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Earthquakes we read of in Hiftory ? In the Year of our 
Lord 1 7. no lefs than 13 great and noble Cities of 
AJia minor were deftroy'd in one Night. The Fad 
is fo notorious, that fomc Perfons here prefent have 
feen a vaft Block of white Marble, now handing 
rear Naples / being the Pedefhl of a Colofs Statue 
of Tiber us the E nperor, having carv'd on it, in 
BaJJo re! evo, the Genius's of all thofe Cities, with 
their Names,- which were rebuilt by that Emperor. 
Without going fo far, we may fee another Evi- 
dence of it, a Coin of that Emperor {truck upon ir, 
with this Infcription, 
CIVITATIBUS ASIAE RESTITVTIS. 
I have one of them in large Brafs, which was 
found at Colchejier. 
The Compafs of this Earthquake may be rec- 
kon’d to take up 300 Miles in Diameter. How can 
we poffibly conceive the Action of any fubterra- 
neous Vapours to produce fuch an Effcd, as inftan- 
taneouOy to demolifh all thefe Cities ? And that fuch 
an Accident fhould never happen after? How comes 
it to pafs, that the whole Country of AJia minor 
was not at the fame time deflroy’d, its Mountains 
renverfed, its Fountains and Springs broken up, 
and ruin'd for ever, and irs Rivers difannull’d ? 
Inftead whereof, we find nothing fuffer’d, but thofe 
Cities j no kind of Alteration in the Surface of the 
Country, which remains the fame to this Day. 
From thefe Conftderations therefore, I cannot 
perfuade rnyfelf eafily to enter into the Opinion of 
Earthquakes generally arifing from pent-up Vapours 
and 
