The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri

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Line 106. It is impossible for any man to hate himself, or God his first cause, therefore a man can rejoice only in the evil which befalls his neighbours.

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198 PURGATORY. Canto XVIII. Bemains, if my distinctions well are shown, That evil loved must be our neighbour's woe ; And in your mire that love has threefold grown. There is, who through his neighbour's ruin, so ^** Hopes pre-eminence, who hence does call That he from grandeur may be cast down low. There is, who fears to lose power, grace, and all Honour and fame, because that others rise, Which grieves him so that he desires their fall. There is, who seems so hurt by injuries, That he on vengeance greedily does brood ; And such a one another's ill must prize. This triform love bewailed, beneath we've viewed : Now of the other you must comprehend. Which in corrupted fiashion seeks good. Some good does each confusedly apprehend. In which to rest his spirit's longing fain. Therefore to reach to it does each contend. If love is slow to see its real gain. Or to acquire it, yields this circling space, After repentance, purifying pain. All other good mankind can never bless : It is not happiness, not of all good fruit The essence, and the root of heavenly grace. Love that to those too closely takes root. On three still higher circles is refined ; This we again in triple form will note, Of those I speak not, those yourself must find." Line 115. In thu, and the two following terzinas, are described Pride, Enyy, and Anger, the result of the Love of Evil, and which were pnrged in the three preceding cornices.

CANTO xvin. Virgil, continning his discourse, explains the nature of love, which, though innate in its affections, in man, does not do away with the restraining influences of his free will. At the close of his disquisition, a troop of shadows rush by, compensating by their present ai^our for their former lukewammess in Ufe. Two in the van encourage the rest by reciting examines of zeal : the Abbot of San Zeno declares himself to the poets while racing by, and two bring up the rear, shouting out instances of the sin which they are there purging away. On their departure, Dante fiills into a dreamy slumber. When he had finished his discourse, the high Teacher intently gazed upon my face, To see if I appeared content ; and I

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Cakto XVin. PURGATORY. 199 Whom thirst aye nev exciting still did press, Outwardly silent, said within, " Perchance * My too much questioning will please him less/' But that true father, whose perceptive glance Bead all the timid wish which I concealed, Speaking to me gave courage speech to lance, Whence I : " master, in your light revealed, ^® My sight is vivified, that I see clear Whatever your parley can describe or yield. Therefore I pray you, O sweet father dear. That you explain this love, whence springs we find Each action good, or bad, in man's career." ^* " Towards me du-ect the keen light of your mind," He said, " and be to you made manifest The error of the blind who lead the blind. The soul created prompt to love's behest, Tums to all the things that pleasure yield, ^ Soon as through pleasure unto act addrest. Your apprehensive power from truth revealed Draws the purpose, hence within designed. So that towards that the spirit is impelled. And when thus turned towards it 'tis inclined, ^ That inclination's love, that is the new Nature which pleasure in yourselves does bind. Then as fire ever mounts upwards true By its own nature, which is bom to aspire Unto the sphere from whence it substance drew ; ^® So the caught spirit enters on desire. The motion spiritual, which cannot rest, Till it enjoy the well-loved object nigher. How has been hidden, now appears confest. The truth unto the people who aver ^ Love in itself praiseworthy at the least. Because perchance its matter may appear Always a good thing : 'tis not every seal Is good, although the wax be good and clear." " My judgment following what your words reveal, *^ Has made love clear to me," I then replied, '' But that with doubt more pregnant makes me feel. Line 14. It is seen that Dante considers love the groundwork of all the passions, on which principle it would appear, as Gary acutely remarks, that GoUins has not introduced love separately amongst the passions. Line 18. The error to be exposed is explained afterwards to be that of considering all love in itself praiseworthy. Line 37. Yenturi remarks that throughout this disquisition Dante uses the phraseology of the Peripatetics, where nuxtter denominates the "kind of things as determinable by many differences.