Chap. 47.] 'Temerity of certain Nuns. 345 



wafhed the foot of this new formed promontory : and 

 although our author was at leaft a hundred yards from 

 it, obferving that the lea fmoked near his boat, he put 

 his hand into the water, which was literally fcalded ; 

 and by this time his boatmen obferved that the pitch 

 from the bottom of the boat was melting faft, and 

 floating on the furface of the fea, and that the boat 

 began to leak ; he therefore retired haftily from this 

 fpot, and landed at ibme diftance from the hot lava. 

 The town of Torre del Greco contained about 18,000 

 inhabitants, all of whom (except about 15, who from 

 either age or infirmity could not be moved, and were 

 overwhelmed by the lava in their houfes) efcaped 

 either to Caftel-a-mare, which was the ancient Sta- 

 biae, or to Naples; but the rapid progrefs of the lava 

 was fuch, after it had altered its courfe from Refina, 

 which town it firft threatened, and had joined a frefh 

 lava that iiTued from one of the new mouths in a vine- 

 yard, about a mile from the town, that it ran like a 

 torrent over the town of Torre del Greco, allowing the 

 unfortunate inhabitants fcarcely time to fave their 

 lives ; their goods and effects were totally abandoned, 

 and indeed feveral of the inhabitants, whofe houfes had 

 been furrounded with lava while they remained in 

 them, efcaped from them, and faved their lives the 

 following day, by coming out of the tops of their 

 houfes, and walking over the fcoriae on the furface of 

 the redhot lava. Five or fix old nuns were taken out 

 of a convent in this manner, on the i6th of June, and 

 carried over the hot lava ; their ftupidity was fuch, as 

 not to have been the leaft alarmed, or fenfible of their 

 danger : one of upwards <rf ninety years of age was 

 found attualiy warming herfelf at a point of redhot 

 hva, which touched the window of her cell, and which 



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