THE late Earthquake that fell out in Sicily is of so astonishing a Nature, as can be easilier imagined, than exprest; and such a one as can hardly, if at all, be parallel'd in any preceding Age. It's true, that Island has been often the Scene of such kind of Tra­gedies, and the Irruptions of Mount Aetna have been no news in the World for near two thousand years past: But whether as an effect of the Anger of Heaven, or of the Craziness of this Globe of the Earth, which seems to begn to yield to the [Page 6] Injuries of Time, as all other things do; certain it is, That this last Earthquake, for the suddenness of it, and the mighty Desolations it has produced, is the most astonishing one that ever was.

Philosophers will be inclinable to search for the natural Causes of such a Phoenomenon, in the Quality and Temper of the Summer that went before: And I am willing so far to humour them, as to suppose, That the many great Rains and intense Heats succeeding so often one another this last Sum­mer in all the Southern parts of Sicily, might con­tribute to this affrightful Irruption: For the imper­ceptable Casma's thereby made into the Bowels of the Earth, might probably give room for the Va­pours of the Atmosphere to insinuate themselves into those Subterraneous Cavities, which after­wards dilating themselves, and requiring greater room, must needs force their way through all Ob­stacles that pent them in.

But leaving this Disquisition to others; It would seem this Earthquake carried along with it some more than ordinary Marks of an immediate stroke of Heaven. And as seldom the Divine Vengeance exerts its power upon us Mortals in any National Calamity, without giving us some previous Warn­ings; so this late Stroke was ushered in with un­wonted Presages, of which it were hard, if not impossible, to give any natural Cause, though perhaps [Page 7] I be as little a Votary to Superstition as any man can be, notwithstanding the World is pleas'd to tax our Order with it; yet the strangeness of one or two Omens that preceded this Earthquake, may justly prevail with me to give here a short Ac­count of them.

Passing over that mighty loud Warning from Mount Aetna that happened for three days together in June last, which is always remark'd as a Fore­runner of some Irruption, either of the Mount it self, or of some part thereabouts; This following strange Phoenomenon fell out at Siracusa on the 15 th. of May before.

About two hours before Sun-setting, the Atmo­sphere being very clear, the Heavens appear'd on a sudden all on fire, without any flashes of Light­ning, or the least noise of Thunder, which lasted about a Quarter of an hour. About which time was seen in the Air, as it were perpendicularly above the City, two Rainbows, after the usual manner, with points towards the Earth, and a third ranvers'd; the Colours of all three being extreme­ly bright. This was by all Spectators thought the more Supernatural, that during the whole time these Rainbows appear'd, there was not one sin­gle Cloud to be seen in any part of the Horizon.

In July thereafter, at Catanea, the nearest Town to Mount Aetna, there fell out another as surprising [Page 8] Presage. In the Church of the Minimes there, one Father Baletti lies buried; a man who was believed by the People of that Country to have by his Prayers stopt the progress of that fearful Irruption of Aetna which happened about a hundred and twenty years ago. The Story goes, That a Flood of Bitu­menous Matter, like burning Oil, being thrown out of the Mountain, was carried down with a mighty rapidity to the very Gates of Catanea, bear­ing every thing before it in its way. Every body expected to be immediatly devoured by this Sul­phureous Innundation, when this Holy man by his Exorcisms and Prayers, in presence of all the People, put a stop to its Careir. Now this Tomb being ever since held in greatest veneration by the People of Catanea, and notwithstanding his Name was never in the Calender, yet daily Prayers and Offerings ceas'd not to be offered at his Shrine. It fell out, as I have said, in July last, That one morn­ing when the Doors of the Church came to be opened, the Statue of the Saint that was placed up­on his Monument, was fallen down, and lay flat on the ground. This was at first thought to be but an ordinary Accident; but the Statue, every time it was set up upon its Basis again, for seven or eight nights together was constantly sound fallen down to the ground in the morning, and at last was forced to be laid flat upon the Tomb, in [Page 9] which posture it lay till this late Destruction both of it, and the Town it self.

