difficulty dragging myself out of the rubbish, I found the aperture to be much larger than I had imagined it was; and getting in my head and arm first, by degrees pulled my whole body after, and fell, about two feet, into a small dark place arched over at the top, which I supposed to be only a support for the two walls; till feeling about I found on one side a narrow passage, which led me round a place like an oven into a little room, where stood a Portugueze man covered with dust, who, the moment he saw me coming in that way, started back, and crossing himself all over, cried out, as the custom is when much surprized, ' Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! who are you? where do you come from? which being informed of, he placed me in a chair; and instantly clasping his hands together, be lifted them and his eyes toward the cieling, in sign of the utmost distress and concern. This made me examine myself, which before I had not time to do. My right arm hung down before me motionless, like a great dead weight, the shoulder being out, and the bone broken: my stockings were cut to pieces, and my legs covered with wounds, the right ancle swelled to a prodigious size, with a fountain of blood spouting upwards from it: the knee also was much bruised, my left side felt as if beat in, so that I could hardly breathe; all the left side of my face was swelled, the skin beaten off, the blood streaming from it, with a great wound above, and a small one below the eye, and several bruises on my back and head. Scarcely had I perceived myself to be in this mangled condition, when another shock, more threatening than the former, came on: the poor man flew directly out of the door; the violence of the concussion, and the falling of houses, joined with the screams of the people, made me again seek shelter at the arch where I had entered in; where waiting till the horror abated, I returned back again; and nobody appearing, went out at the same door I saw the man do, in hopes of finding him again, or of meeting with some other person; but, instead of a room as I expected, it proved only a Barrow staircase, with a few steps one way then turning as many more, il brought me, to my surprize, inte

the street, not imagining myself to have been so near it. The people were all at prayers, covered over with dust, and the light appeared just as if it had been a very dark day: here, flattering myself that my leg might still support me to the water-side, I turned, and saw the street below, which was very narrow, filled with fallen houses, as high as the tops of the remaining ones. Then, in hopes of getting into the country, I advanced a few steps up, the hill, till the same sad prospect presented itself above me; and in a street to the right-hand I saw no other! Unknowing what to do, my strength failed me, and I fell prostrate in the middle, just where the three streets met. I then thought myself so much gone past all assistance, that though Mr. Branfils, Mr. Goddard, and their people, came to the spot where I lay, I spoke to none of them, notwithstanding they stood close by me: till at length Mr. JoHN ERNEST FORG*, a German, and merchant of the city of Hamburgh, coming to his door, told them he saw no way of their escaping out of the city; and therefore begged they would go up into a garden he had, by the top of his house, which was the safest place he knew of. This they complied with; and how long afterwards i lay there I know not; but, recovering a little strength, I raised myself up, and set my back against the wall of this gentleman's house; who appearing again at his door, I heard him say, "What miserable wretch is this? He seems, by his dress, to be a stranger;" and coming down from his door round to the other side of my face, he exclaimed, "Dear Mr. Chase, what a shocking sight is this! Let me carry you up stairs, and try what we can do for you." My answer was, Many thanks, but it was now too late." "Never think so," said he, "I hope the worst is over, and you shall have the very first assistance that can be procured." Then calling some of his people, he had me conveyed up stairs, and put me in a chair, till he had got me something to drink; and a bed was ordered, which being made ready, he laid me there, desiring me to compose my

66

Dignum laude Virum vetat Justitia mori,

self

self as much as possible. He had not left me long, before another shock made me lay my left arm over my eyes, soon expecting to be released from farther misery; till all the plaster falling from the walls, covered over the bed, causing such a dust, that I was obliged to exert all my strength to open the door near the bed's head and get out. The noise I made soon brought Mr. Forg out of the garden, when, begging of him to lay me there, he said there was a room on one side of it, and that he would order a bed to be got ready there immediately. I was accordingly removed thither; when he told me he had already sent after the English surgeon, Mr. Scrafton; but his house was tumbled down; and not knowing what was become of him, Mr. Forg and Mr. Goddard came constantly between the shocks, which were now become less violent, to of fer me their assistance; and during one of the intervals Mr. Forg and his uncle dressed my leg and face with some plaisters, which they happened to have by them. Mr. Forg's uncle did not go into the garden during the shocks, but remained in the house, declaring, "he had lived a long time; and if it so pleased Providence, he was as ready to die in that manner as in any other *." Mr. Goddard also acquainted me with the deaths of several people already known, whose fate I then thought much happier than my own; and that three fires had broke out in the city, which however did not then much alarm us. One of the fires, and a large part of the city, I could see from the bed as I lay; for I was now again at the top of a high house, some part of which had fallen, and the remainder of it was much shat

tered.

