Sophia [Freelove], daughter of the Widow Warren by her first husband. She is a lovely, innocent girl, passionately attached to Harry Dornton, the baker’s son, to whom ultimately she is married.--T. Holcroft, The Road to Ruin (1792).
Sophia [Primrose], the younger daughter of the vicar of Wakefield; soft, modest, and alluring. Being thrown from her horse into a deep stream, she was rescued by Sir William Thornhill alias Mr. Burchell. Being abducted, she was again rescued by him, and finally married him.--Goldsmith, Vicar of Wakefield (1766).
Sophia [Sprightly], a young lady of high spirits and up to fun. Tukely loves her sincerely, and knowing her partiality for the Hon. Mr. Daffodil, exposes him as a “male coquette,” of mean spirit and without manly courage; after which she rejects him with scorn, and gives her hand and heart to Tukely.--Garrick, The Male Coquette (1758).
Sophonis´ba, daughter of Asdrubal, and reared to detest Rome. She was affianced to Masinissa, king of the Numidians, but married Syphax. In B.C. 203 she fell into the hands of Lelius and Masinissa, and, to prevent being made a captive, married the Numidian prince. This subject and that of Cleopatra have furnished more dramas than any other whatsoever.
French: J. Mairet, Sophonisbe (1630); Pierre Corneille; Lagrange-Chancel; rewritten by Voltaire. Italian: Trissino (1514); Alfieri (1749-1863). English: John Marston, The Wonder of Women, or the Tragedy of Sophonisba (1605); James Thomson, Sophonisba (1729).
(In Thomson’s tragedy occurs the line, “Oh, Sophonisba! Sophonisba, oh!” and a wit set all the town laughing with “Oh, Jemmy Thomson! Jemmy Thomson, oh!”)
Sophronia, a young lady who was taught Greek, and to hate men who were not scholars. Her wisdom taught her to gauge the wisdom of her suitors, and to discover their shortcomings. She never found one up to the mark, and now she is wrinkled with age, and talks about the “beauties of the mind.”--Goldsmith, A Citizen of the World, xxviii. (1759).
Sophronia. (See Sofronia.)
Sophros´yne (4 syl.), one of Logistilla’s handmaids, noted for her purity. Sophrosynê was sent with Andronīca to conduct Astolpho safely from India to Arabia.--Ariosto, Orlando Furioso (1516).
Sophy, the eldest of a large family. She is engaged to Traddles, and is always spoken of by him as “the dearest girl in the world.”--C. Dickens, David Copperfield (1849).