descendants of their original proprietors, vouch for the antiquity of the nobility of Ravenna.

Ravenna has gained little since it was ceded to the papal see, in 1529, by the Venetians. Long the seat of empire under the sway of Theodoric, it subsequently was ruled by Exarchs, appointed by the Greek emperors, from whom it was taken by the Lombards, and afterwards became the property of the Venetians. The churches bear evidence of its former prosperity, and the cathedral, though modernized, is a good building. The cupola of the Aldobrandini chapel is painted by Guido, and is very fine, as is also a picture by the same master in the church, representing the Israelites gathering

manna.

The church of St. Apollinarus, which is out of the town, is enriched with several columns of Grecian marble of great beauty; and the altar and tribune are peculiarly rich, being incrusted with oriental alabaster and rare marbles. The ceiling of the tribune is a fine specimen of mosaic, the figures being remarkable for their force and expression,

St. Vitale is a large old building, and has some antique columns of Grecian marble, the effect of which is, however, much impaired by their bases being sunk in the ground. The pavement is very curious; and the mosaics that decorate the choir, as also some bassi rilievi offer very interesting studies to the antiquarian.

The church of St. John has been so modernized

that it retains little of its original decoration, and Placidia, its architect, would now hardly recognize it as his work. The beautiful old columns of Cipolline, and some good specimens of verde-antico and porphyry, attest its pristine splendor. A portion of the original mosaic pavement is preserved in a chapel, and is said to date from the fourth century. The square is ornamented by two pillars of granite, statues of Clement XII. and Alexander VII, and a curious old statue of Hercules with a globe on his shoulder, which serves as a sun-dial.

The tomb of Theodoric is of a rotund form, the basement and attic serving as chapels. The roof is of granite, and on it four columns stood, on which was placed the sarcophagus of porphyry which is now in the convent of Zoccolanti.

The tomb of Dante arrests the attention of every traveller who visits Ravenna; and as we paused before it, I gave a sigh to the memory of that sublime poet, whose pages have charmed many an hour.

Few great writers have left behind them a more noble character than that of Dante, whether regarded for the spirit of independence which so peculiarly characterized him,—a spirit that preserved him even when an exile and deprived of his fortune, from ever submitting to an indignity,-or for the ardent desire to render impartial justice to all parties, in a period of political excitement when few were capable of such conduct. Belonging to, and a warm partizan of the Guelphs when that fac

tion had succeeded in expelling the Ghibbelines from Florence, a quarrel arose between two families, the Ceretri and the Donati; and, at the same time, a similar quarrel occurred at Pistoja, between two branches of the same family, that of the Cancellieri. All of these were Guelphs, but to distinguish the two branches of the Cancellieri, they took the name of the Bianchi, and Neri. This faction went from Pistoja to Florence, where their dispute, far from being amicably settled, became widened by the party Bianchi being joined by the Ceretri, and the party. Neri by the Donati; an alliance which led to scenes of tumult and disorder in Florence, many accounts of which are to be found in the Italian historians.

The party Neri entered into a treaty with Pope Boniface VIII. to engage Charles of Valois, the brother of Philip the Fair, to come to Florence to tranquillize the troubles there, and reform the government. The party Bianchi, rendered furious by this measure, took up arms, and appealed to the magistrates against their enemies, for having presumed to meddle with the state of the Republic.

The

Neri also had now recourse to arms, and in their turn applied to the magistrates, complaining that their adversaries had dared to unite and arm without their order, and demanding that the Bianchi should be punished as disturbers of the public peace.

Both factions now in arms, spread terror through the city. The magistrates, embarrassed how to act,

VOL. III.

D

had recourse to Dante, who was one of their body, and who, with equal prudence and impartiality, counselled that the chiefs of each faction should be exiled, the Neri to Piève, and the Bianchi to Sar

zana.

The dangerous malady of one of the chiefs, Guido Cavalcanti, (a poet as well as a soldier), who fell ill at Sarzana, furnished a pretext, if not a reason, for recalling the Bianchi soon after to Florence, which gave occasion to the Neri to accuse Dante of having favored the opposite faction all through the affair, and of having rendered ineffectual the measure of calling in the aid of Charles of Valois. The Pope, actuated by selfish motives, caused the entry of that prince into Florence at the head of his troops, and in defiance of every previous condition, Charles assumed the right of absolute master.

The Neri having now returned to Florence, Dante, who was viewed with an evil eye not only by them, but by the prince also, set off to Rome, in order to endeavor to bring the Pope to more pacific measures. While absent, in the vain endeavor to serve Florence, his enemies excited the people against him, who, not content with plundering his house, razed it to the ground, and destroyed his other property. His ruin being determined, pretexts were not wanting to justify it. He was sentenced to banishment, and condemned to suffer a fine of eight thousand livres, the payment of which was rendered impracticable by the previous confiscation of all his

property. But even this severity had not satisfied the hatred and thirst for vengeance of his enemies, for a second sentence was pronounced, by which he and his adherents were condemned to be burnt alive, if apprehended.

There is not a single impartial historian to be found, who admits that Dante was culpable of the crimes of which he was accused; nevertheless, his whole life was rendered unhappy by the punishment awarded to him; a proof of the injustice too often to be met with where faction influences a government.

Indignant at the treatment he had received, and suspecting that the Pope was at least not ignorant, if not a party to it, Dante hurried to Sienna; where, making himself acquainted with every particular of the steps taken against him, he departed for Arezzo, and there he joined those of the party Bianchi who were exiles like himself. Here he formed a close intimacy with Boson di Gubbio, who ten years previously had with his party also been exiled. From him, Dante received every proof of devoted friendship; and whether it was this incentive, or the continued persecution of the Pope, that led to it, Dante and his party joined the Ghibbelines, to which Boson di Gubbio belonged; a political tergiversation, not unexampled, or inexcusable in times like those in which he lived, when, whatever might have been the desire for consistency, the weakness of parties precluded it; and compelled a recourse to allies of other opinions for strengthening a force which, with