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retreated; at the ſame time we could hear the fall of the pas church there, whereby many persons were killed on the ſpot, and others mortally wounded. You may judge of the force of this ſhock when I inform you, it was ſo violent, that I could ſcarce keep on my knees, but it was attended with ſome circumſtances ſtill more dreadful than the former.--On a ſudden I heard a general outcry, 'The ſea is coming in, we ſhall be all loſt.'--Upon this turning my eyes towards the river, which in ⟨that⟩ place is near four miles broad, I could perceive heaving and ſwelling in a moſt unaccountable manner, as no wind was ſtiring; in an inſtant there appeared, at ſome ſmall diſtance, a large body of water, riſing like a mountain; it came on foaming and roaring, and ruſhed towards the ſhore with ſuch impetuoſity, that we all immediately ran for our lives as faſt as poſſible; many were actually ſwept away, and the reſt above their waiſt in water at good diſtance from the banks. For my own part I had the narroweſt eſcape, and ſhould certainly have been loſt, had I not graſped a large bean that lay on the ground, till the water returned to its channel which it did almoſt at the ſame inſtant, with equal rapidity. As there now appeared at leaſt as much danger from the ſea as the land, and I ſcarce knew whether to retire for ſhelter, I took a ſudden reſolution of returning back with my cloaths all dropping, to the area of St. Paul's: here I ſtood ſome time, and obſerved the ſhips fumbling and toſſing about, as in a violent ſtorm; ſome had broken the cables, and were carried to the other ſide of the Tagus; others were whirled round with ⟨incredible⟩ ſwiftneſs; ſeveral large boats were turned keel upwards; and all this without any wind, which ſeemed the more aſtoniſhing. It was at the time ⟨of⟩ which I am now ſpeaking, that the fine new ⟨quay⟩