A third Presage that seem'd to foretel this Earth­quake, happen'd in a little Village within Three Miles from Catanea, named Alari, where used to grow as good Wine as any in Sicily. In February last about Sun-setting, all the People of the Coun­trey about, saw, as they thought, this Village all in Flames. The Fire they imagined began from less to more, increasing for about a quarter of an Hour together, and then all the Houses of the Villages appear'd as in one Flame, which lasted for about Six minutes, till it seem'd to decay for want of more Fuel. A great many People that liv'd near the Village, when they saw the Fire first begin, came running to it; to do the Friendly office of helping to extinguish the Fire; and all along the Road, till they were almost within the very Vil­lage it self, they imagined they saw the Fire ex­tend it self more and more; but being entred, they found all was a deception of the sight, if not a Presage of that Calamity that some Months af­ter befel the Place.

But I come to the dreadful Earthquake it self, a greater than which we read not of in either An­cient or Modern History. It's here indeed that I can neither give my self nor others the satisfacti­on I could wish, there being so many little Places, [Page 10] and even some considerable Towns destroy'd, where there is no Inhabitants left to give us an Account of the manner these Places were swal­lowed up. So that of these we can have no other Narrative, but what People at a distance, and in a hurry themselves for fear of sinking into the same Ruin, have been able to give us.

This Earthquake diffus'd it self into all these three districts or divisions into which the Island of Sicily is ordinarily divided, which are, 1. Valli di Noto, comprehending principally the Eastern parts of the Island. 2. Mazaro, containing the Western, and Southern Parts; And 3. Mono, which confines it self to the North and North-East Parts of the Island. The greatest shaking reach'd from Mount Aetna, all along to Cape Passaro, the Pachmus of the Ancients. In all this vast Tract of Land, nothing stood the shock, but all fell under the weight of a general Ruin.

It was on the 7 th. of January 1693. about Ten at Night, that Mount Aetna began to utter those hideous Roarings, which seldom but usher in some Tragedy of the Nature of what followed. Those loud Bellowings continued till the 9 th. when about Twelve a Clock they began to cease, or rather fall lower. Within an Hour after, the Inhabitants of Catanea, which was the next Town to the Mountain, began to perceive a shaking [Page 11] under them about three Minutes together. This did little other hurt than affright the people, and give them fears of some further hurt. It was re­markable, that during the three Minutes this shake continued, and an Hour before, there was not the least noise heard from Mount Aetna. But within less than a Minute after the shake was o­ver, not only did the noise redouble infinitely more terrible than it had been before; but the whole Top of the Mountain appear'd all in Flames, which the Wind blowing from the Westward, carried with it a vast quantity of Burnt Ashes, which have always been found to be the ordinary attendants of those Flamy Irruptions. It is not certain how far this shake of the 9 th. diffus'd it self; but 'tis probable that more or less of it was felt through most of the South Parts of this Island. For the Inhabitants of the Cities of Mineo, Palaonia, Ragosa, and the Town of Licodia, felt all of them the fame shake, and at the same very Minute of the day as Catanea had done.

All this was but the Forerunner of the horrid­est shake of all, which fell out on the 11 th. This affected the whole Island, but very unequally. And by the exactest computation can be made, the whole period of it lasted not above Six Mi­nutes, from Messina Northwards, to Cape Coio, the farthest point of Sicily to the South.

[Page 12] Catanea is thought to have been the first that fell under the weight of this heavy Calamity. This City is as Ancient as most in Sicily, seated in a plea­sant and rich Soil, inhabited by several of the Gentry thereabouts, endowed with an University, and containing about Twenty Four Thousand Souls, was sunk out of sight in a Moment. There happen'd some Fisher-boats to be at that time in the Bay that lyes South of the Town, and within a Leagues distance, who give an Account, That they saw the City sink down with the noise as it were of some Thousand Pieces of Great Ordnance discharged all at once. After it was thus vanish­ed out of their sight, the Fishermen say, That some Minutes thereafter, to the Eastward, near where the City stood, there rose up a little Moun­tain, which lifting it self up several times a consi­derable heighth, above the ordinary level of the ground thereabout, sunk at last likewise out of their sight. The Fishermen do likewise declare; That during all this horrid Tragedy, which they saw besal the City Catanea, they themselves were every Moment expecting to be swallowed up in the Bay, by reason of the strange violent Agitati­ons of the Sea; and scarce was this heaving up of the imaginary Mountain on the Southside of Cata­nea over, but they felt the Sea Calm. It's thought there has not escaped of the Inhabitants of Catanea, [Page 13] above Two Thousand of all. Those that escap'd, came away either after the shaking of the 9 th. or the Morning of the 11 th. And the hideous roar­ing of Mount Aetna, which uses to be the Forerun­ner of some Calamity on that side, gave them warning to flee. But they were the better sort of People only, that had the opportunity to make so happy an escape, the rest falling under the Uni­versal Ruin. In the place where Catanea stood, appears now at a distance a great Lake, with some great heaps of Rubbish appearing here and there above the Water.

