Orestes snorted in surprise. "I met Calistus and his daughter at their home only a few days ago. His son Phillip is a great friend of mine. I would be more than happy to revisit the family."
He had thought there was something special about Selene. She had a confidence seldom seen in one of her youth or gender.
Selene moped about her tiny room, nursing a headache and trying to work up the energy to call Anicia for some cold cloths and willow bark tea. The child was nearly useless. If only … Selene's throat constricted as she fought down tears brought on by the reminder Rebecca was gone because of Selene's rashness. She flung herself on the bed and buried her face in the covers.
Anicia opened the door and timidly whispered, "Mistress Selene, your father wants to see you as soon as you can present yourself."
Selene sat up then clutched her head as pain shot from the base of her skull into her eyeballs. "Oh!" she moaned. "I don't think I can see my father this morning. An army of demons has taken up residence in my head. Please, Anicia, just cut it off and spare my father the trouble."
The servant girl squealed in horror and backed into a corner, a tray held stiffly in front of her as if in defense. "Mother has charms against demons. Please, Mistress, do not let them out!"
Selene rolled her eyes, which agitated the girl further. "I'm not possessed, you ninny, I just have a headache. What have you on the tray?"
Anicia tentatively stepped forward. "Here's something Mother prepared for you." She looked at Selene from the corners of her eyes as she placed the tray on a stand next to Selene's bed. "Mother has charms for headaches, too. She says they work miracles."
"The only miracle I want is Rebecca back," Selene muttered under her breath. She reached for a sweating pitcher and held it to her forehead. Its coolness penetrated and soothed her brain allowing her to pick at the melon and bread. The headache subsided to a dull throb between her eyes.
Anicia sniffed and backed toward the door. "Will that be all, Mistress?"
"No, that will not be all. Father wishes me to attend him. Find me some clothes."
Anicia sorted through a chest for a suitable day robe. She pulled a comfortable blue linen tunic with matching over-robe from the stack. "Will this suit?"
"Yes." A sour smile quirked Selene's lips. "At least it won't take us long to dress my hair." She ran her hands through her shorn locks. "There. All done. Help me with the robe and I'll see what tortures Father has in store for me. I have no idea what could be worse than being confined to the house. It's only the second morning and already I'm half crazy with boredom."
Anicia helped her dress. Selene looked in her mirror. She was pale and had dark smudges under her eyes. She decided not to apply cosmetics. Her haggard appearance might engender some crumb of sympathy.
Selene dismissed Anicia and went in search of her father. She found him in his workroom, reviewing accounts with his steward. He seemed deeply worried. Selene had never thought of her father as old, but he suddenly seemed aged; hair thin and generously salted with gray. Deeply etched lines ran from his beaky nose to his kind mouth, and his eyes held a rheumy cast.
Selene's chest filled with remorse for the heartache she had caused him. She rushed to his side.
"Father, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you. Please forgive me."
He patted her bowed head. "I cannot stay angry with you, child. You bring me too much joy." He eyed the stack of papers and motioned the steward to leave. "Even your willfulness will serve you well in the coming times." Calistus flinched, caught his breath and gripped the arm of his chair.
"Father, are you unwell?" Selene noted with alarm the gray tone to his skin, and forgot her own physical discomforts.
Calistus indicated a pitcher and some goblets on a side table. He gasped, "Water."
Selene flew to the table, slopping water as she poured a generous glass and brought it to her father. He took several sips. The color returned gradually to his face. "I feel better now. Just a passing pain and shortness of breath. It goes quickly."
"How long has this been happening?"
"Only the last few months. Don't worry, Selene."
"Let me brew you some willow bark tea for the pain, Father." She turned to leave but Calistus stayed her with a hand.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly. "Later, child. I asked you to meet me this morning because I received a message…"
"Master Calistus, you have visitors." One of the house servants bowed in the doorway.
"'Visitors'? I expected only Lady Hypatia."
"The Augustal Prefect accompanies her, Master."
