674 Mr. Ray’ 
my Part, I do not remember that in England the Bi- 
ting of a Gnat did ever caufe a Swelling, or leave a 
Mark behind it in the Skin of my Face, (though I 
know in fome it doth) but there it both raifed a Swel- 
ling, and left a Mark behind it, that was not out for a 
Month after. The Maltefe eafily defend themfelves 
from the Annoyance of this Infeft, keeping them out 
of their Beds by large Linen Curtains, lapping over 
one another. At firft we were not aware of the Trou- 
ble thefe Animals were like to give us, and left our 
Curtains open ; but Experience foon taught us to cor- 
reft this Fault. 
22. In our Return ixom Malta to Mejfina^ we {laid 
a Day at .Catanea, and there took Horfes and a Guide 
to bring us up Mount JEtna (now calPd Monte Ghibello) 
the Top of which is reckoned thirty Miles from Cata- 
nea, and is one continued Afcent *, the Grounds through 
which we palTed being very fertile, well cultivated and 
inhabited, the Cinders which are call out by the Moun- 
tain, being inftead of Dung, (after it is diffolv’d by 
the Weather^ which fattens and enriches the Soil. We 
advanced as far as where the Snow lies, which reached 
all up to the Top; we could go no farther, however 
we were near enough to obferve, that the very Top or 
Pinnacle of the Mountain, was furrounded with a Ring 
of Snow, but had no Snow itfelf. 
As to the Sicilians.^ they have not undefervedly the 
Reputation of being uncivil and rude to Strangers ; and 
the Banditti or Highway-men, are fo frequent, that there 
is very unfafe Travelling here ; the word; is, that they 
are not contented with Robbing you of all you have 
about you, but carry you away into the Mountains, 
nor fet you at Liberty, till you have paid what Ran- 
fome they think fit to impofe upon you. They have 
fome peculiar Laws and Cuftoms not eafily met with 
in other Places. If you carry above the Value of ten 
Crowns in Money out of the Country, it is forfeited if 
found ; the beft is, that a little Money makes the Cuf- 
tom-houfe Officer, let Strangers pafs unfearch’d. No 
Calves are permitted to be kill’d in this Hand, fo 
that you fee no Veal at the Tables of the Sicilians., 
tho’ at Malta (whither they carry it by Stealth) is enough 
of it. No body ought to take above the Weight of 
an Ounce of Silver, without weighing of it. No young 
Perfon under i^ge, muft enter or travel in Sicily, with- 
out peculiar Licence. To carry Pocket-Piftols about 
one is a capital Crime, though long Guns are not 
only allowed, but alfo carried almoft by every Body : 
The Reafon of which is, that by the firft a Perfon 
may be affiliated before he can be upon his Guard. 
After our Return to Mejfina, we took Boat, May 27, 
over the Fretum, to take a View of the ancient Regium, 
{Rbegio ) which now makes but a very mean Appearance, 
having fcarce any Thing to boaft of, except iome Gar- 
dens, which indeed afford them great Plenty of the 
beft Sort of Fruits : He.^'e is alfo Abundance of Bricks 
made, being reckoned the beft in Italy and Sicily. 
They fhew’d us a fmall Fragment of St. Bauls, Pillar 
that burned, and told us fo many Stories of it, 
that we were fooner weary of hearing than they of 
telling. 
May 29. We went in a Boat as far as Scylld, to fee 
the Fifliing of the Sword-fifh : They place certain Fel- 
lows on the Cliffs near the Sea-fide, (Huers our Englijh 
Fiffiermen call them) thefe either by a Signal, if they 
are out of hearing, or elfe by their Voice, give Notice 
to the Fifhing-boafs, whereabout they fpy the Fiffi : 
Thefe make what Hafte they can towards the Place, 
whither they were direfted, and placing one of the 
Boats Crew on the Top of the Maft (which have little 
Steps made for that Purpofe) he gives, from Time to 
Time, Diredtion to thofe at the Oars, whither to take 
their Courfe, according to the different Motions of the 
Fifti. Being come near enough, they ftrike him with 
a Harpoon, and the Fifh being wounded, fwims up and 
down, till being fpent with the Lofs of Blood, they 
draw him into the Boat. The Harpoon Iron is faftned 
to a Pole, the Point being ftiarp, with Beards on each 
Side, like a barbed Arrow, fo jointed, that they go 
eafily in, but refift the drawing of them out. The 
■ ’Travels Book II. 
