t　with　it　the　faculty　of　seeing〃！　　To　the　mean　eye　all　things　are　trivial；　as　certainly　as　to　the　jaundiced　they　are　yellow。　Raphael；　the　Painters　tell　us；　is　the　best　of　all　Portrait…painters　withal。　No　most　gifted　eye　can　exhaust　the　significance　of　any　object。　　In　the　commonest　human　face　there　lies　more　than　Raphael　will　take　away　with　him。
  Dante's　painting　is　not　graphic　only；　brief；　true；　and　of　a　vividness　as　of　fire　in　dark　night；　taken　on　the　wider　scale；　it　is　every　way　noble；　and　the　outcome　of　a　great　soul。　　Francesca　and　her　Lover；　what　qualities　in　that！　　A　thing　woven　as　out　of　rainbows；　on　a　ground　of　eternal　black。　　A　small　flute…voice　of　infinite　wail　speaks　there；　into　our　very　heart　of　hearts。　　A　touch　of　womanhood　in　it　too：　　_della　bella　persona；　che　mi　fu　tolta_；　and　how；　even　in　the　Pit　of　woe；　it　is　a　solace　that　_he_　will　never　part　from　her！　　Saddest　tragedy　in　these　_alti　guai_。　　And　the　racking　winds；　in　that　_aer　bruno_；　whirl　them　away　again；　to　wail　forever！Strange　to　think：　　Dante　was　the　friend　of　this　poor　Francesca's　father；　Francesca　herself　may　have　sat　upon　the　Poet's　knee；　as　a　bright　innocent　little　child。　　Infinite　pity；　yet　also　infinite　rigor　of　law：　　it　is　so　Nature　is　made；　it　is　so　Dante　discerned　that　she　was　made。　　What　a　paltry　notion　is　that　of　his　_Divine　Comedy's_　being　a　poor　splenetic　impotent　terrestrial　libel；　putting　those　into　Hell　whom　he　could　not　be　avenged　upon　on　earth！　　I　suppose　if　ever　pity；　tender　as　a　mother's；　was　in　the　heart　of　any　man；　it　was　in　Dante's。　　But　a　man　who　does　not　know　rigor　cannot　pity　either。　　His　very　pity　will　be　cowardly；　egoistic；sentimentality；　or　little　better。　　I　know　not　in　the　world　an　affection　equal　to　that　of　Dante。　　It　is　a　tenderness；　a　trembling；　longing；　pitying　love：　　like　the　wail　of　AEolian　harps；　soft；　soft；　like　a　child's　young　heart；and　then　that　stern；　sore…saddened　heart！　　These　longings　of　his　towards　his　Beatrice；　their　meeting　together　in　the　_Paradiso_；　his　gazing　in　her　pure　transfigured　eyes；　her　that　had　been　purified　by　death　so　long；　separated　from　him　so　far：one　likens　it　to　the　song　of　angels；　it　is　among　the　purest　utterances　of　affection；　perhaps　the　very　purest；　that　ever　came　out　of　a　human　soul。
  For　the　_intense_　Dante　is　intense　in　all　things；　he　has　got　into　the　essence　of　all。　　His　intellectual　insight　as　painter；　on　occasion　too　as　reasoner；　is　but　the　result　of　all　other　sorts　of　intensity。　　Morally　great；　above　all；　we　must　call　him；　it　is　the　beginning　of　all。　　His　scorn；　his　grief　are　as　transcendent　as　his　love；as　indeed；　what　are　they　but　the　_inverse_　or　_converse_　of　his　love？　　〃_A　Dio　spiacenti　ed　a'　nemici　sui_；　Hateful　to　God　and　to　the　enemies　of　God：　　〃lofty　scorn；　unappeasable　silent　reprobation　and　aversion；　〃_Non　ragionam　di　lor_；　We　will　not　speak　of　_them_；　look　only　and　pass。〃　　Or　think　of　this；　〃They　have　not　the　_hope_　to　die；　_Non　han　speranza　di　morte_。〃　　One　day；　it　had　risen　sternly　benign　on　the　scathed　heart　of　Dante；　that　he；　wretched；　never…resting；　worn　as　he　was；　would　full　surely　_die_；　〃that　Destiny　itself　could　not　doom　him　not　to　die。〃　　Such　words　are　in　this　man。　　For　rigor；　earnestness　and　depth；　he　is　not　to　be　paralleled　in　the　modern　world；　to　seek　his　parallel　we　must　go　into　the　Hebrew　Bible；　and　live　with　the　antique　Prophets　there。
