C 9 3 
confufion of this night the prifoners in the publick 
^ail attempted to efcape, having wounded the jailer, 
but were prevented by the troops. The mob alfo 
fet fire to the cardinal archbifhop’s gate, becaufe he 
refufed to bring out the relicks of Saint Januarius. 
Wednefday 21ft was more quiet than the pre- 
ceding days, though the lavas ran brifkly. Portici 
was once in fome danger, had not the lava taken a 
different courle, when it was only a mile and a half 
from it ; towards night the lava flackened. 
Thurfday 2 2d, about ten of the clock in the 
morning, the fame thundering noife began again, 
but with more violence than the preceding days ; the 
oldeft men declared they had never heard the like, 
and, indeed, it was very alarming ; we were in ex- 
pectation every moment of fome dire calamity. The 
afhes, or rather fmall cinders, fhowered down fo 
faft, that the people in the ftreets were obliged to 
ufe umbrellas, or flap their hats, thefe afhes being 
very offenfive to the eyes. The tops of the houfes, 
and the balconies, were covered above an inch thick 
with thefe cinders. Ships at fea, twenty leagues from 
Naples, were alfo covered with them, to the great 
aftonifhment of the failors. In the midfl of thefe 
horrors, the mob growing tumultuous and impatient, 
obliged the cardinal to bring out the head of Saint 
Januarius, and go with it in proceflion to the Ponte 
Maddalena, at the extremity of Naples, towards 
Vefuvius j and it is well attefled here, that the 
eruption ceafed the moment the Saint came in fight 
of the mountain ; it is true the noife ceafed about 
that time, after having lafled five hours, as it had 
done the preceding days. 
Vol. LVIII. C Friday 
