
 40-2. Ne per, &c. : 'nor was it from choice that he concealed 
 his meaning from me.' Al segno, &c. : ' rose above the mark of 
 mortal men ' ; in the spirit he spoke mysteries. 
 
 43, 44. E quando, &c. : ' and when the impulse (lit. bow) of his 
 burning love was so far moderated (lit. cooled).' The metaphor in 
 sfocato is suggested by ardente. If sfogato is read, the meaning 
 is 'discharged,' 'slackened,' referring to arco. 
 
 48. nel: ' towards,' lit. 'in dealing with.' 
 
 49-51. lontan digiuno : ' desire of long standing * to see Dante, 
 lontan, lit. ' dating from far back.' Tratto, &c. : ' contracted by 
 reading in the book of God's foreknowledge, in which the record of 
 men's deeds, whether good or evil, is never erased.' 
 
 52-4. Soluto, &c. : ' thou hast (by thy coming) appeased in me, 
 
 508 
 
XV. 55-75] PARADISO 
 
 robed as I am In this light.' ti vesti le piume : ' hath invested 
 thee with wings.' 
 
 55—69. Cacciaguida tells Dante that he understands the reason 
 why he does not inquire his name and the cause of his interest in 
 him, which is, that he (Dante) is aware that the denizens of Heaven 
 see the thoughts of others through the medium of the mind of God, 
 which reflects them in every detail ; and consequently that it is 
 unnecessary for him to state in words what he wishes to be told him, 
 because his wishes are already fully known to Cacciaguida. Still, 
 he encourages Dante to speak, because his (Cacciaguida's) love will 
 be increased by complying with his request. 
 
 55—7. che : the hiatus after this word, which elsewhere is 
 infrequent when it is used as a relative, is found both here and 
 in 1. 60, Che \ alcun, and in 1. 64, Che | to. mei : 'passes'; from 
 Lat. meare. Da quel, &c. : ' from Him who is the first Existence,' 
 i. e. God. cosi come, &c. : ' just as in arithmetic the unit, when 
 it is once known, is the starting-point from which all other numbers 
 are calculated.' raia : lit. ' radiate.' 
 
 60. Che : take with piii gaudioso. 
 
 61-3. minori e grandi, &c. : 'all, whether great or small, in 
 the life in Heaven look into that mirror (the mind of God), in which 
 your thought is made manifest even before It is formed in your mind.' 
 
 64, 65. in che io veglio, &c. : ' in which I watch, perpetually 
 gazing ' ; veglio expresses the unchanging nature of the rapturous 
 love in Heaven. 
 
 69. a che, &c. : ' which I am already prepared to answer.' 
 
 7 1 . arrosemi : ' bestowed on me ' ; from the archaic arrogere^ 
 'to add.' Witte's MSS. strongly favour this reading, but many 
 edd. read arrise, ' smiled me an approval.' 
 
 73-84. Dante here excuses himself for being unable to thank 
 Cacciaguida as he would wish to do for his benevolence. The 
 ground of his excuse is that, whereas in Heaven a feeling (aflfetto) 
 is accompanied by an equivalent power of thought (senno), through 
 which that feeling can find expression, this is not the case with 
 mortal men, for in them the means (argomento) of expressing 
 feeling fall short of the wish to do so (voglia). 
 
 74, 75. Come: 'as soon as,' 'from the time when'; cp. Par. 
 xii. 58. ' From the time when the first Equality was revealed to 
 you,' i. e. from the time when you entered the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 509 
 
PARADISO [XV. 76-93 
 
 God is called * the first Equality ' because all attributes equally exist 
 in Him. D' un peso, &c. : ' feeling and power of thought were 
 balanced/ i. e. existed side by side and in equal force. 
 
 76-8. Perocche, &c. : the reason why the spirits in Heaven 
 possess a power of expression equal to their feeling is, that they 
 draw their inspiration from God, in whom all such powers are equal. 
 v' allumo, &c. : ' enlightened your minds with His wisdom and 
 kindled your hearts with His love.' e si iguali, &c. : ' is so equally 
 balanced in His attributes, that all human comparisons fail to describe 
 it.' iguali is arch, for eguale. Others for e read en (abbreviated 
 for enno = sono\ and al for il in the preceding line : the meaning 
 then is — * in the presence of the divine Sun {al sol) they (i. e. your 
 feeling and your thought) are so equally balanced, that,' &c. This 
 however is little more than a repetition of what has been said in 
 
 11- 73-5- 
 
 79-81. Ma voglia, &c. : ' but in mortal men the wish and the 
 means of giving effect to tliat wish are developed (lit. are feathered 
 into wings, i. e. have their wings grow) in different degrees.* The 
 power of expressing the feelings (through the medium of thought 
 and language) lags behind the wish to do so. For argomento in 
 the sense of ' means ' cp. Purg. ii. 31. la cagion : the cause which 
 is here intimated seems to be the limited nature of the human faculties. 
 a voi : because you know all things. 
 
 82-4. in questa Disagguaglianza : ' in this disparity of 
 powers.' non ringrazio, &c. : ' I cannot return thanks for your 
 paternal welcome except by the (unexpressed) feeling of my heart.' 
 
 86. Che questa, &c. : ' that dost adorn as a gem this precious 
 jewellery.' gioia (lit. * jewel ') is here used of the whole cross ; 
 * art one of the gems that form the cross.' 
 
 88, 89. compiacemmi : for mi compiacei ( = compiacqui), ' I 
 delighted.' Pure aspettando : *even in waiting for thee.' 
 
 91-3. Quel da cui, &c. : * he from whom thy family takes 
 its name.' This was Cacciaguida's son, Aldighiero, from whom 
 the Alighieri obtained their name. What is here said of him 
 implies that he died before 1200; but as there is documentary 
 evidence to show that he was alive in 1201 (see Casini ad loc.\ 
 Dante must have been inexact in his date, la prima cornice : 
 the first Cornice of the Mountain of Purgatory, • in which the sin of 
 pride was expiated. 
 
 610 
 
XV. 95-1 1 1] PARADISO 
 
 95, 96. fatica : the weariness of bearing the heavy weight which 
 formed the punishment of that Cornice, opere : ' good offices,' i. e. 
 intercessions in his behalf. This passage is a clear proof that Dante 
 believed that the duration of purgatorial sufferings might be shortened 
 by means of the prayers of the livings 
 
 97-129. Cacciaguida now describes the society and life of 
 Florence, as it was during his lifetime, i. e. in the first half of 
 Cent. xii. 
 
 97—9. cerchia antica: the old line of walls dated from 1078 a. d. 
 (Villani, iv. 8) ; it was now ' old,' because the wall of Dante's time 
 was commenced in i 284. Onde : ' from which she still takes both 
 tierce and nones.' The Badia, the chimes of which are here referred 
 to, stood just within the ancient walls ; the Florentines took their 
 time from these, terza = 9 a.m. ; nona = midday, on which see 
 note on Purg. xxvii. 4. in pace : the factions and civil dissensions 
 in Florence did not commence until 1177. For the society of 
 Florence previous to that date read Villani, vi. 69. 
 
 100-2. Non avea, &c. : ' Florence had not the spectacle of fine 
 chains or coronets, no ladies gaily sandalled, no belt that attracted 
 the eye more than the figure did.' contigiate : Buti says that 
 contigie were shoes ornamented in patterns with leather soles. 
 
 104, 105. il tempo : the age at which marriages were contracted. 
 This and the amount of the dowry did not transgress the suitable 
 limits (as they did at a later period), the former in respect of defect 
 (quinci), the latter of excess (quindi). Buti and Benvenuto speak 
 of girls as being married as early as nine or ten years of age. 
 
 106-8. Non avea, &c. : the subject is Florence, resumed from 
 1. 100. There were then no childless families in Florence, 
 childlessness being the result of corrupt living. Sardanapalo : 
 Sardanapalus, king of Assyria, was the typical representative of 
 effeminacy and luxury. His character is described by Orosius, 
 i. 19. I ; but Dante's authority here was probably Aegidius Romanus, 
 De Regimine Principum, who in his account of Sardanapalus uses 
 the same phrase ' in cameris ' which Dante does here ; see Toynbee, 
 Z)/V/., p. 482. 
 
 1 09-1 1. Montemalo : now Monte Mario, the hill from which 
 Rome is first seen in coming from Viterbo on the northern side, as 
 Uccellatoio is that from which Florence is seen in coming from 
 Bologna. The points of view are here taken to represent the aspect 
 
 511 
 
PARADISO [XV. 112-35 
 
 of the two cities, and the meaning is — 'then Rome was not yet 
 surpassed in splendour by Florence/ Uccellatoio : observe that 
 the last three vowels form metrically one syllable; see note on 
 Inf. vi. 79. nel calo : 'in its decadence'; the downfall of 
 Florence will exceed that of Rome. 
 
 112, 113. Bellincion Berti : this personage is here mentioned 
 as a type of the worthy citizen of Florence in the good old time. 
 Villani (iv. i) speaks of him in similar terms. He was father of the 
 'good Gualdrada' of Inf. xvi. 37. Di cuoio e d* osso : 'with 
 leather belt and clasp of bone.' 
 
 1 1 5-7. quel de' Nerli, &c. : the heads of the noble Florentine 
 families of the Nerli and the Vecchietti. pelle scoperta : ' undraped 
 suits of buff' (Longf.), i. e. leathern jerkins without any drapery. 
 al fuse ed al pennecchio : ' with the spindle and the flax on the 
 distaff,' lit. distaff-full. 
 
 1 18-20. ciascuna, &c. : this refers to the wives in Dante's age 
 being taken abroad with their husbands when they were driven into 
 exile, and dying in foreign parts, per Francia : the Florentine 
 merchants betook themselves to France for purposes of trade. 
 
 122, 123. E consolando, &c. : 'and in her lullaby used the 
 language that first delights fathers and mothers.' 
 
 124-6. la chioma: 'the tresses,' i.e. the thread on the distaflT. 
 De* Troiani, &c. : stories relating to the three cities from which 
 Florence was descended. The population of Florence was regarded 
 as having been originally composed of a Roman colony (whence the 
 descent from the Trojans comes in) with an admixture of people 
 from Fiesole; see note on Inf. xv. 61. 
 
 127-9. Saria: for saria stata; cp. Inf. xxiv. 36 ; Par. xxxiii. 
 77. Cianghella : she and Lapo Salterello were persons of 
 dissipated habits, who were contemporaries of Dante in Florence. 
 Cincinnato : he and Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi, are 
 mentioned as Romans conspicuous for virtue. 
 
 132, 133. ostello : 'abode.' chiamata, &c. : 'when invoked 
 in the pangs of childbirth ' ; cp. Purg. xx. 19—21. 
 
 ^34) 135' Batisteo : the baptistery is the same building which 
 now bears that name, and was the cathedral of Florence (San 
 Giovanni), before the present cathedral was erected; cp. Inf. xix. 
 16-8. Insieme, &c. : i.e. 'I was at once baptized and named.' 
 Here Cacciaguida for the first time mentions his name. 
 
 512 
 
XV. 137— XVI. ii] PARADISO 
 
 137? ^3^' val di Pado : the place meant is probably Ferrara, 
 where there was a family of Aldighieri or Alighieri. Cacclaguida's 
 son (11. 91-4) received the name of his mother's family. 
 
 139, 140. Corrado : the emperor Conrad III of Swabia. He 
 undertook the Second Crusade in 1 147 in conjunction with Louis VII 
 of France, mi cinse, &c. : ' made me one of his belted knights' 
 milizia is 'knighthood'; cp. Par. xvi. 130. 
 
 143, 144. quella legge : 'that rule'; the Mahometan religion. 
 dei pastor : of the Popes, who neglected to preach a Crusade ; 
 cp. Par. ix. 126. giustizia : 'just rights'; the possession of the 
 Holy Land, which rightfully belonged to the Christians. 
 
 146. Disviluppato : 'freed from the trammels of.' 
 
 CANTO XVI 
 
 Argument. — In compliance with a request on Dante's part 
 Cacciaguida discourses, first concerning his own date and ancestry, 
 and afterwards about the population of the city of Florence, and the 
 leading families who inhabited it, during his lifetime. 
 
 Lines 1-6. Dante recognizes that the pride of ancestry which he 
 feels in his relationship to Cacciaguida is unsuitable to Heaven ; yet, 
 not being himself a beatified spirit, he does feel it, and thus can 
 understand how it affects men on earth even more strongly. O poca, 
 &c. : ' alas, our noble birth, unworthy possession ! ' The topic of 
 the valuelessness of noble birth is further pursued in 11. 7-9. dove 
 r afiFetto, &c. : ' where our longing for what is truly good is faint.' 
 dove appetito, &c. : 'where desire is not directed to false objects.' 
 
 7-9. raccorce : 'shrinks.' Si che, &c. : 'so that, unless 
 something is added to thee day by day, thou art constantly being 
 diminished by time,' lit. ' time goes about thee with his shears.' 
 Family dignity is constantly on the wane, unless it is maintained 
 by successive generations. 
 
 10, II. Voi: the plural of dignity; see note on Purg. xxxiii. 
 92 : previously to this Dante had addressed Cacciaguida as 'tu,' 
 Par. XV. 85. sofiferie : 'permitted,' 'allowed to be used.' The 
 use of nyos and vesier instead of tu and tuus in addressing persons of 
 
 TOZER 513 L 1 
 
PARADISO [xvi. 13-33 
 
 high rank arose at a late period of the Roman Empire. In the 
 Relationes of Symmachus (Cent, iv.) the emperor is regularly 
 addressed in this manner ; and in the Letters of Apollinaris Sidonius 
 (Cent. V.) the following may serve as instances — Lib. ii. Ep. 7 ; 
 Lib. iii. Epp. 5, 6, 7. In che, &c. : Landino (circ. 1500) says 
 that the Romans of his time universally used iu. 
 
 13—5. scevra : * apart,' 'at a distance from us.' Ridendo : 
 Beatrice intimated by her smile that she was noticing Dante's pride 
 in his ancestor, parve quella, &c. : ' resembled that lady,' &c. 
 This is the Lady of Malehault, Guinevere's lady-in-waiting in the 
 story of Lancelot of the Lake, who coughed when she first 
 perceived the familiarity between her and Lancelot; see note on 
 Inf. V. 128, and Toynbee's Diet, there referred to. The comparison 
 is hardly a happy one ; it is put in the most favourable light by 
 Mr. Gardner, who says (^Dantes Ten Heavens^ p. 118), 'Theology 
 in the person of Beatrice stands apart, since matters are to be 
 discussed which do not come within her province, and smiles in 
 kindly superiority at this little exhibition of human weakness.' 
 
 18. io son piu ch' io : ' I rise above myself ; cp. Inf. iv. 120, 
 ' in me stesso n' esalto.' 
 
 20, 21. di se, &c. : 'it takes pleasure in itself at being able 
 uninjured to contain so much joy,' lit. ' to endure so much joy 
 without bursting.' 
 
 23, 24. quai fur gli anni, &c. : 'what years were marked 
 in your boyhood ? ' Dante asks of Cacciaguida in general terms, 
 ' What was about your date ? ' Cacciaguida replies in 11. 34—9 
 by giving the exact date. 
 
 25-7. deir ovil, &c. : 'what was the size of the sheepfold 
 of St. John,' i. e. what was the number of the inhabitants of 
 Florence, which city was under the protection of the Baptist. 
 The answer (11. 46 foil.) shows that the number of inhabitants 
 is meant, piii alti scanni : the highest dignities. 
 
 33. Ma non, &c. : some take this as implying that Cacciaguida 
 spoke in Latin, and refer to his use of that language in ' sanguis 
 meus^^ &c., in Par. xv. 28-30. Others think that it is meant that 
 he used the old Florentine dialect. The latter of these appears more 
 suitable than the former; but perhaps it is still better to interpret 
 it of his ' mode of speech,' i. e. pronunciation, which was archaic, 
 and for that reason dignified. 
 
XVI. 34-48] PARADISO 
 
 34 foil. In what follows Cacciaguida, in answer to the four 
 questions which Dante has put to him in 11. 23-7, speaks of (i) 
 the date of his birth (11. 34-9); (2) his ancestors (11. 40-5); (3) 
 the number of the inhabitants of Florence in his time (11. 46-8) ; 
 and (4) its principal families (II. 49-154). It will be observed 
 that he answers Dante's second question first. 
 
 34. quel di : the day of the Annunciation ; hence Da quel di, 
 &€., means 'from the Christian era.' 
 
 37-9. Al sue Leon, &c. : 'this planet (Mars) came 580 times 
 to the Lion, its proper sign of the zodiac, to renew its fires beneath 
 his paw.' sue, because in mediaeval astrology Mars was one of 
 the Lords of the Lion, sotto la sua pianta : for the form of 
 expression here cp. Purg. viii. 133-5 of the Sun under the feet 
 of Aries. According to Ptolemy (as interpreted by Alfraganus, 
 cap. 17), the revolution of Mars occupied about 687 days; 580 
 such revolutions, calculated from the Christian era, would give the 
 year 1090 or 109 1 for the date of Cacciaguida's birth. 
 
 40-2. Gli antichi, &c. : 'my ancestors and I were bom in the 
 place, where the last ward is first reached (lit. found) by him who 
 runs in your annual sports.' In order to explain this we must 
 understand that the sesti were the Wards into which the city of 
 Florence was divided, and that the annual races, which took place 
 on June 24th, the festival of St. John the Baptist, were run 
 through the city from west to east. Hence the last ward which 
 was reached in the race (1* ultimo sesto, &c.) was the easternmost, 
 that of San Piero, and the part of this which was first reached 
 (Dove si trova pria, &c.) was its western limit. Here was 
 situated the Mercato Vecchio, where Cacciaguida's ancestors dwelt. 
 As this was one of the oldest parts of the city, it is intended to be 
 inferred that Dante's family was old. nacqui : a marked instance 
 of a sing, verb agreeing with the latter of two subjects. 
 
 43-5. udirne : ' for us to hear.' Piii e tacer, &c. : this means, 
 not that they were unworthy of mention, but that modesty forbids 
 speaking of them. 
 
 46-8. Cacciaguida now proceeds to speak of the number of the 
 population of Florence, and of the chief families. Da peter arme : 
 ' capable of bearing arms.' Tra Marte e il Batista : between 
 the Ponte Vecchio, where stood the statue of Mars, and the church 
 of St. John the Baptist, which is now the Baptistery. These 
 
 515 LI2 
 
PARADISO [xvi. 49-65 
 
 formed the northern and southern limits of the city. The Ponte 
 Vecchio was just outside the Porta S. Maria, il quinto, &c. : 
 in Dante's time the population of Florence who could bear arms 
 amounted to 30,000 ; hence in Cacciaguida's days they were 6,000. 
 
 49-51. e or mista, &c. : 'is now mixed with families from 
 Campi,' &c. These three places lay at some distance from Florence, 
 Campi in the direction of Prato, Certaldo towards Siena, and 
 Fighine in the valley of the Arno above Florence towards Arezzo. 
 The immigrants from the country districts are the ' gente nuova ' 
 of Inf. xvi. 73. neir ultimo artista : 'even to the lowest 
 artisan.' 
 
 52-4. vicine : neighbours, not citizens. Galluzzo : this and 
 Trespiano were villages within a few miles of Florence, the former 
 on the road to Siena, the latter on the road to Bologna. 
 
 55-7. lo puzzo, &c. : ' the offensiveness of the churl of Agu- 
 glione.' This was Baldo d' Aguglione, who took part in the decree 
 of perpetual banishment against Dante in 1 3 1 1 . It is his act of 
 dishonesty in tampering with the public ledger, which is referred to 
 in Purg. xii. 105. quel da Signa : perhaps Bonifazio da Signa, 
 a lawyer, who went over from the White to the Black Guelfs. 
 Aguglione and Signa were places in the neighbourhood of Florence. 
 
 58. la gente, &c. : the clergy; cp. Purg. vi. 91. The meaning 
 of what follows apparently is : — If the clergy had not set themselves 
 in opposition to the Imperial power, there would not have been those 
 feuds between the small Italian towns, which ruined them, and 
 caused their inhabitants to take refuge in Florence, where they 
 became traders. 
 
 61-3. Tal, &c. : the construction in this line and the next is 
 inverted. ' Some who have turned Florentines and discount and 
 trade, would have returned to Simifonti.' Simifonti : a castle in 
 the Val d' Elsa. alia cerca : ' a-begging.' 
 
 64-6. Conti : the Conti Guidi, who sold the castle of Monte- 
 murlo to the Florentines, because they could not hold it against the 
 people of Pistoia. nel pivier d' Acone : 'in the parish of Acone'; 
 this was in the valley of the Sieve, one of the affluents of the Arno. 
 When the castle of Monte di Croce in that neighbourhood was taken 
 by the Florentines in 11 53, the family of the Cerchi migrated to 
 Florence, where they became leaders of the White Guelfs. Buondel- 
 monti : from a similar cause to the Cerchi this family left their 
 
 516 
 
XVI. 67-92] PARADISO 
 
 possessions in the valley of the Greve to the S. of Florence, and 
 came to live in that city. 
 
 67-9. la confusion, &c. : 'the intermingling of persons.' il 
 cibo che s' appone: 'superfluity of food,' lit. 'food eaten in 
 addition to what has been taken before,' and which consequently 
 does not assimilate. 
 
 70-2. The meaning of the two comparisons here introduced, as 
 applied to a city, is (i) that increase in size is a source of danger; 
 (2) that increase in numbers is an impediment to action. The prin- 
 ciple involved is very nearly that of Ar. PoL vii. 4. 13, 14, that 
 the city-state should be of such a size that the citizens might be 
 acquainted with one another, cieco tore : the blind bull here repre- 
 sents the force of numbers without reason, avaccio: 'suddenly'; 
 cp. Inf. X. 116. cinque: this number is selected because of 
 what Dante had said in 1. 48 of the number of citizens bearing arms 
 having been multiplied fivefold. 
 
 73-5. Luni : this city and Chiusi were in Tuscany, Urbisaglia 
 and Sinigaglia in the March of Ancona. son ite : ' have passed 
 away ' ; all the four places here mentioned were in a state of 
 decadence in Dante's time. 
 
 76, 77. le schiatte: 'families.' forte: 'strange'; cp. Par. 
 ix. 36. 
 
 80, 81. celasi, &c. : in some instances — e.g. in some great 
 cities which have a long existence — the downfall is not seen, and 
 men's lives are short, so that the cities outlive them. 
 
 82-4. E come, &c. : the ebb and flow of the tide, to which the 
 changing fortunes of Florence are here compared, and the influence 
 of the moon in producing it, were well known to Dante and his 
 contemporaries, though there are no tides, except locally, in the 
 Mediterranean ; cp. the Quaestio de Aqua et Terra^ § 7, 11. 1—3 ; 
 Brun. Lat. Tesoro^ Bk. ii. Ch. 47. Cos! fa, &c. : 'so does 
 Fortune deal with Florence.' 
 
 87. Onde: 'of whom.' 
 
 88-90. Ughi : these and the names which follow are mentioned 
 among the old Florentine families by Villani, who notices both their 
 former grandeur and their fallen estate (iv. 10-4). Gia nel calare, 
 &c. : ' I saw them already in their decline, illustrious citizens.' 
 
 92. quel della Sannella : 'him of (the representative of the 
 family of) la Sannella.' 
 
 517 
 
PARADISO [XVI. 94-1 14 
 
 94-6. la porta: the Porta San Piero, where the Cerchi now 
 lived, whose treacherous dealing is the fellonia here mentioned. 
 di tanto, &c. : ' of so great burden, that soon it will cause the 
 loss of the vessel (Florence).' As the Cerchi were the heads of 
 the White faction when the feud between the White and Black 
 Guelfs commenced, Cacciaguida regards them as the originators 
 of the evils, which, he foresaw, would ere long be the cause of the 
 ruin of Florence. The metaphor derived from the overloading of 
 a vessel is the same which is found in Par. viii. 80, 81, 'si ch' 
 a sua barca Carcata piii di carco non si pogna.' 
 
 97-9. end' e disceso, &c. ; Bellincion Berti (cp. Par. xv. 112) 
 was of the family of the Ravignani, and through his daughter 
 Gualdrada was progenitor of the Conti Guidi. qualunque : the 
 descendants of Ubertino Donati, son-in-law of Bellincione, took his 
 name. 
 
 100-2. Quel della Pressa, &c. : 'he of the family of La 
 Pressa already understood the art of ruling.' 1* elsa e il pome : 
 ' the hilt and the pommel ' ; these were the insignia of knight- 
 hood. 
 
 103-5. la colonna del vaio : ' the column vair.' vaio (Engl. 
 ' vair ') is from Lat. varius, ' variegated,' and was used of ermine 
 spotted with the fur of the grey weasel. In heraldry the term was 
 used of a variegated decoration of this character. See Skeat, Etym. 
 Diet. s. vv. 'Vair,' 'Meniver.' The family of the Pigli bore on 
 their shield a column thus ornamented, quel che arrossan, &c. : 
 ' those who blush by reason of the bushel ' ; the Chiaramontesi, one 
 of whose members had brought disgrace on the family by falsifying 
 the bushel measure ; cp. Purg. xii. 105. 
 
 108. curule: 'the highest offices,' the ' curule chairs' of the 
 ancient Romans. 
 
 109-11. quel che son, &c. : the Uberti, of whose pride 
 Farinata (Inf. x. 35, 36) was a characteristic example. They were 
 expelled from Florence together with the rest of the Ghibellines. 
 palle : the Lamberti had balls of gold on their arms. Fiorian, 
 &c. : ' embellished Florence in all their mighty deeds.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. coloro : the Visdomini and Tosinghi, who were 
 custodians of the bishopric of Florence. The present representa- 
 tives of the family, unlike their noble ancestors, when a vacancy 
 occurred in the office of bishop, appropriated the episcopal revenues 
 
 618 
 
XVI. 115-32] PARADISO 
 
 until the successor was appointed, stando, &c. : ' abiding in their 
 assembly.' 
 
 115. L' oltracotata schiatta : the Adimari. One reason of 
 Dante's bitterness against them was, that a member of this family, 
 Boccaccio Adimari, got possession of his property at the time of his 
 exile, and always strongly opposed his return. Filippo Argenti, 
 the ungoverned spirit of Inf. viii. 61, was another of them. 
 s' indraca : lit. ' takes the form of a dragon,' the verb being 
 compounded in the same way as immiarsi, inluiarsi^ &c., in Par. ix. 
 73, 81 ; 'which pursues with the ferocity of a dragon one who flies.' 
 
 119, 120. non piacque, &c. : ' Ubertin Donato was ill-pleased 
 by his father-in-law afterwards making him their relation.' Ubertin 
 Donato, who had married a daughter of Bellincion Berti, was 
 displeased by his giving another of his daughters to one of the 
 Adimari, because by that means he himself became a connexion 
 of theirs. 
 
 121. nel mercato : the Caponsacchi, whose origin was from 
 Fiesole, took up their abode in the Mercato Vecchio. 
 
 124-6. cosa incredibile: the thing so hard to believe was the 
 fact that the Peruzzi, who were now forgotten, should ever have 
 been sufficiently important to give their name to one of the gates. 
 picciol cerchio : the narrow area of the older city. 
 
 127—30. Ciascun, &c. : 'every one who shares the honour 
 of bearing the fair ensign (arms) of the Great Baron.' di in della 
 is partitive. The Great Baron is the Marquis Hugo of Brandenburg, 
 viceroy of the emperor Otho III in Tuscany. Five Florentine 
 families bore his arms, as having received their nobility from him. 
 il cui nome, &c. : ' whose name and honour the festival of Thomas 
 renews'; he died on St. Thomas' day looi a.d., and was buried 
 in the Badia of Florence, where the monks kept the anniversary 
 of his death. milizia : 'knighthood'; cp. Par. xv. 140. 
 privilegio : the privileges of nobility. 
 
 132. colui : Giano della Bella, a member of one of the five 
 families referred to above; he espoused the popular side, and 
 ultimately went into voluntary exile in 1 294. la fascia col fregio : 
 ' binds it with a fringe,' i. e. surrounds it with a border. The arms 
 of the Delia Bella were the same as those of Hugo of Brandenburg 
 with the addition of a border of gold. This may be seen in 
 the figures of the arms given by Philalethes, p. 216. 
 
PARADISO [xvi. 134-47 
 
 134, 135. Borgo: the Borgo Santi Apostoli, where these two 
 families lived. This would have remained more tranquil, if these old 
 inhabitants had lacked new neighbours ; i. e. if the Buondelmonti, who 
 previously lived in the Oltrarno, had not migrated into this quarter. 
 
 136-9. La casa, &c. : 'the house which gave birth to your 
 lamentation ' ; the family of the Amidei, whose quarrel with the 
 Buondelmonti was the origin of the Guelf and Ghibelline factions 
 in Florence, and of the subsequent unhappiness which they caused. 
 giusto disdegno : the cause of the quarrel was, that one of the 
 Buondelmonti deserted a lady of the Amidei, whom he had promised 
 to marry ; hence the indignation of the Amidei is spoken of as just. 
 morti : ' slain ' ; cp. Purg. vii. 95. consorti : the families allied 
 to it. 
 
 140, 141. quanto mal, &c. : 'in what an evil hour didst thou 
 flee thy nuptials with that house at another's instigation.' The 
 instigator was Gualdrada Donati, who persuaded young Buondelmonte 
 to break his faith in order to marry her daughter ; in consequence 
 of this he was murdered by the Amidei. mal : cp. Par. vi. 69. 
 per gli altrui conforti : it seems probable that the reading here 
 should be ' per gli altrui ret conforti,' for the line as it stands is 
 unmetrical, since, in order to scan it, either sue must be a disyllabic 
 or altrui a trisyllable, and neither of these alternatives is metrically 
 admissible except at the end of a line. Rei is read in two of Witte's 
 test MSS., viz. A'^ and C ; and in other MSS. it might easily have 
 been omitted after -rut in altrui preceding. It is noticeable also 
 that in the only other passage in the Div. Com., where Dante uses 
 conforto in an unfavourable sense — viz. Inf. xxviii. 135, 'Che diedi 
 al re giovane i mai conforti' — he expresses this sense by an 
 accompanying adjective. 
 
 143. Se Die, &c. : ' if God had surrendered thee to (i. e. caused 
 thee to be drowned in) the Ema.' This stream, which joins the 
 Greve a few miles from Florence, was crossed by the first Buondel- 
 monte, when he left his home to emigrate to that city. The Poet 
 here speaks (hypothetically) of the descendant having perished in the 
 person of his progenitor. 
 
 145-7. ^3" conveniasi, &c. : 'but it was suitable to that 
 mutilated stone which guards the bridge, that Florence should offer 
 a victim in the last days of her peace,' i. e. at the commencement of 
 her civil war. The ' mutilated stone ' is the broken statue of Mars, 
 
 520 
 
XVI. 152^— XVII. 6] PARADISO 
 
 which stood at the head of the Ponte Vecchio, and guarded it, as 
 being the patron of the city; cp. 1. 47 of this Canto, and Inf. xiii. 
 144 foil. A sacrifice of life, the Poet says, would be a suitable 
 offering to Mars. The victim was young Buondelmonte, who was 
 killed on the bridge. It was on that occasion that Mosca Lamberti 
 uttered the saying, ' Cosa fatta capo ha,' Inf. xxviii. 106—8. 
 
 152-4. il giglio, &c. : ' the lily (on the banner of Florence) was 
 never reversed on the lance.' It was the custom in Italy at this 
 time for the victors in an engagement to reverse the lance that carried 
 a banner, when captured from the enemy, and to drag the banner 
 along the ground. Ne per, &c. : ' nor made vermilion by party 
 feuds.' The original emblem on the banner of Florence was a white 
 lily on a red ground; but after the war with Pistoia in 1251 the 
 Florentine Guelfs changed this into a red lily on a white ground, 
 while the Ghibellines retained the former emblem ; Villani, vi. 43. 
 
 CANTO XVII 
 
 Argument. — Dante now inquires from Cacciaguida concerning 
 the fortunes which are in store for him; and his ancestor, when 
 he has satisfied him on this point, encourages him to publish fear- 
 lessly to the world all that has been revealed to him in the realm 
 of spirits. 
 
 Lines 1-6. Dante makes inquiry from his forefather about 
 the circumstances of the remainder of his own life on earth. In 
 this respect he compares himself to Phaethon, who, when Epaphus 
 denied that he was the son of Phoebus, questioned his mother 
 Clymene on this subject. The story is told in Ov. Met, i. 
 748 foil. 
 
 3. a' figli scarsi : ' chary towards their sons,' i. e. unwilling to 
 grant their requests. This was the moral of the story of Phaethon, 
 who persuaded his father, the Sun, to allow him to drive his chariot, 
 the results of which proceeding were disastrous. 
 
 4-6. era sentito : ' I was perceived to be.' mutato sito : 
 
 521 
 
PARADISO [xvii. 7-38 
 
 Cacciaguida had descended from his proper station in the Cross in 
 Mars; cp. Par. xv. 19-21. 
 
 7. Manda fuor, &c. : ' give vent to the eagerness.' 
 
 12. ti mesca: 'may mingle the cup (i.e. prepare the reply) 
 for thee.' 
 
 13—8. piota : lit. 'turf/ 'sod'; 'plot of ground from which 
 I sprang,' cp. radice in Par. xv. 89. Some read pianta^ 'tree,' 
 ' stock,' but this is evidently fac'ilior lectio, si t' insusi, &c. : ' art 
 so exalted, that thou dost see contingent things (the occurrences of 
 human life) even before they actually happen, with absolute mathe- 
 matical certainty.' Non capere : ' are inadmissible ' ; cp. Purg. 
 xxi. 81 and note; Par. iii. 76 : 'that it is impossible for a triangle 
 to have two obtuse angles.' il pun to : the face of God. 
 
 19-21. Mentre, &c. : Dante's anxiety concerning his future 
 fortunes had been aroused by intimations made to him both in Purga- 
 tory and in Hell ; in the former by Corrado Malaspina (Purg. viii. 
 133-9) and Oderisi d' Agobbio (Purg. xi. 140, 141) ; in the latter 
 by Farinata (Inf. x. 79-81) and Brunetto Latini (Inf. xv. 61-4). 
 
 24. tetragono, &c. : 'foursquare to meet the strokes of fate,' 
 the reference being to the solidity of a square figure. The word 
 tetragono is from Ar. Eth. Nic. i. 11. 11, Terpaywi/os aviv ij/oyov, 
 where it is used, as here, of a person bearing good and evil fortune ; 
 it is reproduced in the Lat. version of Aristotle, and from this 
 Dante obtained it. 
 
 27. piii lenta: 'with less sudden blow.' 
 
 29, 30. come voile, &c. : cp. 1. 7. After Dante's interview 
 with Farinata, Virgil had intimated to him that Beatrice would give 
 him information as to what was to befall him (Inf. x. 130-2); and 
 Dante himself declared to Brunetto Latini that he was looking 
 forward to this (Inf. xv. 88-90). When it comes to the point, 
 Beatrice allows Cacciaguida to make the revelation. 
 
 31, 32. ambage, &c. : 'ambiguous oracles, in which the foolish 
 folk (the heathen) in days of yore ensnared themselves.' 
 
 35, 36. Latin: 'style,' 'language'; cp. Par. x. 120; xii. 144. 
 Chiuso, &c. : ' concealed (by the enveloping light) and revealing 
 himself by (the brightness of) his own smile.' 
 
 37, 38. La contingenza, &c. : ' contingency (i. e. casual occur- 
 rences), which does not extend beyond the volume of your material 
 world.' By ' volume ' here is meant the combined total of the objects 
 
 522 
 
XVII. 40-66] PARADISO 
 
 which make up the universe. For a similar form of expression cp. 
 Par. xxxiii. 85-7. 
 
 40—2. Necessity, &c. : this is intended to guard the freedom of 
 the human will, which is not affected by the foreknowledge of God. 
 ' Yet contingent events are not rendered necessary by God's pre- 
 science, any more than the movement of a ship down stream is 
 determined by the eye in which it is reflected.' The illustration 
 is singularly felicitous. For Se non come cp. Par. i. 137. 
 
 43, 44. Da indi : from the cospetto eterno. come viene, &c. : 
 the comparison is intended to express harmonious impression gradu- 
 ally stealing over the soul. 
 
 46. Ippolito : the point of the comparison is that, as Hippolytus 
 was driven from Athens by the false accusations of his step-mother 
 Phaedra, so would Dante be from Florence. The story of Hippo- 
 lytus is from Ov. Met. xv. 497-505. 
 
 50, 51. a chi, &c. : 'by him who is devising it, in that place 
 where Christ is daily bought and sold.' The place is Rome, where 
 there is a traffic in Church dignities ; and the person referred to is 
 Boniface VIII, with whom the Black Guelfs intrigued with the 
 view of introducing Charles of Valois into Florence, and who was 
 strongly inimical to Dante on account of his opposition to Charles 
 during his Priorate in 1300. 
 