I had almost forgot one Circumstance very re­markable, which the Fishermen that were in the Bay of Catanea at the time of this last shake, do positively affirm; they say, That both before and some Minutes after the Earthquake happened, Mount Aetna appear'd more than ever in Flames, and the noise was greater than it had been since its first Irruption of the 7 th. But a few Minutes af­ter Catanea was swallowed up, there was neither Flames to be seen, nor the least noise to be heard for the space of Five or Six Hours together. And then the Mountain began of new again to roar and throw out Flames more duskish and smoaky than at any time before.

The same shake that utterly destroyed Catanea, did lay in heaps more than the half of Saragosa, [Page 14] the Ancient Syracusa. This City, once the greatest of Sicily, and if we will believe some An­cient Historians, particularly Strabo, the largest once in the World, may contend with any in Eu­rope for Antiquity, having been the Seat for a great many Ages of a flourishing Commonwealth, and the Scene of a great many Warlike Actions. It retain'd still some marks of its Ancient Greatness, and with the Advantages of a Rich Soil, and plea­sant Scituation, and a strong Castle to defend it, might contain about 16000 People▪ This An­cient City suffered much by the shake of the 9 th. most of the best Buildings, and the greatest part of the Castle being rent in several places. Upon the 10 th. at Night, it underwent another conside­rable shake with a mighty Tempest of Wind, so that the great Bell in one of its Churches was heard several times to make a sound, through the violent trembling of the Steeple. A great many were kill'd by the fall of Houses the time this shake and Tempest happened; and most that were able, or had the opportunity, fled out of Town that Night, which was the occasion of their Safety.

But the shake of the 11 th. brought with it a sudden and inevitable Destruction, throwing down in a Moment more than two parts of three of the whole City, and burying in its Rubbish [Page 15] above four parts of five of the People that were left. The least Computation that can be made of the loss of the Inhabitants of it, is above 7000, the rest escaping, as I have said, the Night before, and some Hundreds were dig'd out of the Ruins alive, but lame and bruis'd, so that few of them, its thought, will recover. Most of the Magi­strates and People of best Fashion ran into the great Church for shelter, where they met with Death by the fall of the Stone Roof and the Stee­ple both together.

The City of Noto had yet a worse Fate than Syracusa, scarce any part of it now standing. This Place is one of the Ancientest of Sicily, and once contended for the preheminence with Syracusa it self. It is scituate on a very high Rock, almost inaccessable on all sides, but by one narrow pas­sage; having under the Cape Passan one of the best and largest Harbours in the whole Island, and being indeed the Key of Sicily on that side. The mighty hardness of the Rock on which Noto stood, seem'd to secure it from the hazard of Earthquakes, but it felt that shake of the 9 th. with more vio­lence than any other place of the Island. That of the 11 th. laid it in a Moment in heaps, the man­ner whereof we cannot attain, by reason none of the Inhabitants are left, but some few that left the Place on the 9 th. There is seen yet standing a [Page 16] part of the Church of a Benedictine Monastery, and scarce any more of the whole Town; the Inhabi­tants being computed about Seven Thousand Souls.

Augusta, a City well scituated, having a large Prospect into the Sea, and adorned with very large and safe Harbours, a place of good Trade for Corn: This Place suffer'd considerably by the shake of the 9 th. many of the Inhabitants, to the number of about 600. were bruis'd to Death with the fall of the Houses. On the 10 th. there was another shake, which obliged most of the People of Note to betake themselves to the Castle for their Security, which prov'd as unlucky to them as the great Church had been to them of Sy­racusa; for there happening great flashes of Light­ning, which seem'd to set the whole Heavens a­fire, one of them fell on the Magazine of Pow­der kept there, and blew up the Castle and all the People within, amounting to about 1100. The shake on the 11 th. put an end to the Cata­strophe, by overturning the Town, and burying the rest of the Inhabitants in it; so that there scarce remains any thing of the Ancient Augusta, but the Name. The Inhabitants were reckoned near 6000, of whom we have Account of none left.

