21. "While he was yet a youthful student, he sold his books, and other possessions, and distributed the money to the poor."-Landino. The object of his life, as designated by his attitude, was self-humiliation. (75.) Christo is repeated here as an identical rhyme; and it may be mentioned (what has not been observed before) that whenever Dante uses the word as a rhyme, which he does four times in the Paradiso, the same repetition occurs. See xiv. 104; xix. 104; xxxii. 85; also note to xxx. 95. Hence it would appear that he considered no other word worthy to form a rhyme with Christo. In these special instances, the license of the Italian has been followed. (79.) "Felix Gusman, father of St Dominic.-His mother was called Joanna, signifying full of grace.' (83.) Cardinal Ostiense was a commentator on the Decretals."-Volpi. "To such subjects, and to temporal gain, says Dante, the clergy and people attended rather than to the Bible; and for this depravity, which infected the “vineyard,” i.e. the Church, the Pope is blameable."

Page 116. (Line 96.) i.e. The twenty-four glorious souls that formed the circle or garland, with which Dante was surrounded. (99.) "Quasi torrente ch'alta vene preme." A celebrated line. The poet seems to have had in view the "Monte decurrens velut amnis" of Horace, Odes. iv. 2, 5, the "Rapidus montano flumine torrens” of Virgil, Æn. ii. 305,—and the "Montibus ex altis magnus decursus aquai" of Lucretius, b. i. 284. (103) Hence, continuing the metaphor, Dante calls his followers "streams;" the Church "the universal garden;" and Christians "tender trees." (136.) The one wheel is St. Dominic. The car of the Church was described in the Pur. gatorio, canto xxix. 106.

Page 117.

(Line 109.) The other wheel is St. Francis,

lauded by Thomas Aquinas in the last canto. (112.) i.e. They follow not the rules of their predecessors. (114.) By the expression of old wine becoming musty Dante intimates that good old habits are corrupted. (117.) In these lines he has Jeremiah in view, vii. 24. "Soon," he adds, will the parable be fulfilled; the tares will be burnt up, and the wheat gathered into the barn." (121.) i.e. "Though among our readers some few may be found of the original stamp, line 123, such, however, are not to be met with at Casale, in Montferrat; or Aquasparte, in the territory of Todi. At the latter place the rules of the order had been relaxed; at the former enforced too strictly." (127.) See note, line 24. Buonaventura was a Cardinal. (130.) Agostin and Illuminato were two of the first followers of St. Francis.

Page 118. (Line 133.) Ugo de Sanvittore, a celebrated Divine; Peter Mangiadore, an ecclesiastical Writer; Peter of Spain, a Logician; Chrysostom, Archhishop of Constantinople; Anselm, of Canterbury; Donatus, a Grammarian; Raban, a brother of the venerable Bede.

CANTO XIII.

ARGUMENT.

THOMAS AQUINAS Continuing his speech, shows that when he said of Solomon, " his like hath never been," he spoke of him as a king only-and in no way affecting the superior attributes of our Saviour.

LET him who would conceive what met mine eye,

And stamp the image that I fain would trace,
Fixt as a rock within his memory,

Imagine fifteen stars selected out

Of heaven's expanse, so vivid as to chase

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All gloom away, and darkness put to rout ;Imagine the great Bear, which day and night

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Bides in our heaven, and, as its circles roll,
Remains still visible to mortal sight;—

Imagine too the opening of that horn,

Which springs uprising from the very pole,
Round which the primum mobile is borne,

In twofold signs arranged along the sky,
After the manner Ariadne taught,--
What time she felt herself about to die-
The one the other's rays encompassing,

And each in circles of such fashion wrought,
That one within the other forms a ring-
And thus a shadowy outline will be found

Both of the twofold dance, and chaplet bright,
Which circled, where I stood, the Point around.
For earthly beauty is exceeded there,

E'en as the heaven that whirls with swiftest flight
Is with Chiana's stream beyond compare.
No Pæan there, no Bacchic song they raise;
But the three persons of the Trinity,

And the two natures join'd in one, they praise.
The song and dance completed, now they bend
On us their holy eyes; then joyfully
Hailing each other, to their tasks attend.
'Mid the accordant lights then silence brake

That one, which of the lowly man of God,
And of his wondrous story lately spake.

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"When from one sheaf hath been obtain'd the grain," It said, "and when that hath been safely stow'd, Love bids me from the other seed obtain.

Thou deem'st that in the breast from which of yore
A rib was torn to form her cheek so fair,

Whose appetite the world hath rued full sore......
In that too, pierced by lance, which for past time
And present too, such breaches did repair,
And more than counterbalance every crime,

Was planted whatsoe'er of light is given

To our degraded nature, by His might

Who made the twain-the Governor of heav'n :

Thou marvellest that of the spirit seen

In yon fifth star, with saintly lustre dight,

I said, erewhile, Its like hath never been.'
Open thine eyes while I reply to thee;

And what I say, and thou believest true,
Meeting as in a centre wilt thou see.--
All things created-both of heaven and earth-
Are but the beam of His idea, who
By love paternal calls them into birth:
For that most living Light, proceeding ever
From its high Author, though not separate,
And from the trinal Love disparted never,
Collects its rays as in a mirror, thence
Forming the nine subsistences--and yet
Eternally remaining One: and hence,

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