CANTO V.

himself the absolute master of the city. This he did in 1275 (1). It was I know not exactly how long previously, that the marriage I am about to speak of took place; but it could not be long (2). Polenta long after both the death of his daughter and his own ascent to supreme power in Ravenna, was elected Podestà, or mayor, in Florence, in 1291 (3). Those who are aware of the strange usances then in Italy, will not be astonished to find one, who was already a little sovereign, come to be an occasional chief Magistrate in that illustrious Republic. In Polenta's case it was doubly convenient; for, while his authority was secured by his adherents at home, his visit to Florence both soothed his townsmen by that appearance of equality (4) and gave him

(1) Per idem tempus (1275) Guido Polentanus (qui per aliquod tempus privatus vixerat civis ) subsidio equitum qui sibi missi a Lancellotto Genero Arimino fuerant, adversariis civibus, Traversariis præsertim pulsis, Ravenna potitus est. Hier. Rubai Hist. Raven. p. 308.

(2) Clementini ( Racc. Ist. di Rimini, Lib. v. p. 580 ) dates both the peace between Ravenna and Rimini, the usurpation of Polenta, and Francesca's marriage all in the same year. He deduces this latter from the gratitude which Polenta owed Scanatus for his aid in usurping the supreme power at Ravenna; the literal sense of the Ravannese aunalist's words is, that the marriage was to cement the peace and that Scanatus was already Poleuta's son-in-law when he assisted him in expelling the Traversarii. But it is easy to reconcile both accounts, by considering the three events as nearly simultaneous and that while making the peace, the marriage and usurpation were concerted and quickly put in execution. Hier. Rubai Hist. Ravennatum, Lib. 6. p. 3o8.

(3) Nel 1291 in Calen. di Luglio fu fatto Podestà di Firenze Messer Guido da Polenta di Raveuna, Chron. di P. di Piero, ap. supp. ad Rer. Ital. Serip. T. 2. p. 45.

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(4) He was an assiduous courtier of popularity facile inter cives primus comitate humanitateque conciliare animos sibi omnorum stu, dens... Hier. Rubai, Hist. Raven, Lib. vi. p. 309.

GANTO V.

an opportunity of conciliating a powerful ally. That Dante then formed an acquaintance with Polenta, which ripened into friendship, is the natural cause for the poet's selecting his roof to expire under; which we know he did. In that last stage of life he retired to the bosom of his friend, like an over. hunted hare to her form; and, if was not given to him to receive the last sad offices of mortality from his own countrymen, he was not unhappy in having them conferred in an affectionate and noble manner by a long respected friend; and, if he died in exile, it was still in a city not less worthy of him than his native one; for, in antiquity and rank, the habitation of the Ex-archs was only infe rior to Rome itself. That Dante heard Francesca's story from Polenta's own mouth as early as their meeting in 1291, and that the Canto was written while the impressions it awakened in the poet were quite fresh, is the probable conjecture; and it corresponds exactly with what I have said of this poem being partly begun as early as the publication of the Vita Nuova (1). It is likely then this Canto was composed in Florence: but, if in Francesca's own room, in Polenta's house, in Ravenna, (as some have advanced, on I know not what ground) it could only be during a transient visit which Dante might have made there as Ambassador or otherwise : but by no means during his rambles

(1) Hell, Comment, Canto 11. p. 114.

CANTO V.

as an exile; for Boccaccio's testimony is absolute, that this Canto was written previous to his exile. Polenta had two sons and one daughter, Francesca; on whose beauty, wit, and accomplishments the chronicles of that age descant. Malatesta also had two sons (1) as dissimilar as it is possible to be in their character: Paul, the younger, is represented as being as remarkable for gentleness and personal advantages, as Francesca herself; and they who paint her as uniting the charms of Venus with the virtue, good sense, and education of Minerva, extol him as a rival of Paris in form, and far superior to him in mind; his resemblance to the Trojan Prince however was not circumscribed entirely to exterior qualities, for he also partook something of the same softness of disposition and preference of ease and tranquil occupations to the bustle of ambition (2): but Launcelot Malatesta was one of the most violent ruffians of that violent period, and not only signalized by his ferocity and ignorance, but by his contempt of culture and his bodily deformity; for he was disgustingly negli gent in his dress (3) and so lame of one leg, that, if Knights did not combat on horseback, his hobbling gait must have precluded him from indulging in

(1) He had four sons in all-Malatestino, Lancelot, Paul, and another whose name I forget, and who was a man of no note.

