ing and looking into thofe Sulphurous Plains fo much celebrated in all Ages; Having therefore gone through a Passage under ground, called the Groote, arched and made hollow, to the Mountain PaufiLippus; not far from Puteoli, between the Jaws of the Mountains, a large Plain prelents itfelf to view, altogether dreadful and full of horrour, in length about twelve hundred Foot, in breadth a thoufand; The whole Pain is furrounded with Hills of high and fteep Rocks, which were formerly very lofty, but are fince devoured by perpetual Fires; In the bottom little hills are feen to burn and flame, with a strong smell of Brimstone which is carried by the Winds through all the Neighbouring Regions, even as far as Naples; fome parts of the Plain have an infinite number of holes, and are yellow with a Sulphurifh matter; the ground when it is touched by thofe who walk thereon, founds and rattles like a Drum by reafon of the hollowness thereof: and you may feel as it were, not without aftonishment, boyling Waters under your feet, and thick fiery fumes to hifs and flow from one place to another with a great crackling noife through the Pipes and Paffages under ground which are made by these fiery Exhalations, the force of this is very great as you may experience by flopping any of thefe holes with an heavy tone, or the like; for then you fhall obferve the vio lence lence of the Imoak presently to throw it up, and belch it forth again; But an huge Laky Ditch in the fame plain did wonderfully affect me; It is full of boyling Waters, very frightful for their blackness, that one would imagine it were a Kettle, or Caldron boyling with Pitch and Rofin; It is likewife admirable that the fwallowing Gulph cafts forth these boyling Waters eight or ten foot above a Mans height, in the fashion of a fpire Steeple, or Pyramid; In the Mountains and Rocks wherewith this Vulcanian Plain is incompaffed, there are Paffages like Chimneys, fome whereof breath out a continual Wind, with a trembling found and ratling, and alfo with fuch ftrength, that if you caft a ftone thereinto, it is struck back again to your hand with great fury; fome of thefe breathing holes dart forth finoak mixt with flames; you would here think yourself almoft in the midft of Hell, where all things appear horrid, fad and lamentable, and you are even struck breathless with the ftench of Sulphur, Bitumen, Napthe, and other Earths, Clays, Marls and Minerals. In 1640 all the Low Countrys and a great part of Germany were fhaken by a fudden Earthquake. XLVI. In 1650 about five a Clock in the Afternoon in the Counties of Cumberland and Westmorland was a general Earthquake wherewith the People were fo affrighted, that many of them forfook their Houfes. and fome Houfes where fo fhaken that the Chimneys fell down. The fame Year, 1650. the Ifland of Santorin, at the bot tom of the Streights in the Mediterranean Sea, not far from Candia, had formidable Fires and Earthquakes. This Ifland was formerly called Thera, but now Santorin, and started up out of the Sea, for Baronius out of Pliny thus writes; In the Year 726. a Vapour was feen to bubble forth out of a Chimney of Fire, between the Islands of Therefia, or Santorin from the very bottom of the Sea, which continued fome Days and the Fire and Smoak growing thicker by degrees, fpread itself abroad with mighty flames, and with the vaftness of its ftrength, it caft out huge Rocky Pumice Stones, and great heaps of other matters, which it carried through all Afia, Lesbos and Abydus, and the Sea Coafts of Macedonia, fo that the Surface of the Sea was covered with thefe Pumices; But in the middle of fo great a Fire, there was an Ifland made from the heaping up of that matter, and joined to the Ifland, called The Sacred which never was in being before; There was likewife another Ifland next to this formed in 167c. not without great terror of thofe of Santorin; fince the burning lafted for a Year, as fome ancient People who faw it with their Eyes did lately teftifie; But in the Middle of this fmaller new Ifland which is now called little Ca Camena, there is to be feen at this time an huge deep Ditch, whieh being narrow toward the bottom, grows bigger by degrees like a Funnel,out of which, as out of a Chimney thofe mighty Stones and Rocks did burft forth, which being mixt with Cinders and Ashes compofed the reft of that Ifle. XLVII. But if ever thefe Fires pent up in the Bowels of the Earth exercifed their force, it was moft remarkable upon September 24, 1650. which fhook the Ifland till the Night of October, with fuch mighty and frequent Earthquakes that the People of Santorin fearing that their immediate ruin was approaching, were on their Knees night and day before their Altars; It cannot be expreffed what an horror invaded all Men; efpecially when thofe victorious Flames breaking through all Obftacles ftrove to make themfelves a way through the midst of the Waters of the Ocean about four miles Eastward from Santorin; For the Sea all on a fuddain fwelled Thirty Cubits upward, and extending itself wide through the Neighbouring Lands, overturned all in its way; Infomuch that it broke in pieces feveral Ships and Galleys in the very Haven of Candia, with its extraordinary violence, though fourfcore miles diftant from thence; The Air being darkned with those fulphurous ftinking Vapours, put on innumerable Forms and Appearances, as of Fi D 3 erv ery Lances, and Swords brandished and fhaken, bright and glittering Arrows darting forth; Here terrible Serpents and Dragons feemed to be flying, There hideous Thunderclaps, Lightnings and Thunderbolts; And yet they could fcarce fee, for the Peoples Eyes were fo hurt with thofe fharp, pricking fulphurous finoaks, and vaFours that almost all became blind for three Days, with fuch grievous pains in their Eyes, that they wept continually, and bewailed their most miferable Fate; But when their Eye-fight returned, they faw all their Silver and Gold, both Veffels and Garments, and Pictures, fpread over with with a yellow colour; and fuch a vaft multitude of Pumice ftones, did this fiery Gulph vomit forth, that it covered the Sea, fo that they could fearch pafs in a Vessel; it is most certain that they were carryed many hundred Miles, even to Smyrna and Conftantinople, and all the Shoars and Coafts were filled therewith. The fury of this Burning was greatest for the first two months, which cauled the Neighbouring Sea to bubble like a boyling Pot, and night and day huge Globes and Flakes Fire, and exceed ing thick Smoak mounted up to the Heavens; which it at any time it was carryed by contrary winds to any places near at hand, befides a moft grievous ftink, it brought certain deftruction upon Birds and Beafts, yea, upon Men themfelves. As it happen ed |