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A. Its first division, or Hell-of- Children.

B. Its second, or Hell-of-holy-Fathers, or Elysium.

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GANTO IV..

1

these are supposed to be limited now, we shall shortly see: but first learn from the recapitulation of many others said to have been once dwelling there, that this second division is (as I all along affirmed) St. Thomas Aquinas' hell-of-holy-fathers, called by other Catholics 'Limbo,' and by others 'Abraham's bosom.' This proximity of 'Abraham's bosom' to the 'hell-of-the damned' (it is an ob servation of Boccaccio) agrees perfectly with S. Luke's parable of the rich man lifting up his eyes, being in torments, and yet being able to descry Abraham with Lazarus in his bosom (1).

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All the guiltless men that preceded Christianity having been once here dwelling together, it follows that it is Abraham's bosom, or the Hell which had been inhabited by the Patriarchs, and that, whatever descriptions Dante found his Church had ever made of such a place, might be made of it still, except there were some ecclesiastical decision to the contrary. But no such hazardous decision exists. It is indeed so far from being required by any Catholic dogma, that I find the Catholic expounders of the Psalms include in one group all those who, without being Christians, led virtuous lives. All such (without pronouncing who be such (2))

(1) Comento. p. 13. and Gospel xvi. 23.

(2) I have already stated at more than sufficient length that an orthodox Divine can not judge on appearance, or apply his abstract principles to individuals, though a poet may. p. 223.

KANTO IV.

being enumerated among those to whom the Lord has not imputed sin, are declared blessed: for though original sin or want of baptism exclude them from Paradise, it may not so from the bliss of Limbo or Hell-of-the holy-fathers (1). To this David evidently alluded (and not to the ineffable bliss of Paradise) as the region in which he hoped to wait for the Messiah: and of it Dante himself spoke, when, paraphrasing the xxx11 Psalm, he divided its two first verses into three tiercets; and, with theological acumen defining in each tiercet a particular class of the blessed, made the third assert and blessed shall all those likewise be, unto whom God and the Angels of heaven shall impute no sin (2).' He might therefore have argued thus: All to whom sin is not imputed; are blessed; but original sin is not imputed; then one may be in original sin and yet be blessed: But none in original sin shall enter Paradise; then one may be blessed without ever entering Paradise: But the Church furnishes no other region but the hell-of

(1) The Royal Prophet' (it is a Catholic comment I quote, Annotaz. ai Salmi di Dante. p. 38.) ' specifies three classes of the blessed: Firstly, those in whose spirit is no guile — secondly, repentant sinners whose transgressions are forgiven-thirdly those guilty of uo imputed sin, that is of no sin but original sin, which, not being voluntary, is not imputed to man, he unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.' Psalms.

XXXII. V. 1-2.

(2) E quei tutti beati ancor saranno

Ai quali Dio e gli Angeli del cielo
Alcun peccato non imputerauno.

I Sette Salmi di D. A. p. 32.

CANTO IV.

the-holy-fathers, wherein the idea of separation from Paradise can be united with that of bliss; ergo that region is one of bliss, and it contains those Pagans whom I suppose to have been great and virtuous characters, yet to have died in ori ginal sin for want of baptism.

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Dante (as his few words reveal) had his mind full of contending sentiments sorrow that the honored spirits of Antiquity should be shut out from the superior bliss of Paradise, and the more so because, not being as yet within the second division, he does not exactly know what their actual portion of bliss is; terror on thinking on the line which he had seen over hell's gateway, Leave ye that enter every hope behind;' and satisfation from the reflection, that this line is contradicted by the fact of Christ having descended as far as this very circle and borne away from it many that were here hoping for his arrival. All this is implied by his asking, whether it be indeed true that none ever left this region? Boccaccio morevoer suggests, that he might have meant to infer the possibility of its not being to any au eternal doom (since it was not so to those Patriarchs), and to hint obscurely that also his master Virgil might perhaps hope one day to get out. If however this question is to be understood, it is followed by no answer; and the matter is mildly

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