e gay Canon
of Liege is exchanged in Dino for a manly patriotism, a love of civic
freedom, of justice, of religion. In his quiet way he is a great artist.
There is an Herodotean picturesqueness as well as an Herodotean
simplicity in such a picture as that of Dante's first battle-field, the
Florentine victory of Campaldino:--

"On the appointed day the men of Florence advanced their
standards to go into the enemies' land, and passed by
Casentino along an ill road where, had the enemy found them,
they had received no little damage; but such was not the will
of God. And they came near to Bibbiena, at a place called
Campaldino where was the enemy, and there they halted in array
of battle. The captains of war sent the light-armed foot to
the front; and each man's shield, with a red lily on a white
ground, was stretched out well before him. Then the Bishop,
who was short-sighted, asked, 'Those there: what walls be
they?' They answered him, 'The shields of the enemy.' Messer
Barone de' Mangiadori da San Miniato, a chevalier frank and
well skilled in deeds of arms, gathered his men-at-arms
together and said to them, 'My masters, in Tuscan wars men
were wont to conquer by making a stout onset, and that lasted
but a while, and few men died, for it was not in use to kill.
Now is the fashion changed, and men conquer by holding their
ground stoutly, wherefore I counsel you that ye stand firm and
let them assault you.' And so they settled to do. The men of
Arezzo made their onset with such vigour and so great force
that the body of the Florentines fell back not a little. The
fight was hard and keen. Messer Corso Donati with a brigade of
the men of Pistoja charged the enemy in flank; the quarrels
from the crossbows poured down like rain; the men of Arezzo
had few of them, and were withal charged in flank where they
were exposed; the air was covered with clouds, and there was a
very great dust. Then the footmen of Arezzo set themselves to
creep under the bellies of the horses, knife in hand, and
disembowelled them, and some of them penetrated so far that in
the very midst of the battalion were many dead of either part.
Many that were counted of great prowess were shown vile that
day, and many of whom none spoke word won honour.... The men
of Arezzo were broken, not by cow