C 21 ] 
“ nature, of v/hicb 1 was either myfelf an eye-wit- 
“ nefs, or as they were related to me by thofe who 
had been witnefles of them. It is now two years 
that there have been frequent earthquakes at 
“ Pozzuolo, at Naples, and the neighbouring parts; 
on the day, and in the night before the appearance 
of this eruption, above twenty fliocks great and 
“ fmall were felt at the abovementioned places. The 
“ eruption made its appearance the 29th of Septem- 
“ ber 1538, the feafl; of St Michael the angel ; it was 
on a Sunday, about an hour in the night; and as I 
“ have been informed, they began to fee on thatfpot, 
“ between the hot baths or fweating rooms, and 
“ Trepergule, flames of fire, which firft made their 
appearance at the baths, then extended towards 
“ Trepergule, and fixing in the little valley that lies 
“ between the Monte Barbaro and the hillock called 
“ del Pericolo (which was the road to the lake of 
“ Avernus and the baths), in a flaort time the fire 
“ increafed to fuch a degree that it burft open the 
“ earth in this place, and threw up fo great aquanti- 
“ ty of afhes and pumice Bones mixed with water, 
“ as covered the whole country ; and in Naples a 
“ fhower of thefe allies and water fell great part of 
“ the night. The next morning, which was Monday, 
“ and the laft of the month, the poor inhabitants of 
Pozzuolo, Bruck with fo horrible a fight, quitted 
“ their habitations, covered with that muddy and 
“ black Blower, which continued in that ccuntry the 
“ whole day, flying death, but with faces painted 
“ with its colours, feme with their children in their 
arms, fome with facks full of their goods, others 
leading an afs loaded with their frightened Idmily 
“ towards 
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