92 M E M O IR S of the 
from time to time have laid wafte the ifland of Sicily: On the 
icth of January^ 1(^93, there happened an earthquake, whole 
motion was of that fort, which Arifiotk and '^Pliny call the firft 
fpecies, and which they compare to the ihaking fit of an ague, 
caufing fuch a motion as iliakes the earth from fide to fide 5 in 
this iliock, almofi: all the edifices in the country were thrown 
down, of which fome were very high and ftrong built towers 5 a 
great part of the city of Catanea^ with many others, was demo- 
lifhed, and a great many buildings in Valdi Noto-^ Syracufe^'2.% 
alfb much (battered, but not ruined^ this earthquake was not 
proceeded by any darknefs in the air, but by an agreeable, ferene 
and warm feafon 3 which was the more obfervable, as being unu- 
fual at that time of the year: The prcceeding evening there was 
a great flame or light obferved at r^bout the diftance of an Italian 
mile, and fb bright, that it was taken for a real fire made by 
Ibme of the country people, and it feemed to the fpedlators flill 
to keep at the lame diftance, tho' they went dire6lly towards it 5 
whilft they were obferving this appearance, the earth-quake be- 
gan, upon which the light quite vanilhed, and the waves of the 
fea, which, before the (hock, beat gently on the fhore, began 
now to make a dreadful noife ; the next day, the air was over- 
fliadowed with darknefs, and tinf-ed with a deep yellow, and the 
darkened Ian flruck the minds of the fpe61ators with the melan- 
choly prefage of the approaching earthquake, which was the fe- 
cund 'and happened on the nth of January^ and lafted about 
four minutes 3 it was much like the lecond iort, which Ariftotle 
and 'J^liny call a pulic or ftroke, from its relemblance to the beat- 
ing of an artery, and by ^ojfidoriius in Seneca is reprefented by 
the name of vibrations, it being a perpendicular lifting up of the 
earth : This fhock afFe61:ed Sicily all over, and its impulfe was 
fb vehement and pov;crful that not only many cities and leveral 
parts of the kingdom of Naples, but alio the ifland of Malta 
fhared in its fury 3 it was impofhblc for one to keep on his legs, 
and even thofe, who lay along on the ground, were tofled from 
fide to fide, as if on a rolling billow : In open places the fea funk 
down conliderably, and in the lame proportion in the ports and 
incloled bays, and the water bubbled up all along the fliore ; the 
earth opened in feveral places in verv long clefts, fome an hand's 
breadth, others half a palm, and others like great gulfs 5 from 
thofe openings in the vallies there ilTued out fuch a quantity of 
water as overflowed a great ipace of ground, which to thofe that 
were near it, had a jenfible llilphureous Imell : In the plain of 
Catanea^ from one of thofe narrow but very long clefts, and 
about 
