Virgil still had great literary influence in the Middle Ages, even because theological research was worse than in ancient times. Hieronymus praised Virgil as "the first Homer of the Romans". Among the medieval writers influenced by Virgil, the most famous is the Italian poet Dante in the Renaissance. The latter quoted or changed Virgil's poems in almost all his literary works, and made Virgil appear in his work The Divine Comedy. Virgil is Dante's guide and protector in the book. Dante called him "my guide" and "my teacher". As he and Virgil got deeper and deeper, Dante's reverence for Virgil in his book became stronger and stronger. In chapter 8, he called him "my master".