delineate　accurately　〃all　monstrous；　all　prodigious　things；〃to　utter　what　might　to　others　appear　〃unutterable；〃to　relate　with　the　air　of　truth　what　fables　had　never　feigned；to　embody　what　fear　had　never　conceived。　And　I　will　frankly　confess　that　the　vague　sublimity　of　Milton　affects　me　less　than　these　reviled　details　of　Dante。　　We　read　Milton；　and　we　know　that　we　are　reading　a　great　poet。　　When　we　read　Dante；　the　poet　vanishes。　　We　are　listening　to　the　man　who　has　returned　from　〃the　valley　of　the　dolorous　abyss；〃　（〃Lavalle　d'abisso　doloroso。〃Inferno；　cantoiv。）we　seem　to　see　the　dilated　eye　of　horror；　to　hear　the　shuddering　accents　with　which　he　tells　his　fearful　tale。　　Considered　in　this　light；　the　narratives　are　exactly　what　they　should　be；definite　in　themselves；　but　suggesting　to　the　mind　ideas　of　awful　and　indefinite　wonder。　　They　are　made　up　of　the　images　of　the　earth：…　…they　are　told　in　the　language　of　the　earth。Yet　the　whole　effect　is；　beyond　expression；　wild　and　unearthly。　　The　fact　is；　that　supernatural　beings；　as　long　as　they　are　considered　merely　with　reference　to　their　own　nature；　excite　our　feelings　very　feebly。　　It　is　when　the　great　gulf　which　separates　them　from　us　is　passed；　when　we　suspect　some　strange　and　undefinable　relation　between　the　laws　of　the　visible　and　the　invisible　world；　that　they　rouse；　perhaps；　the　strongest　emotions　of　which　our　nature　is　capable。　　How　many　children；　and　how　many　men；　are　afraid　of　ghosts；　who　are　not　afraid　of　God！　　And　this；　because；　though　they　entertain　a　much　stronger　conviction　of　the　existence　of　a　Deity　than　of　the　reality　of　apparitions；　they　have　no　apprehension　that　he　will　manifest　himself　to　them　in　any　sensible　manner。　　While　this　is　the　case；　to　describe　superhuman　beings　in　the　language；　and　to　attribute　to　them　the　actions；　of　humanity　may　be　grotesque；　unphilosophical；　inconsistent；　but　it　will　be　the　only　mode　of　working　upon　the　feelings　of　men；　and；　therefore；　the　only　mode　suited　for　poetry。　　Shakspeare　understood　this　well；　as　he　understood　everything　that　belonged　to　his　art。　　Who　does　not　sympathise　with　the　rapture　of　Ariel；　flying　after　sunset　on　the　wings　of　the　bat；　or　sucking　in　the　cups　of　flowers　with　the　bee？　　Who　does　not　shudder　at　the　caldron　of　Macbeth？　　Where　is　the　philosopher　who　is　not　moved　when　he　thinks　of　the　strange　connection　between　the　infernal　spirits　and　〃the　sow's　blood　that　hath　eaten　her　nine　farrow？〃　But　this　difficult　task　of　representing　supernatural　beings　to　our　minds；　in　a　manner　which　shall　be　neither　unintelligible　to　our　intellects　nor　wholly　inconsistent　with　our　ideas　of　their　nature；　has　never　been　so　well　performed　as　by　Dante。　　I　will　refer　to　three　instances；　which　are；　perhaps；　the　most　striking：…　…the　description　of　the　transformations　of　the　serpents　and　the　robbers；　in　the　twenty…fifth　canto　of　the　Inferno；the　passage　concerning　Nimrod；　in　the　thirty…first　canto　of　the　same　part；　and　the　magnificent　procession　in　the　twenty…ninth　canto　of　the　Purgatorio。
  The　metaphors　and　comparisons　of　Dante　harmonise　admirably　with　that　air　of　strong　reality　of　which　I　have　spoken。　　They　have　a　very　peculiar　character。　　He　is　perhaps　the　only　poet　whose　writings　would　become　much　less　intelligible　if　all　illustrations　of　this　sort　were　expunged。　　His　similes　are　frequently　rather　those　of　a　traveller　than　of　a　poet。　　He　employs　them　not　to　display　his　ingenuity　by　fanciful　analogies；not　to　delight　the　reader　by　affording　him　a　distant　and　passing　glimpse　of　beautiful　images　remote　from　the　path　in　which　he　is　proceeding；　but　to　give　an　exact　idea　of　the　objects　which　he　is　describing；　by　comparing　them　with　others　generally　known。　　The　boiling　pitch　in　Malebolge　was　like　that　in　the　Venetian　arsenal：the　mound　on　which　he　travelled　along　the　banks　of　Phlegethon　was　like　that　between　Ghent　and　Bruges；　but　not　so　large：the　cavities　where　the　Simoniacal　prelates　are　confined　resemble　the　Fonts　in　the　Church　of　John　at　Florence。　　Every　reader　of　Dante　will　recall　many　other　illustrations　of　this　description；　which　add　to　the　appearance　of　sincerity　and　earnestness　from　which　the　narrative　derives　so　much　of　its　interest。
