Pietro Alighieri: "Introduction to the Commentary on the Inferno"

Dante's Divine Comedy quickly attracted commentaries on its intricacies, beginning with Dante himself (in his Epistle to Can Grande, often labelled Epistle XIII).  The earliest commentary was by Dante's son Jacopo (1285-1348), in Italian; a Latin commentary was later written by another son, Pietro (d. 1364).

Pietro kept revising his commentary throughout his life, becoming a miniature of the Renaissance, in a way.  The earliest version—out of the three distinct ones that have been preserved—is rich in Patristic and theological references; as time went on, these references gave way to classical references, as the burgeoning Renaissance spurred an increase in studies of and love for the classics.  

In 2002, Massimiliano Chiamenti edited the third version of Pietro's Commentary; from that edition, I have translated the introduction, which serves as both an introduction to the whole Comedy as well as to the Inferno in particular.

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