the black death and the dancing mania-第4部分

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rance；　which　could　not　be　attributed　to　rain　alone；　for；　everywhere；　even　on　tops　of　mountains；　springs　were　seen　to　burst　forth；　and　dry　tracts　were　laid　under　water　in　an　inexplicable　manner。　　In　the　following　year；　the　mountain　Hong…tchang；　in　China；　fell　in；　and　caused　a　destructive　deluge；　and　in　Pien…　tcheon　and　Leang…tcheou；　after　three　months'　rain；　there　followed　unheard…of　inundations；　which　destroyed　seven　cities。　　In　Egypt　and　Syria；　violent　earthquakes　took　place；　and　in　China　they　became；　from　this　time；　more　and　more　frequent；　for　they　recurred；　in　1344；　in　Ven…tcheou；　where　the　sea　overflowed　in　consequence；　in　1345；　in　Ki…tcheou；　and　in　both　the　following　years　in　Canton；　with　subterraneous　thunder。　　Meanwhile；　floods　and　famine　devastated　various　districts；　until　1347；　when　the　fury　of　the　elements　subsided　in　China。

The　signs　of　terrestrial　commotions　commenced　in　Europe　in　the　year　1348；　after　the　intervening　districts　of　country　in　Asia　had　probably　been　visited　in　the　same　manner。

On　the　island　of　Cyprus；　the　plague　from　the　East　had　already　broken　out；　when　an　earthquake　shook　the　foundations　of　the　island；　and　was　accompanied　by　so　frightful　a　hurricane；　that　the　inhabitants　who　had　slain　their　Mahometan　slaves；　in　order　that　they　might　not　themselves　be　subjugated　by　them；　fled　in　dismay；　in　all　directions。　　The　sea　overflowedthe　ships　were　dashed　to　pieces　on　the　rocks；　and　few　outlived　the　terrific　event；　whereby　this　fertile　and　blooming　island　was　converted　into　a　desert。　Before　the　earthquake；　a　pestiferous　wind　spread　so　poisonous　an　odour；　that　many；　being　overpowered　by　it；　fell　down　suddenly　and　expired　in　dreadful　agonies。

This　phenomenon　is　one　of　the　rarest　that　has　ever　been　observed；　for　nothing　is　more　constant　than　the　composition　of　the　air；　and　in　no　respect　has　nature　been　more　careful　in　the　preservation　of　organic　life。　　Never　have　naturalists　discovered　in　the　atmosphere　foreign　elements；　which；　evident　to　the　senses；　and　borne　by　the　winds；　spread　from　land　to　land；　carrying　disease　over　whole　portions　of　the　earth；　as　is　recounted　to　have　taken　place　in　the　year　1348。　　It　is；　therefore；　the　more　to　be　regretted；　that　in　this　extraordinary　period；　which；　owing　to　the　low　condition　of　science；　was　very　deficient　in　accurate　observers；　so　little　that　can　be　depended　on　respecting　those　uncommon　occurrences　in　the　air；　should　have　been　recorded。　　Yet；　German　accounts　say　expressly；　that　a　thick；　stinking　mist　advanced　from　the　East；　and　spread　itself　over　Italy；　and　there　could　be　no　deception　in　so　palpable　a　phenomenon。　　The　credibility　of　unadorned　traditions；　however　little　they　may　satisfy　physical　research；　can　scarcely　be　called　in　question　when　we　consider　the　connection　of　events；　for　just　at　this　time　earthquakes　were　more　general　than　they　had　been　within　the　range　of　history。　　In　thousands　of　places　chasms　were　formed；　from　whence　arose　noxious　vapours；　and　as　at　that　time　natural　occurrences　were　transformed　into　miracles；　it　was　reported；　that　a　fiery　meteor；　which　descended　on　the　earth　far　in　the　East；　had　destroyed　everything　within　a　circumference　of　more　than　a　hundred　leagues；　infecting　the　air　far　and　wide。　　The　consequences　of　innumerable　floods　contributed　to　the　same　effect；　vast　river　districts　had　been　converted　into　swamps；　foul　vapours　arose　everywhere；　increased　by　the　odour　of　putrified　locusts；　which　had　never　perhaps　darkened　the　sun　in　thicker　swarms；　and　of　countless　corpses；　which　even　in　the　well…regulated　countries　of　Europe；　they　knew　not　how　to　remove　quickly　enough　out　of　the　sight　of　the　living。　　It　is　probable；　therefore；　that　the　atmosphere　contained　foreign；　and　sensibly　perceptible；　admixtures　to　a　great　extent；　which；　at　least　in　the　lower　regions；　could　not　be　decomposed；　or　rendered　ineffective　by　separation。

Now；　if　we　go　back　to　the　symptoms　of　the　disease；　the　ardent　inflammation　of　the　lungs　points　out；　that　the　organs　of　respiration　yielded　to　the　attack　of　an　atmospheric　poisona　poison　which；　if　we　admit　the　independent　origin　of　the　Black　Plague　at　any　one　place　of　the　globe；　which；　under　such　extraordinary　circumstances；　it　would　be　difficult　to　doubt；　attacked　the　course　of　the　circulation　in　as　hostile　a　manner　as　that　which　produces　inflammation　of　the　spleen；　and　other　animal　contagions　that　cause　swelling　and　inflammation　of　the　lymphatic　glands。

