The Divine Comedy with Commentary by Cristoforo Landino

In many places he gives such praise. For in Hell, through the mouth of the magnanimous Farinata, he calls it noble; in Paradise, he desires greatly to return to it, calling it the "beautiful fold" original: "bello ovile"; a reference to Dante's hope to return to Florence to receive the poetic laurel. But a fold is a receptacle for the benign. Thus he praises the city; and he praises the people contained within it for both beauty and virtue, and in the canto where he says: Florence within the old circle original: "Fiorenza dentro dalla cerchia antica"; referring to the ancient city walls, from which she still takes the third and ninth hours, she remained in peace, "sober and modest" original: "sobria & pudica". There is no greater praise for a republic than to live in peace. This cannot happen without supreme prudence and justice. And that she lived with these two virtues, which make for perfect temperance.

But let us read, I pray, this whole canto, and we shall understand how wonderfully the good poet excels in these verses: To such a restful state. To so beautiful a life of citizens. To so faithful a citizenry. Landino is paraphrasing Dante’s Paradiso XV. And in the sixteenth [canto] he writes: With these people, and with others with them, I saw Florence in such great repose that she had no cause for tears. With these people I saw your people glorious and just, so much so that the lily was never placed backward on the staff... nor made crimson. A reference to the Florentine coat of arms, the lily, before it was changed by civil strife.

What madness then can be given—or rather, what praise can be taken away from that people—who are just? For such a thing cannot exist without supreme continence; and let them be glorious, since glory cannot be born except from many, excellent, and long-lasting virtues. I leave behind many other places in which, with every kind of magnificent praise, he extols so great a city.

But someone will perhaps say they have read places in which he vituperates to criticize harshly the Florentines. To which I respond: he does not vituperate the Florentines. He, as we have shown elsewhere, calls them sober and tranquil, he calls them glorious and just; for it would be a great levity in such a poet to write repugnant things and ones contrary to themselves. But he vituperates those Florentines who, through ambition and faction, had become unjust, rapacious, cruel, and greedy. In the same way, Sallust Roman historian vituperates Rome by vituperating the ambition and luxury of his times, and the perfidy of Catiline, or Lentulus, or the other conspirators. Or noting with supreme infamy Albius, Calpurnius, Scaurus, or many others. But by praising the ancient Roman discipline, he shows how much these men had degenerated from their progenitors.

Dante, then, vituperates those wicked governors—or rather, robbers—of his people. And those who, in the place of true shepherds of the "beautiful fold," are in fact young men he affirms to be wolves. This we must concede to him, both because he narrates true things, and also because if he hurls a tragic invective against the worst citizens—or rather, impious tyrants—these are like a new Archilochus's An ancient Greek poet famous for his stinging, satirical verses iambic verses made in the form of pestiferous arrows. Nonetheless, in many places, he honorifically exalts many others worthy of true praise and adorns them with perpetual fame. Add also that, having been justly made an exile and rebel by them from his homeland, he deserves excuse if he somewhat exceeds the limit through just indignation.

And this is enough in defense of the poet. Now, in praise of our republic, I will dare to affirm among the first things that she has never degenerated in form from her authors; that she has always shown herself to be a true colony of Roman citizens. For immediately around her beginnings—though these, as happens in all things, may have been meager—nonetheless she laid great foundations of justice and magnanimity. And afterwards, in following times, administered with the best institutions and laws, she first claimed her liberty. Later, loved for her supreme justice and held in great frankness of spirit in avenging injuries, she added many peoples to her empire without wrongdoing.

But so that the many and most egregious virtues of our people may appear more clearly, let us remember that, by the judgment of philosophers, there are only two generations of life among those living according to reason. One is of those who, raising themselves in contemplation, are all given to the investigation of the most excellent disciplines and doctrines; and this is called the contemplative life, signified in the Mosaic doctrine by Rachel, and in the New Testament by Mary. The other is of men who, knowing themselves to have been produced not solely to benefit themselves but others as well, insofar as they extend their own strength, have taken up the care and government of the public. Loving the social and civil life, they live in company; which life is expressed by the Hebrews through the mystery of Leah original: "Lya" and by the first Christians through the active care of Martha original: "Marcha".

