HYPATIA, THE MAIDEN PHILOSOPHER. 363

archbishop who succeeded Theophilus, was still more
of a fanatic. Riots broke out between the three
parties into which the city was divided, Christians,
Heathens, and Jews; conflicts took place in the
streets; finally, into the disordered city flocked five
hundred of the monks of Nitria, wild and ignorant
desert dwellers, who needed only a hint to commit
any excesses against those accused of teaching non-
Christian doctrines.

All we have here said is preliminary to the story
of one of the most interesting of the philosophical
teachers of the past, Hypatia of Alexandria, the
tragedy of whose death marked the turning-point
between the reigns of learning and ignorance. With
Hypatia fell philosophy, not to rise again for more
than a thousand years.

In those days Alexandria possessed a famous
mathematician named Theon. To him, in the latter
part of the fourth century of the Christian era, was
born Hypatia, who was destined to surpass her
father in the study of science and philosophy.
Taught by himself, she became an ardent student,
often pursuing her studies late into the night, and
absorbing not only the mathematical lore of her
father, but the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle and
the then popular doctrines of Neoplatonism, which
became her favorite tenets of philosophy. Her
studies were not confined to Alexandria, but she
travelled abroad, and in the still famous schools of
Athens attended the lectures of the most distin-
guished teachers of philosophy.

Back to Alexandria, with the wisdom she had