[Page 17] Lentini, the Ancient Leontium, famous for the beautiful Lake on which it stood, a place of about 3000 Families, and a place of tolerable Trade by Fishing and Salt Mines, underwent the misfor­tune of its Neighbour, and ancient Rival, Syracu­sa. The shake of the 11 th reduc'd it to Ashes, and its not known if any of the Inhabitants be saved. There is now to be seen several great heaps of Earth in the Lake, where there was none before▪ And the Peasants, who live on the other side op­posite to the place where Lentini stood, have re­ported, That since this Earthquake, the Lake which was formerly clear and Limpid, and wonderfully stor'd with all variety of Fish, is now become brackish, and of a salt and bitumenous taste, and vast number of Fish are found every day dead upon the Shore.

Some better Fate had Calatgirone, a pretty Town, containing above 7000 People, and well built, most of hewn Stone. The shake of the 9 th was very little perceptible there; and that of the 11 th was much less than any where within some miles of it. It was not so little, but that it overturn'd about the 5 th part of the Town, and two Mona­steries, and is thought, destroy'd in all no fewer than 2000 Souls.

Minco felt both the shakes of the 9 th and 11 th, and there seem'd but little difference betwixt the violence [Page 18] of either, or the damage each did. At both times several Houses, and a pretty large Church, was overturn'd, and its thought near 4000 of the Inhabitants are perished. It was remarkable, That the time of the shake of the 9 th, the Heavens about this Town were very serene, scarce a Cloud appearing above the Horizon: But that of the 11 th was attended with a mighty storm of Thun­der, Lightning and Hail, which lasted above six hours together.

Monreal, commonly call'd Morreal, received some damage in its buildings, and some few of the Inhabitants perished by their fall. The shake of the 11 th did greatly shatter the Cathedral Church, which is indeed one of the beautiful Structures in the World. The Dome, which stands above the High Altar, fell, and crush'd in pieces four curious Pillars of Brass, with several Statues of Saints of as good Workmanship as any in Chri­stendom. Neither was the Archbishop's Palace free, it being set on fire by Lightning, and a con­siderable part of it burnt down.

Palermo, the Seat of the Viceroy, felt little or nothing of the shake of the 9 th, though several small shakings they had had some days before. But that of the 11 th was almost as terrible as in any other place, except Catanea, Syracusa and Au­gusta. A great many Houses were shattered, and [Page 19] some fell to the ground. The Cathedral suf­fered extremely in its Roof, and a Church be­longing to the Carmelite Monastery, was totally destroy'd. The Vice-Roy, with all his Family, and the Archbishop, retir'd aboard the Galleys in the Harbour, where by the violent motion of the Water they expected every moment to be swal­lowed up. Some part of the great Mole built of Stone, that secures the Port, being shattered with­in a few foot of their Gally. It's said, there were not above 100 people in all kill'd at Palermo, and those mostly that liv'd in a Subburb built of Wood.

The Town of Pasceni it's not known whether the shake of the 9 th or 11 th destroyed it. It was a pretty place, consisting of about two hundred Fa­milies, and those thought the richest of any little Town of Sicily, by reason of the goodness of its Wine and Silk exported thence to the Sea in consi­derable quantitites. Now there is not one single House left standing, nor one single person sav'd. A new Lake takes up now that spacious Valley on the East-side of the Town, which was all hitherto covered with the best of Vines; and the Water thereof is of a brackish colour, and a bitumenous taste.

Patuzolo, a bigger place than Pasceni, though not so happily scituated, nor so rich, fell under the same Fate with it. None of the Inhabitants, for [Page 20] any thing is yet known, were sav'd, the number of which might probably amount to about 1000 people at least.

Furla, a Town about the bigness of Pasceni, and seated on a rising Hill amidst Quarries of Stone, much of the nature of Marble, was nothing more fortunate, we having no other account of its Ruin, but what those that saw it at a distance could give. It may be worthy of Remark, That in several parts of the Mountain about Furla, the Rocks, which formerly were almost as white as Genoa Marble, in the chinks that the Earthquake made among them, the Stones are now of a burnt Colour, as if Fire and Powder had been us'd to rent them asunder. The Fountains of Fresh water wherewith these Mountains do abound, have lost their clearness, and have both a sulphurous smell and taste. The Inhabitants of Furla were reckoned to be near a thousand Souls.

