Hypatia - or New Foes with an Old Face

ia's favourite maid entered her cha

er the wall opposite. She frightened us all out of our senses last eveni

what

with you. Not that I care for her;

the gods, can defy spirits and command them. Do you suppose that the favo

ess, and returned with old Miriam, keeping, however, prudently behind her, in order to test as li

ned seated, made an obeisance down to the very floor, withou

she could not in spite of herself withdraw it, was the dry, glittering, coal-black eye which glared out from underneath the gray fringe of her swarthy brows, between black locks covered with gold coins. Hypatia could lo

w a letter from her bosom, and with

whom i

nate lady, the discerning lady,' answered she, in a fawning, wheed

t fol

s Orestes'; and so was the handwriting.... Strange that he should have cho

she went. As Hypatia looked up over the letter to see whether she was alone, she caught a last glance of that eye

can that witch be to me

mistress of philosophy, beloved of Athene

and no name

midian lion might be prevailed on to become the yoke-fellow of the Egyptian crocodile; and a farm which, ploughed by such a pair, should extend from the upper cataract to the Pillars of Hercules, might have charms even for a philosopher. But while the ploughman is without a nymph, Arcadia is imperfect. What were Dionusos without his Ariadne, Ares without Aphrodite, Zeus without Hera? Even Artemis has

gain swiftly enough, as she read line after line of this strange epistle; till at last, crushing it t

witch!'-And she spread the letter before him, and stood impatient, her whole figure dilated with pride and ange

fully. 'Do not you, too, feel the insult

puzzled look, 'do you no

glories, into the foul fields and farmyards of earthly practical life, and become a drudge among political chicanery, and the petty ambitions, and sins, and falsehoods o

ld-my child,

orced by day and night to recollect that my very beauty is no longer the sacrament of Athene's love for me, but the plaything of a man;-and such a man as that! Luxurious, frivolous, heartless-courting my society, as he has done for years, only to pick up and turn to his own base earthly uses the scraps which fall from the festal table of the gods! I have encouraged him too much-vain fool tha

ather's sake!-for my sake! Hypatia!-my pride, m

himself at her feet, and cl

, and laid his head on her white shoulder, and her tears fell

... Not for myself! You know I never cared for myself!'

y a woman dies who is weak enough to become a sl

nough removed from nature and common sense to have an effect on the beautiful fa

thick-temples-sacrifices-priesthoods- colleges-museums! What might she not do? What might she not make Africa? Give her ten years of power, and the hated name of

bitter tears, walked slowly away into her own chamber

sdom, the glorious beauty, on which his whole heart fed day by day, he believed her to be the possessor of those supernatural powers and favours to which she so boldly laid claim. And he stood watching her in the doorw

er, and she looked up, clea

the gods demand a victim, here am I. If a second time in the history of the ages the Grecian fleet cannot sail forth, conquering an

ing a faint jest through his tears of joy. 'I

ather-I have

an to write

k me what it is. While Cyril is leader of the Christian mob, it may be safer for you, my father, that you should be able to deny al

ing which, for the sake of public opinion, he dare not grant ope

ieves this Christian faith, let him defend it against me; for either it or I shall perish. If he does not-as he does not-let h

fine words with pen and ink about the immutability of the supreme Reason, while her own reason was left there to struggle for its life amid a roaring shoreless waste of doubts and darkness? Oh, how grand, and clear, and logical it had all looked half an hour ago! And how irrefragably she had been deducing from it all, syllogism after syllogism, the non-existence of evil!-how it was but a lower form of good, one of the countless products of the one great all-pervading mind which

r, their last unshaken votary? Did they require it? Was it not required of them by some higher power, of whom they were only the emanations, the tools, the puppets?-and required of that higher power by some still higher one-some nameless, absolute destiny of which Orestes and she, and all heaven and earth, were but the victims, dragged along in an inevitab

n with such marvellous skill, that no eye could have detected the change; and finally, still less would she have been comforted could she have heard the conversation which was going on in a summer-room of Or

The devil is i

' answered Raphael, sweep

that old wi

hrough your letter a

d th

thout knowing what it is? Don't be angry; she won't tell. She would give one of

hy

is; I hear steps in the cloister. Now, one bet before the

n? Negr

ing yo

Come in,

isma entere

a letter, and has the impudence to

r in then

eople have secrets that I am not t

f yours, you monkey?' answered Orestes. 'Because, if

hours, and use him as a dice-board,' said Rapha

was something like life! I love those out-of-the-way stations, where nobody asks questions: but here one might as

it-and his co

ave

om, slaves! an

e won

letter across to hi

who aspires to be the lord of Africa dare trample on the hateful cross, and restore the Caesareum to those for whose worship it was built-if he dare proclaim aloud with his lips, and in his deeds, that contemp

he lette

am I t

er at h

excommunicated! And-and-wh

y case, my most excellent lor

one but yourselves. But what would the world say? I an apostate!

our excellency

hat did you s

st time that promises before marriage have not

is is some trap of your Jewish intrigue, just to make m

in me to tell you. But really you must make a little sacrifice to win this foolish girl. With all the depth and daring of her intellect to help you, you might be a match for Romans, Byzan

rry her? I'll make you my prime minister, and then we shall have the use of her wits without the tr

and bowed t

as yet cared for any one's interest but my own, I could not be expected, at my t

ndi

will be practically, as well as theoretically, my

id ag

emark that it would not be proper to allow the world to say, that I, the subject, had a wiser and faire

fool to ask her at all! What's the use of having guards, if one can't compel what

ermination. Scourges and red-hot pincers will not shake her, alive; and dead, s

ow

died a virgin-martyr, in defence of the most holy catholic and apostolic faith, get mir

e, you intriguing rascal! Why, this girl will be boasting all over Alexandria that

what conditions she offered you, and, with all her contempt for the burden of the flesh, she has no mind to be lightened of that pretty load

you have

and impassibilities, and all the rest of the seventh-heaven moonshine at which we play here in Alexandria, a throne is far too pretty a bait for even Hypatia the pythoness to refuse. Leave well alone is a good rule,

xed devil of a prefect! If I had but a private fortune like y

rnment. Your slave bids you farewell. Do not

l bowed hi

ly watching for him. As soon as she saw him, she held on her own side, without appearing

he fool

dare

letters without taking care to know what is inside them

n rag of conscience somewhere in the

I would have swept every Christian dog out of Af

l-fi

ere in any case, th

ut, like the rest of the world, he had a sort of

ch cunning in her whole body as Hypatia has in her little finger

ses, and just enough

ter all. It warms even my old blood to see how thoroughly she know

sful pupil, certainly, mother.

uddenly turning to Raphael-'See here! I have a pres

me presents. It was but a month ag

should not Jew give to Jew?

glorio

it; just like Solomon's own. Take it, I say! Whosoever wea

n includ

t care about it from any one else; I'm accustomed to it. But when you do it, I always long to stab you. That's why I gave you the dagger. I used to wear it; and I was afraid I might be tempted to use it some day, when the thought came across me how handsome you'd look, a

d!' said Raph

anger hangs over you, and a deep temptation. And if you weather this storm, you may be chamberl

down a by-lane, leaving R

s of a mile of roasting sun between me and home!.... I must hire a gig, or a litter, or some-thing, off the next stand .... with a driver who has been eating onions.... and of course there is not a stand for the next half-mile. Oh, divine aether! as Prometheus has it, and ye swift-winged breezes (I wish there were any here), when will it all be over? Three-and-thirty years have I endured already of this Babel of knaves and fools; and with this abominable good health of mine, which won't even help me with gout or indi