fual mightbefuppofed to render men more curious in obferving 
it, yet we find to the contrary, that the rarity of fuch efFeds 
makes many people not know what they are, and byheightning 
their furprize impofes upon their judgements. 
For I am fenfible that a great many of thofe, who plainly felt 
the (baking, and heard the noife, which attended it, did not know 
what to impute it to; but of thofe that I have difcourfedwith con-, 
cerning it, one fancied it to be the falling of fomething about his 
houfe; another the tumbling of wood 5 a third the ratling of a 
cart, one one things and ^noUdtx mother till either a mature delibe- 
ration, or intelligence from other hands, convinced them to the 
contrary, and fatisfied them that it was an earthc^Hoke* Even many 
of thofe, that could imagine it to be nothing elfe, were afraid at 
firft to (peak their opinion of it : I queftion not but all were ve- 
ry much amazed, and had they not beenfo, the (hort continuance 
of the trembling would hardly have permitted them to make any 
accurate obfervation. ^ 
i for my part perceived the fomd and motion very plainly, and 
though when I faw the clearnefs of the morning 1 judged that to 
be an eMhqmke^ which otherwife I might have thought to have 
been only a diftant thunder, yet had I not fo clear an impreflion 
of it in my mind as to make any confiderable ohfervations of my 
own ; fo that what I can ofFoid you will be only feme occafional 
refledtions upon earth^mkes in general, and fome fmall remarques 
upon that little intelligence, which I have picked up here and there 
concerning this in particular. 
I The time in which this earthquake happened is tobe obfer- 
ved^ a time in which fuch efFefts are moft commonly experienced, 
if we may credit jiriftotle^ who tells us that they are mofl: fre- 
quent in Spring and Autumn-, which remarque, though flighted 
by Gajfendm^ who generally affeds to contradid that Philofofherj 
is notwithftanding confirmed by that great naturalift Plinj^ and 
feveral other learned men in all ages ; who do not deny but that 
earthquakes may, and have feveral times happened both in 
and WtnteYy tho not fo commonly as in the other two feafons:, in 
which there is generally a greater abundance of moifture fucked 
up, more vapours and a larger quantity of Nitre, as experience 
doth demonftrate, all which ingredients may confpire to the pro- 
•ducing of an earthquake. For if we confider how capable rhey 
are of a large expanfion, how forcible they are when rarified in 
vejfeis clofed and placed over the fire-, in J^.oljftles, from which 
they breakout, with forcible blafts , or in winds, which frequent- 
