[ 4H ] 
have done damage to the value of at leaft 60,000 
ducats. The reafon, why it does fo much mifchief, 
is, that it fpreads itfelf, where the ground is plain, 
and covers in fome places above an acre in breadth ; 
But where there is a hollow ground, it forms a cur- 
rent river, making banks of its own fubftance, by 
cooling and hardening towards the edges ; and when 
this current happen’d to be oppofed by a riling ground, 
(the high banks of the cooling lava preventing its 
palfage on either fide) it formed high mountains of 
lava of yo or 60 feet 5 till at laft, by the weight and 
force of the red-hot river flowing inceflantly from 
the Bocca above, it burft out from under this new 
hill, and forming a fecond fiery river, proceeded 
down the country, deftroying all where it came. 
It would afted you to fee the poor inhabitants 
crying, and lamenting their irreparable lofles 5 and it 
was Shocking to fee trees, and vines loaded with 
fruit, floating upon this river of fire. And, to our 
great aftonifhment, tho’ we plainly faw the fluidity 
and rapid current of this matter, yet was it fo im- 
penetrable, that no weighty body would fink in it ; 
nor did a (harp heavy iron inftrument, thrown at it 
with great force, make the leaft impreffion on it, 
but, remaining on it a few minutes, it became red- 
hot like the lava. Nor could the pious procefilon 
and liquefadion of St. Januarius’s blood upon the fpot 
put a flop to the deftrudive inundation ; for it has 
run thefe two months paft, and runs a little as yet. 
The whole is fuch a ftupendous prodigy of nature, 
as muft puzzle the wifeft philofophers to account 
for. Why does this fubterraneous caldron boil over 
only at certain periods of time ? And whence is it 
F f f 2 fupplied 
