CANTO THE
THIRD.[i]
ARGUMENT.
The POET, conducted by the Spirit of VIRGIL along a deep
and gloomy Vale, finds the entrance to the Infernal Regions, an sees, over the Gate,
an Inscription suitable to the place ; which terrifies him so much, that he is
on the point of relinquishing the Enterprise. VIRGIL re-animates his courage,
and leading him down the horrid Avenue, shews him the Punishment of the
NEUTRALS, and INDOLENT ; a mixed multitude of the Spirits, who had joined
neither Party, on the Rebellion of SATAN ; and of them, who in this Life,
neither deserved Glory nor Infamy.
“ THRO’ me, the newly-damn’d for ever fleet,
In ceaseless shoals, to Pain’s eternal seat ;
Thro’ me they march, and join the tortur’d crew.
The mighty gulph offended Justice made ;
Unbounded pow’r the strong foundation laid,
And Love, by Wisdom led, the limits drew.[ii]
II.
“ Long ere the infant world arose to light,
I found a being in the womb of night.
Eldest of all – but things that never last ! –
And for ever last ! –Ye heirs of Hell,
Here bid at once your ling’ring hope farewell,
And mourn the moment of repentance past ! ”
III.
This salutation sad mine eyes amaz’d,
As on the high PLUTONIAN arch I gaz’d,
In dark and dreadful characters pourtray’d,
“ How dire the menace of the STYGIAN scroll ! ”
With deep concern I cry’d ; the MANTUAN soul,
With friendly words my sinking spirits stay’d.
IV.
“ Let no unmanly thought the place profane,
The fated hour commands you to restrain
The sickly fancies bred by wayward fear !
This is the scene I promis’d to unfold,
The regions of Eternal Wrath behold !
Nor tremble to survey her terrors near !
V.
“ Here those, in search of bliss who madly stray’d
From reason’s path, by passion’s lure betray’d,
Lament the sad result !” then down the steep
With new‑born hope his mate the Mantuan led,
Where wide before my wond’ring eyes were spread
The horrid secrets of the boundless deep.
VI.
Thence, Oh ! what wailings from the abject throng
Around the starless sky incessant rung ;
The short, shrill shriek, and long resounding groan,
The thick sob, panting thro’ the cheerless air,
The lamentable strain of sad despair,
And blasphemy, with fierce relentless tone.
VII.
Vollying around, the full, infernal choir,
Barbarian tongues, and plaints, and words of ire,
(With oft’ between the harsh inflicted blow)
In loud discordance from the tribes forlorn
Tumultuous rose, as in a whirlwind borne,
With execrations mix’d, and murmurs low.
VIII.
Struck with dismay, “ What sounds are these,” I cry’d,
“ And who are those that fill the gloomy void ?
Their crimes, their tortures tell.” When thus the Bard :
“ Behold th’ignoble sons of sloth and shame,
Who scorn’d alike the voice of praise, and blame,[iii]
Nor dreaded punishment, nor sought reward.
IX.
“ Mingled they march with that degen’rate brood,
Who, when the Rebel of the sky with stood
His sov’reign Lord, aloof their squadrons held :
Viewing with selfish eye the fierce debate,
Till, from the confines of the heav’nly state,
Trembling they saw the rebel host expell’d.
X.
“ Nor bore the victor-Lord the alien race,
But straight, the foul pollution to efface,
Hurl’d them indignant from the bounds of light :
This frontier then the dastard crew receiv’d,
Nor deeply damn’d, altho’ of bliss bereav’d,
And doom’d to wander on the verge of night ;
XI.
“ They suffer here, lest yon’ more guilty train
Of crimes unequal, doom’d to equal pain,
Blaspheming Heav’n, should make their impious boast.”
Quick I rejoin’d : “ If giv’n by fate to know,
Whence then those wailings of eternal woe
Wafted in anguish from the abject host ?”
XII.
