33^ Great Eruption cf .Etna. [Book VI. 



earthquakes fhook the ifland, and loud fubterraneous 

 bellowings were heard in the mountain. During 

 ibme weeks, the fun ceafed to appear, and the day 

 feemed changed into night. Borelli, who was a wit- 

 nefs to thefe terrible phenomena, fays, that at length a 

 rent, twelve miles in length, was opened in the moun- 

 tain, in fome places cf which, when they threw down 

 {tones, they could not hear them reach the bottom. 

 Burning rocks, fixty palms in length, were thrown to 

 the diftance cf a mile, and leffer ftones were carried 

 three miles. After the moil violent ftruggles, and a 

 fhaking of the whole ifland, an immenie torrent of 

 lava gufhed from the rent, and fprung up into the air 

 to the heighth. of fixty palms, whence it poured down 

 the mountain, and overwhelmed every object in its way 

 in one promifcuous ruin. 



This deftru&ive torrent, which burft from the fide 

 of JEtna an a place called Ricini, rufr.ed irnpetuoufly 

 againft the ' beautiful mountain of Montpclieri, and 

 pierced into the ground to a co-nfiderable depth j then 

 dividing and furrounding the mountain, it united again 

 on the ibuth fide, and poured defolation upon the ad- 

 jacent country. The progrefs of the torrent was at 

 firfl. at the rate of feven miles a day, but in afterwards 

 took four days to travel fixteen ; wherever it directed 

 its courfe, the whole appearance of nature was changed, 

 feveral hills were formed in places which were for- 

 merly valleys, and a large lake was fo entirely filled up 

 by the melted mafs, as not to leave a veftige remaining. 

 In its courfe it defcended upon a vineyard, belonging 

 to a convent of Jefuits, which was formed upon an 

 ancient and probably a very thin layer of lava, with a 

 number of caverns and crevices under it. The liquid 

 mafs entering into thefe excavations foon filled them 

 up, and by degrees bore up the vineyard, which in a 



fliort; 



