"'To this grim form our cherished limbs have come, And thus lie mouldering in their earthly home. In turf-bound hillock or in sculptured shrine The worms alike their cold caresses twine. So far we all are equal; but once left Our mortal weeds, of vital spark bereft, Asunder farther than the poles we're driven-- Some sunk to deepest Hell, some raised to highest Heaven.' "Still farther on the left of Minos, and melting into distance behind him, is seen the shadowy region of Purgatory. Four bright stars--the Cardinal Virtues--give a delicate and cheering light amid the gloom. A group of figures loaded with the burthen of their sins are about to plunge into the lake of purgatorial waters, in the hope of depositing them there. A boat wafted by the wings of an Angel is bearing departed, souls toward Heaven; and near it is a column of pale light to direct its course. In the distance is the mountain that divides Purgatory from Heaven; and Beatrice, the departed mistress of Dante, is standing on its summit, encouraging him to proceed with her to Heaven, where his former guide, Virgil, cannot be admitted (being a Pagan). Groups of Pilgrims who have passed through Purgatory are ascending the mountain. Still farther to the left, and opening in unbroken splendor above the head of Beatrice, is seen the Heaven of Heavens. The golden light pours down on the heads of the Pilgrims, and angels are seen floating in the air and encouraging their efforts. The foreground of this part of the scene presents various objects to cheer the spirit of the Pilgrims in their passage through Purgatory. The entrance indeed is rocky, but shrubs and flowers adorn it, and the Dove, the bird of Hope, is bearing the olive-branch before them."