MISCELLANIES. 



dli 



aside ; those who had it in their 

 power changed them for coarse 

 garments, by way of showing their 

 penitence : sackcloth, cords, and 

 chains, were substituted for ele- 

 gant fashions and seductive head- 

 dresses. The ladies now subjected 

 themselves to monastic discipline, 

 and beat, without remorse, their 

 bosoms, but a short time before 

 adorned with the most costly jewels : 

 many of the gentlemen at the same 

 time forgot their gallantry for fana- 

 ticism ; and, in order to appease 

 the anger of Heaven, they walked 

 night and day in processions, the 

 body entirely uncovered, with the 

 exception of a large girdle, bare- 

 footed, and with long beards, a 

 cord around their necks to which 

 was frequently attached a large 

 stone, and on their shoulders they 

 sometimes carried a wooden cross 

 100 or 150 pounds in weight. 



In the city and throughout the 

 country there were processions day 

 and night ; every mountain was 

 transformed into a Calvary, where 

 the people dying with hunger im- 

 plored the Divine mercy, embracing 

 with groans the relics of their 

 tutelar saints. 



Every one accused himself of 

 having called down the anger of 

 Heaven, and of having caused the 

 universal calamity: those who 

 could not meet with a priest 

 openly confessed their sins upon 

 the highways, accusing themselves 

 of robberies and murders which 

 they had secretly committed. 



In less than two days about 

 2000 individuals (who perhaps 

 never had any intention of the 

 kind) were married : relations for- 

 aaerly despised or neglected on ac- 

 count of their poverty were now 

 recognised : many unfortunate chil- 



dren, the fruits of an illegitimate 

 intercourse, who had never known 

 father or mother, were now ac- 

 knowledged and legitimated. At 

 the same time an infinite number 

 of restitutions were made, and 

 law-suits terminated. But not- 

 withstanding all this remorse, a 

 singular and paradoxical spectacle 

 was exhibited to the eyes of the 

 philosopher : while one half of the 

 multitude thus hastened to expiate 

 their ofiences, the other half, who 

 perhaps never had been guilty of any 

 great crimes before, but possessing 

 an accommodating conscience, pro- 

 fited by the confusion, and with 

 the utmost composure committed 

 every imaginable excess. 



In the meantime the shocks 

 from the earthquake continued ; 

 every day and every hour some 

 ruins fell, which had been only 

 shaken by the first commotions. 

 On the 5th of April, at four in the 

 afternoon, there was a shock so vio- 

 lent that severa' mountains were 

 rent asunder, many inclined from 

 their centre of gravity, and enorm- 

 ous detached rocks were precipi- 

 tated to the valleys. 



From the above hour until nine 

 o'clock next morning the shocks 

 were violent, and so frequent as to 

 admit of an interval of about five 

 minutes only between each; and 

 during these intervals a rumbling 

 subterraneous noise was heard, 

 and the earth was continually 

 agitated. 



The succession of these phaeno- 

 mena was not interrupted in the 

 month of December 1812, when I 

 left the place, and those were 

 reckoned the most tranquil days, 

 in which there were only fifteen 

 or twenty shocks ! Every thing 

 was destroyed ; the ramparts of La 



