HE fouth of Italy, now called the KINGDOM OF NAPLES,

Thas undergone many revolutions. Upon the invafion of

the northern nations, it shared the fame fate with the rest of Italy. In the end of the tenth century, it was conquered by the Saracens. They foon after were driven out by the Normans under the fons of TANCRED. Their fucceffors poffeffed the kingdom of Naples for several ages, together with the island of Sicily; both which they called the kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Under them it became a flourishing ftate. Roger I. A. D. 1130, first introduced the culture of filk from Greece into his dominions, from which it was foon communicated to the rest of Italy, and other parts of Europe.

By the influence of the Pope, Naples and Sicily came into the power of the French, under CHARLES Duke of Anjou, who vanquished and put to death CONRADIN, the laft of the Norman race, A. D. 1265. But the Sicilians were so disgufted at their new mafters, that they cut them all off on Eafter day, A. D. 1282. This maffacre was called the Sicilian Vefpers, because the firft ftroke of the bell which fummoned the people to prayers the preceding evening, ferved as a fignal to the confpirators. From this time Sicily remained fubject to the kings of Arragon, whofe protection they folicited. The houfe of Anjou, however, with a few interruptions and tragical revolutions, continued to hold the crown of Naples, till the Spaniards drove them out, 1504, chiefly by the abilities of GONSALVO de Cordova, called the Great Captain; when it was annnexed to the crown of Spain, which governed it by a viceroy. The oppreffive government of the Spaniards, particularly in impofing taxes, gave rife to a famous revolt, headed by MASIONELLO, a poor fisherman, aged twenty-four, which at first was attended with furprifing fuccefs. But he was at laft killed at the head of his own mob, 1647.

Naples and Sicily continued with Spain till the year 1706, when Charles, afterwards emperor, took poffeffion of it. But after various treaties, and much bloodthed, it was finally ceded to Spain, 1736. The prefent king of Naples and Sicily is Ferdinand IV. third fon to the king of Spain.

SICILY.

S'

SICILY.

ICILY is an island in the Mediterranean fea, adjoining to the fouthern extremity of Italy, extending from 36° 35' to 38° 25' north latitude, and from 12° 50' to 16° 5′ east longitude from London. Its greateft length is 210 miles, its breadth 133, and its circumference 600. Pofidonius made its circumference 4400 ftadia, or 550 miles, Strab. vi. 266.; Diodorus Siculus, 4360 ftadia, v. 1. On account of its fertility, it was efteemed one of the granaries of the Roman empire, HORREUM reipublica, v. frumentarium SUBSIDIUM, Cic. Manil. 12. in Verr. iii. et annona SUBSIDIUM, Liv. xxvi. 40. xxvii. 5.; Sil. xiv. 23.

SICILIA was alfo called SICANIA, Sil. xiv. 33, &c. and TRIQUETRA, Horat. Sat. ii. 6. 55.; Sil. v. 490. or TRINACRIA, Virg. An. iii. 440. 582. vel. TRINACRIS, Ovid. Faft. iv. 419. V. 346. from its triangular form, Plin. iii. 8.

The three promontories or capes of Sicily are,

PELORIS, idis, Pelorias, -iadis, Pelērus, or -um, now Cape Peloro or Torre del Faro, from a tower and light-house erected on it, on the north point towards Italy; PACHYNUS, now Cape Poffaro, on the fouth; and LILYBAUM, now Cape Boëo, on the weft, Ovid. Faft. iv. 479.

Sicily is feparated from Italy by the Fretum Siculum, or Straits of Meina, called alfo the FARO, fifteen miles long, Plin. iii. 8. f. 14. and in fome places fo narrow, that the barking of dogs and the crowing of cocks is faid to be diftinctly heard from the one fide to the other, Sil. xiv. 20. This ftrait is thought by fome to have been formed by an earthquake breaking the ifthmus which joined Sicily with the main land, and the Tufcan and Ionian feas rufhing in, Plin. iii. 8.; Senec. ad Marc. 17.; Si. xiv. 12. See p. 175.

