Toynbee "Forese"

Forese Donati, who was nicknamed Bicci Novello, was a contemporary and friend of D.; he died on July 28 (a few days after his father Simone), 1296; his friendship with D. is attested not only by the references to their intimacy in the D.C., but also by the fact that they engaged in a poetical correspondence or tenzone (written probably between 1293 and 1296), consisting of six sonnets, Rime lxxiii to Rime lxxvii (three addressed by D. to Forese, and three of his in reply), in which they both indulged in personalities, not always, apparently, goodnatured. In two of these sonnets D. makes direct allusion to Forese's gluttonous propensities; one (Rime lxxvii) begins:

Bicci novel, figliuol di non so cui,
s'i' non ne domandasse monna Tessa,
giù per la gola tanta roba hai messa,
ch'a forza ti convien torre l'altrui.

In another (Rime lxxiii) he commiserates with Forese's wife on account of her spouse's irregular habits, speaking of her as

. . . la mal fatata moglie di Bicci vocato Forese, . . .

Forese retorted by making reflections upon D.'s father, and implying, apparently, that the latter was a coward.

[See I. Del Lungo, 'La tenzone di Dante con Forese Donati', in DtD, pp. 437-461; see also the commentary in Rime, edited by G. Contini (Torino, 1946), pp. 91 ff.; and Rime della 'Vita Nuova' e della giovinezza, edited by M. Barbi and F. Wiaggini (Firenze, 1956), pp. 275-373.]

The Anonimo Fiorentino, who refers to this tenzone, says of Forese:

. . . questa anima si fu Forese fratello di messere Corso Donati da Firenze, il quale fu molto corrotto nel vizio della gola, et nella prima vita fu molto dimestico dell' Auttore, per la qual dimestichezza egli fece festa a Dante; et molti sonetti et cose in rima scrisse l'uno all'altro; et fra gli altri l'Auttore, riprendendolo di questo vizio della gola, gli scrisse uno sonetto in questa forma:

Ben ti faranno il nodo Salomone,
Bicci novello, i petti delle starne,
Ma peggio fia la lonza del castrone,
Che 'l cuojo farà vendetta della carne . . .

Questo Forese Donati fu chiamato per sopra nome Bicci.

Benvenuto says of him:

Iste fuit quidam concivis suus, nomine Foresius, natione florentinus, genere nobilis, frater famosi militis Cursii de Donatis, amicus et affinis llostri poetae, cum quo vixerat ad tempus familiariter. Et quia noverat eum multum laborasse vitio gulae, licet esset aliter vir bonus, ideo introducit eum hic ita maceratum.

While D. is looking with wonder at the wasted forms of the spirits in Circle VI of Purgatory, one of them calls out, expressing surprise at seeing D. ([Purg. xxiii. 37-42]); D. recognizes by the voice, the face being unrecognizable by reason of its extreme emaciation, that it is Forese ([Purg. xxiii. 43-48]); F., begging D. not to heed his appearance, asks how he comes to be there, and who are the two with him ([Purg. xxiii. 49-54]); D. rejoins that the sight of F.'s face now grieves him as much as did the sight of it when he wept over it at his death ([Purg. xxiii. 55-57]); he then inquires the cause of F.'s condition, and of that of his companions ([Purg. xxiii. 58-60]); F. explains that they are expiating the sin of gluttony, their emaciation being due to the longing caused by the scent of apples and of water which they are not permitted to taste ([Purg. xxiii. 61-75]); D. asks how it is that F. is already in that Circle of Purgatory instead of being still in Ante-Purgatory ([Purg. iv. 130] ff.), seeing that he had put off repentance to the last and had not yet been five years dead ([Purg. xxiii. 76-84]/); F. replies that it was owing to the intercession of his widow Nella ([Purg. xxiii. 85-90]), whose goodness he contrasts with the shameless doings of the other women of Florence ([Purg. xxiii. 91-105]); after prophesying a speedy vengeance on the latter, he once more begs D. to explain how he comes to be there with his mortal body ([Purg. xxiii. 106-114]); D. relates how he had been turned from his former evil way of life by Virgil, who had conducted him through Hell, and is leading him up to the Terrestrial Paradise, where his place is to be taken by Beatrice ([Purg. xxiii. 115-129]); he explains that his other companion (Statius) is he whose liberation from Purgatory had caused the trembling of the mountain ([Purg. xx. 127] ff.) shortly before ([Purg. xx. 130-133]); he adds that S. is delaying his ascent in order to keep Virgil company ([Purg. xxiv. 8-9]); in answer to D.'s inquiry for Piccarda, F. informs him that she is already in Paradise ([Purg. xx. 10-15]), and he then points out to D. several of his fellow sinners ([Purg. xx. 16-25]); after some conversation between D. and Bonagiunta of Lucca, F. asks when he will see D. again ([Purg. xx. 73-75]); D. replies that he knows not how long he has yet to live, but that the end cannot come too speedily for him, seeing that the condition of Florence is daily growing more evil ([Purg. xx. 76-81]); F. then prophesies the approaching death of Corso Donati, who was 'the most to blame' for the miserable state of Florence, and takes leave of D. ([Purg. xx. 82-93]).