"De Vulgari Eloquentia" is a treatise by Dante Alighieri on the literary dignity and legitimacy of vernacular eloquence; it was written in Latin after the exile, between 1302 and 1305. The treatise was meant to consist of four books, but only the first and half of the second were completed. Dante discusses the historical evolution of languages and the search for an illustrious vernacular. A translation in English is available at https://archive.org/details/translationoflat00dantuoft/page/65/mode/2up . - Summary by Liber