72
Before you start to jab me with your forks, let one of you step forth to hear me out, and then decide if you still care to grapple. ”
75
They all cried out: “Let Malacoda go!” One stepped forward—the others stood their ground— and moving, said, “What good will this do him?”
78
“Do you think, Malacoda, ” said my master, “that you would see me here, come all this way, against all opposition, and still safe,
81
76. Malacoda is the leader of the devils in this bolgia. It is significant that a devil whose name means “evil tail” ends this canto with a fart (139).
without propitious fate and God’s permission? Now let us pass, for it is willed in Heaven that I lead another by this savage path. ”
84
With this the devil’s arrogance collapsed, his pitchfork, too, dropped right down to his feet, as he announced to all: “Don’t touch this man!”
87
“You, hiding over there, ” my guide called me, “behind the bridge’s rocks, curled up and quiet, come back to me, you may return in safety. ”
90
At his words I rose and then I ran to him and all the devils made a movement forward; I feared they would not really keep their pact.
93
(I remember seeing soldiers under truce, as they left the castle of Caprona, frightened to be passing in the midst of such an enemy.)
96
I drew up close to him, as close as possible, and did not take my eyes from all those faces that certainly had nothing good about them.
99
Their prongs were aimed at me, and one was saying: “Now do I let him have it in the rump?” They answered all for one: “Sure, stick him good!”
102
But the devil who had spoken with my guide was quick to spin around and scream an order: “At ease there, take it easy, Scarmiglione!”
105
Then he said to us: “You cannot travel straight across this string of bridges, for the sixth arch lies broken at the bottom of its ditch;
108
if you have made your mind up to proceed, you must continue on along this ridge; not far, you’ll find a bridge that crosses it.
111
94-96. Dante’s personal recollection concerns the siege of Caprona (a fortress on the Arno River near Pisa) by Guelph troops from Lucca and Florence in 1289.
Five hours more and it will be one thousand, two hundred sixty-six years and a day since the bridge-way here fell crumbling to the ground.
114
I plan to send a squad of mine that way to see that no one airs himself down there; go along with them, they will not misbehave.
117
Front and center, Alichino, Calcabrina, ” he shouted his commands, “you too, Cagnazzo; Barbariccia, you be captain of the squad.
120
Take Libicocco with you and Draghignazzo, toothy Ciriatto and Graffiacane, Farfarello and our crazy Rubicante.
123
Now tour the ditch, inspect the boiling tar; these two shall have safe passage to the bridge connecting den to den without a break. ”
126
“O master, I don’t like the looks of this, ” I said, “let’s go, just you and me, no escort, you know the way. I want no part of them!
129
If you’re observant, as you usually are, why is it you don’t see them grind their teeth and wink at one another?—we’re in danger!”
132
And he to me: “I will not have you frightened; let them do all the grinding that they want, they do it for the boiling souls, not us. ”
135
Before they turned left-face along the bank each one gave their good captain a salute with farting tongue pressed tightly to his teeth,
138
and he blew back with his bugle of an ass-hole.
112-114. Christ’s death on Good Friday, A.D. 34, would in five hours, according to Malacoda, have occurred 1266 years ago yesterday—“today” being the morning of Holy Saturday, 1300. Although the bridge across the next bolgia was shattered by the earthquake following Christ’s crucifixion, Malacoda tells Virgil and the Pilgrim that there is another bridge that crosses this bolgia. This lie, carefully contrived by the spokesman for the devils, sets the trap for the overly confident, trusting Virgil and his wary charge.
CANTO XXII
THE NOTE of grotesque comedy in the bolgia of the Malebranche continues, with a comparison between Malacoda’s salute to his soldiers and different kinds of military signals the Pilgrim has witnessed in his lifetime. He sees many Grafters squatting in the pitch, but as soon as the Malebranche draw near, they dive below the surface. One unidentified Navarrese, however, fails to escape and is hoisted up on Graffiacane’s hooks; Rubicante and the other Malebranche start to tear into him, but Virgil, at his ward’s request, manages to question him between torments. The sinner briefly tells his story, and then relates that he has left below in the pitch an Italian, Fra Gomita, a particularly adept grafter, who spends his time talking to Michel Zanche.
The Navarrese sinner promises to lure some of his colleagues to the surface for the devils’ amusement, if the tormentors will hide themselves for a moment. Cagnazzo is skeptical but Alichino agrees, and no sooner do the Malebranche turn away than the crafty grafter dives below the pitch. Alichino flies after him, but too late; now Calcabrina rushes after Alichino and both struggle above the boiling pitch, and then fall in. Barbariccia directs the rescue operation as the two poets steal away.
I have seen troops of horsemen breaking camp, opening the attack, or passing in review, I have even seen them fleeing for their lives;
3
I have seen scouts ride, exploring your terrain, O Aretines, and I have seen raiding-parties and the clash of tournaments, the run of jousts—
6
to the tune of trumpets, to the ring of clanging bells, to the roll of drums, to the flash of flares on ramparts, to the accompaniment of every known device;
9
but I never saw cavalry or infantry or ships that sail by landmarks or by stars signaled to set off by such strange bugling!
