"Dante has certainly climbed the top of the Falterona. It is upon this summit, from which all the Valley of the Arno is embraced, that one should read the singular imprecation which the poet has uttered against this whole valley. He follows the course of the river, and as he advances marks every place he comes to with fierce invective. The farther he goes, the more his hate redoubles in violence and bitterness. It is a piece of topographical satire, of which I know no other example."
"But when, after setting out, the wind shall waft you to the Sicilian coast, and the straits of narrow Pelorus shall open wider to the eye, veer to the land on the left, and to the sea on the left, by a long circuit ; fly the right both sea and shore. These lands, they say, once with violence and vast desolation convulsed, (such revolutions a long course of time is able to produce,) slipped asunder ; when in continuity both lands were one, the sea rushed impetuously between, and by its waves tore the Italian side from that of Sicily ; and with a narrow frith runs between the fields and cities separated by the shores. Scylla guards the right side, implacable Charybdis the left, and thrice with the deepest eddies of its gulf swallows up the vast billows, headlong in, and again spouts them out by turns high into the air, and lashes the stars with the waves."
And Lucan, Phars., II.:--
"And still we see on fair Sicilia's sands
Where part of Apennine Pelorus stands."
And Shelley, Ode to Liberty :--
O'er the lit waves everv Aeolian isle
From Pithecusa to Pelorus
Howls, and leaps, and glares in chorus."
"Hence it again follows, that every thing which strays from what is good ceases to be ; the wicked therefore must cease to be what they were ; but that they were formerly men, their human shape, which still remains, testifies. By degenerating into wickedness, then, they must cease to be men. But as virtue alone can exalt a man above what is human, so it is on the contrary evident, that vice, as it divests him of his nature, must sink him below humanity ; you ought therefore by no means to consider him as a man whom vice has rendered vicious. Tell me, What difference is there betwixt a wolf who lives by rapine, and a robber whom the desire of another's wealth stimulates to commit all manner of violence? Is there anything that bears a stronger resemblance to a wrathful dog who barks at passengers, than a man whose dangerous tongue attacks all the world? What is liker to a fox than a cheat, who spreads his snares in secret to undermine and ruin you? to a lion, than a furious man who is always ready to devour you? to a deer, than a coward who is afraid of his own shadow? to an ass, than a mortal who is slow, dull, and indolent? to the birds of the air, than a man volatile and inconstant? and what, in fine, is a debauchee who is immersed in the lowest sensual gratifications, but a hog who wallows in the mire? Upon the whole, it is an unquestionable truth that a man who forsakes virtue ceases to be a man ; and, as it is impossible that he can ascend in the scale of beings, he must of necessity degenerate and sink into a beast."
"On returning down to the Casentine, we could trace along the Arno the mischief which followed a late attempt to clear some Apennines of their woods. Most of the soil, which was then loosened from the roots and washed down by the torrents, lodged in this plain ; and left immense beds of sand and large rolling stones on the very spot where Dante describes
'Li ruscelletti che de'verdi colli
Del Casentin discendon giuso in Arno,
Facendo i lor canali e freddi e molli.'
"I was surprised to find so large a town as Bibbiena in a country devoid of manufactures, remote from public roads, and even deserted by its landholders; for the Niccolini and Vecchietti, who possess most of this district, prefer the obscurer pleasures of Florence to their palaces and pre-eminence here. The only commodity which the Casentines trade in is pork. Signore Baglione, a gentleman at whose house I slept here, ascribed the superior flavour of their hams, which are esteemed the best in Italy and require no cooking, to the dryness of the air, the absence of stagnant water, and the quantity of chestnuts given to their hogs. Bibbiena has been long renowned for its chestnuts, which the peasants dry in a kiln, grind into a sweet flour, and then convert into bread, cakes, and polenta."
"The Casentines were no favourites with Dante, who confounds the men with their hogs . Yet, following the divine poet down the Arno, we came to a race still more forbidding. The Aretine peasants seem to inherit the coarse, surly visages of their ancestors, whom he styles Bottoli. Meeting one girl, who appeared more cheerful than her neighbours, we asked her how far it was from Arezzo, and received for answer, 'Quanto c'è.'
"The valley widened as we advanced, and when Arezzo appeared, the river left us abruptly, wheeling off from its environs at a sharp angle, which Dante converts into a snout, and points disdainfully against the currish race . . . .
"On entering the Val di Chiana, we passed through a peasantry more civil and industrious than their Aretine neighbours. One poor girl, unlike the last whom we accosted, was driving a laden ass, bearing a billet of wood on her head, spinning with the rocca, and singing as she went on. Others were returning with their sickles from the fields which they had reaped in the Maremma, to their own harvest on the hills. That contrast which struck me in the manners of two cantons so near as Cortona to Arezzo, can only be a vestige of their ancient rivality while separate republics. Men naturally dislike the very virtues of their enemies, and affect qualities as remote from theirs as they can well defend."
"A certain knight was one day entreating a lady whom he loved to smile upon his wishes, and among other delicate arguments which he pressed upon her was that of his own superior wealth, elegance, and accomplishments, especially when compared with the merits of her own liege-lord, 'whose extreme ugliness, madam,' he continued, 'I think I need not insist upon.' Her husband, who overheard this compliment from the place of his concealment, immediately replied, ' Pray, sir, mend your own manners, and do not vilify other people.' The name of the plain gentleman was Lizio di Valbona, and Messer Rinieri da Calvoli that of the other."
