[16,6] Ἀξιῶν τὴν βουλὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀπόρων καὶ κατάχρεων. Αἱ νεοσφαγεῖς τῶν θυομένων σάρκες μέχρι τούτου διατελοῦσι τρέμουσαί τε καὶ παλλόμεναι, ἕως ἂν τὸ κατεχόμενον ἐν αὐταῖς συγγενὲς πνεῦμα βιασάμενον τοὺς πόρους ἅπαν ἐξαναλωθῇ. τοῦτο σεισμῶν αἴτιον γίνεται καὶ τῇ Ῥώμῃ· ἅπασα γὰρ ὑπόνομος οὖσα μεγάλαις καὶ συνεχέσι τάφροις, δι´ ὧν ὀχετεύεται τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ πολλὰς ἀναπνοὰς στομάτων ἔχουσα, διὰ τούτων ἀνίησι τὸ κατακλεισθὲν πνεῦμα ἐν αὐτῇ· καὶ τοῦτο ἔστιν, ὃ κραδαίνει τε αὐτὴν καὶ σπαράττει τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, ὅταν πολὺ καὶ βίαιον ἐναποληφθὲν εἴργηται.

[16,6] (10) Demanding that the senate in behalf of those who were in want and in debt ---. The flesh of freshly slain victims continues to quiver and palpitate until the congenital breath contained in it has forced this way out through the pores and been entirely dissipated. 2 Some such thing is the cause also of earthquakes at Rome; for the city, since it is undermined with large and continuous channels through which the water is conducted, and since it has many breathing-vents like mouths, shoots up their own these vents the breath that is pent up within it. This breath it is which shakes the city and rends (p327) the surface of the ground whenever a large and violent mass of air is intercepted and pent up inside.