384 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. • [anNO l66g. 



months before, rage more than usual ; the like of which did Volcano and 

 Strombilo, two burning islands to the westward. 



The eruption took place on the 1 1 th of March 1 669, about two hours before 

 night, on the south-east side or skirt of the mountain, about 20 miles beneath 

 the Old Mouth ; and 10 miles from Catania. At first it was reported to ad- 

 vance 3 miles in 24 hours; but April 5, it scarce moved after the rate of a fur- 

 long a day ; and at this degree of progress it continued for 15 or 20 days after, 

 passing under the walls of Catania a good way into the sea; but about the latter 

 end of this month (April) and the beginning of May, it bent all its force 

 against that city ; and passed in divers places over the walls ; but its chief fury 

 fell on the convent of the Benedictines, having large gardens and other ground 

 between them and the wall : which when it had filled up, it fell with all its 

 force on the convent, where it met with strong resistance, which made it swell 

 almost as high as the higher shops in the Old London Exchange, this convent 

 being built much after that fashion^ though considerably larger. Some parts of 

 the wall were driven in, whole and entire, almost a foot, as appeared by the 

 rising of the tiles in the midst of the floor, and bending of the iron-bars that 

 went cross above. But here its fury ceased the 4th of May, running forward 

 in little channels or streams chiefly into the sea. It had overwhelmed in the 

 inland country about 14 towns and villages, whereof some were of good note, 

 containing 3 or 4 thousand inhabitants, and stood in a very fruitful and pleasant 

 country, where the fire had never made any devastation before : but now there 

 is not so much as any sign where such towns have stood ; only the church and 

 steeple of one of them, which stood alone upon high ground, still appear. 



The matter which thus ran was nothing else but divers kinds of metals and 

 minerals, rendered liquid by the fierceness of the fire in the bowels of the earth, 

 boiling up and gushing forth like the water at the head of some great river; and 

 having run in a full body for a good stone's cast or more, the extremities there- 

 of began to crust and curdle, forming when cold those hard porous stones 

 which the people call sciarri, having the nearest resemblance to huge cakes of 

 sea-coal, full of fire. These came rolling and tumbling over one another, and 

 where they met with a bank, would fill up and swell over, by their weight 

 bearing down any common building, and burning whatever was combustible. 

 The chief motion of this matter was forward, but it also dilated itself, as a flood 

 of water would do on even ground. 



About 2 or 3 o'clock at night we mounted a high tower in Catania, whence 

 we had a full view of the mouth ; which was a terrible sight. Next morning 

 we would have gone up to the mouth itself, but durst not come nearer than a 

 furlong off, for fear of being overwhelmed by a sudden turn of the wind, which 