Thus aswer’d short, and grave, the Mantuan swain,
“ Justice and mercy both alike disdain,
And envy galls the despicable crew :
Ev’n in a deeper lot, and gloomier Hell,
The caitiff train would be content to dwell,
So might their mem’ries last for ever new.
XIII.
“ Grudging the fame that in the upper world
Attends the race to deep damnation hurl’d,
They execrate their dark oblivious doom :
We’ll speak of them no more ! for, look, below ! –
See where the sons of reprobation go,
Emerging from the depths of yonder gloom !”
XIV.
I look’d, and saw a waving banner spread,
And following fast the Legions of the dead
A deep, exhaustless train succeeding still :
The tenants of the tomb, since death began
His daily inroad on the race on man,
Unequal seem’d the lengthen’d line to fill.
XV.
The foremost racer of the gloomy host[iv]
That renegade I saw, who fled his post,
And flung the crosier and the keys away :
Nearer I gaz’d, and knew the abject train,
Who, Heav’n’s aversion, and their foe’s disdain,
But half inform’d their tenements of clay.
XVI.
Naked they march’d, and still a warping cloud
Of flies, and hornets, seem’d the host to shroud,
In swarms on every bleeding visage hung :
A vizor foul ! while tears commix’d with blood,
Still bath’d their restless feet, a welcome food
To the fastidious worms that round them clung.
XVII.
Beyond the lazy current seem’d to creep,
And on the borders of the gloomy deep
A pale devoted train was seen to wait :
“ Oh ! fav’rite of the muse !” I cry’d, “ declare
Why, dim discover’d through the lucid air,
Yon’ band so eager seems to try their fate.”
XVIII.
Thus I, and thus the Mantuan bard reply’d :
“ Not till we reach the melancholy tide,
Does Heav’n permit your mortal doubts to clear.”
With downcast looks I mark’d his stern regard,
And silent, follow’d the immortal bard,
With glowing shame oppress’d, and filial fear.
XIX.
Far off exclaim’d the grizzly mariner,
“ Hither, ye Denizens of Hell, repair!
The Stygian barque
her wanted load requires ;
For you diurnal stars benignant beam,
Prepare ye now to feel the fierce extreme
Of frost corrosive, and outrageous fire.
XX.
“ But thou that dar’st with earthly feet to tread,
Tho’ uncondemn’d, the regions of the dead,
Avaunt ! nor mingle with the cursed band !
A lighter barge attends thy parted ghost,
Waiting to waft thee to a different coast,
Where Saints expect thee on the happy strand.”
XXI.
Sternly he spoke, and thus the Bard reply’d :
“ Cease, sullen Pilot of th’ Infernal Tide !
Commission’d from above he seeks the shore,
And pleads the will of Heav’n’s immortal Sire !”
Quick from his eye‑balls fled the ranc’rous fire,
And soon he smooth’d his brow, and dipt the oar.
XXII.
But when the abject crew that lin’d the strand
With shudd’ring horror heard the stern command,
Loud they began to curse their natal star,
Their parent‑clime, their lineage, and their God ;
Then to the ferry took the downward road
With lamentable cries of loud despair.
XXIII.
Then o’er the fatal flood, in horror hung
Collected, stood the Heav’n-abandon’d throng ;
At last the Pilot gives the dreadful word :
And as in crowds on crowds the sinners came,
The Fiend, with lifted oar, and eyes of flame,
Compell’d the ling’ring soul to haste on board.
XXIV.
As some tall tree on autumn’s closing day
‘Till
earth is hid beneath the frequent fall :
Thus the
lost sons of ADAM’s luckless race
Throng to
the pinnace, and embark apace,
Swift as
the faulcon hears her master’s call.
XXV.
Soon as
the Stygian keel forsakes the shore,
The fatal
bank is fill’d by thousands more,
While
MARO thus the mournful cause explains :
“
Heav’n’s aliens here, from ev’ry distant land,
In
countless crowds that blacken all the strand,
Implore
the fatal stroke, and court their pains.
