to be got ready; when, after having bathed, he sat down to supper with
great cheerfulness, or at least (what is equally heroic) with all the
appearance of it.

"In the meantime, the eruption from Mount Vesuvius flamed out in several
places with much violence, which the darkness of the night contributed
to render still more visible and dreadful. But my uncle, in order to
soothe the apprehensions of his friend, assured him it was only the
burning of the villages, which the country people had abandoned to the
flames; after this he retired to rest, and it was most certain he was so
little discomposed as to fall into a deep sleep; for, being pretty fat,
and breathing hard, those who attended without actually heard him snore.
The court which led to his apartment being now almost filled with stones
and ashes, if he had continued there any longer it would have been
impossible for him to have made his way out; it was thought proper,
therefore, to awaken him. He got up and went to Pomponianus and the rest
of his company, who were not unconcerned enough to think of going to
bed. They consulted together whether it would be most prudent to trust
to the houses, which now shook from side to side with frequent and
violent concussions; or to fly to the open fields, where the calcined
stone and cinders, though light indeed, yet fell in large showers and
threatened destruction. In this distress they resolved for the fields as
the less dangerous situation of the two--a resolution which, while
the rest of the company were hurried into it by their fears, my uncle
embraced upon cool and deliberate consideration.

DEATH OF PLINY THE ELDER

"They went out, then, having pillows tied upon their heads with napkins;
and this was their whole defence against the storm of stones that fell
around them. It was now day everywhere else, but there a deeper darkness
prevailed than in the most obscure night; which, however, was in some
degree dissipated by torches and other lights of various kinds. They
thought proper to go down further upon the shore, to observe if they
might safely put out to sea; but they found that the waves still ran
extremely high and boisterous. There my uncle, having drunk a draught or
two of cold water, threw himself down upon a cloth which was spread for
him, when immediately the flames, and a strong smell of sulphur which
was the forerunner of them, dispersed the rest of the company, and
obliged him to rise. He raised himse