THE EARTH. t>3 



town, and the inn at which we had set up, dashed to the ground, and 

 burying all its inhabitants beneath its ruins. 



" In this manner, proceeding onward in our little vessel, finding 

 no safety at land, and yet, from the smallness of our boat, having but 

 a very dangerous continuance at sea, we at length landed at Lopizi- 

 um, a castle midway between Tropasa and Euphaemia, the city to 

 which, as I said before, we were bound. Here, wherever I turned 

 my eyes, nothing but scenes of ruin and horror appeared ; towns 

 and castles levelled to the ground ; Strombalo, though at sixty miles 

 distance, belching forth flames in an unusual manner, and with a noise 

 which I could distinctly hear. But my attention was quickly turned 

 from more remote to contiguous danger. The rumbling sound of an 

 approaching earthquake, which we by this time were grown acquaint- 

 ed with, alarmed us for the consequences ; it every moment seemed 

 to grow louder, and to approach more near. The place on which we 

 stood now began to shake most dreadfully, so that being unable to 

 stand, my companions and I caught hold of whatever shrub grew next 

 us, and supported ourselves in that manner. 



" After some time, this violent paroxysm ceasing, we again stood 

 up, in order to prosecute our voyage to Euphaemia, that lay within 

 sight. In the mean time, while we were preparing for this purpose, 

 I turned my eyes towards the city, but could see only a frightful dark 

 cloud that seemed to rest upon the place. This the more surprised 

 us, as the weather was so very serene. We waited, therefore, till the 

 cloud was past away ; then turning to look for the city, it was totally 

 sunk. Wonderful to tell ! nothing but a dismal and putrid lake was 

 seen where it stood. We looked about to find some one that could 

 tell us of its sad catastrophe, but could see none ! All was become a 

 melancholy solitude ! a scene of hideous desolation ! Thus proceed- 

 ing pensively along, in quest of some human being that could give us 

 some little information, we at length saw a boy sitting by the shore, and 

 appearing stupified with terror. Of him, therefore, we inquired con- 

 cerning the fate of the city, but he could not be induced to give us 

 an answer. We intreated him with every expression of tenderness 

 and pity to tell us : but his senses were quite wrapt up in contempla- 

 tion of the danger he had escaped. We offered him some victuals, 

 but he seemed to loathe the sight. We still persisted in our offices 

 of kindness ; but he only pointed to the place of the city, like one 

 out of his senses ; and then running up into the woods, was never 

 heard of after. Such was the fate of the city of Euphaemia ! and as 

 we continued our melancholy course along the shore, the whole coast, 

 for the space of two hundred miles, presented nothing but the remains 

 of cities, and men scattered, without a habitation, over the fields. 

 Proceeding thus along, we at length ended our distressful voyage by 

 arriving at Naples, after having escaped a thousand dangers both at 

 sea and land." 



The reader, I hope, will excuse me for this long translation from a 

 favourite writer, and that the sooner, as it contains some particulars 

 relative to earthquakes not to be found elsewhere. From the whole 

 f these accounts we may gather, that the most concomitant circuiD' 

 stances are these : 