Pursuing　the　course　of　these　grand　revolutions　further；　we　find　notice　of　an　unexampled　earthquake；　which；　on　the　25th　January；　1348；　shook　Greece；　Italy；　and　the　neighbouring　countries。　Naples；　Rome；　Pisa；　Bologna；　Padua；　Venice；　and　many　other　cities；　suffered　considerably；　whole　villages　were　swallowed　up。　　Castles；　houses；　and　churches　were　overthrown；　and　hundreds　of　people　were　buried　beneath　their　ruins。　　In　Carinthia；　thirty　villages；　together　with　all　the　churches；　were　demolished；　more　than　a　thousand　corpses　were　drawn　out　of　the　rubbish；　the　city　of　Villach　was　so　completely　destroyed　that　very　few　of　its　inhabitants　were　saved；　and　when　the　earth　ceased　to　tremble　it　was　found　that　mountains　had　been　moved　from　their　positions；　and　that　many　hamlets　were　left　in　ruins。　　It　is　recorded　that　during　this　earthquake　the　wine　in　the　casks　became　turbid；　a　statement　which　may　be　considered　as　furnishing　proof　that　changes　causing　a　decomposition　of　the　atmosphere　had　taken　place；　but　if　we　had　no　other　information　from　which　the　excitement　of　conflicting　powers　of　nature　during　these　commotions　might　be　inferred；　yet　scientific　observations　in　modern　times　have　shown　that　the　relation　of　the　atmosphere　to　the　earth　is　changed　by　volcanic　influences。　　Why　then；　may　we　not；　from　this　fact；　draw　retrospective　inferences　respecting　those　extraordinary　phenomena？

Independently　of　this；　however；　we　know　that　during　this　earthquake；　the　duration　of　which　is　stated　by　some　to　have　been　a　week；　and　by　others　a　fortnight；　people　experienced　an　unusual　stupor　and　headache；　and　that　many　fainted　away。

These　destructive　earthquakes　extended　as　far　as　the　neighbourhood　of　Basle；　and　recurred　until　the　year　1360　throughout　Germany；　France；　Silesia；　Poland；　England；　and　Denmark；　and　much　further　north。

Great　and　extraordinary　meteors　appeared　in　many　places；　and　were　regarded　with　superstitious　horror。　　A　pillar　of　fire；　which　on　the　20th　of　December；　1348；　remained　for　an　hour　at　sunrise　over　the　pope's　palace　in　Avignon；　a　fireball；　which　in　August　of　the　same　year　was　seen　at　sunset　over　Paris；　and　was　distinguished　from　similar　phenomena　by　its　longer　duration；　not　to　mention　other　instances　mixed　up　with　wonderful　prophecies　and　omens；　are　recorded　in　the　chronicles　of　that　age。

The　order　of　the　seasons　seemed　to　be　inverted；　rains；　flood；　and　failures　in　crops　were　so　general　that　few　places　were　exempt　from　them；　and　though　an　historian　of　this　century　assure　us　that　there　was　an　abundance　in　the　granaries　and　storehouses；　all　his　contemporaries；　with　one　voice；　contradict　him。　　The　consequences　of　failure　in　the　crops　were　soon　felt；　especially　in　Italy　and　the　surrounding　countries；　where；　in　this　year；　a　rain；　which　continued　for　four　months；　had　destroyed　the　seed。　　In　the　larger　cities　they　were　compelled；　in　the　spring　of　1347；　to　have　recourse　to　a　distribution　of　bread　among　the　poor；　particularly　at　Florence；　where　they　erected　large　bakehouses；　from　which；　in　April；　ninety…four　thousand　loaves　of　bread；　each　of　twelve　ounces　in　weight；　were　daily　dispensed。　　It　is　plain；　however；　that　humanity　could　only　partially　mitigate　the　general　distress；　not　altogether　obviate　it。

Diseases；　the　invariable　consequence　of　famine；　broke　out　in　the　country　as　well　as　in　cities；　children　died　of　hunger　in　their　mother's　armswant；　misery；　and　despair　were　general　throughout　Christendom。

Such　are　the　events　which　took　place　before　the　eruption　of　the　Black　Plague　in　Europe。　　Contemporaries　have　explained　them　after　their　own　manner；　and　have　thus；　like　their　posterity；　under　similar　circumstances；　given　a　proof　that　mortals　possess　neither　senses　nor　intellectual　powers　sufficiently　acute　to　comprehend　the　phenomena　produced　by　the　earth's　organism；　much　less　scientifically　to　understand　their　effects。　　Superstition；　selfishness　in　a　thousand　forms；　the　presumption　of　the　schools；　laid　hold　of　unconnected　facts。　　They　vainly　thought　to　comprehend　the　whole　in　the　individual；　and　perceived　not　the　universal　spirit　which；　in　intimate　union　with　the　mighty　powers　of　nature；　animates　the　movements　of　all　existence；　and　permits　not　any　phenomenon　to　originate　from　isolated　causes。　　To　attempt；　five　centuries　after　that　age　of　desolation；　to　point　out　the　causes　of　a　cosmical　commotion；　which　has　never　recurred　to　an　equal　extent；　to　indicate　scientifically　the　influences；　which　called　forth　so　terrific　a　poison　in　the　bodies　of　men　and　animals；　exceeds　the　limits　of　human　understanding。　　If　we　are　even　now　unable；　with　all　the　varied　resources　of　an　extended　knowledge　of　nature；　to　define　that　condition　of　the　atmosphere　by　which　pestilences　are　generated；　still　less　can　we　pretend　to　reason　retrospectively　from　the　nineteenth　to　the　fourteenth　century；　but　if　we　take　a　gen