 52-4. La colpa, &c. : 'the blame will be attributed by the 
 popular cry, as usual, to the wronged party,' i. e. to the White 
 Guelfs, who were expelled with Dante from Florence, la ven- 
 detta, &c. : ' the punishment that shall follow will give evidence 
 that it is God's unerring judgement (il vero) which dispenses it.' 
 It will do this by falling on the guilty parties. The subsequent 
 misfortunes in which Florence was involved are here referred to. 
 
 55. ogni cosa diletta : i. e. family, friends, and country. 
 
 58, 59. come sa, &c. : 'how bitter is the taste of another's 
 bread.' Dante is referring to his dependence on the hospitality of 
 others during his exile. 
 
 62, 63. la compagnia, &c. : the company of his fellow-exiles, 
 such as Lapo Salterello, of whom Benvenuto (on Par. xv. 128) 
 says that he was very annoying to Dante during his exile, valle : 
 the Vale of Misery. 
 
 66. n' avr^, &c. : ' shall blush with shame for it.' la tempia 
 is here used in the sing, for the ordinary le tempie, 
 
 523 
 
PARADISO [XVII. 67-96 
 
 67-9. il suo processor 'their proceedings.' per te stesso : 
 
 on Dante's independence of party cp. Par. vi. 97—108. 
 
 71, 72. del gran Lombardo, &c. : Bartolommeo della Scala, 
 of Verona. The arms of the Scahgers were a golden ladder in 
 a red field, surmounted by a black eagle, which was the imperial 
 ensign. 
 
 74, 75. del fare, &c. : 'in the matter of conferring favours and 
 asking them, between you two that will come first which between 
 others comes later,' viz. conferring favours. 
 
 76-8. colui : Can Grande, Bartolommeo's younger brother, who 
 became Lord of Verona in 131 1. As is well known, he was the 
 chief of Dante's patrons, impresso, &c. : ' received the impress 
 of this star (Mars),' i. e. was a warrior born. 1' opere sue : his 
 exertions in behalf of the Empire. 
 
 80, 81. nove anni : Can Grande was born on March 9, 1291, 
 and Cacciaguida is speaking from the point of view of 1300. rote : 
 the heavenly spheres in their annual revolution. 
 
 82—4. il Guasco : Pope Clement V, who was a native of 
 Gascony. He supported Henry of Luxemburg, when he came 
 to Italy in 13 10, but afterwards went over to the side of his 
 enemies, argento : freedom from avarice is one of the character- 
 istics of the Veltro in Inf. i. 103, which figure, in part at least, 
 is identified with Can Grande, affanni : his labours in Henry VII's 
 interest. 
 
 86. ancora: 'hereafter'; cp. Par. xiv. 107. 
 
 88—90. a lui t' aspetta : ' place thy hopes in him ' ; cp. Purg. 
 xviii. 47. Per lui, &c. : as what is said in these two lines is 
 evidently laudatory, the meaning seems to be that Can Grande will 
 take the side of the oppressed poor against their wealthy oppressors ; 
 but it need not imply, as has sometimes been supposed, that any 
 political movement is referred to. 
 
 91-3. E porteraine, &c. : ' and thou shalt bear away with thee 
 in thy mind a record concerning him, but shalt not divulge it.' 
 che fien, &c. : ' who will be on the spot when the time arrives.' 
 presenter other examples of this form, where we should expect 
 presently are given in the Vocab. Tramater \ these seem to prove 
 that it is an adverbial use. 
 
 94-6. le chiose, &c. : ' the explanations of (lit. comments on) 
 the intimations thou hast received ' in Hell and Purgatory, che 
 
 524 
 
XVII. 98-132] PARADISO 
 
 dietro, &c. : ' which are excluded from view by (lit. hidden behind) 
 a few revolving years.' Dante was exiled in 1302. 
 
 98. s' infutura : ' is destined to prolong itself.' His fame with 
 posterity is probably here intended ; cp. 1. 119. 
 
 100-2. Poi che, &c. : 'When by its silence showed that sainted 
 soul That it had finished putting in the woof Into that web which 
 I had given it warped ' (Longf.). As regards the expressions here 
 used: — tela is a 'web' or 'texture,' and ordire is 'to warp' 
 or ' begin a web,' the warp being the threads which are first extended 
 in the loom, and are crossed by the woof (la trama). The web 
 here signifies the subject treated of, the warp the questions, the woof 
 the answers. Similar metaphors derived from weaving will be found 
 in Purg. xxxiii. 140; Par. iii. 95. 
 
 105. vuol dirittamente : ' is upright in will.' 
 
 106-8. sprona : ' spurs,' ' hastens on.' s' abbandona : ' goes 
 heedless on his way,' lit. 'lets himself go'; for the use of 
 abbandonarsi cp. Inf. ii. 34; Purg. xvii. 136; Par. xxxi. 75. 
 
 no, III. Si che, &c. : 'so that, if I lose my native land, 
 I may not also lose other places of refuge through (too plain 
 speaking in) my poetry.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. lo mondo, &c. : Hell, lo monte : the Mountain 
 of Purgatory, mi levaro : cp. Par. i. 64-9, where the effect of 
 Beatrice's eyes in transporting Dante into Heaven is described. 
 
 115. di lume, &c. : ' from one sphere of light to another.' 
 
 118-20. E s' io, &c. : 'and, on the other hand, if I shrink 
 from speaking the truth plainly, I fear the loss of reputation with 
 posterity.' viver : others read 'vita, but viver is supported by 
 the MSS. The infin. is used substantively. 
 
 121. il mio tesoro : Cacciaguida. 
 
 124-6. fusca, &c. : 'darkened either by its own or by others' 
 shame.' altrui : of their relations and associates. Pur : ' 'tis 
 true,' a concessive use with reference to Ma nondimen following ; 
 cp. Par. iii. 115. 
 
 128, 129. fa manifesta: 'publish abroad.' E lascia pur, 
 &c. : 'and just let them scratch who feel the itch,' i. e. let those 
 feel annoyance at your words who have reason to be annoyed. 
 Longf. compares Hamlet, iii. 2, 'let the galled jade wince.' 
 
 131, 132. vital nutrimento, &c. : i.e. the lessons which it 
 teaches will be profitable when they have been laid to heart. 
 
 525 
 
PARADISO [xvii. 135— XVIII. 1 1 
 
 135. non fa, &c. : 'gives no slight proof of worth/ 
 139-42. Che r animo, &c. : ' for the mind of the hearer does 
 not rest satisfied or feel confidence on the strength of an example 
 drawn from what is insignificant, or other proof which is not clear 
 to view.' haia for abbia ; cp. Inf. xxi. 60. 
 
 CANTO XVIII 
 
 Argument. — Dante sees a number of distinguished champions of 
 the true faith, among whom are Joshua, Judas Maccabeus, Charle- 
 magne, and Godfrey of Bouillon. He then ascends in company 
 with Beatrice to the sixth Heaven, that of Jupiter, where are found 
 the spirits of those who had excelled in the maintenance of justice. 
 These group themselves so as to represent the figure of an eagle, 
 that being the emblem of the Empire, by which institution justice 
 was maintained in the world ; and Dante takes the opportunity of 
 denouncing the worldliness of the higher clergy, by which the 
 beneficial influence of the Empire was neutralized. 
 
 Lines 1-3. Gik si godeva, &c. : ' now was that blessed mirror 
 (of God's countenance) enjoying by himself (i. e. in the solitude of 
 silence) his own thought, while I was tasting (i. e. ruminating on) 
 mine,' i. e. that which I had heard concerning myself. According 
 to this interpretation, verbo is to be taken in the Scholastic sense 
 of the term — as Aquinas says, ' Primo et principaliter interior mentis 
 conceptus verbum dicitur ' (Summa, i. Q. 34. Art. i). The 
 ' thought ' here is the contemplation of the Divine mind, and this 
 suits the expression specchio which is used of Cacciaguida. Others 
 take verbo in its ordinary sense, the meaning being that Cacciaguida 
 was rejoicing in what he had said to Dante. But it is harsh to 
 represent the Poet's ancestor as rejoicing in his predictions of im- 
 pending sorrow, so that the former interpretation presents the lesser 
 difficulty. 
 
 5, 6. ch' io sono, &c. : ' that I (who am thy representative) 
 stand in the presence of God, who lightens the burden of every 
 wrong.' 
 
 9. abbandono : ' I relinquish the task of describing.' 
 
 10, II. pur: 'merely.' reddire : archaic form of rW^fr^ ; cp. 
 
 526 
 
XVIII. 13-45] PARADISO 
 
 Par. xi. 105; 'return upon itself,' i.e. recall its impressions; cp. 
 Par. i. 9, ' retro la memoria non pud ire.* 
 
 13. Tanto : 'only this'; cp. Par. ii. 67. 
 
 16-8. Fin che : 'while.' (N. B. Some editors remove the full 
 stop from the end of the preceding line, and introduce it after 
 aspetto^ 1. 18.) col secondo aspetto : 'with its reflected aspect.' 
 The eternal pleasure (the light of God's countenance), which shone 
 immediately on Beatrice, was reflected from her face into Dante's 
 eyes. 
 
 20, 21. Volgiti : towards Cacciaguida, who was about to speak 
 again, non pur, &c. : the symbolical meaning is, that theological 
 contemplation is not sufficient to produce heavenly joy without the 
 study of heroic deeds, which are represented by Cacciaguida and the 
 other occupants of this sphere. 
 
 24. tolta : ' absorbed.' 
 
 28-30. Ei comincio : Cacciaguida now proceeds to point out to 
 Dante some of the most illustrious spirits in Mars, quinta soglia, 
 &c. : the planet Mars, the fifth grade in the system of the Heavens 
 in Paradise, the life of which proceeds from its highest point (che 
 vive della cima), the presence of God in the Empyrean. For 
 soglia cp. Par. xxxii. 13. frutta, &c. : i.e. is always receiving 
 accessions to its numbers, and never loses any. 
 
 32, 33. di gran voce, &c. : 'of great fame, such as would 
 furnish a noble subject for the greatest poet.' 
 
 34-6. nei corni, &c. : the spirits, as they are named, flash 
 across from one arm of the cross to the other, fara 1' atto : lit. 
 ' will perform the action ' ; ' will do what lightning does in the 
 cloud from which it proceeds.' 
 
 38. com' ei si feo : ' even as it was done,' i. e. as soon as the 
 name was pronounced, ei = il nomar. 
 
 40-2. Maccabeo : Judas Maccabeus, era ferza del paleo : 
 ' was the whip to the top,' i. e. was the impulse which caused the 
 rotation. The homely simile is borrowed from Virg. uien. vii. 
 378-84, where it is applied to Amata's wild excitement when under 
 the influence of the Fury. 
 
 43-5. Cosi, &c. : ' similarly my watchful look followed two 
 such lights, corresponding to Charlemagne and Roland, even as the 
 hunter's eye follows his falcon in its flight.' volando : here used 
 for volante, 
 
 527 
 
PARADISO [xviii. 46-64 
 
 46-8. Guglielmo : William, Count of Orange in Provence, 
 who lived in the age of Charlemagne; he fought against the 
 Saracens, when they made inroads into the South of France. 
 Rinoardo : Renouard was a Saracen by birth, who became a com- 
 panion in arms of William : both died as monks. Gottifredi : 
 Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade. Roberto 
 Guiscardo : the leader of the Normans in South Italy in Cent, xi., 
 who founded the kingdom of Naples, and became Duke of Apulia 
 and Calabria. He is mentioned because he expelled the Saracens 
 from Italy. 
 
 49-51. Indi, &c. : the spirit of Cacciaguida now resumes its 
 place among the other spirits in the Cross, and takes part in their 
 singing. ' Then, departing and taking its station among the other 
 luminaries, the spirit that had spoken to me displayed to me his 
 skill among the heavenly choir.' 
 
 52 foil. Dante and Beatrice now ascend to the sixth Heaven, or 
 Heaven of Jupiter. In this are found the spirits of those who were 
 pre-eminent in justice ; and the Empire, which was to Dante the 
 embodiment of the spint of justice, is here glorified by the spirits 
 grouping themselves in the form of the Imperial eagle. 
 
 53, 54. il mio dovere : ' what I ought to do.' atto : ' gesture.' 
 
 57. Vinceva, &c. : ' surpassed its former, and even its latest 
 wont,' i.e. her appearance when I last saw her. gli altri agrees 
 with so/eri understood, that being the plural of the infin. solere used 
 substantively, ultimo refers to what is described in 11. 7—12. 
 
 58-60. E come, &c. : the point of the comparison is, that in 
 both cases the change to a higher condition is not traceable in itself, 
 but is revealed by other signs, per sentir, &c. : ' through increased 
 sense of pleasure in good works.' 
 
 61—3. che il mio, &c. : the meaning is : — 'that I had reached a 
 sphere of wider revolution,' i. e. a higher sphere, because in ascend- 
 ing each sphere described a larger circle than the preceding one : 
 lit. ' that my circular movement, as I was borne along with the 
 heavens, had increased its circumference.' veggendo, &c. : ' by 
 seeing that marvel of beauty more glorious still.' 
 
 64. E quale, &c. : the sudden change from the ruddy light of 
 the planet Mars to the clear whiteness of Jupiter is compared to the 
 rapid disappearance of the blush of shame on a lady's face when it 
 resumes its natural colour. 
 
 528 
 
XVIII. 67-93] PARADISO 
 
 67, 68. Tal fu : understand il trasmutare : * such was the change 
 which I beheld (negli occhi miei), when I had turned away * 
 from Beatrice to regard it. temprata : both this characteristic of 
 Jupiter and the whiteness of its Hght are noticed by Dante in Conv. 
 ii. 14. 11. 198—204, ' Tolommeo dice .... che Giove e Stella di 
 temperata complessione, in mezzo della freddura di Saturno e del 
 calore di Marte . . . Intra tutte le stelle bianca si mostra, quasi 
 argentata.' 
 
 70-2. lo vidi, &c. : ' I saw within that torch of Jove (i. e. in 
 the bright planet) the sparkling of the love that it contained (i. e. 
 the glad spirits) delineate before my eyes our letters.' This is 
 explained in 11. 77, 78. favella stands for the alphabet, by which 
 language is represented. 
 
 73, 74. E come, &c. : for the comparison see Lucan, v. 71 1-6, 
 where it is said of the cranes, ' Effingunt varias . . . figuras.* Ob- 
 serve how the natural motion of the birds in the simile modifies the 
 impression of mechanical movement, which might otherwise attach to 
 the formation of the letters by the spirits, congratulando : for 
 congratulandosi, 'expressing their mutual pleasure in,' &c. 
 
 76-8. dentro ai lumi : ' enveloped in those lights.' Or D, or 
 I, or L : cp. 1. 91, from which we see that these are the first three 
 letters of the word Diligite. 
 
 79. a sua not a moviensi : ' they followed their music in their 
 movements.' 
 
 82-4. O diva Pegasea : the Pegasean goddess is the Muse, so 
 called because the Muses were associated with the fountain of 
 Hippocrene, which rose when the rock was smitten by the hoof of 
 Pegasus, the winged horse of Bellerophon. Ed essi, &c. : ' while 
 they (gl' ingegni) by thy aid (dignify and immortalize) cities and 
 realms.' 
 
 85-7. rilevi : * describe,' lit. ' represent in relief.' brevi : 
 * scant,' i. e. inadequate to the task. 
 
 88-90. Mostrarsi, «&c. : ' the saintly beings (1. 76) displayed 
 themselves in thirty-five vowels and consonants.' This is the 
 number of the letters in the Latin sentence which follows, parti : 
 i. e. letters, syllables, and words, si come, &c. : ' even as they 
 seemed to me to be denoted.' 
 
 91-3. Diligite iustitiam : these are the first words of the Book 
 of Wisdom, ' Love righteousness, ye that be judges of the earth.' 
 
 TozKR 529 Mm 
 
PARADISO [xvili. 94-111 
 
 primai, «&c. : ' were the first verb and noun of all that was depicted.' 
 sezzai : ' last ' ; archaic word, from Lat. secius, Diez, p. 400 ; 
 cp. al dassezzo, 'at last,' Inf. vii. 130. 
 
 94-6. M : pronounced emme. The band of spirits group them- 
 selves into the form of the letters, representing them successively, 
 one by one; when they have formed the last letter of all, they 
 retain its form for a while. Mr. Gardner suggests as a reason for 
 this {Danle's Ten Heavens, p. 132), that the M of terram stands for 
 the initial letter of Monarchia. argento, &c. : ' a pattern of gold 
 on a field of silver.' 
 
 99. il ben, &c. : the Divine Justice, embodied in this planet, to 
 which they are now attracted from their place in the empyrean 
 Heaven. 
 
 102. gli stolti : ' simple folk.' There was an old superstition, 
 according to which the country people were wont to divine from the 
 sparks which proceeded from two burning sticks struck together, such 
 things as th.e number of years they had to live, the number of pieces 
 of gold which were in prospect for them, &c. 
 
 103-5. quindi : from the summit of the M. SI come, &c. : 
 'even as the Sun who kindles them (God) ordained for them,' 
 i. e. according to the height of glory which God appointed for 
 them. 
 
 107, 108. aquila : there are two stages in the transformation by 
 which the eagle is portrayed. First, the newly arrived band of 
 spirits, which had rested on the top of the M, group themselves 
 anew in that position, so as to form the eagle's head and neck ; 
 afterwards, the former band, which had represented the M, transforms 
 itself into the body and wings of that bird (cp. 11. 1 1 2-4). Rap- 
 presentare, &c. : ' represented by that inlaid fire ' ; for the meaning 
 of distinto cp. 11. 95, 96. On the use of the prep, a see note on 
 Purg. viii. 106. 
 
 109-11. These three lines are intended to answer the question 
 which arises in the reader's mind, What was the agency which 
 grouped these spirits into the figure of the eagle ? The answer is — 
 the immediate action of the Mind of God, who is also the Author 
 of Nature. Quel, &c. : paraphrase thus: — God, by whom this 
 figure is formed, has no need, like human artists, to follow nature, 
 but himself guides nature; this He does by the agency of His 
 creative and formative power, which manifests itself in the processes 
 
 530 
 
XVIII. ii2-!Z9] PARADISO 
 
 of life, e. g. in birds building their nests, e da lui, &c. : ' and we 
 recognize (si rammenta) as proceeding from Him (da lui) that 
 power which is the formative instinct (forma) by which birds build 
 their nests.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. beatitude: 'saintly band,' the abstract being used for 
 the concrete ; the word is from the Latin, ingigliarsi all' emme : 
 ' to take the shape of the lily {jleur-de-lys) in forming the M.' The 
 Gothic M closely resembles that flower ; see the figures in Toynbee, 
 Dlct.^ p. 42. Con poco moto, &c. : ' with slight change of position 
 followed out the figure,' i. e. completed the shape of the eagle by 
 forming the body and wings. The resemblance of thiQ Jleur-de-lys to 
 the body and wings of the eagle enabled them to do this with slight 
 movement. 
 
 115-36. The sight of the eagle as the emblem of justice affords 
 Dante an opportunity of glorifying the Empire, of which it was the 
 symbol, and of denouncing the conniptions of the Papacy, which 
 were the greatest obstacles in the way of justice. 
 
 1 1 5-7. Stella: Jupiter, che nostra, &c. : 'that our justice 
 (on earth) is derived from that Heaven (i. e. the sixth Heaven) of 
 which thou art the jewel (i. e. which thou dost adorn).' The 
 Imperial eagle, which to Dante was the representative of justice on 
 earth, is figured in that sphere of Heaven in which the glory of 
 justice is set forth. 
 
 120. Ond' esce, &c. : ' What is the source of the smoke which 
 dulls thy ray,' i. e. ' whence arise the impediments which oppose the 
 administration of justice.' These, he goes on to say, proceed from 
 the corruptions of the Papal court. 
 
 1 2 1-3. un' altra fiata : as Christ had done before, when he 
 drove the money-changers out of the Temple, temple : here the 
 Church, si muro : ' was built up,' ' founded on.' di sangue e di 
 martiri may be either ' on the deaths and sufferings of martyrs,' or 
 ' on the blood of Christ and the sufferings of martyrs.' If segni is 
 read, for which there is much MS. evidence, it means ' miracles.' 
 
 124-6. milizia del ciel : 'heavenly host'; the saints in the 
 Heaven of Jupiter, cu' io contemplo : ' on whom my thoughts 
 are fixed.' Dante is writing on earth, and addresses the saints from 
 that point of view, male esemplo : that of the pastors of the 
 Church. 
 
 128, 129. togliendo : by excommunications, which 'deprive 
 
 531 M m 2 
 
PARADISO [xviii. 130— XIX. 12 
 
 sometimes one, sometimes another, of the spiritual nutriment which 
 God, the mei-ciful Father, denies to none.' 
 
 130. tu : as Dante here speaks from the point of view of the 
 time at which he was writing, this must refer to John XXII (Pope 
 from 1316—34), who was continually making and revoking ex- 
 communications. 
 
 134-6. colui : St. John the Baptist, the dweller in the wilder- 
 ness, whose death was caused by the dancing of Herodias' daughter 
 (per salti). By the Baptist is here meant his figure on the golden 
 florins ; the object of the Pope's desire was lucre. As it was on 
 the Florentine coins that the figure of the Baptist was stamped, and 
 John XXII was Pope at Avignon, the remark here does not at first 
 sight seem applicable to him; but Villani tells us (ix. 171) that this 
 Pope coined gold florins in imitation of those of Florence, il 
 Pescator ne Polo : ' neither Peter (the fisherman) nor Paul.' The 
 familiarity implied in the term il Pescator and the form Polo is 
 intended to be depreciative. 
 
 CANTO XIX 
 
 Argument. — The voice of the associated spirits makes itself 
 heard through the beak of the eagle ; and by it is furnished the 
 solution of a difficulty which had arisen in Dante's mind concerning 
 the justice of the exclusion of the virtuous heathen from Heaven. 
 After justifying God's decrees in this matter, the eagle adds, that 
 the virtuous heathen will rise up in the judgement against unfaithful 
 Christians, and especially against unrighteous sovereigns, of whom 
 it names numerous living examples. 
 
 Lines 2, 3. che, &c. : ' which the banded spirits, rejoicing in their 
 sweet fruition, composed.' faceva is also read instead of facevan, 
 in which case the meaning is, ' which caused the banded spirits 
 to rejoice in its sweet fruition.' frui is the Lat. infin. used 
 substantively. 
 
 6. Che ne' miei, &c. : ' that it (the ruby) refracted the sun's 
 ray into my eyes.' 
 
 7, 8. testeso : archaic for /^j/^, 'now.' porto : 'communicated.* 
 10-2. lo rostro : tlie beak of the eagle, which becomes the 
 
 532 
 
XIX. 15-63] PARADISO 
 
 mouthpiece of the associated spirits. lo e Mio, &c. : the eagle 
 speaks in the singular number, whereas the thought expressed 
 proceeds from all the spirits. 
 
 15. Che non, &c. : 'which cannot be exceeded by desire,' 
 i. e. which surpasses all that can be desired. Others say — ' which 
 cannot be obtained by wishing alone without earnest endeavour.' 
 
 16-8. Ed in terra, &c. : 'and the record which I left behind 
 me on earth is such, that the wicked folk there praise it, though 
 they do not imitate the example furnished by its story.' 
 
 19-21. Cosi, &c. : the single voice (solo un suon) expressing 
 the combined sentiment of all the spirits, is compared to the single 
 heat which proceeds from many burning embers. 
 
 23, 24. Che pur uno, &c. : ' who cause all your odours to 
 appear to me but one,' i. e. whose individual sentiments all find vent 
 in one voice. The metaphor of the flowers is carried on in odori, 
 the thoughts which proceed from the spirits, and in spirando {1. 25), 
 * breathing forth the odours,' i. e. emitting the thoughts. 
 
 25. digiuno : Dante's 'hunger' is his desire of obtaining the 
 solution of a difficulty, which the inhabitants of the sixth Heaven 
 are specially qualified to explain. The question is : — How is it 
 reconcilable with God's justice, that virtuous heathen, who have 
 not heard the name of Christ, nor had an opportunity of receiving 
 baptism, should be excluded from Paradise ? The answer which is 
 ultimately arrived at is, that this is an inscrutable mystery, hidden 
 in the depths of God's justice, which it is impossible for the human 
 intellect to fathom. 
 
 28—30. altro reame : this refers to the Order of the Thrones 
 in the Heaven of Saturn, of which it is said in Par. ix. 62, 
 ' Onde rifulge a noi Dio giudicante.' Che in 1. 30 is resumptive 
 after an intervening clause. 
 
 33. digiun cotanto vecchio : ' a craving of so long standing.' 
 
 34-6. ch' esce del cappello : 'when its hood is removed.' si 
 plaude: 'claps its wings.' facendosi belle : ' preening itself.' 
 
 37-9. di laude, &c. : 'was composed (lit. woven) of beings in 
 whom the glory of the divine grace is seen'; cp. Inf. ii. 103, 
 where Beatrice is called 'loda di Dio vera.' laude is plur. of 
 lauda. Con canti, &c. : ' uttering songs, the delight (lit. nature) 
 of which he only knows, who has the fruition of it in Heaven above.' 
 
 40—63. The argument in these lines is as follows : — God, who 
 
 533 
 
PARADISO [xix. 40-51 
 
 created all things, infinitely surpasses in Himself the wisdom which 
 appears in His creation (11. 40-5). Lucifer, the highest of created 
 beings, fell, because he lacked as yet the light which would have 
 enabled him to see God perfectly (11. 46-8). How much more 
 feeble must be the vision of beings inferior to him ! (11. 49-51). 
 Hence our minds cannot have any true conception of God's 
 attributes (11. 52-7), and, in particular, of His justice (11. 58-63). 
 
 40-2. Colui, &c. : ' he who turned round his compasses at the 
 outer verge (i. e. the circumference) of the world.' The idea is 
 derived from Job xxxviii. 5, ' Who hath laid the measures thereof 
 (i. e. of the earth), if thou knowest ? or who hath stretched the line 
 upon it?' Cp. Milton, Par. Lost, vii. 224-7, 'and in his hand 
 He took the golden compasses, prepared In God's eternal store, to 
 circumscribe This universe and all created things.' e dentro, &c.: 
 ' and within it wrought such various effects (Distinse tanto), some 
 dark to us, some clear.' 
 
 43-5. Non pote, &c. : ' could not (in the process of creation) 
 leave the impress of His power on the whole universe to such 
 a degree, that His wisdom (verbo) should fail to be infinitely in 
 excess of it.' verbo is here used of the thought in the creative 
 mind of God in a similar way to that in which the name of ' the 
 Word ' is applied to our Lord. 
 
 46-8. E cio, &c. : ' hence we can clearly see that the first proud 
 spirit (Lucifer), who was the highest of all created beings, fell 
 while still in an imperfect state (acerbo, lit. unripe, immature), 
 because he would not wait for light.' The explanation of this will 
 be found in Par. xxix. 55-63, where it is implied that there were 
 two stages in the creation of the angels, and that it was not until 
 the latter of these was reached that their will became so perfectly in 
 accord with the will of God that it was impossible for them to fall ; 
 hence the rebellious angel's, who refused to wait for that stage, fell 
 through the imperfection of their wills. Cp. De Vulg. Eloq., i. 2. 
 11. 26, 27, 'Divinam curam perversi expectare noluerunt'; also 
 Hooker, Eccl. Pol. i. 4. 3. 
 
 49-51. quinci : i.e. from the imperfection of Lucifer's nature 
 as originally created. The argument is this : — If the highest created 
 lieing was imperfect in its power of seeing God without an additional 
 infusion of God's light, much more must this be the case with 
 natures inferior to his. ^ corto, &c. : ' has scant power ot 
 
 534 
 
XIX. 52-8;] PARADISO 
 
 comprehending the infinite and incomparable God.' se con se 
 misura : there is nothing beyond God to which he can compare 
 himself; cp. Is. xl. 25, 'to whom will ye liken me, or shall 
 I be equal ? saith the Holy One.' 
 
 52-7. Dunque, &c. : 'consequently man's power of vision — 
 which, as we see, is one and but one (alcun) of the rays that 
 emanate from the Divine Mind which irradiates the universe — 
 from its very nature is incapacitated from even approximating to the 
 understanding of God (lit. cannot possess so great power, as not to 
 be aware that the source from which it proceeds (suo principio) 
 is altogether beyond its range of vision).' 
 
 58-60. Pero, &c. : ' wherefore the power of sight with which 
 your world is endowed penetrates just so far into the depths of the 
 eternal justice, as the eye does into the sea.' 
 
 64-6. Lume, &c. : there is no light, but what proceeds from 
 the serene Heaven which is never overcast ; all other (seeming) light 
 is darkness, being either the shadow of the flesh (which obscures the 
 mind) or poison of the flesh (which corrupts the character).' ombra 
 della carne is the influence of 'the earthy tabernacle' which 
 'weigheth down the mind' (Wisdom ix. 15), while suo veleno 
 is sensuality; in these two forms the light which is in men is 
 darkness, serene : cp. Par. xv. 13. 
 
 67-9. Assai, &c. : 'the covert is now laid fully open to thy 
 view.' The hiding-place which concealed from Dante the truth 
 concerning God's justice, is the inability of the mind of man to 
 fathom the question, crebra : ' frequent.' 
 
 79-81. scranna : ' the bench,' ' the judgement seat.' da lungi, 
 &c. : ' a thousand miles away,' i. e. when the matter in question is 
 far beyond your power of sight. 
 
 82-4. Certo, &c. : 'verily, if the matter were not determined 
 for you by the Scripture (which says that none can be saved without 
 faith in Christ and baptism), the man who adduces subtle arguments 
 in answer to me would have surprisingly good reason for doubting.' 
 Dante regards the question as settled by the authority of Scripture, 
 which is the word of God. 
 
 86, 87. La prima, &c. : 'the primal Will (from which God's 
 dealings with mankind proceed), being in itself good (independently 
 of any goodness in other beings), can never be other than what it is, 
 viz. God himself, the Highest Good.' The conclusion which 
 
 535 
 
PARADISO [XIX. 88-113 
 
 is implied is : — As the will of God is identical with God himself, 
 who is perfect goodness, and that will excludes the heathen from 
 salvation, such exclusion must be just. 
 
 88. cotanto, &c. : ' that, and that only is just, which is 
 consonant with the divine will.' 
 
 89, 90. Nullo, &c. : this is added with reference to what is said 
 in 11. 73-5 about the virtue of the Indian in the supposed case. It 
 is not the virtue, and consequent merit, of the person, which causes 
 God to reveal the Gospel of salvation to him ; nay, it is God's 
 grace which has endued him with that virtue. The view here set 
 forth is that of St. Paul in Rom. ix. 1 5, ' For he saith to Moses, 
 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,' &c. radiando : 
 ' by diffusing the rays of His grace.' 
 
 91. sopr' esso, &c. : 'just above the nest'; see note on 
 Inf. xxxiv. 41. 
 
 94. (e si levai li cigli) : the insertion of this clause — which is 
 put in a parenthesis as being outside the syntax of the sentence — is 
 due to the twofold application of the preceding simile, the circling 
 movement of the eagle {Roteando^ !• 97) being compared to that of 
 the mother stork above her nest (I. 91), while Dante's look, as he 
 watches it, resembles that of the young stork, which after having 
 been fed gazes upwards towards its mother. 
 
 96. sospinta, &c. : ' impelled by the force of so many wills.' 
 The combined agency of all the spirits is the source of the movement 
 of the figure in which they are united. 
 
 99. tal : ' so incomprehensible.' 
 
 100-2. Poi : for Po'iche. ancor, &c. : i.e. still forming the 
 figure of the Roman eagle. 
 
 106 foil. The eagle proclaims the worthlessness of Christian faith, 
 if it is not accompanied by good works, and proceeds to denounce 
 the ill-doing of the Christian princes of Dante's age, and to predict 
 the judgements which would fall upon them. 
 
 107. prope: the I^atin word is introduced for the sake of the 
 rhyme. 
 
 109, no. r Etiope: here used for heathens generally, i due 
 collegi : the two companies of the saved and the lost ; for coUegto in 
 this sense cp. Par. xxii. 98. 
 
 112, 113. Che potran, &c. : the Engl, idiom is, 'What will 
 not the Persians be able,' &c. By the Persians, as by the Ethiopians, 
 
 536 
 
XIX. 115-23] PARADISO 
 
 any heathen peoples are meant, quel volume : the book of God's 
 judgement, in which the deeds of men are recorded. 
 
 1 1 5-4 1. In these lines we have the most marked instance of 
 symmetrical arrangement that is found in the poem, with the exception 
 of that which occurs in Purg. xii. 25-63 ; and in both of these the 
 object aimed at is the same, viz. to draw attention to a number of 
 forcible examples by which something is to be illustrated. Another, 
 though less striking, instance is found in Par. xx. 40—72. In the 
 present passage there are three sets of three tercets, the first of which 
 commences with L\ si vedra, the second with Vedrassi, the third 
 with E ; and the examples enumerated are intended to illustrate the 
 misdeeds of the Christian princes of Dante's age. 
 
 1 1 5-7. Li: 'in that volume.' Alberto: the emperor Albert 
 ( 1 298-1308), the same whom Dante denounces in Purg. vi. 97 for 
 his neglect of Italy. Quella, &c. : ' that deed which soon shall set 
 in motion the pen of the recording Angel.' Per che, &c. : ' by 
 reason of which the realm of Prague (Bohemia) shall be laid waste.' 
 In 1304 Albert invaded and devastated Bohemia. 
 
 118-20. sopra Senna: 'oh the banks of the Seine,' i.e. at 
 Paris, where Philip the Fair (128 5- 131 4) adulterated the coinage, 
 thereby causing great distress to his subjects. Villani, who gives an 
 account of this proceeding, adds, ' ma guasto e diserto il paese ' 
 (viii. 58). cotenna : ' a boar,' lit. ' boar's hide.' Philip died in 
 13 14 in consequence of a fall from his horse, caused by the charge 
 of a boar ; Villani, ix. 66. 
 
 1 2 1-3. la superbia, &c. : ' the pride that causes thirst,' i. e. the 
 thirst for dominion. The reference is to the border wars between 
 the English and Scotch in the reign of Edward I (1272— 1307), 
 who is the Inghilese here mentioned. It is hard to say who is 
 meant by lo Scotto, for there was no king on the throne of Scotland 
 in 1300, at which date the eagle is supposed to be speaking. 
 Possibly it may be John Baliol (i 292-1 296), who waged war against 
 Edward I; but more probably it is Robert Bruce (1306-1329). 
 The latter of these in reality fought against Edward II, but as 
 Villani (viii. 90) represents him as the Scottish leader in Edward I's 
 reign, it is not unnatural to suppose that Dante may have fallen 
 into the same error. It should be remarked that lo Scotto e 1* 
 Inghilese cannot mean the Scottish and English peoples^ for 
 throughout this passage kings are being referred to ; cp. vostri regi^ 
 
 537 
 
PARADISO [xix. 134-41 
 
 1. 112. non pud soffrir, &c. : 'they cannot restrain themselves 
 within their borders.' 
 
 124-6. quel di Spagna : Ferdinand IV of Castile (1295-13 12). 
 quel di Buemme : WenceslauslV (i 2 70-1 305). The same character 
 as here is given to him in Purg. vii. 102, ' cuilussuria edozio pasce.' 
 
 127-9. ^1 Ciotto, &c. : 'against the name of the Cripple of 
 Jerusalem.' This was Charles II, king of Apulia and Naples 
 (1285— 1309), who claimed the title of king of Jerusalem. He 
 was lame. Con un I, &c. : ' his virtues will be seen marked by 
 a unit (I), his vices by an M ' (for Lat. mille^ 'a thousand'). The 
 one virtue here intended was liberality, which Dante attributes to 
 him in Par. viii. 82. 
 
 131, 132. quel che guarda, &c. : ' him who rules,' &c. 
 Frederic II is meant, who was son of Peter of Aragon (see 
 Purg. vii. 119), and king of Sicily (i 272-1337). 1' isola del 
 foco : Sicily is so called from Mt. Etna. Anchise : the death 
 of Anchises at Drepanum on its western extremity is mentioned 
 in Virg. ylen. iii. 707-10. 
 
 133-5. a dare, &c. : 'in order to let men know how paltry he is, 
 that which is written against him will take the form of abbreviations, 
 which will enumerate many vices within a small space.' Abbreviations 
 were commonly used in MSS. to save space ; so they would be used 
 in God's record of Frederic, because he was too insignificant for 
 a large space to be allotted to him. 
 
