Dante and Virgil are on the rim of the third pit, ditch, or trench of Circle VIII for those guilty of Simony. These sinners used their positions in the church for personal monetary gain. The Simonists are upside-down in round holes the size of baptismal fonts.
From each of these holes protrude the feet and legs of a spirit, with the rest of the body upside down in the hole. The soles of their feet are on fire, and Dante sees one shade who is apparently suffering more torment than others, moving and shaking violently; his feet are burning more fiercely than the others.
The soul mistakes Dante for Boniface and is surprised that he is there earlier than expected. Dante tells the soul that he is mistaken, and the soul tells his story. The soul wore “the Great Mantle” of the office of the pope. Below him, in cracks in the rock, are other popes who committed the same sin. When the next pope, Boniface, joins them, he, Nicholas III, will be pushed further down into the stone. The soul says that a new and worse soul will be sent in time to cover him in the hole. Dante reproaches the spirit vehemently. Virgil is pleased at Dante’s behavior and carries him out of the chasm where he looks down into the next moat.