On the right fide, that is, on the fide of Italy, is SCYLLA, a dangerous rock; and on the left, i. e. on the fide of Sicily, CHARYBDIS, a whirlpool, faid to fwallow up fhips, and upon the return of the tide to throw them up again in broken pieces, Virg. Æn. iii. 420.; Ovid. Met. xiii, 730.; Pont. iv. 10. 25. Remed. amor. 740.; Senec. ep. 79. The fituation of Scylla is afcertained, fee p. 174. but the moderns are not agreed about that of Charybdis. The poets reprefent them as nearly oppofite; hence the proverbial faying about a perfon

who,

who, wishing to avoid one danger falls into another, Incidit in Scyllam, dum vult vitare Charybdim; hence alfo Seneca calls this ftrait fretum fabulofum, i. e. celebrated or exaggerated in fable, ep. 45. & 79. ad. Marc. 17.

Cape Peloro is a long fandy neck of land advancing into the Tufcan fea, within a mile and an half of the Calabrian coaft, which is here very abrupt and lofty. This ifthmus fhuts up the ftreights to the eye, fo that the tower and light houfe appear to be on the Italian fide of the water; hence Et angufti rarefcent clauftra Pelori, Virg. Æn. iii. 11. It is fo diflicult to navigate through the entrance of the Faro, that pilots are always ready to put to fea as foon as a veffel is fcen in the offing. Charybdis is fuppofed by Mr Swinburne to have been at the ifthmus of cape Peloro; feveral miles north of Meflina, where it is commonly supposed to have been, from Strabo, vi. 268. and where there is ftill a kind of whirlpool, although no wife answering to the defcription given of Charybdis by the ancient poets. Thucydides alfo feems to place it at the entrance of the ftraits, and afcribes it to their narrownefs, and to the concourse of the Tuscan and Sicilian seas, iv. 24.

MESSANA or Messina is the firft town fouth of Pelorus. Its ancient name was ZANCLE, from the resemblance of its port to the form of a fickle, Thucydid. vi. 4. It got its prefent name from a colony of Meffenians from Peloponefus, who took poffeffion of it, Strab. vi. 268. The inhabitants were called MESSANENSES, but afterwards MAMERTINI, from the foldiers of that people, who treacherously made themfelves mafters of the town, fee p. 234. whence Meffana is called by Cicero civitas MAMERTINA, Verr. ii. 5. iii. 6. The Mamertines, being hard preffed by Hiero king of Syracufe, and by the Carthaginians, applied to the Romans for affiftance; who, wishing to extend their conquefts beyond Italy, gladly laid hold of this pretext for engaging in war with the Carthaginians, and made Meffana their head-quarters in Sicily during their long struggle with that people, Liv. epit. xvi. xxix. 7. 9.; hence this city became great and opulent. Since the fall of the Roman empire it has undergone various viciffitudes of fortune. It was almost entirely deftroyed by the dreadful earthquake in 1783.

Several miles fouth of the ftreights is the promontory Drepănum, and fouth of it the town TAUROMENIUM, Plin. iii. 8. now Taormina, in an elevated fituation, on the extremity of mount Taurus; commanding one of the grandeft profpects in the world; containing only about 3000 inhabitants. Here are the remains of a noble ancient theatre, placed between two K k high

high rocks, whence there is a full view both of ina and the plains. On a neighbouring point of Mount Taurus ftood Naxus, the first colony of the Greeks in the island, built about 700 years before Chrift, and deftroyed by Dionyfius, Diodor. xiv. 16. Near this the river ONOBALA, mentioned by Appian, bell. civ. v. 1161, now Cantara, empties itself into a beautiful bay. South of this is the river Afines, now called Freddo, from the coldness of its water; and Acis, now Aci, Jaci, or Chiaci, running rapidly from mount Etna, Ovid. Faft. iv. 468.; Sil. xiv. 222.

Next is the city CATANA or Catina, v. -e, Sil. xiv. 197. at the foot of mount Etna, by the eruptions of which it has been feveral times overwhelmed *.

The last and most dreadful overthrow of this city was in 1693. It has fince been rebuilt in a very fplendid manner, and contains about 30,000 inhabitants, a confiderable number of whom appertains to the univerfity, the only one in the ifland, and the nurfery of all the lawyers. A stream, called Amenanus, now Guidicello, iffuing from Etna, runs through the city, which fometimes becomes dry for feveral years, and then begins to flow again, Strab. v. 240.; Ovid. Met. xv. 279. This intermiffion is fuppofed to depend on the different repletion and evacuation of the repofitories of water in the cavities of Ætna.

