text:  One of the most delightful and instructive species of composition was created; which unites the learning of the historian with the fancy of the poet; which discards from human annals their years of tedium and brings prominently forward their eras of interest; which teaches morality by example and conveys information by giving pleasure; and which combining the charms of imagination with the treasures of research founds the ideal upon its only solid and durable basis--the real