Selene gasped, looking at her worn clothes and bare feet. Hypatia and Orestes! And she looked like something dogs had worried in the street. She tucked in a stray curl and wet her lips. There was nothing but to make the best of it. Her father's words cut through her chagrin.
"I'm sorry I doubted you. As I started to say, Hypatia sent me a message this morning asking if she could wait on me to discuss your education. I have no idea why Orestes is with her."
They both stood as the guests entered, escorted by Phillip. Selene noted her brother wore appropriate dress this morning.
Calistus approached, took Hypatia's hand and bowed. "Lady Philosopher. An honor to have you in my home." Hypatia murmured some polite phrases. Calistus turned to the Prefect. "Orestes, welcome again. To what do I owe this honor?"
Orestes clasped his outstretched forearm. "I had an appointment with Lady Hypatia this morning. She gave me a grand tour of the city from her chariot and asked if I minded a brief stop. I was delighted to find she intended to pay you and your lovely daughter a call." Orestes bowed in Selene's direction. She returned the bow, wishing desperately for a veil, or at least some sandals.
"Let me see to refreshments for our guests, Father." Selene started to slip out the door. Her father's hand on her arm stopped her.
"No, my dear. This discussion is about your future. You may as well stay and hear. The servants will take care of our refreshments."
"No need for such courtesies, Calistus. We intend to take up little of your time." Hypatia waved off the servants and seated herself on the bench Selene had vacated. Orestes took a chair in front of the worktable while Phillip leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Calistus resumed his chair, Selene standing at his shoulder.
"Your daughter came to my public lecture day before yesterday without your knowledge." Calistus nodded at Hypatia's words. "She approached me afterward concerning her wish to continue her studies. I was impressed by the depth of her desire and the persistence with which she pursued her goals, and offered to help her find appropriate teachers. In this, I was sorely remiss. Of course, you are the one to make this decision for your daughter. I will abide by your instructions, but I feel Selene would benefit greatly through study." Hypatia folded her hands in her lap and regarded Calistus with a level stare.
He coughed, glanced briefly at Orestes, then took up the challenge. "Thank you, Lady Hypatia, for making this effort on my daughter's behalf, but, saving yourself, I know of no other woman or girl who has been educated beyond her household."
"It is rare among your class and becoming rarer, but not unheard of. In the generations just past a number of high placed and learned women were teachers and philosophers. My contemporary Plutarch, Master of the Athenian Academy, has trained his daughter in philosophy. She is achieving some celebrity in her own right."
"Selene is a very capable young woman, Father. Our tutors always held up her diligence as a model for my own behavior." Phillip chuckled ruefully. Calistus quickly smoothed a scowl.
Orestes chimed in. "Rome and Constantinople have their educated women, both those who patronize the philosophers and those who send their daughters to study. The Emperor's own sister, Pulcheria, is most learned. She is, I believe, even younger than Selene."
"Enough, enough!" Calistus raised his hands in surrender. "How can I resist the foremost Philosopher in our city and the Augustal Prefect? I'm surprised y
ou didn't enlist the Patriarch in this crusade."
"Theophilus sent his regrets, but ill health kept him home," Hypatia said with a straight face. Calistus gave her a sharp glance, but she maintained her bland expression with only a hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.
Calistus leaned back in his chair and spread his hands on the table. "I suppose it would do no harm for Selene to study Philosophy, if she is sufficiently chaperoned."
Hypatia gave Selene a sharp glance.
"Uh, Father..."
"Yes? Don't tell me you wish to go unchaperoned, because I absolutely forbid it!"
"No, Father, a chaperone is fine. It's just…I want to study more than Philosophy. I want to study medicine and become a physician."
"What?" Calistus spluttered. "That is entirely different." He motioned to his guests. "You made no mention of learned women physicians among our class. I can't have my daughter entering a profession."
"Christian women of all classes practice medicine. I met a most remarkable physician – the daughter and widow of a nobleman – in Constantinople." Phillip came to her defense. "She trained a number of young girls to work in the Christian women's hospital."
