HERTFORDSHIRE EARTHQUAKES. 



155 



for we read in the Psalms of David (Ixxvii, 18) : " The voice of 

 thy thunder was in the heaven : the lightnings lightened the 

 world : the earth trembled and shook." And in the Book of 

 Esther (ix, 2-5), in the Apocrypha: "In the second year of 

 the reign of Artaxerxes the Great, in the first day of the month, 

 Nison . . . had a dream ; . . . and this was his dream : 

 Behold a noise of a tumult, with thunder, and earthquakes, and 

 uproar in the land." 



In any chronicle of the earthquakes of the world there may 

 be found many occurrences of such phenomena as are thus 

 described. It may sufiice to give a few striking instances in 

 chronological order, at first confining our attention to shocks 

 which have affected the British Isles in the period covered by 

 Mallet in his British Association Catalogue, b.c. 1606 to 

 A.D. 1842 ('Eep. Brit. Assoc.,' 1852-54). 



1. In the British Isles. 



A.D. 681. "A great wind and earthquake in the island of 

 Hibernia." ('Chronicum Scotorum,' 1866 ed., p. 109.) 



1048, May 1. " This year also there was an earthquake, on 

 the calends of May, in many places ; at Worcester, at Wick, 

 and at Derby ; and elsewhere throughout England ; . . . and 

 the wild fire [lightning] in Derbyshire and elsewhere did much 

 harm." (' The Saxon Chronicle,' 1623 ed., pp. 218-219.) 



1234. " In whiche yere also, fyll wunderfidl wether, as 

 thunder & lyghtnynge, vnlyke vnto other, and therupon folowed 

 an erthquake, to the greate fere of the inhabytauntes of 

 Hutyngdon, and nere there aboute." (* The Chronicle of 

 Fabian,' 1811 ed., p. 329.) 



1274, Dec. 5. "On the vigil of St. Nicholas there were 

 throughout England, earthquakes, lightning, thunder, a fiery 

 dragon [luminous meteor], and a comet." (Translated from 

 Matthew of Westminster's ' Flores Historianim,' 1750, p. 363.*) 

 1361. "In that same yere was on sainct Maury s day, 

 The great winde and earth quake meruelous, 

 That greately gan the people all affraye. 

 So dredfull was it then and perelous. 

 Specially the wind was so boistous. 

 The stone walles, steples, houses, and trees. 

 Were blow doune in diuerse ferre coutrees." 

 (' The Chronicles of John Hardyug,' 1812 ed., p. 330.) 

 1385. In this year there was an earthquake preceded by 

 a great storm of thunder and lightning which struck terror into 

 the hearts of many, some persons having been killed by the 

 lightning. (Thomas Walsingham's ' Historia brevis,' 1574, in 

 Latin.) 



1426, Sept. 29. " On Saturday the eeuen of Saint Michaell 

 the Archangell, in the morning before day, betwixt the houres of 



* This is a more literal rendering than the only hitherto published translation. 



