I am sorry, resumed Arabella, blushing with anger, that we are like to differ in opinion upon 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; though 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, sir, 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 falsely 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 Cæsar; or that Cæsario, her son by this marriage, was not murdered, as was supposed, by the order of Augustus, but married the fair queen of Ethiopia, in whose dominions he took refuge. The prodigious acts of valour, which he has recounted of those accomplished princes, have never been equalled by the heroes of either the Greek or Roman historians. How poor and insignificant are the actions of their warriors to Scudery's, where one of those admirable heroes would put whole armies into terror, and with his single arm oppose a legion!
Indeed, niece, said Sir Charles, no longer able to forbear interrupting her, these are all very improbable tales. I remember, when I was a boy, I was very fond of reading the history of Jack the Giant Killer, and Tom Thumb; and these stories so filled my head, that I really thought one of those little heroes killed men an hundred feet high; and that the other, after a great many surprising exploits, was swallowed up by a cow.
You was very young, sir, you say, interrupted Arabella tartly, when those stories gained your belief: however, your judgment was certainly younger, if you ever believed them at all; for as credulous as you are pleased to think me, I should never, at any age, have been persuaded such things could have happened.
My father, madam, said Glanville, who was strangely confused all this time, bore arms in his youth; and soldiers, you know, never trouble themselves much with reading.
Has my uncle been a soldier, said Arabella, and does he hold in contempt the actions of the bravest soldiers in the world?
The soldiers you speak of, niece, said Sir Charles, were indeed the bravest soldiers in the world; for I don't believe they ever had their equals.
And yet, sir, said Arabella, there are a great number of such soldiers to be found in Scudery.
Indeed, my dear niece, interrupted Sir Charles, they are to be found nowhere else, except in your imagination, which, I am sorry to see, is filled with such whimsies.