He learned things there
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Per quest’ andata onde li dai tu vanto, intese cose che furon cagione di sua vittoria e del papale ammanto.
Through this journey, for which you give him glory, he heard things that were the cause of his victory and of the papal mantle.
Through that journey, for which you give him praise, Aeneas heard things that were the cause of his victory and of the papal mantle.
Dante reminds Virgil that the descent in the <i>Aeneid</i> was fruitful: in the underworld Aeneas learned his destiny, and that knowledge became the root of his <i>vittoria</i> in Italy and, in the long run, of the <i>papale ammanto</i> — the whole institution of the Church.
The underworld journey is thus figured as a place where the future is disclosed. Dante's own descent, he is implying, might also be a journey toward knowledge he needs — though he is not yet ready to claim it.
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