THE EARTH. 51 



ately overwhelming them in pits. All the wells discharged their w^ 

 ters with the most vehement agitation. The sea felt an equal shar* 

 of turbulence, and, bursting over its mounds, deluged all that came in 

 its way. The fissures of the earth were, in some places, so great, that 

 one of the streets appeared twice as broad as formerly. In many 

 places, however, it opened and closed again, and continued this agita- 

 tion for some time. Of these openings, two or three hundred might 

 be seen at a time ; in some whereof the people were swallowed up ; 

 in others, the earth closing, caught them by the middle, and thus 

 crushed them instantly to death. Other openings, still more dreadful 

 than the rest, swallowed up whole streets ; and others, more formida- 

 ble still, spouted up whole cataracts of water, drowning such as the 

 earthquake had spared. The whole was attended with the most 

 noisome stench; while the thundering of the distant falling mountains, 

 the whole sky overcast with a dusky gloom, and the crash of falling 

 habitations, gave unspeakable horror to the scene. After this dread- 

 ful calamity was over, the whole island seemed converted into a scene 

 of desolation; scarce a planter's house was left standing; almost all 

 were swallowed up ; houses, people, trees, shared one universal ruin ; 

 and in their places appeared great pools of water, which, when dried 

 up by the sun, left only a plain of barren sand, without any vestige 

 of former inhabitants. Most of the rivers, during the earthquake, 

 were stopt up by the falling in of the mountains; and it was not till 

 after some time that they made themselves new channels. The moun- 

 tains seemed particularly attacked by the force of the shock; and it 

 was supposed that the principal seat of the concussion was among 

 them. Those who were saved got on board ships in the harbour, 

 where many remained above two months ; the shocks continuing, 

 during that interval, with more or less violence every day." 



As this description seems to exhibit all the appearances that usually 

 make up the catalogue of terrors belonging to an earthquake, I will 

 suppress the detail of that which happened at Lisbon, in our own 

 times, and which is too recent to require a description. In fact, 

 there are few particulars, in the accounts of those who were present 

 at that scene of desolation, that we have not more minutely and accu- 

 rately transmitted to us by former writers, whose narratives I have 

 for that reason preferred. I will therefore close this description of hu- 

 man calamities, with the account of the dreadful earthquake at Cala- 

 bria, in 1638. It is related by the celebrated Father Kircher, as it 

 happened while he was on his journey to visit Mount ./Etna, and the 

 rest of the wonders that lie towards the south of Italy. I need scarce 

 inform the reader, that Kircher is considered, by scholars, as one 

 rff the greatest prodigies of learning. 



" Having hired a boat, in company with four more, two friars of the 

 order of St. Francis, and two seculars, we launched, on the twenty- 

 fourth of March, from the harbour of Messina, in Sicily, and arrived 

 the same day at the promontory of Pelorus. Our destination was for 

 me city of Euphsemia, in Calabria, where we had some business to 

 transact, and where we designed to tarry for some time. However, 

 Providence seemed willing to cross our design ; for we were obliged 

 *o continue for three days at Pelorus, upon account of the weather ; 



