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MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 



346 



ii: 



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The begianliig of It Is exadly defcribed la Pliny the 

 younger's letter to Tacitus*, The firft alarm was taken 

 from a column of black fmoke, thrown out with fuch vio- 

 lence as to appear like an immenfe pine, branching out on 

 all fides after a great height of trunk, when the diminution 

 of the force that threw it out, allowed the air to operate 

 by fpreading it. The whole mountain was foon wrapped 

 round with utter darknefs; and it's place was only to be 

 diftinguifhed by the many dreams of fire that were darted 

 ill diiferent dircdions, and made this darknefs vifiblef. 



It appeared to me very unaccountable at firft, but I af- 

 terwards found, by the affiftance of my glafies, that thefe 

 different direaions were produced by the particular motion 

 impreffed upon the fire, as it iflued from the feveral mouths 

 which gave vent to Vefuvlus. It was very extraordinary 

 to obferve fome of thefe itreams defcending perpendicularly, 

 whilft others mounted upwards in a ftraight line. The 

 former appearance was owing to innumerableignitedftones^ 

 in their fall, after having been thrown from fome fuperior 

 aperture, that acquired fuch velocity from their weight, 

 and fuch a blending of light from their proximity, as to 

 feem one impetuous torrent of fire;, though on the ufual 

 appearance of thefe falling ftones, they are fcattered, and 

 are plainly to be diftinguiilied as feparate bodies. 



All this, as a mere objed of fight, would rather have 

 been amufing ; but a frequency of the moft terrible explofions 



made it very alarming, efpecially to me, in a houfe that 



Ihakes v\ath the leaft motion. The noife of the largeft 



cannon^ 



* As it may give the curious reader pleafure to eompare the above defciiption with the more 

 firlkiiig pailagcs of Pliny the younger's letter, on the fume fubjca, we Imvc here fubjoined 

 thcni. 



" NubcEi, jnccrtum procnl intuentibus ex quo montc, A^cfuvium fulffc pofltacognitum eft 

 orlebatur: cujub bmilitudineni & formani non alia maj^is arbor, qnam Pinu;> espreficiit. Nam 

 longiffimo velut trunco ciHata in altum, ti_uibufdam ramis diffundcbatur. Credo quia reeenti fpi- 

 ritu cvedla, dein fencfccntc eo dcflituta, aut ctiam pondere fuo vi6la, in latitudinem vanefce- 

 bat, Candida intcrdum, intcrdum fordida & nKLciilofa, prout terrcm cineremve fullulcrat 



Plhui npifoL xvi. Ub, \{, 

 f " Interim c Fefuino rnmMc pluribus locis latillime flammx atqiic inccudiarclucebant quo-- 

 rumfulgor 3c claritastenebrus nodis excipiebat. * * 



*' Jam dies alibi, illic nox omnibus noxibus nigrior deniiorquc, quam tamen faces mult:t; 

 variaquc Uimlna folvebp.nt." Ibidem. 



" Ab aitero latere ruibcs atra & horrenda 'gnei fpin'tus tortis vibratifque difcurfibuerupta 

 in longas flanmiarum figuras dchifcebat, fulgoribus iibx & iimiks, ^ majores erant. ' 



i^i'mii EpifoL xx» HIk vi. ■ 



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