Commentary Par XVII 91-93

It is difficult to see how this blank 'prophecy' of the things that will be accomplished by Cangrande, imperial vicar that he was and insisted on being even after Henry's death, is anything but 'imperial' in nature.  (Henry, betrayed by Pope Clement V in 1312, is referred to a few lines ago [[Par XVII 82]]).  See Di Scipio's (Disc.1983.1) convincing attack on Passerin D'Entrèves (Pass.1955.1) for denying Dante's significant involvement with imperial ideas (in favor of religious orthodoxy), a position that simply fails to account for such clearly political (and imperial) passages as these.

It seems likely that Dante's optimism about Cangrande's future deeds is more the result of desperation than hope.  Here was a man who had decided, upon precious little evidence, when he was writing the fourth book of Convivio, that the Roman Empire would be active once more.  Within a decade an emperor comes down to Italy and behaves like the new Charlemagne, as far as Dante is concerned.  One can only imagine (but the edgy tone of his second epistle to the emperor tells us a great deal about his growing disillusionment) the bitterness he felt once Henry had died in 1313.  And now, some four or five years later, here he is, shouting at the top of his lungs, 'The emperor is dead, long live the emperor!'  He had, with little in the way of hard evidence, simply decided that Rome must rise again.  And events made him correct.  If Italy had not been ready for Henry (see [Par XXX 137-138]), it would have to be ready for what Cangrande would do to clear the path for the next emperor.  It may not be excessive to suggest that Dante felt as 'keyed in' to the political events of his day, even before they occurred, as Fyodor Dostoyevski felt himself endowed with prescience about those of his time.

Carolyn Calvert Phipps (in a seminar in 1980) pointed out that there is a possible dependence here on the prophetic book referred to in the Apocalypse (10:4): 'Signa quae locuta sunt septem tonitrua: et noli ea scribere' (Seal up those things which the seven thunders said and write them not).  This is the instruction given John by the angel who brings him God's prophetic book for him to ingest.  What makes Professor Phipps's observation particularly worthy of study is that there may be another possible visitation of the tenth chapter of the Apocalypse in this canto; see C.Par.XVII.130-132.  It may also be true that the continuation of this passage (10:9-10) may have offered Dante a model for Beatrice's eating his heart in the dream recorded in V.N.III.6.

For an unusual response to this unexpressed prophecy, see Jacopo della Lana (DDP Lana.Par.XVII.91-93), who thinks Dante is holding back positive predictions just in case Cangrande lost his appreciation for this poem, as well as for its maker, and failed to give him the reward he expected.