5. In "Thaddeus of Warsaw" there is more crying than in any novel I remember to have read.—Thackeray.
6. The heroes of another writer [Cooper] are quite the equals of Scott's men; perhaps Leather-stocking is better than any one in "Scott's lot."—Id.
Use of the superlative degree.
430. The superlative degree of the adjective (or adverb) is used regularly in comparing more than two things, but is also frequently used in comparing only two things.
Examples of superlative with several objects:—
It is a case of which the simplest statement is the strongest.—Macaulay.
Even Dodd himself, who was one of the greatest humbugs who ever lived, would not have had the face.—Thackeray.
To the man who plays well, the highest stakes are paid.—Huxley.
Compare the first three sentences in Sec. 428 with the following:—