The uppermost and least dreadful hell, divided into six circles, is the hell of those who cannot rightly govern themselves, but have no mind to do mischief to any one else. In the lowest circle of this, and within the same walls with the more terrible mid-hell, whose stench even comes up and reaches to them, are people who have not rightly governed their thoughts: and these are buried for ever in fiery tombs, and their thoughts thus governed to purpose; which you, my friends, who are so fond of freedom of thought, and freedom of the press, may wisely meditate on. Then the two lower hells are for those who have wilfully done mischief to other people. And of these, some do open injury, and some, deceitful injury, and of these the rogues are put the lower; but there is a greater distinction in the manner of sin, than its simplicity or roguery:--namely, whether it be done in hot blood or cold blood. The injurious sins, done in hot blood--that is to say, under the influence of passion--are in the midmost hell; but the sins done in cold blood, without passion, or, more accurately, contrary to passion, far down below the freezing point, are put in the lowest hell: the ninth circle. Now, little as you may think it, or as the friend thought it, who tried to cure me of jesting the other day, I should not have taken upon me to write this 'Fors,' if I had not, in some degree, been cured of jesting long ago; and in the same way that Dante was,--for in my poor and faltering path I have myself been taken far enough down among the diminished circles to see this nether hell--the hell of Traitors; and to know, what people do not usually know of treachery, that it is not the fraud, but the cold-heartedness, which is chiefly dreadful in it. Therefore, this nether Hell is of ice, not fire; and of ice that nothing can break. "Oh, ill-starred folk, Beyond all others wretched, who abide In such a mansion as scarce thought finds words To speak of, better had ye here on earth Been flocks or mountain goats. I saw, before, and underneath my feet, A lake, whose frozen surface liker seemed To glass than water. Not so thick a veil In winter e'er hath Austrian Danube spread O'er his still course, nor Tanais, far remote Under the chilling sky. Rolled o'er that mass Had Tabernich or Pietrapana fallen Not even its rim had creaked. As peeps the frog, Croaking above the wave,--what time in dreams The village gleaner oft pursues her toil,-- Blue-pinched, and shrined in ice, the spirits stood, Moving their teeth in shrill note, like the stork."