MITHR1UATES. CORNELIA. 213 



MRS. F. 



The ancients must have been well acquainted with the art 

 of compounding subtile poisons, for we find, for instance, that 

 Mithridates, and other celebrated persons, used to carry poi- 

 sons in their rings; and there is also the story of Cornelia, 

 which, though doubtless much exaggerated, must probably 

 have been founded on fact. 



FREDERICK. 



Which Cornelia, aunt 1 ? 



Of course, I do not mean the mother of the Gracchi, but a 

 Roman lady of that illustrious family, and of the same name, 

 who, with many others, was accused (during the time of an 

 epidemic at Rome) of preparing poisons from which numbers 

 died. When brought before the assembly of the people, the 

 culprits attested that they had only administered salutary 

 remedies; but the slave who had informed against them, de- 

 manded that they should swallow their own potions. His 

 advice was adopted; they drank the poison, and all expired, 

 having thus probably, escaped a more severe and ignomini- 

 ous punishment at the hands of an enraged populace.* 



Then there was also another instance at Rome, in the 

 wicked Tofania. 



MRS. F. 



But none have surpassed in wickedness the infamous 

 Marquise de Brinvilliers and her associates. 



ESTHER. 



That is the person whom Madame de Sevigne mentions in 

 her letters. 



MRS. F. 

 It is. 



* B. C. 331, Biographic Universelle. 



