Rudge couldn't understand his companion's logic. He took hold of the saw and began to rock it in the cut.

Peart grounded his gun again, and set one foot lightly on the basswood pry while he gazed intently into Rudge's face.

"I'll be frank with you, Rudge," he went on quickly. "We've met the hot and the cold together before this. We've bound side and side, from dew to dew, when the sun almost struck smoke into our faces from the loosestuff and the straw cracked, and cut our hands like dead limbs-"

"Yes, an' loggin's," suggested Rudge beginning to yield to his companion's enthusiasm : you on a chainhook an' me on a spike-yes, an' we've fought fire-mind that dry time we was burnin', me an' the ol' man, an' the south win' come an' started 'er into the wheat,-you come a runnin'? But we pret' near had to carry you t' the house, me an' the ol' man. 'Gosh!' 'e says, 'I've saw fellas fight fire, but nev' seen a fella eat it 'fore.'

"Yes," said Peart in a melancholy way as he looked off into the wood, "I'd give all the books I ever read and all the breeding I ever got if we could be boys again like that-when we played soldier at the school and said every girl ought to marry a hero. But we can't. Rudge," quickly, "the only way now is the West. Life's free

there and a man can forget-yes, all the wrong he ever thought with a halfbreed bullet under his hat. Maybe it's poor piety for a man to want to shoot his sins into other men's hearts too; but it's patriotism perhaps—and she loves her country," he added in a lower voice.

Rudge started the saw down the cut. Peart put his foot on the back of it.

"Rudge," he said with almost savage eagerness, "I want you to go too. See here. If you get a half-breed's bullet I'll see you get a white man's burial. I want you to do the same by me. Come back to Mums, Rudge. Tell them that scandal's a cursed lie that's stabbing the heart of a pure, innocent girl. Then get ready and we'll go ; to fight the rebels; even chances; shoulder to shoulder; for her sake. Will you?"

Rudge dropped the saw, clinched his big hands on Peart's shoulders and glared earnestly into his face.

"Peart," he said slowly, and knit his brows, "when I listen to yuh talk 'bout us boys I prit' near furgit ever' thing wrong yuh ev' done. But when

yuh fetch in her yuh 'member it to me. When yuh say 'bout the rebelyers an' goin' out West yuh 'bout got me agin. But when yuh say-for her—I wanta say yuh let a damn, black scandal foul her an' me too, an' nev' said a word. Now yuh want me to go back an' tell 'em it's a lie. Damn yuh, tell 'em yourself!"

He lunged back. Peart's gun fell in the snow and only his quick heelstep kept him from following.

"I'll fight-fer her-" said Rudge grimly and clenched his fists, "not the rebelyers-but you!"

"And I don't fear you," returned Peart coolly as he folded his arms, "but remember, her honour is more to me than either your life or my own."

IT will be remembered that the In

ferno was an inverted cone in the heart of the earth, and that the Purgatorio was a mountain rising on the other side, formed by the expulsion of the earth from the Inferno. Dante, under the guidance of Virgil, had passed through these two spheres-first, the abode of hopeless misery, and afterwards the place of purification; and, being himself purified from the stains of sin, he rises by a kind of moral gravitation to the higher state, in which men are no longer undergoing the process of purification and development, but are entering upon the fruition of blessedness. Yet even here there are different degrees of felicity. The glory of God "in one part sheds more resplendence, elsewhere less." As in Inferno and Purgatorio there are here nine spheres, with the Empyrean, or tenth heaven, the sphere of the immediate divine presence and manifestation.

At the end of their progress through Purgatory, Dante is with Beatrice in the earthly paradise. He sees:

"Beatrice turned, and on the sun Gazing, as never eagle fixed his ken." (i. 45).

He is himself incapable of gazing, like her, continuously upon the sun; but by looking upon her, the personification of divine revelation and grace, the reflection of the divine glory, through which alone the soul rises to God, Dante gains something of the same illumination and inspiration. The light of heaven streams around him, he hears unearthly sounds; and, as he is swept along, Beatrice tells him that he is no longer on earth, but ascending to heaven, since the purified soul must ascend, as the torrent rushes "downwards from a mountain's height."

1. The first heavenly body they enter

is the Moon, "the first star," like a pearl in its solid whiteness. It is inhabited by the spirits of those who had been forced to violate their religious Vows. He thus describes this sphere, (ii. 31):

"Meseemed as if a cloud had covered us,
Translucent, solid, firm, and polished bright,
Like adamant, which the sun's beam had smit.
Within itself the ever-during pearl
Received us; as the wave a ray of light
Receives, and rests unbroken."

Here Dante for the first time beholds the spirits of the saved. They were so etherial that he thought them mere shadows"mirrored semblances." Beatrice smiled and told him (iii. 28) : "True substances are these which thou be

hold'st,

Hither thro' failure of their vow exiled."

