MEMOIR OF PLINY. 37 



ocean ; as indeed it entirely hid the island of Caprsea, 

 and the promontory of Misenum. My mother con- 

 jured me to make my escape at any rate, which as I 

 was young I might easily effect. As for herself, she 

 said her age and corpulence rendered all attempts of 

 that sort impossible; however, she would willingly 

 meet death if she could have the satisfaction of see- 

 ing that she was not the occasion of mine. But I 

 absolutely refused to leave her, and taking her by the 

 hand I led her on ; while she complied with great 

 reluctance, and not without many reproaches to her- 

 self for retarding my flight. The ashes now began 

 to fall upon us, though in no great quantity. I turn- 

 ed my head and observed behind us a thick smoke, 

 which came rolling after us like a torrent. 



We had scarcely stepped out of the path when 

 darkness overspread us, not like that of a cloudy night, 

 or when there is no moon, but as of a room when 

 all the lights are extinct. Nothing was then to 

 be heard but the shrieks of women, the screams of 

 infants, and the cries of men ; some calling for their 

 children, others for their parents, others for their 

 husbands, and only distinguishing each other by their 

 voices ; one lamenting his own fate, another that of 

 his family ; some wishing to die from the very fear 

 of dying ; some lifting their hands to the gods ; but 

 the greater part imagining that the last and eternal 

 night was come, which was to destroy both the gods 

 and the world together. At length a glimmering 

 light appeared, which we supposed to be rather the 