  Many　of　his　comparisons；　again；　are　intended　to　give　an　exact　idea　of　his　feelings　under　particular　circumstances。　　The　delicate　shades　of　grief；　of　fear；　of　anger；　are　rarely　discriminated　with　sufficient　accuracy　in　the　language　of　the　most　refined　nations。　　A　rude　dialect　never　abounds　in　nice　distinctions　of　this　kind。　　Dante　therefore　employs　the　most　accurate　and　infinitely　the　most　poetical　mode　of　marking　the　precise　state　of　his　mind。　　Every　person　who　has　experienced　the　bewildering　effect　of　sudden　bad　tidings；the　stupefaction；the　vague　doubt　of　the　truth　of　our　own　perceptions　which　they　produce；will　understand　the　following　simile：〃I　was　as　he　is　who　dreameth　his　own　harm；who；　dreaming；　wishes　that　it　may　be　all　a　dream；　so　that　he　desires　that　which　is　as　though　it　were　not。〃　　This　is　only　one　out　of　a　hundred　equally　striking　and　expressive　similitudes。　　The　comparisons　of　Homer　and　Milton　are　magnificent　digressions。　　It　scarcely　injures　their　effect　to　detach　them　from　the　work。　　Those　of　Dante　are　very　different。　They　derive　their　beauty　from　the　context；　and　reflect　beauty　upon　it。　　His　embroidery　cannot　be　taken　out　without　spoiling　the　whole　web。　　I　cannot　dismiss　this　part　of　the　subject　without　advising　every　person　who　can　muster　sufficient　Italian　to　read　the　simile　of　the　sheep；　in　the　third　canto　of　the　Purgatorio。　　I　think　it　the　most　perfect　passage　of　the　kind　in　the　world；　the　most　imaginative；　the　most　picturesque；　and　the　most　sweetly　expressed。
  No　person　can　have　attended　to　the　Divine　Comedy　without　observing　how　little　impression　the　forms　of　the　external　world　appear　to　have　made　on　the　mind　of　Dante。　　His　temper　and　his　situation　had　led　him　to　fix　his　observation　almost　exclusively　on　human　nature。　　The　exquisite　opening　of　the　eighth*　canto　of　the　Purgatorio　affords　a　strong　instance　of　this。　　（I　cannot　help　observing　that　Gray's　imitation　of　that　noble　line
  〃Che　paia　'lgiorna　pianger　che　si　muore；〃
  is　one　of　the　most　striking　instances　of　injudicious　plagiarism　with　which　I　am　acquainted。　　Dante　did　not　put　this　strong　personification　at　the　beginning　of　his　description。　　The　imagination　of　the　reader　is　so　well　prepared　for　it　by　the　previous　lines；　that　it　appears　perfectly　natural　and　pathetic。　Placed　as　Gray　has　placed　it；　neither　preceded　nor　followed　by　anything　that　harmonises　with　it；　it　becomes　a　frigid　conceit。　Woe　to　the　unskilful　rider　who　ventures　on　the　horses　of　Achilles！）
  He　leaves　to　others　the　earth；　the　ocean；　and　the　sky。　　His　business　is　with　man。　　To　other　writers；　evening　may　be　the　season　of　dews　and　stars　and　radiant　clouds。　　To　Dante　it　is　the　hour　of　fond　recollection　and　passionate　devotion；the　hour　which　melts　the　heart　of　the　mariner　and　kindles　the　love　of　the　pilgrim；the　hour　when　the　toll　of　the　bell　seems　to　mourn　for　another　day　which　is　gone　and　will　return　no　more。
  The　feeling　of　the　present　age　has　taken　a　direction　diametrically　opposite。　　The　magnificence　of　the　physical　world；　and　its　influence　upon　the　human　mind；　have　been　the　favourite　themes　of　our　most　eminent　poets。　　The　herd　of　bluestocking　ladies　and　sonneteering　gentlemen　seem　to　consider　a　strong　sensibility　to　the　〃splendour　of　the　grass；　the　glory　of　the　flower；〃　as　an　ingredient　absolutely　indispensable　in　the　formation　of　a　poetical　mind。　　They　treat　with　contempt　all　writers　who　are　unfortunately
  nec　ponere　lucum　Artifices；　nec　rus　saturum　laudare。
  The　orthodox　poetical　creed　is　more　Catholic。　　The　noblest　earthly　object　of　the　contemplation　of　man　is　man　himself。　　The　universe；　and　all　its　fair　and　glorious　forms；　are　indeed　included　in　the　wide　empire　of　the　imagination；　but　she　has　placed　her　home　and　her　sanctuary　amidst　the　inexhaustible　varieties　and　the　impenetrable　mysteries　of　the　mind。
  In　tutte　parti　impera；　e　quivi　regge；　Quivi　e　la　sua　cittade；　e　l'alto　seggio。　（Inferno；　canto　i。）
  Othello　is　perhaps　the　greatest　work　in　the　world。　　From　what　does　it　derive　its　power？　　From　the　clouds？　　From　the　ocean？　From　the　mountains？　　Or　from　love　strong　as　death；　and　jealousy　cruel　as　the　grave？　　What　is　it　that　we　go　forth　to　see　in　Hamlet？　　Is　it　a　reed　shaken　with　the　wind？　　A　small　celandine？　A　bed　of　daffodils？　　Or　is　it　to　contemplate　a　mighty　and　wayward　mind　laid　bare　before　us　to　the　inmost　recesses？　　It　may　perhaps　be　doubted　whether　the　lakes　and　the　hills　are　better　fitted　for　the　education　of　a　poet　than　the　dusky　streets　of　a　huge　capital。　Indeed　who　is　not　tired　to　death　with　pure　description　of　scenery？　　Is　it　not　the　fact；　that　external　objects　never　strongly　excite　our　feelings　but　when　they　are　contemplated　in　reference　to　man；　as　illustrating　his　destiny；　or　as　influencing　his　character？　　The　most　beautiful　object　in　the　world；　it　will　be　allowed；　is　a　beautiful　woman。　　But　who　that　can　analyse　his　feelings　is　not　sensible　that　she　owes　her　fascination　less　to　grace　of　outline　and　delicacy　of　colour；　than　to　a　thousand　associations　which；　often　unperceived　by　ourselves；　connect　those　qualities　with　the　source　of　our　existenc