Commentary Inf XXVI 8-12

The passage about Prato has caused two interpretive problems: (1) Does it refer to the anger felt by Cardinal Niccolò da Prato when he failed to bring peace between the warring Florentine factions in 1304 or to the rebellion of the town of Prato in 1309, when Florence's small neighbor cast out its Black Guelphs? (2) Is Dante heartened or heart-sick as he contemplates this 'future' event?

It was only in the eighteenth century that a commentator suggested a reference to the cardinal (DDP Venturi.Inf.XXVI.9). Further, since the second event was probably roughly contemporaneous to the writing of this canto, it seems likely that Dante would have enjoyed having so recent a piece of news as confirmation of his 'prophecy.' As to his emotions, it seems more reasonable to reflect that Dante is admitting that he will only be happy once the power of the Black Guelphs of Florence is destroyed; he is in pain as he awaits that liberation. In other words, this is not an expression of sadness for the city's coming tribulations, but a desire to see them come to pass -- and that is the common view of the early commentators. As Poletto was perhaps the first commentator to note (in 1894), the passage is very like one found in one of Dante's 'political epistles' (Epist.VI.17), when he hopes that the invading forces of Emperor Henry VII will liberate the city. As Chiavacci Leonardi observes (Chia.1991.1), p. 794, according to the chronicle of Giovanni Villani, news of Henry's election in 1308 was causing excited imperialist hopes all through Italy in 1309.