Dante Book II Canto XVIX Scene II

 Scene II

 

“Those are Baptismal Font but these are upside down,” Dante said. “Yet it floats from above.”

The Baptismal Font was the receptacle in which water is held for the baptism, one of the most important rituals in Christian churches. Baptism signifies the washing away of sins and incorporation into the Christian Church, forgiven of past indiscretions through faith in Christ. 

“I broke twice on it when once a kid fell into it the huge one. While everyone panicked around it, I took the action to topple the unit over. It saved the baby.

The other time was a volunteer had his head immersed on the poor idea that he could see God if he was blessed.” Dante recalled he had to rescue the disturbed volunteer. Such was the impact of war on some in the war but nothing prepared him for the sight there. 

“You gave the kick to the God’s baptism not once but twice then,” Virgil remarked with a sarcastic tone.

“All in good faith.” Dante snapped back. “I wondered how many of your creations had done the same to God.”

“Nothing of mine had reached God yet. Unlike myself.” Virgil smiled. He saw then out of the mouth of each unit there protruded the feet of a transgressor, and the legs up to the calf, the rest within remained. In all of them, the soles were both on fire; wherefore the joints so violently quivered, they would have snapped asunder withes and bands. That soul there was apparently suffering more torment than others, moving and shaking violently; his feet are burning more fiercely than the others.

“Dante, who is that one who writhes himself there?” Virgil asked. The curiosity of Dante made him step closer and he looked to the soul that was looking from below.

“Whoe’er thou art, that standest upside down, thee doleful soul, implanted like a stake,” Dante spoke in the manner which he found was understood by many there. “If thou canst, speak out.”

“Boniface? Boniface, are you here asunder? Do take my place for I am done.” The soul hanging upside down had mistaken Dante for another.

“Boniface?” Dante was puzzled that name was called. The Boniface he had read was that Pope Boniface VIII who was excommunicated all persons who were impeding French clerics from coming to the Holy See in the ancient times of King Phillip IV in the early thirteenth century. The Pope was denounced as a heretical criminal to the French clergy. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_VIII#Abdication_and_death).

“I am not him. I am not he thinks I am the one he called upon.” Dante turned to look at Virgil. “He is disillusioned from his punishment.”

“What wantest thou of me? If who I am thou carest so much to know.” Dante spoke to the upside downwards the soul whom he noticed as dressed with the great mantle; the loose sleeveless garment worn was hanging by the fingers that the soul grasped tightly. He saw then it was the garment of the high order of the faith.

“Who are you?” Dante asked.

“I am the Pope. I am Nicholas III. You knew naught then when you called my name.” Dante was reminded of the words that he uttered earlier. “Beneath my head the others are dragged down who have preceded me in simony, Flattened along the fissure of the rock.”

“Below there I shall likewise fall, whenever,” The ex-Pope spoke. “That one shall come who I believed thou was the sudden question I proposed. For far too long I had my feet already toast, and here have been in this way upside down, the coming one will be planted stay with reddened feet; for he shall come of fouler deed he was the west a Pastor without law, such as this will befit to cover him as it did for me.”

“And whom do you refer to?” Dante asked.

“The one you uttered his name.” The soul there replied. “The House was deceived and then prostituted for gold and silver.”

“Know that the House was done for when Constantine then had donated half the empire to it and from there the erosion of the way that the House was to live as set by the Book. The evangelical purity is the result of the enormous temptations and mistaken priorities generated by so vast a material gift.” Dante sounded his anger at the soul. “It was a forged Roman imperial decree that supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope. It was done in support of claims of political authority by the papacy. Later in the centuries, it was the foreword of the Donation of Pepin granting the Pope's sovereignty over the Papal States.”

“In my view, the House was effectively submerged by earthly goods and by the pernicious desire to possess those goods, as a direct consequence of Constantine’s well-intentioned but maleficent gift. Look your mind to Revelation 17:1-2 that you will hang there for eternity to be aware of others like yourself like the whore who sits upon the waters engaged in fornicating with kings.”

With those accusations lain to the soul there, Dante took his leave and was followed behind by Virgil. The latter remained silent for he knew the poet was upset.