This other splendour, seen upon my right,

And on whose form abundantly are shed

From all our sphere continued streams of light, (What of myself, the same of her I say)

Was like to me a sister; from whose head

The holy filament was torn away.

But to the world, when she against her will

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Was carried back, close in her heart she wore The sacred veil, which there she cherish'd still. Great Constance' light is this; who to the blast Which second came from Swabia's kingdom, bore That mighty power which proved the third and last." Thus she address'd me-then began to sing,

"Ave Maria," vanishing from view,

Mine

As through deep water sinks some heavy thing. eyes which follow'd her till out of sight, When they no longer could their aim pursue,

Turn'd unto one of more supreme delight,

And wholly gazed on Beatrice; but she

So bright a ray did on my face reflect,

At first I could not bear the intensity;

And hence my eagerness to speak was check'd.

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NOTES.

Page 22. (Line 1.) Beatrice is the sun here spoken of. She had just been explaining to Dante the cause of the spots in the Moon. (7.) The "vision" consists of light and shadowy figures seen in the moon. These, on nearer inspection, prove to be the spirits of nuns, who, having been constrained to marry, had not returned to their convents when it was in their power. Through this defect they are not allowed to mount higher than the moon, which is an emblem of their inconstancy. The three similes by which they are introduced are extremely Dantesque and curious. (12.) "Because if the water is very deep, it makes a mirror; and one sees the image clearly expressed, and not weak and faint, as the poet describes it."—Venturi.

Page 23. (Line 18.) Narcissus, seeing the reflection of himself in a fountain, supposed it was another person :-Dante fell into the opposite error, mistaking real objects for imaginary.

Page 24. (Line 49.) Piccarda was sister of the two Donati, Corso and Forese.-The latter thus speaks of her in the Purgatorio, xxiv. 10, where see note.

"My sister, good and beautiful--which most

I know not-triumphs in Olympus' height." She became a nun in the convent of St. Clara, whence she was forcibly carried by her brother Corso, and married against her will, as alluded to by her, line 106. (51.) The moon.

Page 25. (Line 80.) "Our love to God brings us to a free resignation of our will to His. For we love him because we conclude him to be most wise, most bountiful, most merciful, most just, most perfect: and, therefore, must of necessity conclude that his will is the best will, and fit to be the measure and rule of ours, and not ours of His."-Sir Matthew Hale.

Page 26. (Line 86.) A distinction is here drawn between those creatures made immediately by God, and those born in the course of nature by successive generation. (88.) "It is certain that amongst the damned there will be an inequality of punishments, some suffering lesser, others greater degrees of torment. Therefore, it is highly reasonable to think that in the opposite state of the blessed there will also be a disparity of rewards."-Bp. Bull, Serm. vii. And, referring to 1 Cor. xv. 41." There is one glory of the sun," &c. he remarks, " In these words the Apostle sets forth the disparity there will be at the resurrection, even among the glorified spirits of the saints, some shining with brighter, some with lesser degrees of glory." (91.) Dante's curiosity having been satisfied on one question, viz. whether the inhabitants of the moon indulged in higher aspirations, line 64-he now wishes to learn" what thread she had not spun to its full end," i.e. what religious vow she had failed to perform. (98.) "St. Clara d'Assisi, founder of the convent under the rule of St. Francis."-Volpi. (108.) Marriage, it seems, alienated her from the veil of her heart.

Page 27. (Line 117.) "Dante calls veil of the heart' the religious affection of a woman who, being married against her will, never ceases to nourish the desire of being a nun."-Volpi. (118.) "Constance, daughter of Roger I., king of Apulia, became a nun in Palermo. Being forced from the convent, she was given in marriage to the Emperor Henry VI., son of Frederick Barbarossa, and by him became mother of Frederick II."-Volpi. (119.) Henry VI. (120.) Frederick II. (123.) "Come per acqua cupa cosa greve." The very sound of this verse speaks. Thus Byron: "Sullen it plunged and slowly sank."-Giaour, See Exod. xv. 5, 10.

CANTO IV.

ARGUMENT.

BEATRICE explains Dante's doubts as to the reason why so low a place is assigned to the Saints he finds in the Moon ;-viz. that they had not strictly adhered to their vows.

BETWEEN two viands equidistant placed,

And tempting equally, a man might die
Of hunger, ere determin'd which to taste:
So might a lamb between the cravings stand
Of two fierce wolves, and fear them equally;
So might a dog--a kid on either hand.
Wherefore, forsooth, I neither praise nor blame
Take to myself, if, urged by equal doubt,
Silent I of necessity became.

I spake not-but my face a wish portray'd;
And with more force than had I spoken out,
That wish to speak was by my look convey'd.

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And e'en as Daniel did of old, when he
Allay'd the wrath of the Chaldean king,

Which prompted him to unjust cruelty;
So Beatrice :-"I see thou art possest

By two desires, which into bondage bring
Each other, so that neither is exprest."
You argue: "If a righteous will remain,

Why should the violence by others wrought
Curtail the measure of desert?-Again,
It causes thee to ponder, I discern,

Because men's souls, as erewhile Plato taught,
Seem to their native planets to return.
These are the doubts by which thy will is sway'd

With equal force: - to that which doth appear
The bitterest, shall my answer first be made.
Not he who of the Seraphim doth most

Resemble God, not Moses, John, (whiche'er
You like to choose) or Mary's self, may boast

That they have seats in any other heaven

Than these same spirits thou didst lately see;
Or that to them a longer life is given.

But they all render the first circle fair,

And taste the sweet existence diversely,

As more or less the Eternal Breath they share.

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