12
1-12. The reference to the Aretines (5) recalls Dante’s presence at their defeat in the battle of Campaldino (1289) at the hands of the Florentine and Luccan troops.
So, on our way we went with those ten fiends. What savage company! But—in church, with saints— with rowdy good-for-nothings, in the tavern!
15
My attention now was fixed upon the pitch to see the operations of this bolgia, and how the cooking souls got on down there.
18
Much like the dolphins that are said to surface with their backs arched to warn all men at sea to rig their ships for stormy seas ahead,
21
so now and then a sinner’s back would surface in order to alleviate his pain, then dive to hide as quick as lightning strikes.
24
Like squatting frogs along the ditch’s edge, with just their muzzles sticking out of water, their legs and all the rest concealed below,
27
these sinners squatted all around their pond; but as soon as Barbariccia would approach they quickly ducked beneath the boiling pitch.
30
I saw (my heart still shudders at the thought) one lingering behind—as it sometimes happens one frog remains while all the rest dive down—
33
and Graffiacan, standing in front of him, hooked and twirled him by his pitchy hair and hoisted him. He looked just like an otter!
36
By then I knew the names of all the fiends: I had listened carefully when they were chosen, each of them stepping forth to match his name.
39
“Hey, Rubicante, dig your claws down deep into his back and peel the skin off him, ” this fiendish chorus egged him on with screams.
42
I said: “Master, will you, if
you can, find out the name of that poor wretch who has just fallen into the cruel hands of his adversaries?”
45
My guide walked right up to the sinner’s side and asked where he was from, and he replied: “I was born and bred in the kingdom of Navarre;
48
my mother gave me to a lord to serve, for she had me by some dishonest spendthrift who ran through all he owned and killed himself.
51
Then I became a servant in the household of good King Thibault. There I learned my graft, and now I pay my bill by boiling here. ”
54
Ciriatto, who had two tusks sticking out on both sides of his mouth, just like a boar’s, let him feel how just one tusk could rip him open.
57
The mouse had fallen prey to evil cats, but Barbariccia locked him with his arms, shouting: “Get back while I’ve got hold of him!”
60
Then toward my guide he turned his face and said: “If you want more from him, keep questioning before he’s torn to pieces by the others. ”
63
My guide went on: “Then tell me, do you know of some Italian stuck among these sinners beneath the pitch?” And he, “A second ago
66
I was with one who lived around those parts. Oh, I wish I were undercover with him now! I wouldn’t have these hooks or claws to fear. ”
69
Libicocco cried: “We’ve waited long enough, ” then with his fork he hooked the sinner’s arm and, tearing at it, he pulled out a piece.
72
48-54. Early commentators have given the name of Ciampolo or Giampolo to this native of Navarre who, after being placed in the service of a Spanish nobleman, later served in the court of Thibauit II. Exploiting the court duties with which he was entrusted, he took to barratry. One commentator suggests that were it not for the tradition which attributes the name of Ciampolo to this man, one might identify him with the seneschal Goffredo di Beaumont, who took over the government of Navarre during Thibault’s absence.
53. Thibauit II, the son-in-law of Louis IX of France, was count of Champagne and later king of Navarre during the mid-thirteenth century.
Draghignazzo, too, was anxious for some fun; he tried the wretch’s leg, but their captain quickly spun around and gave them all a dirty look.
75
As soon as they calmed down a bit, my master began again to interrogate the wretch, who still was contemplating his new wound:
78
“Who was it, you were saying, that unluckily you left behind you when you came ashore?” “Gomita, ” he said, “the friar from Gallura,
81
receptacle for every kind of fraud: when his lord’s enemies were in his hands, the treatment they received delighted them:
84
he took their cash, and as he says, hushed up the case and let them off; none of his acts was petty grafting, all were of sovereign order.
87
He spends his time with don Michele Zanche of Logodoro, talking on and on about Sardinia—their tongues no worse for wear!
90
Oh, but look how that one grins and grinds his teeth; I could tell you so much more, but I am afraid he is going to grate my scabby hide for me. ”
93
But their master-sergeant turned to Farfarello, whose wild eyes warned he was about to strike, shouting, “Get away, you filthy bird of prey. ”
96
81-87. Fra Gomita was a Sardinian friar, chancellor of Nino Visconti, governor of Pisa, whom Dante places in Purgatory (Canto VIII, 53). From 1275-1296, Nino Visconti was judge of Gallura, one of the four districts into which Sardinia, a Pisan possession during the thirteenth century, was divided. Profiting by his position and the good faith of Nino Visconti, who refused to listen to complaints raised against him, Fra Gomita indulged in the sale of public offices. When Nino learned, however, that he had accepted bribes to let prisoners escape, he promptly had him hanged.
