interchanged in the MSS. at Conv. III. v. 1. 88, where also settecento is the right number. Par. vi. 58-72. (3) Mr. Toynbee has pointed out the interesting correspondence of the various exploits of Caesar enumerated here with a passage in Orosius vi. 15. The following list will show how closely Orosius is followed by Dante. A few words should be added respecting Boethius, or, as we are now entitled (since 1884) to call him, Saint Boethius1. He is one of Dante's most favourite authors. It was chiefly in his 'De Consolatione Philosophiae,' 'quello non conosciuto da molti libro,' that Dante found consolation after the death of Beatrice (Conv. II. xiii. 1. 14), and it was also by this treatise and by Cicero, De Amicitia, that he was led on to the study of philosophy (Conv. II. xvi. 11. 4 seqq.). Boethius is very frequently quoted by Dante in his prose works, as will be seen from the Index. It will be sufficient here to call attention to a few probable citations or imitations in the Divina Commedia. (1) There is the celebrated passage in Inf. v. 121–123: Nessun maggior dolore, Che ricordarsi del tempo felice Nella miseria; e ciò sa il tuo dottore. 'See Hettinger (ed. Bowden), pp. 207 n., 242 n. These words seem to be an almost verbatim reproduction of a passage in Boethius: In omni adversitate fortunae, infelicissimum genus est infortunii fuisse felicem' (De Cons. Phil. II. Pros. iv). At the same time it is extremely doubtful whether Boethius would have been referred to (especially in language put into the mouth of Francesca) as 'il dottore' di Dante. This title would much more naturally belong to Virgil (the 'dottore' then present), though it is not easy to identify any passage corresponding to this in his works. Hence it has been suggested, but improbably enough, that it may merely refer to Virgil's personal experience of life. Possibly Dante may have had a general recollection of the sentiment, and may have wrongly attributed it to Virgil. The passage from Virgil, which is generally thought to be referred to, is Aen. ii. 3: Infandum, regina, iubes renovare dolorem. But the resemblance of this to the very definite sentiment here enunciated is surely very slight. Is it not perhaps possible that in consideration of the debt acknowledged to Boethius by Dante in the passage above quoted from the Convito (and especially Conv. II. xvi), that he may have here given to him this title of 'dottore,' which is usually, no doubt, reserved for Virgil? On the other hand, it must certainly be admitted that the next terzina seems to imply a reminiscence of the lines in Virgil immediately following: Quis talia fando Temperet a lacrimis? Sed si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros, Quamquam animus meminisse horret luctuque refugit, Moreover there are two other passages in the Inferno which closely remind us of this same place in Virgil, viz. i. 6 and xxxiii. 4-6. It is difficult, therefore, to come to a very positive conclusion on this disputed point. (2) Next we have Purg. xxxiii. 112: Dinanzi ad esse Eufrates e Tigri Veder mi parve uscir d' una fontana, E quasi amici dipartirsi pigri. This (as Scartazzini points out) is probably borrowed from Boethius, De Cons. Phil. V. Metr. i.: Tigris et Euphrates uno se fonte resolvunt, Et mox abiunctis dissociantur aquis. The same notion is found, however, in Brunetto Latini, Tesoro, iii. 2, where it is advanced on the authority of Sallust. Brunetto, however, is undoubtedly borrowing direct from Isidore, Orig. xiii. 21: 'Sallustius auctor certissimus, asserit Tigrim et Euphratem uno fonte manare in Armenia, qui per diversa euntes longius dividantur,' &c. (3) We have already noted that the apparent citation from Juvenal in Conv. IV. xiii. l. 108, was probably filtered through Boethius. See under Juvenal, No. 4. (4) Scartazzini also points out that in Par. i. 74 the description of God as 'Amor che il ciel governi,' is borrowed directly from the phrase of Boethius, ‘Coelo imperitans Amor' (De Cons. Phil. II. Metr. viii. 1. 