Down at the bottom were the sinners naked;
This side the middle came they facing us,
Beyond it, with us, but with greater steps;
For all upon one side towards the Castle
Their faces had, and go unto St. Peter's;
On the other side they go towards the Mountain.
This side and that, along the livid stone
Beheld I horned demons with great scourges,
Who cruelly were beating them behind.
From the old bridge we looked upon the crowd
Which tow'rds us came upon the other border,
And which the scourges in like manner smote.
I wrote these words 700 years ago, describing the fate of those
who commit fraud. They remain as true and as terrible today.
The eighth level of the pit is the eternal home of fraudsters.
The reader will be unsurprised, therefore, to learn that the
location displayed above is not the true hiding place.
In this dreadful place, under the lashing whip of the demon
Tritanope (whom you see above), the condemned are forced to travel
endlessly up and down, keeping always to the right. You will
observe them doing so as you approach my hiding place. Please take
care for your own safety: their minds are preoccupied with thoughts
of Tritanope, as yours should be.
