The three, naked, oiled, burned, hairless Florentines revolve in front of the pilgrim, Dante, and Virgil. One of them starts to speak.

And what a speech! Such gorgeous rhetoric! The sort he used when he was a Guelph leader in Florence. The sort all three used. The sort all politicians love. The sort that adds up to nothing.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we listen to Jacopo Rusticucci tell the tale of these three military and political heroes. More than that, they're Dante's heroes. And damned. They put an end to Dante's political hopes.

Here are the segments of this episode:

[01:02] My English translation of this passage: Inferno, Canto XVI, lines 28 - 45. If you want to follow along, you can find this translation on my website, markscarbrough.com, under the header "Walking With Dante."

[02:44] Jacopo Rusticucci speaks for the group--and with such a flourish. He first starts by offering to abase himself (and the other two) in front of the pilgrim, Dante. Such fine manners!

[07:25] Who are these three guys? They're Guelph military and political heroes. They're Dante's heroes. They're Guido Guerra, Tagghiaio Aldobrandi, and Jacopo Rusticucci. Florence wouldn't be Florence without them. But then what is Florence these days?

[15:26] Rusticucci is a great orator. His speech is pitch-perfect. Also, empty.

[17:20] Rusticucci blames his damnation on his "bestial wife." What does that mean?

[21:31] Tegghiaio and Rusticucci have already come up in COMEDY. Way back with Ciacco in Canto VI. Ciacco made no bones about them: "the blacker souls." So what's going on in this passage in which they seem so noble?