------------------------------------------------------------------------ [338] ... “The sphere That veils itself from men in alien rays.” _Par._ v. 128, 129. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the same way we may compare the descriptions of Mars in the _Paradiso_ with a statement in the _Convivio_:— “Questo fuoco,”[339] and “l’affocato riso della stella,”[340] and “Marte rosseggia,”[341] with ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [339] “This Fire.” _Par._ xvi. 38. [340] “The burning smile of the star.” _Par._ xiv. 86. [341] “Mars shows red.” _Purg._ ii. 14. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Esso Marte ... il suo calore è simile a quello del fuoco; ... esso appare affocato di colore.”[342] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [342] “This Mars ... his heat is like the heat of a fire ... his colour is as if he were on fire.” _Conv._ II. xiv. 162-165. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The famous occultation of Mars by the moon, seen by Aristotle, is quoted by Dante in _Conv._ II. iii. 59-65. Jupiter is the “dolce stella”[343] and the “giovial facella.”[344] He is silvery white, the whitest of all the stars:—“Intra tutte le stelle bianca si mostra, quasi argentata.”[345] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [343] “Sweet star.” _Par._ xviii. 115. [344] “The torch of Jove.” _Par._ xviii. 70. [345] “Amongst all the stars it shows white, as if silvered over.” _Conv._ II. xiv. 202-204. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Therefore when Dante saw the planet filled with brilliant spirits, he says: “Giove pareva argento lì d’ oro distinto.”[346] Comparisons between the colours of Jupiter and Mars are made in _Par._ xviii. 64-69, and xxvii. 13-15. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [346] “Jupiter Seemed to be silver there with gold inlaid.” _Par._ xviii. 95-96. (_Longfellow_). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally Saturn is the slowest and the most distant of all the planets. These two characteristics are thus described in the _Convivio_:— “L’una si è la tardezza del suo movimento per li dodici segni; chè ventinove anni e più, secondo le scritture degli astrologi, vuole di tempo lo suo cerchio: l’altra si è che esso è alto sopra tutti gli altri pianeti.”[347]