C *59 ] 
the Thanomena ; A few Thoughts, though very com 
mon ones, 1 offer for your Corredion. 
The Earth of this Country is, no doubt, greatly 
compounded of Sulphur and Nitre, from whence 
Dr. Burnet hath fixed it for the Beginning of the 
general Conflagration ; though he has, out of a par- 
ticular Spite to the People of Rome-, laid the Com- 
mencement of it there. The great Quantities of 
Sulphur and Nitre are, to be fure, the Operators of 
thefe great Explofions, Lightnings, Bombs, Bellow- 
ings, and Expulfions of all this Matter j and Nature 
can certainly make much flronger and more elaftic 
Gunpowder, than Mankind j elfe thofe great maffy 
Bodies of Metals could not be thrown up with that 
vaft Force, to that great Height. The Bodies are 
compounded of various Metals, and, as it were, ineor- 
poraced with the Bitumen : They pretend to find 
fome Silver, but I queftion whether the Gains will 
pay the Cofts. They have fpoken of the ha'vd^-, as if 
their Motion was quick j but I obferved otherwife, 
that it is flow, and the Progrellion rather like a 
vermicular one : And befides trufting to my Sight, F 
am rather apt to think it mufl be fo, becaufe, though 
in a great Declivity, thefe great MaHes mufl be much 
retarded in their Motion, by their large unequal Points 
or Angles 5 befides^ the Glewynefs of the Bitumen as 
it cooled, would very much impede a quick Motion ; 
which Bitumen is that Matter that flames, fmokes, 
and is fo very fuffocating. 
By fome of the Antients, thefe burning Mountains 
have been looked upon as Divinities, and that they 
lived there: To confirm which, there was a Marble 
found at Capita (as Raragallo affirms) with this In- 
icriptio»., 
