The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-06
Dante and wItchcrart.

IN the uavs When men hau real ialth IN
the supernatural, both good and evil.
and looked askanoe at what thew could
not understand, poets shared with ex-
perimenters in science and medicine the
Ill repute 81 being wizards and magi-
clans Even in latin carmen means
both song and incarnation, and only the
latter meaning attaches 10 its surviving
derivative in English, charm A more
matter Of fact age, superior n supersti-
ton, pretends % laugh al the remnants
Of the magic art. astrOlogy. ChirO-
NANCY, crystal gazing and the rest. and
no longer feels the sOrcery Of verse. In
the middle ages VIRGIL. almost for
gotten as poet not vet degraded 10 the
schOolmaster' Uses. was esteemed As a
potent magician, greater than MICHAEL
SCITT or ROGER Bacon or AvICENNA.
The Neapolitan still shuns his tomb a,
POsIlipo after dark. Now tho rum
mayors among old documents are try
ing 70 fasten the wizard cloak on
VIRGILs most devoted follower and
pupil also. IN DANTE ALIGMERI.
Hi name appears IN the papers relat-
ing 70 n quarrel betV cen the Popes az
Avignon and the vIsCoNrI 81 Milan.
The latter were accused Of trying 10 de-
Stroy Pope JONI XIII nv means If
witchcraft The dispositions against
them by a clerk Of Milan. BNRToLOuFO
CAVHOLAI1, were published a dozen
years ago nv a German franciscan fur
ther copies having ne seal NJ m" notary
attached. which SETTLES their auihenti-
city, have been discovered recently hv
a French investigator I'm ono Of those
the Milanesc clerk declares that on his
refusing 70 share in the sorcerv he was
told by GALFAZzO VIsCOvTI that No. bad
summoned m1g'sirum Dante Alsguiro
dc FJrfHoiq ~ do what tho drponont
was asked 10 do He tesfiles further.
however, that GALFA27O said For
nothing in the world would ! maintain
that Dante ALTGT IRo would put hand
n the matter or do anything nor would
7 tell him about this business. even were
some one to give me q thousand norins
If gold, because I want Won 10 do II
BAR1oLOMEO may have been living. his
story hears every mark Of being made
up. but he certainly made a statement
about a DAVTE in this deposition. dated
september II, 1870, and attested by
notary
The particular form n n,alafco de-
scribed hv CANVOLNrI Is 70 worry common
one, which is -'i'l employed bv voodoo
doctors \ silver image II q man vas
filed with various substances 1usl after
q prOtrartei ritual IN which many snells
Wc-r used was exposed ~ p slow ire
81 tho contents were consumed the Dar-
son against whom the spells were Al.
recfcd wn~'ed away The story in its
barharpus latin il picturesque and
nu using CASHOLATI wa drawn into
the plOt by a Dom mis- SCuTI,s. = nor
son that rho commentator would Ike 10
c1nnect with ,IICHAFL SCorT. acting for
MArTI o and G. UE,ZyO NI,C0NlI. he lad
interviews with both these gentlemen
and when W dcaded 10 betrav them
wont ." their rival. SIMONE DrLLA
IrHRr They wished him above al
THING 'o procure for them certain
ingredient that the commentator can
mike nothing n. zac,um to mnDCllo.
som" might suggest maple svuip. He
found this 1Dud qmudgm gpofheraTjqm
and took thirty golden llorins from
GALt ,zZo for 90 Bu' he Lad sent warm
ing ~ Nvpnon and the Pouc and rpun-
ter spells made the inrantation fad.
The mention of DANTE most likely
rci"-s IN N" poet IT tho Divine Comedy.
u may be- that hiE son DANTtNO Is meant.
Or possibly some other ALIGHIERI Of
Florence A. the time n the deposition
DANTE was still alive, wandering about
N his exile and his stern face and
naughty bearing in rhe davs that was
tasting the salt NJ other mems bread and
trcading the hard path Of others stairs.