The Divine Comedy Of Dante Alighieri Part 23

[517] _The zone_: The Eighth Circle, in which the fraudulent of all species are punished, lies between the precipice and the Ninth Circle. A vivid picture of the enormous height of the enclosing wall has been presented to us at the close of the preceding Canto. As in the description of the Second Circle the atmosphere is represented as malignant, being murky and disturbed with tempest; so the Malebolge is called malignant too, being all of barren iron-coloured rock. In both cases the surroundings of the sinners may well be spoken of as malign, adverse to any thought of goodwill and joy.

[518] _The extremities_: The _Malebolge_ consists of ten circular pits or fosses, one inside of another. The outermost lies under the precipice which falls sheer from the Seventh Circle; the innermost, and of course the smallest, runs immediately outside of the 'Well,' which is the Ninth Circle. The Bolgias or valleys are divided from each other by rocky banks; and, each Bolgia being at a lower level than the one that encloses it, the inside of each bank is necessarily deeper than the outside. Ribs or ridges of rock--like spokes of a wheel to the axle-tree--run from the foot of the precipice to the outer rim of the 'Well,' vaulting the moats at right angles with the course of them. Thus each rib takes the form of a ten-arched bridge. By one or other of these Virgil and Dante now travel towards the centre and the base of Inferno; their general course being downward, though varied by the ascent in turn of the hog-backed arches over the moats.

[519] _More swift_: The sinners in the First Bolgia are divided into two gangs, moving in opposite directions, the course of those on the outside being to the right, as looked at by Dante. These are the shades of panders; those in the inner current are such as seduced on their own account. Here a list of the various cla.s.ses of sinners contained in the Bolgias of the Eighth Circle may be given:--

1st Bolgia--Seducers, CANTO XVIII.

2d " Flatterers, " "

3d " Simoniacs, " XIX.

4th " Soothsayers, " XX.

5th " Barrators, " XXI. XXII.

6th " Hypocrites, " XXIII.

7th " Thieves, " XXIV. XXV.

8th " Evil Counsellors, " XXVI. XXVII.

9th " Scandal and Heresy Mongers, " XXVIII. XXIX.

10th " Falsifiers, " XXIX. x.x.x.

[520] _A rule of road_: In the year 1300 a Jubilee was held in Rome with Plenary Indulgence for all pilgrims. Villani says that while it lasted the number of strangers in Rome was never less than two hundred thousand. The bridge and castle spoken of in the text are those of St.

Angelo. The Mount is probably the Janiculum.

[521] _Horned devils_: Here the demons are horned--terrible remembrancers to the sinner of the injured husband.

[522] _Venedico Caccianimico_: A Bolognese n.o.ble, brother of Ghisola, whom he inveigled into yielding herself to the Marquis of Este, lord of Ferrara. Venedico died between 1290 and 1300.

[523] _Such sharp regale_: 'Such pungent sauces.' There is here a play of words on the _Salse_, the name of a wild ravine outside the walls of Bologna, where the bodies of felons were thrown. Benvenuto says it used to be a taunt among boys at Bologna: Your father was pitched into the Salse.

[524] _Thy clear accents_: Not broken with sobs like his own and those of his companions.

[525] _Whatever, etc._: Different accounts seem to have been current about the affair of Ghisola.

[526] _'Tween Reno, etc._: The Reno and Savena are streams that flow past Bologna. _Sipa_ is Bolognese for Maybe, or for Yes. So Dante describes Tuscany as the country where _Si_ is heard (_Inf._ x.x.xiii.

80). With regard to the vices of the Bolognese, Benvenuto says: 'Dante had studied in Bologna, and had seen and observed all these things.'

[527] _To the right_: This is only an apparent departure from their leftward course. Moving as they were to the left along the edge of the Bolgia, they required to turn to the right to cross the bridge that spanned it.

[528] _Those eternal circles_: The meaning is not clear; perhaps it only is that they have now done with the outer stream of sinners in this Bolgia, left by them engaged in endless procession round and round.

[529] _Medea_: When the Argonauts landed on Lemnos, they found it without any males, the women, incited by Venus, having put them all to death, with the exception of Thoas, saved by his daughter Hypsipyle.

When Jason deserted her he sailed for Colchis, and with the a.s.sistance of Medea won the Golden Fleece. Medea, who accompanied him from Colchis, was in turn deserted by him.

[530] _Who in the next Bolgia wailed_: The flatterers in the Second Bolgia.

[531] _Alessio Interminei_: Of the Great Lucchese family of the Interminelli, to which the famous Castruccio Castrucani belonged.

Alessio is know to have been living in 1295. Dante may have known him personally. Benvenuto says he was so liberal of his flattery that he spent it even on menial servants.

[532] _Thais_: In the _Eunuch_ of Terence, Thraso, the lover of that courtesan, asks Gnatho, their go-between, if she really sent him many thanks for the present of a slave-girl he had sent her. 'Enormous!' says Gnatho. It proves what great store Dante set on ancient instances when he thought this worth citing.

[533] _Enough, etc._: Most readers will agree with Virgil.

CANTO XIX.

O Simon Magus![534] ye his wretched crew!

