The brightness of the seal1 should be complete:
But nature renders it imperfect ever;
Resembling thus the artist, in her work,
Whose faltering hand is faithless to his skill.
Therefore 2, if fervent love dispose, and mark
The lustrous image of the primal virtue,
There all perfection is vouchsafed; and such
The clay was made, accomplish'd with each gift,
That life can teem with; such the burden fill'd
The virgin's bosom: so that I commend
Thy judgment, that the human nature ne'er
Was, or can be, such as in them it was.

"Did I advance no further than this point;
'How then had he no peer?' thou might'st reply.
But, that what now appears not, may appear
Right plainly, ponder, who he was, and what
(When he was bidden 'Ask,') the motive, sway'd
To his requesting. I have spoken thus,
That thou mayst see, he was a king, who ask'd
For wisdom, to the end he might be king
Sufficient: not, the number5 to search out
Of the celestial movers; or to know,
If necessary with contingent e'er
Have made necessity; or whether that
Be granted, that first motion is; or if,

1 The brightness of the seal.] The brightness of the Divine idea before spoken of.

2 Therefore.] Daniello, says Lombardi, has shown his sagacity in remarking that our Poet intends this for a brief description of the Trinity: the primal virtue signifying the Father; the lustrous image, the Son; the fervent love, the Holy Ghost.

3 The clay.] Adam.

4 Who ask'd.] "He did not desire to know the number of the celestial intelligences, or to pry into the subtleties of logical, metaphysical, or mathematical science: but asked for that wisdom which might fit him for his kingly office."

5 The number.] This question is discussed by our Poet himself in the Convito, p. 49.

6 If necessary.] "If a premise necessarily true, with one not necessarily true, ever produced a necessary consequence: a question resolved in the negative by the art of logic, with that general rule, conclusio sequitur debiliorem partem." Lombardi.

7 That first motion] "If we must allow one first motion, which is not caused by other motion: a question resolved affirmatively by metaphysics, according to that principle, repugnat in causis processus in infinitum." Lombardi.

Of the mid circle1, can by art be made
Triangle, with its corner blunt or sharp.

"Whence, noting that, which I have said, and this, Thou kingly prudence and that ken2 mayst learn, At which the dart of my intention aims.

And, marking clearly, that I told thee, Risen,'
Thou shalt discern it only hath respect

To kings, of whom are many, and the good
Are rare. With this distinction take my words;
And they may well consist with that which thou
Of the first human father dost believe,
And of our well-beloved. And let this
Henceforth be lead unto thy feet, to make
Thee slow in motion, as a weary man,

Both to the yea' and to the 'nay' thou seest not.
For he among the fools is down full low,
Whose affirmation, or denial3, is
Without distinction, in each case alike.
Since it befals, that in most instances
Current opinion leans to false: and then
Affection bends the judgment to her ply.
"Much more than vainly doth he loose from shore,
Since he returns not such as he set forth,
Who fishes for the truth and wanteth skill.
And open proofs of this unto the world
Have been afforded in Parmenides,
Melissus, Bryso4, and the crowd beside,

1 Of the mid circle.] "If in the half of the circle a rectilinear triangle can be described, one side of which shall be the diameter of the same circle, without its forming a right angle with the other two sides; which geometry shows to be impossible." Lombardi.

2 That ken.] See Canto x. 110.

3 Whose affirmation or denial.]

Τῶν γὰρ ἄρτι δεινότερα ἂν τις ὁμολογήσεις, μὴ προσχῶν τοῖς ῥήματι τὸν νοῦν, ᾗ τοπολὺ εἰθίσμεθα φάναι τε nai àragvsiota. Plato. Theætetus. Ed. Bip.v. ii. p. 97. “For any one might make yet absurder concessions than these, not paying strict attention to terms, according to the way, in which we are for the most part accustomed both to affirmi and to deny."

4

Parmenides,
Melissus, Bryso.]

For the singular opinions entertained by the two former of these heathen philosophers, see Diogenes Laertius, lib. ix. and Aristot. de Coelo, lib. iii. cap. i. and Phys. lib. i. cap. ii. The last is also twice adduced by Aristotle (Anal. Post. lib. i. cap. ix. and Rhet. lib. iii. cap. ii.) as affording instances of false reasoning. Our poet refers to the philosopher's refutation of them in the De Monarchiâ, lib. iii. p. 138. See also Plato in the Theaetetus, the Sophist, and the Parmenides.

HH

Who journey'd on, and knew not whither: so did
Sabellius, Arius1, and the other fools,
Who, like to scymitars2 reflected back
The scripture-image by distortion marr'd.
"Let not the people be too swift to judge;
As one who reckons on the blades in field,
Or e'er the crop be ripe. For I have seen
The thorn frown rudely all the winter long,
And after bear the rose upon its top;
And bark, that all her way across the sea
Ran straight and speedy, perish at the last
E'en in the haven's mouth. Seeing one steal,
Another bring his offering to the priest,
Let not Dame Birtha and Sir Martin 4 thence
Into heaven's counsels deem that they can pry:
For one of these may rise, the other fall."

CANTO XIV.

ARGUMENT.

