328 Mr. Bry dene's Vlfit to Mtna. [Book VI. 



della Tore, the hiftoriographer of Mount Vefuviu?, 

 that in places where the air is mod impregnated with 

 fulphur and hot exhalations, the people are always mofl: 

 wicked and vicious. It was with great difficulty he 

 could perfuade the people of Nicolofi to fufFer his 

 guide to attend him in the profecution of his refearches. 

 They were exceflively troublefome, and extremely 

 fufpicious that his views were directed to the difcovery 

 of fome hidden treafure, the cnly motive to which 

 they could afcribe fo fatiguing a journey. At length 

 one of them recollected having heard many of their 

 old people fay, that the Englifli had a queen that had 

 burnt in the mountain for many years pail, and im- 

 puted the vifits of feveral of that nation to their refpeft 

 to their deceafed fovereign. Upon enquiring who 

 this queen was, they faid her name was Anna, that me 

 was wife to a king who had been a chriftian, but Hie 

 had made him a heretic, and was condemned to burn 

 for ever in Mount /Etna. As this could only relate 

 to the unfortunate Anne Bullen, Mr. Brydone afked if 

 fhe was the victim alluded to, and whether her hufband 

 was net iikewife condemned to the fame punimment. 

 " Certainly," faid the man, " and all his heretic fub- 

 jects too ; and if you are of that number you need not 

 be in fuch a hurry to get there, you will be fure of it 

 at lad." 



* The beautiful country of Hybla, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Nicolofi, after repeated viciffitudes, is now 

 reduced to a melancholy monument of the fury of 

 /Etna j it was fo much celebrated for its fertility, and 

 particularly for its honey, that it was called Mel Pafll, 

 till it was overwhelmed by the lava of /Etna, and be- 

 came totally barren, when, by a kind of pun, it ob- 

 tained the name of Mai Paffi. On a fecond eruption, 

 however, a fertile mower of ames reftored its. priftine 



