f　the　world；　working　across　all　these　perverse　impediments；　has　arrived　at　such　result。　　Dante　and　Shakspeare　are　a　peculiar　Two。　　They　dwell　apart；　in　a　kind　of　royal　solitude；　none　equal；　none　second　to　them：　　in　the　general　feeling　of　the　world；　a　certain　transcendentalism；　a　glory　as　of　complete　perfection；　invests　these　two。　　They　_are_　canonized；　though　no　Pope　or　Cardinals　took　hand　in　doing　it！　　Such；　in　spite　of　every　perverting　influence；　in　the　most　unheroic　times；　is　still　our　indestructible　reverence　for　heroism。We　will　look　a　little　at　these　Two；　the　Poet　Dante　and　the　Poet　Shakspeare：　what　little　it　is　permitted　us　to　say　here　of　the　Hero　as　Poet　will　most　fitly　arrange　itself　in　that　fashion。
  Many　volumes　have　been　written　by　way　of　commentary　on　Dante　and　his　Book；　yet；　on　the　whole；　with　no　great　result。　　His　Biography　is；　as　it　were；　irrecoverably　lost　for　us。　　An　unimportant；　wandering；　sorrow…stricken　man；　not　much　note　was　taken　of　him　while　he　lived；　and　the　most　of　that　has　vanished；　in　the　long　space　that　now　intervenes。　　It　is　five　centuries　since　he　ceased　writing　and　living　here。　　After　all　commentaries；　the　Book　itself　is　mainly　what　we　know　of　him。　　The　Book；and　one　might　add　that　Portrait　commonly　attributed　to　Giotto；　which；　looking　on　it；　you　cannot　help　inclining　to　think　genuine；　whoever　did　it。　　To　me　it　is　a　most　touching　face；　perhaps　of　all　faces　that　I　know；　the　most　so。　　Lonely　there；　painted　as　on　vacancy；　with　the　simple　laurel　wound　round　it；　the　deathless　sorrow　and　pain；　the　known　victory　which　is　also　deathless；significant　of　the　whole　history　of　Dante！　　I　think　it　is　the　mournfulest　face　that　ever　was　painted　from　reality；　an　altogether　tragic；　heart…affecting　face。　　There　is　in　it；　as　foundation　of　it；　the　softness；　tenderness；　gentle　affection　as　of　a　child；　but　all　this　is　as　if　congealed　into　sharp　contradiction；　into　abnegation；　isolation；　proud　hopeless　pain。　A　soft　ethereal　soul　looking　out　so　stern；　implacable；　grim…trenchant；　as　from　imprisonment　of　thick…ribbed　ice！　　Withal　it　is　a　silent　pain　too；　a　silent　scornful　one：　　the　lip　is　curled　in　a　kind　of　godlike　disdain　of　the　thing　that　is　eating　out　his　heart；as　if　it　were　withal　a　mean　insignificant　thing；　as　if　he　whom　it　had　power　to　torture　and　strangle　were　greater　than　it。　　The　face　of　one　wholly　in　protest；　and　lifelong　unsurrendering　battle；　against　the　world。　　Affection　all　converted　into　indignation：　　an　implacable　indignation；　slow；　equable；　silent；　like　that　of　a　god！　　The　eye　too；　it　looks　out　as　in　a　kind　of　_surprise_；　a　kind　of　inquiry；　Why　the　world　was　of　such　a　sort？　　This　is　Dante：　　so　he　looks；　this　〃voice　of　ten　silent　centuries；〃　and　sings　us　〃his　mystic　unfathomable　song。〃
