DANT E A T RA VENNA BY ‘ CATH E RI N E MEA 'R ‘Y ‘ mmzs m1 “ S E LE C T ION S LON fiO N A DA NT E A T RA V ENN . 21 S tub s; H E C A T H E R I N E M A R Y P I LLI M OR , A U T H OR OF ’ S UD I S I N I A LI A N u T E R A T U R E T HE W A R RI R mama FRA A N G LI C T E T , O , E O , ‘ s w n x FR M T HE S R M N S F PA D RE S I N D A s c o s O E O O A G O T O ’ M N F L R E T C E T C . O TE E T O , , LON D ON E LLI OT ' 6 2 PA T E R N OST E R STOC , , ROW, 1 8 8 9 . H M . F . S . W H O ACC OM PANI E D T H E W RI T E R T H E E T M E S T O AV E A R I R NN , T H E C M PA N I ON OF M A N Y ST U D E S E SE A C H E S A N D T AV O I , R R R E LS, T HE SE P AG E S A RE A FFE CT AT E L D E D AT E D ION Y I C . as amc di arti rsi i ri E qu i i i p p g . P ur x a xxm. 1 1 . g , 4 4 9 3 8 6 FA P R E C E . H E following brief study of the closing years of the life of D ante is offered as a humble contribution to the ma ss of literature and research which centres in th a t grea t n ame . Yet in his quiet exile at Ravenn a D ante is perh aps not so well known to the student of his life and works as when a citizen of Florence in n m the e arly a d ore stirring periods of his life . B t ma a a a a C o m u ny p ss ge , both in the Divin ’ m a and m edi i n his inor works , tends to show how much his mind was influenced by the place of his l atest soj ourn upon e arth . Frequent visits to the Romagn a and Ravenn a a a h ve en bled the writer , while following in his m m a a m footsteps , to for so e ide of the ch r which a a a and a m th t p rt of It ly, the ncient city itself, ust h ave held for the poet . viii P reface ‘ ’ a a a a m Upon the l st gre t I t li n work, L Ulti o ’ 1 u a a Rif gio di D nte Alighieri , which le ves no part of the topography or history connected with th at a period unexpl ined or unexplored , the following u ma st dy relies inly for its facts . A similar ao knowled ment a ua g is due to nother work , of eq l m a u a i port nce , tho gh not so recent , D nte e il ’ suo Secolo . The study of these works has been supplemented by rese arch among such original sources of in formation as are to be found in the manuscripts a a a a and a cont ined in the libr ries of R venn P ris , n a a d u m. the Bodlei n , the British M seu a a a ma u The writer , w re th t ny points still nder a m a dispute h ve co e within the sphere of her l bours , a a a is prep red to w it , with others , the resifting of all the documents rel ative to the life and family ’ a ma a of D nte in the Codice Diplo tico D ntesco , m a a a a and co piled by the It li n liter ry uthorities , which last year began to issue in p arts fromthe a a It ali a n press . I n view of either the re dy ccept a nce of tradition or the negative spirit of modern m l a a criticis , the obj ect of this work is to y found ation upon which the biography of D ante may securely rest . ’ ’ U m R D ane e . a R cc 1 8 1 . L lti o ifugio di t Alighi ri Corr do i i , 9 Preface i x It i s time (suc h i s t he prelude of the compilers of the ‘ w a n t he s a eac e s and ork) th t u der e cort of pproved t h r , wn in e s e s st en an s follo i g th ir t p , the ud t of D te hould be set in a way fromwhi c h th ere i s no turning back nor n —o n o ne an n a e a ma n on diverge ce the h d i to v gu ffir tio , n em c the other i to syst ati doubt . Su ch a safe path c an n sec a ca s a emn ac s and o ly be ured by reful re t t e t of f t , this course of study may be reached fromthree starting points n a n n nc s sc 1 . Re ewed tte tio to the refere e attered throughout the work s of t he poe t himself. 2 T h r - n es a n a n n ma . e e i v tig tio of the tr ditio al i for tion s the ms n n upplied by o t reliable of the a cie t biographers. T h r - m n n 3. e e e x a ination of the origi al docume ts with whic h history has fromtime to time beenenric hed . A compari sonof these last with those c ited by the early biographers will show how muc h i s still extant of t he na s c s n ma s c origi l our e of t h eir i for tion . When uch do u mens are ac n t he es mn s a s a t l ki g, t ti o ie of the v riou e rly e s e and c c sm mne writ r will be quot d , riti i will deter i their respec tive me rit according as th ey c anbe proved to h ave ’ 1 writtenindepe ndently of each other . Such l abours as these c an h ardly miss their ma and a a a ma rk , lthou gh , i n his gre tness , D nte y ‘ Codi ce D iplomati co D antesco : I Do cumenti d e ll a V ita e e a am a D an e e i n acs m e esc d ll F igli di t Alighi ri , riprodotti f i il , d ritti ’ c s a conM n men e c re d o. a e d a illu tr ti o u ti d Art , Figu Guido Bi gi ’ na Pass e n con a s c e a S c e a a nesca I a a . G . L . ri i gli u pi i d ll o i t D t t li x P refac e a s a all be looked u pon citizen of the world , n ations will n a tura lly turn to the l a nd of his birth for the fin al verdict upon all matters connected with his life and works . M A R H CA T H E R I N E Y P I LL I M ORE . O DO L N N , Febr uar 1 8 8 . y , 9 N T CON T E S . C H A PT E R IN T R OD U CT ION R V E I . A NNA T H E E G LE P LE T T H E T R T S II . A OF O N A, Y AN OF T HE R M G T H E P P E S C T E M O A NA , AND O ON P OR A R Y W I T H DAN T E T E A R A V E A . T E C E R R E T R C III DAN A H OF H O I IN NN , ’ AND ‘ I L V O LG A R E E LO'U IO I v L P U P LS A T R V E . IFE AND I A NNA C L S G E R S T H E L E T E A T v . O IN Y A OF IF OF DAN R AV E NNA V I T H E P E T — E M B SS T O V E C E — E AT .