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The Divina Commedia of Dante Alighieri (v. 2)
The Divina Commedia of Dante Alighieri - v. 2 Author:Dante Alighieri Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ings, and produces effects analogous to thofe which arife from the falutary apprehenfion of diftant dangers, either in this life, or that which is to come, I ... more »fhall clofe this fubjeft with a few obfervations, which have a double relation both to the Inferno and Purgatorio, as they will fhew how clofely the two Parts of the Poem are connected, and render the one in fome degree an illuftration of the other. For this purpofe, if will be necefiary to advert to the opi. nions of fome modern philofophers, who, under the idea that Virtue is its own Reward, have given a partial view of human nature, and deprived morality of many of its ftrongeft fanftions. Lord Shaftesbury, about the beginning of the laft century, gave no fmall degree of celebrity to the Idea, that rewards were derogatory to the notion of genuine goodnefs. He was a man of delicate feelings, and one on whom the fentiinents of honour and fhame made the deepeft impreflions. For this reafon judging of others by himfelf, he thought thofe motives quite fufficient for all the purpofes of morality and virtue; and, without taking a general view of human nature, extended his reafoning from particulars to uni- verfalst without much regard either to logic or experience. " I have known a building," fays he, " which, through the officioufnefs of the workmen, had been fo fhored and fkrewed up on the fide where they pretende4 that it had a leaning, that it has at laft been turned to the contrary fide and overthrown. There has fomething, perhaps, of this kind happened in morals. Men have not been content to mew the natural advantages of honefty and virtue ; they have rather lefiened thofe, the better, they think, to advance another foundation, viz. an orthodox Faith, on pain of Damnation. They have made virtue fo mercenary a thing...« less