Selene threw her brother a grateful smile then knelt at her father's feet. "Please, father. I will abide by any restrictions you wish. Let me follow this path. I have a true calling."
Orestes approached and put a hand on the older man's arm. "Calistus, a talent for healing is a true gift from God. If Selene has it, she should be allowed to learn and use it wisely."
Hypatia rose and joined the trio at the table. "I will personally see to her teachers. Only ones of the highest honor and reputation will be recommended to you."
Selene looked up at her father with shining eyes and hopeful face.
Calistus glanced at the accounts stacked on his desk, the gray tone returning to his complexion. "You are too much for me. Selene may study medicine, but not until next week. She is confined to the house till next Sabbath."
"Oh, Father, thank you!" Selene flung her arms around her father and hugged him till he grunted.
"Be careful, or your first patient will be an old man with cracked ribs."
She let him go, rose and bowed to her guests. "Thank you. Both of you. Honored Teacher," she turned to Hypatia, "when may I wait on you after the next Sabbath?"
"This day next week after the mid-day meal will be fine, my dear. I'll send word where we may meet. Come, Orestes." She linked arms with the Prefect. "We must complete our tour."
A discreet servant showed the guests to the door. Selene left to make the long overdue willow bark tea, but not before she overheard Phillip saying. "Father, with Selene studying, we'll need a housekeeper, one experienced with our staff…"
Chapter 12
The next week Calistus personally escorted Selene to the scholars' precinct south of the Caesarion to meet with Hypatia. They found her in a scriptorium where dozens of men, both old and young, hunched over tables copying texts for use in the Library or sale to private collectors.
After greetings, Hypatia asked Selene, "Do you write a fair hand, my child?"
"Yes, Lady. My tutors gave me high marks in writing Greek and Latin."
"Good. All students and apprentices do some work in the scriptorium. We've lost thousands of volumes through the centuries to war and fire. We want to preserve the rest."
"The public library at the Serapeum burned in my youth." Calistus shook his head. "A great loss."
"That was a terrible time." A sad look stole over Hypatia's face then she brightened, gesturing toward a small group of men piecing together a deteriorating papyrus scroll. "Here is preservation rather than destruction. The copies are written on parchment and bound in codices. The book is a much more durable and convenient form than the papyrus scroll. Come, I'll show you the main parts of the Library, then introduce Selene to her teachers."
Hypatia glided down the main aisle of the scriptorium flanked by the scratching of reed on parchment. Selene and her father followed closely. They exited to a maze of covered walkways where bound codices and older scrolls wrapped in leather sleeves rested in row after row of recessed niches hidden behind the columns. Dangling tags identified the contents of scrolls organized in collections of literature, philosophy and science.
"Here's where the medical texts are housed." Hypatia indicated a side aisle. They turned the corner to see an ancient man sorting through dusty scrolls and large bound books. His fringe of white hair floated like spiders' webs around his dried apple face.
"I know it's here somewhere," the old man muttered as he replaced a scroll and stretched to pull down another. He couldn't reach the shelf and gave a little jump, his robes hiking up to show skinny ankles ribbed with blue veins.
"Auxentius, why don't you use a stool? I'm not sure your frail bones will take the beating you're giving them." Hypatia indicated a short wooden stool at the side of the aisle. Selene went to retrieve it.
"My dear Lady Philosopher, what would you know about bones? I promise to leave things of the mind to you if you agree to leave things of the body to me." Two red spots stained the old man's cheeks as he gasped for breath.
"Here, Master." Selene approached with the stool. "Or I could get the scroll for you?"
Auxentius blinked up at her as if trying to bring her into focus. "What? Oh, er, the third one from the left on the second shelf from the top." Even with her height, Selene had to use the stool to get the scroll. It would have been totally beyond the old man's reach.
He snatched for the document like a magpie going for a shiny trinket. "Thanks, child. Now where is that reference?" Auxentius sat on the stool and spread his treasure on his lap. "Damn pests!" He shook the scroll, releasing a cloud of tiny desiccated insect bodies. Selene saw several holes in the fragile papyrus. "We lose more books to bugs and vermin than to fire or theft," the old man muttered.
