Word Entry #3- "Passages from Essays and Letters"

1. "I think if the novel is to give us virtue the selection of hope and courage is rather arbitrary- why not charity, peace, patience, joy, benignity, long suffering and fear of the Lord?" (336)
2. I have never read a sentence with the work "benignity" but I guess it means something positive. Reading the review that was published in 1961, I believe the word has a positive influence towards the sentence. It is right after the words patience and joy.
3. Benignity (noun): a good deed or favor; an instance of kindness (Dictionary.com)
4. My guess was correct, the word is used in this sentence in a positive way. I am sure the writer was trying to search our for a different prospective.