it would allow it such.
At last, it came just over my Head, and interposing between the Sun and
me, so thickened the Air, that I had lost the very Sight of Day. At this
moment it had reach'd the Land; and tho' very near me in my Imagination,
it began to dissolve, and lose of its first Tenebrity, when all on a
sudden there fell such a vast multitude of Locusts, as exceeded the
thickest storm of Hail or Snow that I ever saw. All around me was
immediately cover'd with those crauling Creatures; and they yet
continu'd to fall so thick, that with the swing of my Cane I knock'd
down thousands. It is scarce imaginable the Havock I made in a very
little space of time; much less conceivable is the horrid Desolation
which attended the Visitation of those _Animalcula_. There was not in a
Day or two's time, the least Leaf to be seen upon a Tree, nor any green
Thing in a Garden. Nature seem'd buried in her own Ruins; and the
vegetable World to be Supporters only to her Monument. I never saw the
hardest Winter, in those Parts, attended with any equal Desolation.
When, glutton like, they had devoured all that should have sustained
them, and the more valuable Part of God's Creation (whether weary with
gorging, or over thirsty with devouring, I leave to Philosophers) they
made to Ponds, Brooks, and standing Pools, there revenging their own
Rape upon Nature, upon their own vile Carkasses. In every of these you
might see them lie in Heaps like little Hills; drown'd indeed, but
attended with Stenches so noisome, that it gave the distracted
Neighbourhood too great Reason to apprehend yet more fatal Consequences.
A Pestilential Infection is the Dread of every Place, but especially of
all Parts upon the _Mediterranean_. The Priests therefore repair'd to a
little Chapel, built in the open Fields, to be made use of on such like
Occasions, there to deprecate the miserable Cause of this dreadful
Visitation. In a Week's time, or there abouts, the Stench was over, and
every Thing but verdant Nature in its pristin Order.

Some few Months after this, and about eight Months from the former
Siege, Count _D'Alfelt_ caus'd _Denia_ to be again invested; and being
then sensible of all the Mistakes he had before committed, he now went
about his Business with more Regularity and Discretion. The first Thing
he set upon, and it was the wisest Thing he could do, was to cut off our
Communication with the Sea. This he did, and thereby obtained what he
much desire