Who, then, will be so unjust a judge and estimator who, reviewing our ancient annals, would not confess that there have been innumerable excellent men in the Florentine people in both one and the other life? But because always, in every nation and in every century, there have been more civil men than contemplative ones, look back, I pray you, from the first cradles and from the origin of our city, and we shall see in every age how great has been the abundance of those who, through supreme prudence and sharpness of wit, have known how—and with greatness of soul and true liberty, have been able—and with ardent charity, have wanted—to well counsel and administer the republic.

And because it is a Sallustian sentiment (but born from the intimate sanctuaries of Platonic discipline) that in civil administration it is necessary first to consult well, and after wise counsel, to execute what has already been determined with mature speed. I could speak of the obscurity of our annals; which, because they were written by men more truthful than eloquent, gain faith for their simplicity from those who read them. But by few are they read because of their rough style. Nonetheless, I could bring to light from their obscurity many who, in arduous and ambiguous cases, have imitated the prudence of Numa Pompilius, and of Fabius Maximus, and of the two Catos, of Sertorius, and many others. If these men had not been celebrated by writers, they would be submerged in the same darkness as our own. And certainly, I approve the opinion of those who judge that the Athenians did great things; but the abundance and eloquence of their writers are the reason why they appear much greater. Thus, I do not doubt to affirm that in our people, the style of those who wrote has been more lacking than the matter of those who acted.

But let our oration return to where it began. Our ancestors did not lack prudence; but so that strength may also be known alongside prudence: what time was there ever in which they did not show invincible spirits and supreme confidence in adverse things? The city of Lacedaemon Sparta was universally held to be of frank spirit, as was Carthage; but we see both were surpassed by the Romans. And among the Romans, Julius Caesar had a spirit equal to such great felicity. The two Scipios were frank men, who, manfully opposing Hannibal in Spain, fell. From the same family were two Africani, and in the Aemilian house two Pauli. Without any fear, Marcellus ran to every great undertaking, as did that Gracchus who, with a slave army, conquered the invincible Hannibal. But the Florentine people have always had not just one Farinata, but many at different times.

Nor does it seem to me necessary to investigate particular examples in this, for I intend to show that my entire republic at all times has had an invincible soul. And in every calamity, she has always risen more manfully and more boldly. Florentine liberty was miserably oppressed by Walter Gualtieri di Brienne, the "Duke of Athens," who briefly seized power in Florence in 1342-43, who with false titles wished to be named the Athenian Duke. To him, after many civil discords, the people granted a yearly dictatorship, as to a man esteemed by all to be a true friend; and certainly, that shifty and subtle prince showed no small signs of treachery and injustice. Thus, it was easy to persuade the credulous people that finally, through his authority, he had to settle every civil sedition and bring about true tranquility and firm peace.

But, O true God, how many are the hiding places in human breasts! How hidden are the counsels! With how many simulations are good men deceived by fox-like minds! The wicked Walter, then, with the appearance of a clement shepherd, took the legitimate magistracy committed to his seat, but inside he was a most rapacious wolf. Every power given to him he converted into tyrannical cruelty; and with the favor of his own princes and of the army granted to him, he offended the people with those very arms they had granted him for their defense. And with supreme perfidy, he occupied the tyranny.

But celestial help is not lacking to those who do not fail themselves, and in generous souls, a righteous purpose overcomes every difficulty. The grief for lost liberty appeared universal in all, and not light. But since there was no one ready to make himself duke and guide to all in such a small space of time, various men were chosen by various groups, and at the same time, many conspiracies—none of which knew anything of the others—armed themselves against the tyrant. Armed with impetus, they revealed themselves in such a way that, having killed not a few of his men, he was forced to seek his safety by fleeing. In this magnanimous recovery of liberty, I do not know which is more worthy of admiration: the greatness of soul in daring to assault one who was protected by a great abundance of arms and men, or the faith and silence in which all the conspirators constantly persevered.

But hear this other thing. In the age of our fathers, through a wicked deed or the imprudence of the hired leaders of our armies, the rout of Zagonara A battle in 1424 where Florence was defeated by the Milanese was most unhappy, and no less calamitous to us than the slaughter at Cannae was to the Latins. The men-at-arms were lost. The horses were lost. The baggage was lost. And that which exceeded every loss: the captains were lost, who had been hired shortly before with innumerable money. Whereupon the enemy...