CHAP. II.
Of Vulcano’s in general; What, and where; In Asia, Africa, America, and Europe.
As Nature hath constituted various Store-houses of Waters, in the highest Mountains; so it has distributed various Receptacles of fire, within the bowels of the highest Mountains also; for the copleat fructifying of Nature with this primigenial heat as it were, and radical moisture together, as before has been shewn. For the fire cannot subsist without the water, nor the water without the fire. ‘Tis certain, if only the moist, or only the fiery element, should domineer, all would be laid wast, and nothing fructifie, &c. The Water would stagnate and freeze without some kindly resolving heat, and afford no warm and friendly vapours, and fruitful exhalations. And the fire cannot live, without a moist and humid nutriment, or last any time without a free and an asswaging fomentation, and breathing of the Air, and as it were ventilation.
These Vulcano’s therefore are nothing but the vent-holes, or breath-pipes of Nature, to give vent to the superfluous choaking fumes and smoaky vapours, which fly upwards, and make way and free passage for the vehemency of the within-conceiving burning; and for the attraction and free entrance of the friendly cherishing Air, to revie and ventilate those suffocating flames, left they should continually shake the foundations of the Ground with intolerable commotions and Earthquakes. For Earthquakes are the proper effects of subterrestrial combustions. And so the fire is both exonerated of its superfluous clogg of fumes and dregs of dross, through those open and wide mouthed Gulphs and Orifices, as it were refreshed with the all-reviving Air; so serving as breath pipes both for expiration and inspiriation to the whole body of Nature, or the Universe.
Of this sort of Vent-holes, Chimneys, or Funnels, there are such a multitude and variety, that there’s hardly any Region in the world without them. Also, everywhere, in its several Regions, abounds with these vomiting Mountains of fire. Persia has divers Vulcano’s. Anin the Island Armuzia: The Island Zeilan, remarkable by the name of Adam; In Persia it self, many sulphurous Craters, or Cups, very terrible to Travellers; with Sufis in Media, and Cophantus in the Region of the Bactrians, formidable to beholders.
In the Moguls Empire, in the Kingdom of Ingoston, Tibet, Camboi, every where these kind of Mountains; and in the most vast Kingdom of China. But especially the Molucco and Philippine Islands, and the universal Archepelago of St Lazarus, so abounds with these Vulcanian places, that there’s scarce an Island without them. Either in the Crater’s (or deep mouth’d Cups) and hellish ditches, if not upon the Mountains themselves. Also in the Band***’s whereof the Mountain Gourapi most eminent; in both the Java’s, within the entrails of most high Mountains. The Mountain Batalvanus in Sumatra: The inaccessible Mountain in the Island Terenate. In the Maurician Islands, the Mountain Toal. In Tandaia, nigh the Promotory of the Holy Ghost, are found some also; as also in the Island Marindica. Moreover in Jappan, no small number, near the City Firandus; and a famous one over against the City Tanaxuma, in one of the Seven Sister (Islands so called) and several other circumjacent Islands everywhere; which through subterraneous Burrows or Channels have occult commerce with St. Lazarus Islands, in the Archipelago, even to Guiny, and those called Solomon’s Islands; and from thence to other Islands of the Pacifick, commonly call’d the South Sea. For in new Guiny, as also in the Southern Land are observed such Mountains, to the great astonishment of Mariners. And the like are seen in the vast Southern Ocean, or South Sea; In the Indian Ocean everywhere, Desert and Rockey Mountains discover their smoking Chemneys; even in the shore of Northern Tartary towards Muscovy, are frequent Vulcanello’s; and in all the Ocean and Islands almost, &c. which we leave, and come to Africa.
