Forgets both Nature's general love, and that Which thereto added afterward gives birth To special faith. Whence in the lesser circle, Point of the universe, dread seat of Dis, The traitor is eternally consumed."
I thus: "Instructor, clearly thy discourse Proceeds, distinguishing the hideous chasm And its inhabitants with skill exact.
But tell me this: they of the dull, fat pool, Whom the rain beats, or whom the tempest drives, Or who with tongues so fierce conflicting meet, Wherefore within the city fire-illumed
Are not these punish'd, if God's wrath be on them? And if it be not, wherefore in such guise
Are they condemn'd?" He answer thus return'd: "Wherefore in dotage wanders thus thy mind, Not so accustom'd? or what other thoughts Possess it? Dwell not in thy memory
The words, wherein thy ethic page2 describes Three dispositions adverse to Heaven's will, Incontinence, malice, and mad brutishness, And how incontinence the least offends God, and least guilt incurs? If well thou note This judgment, and remember who they are, Without these walls to vain repentance doom'd, Thou shalt discern why they apart are placed From these fell spirits, and less wreakful pours Justice divine on them its vengeance down."
"O sun! who healest all imperfect sight, Thou so content'st me, when thou solvest my doubt, That ignorance not less than knowledge charms. Yet somewhat turn thee back," I in these words Continued, "where thou said'st, that usury Offends celestial Goodness; and this knot Perplex'd unravel." He thus made reply: "Philosophy, to an attentive ear,
Clearly points out, not in one part alone,
"Thy ethic page." He refers to Aristotle's "Ethics," lib. vii. c. 1: the next place, entering on another division of the subject, let it be defined
that respecting morals there are three sorts of things to be avoided,, malice, incontinence, and brutishness."
How imitative Nature takes her course From the celestial mind, and from its art: And where her laws the Stagirite unfolds, Not many leaves scann'd o'er, observing well Thou shalt discover, that your art on her Obsequious follows, as the learner treads In his instructor's step; so that your art Deserves the name of second in descent From God. These two, if thou recall to mind Creation's holy book, from the beginning Were the right source of life and excellence To human-kind. But in another path The usurer walks; and Nature in herself And in her follower thus he sets at naught, Placing elsewhere his hope. But follow now My steps on forward journey bent; for now The Pisces play with undulating glance Along the horizon, and the Wain lies all O'er the northwest; and onward there a space Is our steep passage down the rocky height."
"Her laws." Aristotle's "Physics," lib. ii. c. 2: "Art imitates nature.' "Creation's holy book." Genesis, c. ii. v. 15: And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it." And, Genesis, c. iii. v. 19: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread."
"Placing elsewhere his hope." The usurer, trusting in the produce of his
wealth lent out on usury, despite nature directly, because he does not avail himself of her means for maintaining or enriching himself; and indirectly, because he does not avail himself of the means which art, the follower and imitator of nature, would afford him for the same purposes.
"The Wain." The constellation Boötes, or Charles's Wain.
ARGUMENT.-Descending by a very rugged way into the seventh circle, where the violent are punished, Dante and his leader find it guarded by the Minotaur; whose fury being pacified by Virgil, they step downward from crag to crag; till, drawing near the bottom, they descry a river of blood, wherein are tormented such as have committed violence against their neighbor. At these, when they strive to emerge from the blood, a troop of Centaurs, running along the side of the river, aim their arrows; and three of their band opposing our travellers at the foot of the steep, Virgil prevails so far that one consents to carry them both across the stream; and on their passage, Dante is informed by him of the course of the river, and of those that are punished therein.
HE place, where to descend the precipice
We came, was rough as Alp; and on its verge Such object lay, as every eye would shun.
As is that ruin, which Adice's stream1
On this side Trento struck, shouldering the wave, Or loosed by earthquake or for lack of prop;
For from the mountain's summit, whence it moved To the low level, so the headlong rock
Is shiver'd, that some passage it might give To him who from above would pass; e'en such Into the chasm was that descent: and there At point of the disparted ridge lay stretch'd The infamy of Crete, detested brood
It gnaw'd itself, as one with rage distract.
