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         W. B.
      
       
         
           1693
        
      
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         106601
         
           
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             A dreadful account of a most terrible earthquake which lately happened in Italy wherein thirty seven great cities and towns were totally destroy'd, and one hundred and twenty thousand of men, women, and children perished, 8c. : in a letter / from the consul of Messina's secretary.
             W. B.
          
           1 broadside.
           
             Printed by W. Downing ...,
             London :
             1693.
          
           
             Signed at end: W.B.
             Reproduction of original in the Harvard University Library.
          
        
      
    
     
       
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         eng
      
       
         
           Earthquakes -- Italy.
           Natural disasters -- Italy.
           Italy -- History -- 17th century.
        
      
    
     
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           A
           Dreadful
           Account
           of
           a
           most
           Terrible
           Earthquake
           ,
           Which
           lately
           happened
           in
           ITALY
           ,
           Wherein
           Thirty
           Seven
           great
           Cities
           and
           Towns
           were
           totally
           Destroy'd
           ,
           and
           One
           Hundred
           and
           Twenty
           Thousand
           of
           Men
           ,
           Women
           ,
           and
           Children
           Perished
           ,
           &c.
           
        
         
           In
           a
           Letter
           from
           the
           Consul
           of
           
           Messina's
           Secretary
           .
        
         
           
             Loving
             Brother
             ,
          
        
         
           THE
           Subject
           of
           my
           present
           Writing
           carries
           that
           Horrour
           and
           Amazement
           ,
           as
           puts
           a
           Trembling
           into
           the
           very
           Hand
           that
           guides
           the
           Pen
           :
           The
           sad
           Relation
           I
           have
           to
           make
           you
           ,
           perhaps
           hath
           not
           hitherto
           been
           equalled
           in
           any
           Records
           or
           History
           of
           the
           World
           ,
           and
           I
           hope
           never
           will
           ,
           the
           Calamity
           indeed
           being
           unexpressable
           .
           'T
           is
           true
           ,
           we
           have
           had
           very
           melancholy
           Narratives
           of
           the
           late
           Dismal
           Earthquakes
           in
           Jamaica
           ;
           but
           ,
           alass
           ,
           that
           Visitation
           has
           been
           infinitely
           Inferior
           to
           the
           much
           severer
           Hand
           of
           Heaven
           felt
           amongst
           us
           in
           this
           Part
           of
           the
           World.
           As
           to
           the
           Earthquakes
           that
           gave
           you
           some
           small
           Fright
           in
           England
           and
           Flanders
           ,
           those
           were
           so
           inconsiderable
           ,
           as
           to
           be
           scarce
           Shadows
           ,
           little
           more
           than
           a
           Name
           .
        
         
           For
           Instance
           ,
           at
           a
           City
           call'd
           Cattana
           about
           60
           Miles
           from
           Rome
           ,
           and
           not
           far
           from
           the
           Mount
           Aetna
           ,
           on
           the
           first
           Instant
           there
           happened
           an
           Earthquake
           so
           Violent
           ,
           that
           not
           one
           House
           has
           been
           left
           standing
           in
           the
           whole
           City
           ,
           but
           ,
           together
           with
           the
           Churches
           and
           Covents
           of
           Fryers
           and
           Nuns
           ,
           all
           levelled
           to
           the
           Ground
           ,
           and
           buried
           in
           one
           Heap
           of
           Rubbish
           ,
           in
           which
           near
           20
           Thousand
           People
           perished
           ,
           there
           remaining
           not
           above
           1500
           Souls
           alive
           ,
           and
           those
           not
           all
           intirely
           Escaping
           ,
           for
           above
           one
           third
           of
           the
           Number
           were
           either
           miserably
           Torn
           and
           Mangled
           ,
           or
           otherwise
           Hurt
           and
           Damaged
           .
        
         
           The
           City
           
             Seragusa
             Angusta
          
           has
           participated
           in
           the
           like
           bitter
           Vial
           of
           God's
           Judgment
           ,
           being
           in
           like
           manner
           intirely
           and
           utterly
           Destroyed
           ,
           with
           an
           equal
           Fatality
           and
           Destruction
           of
           the
           miserable
           Inhabitants
           ,
           having
           only
           Five
           Hundred
           and
           odd
           People
           saved
           out
           of
           above
           22000.
           
