GREAT FLORENTINES. 279 



Florence, or even Italy. The paintings upon the 

 ceilings were done by the great Angelo. Here 

 Napoleon I. and Sir Walter Scott have been guests. 

 Mr. McDougall had a hard struggle to gain a foothold, 

 and had in the origin of his mission to venture by 

 faith, single-handed ; his efforts have been successful, 

 and his mission is now one of the permanent institu- 

 tions of this retined and beautiful city, this birthplace 

 of so many distinguished men. 



We visited Santa Croce, the Westminster Abbey of 

 Florence, where we saw the tombs of Machiavelli, 

 Michael Angelo, Galileo, and Dante, though, strictly 

 speaking, this last of the four is not a tomb, for 

 Ravenna, where he died, retains the sacred dust of this 

 great Florentine. There the inscription is "Hie 

 claudor Dantes, patriis extorris ab OTIS." " Here am 

 I, Dante, laid, shut out from my native shores." Poor 

 Dante ! May we not rather say, after all, poor Floren- 

 tines of that day, who could not appreciate this noble 

 soul. Banished ! Driven out by a political party who 

 had outnumbered and outwitted him, his property 

 confiscated; an awful decree pursuing him day by 

 day, " Wheresoever caught to be burnt alive." When 

 afterward the magistrates tried to induce him to 

 return, on condition of his apologising and paying a 