(2) Paulus pulcher et politus, et magis otio deditus quam labori. Benvenuti Im. Com. ap. Mur. Antiq. Ital. T. 1. p. 1029.

(3)... era sozzo della persona e sciancato. Boccaccio, Comento, Vol. 1. p. 113.

CANTO V.

those martial exercises to which his fierce temper led him; an infirmity that caused the rude man to be usually known by the barbarous nick-name of John Scanatus (). Some say that that the delicate-minded Paul became enamoured of Francesca only upon making her personal acquaintance after she had become affianced to his brother, Scanatus; whose pride was flattered by the fame of her worth and charms, so he demanded to be her husband previous to beholding her: but what is most probable (because related by the great historian of Ravenna as the current report) is, that Paul had been himself affianced to Francesca; and that when Scanatus came to pay her a ceremonious visit as his intended sister-in-law, he was so much struck by her beauty, that he declared she should be his own wife; and prosecuted his suit with such ferocious energy, that he terrified her reluctant parents into obedience to his will. But in this all agree, that much force and fear were employed; and that she was surrendered unwillingly I mean, against her own will (for she, poor victim! like so many others, was never consulted about her destiny), but against that of her father and mother (2). The Imolese huddles up the story by

not,

(1) Mire claudus Johannes Scanatus, et vir eorpore deformis, sed animo ferox. Benvenuti, ut supra .

(2) Sunt qui scribunt matrem Paulo Franciscam despondisse et Lancelottum cum Ravennam venisset confestim amore illius ardere cœpisse, et cum alia ratione non posset, per vim et me

...

CARTO Y.

shortly adding, that a criminal connexion soon took place between Paul and Francesca, and that the irritated husband and brother, informed by a servant of their rendez-vous, surprised them together, and slew them both in the lady's cham. ber during their assignation (1). Landino and all the later commentators do nothing more than translate this servilely. The Imolese delivered those his lectures on Dante publickly in Bolog. a town near enough to Ravenna and Ri miui, for many considerations, of which we are ignorant, to prevent his being over-explicit. Yet his words are the only foundation for the two common charges, that the unfortunate couple

na,

tum impetrasse ut sibi uxor adjungeretur. Hier. Rubæi, Hist. Raven. p. 308. E perchè era uomo potente e terribile gli fu data più per paura che per amore, Landino, Comento. p. 34.

(1) His words are simply these deposito libro pervenerunt ad osculum, et ad cætera, quæ sequantur. Hæc autem, in brevi, significata Jolianni per unum familiarem fuere. Ambos simul in dicta camera, ubi convenerant, mactavit. Com. ap. Mur. Antiq. Ital. T. 1. p. 1040. At the worst these imply an act of adultery quickly avenged, but not babitual profligacy: yet Rubæus cites Benvenuti as his authority for accusing them of a criminal connexion during several days, and Clementini for the most profligate conduct during many years: spesso giacevano in un medesimo letto, ma l'abominevole peccato del troppo continuato gioco discoperse l'accosto ed impudico fuoco al marito, il quale, dopo averlo più volte accennato a Francesca, un giorno, trovatoli in letto abbracciati ed addormentati, con un sol colpo di spada ammendue uccise l'anno 1289, come scrive Benvenuti da Imo. la, ec, Racc. Ist. di Rimini Lib. v. p. 609 The impudico fuoco must have been in the mind of the annalist, or he could never have made such an indecent paraphrase of Benvenuti's few words. It is a glaring instance of literary flippancy. Had Francesca been such, Dante's wondrous delicacy would have been satire.