I 
S58 Misso n’s travels through the Book II 
it was fo common, that 'it was fcarce regarded as an 
extraordinary Thing. I remember, that in my Travels 
I fav/ a Sea-calf, fo very tame, that it would, do as many 
Tricks as a Spaniel. 
In the Year 1538, in the Night between the 19th and 
20th of September^ the Earth produc’d on a fudden a 
certain Mountain never feen before, which for that 
Reafon has fince retained the Name of Monte Nuovo, or 
the New Mountain. Thofe who have meafured it^ 
make its Height perpendicularly four hundred Toifes, 
and its Circumference three large Miles. The Gulph 
or Opening of fifty Paces diameter on the Top of this 
New Mountain., fufficiently proves its Produdlion to have 
been caufed by an Eruption, though it never fent forth 
either Fire or Smoke fince its firft Eruption, which was 
attended with a moft dreadful Earthquake, that put all 
the neighbouring Country under a great Confternation, 
the Sea recoiling, many Churches and Houfes being 
burnt or fwallowed up, a vaft Number of Men and 
Bealls perilhing by this prodigious Birth of the New 
Mountain. Your Mountain of Markle-hill, in the Coun- 
ty of Hereford, was ufher’d into the World after a much 
eafier and more pleafant Manner, becaufe it mov’d with 
a gentle Pace for three Days and Nights, with Houfes 
and Trees, for about four hundred Paces. 
On the other Side of the Lucrin Lake, you fee ano- 
ther famous Hill called Monte di Chrijio, the Story 
whereof runs thus : A moll violent Earthquake having 
made an Opening in this Hill, which reach’d from the 
Superficies to the very Limbus Patrum, Jefus Chribf en- 
ter’d through this Cavern, where being joyfully receiv’d 
by the Souls that were deftin’d to heavenly Felicity, he 
led them through this Paffage up to the Top of the 
Mountain, from whence they were lifted up to Hea- 
ven. A fine Italian Fable ! 
The Lake of Averno is not above a Mile from the Lake 
of Lucrin,^ being much about the fame Bulk as the Lake 
Agnano *, it is beyond Quellion, that what Virgil, Lucre- 
tius, Pliny, and others fay of its deadly Vapours, is not 
fo at prefent, the Birds flying over it without the leaft 
Detriment, which is the Reafon that Pliny is reckoned 
by fome modern Authors to have advanced a manifefl: 
Falfhood. But if the Matter be truly weigh’d, it will 
fufficiently appear, that Pliny only quotes Varro in what 
he fays of this Lake, but fpeaks not as an Eye-witnefs ; 
for, difcourfing of the Lakes which have extraordinary 
C^alities, he cites Ctejias, a Greek Hiftorian, who men- 
tions a Lake in the Indies on which nothing fwims, and 
afterward alledges the Teftimony of Varro about the 
Averno. Add to this, that Strabo attributes the Caufe 
of this Stench in the Averno to the Thicknefsand Num- 
ber of the Trees that furrounded it on all Sides, which, 
he fays, being removed by Augujius, the Air became 
pure and fweet : And Boccace, who liv’d not above 
three hundred Years fince, aflTures us, that fome fub- 
terraneous Chanel of Sulphur being mixed with the Wa- 
ters of ih^Averno, they became ftinking,and killed many 
of the Fiffi, which he faw with his own Eyes : Two 
manifefl Inflances, that this Lake hath been at different 
Times in very different Conditions. Virgil derives the 
Word Avernus from Aornus, notwithflanding which, 
this Name feems to have been the ancient Appellation 
of fulphureous Gulphs in general, which makes Lucre- 
tius call thefe Kind of Pools Averna Loca. 
The Ruins to be feen to this Day about the Averno, 
plainly demonftrate, that the adjacent Hills were well 
peopled after the before-mentioned Trees were cut 
down. The Antiquaries do not agree, whether the 
Ruins next to the Lake belong’d to a Temple of Mer- 
cury, or of Neptune but certain it is, it could not be 
the Temple of As we approach’d Averno, 
I could plainly perceive fomething of a naufeous Smell, 
but whether it proceeded from the Lake, or not, I will 
not pretend to determine. ; for the Lake abounds with 
Fifli, its Waters are frefh and pretty clear, only incli- 
ning fomewhat to a Blue ; I tafted them in divers 
Places, and found them to have a pretty fharp Twang of 
fome Mineral, but what I could not diflinguiffi. 
