midnight
My name was Balthazar . Nothing very remarkable happened to me till the year of the memorable tumult in which the Jews of that city are reported in history to have massacred more Christians than at that time dwelt in it . Indeed , the truth is , they did maul the dogs pretty handsomely ; but I myself was not present , for as all our people were ordered to be armed , I took that opportunity of selling two swords , which probably I might otherwise never have disposed of , they being extremely old and rusty ; so that , having no weapon left , I did not care to venture abroad . Besides , though I really thought it an act meriting salvation to murder the Nazarenes , as the fact was to be committed at midnight , at which time , to avoid suspicion , we were all to sally from our own houses , I could not persuade myself to consume so much oil in sitting up to that hour : for these reasons therefore I remained at home that evening . `` I was at this time greatly enamored with one Hypatia , the daughter of a philosopher ; a young lady of the greatest beauty and merit : indeed , she had every imaginable ornament both of mind and body . She seemed not to dislike my person ; but there were two obstructions to our marriage , viz. , my religion and her poverty : both which might probably have been got over , had not those dogs the Christians murdered her ; and , what is worse , afterwards burned her body : worse , I say , because I lost by that means a jewel of some value , which I had presented to her , designing , if our nuptials did not take place , to demand it of her back again . `` Being thus disappointed in my love , I soon after left Alexandria and went to the imperial city , where I apprehended I should find a good market for jewels on the approaching marriage of the emperor with Athenais .