TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
[1]The Frontispiece and the Illustrations facing pages 97, 135, 144, 178 and 288 are reproduced, by permission, from photographs by Messrs Alinari of Florence.
[1]The Frontispiece and the Illustrations facing pages 97, 135, 144, 178 and 288 are reproduced, by permission, from photographs by Messrs Alinari of Florence.
[2]"Love, I demand to have my lady in fee,Fine balm let Arno be,The walls of Florence all of silver rear'd,And crystal pavements in the public way;With castles make me fear'd,Till every Latin soul have owned my sway."–Lapo Gianni(Rossetti).
[2]"Love, I demand to have my lady in fee,Fine balm let Arno be,The walls of Florence all of silver rear'd,And crystal pavements in the public way;With castles make me fear'd,Till every Latin soul have owned my sway."–Lapo Gianni(Rossetti).
[3]"For amongst the tart sorbs, it befits not the sweet fig to fructify."
[3]"For amongst the tart sorbs, it befits not the sweet fig to fructify."
[4]"Let the beasts of Fiesole make litter of themselves, and not touch the plant, if any yet springs up amid their rankness, in which the holy seed revives of those Romans who remained there when it became the nest of so much malice."
[4]"Let the beasts of Fiesole make litter of themselves, and not touch the plant, if any yet springs up amid their rankness, in which the holy seed revives of those Romans who remained there when it became the nest of so much malice."
[5]"With these folk, and with others with them, did I see Florence in such full repose, she had not cause for wailing;With these folk I saw her people so glorious and so just, ne'er was the lily on the shaft reversed, nor yet by faction dyed vermilion."–Wicksteed's translation.
[5]"With these folk, and with others with them, did I see Florence in such full repose, she had not cause for wailing;
With these folk I saw her people so glorious and so just, ne'er was the lily on the shaft reversed, nor yet by faction dyed vermilion."–Wicksteed's translation.
[6]"The house from which your wailing sprang, because of the just anger which hath slain you and placed a term upon your joyous life,"was honoured, it and its associates. Oh Buondelmonte, how ill didst thou flee its nuptials at the prompting of another!"Joyous had many been who now are sad, had God committed thee unto the Ema the first time that thou camest to the city."But to that mutilated stone which guardeth the bridge 'twas meet that Florence should give a victim in her last time of peace."
[6]"The house from which your wailing sprang, because of the just anger which hath slain you and placed a term upon your joyous life,
"was honoured, it and its associates. Oh Buondelmonte, how ill didst thou flee its nuptials at the prompting of another!
"Joyous had many been who now are sad, had God committed thee unto the Ema the first time that thou camest to the city.
"But to that mutilated stone which guardeth the bridge 'twas meet that Florence should give a victim in her last time of peace."
[7]"And one who had both hands cut off, raising the stumps through the dim air so that their blood defiled his face, cried: 'Thou wilt recollect the Mosca too, ah me! who said, "A thing done has an end!" which was the seed of evil to the Tuscan people.'" (Inf.xxviii.)
[7]"And one who had both hands cut off, raising the stumps through the dim air so that their blood defiled his face, cried: 'Thou wilt recollect the Mosca too, ah me! who said, "A thing done has an end!" which was the seed of evil to the Tuscan people.'" (Inf.xxviii.)
[8]The Arte di Calimala, or of the Mercatanti di Calimala, the dressers of foreign cloth; the Arte della Lana, or wool; the Arte dei Giudici e Notai, judges and notaries, also called the Arte del Proconsolo; the Arte del Cambio or dei Cambiatori, money-changers; the Arte dei Medici e Speziali, physicians and apothecaries; the Arte della Seta, or silk, also called the Arte di Por Santa Maria; and the Arte dei Vaiai e Pellicciai, the furriers. The Minor Arts were organised later.
