Pregoti  *  che  alia  mente  altrui  mi  rechi :
Pi^  non  Cl  dico  e  piu  non  ti  rispondo."^  90

GIl  diritii  occhi  torse  allora  in  bicchi :  f

Guardommi  un  poco,  e  poj  chino  la  testa;
Cadde  con  cssa  a  par  degli  altrl  cicchi.
And  he:  "They  are  among  the  blackest  spirits;
crime  of  different  kinds  weighs  them  down  to  the
nethermost  depth  :    if  thou  descend  so  far,  thou

"  E  ac  tu  mai  nel  dolcc  mondo  regge."
"  Possiam  da  questc  parole comprendere  quanta  sia  I"  amaritu-
dine  della  pene  infornaii,  quando  quests  anima  chiama  questo
mondo  dolce,  nel  quale  non  £  eosa  alcuna,  altro  che  plena
d'  angoscia  di  tristizia  e  di  miseria."  These  words  were  written
by  Boccaccio  in  his  Commentary,  probably  in  the  very  last
weeks  of  his  life,  and  in  Ihem,  and  in  the  chapter  (pp.  26-44)
that  follows,  which  is  a  religious  disquisition  on  the  sin  of  ihe
Gluttonous,  who  misused  the  good  gifts  of  the  Almighty,  few
Would  recognise  ihe  pleasure-loving  Boccaccio,  unless  they
realise  that  the  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  deep
contrition  for  the  voluptuous  self-indulgence  of  his  early  life.
