Life and diary of Lieut. Col. J. Blackader

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576 APPENDIX.
Armed with terrific death, crushing men's bones
To their first dust, splitting the rocks and stones.
Ah ! wretched, hopeless man ! how great's thy woe,
When heaven and earth pursue thee as their foe, J- 135
And nature arms to work thy overthrow ?
The subterranean winds pent up i' th' hollow,
And caverns of the mountains' wombs, did bellow,
And in a thundering mutinous tone demand
Their passage out; nought could their force withstand. 140
Through hills' too slender sides they burst their way,
Drove all before them, towns in heaps did lay ;
And with their killing steams and poisoning breath,
Turned fertile countries to a dismal heath.
The famed volcanoes, chimneys of this fire, 145
Gave signals of its coming, boiling higher,
And belching larger streams of melted ore ;
Like thousand peals of cannon I heard them roar ;
Contrary elements rush mingling down,
The astonished world at once to burn and drown. 150
Close drew the ascending flames to our frontiers,
Earth's trembling still encreased with it our fears ;
At last the surface half consumed and rent,
Yields to the fires within its bosom pent,
High heaved the crust, with strange commotion under, 155
To swelling mountains raised, then burst asunder.
The horror of this sight, what tongue can tell ?
Into earth's gaping jaws whole empires fell.
Among the rest I saw Rome tumbling sink ;
Others hung trembling o'er the dreadful brink 1 60
Of the yawning gulf. Meantime who can express
Poor man, poor wretched man, his deep distress ?
Where'er he fled, where'er he turned his face,
Death, plagues, and ruin met him every place.
Chased by a torturing conscience, by despair 1 165
Fled he to hell ? just heaven pursued him there : >
Ah ! who can flee from Him that's everywhere ? J
From vengeance just of heaven, who durst protect him ?
Or to escape his wrath, who could direct him ?
Mercy, he cried ! but conscience in his ear 170
Whispered, 'tis now too late, heaven will not hear :
He vowed amendment ; but the God who tries
The heart, knew his was false, and found it lies.
The Lord of heaven and earth at whose command 175
These Hosts went forth, now did them countermand,
Jehovah spake the word ; Silence, be still,
(What soldier dare control his general's will ?)
'Twas done ; the waves were laid, winds held their peace,
The air grew calm, the earth's convulsions cease j 1 80