[8]The Arte di Calimala, or of the Mercatanti di Calimala, the dressers of foreign cloth; the Arte della Lana, or wool; the Arte dei Giudici e Notai, judges and notaries, also called the Arte del Proconsolo; the Arte del Cambio or dei Cambiatori, money-changers; the Arte dei Medici e Speziali, physicians and apothecaries; the Arte della Seta, or silk, also called the Arte di Por Santa Maria; and the Arte dei Vaiai e Pellicciai, the furriers. The Minor Arts were organised later.
[9]Some years later a new officer, the Executor of Justice, was instituted to carry out these ordinances instead of leaving them to the Gonfaloniere. This Executor of Justice was associated with the Captain, but was usually a foreign Guelf burgher; later he developed into the Bargello, head of police and governor of the gaol. It will, of course, be seen that while Podestà, Captain, Executore (theRettori), were aliens, the Gonfaloniere and Priors (theSignori) were necessarily Florentines and popolani.
[9]Some years later a new officer, the Executor of Justice, was instituted to carry out these ordinances instead of leaving them to the Gonfaloniere. This Executor of Justice was associated with the Captain, but was usually a foreign Guelf burgher; later he developed into the Bargello, head of police and governor of the gaol. It will, of course, be seen that while Podestà, Captain, Executore (theRettori), were aliens, the Gonfaloniere and Priors (theSignori) were necessarily Florentines and popolani.
[10]Rossetti's translation of theripresaand second stanza of the BallataPerch'i' no spero di tornar giammai.
[10]Rossetti's translation of theripresaand second stanza of the BallataPerch'i' no spero di tornar giammai.
[11]"Thou shall abandon everything beloved most dearly; this is the arrow which the bow of exile shall first shoot."Thou shalt make trial of how salt doth taste another's bread, and how hard the path to descend and mount upon another's stair."–Wicksteed's translation.
[11]"Thou shall abandon everything beloved most dearly; this is the arrow which the bow of exile shall first shoot.
"Thou shalt make trial of how salt doth taste another's bread, and how hard the path to descend and mount upon another's stair."–Wicksteed's translation.
[12]"On that great seat where thou dost fix thine eyes, for the crown's sake already placed above it, ere at this wedding feast thyself do sup,"Shall sit the soul (on earth 'twill be imperial) of the lofty Henry, who shall come to straighten Italy ere she be ready for it."
[12]"On that great seat where thou dost fix thine eyes, for the crown's sake already placed above it, ere at this wedding feast thyself do sup,
"Shall sit the soul (on earth 'twill be imperial) of the lofty Henry, who shall come to straighten Italy ere she be ready for it."
[13]i.e.The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.
[13]i.e.The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.
[14]Purg. VI.–"Athens and Lacedæmon, they who madeThe ancient laws, and were so civilised,Made towards living well a little signCompared with thee, who makest such fine-spunProvisions, that to middle of NovemberReaches not what thou in October spinnest.How oft, within the time of thy remembrance,Laws, money, offices and usagesHast thou remodelled, and renewed thy members?And if thou mind thee well, and see the light,Thou shalt behold thyself like a sick woman,Who cannot find repose upon her down,But by her tossing wardeth off her pain."–Longfellow.
[14]Purg. VI.–"Athens and Lacedæmon, they who madeThe ancient laws, and were so civilised,Made towards living well a little signCompared with thee, who makest such fine-spunProvisions, that to middle of NovemberReaches not what thou in October spinnest.How oft, within the time of thy remembrance,Laws, money, offices and usagesHast thou remodelled, and renewed thy members?And if thou mind thee well, and see the light,Thou shalt behold thyself like a sick woman,Who cannot find repose upon her down,But by her tossing wardeth off her pain."–Longfellow.
[15]"In painting Cimabue thought that heShould hold the field, now Giotto has the cry,So that the other's fame is growing dim."
[15]"In painting Cimabue thought that heShould hold the field, now Giotto has the cry,So that the other's fame is growing dim."
[16]The "Colleges" were the twelve Buonuomini and the sixteen Gonfaloniers of the Companies. Measures proposed by the Signoria had to be carried in the Colleges before being submitted to the Council of the People, and afterwards to the Council of the Commune.