"About two o'clock, the earth having enjoyed some little repose, the clouds of dust were dissipated, and the sun appearing, we began to hope the worst was over, as indeed it was in regard to the earthquake; but still every succeeding shock, though it did little harm, was attended with the same dread and terror as the great ones preceding, as not know ing to what lengths the evil might

* Abnegat excisâ vitam producere Troja.

proceed. However, this cessation made the people in the garden, consisting of English, Dutch, Irish, and Portuguese, recover spirits enough to think of attempting to get out of the ruinous city; when Mr. Forg, wholly intent upon assisting every body, desired them only just to stay to eat some fish which he had ordered to be got ready, as they would then be better enabled to bear any future fatigue. To oblige his great care, I ate a little, without any other inclination, imagining, from the painful condition I was in, that a very few hours more would relieve me from all farther cares; nor had any one hitherto flattered me with any other hopes. This was one reason, as well as knowing that all parties were so intent upon their own preservation as not to be at leisure to assist others, why I patiently suffered Mr. Forg's garden to be quite empty, and Mr. Branfils, Mr. Goddard, and their people, after dining and taking leave of me, to go away, without asking their assistance, or even desiring them to send me any help: till, finding Mr. Forg was left only with his aged uncle, and an old lame lady of their acquaintance, whom he had sent his servants to fetch from her house, where she had been left alone, and very probably would have perished had he not thought of her, and that there remained only two or three more of his people; supposing from hence that he now intended to quit his house, I begged of him to endeavour to hire some people to carry me out of town. He said he feared it was not possible; for all his servants but one had left him, and the city was quite deserted; that, if it were my request, he would try, but for his own part he was determined to stay, and take the fate of his house, as he thought venturing out of it would be only to encounter greater dangers; and in my condition he would advise me to do the same, little imagining how much more distress I had still to support. All that afternoon I had time to make the most melancholy reflections, whilst the flames were spreading every where within my view with inexpres sible swiftness. Till about five o'clock they seemed approaching close to the window of the room where I lay. Mr. Forg then came in, and looking

at

at me without speaking, which hitherto he had never done, he retired, shutting the door close after him. From what he had before said, I was full of suspicions that no assistance was to be had. I thought I heard no noise in the adjacent room, and with difficulty raising myself up, listened a considerable time without being able to hear any thing stir; when I immediately concluded that as he found himself obliged to leave his house, unable to tell me the horrid fate I must submit to, he had quitted it without speaking at all. In the utmost agony therefore of body and mind, I determined to anticipate my doom, and if it were possible to endeavour to reach the gallery on the outside of the window, and by throwing myself down the hill, put an end at once to all my excessive miseries. By the help of two chairs I just got within reach of the door, though. with the greatest pain, and was then so spent that I was obliged to sit down, nor could I have gone a step farther had the room been on fire. At last, recovering a little strength, I opened the door, and found Mr. Forg, the old lady, and two other persons, all silently sitting round the outward room. Surprised to see me got so far, he asked the reason of it; to which I replied, that I was fully sensible both of the great distress to which we were reduced, and of his inability to render me assistance. I therefore begged it, with tears in my eyes, as the greatest favour, that before he found himself obliged to quit his house, he would either throw me over the gallery, or any other way dispatch me; and not leave me, in violent agouies, to linger out a few hours, and at last to die a most dreadful death. He desired me not to talk in that manner; assuring me most affectionately, that he never bad intended to leave me; and, if no other help came, he would himself carry me out upon his back, and we should take our chance together; that the fire had not yet surrounded us, and that there was still a passage

free to the Terriero do Paco, a large square before the king's palace, and as soon as necessity obliged us, he hoped we might all get there very safe; therefore I had much better lie down again, and he would be

careful to acquaint me in due time. Still however I could not divest myself of a suspicion that it was his good-nature only which made him promise this; accordingly I desired to stay in the room with them, which he permitted me; going up every half hour to the top of his house to observe the progress of the fires.

"About eleven o'clock there came two servants of a German gentleman, who, I think, was his nephew, and at that time also in the house. Mr. Forg then declared, he thought it would be time to remove; and, with great composure, going for his hat and cloak, returned, with a cap and quilt for me; telling me, perhaps I might find it cold, upon being carried out. He then desired that gentleman and his servants to carry me to the square first, and then return again to fetch the lame lady. The gentleman and two servants conveyed ine in one of the room chairs, with the quilt thrown over me, which proved afterwards of essential service; and another person went before with a torch. I heard some poor wretches begging for help, in our way through a narrow passage down a steep hill, which was the only place left free from ruins. Near Mr. Forg's house, at the bottom of the ailey, stood a church belonging to a convent of friars, the door of which being open, there stood lighted candies upon the high altar, and the friars seemed to be very assiduously occupied, arrayed in their ecclesiastical habits, and in the porch lay some dead bodies. From thence, throughout a narrow street extending to the church of St. Mary Magdalene, I saw no house tumbled down, but every where large stones scattered about; and as I passed, looking up a street, I could discern over the ruins the upper windows of our house still standing. The church of St. Mary Magdalen was likewise undemolished, the doors open, and some lights and people in it. I observed that the fire had already taken possession of the street leading to the cathedral; in the Silversmiths' Street there were no houses quite fallen; and some few people seemed to be employed in throwing bundles out of the windows. On passing the end of Rua Nova I saw both sides of it were on fire, as well as the next street,