SUch is the prauitie of our nature, that wee alwayes ra­ther feele the smart of Gods Diuine vengeance falling vpon vs, than weigh the counsels and purpose of his heart, which hee aymeth at in the midst of his wrath, punishing and correcting vs for our just deserts, by which wee haue coustrained him to turne his mercy into justice, and fauour and benefits, into rods and scourges.

The effects whereof falling out daily before our [Page] eyes, in this behalfe, tende to none other ende, but to rowze vs out of that lethargie of sin into which wee bee fallen, and to let out the swelling of our pride: that at the length wee may carefullie aduise our selues, before our finall desolation fall vpon our heads. But (alas) wee are so hood-winked, and senselesse, in the middest of this our miserie, that for want of a discerning eye, wee are readie to attribute all misse-happe to secondarie causes, and to extraor­dinarie effectes: rather than wiselie to bethinke vs, in judging, that the roote from whence all our euils spring, is from our selues.

From none other cause proceedeth all the casua­lities which happen euerie day in our sight: but es­peciallie of late yeares, as well by the last effectes of Fire, Aire, and Water, as by other vnawonted acci­dentes, proceeding from the elementes, which God vseth as his roddes to afflict man withall.

Wee know, that within a yeare, or there abouts, what hath hapned both in France, and elsewhere, to the great astonishment of mortall men, who are but dust and ashes, and whereat indeed the greatest wits haue stood amazed.

Spaine was at her wittes ende, in admiring that Deluge which befell in the Earledome of Barcel­lonne, with much ruine and losse in this verie mo­neth and time of the yeare.

[Page] France it selfe hath had no cause to mocke at her Neighboures harmes, but to bee vvhollie ta­ken vp vvith feare, hauing seene, the Lenton last past, 1618. the vvonderfull burning and consum­ption of the Pallace of her head Citie; the Sanctua­rie of the Innocent, the terrour of the guiltie, where the Oracles of Trueth were euerie daye to bee hearde, by vncorrupt ARISTIDES, in­flexible in the cause of Equitie, and a just conser­uer of Right and Reason.

But all this is but a little, in respect of that, which as wee heare, hapned vpon the Countreyes belon­ging to the Signiorie of VENICE, in the begin­ning of this present moneth of September, to the ruine and vtter losse of the Towne, or Citie, of PLEVRS: namelie, that about that time, the fourth, or the fifth, of this present moneth, happe­ned vpon the Territories of the saide Cittie such a fearfull and prodigious storme, mingled with thun­dring and lightnings, with winde and tempest, that it seemed Heauen and Earth woulde haue gone to­gether, and that the last times, fore-tolde by Daniel, were nowe inflicted there: and that which is worthy of greatest wonder and astonishment, was an excee­ding vehement winde, enclosed and shutte vppe within the bowels & hollownesse of the earth, with certaine fires burning vnder the grounde, vvhich vvith their violent encountering each of other, [Page] with blasts, & counter-blasts, made such an hideous noyse within those holes and narrow places, where­with the Countrey was filled, that it caused a verie strange shaking, or trembling, of the Earth: yea, so fearfull, that the effects ensuing thereof are incre­dible: Thence came the totall and deplorable losse of the said Citie of PLEVRS, somewhat greater, and better peopled, than is S. Denis in France. For the Earth opening it selfe, by the vehemencie of these fires vnder the ground, and the blusteringes of these winds inclosed within her bowels, and in seeking vent, that in this opening and trembling of the earth, the said City was wholly sunken and swallowed vp, with all and euery one of the houses and buildings, with the losse of moe than two thousande soules, crauing for mercy in so great, so sudden, and vnex­spected a calamity. And within the said Territorie, many Trees, Woods, & Forrests, were some of them ouerthrowne by the windes, and othersome were consumed and burnt, aswell by the fire of heauen, as by the flames issuing foorth, and vomited from out of the bowels of the earth: VVhich strucke such an astonishment into the neighbour Countreyes, that all fell to prayers, made publicke and solemne pro­cessions: taking it for a certain forewarning of Gods mercy turned into fury, and for a sure vndoubted token, that his anger is kindled against the sonnes of men: seeking hereby to appease him in the midst of his just concei­ued displeasure.

THE effects of Nature are of so deepe comprehension, as the most subtill Philosophers haue lost themselues in the admiration thereof. The flo­wing and ebbe of an Eury­pus made him lose all his rea­son, who laboured to settle the principles and groundes therof: And he who so searched into the course and originall of it, returned from thence astonished with wonder, and besotted with ignorance. In briefe, her secrets are so darke and hidden, as mortall eyes can [Page] make no discouerie thereof: God, the Author of Nature, reseruing, as a particular to himselfe, the knowledge of those mysteries, with a barre to all others to enter into them. And if man can challenge to himselfe any little taste thereof, he hath it by pur­chase from that great distributer of knowledge, and with the price of paines and trauels innumerable.

The accident which happened in fresh memorie, about a moneth since, in a certaine Towne called Pleurs, subject to the State of the Grisons, a people confining with the Territorie of Millaine, and with Switzer-land, cannot but beget in vs both astonish­ment and admiration together: astonishment, for the strangenesse: admiration, in that we are not able to comprehend the cause and ground thereof. This is not the fable of remouing mountaines, & heaping one vpon the top of another by Ouids gyants, to scale Heauen withal: but a true fact, which as it made the Earth to tremble, so may it doe the heartes of the most couragious men, and make them shake, by sha­king things, to all mens thought, immooueable: so as nowe wee can grounde no firme assurance vpon Rockes, and Chaunge reigneth by course ouer all thinges. This Towne of Pleurs, aboue named, seated vpon the land, and amongst the people of the Grisons, is subject for the Temporalities, vnto the Lordes of that State: and for the Spiritualities, in as much as it is whollie Popish, (excepting onelie [Page] three or foure houses,) it is vnder the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Como. It is rich, well peopled, famous for Trade, the Kirkes (well recommended for their building, rich Ornamentes, and Treasure,) seeme sufficientlie to witnesse the pietie of that people. One of them was consecrate vnder the name of Sainct Iohn of Silan: and the other, more renowned than that, by the name of Sainct Cassian.

