The Third Rhyme

Your man Dante (1265 - 1321) invented the rhyme scheme of terza rima (the third rhyme) and employed it to marvelous effect in his most famous poem, the one we all know as 'The Divine Comedy ', epic in length, painstakingly composed over thirteen years, and completed only months before the poet's death. 
In the wake of interesting blogs about terza rima by Pam and Terry, let me throw in a couple of tantalising reveals before we knuckle down to business: Firstly, Dante Alighieri's poem, as originally written, was simply titled 'Comedia ' (Comedy) and that's how it was known (in manuscript ...