XVII/2 Taking the outline shape of the masks in Canto III/1 the usurers are here depicted according to Dante's (dis)-characterisation as faceless souls. Monotonous in their featurelessness they make the same utterance, as indicated by the thrice reproduced `speechbubble'. They are differentiated only by the emblems of their banking houses (as is indeed the case today). Three are singled out for special mention; the Gianfigliazzi and Ubbriachi of Florence, and the Scrovegni of Padua. The first two were Guelph and Ghibelline respectively which perhaps proves the impartiality of Dante's hatred of their profession: he names their heraldic colours which I have only hinted at to avoid giving splendour to this glum group. The emblematic pig is adapted from that of Canto VI/1 where it represents a sin with similar characteristics of greed and gluttony. It is further transformed in order to illustrate the continuing function of the pig in banking (like all my generation I had a piggy-bank as a child). The goose is given an egg to link it with its representative of fine fortune in the fairy stories. The lion is adapted from the emblem of my own bank, the Midland (cf. Canto XXVIII/4), who singularly failed to lay the timely Golden Egg to facilitate production of the original book in its later stages (the beginnings of the task were however benignly encouraged by a branch manager Mr Barratt, who unfortunately retired). Their symbol is surrounded by coinlike shapes which connect the three images. Rates of interest in Dante's day ranged commonly between 20 %-40 % as indicated here in figures that join in fetters the victims of usury to the word USURA which points to the Ezra Pound reference in the succeeding illustration. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.