The name is absent

82 Dante Sexcentenary Lectures

Guelfs_j the latter, the White Guelfs, eventually throwing in
their lot with the Ghibellines.

The commencement of actual hostilities in Florence be-
tween the Blacks and the Whites was due to a street brawl
on the evening of May-day in the year 1300, scarcely
more than a month before the beginning of Dante’s prior-
ate, between some of these same Cerchi and Donati. Two
parties of young men on horseback, belonging to either side,
while looking on at a dance began hustling each other. This
soon led to serious fighting, during which one of the Cerchi
had his nose cut off. From this time onward violent out-
breaks between the two parties became frequent. It was
in the midst of this electric atmosphere that Dante, who
belonged to the more moderate of the two parties, the
Whites, was elevated to the priorate.

At this point Pope Boniface began to interfere in the
internal affairs of Florence, as many of his predecessors had
done before him. His right to interfere he based on a
general claim of papal supremacy over all Christian
peoples and kingdoms, and upon a special claim of temporal
authority. For, according to him, there was an Imperial
interregnum inasmuch as he had not yet recognized the new
king of Germany, Albert of Hapsburg. Furthermore, cer-
tain Guelfs of Florence, fearing lest the increasing conflicts
between the Blacks and the Whites might encourage the
revival of the Ghibelline party, had asked the Pope to in-
terfere as a mediator. Accordingly Boniface-sent a cardinal,
Matteo d’ Acquasparta, to act as peacemaker. He was in-
structed to follow the traditional papal policy of keeping
the two parties evenly balanced so that the Pope might
easily hold control. The cardinal, therefore, on arrival de-
manded that the offices of government be divided between
the Blacks and the Whites, half to one party and half to

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