To him my guide exclaim'd: "Perchance thou deem'st The King of Athens here, who, in the world Above, thy death contrived. Monster! avaunt! He comes not tutor'd by thy sister's art," But to behold your torments is he come."
Like to a bull, that with impetuous spring Darts, at the moment when the fatal blow
1" Adice's stream." After a great deal having been said on the subject, it still appears very uncertain at what part of the river this fall of the mountain happened.
2 The infamy of Crete." The Minotaur.
"The feign'd heifer." Pasiphae. "The King of Athens. Theseus, who was enabled by the instruction of Ariadne, the sister of the Minotaur, to destroy that monster.
"Thy sister's art." Ariadne.
Hath struck him, but unable to proceed Plunges on either side; so saw I plunge The Minotaur; whereat the sage exclaim'd: "Run to the passage! while he storms, 'tis well
That thou descend." Thus down our road we took Through those dilapidated crags, that oft
Moved underneath my feet, to weight like theirs. Unused. I pondering went, and thus he spake : "Perhaps thy thoughts are of this ruin'd steep, Guarded by the brute violence, which I
Have vanquish'd now. Know then, that when I erst Hither descended to the nether Hell,
This rock was not yet fallen. But past doubt,
(If well I mark) not long ere He arrived, Who carried off from Dis the mighty spoil Of the highest circle, then through all its bounds Such trembling seized the deep concave and foul, I thought the universe was thrill'd with love, Whereby, there are who deem, the world hath oft Been into chaos turn'd: and in that point, Here, and elsewhere, that old rock toppled down. But fix thine eyes beneath: the river of blood Approaches, in the which all those are steep'd, Who have by violence injured." O blind lust! O foolish wrath! who so dost goad us on In the brief life, and in the eternal then Thus miserably o'erwhelm us. I beheld An ample foss, that in a bow was bent, As circling all the plain; for so my guide Had told. Between it and the rampart's base, On trail ran Centaurs, with keen arrows arm'd, As to the chase they on the earth were wont. At seeing us descend they each one stood;
And issuing from the troop, three sped with bows And missile weapons chosen first; of whom
One cried from far: Say, to what pain ye come. Condemn'd, who down this steep have journey'd. Speak From whence ye stand, or else the bow I draw."
"He arrived." Our Saviour, who, according to Dante, when he ascended from Hell, carried with him the souls
of the Patriarchs, and of other just men, out of the first circle. See Canto iv.
To whom my guide: "Our answer shall be made To Chiron, there, when nearer him we come.
Ill was thy mind, thus ever quick and rash." Then me he touch'd and spake: Who for the fair Deïanira died, And wrought himself revenge' for his own fate. He in the midst, that on his breast looks down, Is the great Chiron who Achilles nursed; That other, Pholus, prone to wrath." Around The foss these go by thousands, aiming shafts At whatsoever spirit dares emerge
From out the blood, more than his guilt allows. We to those beasts, that rapid strode along, Drew near; when Chiron took an arrow forth, And with the notch push'd back his shaggy beard To the cheek-bone, then, his great mouth to view Exposing, to his fellows thus exclaim'd:
66 Are ye aware, that he who comes behind Moves what he touches? The feet of the dead Are not so wont." My trusty guide, who now Stood near his breast, where the two natures join, Thus made reply: "He is indeed alive,
And solitary so must needs by me
Be shown the gloomy vale, thereto induced By strict necessity, not by delight. She left her joyful harpings in the sky, Who this new office to my care consign'd. He is no robber, no dark spirit I.
But by that virtue, which empowers my step To tread so wild a path, grant us, I pray, One of thy band, whom we may trust secure, Who to the ford may lead us, and convey Across, him mounted on his back; for he
Is not a spirit that may walk the air."
Then on his right breast turning, Chiron thus To Nessus spake: "Return, and be their guide. And if ye chance to cross another troop,
"And wrought himself revenge." Nessus, when dying by the hand of Hercules, charged Deianira to preserve the gore from his wound; for that if the affections of Hercules should at any time be estranged from her, it would
act as a charm, and recall them. Deianira had occasion to try the experiment; and the venom acting, as Nessus had intended, caused Hercules to expire in torments.
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