It was
favorable, however, for carrying my uncle to Pomponianus, whom he
found in the greatest consternation. He embraced him with tenderness,
encouraging and exhorting him to keep up his spirits; and the more to
dissipate his fears he ordered, with an air of unconcern, the baths
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.
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