v. 33.  Who pretend its power.] The Ghibellines.

v. 33.  And who oppose ] The Guelphs.

v. 34.  Pallas died.] See Virgil, Aen. 1.  X.

v. 39.  The rival three.] The Horatii and Curiatii.

v. 41.  Down.] “From the rape of the Sabine women to the violation of Lucretia.” v. 47.  Quintius.] Quintius Cincinnatus.

E Cincinnato dall’ inculta chioma. 
Petrarca.

v. 50.  Arab hordes.] The Arabians seem to be put for the barbarians in general.

v. 54.  That hill.] The city of Fesulae, which was sacked by the Romans after the defeat of Cataline.

v. 56.  Near the hour.] Near the time of our Saviour’s birth.

v. 59.  What then it wrought.] In the following fifteen lines the Poet has comprised the exploits of Julius Caesar.

v. 75.  In its next bearer’s gripe.] With Augustus Caesar.

v. 89.  The third Caesar.] “Tiberius the third of the Caesars, had it in his power to surpass the glory of all who either preceded or came after him, by destroying the city of .Jerusalem, as Titus afterwards did, and thus revenging the cause of God himself on the Jews.”

v. 95.  Vengeance for vengeance ] This will be afterwards explained by the Poet himself. v. 98.  Charlemagne.] Dante could not be ignorant that the reign of Justinian was long prior to that of Charlemagne; but the spirit of the former emperor is represented, both in this instance and in what follows, as conscious of the events that had taken place after his own time.

v. 104.  The yellow lilies.] The French ensign.

v. 110.  Charles.] The commentators explain this to mean Charles ii, king of Naples and Sicily.  Is it not more likely to allude to Charles of Valois, son of Philip iii of France, who was sent for, about this time, into Italy by Pope Boniface, with the promise of being made emperor?  See G. Villani, 1. viii. c. 42.

v. 131.  Romeo’s light.] The story of Romeo is involved in some uncertainty.  The French writers assert the continuance of his ministerial office even after the decease of his soverign Raymond Berenger, count of Provence:  and they rest this assertion chiefly on the fact of a certain Romieu de Villeneuve, who was the contemporary of that prince, having left large possessions behind him, as appears by his will, preserved in the archives of the bishopric of Venice.  There might however have been more than one person of the name of Romieu, or Romeo which answers to that of Palmer in our language.  Nor is it probable that the Italians, who lived so near the time, were misinformed in an occurrence of such notoriety.  According to them, after he had long been a faithful steward to Raymond, when an account was required from him of the revenues whichhe had carefully husbanded, and his master as lavishly disbursed, “He demanded the little mule, the staff, and the scrip, with which he had first entered into the count’s service, a stranger pilgrim from the shrine of St. James in Galicia, and parted as he came; nor was it ever known whence he was or wither he went.”  G. Villani, 1. vi. c. 92.