of Foleo Portinari. who later became the wife
of Simone de' Bardi. As related iu that unique
and earliest of the poet's productions, the ita
.V»0(((, he met her first at a family festival when
he himself was but nine years old, and slie some
months younger. Yet from that moment his love
for her seems to have been the dominant influ-
ence in his life. There seems to be no good
reason for questioninj;, as some have questioned,
whether, after all, Beatrice was a real person-
ality, or whether she was not the creation of a
poet's mind, a mere personification of philosophy,
it is difficult to read the ^'itu Xiioca and still
question the truth of what it narrates; from
first to last it bears the striking stamp of sin-
cerity. Yet it must be borne in mind that his
love for Beatrice was very diti'erent from what
is ordinarily understood by the term. It was the
highest form of spiritual love, freed from the
dross of all earthly desires and vulgar jealousy.
In Beatrice he saw something more than a
«oman: from first to last, she was in his eyes an
'angiola gentilissiraa.'
Beatrice died June 9, 1290, a date that marks
an epoch in Dante's life. A'e know not who was
the donna gentile to whom a year later he turned
for spiritual sympathy, though some have cliosen
to see in this unknown comforter the Gemma
Donati, whom by the persuasion of his friends
he was soon after led to marry. Two sons, a
daughter Antonia, and perhaps another, Beatrice,
were the fruit of this union, which there is no
positive reason for believing an unhappy one.
Dante maintained an unbroken silence regarding
liis wife, who continued to live in Florence after
his exile, and presumably they never met again.
Of Dante's part in the public affairs of his city
a few meagre details are preserved, enough to
show that his interest gradually deepened after
the death of Beatrice. Too much importance has
sometimes been attached to the so-called heroism
of his military service. In point of fact, he
was simply discharging the duties incumbent
upon a citizen of the comnuine when, in 12S9. he
tooK part in an invasion of the territory of Arezzo
and was present at the taking of the fortress of
Caprona, shortly afterwards. After 1295 his
voice was heard with growing frequency in muni-
cipal affairs, until the summer of 1300. when he
was chosen as one of the six Priors of the city.
Though his duties lasted but two months, the
time was long enough, as he himself said, to
effect his undoing. The Guelphs at this time had
become divided into two factions — the ycri. led
by Corso Donati. and supporters of the Papal
power: and the liiatiilii or moderate (luelphs,
who leaned toward the ideas (if the Ohibellines.
Dante had allied himself with the latter faction.
but (luring his tenure of oftice party feeling ran
.so high that the Priors decided upon the extreme
measure of banishing the leaders of both fac-
tions, and Dante advocated the measure, though
Donati. a relative of his wife, was among the
lianished yrri, and Cavalcanti. his friend, among
the nianchi. But soon afterwards the Rinnrhi
were unwisely allowed to return, and. fearing
that their party would get the upper hand in the
city. Boniface VTTI. sent Charles of Vahiis to
Florence, who quickly restored the eri to power.
In 1302 there followed a wholesale banishment
of the liinnchi. among them Dante, charged with
barratry, extortion, corruption, and conspiracy
against Boniface, Charles, and the Guelph party.
The exiled Bianchi joined forces with the many
Ghibellines then living in banishment, and made
many attempts to return by force of arms. Just
how long Dante remained with his fellow exiles
is not known, but sooner or later he wearied of
their dissensions, and fomid an asylum with
Bartolommeo della Scala, at Verona. Through
the years of wandering that followed, it is i(5e
to attempt to trace him — 'a ship without sail
or helm,' he calls himself in the Vonvivio. In
1306 Ave find him at Padua; in 1307 at Casen-
lino. and the following year perhaps at Forli;
1309 is the date assigned for his alleged visit to
Paris, and some would have it that he even
pushed on to Oxford, but this cannot be proved.
At all events, in 1313 he was in Pisa, where
Petrarch saw him as a child. Two years later
the Florentines passed a decree allowing the
exiles to return, but upon such humiliating con-
ditions that Dante rejected them with scorn. In
1317 he made his permanent home at Ravenna,
where he was warmly welcomed by Guido No-
yello da Polenta, the lord of the city and nephew,
it is thought, of Franccsca da Eiiiiini. Here he
passed his last years, busied with the completion
of his great epic, and surrounded by his children
and friends, and here he died on" the. night of
September 1-1, 1321. having been taken ill while
on a political mission in behalf of Novello
and the city that had given him refuge. He was
buried by Xovello with great honor, but the
latter was expelled from Ravenna before he had
time to raise a fitting monument to his friend.
Florence, which sought to make tardy atonement
by raising a memorial tablet in the Church of
Santa Croce, tried in vain to obtain the custody
of his remains. For fear of theft, they were
hidden, and their resting-place remained a secret
down to 1S65. since which time they have been
jealously guarded by Ravenna.
The chronological order of Dante's writings
has been the ground of endless debate. The order
Avhich affords the least ground for objections is
probably the following: Vita Xuovn. Dc X'ulgari
Eloquentia, Conririo, De Mondrchia, the Rime
and Epistolw, which cover a long period of years;
the Ecloaw. and the f'oinmrrlia. The Mta A'l/ord
])robably dates from the early nineties, is written
in mingled prose and verse, and contains the
story of his love for Beatrice, together with the
poems addressed to her and some other ladies.
Aside from its lofty sentiment and poetic charm,
the Vita Suoia possesses a deep interest as being
the earliest example of polished Italian prose.
The Convifio, or Banquet, is also a combination
of prose and ])oetry. in which, as has been
quaintly said, the poems are served up as the
viands, the commentary as the accompanying
bread. Here, also, Beatrice is the central figure,
but this time as a sort of personification of
divine philosophy. As originally planned, the
Convivio should have contained fourteen canzoni.
with accompanying comment, but in the form in
which we have it. it is incomplete. The Rime or
i'anzonierc are a collection of poems on many
subjects, and obviously covering a long period of
years. Among them are four canzoni which
relate to a brief attachment felt by Dante for
an unknown woman, whom he designates as La
Pietra. and whom some would identify with the
donna pentile of the ^'ita Xiiova. The Dr Viil-
gari Floqurntia is the most interesting of Dante's
Latin writings, and mav be defined as the first
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DANTE AXIGHIERI.
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