Evening star., 1928-04-01
Frangipani, OF whom popular envy had

Transplant. OF whom popular envy had
written:
"Colonna, Orsini Frangipani
prendono oggie pagano domain
that Is. THE Colonna, the Orsini and
the Frangipani take today and pay to-
morrow" Alighieri was passionate
and irritable lad, with all the heat Of
Italy In his blood. Add that he was
given to moods and solitary brooding
and 1t is evident that Nature meant
him for romance, for suffering and for
tragic verse.
See him. aged Q. at a party, trying to
hide In the midst Of q multitude, con-
scious of every limb on his body and Of
every eye and mind in the room, wincing
at the thought that such man Is
stronger and such girl too beautiful to
mari is before him-only girl of g. but
at once he Is In love with her. to the
full depths Of his boyish SOUL with n
love too young to think OF the flesh and
only mature enough to be flooded with
devotion. AT that instant / say truly
that the spirit Of life. which dwells in
the most secret chamber OF the heart,
began to tremble with such violence
that 1t appeared fearfully in the least
pulses, and trembling, said these words:
Behold God stronger than /, who,
coming shall rule over meI" So he
writes, years later, In an idealized ac-
count. for nothing is ever so sweet in
our memories ms first love. And then
he goes on:
My soul was wholly given over to
the thought of this most gentle lady.
whereby in brief time fell into so
frail and feeble condition that my
appearance was grievous to many OF
my friends. y" And many sought
to know from me that which
wished to conceal. But I, perceiving
their questioning. answered that It
was Love that had brought me to
this pass. spoke Of Love because
bore on my face so many of his
signs that this could not be con-
cealed. But when they asked me,
For whom has Love thus wasted
thee?" I, smiling, looked at them
and said nothing.
Cruel critics have doubted Beatrice's
existence: agnosticism Is the fashion
in history. But Boccaccio, writing
soon after Dantes death, tells us that
Beatrice bacame the wife of Simone
Del Bardi and died in her twenty
fourth year; that Dante married Gerrna
del Donai and had with her four chill
orcn and many quarrels, unable to for
get the face OF the girl who had died
before time could efface her beauty or
realized desire could dull the edge of
IMAGINATION. For. says Boccaccio. he
had received the image of her into
his heart with such affection .
never. so long as he lived, did 1t depart
therefrom,"
But time has 1t way. and Dante. now
grown to voting age. plunged into the
whirlpool OF politics He joined the
Whites against the Blacks and the sup
porters OF the Emperor against the
rope. In 1900 for three months he was
once OF the seven members of the COM
that governed Florence. Then.
as quickly as he had risen. he was
overthrown; the Blacks, with the help
OF Pope Boniface VIII, overcame the
Whites, and Dante, with his fellow
commissioners. was sent into indefinite
exile, while their property was confis-
Gated and sold.
For years he wandered in poverty
deserted by his family and his friends,
who found his stern and implacable
spirit uncomfortable company. He call
ed upon the Emperor to invade Italy
and avenge the trickery OF the Pope
and wrote an impassioned argument.
DE Monarchia," for the temporal SOW
ereignty OF the King: Without mon
archy there is no unity. without unity
there Is no peace. without peace there Is
no civilization, Instead OF asking par
don he wrote TO the Florentines that
the Emperor would soon come down
and revenge the exiles against the In
gratitude of their city. But the En-
peror did not come.
After Is years Of exile he received
intimation that II he would pay fne
and undergo the humiliat!ng ceremony
of "oblation" at the altar as re-
leased prisoner he might be reinstated