           A
           great
           many
           other
           Town
           and
           Villages
           have
           proportionably
           groaned
           under
           the
           same
           destroying
           Vengeance
           :
           Nay
           ,
           the
           very
           Rocks
           throughout
           the
           whole
           Island
           have
           been
           all
           Torn
           in
           sunder
           ,
           and
           such
           dismal
           Marks
           are
           left
           behind
           ,
           that
           the
           whole
           Face
           of
           the
           Country
           is
           little
           less
           than
           one
           continued
           Chaos
           and
           Confusion
           .
           In
           fine
           ,
           it
           is
           altogether
           so
           hideous
           a
           Scene
           ,
           that
           no
           Words
           can
           express
           nor
           Pen
           describe
           it
           .
           To
           sum
           up
           our
           general
           Misery
           and
           Desolation
           ,
           the
           greatest
           part
           of
           those
           Remains
           of
           us
           ,
           that
           God
           in
           his
           particular
           Mercy
           has
           been
           pleased
           to
           Spare
           ,
           are
           forced
           to
           lie
           abroad
           out
           of
           the
           Towns
           and
           Cities
           (
           as
           no
           longer
           capable
           to
           shelter
           them
           )
           in
           Hutts
           and
           Booths
           somewhat
           like
           your
           Bartholomew
           Fair.
           
        
         
           But
           in
           all
           these
           deplorable
           Objects
           before
           our
           Eyes
           ,
           and
           the
           still
           frightful
           Remembrance
           behind
           us
           ,
           we
           have
           Reason
           to
           bless
           God
           that
           the
           least
           Portion
           of
           this
           Misery
           fell
           to
           our
           Share
           in
           this
           City
           Messina
           ,
           compared
           with
           the
           more
           hideous
           Ruines
           and
           suffering
           Neighbours
           round
           about
           us
           ;
           for
           we
           had
           that
           particular
           Providence
           to
           have
           only
           about
           40
           Houses
           intirely
           destroyed
           ,
           and
           about
           30
           People
           Killed
           ,
           though
           indeed
           we
           have
           scarce
           a
           House
           in
           the
           whole
           Town
           that
           has
           not
           in
           some
           Measure
           been
           Shattered
           and
           Torn
           .
        
         
           After
           the
           Violence
           of
           our
           Consternation
           was
           so
           far
           abated
           ,
           as
           to
           give
           us
           leave
           to
           examine
           and
           compute
           the
           universal
           Loss
           ,
           we
           have
           had
           a
           List
           of
           37
           Cities
           and
           Towns
           which
           have
           been
           wholly
           Ruined
           by
           this
           Earthquake
           ,
           and
           above
           120000
           People
           perish'd
           ;
           besides
           several
           Thousands
           al
           Languishing
           ,
           Maimed
           and
           Cripples
           .
        
         
           But
           to
           quit
           so
           deplorable
           a
           Theme
           ,
           and
           Return
           Thanks
           to
           Heaven
           for
           my
           own
           Preservation
           ,
           Il
           shall
           conclude
           ,
           by
           telling
           you
           ,
           that
           God
           willing
           ,
           I
           shall
           be
           very
           speedily
           with
           you
           ,
           this
           whole
           Island
           being
           now
           so
           ruined
           a
           Place
           ,
           that
           I
           shall
           esteem
           my self
           Happy
           in
           my
           Deliverance
           from
           so
           Dismal
           and
           Desolate
           a
           Wilderness
           ,
           &c.
           
        
         
           
             Messina
             ,
             
               Jan.
               20.
               1692
               
               /
               3.
               
            
             
               In
               Italy
            
             .
          
           
             Your
             ever
             Loving
             Brother
             W.
             B.
             
          
        
         
           
             POSTSCIPT
             .
          
           
             THis
             abovesaid
             Account
             was
             sent
             in
             a
             Letter
             ,
             from
             the
             Secretary
             to
             Mr.
             
               Thomas
               Chamberlin
            
             ,
             Consul
             for
             Their
             Majesties
             of
             Great
             Britain
             at
             Messina
             .
             And
             if
             any
             Person
             desires
             any
             further
             Satisfaction
             ,
             let
             him
             Repair
             to
             the
             Printer
             of
             this
             Relation
             ,
             in
             whose
             Hands
             is
             the
             Original
             Letter
             .
          
        
      
    
     
       
         
           London
           ,
           Printed
           by
           
             W.
             Downing
          
           in
           Great
           St.
           Bartholomew-Close
           ,
           1693.
           
        
      
    
  

