The Divine Comedy

by Dante Alighieri

One should fear only those things which have the power to do harm. Nothing else, for they are not to be feared.

THROUGH ME IS THE WAY TO THE CITY OF WOE. THROUGH ME IS THE WAY TO ETERNAL PAIN. THROUGH ME IS THE WAY TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOST. JUSTICE MOVED MY EXALTED CREATOR. I WAS ERECTED BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE, SUPREME WISDOM AND PRIMAL LOVE. BEFORE ME NOTHING WAS CREATED, SAVE ONLY ETERNAL THINGS, AND I ENDURE FOR ALL ETERNITY. ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.

Here shall you behold the doomed people who have lost the virtue of understanding.”

“This miserable state is suffered by the sad souls of those who lived their lives without praise or blame.

At this, my good Master said unto me, “Do you not ask who are these sorrowful spirits which you behold? I would have you know, ere you go any farther, that they have not sinned. And, if they had any merit, it was not enough to avail them, because they had not been Baptized, which is the entryway to the Faith in which you believe. If they were born before the advent of Christianity they did not worship God in the correct manner. And I myself am one of these. Because of such a defect, and not for any other fault, are we lost. We are afflicted only in that we live with desire but without hope.”

“There is no greater sorrow than to recall a happy time when you are miserable.

Pride, Envy and Avarice are the three sparks that have set all hearts aflame.”

In like manner did He ordain a Mistress and Guide over the riches of the world, who, from time to time, may allot these pointless treasures to one race or another, to one blood or another, beyond the ability of human beings to understand why or wherefore.

How many now account themselves great Princes above, who shall in the end wallow here in the mire, leaving behind them everlasting curses.”

those mournful sighs?” And he said unto me, “They are the Arch-Heretics, with their followers of every sect. Their tombs are much more populous than you would believe. Here is like buried with like in their various Heresies. And their monuments have varying degrees of heat, depending upon the gravity of each Heresy.”

“Pope Anastasius lies here, whom Photinus led astray from the correct doctrine that Our Savior was the son of God.”

“Of every malice that Heaven hates, injury is the result. And injury is caused either by force or by fraud. But, because fraud can be committed only by man, it is the most displeasing to The Almighty. For that reason, the fraudulent are placed lowest and endure the greatest pain.

“The first below us, that is to say the Seventh Circle of Hell, is occupied by the violent.

“Man may lay violent hands upon himself and upon his own goods. Therefore, in the second round, he must forever repent in vain for taking his own life, or for gambling away and squandering his wealth.

“Violence may be done to the Deity by denying Him and blaspheming Him in one’s heart. And by spurning Nature’s rules and her bounty.

Thus, in the next Circle below, that is to say the Eighth Circle of Hell, are condemned Hypocrites, Flatterers, Sorcerers, Liars, Thieves, Suborners, Sellers of Holy Indulgences,

However the Usurer takes a different and unholy path and disdains Nature and her followers, because he sets his hopes for gain elsewhere.

“These are Tyrants who were given to bloodshed and plunder.

O vengeance of God! How much it ought to be feared by everyone who does read what was shown here to mine eyes.

The Book of the Treasure,

A man should always remain silent, as much as he can, to that truth which appears to be a falsehood, since it is likely he will incur reproach, even though he is without blame.

“Saint John the Evangelist had in mind Shepherds like you when he described She Who Sits Upon The Waters, fornicating with Kings. She was born with seven heads, signifying the Seven Sacraments. And she got power and strength from her ten horns, signifying the Ten Commandments, but only as long as her Bridegroom, the Pope, took pleasure in virtue.

One who does not repent can not be absolved. And one can not will something and repent at the same time, for the contradiction does not permit it.’

“Behold how I rend myself! See how mutilated is Mohammed.

you should know that, as soon as any soul betrays as I have done, a Demon anon possesses his body.

Insane is the man who hopes that our reason may be able to comprehend the infinite ways in which One Substance is contained in Three Persons.

for the prayers of those in the world can greatly advance us.”

It seems to heed none of its other powers. And this disproves Plato’s erroneous belief, which holds that we have more than one soul burning within us. Hence, whenever aught is heard or seen which keeps the soul intently engaged, time passes swiftly and we do not notice its passing.

Rarely does the goodness of man rise through the branches of the family tree.

“This moment of worldly renown is but a brief blast of wind which now blows this way and now blows that way, and changes its name depending upon which direction it comes from.

Thus, the more that charity extends, the further does eternal good extend its reach.

And this evil Love is engendered in three ways in mortal flesh.

This wrong-headed threefold Love is purged below us on the first three levels of this mountain.

There is another good called sensual enjoyment which does not make man happy.

Perhaps the object of desire may appear to be praiseworthy, but not every seal is good, even though the wax may be good.”

Man’s soul is distinct from his body, and yet united with it.

“Love, kindled by virtue, always ignites the flame of Love within another bosom, if the light shines forth.

‘O accursed hunger for gold, you do drive man’s appetite to an evil end,’

The blood of a man is transformed into the purity of essence in his heart.

Without delay, the soul is marvelously transported to either the shore leading unto Hell or the shore leading unto Purgatory.

But do read Ezekiel. He depicts them, as he beheld them, coming from the North in a great storm of whirlwind and cloud and fire. Such as you will find them in his pages, so were they here. Except that, in their plumage, John is in accord with me that they had six wings, whereas Ezekiel claims they had four.

“The things that were present in the world, with their deceitful delights, turned my steps astray as soon as your face was hidden from me.”

But, when the sinner openly confesses his fault, in our Court, the grindstone of contrition blunts the sharp edge of the Sword of Justice.

Absolute Will does not consent to evil. But Conditioned Will does consent to evil when it fears that, if it does not comply, it will encounter even greater harm.

“The greatest gift of God, in His largesse and of His goodness and which He values most highly, when He created man, is Free Will. All creatures of intellect, both Angels and men, and only them, were and are so endowed.

Be not like unto a feather blown by every wind. And do not believe that every water cleanses you.

Far worse than useless is he who sets sail from shore to fish for the truth without the necessary skill to do so, for he will return even less than what he was when he left.

Nothing that man’s reason creates is everlasting, because human nature changes according to the influence of the stars.