y Dante's own testimony.

It is possible that during the latter part of this period Dante wrote
the treatise 'On Monarchy,' in which he set forth his views as to the
government of mankind. To ascertain the date of its composition is both
less easy and less important than in the case of his other long works;
because it contains few personal references, and no indications of the
immediate conditions under which it was written. But it is of importance
not only as an exposition of Dante's political theories and the broad
principles upon which those theories rested, but still more as
exhibiting his high ideals in regard to the order of society and the
government of mankind. Its main doctrine might be called that of ideal
Ghibellinism; and though its arguments are often unsound, and based upon
fanciful propositions and incorrect analogies, though it exhibits the
defects frequent in the reasoning of the time,--a lack of discrimination
in regard to the value of authorities, and no sense of the true nature
of evidence,--yet the spirit with which it is animated is so generous,
and its object of such importance, that it possesses interest alike as
an illustration of Dante's character, and as a monument in the history
of political speculation.

Its purpose was, first, to establish the proposition that the empire, or
supreme universal temporal monarchy, was necessary for the good order of
the world; secondly, that the Roman people had rightfully attained the
dignity of this empire; and thirdly, that the authority thus obtained
was derived immediately from God, and was not dependent on any earthly
agent or vicar of God. The discussion of the first proposition is the
most interesting part of the treatise, for it involves the statement of
Dante's general conception of the end of government and of the true
political order. His argument begins with the striking assertion that
the proper work of the human race, taken as a whole, is to bring into
activity all the possibilities of the intelligence, first to the end of
speculation, and secondly in the application of speculation to action.
He goes on to declare that this can be achieved only in a state of
peace; that peace is only to be secured under the rule of one supreme
monarch; that thus the government of the earth is brought into
correspondence with the Divine government of the universe; and that only
under a universal supreme monarchy can justice be fully established and
complete libe