"[I]t seemed to me that there appeared above my head a
woman of a countenance exceeding venerable. Her eyes were bright as fire, and
of a more than human keenness; her complexion was lively, her vigour showed no
trace of enfeeblement; and yet her years were right full, and she plainly
seemed not of our age and time. [...]
Even so the clouds of my melancholy were broken up. I saw
the clear sky, and regained the power to recognise the face of my physician.
Accordingly, when I had lifted my eyes and fixed my gaze upon her, I beheld my
nurse, Philosophy, whose halls I had frequented from my youth up." -
Boethius,
The Consolation of Philosophy
When
M and I were engaged, we joked that he would
always have a mistress and that her name was Lady Philosophy. Above is a
passage by Boethius where he describes her; many of the virtues and
subjects were personified in ancient times, and since we are so into
tradition, it was natural to think of M's area of study as his
"mistress." The great thing about Lady Philosophy is that she encourages
my husband to know truth and to be virtuous. And she is really
knowledgeable whenever we want to know if some random act is moral or
need to figure out what category various substances belong in.
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