Sordello leads Dante down three steps into the valley of the kings. There, the pilgrim meets Judge Nino, perhaps a figure from Dante's own past, certainly a figure tied to a major character in INFERNO, and a figure who helps the poet "prove" that his journey was real, not imagined.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this descent into the valley of the negligent rulers in the final bits of our time before the gate of Purgatory proper.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:53] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto VIII, lines 46 - 63. If you'd like to read long or drop a comment to continue the conversation, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:39] The further irony of sight in the dimness.[06:46] Noble Judge Nino of Pisa, a throwback to INFERNO.[10:48] Self-reflexivity and bolstered reality claims in COMEDY.[12:58] Fellowship after warfare: the nature of Purgatory.[14:39] Gaining the higher life by this journey--but how?[17:53] Being lost in Purgatory.[20:48] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto VIII, lines 46 -63.