 137? ^3^' barba : archaic for 'uncle.' Diez (p. 355) gives 
 harhas as the Low Latin form. The word is found in some 
 Italian dialects, and is familiarly used in colloquial Modern Greek, 
 having no doubt been introduced into Greece by the Venetians and 
 Genoese. In the Genoese dialect it is regularly employed instead 
 of z/o at the present day. Frederic's uncle, who is here referred to, 
 is James, king of the Balearic Islands. He lost his crown in 
 consequence of having joined Philip the Bold of France in his 
 disastrous invasion of Catalonia. fratel : James of Aragon (see 
 Purg. vii. 119), who gave up Sicily, which his father had acquired. 
 Nazione : here used in the sense of 'race,' 'family.' bozze : 
 'dishonoured,' lit. 'cuckold.' By these acts they dishonoured their 
 family and the crowns they wore. 
 
 139-41. quel di Portogallo : Dionysius, king of Portugal 
 (1279-1325); he is said to have been devoted to the acquisition 
 
 538 
 
XIX. 142-48] PARADISO 
 
 of wealth, di Norvegia : Hakon Longshanks (i 299-1 319) ; he 
 carried on a long and barbarous war with Denmark. quel di 
 Rascia : Stephen Ouros, king of Rascia, the modern Illyria and 
 Dalmatia. He struck coins of debased metal in imitation of the 
 Venetian ducat ; the resemblance of the two is seen in the figures 
 given by Philalethes, p. 259. Che mal, &c. : 'who in an evil 
 hour saw the coin of Venice ' ; for this use of mal cp. Inf. ix. 54. 
 It was ' in an evil hour ' for him, because he was doomed to the 
 punishment of the falsifiers of metals in Hell ; cp. Inf. xxx. 46 foil. 
 For mal ha visto many edd. read male aggiustb with the sense of 
 ' falsified,' but as the accent in agg'msto is on the final syllable, the 
 line with this reading will hardly scan. For its probable origin see 
 Blanc, Vocah. s. v. aggiustare. 
 
 142-4. beata Ungaria : Hungary had been governed by corrupt 
 princes until the time of Andrea III (1290-1301), who was a good 
 sovereign, beata Navarra : ' happy Navarre, if she should defend 
 herself with the mountain that girds her,' the Pyrenees. Joan of 
 Navarre had married Philip the Fair in 1284, but governed her 
 kingdom independently. On her death in 1305 it passed to her 
 son Louis Hutin, and when he succeeded to the throne of France 
 as Louis X in 13 14, it was annexed to the French crown. 
 
 145-7- creder dee, &c. : 'men will do well to reflect, that even 
 now — in proof of what I have just said (viz. that Navarre should 
 keep the French at bay) — Nicosia and Famagosta are lamenting 
 and complaining aloud by reason of their inhuman lord.' Cyprus, 
 of which Nicosia and Famagosta were the chief cities, was badly 
 governed in 1300 by Henry II of Lusignan, who was a man of 
 corrupt life, arra : the same as caparra, 'deposit,' 'guarantee'; 
 per arra is, ' for a guarantee of the truth of this.' 
 
 148. dal fiance, &c. : 'walks hand in hand with (lit. does not 
 withdraw himself from the side of) the afore- named wicked princes 
 (deir altre bestie).' 
 
 CANTO XX 
 
 Argument. — The eagle names the six spirits, who on account of 
 their pre-eminence in justice form the pupil of its eye and its eyebrow. 
 Dante is surprised at finding two of these, the emperor Trajan and 
 the Trojan Rhipeus, whom he regarded as heathen, in the number 
 
 539 
 
PARADISO [XX. 1-27 
 
 of the Blessed ; and the eagle explains to him the conditions under 
 which they were admitted into Heaven. 
 
 Lines i— 12. The singing of the spirits, which commences when 
 the eagle ceases to speak, is here compared to the stars coming out 
 when the sun has disappeared. 
 
 2. s 1 : 'so far beneath our hemisphere.' 
 
 4-6. prima : ' ere that,' i. e. during the daytime ; ' which before 
 is lighted by him alone.' una : the light of the sun. According 
 to the astronomy of this time all the stars derived their light from 
 the sun; cp. Conv. iii. 12. 11. 54-6, ' il sole, lo quale di sensibile 
 luce se prima e poi tutti i corpi celestiali ed elementali allumina ' ; 
 also Conv. ii. 14. 11. 125, 126. 
 
 7-9. atto del ciel : ' change which passes over the sky ' ; atto 
 is lit. 'act,' 'proceeding,' 'phenomenon.' come, &c. : 'as soon as 
 the ensign of the world and of its leaders (the Imperial eagle) kept 
 silence in its sacred beak.' 
 
 12. Da mia, &c. : 'which have slipped and passed away from 
 my memory.' 
 
 13, 14. amor : divine love. ' Sweet love that dost vest thyself 
 in smiles.' flailli : ' flutes,' i. e. melodious voices. This word, 
 which is not found elsewhere, is der. from Y,2X..jlare^ flatus^ through 
 the Low Lat. Jlauta^ ' flute,' from which came the diminutives 
 
 Jlautol^ Jlaujol \n Provenfal, ^Lndjlajol in O. Fr., to w\\\ch Jlaillo closely 
 approximates ; oi Jlajol jlageolet is a further diminutive : Butler, note 
 ad loc. ; Diez, p. 142 ; Skeat, s. vv. ' Flute,' ' Flageolet.' 
 
 18. Poser, &c. : 'imposed silence on their angelic chime' (Butler). 
 
 21. cacume: 'mountain source,' lit. 'summit.' The 'wealth 
 of waters ' (ubertk) which forms the stream represents the power of 
 the body of voice which proceeds from the spirits and is emitted 
 through the eagle's mouth. 
 
 22-4. E come, &c. : 'and as at the neck of the guitar a sound 
 takes form,' i. e. becomes a musical note. The neck is where the 
 strings are fingered by the left hand, and the distinctive sound is 
 thus produced, al pertugio, &c. : ' and as at the vent of a reed- 
 pipe wind that enters it (forms a note).' The vent is the orifice 
 which the player opens and closes with his finger. 
 
 25~7' Cosi : the comparison, in the case of both the instruments 
 just mentioned, is between the formation of a definite musical note 
 
 540 
 
XX. 30-51] PARADISO 
 
 in a certain part of the instrument and the indistinct sound of voices 
 within the eagle forming a single sound as it passes through its 
 throat, and finally articulate words as it issues from its beak. 
 rimosso, &c. : ' all delay in waiting being at an end ' — in other 
 words, ' without further delay.' bugio : ' hollow,' ' perforated.' 
 
 30. Quail, &c. : ' of such words as my heart (memory) on 
 which I inscribed them was awaiting ' ; or (to put the same thing 
 otherwise), ' such words as I inscribed on my expectant memory.* 
 
 31—72. The eagle now enumerates and describes the six highest 
 of the beatified spirits in this sphere, who form the eye and eyebrow 
 of the bird. Of these, David is the pupil, and Trajan, Hezekiah, 
 Constantine, William the Good, and Rhipeus are the brow. 
 
 31—3. La parte, &c. : the eagle's eye, which can endure to look 
 at the sun. Only one eye is mentioned, because the eagle is seen in 
 profile. The Imperial eagle was regularly represented with the head 
 in profile to the left. A good example (contemporary with Dante) 
 is the eagle many times repeated on the recumbent figure of the 
 Emperor Henry VII on his tomb in the Campo Santo at Pisa. Or 
 fisamente, &c. : ' you ought now to regard steadfastly.* 
 
 35) 36. onde 1' occhio, &c. : ' with which my eye sparkles in 
 my head.' E' : i. e. ei, for eglino, resumptive from Quelll : ' they 
 are the highest of all the orders of their sphere.' 
 
 38, 39. 11 cantor, &c. : David, who brought the ark from 
 Kirjath-jearim to the house of Obed-Edom, and thence to Jerusalem ; 
 see 2 Sam. vi. The story is told at greater length in Purg. 
 
 X. 55-69- 
 
 40-2. Ora conosce: note the repetition of these words at the 
 commencement of the next five alternate tercets, and see note on 
 Par. xix. 1 1 4-5 1 . ' Now he is aware of the merit of his song . . . 
 through the equivalent remuneration.* In quanto, &c. : so far as 
 that song proceeded from his own free-will, and was not the effect of 
 inspiration, in which latter case it could not claim reward. 
 
 43-5. fan cerchlo, &c. : ' form a curve to represent my eyebrow.' 
 La vedovella, &c. : the story of the emperor Trajan and the poor 
 widow is given in Purg. x. 73—93. 
 
 47. Non segulr Crlsto : ' not to be one of Christ's disciples.* 
 Trajan, having been a heathen, was in Hell until he was delivered 
 by St. Gregory's prayers; cp. 11. 106-8. 
 
 49-5 1 • q^el che segue, &c. : Hezekiah is meant; 'he who 
 
 541 
 
PARADISO [XX. ^^-6s 
 
 comes next in the curve of which I speak, on the ascending arc' 
 Similarly the fourth in order of these five spirits (William the Good) 
 is said to be on the descending arc (1. 6i); and consequently the 
 third (Constantine) must be at the summit of the arc between them. 
 Morte, &c. : Hezekiah prayed to God when he was sick unto 
 death, and God added fifteen years to his life; 2 Kings xx. i, 6. 
 The mention of his penitence in this connexion is an error on 
 Dante's part, for that occurred on another occasion, which is recorded 
 in 2 Chron. xxxii. 26. 
 
 53? 54* quando, &c. : ' when a worthy prayer causes that which 
 was ordained for the present time to be postponed to a future time ' ; 
 this was what happened in Hezekiah's case through the postpone- 
 ment of his death. The meaning of the entire passage here is, that 
 what God has ordained is not changed in answer to prayer, because 
 God has already provided for it; cp. Aquinas, Summa, ii. 2*1^^. 
 Q. 83. Art. 2, ' Oratio nostra non ordinatur ad immutationem divinae 
 dispositionis, sed ut obtineatur nostris precibus quod Deus disposuit.' 
 
 55-7. L' altro : Constantine, who betook himself to Byzantium 
 (si fece Greco), transferring thither at the same time the civil and 
 military centre (con le leggi e meco), that he might leave Rome to 
 the care of the Pope (Per cedere al pastor). Dante is not very 
 happy in his criticism of Constantine's policy, meco : ' bearing me, 
 the Imperial eagle, with him '; cp. Par. vi. i, 2. fe' mal frutto : 
 Dante, to whom Rome was the rightful centre of the temporal as 
 well as the spiritual administration of the world, regarded the 
 foundation of the Eastern Empire as a false step, because it 
 eventually threw a part of the temporal government into the hands 
 of the Pope. 
 
 59, 60. non gli e nocivo : i. e. is not imputed by God to him, 
 and does not diminish his glory in Paradise, indi : ' thereby,' i. e. 
 by the evil results of his well-intentioned policy, especially in respect 
 of the Papacy. 
 
 61-3. arco declivo : the downward slope of the arc; cp. an:o 
 superno, 1. 50. Guglielmo : William the Good, king of Apulia 
 and Sicily (1166—89). ^i^ just and peaceful reign was a time of 
 great prosperity to his subjects, quella terra : Apulia and Sicily ; 
 'whom that country laments, which is suffering from the living 
 (i.e. present) rule of Charles and Frederic' Charles the Lame, 
 king of Apulia, and Frederic of Aragon, king of Sicily, are meant. 
 
 642 
 
XX. 65-90] PARADISO 
 
 Their misdeeds are recounted in Par. xix. 127—35. vivo : observe 
 tlie sing. adj. with two substantives. 
 
 65, 66. al sembiante, &c. : ' in the aspect of his efRilgence he 
 reveals it still/ i. e. shows that he is aware of the approval of Heaven. 
 
 67, 68. errante: 'misguided in its views.' Rifeo : cp. Virg. 
 Aen. ii. 426, 427, ' Rhipeus, iustissimus unus Qui fuit in Teucris 
 et servantissimus aequi.' This mention of him is the sole ground 
 which Dante had for introducing him here, tondo : the arc of the 
 eyebrow. 
 
 70—2. assai di quel, &c. : enough of the profundity of God's 
 grace, shown in the conversion of a pious heathen before the coming 
 of Christ, though even he cannot fathom it. The story of his 
 supposed conversion is given in 11. 118-29. 
 
 76-8. Tal mi sembio : the point of correspondence with the 
 simile is the satisfaction of the eagle with its discourse. 1' imago, 
 &c. : ' the image of the imprint of the divine pleasure (God), 
 according to whose will (lit. desire) everything assumes its proper 
 nature.' The imprint of the divine pleasure is the Imperial eagle, which, 
 as the symbol of the divinely appointed Monarchy, was stamped, so 
 to say, by God's providence on the face of the world. The figure of 
 the eagle which was presented to Dante's eyes is the image of this. 
 
 79-81. awegna che, &c. : the meaning is: — 'though I knew 
 the spirits could read the doubt which was in my mind.' ' Though 
 my doubting were as manifest, As is through glass the hue that 
 mantles it ' (Gary). The metaphor is from coloured glass, the refe- 
 rence being to * coated ' glass, i. e. white glass coated with a coloured 
 film on one side only. As this colour could be clearly seen through 
 the glass, so the spirits could look through Dante's mind, and see 
 the doubt within it. dubbiar mio : this related to the salvation of 
 heathens, like Trajan and Rhipeus, which in Par. xix. 103—5 was 
 declared impossible. Tempo, &c. : the subject of patio is il dubbiar ; 
 ' my doubt would not endure to bide in silence a fitting time.' For 
 tempo in this sense cp. Inf. xxvi. 77. 
 
 82-4. della bocca, &c. : ' the pressure of my doubt forced from 
 my lips the words, " How can these things be ? " ' The subject of 
 pinse is il dubbiar. di corruscar : take with feste, 'joy of 
 coruscation ' ; for feste cp. Par. xxx. 94. 
 
 87. ammirar : 'wonderment,' caused by the doubt in my mind. 
 
 89, 90. come ; ' how they can be,' i. e. the reason or explanation 
 
 543 
 
PARADISO [XX. 92-108 
 
 of them, se son, &c. : ' though you believe them, you do not 
 understand them.' 
 
 92,93. quiditate : 'essence,' 'real nature'; 'quiddity* is 
 a Scholastic term, signifying ' that which makes a thing what it is.* 
 prome : from Lat. promo, ' set forth,' ' explain.' 
 
 94. Regnum, &c. : from Matt. xi. 12, ' the kingdom of heaven 
 suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.' Our Lord is 
 there speaking of believers pressing into His kingdom ; here, in like 
 manner, the reference is to the breaking down of the barriers, which 
 would exclude from Heaven the persons spoken of. In the case of 
 Trajan this was effected by the hope which animated St. Gregory 
 (viva speranza) ; in that of Rhipeus by his own love (caldo amore). 
 
 97-9. Non a guisa, &c. : this was no struggle for pre-eminence, 
 but a rivalry in benevolence, in which both parties were victors. Ma 
 vince lei : vince is repeated from 1. 96, and in both places the sing, 
 number is used, notwithstanding that there are two subjects, amore 
 and speranza. ' Love and hope overpower the divine will, because 
 it desires to be conquered, and by being conquered wins a victory 
 with its benevolence.' Note the antithetical repetition of vince and 
 vinta here, and see note on Inf. xiii. 25. 
 
 100—2. La prima, &c. : 'the first of the spirits in the eyebrow 
 and the fifth cause you surprise, because you see the region of the 
 angels (i. e. Heaven) adorned with them.' In other words : — ' You 
 are surprised at seeing that Trajan and Rhipeus, who were heathens, 
 are among the ornaments of Heaven, forming part of the figure of 
 the eagle.' 
 
 104, 105. in ferma fede, &c. : lit. 'in steadfast faith, the one 
 in Christ's feet about to suffer, the other in them after they had 
 suffered'; in other words: — 'in steadfast faith in the sacrifice of 
 Christ on the cross, the one (Rhipeus) before the event took place, 
 the other (Trajan) after.' For the description of the Crucifixion 
 by the mention of Christ's feet, compare the similar description by 
 the mention of His hands, ' 1' una e 1' altra palma,' in Par. ix. 123. 
 passuri and passi are Lat. forms. 
 
 106-8. r una: Trajan. The legend concerning him was that, 
 after he had been in Hell four hundred years from the time of his 
 death, he was recalled to life through the prayers of St. Gregory, 
 and that having repented and believed in Christ he was baptized ; 
 after which he once more died, and was then received into Paradise. 
 
 544 
 
XX. I09-33] PARADISO 
 
 u' non, &c. : ' where no one ever returns to good will/ i. e. repents. 
 speme : the hope felt by St. Gregory that his prayers for Trajan 
 would be heard. 
 
 109-1 1, mise la possa, &c. : * infused efficacy into St. Gregory's 
 prayers to God for his restoration to life, so that his (Trajan's) will 
 (which in Hell could not turn to repentance and faith) might (after 
 his restoration to life) be capable of being stirred in that direction.* 
 
 113. fu poco : ' he abode but a short time.' 
 
 116, 117. alia morte seconda : ' when he died a second time.' 
 gioco : the ' festivity ' of Heaven. 
 
 1 1 8-2 1. L' altra : Rhipcas. The story of his belief in Christ 
 and consequent salvation is Dante's own. grazia : the grace of 
 God. prim' onda : ' the first movement of its waters ' ; i. e. the 
 initiatory movement of God's will, the primo perche of Purg. viii. 68, 
 69. Tutto, &c. : ' set his affections entirely on righteousness ' ; 
 see note on 1. 68. 
 
 122. Perche : 'wherefore.' di grazia, &c. : 'as Rhipeus 
 advanced from grace to grace.' 
 
 126. riprendiene : for ne riprendia (= r'tprendeva) \ see Blanc, 
 Gram., p. 348. 
 
 127-9. tre donne : the Theological Virtues, Faith, Hope, and 
 Charity, which Dante had seen by the right-hand wheel of the Car 
 in the procession in the Earthly Paradise; Purg. xxix. 12 1-6. 
 fur per battesmo : ' the possession of these three virtues stood in 
 stead of Baptism to him, more than a thousand years before the 
 sacrament of Baptism was instituted.' The view here propounded 
 is the theory of the baptism of penitence ; cp. Aquinas, Summa^ 
 iii. Q. 66. Art. 11, 'Aliquis per virtutem Spiritus sancti consequitur 
 effectum baptismi, non solum sine baptismo aquae, sed etiam sine 
 baptismo sanguinis, in quantum scilicet alicuius cor per Spiritum 
 sanctum movetur ad credendum et diligendum Deum, et paenitendum 
 de peccatis ; unde etiam dicitur baptismus paenitentiae.' 
 
 130—2. O predestinazion : the strangeness of the salvation of 
 Trajan and Rhipeus suggests remarks on the inscrutable character 
 of God's predestination, aspetti : ' views ' ; the minds of those 
 who cannot fathom the mind of God, who is the First Cause, are 
 unable to understand the hidden things of His predestination ; cp. 
 11. 70-2. 
 
 133. stretti: ' within bounds.' 
 
 TOZER 545 N n 
 
PARADISO [XX. 136— XXI. 6 
 
 136—8. enne : for ne e ; ' such lack of knowledge is pleasing to 
 us ' ; scemo is here a subst., ' defect ' : for cosi fatto in the sense 
 of 'such' cp. Inf. V. 37, 'cosi fatto tormento.' Perche, &c. : 
 ' because our good is perfected in this good, viz. that/ &c. 
 
 143. Fa seguitar, &c. : 'accompanies the singer with the 
 vibration of his strings.' 
 
 145-8. Si: the flashing of their light, by which the spirits of 
 Trajan and Rhipeus declare their assent to what the eagle has said, 
 is compared to the instrumental accompaniment to a song (11. 142—4); 
 while the correspondence in movement between the two spirits is 
 described as resembling the simultaneous opening and closing of the 
 two eyes (1. 147). The latter of the two similes has already been 
 introduced in Par. xii. 26, 27. mi ricorda : impers. use, as in 
 Purg. xxxiii. 91, and elsewhere. 
 
 CANTO XXI 
 
 Argument. — The seventh Heaven, that of Saturn, is now 
 entered, in which are the spirits of the Contemplative. Here 
 Dante beholds a luminous stairway, along which the souls descend ; 
 and one of them, St. Peter Damian, explains to him that they 
 abstain for the time from singing, lest his mortal faculties should 
 be overpowered. After further assuring Dante that it was not his 
 own individual choice, but God's appointment, which caused him 
 rather than any other spirit to address him, the Saint proceeds to 
 relate the circumstances of his own life on earth. 
 
 Line 3. E da, &c. : ' and my mind had withdrawn itself from 
 every other thought ' ; for intento in this sense cp. Purg. xvii. 48. 
 
 4. quella non ridea : the reason why Beatrice does not at first 
 smile in this Heaven, and why the spirits contained in it do not sing 
 there (11. 61-3), is that Dante's faculties would be overpowered if 
 they did so. The increase in spiritual elevation which is thus 
 attributed to the seventh Heaven is due to its occupants being 
 contemplative saints, and for contemplation a far higher gift of grace 
 is required than that which is needed by those in the other spheres. 
 
 5, 6. tu ti faresti, &c. : ' thou wouldest become like Semele 
 when she was turned to ashes.' Semele, when according to her 
 
 546 
 
XXI. 7-32] PARADISO 
 
 request she was visited by Jupiter in his full majesty, was consumed 
 by his presence ; see Ov. Met. iii. 287-309. 
 
 7. per le scale, &c. : 'in passing from stair to stair of the 
 eternal palace,' i. e. from one sphere of Heaven to another. 
 
 13—5. settimo splendore : the seventh Heaven, that of Saturn. 
 Leone : at the time which Dante assigns to his Vision, the spring 
 of 1300 A.D., the planet Saturn was in the sign of Leo. Raggia, 
 &c. : ' now radiates (i. e. sends its influence) downwards, to the earth 
 mingled with the Lion's power.' Saturn was regarded by astrologers 
 as a cold planet, Leo as a hot constellation ; whence the influence of 
 the two, when combined, as here, was temperate. 
 
 16-8. Ficca, &c. : 'observe attentively as you look, and let 
 your eyes mirror (i. e. receive the impression of) that figure, which 
 will reveal itself to you in this mirror.' The mirror is the planet, 
 which is so called because it shone by the sun's reflected light ; see 
 note on Par. xx. 6. The figure is the stairway, which is described 
 in 11. 28-30. 
 
 19-24. Chi sapesse, &c. : the general meaning of these lines 
 is : — ' The man who could conceive the greatness of my joy in 
 feasting my eyes on Beatrice's face, would also be able to understand 
 that I felt still greater delight in obeying her injunctions, when 
 I looked away from her to the object which she indicated.' ml 
 trasmutai, &c. : ' turned my attention to another interest,' viz. the 
 stairway. Contrappesando, &c. : ' balancing the one scale against 
 the other,' and finding that the pleasure of obeying her was the 
 greater. 
 
 25—7. Dentro, &c. : 'within the crystal sphere, which, as it 
 revolves round the world, bears the name of its illustrious sovereign, 
 in whose reign all malice was extinguished.' According to the 
 poets, the reign of Saturn was the golden age ; Ov. Met. i. 89 foil. ; 
 Virg. Eel. iv. 6. 
 
 28-30. inche, &c. : ' on which the sunshine gleams.' scaleo : 
 this stairway, as we are informed in Par. xxii. 70-2, is the same as 
 Jacob's 'Ladder' (Gen. xxviii. 12), on which the angels ascended 
 and descended, like the spirits on the stairway here, and the top 
 of which was out of sight, because 'it reached to Heaven.' 
 Symbolically, it signifies the contemplative life, by which the soul 
 ascends to God. luce : ' eye.' 
 
 32. o3^ni lume: 'every star.' 
 
 547 N n 2 
 
PARADISO [XXI. 34-68 
 
 34-42. E come, &c. : the bright spirits descend the stairway 
 in company (compare together 'per H gradi scender giuso,' 1. 31, 
 and 'insieme venne,' 1. 41), and when they reach a certain stair 
 (1. 42) disperse hither and thither, or move round and round. 
 These movements are compared to those of the rooks at daybreak, 
 which first rise in company and then move in different directions. 
 
 37-9. Poi altre, &c. : the meaning is: — 'Some go off to 
 a distance (in search of food, &c.), some return to their starting- 
 places (i. e. the branches where they had roosted), and some 
 continue to wheel about.' onde son mosse: 'to the place from 
 which they started.' roteando fan sog^jiorno : ' wheel round 
 where they were before,' lit. ' abide wheeling round.' 
 
 40—2. Tal modo, &c. : ' this, as it seemed to me, was what 
 took place with those bright spirits which arrived in company, as 
 soon as they lighted on a certain .stair.' 
 
 43-5. quel : St. Peter Damian. This saint was born at 
 Ravenna towards the end of Cent. x. ; he retired to the monastery 
 of Fonte Avellana, but was made Bishop of Ostia and Cardinal 
 in 1058, and died in 1072. che presso, &c. : 'which stayed 
 its movement the nearest to us.' pensando : in thought, not 
 in words, m' accenne : ' dost indicate to me,' by thy increased 
 brightness ; accenne for accenni. 
 
 46-8. il come e il quando : ' the manner and the time.* 
 fo ben, &c. : ' do well in not asking my question.' 
 
 50, 51. Nel veder, &c. : in the face of God. Solvi : 'appease,* 
 'satisfy'; cp. Par. xv. 52; xix. 25. 
 
 57. si presso, &c. : 'has caused thee to approach so near to 
 me ' ; Dante supposes that this spirit is affected towards him by 
 some special feeling which does not influence the others. 
 
 61-3. Tu hai, &c. : St. Peter Damian answers Dante's second 
 question first. The spirits had ceased from their singing, because 
 Dante's mortal powers would have been paralysed by it, as Beatrice 
 had told him that he would be by her smile in this sphere 
 
 (II. 4-12). 
 
 65. per farti festa : ' to greet thee.* 
 
 67, 68. Ne pill, &c. : the answer to Dante's first question is, 
 that it was not personal affection, but divine appointment, which 
 caused him to come to converse with Dante, presta : the feminine 
 is used to correspond to nascosta 2Si6. posta (11. 55, 57), which Dante 
 
 548 
 
XXI. 72-105] PARADISO 
 
 puts into that gender because he addresses St. Peter Damian as 
 vita heata. For the same reason in 1. 70 serve is used fern, of 
 the spirits generally. In 11. 114, 125, where there is no such 
 cause, the saint speaks of himself in the masc. piu e tanto, &c. : 
 ' love equal to mine or greater is felt for thee by other spirits on the 
 upper grades of the stairway.' 
 
 72. Sorteggia qui: 'God, who is love (1' alta carit^), 
 appoints to each one his office here.' 
 
 74, 75. libero amore, &c. : 'the influence of the divine love is 
 a sufficient motive power, without an express command (libero), 
 to cause you to execute the designs of God's providence.' 
 
 76. a cerner, &c. : 'appears to me hard to discern.' 
 
 8 1 . Girando se : the rapid rotatory movement, here as elsewhere, 
 expresses excess of joy. The joy consists in the pleasure of 
 answering the question. mola : the comparison to a millstone 
 is the same as in Par. xii. 3. 
 
 82-4. Poi rispose, &c. : the answer to Dante's question is, 
 that God's foreordained appointments are inscrutable. This is the 
 same view of God's predestination which has been given in Par. xx. 
 130-2. s' appunta : 'reaches its aim,' 'rests on me.' per 
 questa, &c. : ' through this light (the enveloping light) by which I 
 am embosomed.' 
 
 85-7. congiunta: ' acting in combination with.' della quale, 
 &c. : 'from which it (the divine light) emanates,' lit. 'is milked.' 
 
 89, 90. Perche, &c. : 'because the brightness of my flame is in 
 proportion to the clearness of my vision of God.' 
 
 91-3. si schiara : 'is illuminated.' satisfara : ^or satisfaria; 
 see Nannucci, ylnalisi Critica, p. 324, where other instances of this 
 form are given. In one of these the accent is on the penultima, as here. 
 
 94-6. si s' inoltra: 'lies so deep.' scisso : 'far removed,' 
 lit. ' cut oflT.' 
 
 99. A tanto, &c. : ' to move its feet toward so high a goal,' i. e. 
 to attempt to fathom so great a mystery. 
 
 100-2. fuma : ' is obscured by smoke.' riguarda, &c. : 'con- 
 sider, how can it do below, what it cannot do even if the Heaven 
 receives it ? ' i. e. even when it is in Heaven. For this use of perche 
 cp. Inf. xxxii. 100. 
 
 103-5. mi prescrisser: 'restrained me,' lit. 'marked out my 
 limits.' domandarla: for la fem. see note on 1. 67. 
 
 649 
 
PARADISO [XXI. 1C6-23 
 
 106. Tra due liti, &c. : with his usual fondness for geographical 
 detail, Dante describes the Apennines as interposed between the 
 Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian sea, and then mentions the Monte 
 Catria as a high point in the chain in the neighbourhood of Tuscany. 
 This passage is illustrated by De Vulg. Eloq. i. 10. 11. 40 foil., 
 where the watershed formed by the Apennines is more fully de- 
 scribed ; Dante there refers to Lucan's account of the same range in 
 Phars. ii. 392-438. 
 
 108. Tanto : take with surgon ; 'rise to such a height, that 
 the sound of the thunder is heard far beneath.' 
 
 109-11. un gibbo: 'a height,' lit. 'hump.' Catria: this 
 mountain rises to the eastward of Arezzo. ermo : for eremo 
 (Gr. €p7]fxos:\ properly a ' solitude ' or ' desert ' ; hence a ' hermitage.' 
 In Purg. V. 96 the word is used as a proper name to signify the 
 monastery of Camaldoli. In the present passage the monastery of 
 Fonte Avellana is meant, which lies on the slope of Monte Catria 
 in the neighbourhood of Gubbio. suol : ' was wont ' ; cp. 11. 118, 
 119. The pres. tense of solere is occasionally used with the force of 
 the imperf. ; cp. Inf. xvi. 68 ; Petrarch, Rime in Morie, Son. Ixxxiii. 
 1. I, 'Morte ha spento quel Sol ch' abbaghar suolmi.' latria : 
 Gk. Aarpeta, ' divine worship ' ; this Greek word was known to 
 Dante from Aquinas, Summa, ii. 2dae. Q. 81. Art. I. 
 
 1 1 2-4. Cosi, &c. : 'thus he commenced anew to me his third 
 address.' The saint had spoken twice before, mi fei si fermo : 
 ' I devoted myself so completely.' 
 
 118-20. Render, &c. : 'used to supply a rich harvest of souls.* 
 vano : 'unproductive.' tosto, &c. : ' its true character must soon 
 be revealed.' 
 
 121— 3. In quel loco, &c. : this is a very perplexing passage; 
 but a considerable advance has been made toward the interpretation 
 of it by the determination of what is meant by ' the house of Our 
 Lady on the Adriatic shore (11. 122, 123).' Mercati has proved 
 that St. Peter Damian resided for two years of the early part of his 
 life in the monastery of Santa Maria in Pomposa, which is situated 
 on a small island at the mouths of the Po, near Comacchio ; and 
 the Saint himself in his writings refers to it as ' Monasterium 
 Sanctae Mariae in Pomposia.' This monastery was an important 
 place in those days. With the punctuation which is found in Witte 
 and in the Oxford text — i. e. with a semicolon after Damiano and 
 
 560 
 
XXI. 124-4^] PARADISO 
 
 no stop after peccator — the meaning is, that he was known as 
 Peter Damian at Fonte Avellana, and had previously borne the 
 name (which he gave to himself) of ' Peter the Sinner ' in the 
 monastery just mentioned. The objection to this is, that he used 
 the name of Petrus Peccator, not only at an early period, but also 
 throughout the latter part of his life, and it appears frequently in 
 his letters. If, on the other hand, the semicolon be removed from 
 the end of 1. I2i, and placed after peccator, the passage will 
 run — 'At Fonte Avellana was I, Peter Damian, known as Peter 
 the Sinner; I resided also at the monastery of Santa Maria in 
 Pomposa on the Adriatic coast.' The omission of the conjunction 
 'also* with/wi nella casa^ &c., and the consequent abruptness of the 
 commencement of the sentence, are somewhat serious objections to 
 this interpretation. See Toynbee, D'lct.^ pp. 187, 188. 
 
 124-6. Poca vita: fourteen years, from 1058 to 1072; see 
 note on 1. 43. chiesto e tratto : ' sought out and forced ' ; both 
 words express his unwillingness. quel cappello : the cardinal's 
 hat. si travasa : lit. ' passes from vessel to vessel ' : ' which, as 
 it passes from one holder of the office to another, only goes from 
 bad to worse.' The increasing corruption of the College of 
 Cardinals is referred to, and in what follows the opportunity is 
 taken of inveighing against it. 
 
 127-9. Venne Cephas, &c. : 'when Peter and Paul came, they 
 were lean and barefoot, and got their food from any chance hostelry.' 
 The reference is to Luke x. 7, ' In the same house remain, eating 
 and drinking such things as they give.' il gran vasello : the 
 Lord said of St. Paul to Ananias, ' Go thy way : for he is a chosen 
 vessel unto me,' Acts ix. 15. 
 
 130-2. rincalzi : 'to support them,' by giving them their arms. 
 meni : ' show them the way,' to prevent their stumbling, gli alzi : 
 ' hold up their trains.' 
 
 134, 135. due bestie : the horse and his rider, pazienza: 
 ' longsuflering of God.' 
 
 137. girarsi : the joy signified by this rotatory movement is 
 caused by their satisfaction at the indignation expressed in 1. 135. 
 This also accounts for the loud exclamation which follows. 
 
 141. non potrebbe, &c. : 'no parallel or comparison could be 
 found for it on earth.' 
 
 142. intesi : ' comprehend the meaning of the words.* 
 
 551 
 
PARADISO [XXII. 9-33 
 
 CANTO XXII 
 
 Argument. — St. Benedict next addresses Dante, and after 
 mentioning the circumstances of the foundation of his monastery on 
 Monte Cassino, bewails the corruption of the Benedictine Order. 
 Dante is now caught up the luminous stairway, and translated into 
 the eighth Heaven, that of the Fixed Stars, where he finds himself 
 in the constellation of the Twins. From this point, at Beatrice's 
 command, he looks downward through the seven spheres which he 
 has traversed, and on seeing the earth far beneath him, expresses 
 his feeling of contempt for its insignificance. 
 
 Line 9. da buon zelo : ' from righteous zeal.' Beatrice is 
 referring to the cry which Dante had just heard ; this, she says, 
 does not proceed from anger or despair, like the appalling bursts of 
 sound which had assailed his ears in Hell, but from elevated feeling. 
 
 10, II. il canto, &c. : 'the song of the spirits in this sphere 
 and my smile'; cp. Par. xxi. 58-63. 
 
 13, 14. i preghi suoi : 'its prayers,' i.e. the prayers which 
 combined to form the cry. la vendetta : the death of Boniface 
 VIII is probably referred to. 
 
 17, 18. ma' che : ' except'; cp. Inf. iv. 26 ; Purg. xviii. 53. 
 It is the Lat. magis quam, in the sense of ' otherwise than.' al 
 parer, &c. : * as it seems to him,' lit. ' according to his view.' 
 The man who desires God's retribution thinks it tarries, the man 
 who fears it thinks it comes all too soon. 
 
 21. r aspetto ridui : *you turn your face round.' ridui is for 
 r'lduct. The form in French corresponding to riducere is reduire, 
 
 23. sperule : 'little globes of light.' insieme: 'correspond- 
 ingly.' 
 
 26, 27. La punta, &c. : 'the urgency of his desire.' del 
 troppo : ' to exceed.' 
 
 30. Per far, &c. : ' to satisfy my wish concerning himself,' i. e. 
 to answer the question that was in my mind, viz. who he was. 
 
 31-3. dentro a lei : within the enveloping light, which has 
 just been compared to a pearl. Li tuoi, &c. : ' you would express 
 your thoughts.' 
 
 662 
 
XXII. 34-751 PARADISO 
 
 34-6. perche, &c. : 'that you may not delay (tarde for tardi) 
 in reaching the lofty goal of your journey,' i. e. the presence of God. 
 pure, &c. : ' merely to the thought,' i. e. to the thought unexpressed 
 in words, si ti riguarde : ' art so scrupulous (lit. thoughtful) of 
 uttering.' 
 
 37. Quel monte: Monte Cassino, on the slope of which the 
 town of the same name lies. It stands about halfway between Rome 
 and Naples. The speaker is St. Benedict (480-543), the founder 
 of the Benedictine Order, who after spending some years in retreat 
 at Subiaco, migrated to Monte Cassino, and established the monastery, 
 which has been the parent of all the Benedictine monasteries. What 
 is here said about St. Benedict (11. 37-45) is founded on a passage 
 in the Dialogues of St. Gregory (ii. 2) ; see Toynbee, Diet., p. 77. 
 