[16]The "Colleges" were the twelve Buonuomini and the sixteen Gonfaloniers of the Companies. Measures proposed by the Signoria had to be carried in the Colleges before being submitted to the Council of the People, and afterwards to the Council of the Commune.
[17]From Mr Armstrong'sLorenzo de' Medici.
[17]From Mr Armstrong'sLorenzo de' Medici.
[18]ThePalle, it will be remembered, were the golden balls on the Medicean arms, and hence the rallying cry of their adherents.
[18]ThePalle, it will be remembered, were the golden balls on the Medicean arms, and hence the rallying cry of their adherents.
[19]The familiar legend that Lorenzo told Savonarola that the three sins which lay heaviest on his conscience were the sack of Volterra, the robbery of the Monte delle Doti, and the vengeance he had taken for the Pazzi conspiracy, is only valuable as showing what were popularly supposed by the Florentines to be his greatest crimes.
[19]The familiar legend that Lorenzo told Savonarola that the three sins which lay heaviest on his conscience were the sack of Volterra, the robbery of the Monte delle Doti, and the vengeance he had taken for the Pazzi conspiracy, is only valuable as showing what were popularly supposed by the Florentines to be his greatest crimes.
[20]ThisCompendium of Revelationswas, like theTriumph of the Cross, published both in Latin and in Italian simultaneously. I have rendered the above from the Italian version.
[20]ThisCompendium of Revelationswas, like theTriumph of the Cross, published both in Latin and in Italian simultaneously. I have rendered the above from the Italian version.
[21]When Savonarola entered upon the political arena, his spiritual sight was often terribly dimmed. The cause of Pisa against Florence was every bit as righteous as that of the Florentines themselves against the Medici.
[21]When Savonarola entered upon the political arena, his spiritual sight was often terribly dimmed. The cause of Pisa against Florence was every bit as righteous as that of the Florentines themselves against the Medici.
[22]This Luca Landucci, whose diary we shall have occasion to quote more than once, kept an apothecary's shop near the Strozzi Palace at the Canto de' Tornaquinci. He was an ardent Piagnone, though he wavered at times. He died in 1516, and was buried in Santa Maria Novella.
[22]This Luca Landucci, whose diary we shall have occasion to quote more than once, kept an apothecary's shop near the Strozzi Palace at the Canto de' Tornaquinci. He was an ardent Piagnone, though he wavered at times. He died in 1516, and was buried in Santa Maria Novella.
[23]"He who usurpeth upon earth my place, my place, my place, which in the presence of the Son of God is vacant,"hath made my burial-ground a conduit for that blood and filth, whereby the apostate one who fell from here above, is soothed down there below."–Paradisoxxvii.–Wicksteed's Translation.
[23]"He who usurpeth upon earth my place, my place, my place, which in the presence of the Son of God is vacant,
"hath made my burial-ground a conduit for that blood and filth, whereby the apostate one who fell from here above, is soothed down there below."–Paradisoxxvii.–Wicksteed's Translation.
[24]Sermon on May 29th, 1496. In Villari and Casanova,Scelte di prediche e scritti di Fra Girolamo Savonarola.
[24]Sermon on May 29th, 1496. In Villari and Casanova,Scelte di prediche e scritti di Fra Girolamo Savonarola.
[25]Professor Villari justly remarks that "Savonarola's attacks were never directed in the slightest degree against the dogmas of the Roman Church, but solely against those who corrupted them." TheTriumph of the Crosswas intended to do for the Renaissance what St Thomas Aquinas had accomplished for the Middle Ages in hisSumma contra Gentiles. As this book is the fullest expression of Savonarola's creed, it is much to be regretted that more than one of its English translators have omitted some of its most characteristic and important passages bearing upon Catholic practice and doctrine, without the slightest indication that any such process of "expurgation" has been carried out.
