horror to the neighbouring Iflanders, that the more ignorant Papifts are made to believe it is the very Jaws of Hell itfelf; the aforenamed Kircher made Obfervation of this Mountain likewife, which he thus relates; That on a certain day viewing Strombolo very curiously, about threefcore miles diftant, he obferved it to be more than ordinarily furious, for it appeared wholly overwhelmed with Fire in fo great plenty, that it feemed to belch out flaming Mountains, a moft horrendous Spectacle; And then faith he, I heard a ftrange kind of dull murmur from the Mountain fo far off, which feemed to come towards us under the Earth, till it reached the fubterraneous place where we ftood, and there uttered fuch horrible Thundrings within the Earth, with fuch formidable Earthquakes, that none of them were able to ftand on their Feet; After the violence was over, getting up again with unfpeakable Confternation, they beheld the deftruction and lamentable fubverfion of the famous Town of St. Euphemia three miles off, which happened at that inftant, the City being wholly fwallowed up, for feeking for the Town, they found instead thereof, what is wonderful to be related, nothing but a dark stinking Lake fprung up in its place, they could find no Men nor Inhabitants; Thence paffing on their Journey, they found nothing elle

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for Two Hundred miles, but the Carcates of Cities, horrid ruins of Caftles, Men ftragling up and down in the open Fields, and through horror and famine pining and withering away.

LVII. In April 1663. The Mountain Vefuvius aforementioned caft up more Smoak and Afhes than formerly, and for feveral Nights the neighbouring places were much affrighted with the great Flames which iffued from it, accompanied with unufual noifes; At the fame time they write, That the Vice-Roy of Sicily having compaffion upon the Miferable condition of above thirty thousand poor People, who by their Flight had faved themfelves from the Fire of Mount Etna aforementioned, which had destroyed feventeen or eighteen Towns or Villages, and by the daily approaches to the City of Catania, feemed to threaten it with inevitable ruin, fo that the Inhabitants were leaving the place; And that he thereupon fent one of his Officers to take order for the maintenance of those diftreffed Creatures, and difpofing of them into places of fafety. June 20. this Year at Fnfpurg in Germany, a little after Noon, there was a very violent Tempeft with extraordinary Hail, Rain, Thunder and Lightning, accompanied with an Earthquake, which had fuch terrible Effects at Schnatz a Town about three miles diftant from Fn/purg, where the Emperor of Germany had fonie

Silver Mines, that the River which runs through it overflowing, drowned all the adjacent Fields, driving down, and destroying above thirty Houfes, endamaging many more, and drowning above two hundred People.

LVIII. In 1682. Aug. 25. The Mountain Vefuvius did caft out Fire accompanied with a moft terrible and hideous noife, which from an hour after Sunfet on Saturday, till three a Clock next morning was fo great, that it caufed a kind of Earthquake, the houfes in that City being plainly obferved to fhake; The Mountain likewife caft out Afhes in great abundance, which were difperfed many miles by the Wind, and the Sunday, all the Streets of Naples were covered with them, as if it had been a deep Snow. Thefe Prodigies very much terrified the People, and Publick Prayers were made for appeafing the Wrath of Heaven; It is added, That many great Coals of Fire fell alfo, the dread whereof wrought fo much upon the Inhabitants, that they removed to other Cities; That the terrible Earthquakes have thrown down near three thousand Buildings all about the foot of the Mountain, and it roared fo loud as to be heard forty miles diftance in a ftill night. The fame year an Earthquake happened in France and Switzerland, which affected all the Cities and places for many hundred miles about.

LIX. In 1685. a very wonderful Prodigy happened in France, which though it may not feem fo properly inferted among thefe Relations of Earthquakes, yet the ftrangenefs and reality thereof, may excufe the Account I fhall give of it; and not being generally known may be the more acceptable. It is notorious to all Chrift endom that the French King, after a mul itude of Intractions of his moft folemn Edicts, Oaths and Proteftations for fecuring to the Proteftants of his Kingdom the free exercife of their Religion, began about the Year 1684, openly and without the leaft provocation, to ufe all manner of Cruelties toward them, to oblige them if poffible to renounce their Faith and Profeffion, declaring, That he would no longer fuffer any Proteftants in his Kingdom, but that they must refolve either to change their Religion or elfe to fuffer the utmoft Torments that could be inflicted upon them. In profecution of this inhuman refolution, Dragoons were imploy'd, firft to feize the Goods of thofe that continued conftant in their Keligion,. after which they proceeded to further cruelties, Ernging fome Men and Women up by the Hair of the Head or the Feet within their own Chimneys, finoaking them with Whifps of Wet Straw; Others they threw into the Fire, and pluckt them thence half roafted; They tied them on the Rack, and poured Wine down their Throats till

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the fame had deprived them of their reafon, and then made them fay, They would be Catholicks. They ftript them ftark naked and Larded them all over with Pins from Head to Foot. They kept them from fleeping feven or eight days and nights together. They tied Parents to Bed-pofts and ravifhed their Daughters before their Eyes. They pluckt off the Nails from the Hands and Toes of others, with most intolerable pains, and after thefe and a thoufand other indignities, if they ftill refused to abjure the Truth, they threw them into clofe, dark, and ftinking Dungeons, exercifing upon them all manner of Barbarities. Their Ministers were banished, their Churches demolished, their Houfes pluckt down, their Wives and Children feized and put into Monafteries, and feveral fuffered moft cruel Deaths.

Among the banished Minifters was the famous Monfieur furieu, who retiring into, Holland, writ feveral Paftoral Letters to the Poor Perfecuted Proteftants in France for the ftrengthening and confirming them in the True Faith of Chrift, and for reducing thofe who through fear of trouble and danger had feemingly reconciled themselves to the Romish Church, and were afterward termed New Converts. In one of thefe Letters Monfieur furieu gives a very furprizing Relation of Songs and Voices which

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