New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-12
T\TTRTSTING ANTIQUITIES.


Srr,lPsrS INTO Az OPFN-AlR THEA1RE-THE TOMB
or pANrE-sT. ArP)LLINABE II CLAssE-ThE
PINE GROVE JUST BEYOND Tax CITY.
r~pov Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRTBUNEl
RAvrNNA, July 11.-From the Sublime TO the III
diculols is only step. From Theodoric's tomb l
drove back in The fast-deepening twilight 70 tne
Spada oOro, and repaired TO my small, but hlghiy-
frescoed apartment where pink and green HVaileo
each other ON the ceiling and walls, and where inc
window opened upon dcsolate backward WIN a
CHASTITY suggestion Of a cottec-aroor The hotel was
an odd little affair full of all manner OF unexpected
openings into little galleries and passages, ana Jhe
window in one of these passages adjoining my room
Looked directly down into the side scenes and
greeu-room " of an opcn-alr theatre, such one
rs may be seen upon the streets Of any Lombard
town. There I watched the heroes and heroiueS OF
the evening descend upon the OF their little
triumuhs Saw the "star," IN faultless neither gar
ments. plume himself to aStOnish the public, AM
again return breathless and peIspiing; saw the Ne
rome, whom detected next day in the middle oil
the street In wooden patten, dawdle lauguldIy 70
her evenings task ; watched a member OF the ara
matte corps laborousy coming his part by the
hight of "a brief candle all this, with the chai-
Ter and fierce youbilty and gesticulauon' together
with the music of really good oIchestra'-uhtl
tired OUT withdrew 20 dreams OF staring mosaic
faces, interrupted by the waIlinss OF Rayenneso
babes AID cats.
part Of the morning in Bavenna may be very
profGbly spent at the Bibhotoca Communale. The
adjoining Pnacoteca contains nothing Of inter
est except the dark-eyed boys, skifuy drawing
from PLASTER models In the ateers, aud the beaut-
fuI tomb of Guidarelh. The fUll-lcngth figure OF
the knight. with the hands folded easily over the
sword the crossed hlt Of which lies upon his breast
and with the head gently turned on one side, Is one
of those rare achievements Of sculpture In winch
marble is made to express the deep repOse OF death
without IT'S CHASTITY ugdlty. Admiration is divided
between the rcstful beauty of the whole figure, and
The exquisite workmanship of the mail tunic and
of the delicate eyclashes. Hare deems this alone
worth pilgrimage to Raveuna.
The library OF sixty thousand volumes is arranged
In a suite OF handsome apartments. Here, among
other curiosIties. is shown and strangely out Of
place IL scemedl the prayer-bool of Mary Queen of
Sco.s. along with number of nicely Illuminated
uis.9l. The collection of coins contains specimens
of the times of Diocletiau Gala PacidIa and JUS
tinian IN glass case Is the rough wooden box in
which the ashes of Dante were found IN the Church
Of san Francesca, whence they were transferred
20 their present re~tug-place. ANcw-York pauper
would hardly have buried his child in such a recep-
taclc. 4 beautiful manuscript copy OF the Divlna
Commcdia. with copious marginal notes. Is from the
hand OF the poets son Petro II was in Rayenna
that Dante published his entire poem, 1000 copies
of which were made by hand, and sent throughout
Italy. Here his acquaintance with the youthful
Francesca d Rimnl furnished him with that sadl
sweet immortal episode of the Inferno. Here, as he
walked the streets, the women would point him out
to their children as the who had been to hell,
and here at the early of htty-slx, he
ended bis life of exile, and left TO Ravenna
the dust which she proudly cherishes, and which
ungatclul Florence, too late repentant, would
give princes ransom 10 recover Yet Rayenna's
demonstration of respect for Dante's memory is
meagre and cheap. His tomb is in the StTada dl
Dante. not far from the spot where the palace of
the Polentau Francesca's family, once stood;
Insignificant affair, fully menting the irony of
ByrOu's line
- little oupOla, more neat than solemn"
II i-a small. chapel-like structure, wedged into
corner and shut off from the street by gate
between the bars of which may be seen the marble
urn containing the poets dust l will not pro-
nounce upon the truth ialsehOod Of the tradition
which ascrbes the Latin inscription underneath to
Dante himself. l can only say that If Dante wrote
IT, he wrote six lines Of execrable Latin. over the
sarcophagus is a half-eDgth figure Of the great
Florentino ~ reiirrO He leans. in easy attitude
upon a kind of lectern; bis dress, the robe and cap
which numerous portraits have made so familiar:
but he face is gentler, and with less of the queru
lous expression which commonly marks these pic
called
Prom Dante back to the churches is an easy step;
literally So because his tomb Is close by the Church
of San Francesca, and further. because Dante and
his poem are alike churchlY. There Is 1ar more
than poetic fancy underlying those exquisite
sOnuets of Mr.. LOugtellOw IN which the Dylna
Commcdia appears as a vast cathedral. Dante in
terprets the great ideas OF Catholicism and his
- does
not interpret Ravenna. he Plneta Is Rayennas
suCgestcT of Dante; not the churches, for church
wise Dante Is OF Rome. In the wonderful religious
machinery Of the Commedla, the creations OF
Roman classic fable blends with the great ideas,
characters and legends of medieval CATHOLICISM.
IL may keep for a moment 10 the inquire OF the
Cathedral il Is like ST. Peters at Rome, where JOve
and Peter occupy the same chair Rayenna, on the
other hand " is more Byzantine than Constantine
pie itself" untarDished by the mixture OF sacred
and profane symbols which so constantly meets tho
eye al Rome, the "one spot as a living historian
has said, &" from which the monuments of heather
Rome and Of medIeyal Chrlstendom are alike
absent"
Toward evening leaving my charoteer to drive
me whitheTsOeyer be would found myself passing
out of the Porta Nuova, on the south of the city,
and crossing narrow stream hyahgh bridge from
which was revealed wide and drcary eXpause OF
marsh with the blUe ApennineS forming distant
background. Two or three miles TO the left rose
curious tower consisting OF square shaIt mo- nted
awkwardly on a square base, the whole forming
clumsy Csmpanile which recognized as belonging
TO the old Church Of Santa Maria IN Porto FuOn.
The basement OF TINS tower is supposed Dy some 10
be the foundation Of the Old lighthouse OF the haT-
Dor. For 1t must be remembered that the CITY In
its prosperous days consisted of three distinct quar-
ters, Ravenua, the city proper; CGsaTea, and
Chassis or ths naval suburb. Between the gate
and the bridge mentioned above, / have
passed over the site of Casarea of which the only
reminder Is little cross erected on the site If its
last remaining church, and from the bridge We
are now overlooking the former site OF Chassis. The
swamp diversified here and there with patches Of
rice and wheat, occupies the places where the sea
once bore the galleys OF Augustus, where aTsenals
and backwards swarmed, and the noise of "a great
population assembled night and day. milo or