nquenchable springs of fire. Once it was equally high at all
points and the fire rose from the center of it. This is the only portion
of it that is in a blaze, for the outside parts of the mountain remain
even now unkindled. Consequently, as the latter are never burned, while
the interior is constantly growing brittle and being reduced to ashes, the
surrounding peaks retain their original height to this day, but the whole
section that is on fire, as it is consumed in the course of time, has
grown hollow from continual collapse. Thus the entire mountain, if we may
compare great things to small, resembles a hunting-theatre. The outlying
heights of it support both trees and vines,--many of them,--but the crater
is given over to fire and sends up smoke by day, flame by night. It looks
as if quantities of incense of all sorts were being burned in it. This
goes on all the time, sometimes more, sometimes less. Often it throws up
ashes, when there is a general settling in the interior, or again it sends
up stones when the air forces them out. It echoes and bellows, too,
because its vents are not all together but are narrow and hidden.

[Sidenote:--22--] Such is Vesuvius, and these phenomena regularly occur
there at least once a year. But all the other happenings that took place
in former time, though they may have seemed great and unusual to those who
on each occasion observed them, nevertheless would be reckoned as but
slight in comparison with what now occurred even though they should all be
rolled into one. This was what befell. Numbers of huge men quite
surpassing any human stature,--such creatures as giants are depicted to
be,--appeared now on the mountain, now in the country surrounding it, and
again in the cities, wandering over the earth day and night and also
traversing the air. After this fearful droughts and earthquakes sudden and
violent occurred, so that all the level ground in that region undulated
and the heights gave a great leap. Reverberations were frequent, some
subterranean resembling thunder and some on the surface like bellowings.
The sea joined the roar and the sky resounded with it. Then suddenly a
portentous crash was heard, as if the mountains were tumbling in ruins.
And first there were belched forth stones of huge size that rose to the
very summits before they fell; after them came a deal of fire and smoke in
inexhaustible quantities so that the whole atmosphere was obscured and the
whole sun was scree