The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-12-01

ER Dantc's Divisa Commedia.
Rev. Mr.. d atoms lecture on Dants's Divina
Commedis drew another large audience TO ST.
ssephen's Church, Saturday afternoon. The
following is an abstract of the lecture.
Everybody is wiser than anybody" We
have but to apply this old saw to get presurnp-
tive proof in favor of, against, any given
author. Applied to Dante, 1t entities him to
our confidence at the outset, inasmuch as he
Is the oldest Of modern poets, and with the
exception OF Shakespeare, the greatest. Dante
has been to modern literature what Homer
was to ths ancient '.foRS ct orig HIS u-
tense patriotism alone would suffice to account
Tor his immense popularity in Italy, but not
for his centuries of influence on European
poetry. Over hundred editions of the Di-
VIVA Commedia have appeared in all. and the
number OF translations equals those of Homer,
whom Dapte resembles and equals in original
lfy fertility, variety and perspicacity, while in
hrevity aid power of painting a complete pic
t1re In single line or even epitbet, he sur
passes Homer himself. The Divina Commeda
is compendium of the thoughts, feelings, as
pitations, fears. hopes, science, philosophy and
religion OF the Middle Ages. All antiquity is
made to yield its treasures and contribute
them to aid in enriching and adorn-
Jog this marvellous poem. The most
beautiful passages iu Homer and Virgil are
rivaled by kindred descriptions of the new
world OF thought and feeling created by Chris
tianity, while the authors own genius is no
less fertile In fields unknown to the ancents.
Virgil he calls his friend, master, and guide,
from whom he processes to have formed his
own style. But while in finish be equals Viz
gil, in originality, be is tho peer OF Homer.
Virgil however, becomes bis guide on the
morning the poem opens with the story OF his
effort TO ascend the bill, through which, (iol-
lowing the fable OF both the Odyssey and The
4Eneid) entrance is found to the world OF spir-
lis which in the form of an inverted cone lies
under the crust OF the earth. Before reaching
the river Acheron, they encounter great num-
bers of those who have lived useless, though
not vicious lives, and for their selfshness, are
abhofrent to God, and even to Gods enemies.
Crossing the river in Charon's boat, they de-
scend into hell which they fnd divided into
nine circles after the pattern Of an amphithea-
tire. like the Coliseum. The first circle contains
virtuous heather and has pure atmosphere.
Here they meet the ancient pot Is, philosophers
and sages who are unhappy only
as they are without the knowledge of
God. The second circle is for
those who have loved not wisely, but too well
or i'll. The third, fourth and fifth are for the
angry, avaricious and gluttonons. AT the
sixth, they come upon the city OF Dis, which
is Satsn From this TO the ninth, i'm
prisoned those guilty of the mortal sins of
heresy, simoIy, population of public, or State
fnnds, ingrautnde, adultery ,murder, treason and
treachery. All these as well as those In the
i've circles anterior to the city of Dis are
punished ON the principle of sineilid Sinlilibus,
or like for like-each sin suffering its natural
and appropriate penalty. Arrived at the foot
OF tbs cavern, where SataDs seat lie, they turn
into BY path through which they escap pc into
the outer air on the other side of the earth,
aDtpooa to Jerusalem, where they come upon
Mount Puraatory, where it is day when it is
night in Jerusalem. An angel ferries them
over the river which surrounds the mount
most difficult tn climb, the angle of ascent be-
ing more tsan 80 degrees, and is as precipitous
aud difficu to gain as the heights of Abraham
we're for Wolfe and his heroic followers.
There, too, they enter upon series of cir
cles, seven in all, where Christians who have
been guilty of pride, envy, avsrice, prodigality
and ssnsuality. are undergoing process ses of
parltcatien, after which, they bathed in
the river Lathe t blot out the memory of the
evil 10 their lives AID then in EuDoe branch
OF The same stream, TO renew the memory of
all that good.
Virgil hers takes leave of Dante, who is
joined by Beatrice, once his earthly, now his
celestial, love. She conveys him through the
ten spheres of heaven. viz The Moon, Mercury.
the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. the
fixed stars, the prineana mobile, and, highest
and purest of all, the Empyresn, where Gods
glory s manifest IS nowhere else. The first Of
these heavenly spheres is for nthe religious
who were forced to abjure their vows; the sec
ond for men OF noble deeds, who sspirsd to
fame, "the last in6rmity of noble minds the
third is for virt1ous lovers. the fourth Che
SUM for ihe0ogians, the fifth for martyrs and
crusaders, the sixth for good and great rulers,
the seventh for contemplstive Christians, the
eighth (tho fixed siar) for the triumph of
Christ (see Rev. vii 81, the ninth (the
prinaunl mobile for the hierarchy of angels,
the tenth fos those so pure that to them alone
is the promise "They shall see God"
Such is the poem in it's three parts called the
Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradise.
The frame work or setting is obviously de-
rived from the pagan poets. chiefly Homer
aud VIGIL. as may be seen by comparing it
with the XIth book OF the Odyssey and the
VIIh OF the Ened. But the ancients had no
such ideas OF sin and holiness, or the necessity
OF a new birth to righteousness. To Homers
heaven the favortes OF the gods were admitted
without much stress being laid on moral char
acter. so they had not been guilty of the
grossest crimes, calling down upon them the
vengeance of the Furies. But if the form or
mould in which the thoughts of the poet is
cast is pagan, the spirit is Christian, at least in
part. Christianity Is not present in
the poem precisely as we receive it,
the Middle Ages How remarkable that the
religious conceptions of the Greeks should have
been chrystallizod and conserved by Homer in
his immortal poem; those OF the Romans by
Virgil, and those of the Middle Ages by
Dante. In like manner, Bunyan has given
expression, formsand lite to the popular or
prevailing type OF the religious experience of
English speaking people sioce the Reforms-
ton. And as the "Piigrtm's Progress" is al
legorical, SO is 1.-THE Divpa Commedia.' This
will appear from the slightest inspection of
the exordinm, where the hill stands
for "Mount Zion," or the hill Difficulty of
Bunyan, the three wild beasts for as many OBJ
stacles to the pilgrim. the return of the sun
to Christianity, Virgil to philosophy, while
Beatrice is Divine Wisdom, and so on through
the poem, which has been so exponnded in
Italy sipce its first appearance, and has col
lected library of literature pertaining to the
subject matter of the poem.
The lecture closed with further comparisons
between Dante and Homer, Dante and Virgil
aud Bunyan, not forgetting Swedenborg, with
whom Dante has many points of resem alliance.
The sum OF all is, that in the Divin aCom-
media we have that type of religion which was
received by the Lstin nations (Southern
Europe), and which remains their faith to-day.
Among the Teutonic peoples it also prevailed
for COL taries bat was never so firmly esiab-
lished among them as in the South, where the
people are to this manner born. It is in their
blood. Consequently there is as lutte reason
to believe that they will ever become Protest
ants of the Puritan type, as there is that the
descendants Of the Puritans will revert to the
Latin rule and Roman obedience.
Portland Benevolent Society.