The gifts of G.o.d, ordained to be the bride Of righteousness, ye prost.i.tute that you With gold and silver may be satisfied; Therefore for you let now the trumpet[535] blow, Seeing that ye in the Third Bolgia 'bide.

Arrived at the next tomb,[536] we to the brow Of rock ere this had finished our ascent, Which hangs true plumb above the pit below.

What perfect art, O Thou Omniscient, 10 Is Thine in Heaven and earth and the bad world found!

How justly does Thy power its dooms invent!

The livid stone, on both banks and the ground, I saw was full of holes on every side, All of one size, and each of them was round.

No larger seemed they to me nor less wide Than those within my beautiful St. John[537]

For the baptizers' standing-place supplied; And one of which, not many years agone, I broke to save one drowning; and I would 20 Have this for seal to undeceive men known.

Out of the mouth of each were seen protrude A sinner's feet, and of the legs the small Far as the calves; the rest enveloped stood.

And set on fire were both the soles of all, Which made their ankles wriggle with such throes As had made ropes and withes asunder fall.

And as flame fed by unctuous matter goes Over the outer surface only spread; So from their heels it flickered to the toes. 30 'Master, who is he, tortured more,' I said, 'Than are his neighbours, writhing in such woe; And licked by flames of deeper-hearted red?'

And he: 'If thou desirest that below I bear thee by that bank[538] which lowest lies, Thou from himself his sins and name shalt know.'

And I: 'Thy wishes still for me suffice: Thou art my Lord, and knowest I obey Thy will; and dost my hidden thoughts surprise.'

To the fourth barrier then we made our way, 40 And, to the left hand turning, downward went Into the narrow hole-pierced cavity; Nor the good Master caused me make descent From off his haunch till we his hole were nigh Who with his shanks was making such lament.

'Whoe'er thou art, soul full of misery, Set like a stake with lower end upcast,'

I said to him, 'Make, if thou canst, reply.'

I like a friar[539] stood who gives the last Shrift to a vile a.s.sa.s.sin, to his side 50 Called back to win delay for him fixed fast.

'Art thou arrived already?' then he cried, 'Art thou arrived already, Boniface?

By several years the prophecy[540] has lied.

Art so soon wearied of the wealthy place, For which thou didst not fear to take with guile, Then ruin the fair Lady?'[541] Now my case Was like to theirs who linger on, the while They cannot comprehend what they are told, And as befooled[542] from further speech resile. 60 But Virgil bade me: 'Speak out loud and bold, "I am not he thou thinkest, no, not he!"'

And I made answer as by him controlled.

The spirit's feet then twisted violently, And, sighing in a voice of deep distress, He asked: 'What then requirest thou of me?

If me to know thou hast such eagerness, That thou the cliff hast therefore ventured down, Know, the Great Mantle sometime was my dress.

I of the Bear, in sooth, was worthy son: 70 As once, the Cubs to help, my purse with gain I stuffed, myself I in this purse have stown.

Stretched out at length beneath my head remain All the simoniacs[543] that before me went, And flattened lie throughout the rocky vein.

I in my turn shall also make descent, Soon as he comes who I believed thou wast, When I asked quickly what for him was meant.

O'er me with blazing feet more time has past, While upside down I fill the topmost room, 80 Than he his crimsoned feet shall upward cast; For after him one viler still shall come, A Pastor from the West,[544] lawless of deed: To cover both of us his worthy doom.

A modern Jason[545] he, of whom we read In Maccabees, whose King denied him nought: With the French King so shall this man succeed.'

Perchance I ventured further than I ought, But I spake to him in this measure free: 'Ah, tell me now what money was there sought 90 Of Peter by our Lord, when either key He gave him in his guardianship to hold?

Sure He demanded nought save: "Follow me!"

Nor Peter, nor the others, asked for gold Or silver when upon Matthias fell The lot instead of him, the traitor-souled.

Keep then thy place, for thou art punished well,[546]

And clutch the pelf, dishonourably gained, Which against Charles[547] made thee so proudly swell.

And, were it not that I am still restrained 100 By reverence[548] for those tremendous keys, Borne by thee while the glad world thee contained, I would use words even heavier than these; Seeing your avarice makes the world deplore, Crushing the good, filling the bad with ease.

'Twas you, O Pastors, the Evangelist bore In mind what time he saw her on the flood Of waters set, who played with kings the wh.o.r.e; Who with seven heads was born; and as she would By the ten horns to her was service done, 110 Long as her spouse[549] rejoiced in what was good.

Now gold and silver are your G.o.d alone: What difference 'twixt the idolater and you, Save that ye pray a hundred for his one?

Ah, Constantine,[550] how many evils grew-- Not from thy change of faith, but from the gift Wherewith thou didst the first rich Pope endue!'

While I my voice continued to uplift To such a tune, by rage or conscience stirred Both of his soles he made to twist and shift. 120 My Guide, I well believe, with pleasure heard; Listening he stood with lips so well content To me propounding truthful word on word.

Then round my body both his arms he bent, And, having raised me well upon his breast, Climbed up the path by which he made descent.

Nor was he by his burden so oppressed But that he bore me to the bridge's crown, Which with the fourth joins the fifth rampart's crest.

And lightly here he set his burden down, 130 Found light by him upon the precipice, Up which a goat uneasily had gone.

And thence another valley met mine eyes.