  The　little　that　we　know　of　Dante's　Life　corresponds　well　enough　with　this　Portrait　and　this　Book。　　He　was　born　at　Florence；　in　the　upper　class　of　society；　in　the　year　1265。　　His　education　was　the　best　then　going；　much　school…divinity；　Aristotelean　logic；　some　Latin　classics；no　inconsiderable　insight　into　certain　provinces　of　things：　　and　Dante；　with　his　earnest　intelligent　nature；　we　need　not　doubt；　learned　better　than　most　all　that　was　learnable。　　He　has　a　clear　cultivated　understanding；　and　of　great　subtlety；　this　best　fruit　of　education　he　had　contrived　to　realize　from　these　scholastics。　　He　knows　accurately　and　well　what　lies　close　to　him；　but；　in　such　a　time；　without　printed　books　or　free　intercourse；　he　could　not　know　well　what　was　distant：　　the　small　clear　light；　most　luminous　for　what　is　near；　breaks　itself　into　singular　_chiaroscuro_　striking　on　what　is　far　off。　　This　was　Dante's　learning　from　the　schools。　　In　life；　he　had　gone　through　the　usual　destinies；　been　twice　out　campaigning　as　a　soldier　for　the　Florentine　State；　been　on　embassy；　had　in　his　thirty…fifth　year；　by　natural　gradation　of　talent　and　service；　become　one　of　the　Chief　Magistrates　of　Florence。　　He　had　met　in　boyhood　a　certain　Beatrice　Portinari；　a　beautiful　little　girl　of　his　own　age　and　rank；　and　grown　up　thenceforth　in　partial　sight　of　her；　in　some　distant　intercourse　with　her。　All　readers　know　his　graceful　affecting　account　of　this；　and　then　of　their　being　parted；　of　her　being　wedded　to　another；　and　of　her　death　soon　after。　She　makes　a　great　figure　in　Dante's　Poem；　seems　to　have　made　a　great　figure　in　his　life。　　Of　all　beings　it　might　seem　as　if　she；　held　apart　from　him；　far　apart　at　last　in　the　dim　Eternity；　were　the　only　one　he　had　ever　with　his　whole　strength　of　affection　loved。　　She　died：　　Dante　himself　was　wedded；　but　it　seems　not　happily；　far　from　happily。　　I　fancy；　the　rigorous　earnest　man；　with　his　keen　excitabilities；　was　not　altogether　easy　to　make　happy。
  We　will　not　complain　of　Dante's　miseries：　　had　all　gone　right　with　him　as　he　wished　it；　he　might　have　been　Prior；　Podesta；　or　whatsoever　they　call　it；　of　Florence；　well　accepted　among　neighbors；and　the　world　had　wanted　one　of　the　most　notable　words　ever　spoken　or　sung。　　Florence　would　have　had　another　prosperous　Lord　Mayor；　and　the　ten　dumb　centuries　continued　voiceless；　and　the　ten　other　listening　centuries　（for　there　will　be　ten　of　them　and　more）　had　no　_Divina　Commedia_　to　hear！　　We　will　complain　of　nothing。　　A　nobler　destiny　was　appointed　for　this　Dante；　and　he；　struggling　like　a　man　led　towards　death　and　crucifixion；　could　not　help　fulfilling　it。　Give　_him_　the　choice　of　his　happiness！　　He　knew　not；　more　than　we　do；　what　was　really　happy；　what　was　really　miserable。
  In　Dante's　Priorship；　the　Guelf…Ghibelline；　Bianchi…Neri；　or　some　other　confused　disturbances　rose　to　such　a　height；　that　Dante；　whose　party　had　seemed　the　stronger；　was　with　his　friends　cast　unexpectedly　forth　into　banishment；　doomed　thenceforth　to　a　life　of　woe　and　wandering。　　His　property　was　all　confiscated　and　more；　he　had　the　fiercest　feeling　that　it　was　entirely　unjust；　nefarious　in　the　sight　of　God　and　man。　　He　tried　what　was　in　him　to　get　reinstated；　tried　even　by　warlike　surprisal；　with　arms　in　his　hand：　　but　it　would　not　do；　bad　only　had　become　worse。　　There　is　a　record；　I　believe；　still　extant　in　the　Florence　Archives；　dooming　this　Dante；　wheresoever　caught；　to　be　burnt　alive。　　Burnt　alive；　so　it　stands；　they　say：　　a　very　curious　civic　document。　　Another　curious　document；　some　considerable　number　of　years　later；　is　a　Letter　of　Dante's　to　the　Florentine　Magistrates；　written　in　answer　to　a　milder　proposal　of　theirs；　that　he　should　return　on　condition　of　apologizing　and　paying　a　fine。　　He　answers；　with　fixed　stern　pride：　　〃If　I　cannot　return　without　calling　myself　guilty；　I　will　never　return；　_nunquam　revertar_。〃