Not far from hence is the fubterraneous Paffage and 
Cave commonly known by the Name of thtSybfds Grott, 
She chief Entrance whereof is faid to have been near 
Cuma, four Miles from Averno, but it is all filled up 
on that Side. We went into it through a narrow Pai- 
fage, everyone with a lighted Torch in his Hand, the 
Paffage being on both Sides overgrown with Briars and 
Thiflies, This fubterraneous Paffage is dug under Hil- 
locks, without any Ornaments, except in the Place I 
am going to defcribe to you : It is about ten Foot 
broad, and twelve high. After you have gone two 
hundred and fifty Paces in a flreight Line, you meet 
with a fquare Grott on the right, and feventy or eighty 
Paces, further a little Cell of fifteen Foot Ioi)g, and eight 
or nine broad. You may perceive by various Remains^ 
that the Roof was formerly painted and the Wails adorn- 
ed with MofaickNl or\c.. Alter I had read the learned 
Treatife of Mr. Blondel concerning thefe pretended Sy- 
bils, and their Writings, I was fufficient Proof againll 
all the vulgar Opinions of this Grott j notwithflanding 
what divers ancient Authors have told us concerning 
the Syhilla Cum^ea and her Cave, which by the Italians 
has been applied to this fubterraneous Paffage, I am not 
ignorant of the Defcription of Virgil, 
^0 lali ducunt aditus centum, ojlia centum 
Unde ruunt totidem voces’ — - 
but at the fame Time am convinc’d, that Virgil fpoke of 
it only as a fabulous Tradition *, for what elfe will you 
fay to the centum aditus, and centum oftia, which are not 
to be found here or any where elfe ? In ray Opinion, 
this might be fuch another Paffage as the Groti; ot Pau- 
Jilippus, and the painted Cell appropriated to Ibme 
Deity. Strabo relates, upon the Credit of Ephorus, an 
ancient Hiftorian of Cuma;, that the Cimmerians of Italy, 
(to diflinguiffi them from thofe inhabiting near the 
Bofphorus) did inhabit in fubterraneous Caverns be- 
tween Baja 2i.ndi the Lake Averno, from whence they 
fallied out in the Night-time to perpetrate their Mur- 
ders. The digging of this Cave feems more properly 
to belong to them, were it not that the Mofaick Work 
in the Ceil hath as little Refemblance to their Way of 
living, as to the Habitation of a pretended Mad-woman, 
fuch as the Sybil is fuppofed to have been. 
From this Cave we took aTurnto 5 <^W, the mofl: 
pleafant and magnificent Place in the World in ancient 
Times ; Horace, Martial, Jofephus, Seneca, Albinus, 
and others, have left us fuch a Charader of it, as might 
put this Affertion beyond all Queftion, were not the 
Ruins of many Temples, Baths, and Palaces, which are 
to be feen round the Bay, and even in the Sea itfelf, 
undeniable Proofs of its former Grandeur. The Bay of 
Baja is infinitely pleafant, the Air exceeding fweet, and 
the adjoining Hills with eafy Afeents charming beyond 
what can be exprefs’d or imagin’d ; but alafs, that vaft 
Number of Summer-feats which adorn’d the Neigh- 
bourhood of this City, are now nothing but a vaft Heap 
of Ruins, and a difmal Solitude. Between Baja and 
Mifeno is the Precind call’d Bauli, where you fee the 
Tomb of Agrippina, and near it the Remnants of the 
Fiffipond of ^ Horterfms, Collegue of ^ Cecil, 
Metellus. 
Not far from this are very great Ruins, commonly 
called Mercato di Sabbato, which fpme pretend to be 
the Remainders of a Circus. At the very Sea-fide are 
to be feen confiuerablc Ruins of the Country Houfe of 
Hortenjius ; and near his Filhpond, the Remainders of 
a Temple faid to have been dedicated to Diana. Not 
many Years fince, a moft noble Statue of Venus, twice 
as big as the Life, was dug up in this Neighbourhood, 
holding a Globe in her right Hand, and three Oranges 
in the left. Capaccio, who has given an exad Defenp- 
tion of it, fays, that this Statue was found in the fame 
Place where anciently ftood the Temple cA Venus Ge- 
nitrix. From Baja it is not above a large Mile to that 
delightful Plain called the Elyftan Fields, fituate between 
the Sea and that {linking Marffi Acheron, called by Vir- 
gil, Tenebrofa Palus, now Lago della Coluccia, I might 
farther fpeak of the Academy of Cicero, now turned in- 
to an Ox-ftall, of the Baths of Tritoli, the Tomb of 
Agrippina Mother of Nero, of the Pifeina mirahilis, or 
Fiffipond of Agrippa, and the other Fiffipond called 
Cento 