 38, 39. Fu frequentato, &c. : St. Benedict found paganism 
 still existing on Monte Cassino, and a temple of Apollo at which 
 the people offered sacrifices. This he persuaded them to destroy. 
 ingannata e mal disposta : ' misguided and perverse.' 
 
 41. Colui : Christ. 
 
 47. quel caldo : the heat of divine love. 
 
 49-51. Maccario : St. Macarius, the Egyptian anchorite of 
 Cent, iv., who established the monastic rule of the East. Romoaldo : 
 St. Romuald, who founded in 1012 the monastery of Camaldoli in 
 the upper valley of the Arno for the Order of the Reformed Bene- 
 dictines (Camaldolesi) which he established. Fermar li piedi : 
 ' abode steadfastly.' 
 
 60. con imagine scoperta : 'with unveiled form,'i. e. without 
 the enveloping light. 
 
 62, 63. ultima spera : the Empyrean, where the Blessed appear 
 unveiled, and where Dante sees St. Benedict ; cp. Par. xxxii. 35. 
 e il mio : ' including my desire of satisfying you.' If a comma be 
 read before these words (Witte, Scartazzini), they must be taken 
 with J-' adempiera understood, ' and my desire of revealing myself 
 plainly to you shall be fulfilled.' 
 
 66. E ogni parte, &c. : ' every part is immutable and eternal.' 
 
 67-9. in loco : ' in space ' ; cp. Coni). ii. 4. 11. 37-9, ' Esso non 
 e in luogo, ma formato fu solo nella prima Mente.' non s* impola : 
 ' does not turn on poles.' s' invola : ' it is hidden ' ; cp. Par. xxi. 
 29, 30. 
 
 73-5. per salirla, &c. : ' lifts his feet from off the earth to 
 
 553 
 
PARADISO [xxii. 77-96 
 
 mount the stairway of heavenly contemplation.' la regola mia, &c. : 
 * my Rule remains (on earth) only to cause waste of paper.' The 
 rules of the Order are copied out but not observed. Rimasa e : 
 the hiatus between these words is extraordinary; both the metre 
 and the sense would be improved if Rimasa v* e were read, but 
 there does not seem to be any authority for this. 
 
 77, 78. spelonche : 'dens of thieves,' with reference to Matt. 
 xxi. 13, ' speluncam latronum * (Vulg.) ; cp. Jer. vii. 11, which our 
 Lord is there quoting, cocolle : ' monks' dresses ' ; cp. cuculla in 
 Par. ix. 78. Sacca, &c. : 'are sacks filled with worthless flour,' 
 i. e. are unprofitable for good works. For the fem. plur. sacca 
 from sacco cp. le uova, le dita, &c. 
 
 79-84. si tolle, &c. : 'rises up as an offence against God.' 
 quel frutto, &c. : covetousness in misappropriating the revenues of 
 the Church, which rightfully belong to God's poor (la gente che 
 per Dio domanda), to the purposes of nepotism and licentiousness. 
 This in the sight of God is a worse sin than usury, though the 
 usurers are found in the seventh Circle of the Inferno ; cp. Inf. 
 xvii. 34 foil. 
 
 85-7. blanda : ' soft,' ' yielding,' ' weak.' gm non basta, 
 &c. : ' on earth a good commencement does not maintain its efficacy 
 from the springing (lit. birth) of the oak till its acorns are formed.' 
 The reference is to the degeneration of religious institutions, which, 
 starting originally (Dal nascer dell a querela) from good beginnings, 
 lose their vitality before their fruits are matured. Basta is here 
 used in the sense of ' hold out,' ' maintain itself.' 
 
 88-93. Pier, '&c. : the principle just laid down is illustrated in 
 the lines which follow. St. Peter founded his society (the Church), 
 and St. Benedict and St. Francis their Orders, in poverty and 
 humility ; but in the course of time all these have lost their original 
 fair character. For St. Peter cp. Acts iii. 6, ' Silver and gold have 
 I none.' convento : ' society,' as in Purg. xxi. 62. 
 
 94-6. Veramente ; ' nevertheless ' ; cp. Par. i. 10. The 
 saint concludes by adding that the case is not desperate ; to reform 
 these institutions may require miraculous interposition, but God 
 worked greater miracles than this when he brought the Israelites 
 into the Promised Land. ' Nevertheless the turning back of Jordan's 
 stream, and the retreating of the Red Sea, when God so willed, 
 were greater miracles to behold than relief in the present case would 
 
 554 
 
XXII. 98-132] PARADISO 
 
 be.' The mention of the Jordan and the Red Sea is from Ps. cxiii. 3 
 (Vulg.), ' Mare vidit, et fugit ; Jordanis conversus est retrorsum.' 
 
 98, 99. collegio : ^company'; cp. Par. xix. 1 10. si strinse : 
 * closed together.' come turbo : with a rushing, whirling move- 
 ment. 
 
 1 04, 105. Naturalmente : ' by natural law.' ala : 'flight.' 
 
 106, 107. S' io torni, &c. : 'so may I sometime return to the 
 triumph of the saints.' Se introduces the usual form of affirmation. 
 per lo quale : ' for the sake of which,' ' to attain to which.' 
 
 109-11. tratto e messo : for the inversion of the order in 
 these words, the latter being put first in order to express the 
 instantaneous character of the act, cp. Par. ii. 23, 24. The 
 instantaneous nature of the ascent from sphere to sphere has already 
 been frequently noticed. il segno : the constellation of Gemini. 
 Dante has now ascended from the Heaven of Saturn to that of the 
 Fixed Stars. In the lines which follow (11. 112-20) he explains 
 that Gemini was appointed as the constellation which he should 
 enter, because it corresponded to his birth. 
 
 113, 114. dal quale, &c. : 'from which I recognize that all 
 my genius proceeds.' In astrology persons who were born when 
 the sun was in Gemini were endowed with genius and literary 
 ability. 
 
 1x5-7. Con voi, &c. : ' the sun rose and set in your company,' 
 i. e. the sun was in Gemini. As the sun entered Gemini in the 
 middle of May and left it in the middle of June, Dante's birthday 
 fell within that period. Quegli, &c. : on the periphrasis here used 
 to describe the sun see note on Par. xxvii. 137, 138. 
 
 119, 120. rota: the sphere of the Fixed Stars. La vostra, 
 &c. : it was ordained for me that I should be in that part of the 
 heavens which is occupied by the Twins. 
 
 123. Al passo, &c. : 'to the difficult task which demands its 
 attention,' viz. that of describing the remaining scenes in Heaven. 
 For passo in the sense of 'difficulty' cp. Par. iv. 91. 
 
 124. ultima salute: God; cp. Par. xxxiii. 27. 
 
 127-9. t' iiilei : ' dost approach to it,' i. e. to the ultima salute, 
 cp. imm'iare, intuare in Par. ix. 81. quanto mondo, &c. : ' how 
 great a part of the universe I have (by conducting thee hither) 
 caused to lie beneath thy feet.' 
 
 132. Che lieta vien, &c. : 'that comes rejoicing through this 
 
 555 
 
PARADISO [xxii. 133-47 
 
 rounded ether.' The ' throng ' is the Triumph of Christ, which is 
 described in the next Canto. 
 
 133. Col vise, &c. : the whole of this passage which follows 
 is derived from Cicero, Somnium Scipionis, §§ 3-6 (in De Re 
 Pulf/ica, lib. vi.), where the successive heavenly spheres with their 
 accompanying planets are described as seen from above. There it 
 is said of the earth — 'lam ipsa terra ita mihi parva visa est, ut 
 me imperii nostri, quo quasi punctum eius attingimus, paeniteret' 
 (§ 3). And again — ' Tum Africanus, Sentio, inquit, te sedem 
 etiam nunc hominum ac domum contemplari : quae si tibi parva, 
 ut est, ita videtur, haec caelestia semper spectato, ilia humana 
 contemnito' (§ 6). 
 
 137. ad altro pensa : i.e. removes his thoughts from it, and 
 fixes them on heavenly things. 
 
 139—41. Vidi, &c. : 'I saw the moon illuminated by the sun.' 
 queir ombra : the spots on the moon's face. Dante supposes 
 himself to be looking at the face of the moon which is opposite to 
 that which is seen from the earth, and consequently the spots are 
 hidden from him. gik : Dante's view that the spots were caused 
 by the rarity of parts of the moon's surface was first advanced 
 in Conv. ii. 14. 11. 69—76. It is repeated in Par. ii. 59, 60, 
 but is there refuted by Beatrice. 
 
 142-4. tuo nato, &c. : the Sun; cp. Ov. Met. iv. 192, 241, 
 where the Sun is spoken of as ' Hyperione natus.' e vidi, &c. : 
 ' and I saw how Mercury and Venus make their revolutions in the 
 neighbourhood of the sun.' a lui is to be taken with vicino, but 
 not with circa. Dante is here thinking of Somn. Scip. § 4, where 
 Africanus, who is speaking, looks from the Heaven of the Fixed 
 Stars, and says — ' Hunc (i. e. solem) ut comites consequuntur 
 Veneris alter, alter Mercurii cursus.' The use of the sing, verb 
 (si move) with two subjects (Maia e Dione) is the same which 
 is found in many passages of the Div. Com. Maia e Dione : the 
 name of Dione is used for that of her daughter Venus in Ov. Fast. 
 ii. 461, and elsewhere in the classics; and it seems to be on the 
 analogy of this that Maia is here used for the name of her son 
 Mercury. 
 
 I45~7' Qtiindi, &c. : 'from this point I beheld the tempering 
 influence of Jupiter between his father and his son.' Jupiter is 
 spoken of in Par. xviii. 68 as the temprata stella, whereas Mars was 
 
 556 
 
XXII. 148-53] PARADISO 
 
 fiery and Saturn cold. Tra here bears a double meaning, referring 
 both to the position of these planets in the heavens and to their 
 natures. II variar, &c. : ' the changes in their position,' as they 
 appear sometimes nearer to the sun, sometimes farther from it. 
 For dove used substantively cp. suo dove in Par. xii. 30. 
 
 148-50. sette : the five planets, together with the sun and 
 moon, riparo : lit. ' place of refuge,' * shelter ' ; hence ' abode.' 
 ' How distant from each other are their abodes,' i. e. their places in 
 the sky. 
 
 151. aiuola : ' little plot of ground ' ; here the word is applied 
 in contempt to the earth, feroci : ' proud,' like ferox in Lat. ; 
 this meaning corresponds to the sentiments expressed in the Somnium 
 Scipionis, where the pride of man is derided. On the other hand, 
 the resemblance of the use of the word areola for the earth in De 
 Mon. iii. 16. 1. 90 — where the importance of the Empire in pre- 
 venting wars between the inhabitants of the earth is being spoken 
 of — to that of aiuola here, is in favour of rendering feroci by 
 * fierce,' with reference to stmggles for the possession of the earth. 
 
 153. Tutta m' apparve : taken in connexion with dai colli 
 alle foci ('from the hills to the river-mouths'), this means 'was 
 seen in all its details.' This rendering avoids the difficulty which 
 arises from supposing that Dante intends to say that he saw the 
 whole of the habitable globe. As far as his position was concerned, 
 indeed, it was possible for him to do so, if — as seems to be implied 
 in Par. xxvii. 79-81 — he was on the meridian of Jerusalem, because 
 that place lay midway between Gades and the mouth of the Ganges, 
 the western and eastern extremities of the habitable globe, and that 
 area extended over half the circumference of the earth. But as 
 Dante was now in Gemini, and the sun was in Aries, and therefore 
 two signs of the zodiac to the westward of him, the easternmost 
 part of the habitable globe would from this point of view be in 
 shadow and invisible. 
 
 557 
 
PARADISO [xxiii. 1-24 
 
 CANTO XXIII 
 
 Argument. — The Tnumph of Christ is revealed to Dante, in 
 which first Christ himself appears, and afterwards, in the midst of 
 an innumerable company of saints, the Blessed Virgin, round whom 
 the archangel Gabriel revolves, producing by his rapid movement the 
 effect of a coronal of light. 
 
 Lines 1—3. Come 1' augello : supply si sta from si stava in 
 1. 10. Beatrice waiting in anxious expectation of the Triumph of 
 Christ is compared to the bird that waits longingly for the dawn of 
 day. Posato, &c. : ' who during the night has rested on the nest.' 
 
 7—9. Previene, &c. : ' anticipates the time upon an open spray,' 
 i. e. perches on a spray before daybreak, which would be the natural 
 time for her to leave her nest, aperta : because she would thus 
 most readily see the daylight. Fiso, &c. : ' watching intently for 
 the breaking of the dawn,' lit. 'if haply the dawn may break.' 
 
 II. la plaga, &c. : the meridian, towards which Beatrice now 
 lifted her eyes. For the idea that the sun paused when he reached 
 the meridian see note on Purg. xxxiii. 103. 
 
 13-5. sospesa e vaga : ' distraught and wistful.' Altro, &c. : 
 'is possessed by a vague longing (Ht. would fain get something 
 else than what he has), and contents himself with the hope (of 
 obtaining it).' 
 
 16-8. Ma poco, &c. : 'but the interval was short between the 
 one and the other time — the time of my waiting, I mean, and that 
 when I saw,' &c. venir : this word, used with the gemnd, gives 
 the force of progress or continuance ; cp. venner parendo in Purg. 
 xxii. 82. 
 
 20. il frutto, &c. : ' the fruit (i. e. the saints) harvested from 
 the revolutions of these spheres.' The celestial spheres, by the 
 influences of which, according to the views of Dante and his 
 contemporaries, the characters and lives of men were modified 
 (cp. Purg. XXX. 109-11 ; Par. xvii. 76-8; xxii. 11 2-4), are here 
 regarded as the field from which the saintliness of Heaven was 
 gathered in. 
 
 24. senza costrutto : 'without expressing it in words'; cp. 
 r ultimo costrutto in Purg. xxviii. 147. 
 
 658 
 
XXIII. 26-54] PARADISO 
 
 26, 27. Trivia: one of the classical names of Diana or the 
 Moon ; this goddess was so called because her temples were often 
 erected where three roads met. The ninfe eterne are the stars. 
 i seni : ' its depths.' 
 
 29, 30. Un Sol: Christ, le viste superne: 'the sights 
 above ' ; for vista in the sense of ' an object of sight ' cp. Par. 
 ii. 104. In Dante's time the light of the stars was supposed to be 
 derived from the sun ; see note on Par. xx. 6. 
 
 32. sustanzia : our Lord's human nature. 
 
 34. O Beatrice, &c. : the insertion of this exclamation between 
 the mention of Dante's sudden loss of sight and Beatrice's ex- 
 planation of it seems to imply that it was suggested by the recollection 
 of her constant care for him ; ' how happy was I in having so gentle 
 and loving a guide.' 
 
 35, 36. Quel che, &c. : 'that which overmasters thy sight is 
 a power which no eye can bear,' lit. 'from which no object can 
 defend itself.' 
 
 39. Onde : ' of which,' i. e. of the opening of the thoroughfares 
 between Heaven and earth. 
 
 40-2. Come, &c. : the ecstasy resulting from the mind being 
 overcharged with impressions is here compared to lightning bursting 
 from a cloud owing to its expansive force. Per dilatarsi, &c. : 
 ' owing to its expanding so, that there is no room for it there.' On 
 capere in the sense of ' to be contained ' see note on Purg. xxi. 8 1 . 
 Dante's theory of the formation of lightning has been explained in 
 note on Purg. xxxii. no. fuor di sua natura : because fire had 
 naturally an upward tendency towards the region of fire ; cp. Par. 
 i. 115. 
 
 45. che si fesse : ' what it became,' ' what happened to it.' 
 
 46-8. Apri : Beatrice is speaking, cose, &c. : 'such things, 
 that thou hast gained the power,' &c. For the omission of tale 
 before a subst. with che following cp. Par. x. 134. 
 
 49, 50. si risente, &c. : ' recalls the impression of a forgotten 
 vision.' That which here corresponds to the ' forgotten vision ' is 
 the Triumph of Christ, of which Dante had had a momentary view 
 (11. 28-33), and to which Beatrice refers in 1. 47, 'Tu hai vedute 
 cose,' &c. obblita : for obbliata, apparently in imitation of Lat. 
 obiitus. 
 
 53? 54' grado : 'gratitude.' libro, &c. : 'the book which 
 
 559 
 
PAR AD I SO [xxiii . 56-95 
 
 I registers the past,' i. e. the tablets of memory ; cp. Fita Nuova, § i. 
 
 11. I, 2, 'iJ libro della mia memorial 
 ' 56, 57. Polinnia : Polyhymnia, the Muse of sacred song, le 
 Sucre : the other Muses, pingue : ' lubrical ' (Longf.). 
 
 60. E quanto, &c. : ' and how it illuminated the sacred counte- 
 nance.' Others read il facea mero^ and translate, ' How the sacred 
 face (of Christ) increased its brightness.' 
 
 61-3. E cosi, &c. : 'and in like manner (elsewhere) in my 
 description of Paradise, the sacred poem is forced to skip over 
 (i. e. make omissions), like one who finds an interruption to his road.' 
 
 67. pileggio : 'passage.' The Fi?^^^. 7><3w^/<?r gives a variety 
 of instances of the use of this word in the sense of ' a passage by 
 sea.' For the sentiment here cp. Par. ii. 1-6. 
 
 7 1 . giardino : the assembled spirits which form the Triumph of 
 Christ. 
 
 73-5. larosa: the Blessed Virgin ; so Christ is called 'Fruit 
 of the mystic Rose.' li gigli, &c. : the Apostles and Martyrs, by 
 I whose ' odour of sanctity ' the faithful have been guided in the way 
 of holiness. 
 
 78. battaglia, &c. : the ' struggle of the feeble eyelids ' is Dante's 
 attempt to distinguish the dazzling objects which formed the Triumph. 
 
 79-84. Come, &c. : ' as erewhile my eyes, themselves in shadow, 
 have seen a flowery mead in a ray of sunlight, which passes un- 
 dimmed through the break in a cloud, so,' &c. The company 
 of saints, illuminated by the light that emanates from Christ, who 
 has now ascended, so that He is hidden from Dante's eyes, is 
 compared to a flowery meadow, on which the sunlight falls through 
 the opening in a cloud, while the beholder himself is in shadow. 
 
 85, 86. gl' imprenti: 'dost impress thy influence upon them.' 
 loco : ' scope,' i. e. capacity for using my eyes. non eran 
 possenti : ' were unable to see,' while Christ himself was present. 
 
 88-90. Ilnome, &c. : the mention of the Rose, 1. 73. lo mag- 
 gior foco : ' the greatest of these lights,' i. e. the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 91-3. E come, &c. : 'and as soon as the brilliancy (quality) and 
 the greatness (quantity) of the living star (the figure of the Virgin), 
 who excels in Heaven above, as she did excel on earth beneath, was 
 depicted on both my eyes.' 
 
 94-6. Perentro : ' from the depths of,' lit. ' within.' facella : 
 the archangel Gabriel, the angel of the Annunciation, as is seen 
 
 560 
 
XXIII. 99-1^3] PARADISO 
 
 from 1. 103 ; cp. also Par. xxxii. 94. Formata in cerchio, &c. : 
 'with a circling movement resembling a crown, and cinctured her 
 (i.e. the Virgin), and revolved around her.' The rapidity of the 
 archangel's movement produces the appearance of a coronal of light. 
 cinse expresses the form, girossi the movement, of this coronal. / 
 
 99. Parrebbe, &c. : ' would resemble thunder bursting from 
 a cloud,' i. e. a rude inharmonious sound. 
 
 100-2. lira: the archangel singing. Onde, &c. : 'by which 
 was encircled (i. e. which moved around) the fair sapphire, which 
 forms a jewel in the brightest Heaven,' the Empyrean. Philalethes 
 suggests that the sapphire is attributed to the Virgin because of . 
 the blue robe which mediaeval painters give her. For tti'z.affirare 
 signifying ' to adorn as a sapphire ' cp. ingemmare in Par. xv. 86 ; 
 xviii. 117. 
 
 104, 105. L' alta letizia, &c. : the expression is inverted; 
 ' the womb from which sublime joy proceeds.' nostro disiro : 
 Christ, 'the desire of all nations,' Haggai ii. 7. 
 
 106-8. mentre, &c. : ' until thou followest thy Son,' i. e. 
 ascendest into the Empyrean Heaven, to which Christ had already 
 departed, perche gli entre : ' by entering there.' gli = mi ; 
 cp. Par. XXV. 124; Purg. viii. 69. 
 
 no. si sigillava : ' set to its seal,' i. e. came to an end. 
 
 1 1 2-4. Lo real manto : this is the Crystalline Heaven or 
 Primum Mobile^ which lies outside, and so envelops, all the other 
 spheres, volumi : 'revolving spheres,' lit. 'revolutions,' in which ! 
 latter sense it is used in Par. xxvi. 119. che piii ferve : 'which 
 is most ardent.' The Primum Mobile is the nearest sphere to the 
 Empyrean, and communicates the divine influences to the other 
 spheres, costumi : ' his works and ways ' (Longf.). 
 
 115, 116. r interna riva : 'its inner surface.' The Primum 
 Mobile is the next Heaven above that of the Fixed Stars, la sua 
 parvenza : ' the sight, semblance of it.' 
 
 119, 120. la coronata fiamma: the Virgin with the archangel 
 circling round her. appresso, &c. : ' following close on her 
 offspring (Christ).' 
 
 1 2 1-3. in ver, &c. : 'reaches out towards its mother' in token 
 of aifection. Per 1' animo, &c. : *• through the impulse which 
 kindles into outward show.' in fin di fuor : ' until it shows itself 
 outwardly.' 
 
 TOZER 561 
 
PARADISO [xxin.128— XXIV. II 
 
 128. Regina caeli: this is the commencement of the Easter 
 ! antiphon to the Virgin. 
 
 130-2. quanta, &c. : ' how great is the abundance (of happiness) 
 which is stored in those most wealthy coffers.' si sofFolce : the 
 two forms soffhlcersi and soffolgersi are both derived from Lat. 
 siiffulcire^ ' to support ' ; the former of these is here used in the 
 sense of ' to be contained ' through the intermediate meaning ' to 
 be piled up ' ; the latter is found in Inf. xxix. 5 for ' to be 
 stayed/ ' to rest.* a seminar, &c. : ' good acres for sowing here 
 below.' Bobolca is apparently another form of huhulca or bubulcata 
 (sub. terra)^ which words mean the amount of land that can be 
 ploughed by a yoke of oxen in one day; see Vocah. Tramater. 
 Others take buone bobolce as meaning 'good husbandmen for 
 sowing,' and regard bobolce as a fem. form from loholco (Lat. 
 huhulcus^ ' ploughman '), which is adapted so as to correspond to 
 arche. 
 
 133-5. tesoro, &c. : 'the treasure of eternal happiness, which 
 was won through tears in the Babylonian exile of mortal life, where 
 these spirits neglected worldly treasure.' 
 
 138, 139. r antico, &c. : the assembly of the saints of the Old 
 and New Testaments. Colui : St. Peter. 
 
 CANTO XXIV 
 
 Argument. — St. Peter examines Dante on the subject of Faith. 
 
 Line r. sodalizio: ' company,' 'brotherhood.' These are the 
 souls which ' are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb,' 
 Rev. xix. 9. 
 
 6. tempo : ' his appointed time.' 
 
 7-9. afiFezione : ' desire ' of receiving your instruction, quel 
 ch' ei pensa : ' the subject of his thought,' ' the questions which are 
 passing through his mind.' These proceed from the mind of God, 
 which is the fountain-head of knowledge. 
 
 II. Si fero, &c. : 'formed themselves into circles revolving on 
 fixed poles.' These circles of spirits, which revolved round Dante 
 and Beatrice, were concentric, as we see from what follows. 
 
 562 
 
XXIV. 13-33] PARADISO 
 
 13—5. in tempra d* oriuoli : 'in the mechanism of clocks ' ; 
 tempra, lit. ' arrangement ' ; the corresponding verb temperare is used 
 for 'to moderate,' 'regulate.' A simile of the same kind, derived 
 from the works of clocks, is found in Par. x. 139-42, only there 
 it is the striking apparatus which is spoken of. il primo : the 
 innermost, while 1' ultimo is the outermost. In comparison of the 
 rapid motion of the outer wheel the inner wheel appears to be at 
 rest. 
 
 16-8. Carole: 'bands of dancers'; carola in Ital., like carole 
 in Fr. and 'carol' in Engl., signified originally 'dance,' and from 
 this the meaning ' song ' was derived. See Skeat, s. v. ' carol,' who 
 shows that the word is of Celtic origin. Diiferente-Mente : 
 a similar instance of the separate use of this adverbial termination is 
 given by Scartazzini from Ariosto, Orl. Fur. xxviii. 41, 'Ancor ch' 
 egli conosce che diritta-Mente a sua maest^ danno si faccia.' The 
 adverbial form -mente was originally a substantive, as may be seen in 
 such expressions in Lat. as ' bona mente factum ' ; and in the 
 derivative languages it has had a tendency to retain something of its 
 separate character. Thus Max Miiller remarks {Science of Language^ 
 i. p. 47), that in Spanish, instead of saying ' claramente, concisamente 
 y elegantemente,' it is more elegant to say ' clara, concisa y elegante 
 mente.' della sua ricchezza, &c. : ' caused me to estimate the 
 amplitude of their joy and of the grace given to them according as 
 they were swift or slow.' 
 
 1 9-2 1 . quella : understand carola. un foco : St. Peter, vi : 
 in the company from which he came. 
 
 22. tre fiate : see note on 1. 152 inf. 
 
 25-7. salta: 'skips'; cp. Par. xxiii. 62. pieghe : lit. 'folds' 
 of a drapery ; hence, as the colours of the folds are in shadow, and 
 therefore subdued, it is here used of delicately modulated sounds. 
 ' Our imagination— not to say our language — is of a tint too glaring 
 to represent such cadences.' imagine : cp. Par. i. 53. 
 
 28. O santa, &c. : St. Peter here addresses Beatrice. 
 
 31—3. Poscia : i. e. after having revolved round Beatrice (11. 22, 
 23). The three preceding lines (11. 28-30) are practically out of 
 place, and are referred to afterwards in 1. 33. Gary translates : — 
 * Such were the accents towards my lady breathed From that blest 
 ardour, soon as it was stayed.' Scartazzini punctuates, Poscia fermato^ 
 with no comma after Benedetto, spiro : ' breath,' here used for 'voice.' 
 
 563 002 
 
PARADISO [xxiv. 35-1 1 1 
 
 35, 36. le chiavi, &c. : ' the keys of this wondrous abode of joy 
 (Heaven), which he bore down from Heaven to earth.' Christ opened 
 the kingdom of Heaven to men, and left to St. Peter the keys of it. 
 
 39. Per la qual, &c. : 'in the strength of which thou didst 
 walk upon the sea.' 
 
 41. quivi, &c. : 'fixed on the face of God, where all things 
 are visibly portrayed'; cp. Par. xv. 61—3 ; xvii. 37—9. 
 
 43-5. perche, &c. : ' since it is through the true faith that this 
 kingdom has obtained its inmates (lit. citizens), it is well, in order 
 to promote its glory, that he (Dante) should have the opportunity 
 of speaking of it.' The impersonal use of arrivare with the mean- 
 ing here given corresponds to that of the Fr. arriver ; in Ital. it is 
 rare, but another instance will be found in Vocah. Tramater. 
 
 46-8. SI come, &c. : ' as the Bachelor in silence equips himself 
 with arguments, while the Master is propounding the question, to 
 adduce the proofs, not to determine it.' The allusion here is to 
 what took place in the mediaeval Universities. The ' Master ' is 
 a duly licensed teacher, and the Bachelor a student who is preparing 
 for the office of teacher. The Bachelor at one stage of his pre- 
 paratory course was required to pass through a form of examination, 
 which was called 'Disputatio tentativa,' before a Master, who 
 propounded the subject of this (la question). Usually in such 
 cases a number of opponents were appointed to combat the candidate's 
 arguments (see Rashdall, The Universities of Europe in the Middle 
 Ages^ vol. i. p. 466). In the present instance, however, this is not 
 supposed to happen, and the proofs advanced lead up to a conclusion 
 which is recognized as well established, so that the candidate has no 
 need terminar la questione. Similarly, St. Peter propounds the 
 question, and Dante adduces what he considers to be the fitting 
 arguments, but the conclusion is determined beforehand. The title 
 ' disputatio tentativa ' is probably referred to in the word tenia in 
 1. 37. If it is true, as Boccaccio states in some detail in his Life 
 of Dante (p. 49, ed. Firenze, 1833), that Dante himself underwent 
 a disputation at Paris, he had personal experience of this. 
 
 51. A tal, &c. : 'to answer such a questioner, and to make such 
 a profession (of faith).' 
 
 52-1 1 1. The subjects of the questions and answers in what 
 follows are : — (i) what faith is (11. 52-66) ; (2) how Dante under- 
 stands St. Paul's definition of faith (11. 67-82) ; (3) whether Dante 
 
 564 
 
XXIV. 54-75] PARADISO 
 
 possesses faith (11. 83-7) ; (4) whence he derived his faith (11. 88-96); 
 (5) what is the evidence of the inspiration of Scripture, on which he 
 bases his faith (11. 97-1 11). 
 
 54. In : * toward.' 
 
 55-7. mi volsi, &c. : here, as elsewhere, Dante before answer- 
 ing a question appeals for leave to Beatrice as representing Theology : 
 cp. Par. xxi. 46, 47. ed essa, &c. : ' and she promptly made 
 signal to me, that I should give vent to the thought which was in 
 my mind.' 
 
 58-60. che mi dk, &c. : ' which grants me the privilege of 
 making my confession of faith.' dall' alto primipilo : ' in the 
 presence of the great centurion of the Church.' Primipilaris or 
 prirmpilus was the term for the centurion of the first maniple of the 
 Triarii, and consequently the head centurion of the legion, in the 
 Roman army. Hence this title is here given to St. Peter. Dante 
 may have been acquainted with the title primipilus through Vegetius, 
 De Re Miliiari, whom he quotes in jDe Mon. ii. 10. 1. 23. bene 
 espressi : ' to be well expressed.* Others read esser espress'i^ 
 in which case espressi means ' explicit.' 
 
 61—3. stilo : here used for 'pen'; it is the Lat. stilus^ which 
 was the name of the Roman implement for writing, frate, &c. : 
 St. Paul, who was associated with St. Peter in founding the Church 
 in Rome ; ' our beloved brother Paul ' is St. Peter's own expression 
 in 2 Pet. iii. 15. nel buon filo : 'in the right way'; filo is 
 'thread,' 'line,' 'track.' 
 
 64-6. Fede, &c. : from Heb. xi. i (Vulg.), ' Est autem fides 
 sperandarum substantia rerum, argumentum non apparentium.' The 
 Epistle to the Hebrews was attributed to St. Paul in Dante's time. 
 quiditate : 'essence'; see note on Par. xx. 9 a. 
 
 68, 69. per che, &c. : 'why Paul classed faith, first among the 
 substances, and secondly among the arguments (proofs).' 
 
 70—8. Dante's answer is ; — 'Heavenly mysteries cannot be known 
 on earth by sight, but are discerned by faith only; and as hope is 
 founded on this, faith is the substance, or foundation, of things 
 hoped for. It is also the proof of things unseen, because we are 
 justified in arguing from faith in matters where sight is unavailing.' 
 
 75. di sustanzia, &c. : 'it receives the name of substance.' 
 The word substantia in the passage in Hebrews is understood by 
 Dante to mean ' foundation ' {td quod substat) ; and this signification 
 
 565 
 
PARADISO [xxiv. 77-90 
 
 is also attributed by many commentators (though hardly rightly) to 
 the word vTrocrraais, which represents substantia in the original 
 Greek (see Alford's note ad loc). Hence Dante intends to say, 
 that faith is called the substance or foundation of things hoped for, 
 because hope is founded (si fonda) upon it. This interpretation is 
 supported by a passage from Peter Lombard, from whom several of 
 Dante's statements in this part of the poem are derived — 'Proprie 
 autem fides dicitur substantia rerum sperandarum, quia sperandis 
 substat, et Q^\?i fundamentum est bonorum, quod nemo mutare potest' 
 {Sentent. lib. iii. c. 23). intenza : this word gets the meaning of 
 ' name ' from that of ' signification.' 
 
 77, 78. Sillogizzar : 'to draw a conclusion,' 'to reason*: 
 ' faith is a proper groundwork from which to reason without the aid 
 of sight.* altra means ' without seeing anything beyond.^ Pero, &c. : 
 ' in this way it comes to be called a proof ' ; cp. Aquinas, Summa^ 
 ii. 2^86. Q. ^. Art. I (where Heb. xi. i is being spoken of) : — 
 ' Sumitur argumentum pro argumenti efFectu. Per argumentum enim 
 intellectus inducitur ad inhaerendum alicui vero : unde ipsa firma 
 adliaesio intellectus ad veritatem fidei non apparentem vocatur hie 
 argumentum.' 
 
 79-81. Se quantunque, &c. : ' if whatever is learnt by teaching 
 on earth were as clearly understood as this, there would be no room 
 there for sophistry.' gli : for vi; cp. Par. xxiii. 108. 
 
 82-4. Cosi spiro : ' such was the utterance,' lit. ' so it breathed 
 forth'; cp. 1. 54, ' spirava questo.' trascorsa : 'gone over,' 
 ' dealt with.' D' esta moneta, &c. : ' the alloy and the weight of 
 this coin.' The coin is Faith ; the alloy is its component elements, 
 the weight is its amount. The right alloy and the right weight 
 constitute a good coin. Dropping the metaphor, the meaning is — 
 the characteristics of a right faith have been discussed. 
 
 85-7. se tu r hai, &c. : 'whether you yourself possess faith.* 
 si lucida, &c. : the metaphor of the coin is continued; 'so shining 
 and so round. That in its stamp there is no perad venture ' (Longf.) ; 
 that is, ' my belief is so clear and perfect, that there is no article of 
 the faith about which any doubt arises in my mind.' s' inforsa : 
 inforsarsi, derived from forse, ' perhaps,' means ' to take the form of 
 doubt.' 
 
 89, 90. questa cara gioia, &c. : faith, which is the basis of 
 every Christian virtue. 
 
 566 
 
XXIV. 9I-II7] PARADISO 
 
 91-3. ploia : L.?it. p/uvia ; here used iov ploggia. The 'rain* 
 or ' infusion ' of the Holy Spirit is inspiration. Dante's answer to 
 St. Peter's question is : — ' I deduced it from the plenary inspiration 
 of Scripture, which appears to me to furnish an irrefragable argu- 
 ment.' cuoia: 'pages' of the Old and New Testament; lit. 
 'skins,' * parchment.' 
 
 94-6. sillogismo : ' an argument.' la : agreeing with gioia (the 
 Faith), while ella in the next line agrees with ploia (inspiration). 
 ottusa : ' blunt,' 'pointless,' in contrast to acutamente. 
 
 98. Proposizion : this word, from meaning ' a logical premiss,' 
 is here used in the sense of ' Testament,' because the books of the 
 Bible are a ' statement ' or ' affirmation ' of the word of God. ti 
 conchiude : ' draws the conclusion for thee.' 
 
 100-2. Ed io : Dante answers: — 'The proof of the inspiration 
 of Scripture is found in the miracles which accompanied the revelation 
 which is there recorded.' 1' opere seguite, &c. : ' the works which 
 followed on this revelation (i. e. the miracles), which were not the 
 product of natural agencies.' 
 
 104, 105. Quel medesmo, &c. : ' your only evidence of the 
 miracles having taken place is found in the very book, the divine 
 origin of which you regard as proved by the miracles ' ; you seem 
 to be arguing in a circle. 
 
 106-10. Dante answers: — 'The reply to such an objection is, 
 that the conversion of the world to Christianity without miracles by 
 men of no position like the Apostles would be incomparably the 
 greatest of all miracles, and would be in itself a sufficient proof of the 
 divine origin of Christianity.' This argument is from St. Augustine, 
 De Civ. Dei, xxii. 5, ' Si per Apostolos Christi, ut eis crederetur 
 resurrectionem atque ascensionem praedicantibus Christi, etiam ista 
 miracula facta esse non credunt, hoc nobis unum grande miraculum 
 sufficit, quod eis terrarum orbis sine ullis miraculis credidit.' povero 
 e digiuno : i. e. devoid of all human aids and appliances. 
 
 III. prtmo : 'a bramble,' i.e. an unprofitable tree which 
 produces no good fruit; Luke vi. 44, 'Of thorns men do not 
 gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.* The corrup- 
 tions of the Church in Dante's time are referred to. 
 
 1 1 5-7. quel Baron: St. Peter. St. James also is called by 
 this title in Par. xxv. 1 7, and other eminent saints are described as 
 ' Counts in God's imperial court ' in Par. xxv. 40-2. fronde : in 
 
 567 
 
PARADISO [xxiv. 118-47 
 
 the metaphor here introduced the tree is the subject of examination, 
 the branches are the various subdivisions of it, and the outer leaves the 
 points which are last dealt with. 
 