It would appear that although the inhabitants of this sphere had been constrained, by outward pressure, to break their vow, yet there had been in them some weakness of compliance. It is not quite easy to see this in all the cases presented in the poem-such as Piccarda Donati, Dante's wife's sister, who had been torn from her convent by her brother and a gang of ruffians, and compelled to marry. Dante recognizes some of those whom he meets, and a doubt arises within him as to the perfection of their content and happiness, seeing that they dwell in the lowest sphere (iii. 64):

"Yet inform me, ye, who here Are happy; long ye for a higher place, More to behold, and more in love to dwell?"

On this point he receives instant satisfaction. He is told that bliss is everywhere in heaven, and that the perfection of bliss is absolute conformity to the divine will. This is beautifully expressed in Piccarda's answer to his question :

"She with those other spirits gently smiled; Then answered with such gladness, that she seemed

With love's first flame to glow: 'Brother, our will

Is, in composure, settled by the power
Of charity, who makes us will alone
What we possess, and might beyond desire.
If we should wish to be exalted more,
Then must our wishes jar with the high will
Of Him who sets us here; which in these orbs
Thou wilt confess not possible.

And in this will is our tranquillity:
It is the mighty ocean, whither tends
Whatever it creates and nature makes.'

On receiving this explanation Dante adds:

"Then saw I clearly how each spot in heaven Is Paradise, though with like gracious dew The supreme virtue shower not over all.”

It is scarcely necessary to remark that Dante follows the Ptolemæan theory, according to which the earth was the centre of the planetary system.

2. The appearance of Constance also taken "from the pleasant cloister's pale," and married to the Emperor Henry VI., led to a discussion on the subject of vows and on the nature of the higher life, and then "as the arrow, ere he cord is still, leapeth unto its mark," they "sped into the second realm," that of Mercury, containing the spirits of those who had done great deeds for the sake of fame-perhaps with an excessive love of fame, so that they are found in Mercury, and not in Mars or Jupiter. And as Beatrice so joyous entered "the orb grew brighter at her smiles." More than "thousand splendours" drew toward them, and in each one was heard, 'Lo, one arrived to multiply our lives.'

There they were instructed by the spirit of the Emperor Justinian, the representative of the imperial Law, who tells the story of Rome from its foundation to the day of Charles the Great. He denounces the selfishness of Guelf and Ghibelline, those who opposed the Emperor on the one hand, and, on the other hand, those who fought for the Empire, but with selfish purpose. Some of Justinian's remarks had excited doubts in Dante's mind in regard to human redemption. These doubts are resolved by Beatrice, who explains that man's salvation could not have been

accomplished by man's own act, nor yet by God," of His courtesy," merely releasing him.

"God more bounty showed,

Giving Himself to make man capable
Of his return to life, than had the terms
Been mere and unconditional release."

3. They are now carried up into the planet Venus, the sphere of lovers of all kinds, parental, conjugal, fraternal, social. Their love is based upon the divine love, and is of the same nature as that, although with necessary limitations. Dante says he was not aware

of the ascent,

"But the new loveliness That graced my Lady, gave me ample proof That we had entered there."

Among those whom Dante there encountered the first was Carlo Martello, who sought to answer Dante's questions respecting the differences between good parents and bad children. He pointed out that such cases do not follow a law of mere heredity; there is also a law of individuality. Variety is needed, so that provision may be made for different offices. Another was Folque, the Troubadour, who, after the death of the lady of his love, became a bishop and an archbishop. He ex

plains how he had attained to Paradise (ix. 99), and speaks of the memory of earth.

"And yet there bides No sorrowful repentance here, but mirth, Not for the fault (that doth not come to mind), But for the virtue whose o'erruling sway And providence have wrought thus quaintly."

4. The next ascent is to the Sun, the passage from the lower to the higher order of heavens. In this sphere is set forth the glory of divine truth-it is the heaven of the great theologians. Beatrice tells Dante (x. 45) that those who dwell here are the

"Fourth family of the omnipotent Sire, Who of His Spirit and of His offspring shows; And holds them still enraptured with the view.” Dante says that he was drawn to God by such thoughts that Beatrice became "eclipsed in oblivion," yet "nought displeased was she."

Soon after, S. Thomas Aquinas appears, who points out the other great

teachers of the Church; and the beauty of their humility and charity is seen in their readiness to prefer one another in honour. Thus, S. Thomas, a Dominican, lauds S. Francis; S. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, praises S. Dominic.

5. The next sphere is the planet Mars, inhabited by Crusaders, martyrs and other heroes who had died and fought for the faith. They appear as lights, so arranged as to make the form of the Crucified One, the cross extending over the surface of the planet, along which they move (xiv. 86). We should specially note here a passage of uncommon beauty (xiv. 109.) which we wish much it were possible to quote. While Dante is contemplating the glories of this vision, a voice comes from one of the lights, saluting him as of his blood. This was Cacciaguida, Dante's greatgrandfather, who tells his descendant of the Florence of earlier times, and of the causes which have led to its degeneracy. He predicts to Dante his exile from Florence, but points out that it will end not in his disgrace, but in that of his enemies. We can understand that by this time the poet must have lost all hope of returning to the beloved city, and thus put on record his appeal to posterity. Cacciaguida tells him (xvii. 55):

"Thou shalt leave each thing Beloved most dearly: this is the first shaft Shot from the bow of exile. Thou shalt prove How salt the savour is of other's bread; How hard the passage, to descend and climb By other's stairs. But that shall gall thee most

Will be the worthless and vile company With whom thou must be thrown into these straits.

