A DANTE CRUX.
[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—The letter of your correspondent on the opening line of Canto VII. of the Inferno recalls to me a discussion I had in Malta on this very question. A Maltese doctor, who is an accom- plished Italian scholar, held that the words "Pape Satan, pape Satan, Aleppe " were Arabic, and should read " Bab Xitan, Bab Xitan, Aghaleb." "Bab " means a gate, and " Ghaleb " to prevail. The reading according to this interpretation is: " The gates of hell shall not prevail." It may be noted that Pluto speaks in a taunting manner, " Con la voce chioccia "; that is to say, his tone is " Della Gallina the a Nell* stato di cover d'ova." This explanation is of further interest when one considers the now widely prevalent views of Sergi, who holds that the present populations of the Mediterranean basin belong to the great Hamitic or Euro-African races, and that the Italian race and language are, as in Malta, intimately related to African races and the Arabic language.—I am, Sir, &c., H. C. M.
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