[25]Professor Villari justly remarks that "Savonarola's attacks were never directed in the slightest degree against the dogmas of the Roman Church, but solely against those who corrupted them." TheTriumph of the Crosswas intended to do for the Renaissance what St Thomas Aquinas had accomplished for the Middle Ages in hisSumma contra Gentiles. As this book is the fullest expression of Savonarola's creed, it is much to be regretted that more than one of its English translators have omitted some of its most characteristic and important passages bearing upon Catholic practice and doctrine, without the slightest indication that any such process of "expurgation" has been carried out.
[26]See theGenealogical Table of the Medici.
[26]See theGenealogical Table of the Medici.
[27]Mr Armstrong in hisLorenzo de' Medici.
[27]Mr Armstrong in hisLorenzo de' Medici.
[28]Botticelli's brother and an ardent Piagnone, whose chronicle has been recently discovered and published by Villari and Casanova. The Franciscans were possibly sincere in the business, and mere tools in the hands of the Compagnacci; they are not likely to have been privy to the plot.
[28]Botticelli's brother and an ardent Piagnone, whose chronicle has been recently discovered and published by Villari and Casanova. The Franciscans were possibly sincere in the business, and mere tools in the hands of the Compagnacci; they are not likely to have been privy to the plot.
[29]The following notes make no pretence at furnishing a catalogue, but are simply intended to indicate the more important Italian pictures, especially the principal masterpieces of, or connected with the Florentine school.
[29]The following notes make no pretence at furnishing a catalogue, but are simply intended to indicate the more important Italian pictures, especially the principal masterpieces of, or connected with the Florentine school.
[30]See theGenealogical Tablein Appendix. The elder Pier Francesco was dead many years before this picture was painted. It was for his other son, Lorenzo, that Sandro Botticelli drew his illustrations of theDivina Commedia.
[30]See theGenealogical Tablein Appendix. The elder Pier Francesco was dead many years before this picture was painted. It was for his other son, Lorenzo, that Sandro Botticelli drew his illustrations of theDivina Commedia.
[31]Modern Painters, vol. ii.
[31]Modern Painters, vol. ii.
[32]The eight Arti Minori not represented are the vintners (St. Martin), the inn-keepers (St. Julian), the cheesemongers (St. Bartholomew), the leather-dressers (St. Augustine), the saddlemakers (the Blessed Trinity), the joiners (the Annunciation), tin and coppersmiths (St. Zenobius), and the bakers (St. Lawrence).
[32]The eight Arti Minori not represented are the vintners (St. Martin), the inn-keepers (St. Julian), the cheesemongers (St. Bartholomew), the leather-dressers (St. Augustine), the saddlemakers (the Blessed Trinity), the joiners (the Annunciation), tin and coppersmiths (St. Zenobius), and the bakers (St. Lawrence).
[33]There are three extant documents concerning pictures of the Madonna for the Captains of Saint Michael; two refer to a painting ordered from Bernardo Daddi, in 1346 and 1347; the third to one by Orcagna, 1352.SeeSignor P. Franceschini's monograph on Or San Michele, to which I am much indebted in this chapter.
[33]There are three extant documents concerning pictures of the Madonna for the Captains of Saint Michael; two refer to a painting ordered from Bernardo Daddi, in 1346 and 1347; the third to one by Orcagna, 1352.SeeSignor P. Franceschini's monograph on Or San Michele, to which I am much indebted in this chapter.
[34]These were the burghers and lawyers of the black faction, the Podestà's allies and friends. This was in the spring of 1303.
[34]These were the burghers and lawyers of the black faction, the Podestà's allies and friends. This was in the spring of 1303.
[35]Such, at least, seems the more obvious interpretation; but there is a certain sensuality and cruelty about the victor's expression, which, together with the fact that the vanquished undoubtedly has something of Michelangelo's own features, lead us to suspect that the master's sympathies were with the lost cause.
[35]Such, at least, seems the more obvious interpretation; but there is a certain sensuality and cruelty about the victor's expression, which, together with the fact that the vanquished undoubtedly has something of Michelangelo's own features, lead us to suspect that the master's sympathies were with the lost cause.
