Hypatia’s tragical Death, perpetrated by Cyril’s Clergy, who hated her for Intimacy with Orestes.

But Cyril’s Rage was not yet satiated. Tho’ Orestes had the good Luck to escape being murdered, Hypatia must fall a Sacrifice to the Prelate’s Pride and to the Ghost of Ammonius. This Lady, as we mentioned above, was profoundly respected by Orestes, who much frequented and consulted her; for which Reason, says Socrates, she was not a little traduced among the Mob of the Christian Church; as if she obstructed a Reconciliation between Bishop Cyril and Orestes. Wherefore certain hot-brained Men, headed by one Peter a Lecturer, entered into a Conspiracy against her, and watching their Opportunity when she was returning Home from some Place, they dragged her out of her Chair; hurried her to the Church called Cesar’s, and stripping her stark naked, they killed her with Tiles. Then they tore her to Pieces, and carrying her Limbs to a Place called Cinaron, there they burnt them to Ashes. Nothing short of this Treatment, not to be parallelled among the most savage Nations against Woman (and against a Woman of such Distinction scarce credible, did not two or more of her Contempories attest it) nothing, I say, but the Blood of Hypatia, shed in the most inhuman Manner, could glut the Fury of Cyril’s Clergy, for these were the Monsters, that putting off all Humanity, committed this barbarous Murder. Socrates, ’tis true, distinctly Names but one Clergyman, Peter the Lecturer; but Nicephorus expressly tells us, that the Zealots, led on by this Peter, were Cyril’s Clergy, who hated her for the Credit she had with Orestes; that they were these, who imputed to her the Misunderstanding between the Governor and their Bishop; and finally, that they butchered her the Time of solemn Fasting; which, added to their sanctifying of their Villany by perpetrating it in a Church, shews the glorious State of Religion in those pure and primitive Times; as some, no less hypocritically than falsely, are pleased to stile them. The Citizens of Alexandria, on whom certain Persons would fain lay this Act of popular Heat, as they speak by way of Extenuation, were too great Admirers of Hypatia’s Virtue, and too much in the Interest of Orestes, to have any Hand in so foul a Business, however prone to Tumults. All the Circumstances accompanying the Fact, clearly prove this; not to repeat the Assault so lately made by the Nitrian Monks on the Governor, whom the People rescued; tho’ I will not answer for all the Mob, especially when the Clergy loo’d them on.