Toynbee "Marco Lombardo"
Lombard (or Venetian) gentleman, placed by D. among the Wrathful in Circle III of Purgatory, [Purg. xvi. 46]; Marco, [Purg. xvi. 130]; lui, [Purg. xvi. 52] [Iracondi]. As D. and Virgil advance through the thick smoke in the Circle of the Wrathful, they hear voices, and D. asks V. if they are the voices of spirits, to which V. replies in the affirmative ([Purg. xvi. 16-24]); one of the voices (that of Marco Lombardo) asks D. and V. who they are, and D. at V.'s bidding addresses the spirit, telling him that he is alive and on his way upward, and asking who he is, and whether they are on the right road ([Purg. xvi. 25-45]); the spirit replies, saying that he was a Lombard, and was called Marco, and then, after telling D. that they are going the right way, he begs D. to pray for him ([Purg. xvi. 46-51]); D. promises to do so, and then expresses to M. his doubt as to the cause of the present corruption of the world, and asks for an explanation ([Purg. xvi. 52-63]); M. thereupon proceeds to discourse at length on the free will and responsibility of man, and on the need for two governments, the spiritual and temporal by the confounding of which great evils have befallen the world ([Purg. xvi. 64-114]); he points to Lombardy as an example of the prevailing corruption, excepting three individuals by name from the general condemnation, viz. Currado da Palazzo, Gherardo da Cammino, and Guido da Castello ([Purg. xvi. 115-129]); D. declares himself satisfied, and then asks who is the Gherardo M. had spoken of ([Purg. xvi. 130-135]); M. expresses surprise that D. should not know of him, but declines to give further information beyond referring to Gherardo's daughter Gaia ([Purg. xvi. 136-140]); he then takes leave of D. and turns back ([Purg. xvi. 141-145]) [Gaia].

The commentators differ as to the meaning of 'Lombardo' as applied to Marco. The most natural inference is that he was so called because he was a native of Lombardy or of Lombard extraction; thus Benvenuto says:

...nota quod iste denominat se a gente, quia fuit de Lombardia inferiori, quae dicitur Marchia Tarvisiana; vel dic et melius, quod denominatus est Lombardus, quia familiariter conversabatur cum dominis Lombardiae tempore suo, inter quos tractabat saepe concordias paces, affinitates, et confoederationes.

It seems to be agreed that he was at any rate domiciled at Venice ('fuit quidam miles curialis de nobili civitate Venetiarum', says Benvenuto); and some commentators assert that he belonged to the Lombardi of Venice, and that 'Lombardo' consequently was his family name; thus Vellutello:

È da intendere che non Lombardo per nazione, ma per cognome, ancor che Lombardo, e gentiluomo Veneziano fosse. . . .Atteso che di questa famiglia da Ca' Lombardo oggi ancora ne sono molti a Vinegia.

In the Cento novelle antiche he is, on the other hand, described (lxxii, ed. Biagi) as 'Marcho lonbardo', i.e. Marco of Lombardy. In the Ottimo Commento it is stated that he frequented Paris and that he was called Lombardo, 'alla guisa francesca parlando', in which case the name would simply mean 'Marco the Italian'. [Lombardo_1.]

Several stories are told of Marco. Benvenuto relates, as an indication of his temperament how, when he had been taken prisoner and a ransom was demanded, he applied to Rizzardo da Cammino for the required sum, and how on learning that Rizzardo was raising contributions from the Lombard nobles, he declared he would sooner die in prison than be under such obligations, whereupon Rizzardo, abashed, paid the whole sum himself:

. . . iste Marcus . . . fuit . . . vir nobilis animi, clarae virtutis, sed facilis irae et indignantis naturae. Audivi autem nobilem indignationem de homine isto, qualis reperitur in nobilibus ingeniis. Nam cum semel esset captus, et imposita sibi immensa tallia ultra posse, misit per nuntium suum ad dominum Rizardum de Camino, tunc dominum Tarvisii, rogans suppliciter, quod non permitteret eum mori in angustia carcerali. Qui misertus indignae sorti amici statim scripsit multis dominis lombardis, in quorum curiis Marcus erat solit us conversari, quod deberent conferre redemptioni eius liberaliter. Quo audito Marcus magnanimiter indignatus, remisit continuo nuntium ad dominum Rizardum, dicens, quod volebat potius mori in captivitate quano esse servus tot et tantorum. Tunc dominus Rizardus pudore confusus, damnans vilitatem suam, solvit de propria pecunia summam, et liberavit Marcum.

Buti makes special mention of his liberality:

Fu omo molto saputo et ebbe molto le virtù politiche e fu cortesissimo, donando ai nobili poveri omini ciò che lui guadagnava, e guadagnava molto, però ch'era omo di corte, e per la virtù sua era molto amato e donatoli molto dai signori; e come elli dava a chi avea bisogno, così prestava a chi lo richiedeva. Unde venendo a morte et avendo molto a ricevere, fece testamento, e fra li altri indizi fece questo, cioè che chiunqua avesse del suo tenesse, e nessuno fusse tenuto a rendere, dicendo: Chi à si tenga.

Villani tells a story of how Marco foretold his misfortunes to Count Ugolino, who was then at the height of his power and prosperity:

. . . avvenne al conte Ugolino quello che di poco dinanzi gli avea profetato uno savio e valente uomo di corte, chiamato Marco Lombardo, che quando il conte fu al tutto chiamato signore di Pisa, e quando era in maggiore stato e felicità, fece per lo giorno di sua natività una ricca festa, ov'ebbe i figliuoli, e' nipoti e tutto suo lignaggio e parenti uomini e donne, con grande pompa di vestimenti e d'arredi, e apparecchiamento di ricca festa. Il conte prese il detto Marco, e vennegli mostrando tutta sua grandezza e potenzia, e apparecchiamento della detta festa, e ciò fatto, il domandò: Marco, che te ne pare? Il savio gli rispuose subito, e disse: Voi sete meglio apparecchiato a ricevere la mala meccianza, che barone d'Italia. E il conte temendo della paroia di Marco, disse: Perchè? E Marco rispuose: Perchè non vi falla altro che l'ira d'Iddio. E certo l'ira di Dio tosto gli sopravvenne. (Villani. vii. 121.)

[For a discussion of the identity of this Marco, see F. Filippini, Il Marco Lombardo dantesco (Bologna, 1924) and the review in SD, x (1925), 146-147; see also G. Zaccagnini, 'Personaggi danteschi', GD, xxvi (1923), 8-11. Zaccagnini cites a document, dated Jan. 5 1267, of the Archivio di Stato di Bologna in which a 'dominus Marchus lombardus' is mentioned, he holds that Marco was born in the Marca Trevigiana, which was at the time considered a part of 'lower Lombardy', and that the designation lombardo was thus derived.]

©Oxford University Press 1968. From A Dictionary of Proper Names and Notable Matters in the Works of Dante by Paget Toynbee (1968) by permission of Oxford University Press