Historical Background of Dante 79
the capacities of a man of action. It was not only natural,
therefore, it was almost inevitable, that Dante should have
been drawn toward the political life of Florence, and that,
once in, he should have taken the life seriously. He evi-
dently went in with his whole soul, and with his whole soul
he felt the injustice of the treatment meted out to him.
This experience embittered his whole life and tinged every-
thing he wrote thereafter.
As soon as Dante had reached the age of thirty, at which
age, by Florentine law, he was first entitled to exercise the
full right of citizenship, he qualified for the higher offices
in the government by enrolling himself in the Guild of
Physicians and Apothecaries. Dante’s choice of this guild
is probably explained by the fact that books were also in-
cluded among the wares dealt in by apothecaries, and by
the fact that to this guild were attached those who prac-
tised the art of painting, an art which seems to have had
special attractions for Dante. After this step, taken appar-
ently early in 1295, until his exile six years later, Dante
took an active interest in public affairs. It is clear that he
took part in discussions in the public assemblies, and his
votes on a number of important questions have been pre-
served. His ability was recognized, for, in 1300, we find
him selected to act as ambassador to a neighboring town,
San Gemignano, on a mission of considerable importance.
Within a week or two of his return Dante was elected to
serve as one of the six priors for the two months from
the fifteenth of June to the fifteenth of August, this being
at the time the highest office in the republic of Florence.
Of this election Dante himself in after years wrote: “All
my woes and all my misfortunes had their origin and com-
mencement with my unlucky election to the priorate; of
which priorate, although I was not worthy in respect of