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Many partial narratives written at the time are still extant; but

these convey but an imperfect view of the subject, historically

speaking. It is true they serve to illustrate and confirm one

another, and furnish materials for a history; but the history is

still wanting. Strange to say, no writer has hitherto attempted

to reduce them to order, and exhibit all the various events,

public and private acts, causes and conjectures, relative to this

calamity, in a concatenated series. Ripamonti's narrative, though

far more ample than any other, is still very defective. We shall,

therefore, attempt, in the following pages, to present the reader

with a succinct, but accurate and continuous, statement of this

fatal scourge.