  For　Dante　there　was　now　no　home　in　this　world。　　He　wandered　from　patron　to　patron；　from　place　to　place；　proving；　in　his　own　bitter　words；　〃How　hard　is　the　path；　_Come　e　duro　calle_。〃　　The　wretched　are　not　cheerful　company。　Dante；　poor　and　banished；　with　his　proud　earnest　nature；　with　his　moody　humors；　was　not　a　man　to　conciliate　men。　　Petrarch　reports　of　him　that　being　at　Can　della　Scala's　court；　and　blamed　one　day　for　his　gloom　and　taciturnity；　he　answered　in　no　courtier…like　way。　　Della　Scala　stood　among　his　courtiers；　with　mimes　and　buffoons　（_nebulones　ac　histriones_）　making　him　heartily　merry；　when　turning　to　Dante；　he　said：　　〃Is　it　not　strange；　now；　that　this　poor　fool　should　make　himself　so　entertaining；　while　you；　a　wise　man；　sit　there　day　after　day；　and　have　nothing　to　amuse　us　with　at　all？〃　　Dante　answered　bitterly：　　〃No；　not　strange；　your　Highness　is　to　recollect　the　Proverb；　_Like　to　Like_；〃given　the　amuser；　the　amusee　must　also　be　given！　　Such　a　man；　with　his　proud　silent　ways；　with　his　sarcasms　and　sorrows；　was　not　made　to　succeed　at　court。　　By　degrees；　it　came　to　be　evident　to　him　that　he　had　no　longer　any　resting…place；　or　hope　of　benefit；　in　this　earth。　　The　earthly　world　had　cast　him　forth；　to　wander；　wander；　no　living　heart　to　love　him　now；　for　his　sore　miseries　there　was　no　solace　here。
  The　deeper　naturally　would　the　Eternal　World　impress　itself　on　him；　that　awful　reality　over　which；　after　all；　this　Time…world；　with　its　Florences　and　banishments；　only　flutters　as　an　unreal　shadow。　　Florence　thou　shalt　never　see：　　but　Hell　and　Purgatory　and　Heaven　thou　shalt　surely　see！　　What　is　Florence；　Can　della　Scala；　and　the　World　and　Life　altogether？　　ETERNITY：　thither；　of　a　truth；　not　elsewhither；　art　thou　and　all　things　bound！　　The　great　soul　of　Dante；　homeless　on　earth；　made　its　home　more　and　more　in　that　awful　other　world。　　Naturally　his　thoughts　brooded　on　that；　as　on　the　one　fact　important　for　him。　　Bodied　or　bodiless；　it　is　the　one　fact　important　for　all　men：but　to　Dante；　in　that　age；　it　was　bodied　in　fixed　certainty　of　scientific　shape；　he　no　more　doubted　of　that　_Malebolge_　Pool；　that　it　all　lay　there　with　its　gloomy　circles；　with　its　_alti　guai_；　and　that　he　himself　should　see　it；　than　we　doubt　that　we　should　see　Constantinople　if　we　went　thither。　　Dante's　heart；　long　filled　with　this；　brooding　over　it　in　speechless　thought　and　awe；　bursts　forth　at　length　into　〃mystic　unfathomable　song；　〃　and　this　his　_Divine　Comedy_；　the　most　remarkable　of　all　modern　Books；　is　the　result。
  It　must　have　been　a　great　solacement　to　Dante；　and　was；　as　we　can　see；　a　proud　thought　for　him　at　times；　Th