Mele

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In Purgatorio XXII the term Mele designates the wild honey with which, according to the Gospel, John the Baptist sustained himself during his stay in the desert. The verse XXII 151 («Mele e locuste furon le vivande») is accompanied by the authorized note that refers to the Gospel passages (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6) in which the food of the forerunner is described. The note to the same canto also clarifies the connection with the spiritual greatness of the Baptist, celebrated also in Paradiso XXXII 31, and contrasts his humble food with this glory. The name is therefore a simple scriptural allusion used by Dante to qualify the nourishment of the Baptist, not a historical character present on the scene of purgatory.