 118. donnea, &c. : ' dallies with your mind.' Donneare is from 
 Provencal domnear^ and that from Lat. domina ; it expresses the 
 chivalrous treatment of a lady by her cavalier. Here it is used of 
 the grace of God gently operating on the mind of man. 
 
 122, 123. quel che credi : the articles of your faith, onde : 
 ' on what grounds ' ; this is shown to be the meaning by the answer 
 given in 1. 133. 
 
 124—6. che vedi, &c. : 'who dost see (now in Heaven) the 
 risen body of Christ, in which thou didst so firmly believe, that 
 thou didst anticipate the steps of a younger man in approaching the 
 sepulchre.* See John xx. 4—6, where we are told that St. John 
 came first to the sepulchre of our Lord, but St. Peter was the first to 
 enter; and cp. De Mon. iii. 9. 11. 11 1-4, 'Dicit enim Joannes 
 ipsum [Petrum] introivisse subito, quum venit in monumentum, 
 videns alium discipulum cunctantem ad ostium.' 
 
 128, 129. forma: i.e. in the Scholastic sense of the word, 
 the ' essence ' or ' constituent elements.' pronto : ' ready.' 
 cagion : ' grounds ' ; cp. onde in 1. 123. 
 
 131, 132. move, &c. : cp. Par. i. 76, and note there. 
 
 134, 135. dalmi: for me lo da. quinci piove : ' is outpoured 
 from hence (i. e. from Heaven) through Moses,' &c. 
 
 137? 138. vol, &c. : St. Peter and the other apostles, who 
 derived the inspiration of their writings from the descent of the 
 Holy Ghost at Pentecost, almi : ' fostering ' ; cp. Inf. ii. 20, 
 ' alma Roma ' ; ' gave you fostering power.' 
 
 141. soffera, &c. : ' it admits in grammatical concordance 
 (congiunto) of the use of "are" (plur.) and "is" (sing.).' 
 Sqfferare is an archaic form of soffr'ire or sqffcrire. este is Lat. est. 
 
 142-4. Delia profonda, «&c. : 'the teaching of the Gospel in 
 many passages (Piii volte) stamps my mind (la mente mi sigilla) 
 with the mystery of the divine nature (condizion), which I now 
 mention ' (Ch' io tocco mo). Others read CIj to locco, nella 
 mente^ &c. 
 
 ^45~7' Quest' e, «fec. : the meaning is : — ' This is the cardinal 
 doctrine ; this is the article of faith, from which is developed, like 
 the fire from a spark, a living system of belief ; this forms a bright 
 
 568 
 
XXIV. 148— XXV. 9] PARADISO 
 
 central point in my spiritual life, as a star forms a bright point in 
 the sky.' 
 
 148-50. i: £or gli; cp. Inf. xxii. 73. gratulando, &c. ; 'in 
 his satisfaction (lit. congratulating himself, rejoicing) at the news.' 
 
 151, 152. cantando : 'in his song'; he sang words of benedic- 
 tion, cinse me : ' he circled round me.' The triple gyration 
 represents the doctrine of the Trinity. 
 
 CANTO XXV 
 
 Argument. — St. James questions Dante on the subject of Hope. 
 At the conclusion of his examination St. John the Evangelist 
 appears, and Dante is blinded through looking too intently at him, 
 in order to discover whether he was still in the body ; whereupon 
 St. John assures him that his body has remained on earth. 
 
 Lines 1-12. When his first examination, on the subject of 
 faith, is concluded, Dante's thoughts revert for the moment to 
 Florence, where through baptism he had been initiated into the 
 Christian Faith, and he cherishes the hope that, on the strength 
 of his Commedia, he may sometime be restored to his native city. 
 
 2. Al quale, &c. : i. e. 'for the treatment of which both Heaven 
 and earth (both theological and mundane subjects) have contributed 
 materials.' 
 
 5, 6. ovil : Florence, agnello : the metaphor being derived 
 from ovile, this simply means ' in youth,' and lupi, in like manner, 
 means ' the natural enemies of the sheepfold,' i.e. the turbulent leaders 
 of the Florentine factions. There is no need to intei-pret the former 
 as implying Dante's peaceful character, or the latter as meaning the 
 rapacity of the Florentines. 
 
 7-9. altra voce : ' other song,' the serious poetry of his mature 
 years being contrasted with the love-poetry of his youth, altro 
 vello : 'other locks,' his hair having turned grey (lit. 'fleece,' with 
 reference to agnello). This interpretation is supported by a passage 
 in Dante's First Eclogue, which is addressed to Joannes de Virgilio, 
 who had invited him to Bologna to receive the poet's crown there. 
 In that poem he says (11. 42-4) — 'Nonne triumphales melius 
 
 569 
 
PARADISO [XXV. 10-30 
 
 pexare capillos, Et, patrio redeam si quando, abscondere canos 
 Fronde sub inserta solitum flavescere, Sarno ?' According to another 
 interpretation, voce means 'fame' (cp. Par. xviii. 32), and altro 
 vello Dante's new character as Poet and Theologian, fonte, &c. : 
 Dante proposes that the font in the Baptistery of Florence, which 
 was the scene of his initiation into the Christian faith, should 
 be the place where he might receive the laurel crown (il cappello), 
 because St. Peter had now on the strength of his confession of 
 that faith crowned him by encircling him with light. 
 
 10—2. conte : 'known'; the faith causes God to recognize 
 souls as His own. mi giro la fronte : this means nothing more 
 than ' circled round me, forming a coronal of light about my head.' 
 The correspondence with his being crowned in the Baptistery only 
 extends thus far ; it is not implied that St. Peter placed a crown 
 on Dante's head; cp. Par. xxiv. 152. 
 
 14, 15. la primizia, &c. : St. Peter, Christ's first vicar or 
 vicegerent on earth. The ' sphere ' from which he came forth 
 is the circle of spirits which is mentioned in Par. xxiv. 19, 20. 
 
 17, 18. il Barone, &c. : St. James the Greater, whose shrine 
 at Compostella in Galicia was one of the chief places of pilgrimage 
 during the middle ages. On the title il Barone see note on 
 Par. xxiv. 115. 
 
 24. li prande: 'feeds them'; si prande is also read. The 
 fare of which the saints in Heaven partake is that which is provided 
 at 'the marriage supper of the Lamb,' Par. xxiv. 1-3. 
 
 25, 26. poi che, &c. : 'as soon as their mutual congratulations 
 on their felicity were completed.' coram me : ' facing me.' For 
 the Lat. formula cp. 'coram patre ' in Par. xi. 62, where the use is 
 derived from the law courts. 
 
 29, 30. vita: 'spirit'; cp. Par. ix. 7. per cui, &c. : 'by 
 whom the bounteousness of our celestial court (or ' our temple ') was 
 recorded.' The 'celestial court' is Heaven. The passages in 
 St. James' epistle which are here referred to are i. 5, 'If any 
 of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men 
 liberally and upbraideth not ; and it shall be given him ' ; and i. 1 7, 
 ' Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.' It is to 
 be remarked that Dante has here and in 11. 76, 77 by a strange 
 error attributed this epistle, which was written by St. James the 
 Less, to St. James the Greater; the same mistake is found 
 
 570 
 
XXV. 31-36] • PARADISO 
 
 in Brunetto Latini [Tesoro, Bk. ii. Ch. 8). la larghezza : I' alle- 
 gre'z.'z.a is also read here, and has good authority ; but it is in 
 favour of la larghezza, that Dante in De Mon. i. i. 1. 38, when 
 quoting James i. 5, speaks of God as '• Largiioris illius, qui dat 
 omnibus affluenter,' &c. basilica : it is not certain whether this 
 word is here used in the sense of 'royal court' or of 'temple.' 
 In Greek ^aa-iXiK-rj bears the former meaning, while in classical 
 Latin basilica signifies ' a law court' or 'a portico,' and in mediaeval 
 Lat. it is always an ecclesiastical name for certain churches (see 
 Ducange, s.v.), whence it may be used in the sense of ' temple.' 
 The meaning ' court ' is the more suitable to the present passage, 
 for the same metaphor is found in aitla, corte in 11. 42, 43 ; and 
 Dante may have learnt the signification of the word in Greek from 
 the Catholicon of Giovanni da Genova, whose definition of basilica 
 is — ' domus regia, seu palatium regis vel imperatoris : sed modo per 
 translationem dicitur basilica ecclesia, quia est palatium sum mi regis 
 regum, et dicitur a basileus' (Toynbee). The only doubt is, 
 whether Dante would use the word so, when his contemporaries 
 would understand it in the other sense. If basilica is taken in the 
 ecclesiastical sense, this may be illustrated by the use of ' temple * 
 for Heaven as the abode of God and the saints in Rev. vii. 15, 
 ' They are before the throne of God ; and they serve Him day and 
 night in His temple.' 
 
 31. Fa risonar, &c. : 'proclaim aloud the virtue of hope here 
 on high.' 
 
 32, 33. tante fiate, &c. : ' thou dost represent the virtue of hope 
 on all the occasions on which Jesus distinguished the three Apostles 
 (Peter, James, and John) above the rest.' The occasions were the 
 Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus' daughter, and the Agony in 
 the Garden. The personification of the three theological virtues 
 by these Apostles was a notion developed by mystical theology. 
 In the case of the first and last of the three the symbolism is 
 appropriate, but it could have been only from a desire of completeness 
 that St. James was regarded as representing hope. 
 
 34—6. t' assicuri : ' feel confidence.' The grounds of these 
 words of encouragement {Questo conforto, 1. 37) are given in 11. 35, 
 36, viz. that the radiancy of these sublime spirits (1. 27) was of a 
 nature to develop and perfect the human soul, not to overwhelm it, 
 though that had been its immediate effect on Dante's mind (1. 39). 
 
 571 
 
PARADISO [xxv. 37-69 
 
 37—9. foco secondo : St. James, levai: the scansion here 
 requires that the two vowels which form the termination of this 
 word should be pronounced separately. On this very exceptional 
 use see note on Inf. xv. 26. monti : 'the hills from whence 
 Cometh help,' Ps. cxxi. i ; the two Apostles are here meant. 
 incurvaron : ' depressed,' ' overpowered.' 
 
 40-2. t' affronti, &c. : 'should meet his nobles face to face 
 in the innermost chamber of his palace.' Conti is used of the most 
 eminent saints, as Barone of the Apostles (1. 17). The term is 
 a natural one, when the court of Heaven is being spoken of. 
 
 44, 45. La speme, &c. : ' you may encourage therewith (di cio, 
 i. e. through your sight of the court of Heaven) in yourself and 
 in others the hope which on earth rightfully enamours mankind,' 
 i. e. which causes men to desire the heavenly life. 
 
 46, 47. The three questions here propounded are — (i) what 
 is the nature of Hope; (2) to what degree was Dante affected 
 by Hope; (3) what grounds he had for entertaining it. se ne 
 infiora : ' blossoms (is decked) with it.' 
 
 49. quella pia : 'that compassionate one.' Beatrice answers 
 the second of St. James' questions, leaving Dante to answer the 
 first and the third. The reason for her undertaking to answer 
 this one is, that she wishes to enable Dante to avoid self-praise; 
 see 1. 62. 
 
 54. sol : the face or mind of God. 
 
 55-7. Egitto : the world ; cp. Purg. ii. 46, where the spirits 
 celebrate their deliverance from the world of sin by singing, ' In 
 exitu Israel de Egypto.' Similarly, Jerusalemme is the City 
 of God in Heaven. Anzi che, &c. : ' before his (Christian) war- 
 fare is terminated.' prescritto : prescrivere means ' to prescribe,* 
 'limit,' 'terminate.' 
 
 58, 59. per sapere : ' with the object of knowing his views 
 on the subject.' perche rapporti : ' that he may report to men.' 
 
 62, 63. Ne di jattanza : 'nor a subject for self-praise,' as 
 would have been the case with the answer to the second question. 
 cio gli comporti : 'grant (allow) him this.' 
 
 64-6. seconda: 'follows the lead of; and so here 'answers.' 
 in quel, &c. : ' on a subject with which he is well acquainted, 
 in order that his proficiency may be displayed.' 
 
 67-9. Speme, &c. : this definition of Hope, which contains 
 
 672 
 
XXV. 7o-«7] PARADISO 
 
 the reply to St. James' first question, is from Peter Lombard, 
 Sentent. lib. ili. c. 26, ' Est enim spes certa expectatio futurae 
 beatitudinis veniens ex Dei gratia et meritis praecedentibus.* 
 
 70-2. stelle: 'sources of illumination,' i.e. Sacred Writers. 
 Dante here (11. 70-8) answers St. James' third question, viz. 
 What were his grounds for entertaining hope, sommo cantor, 
 &c. : David, who was God's Psalmist. 
 
 73—5. teodia: the 'Book of Sacred Song' is the Psalms, and 
 the passage here quoted is Ps. ix. i o, ' and they that know Thy 
 name will put their tmst in Thee,' which in the Vulgate is, ' Sperent 
 in te qui noverunt nomen tuum.' As the word OewSia is not found 
 in Greek lexicons, perhaps teodia was an invention of Dante's own. 
 For the two parts of this compound he had analogies in ' Uologia. ' 
 and ' salmoJ/« ' ; the latter of these he uses in Purg. xxxiii. 2. 
 la fede mia : Dante in his confession of faith (Par. xxiv. 130— 
 47) declares that the cardinal doctrine is that of the Trinity in 
 Unity, and this involves the knowledge of the name of God. 
 
 76-8. Tu mi stillasti, &c. : 'thou didst afterwards in thy 
 Epistle bedew me with his bedewing,' i. e. with the doctrine which 
 David first enunciated. The teaching of Hope in St. James' Epistle 
 must be looked for rather in general references to God's promises 
 to his faithful servants than in any special treatment of the subject. 
 in altrui, &c. : 'I shower afresh on others the rain which first 
 proceeded from you two ' ; in other words — ' I communicate to 
 other men the doctrine of Hope.' repluo is the Latin verb. 
 
 79-81. seno, &c. : 'the core of that blaze of light.' The 
 cause of the sudden emanation of brilliancy is the satisfaction of the 
 Saint on hearing Dante's reply, spesso : ' frequent.' 
 
 83, 84. la virtu, &c. : Hope. St. James is still (ancor) 
 kindled with love for the virtue of Hope, though the Blessed 
 can no longer feel hope themselves, because they have fruition, la 
 palma : the palm of martyrdom. 1' uscir del campo : his quitting 
 the field of battle was his death. St. James was put to death 
 by Herod Agrippa the Elder, Acts xii. i, 2. 
 
 85, 86. respiri : ' reply,' as spirare (1. 82) is used for ' to speak.' 
 emmi : for mi e. 
 
 87. Quello, &c. : St. James' fourth and final question relates 
 to the object of Hope ; this, Dante replies, is the felicity of the 
 saints both in soul and body in Heaven. 
 
 573 
 
PARADISO [XXV. 88-108 
 
 88, 89. Le nuove, &c. : 'the writings of the New and of 
 the Old Testament set forth the emblem (Pongono il segno ; i. e. 
 declare the truth figuratively); and this emblem (this figurative 
 language) indicates to me that which hope promises/ The Poet 
 then proceeds to mention the figurative expressions here referred to, 
 by which the life of the saints in Heaven, after their souls have been 
 reunited to their bodies, is described. 
 
 91-3. Dice Isaia, &c. : Is. Ixi. 7, 'Therefore in their land 
 they shall possess the double ; everlasting joy shall be unto them.' 
 Dante interprets ' the double ' as meaning the blessedness of soul 
 and body ; cp. doppia vesta here with due stole in 1. 127. 
 
 94-6. il tuo fratello : St. John in Rev. vii. 9, 'After this 
 I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude,' &c. digesta : 'explicitly,' 
 ' in detail.' 
 
 97-9. prima: in contrast to Poscia, 1. 100. Sperent in te : 
 these words seem to have been uttered by one of the circles of 
 spirits, while all the others repeated them. Scartazzini remarks, 
 that whereas in 1. 73 Dante had quoted these words in his own 
 language (' Sperino in te '), the Saints sing it in the language of the 
 Church, which is used in Heaven, s' udi : this verse and those 
 which rhyme with it are ten-syllable lines. This irregularity may 
 possibly be explained here, as in some other instances, as an 
 adaptation of sound to sense, the abrupt termination in si schiari 
 (1. 100) being intended to express the sudden appearance of the 
 brilliant light. See note on Inf. xxxi. 145. carole : the bands of 
 singing and dancing spirits ; cp. Par. xxiv. 1 6. 
 
 10 1, 102. Si che, &c. : in mid- winter, from the middle of 
 December to the middle of January, the constellation of Cancer 
 is in the sky the whole night from sunset to sunrise. Dante says 
 that, if this constellation possessed a star equal in brightness to 
 the luminary which now appeared, it would turn night into day, 
 and so there would be a month of continuous daylight (un mese d' 
 un sol dl). The result, then, of the comparison implied in Si che, 
 &c., is, that this luminary had the brightness of the sun. 
 
 105. novizia: 'young bride'; Beatrice is here meant, as we 
 see from sposa in 1. in. fallo : 'failing,' such as vanity or 
 forwardness. 
 
 107, 108. si volgeano, &c. : the rotatory motion, here as 
 elsewhere, signifies eager sympathy. 
 
 574 
 
XXV. 109-32] PARADISO 
 
 109. Misesi : 'joined in.' nota : the tune, as distinguished 
 from the words sung (canto). 
 
 1 1 2-4. Questi : St. John the Evangelist. PelUcano : 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. D' in sulla croce : lit. ' from upon the cross,* i. e. by our 
 Lord hanging on the cross, offizio : that of taking charge of the 
 Blessed Virgin. 
 
 1 15-7. ne pero, &c. : 'nor, for all that, did her words cause 
 her eyes to withdraw their rapt attention (from the three saints) 
 afterwards more than before.' 
 
 118. adocchia : 'fixes his eyes,' 'gazes.' s' argomenta : 
 ' endeavours.' 
 
 122. detto fu : St. John is the speaker. The reason why Dante 
 had gazed so eagerly to see St. John's person was his anxiety to 
 discover whether he had his earthly body in Heaven. A legend 
 to that effect was current, owing to a misunderstanding of our Lord's 
 saying concerning him (John xxi. 22), 'If I will that he tarry till 
 I come, what is that to thee ? ' This, as we are told in that passage, 
 was interpreted by some of the disciples as meaning that he should 
 not die ; and in mediaeval times this view was further misinterpreted, 
 so that it was believed that St. John had been received up into 
 Heaven while still in the body. The Apostle now himself corrects 
 this error. 
 
 124-6. saragli : for vi sara; cp. Par. xxiv. 81. 'Will remain 
 there along with the bodies of the rest of mankind till the number 
 of the elect corresponds to that determined in God's eternal purpose.' 
 Dante is here thinking of Rev. vi. 11, 'It was said unto them that 
 they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also, 
 which should be killed even as they were, should be fulfilled.' 
 
 127-9. 1® ^^® stole: body and soul ; cp. doppia vesta in 1. 92. 
 ' The only spirits in the blessed cloister who wear both their robes 
 (body as well as soul) are the two luminaries who ascended,' i. e. 
 Christ and the Blessed Virgin. Dante has ignored Enoch and 
 Elijah, of whom the Scripture aflRrms this, questo : this truth. 
 
 130—2. giro: this is the circling movement of the dancing spirits, 
 which are described as forming themselves into circles in Par. xxiv. 
 II, and are called carole in Par. xxiv. 16 and xxv. 99. When 
 the three Apostles (il trino spiro) cease to sing, and St. John begins 
 
 575 
 
PARADISO [xxv. 133 — XXVI. 12 
 
 to speak, their movement also ceases, con esse : ' even with * ; 
 here esse joined with con gives additional precision of meaning, as 
 it does with other prepositions, e. g. sott^ esso^ sovr* esso. mischio : 
 ' blending of sound,' ' harmony.' 
 
 133—5. Si come, &c. : the pause which takes place as soon as 
 St. John's voice is heard is compared with the cessation from rowing 
 on the part of the crew, which follows on the sound of the 
 helmsman's whistle, cessar : 'to avoid'; cp. Inf. xvii. 33. The 
 simile is from Statius, Theb.y'i. 799-801, 'Sic ubi longa vagos lassarunt 
 aequora nautas, Et signo de puppe dato posuere parumper Brachia.' 
 
 138. Per non peter, &c. : take with mi commossi. His loss 
 of sight was due to regarding too steadfastly the figure of St. John ; 
 cp. 11. 1 1 8-2 1. 
 
 CANTO XXVI 
 
 Argument. — St. John examines Dante on the subject of Love. 
 At the conclusion of his examination the three Apostles are joined 
 by the spirit of Adam, who in answer to the Poet's unexpressed 
 wishes informs him, what was the true cause of the Fall of Man ; 
 how many years had elapsed since he was created ; what language 
 he spoke ; and how long time he passed in the Earthly Paradise. 
 
 Line 3. spiro : 'voice'; cp. Par. xxiv. 32. St. John is 
 speaking. 
 
 4-6. ti risense : ' regain the sense.' risense for rtsensi. che 
 hai, &c. : ' which thou hast extinguished by looking at me.' Ben 
 e, &c. : ' it is well that by conversing with me thou shouldst 
 compensate (make up to thyself) for the loss of sight.' 
 
 7, 8. s' appunta : * aims.' St. John here commences his 
 examination of Dante on the subject of Love, and asks him the 
 question, ' On what object is the desire of thy soul fixed ? ' Dante 
 replies, 'On God.' fa ragion : 'be sure,' lit. 'consider'; cp. 
 Inf. xxx. 145. 
 
 12. La virtu, &c. : the power of restoring sight, which Ananias 
 exercised in curing St. Paul's blindness; Acts ix. 17, 18. Alle- 
 gorically : — When the mind has been dazzled, as Dante's had been 
 (see note on Par. xxv. 122) by investigating too deeply a theological 
 
 576 
 
XXVI. 15-^7] PARADISO 
 
 question, relief is to be found in the teaching of true theology, as 
 represented by Beatrice. 
 
 15. foco : Dante's love for Beatrice. 
 
 16-8. Lo ben, &c. : Dante's answer to the question, 'What is 
 the chief desire of thy soul ? ' is, ' God is the beginning and the end 
 of every precept (scrittura) that love teaches me, whether gently 
 or forcibly,' i. e. of all the lessons of love, whether in its lighter or 
 its deeper forms. But di quanta scrittura, &c., may equally well 
 be taken as ' of all my impressions (of love), which Love recalls 
 (lit. recites to me) in loud or low tones.' With the latter interpreta- 
 tion, scrittura is the record of love impressed on Dante's heart or 
 memory ; Love reciting it to him means his feelings recalling it ; 
 and ' in loud or low tones ' implies the varying force of the emotion 
 excited. Alfa ed O : cp. Rev. xxii. 13, ' I am Alpha and Omega, 
 the beginning and the end, the first and the last.' Alfa ed Omega 
 is also read, but this reading seems to have arisen from the desire to 
 avoid the metrical hiatus after Alfa, and from the apparent strange- 
 ness of the use of the letter O in conjunction with the full form 
 Alfa. In mediaeval Latin hymns, however, Alpha et is not 
 uncommonly found; thus in Mone's Hymni Latini medii aevi the 
 following instances occur, the MSS. in which they are found being 
 of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: — (i) 'Alpha et O quern 
 dicimus' (vol. i. p. 10); (2) 'Alpha et O, magne Deus, | Heli heli 
 Deus meus' (vol. i. p. 14); (3) 'Alpha et O suum | Misit archan- 
 gelum ' (vol. ii. p. 68) ; (4) ' Alpha et Q nominate ' (vol. ii. p. 449). 
 The hiatus after Alfa is allowable because it is a Greek word ; for 
 similar non-elisions of final vowels of Latin words cp. Purg. ii. 46 ; 
 X. 44 ; XX. 136. 
 
 21. mi mise in cura : 'inspired me with the desire.' 
 
 22—4. a piu, &c. : 'to explain thy views by the use of a finer 
 sieve,' i. e. by entering into greater detail. Chi drizzo, &c. : 
 'who caused thee to aim at such a target,' i. e. to fix thy affections 
 on God. 
 
 25-7. Ed io, &c. : Dante's proofs that God is the highest aim 
 and object of love are derived (i) from the deductions of human 
 Reason, (2) from the authority of Revelation. The former of 
 these proofs is treated of in 11. 28-39, the latter in 11. 40—5. 
 Cotale amor, &c. : ' the love of God must needs impress itself on 
 me,' i. e. make its claims felt. 
 
 TozER 577 P p 
 
PARADISO [xxvi. 28-45 
 
 28-36. The argument derived from Reason is this: — That 
 which is good awakens love in the soul of him who understands its 
 nature, and the love increases in proportion as the goodness is greater. 
 Consequently the Being who is perfect goodness must attract more 
 love than any other object. 
 
 28. in quanto ben : ' inasmuch as it is good/ and not by means 
 of any other attribute, come s' intende : ' as soon as its nature is 
 perceived.' 
 
 31-6. Dunque, &c. : ' consequently the mind of every one who 
 perceives the truth on which this proof is based (viz. the principle 
 that God is the highest good) cannot fail to be moved in love towards 
 the essence, in which there is such supreme perfection, that every 
 good which is external to it is naught else than a reflexion of its 
 light, rather than towards any other essence.' 
 
 37-9. Tal vero, &c. : 'this truth (viz. that God is the highest 
 good) is set forth (lit. laid down) to my intellect by him, who shows 
 me what is the primal object of love to all the eternal substances.' 
 Aristotle is meant, 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 universe; cp. Ar. Metaph. xi. 7. 2 : lo-rt rt o ov xtvov/xcvov 
 /ctvet, axhwv kol ovcrca kol ivepycia ov(ra. Ktvct 8k wSc' to optKTov 
 Koi TO voffTov KiveX ov KLvovfievov. The ' eternal substances ' which 
 Aristotle there refers to are the planets, of which he says — 17 . . . 
 Tail/ aa-Tp(DV ^vo-ts dt'Stos ovcrta T15 ovaa {^Metaph. xi. 8. 5). 
 
 40-2. As proofs from Revelation Dante adduces two passages, 
 one from the Old and one from the New Testament, verace 
 autore : the ' truthful Author ' is God himself, who says to Moses 
 (Exod. xxxiii. 19), ' I will make all my goodness pass before thee* ; 
 in the Vulgate this is — ' Ego ostendam omne bonum tibi,' where 
 ' omne bonum ' corresponds to Dante's ogni valore, and is taken 
 to imply that all good is summed up in God. 
 
 43-5. Stemilmi, &c. : 'thou too dost 'set it forth, at the 
 beginning of thy sublime announcement, which beyond every other 
 proclamation declares on earth the secret of Heaven.' St. John's 
 ' announcement of the secret of Heaven ' is the Book of Revelation, 
 of the very name of which these words seem almost to be a para- 
 phrase ; and the passage at its commencement which is here referred 
 to can only be Rev. i. 8, ' I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
 and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which 
 
 578 
 
XXVI. 4^-72] PARADISO 
 
 is to come, the Almighty.* Since, however, this passage, as it 
 stands, makes no reference to God as the highest goodness, or as 
 the object of love, we must suppose that one or both of these aspects 
 is to be understood as implied in the character of God as the 
 supreme Deity, bando : for the use of this word in the sense of 
 'proclamation' cp. ' novissimo bando,' Purg. xxx. 13, of the 
 summons to the Last Judgement. 
 
 46-8. Per intelletto, &c. : ' in accordance with the arguments 
 which you have mentioned, viz. those derived from Reason, and 
 those from Revelation which accord with Reason, the highest of 
 your affections is directed (lit. looks) towards God.' This sentence 
 conveys St. John's approbation of Dante's answer. 
 
 49-51. corde: 'inducements'; these, as we see from Dante's 
 answer (11. 58 foil.), are the evidences of God's love, che tu 
 suone, &c. : ' that thou mayest declare how many reasons compel 
 thee to love God.' 
 
 53. aquila : St. John, whose emblem is the eagle. 
 
 55-7. morsi: here used for 'impulses,' 'urgent reasons'; cp. 
 morde in 1. 5 1 . Alia mia, &c. : 'have co-operated to produce my love.' 
 
 58-61. r essere, &c. ; ' the existence of the world '; in other 
 words, its creation, quel che spera, &c. : the Christian's hope of 
 future reward, conoscenza : the knowledge of God as the highest 
 good, predetta; cp. 11. 28 foil. 
 
 64-6. Le fronde : mankind. They are mentioned, because the 
 love of them necessarily follows on the love of God. cotanto, &c. : 
 ' in proportion to the good gifts which he has bestowed upon them.' 
 porto : part, from porgere. 
 
 70—7. E come, &c. : Beatrice now exercises the power which 
 St. John had attributed to her (11. 10-2) of restoring Dante's sight 
 by a look, after he had been blinded by gazing at that Saint. In the 
 simile Dante's condition is compared to that of a man who is dazed 
 through being awakened from sleep by a brilliant light falling on his 
 eyes ; and his recovery by Beatrice is likened to the restoration of 
 such a man to clear consciousness by the power of reflexion, which 
 explains to him what has happened. 
 
 71, 72. Per lo spirto, &c. : 'owing to the visual power turning 
 towards the bright light which passes from one to another of the 
 coats (i.e. membranes) of the eye.' By spirto visivo — or, as 
 Dante elsewhere calls it, spiriti wjm (Par. xxx. 47), spiriti del vis 
 
 579 P P 2 
 
PARADISO [xxvi. 73-99 
 
 {F'tta Nuova, § 14. 1. 39) — is meant the current that passes from 
 the eye to the brain. 
 
 73-5. abborre : 'shrinks from ' ; this is the effect of being dazed 
 by the sudden Hght. Si nescia, &c. : ' so unconscious is he, when 
 thus suddenly awakened, so long as his power of reflexion fails to 
 come to his aid.' 
 
 76-8. ogni quisquilia : ' every mote,' lit. ' impurity.' da piu, 
 &c. : the meaning is, that the light of Beatrice's eyes shone to a great 
 distance. 
 
 83, 84. Vagheggia, &c. : 'the first soul (Adam) which the 
 primal Virtue (God) ever created, gazes on its Maker.' 
 
 87. la sublima : ' inclines it upward.' 
 
 89. Stupendo : gerund from j-/«^/V<?, ' through amazement.' mi 
 rifece sicuro : ' restored my confidence.' 
 
 91-3. mature : 'mature,' in the sense of ' full-grown.' A cui, 
 &c. : this is another way of saying that every woman and every man 
 is a descendant of Adam. 
 
 95, 96. mia voglia : i. e. my desire of an answer to certain 
 questions; these questions are stated in 11. 109-14. per udirti, &c. : 
 Dante desires to avoid delaying the answers by asking the questions. 
 
 97-102. Adam's joy in answering Dante's questions is manifested 
 by the increased brightness of his envelope of light. This is 
 compared to the motions by which an animal expresses its feelings 
 being traceable in the movement of a cloth which is wrapped round 
 it. The simile is quaint, to say the least, especially when we con- 
 sider the connexion in which it occurs ; but it does not stand alone 
 in this respect in this part of the poem, since Dante, for reasons 
 of his own, has introduced into the Paradiso some of the homeliest 
 of his comparisons. Such are (i) the sound proceeding from the 
 wind-hole of a reed-pipe (Par. xx. 23, 24), which is used to describe 
 the voice emitted by the eagle in the Heaven of Jupiter ; (2) rowers 
 stopping their oars at the sound of the boatswain's whistle (Par. xxv. 
 133-5), to illustrate the cessation from singing on the part of the 
 chorus of spirits when they hear the voice of St. John ; and (3) the 
 prudent tailor, who cuts his coat according to his cloth (Par. xxxii. 
 139-41), to whose example St. Bernard appeals, when he cuts short 
 his enumeration of the saints in the Empyrean because the time 
 allotted to Dante for his Vision is drawing to a close. 
 
 97-9. coperto : ' within a wrapping.' broglia : ' moves about,' 
 
 680 
 
XXVI. 102-8] PARADISO 
 
 ' wriggles.' The word is connected with Fr. brouiller, and is the 
 origin of Engl, imbroglio. Per lo seguir, &c. : ' because the 
 covering follows its movements.' 
 
 1 02. venia gaia : 'was gladdened,' lit. 'became glad.' For 
 the use of venire with adjectives in the sense of divenire cp. Par. 
 xxxiii. 52, ' venendo sincera.' 
 
 104. Date: Witte reads Dante, but we may confidently say 
 that this reading is inadmissible, because the Poet implies in Purg. 
 XXX. 62, 63 that he never introduces his name except where this 
 is unavoidable, which is not the case here. 
 
 106-8. Perch' io, &c. : this difficult passage is rendered more 
 perplexing by a variety of readings in 1. 107. Among these the 
 reading of the Oxford text, Che fa di se pareglio all* altre cose, 
 seems to be the best suited to the context. Adam has just told 
 Dante, that he is aware of his wishes with a certainty beyond what 
 his (Dante's) mind is capable of attaining to. In explanation of 
 this he adds : — ' I see those wishes depicted in the mind of God, 
 in which, as in a faithful mirror, the thoughts of His creatures are 
 reflected ; whereas their minds (and therefore your mind) cannot 
 know what is passing in the mind of God, so that you cannot reach 
 the same certainty.' According to this interpretation pareglio is 
 a substantive, meaning a ' parhelion ' or mock-sun ; from which 
 sense — as a parhelion is a reflected or refracted image of the sun — it 
 is taken to signify simply a ' reflexion.' The literal translation, then, 
 of 11. 107, 108 will be — ' who makes himself the reflexion of (i. e. 
 in him are reflected) the other things (and, in particular, men's minds), 
 while none of them makes itself a reflexion of him (his thoughts are 
 not reflected in their minds).' Lui here stands for a hi, as else- 
 where in Dante, e. g. Inf. xxviii. 48. The introduction of the 
 parhelion as an object of comparison need not excite surprise, for 
 Dante was a curious observer of meteorological phenomena, as his 
 similes, especially in the Paradiso, show ; and he would be acquainted 
 with parhelia through Aristotle, who mentions them in his Meteoro- 
 logica (iii. 2. 6 ; 6. i foil.). Another reading — between which and 
 that just mentioned there does not seem to be much to choose 
 as regards the authority of the MSS. — is pareglio V altre cose. The 
 interpretation here is easier, though the meaning obtained is less 
 apposite. Longfellow, who adopts this, translates thus: — 'For 
 I behold it in the truthful mirror, That of Himself all things 
 
 581 
 
PARADISO [xxvi. 109-23 
 
 parhelion makes, And none makes Him parhelion of itself/ (Lui 
 here is accus.) In his note he says — 'Parhelion is an imperfect 
 image of the sun, formed by reflexion in the clouds. All things 
 are such faint reflexions of the Creator ; but He is the reflexion of 
 none of them.* A third reading is pareglie V altre cose. Here 
 pareglie is taken as an adj. agreeing with cose^ and meaning 'equal,' 
 ' like ' ; and di se depends upon it. ' Who makes the other things 
 to resemble himself, while none of them makes him to resemble 
 itself.* But this reading is evidently a lectio facilior, and it is hard 
 to see how the other readings could have arisen from it. 
 
 1 09-1 1, quant' e che: 'how long a time it is since.' giardino: 
 the Earthly Paradise, ove costei, &c. : ' where Beatrice prepared 
 thee for the long ascent through the spheres of Heaven.* 
 
 112, 113. E quanto, &c. : 'and how long it (the Earthly 
 Paradise) was a delight to my eyes ' ; quanto is for quanto tempo, 
 as in 1. 109. gran disdegno : God's wrath against Adam's 
 transgression ; this is another way of saying ' the Fall of Man.' 
 
 115-42. Of Dante's four questions which have just been stated, 
 Adam answers first No. 3 — 'What was the real cause of the Fall 
 of Man?' (11. 1 15-7); next No. i — ' How long time had elapsed 
 from the Creation to the present moment?' (11. 118-23); ^^^" 
 No. 4 — 'What language did Adam speak?' (11. 124-38); and 
 finally No. 2 — ' How long time did he spend in the Earthly 
 Paradise?' (11. 139-42). 
 
 117. il trapassar del segno: 'overstepping the appointed 
 bounds,' lit. 'passing the mark.' This means, not merely the 
 transgression of God's commandment, but the desire of our first 
 parents to be as gods in knowing good and evil (Gen. iii. 5). So 
 Aquinas says (Summa, ii. 2dae. Q. 16^. Art. i), ' Primum peccatum 
 hominis fuit in hoc, quod appetiit quoddam spirituale bonum supra 
 suam mensuram ' ; and again in Art. 2, ' Primus homo peccavit 
 principaliter appetendo similitudinem Dei quantum ad scientiam 
 boni et mali.' 
 
