LIFE OF DANTE. XV
In I300 he was chosen chief of the Priors, who at that time possessed the supreme authority in the
state; his colleagues being Palmieri degli Altoviti and Neri di ]acopo degli Alberti. From this
exaltation our poet dated the cause of all his subsequent misfortunes in life.1
In order to show the occasion of Dante's exile, it may be necessary to enter more particularly into
the state of parties at Florence. The city, which had been disturbed by many divisions between the
Guelphs and Ghibellines, at length remained in the power of the former; but after some time these
were again split into two factions. This perverse occurrence originated with the inhabitants of Pistoia,
who, from an unhappy quarrel between two powerful families in that city, were all separated into
parties known by those denominations. With the intention of composing their differences, the
principals on each side were summoned to the city of Florence ; but this measure, instead of remedy
ing the evil, only contributed to increase its virulence, by communicating it to the citizens of Florence
themselves. For the contending parties were so far from being brought to a reconciliation, that each
‘contrived to gain fresh partisans among the Florentines, with whom many of them were closely
connected by the ties of blood and friendship; and who entered into the dispute with such acrimony
and eagerness, that the whole city was soon engaged either on one part or the other, and even brothers
of the same family were divided. It was not long before they passed, by the usual gradations, from
contumely to violence. The factions were now known by the names of the Neri and the Bianchi, the
former generally siding with the Guelphs or adherents of the Papal power, the latter with the Ghibel
lines or those who supported the authority of the emperor. The Neri assembled secretly in the church
of the Holy Trinity, and determined on interceding with Pope Boniface VIII. to send Charles of
Valois to pacify and reform the city. No sooner did this resolution come to the knowledge of the
Bianchi, than, struck with apprehension at the consequences of such a measure, they took arms, and
repaired to the Priors, demanding of them the punishment of their adversaries, for having thus entered
into private deliberations concerning the state, which they represented to have been dune with the view
of expelling them from the city. Those who had met, being alarmed in their turn, had also recourse
to arms, and made their complaints to the Priors. Accusing their opponents of having armed them
selves without any previous public discussion, and affirming that, under various pretexts, they had
sought to drive them out of their country, they demanded that they might be punished as disturbcrs of
the public tranquillity. The dread and danger became general, when, by the advice of Dante, the
Priors called in the multitude to their protection and assistance, and then proceeded to banish the
principals of the two factions, who were these: Corso Donati,’ Geri Spini, Giachonotto dc' Pazzi,
Rosso della Tosa, and others of the Neri party, who were exiled to the Castello della Pieve, in Perugia ;
and of the Bianchi party, who were banished to Serrazana, Gentile and Torrigiano de' Cerchi, Guido
Cavalcanti,3 Baschiera della Tosa, Baldinaccio Adimari, Naldo, son of Lottino Gherardini, and others.
On this occasion Dante was accused of favouring the Bianchi, though he appears to have conducted
himself with impartiality; and the deliberation held by the Neri for introducing Charles of Valois‘
might, perhaps, have justified him in treating that party with yet greater rigour. The suspicion against
him was increased,_when those whom he was accused of favouring were soon after allowed to return
from their banishment, while the sentence passed upon the other faction still remained in full force. To
this Dante replied that when those who had been sent to Serrazana were recalled, he was no longer in
oflice; and that their retum hadbeen permitted on account of the death of Guido Cavalcanti, which
was attributed to the unwholesome air of that place. The partiality which had been shown, however,
afforded a pretext to the Pope-" for dispatching Charles of Valois to Florence, by whose influence a
great reverse was soon produced in the public affairs ; the ex-citizens being restored to their place, and
the whole of the Bianchi party driven into exile. At this juncture Dante was not in Florence, but at
Rome, whither he had a short time before been sent ambassador to the Pope, with the offer of a
voluntary return to peace and amity among the citizens. His enemies had now an opportunity of
revenge, and, during his absence on this pacific mission, proceeded to pass an iniquitous decree of