OR, THE HISTORY OF A Most beautiful, moft vertuous, most learned, and every way accomplish'd LADY; WHO Was torn to pieces by the CLERGY of Alexandria, to gratify the pride, emulation, and cruelty of their ARCHBISHOP, commonly but undeservedly ftil'd St. CYRIL 8. Magnum aliquid inftat, efferum, immane, impium. LONDON, Printed in the YEAR 1720. ΗΥΡΑΤ Ι Α. I. AM going to give a short account, but as full as antient Books afford us materials, of the life and death of HYPATIA; who will ever continue the glory of her own fex, and the difgrace of ours: for the women have no lefs reafon to value themfelves, that there exifted a Lady of fuch rare accomplishments, without the leaft blemish, even as a foil to her numberless perfections; than the men to be asham'd, that any cou'd be found among them of fo brutal and favage a difpofition, as, farr from being ftruck with admiration at fo much beauty, innocence, and knowledge, to ftain their barbarous hands with her blood,and their impious fouls with the indelible character of facrilegious murderers. A Bishop, a Patriarch, nay a Saint, was the contriver of fo horrid a deed, and his Clergy the executioners of his implacable fury. The Authors out of whom I collect my account (and I omit none that has come to my H 4 know i knowlege) were either her contemporaries, or liv'd near that age. One of them was her schoolfellow, another her fchollar. But they who relate the most odious and flagitious circumftances, are Ecclefiaftical hiftorians; counted orthodox in their own time, as well as eminently fo by most in ours. Nor ought we to forget that feveral of 'em were Priests. To every one of them we shall do the juftice that their fincerity or prevarication deferves, tho little remains to do in this refpect; all being agreed about the principal facts, and fome differing onely in points of no great importance. They are fuch things, as, taken either way, neither serve much to alleviate a very bad caufe, nor to aggravate what cannot be poffibly made worse. A II. FTER ALEXANDER the great had founded Alexandria in Egypt, as the center of commerce in the Empire he was projecting, this city foon became a florifhing mart for Learning as well as for Merchandize. The fame of the Alexandrian School, and of the Alexandrian Library, reach'd much further than the name of ALEXANDER himself, or at least they carry'd it, whither it cou'd never have reach'd without their means. This was the most This was the most proper tribute, that cou'd in gratitude be paid to the memory of a Prince fo ambitious of glory: as indeed no private perfons, no more than potentates, will ever do any thing praise-worthy without the profpect 6 of |