, 1876-02-26
THE DIVINE COMEDY,

Tho Marvellous Way In Which n Pnrs
OF Unntc's tsrcQt Poem Was HccOy.
cred.
1lespuotinR The end of the Uipind Comnledid
(saya writer Ia tho CornhM MCCARTNEY, those
thittoen last cantos which wero not sent to ORu
GEande, Doccaccio tclls uH quaint and touching
story, upon the HatyelouB part Of which doubt
ts thrown by later and moro natter-of-fact l1a-
tor,Hns. aud in which 1t Ia poaaIblo there may bo
only such reflection and reconstruction Of tho
finding Of tho original scyon cantos In Madonna
Gcmma's strong chest as Ia not unusual in per-
Eonai history. But such repet,ttous DO doubtless
occur In fact sotnotinuoa na we'll US in art and
anyhow tho postscript socms not m uniting
one to tho wandering. uncertain life OF the poet,
and the curious freEmoEtary md muoh Interrupt
cd composition OF bis great work. The concluding
cantoa, according TO Doccacolo. wc1o missing at
orent was over, ha fsiendn began an1iousy 10
question his two Sons. rietro mud Jacopo. wllom
he lad loft bchlud him In Raseuua, about the
end Of tho great poem. Tbs young nun, how
did not even know. whether their fatter had
finished tho work or not. When howover, after
mnny searches khey found potllnS tho two lads
both OF thcm dicsfot1-aB who should say post-
own ambition perbaps {loF Hhy should not the
aou DO able to do what the fatber has done-And
moro y or by that long standing excuse the do
sire OF friends, "de3H amfci pre3ati," enya
Doccaccio-lo put thor hands to tho work aud
make Tho conclusion themselves. bold uudcr-
taking enough. Tho young potro and Jacopo
wore, however, saved from thlg experiment in
tho following seu,arka bio wny:
"Hut wondosful vlblon appeared to Jacopo.
who WAS tho most fertent III tnts idea, not only
releasing him aud his brother from this
foolish presumption, but showing wheic the
slittecn cantoa Wsro to be found. It is told by
wufthy Bentloman Of ltiyennu, by name plero
GiardiDo, long . dlaolpio Of uan.o. mai Of
his master lad boon dead for eight mouths,
Jacopo d. Uante came to hia house Ia tho mid
do Of tho night and told him that ou that
namo night ho had scon in q dreatn Ills father
lug With uuaccustofuod light, whom ho nskod II
ho waA living. and heard from linl the reply,
Yes; but IL tho truo life. net SouIB. Then IL
occurred to Jacopo To ask ii hs had finished his
ho bad completed 1t, whore the CONCLUSION was,
which they bad not beou ab!o to find. To which
question similar answcr uas given, Yes
completed IT,; and then 1t appokted to Jacopo
that h'H fathertook him By tho daul and led him 10
the room tn which he had lived during hs lifetime
hero, ard touching panel said. That which
you seek IL here : and having said these words
Danto disappeared, aud along with him h!s aon's
sleep. Upon which he, rielo Giardlno, affirmed
that Jhcopo not being ablo to rest without cutn-
Ing to tell What 10 had seon, tho two wont to-
gother to examine tho place indicated. which tho
dreamer had exactly noted, III order to 500 II It
had boeu pointed out By true 1pirIt or false
ds'usIon. Aud 80, though Il MAS still night, thoy
wens tesether to ths house In which Dante had
died, and calling him who then iivcd there. Hero
admitted by him, and going 10 tho pl,ce found =
wooden panel lifted into the wall as they bad a.
ways bcen accustomed to soc It; and removing
this shey found III thn wall liltle window, which
mona OF them had oser Heen OF knew that Il was
thero, aud In Ibis thoy found many writings,
nodded by the damp Of the WALL and which
would have been destroyed altogether had they
bten loft longer there and when they had caro-
fully cleared lhom from tue mold thoy found,
the tAtrteon missing cantus. Aud In great 10y
thty copied them, and according TO tho onstotn
OF tha author. first sent tbnln to Meeaer Cane,
and then added them to tue imperfect poem aud
on through 10 many years was at last Nnlshod.' y