[47] Purg. xi. 98.
[48] Purg. xxiv. 52.
[49] The date of the Convito is still the subject of controversy, as is that of most of Dante’s works. But it certainly was composed between the Vita Nuova and the Comedy.
There is a remarkable sonnet by Guido Cavalcanti addressed to Dante, reproaching him for the deterioration in his thoughts and habits, and urging him to rid himself of the woman who has bred the trouble. This may refer to the time after the death of Beatrice. See also Purg. xxx. 124.
[50] Convito ii. 13.
[51] Some recent writers set his marriage five years later, and reduce the number of his children to three.
[52] His sister is probably meant by the ‘young and gentle lady, most nearly related to him by blood’ mentioned in the Vita Nuova.
[53] The difference between the Teutonic and Southern conception of marriage must be kept in mind.
[54] He describes the weather on the day of the battle with the exactness of one who had been there (Purg. v. 155).
[55] Leonardo Bruni.