MeJJinefe looking Upon this Fiffi as a Angular Dainty, 
buy it at the Rate of Sixpence per Pound at firft corn-^ 
ing in. In May and the Beginning of June, they are 
catch’d on the Coaft of Calabria, and towards the lat- 
ter End of June^ come over to the Sicilian Coaft, and 
are taken near Meffina till Auguji. As there are no 
Rocks near the Faro, they are obliged to place their 
Huers on the Top of a very high Maft, fet up in a 
large Boat or Brigantine. 
They have in the Beginning of June, a yearly FeA 
tival, call’d the Feajl of our Lady of the Letter, which 
is celebrated with more than ordinary Solemnity ; for 
a whole Week together, all the Houfes being illumina- 
ted with Candles, Wax Tapers, Lanthorns, hAc. all 
the Night long. They call it the Fefiival of our Lady 
of the Letter, becaufe it is celebrated in Memory of a 
Letter, pretended to be written to them, by the Virgin 
Mary in Greek, of which they ffiow you the Latin 
Copy (the Original being loftj which runs thus. 
Maria virgo Joachim filia Dei humillima, Chrifii Jefti 
crucifixi mater, ex tribu Juda, Jiirpe David Mejfanenft-^ 
bus omnibus Jalutem C? Dei patris omnipotentis bene^ 
diSiionem. 
Vos omnes fide magna legates ac nuncios per publi- 
cum documentum ad nos mififfe conftat : Filium nof- 
trum Dei genitum Deum & hominem effe fatemini ; & 
in ccelum poll fuam refurreflionem afeendifle, Pauli 
Apoftoli elecli prsedicatione mediante viam veritatis 
agnofeentes. Ob quod vos & ipfam civitatem benedi- 
cimus, cujus perpetuam protedricem nos effe volumus. 
Anno Filii noftri XII. Indift. I. Ill Nonas Junii, Lu- 
na XXVII, Feria V. Ex Hierofolymis Maria virgo qute 
fupra hoc chirographum approbavit. 
23. June 6 . We took a Felucca ?it Mejfina lot Naples, 
and lodged the firft Night at a fmall Town called 
Tropia, in Calabria, fixty Miles diftant from Meffina. 
The 7th, Lodging at St. Lucido, we met there alfo 
with the wild Jejube. The 8th, We took up our Quar- 
ters at Porto Nicolo, a fmall Creek near Scalea, which 
is ftrengthned by a Caftle. The 9th, We lodged at 
Chiupo, and the loth came to Salerno, where havino- 
quitted our Boat, we flayed the nth. This City, which 
is dignified with the Title of an Epifcopal See, is at 
prefent very inconfiderable, having neither Univerfity, 
nor Schola illuliris, as far as we could learn. The only 
Thing worth our Obfervation here, was the Monument 
of Hildebrand (Pope Gregory VII.) who rendred him- 
felf famous by introducing Celibacy among the Priefts, 
and his Oppofition to the Emperor. This is to be 
feen in the Cathedral of St. Matthew, in the Porch of 
which you fee many Roman Grave-ftones, with ancient 
inferiptions. 
The 1 2th, We travelled from Salerno by Land to 
Naples, and pafs’d that Day through La Cava and No- 
cera, both Epifcopal Sees, and Scafata, Torre dlAnnun- 
data, Torre di Greco. The 30th, We embarked at 
Naples for Leghorn, and the firft Day advanced no far- 
ther than five Miles, to Nifita, a fmall He in the Mouth 
of the Bay of Pozzuolo ; but the fecond Day reach’d 
Sperlonga, a little ffiort of Terracina (anciently Anxur) 
fixty Miles. 
The 3d Day, we pafs’d in Sight of the Monte Cir- 
cello, (or Promontorium Circeum) deriving its Name from, 
the noted Enchantrefs Circe, who, as it is faid, dwelt 
here: The Cape extends a great Way into the Sea. 
About two Leagues from the Point of this Cape, di- 
redtly againft it, we obferved a great Number of cer- 
tain Infed:s, very like the Cicadee, fuch as we never met 
with before ; our Ship’s Crew called them Gronge. The 
Cicada is commonly in our Englifh Schools, rendred by 
the Word Gra/hopper, whereas the fame is a quite diffe- 
rent Infedl, of a rounder and ffiorter Body, fitting upon 
Trees, and making a much greater Noife than the 
Grajhopper, which ought properly be call’d in Latin, Lo^ 
cufia. The Cicada are frequent in the hot Countries, 
but feldom to be feen on this Side of the Alps. We 
lodged this Night at Afiura, where we faw the Ruins 