For all ungrateful, impious all, and mad, Shall turn 'gainst thee; but in a little while Theirs, and not thine, shall be the crimsoned brow,

Their course shall so evince their brutishness, To have ta'en thy stand apart shall well

become thee.'

The stairs mentioned are supposed to refer to the Della Scala family of Verona, with whom Dante for a time found shelter. There were three brothers of the family, the first (Bartolommeo), and third (Cangrande), of

whom treated Dante with all honour and respect. It was probably the second (Alboino), to whom these words referred.

Cacciaguida bids Dante write the story of his progress through the abodes of the departed. Dante says that he recognizes the duty, but is sensible of the difficulty of the undertaking. If he speaks the truth he may set men against him. If he is timid he will encounter a worse fate from posterity. Cacciaguida bids him not shrink (xvii. 122):

"Thou, notwithstanding, all deceit removed, See the whole vision be made manifest, And let them wince, who have their withers wrung.

What though, when tasted first, thy voice shall prove

Unwelcome: on digestion it will turn
To vital nourishment."

6. They now ascend to the sixth sphere, that of Jupiter, tenanted by righteous kings and rulers. The blessed are here found in the form of an Eagle, the symbol of empire, just as in the fifth sphere they had appeared in the form of a cross, the symbol of sacrifice. As Mars had been ruddy in colour, so here there is " silvery whiteness. The spirits shine like glowing sparks of fire. As they rise into this

sphere they hear the blessed spirits singing, Diligite justitiam, qui judicatis terram-" Love righteousness, ye that be judges of the earth." The Eagle speaking for the whole company of righteous rulers, of whom it was composed, began (xix. 12):

"For that I was just and piteous,

I am exalted to this height of glory, The which no wish exceeds; and there on earth

Have I my memory left, e'en by the bad Commended, while they leave its course

untrod.'

Dante seeks instruction on the subject of man's salvation, and particularly with regard to the unbaptized. The Eagle replies that human judgments on divine mysteries are like opinions formed respecting objects a thousand miles away. Salvation, indeed, comes through Christ, to all who, before or after His passion, have be

lieved in Him, yet the mere profession of that Name will not avail :

"But lo! of those

Who call 'Christ, Christ!' there shall be many found

In judgment, further off from Him by far Than such to whom His Name was never known."

We should direct attention to a passage of great beauty (xx. 56), after which the Eagle proceeds to tell of the righteous kings who compose the various parts of its body. Several

formed its eye, and "midmost for pupil" was King David, "who sang the Holy Spirit's song." After him Trajan, a special favourite, Hezekiah and Constantine. This leads him to comment on the evil wrought by the removal of the seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, which weakened the imperial power-an ever-present thought with Dante.

7. The seventh heaven, in the planet Saturn, is the sphere of the contemplative. In the mythological reign of Saturn no evil had power; and so the reign of the contemplative is found

"Within the crystal which records the name Of that loved monarch in whose happy reign no ill had power to harm."

Here the poet sees a ladder of gold, the summit of which is beyond his view, on which the redeemed are seen ascending and descending. One of the spirits lingered near. He reveals himself as S. Peter Damian, of Ravenna, a cardinal of the eleventh century, made such against his will. He breaks out into invective against the secularity and avarice of the clergy of those times, contrasted with the poverty of Peter and Paul (xxi. 135):

66 'Cephas came;

He came, who was the Holy Spirit's vessel; Barefoot and lean; eating their bread as chanced

At the first table. Those who on either hand may prop or lead them,

Modern shepherds need

So burly are they grown; and from behind, Others to hoist them."

Among the spirits who appear is S. Benedict, who tells the story of the founding of the great order which bears

his name, and mourns over the change which has taken place. (xxii. 123.)

"Mortal flesh

Is grown so dainty, good beginnings last not
From the oak's birth unto the acorn's setting.
His convent Peter founded without gold
Or silver; I with prayers and fasting mine;
And Francis his in meek humility.

And if thou note the point, whence each proceeds,

Then look what it hath erred to; thou shalt find

The white grown murky.

8. They now reach the eighth sphere, that of the Fixed Stars, in which are celebrated the Triumphs of Christ. Here, as before, Dante remarks that, as they ascend, Beatrice grows in beauty and splendour. Guided by her he beholds a sun rising among the fixed stars, giving radiance to them. "In that heavenly banqueting," he says :

Wherein the word Divine was made incarnate, And here the lilies, by whose odour known The way of life was followed."

Beatrice petitions for Dante to be admitted to the heavenly banquet (xxiv. 1.); but he must first be examined as to his fitness; and S. Peter interrogates him as to his faith

"The costly jewel on the which Is founded every virtue.' (xxiv. 88.)

S. James then examines him as to his hope :

"Of the joy to come a sure expectance The effect of grace divine, and merit preceding."