Solomon, who is one of the spirits in the inner circle, declares what the appearance of the blest will be after the resurrection of the body. Beatrice and Dante are translated into the fifth heaven, which is that of Mars; and here behold the souls of those, who had died fighting for the true faith, ranged in the sign of a cross, athwart which the spirits move to the sound of a melodious hymn. FROM centre to the circle, and so back From circle to the centre, water moves In the round chalice, even as the blow Impels it, inwardly, or from without. Such was the image5 glanced into my mind, As the great spirit of Aquinum ceased;

1 Sabellius, Arius.] Well-known heretics.

2 Scymitars.] A passage in the travels of Bertradon de la Brocquière, translated by Mr. Johnes, will explain this allusion, which has given some trouble to the commentators. That traveller, who wrote before Dante, informs us, p. 138. that the wandering Arabs used their scymitars as mirrors.

3 Let not.] "Let not short-sighted mortals presume to decide on the future doom of any man, from a consideration of his present character and actions." This is meant as an answer to the doubts entertained respecting the salvation of Solomon. See Canto x. 107.

4 Dame Birtha and Sir Martin.] Names put generally for any persons who have more curiosity than discretion.

5 Such was the image.] The voice of Thomas Aquinas proceeding from the circle to the centre; and that of Beatrice, from the centre to the circle.

And Beatrice, after him, her words

Resumed alternate:

Need there is (though yet

He tells it to you not in words, nor e'en

[you

In thought) that he should fathom to its depth Another mystery. Tell him, if the light, Wherewith your substance blooms, shall stay with Eternally, as now; and, if it doth,

How, when1 ye shall regain your visible forms, The sight may without harm endure the change, That also tell." As those, who in a ring

Tread the light measure, in their fitful mirth
Raise loud the voice, and spring with gladder bound;
Thus, at the hearing of that pious suit,

The saintly circles, in their tourneying
And wondrous note, attested new delight.

Whoso laments, that we must doff this garb
Of frail mortality, thenceforth to live
Immortally above; he hath not seen

The sweet refreshing of that heavenly shower 2.
Him3, who lives ever, and for ever reigns
In mystic union of the Three in One,
Unbounded, bounding all, each spirit thrice
Sang, with such melody, as, but to hear,
For highest merit were an ample meed.
And from the lesser orb the goodliest light 4,
With gentle voice and mild, such as perhaps
The angel's once to Mary, thus replied:
"Long as the joy of Paradise shall last,
Our love shall shine around that raiment, bright
As fervent; fervent as, in vision, blest;
And that as far, in blessedness, exceeding,
As it hath grace, beyond its virtue, great.
Our shape, regarmented with glorious weeds
Of saintly flesh, must, being thus entire,
Show yet more gracious. Therefore shall increase
Whate'er, of light, gratuitous imparts
The Supreme Good; light, ministering aid,
The better to disclose his glory: whence,
The vision needs increasing, must increase

1 When.] When ye shall be again clothed with your bodies at the resurrection.

2 That heavenly shower.] That effusion of beatific light. 3 Him.] Literally translated by Chaucer, Troilus and Cresseide, book v.

Thou one, two, and three eterne on live, That raignest aie in three, two, and one, Uncircumscript, and all maist circonscrive. 4 The goodliest light.] Solomon.

The fervour, which it kindles; and that too
The ray, that comes from it. But as the gleed
Which gives out flame, yet in its whiteness shines
More livelily than that, and so preserves

Its proper semblance; thus this circling sphere
Of splendour shall to view less radiant seem,
Than shall our fleshly robe, which yonder earth
Now covers. Nor will such excess of light
O'erpower us, in corporeal organs made
Firm, and susceptible of all delight."

So ready and so cordial an "Amen"
Follow'd from either choir, as plainly spoke
Desire of their dead bodies; yet perchance
Not for themselves, but for their kindred dear,
Mothers and sires, and those whom best they loved,
Ere they were made imperishable flame.

And lo! forthwith there rose up round about

A lustre, over that already there;

Of equal clearness, like the brightening up
Of the horizon. As at evening hour
Of twilight, new appearances through heaven
Peer with faint glimmer, doubtfully descried;
So, there, new substances, methought, began
To rise in view beyond the other twain,
And wheeling, sweep their ampler circuit wide.
O genuine glitter of eternal Beam!
With what a sudden whiteness did it flow,
O'erpowering vision in me. But so fair,
So passing lovely, Beatrice show'd,

Mind cannot follow it, nor words express

Her infinite sweetness. Thence mine eyes regain'd Power to look up; and I beheld myself,

Sole with my lady, to more lofty bliss1

Translated for the star, with warmer smile

:

Impurpled, well denoted our ascent.

[speaks

With all the heart, and with that tongue which The same in all, an holocaust I made To God, befitting the new grace vouchsafed. And from my bosom had not yet upsteam'd The fuming of that incense, when I knew The rite accepted. With such mighty sheen And mantling crimson, in two listed rays The splendours shot before me, that I cried, "God of Sabaoth! that dost prank them thus!" As leads the galaxy from pole to pole,

1 To more lofty bliss.] To the planet Mars.