A Town much greater than any of the three last, Sciorti, scituated in a pleasant Valley, and a rich Soyl, where the best Rock-salt is digg'd, was likewise totally demolish'd by the shake of the 11 th, and now nothing but vast heaps of Rubbish, and which is strange, a Church belonging to a Benedictine Nunnery, yet intire, are to be seen, where Sciorti once stood: We know of none of the Inhabitants that have sav'd themselves from [Page 21] this Calamity, and they are reckoned to amount to two thousand Souls.

The same Fate befel Militello, no inconsidera­ble Town, whereof the Inhabitants were esteemed pretty rich, by the means of one of the most consi­derable Manufacturies of Silk that was in Sicily. It's probable this place was destroy'd before the shake of the 11 th; for the Countrey-people, who dwell on the Neighbouring Ridge of Mountains, do affirm, that it was not to be seen upon the 11 th in the Morning: But at what precise time it was swallowed up, they cannot tell, being that for three days before, they could not see so far as Mi­litello, by reason of a thick Fog which continued from Twelve a Clock of the 8 th day, till the Morning of the 11 th. It's scarce to be imagined what a surprising Change this place has under­gone. For a considerable part of the Mountain that lay on the North-side of the Town, has been, through the violence of the Earthquake, torn asun­der, and the one half has overwhelm'd the Town: There being a vast Chasma now to be seen betwixt it, and the other part of the Mountain that re­main'd still in its first posture: Militello might pro­bably contain about 6000 people, whereof no one is left to give Tidings how its Calamity came about.

[Page 22] Luochela had not altogether so bad a Fate as the former. This place felt the shake of the 9 th very severely; insomuch that a great part of the Houses fell by it. The Inhabitants over and above this, and some former shakes, had another Prognostick of the Ruin that was coming on the place, which influenced a considerable number of them to leave the Town upon the 9 th at night. There was an old Castle, which stood upon a rising ground, some two miles from Luochela, said to have been built by the Romans in the time of the Punick War. This Castle was, in the view of the People of Luochela, swallowed up in a moment, and no remaining Ve­stige was to be seen where it stood; but instead thereof, there gush'd up a prodigious quantity of Waters, which in a few hours made up a very con­siderable Lake where the Castle had stood. So that it is to the affirightful view of this Castle's being overturn'd, that more than the half of the People of the Town owe their safety, as having fled the Town upon sight thereof. The rest of the Town and Inhabitants were utterly destroy'd on the 11 th; and now there remains nothing but vast heaps of Rubbish where the Town formerly stood. Luo­chela might probably contain two thousand peo­ple, whereof near the half are destroyed.

Palonia, a very pretty little Town, very well built, and endowed with one of the beautifullest [Page 23] Churches in the whole Island, felt several shakes, of which those of the 9 th and 11 th were the most terrible. The Church was shattered in a thousand places; and the Dome was on the 11 th thrown down, which broke the High Altar to pieces, and crush'd to death some 300 people, with the Priest that was saying Mass. There was little other damage done in Palonia; most of the People ha­ving betaken themselves to the Fields, upon the Accident that befel the Dome of the Church. So that the loss has not been so great, neither in the fall of Houses, nor death of people, in Palonia, as it was in most other Towns about it.

Buchino, a considerable Village, escaped very near as well as the Town of Palonia, most of the Houses being thrown down, but scarce any of the people kill'd, though some much bruised.

Scodia, a Burgh about the bigness of the other, was greatly shaken on the 11 th, and about 150 people kill'd by the fall of the Church in the time of Mass. Within a mile of this Village there was a Lake about two miles about, and very deep. The shake of the 9 th was seen clearly to occasion the lessening of the Water of the Lake, so that it was dry for some paces round the Banks. But so strange was the effect of the shake of the 11 th upon this Lake, that near the midst of it there opened a large Casma, which swallowed up all the remaining [Page 24] Water, and left the whole Channel dry Land, which continues so.

Another Village called Chivramonte, had yet a worse Fate. The shake of the 9 th. shattered the Houses, but that of the 11 th. overturn'd them all together, and buried the Inhabitants in their Ruins, which were computed to be between three and four Hundred.

Monterusso was considerably shaken both on the 11 th. and 9 th. but the only loss of the People was of about 200 that fled into the Castle, stand­ing upon an Eminence for shelter, who were, with the Castle it self, buried in the Ground, and the place where it stood is now a Pool of Water of a brinish Taste.

