Canto XVI
Virgil and Dante have almost reached the next circle, when they are approached by three more wretched souls who circle vigorously in front of Dante, vying for his attention. They introduce themselves: Guido Guerra, Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, and Jacopo Rusticucci. All three were valiant, talented patriots and contemporaries of Dante. He salutes them and grieves their present misery.
They ask about the present state of Florence, and he tells them the city suffers from pride and excess. They ask him to rekindle memories of them in the world above and race off into the desert. The pilgrim poets come to the edge of the plain and follow the course of the river down a steep bank towards a watery abyss. Virgil throws a cord into the abyss and the two watch as a monster swims up though the vast depths.
Topic Tracking: Politics 4
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