so important a Point.
Truly, Niece, said Sir Charles, if we never differ in any thing else, I shall be very easy about this slight Matter; tho' I think a young Lady of your fine Sense (for my Son praises you to the Skies for your Wit) should not be so fond of such ridiculous Nonsense as these Story-Books are filled with.
Upon my Word, resumed Arabella, all the Respect I owe you cannot hinder me from telling you, that I take it extremely ill you should, in my Presence, rail at the finest Productions in

the World: I think, we are infinitely obliged to these Authors, who have, in so sublime a Style, delivered down to Posterity the heroic Actions of the bravest Men, and most virtuous of Women: But for the inimitable Pen of the famous Scudery, we had been ignorant of the Lives of many great and illustrious Persons: The warlike Actions of Oroondates, Aronces, Juba, and the renowned Artaban, had, haply, never been talked of in our Age; and those fair and chaste Ladies, who were the Objects of their pure and constant Passions, had still been buried in Obscurity; and neither their divine Beauties, or singular Virtue, been the Subject of our Admiration and Praise. But for the famous Scudery, we had not known the true Cause of that Action of Clelia's, for which the Senate decreed her a Statue; namely, Her casting herself, with an unparalleled Courage, into the Tyber, a deep and rapid River, as you must certainly know, and swimming to the other Side. It was not, as the Roman Historians falsly report, a Stratagem to recover herself, and the other Hostages, from the Power of Porsena; it was to preserve her Honour from Violation by the impious Sextus, who was in the Camp. But for Scudery, we had still thought the inimitable Poetess Sappho to be a loose Wanton, whose Verses breathed nothing but unchaste and irregular Fires: On the contrary, she was so remarkably chaste, that she would never even consent to marry; but, loving Phaon, only with a Platonic Passion, obliged him to restrain his Desires within the Compass of a Brother's Affection. Numberless are the Mistakes he has cleared up of this Kind; and

I question, if any other Historian, but himself, knew that Cleopatra was really married to Julius Caesar; or that Caesario, her Son by this Marriage, was not murdered, as was supposed, by the Order of Augustus, but married the fair Queen of Ethiopia,