The particulars as well of this Countrey, as of this Towne, which are not indeede of our discourse, cannot but bee tedious to the Reader, who atten­deth with impatience the newes of a case so strange as this is. This Towne is in a Valley, vnder the mountaine Chrouena, in neare neighbourhood, and not aboue the distance of two leagues from the con­fines of Millaine: and of like nearenesse to the Porte of Tuentes; standing vpon the banke of the Lake of Como, where passeth the Riuer of Mora: which Riuer, although it carrie a strong and violent current, yet can it not, in anie reason, be presumed to haue beene the cause of this ruine vvhereof vvee are to speake. Nature had fortified this Towne, and immured it, as it were, betwixt two mountains: the one whereof was singularlie fertile in Winter, and other Fruites of the Earth making her appeare with another coūtenance, than of an hideous Rock: which could promise no pleasure nor delight, but of such an Hill as supplyed the Inhabitantes with infi­nite commodities, vnder-ground Caues, & Gardens, [Page] Store-houses; and other commodious places, which they found within the bosome of this mountaine, with all sorts of pleasures, delightes, and delicates. This other Hill, which is aboue Silano, and beyond the Riuer, is somewhat more distant from the Town, which, it seemeth, Nature had purposely remooued from the same, lest it might (perhaps) too much sha­dow and obscure it, that the great multitude of trees wherewith this Hill was replenished, being of it selfe higher and steeper than the former, and yet bearing (notwithstanding the steepenesse) both hay and wood, for the supply of this Towne. Close to this mountaine there stood another, much higher than the same, and wholly barrend and desarted: a fatall Hill, and destined to the ruine of this miserable Towne, and all her inhabitants.

The fourth day of this instant month of Septem­ber, this great and steepe Hill was shaken, either by some windes vnder the ground, or by some secret tempest which Nature raised from within her bo­wels: in such fort, as about six a clock in the euening, that which seemed to be vnmoueable, was seene in a short space to be pulled vp by the roots, and borne away by the fury of the windes. A strange case, there neuer hauing beene seene so great and fearfull an Earth-quake. This mountaine then being sha­ken with his fury, fell with such violence vpon that vnhappy Towne, as it buried both it, and all the in­habitants together. It was about Supper-time, at [Page] what time the most parte of the Townesmen were set at Table, when they found themselues ouerwhel­med with these so mightie ruines, vnder which, at an instant they gaue vppe the ghost. Scarcelie was any man exempted, for of three thousand & six hun­dreth persons, which at that time were reckoned to bee in the Towne, there escaped onelie foure, of whome wee will speake more particularlie heereaf­ter. The losse of goods was exceeding great, inas­much as the esteemate thereof passeth three Millions of Golde. The rage and tempestuous force of the windes was so outragious, as they that were in the fieldes felt themselues thereby transported into pla­ces whollie vnknowne. The Lord Laurence Scan­dolera reporteth, that being in a Garden of his, with his Niece, hee was borne by the violence of that tempest aboue and beyonde the Riuer: and hee was found on a little Hill, called Ronco, hauing a Napkin at his Shoulder, and his Legges broken off. In the same place were likewise founde the little Belles of Sainct Maries Kirke, borne by the like violence out of the Steeple to that place, being halfe a league from the saide Kirke. To conclude, this boun­sing was so terrible, and the bruit spread so farre, that all the neighbouring Countreyes presently took the cry, and stood affrighted with the horror thereof.

The people comming a little to themselues, ran to beholde this spectacle, vvhere in stead of finding a Towne, in the Valleye before mentioned, they [Page] found an high and fearfull mountaine, hauing with­in its entralls swallowed the whole company of its poore inhabitants: no man escaping, saue only four, as were saide, whom wee will name in particular, to giue more assurance to the trueth of the fact.

A Mother there desirous to saue her Childe, lost her legges, yet could not recouer him whome shee held dearest in the worlde. A young man, called Francis Torno, who was gone down into one of the Vaults vnder ground (which before we mentioned, and described in the first Mountaine) to draw wine. Another young fellow, who a little before was gone to a Vineyarde, on the same mountaine, to gather Peaches. And the fourth was the Lord Scandolera, of whom we before recounted that miraculous story.

The Riuer Mora, which watered all this Valley, hath thereby lost its naturall and ordinary current: and hath beene enforced to recouer its course more than a league from the place. This is the summe of what happened in the places afore said, being in trueth a wonder vnmatchable in any Age.

The Deeps below, and Fire aboue, hold some ex­traordinary power of Nature: but to see mountains remoue, and change their places, wee must in trueth auouch, that this thing is so high, and the causes so hidden, as humane wit cannot pierce into the depth of these profound mysteries. To make Nature so [Page] potent, as to giue occasion for the vvorld to thinke, that this accident proceeded from the force of the winds, which perhaps were shut vp within the womb of the Earth, and there had intermixed with some enclosed fire, which hauing vndermined this moun­taine, did in such sort ouerturne it, were to attribute vnto Nature too much force and strength. To call to remembrance another Sodome, wherof this is the image, the colours only excepted, I meane the forme of their destruction: to ascribe this calamitie to the judgement of God, were to partake with the secrets of the Highest, and as companions to his Throne, to giue sentence against his people. Therefore, suspen­ding our judgements, let vs humble our selues before God, lest the like thing happen vnto vs.