15). In the following three or four well-known passages in the Commedia, the imitation or reminiscence of Boethius can scarcely be doubted. (5) The intervention of Beatrice with Virgil on behalf of Dante in Inf. ii. 76 seqq. closely resembles De Cons. Phil. I. Pros. iii, where, on Philosophy appearing to succour Boethius, he remonstrates: Quid tu in has exilii nostri solitudines, o omnium magistra virtutum, supero cardine delapsa venisti?' He further expresses surprise that she should incur the risk of sharing the slander and persecution by which he has been ruined. This is precisely the attitude, mutatis mutandis, attributed to Virgil in reference to the descent of Beatrice. First notice the identical form of address, 'O donna di virtù' (1.76). Next, the appeal in Il. 82 seqq. Ma dimmi la cagion che non ti guardi Dello scender quaggiuso in questo centro Then corresponds with 'supero cardine delapsa venisti.' follows the reason why Beatrice can thus descend without injury to herself, just as Philosophy offers a similar, though not identical, explanation in Boethius; the idea there being that she has often incurred such risks before, and ought not to shrink from sharing them again with one of her votaries. 'Atqui Philosophiae fas non erat incomitatum relinquere iter innocentis? Meam scilicet criminationem vererer? et, quasi novi aliquid acciderit, sic perhorrescerem,' &c. (6) Still more remarkable are the numerous points of imitation in the fine episode about Fortune in Inf. vii. This has obviously been suggested to Dante by De Cons. Phil. II. Metr. i. and Pros. ii, though I do not know that this has been specially noticed. We may note in particular the following points of comparison: Non illa miseros audit, haud curat fletus; Ultroque gemitus dura quos fecit, ridet. Sic illa ludit, sic suas probat vires. (Met. i. ll. 5-7.) Compare Inf. vii. ll. 94–6 : Ma ella s'è beata, e ciò non ode: Con l'altre prime creature lieta Add Pros. ii, 'Haec nostra vis est, hunc continuum ludum ludimus. Rotam volubili orbe versamus, infima summis, summa infimis, mutare gaudemus'; and compare also Inf. vii. 79-84. So again in Pros. ii. (init.), Fortune is introduced remonstrating with Boethius as to the injustice of the complaints made against her for removing her favours, while no gratitude is felt towards her for conferring them. Compare Inf. vii. 91-93: Quest' è colei ch'è tanto posta in croce Once more, compare with 11. 88-90, Le sue permutazion non hanno triegue: Sì spesso vien chi vicenda consegue the following passages in Boethius: 'Tu vero volventis rotae impetum retinere conaris? At . . . si manere incipit, fors esse desistit' (Pros. i. fin.). 'Hi semper eius mores; haec natura est. Servavit circa te propriam potius in ipsa sui mutabilitate constantiam '' (Pros. i. sub. med.). There is yet another passage in the same context, Met. ii. 11. 1-7, bearing a very close resemblance to Inf. vii. 11. 64-6, which can scarcely be accidental, especially as this very passage of Boethius is definitely cited by Dante in Conv. IV. xii. 11. 74-78: Si quantas rapidis flatibus incitus Pontus versat arenas, Aut quot stelliferis edita noctibus Coelo sidera fulgent, Tantas fundat opes, nec retrahat manum Pleno Copia cornu; Humanum miseras haud ideo genus Cesset flere querelas. Purg. xxx. 73 seqq. (7) It is also, I think, clear that the scene of Dante's reproach by Beatrice, from Purg. xxx. 73 onwards, is suggested by De Cons. Phil. I. Pros. ii. (init.), although we do not trace any verbatim quotation. Tum vero totis in me intenta luminibus, Tune es ille, ait, qui nostro quondam lacte nutritus, nostris educatus alimentis, in virilis animi robur evaseras? Atqui talia contuleramus arma, quae nisi prius abiecisses, invicta te firmitate tuerentur. Agnoscisne me? Quid taces? pudore an 1 Comp. with this Aristotle's expression in Poet. xv. § 4 ¿μadŵs ávápadov. |