Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. 185 



sive eruptions, piled one above another. At length we 

 reached the foot of Vesuvius, where we left our horses, and 

 began to ascend On foot--, 



The declivity is very steep, and difficult of ascent, on ac- 

 count -of the moveable nature of the ground on which you 

 walk, being nothing but a mixture of ashes and fragments 

 of lava, without consistency. After great fatigue we reached 

 the summit, and arrived at one of the edges of the crater. 



We had been lighted the whole way by eruptions of the 

 mountain, which were projected to a very great height. 

 Violent rumblings, that were continually heard, added to'the 

 grandeur and the awfulness of the spectacle, which appeared 

 much more beautiful and majestic from the point to which 

 we had climbed with so much difficulty. 



Suspended as it were on the brink of the crater, nothinc 

 interposed to prevent our view of the eruptions. We beheld 

 immense masses of flame issuing almost from under our feet, 

 rising above the clouds, and carrying with them, to the 

 same height, showers of ignited stones, which generally 

 descended, nearly in a perpendicular direction, into the very 

 mouth of the crater; but, sometimes falling beyond its brink, 

 rebounded around us, and rolled, red hot, down the declivity 

 which we had climbed. Columns of fire, clouds of smoke, 

 and showers of stones, succeeded each other, without in- 

 terruption, accompanied by continual subterraneous noises; 

 the bowels of the mountain seemed convulsed; the ground 

 on which we stood shook, and threatened to sink beneath 

 our feet. Never had we beheld a more melancholy ima^e 

 of the convulsions of nature; and notwithstanding the risk 

 we incurred from the continual falling of the stones, we 

 could scarcely be prevailed upon to leave it. 



Our guides, who were better judges of the danger than 

 ourselves, now became alarmed, and urged us to descend. 



The violence of the volcano had increased since we reached 

 the summit ; and the power th.at presides over the place 

 seemed inclined to punish us for'our audacity, and for hav- 

 ing presumed to violate his tremendous abode. 



We accordingly descended, and in a few minutes arrived 

 at the Alrio dol Cavallo. We were out of the reach of 



danger, 