[36]Quoted in Mr Armstrong'sLorenzo de' Medici.
[36]Quoted in Mr Armstrong'sLorenzo de' Medici.
[37]See Guido Carocci,Firenze Scomparsa, here and generally.
[37]See Guido Carocci,Firenze Scomparsa, here and generally.
[38]The earliest of these mosaics are those in the tribune, executed originally by a certain Fra Jacopo in the year 1225; those in the dome are in part ascribed to Dante's contemporary, Andrea Tafi.
[38]The earliest of these mosaics are those in the tribune, executed originally by a certain Fra Jacopo in the year 1225; those in the dome are in part ascribed to Dante's contemporary, Andrea Tafi.
[39]Should it e'er come to pass that the sacred poem to whichboth heaven and earth so have set hand, that it hathmade me lean through many a year,should overcome the cruelty which doth bar me forth fromthe fair sheepfold wherein I used to sleep, a lamb, foe tothe wolves which war upon it;with changed voice now, and with changed fleece shall Ireturn, a poet, and at the font of my baptism shall Iassume the chaplet;because into the Faith which maketh souls known of God,'twas there I entered.–Par. xxv. 1-11,Wicksteed's translation.
[39]Should it e'er come to pass that the sacred poem to whichboth heaven and earth so have set hand, that it hathmade me lean through many a year,should overcome the cruelty which doth bar me forth fromthe fair sheepfold wherein I used to sleep, a lamb, foe tothe wolves which war upon it;with changed voice now, and with changed fleece shall Ireturn, a poet, and at the font of my baptism shall Iassume the chaplet;because into the Faith which maketh souls known of God,'twas there I entered.–Par. xxv. 1-11,Wicksteed's translation.
[40]By these "second gates" are of course meant Ghiberti's second gates: in reality the "third gates" of the Baptistery.
[40]By these "second gates" are of course meant Ghiberti's second gates: in reality the "third gates" of the Baptistery.
[41]"There is only one point from which the size of the Cathedral of Florence is felt; and that is from the corner of the Via de' Balestrieri, opposite the south-east angle, where it happens that the dome is seen rising instantly above the apse and transepts" (Seven Lamps).
[41]"There is only one point from which the size of the Cathedral of Florence is felt; and that is from the corner of the Via de' Balestrieri, opposite the south-east angle, where it happens that the dome is seen rising instantly above the apse and transepts" (Seven Lamps).
[42]Modern Painters, vol. ii. "Of Imagination Penetrative."
[42]Modern Painters, vol. ii. "Of Imagination Penetrative."
[43]The Duomo has fairer memories of the Pazzi, than this deed of blood and treachery. Their ancestor at the Crusades had carried the sacred fire from Jerusalem to Florence, and still, on Easter Eve, an artificial dove sent from the high altar lights the car of fireworks in the Piazza–the Carro dei Pazzi–in front of the church, in honour of their name.
[43]The Duomo has fairer memories of the Pazzi, than this deed of blood and treachery. Their ancestor at the Crusades had carried the sacred fire from Jerusalem to Florence, and still, on Easter Eve, an artificial dove sent from the high altar lights the car of fireworks in the Piazza–the Carro dei Pazzi–in front of the church, in honour of their name.
[44]It should be observed that Lorenzo was not specially called the "Magnificent" by his contemporaries. All the more prominent members of the Medicean family were styledMagnificoin the same way.
[44]It should be observed that Lorenzo was not specially called the "Magnificent" by his contemporaries. All the more prominent members of the Medicean family were styledMagnificoin the same way.
[45]"Grateful to me is sleep, and more the being stone; while ruin and shame last, not to see, not to feel, is great good fortune to me. Therefore wake me not; ah, speak low!"
[45]"Grateful to me is sleep, and more the being stone; while ruin and shame last, not to see, not to feel, is great good fortune to me. Therefore wake me not; ah, speak low!"
[46]Given in Addington Symonds'Life of Michelangelo.
[46]Given in Addington Symonds'Life of Michelangelo.
