Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1898-05-11
DANTE's INFERNO.
striking Illustrations Produced By Ola
Monkish Copyi,ts

Next to the hblc, no book ha.
passed through os many editions. has
been more thought over aud worked
over, than Dantc's Divine Comedy. {"
says the kansas City Journal. Dnf
ing the middle ngos il stood aide h,
.idc with the Bible in the hbmrics II
The monks and was copied aud recon.
led by their tircless fingers and illu.
minated by their ariisicskill
IL ~ easy 10 explain this monasiic
devotion when We know that Dant.
wrote his great poems in the faith
that the history Of the world had
been directed from the beginning To-
ward the redemption Of the elect
Ihe Roman empire wns foroordained
and established for this end. II was
t. prepare the way for the establish.
ment Of the Roman church.
Ia II any wonder, then. that the
monks were eager 90 illustrate his
graphic descriptions. especially Of the
inferno. aud hold them up Tor the
delight (i) Of the world
"A learned German, Prof Ludwig
Volkinann, has Just made a careful
search among the manuscripts mold.
ering IN the libraries Of Euronc
bringing to light many strange and
striking illustrations accompanying
Dantc's works as copied by the old
monks.
In the library OF the vatican Prof
Folkmann found a picture accom-
penying the twelfth canto Of the in
fcrno, in which the Centaur Nessus
virgil Danio's guide through the
lower regions and Dante himself ap.
pear This b. Dantc's desoiptiou.
on With tho tristy escort fnovsd ve.
AlonE tho crimson boillng's edFs
They boiled the while sbrtstiDv .to.,d
Under " s-iw men sunk o. tls brow
Ana the great Confaur said.
Iyfahts these. given 90 blood ma fiilae..
ii'fe weep they their pitiieaa onensss
lisre Alexander and that cruel DionyEua.
VINO caused io Sicily most wofuI ysafs'
= Ihfn turned ITO the poet. Haid he
Let him nov bo first ana second
"Fnf7her along tho Csntsur stopped
above some issuing 10 the throat
out ~ that boiling stream
Ih'n saw folk holding above ne tide
Their head. oven Their chest
Thus more and more shallow grew the bloea
tn % cooked 0niy tho feet
IN the national library at Paris was
discovered a manuscript written in
the fourteenth century, and in Il
scene from hell, corresponding only
10 The general terror Of the Inferno
In u the devils stand on a mountain
IN the background and draw the sin-
ners to them by rakcs and throw them
into the pool In the foreground
devil crowds the souls-smOng them
a king and a bishop-into a kettle
with his Jntehfork, and near him q
monster drives a nail INTO some ain
ners breast On the other eide l.
a huge kettle in which the damned
among them an emperor and a pope
ARE boiled. High up sits Lucifer,
si1-armed, horned devil, with q tn
dent in one hand
a irightful picture d the serpenrs
attacking a sinner il found in a man
uscrpt In the royal library az Dres-
den, having q red tint in the original.
giving it a hellish glare Dante and
his guide. Virgil. are up on a rock
watching the scene, described in
canto XIV.
An illustration 0f Ceberls and the
hell hounds" taken from q unique
manuscript in the vatican library.
written early in the fifteenth century.
= also a remarkable piece Of monas-
nc art. The clouds, ice and wsterare
all depicted With infinite care and &C.
ccrding 10 Dante's vision:
When thei great worm Csrberus saws
VIDE opened be his mouths snd shsHs6
~ fargs
No limb % bic ds6 ~ keep qussf
NJ leader op~rinK Sids his Ssass fsss
earth
And siih fuii hsss thr-r is into ths raven
Gus thruafs
- ne doK that barkinG Graves Is qsi.t
Hher m food - bites
Ara 70 inte<f and nEhfs sniy % 6sgouf 81
boeh oscaus~ thoss hithy fscs-s of dsfror
Csfbgrus
- fhurdsrfrE 81 fhs souis
That they would fslf - fsaf