5s6 Miss on’j travels through the Bdok IL 
tions of Medalsj which contribute not a little to the 
true Underftanding of the Hiftory of Naples^ are to be 
found in the Cabinets of the Antiquaries of this City, 
and efpecialJy in that of Mr. Kichetti. Of the Cata- 
combs I lhall have Occafion to fpeak hereafter. 
After Pope Sixtus V. had cleared the Ecclefiaftical 
State of the Banditti^ they became more numerous in 
the Kingdom of Naples j fo that even within thefe few 
Years Travellers were forced to go in Caravans to fecure 
themfelves againft their Infolencies 5 but the Honour of 
freeing this Country from thefe dangerous Vermin is 
due to the Marquifs del Carpio^ late Viceroy of Na- 
ples^ who put a great Number of them to Death ; and 
I remember we faw lately above five hundred of them 
at Work in the Arfenal, who had furrender’d under 
Condition tliat their Lives fliould be faved, and not to 
be made Galley-fiaves. But notwithftanding all this, it 
muft: be owned, that the Generality of ihtlSeapoUtans are 
a very wicked Generation. We were credibly inform’d, 
that in two Prifons only there were no lefs than four 
thoufand Malefactors at that Time. This has queftion- 
lefs given Occafion to the noted Proverb, Hhat Naples 
is a Paradife inhabited by Devils. 
Befides this, notwithftanding all the outward Gran- 
deur of this City, it has feveral Things which not a 
Jitde overcloud its Luftre j for Women are as hard to 
be feen here, as in any Part of Italy. The Habits and 
Equipages of Perfons of Quality are all black, not be- 
ing allow’d the Wearing of Gold and Silver, and the 
greateft Lord has no more than two Footmen ; befides, 
moft of their Coaches are drawn by Mules •, and they 
generally appear in the Spanifh Drefs. The Viceroy’s 
Court is very filent and melancholy : Their Trade is 
alfo much decayed, their chiefeft Commodities at this 
Time being Soap, Snuff, Stockins, Waiftcoats, fome 
Silk Manufaftories ^c. 
From Naples to the Top of Mount Vefuvius is eight 
Miles, of which I ftiall endeavour to give you a more 
exaCl Account than you have feen hitherto. The firft 
four Miles, as you pafs along the Sea-coaft, you go 
through many good Villages, and the Grounds are very 
well cultivated ; yet from Place to Place you fee great 
Stones, thrown thither by the Eruptions of that Moun- 
tain : The laft of thefe Villages is called Refina ; when 
turning to the Left, we began to afcend, but ftill on 
Horfeback for two good Miles further, among loofe 
Stones, and Heaps of burnt Earth ; the nearer you 
come to the Top, the more you find the Ground crack’d 
and cover’d with thefe burnt Stones •, and in fome 
Places you fee the TraCts of the Chanels of Sulphur, 
which have been forced down from the Top towards 
the Bottom. About the Middle, the Afcent beginning 
to grow extream rough, you muft alight to pafs on 
Foot, which is not done without a great deal of Difficul- 
ty, the Afhes, or rather calcined Duft, not affording any 
fure Footing : But at laft, after feveral fmall Reftings, 
w'e came up to the ancient Gulph or Hollownefs, for of 
late confiderable Alterations have happened in this 
Mountain. The Circumference of this firft Gulph has 
about a Mile in Diameter, to the beft of our Guefs ; 
the Edges being worn into feveral rugged Elevations, 
you may go dov/n into it feveral Ways about a hun- 
dred Paces below the firft Circle, being the whole 
Depth of this old Mouth ; for this vaft Abyfs was by 
an extraordinary Eruption, almoft quite fill’d up with a 
Mixture of Sulphur, Alom, Bitumen, Saltpetre, and Ni- 
tre, which, after the Violence of the Eruption was paft, 
turning into a hard Cruft, produced a Level in this 
Gulph not above a hundred Paces below its exterior 
Brims *, but fome Time after, a furious Eruption ha- 
ving ffiaken and broken through this Cruft, tumbled 
the hardened Pieces one upon another, as we fee 
the broken Ice of a Pond congealed by a fudden Froft. 
This unequal Superficies is interfperfed with burning 
Funnels, which emit continual Exhalations ; and in 
fome Places we could feel the Heat through our Shoes. 