The Beautiful Town of Vizzini underwent a Fortune like that of Catanea. Scarce any Place seem'd more secure from such Accidents than it; for it lay on a rising Hill, made up of nothing but hardest Stones of the nature of Marble; yet on the 9 th. and some days before, it felt several shakes, which did no great damage, by reason of the Build­ings being all of Stone. However the Inhabi­tants began to fear the worst, and most of the People of Quality and Fashion went out of Town, and setled themselves in Tents upon the Hill above the Town. But thinking the hazard was over, as finding no shakes all the 10 th. they [Page 25] return'd home on the 11 th. in the Morning, and within some Hours thereafter they and the Town were swallowed up. The Inhabitants were rec­koned to amount to 3500 Souls.

The large Village of Modica, containing about 1400 People, was so suddenly swallowed up on the 9 th, that no one Person escap'd; and it was in­deed the only Place▪ of the whole Island that re­ceived not its full Ruin by the shake of the 11 th. This was not the first time that Modica has been laid in heaps by Earthquakes; for within these Hundred years, it has twice changed its Seat; though till now the People were all so happy as to save themselves, and to seek for new Seats.

Within two Miles of this Place, there runs a small River along a very narrow but fruitful Val­ley, which in some places admits of high Cata­racts, through the great inequality of the Channel. By the shake of the 11 th there is a Hill thrown over, or rather athwart one of these Cataracts, for some twenty paces breadth, so that in that place the River is not to be seen, but creeps un­der the Hill, and comes out again in its own or­dinary Channel below. The same Accident has happened to several Rivulets in Sicily; the Earth being torn from the Brink, and thrown over the Rivulet, as it were in the form of a Vault, or na­tural Bridge.

[Page 26] The Village Bisenti felt all the shakes that hap­pened, but received no other damage than the fall of some of the Houses, and the Bruising to Death of about a Hundred Persons.

Francofonte, a very pretty Town, and well In­habited, but Built most of Timber, received lit­tle damage by the Earthquake, though it shook down some Houses; but what the Earthquake did not, the Lightning and Thunder did: For ne­ver was there seen so terrible a Storm of both these last, than Francofonte felt for three days together. The Spire of the Steeple, which was built of Wood, and covered with Lead, was burnt down, and the Nunnery of the Carmelites was almost ut­terly destroyed, and that so suddenly, that five of the Nuns was stifled to Death in their Beds. If the Wind had been high, as it was not, certainly the whole Town had been burnt to Ashes; but by reason of the Calmness of the Wind, and the Care of the Inhabitants, there were not above twelve or fourteen Houses burnt.

Carlontini, a Town of good Trade, and very well Inhabited, was greatly shaken on the 9 th, se­veral Houses being thrown down, and the Peo­ple buried in their Ruins. On the 10 th the Bi­shop and Magistrates exhorred the Inhabitants to remove out of the Town to the Fields, for even then there was some small tremblings of the Earth [Page 27] felt almost every half Hour. The People began to get out of Town on the 10 th, about Four a Clock in the Afternoon, and most were gone with the best things they could carry with them; when the shake of the 11 th overturn'd the whole Town in a Moment, with what remain'd of the Inhabitants. The Place might contain about 4000 People; and it's thought about a sixth part have perish'd in the Earthquake.

There scarce can be found in any part of the World a more Beautiful Town than Ragusa. Its Scituation, Buildings, Churches, Monasteries, and Territories about it, combine to make it a sort of Terrestrial Paradise. It felt a great ma­ny small shakings on the 8 th, with a mighty Tem­pest of Lightning and Thunder. The shake of the 9 th did some, but no great hurt; but that of the 11 th overturn'd the Town-house, a very Su­perb Edifice, two Churches, and a great many Houses. One Street, the biggest of the Town, and Inhabited by the best Merchants and Trades­men of the Place, was overwhelm'd in less than the Second of a Minute, the Earth sinking down, and leaving a vast Casma where the Street was. One of the Churches sunk after the manner the Street had done, but the other fell down. It's not yet known how many People perished in Ra­gusa; but the least Calculation has been made of [Page 28] them, amounts to 8000 Souls, of whom the Citi­zens of the best Quality make up a great part of the number. There is to be seen from the Brink of this Casma I mentioned, the Tops of some of the Houses, a great way below the Superfice of the ground; and out of this Cavity there comes a Sulphurous Smell, like to choak any body that comes near it. One of the Churches that are Ruin'd, was that of Sancta Barbara, Famous through all Sicily for the Miracles done at the Shrine of that Saint, and in which was some of the best Sculpture, especially that of the Altar-piece, that could be seen in any place of the Christian World.