  I　do　not　agree　with　much　modern　criticism；　in　greatly　preferring　the　_Inferno_　to　the　two　other　parts　of　the　Divine　_Commedia_。　　Such　preference　belongs；　I　imagine；　to　our　general　Byronism　of　taste；　and　is　like　to　be　a　transient　feeling。　　Thc　_Purgatorio_　and　_Paradiso_；　especially　the　former；　one　would　almost　say；　is　even　more　excellent　than　it。　　It　is　a　noble　thing　that　_Purgatorio_；　〃Mountain　of　Purification；〃　an　emblem　of　the　noblest　conception　of　that　age。　　If　sin　is　so　fatal；　and　Hell　is　and　must　be　so　rigorous；　awful；　yet　in　Repentance　too　is　man　purified；　Repentance　is　the　grand　Christian　act。　　It　is　beautiful　how　Dante　works　it　out。　　The　_tremolar　dell'　onde_；　that　〃trembling〃　of　the　ocean…waves；　under　the　first　pure　gleam　of　morning；　dawning　afar　on　the　wandering　Two；　is　as　the　type　of　an　altered　mood。　　Hope　has　now　dawned；　never…dying　Hope；　if　in　company　still　with　heavy　sorrow。　　The　obscure　sojourn　of　demons　and　reprobate　is　underfoot；　a　soft　breathing　of　penitence　mounts　higher　and　higher；　to　the　Throne　of　Mercy　itself。　　〃Pray　for　me；〃　the　denizens　of　that　Mount　of　Pain　all　say　to　him。　　〃Tell　my　Giovanna　to　pray　for　me；〃　my　daughter　Giovanna；　〃I　think　her　mother　loves　me　no　more！〃　　They　toil　painfully　up　by　that　winding　steep；　〃bent　down　like　corbels　of　a　building；〃　some　of　them；crushed　together　so　〃for　the　sin　of　pride；〃　yet　nevertheless　in　years；　in　ages　and　aeons；　they　shall　have　reached　the　top；　which　is　heaven's　gate；　and　by　Mercy　shall　have　been　admitted　in。　　The　joy　too　of　all；　when　one　has　prevailed；　the　whole　Mountain　shakes　with　joy；　and　a　psalm　of　praise　rises；　when　one　soul　has　perfected　repentance　and　got　its　sin　and　misery　left　behind！　　I　call　all　this　a　noble　embodiment　of　a　true　noble　thought。
  But　indeed　the　Three　compartments　mutually　support　one　another；　are　indispensable　to　one　another。　　The　_Paradiso_；　a　kind　of　inarticulate　music　to　me；　is　the　redeeming　side　of　the　_Inferno_；　the　_Inferno_　without　it　were　untrue。　　All　three　make　up　the　true　Unseen　World；　as　figured　in　the　Christianity　of　the　Middle　Ages；　a　thing　forever　memorable；　forever　true　in　the　essence　of　it；　to　all　men。　　It　was　perhaps　delineated　in　no　human　soul　with　such　depth　of　veracity　as　in　this　of　Dante's；　a　man　_sent_　to　sing　it；　to　keep　it　long　memorable。　　Very　notable　with　what　brief　simplicity　he　passes　out　of　the　every…day　reality；　into　the　Invisible　one；　and　in　the　second　or　third　stanza；　we　find　ourselves　in　the　World　of　Spirits；　and　dwell　there；　as　among　things　palpable；　indubitable！　　To　Dante　they　_were_　so；　the　real　world；　as　it　is　called；　and　its　facts；　was　but　the　threshold　to　an　infinitely　higher　Fact　of　a　World。　　At　bottom；　the　one　was　as　_preternatural_　as　the　other。　　Has　not　each　man　a　soul？　　He　will　not　only　be　a　spirit；　but　is　one。　　To　the　earnest　Dante　it　is　all　one　visible　Fact；　he　believes　it；　sees　it；　is　the　Poet　of　it　in　virtue　of　that。　　Sincerity；　I　say　again；　is　the　saving　merit；　now　as　always。
