Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

Sweet and gentle ladies, this day has been devoted, so far as I can see, to the doings of kings and sultans and people of that sort; and therefore, so as not to place too great a distance between us, I want to tell you of a marquis, whose actions, even though things turned out well for him in the end, were remarkable not so much for their munificence as for their senseless brutality. (p. 784)

Which option identifies the context clue that would be most helpful in determining the meaning of the underlined word?

...even though things turned out well for him in the end...
...to the doings of kings and sultans and people of that sort;
...not to place too great a distance between us...
...remarkable not so much for... as for their senseless brutality...