rote to you
concerning the death of my uncle has raised, it seems, your curiosity to
know what terrors and dangers attended me while I continued at Misenum,
for there, I think, my account broke off.

Though my shock'd soul recoils, my tongue shall tell.

My uncle having left us, I spent such time as was left on my studies (it
was on their account, indeed, that I had stopped behind) till it was time
for my bath. After which I went to supper, and then fell into a short and
uneasy sleep.

There had been noticed for many days before a trembling of the earth,
which did not alarm us much, as this is quite an ordinary occurrence in
Campania, but it was so particularly violent that night that it not only
shook but overturned, as it would seem, everything about us.

My mother rushed into my chamber, where she found me rising, in order to
awaken her. We sat down in the open court of the house, which occupied a
small space between the buildings and the sea. As I was at that time but
eighteen years of age, I know not whether I should call my behavior in
this dangerous juncture courage or folly; but I took up Livy, and amused
myself with turning over that author, and even making extracts from him,
as if I had been perfectly at my leisure.

Just then a friend of my uncle, who had lately come to him from Spain,
joined us, and, observing me sitting by my mother with a book in my hand,
reproved her for her calmness and me at the same time for my careless
security; nevertheless, I went on with my author.

Though it was now morning, the light was still exceedingly faint and
doubtful; the buildings all around us tottered, and though we stood upon
open ground, yet as the place was narrow and confined there was no
remaining without imminent danger; we therefore resolved to quit the town.

Effects of the Earthquakes.

A panic-stricken crowd followed us, and (as to a mind distracted with
terror every suggestion seems more prudent than its own) pressed on us in
dense array to drive us forward as we came out. Being at a convenient
distance from the houses, we stood still in the midst of a most dangerous
and dreadful scene.

The chariots, which we had ordered to be drawn out, were so agitated
backward and forward, though upon the most level ground, that we could not
keep them steady even by supporting them with large stones. The sea seemed
to roll back upon itself and to be driven from its banks by the convulsive
motion of the earth