[47]"Before thee, goddess, flee the winds, the clouds of heaven; before thee and thy advent; for thee earth manifold in works puts forth sweet-smelling flowers; for thee the levels of the sea do laugh and heaven propitiated shines with outspread light" (Munro'sLucretius).
[47]"Before thee, goddess, flee the winds, the clouds of heaven; before thee and thy advent; for thee earth manifold in works puts forth sweet-smelling flowers; for thee the levels of the sea do laugh and heaven propitiated shines with outspread light" (Munro'sLucretius).
[48]SeeAndrea del Sarto, by H. Guinness in theGreat Mastersseries, andG. F. Rusticiin Vasari.
[48]SeeAndrea del Sarto, by H. Guinness in theGreat Mastersseries, andG. F. Rusticiin Vasari.
[49]Opposite the bridge, at the beginning of the Via dei Benci, is the palace of the old Alberti family; the remains of their loggia stand further up the street, at the corner of the Borgo Santa Croce. In all these streets, between the Lungarno della Borsa and the Borgo dei Greci, there are many old houses and palaces; in the Piazza dei Peruzzi the houses, formerly of that family and partly built in the fourteenth century, follow the lines of the Roman amphitheatre–theParlascioof the early Middle Ages. The Palazzo dei Giudici–in the piazza of that name–was originally built in the thirteenth century, though reconstructed at a later epoch.
[49]Opposite the bridge, at the beginning of the Via dei Benci, is the palace of the old Alberti family; the remains of their loggia stand further up the street, at the corner of the Borgo Santa Croce. In all these streets, between the Lungarno della Borsa and the Borgo dei Greci, there are many old houses and palaces; in the Piazza dei Peruzzi the houses, formerly of that family and partly built in the fourteenth century, follow the lines of the Roman amphitheatre–theParlascioof the early Middle Ages. The Palazzo dei Giudici–in the piazza of that name–was originally built in the thirteenth century, though reconstructed at a later epoch.
[50]See Addington Symonds'Michelangelo. The horse in question was the equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza.
[50]See Addington Symonds'Michelangelo. The horse in question was the equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza.
[51]"The one was all seraphic in his ardour, the other by hiswisdom was on earth a splendour of cherubic light."Of one will I discourse, because of both the two hespeaketh who doth either praise, which so he will;for to one end their works."–Wicksteed's translation,Paradisoxi.
[51]"The one was all seraphic in his ardour, the other by hiswisdom was on earth a splendour of cherubic light."Of one will I discourse, because of both the two hespeaketh who doth either praise, which so he will;for to one end their works."–Wicksteed's translation,Paradisoxi.
[52]"I desired, and understanding was given me. I prayed, and the spirit of Wisdom came upon me; and I preferred her before kingdoms and thrones."
[52]"I desired, and understanding was given me. I prayed, and the spirit of Wisdom came upon me; and I preferred her before kingdoms and thrones."
[53]The identification of each science and its representative is rather doubtful, especially in the celestial series. From altar to centre, Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic are represented by Aelius Donatus, Cicero and Aristotle (or Zeno); Music, Astronomy, Geometry, Arithmetic by Tubal Cain, Zoroaster (or Ptolemy), Euclid and Pythagoras. From window to centre, Civil Law is represented by Justinian, Canon Law by Innocent III., Philosophy apparently by Boethius; the next four seem to be Contemplative, Moral, Mystical and Dogmatic Theology, and their representatives Jerome, John of Damascus, Basil and Augustine–but, with the exception of St. Augustine, the identification is quite arbitrary. Possibly if the Logician is Zeno, the Philosopher is not Boethius but Aristotle; the figure above, representing Philosophy, holds a mirror which seems to symbolise the divine creation of the cosmic Universe.
