DANTE ALIGHIERI _BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL: Rivingtons, 1898. (‘_The Books of the Bible._’) CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES: Rivingtons, 1900; 2nd Edn. (4th Impression) 1913. (‘_Oxford Church Textbooks._’) ASPECTS OF THE ATONEMENT: Rivingtons, 1904. CHRIST AND OUR IDEALS: Rivingtons, 1906. DANTE AND HIS ITALY: Methuen, 1907. ¹THE MOHAMMEDAN GOSPEL OF BARNABAS: Clarendon Press, 1907. THE CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES: Rivingtons, 1909. (‘_The Church Universal._’) THE BOOK OF BOOKS: Edward Arnold, 1910. MEMOIR OF CHARLES EDWARD WICKHAM: Edward Arnold, 1911. ¹THINGS SEEN IN VENICE: Seeley, 1913. ¹VENICE: A. and C. Black, 1914. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE: Methuen, 1922. (_Westminster Commentaries._) ¹ In collaboration with Mrs. Lonsdale Ragg. [Illustration: INAUGURATION OF DANTE’S STATUE, FLORENCE, 1865. (See pp. IX., 19 and 165)] DANTE ALIGHIERI APOSTLE OF FREEDOM War-Time and Peace-Time Essays By LONSDALE RAGG, B.D. CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD PREBENDARY OF LINCOLN, MEMBER OF THE SOCIETÀ DANTESCA ITALIANA _Author of “Dante and His Italy.”_ LONDON ARTHUR H. STOCKWELL 29 LUDGATE HILL, E.C. 4 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY WHITFELD & NEWMAN, LTD., DEVONPORT DEDICATED BY PERMISSION TO THE DOTTORESSA MARIA MONTESSORI A TRUE APOSTLE OF FREEDOM IN THE EDUCATIONAL SPHERE Tu m’ hai di servo tratto a libertate. —_Par._ xxxi. 85. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE AUTHOR’S PREFACE ix PROLOGUE: DANTE, APOSTLE OF LOVE 1 I. DANTE AND THE REDEMPTION OF ITALY 10 II. DANTE AND POLITICAL LIBERTY 24 III. WIT AND HUMOUR IN DANTE 41 IV. DANTE AND MEDIAEVAL THOUGHT 72 V. DANTE AND EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES 83 VI. DANTE AND ISLAM 118 VII. DANTE AND THE CASENTINO 137 VIII. THE LAST CRUSADE 151 APPENDIX I—ANTONIO MASCHIO AND THE CELEBRATION OF 1865 165 APPENDIX II—DANTE AND THE POPE 168 APPENDIX III—DANTE THE POET 171 INDEX 175 AUTHOR’S PREFACE