Hitopadesa

“ Philammon started, and Miriam burst into loud, shrill laughter.
'From Hypatia, I'll warrant! From the fair Greek woman, of course— vain child that you are—never thinking of the poor old Jewess.'
'And did you? did you?' gasped Philammon.
'Have I to thank you, then, for that strange generosity?'
'Not to thank me, but to obey me; for mind, I can prove your debt to me, every obol, and claim it if I choose. But don't fear; I won't be hard on you, just because you are in my power. I hate every one who is not so. As soon as I have a hold on them, I begin to love them. ”

“ IV. Miriam One morning in the same week, Hypatia's favourite maid entered her chamber with a somewhat terrified face.
'The old Jewess, madam—the hag who has been watching so often lately under the wall opposite. She frightened us all out of our senses last evening by peeping in. We all said she had the evil eye, if any one ever had—'
'Well, what of her?'
'She is below, madam, and will speak with you. Not that I care for her; I have my amulet on. I hope you have?'
'Silly girl! Those who have been initiated as I have in the mysteries of the gods, can defy spirits and command them. ”

“ I never knelt to human being.'
'Then consider that you kneel to the handsome idol there, if you will—but kneel!'
And, constrained by that glittering eye, Hypatia knelt before her.
'Have you faith? Have you desire? Will you submit? Will you obey? Self-will and pride see nothing, know nothing. If you do not give up yourself, neither God nor devil will care to approach. Do you submit?'
'I do! I do!' cried poor Hypatia, in an agony of curiosity and self-distrust, while she felt her eye quailing and her limbs loosening more and more every moment under that intolerable fascination. ”

“ Oh, that Hypatia might never know his shame! Yet it was impossible. Too dreadful to be true. . . .
'You lie!' almost shrieked he. 'I am the son of a noble citizen of Athens. Arsenius told me so, but this moment, with his own lips!'
'Ah, but he bought you—bought you in the public market; and he can prove it!'
'Hear me—hear me, my son!' cried the old man, springing toward him. Philammon, in his fury, mistook the gesture and thrust him fiercely back.
'Your son!—your slave! Do not insult the name of son by applying it to me. Yes, sir; your slave in body, but not in soul! ”

“ Hypatia will be from this day alone with the Immortal Gods!'
'You will not leave me?' cried the old man, terrified.
'Never on earth!' answered she, bursting into real human tears, and throwing herself on his bosom. 'Never—never! father of my spirit as well as of my flesh!—the parent who has trained me, taught me, educated my soul from the cradle to use her wings!—the only human being who never misunderstood me—never thwarted me—never deceived me!'
'My priceless child! ”

“ But Hypatia sat still in her chamber, her face buried in her hands, her heart full of many thoughts; her eyes of tears. She had smiled away her father's fears; she could not smile away her own.
She felt, she hardly knew why, but she felt as clearly as if a god had proclaimed it to her bodily ears, that the crisis of her life was come: that her political and active career was over, and that she must now be content to be for herself, and in herself alone, all that she was, or might become. The world might be regenerated: but not in her day;—the gods restored ”

“ But why should that make Hypatia or any one else attractive?. And the poor little child of nature gazed in deep bewilderment at a crowd of new questions, as a butterfly might at the pages of the book on which it has settled, and was sad and discontented—not with herself, for was she not Pelagia the perfect?—but with these strange fancies which came into other people's heads.—Why should not every one be as happy as they could? ”

“ It is no worse necessity than many another which the servant of the gods must endure in days like these.'
'Ah,' said Orestes, refusing to hear the sigh, or to see the bitterness of the lip which accompanied the speech—'now Hypatia is herself again; and my counsellor, and giver of deep and celestial reasons for all things at which poor I can only snatch and guess by vulpine cunning. So now for our lighter entertainment. ”

“ What do you mean by intruding here?' said Hypatia, springing up; but the old woman went on coolly—
'Why not try the fair young gentleman over there?' pointing to a copy of the Apollo which we call Belvedere—'What is his name? Old maids are always cross and jealous, you know. But he—he could not be cruel to such a sweet face as that. Try the fair young lad! Or, perhaps, if you are bashful, the old Jewess might try him for you?'
These last words were spoken with so marked a significance, that Hypatia, in spite of her disgust, found herself asking the hag what she meant. ”

