Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	air_n	heaven_n	see_v	2,778	5	3.5056	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25418	An Account of the late terrible earthquake in Sicily with most of its particulars / done from the Italian copy printed at Rome.		1693 (1693)	Wing A316; ESTC R1120	14,513	36

AN ACCOUNT Of the Late Terrible EARTHQUAKE IN SICILY With most of its Particulars Done from the Italian Copy Printed at Rome LONDON Printed for Richard Baldwin near the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane 1693. THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER THIS Account of the late Terrible Earthquake in Sicily I thought deserved to be put in English The Author who is a Priest has writ it in a very plain Style and I have ventured to leave out several things that are in the Original especially that relate to Miracles and other Fopperies his Profession leads him to believe As to the rest I have translated it as near the Italian as I can and with the same simplicity of Expression which is more to be valued in Accounts of this nature than flourishes of Rhetorick AN ACCOUNT Of the Late Dreadful Earthquake IN THE Island of SICILY 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 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 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 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 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 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