Dante Alighieri, his life and works . stwo sons, Pietro and Jacopo. Bellincione, the son of Alighiero, had four sons, ofwhom the eldest, Alighiero, was Dantes father; theyoungest, Brunetto, took part in the battle of Montaperti,where he was in charge of the Florentine Carroccio. That Dante was born in Florence we know from hisown statements several times repeated in his works, themost explicit of which occurs in the Divina Comviedia ^where he says : I was born and bred up in the great cityon the fair river Arno . We know from himself too that,like his ancestor Cacciaguida, he was baptized in t
Dante Alighieri, his life and works . stwo sons, Pietro and Jacopo. Bellincione, the son of Alighiero, had four sons, ofwhom the eldest, Alighiero, was Dantes father; theyoungest, Brunetto, took part in the battle of Montaperti,where he was in charge of the Florentine Carroccio. That Dante was born in Florence we know from hisown statements several times repeated in his works, themost explicit of which occurs in the Divina Comviedia ^where he says : I was born and bred up in the great cityon the fair river Arno . We know from himself too that,like his ancestor Cacciaguida, he was baptized in theancient Baptistery of San Giovanni.* Years afterwards,he tells us,* he was instrumental in breaking tlie-fe»t for The record of this act is still preserved (see Dante Dictionary, Bello, Geri del). ^Inferno, xxiii. 94-5. In the Convivio (i. 3, 11. 21-5), he speaksof that most beautiful and most famous daughter of Rome, Florence,where I was born and bred up until the climax of my life - Paradiso, xxv. 8-g. * Inferno, xix. BAPTISTERY OF SAN GIOVANNI AT FLORENCE BEATRICE PORTINARI 43 the purpose of rescuing from suffocation a small boy ^ whohad fallen into one of the circular spaces at the side, wherethe officiating priest stood during baptisms in order toescape the pressure of the crowd.^ Of the history of Dantes early years we know little be-yond the episode of his love for Beatrice, which is narratedin the Vita Nuova. Dante says that he first sawBeatrice when she was at the beginning of her ninth year,and he had nearly completed his ninth year, that is to sayin the spring of 1274. Her dress on that day, henarrates, was of a most noble colour, a subdued andgoodly crimson, girdled and adorned in such sort asbest suited her very tender age. At the moment whenhe saw her Dantes heart was possessed by a passionatelove for her, which from that time forward, he declares,completely mastered his soul. Boccaccio, who probablyhad the information from one of the Portinari fami
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