“ I am not worthy of you! Let me die, wretch that I am! I can only drag you down. You must be a king. You must marry her—the wise woman!'
'Hypatia! She is dead!'
'Dead?' shrieked Pelagia.
'Murdered, an hour ago, by those Christian devils.'
Pelagia put her hands over her eyes, and burst into tears. Were they of pity or of joy? . . . .She did not ask herself; and we will not ask her.
'Where is my sword? Soul of Odin! Why is it fastened here?'
'I was going to—Do not be angry! . . . . They told me that I had better die, and—
The Amal stood thunderstruck for a moment. ”

“ You are silent. Be so, Hypatia.... We have gone up too far into the abysses....
And so they both were silent for a while. And Raphael thought solemn thoughts about Victoria, and about ancient signs of Isaiah’s, which were to him none the less prophecies concerning The Man whom he had found, because he prayed and trusted that the same signs might be repeated to himself, and a child given to him also, as a token that, in spite of all his baseness, ‘God was with him.’
But he was a Jew, and a man: Hypatia was a Greek, and a woman—and for that matter, so were the men of her school. ”

“ What it is in the sight of Him unto whom all live for ever, is no concern of ours. May He whose mercy is over all His works, have mercy upon all, whether orthodox or unorthodox, Papist or Protestant, who, like Cyril, begin by lying for the cause of truth; and setting off upon that evil road, arrive surely, with the Scribes and Pharisees of old, sooner or later at their own place!
True, he and his monks had conquered; but Hypatia did not die unavenged. In the hour of that unrighteous victory, the Church of Alexandria received a deadly wound. ”

“ It is hardly fair to expect an unbiassed answer in my presence.'
'Why so?' said Philammon. 'Why should I not tell you, as well as all the world, the fresh and wonderful field of thought which they have opened to me in a few short hours?'
'What then?' asked Hypatia, smiling, as if she knew what the answer would be. 'In what does my commentary differ from the original text of Apollonius, on which I have so faithfully based it?'
'Oh, as much as a living body differs from a dead one. Instead of mere dry disquisitions on the properties of lines and curves, I found a mine of poetry and theology. ”

“ He was just weltering about in a dreary dream-jumble of Goths dancing with district visitors, Pelagia as an angel, with peacock's wings; Hypatia with horns and cloven feet, riding three hippopotami at once round the theatre; Cyril standing at an open window, cursing frightfully, and pelting him with flower-pots; and a similar self-sown after-crop of his day's impressions; when he was awakened by the tramp of hurried feet in the street outside, and shouts, which gradually, as he became conscious, shaped themselves into cries of 'Alexander's Church is on fire! ”

“ Did not you work the sum out once, Hypatia?'
'Sit down, my dear father, and eat. You have tasted no food yet this day.'
'What do I care for food! The inexpressible must be expressed, the work must be done if it cost me the squaring of the circle. How can he, whose sphere lies above the stars, stoop every moment to earth?
'Ay,' she answered, half bitterly, 'and would that we could live without food, and imitate perfectly the immortal gods. But while we are in this prison-house of matter, we must wear our chain; even wear it gracefully, if we have the good taste ”

“ By her taste, or fancy rather, I will not be ruled.'
'And I,' said Orestes, with a profusion of thanks, 'will retire to rack my faculties over the "dispositions." On this day week we exhibit—and conquer! Farewell, queen of wisdom! Your philosophy never shows to better advantage than when you thus wisely and gracefully subordinate that which is beautiful in itself to that which is beautiful relatively and practically.'
He departed; and Hypatia, half dreading her own thoughts, sat down at once to labour at the ode. ”

“ But still . . . . An empress need not be above hearing her subject's petition. . . .'
All this was uttered rapidly, and in a wheedling undertone, with a continual snaky writhing of her whole body, except her eye, which seemed, in the intense fixity of its glare, to act as a fulcrum for all her limbs; and from that eye, as long as it kept its mysterious hold, there was no escaping.
'What do you mean? What have I to do with this ring?' asked Hypatia, half frightened.
'He who owned it once, offers it to you now. You recollect a little black agate—a paltry thing. . . . . ”