In the way between Taormina and Catana, through the woody part of Etna, is an old chefnut tree of enormous fize, the circumference of whofe trunk is one hundred and ninetyfix feet; others make it two hundred and four feet. The whole of this coaft is in a great measure formed by the lava of mount Etna, which is of a much harder confiftence than that of Vefuvius. One of the most tremendous fpectacles in nature, is the conflict between a large ftream of lava, feveral miles broad and of immenfe depth, and the waters of the fea. The noife produced is faid to be more dreadful than the loudeft thunder t.

At a small distance from the fhore are three rocks of lava, which Pliny calls the rocks of the Cyclops, iii. 8. a name by which they are ftill diftinguifhed. A ftream of lava, in the

In one of thefe eruptions the filial affection of two brothers, Anapias and Ampbinõmus, is celebrated, who refcued their parents at the hazard of their lives, Strab. vi. 269.; Senes, benef. iii. 37. vi. 36.; Val. Max. v. 4. ext. 4.

The fream of lava in 166) was lour miles broad and fifty feet deep. It at firft moved at the rate of feven miles in one day, but afterwards it took four days to travel fifteen miles. It overwhelmed greart of Catana, and drove back the fea a confiderable way from the fhere.

fixteenth

fixteenth century, formed a harbour for the people of Catana ; but by a fubfequent eruption it was filled up in 1669.

South of Catana is the river SIMETHUS, Virg. En. ix. 584. now Giaretta, one of the largest in the island, deep and muddy. After running through an extenfive plain, it flows into the top of the bay of Catana. Near its mouth it throws up great quantities of fine amber. Above the mouth of this river stood Murgentium or MORGANTIUM, Strab. vi. 257.; Liv. xxiv. 27. or MORGENTIA, Sil. xiv. 266. furrounded with woody plains, lb. whence Murgentinus ager, the country, Cic. Verr. iii. 18. South of this is the river Eryces and the Terias, joined by the Lyfus: then the country of the LEON TINI, remarkable for its fertility, Cic. Verr. iii. 18.; Phil. ii. 17. formerly called Leftrigonii campi, Sil. xiv. 116. Their chief town Leontini or Leontium, now Lentini, ftood on the south fide of the river Terias, feveral miles from the fea, near the lake of Biveri. The hills on the eaft are hollowed into many large cavities, where faltpetre is produced in great quantities.

The Leontines being attacked by the Syracufans, fent their countryman GORGIAS, a famous orator, to folicit affiftance from the Athenians, which furnished that people with a pretext for undertaking their fatal expedition to Sicily, Diodor. xii. 53. & 83.

South-eaft of Leontini is the fmall river Pantagias, v. -ies, Sil. xiv. 231. now Porcari, rocky at its mouth, Virg. Æn. iii. 688. South of this was the town MEGARA, -orum vel -æ; or MEGĂRIS, -idis, on a bay of that name, lb. into which run the rivers MYLA, Liv. xxiv. 30. and Alabon or ALABIS, Sil. xiv. 228. Megăra was anciently called HYBLA, Strab. vi. 267. built by Hyblon a Sicilian king, Thucydid. vi. 4. It did not exift in the time of Strabo, but the name was given to an adjoining mountain or plain, famous for producing honey, Ovid. Pont. iv. 15. 10. Ib. 199.; Sil. xiv. 200. whence Apes Hyblæa, Virg. ecl. i. 55. and Mella Hyblaa, for the moit excellent, Martial. xi. 43. and i. 46. vii. 87.

Near the place where Megara ftood is now the town AUGUSTA, which was almost entirely deftroyed by the earthquake in 1693. It has been fince rebuilt on a regular plan, and is now faid to contain eighteen thousand inhabitants. It is only nine miles from Syracufe by fea, but eighteen by land. At the bottom of the bay, on a peninfula, was THAPSUS OF Tapfus, in a low fituation, Virg. ibid. not far from Syracuse. SYRACUSE, Syracufe, the ancient capital of the island, was founded by a colony from Corinth under Archias, Strah. Kk 2

vi,