Where Fight famous Vulcano’s are observ’d; Two in Monomentopa; Four in Angola, Congus, and Guiny; One in Lybia, and One in Abessia; besides innumerable Crates and sulphurous Dens, every where obvious; some whereof having consum’d their comustible matter, have ceas‘d; again to reinkindle when they shall have ripen’d and concocted again their recruited matter and fuel. The Atlantick Sea so abounds with subterraneous Fires, that Plato’s Land, call’d Atlantis, seems to have been swallow’d up from no other cause; but the outrages of these fires and earthquakes thence arising. And to this very day some Tracts are every where infested with flames and fires breaking forth from their underground storehouses; the violenc ena rage whereof, bot Columbus and Vespuccius, at their great peril had experience of. The Terzer’s can scarce be inhabited for the vehemency of fires. The Canary Islands, and in them in Pico, or Pike, a Mountain of immense Altitude, equal to Taenariff, belches forth flames to this very day; as also the Plains of the circumjacent Islands stuffed with brimstone and sulphurous unctuous matter. The Islands of St. Helen, and of the Ascention, to have flam’d heretofore, bot the burnt Rocks of Mountains, and the Cinders, and plenty of Mineral and Stone-coals burnt and chark’d as it were, do sufficiently shew.
Yet no part of the world more famous than America, which you may call Vulcan’s Kingdom. In the Andes alone, which they call the Cordillera, from the Concatenation of Mountains, in the Kingdom of Chile, are fifteen Vulcano’s. To these you may adjoin the Vulcano’s out of the Southern part of the Magellanick Sea, commonly call’d Terra del Fuego. In Peru not fewer then in Chile; six of inaccessible height; and three in the continued tops of the Andes, besides innumerable Vulcanian Ditches, Pits, and Jakes. In Carappa, a Province of Popayan, is a Mountain raging with smoke and flames, chiefly in serene weather. The City Paraquipa, ninety leagues distant from Lima, as a Mountain near it, casting forth continually such sulphurous fires, that the People are greatly afraid, left sometime at length the Eruptions should utterly destroy the whole Region. At the valley of Peru, call’d Mulahallo, fifteen leagues distant from the City Quito, is another Vulcan, continually belching forth flames far and near, and threatening the People.
In the Northern America, are observed five, partly in new Spain, viz. Three, formidable for their belching flames, partly in new Granada, partly in the very heart and midst of California, and the more in land Mexican Kingdom. In Nicaragua, one; Another neer Aquapulcus; three near the Continent of California; And in the (American) Mediterranean Sea two other; and innumerable others ‘tis like, not yet discover’d through all the Ter-aqueous Globe.
In Europe five chief ones are noted, viz. Aetna in Scicily, by the Monuments of all Writers, whether Poets or Historians most famous Stongylus, (and some other of the Liparitan Islands, not very remote from Scicily; especially that notorious by the name of Vulcano, to which is adjoyn’d another call’d Vulcanello) said all to have burnt heretofore, call’d the Vulcano’s, or Vulcanian Islands. The Mountain Hecla in Izland, in the furthest North; and Chimera in Greece: besides many others in each particular Country; at least Fire-wells, Pits, and Orifices, &c. Among all which Italy throughout all Ages is the most notorious for such underground Harths and Aestuaries; of which more particularly by it self. And indeed Italy is most fitly seated of all Countries of Europe for such vast Combustions, and Eruptions of Fire.
Neither are Germany, France, Spain, and other Countries, wholly destitute of theirs; where, though there none answerable to the other, yet both frequent sulphurous Craters, and deep burning Ditches and Pits, vomiting forth smoke and flames; and also the innumerable multitude of hot Baths and Wells everywhere, do betray some store and work-houses of subterraneous fire, creeping between their Conservatories and Abysses of water. In Misnia, in Germany, the Mountain Carbo, ever and anon rages with fume and fire, &c.
Neither are the furthest Tracts of the North too cold and frozen for them. Four whereof Authors reckon in the Region of the Tynsei in Tartary. In Lapland high Mountains are observ’d to belch forth flames like Aetna. In Izland, the famous Hecla. And lest Nature might seem to have left the furthest Regions of the North curs‘d with the Everlasting inclemency of Cold and Ice, it has constituted an huge Vulcanian Mountain, in the Island call’d Groenland, next to the Pole; And others in the Neighbouring, whether Islands, or Continents, scituated about the Pole, which they continue, even unto the Creekand Bays of the Southern Land call’d Del Fuego: So that many think that the Tract of the Northern Pole inaccessible by reason of the multitude of these fire-spewing Mountains.
