Introduction to the Study of Dante Author:John Addington Symonds Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. DANTE'S LIFE IN EXILE. (i.) His Embassy to Rome, Exile, Residence at Arezzo, and Friendship with Uguccione—(ii.) In Lunigiana with the Marquis... more » of Villafranca : Visit to the Convent del Corvo, and Frate llano's Letter—(iii.) Dante at Paris, at Milan : Letter to the Princes and Peoples of Italy : the Treatise De MonarchiA—(iv.) Letter to Florentines : Letter to Henry. Henry's Death : Dante Retires to Gubbio : Letter to the Italian Cardinals — (v.) Visits Uguccione at Lucca: Battle of Monte Catini : Dante's Letter to a Friend, refusing to return in Disgrace to Florence—(vi.) At Can Grandc's Court : Change to Ravenna. Embassy to Venice : Death—(vii.) The Question of the Veltro— (viii.) Dante's Personal Appearance and Qualities. Dante, we saw, was Prior in the year 1300, | when the feuds of the Cerchi and Donati broke ) out in Florence. It was, therefore, his business with his colleagues to prevent the spread of faction, and I especially to guard against the resuscitation of Guelf i and Ghibellinc disputes. The measures for public safety which they took were these. They banished ] the leaders of the Donati to Castello della Pieve, and those of the Cerchi to Serrezzano. Among the latter was Dante's earliest and best friend, Guido I Cavalcanti, the poet. This circumstance proved calamitous to Dante: for Guido falling ill at Serrezzano, while Dante still held the Priorate, was suffered to return before the other exiles to Florence. This gave the watchful enemies and envicrs of Dante occasion to pretend that he showed favour to the Cerchi and his friend. Dante himself, in a letter seen by his biographer, Bnmi, asserts that all his misfortunes dated from his Priorate. In 1301 the Neri returned to Florence and determined to establish themselves in power. In order ...« less