CANTO XVI

Dante and Virgil continue along the rock path over Phlegethon
until they are within earshot of where the river runs over a
huge cliff. Before they reach the edge, Dante sees and speaks
to several well-known Florentine politicians. The men can't
stop the incessant running to which they are condemned so
they form themselves into a wheel, each watching Dante very
carefully while they speak. The men ask particulars of
Florence; Dante gives them a depressing report.

NOTE: There are many interpretations of the source and
purpose of the rope and its use as a signal. Dante does say
that he hoped to catch the leopard with it; perhaps we can see
this as a step in Dante's allegorical journey. The sins of
Incontinence, symbolized by the leopard, are left behind and
Dante's defenses against them are freed for other uses.

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