The marriage of Riccardo Manardi with Lizio's daughter Caterina is the subject of one of the tales of the Decameron, V.4. Pietro Dante says, that, when Lizio was told of the death of his dissipated son, he replied, "It is no news to me, he never was alive."
Most of the time he lived at Brettinoro, and surpassed all others in generosity, loved for the sake of loving, and lived handsomely."
"The dames, the cavaliers, the arms, the loves,
"Among other laudable customs of the nobles of Brettinoro was that of hospitality, and their not permitting any man in the town to keep an inn for money. But there was a stone column in the middle of the town," (upon which were rings or knockers, as if all the front-doors were there represented), "and to this, as soon as a stranger made his appearance, he was conducted, and to one of the rings hitched his horse or hung his hat upon it ; and thus, as chance decreed, he was taken to the house of the gentleman to whom the ring belonged, and honoured according to his rank. This column and its rings were invented to remove all cause of quarrel among the noblemen, who used to run to get possession of a stranger, as now-a-days they almost run away from him."
"Of calling shapes and beckoning shadows dire,
These voices in the air proclaim examples of envy.
'Then keep thy seat for ever,' cries the god,
"Thus, while the mute creation downward bend
Seldom despairing men look up to heaven,
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.092
In Romagna, which is bounded by the Po, the Apennines, the Adriatic, and the river Reno, that passes near Bologna.
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.093
For study and pleasure.
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.097
Of Lizio and Manardi the Ottimo says : "Messer Lizio di Valbona, a courteous gentleman, in order to give a dinner at Forlì, sold half his silken bedquilt for sixty florins. Arrigo Manardi was of Brettinoro ; he was a gentleman full of courtesy and honour, was fond of entertaining guests, made presents of robes and horses, loved honourable men, and all his life was devoted to largess and good living."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.098
Of Pier Traversaro the Ottimo says : "He was of Raverina, a man of most gentle blood;" and of Guido di Carpigna : "He was of Montefeltro. . . .
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.100
"This Messer Fabbro," says the Ottimo, "was born of low parents, and lived so generously that the author Dante says there never was his like in Bologna."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.101
The Ottimo again : "This Messer Bernardino, son of Fosco, a farmer, and of humble occupation, became so excellent by his good works, that he was an honour to Faenza ; and he was named with praise, and the old grandees were not ashamed to visit him, to see his magnificence, and to hear his pleasant jests."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.104
Guido da Prata, from the village of that name, between Faenza and Forlì, and Ugolin d' Azzo of Faenza, according to the same authority, though "of humble birth, rose to such great honour, that, leaving their native places, they associated with the noblemen before mentioned."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.106
Frederick Tignoso was a gentleman of Rimini, living in Brettinoro. "A man of great mark," says Buti, "with his band of friends." According to Benvenuto, "he had beautiful blond hair, and was called tignoso (the scurvy fellow) by way of antiphrase." The Ottimo speaks of him as follows : "He avoided the city as much as possible, as a place hostile to gentlemen, but when he was in it, he kept open house."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.107
Ancient and honourable families of Ravenna. There is a story of them in the Decameron, Gior. V. Nov. 8, which is too long to quote. Upon this tale is founded Dryden's poem of Theodore and Honoria.
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.109
Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, I. I :--
The courtesies, the daring deeds I sing."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.112
Brettinoro, now Bertinoro, is a small town in Romagna, between Forlì and Cesena, in which lived many of the families that have just been mentioned. The hills about it are still celebrated for their wines, as its inhabitants were in old times for their hospitality. The following anecdote is told of them by the Ottimo, and also in nearly the same words in the Cento Novelle Antiche, Nov. 89:--
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.115
Towns in Romagna. "Bagnacavallo, Castrocaro, and Conio,"says the Ottimo, "were all habitations of courtesy and honour. Now in Bagnocavallo the counts are extinct; and he (Dante) says it does well to produce no more of them because they had degenerated like those of Conio and Castrocaro.
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.118
The Pagani were Lords of Faenza and Imola. The head of the family, Mainardo, was surnamed "the Devil." --See Inf XXVII. Note 49. His bad repute will always be a reproach to the family.
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.132
Milton, Comus: --
And airy tongues that syllable men's name"
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.133
Genesis iv. 13, 14: "And Cain said unto the Lord . . . .Every one that findeth me shall slay me."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.139
Aglauros through envy opposed the interview of Mercury with her sister Herse, and was changed by the god into stone. Ovid, Metamorph., I., Addison's Tr.:--
And touched the door, wide opening to his rod.
Fain would she rise and stop him, but she found
Her trunk too heavy to forsake the ground;
Her joints are all benumbed, her hands are pale,
And marble now appears in every nail.
As when a cancer in the body feeds,
And gradual death from limb to limb proceeds,
So does the chillness to each vital part
Spread by degrees, and creeps into her heart ;
Till hardening everywhere, and speechless grown,
She sits unmoved, and freezes to a stone.
But still her envious hue and sullen mien
Are in the sedentary figure seen."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.147
The falconer's call or lure, which he whirls round in the air to attract the falcon on the wing.
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.148
Ovid, Metamorph. , I., Dryden's Tr. :--
Their sight, and to their earthly mother tend,
Man looks aloft ; and with erected eyes
Beholds his own hereditary skies."
Longfellow (1897), Purg. 14.150
Beaumont and Fletcher, The Laws of Candy, IV. I :--
Although it still speaks to , 'em in its glories ;
For when sad thoughts perplex the mind of man,
There is a plummet in the heart that weighs
And pulls us, living, to the dust we came from."