88-89. Although no documents mentioning the name of Michele Zanche have been found, he is believed to have been the governor of Logodoro, another of the four districts into which Sardinia was divided in the thirteenth century during the period when King Enzo of Sardinia, the son of Frederick II, was engaged in war.
“If you would like to see Tuscans or Lombards, ” the frightened shade took up where he left off, “and have a talk with them, I’ll bring some here;
99
but the Malebranche must back up a bit, or else those shades won’t risk a surfacing; I, by myself, will bring you up a catch
102
of seven, without moving from this spot, just by whistling—that’s our signal to the rest when one peers out and sees the coast is clear. ”
105
Cagnazzo raised his snout at such a story, then shook his head and said: “Listen to the trick he’s cooked up to get off the hook by jumping!”
108
And he, full of the tricks his trade had taught him, said: “Tricky, I surely am, especially when it comes to getting friends into worse trouble. ”
111
But Alichin could not resist the challenge, and in spite of what the others thought, cried out: “If you jump, I won’t come galloping for you,
114
I’ve got my wings to beat you to the pitch. We’ll clear this ledge and wait behind that slope. Let’s see if one of you can outmatch us!”
117
Now listen, Reader, here’s a game that’s strange: they all turned toward the slope, and first to turn was the fiend who from the start opposed the game.
120
The Navarrese had perfect sense of timing: feet planted on the ground, in a flash he jumped, the devil’s plan was foiled, and he was free.
123
The squad was stung with shame but most of all the one who brought this blunder to perfection; he swooped down, howling, “Now I’ve got you caught!”
126
Little good it did, for wings could not outstrip the flight of terror: down the sinner dived and up the fiend was forced to strain his chest
129
like a falcon swooping down on a wild duck: the duck dives quickly out of sight, the falcon must fly back up dejected and defeated.
132
In the meantime, Calcabrina, furious, also took off, hoping the shade would make it, so he could pick a fight with his companion.
135
And when he saw the grafter hit the pitch, he turned his claws to grapple with his brother, and they tangled in mid-air above the ditch;
138
but the other was a full-fledged hawk as well and used his claws on him, and both of them went plunging straight into the boiling pond.
141
The heat was quick to make them separate, but there seemed no way of getting out of there; their wings were clogged and could not lift them up.
144
Barbariccia, no less peeved than all his men, sent four fiends flying to the other shore with their equipment at top speed; instantly,
147
some here, some there, they took the posts assigned them. They stretched their hooks to reach the pitch-dipped pair, who were by now deep-fried within their crusts.
150
And there we left them, all messed up that way.
CANTO XXIII
TTHE ANTICS of CIAMPOLO, the Navarrese, and the Malebranche bring to the Pilgrim’s mind the fable of the frog, the mouse, and the hawk — and that in turn reminds him of the immediate danger he and Virgil are in from the angry Malebranche. Virgil senses the danger too, and grabbing his ward as a mother would her child, he dashes to the edge of the bank and slides down the rocky slope into the Sixth Bolgia— not a moment too soon, for at the top of the slope they see the angry Malebranche. When the Pilgrim looks around him he sees weeping shades slowly marching in single file, each one covered from head to foot with a golden cloak lined with lead, which weights them down. These are the Hypocrites. Two in this group i
dentify themselves as Catalano de’ Malavolti and Loderingo degli Atidalò, two Jovial Friars. The Pilgrim is about to address them when he sees the shade of Caiaphas (the evil counselor who advised Pontius Pilate to crucify Christ), crucified and transfixed by three stakes to the ground. Virgil discovers from the two friars that in order to leave this bolgia they must climb up a rockslide; he also learns that this is the only bolgia over which the bridge is broken. Virgil is angry with himself for having believed Malacoda’s lie about the bridge over the Sixth Bolgia (Canto XXI, 106-111).
In silence, all alone, without an escort, we moved along, one behind the other, like minor friars bent upon a journey.
3
I was thinking over one of Aesop’s fables that this recent skirmish had brought back to mind, where he tells the story of the frog and mouse;
6
for “yon” and “there” could not be more alike than the fable and the fact, if one compares the start and finish of both incidents.
9
As from one thought another often rises, so this thought gave quick birth to still another, and then the fear I first had felt was doubled.
12
I was thinking: “Since these fiends, on our account, were tricked and mortified by mockery, they certainly will be more than resentful;
15
with rage now added to their evil instincts, they will hunt us down with all the savagery of dogs about to pounce upon the hare. ”
18
I felt my body’s skin begin to tighten— I was so frightened!—and I kept looking back: “O master, ” I said, “if you do not hide
21
both of us, and very quick, I am afraid of the Malebranche—right now they’re on our trail— I feel they’re there, I think I hear them now. ”
24
And he replied: “Even if I were a mirror I could not reflect your outward image faster than your inner thoughts transmit themselves to me.
27
In fact, just now they joined themselves with mine, and since they were alike in birth and form, I decided to unite them toward one goal:
30
if the right-hand bank should slope in such a way as to allow us to descend to the next bolgia, we could escape that chase we have imagined. ”