XXVI.
“ See !
from behind, Eternal Justice urge !
And see !
how fast to shun the flaming scourge,
Eager
thro’ fear, they cross the dismal tide !
None ever
lov’d of Heav’n, the voyage dar’d,
And not
for nought, the fell and fearless guard,
Thy passage
to the dreadful shore deny’d !”
XXVII.
Thus spoke the Bard : and lo ! the dusky plain
With tremulous throbs, as rack’d with inward pain,
In strong convulsions to the centre shook :
Red, sullen light’nings danc’d their dismal round,
Portentous gleaming from the rocky ground,
And down I sunk, with slumb’rous torpor struck.
END OF THE THIRD CANTO
[i] The abrupt opening of this Canto, with the solemn Inscription over the Gate of Hell, has a striking and singular effect
[ii] St.i.l.6.] That Love to the general welfare that must induce a moral Governor to enforce his laws by the sanction of punishments ; as here a mistaken humanity is cruelty.
[iii] St.viii.l. 5.] Before we see the justice of the punishment described here, we are to consider how general rules of morality come first to be formed. As we naturally wish our actions should be the objects of approbation, we naturally wish at first to please very body ; but, finding that by pleasing one, we run the risque of displeasing another, from the natural partialities of mankind, we learn to form to ourselves another sort of a judge, an impartial spectator, who neither being connected with us, nor with any party of men with whom we act, will, on that account, form the most just opinion of our actions . For, as we might be partial to ourselves, the people whom our actions concern might be partial to themselves ; but this person, this imaginary judge, abstracted from either party, sees the action as it really is, not through the mists of passion or prejudice. ---If the sentiments of this judge coincide with our notions of ourselves, if we think such an impartial spectator would approve our conduct, our satisfaction is complete, in spite of the partial censure of our companions. If we think this impartial judge will condemn us, all the applause in the world cannot satisfy us. ---SELF-LOVE can only be corrected by the eye of this impartial spectator : It is he that shews us the propriety of generosity and the deformity of injustice ; the propriety of resigning the greatest interests of our own, for the still greater interests of others, when the happiness or misery of others depends in any instance on our conduct, we dare not (as self-love would suggest to us) prefer any little interest of our own, to the yet greater interest of our neighbour ; we feel that we should become the proper objects of the resentment and indignation of our brethren ; so that besides the love of our neighbour, there is a stronger love, a more powerful affection, that incites us to the practice of the sublimest virtues, it is the love of justice, the love of what is honourable and noble, the love of the grandeur, dignity, and superiority of our own character.
From these sentiments, the general rules of morality are formed ; for an amiable action, a respectable action, an horrid action, are such as excite the love, the respect, or the horror or the impartial spectator , for such persons as perform them : Then the general rules which determine what actions are, and what are not, capable to raise such sentiments, can only be formed, by observing what actions do, and what do not raise these sentiments---from these sentiments we form general rules, by appealing to which we try particular actions, or what sort they are. It is the observation of these general rules, that general regard to what the impartial part of the world thinks of him, that makes a very essential difference between a man of principle and a worthless fellow.---The one adheres to his maxims, and acts with one uniform tenour of conduct ; the other acts as a humour, inclination, or interest, chance to be uppermost, without any regard to the sentiments of the world.---So true it is, that he who despises fame, despises virtue, and must seem, to the eye of impartial reason at least, equally liable to punishment with him that has fallen a victim to a sudden gust of passion. See SMITH’S THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENTS. VOL. I
[iv] St.xv.l. I] PIANO MURONI DA SULMONA, an Hermit, remarkable for the severity of his life and manners, who on the death of NICHOLAS the fourth was made Pope, by the name of CELESTINE the fifth. – He, though well qualified to reform the abuses of the Church, suffered himself to be prevailed upon by the Cardinal DE ANAGNIA, (BENEDICT. CAIETAN) to abdicate the papacy. CAIETAN succeeded by the name of BONIFACE the eighth.