  Dante's　Hell；　Purgatory；　Paradise；　are　a　symbol　withal；　an　emblematic　representation　of　his　Belief　about　this　Universe：some　Critic　in　a　future　age；　like　those　Scandinavian　ones　the　other　day；　who　has　ceased　altogether　to　think　as　Dante　did；　may　find　this　too　all　an　〃Allegory；〃　perhaps　an　idle　Allegory！　　It　is　a　sublime　embodiment；　or　sublimest；　of　the　soul　of　Christianity。　　It　expresses；　as　in　huge　world…wide　architectural　emblems；　how　the　Christian　Dante　felt　Good　and　Evil　to　be　the　two　polar　elements　of　this　Creation；　on　which　it　all　turns；　that　these　two　differ　not　by　preferability　of　one　to　the　other；　but　by　incompatibility　absolute　and　infinite；　that　the　one　is　excellent　and　high　as　light　and　Heaven；　the　other　hideous；　black　as　Gehenna　and　the　Pit　of　Hell！　　Everlasting　Justice；　yet　with　Penitence；　with　everlasting　Pity；all　Christianism；　as　Dante　and　the　Middle　Ages　had　it；　is　emblemed　here。　　Emblemed：　　and　yet；　as　I　urged　the　other　day；　with　what　entire　truth　of　purpose；　how　unconscious　of　any　embleming！　　Hell；　Purgatory；　Paradise：　　these　things　were　not　fashioned　as　emblems；　was　there；　in　our　Modern　European　Mind；　any　thought　at　all　of　their　being　emblems！　　Were　they　not　indubitable　awful　facts；　the　whole　heart　of　man　taking　them　for　practically　true；　all　Nature　everywhere　confirming　them？　　So　is　it　always　in　these　things。　　Men　do　not　believe　an　Allegory。　　The　future　Critic；　whatever　his　new　thought　may　be；　who　considers　this　of　Dante　to　have　been　all　got　up　as　an　Allegory；　will　commit　one　sore　mistake！Paganism　we　recognized　as　a　veracious　expression　of　the　earnest　awe…struck　feeling　of　man　towards　the　Universe；　veracious；　true　once；　and　still　not　without　worth　for　us。　　But　mark　here　the　difference　of　Paganism　and　Christianism；　one　great　difference。　　Paganism　emblemed　chiefly　the　Operations　of　Nature；　the　destinies；　efforts；　combinations；　vicissitudes　of　things　and　men　in　this　world；　Christianism　emblemed　the　Law　of　Human　Duty；　the　Moral　Law　of　Man。　　One　was　for　the　sensuous　nature：　　a　rude　helpless　utterance　of　the　first　Thought　of　men；the　chief　recognized　virtue；　Courage；　Superiority　to　Fear。　　The　other　was　not　for　the　sensuous　nature；　but　for　the　moral。　　What　a　progress　is　here；　if　in　that　one　respect　only！
  And　so　in　this　Dante；　as　we　said；　had　ten　silent　centuries；　in　a　very　strange　way；　found　a　voice。　　The　_Divina　Commedia_　is　of　Dante's　writing；　yet　in　truth　it　belongs　to　ten　Christian　centuries；　only　the　finishing　of　it　is　Dante's。　　So　always。　　The　craftsman　there；　the　smith　with　that　metal　of　his；　with　these　tools；　with　these　cunning　methods；how　little　of　all　he　does　is　properly　_his_　work！　　All　past　inventive　men　work　there　with　him；as　indeed　with　all　of　us；　in　all　things。　　Dante　is　the　spokesman　of　the　Middle　Ages；　the　Thought　they　lived　by　stands　here；　in　everlasting　music。　　These　sublime　ideas　of　his；　terrible　and　beautiful；　are　the　fruit　of　the　Christian　Meditation　of　all　the　good　men　who