The Town of Scodia felt the shakes of the 9 th and 11 th as fiercely as any. Yet, which was strange, the Town it self received no damage; but the Bishop's Palace, a very Beautiful and new Building, was overturn'd on the 9 th, and about Twenty four Persons perish'd in its Ruins. The Bishop had not gone out but an Hour before, ha­ving held a Meeting of his Diocess in the Chap­pel of his Palace in the Morning, so that he and they were all sav'd.

Specafurno, a Town of a considerable bigness, lying on the South side of a Hill all planted with Vineyards, and very well Inhabited, fell under the common Calamity. The shake of the 9 th [Page 29] did it but little hurt, only the Convent of the Capuchins was destroyed; but all the 10 th from Morning till Night, there was never heard so violent a Storm of Thunder and Lightning, as if Heaven and Earth had been mixing together. By the Lightning the Town-house, a very Regu­lar Building, was burnt down to the Ground, with several other Houses. Some few of the In­habitants fled out of the Town on the 10 th at Night, and so escaped the Destruction that befel the rest upon the 11 th. That shake brought over the whole Town in a Moments time; and there now remains nothing but vast heaps of Rubbish where Specafurno stood. To the South side of the Town, about a Mile, there lyes a very pleasant fresh-Water▪ Lake abounding in Fish, which now is almost all dry Land; only what Water remains in one end of it, is of a Brinish Taste, and of a Black Colour, the Fish being all dead on the Shore. It's remark'd by the Peasants that live on the Hills about this Town; that the Thunder and Light­ning which happened on the 10 th, has so far burnt all the Vines, that they expect no Grapes to grow on them next Year: Not only so, but they smell a sort of Sulphurous Smell, and feel a kind of a Bituminous Dew upon the Ground all thereabout. The People that perish'd in Speca­furno are computed to amount to 3500 at least, [Page 30] there being about 300 only that sav'd themselves by a timely flight the day before.

Sicily could not brag of a better-built Town, and a Place of better Trade, considering its di­stance from the Sea, than the Town of Scichito was. This Place seem'd to be design'd by Na­ture to fall by an Earthquake, for within these Fifty Years it has been in hazard Eight times. Five Years ago it had a very considerable shake, which indamaged several of the Houses, and over­turn'd a Church Dedicated to St. Roch. But all this was nothing to what befel it in this last Earth­quake. The trembling of the Earth began to be felt on the 8 th at Night, and within twenty four Hours time there succeeded above twenty shakes one after another, the last still exceeding the first in violence. At last the shake of the 11 th, instead of overturning the Town, as in most other Places, the Earth here sunk down, and in less than two Moments the Town vanish'd our of sight. In its room there is now a stinking Pool of Water, where the Dome of the Church of St. Stephen, with a part of the Steeple of St. Salvator stands above the Water. It's thought there was no one sav'd of all the Inhabitants of this pleasant Town; and they were Calculated to be about the number of Six or Seven Thousand Souls.

[Page 31] There stood a very strong Castle built after the Gothick Fashion on the East side of the Town, belonging to the Family of Ca [...]el [...] it's now all in heaps, and about thirty People buried alive in them.

Cefamero, a Village containing about 200 Houses, and seated on a rising Ground, was much shaken on the 8 th, 9 th, and 10 th, but the shake of the 11 th overturn'd the Church, whither most of the People had fled for shelter, and to implore the Aid of St. Katherine of Sienna, whose Chap­pel there, was held in the greatest Reverence; they were all crush'd to Death with the fall of the Roof, being of Lead, and little other damage done in the Village it self. It is thought there were near 200 People perish'd in the Church, and some 20 in the Village.

Sainto Croce, another Village something bigger than Cefamero was as ill shaken as the other, though there was not so many People kill'd. The Church here stands intire, and only the Houses that were made of Timber have suffered, and in them near a Hundred of the Inhabitants, the rest having fled to the Fields without the Town.

