Let everyone, then, take care to understand precisely what Iam 9 stating; and, if they still undertake to write poetry purely on these three themes. or on themes that flow directly and purely from them, let them first drink deep of Helicon’"’, and tighten their strings to the utmost, and they will then be able to wield the plectrum with absolute confidence. But learning the necessary caution and discernment is ‘the difficult part, requiring much effort’, since these can never be achieved without exertion of the intellect, dedicated study of technique, and immersion in knowledge. And those who succeed are those whom the author of the Aeneid, in the sixth book, calls God's beloved, raised to the heavens by their ardent virtue and made the children of God — though he is speaking figuratively.112 And this should suffice to refute the foolish claims of those who, devoid of technique and knowledge, relying on ingenuity alone, lay hands on the noblest topics, those that should be sung in the highest style. Let them lay such presumption aside; and, if nature or their own incompetence has made them geese, let them not try to emulate the starseeking" eagle. 59

Nor should you be surprised, reader, ifso many authorities arerecalled to your memory here; for I could not make clear what I mean by the supreme degree of construction other than by providing examples of this kind. And perhaps it would be most useful, in order to make the practice of such constructions habitual, to read the poets who respect the rules, namely Virgil, the Ovid of the Metamorphoses, Statius, and Lucan, as well asothers who have written excellent prose, such as Livy, Pliny, Frontinus, Paulus Orosius, and many others whom an affectionate interest invites us to consult,134 So let the devotees of ignorance cease to cry up Guittone dArezzo and others like him, for never, in either vocabulary or construction, have they been anything but commonplace. 67

134 These canons of major Latin authors in, respectively, poetry and prose are remarkably interesting, in different ways. The poets are those whom one might expect, especially remembering the Comedy where Ovid and Lucan are part of the reception committee that greets Virgil and Dante in Inferno 1v, Statius plays a major role in Purgatorio from canto xx1 onwards, and Virgil is, of course, Dante's guide in both Hell and Purgatory. Only Horace — quoted, however, elsewhere in the De vulgari eloquentia itself (11. iv. 4) — seems to be missing from this list. There are, however, both some unexpected presences and some unexpected omissions in the list of prose writers. It is striking that Cicero, Augustine, and Boethius are not mentioned; and it is puzzling that Pliny and Frontinus — neither of whom is particularly distinguished for his style — are, especially since neither is present anywhere else in the substantial corpus of Dantes writings. Dante’ ‘affectionate interest in Latin prose invites further consideration. 99