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Dear Nicole, thank you for posing your query to the list. I'm afraid I can't add much to what other colleagues have told you, except to reiterate Otfried's point regarding Celestine. The only evidence that Dante might have been referring to Celestine in *Inf* 3.59-60 lies in the guesses made by commentators who wrote expositions on the *Commedia* shortly after Dante's death; during the first decade or so of these commentaries, there seems agreement that Dante was referring to Celestine. But the opinions of a small number of commentators do not indicate beyond doubt that this is really what Dante had in mind! I am rather of the opinion that Dante was not referring to Celestine, and in fact I am tempted to consider that this passage serves primarily to 'hook' the reader, and that Dante may well have had no one particular in mind here. And even if he did, he wouldn't tell us; after all, these people are not worthy of being remembered! With all good wishes, George George Ferzoco tel ++ 44 (0)116 252 2654 Director of Italian Studies fax ++ 44 (0)116 252 3633 University of Leicester e-mail [log in to unmask] School of Modern Languages LEICESTER LE1 7RH UNITED KINGDOM %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%