Fearefull men, imagine that they see and heare straunge things.

T Hat whiche we haue hitherto spoken concerning melancholicke men, and men out of their wits, may also be vnderstood of timorous and fearefull men. For if any man be timorous by nature, or subiect to feare through great daungers, or by some other wayes, he also imagineth straunge things which indÉed are not so, especially if he haue in him any store of melancholy. 2.Pet.3. Women, which for the most part are naturally giuen to feare more than men, (for which cause S. Peter in his first Epistle speaking of the dutie of married folks, calleth them the weaker vessell,) do more often suppose they sÉe or heare this or that thing, than men doo. And so do yoong women, because commonly they are afraide. If when men sit at the table, mention be made of spirites and elues, many times women and children are so afraide that they dare scarce go out of doores alone, least they should meete with some euill thing: and if they chaunce to heare any kinde of noise, by and by they thinke there are some spirites behinde them, such vaine perswasions they haue. A cowardly souldiour iudgeth his enemies to be more in number than they are: the noyse of a leafe being mooued so affrighteth him (which thing God in his lawe threatneth his people of Israel, except they do their duties) that he betaketh himself to his hÉeles: if he but heare a woodspeck with his bill beating on a trÉe, he straight thinketh the enemy readie to leape on his shoulders: yea if he heare but a mouse moue, by and by his heart is in his hose. These and such like things neuer trouble a stout and couragious souldier.

And yet sometimes in the chase, lustie souldiers flying away from their companie, are so troubled in minde, that they thinke their friends enemies, and cannot tell in the world where they are, and whither they go: all the which commeth by feare.

Plutarche in his bookeDe sera numinis vindicta, reporteth a maruellous and notable historie, of one called Bessus: who after he had murthered his father, hid himselfe a long season. But on a time as he went to supper, espying a swallowes neast, with his speare be thrust it downe: and when those which supped togither with him, misliked and abhorred his cruelty (for we like not those men that trouble little birdes and other beastes, because we iudge them austere and cruell) he answered: haue they not (saieth hÉe) falsly accused me, a great while crying out on me, that I haue slaine and murthered my father. Those which were present, being striken with great admiration, reported these his words to the king, who immediately caused him to bee tormented, and examining the matter diligently, at the last found him guiltie, and punished him as a manquiller of his owne father. Hereof ye may gather what feare can doo: the swallowes coulde not speake, and yet he perswaded himselfe that they vpbrayed him with murthering his father. Euen so many through feare, imagine that they heare and sÉe many thinges whiche in dÉede are mÉere trifles.

Procopius in the beginning of the warres of Italie, declareth, that as Theodoricus satte at meate, after he had put to death Boethius and Symmachus his sonne in lawe, a fishes head being brought before him, he sawe in it the countenance of Symmachus looking horribly, which byting the nether lip with lowring eyes sÉemed to threaten him, wherewith the King being sore abashed, fell into a grÉeuous sicknesse, wherof he afterwards died. Yea feare if it be vnmeasurable maketh vs to abhorre those thinges, which otherwise should be comfortable vnto vs. The apostles of Matth.14. our Lord Iesus Christ may be examples hereof. Who in the night season being in greate daunger in the Sea, when they sawe Christe walking on the water approching towards them wer maruelously appalled. For they supposed they sawe a Spirit, and cried out for feare. But the Lorde came to deliuer them out of that present daunger wherein they were. After his resurrection they were maruellously affraide, and as S. Luke saith, they verily supposed they Luke.24. sawe a Spirit, when in dÉede he appeared vnto them in his owne body. Therfore the lord comforteth & hartneth them saying: Behold my hands & my fÉet, for I am eue he: handle me and sÉe: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye sÉe I haue. They through great ioy could not belÉeue it, but maruelled at it. HÉere thou sÉest, by feare it came to passe, that the Disciples supposed y? Lord him self to haue bin a ghost. And therfore no man ought to maruell if we hindered by feare, mistake one man for an other, and perswade our selues that we haue sÉene spirits, whereas no such were. Stout and coragious men seldom see any Spirits. They which are of stout and hautie courage, frÉe from all feare, seldome times sÉe any spirits. It is reported of the Scithians, a warlike natio dwelling in mountains (from whom it is thought the Turkes take their originall) that they neuer sÉe any vaine sightes of spirits. Authors write that Lions are not feared with any bugs: for they are full of stomacke and deuoide of feare.

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