180 EARTHQUAKES. 



LlB - m - an other by order, as in trueth it is subiect to these incon 

 veniences. And therefore, although vpon the coast of Peru 

 there be no torments from, heaven, as thunder and light 

 ning, yet are they not without feare vppon the land : and so 

 everie one hath before his eies the Heraults of divine Justice, 

 to moove him to feare God. For, as the Scripture saith, 

 Fecit hcec vt timeatur. Returning then, to our purpose, I 

 say the sea coast is most subiect to these earthquakes, the 

 reason is, in my iudgenient, for that the water dooth stop 

 the conduites and passages of the earth, by which the hote 

 exhalations should passe, which are engendered there. And 

 also the humiditie thickning the superficies of the earth 

 dooth cause the fumes and hot exhalations to goe close to 

 gether and incounter violently in the bowells of the earth, 

 which doe afterwards breake forth. 



Some have observed that such earthquakes have vsually 

 hapned whenas a rainie season falles after some drie yeeres. 

 Wherevpon they say, that the Earthquakes are most rare 

 where are most welles, the which is approoved by experi 

 ence. Those of the Cittie of Mexico hold opinion, that the 

 Lake whereon it is seated, is the cause of the Earthquakes 

 that happen there, although they be not very violent : and 

 it is most certaine that the Townes and Provinces farre 

 within the land, and farthest from the sea, receive some 

 times great losses by these earthquakes, as the Cittie of 

 Chachapoyas at the Indies, and in Italie that of Ferrara, 

 although vpon this subiect; it seemes this latter, being 

 neere to a river, and not farre from the Adriatic sea, should 

 rather be numbred among the sea-Townes. In the yeere of 

 our Lord one thousand five hundred eightie and one, in 

 Chuqui-apu, a Cittie of Peru, otherwise called La Paz, 

 there hapned a strange accident touching this subiect. A 

 village called Angoango, 1 where many Indians dwelt that 



1 Ancu-ancu, a hamlet in the parish of Achacache, which is the capi 

 tal of the province of Omasuyos, on the eastern side of lake Titicaca. 