You muft know, that in the Middle of this Superficies 
(which is almoft of a circular Figure) another moft vi- 
olent Eruption has forced its Paffage, and caft up a 
new Mountain, which is likewife found and about a 
Quarter of a Mile high. 
After we had traverfed that rough Space of -about 
three hundred Paces broad, between the greater and 
leffer Mountain, we afcended this little Mountain with 
as much Pains as we had done the firft, which we found 
full of fmoaking Chinks, and in many Places lay a 
pure Sulphur mixed with a Kind of Sal Armoniac^oii a 
Citron Colour. In fome Places we faw a reddifh po- 
rous Subftance, like the Dregs or Scum of Iron as it 
comes from the Smiths Forge. The Top of this leffer 
Miountain hath its Mouth as well as the great one, 
which is about one hundred Paces broad, and the In- 
let to this vaft fubterraneous Abyfs, fends forth a thick 
Flood of Smoak, which fills up the whole Concavity 5 
the Winds forcing it fometimes on one Side, and 
fometimes on the other, we had an exadl View of the 
Fleight of its Entrance or Brink, which is perpendicu- 
lar within, except in one Place, where it is floaping 
enough to defcend into it, which we did after our 
Guide for fixty or eighty Paces, when coming to the 
very Brink of this Precipice, we rowl’d down many 
Stones we broke off near it : We found them fome- 
times to ftop at the firft or fecond Falling, and fome- 
times to take a long Courfe rebounding with a great 
Noife. We could not perceive any confiderable In- 
creafe of the Smoak by the Tumbling in of thefe 
Stones i and if they had been much bigger, they would 
perhaps have produced no other Effe6t, there being no 
great Reafon to imagine, that the fulphurous Lake is 
perpendicularly under the Opening of this Mountain : 
I know fome have had the Curiofity to blow up Part 
of thefe Rocks with Gunpowder ; but this feems to me 
a dangerous Piece of Curiofity, where it is not fafe to 
flay too long, by reafon of the fudden Eruptions that 
happen now and then ; witnefs the famous Pliny., who 
was furprized with fuch an one, though at a confider- 
able Diftance ; and the furious Eruptions in 1682, 1685, 
and 1687, not to mention thofe recorded by the more 
ancient Authors. 
The little Time we had to ftay about Pozzuolo did not 
permit us to take fo particular an Account of all the 
Curiofities there, as we might have done, had we been 
more at Leifure ; however, I do not queftion relating 
fomething that is new concerning this Journey. In 
our Way from the Suburbs of Naples to Pozzuolo we faw 
the Hill known by the Name of Paufilypus : To con- 
fefs the Truth, it is moft delicious, of an infinitely charm- 
ing Situation, extreamly well cultivated, full of Summer 
Seats, and planted with moft excellent Vines. The Af- 
cent to this Hill was not fo fteep, but that it might 
have been made eafy enough, but, moved by an extra- 
vagant Humour, they refolved to pierce the Mountain, 
and by that Means made indeed a fliorter Way, and 
of an extraordinary Contrivance, but much more trou- 
blefome than the Afcent would have been. This Cave 
is generally call’d the Grott of Pozzuolo, being in fome 
Places cut through the Rock, in others through the Sand 5 
its whole Length is near a Mile, the Height between, 
thirty and forty Foot, and eighteen in Breadth, afford- 
ing an eafy Paffage for two Coaches : It has no other 
Light than at the two Extremities, and a little Hole in 
the Middle over the Oratory, which is made in the 
Rock by enlarging that Part fomewhat beyond the reft. 
The Duft which is raifed by the Paffengers is very 
troublefome, to avoid which you cover your Face with 
a Handkerchief ; and to avoid running againft each 
other, you cry as you pafs along, Ho the Right, or to 
the Left ? This is an ancient Work, Seneca in his Time 
complained of its Duft and Darknefs ; it is attributed to 
one Coccejus, who (according to fome ancient Annals) 
is faid to have imployed a hundred thoufand Men in it, 
who finifti’d it in fifteen Days 5 but it is not known 
who this Coccejus was, fome believe him to be a Prince 
or Governor of that Part of the Country, fome only the 
Head Workman, or Undertaker of the Defign. 
A little beyond Paufilypus lies the Lake of Agnano, be- 
tween two Hills, almoft round, and two Miles in Cir- 
cumference : The Water is very clear, and without any 
ill 