“ I have leagued myself with the impure and the bloodthirsty, and I have my reward! No more politics for Hypatia from henceforth, my father; no more orations and lectures; no more pearls of Divine wisdom cast before swine. I have sinned in divulging the secrets of the Immortals to the mob. Let them follow their natures! Fool that I was, to fancy that my speech, my plots, could raise them above that which the gods had made them!’
‘Then you give up our lectures? Worse and worse! We shall be ruined utterly!’
‘We are ruined utterly already. Orestes? There is no help in him. ”

“ Hypatia looked down in painful thought. What could she answer? Was it not too true? and had not Orestes fact and experience on his side?
'Well, if you must—but I cannot have gladiators. Why not a—one of those battles with wild beasts? They are disgusting enough but still they are less inhuman than the others; and you might surely take precautions to prevent the men being hurt.'
'Ah! that would indeed be a scentless rose! If there is neither danger nor bloodshed, the charm is gone. But really wild beasts are too expensive just now; and if I kill down my present menagerie, I can afford no more. ”

“ For a moment all Orestes's spells seemed broken by this unexpected catastrophe. A cloud, whether of disgust or of disappointment, hung upon every brow. More than one Christian rose hastily to depart, touched with real remorse and shame at the horrors of which they had been the willing witnesses. The common people behind, having glutted their curiosity with all that there was to see, began openly to murmur at the cruelty and heathenry of it. Hypatia, utterly unnerved, hid her face in both her hands. Orestes alone rose with the crisis. ”

“ There was no escape for Hypatia; pride forbade her to follow her own maidenly instinct, and to recoil among the crowd behind her; and in another moment the Amal had lifted Pelagia from her mule, and the rival beauties of Alexandria stood, for the first time in their lives, face to face. ”

“ What men those barbarians do breed! I was afraid of being crushed under the elephant's foot at every step I took with him!'
'What!' asked Hypatia, 'did your excellency condescend to converse with such savages?'
'To tell you the truth, he had some forty stout countrymen of his with him, who might have been troublesome to a perplexed prefect; not to mention that it is always as well to keep on good terms with these Goths. Really, after the sack of Rome, and Athens cleaned out like a beehive by wasps, things begin to look serious. ”

“ Weary with labour, and still wearier with thought, he returned that evening, longing and yet dreading to be permitted to speak with Hypatia. He half hoped at moments that Cyril might think him too weak for it; and the next, all his pride and daring, not to say his faith and hope, spurred him on. Might he but face the terrible enchantress, and rebuke her to her face! And yet so lovely, so noble as she looked! Could he speak to her, except in tones of gentle warning, pity, counsel, entreaty? Might he not convert her—save her? Glorious thought! to win such a soul to the true cause! ”

“ Hypatia bit her lip once more. ‘I can hear no more of this, sir. You forget that you are speaking to a woman.’
‘Most supreme wisdom,’ answered Orestes, in his blandest tone, ‘you cannot suppose that I wish to pain your ears. But allow me to observe, as a general theorem, that if one wishes to effect any purpose, it is necessary to use the means; and on the whole, those which have been tested by four hundred years’ experience will be the safest. I speak as a plain practical statesman—but surely your philosophy will not dissent?’
Hypatia looked down in painful thought. ”

“ And so found, in due time, the philosophers as well as the ecclesiastics of Alexandria.
Twenty years after Hypatia's death, philosophy was flickering down to the very socket. Hypatia's murder was its death-blow. In language tremendous and unmistakable, philosophers had been informed that mankind had done with them; that they had been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; that if they had no better Gospel than that to preach, they must make way for those who had. ”

“ Hypatia was a remarkably gifted woman. Her example demonstrates how all difficulties yield to a strong will. Being a girl, and excluded by the conventions of the time from intellectual pursuits, she could have given many reasons why she should leave philosophy to stronger and freer minds. But she had an all-compelling passion for the life of the mind, which overcame every obstacle that interfered with her purpose. The example of a young woman conquering tremendous difficulties, and becoming the undisputed queen of an intellectual empire, ought to be a great inspiration to us faint hearts. ”