37O ' Great Earthquake at Lffion. [Book VL 



lent, that I could fcarce keep on my knees, but it was 

 attended with fome circumftances ftill more dreadful 

 than the former. On a fudden I heard a general out- 

 cry, ' The fea is coming in, we Ihall be all loft.' Upon 

 this, turning my eyes towards the river, which in that 

 place is near four miles broad, I could perceive it 

 heaving and fwelling in a moft unaccountable manner, 

 as no wind was ftirring; in an inftant there appeared, 

 at fome fmall diftance, a large body of water, rifing 

 like a mountain ; it came on foaming and roaring, 

 and rufhed towards the fhore with fuch impetuofity, 

 that, we all immediately ran for our lives as faft as 

 pofiible; many were actually fwept away, and the 

 reft above their waift in water at a good diftance 

 from the banks. For my own part, I had the nar- 

 roweft efcape, and fhould certainly have been loft, had 

 I not grafped a large beam that lay on the ground, till 

 the water returned to its channel, which it did almoft 

 at the fame inftant, with equal rapidity. As there 

 wow appeared at leaft as much danger from the fea as 

 the land, and I fcarce knew whither to retire for fhel- 

 ter, I took a fudden 'refolution of returning back with 

 my cloaths all dropping, to the area of St. Paul's : here 

 I ftood fome time, and obferved the fhips tumbling 

 and toffing about, as in a violent ftorm; fome had 

 broken their cables, and were carried to the other fide 

 of the Tagusj others were whirled round with incre- 

 dible fwiftnefs ; . feveral large boats were turned keel 

 upwards ; and all this without any wind, which feemed 

 the more aftonifhing. It was at the time of which 

 I am now fpeaking, that the fine new quay, built 

 of rough marble, at an immenfe expence, was en- 

 tirely fwallowed up, with all the people on it, who 

 had fled thither for fafety, and had reafon to think 

 thernfelves out of danger in fuch a place j at the fame 



time 



