The Angel of Chastity stands before the wall of fire and tells them: no one may pass to what lies beyond without first going through the flames. Dante is terrified — he has seen fire in Hell as an instrument of punishment. He stands rigid, staring at the fire, forgetting all he has learned. Virgil coaxes: think of Beatrice, who waits on the other side. At the name Beatrice, Dante begins to move. He closes his eyes and crosses through. The fire is intensely hot — more than he could have imagined. He wants nothing more than to leap into boiling glass to escape it. But he makes it through, and on the other side an angel sings the beatitude: "Blessed are the pure in heart."
The sun sets again. They sleep on the staircase. Dante dreams of Leah, who weaves and gathers flowers, while Rachel sits and gazes at herself in a mirror all day. Leah is the active life; Rachel the contemplative. Both are good; both are paths. Dante's life has been action; Beatrice (who in the allegory corresponds to Rachel's contemplation of the divine) awaits him.
Morning. Virgil's final speech is among the most beautiful in the poem. He tells Dante: my art and instruction have brought you as far as they can. I can show you no more. From here, your own will is your guide — it is now straight, healthy, and free. To act against it would be error; to follow it is wisdom. I crown and miter you over yourself. The great pagan guide of reason and classical wisdom, who shepherded Dante through Hell and up the mountain of purgation, steps back. Dante's will is now his own. He is ready. Virgil says nothing more after this. When Beatrice appears in the next canto, Dante turns to say something to Virgil — and he is gone.