"Auxentius!" Hypatia's tone turned sharp. The toe of her sandal tapped the marble floor with a hollow slapping sound.
"What, Hypatia? Can't you see I'm researching something important?"
"This is City Counselor Calistus and his daughter Selene, the new student I told you about."
"Oh? What day is it?" He peered more closely at Selene. "Hypatia, this young person is female."
"Daughters usually are," Calistus said dryly.
"It's just after noon on Monday," Hypatia said with a touch of asperity. "We discussed all this last week."
The old man bobbed his head. "So we did, so we did. I forgot. Which reminds me..." His muttering subsided as he stroked his beardless cheek. After a moment of blankness, he became aware of them again. "Did you say it was after noon?"
Hypatia nodded. Selene spoke up. "Master Auxentius, have you eaten your mid-day meal? I've found the mind works better when the stomach is well fed."
"Food? I think I had some fruit this morning. Or was that yesterday? No matter. We can go to the dining hall and I can examine you there. Hypatia told me you have already studied using some unorthodox methods. Let's see what you really know." The old man hobbled down the aisle.
"Don't worry, my child," Hypatia said. "Auxentius is a most learned teacher in medical history and theory. He only wants to test your knowledge so he can plan your studies. I'll come to the dining hall in an hour and take you to meet your anatomy teacher. Come, Calistus, I wish to talk to you about the council's latest decisions concerning public water."
Selene glanced at her father, who smiled his approval. Auxentius led Selene down the corridor, occasionally murmuring something incomprehensible. She assumed he was not talking to her and, since he waited for no response, she followed quietly. When they reached the common dining hall of the scholar's quarter, he seated himself at a long stained wooden table and waved over a youngster carrying a heavy load of used dishes. The child tottered over and stood sweating beneath his burden. "Boy, get me some wine, fruit and meat rolls from the kitchen. Anything for you, my dear?" He looked at Selene. She shook her he
ad. "Good. It's difficult to talk with your mouth full. Tell me what you know about Aesculapius, Hippocrates, Herophilus, Galen and Pliny. What were their major contributions to medicine? Discuss their seminal texts and contemporary criticisms of their beliefs."
Selene sat frozen with mouth agape, her mind temporarily blank. She had not prepared for an examination. Auxentius peered at her with heavily lidded eyes that didn't blink. He reminded her of the small lizards that sunned themselves on the rocky beaches where she ran. The absurd thought broke through Selene's panic. She took a deep breath and started, "Aesculapius is the Greek god of healing. The pagans call his daughters Hygieia and Panacea goddesses of…"
"Wrong! Ancient people ignorantly believed them to be gods." Auxentius snorted. "They were real people like you or me. Continue."
Selene wished she had ordered some watered wine from the boy. Her mouth felt dry and her nerves jumpy. She rushed ahead, storing the implications of Auxentius' statement about two famous women healers away for later contemplation. "H-Hippocrates was one of the first physicians to describe his patients' illnesses in detail. His writings are still in use today. Several of his sayings are everyday knowledge such as 'When sleep puts an end to delirium it is a good sign.'"
Auxentius nodded in grudging approval just as his food arrived. Absently, he started stuffing himself, breadcrumbs dropping into his robes. A dribble of fruit juice leaked from the corner of his mouth but stopped halfway down his chin. Selene tried to concentrate.
"Herophilus is not familiar to me, Master."
"Ignorant child!" the old man muttered, devouring the last of a meat roll. "Herophilus wrote the first anatomy text based on real observations. Damn churchmen won't allow us to do dissections on humans now. Not even criminals!" He rambled on, proving it was difficult to talk, much less be understood, with a full mouth. Selene dropped her head in despair at keeping up with his seemingly inexhaustible store of knowledge. In the middle of a rant about the absurdity of some obscure author, he suddenly took note of her again. "Continue. What of Galen and Pliny?" He waved a pomegranate vaguely in the air.
Selene of Alexandria Page 12