[53]The identification of each science and its representative is rather doubtful, especially in the celestial series. From altar to centre, Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic are represented by Aelius Donatus, Cicero and Aristotle (or Zeno); Music, Astronomy, Geometry, Arithmetic by Tubal Cain, Zoroaster (or Ptolemy), Euclid and Pythagoras. From window to centre, Civil Law is represented by Justinian, Canon Law by Innocent III., Philosophy apparently by Boethius; the next four seem to be Contemplative, Moral, Mystical and Dogmatic Theology, and their representatives Jerome, John of Damascus, Basil and Augustine–but, with the exception of St. Augustine, the identification is quite arbitrary. Possibly if the Logician is Zeno, the Philosopher is not Boethius but Aristotle; the figure above, representing Philosophy, holds a mirror which seems to symbolise the divine creation of the cosmic Universe.
[54]In Richter'sLiterary Works of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo rather too sweepingly ignores the fact that there were a few excellent masters between the two.
[54]In Richter'sLiterary Works of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo rather too sweepingly ignores the fact that there were a few excellent masters between the two.
[55]The ledger and the stave (il quaderno e la doga): "In 1299 Messer Niccola Acciaiuoli and Messer Baldo d' Aguglione abstracted from the public records a leaf containing the evidence of a disreputable transaction, in which they, together with the Podestà, had been engaged. At about the same time Messer Durante de' Chiaramontesi, being officer of the customs for salt, took away a stave (doga) from the standard measure, thus making it smaller."–A. J. Butler.
[55]The ledger and the stave (il quaderno e la doga): "In 1299 Messer Niccola Acciaiuoli and Messer Baldo d' Aguglione abstracted from the public records a leaf containing the evidence of a disreputable transaction, in which they, together with the Podestà, had been engaged. At about the same time Messer Durante de' Chiaramontesi, being officer of the customs for salt, took away a stave (doga) from the standard measure, thus making it smaller."–A. J. Butler.
[56]"Perfected life and high desert enheaveneth a lady more aloft," she said, "by whose rule down in your world there are who clothe and veil themselves,That they, even till death, may wake and sleep with that Spouse who accepteth every vow that love hath made conform with his good pleasure.From the world, to follow her, I fled while yet a girl, and in her habit I enclosed myself, and promised the way of her company.Thereafter men more used to ill than good tore me away from the sweet cloister; and God doth know what my life then became."–Paradisoiii. Wicksteed's translation.
[56]"Perfected life and high desert enheaveneth a lady more aloft," she said, "by whose rule down in your world there are who clothe and veil themselves,
That they, even till death, may wake and sleep with that Spouse who accepteth every vow that love hath made conform with his good pleasure.
From the world, to follow her, I fled while yet a girl, and in her habit I enclosed myself, and promised the way of her company.
Thereafter men more used to ill than good tore me away from the sweet cloister; and God doth know what my life then became."–Paradisoiii. Wicksteed's translation.
[57]The lover of Florentine history cannot readily tear himself away from the Casentino. The Albergo Amorosi at Bibbiena, almost at the foot of La Verna, makes delightful headquarters. There is an excellentGuida illustrata del Casentinoby C. Beni. For the Conti Guidi, Witte's essay should be consulted; it is translated inWitte's Essays on Danteby C. M. Lawrence and P. H. Wicksteed. La Verna will be fully dealt with in the Assisi volume of this series, so I do not describe it here.
[57]The lover of Florentine history cannot readily tear himself away from the Casentino. The Albergo Amorosi at Bibbiena, almost at the foot of La Verna, makes delightful headquarters. There is an excellentGuida illustrata del Casentinoby C. Beni. For the Conti Guidi, Witte's essay should be consulted; it is translated inWitte's Essays on Danteby C. M. Lawrence and P. H. Wicksteed. La Verna will be fully dealt with in the Assisi volume of this series, so I do not describe it here.
[58]The parentage of Ippolito and Alessandro is somewhat uncertain. The former was probably Giuliano's son by a lady of Pesaro, the latter probably the son of Lorenzo by a mulatto woman.
[58]The parentage of Ippolito and Alessandro is somewhat uncertain. The former was probably Giuliano's son by a lady of Pesaro, the latter probably the son of Lorenzo by a mulatto woman.