 118-23. Adam here says that he lived on earth 930 years (cp. 
 Gen. V. 5), and was in Limbo, until he was released by Christ, 
 4302 years, which periods together make 5232 years. In order 
 to answer Dante's question completely — i. e. to compute the time 
 up to the date of Dante's Vision — it would be necessary to add 
 the period which intervened between the death of Christ in 34 a.d. 
 
 582 
 
XXVI. 1x8-35] PARADISO 
 
 (at which time He descended into Hell, and delivered Adam) and 
 1300 A.D., viz. 1266 years. Thus the total would be 6498 years. 
 Our authority for the duration of our Lord's life having been 
 according to Dante 34 years is Cowv. iv. 23. 11. 95-8, ' II nostro 
 Salvatore Cristo, il quale voile morire nel trentaquattresimo anno della 
 sua etade.' 
 
 1 18-20. Quindi, &c. : ' from that place, whence thy Lady urged 
 Virgil to come, for four thousand three hundred and two revolutions 
 of the sun I longed for this assembly,' i. e. the assembly of the saints 
 in Heaven. The place here meant is Limbo; cp. Inf. ii. 52 foil. 
 Quindi is to be taken with desiderai. 
 
 121, 122. i lumi, &c. ; 'the lights of the sun's highway' are 
 the constellations of the zodiac ; and the sun's returning to all those 
 lights marks the period of a year. 
 
 124—6. La lingua, &c. : on the subject of the language which 
 Adam used, Dante in De Vulg. Eloq. i. 6. 11. 59-61 had enunciated 
 the view that it was Hebrew. Further reflexion on the constant 
 change which is taking place in language had led him to a contrary 
 view (inf. 11. 137, 138) ; and he here states his belief that Adam's 
 language had ceased to exist even before the Confusion of Tongues. 
 inconsumabile : ' which could not be completed ' ; the Tower of 
 Babel was intended to reach up to Heaven. Nembrot : for the 
 idea on Dante's part that the Tower of Babel was built by Nimrod, 
 see note on Inf. xxxi. 77. 
 
 127—9. Che nullo, &c. : 'for, owing to the changes in men's 
 inclinations under the influence of the stars, no product of human 
 reason (such as language) ever remained permanently the same.' rin- 
 novella here = si cangia. 
 
 130—2. Opera, &c. : ' human language is an operation of nature ; 
 but nature leaves it to you to determine according to your pleasuie 
 the particular form it takes.' This point is treated by Dante in 
 connexion with the Italian dialects in De Vulg. Eloq. i. 9. 44-60. 
 abbella : ' it seems fair,' ' pleases ' : the word seems to be derived 
 from the Provencal ; cp. ' Tan m' abelis ' in Purg. xxvi. 140. 
 
 ^33~5' To illustrate the natural change of language the change 
 in the name for God is introduced, infernale ambascia : ' the 
 anguish of Heir ; cp. Purg. xvi. 39. I: this probably stands for 
 Jah or Jehovah, onde, &c. : ' from whom proceeds the joy which 
 enwraps me,' i. e. the enveloping robe of light. 
 
 583 
 
PARADISO [xxvi. 136-4^1 
 
 136-8. El si chiamo da poi : the passage of Scripture which 
 Dante seems to have had in his mind in this connexion is Ex. vi. 2, 
 3, ' And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah : 
 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God 
 Almighty {El Shaddai)^ but by my name Jehovah I was not known 
 to them.' Dante supposes that Adam in the state of innocence 
 would know God by His true and highest name, whereas afterwards 
 this was replaced by the lower name. Here again he is correcting a 
 statement of his own in the De Vulg. Eloq. (i. 4. 11. 26—9), where 
 he had said that the first word which man uttered was El. cio 
 conviene : ' that is meet,' viz. the change from / to El. V uso, 
 &c. : Horace, j4rs Poet. 60-2, ' Ut silvae foHis pronos mutantur 
 in annos. Prima cadunt : ita verborum vetus interit aetas, Et iuvenum 
 ritu florent modo nata vigentque.' 
 
 139-42. monte: the Mountain of Purgatory, on the summit of 
 which was the Earthly Paradise, si leva piu : cp. Purg. iii. 14, 
 15. pura e disonesta : i.e. both before and at the time of the 
 Fall. Dalla prim' ora, &c. : ' from the first hour to the seventh 
 (that which follows the sixth).' Adam here answers the second 
 question by saying that the duration of his stay in the Earthly 
 Paradise was seven hours; to this effect there was a mediaeval 
 tradition. Come, &c. : ' when the sun changes from one quadrant 
 to another.' As a quadrant represents a fourth part of the sun's 
 daily course, the sun changes quadrants every sixth hour; hence 
 the meaning is, ' when the sun has completed a quarter of its revolu- 
 tion.' At that time the sixth hour is succeeded by the seventh. 
 
 CANTO XXVII 
 
 Argument. — St. Peter denounces the crimes of the Roman 
 Pontiffs ; and the company of the Blessed, as they hear him, assume 
 a ruddy hue of indignation. After this they return to the Empyrean, 
 and Dante, when he has once more looked down upon the earth far 
 beneath him, ascends with his guide to the ninth or Crystalline 
 Heaven, which is the Primum Mobile. Beatrice now explains to 
 Dante the nature of this sphere, and is led by the contemplation 
 of its marvels to declaim against the decadence of human nature, 
 which had become blind to their sublimity. 
 
 584 
 
XXVII. 5-45] PARADISO 
 
 Lines 5, 6. per che, &c. : the meaning is : — ' so that my mind 
 was affected by ecstasy through what I saw as well as through what 
 I heard.' 
 
 10, II. le quattro face: St. Peter, St. James, St. John, and 
 Adam ; of these ' the one who came first ' is St. Peter. 
 
 13-5. E tal, &c. : St. Peter's indignation, which expresses 
 itself in the speech that follows, is manifested by the robe of light 
 which envelops him assuming a red hue ; this change is illustrated 
 by the supposition that the white planet Jupiter should assume the 
 plumage, so to speak, of the red planet Mars. The plumage in this 
 comparison corresponds to the robe of light. 
 
 16, 17. che quivi, &c. : 'which in Heaven assigns to each his 
 fitting time and part.' vice is the occasion when this or that person 
 is to act, offizio the function which he is to perform. For the 
 general principle which is here expressed cp. Par. xxi. 67—72. 
 
 22-4. Quegli, &c. : Boniface VIII, who owing to his crimes 
 unrighteously occupied the see of St. Peter, which consequently 
 in the sight of Christ was vacant. It seems better to attribute this 
 meaning to usurpa and vaca, than to regard them as implying that 
 the see was ipso facto vacant because Celestine V, the predecessor of 
 Boniface, was still alive. Nella presenza, &c. : in the sight 
 of Christ, the head of the Church in Heaven, Boniface was an 
 apostate, though on earth he was to be recognized as Pope. It 
 is from the latter point of view that the ignominious treatment of 
 him by the agents of Philip the Fair at Anagni is regarded by Dante 
 as sacrilegious ; Purg. xx. 85-7. 
 
 25—7. cimitero mio : Rome, which was the reputed burial- 
 place of St. Peter, cloaca : it is so called on account of its 
 defilement by murder and corruption. il perverse : Lucifer, 
 laggiu si placa : ' rejoices in Hell.' 
 
 28, 29. quel color, &c. : ' that (red) hue, which tints the clouds 
 at morn and eve from the sun being in the opposite quarter.' 
 
 32, 33. per r altrui fallanza : 'for shame at another's mis- 
 doing.' fane: iov tie fa. 
 
 35. eclissi: 'eclipse,' 'darkness,' like that which covered the 
 earth at the time of the Crucifixion. 
 
 41. Lin : Linus is regarded as St. Peter's successor as Bishop of 
 Rome, and Cletus as having followed Linus. 
 
 43-5. esto viver lieto : the joys of Heaven. Sisto, &c. : of 
 
 585 
 
P AR ADISO [xxvii. 46-7 1 
 
 the four Bishops of Rome here mentioned the first two lived in 
 Cent, ii., the last two in Cent. iii. fleto : ' suffering/ lit. ' weeping '; 
 the reference is to the persecution which culminated in their deaths. 
 
 46-8. ch' a destra mano, &c. : the meaning is : — ' that the 
 Guelf party should be favoured by the Popes, and the Ghibellines 
 persecuted.' 
 
 50, 5 1 . segnacolo, &c. : the keys of St. Peter were the emblem 
 on the Papal banner. Che contra, &c. : ' to be used in combat 
 against Christians,' and not in a Crusade against the enemies of the 
 Cross ; cp. Inf. xxvii. 85—90. 
 
 52—4. figura, &c. : the figure of St. Peter on the seal which 
 was attached to bulls and other Papal documents. The sale of 
 indulgences is here referred to. disfavillo : ' flash with fire.' 
 
 57. difesa di Dio : ' weapons (lit. defence) of God's armoury.' 
 
 58, 59. Caorsini e Guaschi ; John XXII, a native of Cahors 
 (Pope 1 31 6-1 334), and Clement V (1305-13 14), a native of 
 Gascony (// Guasco of Par. xvii. 82), together with their adherents. 
 The dates hei-e given sliow that these remarks of St. Peter must be 
 regarded as prophetic from the point of view of 1300 a.d. The 
 mention of John XXII as Pope here and in Par. xviii. 130 proves 
 that this part of the poem was written after 1316, the date of his 
 election, principio : i. e. Church of the early ages. 
 
 61-3. che con Scipio, &c. : 'which by the hands of Scipio 
 maintained for Rome the empire of the world.' Scipio Africanus 
 the younger, the conqueror of Hannibal, is meant; cp. Conv. iv. 
 5. 11. 164-71. Soccorr^ tosto : Dante here, as elsewhere, is 
 anticipating the coming of a hoped-for regenerator of the world. 
 
 64. per lo mortal pondo : 'because you still bear the burden 
 of the flesh.' 
 
 67-9. Si come, &c. : the spirits which formed the Triumph of 
 Christ now ascend to the Empyrean. Their appearance, as they 
 float upwards, is compared to that of flakes of snow falling in 
 a snowstorm. Similarly in the Vita Nuova, § 23. 1. 185, the 
 ascent of a glory of Angels is described as 'pioggia di manna.' 
 Translate: — 'As with congealed vapours our atmosphere falls 
 in flakes (fiocca In giuso).* quando, &c. : in mid-winter (from 
 the middle of December to the middle of January), when the sun is 
 in Capricorn. 
 
 71. fioccar, &c. ; 'flaked with triumphant vapours,' i. e. spirits. 
 
 586 
 
XXVII. 74-8i] PARADISO 
 
 74, 75. in fin che, &c. : * until the vastness of the intervening 
 space prevented my eyes from ^penetrating beyond.' 
 
 76-8. assolto : 'freed,' lit. 'absolved,' 'excused.' come, &c. : 
 ' how far thou hast gone round.' The object of Beatrice here, and 
 of Dante's remarks which follow, seems to be to draw attention 
 to the rapidity of their movement. 
 
 79-81. Dair ora, &c. : 'reckoning from the time when I had 
 looked before (cp. Par. xxii. 134, 151-3), I saw that I had passed 
 along the whole of the arc which the first clime forms from its 
 middle point to its end.' This means that Dante had moved through 
 90° of longitude, from the meridian of Jerusalem — which place was 
 the central point of the habitable world of 180° in length reckoned 
 from E. to W. — to that of Gades, which marked its western limit. 
 In order to understand the terms in which Dante has expressed this, 
 we must first examine the meaning of the word clima. The cHmata 
 of the Greek geographers were belts or spaces of the earth's sur- 
 face which intervened between two parallels of latitude ; and by 
 Hipparchus, who first invented the term, these inter\'als were 
 measured by degrees of latitude ; but Ptolemy, who subsequently 
 adopted it, determined them by the increase of the length of the 
 longest day, proceeding northwards from the equator to the parallel 
 of Thule, and dividing the intervening space into 21 climata. 
 Alfraganus, who is Dante's authority in this matter, adapted the 
 scheme of Ptolemy to his own purposes, and reduced the number of 
 climata to seven, commencing the computation, not from the equator, 
 but from Lat. 12° 45' N., which was to him the limit of the habitable 
 globe to the south (Alfr. Element, Astronom. cap. x.). The first 
 of these climata^ the central parallel of which passed through Meroe, 
 was the only one which lay wholly within the tropics, and this is the 
 reason why it is mentioned here, because the position of Dante at 
 this time was immediately over the northern half of the torrid zone. 
 For Gemini, in which he now was, is one of the signs of the 
 zodiac ; and as the sun never passes to the northward of the tropic 
 of Cancer, the signs of the zodiac, through which his course lies, 
 must fall within the same limit. Hence Dante, in describing himself 
 as passing, while he was in Gemini, from the meridian of Jerusalem 
 to that of Gades, says that he moved along the arc formed by the 
 prime clima. The interval between those two points is represented 
 as reaching from the middle to the end of the first clima^ because to 
 
 587 
 
PARADISO [xxvii. 82-7 
 
 Alfraganus the climata were divisions, not of the entire globe, but 
 of the habitable globe (thus he says, ' Loca quadrantis habit abilis dlvl- 
 duntur in septem climata '), and he regarded their extension from 
 E. to W. as corresponding to twelve hours in time (' longltudo 
 omnium climatum ab orlente in occasum spatio 12 horarum a revolu- 
 tione caelesti conficitur '), which represent 180° in space. Conse- 
 quently the half of this extension (dal mezzo al fine) would be six 
 hours in time, or 90° In space, thus corresponding to the difference 
 between Jerusalem and Gades. Fine Is appropriately used of the 
 western extremity of the clima, because the movement of the sun, 
 and that of Dante himself in the zodiac, which are here regarded, 
 are from E. to W. It is hardly necessary to add that, when it 
 is said that Dante was on the meridian of Jerusalem or of Gades, 
 it does not follow that he was over those places, but only that 
 he was in the same longitude with them. 
 
 82-4. varco : 'passage,' 'track,' as in Inf. xlx. 132. The 
 varco Folle d' Ulisse Is the same as the foUe 'volo of Inf. xxvi. 
 125, I. e. the voyage of Ulysses through the Atlantic; here. In other 
 words, it means the Atlantic Ocean which Ulysses navigated, di 
 qua, &c. : ' on this side I almost saw the shore, on which Europa 
 became a sweet burden/ I. e. the coast of Phoenicia, from which 
 Jupiter in the form of a bull carried oif Europa ; see Ov. Met. 11. 
 833 foil. The Phoenician coast is here used as a geographical 
 equivalent of Jerusalem. The reason why presso (' almost ') is added 
 Is that, whereas the earth's hemisphere, as seen by Dante from the 
 meridian of Gades in the Heaven of the Fixed Stars, would reach 
 as far east as Jerusalem — because, as we have seen, that place 
 according to Dante's mathematical geography was 90°, or half the 
 earth's hemisphere, distant from Gades — yet the eastern part of that 
 area would be in shadow and invisible, because the sun, which was 
 in Aries, was some distance to the west of Gemini. This is ex- 
 plained in 11. 85—7. (A difficulty, however, remains in the use of 
 the word presso, because, as Dante says in 1. 87, the sun was a sign 
 of the zodiac and more in advance of Gemini, and consequently the 
 greater part of the eastern half of the Mediterranean, and not only — 
 as ' I almost saw ' would seem to imply — that in the neighbourhood 
 of Phoenicia, would be Invisible.) 
 
 85-7. E pill, &c. : the meaning is : — ' I should have seen more 
 of the habitable world, but this was hidden from me, because the 
 
 588 
 
XXVII. 88-I08] PARADISO 
 
 sun was passing on towards the west, and consequently the eastern 
 part was in shadow.* This is a comment on presso in 1. 83, 
 explaining that the view would have extended, not nearly, but quite, 
 as far as the Phoenician coast (in other words, to Jerusalem), had it 
 not been that the sun was some distance to the west of Gemini. 
 Observe that piu cannot imply any ground to the eastward of 
 Jerusalem, for that would in any case be invisible, since Jerusalem 
 was the limit of the view in that direction, as has been explained 
 in the preceding note, fora : for sarehhe stato ; for other instances 
 of the use of the present for the past conditional cp. Par. xv. 127 ; 
 xxxiii. 77. aiuola : 'plot of earth ' ; cp. Par. xxii. 151. un 
 segno, &c. : ' separated from me by a sign of the zodiac and more.' 
 As Dante was in Gemini, and the sun was in Aries, the whole of 
 Taurus and parts of those two constellations were between them. 
 
 88, 89. donnea : ' dallies ' ; cp. Par. xxiv. 118. ridure : this 
 is an earlier form of riducere than ridurre ; c^.fare iiomfacere^ dire 
 from d'tcere. 
 
 91-3. fe' pasture, &c. : 'prepared a banquet of delight to 
 captivate the eyes, and so to (lit. so as to) possess the mind * : for 
 pasture cp. Par. xxi. 19. In carne, &c. : ' whether in the form of 
 human flesh (which is the work of nature\ or in pictures of it 
 (which are the work of art).^ 
 
 97-9. la virtu, &c. : ' the power which her look bestowed 
 upon me.' nido di Leda : the constellation of Gemini is called 
 ' the nest of Leda,' because Leda, the mother of the Twins, Castor 
 and Pollux, was visited by Jupiter, their father, in the form of a 
 swan, and she brought forth an egg, ciel velocissimo : the 
 Crystalline Heaven, or Primum Mobile, which being the outermost 
 of the spheres was also the swiftest in its revolution. To this ninth 
 sphere Dante and Beatrice now rise. 
 
 100-2. vivissime: 'exceeding full of life,* i.e. of motion. 
 uniform! : i. e. not distinguished by constellations, like the eighth 
 sphere. Hence there was nothing in it like the sign of Gemini to 
 determine Dante's position. 
 
 106—20. Beatrice here describes the character of the Primum 
 Mobile, as being the source of motion — and through motion of the 
 computation of time — to the rest of the universe, and deriving its 
 motion immediately from God. 
 
 106-8. che quieta, &c. : ' which causes the central point (i.e. 
 
 589 
 
PARADISO [xxvii. 109-26 
 
 the earth) to be at rest, and communicates motion to the spheres 
 around.' meta : ' starting-point.' 
 
 1 09-1 1, dove : ' place ' ; cp. Par. xxii. 147. It is not intended 
 here that the Primum Mobile is not a material circle, for it is the 
 Crystalline sphere : it is one of the cerchi corporai in Par. xxviii. 64, 
 and is called maggior corpo in Par. xxx. 39. What is meant is, 
 that that which is beyond it and determines its position is nothing 
 else than the Divine Mind. L' amor, &c. : the Primum Mobile is 
 set in motion by its longing to approach to God, and the other spheres 
 by their longing to approach to it; see note on Par. i. 76. la 
 virtii, &c. : the influence which it (the Primum Mobile) communi- 
 cates to the other spheres ; see note on Par. ii. 1 1 2-4. 
 
 1 1 2-4. Luce, &c. : 'light and love form a sphere encircling it 
 (lit. 'embrace it with a sphere'), even as this sphere (the Primum 
 Mobile) encircles the other spheres.' By Might and love' the 
 Empyrean is meant; cp. Par. xxviii. 53, 54. precinto : 'circuit,' 
 'circle': this again is the Empyrean. 'Over that circle He alone 
 who embraces it presides.' Each of the nine lower circles has its 
 own presiding angelic Intelligences, but the Intelligence which 
 presides over the tenth Heaven is God only. For intende in this 
 sense cp. intendendo in Par. viii. 37. 
 
 1 15-7. Non e, &c. : 'the motion of the Primum Mobile is not 
 determined by any other,' i. e. by the motion of any other sphere. 
 SI come, &c. : this is a specimen of exact or perfect measurement. 
 The half of ten, i. e. five, and its fifth part, i. e. two, when multiplied 
 together make ten. 
 
 118, 119. E come, &c. : the Primum Mobile^ in which dis- 
 tinctions of time originate, but are not apparent, is compared to 
 a flower-pot, which contains the roots of a plant concealed within 
 it : the other spheres, which derive their measurements of time from 
 this, are described as containing the leaves of the plant, which are 
 the visible products of the root, because time is measured by the 
 visible motion of the sun and the planets. 
 
 121,122. O cupidigia, &c. : from the exposition of the mystery 
 of the divine government of the universe Beatrice turns to denounce 
 the degradation of men owing to their mean interests, which blind 
 them to the sublime verities, affonde, &c. : ' dost so submerge 
 mankind beneath thy waters.' 
 
 126. bozzacchioni : 'blasted fruit'; strictly the word means 
 
 590 
 
XXVII. 127-44] PARADISO 
 
 ' plums (susine) which are damaged by continuous rainfall.' The 
 ' unceasing rain ' here signifies the corrupting influences by which 
 men are surrounded. 
 
 127-9. Fede : the metrical hiatus after this word is altogether 
 exceptional, coperte : ' covered with a beard.' 
 
 130-2. Tale, &c. : 'one, who already while still a lisping child 
 observes the fasts, when he can speak plainly (i. e. has reached years 
 of discretion) eats any kind of food in any season (lit. month) ' ; 
 i. e. he observes neither fixed times nor prescribed forms of fasting. 
 
 136-8. Cosi, &c. : 'so grows dark, as soon as seen (i.e. from 
 the very first), the fair skin of the beauteous daughter of him who 
 brings morning and leaves evening (i. e. of the sun).' The 
 'beauteous daughter of the sun' is human nature; and the idea 
 which is thus expressed was derived by Dante from Aristotle, 
 Phys. ii. 2. II, av^pooTTOS avOpwirov ycvva kol yXio<5, his familiarity 
 with which passage is shown by his referring to it in De Mon. 
 i. 9. 4-7, ' Humanum genus filius est caeli . . . generat enim homo 
 hominem et sol, iuxta secundum de Naturali auditu.' The same 
 idea is introduced by Dante in Par. xxii. 116, where the sun is 
 described as 'Quegli ch* e padre d' ogni mortal vita.' The meaning of 
 the present lines then is — 'Human nature degenerates from the first.' 
 ' 140. Pensa, &c. : here, as elsewhere (cp. Purg. xvi. 103 foil.), 
 Dante attributes the corruption of the world to neglect on the part 
 of the ruling powers, both spiritual and temporal. 
 
 142-4. gennaio : the last three vowels are pronounced for 
 metrical pui-poses as one syllable; cp. beccaio, Purg. xx. 52. si 
 sverni : ' passes (in reckoning) out of winter into spring.* The 
 reckoning of the Julian calendar involved a yearly error in excess of 
 somewhat less than a hundredth part of a day (la centesma), and 
 this in Dante's time amounted to an error of about nine days, so that 
 January was advanced by so much towards the end of winter and 
 beginning of spring. It was this which was corrected by the 
 Gregorian calendar two centuries and a half later. The general 
 meaning, then, of prima che, &c., is ' before a very long time has 
 passed'; but it is intended to be understood ironically as meaning 
 ' before long,' ' soon,' somewhat in the same way as when we say 
 ' not a hundred miles off' for ' near.' ch' e laggiii negletta : 
 ' to the correction of which no attention is paid on earth.' Ruggiran, 
 &c. : ' the indignation of Heaven will be so great.' 
 
 591 
 
PARADISO [xxviT. 145— XXVIII. 15 
 
 145-8. la fortuna: 'the good fortune/ i.e. the coming of 
 a regenerator of society, such as had been foreshadowed in the 
 Veltro of Inf. i. loi and the DUX of Purg. xxxiii. 43. Le 
 poppe, &c. ; ' shall reverse the present iniquitous condition of the 
 world.' la classe : by ' the fleet ' mankind are meant, veto 
 frutto : not bozzacchtoni (1. 126). 
 
 CANTO xxvm 
 
 Argument. — In the Crystalline Heaven Dante beholds an 
 intensely brilliant point of light, representing the Deity, round which 
 move in nine concentric circles the nine Orders of Angels. Beatrice 
 explains to him the nature of these, and their correspondence to the 
 nine celestial spheres, together with their division into hierarchies ; 
 and mentions Dionysius the Areopagite as the authority through 
 whom these mysteries were known. 
 
 Line 3. imparadisa : ' doth imparadise,' i. e. blesses with the 
 joys of Paradise ; cp. Par. xviii. 21. 
 
 4, 5. Come, &c. : before Dante receives a fresh revelation 
 of the glories of Heaven, he perceives this by anticipation in the 
 increased brilliancy of the eyes of Beatrice. This is compared to 
 a person seeing in a mirror the reflexion of a light behind him that 
 is as yet invisible to him, which light, on turning round, he finds to 
 correspond exactly to the reflexion, doppiero : ' flambeau,' ' taper ' ; 
 der. from Lat. duplus'. so called, according to Diez, p. 368, because of 
 its double wick, se n'alluma retro: 'is lighted by it from behind.' 
 
 9. come nota, &c. : ' as a tune corresponds to the metre of the 
 verse to which it is set,' i. e. exactly. 
 
 II, 12. Ch' io feci : Dante saw a bright light reflected in the 
 eyes of Beatrice, corda : ' noose,' ' snare.' 
 
 13-5. tocchi : abbreviated for toccati, as in Purg. iv. 137. cio 
 che pare, &c. : ' that which may be perceived in that Heaven, 
 whenever (as in the present case) it is rightly regarded in respect of 
 its rotation.' volume from meaning ' revolution ' comes to signify 
 'revolving heaven'; cp. Par. xxiii. 112. The 'Heaven' which 
 is here intended is the Primum Mobile, and of this we are told in 
 Conv. ii. 4. 11. 9, 10, that it is imperceptible to sense save for its 
 
 692 
 
XXVIII. 16-33] PARADISO 
 
 motion. In the present case Dante's eyes are supposed to be 
 furnished with a superhuman power of sight, which enabled him to 
 perceive it visibly passing before him : this is implied in the words 
 * is rightly regarded.* cio che pare, &c., cannot mean the move- 
 ment of the lower and visible Heavens regarded as an evidence of 
 the existence of the Primum Mobile from which that movement 
 proceeds, because Dante was now looking upwards, and therefore 
 away from the lower Heavens. 
 
 1 6, 17. Un pun to : as a point is indivisible, it is here taken to 
 represent the Unity of the Godhead. It is in order to lay stress on 
 the indivisibility, that the minuteness of this point of light is 
 illustrated in 11. 19-21. affoca : ' enkindles * ; ' illuminates.* 
 
 19-21. quale stella, &c. : 'the star which, when seen from 
 earth, appears the smallest of all, would seem a moon, if placed 
 beside this point of light in the same way as one star is placed by 
 another star in the sky.' 
 
 22—39. Dante now describes how nine concentric circles of 
 light, which are the nine angelic Orders, revolve round the point 
 which represents the Divine Unity, as their centre ; and that their 
 brightness and the rapidity of their movement are in proportion to 
 their nearness to that point. The following are the angelic Orders 
 represented by the successive circles: i. Seraphim; 2. Cherubim; 
 3. Thrones ; 4. Dominions ; 5. Virtues ; 6. Powers ; 7. Prin- 
 cipalities ; 8. Archangels ; 9. Angels. These are the beati motort 
 of the various spheres, who are mentioned in Par. ii. 127-9. The 
 reason why the angelic Orders are revealed to Dante in this Heaven 
 is, that the Primum Mobile is the sphere from which proceed the 
 stellar influences, and these are dispensed by those Orders in the 
 various spheres. 
 
 22—4. cotanto : take with distante (1. 25); 'at the distance at 
 which the halo seems closely to surround (i. e. as closely as the halo 
 seems to surround) the luminary (sun or moon), which furnishes its 
 light, when the vapour on which it is formed is densest.' When 
 the atmosphere is densest, the halo is nearest to the sun or moon. 
 
 27. Quel moto, &c. : that of the Primum Mobile. 
 
 31-3. Sopra : 'without,' i.e. outside the sixth circle, sparto 
 . . . di larghezza ; ' ample (lit. spread out) in width.' il messo 
 di Juno : Iris, i. e. the rainbow. Intero : ' were it complete,' i. e. 
 if it formed a perfect circle. 
 
 TOZER 593 Q q 
 
PARADISO [xxviii. 36-78 
 
 36. dair uno : ' from the point of Unity.' 
 
 38, 39. la favilla : the point of light, di lei s' invera : ' is 
 imbued with its truth ' ; ' partakes of its perfection.' 
 
 40-2. in cura, &c. : ' in anxious suspense.' This was due to his 
 eagerness to learn the meaning of this sight. Da quel punto, &c. : 
 this is from Ar. Metaph. xi. 7. 5, 'ETret S' corrt rt kivovv avro 
 
 OLKLVrp-OV 6V, TOVTO OVK €vB€)(eTaL aAAcDS ^X^^^ OvSa/XWg . . . . CK 
 
 TOLavTr)<s apa o-p^s rjpTiqTai 6 ovpavos kol rj </)i;o-ts. punto Stands 
 both for the punto of 1. 16, and for the apxy ('first cause') of 
 Aristotle. 
 
 45. onde, &c. : 'by which it is impelled.' 
 
 46-57. Dante here states the difficulty which he feels, viz. that, 
 whereas in the world of sense the spheres move more swiftly in 
 proportion to their distance from the centre, i. e. the earth, the 
 celestial circles which he is now contemplating move more swiftly 
 in proportion to their nearness to the centre, i. e. God. As the 
 latter of these systems is the pattern of the former, it would be 
 natural that they should correspond. 
 
 48. Sazio : participle, for j<22i/dr/o ; cp. Purg. xxxiii. 138. 'The 
 food that is set before me (i. e. the description of the nature and 
 movement of these circles that has been given me) would have 
 satisfied me.' 
 
 50. volte : ' spheres' ; cp. Purg. xxviii. 104, where the Prlmum 
 Mobile is called ' la prima volta.' divine : ' under the influence of 
 God,' as shown by the rapidity of their motion. 
 
 52-4. il mio disio : 'my anxiety for an explanation.' templo, 
 &c. : the Primum Mobile, beyond which there is nothing but light 
 and love, i. e. the Empyrean Heaven ; see Par. xxvii. 112. 
 
 55, 56. come, &c. : see note on 11. 46-57. 
 
 58-60. a tal node : ' to disentangle such a knot,' i. e. to solve 
 so great a difficulty, sodo : 'tight,' lit. 'solid,' 'firm': 'so tight 
 it has become from no one having tried to untie it.' 
 
 63. t' assottiglia : ' exercise your subtlety.' 
 
 64-78. The argument is as follows: — In the material universe 
 the size of the spheres corresponds to the amount of divinely infused 
 power (virtute) which they possess, and which is diffiised by them 
 throughout their whole range (per tutte lor parti), i. e. from sphere 
 to sphere and to the earth (11. 64-6). A larger amount of the 
 benefits thus communicated and received below (maggior bontil) 
 
 594 
 
XXVIII. 64-8i] PARADISO 
 
 is the result of a larger amount of salutary influence (maggior 
 salute), and the larger amount of salutary influence Is contained 
 in a larger body — supposing always that that body has complete 
 receptive power throughout (11. 67-9). Consequently, the ninth 
 sphere, or Primum Mobile, which is the largest, is also the highest 
 in its nature of all the spheres ; and thus it corresponds to the first 
 and highest circle of the angels, that of the Seraphim (11. 70—2). 
 Hence, if you estimate the angelic circles, not by their size, as you 
 see them, but by the rank and relative power of the spirits which 
 compose them, you will perceive that each material Heaven corresponds 
 exactly to the Order of Intelligences that guides it, the wider sphere 
 to the superior, the narrower to the inferior power (11. 73-8). 
 
 64. corporal: 'corporal,' 'material.' This passage affords clear 
 evidence of Dante's belief in the spheres of Heaven as being material. 
 
 67-9. bonta : in the interpretation of the passage which is given 
 above this word is taken as the predicate, and salute as the subject, 
 of the sentence, compiute : ' perfect.' In the case of the Primum 
 Mobile there can be no question of the perfection of the receptive 
 power throughout, though there is in the case of the lower spheres. 
 
 70-2. cestui, &c. : the Primum Mobile, which is the source 
 of motion, cerchio, &c. : the first circle of the Intelligences is 
 that of the Seraphim, che pm sape : it may seem surprising at 
 first sight that, whereas the Seraphim are usually spoken of as 
 representing love, and the Cherubim knowledge, the highest degree 
 of the latter of these powers as well as of the former should here 
 be attributed to the Seraphim. The explanation is, that the Seraphim 
 enjoy the most intimate vision of God (cp. Conv. ii. 6. 11. 79-81, 
 ' li Serafini veggiono piii della prima Cagione, che alcun' altra angelica 
 natura'), and consequently they possess the highest knowledge as 
 well as the highest love, though they only represent the latter. See 
 Gardner, Dante's Ten Heavens, pp. 203, 204. 
 
 73-5. Perche, &c. : 'wherefore, if you apply your measure 
 (estimate) to the virtue (rank, influence) of these circles, not to 
 the circular form in which the angelic natures (sustanzie) are 
 revealed to you,' &c. 
 
 76-8. conseguenza : ' correspondence.' di maggio a piii : 
 ' of the wider sphere to the higher Intelligence.' intelligenza : 
 the Order of heavenly beings which guides it. 
 
 81. da quella, &c. : 'on that side (lit. from that cheek) on 
 
 595 Q q 2 
 
PARADISO [xxviii. 82-97 
 
 which he is mildest.' The NE. wind is meant, of which Brunetto 
 Latini {Tesoro, Bk. ii. Ch. 37) says, that it keeps off rain and 
 clouds ('restringe pioggia e nuvole '), whereas the N. and NW. 
 winds are inclement. 
 
 82-4. roffia : 'dense vapours,' 'rack.' parofifia : a word of 
 unknown origin, and somewhat doubtful signification ; but it probably 
 means ' retinue,' and here ' pageantry ' ; so that what is intended to 
 be expressed by it is the brilliant display of sunlight. 
 
 88, 89. restaro : 'stayed their course,' 'ceased to be uttered.' 
 ferro, &c. : Dante employs the same comparison in Par. i. 60. 
 
 91-3. Lo incendio, &c. : 'every spark (angel) accompanied 
 (flew about in the neighbourhood of) their burning train (the 
 coruscating circles to which they belonged).' s' immilla : ' runs 
 into thousands ' ; ' their number runs into more thousands than the 
 doubling of the chess,' i. e. an infinite number. The story here 
 referred to is as follows. ' The inventor of the game of chess 
 brought it to a Persian king, who was so delighted with it, that he 
 offered him in return whatever reward he might ask. The inventor 
 said he wished only a grain of wheat, doubled as many times as 
 there were squares on the chess-board ; that is, one grain for the 
 first square, two for the second, four for the third, and so on to 
 sixty-four. This the king readily granted ; but when the amount 
 was reckoned up, he had not wheat enough in his whole kingdom to 
 pay it ' (Longfellow). 
 
 94-6. lo sentiva, &c. : ' I heard them sing hosanna choir by 
 choir to the fixed point (cp. 11. 16, 41) which holds and will for 
 ever hold them to the place in which they ever were.' The latter 
 of these points is explained below (11. 10D-2). The attraction 
 exercised by the Presence of God causes each circle of spirits to 
 approach as near to Him as they can, and their power of doing so 
 is in proportion to their ability to see Him. 
 
 97. i pensier dubi : these questionings related to the different 
 angelic circles. The order of these has been given in note to 11. 
 22-39. "The nine circles were divided into three Hierarchies. 
 The scheme of these was derived by Dante from the De Caelestl 
 Hierarch'ia of Dionysius. According to that work (cap. 7~9) ^^ 
 first Hierarchy comprised the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones ; the 
 second the Dominions, Virtues, and Powers ; the third the Prin- 
 cipalities, Archangels, and Angels. See also note below on 1. 130. 
 
 596 
 
XXVIII. IOO-29] PARADISO 
 
 IOO-2. Cosi, &c. : 'they follow their bonds with the speed 
 which you behold.' vimi : 'withs,' 'bonds,' Lat. vimen. The 
 ' bonds ' are the attraction of love, which holds them fast to the 
 central point. Per simigliarsi, &c. : the meaning is, that they 
 desire to be united with God, and to partake of His nature, quanto, 
 &c. : ' in proportion as they have a higher power of spiritual 
 insight.' 
 
 103-5. vonno : [or vanno. del divino aspetto : the explana- 
 tion of this will be found in Par. ix. 61, 62, where the Thrones 
 are said to be ' mirrors by which God's judgements are directly 
 revealed to us.' Perche, &c. : ' and thus they completed (lit. 
 whereby they concluded) the first group of three.' terminonno 
 for terminarono ; cp. apparinno for appar'irono^ Par. xiv. 121. The 
 past tense is used because the period of their creation is referred to. 
 
 1 08. Nel vero, &c. : in God. 
 
 110, III. neir atto, &c. : ' in the act of seeing, not in that of 
 loving, which is subsequent.' This is the view of Aquinas, who 
 opposes the opinion of Duns Scotus, that loving is the higher act. 
 
