1265 DANTE, son of Alighieri degli Alighieri and Bella, is born at Florence. Of his own ancestry he speaks in the Paradise, Canto XV. and XVI. In the same year, Manfredi, king of Naples and Sicily, is defeated Guido Novello of Polenta obtains the sovereignty of Ravenna. H. 1266 Two of the Frati Godenti chosen arbitrators of the differences at Florence. H. C. XXIII. 104. Gianni de' Soldanieri heads the populace in that city. H. C. 1268 Charles of Anjou puts Conradine to death, and becomes King of 1272 Henry III. of England is succeeded by Edward I. Purg. C. VII. 129. 1274 Our Poet first sees Beatrice, daughter of Folco Portinari. Fra Thomas Aquinas dies. Purg. C. XX. 67. and Par. C. X. 96. 1275 Pierre de la Brosse, secretary to Philip III. of France, executed. 1276 Giotto, the painter, is born. Purg. C. XI. 95. Pope Adrian V. dies. Purg. C. XIX. 97. Guido Guinicelli, the poet, dies. Purg. C. XI. 96. and C. XXVI. 83. 1277 Pope John XXI. dies. Par. C. XII. 126. 1278 Ottocar, king of Bohemia, dies. Purg. C. VII. 97. PREFACE. In the years 1805 and 1806, I published the first part of the following translation, with the text of the original. Since that period, two impressions of the whole of the Divina Commedia, in Italian, have made their appearance in this country. It is not necessary that I should add a third and I am induced to hope that the Poem, even in the present version of it, may not be without interest for the mere English reader. The translation of the second and third parts, "The Purgatory" and "The Paradise," was begun long before the first, and as early as the year 1797; but, owing to many interruptions, not concluded till the summer before last. On a retrospect of the time and exertions that have been thus employed, I do not regard those hours as the least happy of my life, during which (to use the eloquent language of Mr. Coleridge) "my individual recollections have been suspended, and lulled to sleep amid the music of nobler thoughts;" nor that study as misapplied, which has familiarized me with one of the sublimest efforts of the human invention. To those, who shall be at the trouble of examining into the degree of accuracy with which the task has been 1 executed, I may be allowed to suggest, that their judg ment should not be formed on a comparison with any single text of my Author; since, in more instances than I have noticed, I have had to make my choice out of a variety of readings and interpretations, presented by In one or two of those editions is to be found the title of "The Vision," which I have adopted, as more conformable to the genius of our language than that of "The Divine Comedy." Dante himself, I believe, termed it simply "The Comedy;" in the first place, because the style was of the middle kind: and in the next, because the story (if story it may be called) ends Instead of a Life of my Author, I have subjoined, in chronological order, a view not only of the principal events which befell him, but of the chief public occur- rences that happened in his time: concerning both of which the reader may obtain further information, by THE AGE OF DANTE. 1265 DANTE, son of Alighieri degli Alighieri and Bella, is born at Florence. Of his own ancestry he speaks in the Paradise, Canto In the same year, Manfredi, king of Naples and Sicily, is defeated and slain by Charles of Anjou. Hell, C. XXVIII. 13. and Purga- Guido Novello of Polenta obtains the sovereignty of Ravenna. H. 1266 Two of the Frati Godenti chosen arbitrators of the differences at Gianni de' Soldanieri heads the populace in that city. H. C. 1268 Charles of Anjou puts Conradine to death, and becomes King of 1272 Henry III. of England is succeeded by Edward I. Purg. C. VII. 1274 Our Poet first sees Beatrice, daughter of Folco Portinari. Fra Thomas Aquinas dies. Purg. C. XX. 67. and Par. C. X. 96. 1275 Pierre de la Brosse, secretary to Philip III. of France, executed. 1276 Giotto, the painter, is born. Purg. C. XI. 95. Pope Adrian V. Guido Guinicelli, the poet, dies. Purg. C. XI. 96. and C. XXVI. 83. 1277 Pope John XXI. dies. Par. C. XII. 126. 1278 Ottocar, king of Bohemia, dies. Purg. C. VII. 97. |