New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-10

without an effort 10 realize their meaning. This
may we'll be the reason why the exact origin OF
the commune can never be fixed In the history OF
any Italian city. The citizens acted together as
II they commune long before they thought
Of the character Of their political organizations
or confessedly used 1t in law-making and the
choice Of magistrates. in waging war or making
peace.
The history Of Florence IL history OF trade
associations and Of the combination OF these
for mutual protection. or OF their dissenslons
when their interests proved divergent. That
the earliest struggles were between the people
and the nobility hardly makes an exception to
this rule for the mobiles really formed a union Of
which war was the trade. II the convenience OF
these predatory landholders and tower builders
could have been brought into harmony with the
interests Of the weavers and cloth fnshers. the
smiths the masons, the merchants, and the men
OF law who lived in the town, there would have
been no war with them. The rule or the city
was to fight for business and TO make peace at
proht As she never lost sight Of this in the
times OF prosperity II Is quite certain that her
method was the same in those years where even
the keen vision Of Signor Viari has failed to
penetrate the obscurity OF the old annals. Free
dom was not the object OF war. But Ii proved 10
be the greatest result. 1t was not freedom IN the
modern sense. that IS OF the individual. IL was
the liberty OF the city as whole from external
domination. or individual liberty. neither the
medieval Florentine nor any other rneo'aeVai
citizen had a clear conception. lie fought iirst
for the liberty Of his city. then for that OF the
trade to which he belonged. This was exempt
fled by the fact that when Florence had no more
to fear from mobiles she fell into the clutches OF
a money lending plutocracy. when she WAS Ut
terly free from external power. the men OF IN
,arior trades found that they were still as far
from equal rights as they had been uhder Lohso-
hard dukes and Frankish counts. The title OF
citizens always remained. as 1t Were privilege
only granted to a minority. As the state became
enlarged by fresh conquests the cluster OF 'iu-
zens monopollzng the government. and already
vary limited in number sank to still smaller
mnortty compared with the cver-increas!ng popu-
lation subject 10 their rule. similarly 10 all
other republicans of the Middle Ages, the floren-
tines were altogether unable To conceive the idea
of a state governed for the general Weiaie'
The greater the wealth Of the ruling minority
the more certain was the ultimate rate OF 'he
system on which the city was buiit up lhere
was a fatal defect in the training OF the peop'e
which made them incapable OF seeing no"
they could evolve modern state OUT OF 'heIr
roed,aeval commune Life had 10 unknit ITSELF
The burgher- oligarchy was suppianted by MON
archy which alternated with something IKE
anarchy. But such was the commercial ap!''uue'
the craftsmanship. the artistic skill OF the r'oi-
entines, that they prospered. and furhisheu All
Eurone with dplomatists and beautifed their
i,,, amid all the vagaries of their politics.
The illustrations Of this volume help the reader
10 realize what the people Gid for their city Inc
narrative is remarkably well connected IN We"
OF the fact that IL is made up OF pieces written
AZ various times by the learned author' Inc
translation is readable, though an Italian idiom
sometimes strikes one forcibly In the MIDST OF
English otherwise unexceptionabe.