The little Town of [...]iamontano was greatly sha­ken on the 11 th, that whole quarter that lay near­est the River being quite overturned, and all the People kill'd; the rest of the Town escaped, [Page 32] only a small Hospital near the South-gate was sunk into the ground, with the People in it, which might amount to 40. Those that perished in the Quarter nearest the River, were about 350 Souls.

The Tower of Licodia underwent very near the same Fate. All the Houses of Timber were overwhelm'd by the shake of the 11 th, and in them about 300 of the Inhabitants. The Houses of Stone stand yet, though much shattered, and the Dome of the Church was burnt down by Lightning the day before. There is one thing more remarkable fallen out near this Town. About a mile and a half from it, there is a pretty high steep Hill, famous for Pine-trees of a vast big­ness, that grow upon it. The Lightning and Thunder has burnt down and scorch'd most of those Trees, and on the top of the Hill there is a Vulcano opened, out of which there ascends con­stantly a very thick Smoak, which is the more strange, in that there was no such thing heard of in that part of Sicily before.

Faci, a very big Town, was greatly shattered, especially in the fall of two Churches on the 9 th, the time of Divine Service. Many of the Houses of the Town were overturn'd on the 11 th, toge­ther with two Convents; and particularly that of the Minimes, where was kept St. Peter's Net, in [Page 33] which he took that vast quantity of Fish men­tioned in the Gospel. By the fall of the Houses and Churches, there perished in all about 2000 People, whereof more than the half died by the fall of the two Churches.

La Motta, a Village, the most famous of the whole Island, and the ordinary retirement in the Summer-time of the Citizens of Palermo, was to­tally overturn'd on the 9 th, and now there remains no Vestige of it, a Salt Pool succeeding in its place. The Inhabitants were reckoned to be about 200 people.

The last place of Sicily I shall name, that felt this Earthquake, was Messina, a City of great Trade, Superb Buildings, and great Riches. The shake of the 9 th was here felt so sensibly, that it struck a terror into the Inhabitants, that more than half of them forsook the City, and betook themselves to the Fields. Those that remained, betook them­selves to their Devotions, and all the Churches were throng'd with the multitudes of people, young and old, that flocked to them. The Arch­bishop of Messina had order'd 48 hours prayers to be said through the whole City, and several Reliques to be carried in procession to appease the wrath of Heaven. On the 11 th the whole City was so terribly shaken, that twenty six Palaces were over­turned, and a great many of the Timber-Houses. [Page 34] Every body expected immediate death, and in vast multitudes run to the Cathedral, where the Arch­bishop of Messina preach'd, and said Mass, and thereafter gave Absolution, as did all the Priests through the rest of the City by the Archbishop's Command. After absolution given, every-body made the best of the way they could to escape from the common danger, and betook themselves to the Fields, where they were not out of hazard through the violence of the Thunder, Lightning and Rain, that continued three days together. The Archbishop retir'd with the rest, and at last the people did set up Tents to protect them from the Injuries of the Weather. There are but few peo­ple kill'd in Messina, but most of the Churches are shattered more or less, and the Chappel of the Archbishop's Palace overturn'd.

This mighty stroke of God was not only on the Land, but was felt also on the Sea. For se­veral Ships and smaller Vessels were drowned all along the Coast of the Island, and even in Har­bours, by the violent agitation of the Water. Neither was there ever seen so high, and so im­petuous a Tyde as that of the 10 th, being above three foot higher in most parts, than ever was heard of before.

In short, a more astonishing, a more universal, or a more swift Destruction was never known. [Page 35] And Sicily, that was one of the beautiful'st, richest and fruitful'st Islands in the World, is now a heap of Rubbish, and a continued Desolation.

It's impossible to make a computation of the im­mense Losses of Money, Merchandize, Houses and Lands. It may modestly be computed to at least six Millions of Ducats; and it will take an Age to repair the Damages it has made. The number of the Inhabitants that perished in this afrightful Calamity, may be safely reckoned to come to 120000 Souls, over and above a vast number bruised by the fall of Churches and Houses, whereof many are dead since, and some continue yet in hazard, which may amount to 20000 more.

This Terrible Earthquake has communicated it self to the Island of Maltha on the one side, and to Calabria on the other; and the Desolations it has made in both those Places, are said to be very great. When the Particulars come to us, we shall give an ample Narrative of them.