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Show ( I 4 ] Warmth ft01n her tender heart eternal fprings, And pleafed fhe clafps them with extended wings. " You from deep cauldrons and unmeafured caves Blow flaming airs, or pour vitrefcent waves ; 0' er fhining oceans ray volcanic ljght, Or hurl innocuous embers to the night.While with loud fuouts to Etna Hecla calls, And Andes anf wers from his beacon' d walls ; Hurl innocuous mzbers. 1. I 52. The immediate caufe of volcanic eruptions is believed ~o be owing to the water of the fea, or from lakes, or inundations, finding itfelf a paffage ~11to the fubterra!1eous fires, which may lie at great depths. This mull firfl: produce by Its coldnefs a condenfation ·of the vapour there exilling, or a vacuum, and thus occafion parts of the earth's crufl: or fhell to be forced down by the preffure of the incumbent at .. mofphere. Afterwards the water being fuddenly raifed intofl:eam produces all tht.: explofive effeCls of earthquakes. And by new acceffions of water during the intervals of the explofions the repetition of the fhocks is caufed. Thefe circumfl:ances were hourly illuftrated by the fountains of boiling water in Iceland, in which the furface of the water in the boiling wells funk down low before every new ebullition. Refides thefe eruptions occa{ioned by the fl:eam of water, there feems to be a perpetual effufion of other vapours, more noxious and (as far as it is yet known) perhaps greatly more expanfile than water from the Volcanos in various parts of the world. As thefe ~~lcanos are fuppofed to be fpiracula or breathing holes to the great fubterraneous fires, Jt ts probable that the efcape of elaHic vapours from them is the caufe, that the earthqu~ kes of modern days are of fuch fmall extent compared to thofc of antient times of whtch vefi~ges remain in every part of the world, and on thi~ account may be fa.id 1 not only to be mnocuous, but ufeful. [ IS ] Sea-wilder' d crews the mountain-flars admire, And Beauty beams amid terrific fire. " Thus when of old, as myfl:ic bards prefume, Huge CvcLoPs dwelt in Etna' s rocky womb, On thundering anvils rung their loud alarms, ISS And leagued with VuLCAN forged immortal arms; I6o Defcending VENus fought the dark abode, And footh' d the labours of the grifly God.- While frowning Loves the threatenin'g falchion wield, And tittering Graces pe~p behind the iliield, With jointed mail their fairy limbs o'erwhelm, 165 Or nod with paufing fiep the plumed helm ; With radiant eye She view' d the boiling ore, Heard undifmay' d the breathing bellows roar, Ad1nir' d their :finewy arms, and .!boulders bare, .t\nd ponderous hammers lifted high in air, I 70 With fmiles celefiial blefs' d their dazzled fight, And Beauty blazed amid infernal night. |