 112, 113. mercede, &c. : 'meritorious works, which are the 
 result of the combined action of the grace of God and of good will 
 in the recipient of that grace.' 
 
 1 15-7. germoglia : 'buds,' i.e. is ever putting forth fresh 
 graces, che notturno, &c. : ' which no autumn season strips of 
 its leaves.' As the sun is in Aries at the vernal equinox, in the 
 autumn that constellation is seen at night ; hence ' nocturnal Aries ' 
 stands for ' autumn,' the season of falling leaves. 
 
 118-20. sverna : 'warbles.' 5" wrw^r^ is used of birds ' chirp- 
 ing out winter ' on the arrival of spring. For other passages where 
 it signifies ' warbling ' see Vocah. Tramater. onde s' interna : 
 ' of which its triple nature (as a ternaro) is composed.' 
 
 121— 3. Dee: 'divinities,' i.e. divine Orders of Intelligences. 
 These are similarly called Dei in Inf. vii. 87. In Purg. xxxii. 8 
 the Theological Virtues are called Dee. ee : for the form cp. 
 Purg. xxxii. 10. 
 
 124, 125. tripudi : ' dances.' Here, as in Par. xii. 22, the word 
 is used of the joyous movement of the inhabitants of Heaven. 
 girano : this line and^ those which rhyme with it are twelve- 
 syllable lines; see note on Inf. xv. i. 
 
 127-9. Questi ordini, &c. : 'these Orders all look upwards 
 
 597 
 
PARADISO [xxviii. 130-9 
 
 (towards God), and downwards they so prevail (exercise so 
 powerful influence), that they all are drawn towards God, and all 
 draw those beneath them.' 
 
 130. Dionisio : Dionysius the Areopagite, the convert of St. Paul 
 at Athens (Acts xvii. 34), was the reputed author of the De CaelesU 
 Hierarch'ta.) which has already been mentioned. In reality that work 
 seems to have been written in the fifth or sixth centuiy. It was 
 translated from the original Greek into Latin by John Scotus Erigena 
 (Cent, ix.), and became the text-book of angelic lore in the middle 
 ages. The names of the Orders were derived from Scripture, for 
 five of them, viz. Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers and 
 Principalities, occur in St. Paul's Epistles (cp. Rom. viii. 38 (Vulg.); 
 Eph. i. 2 1 ; Col. i. 1 6), and the remaining four, viz. Seraphim, 
 Cherubim, Archangels and Angels, in other parts of the Bible; 
 but the system which Dante here gives was due to the work just 
 mentioned. 
 
 132. com' io : i.e. 'rightly,' because Beatrice, who is speaking, 
 had perfect knowledge. Dante here by implication recants the view 
 which he had propounded in Conv. ii. 6. 11. 43-55, for he there places 
 the Powers in the first Hierarchy, the Principalities in the second, 
 and the Thrones in the third. This arrangement he seems to have 
 borrowed from Brunetto Latini, Tesoro, Bk. i. Ch. 12. 
 
 133-5. Gregorio : St. Gregory (Pope Gregory the Great; 
 Cent, vi.) differed (si divise) from St. Dionysius in placing the 
 Principalities in the second Hierarchy, and the Virtues in the third 
 {Homil'iae in Evangelia\ No. 34, § 7). di se medesmo : 'at his 
 mistake.' 
 
 136-9. E se, &c. : the explanation of St. Dionysius being able, 
 while still living on earth, to reveal to men the nature of the angelic 
 Hierarchies is, that it was communicated to him by St. Paul, 
 who learnt it when he was caught up to the third Heaven; cp. 
 2 Cor. xii. 2. 
 
 598 
 
XXIX. 1-9] PARADISO 
 
 CANTO XXIX 
 
 Argument. — Beatrice enlightens Dante on the subject of the 
 angels — their creation ; the Fall of those who rebelled against God ; 
 the nature and faculties of the angels ; their number ; and their 
 participation in the light of God's presence. In one part of this 
 discourse she digresses from her subject, in order to inveigh against 
 those vain preachers, who to amuse their hearers were wont to 
 speculate on matters beyond their cognizance. 
 
 Lines 1-9. Beatrice now ceases for an instant from speaking, 
 fixing her eyes on the point of light which represents the Divine 
 Unity. The instantaneous character of this pause is illustrated by 
 comparing it to a momentary astronomical phenomenon, viz. the 
 correspondence in position of the setting sun and the rising full 
 moon at the equinox, when they are opposite one another at the 
 same time on the horizon. As the sun and moon are continually in 
 motion, this correspondence can only last an instant. 
 
 1-3. i figli, &c. : Apollo and Diana, i.e. the Sun and Moon. 
 Coperti, &c. : ' surmounted by the Ram and by the Scales,' i. e. 
 the sun being in Aries (il Montone), as it is at the vernal equinox, 
 and the moon in the opposite sign of Libra. Fanno, &c. : ' are 
 girdled by (i. e. are on) the horizon at the same time.' 
 
 4-6. Quant* e, &c. : ' as long a time as elapses from the 
 moment when the zenith makes an equipoise between them, until 
 they respectively escape from (dilibra for diTihera) that girdle (their 
 common horizon), changing their hemispheres (the one from the 
 northern to the southern, the other iiice versa).' The length of 
 time, as remarked above, is an instant only, inlibra : ' strikes an 
 equilibrium ' between the sun and moon ; the verb is used absolutely. 
 They are supposed to be in the scales of an invisible balance sus- 
 pended from the zenith. Another reading here in place of il zenit 
 inlibra is // tiene in libra, in which case the passage must be trans- 
 lated — ' from the moment which holds them balanced.' The MS. 
 authority for the two is about equal, but the unusual character of the 
 words zenit inlibra is in favour of the former ; see Moore, Text. 
 Crit., p. 496. 
 
 9. vinto : cp. Par. xxviii. 16-8. 
 
 699 
 
PARADISO [xxix. 10-27 
 
 10-84. The subjects about which Dante desires information are 
 ( I ) The creation of the angels — why, when, where and how they 
 were created (11. 13-48) ; (2) The fall of the rebellious angels, and 
 the position of the faithful angels (11. 49-66) ; (3) The faculties of 
 the angels (11. 70-84). 
 
 12. Dove, &c. : in God, to whom all time and every place are 
 present. The Latin words in this line, and subststo below, are 
 Scholastic terms. 
 
 13—5. Non per, &c. : 'not with a view to the acquisition of 
 good for Himself,' i. e. not to add to His own perfections, ma 
 perche, &c. : ' but in order that His glory by being manifested in 
 other beings might be able to say " I exist." ' The answer to the 
 question. Why were the angels created ? is : — In doing so God 
 desired to show forth His love by endowing His creatures with the 
 glad consciousness of their separate existence. 
 
 16-8. These lines contain the answers to the questions. When 
 and Where the angels, were created. It was in eternity, and 
 before limitations of place (comprender) existed. Since it was 
 simultaneous with that of the material universe, as Beatrice presently 
 explains, neither time nor space were already in existence when they 
 were created, altro : beyond God himself, i : for gli ; cp. 
 Inf. ii. 17. 
 
 1 9-2 1 . Ne prima, &c. : ' not that God before the creation lay 
 as it were inactive, for the moving of the Spirit of God on the face 
 of these waters (i. e. the act of creation. Gen. i. 2) took place 
 neither before nor after aught else.' Time began with the creation ; 
 before that there were no distinctions of time: consequently it is 
 inadmissible to speak of God as being inactive before the creation. 
 
 22-4. Forma, &c. : 'form and matter, both in combination and 
 uncombined, came forth into perfect being.' ' Form ' in .Scholastic 
 language is intellect; and pure form, or the purely intellectual 
 creation, is the angels. Pure matter is the material universe. Form 
 and matter combined is the human race. The creation is spoken of 
 as ' perfect,' because ' God saw everything that He had made, and 
 behold it was very good' (Gen. i. 31). Come d' arco, &c. : 'all 
 these three results of creation came forth together, like three arrows 
 shot from a three-stringed bow.' The three strings here represent 
 the three Persons of the Trinity, who participated in the Creation. 
 
 25-7. E come, &c. : the illustration is intended to signify that 
 
 600 
 
XXIX. a8-4i] PARADISO 
 
 the creation was instantaneous, and also simultaneous in respect of 
 the three results just mentioned, dal venire, &c. : the ray of light 
 no sooner falls upon them than it illuminates them throughout. 
 esser tutto : lit. ' being in them completely.' 
 
 28-30. Cosl, &c. : 'so did the threefold result beam forth 
 simultaneously from its Lord in completeness of its being without 
 any distinction of time in their commencement.' 
 
 31-3. Concreato, &c. : 'the order of these three substances — 
 viz. pure form, pure matter, and the combination of them — was 
 created and ordained (costrutto) along with them.' quelle : the 
 angels, puro atto : in Scholastic language actus purus means the 
 same 2iS forma tantum ; and that, as we have seen, is a description of 
 the purely intellectual creation, the angels. 
 
 34-6. Purapotenza: potentiality is the capacity of being acted 
 upon, or receptivity ; hence ' pure potentiality ' means the material 
 creation, which is simply receptive, nel mezzo, &c. : 'inter- 
 mediate between these was receptivity combined with intellect 
 (i. e. the human race), which two elements were held together 
 by a bond so powerful that it can never be unbound.' giammai, 
 &c., must be understood in a qualified sense as meaning that the 
 two elements can never be permanently separated ' ; for the bond is 
 suspended by death, but it will be resumed again at the resurrection, 
 and will then continue for ever. The order of things created which 
 is described in 11. 31-6 is based on Aristotle, De An. ii. 2. 15 ; see 
 Moore, Studies^ i. p. 109. 
 
 37-9. Jeronimo, &c. : '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,' lit. ' Jerome wrote for you about the 
 angels as being created a long period of ages before,' &c. The 
 reference is to Jerome on Titus i. 2, ' Sex millia necdum nostri 
 orbis implentur anni, et quantas prius aeternitates, quanta tempora, 
 quantas saeculorum origines fuisse arbitrandum est ; in quibus Angeli, 
 Throni, Dominationes caeteraeque virtutes servierint Deo.' In 
 connexion with this passage Aquinas says (Summa, i. Q. 61. 
 Art. 3) : — ' Circa hoc invenitur duplex sanctorum doctorum sen- 
 tentia ; ilia tamen probabilior videtur quod angeli simul cum creatura 
 corporea sunt creati.' 
 
 40, 41. questo vero : the simultaneous creation of the angels 
 and the rest of the universe; see 11. 28-30. lati : 'passages.' 
 
 601 
 
PARADISO [xxTX. 43-63 
 
 Instances of such passages are Ecclus. xviii, i, * Qui vivit in aeter- 
 num creavit omnia simuP (Vulg.), and Gen. i. i, * In the beginning,* 
 which words, according to one interpretation (see Aquinas, loc. cit.\ 
 were regarded as implying that nothing had been created before. 
 
 43-5. la ragione, &c. : the argument is, that as the office of 
 the angehc Intelligences was to move and guide the Heavens, it was 
 unsuitable that they should be created long before the Heavens were 
 in existence, sua perfezion : that which was the object or final 
 cause of their existence was the ' complement ' of their being. 
 
 46-8. questi amori : the angels, come : ' in what fashion ' ; 
 this is explained in 11. 32, 33, where it is said that the angels were 
 by their nature puro atto. ardori : ' fires,' i. e. questions by which 
 your desire of knowledge is kindled. 
 
 49-51. Ne giugneriesi, &c. : Beatrice now turns to the Fall 
 of the rebellious angels. This took place immediately after their 
 creation, 'before one could count twenty' ; cp. Cowv. ii. 6. 11. 95-7, 
 ' Dico che di tutti questi Ordini si perderono alcuni tosto che furono 
 creati.* Turbo, &c. : ' disturbed the nethermost of your elements.* 
 The earth is the nethermost of these, because air, fire, and water rise 
 above it; for il suggetto in this sense cp. Par. ii. 107. The 
 'disturbance' of the earth caused by Lucifer's fall is described 
 in Inf. xxxiv. 121-6. 
 
 52. L' altra, &c. : ' the other part (the faithful angels) remained 
 in Heaven.' quest' arte : that of revolving round the Divine 
 Unity. 
 
 57. costretto : ' compressed,' ' crushed.' Lucifer occupied the 
 centre of the earth, which was also the centre of gravity ; cp. Inf. 
 xxxiv. no, III, Ml punto Al qual si traggon d' ogni parte i 
 pesi.' 
 
 58-60. furon modesti, &c. : ' were humble in recognizing that 
 they proceeded from the goodness, which had created them fit for 
 so great intelligence,' i. e. capable of enjoying the Presence of God. 
 
 61-3. Perche: 'wherefore.' con lor merto, &c. : the merit 
 of the faithful angels consisted, as we learn from 1. 65, in their 
 acceptance, by the exercise of their free-will, of God's illuminative 
 grace; the result of this was, that their wills became immutably 
 fixed on God and on His service, so that they could never fall away. 
 It was through lack of this that the rebellious angels fell ; cp. Par. 
 xix. 48, ' per non aspettar lume.' 
 
 602 
 
XXIX. 64-84] PARADISO 
 
 64-6. dubbi : the doubt which is here implied turned on the 
 question, whether the faithful angels had done anything to deserve 
 their blessedness, Secondo che, &c. : ' in proportion to the 
 receptivity of the affection/ gli : for /?, referring to grazia. 
 
 67-9. Omai, &c. : 'now thou mayst devote thy thoughts to the 
 full without further aid to the subject of this angelic assembly, if 
 thou hast laid to heart my words/ 
 
 70-84. Beatrice now speaks of the nature and faculties of the 
 angels. She affirms that they possess intelligence and will, but 
 denies them the power of memory. Aquinas {Summa, i. Q. 54. 
 Art. 5) within certain limits allows them memory. 
 
 71. Si legge : ' it is taught (in lectures) in your schools.* 
 
 74, 75. La verity, &c. : 'the truth which on earth men 
 confound, equivocating in such prelections.' By 'equivocating' 
 is meant 'using words in more than one meaning.' The particular 
 word referred to is ' memory,' which sometimes means the know- 
 ledge of what is past, sometimes the recalling of what has been — at 
 least for the time — forgotten. In the latter meaning of the term, 
 which is the usual one, angels have no memory, because they forget 
 nothing, since everything is present to them in the face of God. 
 The knowledge of the past, no doubt, they possess. 
 
 76-81. Queste, &c. : 'the angels, from the time when they 
 were blessed with God's countenance, kept their eyes steadfastly 
 fixed on it ; and as God sees all things, they see all past events 
 reflected there, and no object which has presented itself to them 
 at an earlier time can be intercepted by a subsequent one ; con- 
 sequently, there is no need of the process of recollection to recall 
 a forgotten impression.' vedere : ' sight ' ; ' their vision is not 
 intercepted by a fresh object presenting itself.' per concetto 
 diviso : lit. ' owing to a thought having been separated from them 
 (put out of sight).' 
 
 82-4. Si che, &c. : 'so that on earth, when men make such 
 statements as that the angels possess the power of memory, they 
 dream with their eyes open, some believing that they speak the truth, 
 others not believing ; but the latter incur more blame and more 
 disgrace.' non dormendo si sogna : this means: — 'They talk 
 vaguely on questions involving established truth.' The truth is 
 plain before them, yet they prefer to speculate. Credendo, &c. : 
 ' some think that these statements which they extemporize are true, 
 
 603 
 
PARADISO [xxix. 85-105 
 
 while others make them only in order to gratify their hearers ; 
 the latter class deserve severer condemnation.' 
 
 85-126. Beatrice, taking for her text the fanciful teaching that 
 prevailed on the subject of the nature of angels, denounces the 
 devices that were in vogue among the popular preachers of the day 
 to win the favour of their audiences. 
 
 85—7. Voi non, &c. : the meaning is: — 'There is one right 
 way, the way of truth ; you on earth in your philosophizing follow 
 a variety of devious tracks instead of it.' L' amor, &c. : ' the love 
 of display (apparenza, lit. the appearance of cleverness) and the 
 gratifying reflexions which that display suggests (il sue pensiero).' 
 
 88-90. Ed ancor, &c. : ' yet even this is borne in Heaven 
 with less indignation than the neglect or the perversion of Holy 
 Writ.' 
 
 91-3. Non vi, &c. : 'on earth men do not reflect on all the 
 blood of the martyrs which has been the price of disseminating 
 it throughout the world, or how acceptable to God is he who 
 in humility holds fast by it.' Seminarla : la is the Christian faith, 
 implied in La divina scrittura. 
 
 94-6. Per apparer, &c. : ' display is what each one aims at, 
 inventing new views of his own, and these are the themes of the 
 preachers, while about the Gospel not a word is said.' 
 
 97. Un dice, &c. : as an instance of a subject unsuited for 
 treatment in the pulpit, which nevertheless was a popular one in 
 the hands of preachers, Beatrice mentions the various theories 
 concerning the cause of the darkness at the time of our Lord's 
 crucifixion. These are from Aquinas, Summa, iii. Q. 44. Art. 2. 
 Dante only mentions them, without raising the question whether 
 they are right or wrong, si ritorse : ' returned on its course.' 
 
 1 01, 102. Da se : without being eclipsed by any other body. 
 pero, &c. : ' in consequence of this disappearance of the light, 
 the darkness (according to them) afl^ected the whole world from 
 farthest West to farthest East.' rispose : ' corresponded to,' 
 'equally affected.' 
 
 103-5. Lapi e Bindi: 'common men.' These were popular 
 abbreviations of familiar names in Dante's time — Lapo for Jacopo, 
 Bindo for Aldobrando. per anno : ' in the course of the year.' 
 quinci e quindi : ' now from one side, now from the other,' i. e. 
 giving now one, now another explanation. 
 
 604 
 
XXIX. 108-32] PARADISO 
 
 108. non le scusa, &c. : 'unconsciousness of the harm they 
 suffer is no excuse for them,' because they should not confide in 
 such worthless pastors. 
 
 109-11. convento : 'band of followers ' ; the Apostles are 
 meant, verace fondamento : the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 112. quel tanto, &c. : 'only that was heard on their lips,' lit. 
 ' in their cheeks, mouths.' For tanto in the sense of Lat. tantum 
 cp. Par. ii. 67 ; xviii. 13. 
 
 1 15-7. con motti e con iscede: 'with witticisms and 
 buffooneries.' iscede is for scede\ cp. iscegliendo for scegliendo 
 in Purg. xxviii. 41. pur che, &c. : 'if only the congregation 
 laugh well, the preacher's cowl is puffed up (with vanity), and 
 that is all he desires.' 
 
 118—20. tale uccel, Sic: 'such a winged monster (the devil) 
 nestles in its angle.' The becchetto is the point of the cowl. 
 vederebbe, &c. : ' they would discover the true value of the pardon 
 (indulgences) in which they put their trust.' 
 
 121— 3. Per cui, &c. : 'by reason of which (indulgences) such 
 folly prevails on earth, that without any evidence of authorization 
 (testimonio) on the part of him who makes the offer, men are 
 ready to rush together at every promise of them.' 
 
 124-6. Di questo, &c. : 'on this (credulity) St. Antony fattens 
 his pig.' The hog which appears in pictures at the feet of 
 St. Antony, the Egyptian hermit, represents the demon of sensuality 
 which he conquered. In the middle ages the swine of the Monks 
 of St. Antony were allowed to feed in the streets of cities, and 
 were fed by devout persons (Jameson, Sacred and Legendary Art^ 
 pp. 750, 751); this is what Dante refers to. altri : concubines, 
 and other hangers-on of the monasteries, moneta senza conio : 
 'money without the true stamp,' i. e. unauthorized indulgences. 
 
 127-45. Beatrice now returns to the subject of the angels, and 
 speaks of their number, of the degrees in which they partake of the 
 divine effluence, and of the glory of God as manifested in them. 
 
 128, 129. la dritta strada : the course of the statement which 
 I was pursuing. Si che, &c. : ' so that, as our allotted time draws 
 to an end, we may make corresponding progress with our subject,' 
 lit. ' that our way also may be shortened.' 
 
 130-2. Questa natura: the nature of the angels, si oltre, 
 &c. : ' is so beyond measure multiplied in number (s' ingrada, lit. 
 
 605 
 
PARADISO [xxix. 134— XXX. 13 
 
 increases step by step) as to exceed all power of expression and 
 mortal thought.' 
 
 134, 1 35. in sue migliaia, &c. : ' when he speaks of thousands, 
 no fixed number is expressed/ The passage referred to is Dan. 
 vii. 10, ' Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand 
 times ten thousand stood before Him.' This only means an 
 indefinitely great number. 
 
 136-8. La prima, &c. : 'the primal light (God), which ir- 
 radiates the whole angelic nature, is received into it in as many 
 modes as are the bright beings with which it is mated.' This 
 means, in other words, that in things incorruptible there is only 
 one individual in each species. The principle which is here 
 enunciated is based on Aquinas, Summa^ i. Q. 50. Art. 4 ; 
 ' Perfectio naturae angelicae requirit multiplicationem specierum, non 
 autem multiplicationem individuorum in una specie.' See Gardner, 
 Daniels Ten Heavens, p. 213. 
 
 139-41. Onde, &c. : 'whence, inasmuch as the affection is in 
 proportion 'to the conceptive act (i. e. to the assimilation of the divine 
 light), the sweetness of love is more or less warm in it in different 
 degrees.' 
 
 144. Speculi ... in che si spezza: the angels are mirrors, 
 each of which receives its portion of the divine light. 
 
 CANTO XXX 
 
 Argument. — Dante in company with Beatrice rises to the 
 highest or Empyrean Heaven. This is first revealed to him 
 under the figure of a river of light, from which bright sparks emerge, 
 and settle on the flowers which adorn its banks. When Dante's 
 mind has been sufficiently prepared by this symbolical imagery, the 
 reality is presented to his view ; and he beholds a sea of light, from 
 the circular margin of which rises in the form of a rose the abode of 
 the Angels and the Blessed. Here Beatrice points out to him the 
 appointed seat which awaits the emperor Henry VII. 
 
 Lines 1-13. The nine angelic circles now gradually fade from 
 Dante's sight; this is compared to the gradual disappearance of 
 the stars at dawn. 
 
 606 
 
XXX. i-i8] PARADISO 
 
 I . Forse, &c. : the dawn, instead of being mentioned by name, 
 is here described, by an elaborate periphrasis, as the time when it 
 is about midday 6,000 miles off from us on the earth's surface. 
 This calculation is arrived at in the following manner. Seven hours 
 are approximately tlie period of time which the sun takes to pass 
 over 6,000 miles of the earth's surface; for, according to the 
 computation of Alfraganus (cap. viii.) which Dante accepted (Conv. 
 iii. 5. 11. 80-107; see Toynbee, Diet., p. 522, s. v. Terra), the 
 entire circumference of the earth was 20,400 miles, and consequently 
 the amount of that circumference corresponding to seven hours out 
 of the complete revolution of twenty-four hours was 5,950 miles 
 (20,400 X /x ~ 5' 950)? or in round numbers 6,000 miles. Hence, 
 when Dante says that the sixth hour is 6,000 miles distant from us, 
 he means that with us it is seven hours befoie noon, or an hour 
 before sunrise, the sun being regarded as rising at 6 a.m. The 
 word Forse intimates that the calculation is made in round numbers. 
 
 2,3. ferve : * is glowing,' ' the glowing hour of noon is distant 
 from us,' &c. China, &c. : ' inclines its shadow almost to a level 
 (al letto piano).' At sunrise the shadow of the earth (i. e. the 
 cone of shadow which it casts opposite the sun) falls exactly in 
 a line with the plane of the horizon ; but at the time here intended, 
 which is before sunrise, it is only approaching that position : this 
 accounts for the qualifying word quasi. 
 
 4-6. Quando, &c. : ' when the mid-heaven, which appears so 
 deep when we gaze at it, begins to assume such an aspect (i. e. 
 gathers light so much), that here and there a star ceases to be 
 visible as far below as our earth.' 
 
 7-9. ancella: 'the brightest handmaid of the sun' is the dawn. 
 il ciel, &c. : ' the Heaven closes, light after light, even to the most 
 beautiful ' : star after star disappears, and at last even the brightest. For 
 vista (lit. 'an object of sight') used of the stars, cp. Par. xxiii. 30. 
 
 10-2. il trionfo, &c. : the circles of angels, which revolve 
 round the point of light which represents the Divine Unity, mi 
 vinse: see Par. xxviii. 16-8. Parendo, &c. : the point of light 
 appears to be embraced by the circles, but in reality the Godhead 
 embraces all. 
 
 15. Nulla vedere: i.e. the disappearance of the objects on 
 which I had been gazing. 
 
 18. a fomir, &c. : ' to furnish forth this occasion.' 
 
 607 
 
PARADISO [XXX. 19-48 
 
 19, 20. si trasmoda ... di la da noi : 'passes the limits of 
 our conception.' 
 
 22, 23. passo : ' difficult task ' ; cp. Par. iv. 91. 'By this hard 
 task I confess that I am vanquished.' punto, &c. : ' the acme of 
 his subject.' 
 
 27. di se, &c. : ' paralyses,' lit. ' deprives of itself.' 
 
 30. Non m' e, &c. : ' my song has not been hindered from 
 pursuing the theme.' On several previous occasions (see Par. xiv. 
 79-81 ; xviii. 8-12 ; xxiii. 22-4) Dante had professed his inability 
 to give an adequate description of Beatrice's beauty, but now he feels 
 himself obliged to desist from even attempting to do so. 
 
 33. ultimo sue: 'his ideal'; cp. Cic. Mur. xxxi. 65, 'cum 
 ad ultimum animo contendissemus.' 
 
 34-6. a maggior bando : 'to be extolled in higher strains,' lit. 
 ' to a loftier proclamation.' deduce : this with terminando means 
 ' is bringing to a close.' 
 
 37-9. espedito : 'who has accomplished his task'; cp. Par. 
 xvii. 100. Del maggior corpo, &c. : from the Primum Mobile or 
 Crystalline Heaven, which is the greatest in extent of the material 
 Heavens, to the Empyrean, which is immaterial. 
 
 40. Luce : observe the ' linkage ' in this and the two following 
 lines, the first word of each being repeated from the last of the pre- 
 ceding line. This is the only example of this poetical device in the 
 Div. Com. ; but it is occasionally found in the troubadour poets ; 
 for an instance see Raynouard, Cho'ix des poesies des Troubadours^ 
 vol. V. p. 219. In the present passage the words thus linked represent 
 in each case an element of the blessedness of the Empyrean, which 
 the Poet has just entered, viz. light, love, and joy. The corre- 
 spondence here found between the elevation of the style and that of the 
 subject treated of resembles what is found in the description of the 
 Gate of Purgatory in Purg. ix. 70-2, where Dante himself draws 
 attention to this feature. 
 
 43-5. milizia: the two 'hosts' are the company of the Angels 
 and the company of the Blessed. 1' una : the Blessed, who in the 
 Empyrean would be seen by Dante in their real form, not concealed, 
 as they had been hitherto, by an enveloping light. This haM 
 already been announced to Dante by St. Benedict ; Par. xxii. 58-63. 
 
 46-8. discetti: 'scatters,' L at. J/Wf/Z^r^ : ' which paralyses the 
 power of sight.' For the explanation of spiriti visivi see note 
 
 608 
 
XXX. 52-^7] PARADISO 
 
 on Par. xxvi. 71. si che, &c. : *so that it prevents still more 
 brilliant objects from making an impression on the eye.' Atto is 
 'act,' 'operation/ 'impression.' 
 
 52-4. Beatrice is speaking. 1' amor, &c. : 'the Love (God) 
 which causes this Heaven to repose.' ' This Heaven ' is the 
 Empyrean, which is at rest, in contrast with the other Heavens, 
 which are in motion. Accoglie, &c. : 'receives a soul into its 
 presence with a salutation of this nature.' salute for saluto, cp. 
 Fita Nuova, § xi. 1. 3. Per far, &c. : ' to render the taper fit to 
 be kindled by its flame,' i. e. to fit the soul for the beatific vision. 
 This is the result of the initiatory display of brilliant light. 
 
 58-60. vista: 'power of sight.' non si fosser, &c. : 'could 
 not have endured it.' 
 
 6 1 . lume : the nver of light symbolizes the illuminative grace 
 of God, and the flowers on the banks the souls of the Blessed, 
 while the sparks which issue from the river and settle on the 
 flowers are the angels, who communicate to the saints the grace 
 which they derive immediately from God. 
 
 63. primavera : ' spring,' i. e. profusion of flowers ; cp. Purg. 
 xxviii. 51. 
 
 65, 66. d' ogni parte : * on either side ' ; cp. Inf. xxii. 56. 
 Quasi, &c. : ' resembling rubies set in gold.' 
 
 71. vei : for vedi. 
 
 73, 74. bei : drinking with the eyes is meant; see 1. 88. tanta 
 sete : ' thy great longing ' for information. 
 
 76-8. li topazii, &c. : the bright sparks which pass in and out 
 of the stream, il rider dell* erbe : ' the smiling flowers.' di lor 
 vero, &c. : ' shadowy anticipations of their reality,' i. e. of the real 
 objects which they represent. A similar instance of the introduction 
 of an unusually impressive sight by the means of an intermediate stage, 
 in order to render it more easy to realize, is the description of the 
 Giants as resembling towers in Inf. xxxi. 20, 31. 
 
 79-81. acerbe : 'hard to understand'; cp. the use o£ agro in 
 Purg. xxv. 24. The things which are here spoken of as hard to 
 understand are the realities of which these symbols are the anticipa- 
 tions, viste, &c. : ' powers of sight so exalted.' 
 
 85-7. per far, &c. : 'to increase stillfurther my power of sight.' 
 Che si deriva, &c. : ' which issues forth, that men may therein be 
 perfected.' 
 
 TOZER 609 R r 
 
PARADISO [XXX. 88-117 
 
 88-90. si come : 'even as' ; both this and cosi ('thereupon/) 
 below are used of time, di lei : of the wave, i. e. the river of 
 light. la gronda, &c. : ' the rim (lit. eaves) of my eyelids.' 
 mi parve, &c. : from having been long, like a river, it changed its 
 appearance into that of a circular sea of light. 
 
 93. La sembianza, &c. ; ' the alien semblance (of the mask) 
 beneath which they (la gente) were concealed.' 
 
 94-6. maggior feste : ' more radiant sights of joy ' ; cp. Par. 
 XX. 84. le corti : these are the two hosts (/' una e V altra milizia) 
 
 of]. 43- 
 
 97. vidi : notice the emphatic statement implied by the triple 
 repetition of this word in the rhyme; cp. J>er ammenda, Purg. 
 XX. 65. 
 
 100-2. Lume : this is the illuminative grace, which is represented 
 by the river of light in 1. 61. a quella creatura, &c. : 'to every 
 being, which,' &c. 
 
 103. circular figura: this is the sea of light. 
 
 106-8. Fassi, &c. : ' the whole of what is thus displayed (tutta 
 sua parvenza) is formed of a ray which is reflected on the outer 
 surface of the Primum Mobile.' vivere : ' vitality,' i. e. power of 
 movement, potenza : the influence which is communicated by the 
 Primum Mobile to the lower spheres. 
 
 III. Quando : Quanta is also read, in which case the meaning 
 is — ' to see how rich it is.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. Si, &c. : ' so saw I reflected in that sea of light, as they 
 rose above it all round in more than a thousand tiers, all the souls 
 that have returned from earth to Heaven.' ritorno : according 
 to the Creationist view of the origin of the rational soul, which 
 Dante accepted (see Purg. xvi. 85-8), the soul proceeded directly 
 from God, and consequently it is here spoken of as returning after 
 death to God who gave it. 
 
 1 1 5-7. E se, &c. : the circular sea of light is surrounded by the 
 lowest tier of the blessed spirits, and from this the other tiers rise 
 ever higher, and expand ever wider, in the form of a rose, while 
 above all is the Presence of the Blessed Trinity. Speaking of the 
 extent of this Empyrean Heaven Dante says — ' If the lowest tier 
 bounds the sea of light, the circumference of which (as we are told 
 in 11. 104, 105) is greater than that of the sun, how vast must be 
 the circuit of the highest and outermost tier ! ' 
 
 610 
 
XXX. 120-48] PARADISO 
 
 120. II quanto, &c. : 'the intensity and the quality of that 
 blessedness.' 
 
 1 2 1-3. Presso, &c. : the meaning is, that in the Empyrean no 
 object is obscured or lessened by distance, because the laws of sight 
 or perspective (la legge natural) do not apply in Heaven. 
 Translate : — ' there nothing is added by nearness or taken away 
 by distance, for where God immediately rules, the (intermediate) 
 agency of natural law has no force.' nulla rileva : ' avails nothing.* 
 Similarly in Fr. and Engl, 'relevant' is used in the sense of 
 'assisting,' 'helpful' (Skeat). 
 
 124, 125. Nel giallo, &c. : 'Beatrice drew me (1. 128) into 
 the yellow centre of the everlasting rose.' The sea of light, which 
 is the reflexion of God's glory (see 11. 100-8), is compared to the 
 yellow centre formed by the stamens of the rose, digrada : 
 'descends in steps, grades.' 
 
 127-9. Qual e, &c. : Dante compares himself to one who is 
 silent though he would fain speak, il convento, &c. : ' the 
 assembly of the white robes ' ; cp. Rev. vii. 9, ' I saw, and behold, 
 a great multitude . . . arrayed in white robes.' 
 
 136-8. che fia, &c. : 'that on earth shall bear the imperial 
 dignity ' ; Augustus was the standing title of the Roman emperors. 
 Enrico : Henry of Luxemburg, who became emperor in 1308, and 
 died in 131 3, consequently eight years before Dante {Prima che tu, 
 &c., 1. 135). From the point of view of Dante's Vision, which 
 was supposed to have taken place in 1300, his death was regarded 
 as still future (Sedera), but Beatrice refers prophetically to the 
 failure of his expedition into Italy (11. 137, 138). in prima che: 
 for the use of this phrase instead of prima che cp. Inf. xix. 91, 92. 
 
 139-41. cupidigia : cp. Par. xxvii. 121, where Dante treats 
 covetousness as the chief source of the evils of the time. Simili, 
 &c. : because the Italians were always crying out for a deliverer, and 
 refused him when he appeared. 
 
 142—4. prefetto, &c. ; 'president in the divine Court,' i.e. 
 Pope, foro divino means the Church, tal : Clement V (1305- 
 1314) ; on his double dealing with Henry of Luxemburg see Par. 
 xvii. 82. palese, &c. : 'both openly and covertly he will follow 
 a different road from him,' i. e. he will oppose Henry. 
 
 145-8. poco : Clement outlived Henry only by eight months. 
 detruso : the punishment of Clement for simony by being thrust 
 
 611 R r 2 
 
PARADISO [xxxi. 3-15 
 
 head downwards in a hole in the rock in the third bolgia of Malebolge 
 had already been announced beforehand in Inf. xix. 82-4, where 
 it is also mentioned that his arrival would be the occasion of 
 Boniface VIII being forced still further down in the same hole. 
 quel d' Anagna : Boniface was a native of Anagni. 
 
 CANTO XXXI 
 
 Argument. — While Dante continues to contemplate the company 
 of the Blessed, Beatrice leaves him, and resumes her place in the 
 third highest tier of seats within the Celestial Rose. St. Bernard 
 is sent by her to act as Dante's guide, and he directs the Poet 
 to lift up his eyes and behold the glory of the Blessed Virgin, who 
 is surrounded by a multitude of angels. 
 
 Line 3. sposa : the bride of Christ is the company of the 
 redeemed, whom He purchased with His own blood. 
 
 4. r altra : the angels. 
 
 7-9. s' infiora : ' descends into the flowers.' si ritoma, &c. : 
 * returns to the place where its labour is turned to sweetness,' i. e. to 
 the hive, where the pollen which the bees have gathered is converted 
 into honey. 
 
 12. La dove, &c. : to the presence of God. That this is 
 meant, is clearly shown by the word risaliva here, and by lo 
 tnterporsi tra il disopra e il Jiore in 1. 19, both of which imply 
 that the place between which and the Rose the angels pass and 
 repass is the higher region where God himself is present. It is 
 well to observe this, because in the allegorical vision by which 
 the revelation of the Empyrean is anticipated, the sparks, which 
 represent the angels, pass between the flowers (the saints) and the 
 river of light (Par. xxx. 61-9); and this has suggested to some 
 the erroneous view, that in the present passage the angels go to and 
 fro between the petals of the rose and the sea of light, though that 
 sea was on a lower level, and was a reflexion of the glory of God, 
 and not his very Presence. 
 
 13-5. fiamma : perhaps the three colours here given represent 
 respectively love, wisdom, and purity, termine : ' degree (lit. 
 limit, measure) of whiteness.' 
 
