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upon him

       Down at the legs; whence their Decurion

       Turned round and round about with evil look.

      When they again somewhat were pacified,

       Of him, who still was looking at his wound,

       Demanded my Conductor without stay:

      "Who was that one, from whom a luckless parting

       Thou sayest thou hast made, to come ashore?"

       And he replied: "It was the Friar Gomita,

      He of Gallura, vessel of all fraud,

       Who had the enemies of his Lord in hand,

       And dealt so with them each exults thereat;

      Money he took, and let them smoothly off,

       As he says; and in other offices

       A barrator was he, not mean but sovereign.

      Foregathers with him one Don Michael Zanche

       Of Logodoro; and of Sardinia

       To gossip never do their tongues feel tired.

      O me! see that one, how he grinds his teeth;

       Still farther would I speak, but am afraid

       Lest he to scratch my itch be making ready."

      And the grand Provost, turned to Farfarello,

       Who rolled his eyes about as if to strike,

       Said: "Stand aside there, thou malicious bird."

      "If you desire either to see or hear,"

       The terror-stricken recommenced thereon,

       "Tuscans or Lombards, I will make them come.

      But let the Malebranche cease a little,

       So that these may not their revenges fear,

       And I, down sitting in this very place,

      For one that I am will make seven come,

       When I shall whistle, as our custom is

       To do whenever one of us comes out."

      Cagnazzo at these words his muzzle lifted,

       Shaking his head, and said: "Just hear the trick

       Which he has thought of, down to throw himself!"

      Whence he, who snares in great abundance had,

       Responded: "I by far too cunning am,

       When I procure for mine a greater sadness."

      Alichin held not in, but running counter

       Unto the rest, said to him: "If thou dive,

       I will not follow thee upon the gallop,

      But I will beat my wings above the pitch;

       The height be left, and be the bank a shield

       To see if thou alone dost countervail us."

      O thou who readest, thou shalt hear new sport!

       Each to the other side his eyes averted;

       He first, who most reluctant was to do it.

      The Navarrese selected well his time;

       Planted his feet on land, and in a moment

       Leaped, and released himself from their design.

      Whereat each one was suddenly stung with shame,

       But he most who was cause of the defeat;

       Therefore he moved, and cried: "Thou art o'ertakern."

      But little it availed, for wings could not

       Outstrip the fear; the other one went under,

       And, flying, upward he his breast directed;

      Not otherwise the duck upon a sudden

       Dives under, when the falcon is approaching,

       And upward he returneth cross and weary.

      Infuriate at the mockery, Calcabrina

       Flying behind him followed close, desirous

       The other should escape, to have a quarrel.

      And when the barrator had disappeared,

       He turned his talons upon his companion,

       And grappled with him right above the moat.

      But sooth the other was a doughty sparhawk

       To clapperclaw him well; and both of them

       Fell in the middle of the boiling pond.

      A sudden intercessor was the heat;

       But ne'ertheless of rising there was naught,

       To such degree they had their wings belimed.

      Lamenting with the others, Barbariccia

       Made four of them fly to the other side

       With all their gaffs, and very speedily

      This side and that they to their posts descended;

       They stretched their hooks towards the pitch-ensnared,

       Who were already baked within the crust,

      And in this manner busied did we leave them.

      Canto XXIII. Escape from the Malabranche. The Sixth Bolgia: Hypocrites. Catalano and Loderingo. Caiaphas.

       Table of Contents

      Silent, alone, and without company

       We went, the one in front, the other after,

       As go the Minor Friars along their way.

      Upon the fable of Aesop was directed

       My thought, by reason of the present quarrel,

       Where he has spoken of the frog and mouse;

      For 'mo' and 'issa' are not more alike

       Than this one is to that, if well we couple

       End and beginning with a steadfast mind.

      And even as one thought from another springs,

       So afterward from that was born another,

       Which the first fear within me double made.

      Thus did I ponder: "These on our account

       Are laughed to scorn, with injury and scoff

       So great, that much I think it must annoy them.

      If anger be engrafted on ill-will,

       They will come after us more merciless

       Than dog upon the leveret which he seizes,"

      I felt my hair stand all on end already

       With terror, and stood backwardly intent,

       When said I: "Master, if thou hidest not

      Thyself and me forthwith, of Malebranche

       I am in dread; we have them now behind us;

       I so imagine them, I already feel them."

      And he: "If I were made of leaded glass,

       Thine outward image I should not attract

       Sooner to me than I imprint the inner.

      Just now thy thoughts came

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