 612 
 
XXXI. 16-33] PARADISO 
 
 16-8. banco: this corresponds in meaning to soglie^ grado of 
 Par. XXX. 113, 115. ventilando il fianco : 'by waving their 
 wings/ ht. 'by fanning their flanks.' What is here implied is, 
 that the angels acquired this peace and love when flying upwards 
 to God, i. e. in their aspiration towards Him. If a comma is 
 introduced after acquistavan, the meaning is; — 'They distributed 
 (imparted) by the waving of their wings the peace and love which 
 they won from the sight of God.* 
 
 19-21. Ne lo interporsi, &c. : 'nor did the interposition 
 of so great a multitude of flying creatures between the flower and 
 that which was above it (the Godhead) impede the sight of the 
 splendour.' la vista e lo splendore : this seems to be a 
 hendiadys. 
 
 23, 24. secondo ch' e degno : 'according to the fitness of its 
 parts to receive it ' ; the principle here is the same as that stated in 
 Par. i. 1-3. In the present connexion the words seem to be 
 introduced in order to imply, that in Heaven, since all its inhabitants 
 are worthy, though in different degrees, to receive God's light, 
 it must penetrate everywhere, nulla, &c. : ' no object can impede 
 it,' and therefore here the angels cannot. 
 
 26, 27. Frequente, &c. : ' peopled by folk of the Old and the 
 New Dispensation.' The grouping of the saints who belong to 
 these two respectively is given in Par. xxxii. 22-7. ad un segno : 
 ' fixed on one object.' 
 
 28-30. unica stella : this is used metaphorically to represent 
 the Divine Unity, appaga : there is a change here from the 
 second to the third person-: ' O Trinal light — the light that so 
 contents them.' Guarda, &c. : this is a prayer for God's mercy : 
 ' Look down (with compassion) on our tempestuous life on earth.' 
 Compare the appeal to the saints in the sixth Heaven for their 
 intercession in behalf of struggling humanity; Par. xviii. 124—6. 
 
 31—3. tal plaga, &c. : the North, where the Great Bear is 
 always high in the Heavens. It does not mean 'the region where 
 the Great Bear never sets,' for that would apply to the whole of 
 Europe, as Dante was aware; cp. Can%. xv. 28, 29, 'Dal paese d' 
 Europa, che non perde Le sette stelle gelide unquemai.' Elice : 
 the nymph, otherwise called Callisto, who was seduced by Jupiter, 
 and after having been metamorphosed into a she-bear through the 
 jealousy of Juno, was placed by him in Heaven as the constellation 
 
 613 
 
PARADISO [xxxi. 34-60 
 
 of the Great Bear, while her son whom she bore to him was made 
 the constellation of Bootes. Dante obtained the story from Ov. 
 Met. ii. 466-530. The seduction of Helice is alluded to in 
 Purg. XXV. 130-2. 
 
 34-6. ardua sua opra: 'her lofty edifices.' quando, &c. : 
 the period here referred to is probably that of the barbarian invasions 
 of Rome, when the Lateran palace, which was given by Constantine 
 to Pope Sylvester, had become the Papal residence, and the basilica 
 of St. John Lateran was the grandest existing Christian church. 
 In this case the words Alle cose, &c. ('surpassed all mortal 
 things') have a double application, referring both to the dignity 
 of the Papal see, and to the subHmity of the building. Others 
 think that the reference is to the Jubilee of 1300, at which time the 
 Lateran was the dwelling-place of the Popes, and that Barbari are 
 the 'outlandish foreigners,' who, as Villani tells us (viii. 36), visited 
 Rome on that occasion. 
 
 37. lo, che al : the scansion here is unusual, lo being pro- 
 nounced as a disyllable, and che being unelided. In the case of 
 lo the peculiar use is to be explained by its being emphatic and 
 having a pause after it. In 1. 47 also the scansion is exceptional, 
 the final a of Menava being unelided and io being a disyllable. 
 
 41, 42. tra esso, &c. : 'what with the stupefaction and the joy 
 it caused me pleasure to hear nothing and to remain speechless.' 
 libito is used substantively ; cp. Inf. v. 56. 
 
 43-5. si ricrea .... riguardando : 'takes pleasure in gazing.' 
 gik : ' ere long.' This word is occasionally used of future time, 
 especially of the immediate future ; see Vocab. Tramater. 
 
 49-51. suadi : 'persuasive'; the word is adapted from the 
 Latin, atti : 'bearing,' 'mien.' 
 
 53. mio : this is metrically a disyllable owing to the influence of 
 j-^ following ; see note on Inf. viii. 1 1 . 
 
 58-60. Uno, &c. : ' I had one object in my mind, and another 
 met my glance ' ; i. e. what I did see was different from what 
 I expected to see. Beatrice : Beatrice had now quitted Dante, 
 and resumed her place among the most exalted saints, un Sene : 
 St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153). The qualities which 
 caused Dante to select this saint as a person specially fitted to 
 introduce him to the highest mysteries of Heaven, were his intense 
 spirituality, his rare force of character, through which he exercised 
 
 614 
 
XXXI. 61-87] PARADISO 
 
 an extraordinary influence over his age, his position as a champion 
 of orthodoxy, and his conspicuous devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 
 He is regarded as symbolizing contemplation; cp. 11. no, iii; 
 Par. xxxii. i. He takes the place of Beatrice in this part of 
 the poem in the same way as Matelda in the Terrestrial Paradise 
 takes the place of Virgil. Vestito con: 'robed like,' i. e. in 
 white robes. For the use of con meaning ' corresponding to ' 
 cp. Purg. xxix. 145. 
 
 61, 62. Diflfuso era, &c. : ' his eyes and cheeks were overspread 
 (lit. he was overspread, &c.) with benign joy.' gene : Lat. genae. 
 in atto pio : ' affectionate in look * ; for atto in this sense cp. 
 Purg. xxiv. 27. 
 
 65. A terminar, &c. : ' to conduct you to the desired end of 
 your journey' ; cp. 11. 94, 95. 
 
 67, 68. terzo giro, &c. : 'the third circle starting from the 
 highest tier'; cp. Par. xxxii. 7-9. 
 
 71, 72. si facea, &c. : 'was wearing a crown of light formed 
 by the rays which proceeded from God being reflected from her 
 head,' lit. ' formed for herself a crown by reflecting,' &c. At this 
 point, even more than elsewhere in the poem, we must bear in mind 
 that Beatrice represents Theology. 
 
 73-5. Da quella, &c. : 'from that part of the sky where the 
 highest thunders roll.' In order to give an idea of the inconceivable 
 extent of the court of Heaven, and at the same time of the exalted 
 position of Beatrice, Dante says that the space which intervened 
 between him and her exceeded the distance from the depths of the 
 sea to the highest region of our atmosphere. Qualunque, &c. : 
 ' the eye of him who suffers himself to sink into the lowest depths 
 of the sea.' For s' abbandona see note on Par. xvii. 108. 
 
 77, 78. nulla mi facea : ' this affected me not,' i. e. made no 
 difference to me. per mezzo mista : 'obscured by any medium,' 
 such as our atmosphere. 
 
 81. In Inferno, &c. : cp. Inf. ii. 52 foil. 'To leave thy foot- 
 prints in ' means no more than ' to visit.' 
 
 82-4. Di tante, &c. : ' I acknowledge as due to thy might and 
 goodness the grace and power, which have enabled me to see all the 
 objects which I have beheld.' 
 
 85-7. di servo, &c. : i. e. from the bondage of sin to the glorious 
 liberty of the children of God. Dante's conversion and ultimate 
 
 615 
 
PARADISO [XXXI. 88-126 
 
 salvation were the primary object of his journey through the three 
 realms of the spiritual world. Che di cio, &c. : 'of which thou 
 couldst avail thyself for that purpose.' 
 
 88. La tua, &c. : 'continue the bounty of thy goodness toward me.' 
 
 92, 93. come parea: take with si lontana ; 'distant in 
 appearance/ not in reality, because in the Empyrean space does 
 not exist, fontana : God. 
 
 96. prego : on the part of Beatrice. 
 
 98, 99. t' acconcer^, &c. : ' will qualify thy sight to mount 
 higher along the divine ray/ i. e. to approach nearer to its source, 
 the presence of God. 
 
 104. Veronica: the likeness of our Lord's face, which accord- 
 ing 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 His way to crucifixion : cp. Vita Nuova^ § xli. 
 ^^' 3-5? ' quella imagine benedetta, la quale Gesii Cristo lascio a noi 
 per esempio della sua bellissima figura.' This sudario, which is now 
 preserved in St. Peter's at Rome, was exhibited at the Jubilee in 
 1300 (Villani, viii. 36); and this is no doubt the occasion here 
 referred to. Veronica is another form of Berenice, the name of 
 the woman who was supposed to have presented the handkerchief 
 to Christ. 
 
 106. fin che, &c. : 'so long as it is being exhibited' ; for fin 
 che in this sense cp. Purg. xii. 3. 
 
 111. quella pace : the peace of Heaven. 
 
 112. questo esser : the life of the saints in Paradise. 
 116. la Regina : the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 1 2 1-3. di valle, &c. ; i.e. raising my eyes from the lower to 
 the higher circles, vidi parte, &c. : ' I saw a portion of Heaven 
 on the utmost verge (i. e. in the highest and outermost leaves of the 
 Rose) surpassing in brightness all else that faced me.' 
 
 1 24-6. E come, &c. : ' and as in that part of the sky where we 
 are looking for the sun to rise the brilliancy increases, while on either 
 side of this the light diminishes,' i. e. shades off, as is seen from 
 11. 128, 129, the point of which is illustrated by this comparison. 
 il temo, &c. : ' the car (lit. pole) of the sun, which Phaethon 
 guided amiss.* The story of Phaethon is often referred to by Dante 
 in the course of the poem; cp. Inf. xvii. 107 ; Purg. iv. 72 ; xxix. 
 118; Par. xvii. 3. 
 
 616 
 
XXXI. 127— xxxir.4«] PARADISO 
 
 127-9. pacifica oriafiamma : ' oriflamme of peace/ in contrast 
 with the warUke banner of the French kings which bore that name. 
 ' So did that oriflamme of peace display a brighter light at its mid- 
 point, and on either side (of that point) the brilliancy diminished in 
 an equal degree.' The ' oriflamme ' is the part of Heaven in which 
 the Virgin was — the parte of 1. 122 ; and the 'mid-point* is the 
 person of the Virgin herself. 
 
 130—2. a quel mezzo : ' at that mid-point,' i. e. in the presence 
 of the Virgin. Ciascun, &c. : ' each differing from the other both 
 in brightness and in forms of joy.' arte has been explained in 
 a variety of ways, but perhaps festanti above gives the clue to the 
 interpretation, so that the meaning is arte cl'i far festa^ lit. 'skill in 
 expressing their joy.' The difl'erences which exist between angels 
 are mentioned in Par. xxix. 136-41. 
 
 1 33, 134. Vidi, &c. : ' I beheld smiling on their sports and songs 
 a loveliness ' ; the beauty of the Virgin is meant. 
 
 136-8. s* io avessi: 'even if I had.' tentar: 'to try to express.' 
 
 140. caldo suo calor : 'the object of his burning love'; cp. 
 11. 100, lOI. 
 
 CANTO XXXII 
 
 Argument. — St. Bernard explains to Dante the system according 
 to which the spirits of the Blessed are arranged in the Celestial 
 Rose, and points out to him the most conspicuous among them, 
 inviting him especially to contemplate the Blessed Virgin, to whom 
 the archangel Gabriel is singing the Ame Maria. 
 
 Lines 1-48. The description which Dante here gives of the 
 grouping of the saints in the Celestial Rose is as follows. The tiers 
 of seats which compose it are divided vertically into two halves by two 
 lines running downward 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 
 
 617 
 
PARADISO [xxxii. 1-23 
 
 Testament respectively ; but the lower part is devoted to the 
 innocent children who were beatified. 
 
 I, 2. Affetto, &c. : 'while still absorbed in the object of his 
 love (the Blessed Virgin ; cp. Par. xxxi. 140), that contemplative 
 spirit assumed spontaneously the office of instructor.' St. Bernard 
 now enumerates the most conspicuous of the female saints, and 
 afterwards (11. 28-36) the most conspicuous of the male saints, 
 who form the lines of partition mentioned in the preceding note. 
 
 4-6. La piaga, &c. : i. e. the curse, which fell on the human 
 race through Adam's transgression, and was removed by the birth of 
 Christ from the Virgin, colei : Eve, who is seated immediately 
 below the Virgin, che 1' aperse, &c. : * who inflicted and 
 aggravated it (punse, lit. pricked).' The Fall of man was 
 caused by Eve's first transgressing God's command herself, and 
 then tempting Adam to do so. 
 
 7-9. sedi : from sedio for seggio. Rachel : she symbolizes the 
 contemplative life; cp. Purg. xxvii. 104. Beatrice has already 
 been spoken of as sitting by her side in Inf. ii. 102. 
 
 10-2. Judit : she is introduced as being a typical Hebrew 
 heroine, bisava : Ruth ; for the relationship between her and 
 David cp. Ruth iv. 13, 17. per doglia, &c. : the penitential 
 Ps. li., which commences ' Have mercy upon me, O God,' is 
 headed ' A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto 
 him.' fallo is David's sin with Bathsheba. 
 
 14, 15. Giii digradar: 'descend in gradation,* i.e. sit one 
 beneath the other, com' io, &c. : 'as I do, who go down along 
 the rose from leaf to leaf, giving each her rightful name.' 
 
 16-8. SI come, &c. : 'as above it,' lit. 'until reaching it.' 
 succedono Ebree : ' Hebrew women follow in order.' Diri- 
 mendo, &c. : ' dividing all the tresses of the flower,' i. e. dividing 
 the one company of the Blessed from the other, the saints of the 
 Old Testament from those of the New. ' The tresses of the flower ' 
 are the leaves of the Rose. 
 
 19-21. Perche, &c. : 'because these women form the partition 
 which divides from one another the rows of saints according to the 
 direction in which men's faith in Christ looked,' i. e. forward before 
 Christ's coming, and backward after that event, fee \s iovfece. 
 
 23. tutte: because the number of the saints of the Old 
 Dispensation was complete. 
 
 618 
 
XXXII. 25-51] PARADISO 
 
 25-7. Dair altra, &c. : 'on the other side, on which the 
 semicircular tiers are interrupted by vacant places, are seated those, 
 whose eyes were turned to Christ after His coming/ In place of 
 Di voti i semicircoli some read Di voti, in semicircoli ; in this 
 case intercisi refers to Quei below, and signifies ' are separated 
 from one another/ si stanno : for other instances of stare^ starsi 
 in the sense of * to be,' 'to abide,' cp. Inf. x. 117 ; Purg. xxii. 85. 
 
 30. cotanta cema : ' so marked a division ' ; cerna is formed 
 from the Lat. cernere, which is used four lines below in the sense of 
 ' to form a division.' 
 
 31-3. Cosi : understand y^z r^/-«<2. di contra : on the opposite 
 side of the rose. Giovanni : St. John the Baptist. He occupies 
 this position because of our Lord's words, ' Among them that are 
 born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist ' ; 
 Matt. xi. II. due anni : as two years elapsed between the death 
 of St. John and that of Christ, that period was passed by him in 
 Limbo. 
 
 34-6. cerner sortiro : ' were appointed to mark the division.' 
 quaggiu : St. Bernard and Dante were standing in the sea of 
 light. 
 
 38. r uno e r altro aspetto : the saints of the two Dispensa- 
 tions ; for aspetto cp. sguardo in 1. 19. 
 
 40, 41. dal grado, &c. : 'downward from the tier of seats 
 which cuts across the two dividing lines in the middle of the area.' 
 The Rose is divided horizontally into two equal parts by a row 
 of seats, which intersects the two vertical lines of division that 
 run downwards opposite to one another from the Virgin and from 
 St. John the Baptist. The part of the area below this row of seats 
 is assigned to the infant saints. 
 
 42, 43. Per nullo, &c. : ' those who sit there do so through no 
 merit of their own, but through the faith of others, under certain 
 conditions.' It is explained in 11. 76-84 that at different periods 
 in the history of mankind infants could be saved (i) through the 
 faith of their parents, (2) by circumcision, (3) by baptism. 
 
 44, 45. assolti : ' freed from the flesh,' ' dead.' vere elezioni : 
 ' true power of choice,' i. e. the rational exercise of free-will. 
 
 46. Ben te ne, &c. : 'thou canst clearly perceive that they are 
 infants.' 
 
 49-51. dubbi : the doubt in Dante's mind is this: — If these 
 
 619 
 
PARADISO [xxxii. 53-72 
 
 infants were saved by no merit of their own, how comes it that they 
 have different degrees of blessedness ? The answer is, that this 
 is not a question of merit, but of God's free gift (11. 52-75). 
 legame, &c. : ' the bonds of doubt, within which thy perplexing 
 thoughts constrain thee.' 
 
 535 54* Casual, &c. : * chance can have no place, any more 
 than,' &c. Casual punto means 'a thing of chance,' 'anything 
 accidental.' Se non come: cp. Par. i. 137. 
 
 56, 57. SI che, &c. : 'so that here the ring exactly fits the 
 finger ' ; i. e. everything that is found in Heaven must be in perfect 
 correspondence with the will of God. The idiom da ... a is the 
 same which is found in Inf. xix. 113 ; Purg. xxiv. 62. 
 
 58-60. E pero, &c. : ' and therefore this folk, who are called 
 before their time to that life which is the true life, are not without 
 reason in higher and lower grades relatively to one another.' sine 
 causa : a phrase borrowed from Scholastic Latin. 
 
 61-3. pausa : ' reposes.' ausa : a Lat. form, for osa^ ' venture- 
 some'; cp. Par. xiv. 130; hence di piu ausa means 'eager for 
 more ' ; 'no desire of man can aspire towards aught greater.' 
 
 66. qui basti, &c. : ' in this matter let the fact suflice,' without 
 inquiring into the reason. The ' fact ' is the difference in the 
 measure of grace with which God has endowed His creatures. 
 
 68, 69. quei gemelli : Esau and Jacob, who struggled together 
 in their mother Rebekah's womb (Gen. xxv. 22). The preference 
 in their case of the younger to the elder, which was announced 
 before they were born (v. 23), is quoted by St. Paul (Rom. ix. 
 10—2) in proof of the absolute freedom exercised by God in the 
 bestowal of His gifts ; ' the children being not yet born, neither 
 having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to 
 election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.' 
 
 70-2. il color, &c. : in the case of Esau and Jacob the difference 
 in the colour of their hair formed a marked point of contrast in their 
 personal appearance, the former being distinguished from the latter 
 by his red hair (Gen. xxv. 25). This difference in natural 
 characteristics is here regarded by St. Bernard as emblematical of 
 the difference in the spiritual gifts which were bestowed on the 
 infants now spoken of. Hence 'the colour of the hair of such 
 grace ' is equivalent to ' the diflferent measure in which such grace 
 was originally given.' Translate : — 'It is fit and proper that the 
 
 620 
 
XXXII. 73-114] PARADISO 
 
 supreme light should crown their heads (i. e. that their beatitude 
 in Heaven should be) in proportion to the grace bestowed on them 
 at their birth/ s' incappelli : lit. ' should be placed as a crown 
 upon them.' 
 
 73-5. Dunque, &c. : 'consequently, though they have no merit 
 such as proceeds from a godly life, they are placed in different tiers 
 (higher and lower) solely on the ground of their difference in the 
 innate power of beholding the face of God.' di lor costume : lit. 
 ' arising from their mode of life ' ; had they lived and performed 
 meritorious actions, they would have had claims to reward pro- 
 portionate to them, and therefore different from one another, acume : 
 ' keenness of sight.' 
 
 76-8. Bastava, &c. : ' verily in the early ages of the world the 
 faith of their parents, combined with their own innocence, sufficed by 
 itself for their salvation.' The early ages were the period from 
 Adam to Abraham. 
 
 80, 81. air innocenti penne, «fec. : 'to acquire power for their 
 innocence to fly to Heaven by means of circumcision.' 
 
 83, 84. perfetto : this epithet is added, because circumcision 
 was in a sense an imperfect form of baptism, laggiu : in Limbo. 
 
 85. faccia: the face of the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 89. menti : the angels. For their office in communicating God's 
 grace cp. Par. xxxi. 17. 
 
 94-6. queir amor : the archangel Gabriel, che primo, &c. : 
 ' who first (i. e. before any other) descended on Mary ' ; the occasion 
 referred to was during the revelation of the Triumph of Christ in 
 the Heaven of the Fixed Stars, Par. xxiii. 94. Cantando : take 
 with distese. 
 
 97-9. cantilena: the salutation of the archangel, ogni vista: 
 the countenance of every saint. 
 
 106, 107. ricorsi, &c. : ' I had recourse once more to the in- 
 struction of him (St. Bernard), who was gathering beauty (becoming 
 more beautiful) from the face of Mary.' 
 
 109. Baldezza e leggiadria: 'confidence and grace of move- 
 ment.' 
 
 1 1 2-4. la palma : in pictures of the Annunciation Gabriel is 
 frequently represented as bearing a palm-branch in his hand, salma : 
 'burden,' i.e. the flesh. This word, like the mod. Ital. soma^ is 
 derived from the late Lat. sagma, about which Isidore remarks {Ortg. 
 
 621 
 
PARADISO [xxxii. 115-42 
 
 XX. 16. 5), * sagma, quae corrupte vulgo dicitur salma.' The 
 original is the Gk. ady/xa, ' saddle,' ' pack.' 
 
 115, 116. si com' io, &c. : * following my words.' patrici : 
 * patricians,' i. e. dignitaries ; the highest Saints. 
 
 119, 120. Augusta: the Blessed Virgin, who is Reg'ma Caeli. 
 due radici : Adam and St. Peter, who are here intended, may be 
 regarded as roots from which the Celestial Rose, or company of the 
 Blessed, sprang — the former as being the head of the family of those 
 who believed in Christ before His coming, the latter of those who 
 believed in Him after His coming. 
 
 1 2 1-3. s' aggiusta: 'is next' ; it is derived from Lat. iuxta. 
 amaro : the bitter consequences of Adam's eating the forbidden fruit. 
 
 127-9. quel, &c. : St. John the Evangelist, who before his 
 death had the vision (the Apocalypse) of the persecutions and 
 disasters which were in store for the Church, sposa, &c. : the 
 bride whom Christ won by means of His Crucifixion. For a similar 
 method of describing the Crucifixion to that here used cp. Par. ix. 
 123. chiavi : 'nails,' from chiavo, Lat. c/avus ; from this again 
 is formed the verb chiavare. The word is archaic. 
 
 131. Quel Duca : Moses. 
 
 135. per cant are, &c. ; ' notwithstanding that (lit. for all that) 
 she sings Hosanna.' 
 
 136-8. Padre: Adam. Lucia: St. Lucy represents illu- 
 minative grace ; on this, and on her appealing to Beatrice to rescue 
 Dante, cp. Inf. ii. 97 and note, chinavi, &c. : ' didst droop thine 
 eyelids,' through despondency; this corresponds to 'io perdei la 
 speranza dell' altezza ' of Inf. i. 54. a ruinar : ' on thy hasty 
 downward way ' ; cp. rovinava in Inf. i. 61. 
 
 139-41. che t' assonna : i.e. during which thy Vision lasts. 
 farem punto : ' we will bring our enumeration to an end.' St. Ber- 
 nard's reference to the limited time assigned to Dante's Vision as 
 restricting his opportunities of observing the denizens of Heaven is 
 of the same nature as other passages of the poem in which Dante 
 himself speaks of the space at his command being limited ; cp. Purg. 
 xxix. 97-9; xxxiii. 136-41. sartore : the tailor who 'cuts his 
 coat according to his cloth ' is a typical instance of the homely similes 
 which are found in the Paradiso. See note on Par. xxvi. 97-9. 
 
 1 42 . primo amore : this term is here used of God, not, as in 
 most other passages, of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 622 
 
xxxii. 145— XXXIII. 32] PARADISO 
 
 145, 146. Veramente : 'nevertheless'; cp. Par. i. 10; vii. 61. 
 ne forse: 'lest haply'; the Lat. ne forte; 'lest haply by moving 
 thy wings (i. e. by trusting to thy own powers) thou shouldst recede 
 farther from the presence of God, while thou thinkest that thou art 
 advancing towards it.' 
 
 148, 149. quella: the Virgin, afifezione: 'feeling,' not words. 
 
 CANTO XXXIII 
 
 Argument. — St. Bernard offers a prayer to the Virgin, beseeching 
 her to empower Dante to see the face of God himself. His request 
 is granted, and the Poet is enabled to behold in faint outline the 
 mysteiy of the Trinity in Unity, and that of the union of the Divine 
 and the Human Nature in the Person of Christ. At this point his 
 Vision concludes. 
 
 Lines 1—3. The first eighteen lines of this Canto have been 
 paraphrased by Chaucer in his Second Nonnes Tale, figlia, &c. : 
 because all things were created by Christ ; this is further explained 
 in 11. 5, 6. Termine fisso : ' predestined object.' 
 
 5. il suo Fattore, &c. : ' the Creator of human nature did not 
 disdain to become its creature,' i. e. to be born of a woman. 
 
 7. si raccese 1' amore : ' God's love was rekindled,' after it 
 had been quenched by man's transgression. 
 
 10. meridiana face : ' a noonday beam ' ; ' noonday ' signifying 
 the highest degree of brightness. 
 
 14. qual : 'whosoever.' 
 
 18. Liberamente, &c. : 'spontaneously anticipates the asking.' 
 
 22. infima lacuna : the pit of Hell. 
 
 27. r ultima salute: God; cp. Par. xxii. 124. 
 
 28-30. non arsi, &c. : 'never desired the sight of God for 
 myself more eagerly than I do for him.' scar si : ' insufficient,' 
 ' lacking in efficacy.' 
 
 31, 32. Perche: 'that'; cp. Par. xxvi. 95. nube, &c. : Dante 
 was thinking of Virg. ylen. ii. 604-6, ' Aspice, namque omnem, quae 
 nunc obducta tuenti Mortales hebetat visus tibi et umida circum 
 Caligat, nubem eripiam.' 
 
 623 
 
PARADISO [xxxiii. 35-78 
 
 35. sani : ' unimpaired,' ' untainted by corrupt inclinations * 
 (/ movimenti uman't^ 1. 37). 
 
 385 39. Vedi, &c. : ' behold Beatrice and all the saints, who 
 clasp their hands to thee in advocacy of my prayers/ The expression 
 is inverted for quanti Beati con Beatrice. 
 
 40, 41. da Dio, &c. : ' beloved by Christ as God, and venerated 
 by Him as Man.' dimostraro : by their smile. 
 
 44, 45. Nel qual, &c. : 'into the essence of which, we must 
 believe, no eye of created being can penetrate with equal clearness/ 
 s* jnii : iniarsi is formed from to on the analogy of immiarsi (Par. 
 ix. 81), inluiarsi (Par. ix. 73), and means ' to enter into the " I am." ' 
 If/ invii is read here, the meaning is ' can be directed,' ' can enter '; 
 but, if this were the original, it seems hardly possible that a reading 
 so difficult as s' inii should have been substituted for it. 
 
 47, 48. si com' io, &c. : ' even as was natural, I felt the eagerness 
 of desire cease within me.' As he approaches the presence of God, 
 desire is replaced by fruition and tranquillity. 
 
 51. tal qual ei volea : i. e. gazing upwards. 
 
 52. venendo sincera: 'becoming perfectly clear.' ¥ or venire 
 with an adj. in the sense of divenire cp. Par. xxvi. 102, ' venia gaia.' 
 
 57. oltraggio : ' immensity,' lit. 'excess.' This is the original 
 (though now obsolete) meaning of the word, which is derived from 
 Lat. ultra. The same sentiment as here is expressed in Par. i. 7-9. 
 
 58-60. sognando vede : ' sees objects in a dream.' Somniando, 
 which is found in Witte's A, should probably be read, for it is hard 
 to think that Dante would venture on such a solecism as to make 
 colui a trisyllable, except at the end of a line, la passione 
 impressa : ' the feeling which it has produced.' 1' altro : the 
 dream itself. 
 
 61. cessa: ' is obliterated.' 
 
 64-6. sidisigilla: 'dissolves,' lit. 'is unsealed.' la sentenza, 
 &c. ; the oracles of the Sibyl, which she inscribed on the leaves 
 of trees, but which were afterwards scattered by the wind ; cp. Virg. 
 Jten. iii. 444-51. 
 
 73~5- per tomare . . . Piii si, &c. : ' through its returning . . . 
 a higher conception will be formed of thy surpassing greatness.' 
 
 76-8. Io credo, &c. : ' so great was the keenness of the living 
 ray which I endured, that methinks I should have been dazed if 
 I had removed my eyes from it.' Dante felt that his hope of seeing 
 
 624 
 
XXXIII. 79-96] PARADISO 
 
 the face of God depended on his continuing to look steadfastly. 
 sarei : for saret stato ; cp. Inf. xxiv. 36. aversi : particip. from 
 Lat. avertere. 
 
 79-81. mi ricorda : for this impersonal use cp. Inf. ix. 98. 
 Per questo : because I knew that everything depended on my not 
 averting my eyes, sostener : used absolutely, ' to endure.' tanto, 
 che : take with fui piu ardito ; ' I was the more emboldened . . ., 
 to such a degree that I fixed my eyes on the infinite Majesty.' 
 
 84. la veduta, &c. : 'I saw to the full (lit. consumed, exhausted) 
 all that was visible there.' It is clear from what follows that Dante 
 does not mean that his organs of sight were overpowered. 
 
 85-7. Nel suo profondo, &c. : Dante here means that all 
 created things and the order of Nature exist in God, and that he 
 was now empowered to see them in the light of His presence. 
 ' I saw that within its depths is stored, bound together in one 
 volume by the force of love, all that throughout the universe forms 
 separate leaves.' As the separate leaves are bound up in one volume, 
 so all created things exist in God. squadema means lit. 'is 
 divided into leaves'; cp. Par. xvii. 37, where 'il quaderno (the 
 volume) della vostra materia ' means ' the total of all the objects 
 in the material world.' 
 
 88-90. Sustanzia, &c. : this clause is in apposition to Cio che 
 above. ' Substance (the things which exist) and accidents (the 
 forms which they take) and their mode (their manner of operation).' 
 Quasi conflati, &c. : ' seeming to be combined together in such 
 sort, that what I speak of is one simple light.' Others interpret 
 per tal modo, &c., as meaning *so wondrously, that my words 
 are a mere glimmer of it.' 
 
 91-3. La forma, &c. : 'the all-pervading formative principle 
 of this combination'; for forma in this sense cp. Par. i. 104. 
 Credo, &c. : as Dante had said in 11. 61-3, the vision itself had 
 disappeared from his memory, and the evidence of it that remained 
 behind was the consciousness of the joy which he felt, piu di 
 largo : ' more abundantly.' 
 
 94—6. Un pun to, &c. : ' one single moment is greater oblivion 
 to me (letargo, lit. lethargy, dulness), than twenty-five centuries 
 have been to the enterprise which caused Neptune to marvel at 
 the shadow of Argo.' In other words : — 'I forgot in a single 
 moment more of what I saw in the face of God, than men have 
 
 T02ER 625 S S 
 
PARADISO [XXXIII. 99-117 
 
 forgotten in twenty-five centuries of the Argonautic expedition.' 
 The reason why this expedition is mentioned is, that it was the 
 earliest important event recorded in history. Scartazzini, on the 
 other hand, takes letargo as meaning ' absorbing admiration,' and 
 explains the passage thus : — ' A single moment produces in me 
 more absorbing admiration than twenty-five centuries have aroused 
 for the Argonautic expedition.' The meaning thus attached to 
 letargo agrees well with what is added in 11. 97-9 ; but the other 
 interpretation, which connects 11. 94-6 with what precedes, gives 
 a more natural sense to the words. In this case Cosi in 1. 97 refers 
 to what is said in 11. 85-90 of Dante's beholding the light of God's 
 presence. It is to be observed that Lat. leihargus and Ital. letargo 
 are almost always used in a distinctly unfavourable sense, am- 
 mirar : because it was the first vessel which crossed the sea. 
 99. di mirar, &c. : '• became enkindled by gazing.' 
 101. per altro aspetto: 'to look at aught else.' 
 103-5. Perocche, &c. : the meaning, in connexion with what 
 precedes, is : — ' Since all wishes aim at some good (see Purg. xvii. 
 103-5, 127-9), and all that is good is summed up in God, so that 
 what exists in perfection in Him is only found in an imperfect and 
 fragmentary form elsewhere, it follows that the attraction which He 
 presents must overpower every other attraction.' 
 
 107. Pure, &c. : 'even in regard to (in describing) what I 
 remember.' 
 
 109-14. Before proceeding to describe how the mystery of the 
 Trinity was gradually presented to him, Dante guards himself 
 against seeming to suggest that any change took place in the 
 countenance of God, who is immutable; the change was in 
 himself. 'Not because there was a variety of aspects in the 
 living light which I was regarding — for that is ever the same 
 as it was before — but because my power of sight gained strength 
 as I gazed, that which had but one appearance presented itself 
 differently to me as I myself changed.' si travagliava : it is 
 generally agreed that this signifies ' was changed,' but how this 
 meaning is arrived at has not been explained. 
 
 116, 117. parvemi, &c. : the combination of a plural subject 
 with a singular verb is a])parently intended to signify the Trinity 
 in Unity; cp. Par. ii. 42, 'Come nostra natura e Dio s' unio,' 
 to express the union of the two natures in Christ, tre colori, 
 
 626 
 
XXXIII. ii8-4i] PARADISO 
 
 &c. : the three colours represent the special attributes of the three 
 Persons, the one dimension (continenza) the Unity. 
 
 118—20. r un: the Son, who is the express image of the 
 Father (1' altro), while the Holy Spirit (il terzo) proceeds from 
 the Father and the Son. 
 
 1 2 1-3. corto : 'deficient,* 'inadequate.' questo, &c. : 'my 
 conceit (my idea of what it was), compared with what I saw. Is so 
 slight, that "little " is too weak a word.' 
 
 124-6. O luce, &c. : addressing the Blessed Trinity, the Poet 
 proceeds to describe how the mystery of the Incarnation was presented 
 to him. sidi : from Lat. sidere ; ' abidest.' t' intend! : ' com- 
 prehendest (i. e. understandest) thyself.' The expressions sola in 
 te sidi and Sola t* intendi are used of the Divine Unity ; da te 
 intelletta of the Son, who is understanded of the Father ; in- 
 tendente te of the Father, who understands the Son (cp. Matt. 
 xi. 27); and ami ed arridi of the Holy Spirit, who loves and 
 smiles on them both. For the Holy Ghost as representing Love 
 cp. Par. X. I ; xiii. 57. 
 
 127, 128. Quella circulazion, &c. : the circle which repre- 
 sents God the Son; cp. 11. 118, 119. concetta : 'generated/ 
 ' begotten.' 
 
 130-2. del sue, &c. : 'painted of its own very colour with our 
 likeness,' i.e. with the human form. Colori in 1. 117 represents 
 the attributes of the Persons of the Godhead ; and similarly here, 
 when it is said that the circle which represents the Son bears our 
 likeness in its own colour, the perfect union of the human nature 
 with the divine in the Person of Christ is signified. messo : 
 ' fixed.' 
 
 ^33~5' Qual e, &c. : Dante compares his inability to penetrate 
 by his own unaided power the mystery of the Incarnation to that of 
 the geometrician who attempts to square the circle, s' afifige : ' is 
 intent.' principio : the principle from which to start in the 
 investigation. 
 
 137? 138* si convenne: 'conformed itself.' vi s' indova : 
 ' finds its place there ' ; i. e. how Christ's Humanity can be united 
 with his Divinity. 
 
 139-41. non eran, &c. : 'my own unaided wings were not 
 capable of so high a flight, had it not been that my mind was 
 smitten by a bright beam, which contained the object of its desire.' 
 
 627 
 
PARADISO [xxxiii. 142-5 
 
 The grace of God revealed to the Poet the mystery which he could 
 not of himself comprehend. 
 
 142-5. Ma gih, &c. : the meaning is: — 'Though my mind 
 could not penetrate farther into the heavenly mysteries, yet God, 
 whose love rules the universe, infused into me a sense of beatitude 
 which tranquillized my desires and my will/ In default of the 
 power of comprehension, his other powers (viz. his desires and his 
 will) were moved and regulated by God ; and it is in this perfect 
 conformity to His will that the happiness of the soul consists. Si 
 come rota, &c. : the uniformity of motion in the wheel symbolizes 
 the condition of a soul which is wholly guided by the divine love. 
 
 145. stelle: the Paradiso, like the two former Cantiche, ends 
 with this word, the Poet's object in thus introducing it being to lead 
 his readers' thoughts upwards to Heaven. The entire poem, from 
 this point of view, may be described in Milton's words as a ' star- 
 ypointing pyramid.' 
 
 628 
 
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