k night of
tribulation, for lack of full and fast belief of God's word, that,
whereas in the day of prosperity we very little fear God for our
soul, our night's fear of adversity maketh us very sore to fear
the lion and his whelps for dread of loss of our bodies. And
whereas St. Paul in sundry places telleth us that our body is but
the garment of the soul, yet the faintness of our faith in the
scripture of God maketh us, with the night's fear of tribulation,
not only to dread the loss of our body more than that of our
soul--that is, of the clothing more than of the substance that is
clothed therewith--but also of the very outward goods that serve
for the clothing of the body. And much more foolish are we in that
dark night's fear than would be a man who would forget the saving
of his body for fear of losing his old rain-beaten cloak, that is
but the covering of his gown or his coat. Now, consider further
yet, that the prophet in the afore-remembered verses saith that in
the night there walk not only the lions' whelps but also "all the
beasts of the wood." Now, you know that if a man walk through the
wood in the night, many things can make him afraid of which in the
day he would not be afraid a whit. For in the night every bush, to
him that waxeth once afraid, seemeth a thief.

I remember that when I was a young man, I was once in the war with
the king then my master (God absolve his soul) and we were camped
within the Turk's ground many a mile beyond Belgrade--would God it
were ours now as it was then! But so happed it that in our camp
about midnight there suddenly rose a rumour and a cry that the
Turk's whole army was secretly stealing upon us. Therewith our
whole host was warned to arm them in haste and set themselves in
array to fight. And then were runners of ours, who had brought
those sudden tidings, examined more leisurely by the council, as
to what surety or what likelihood they had perceived. And one of
them said that by the glimmering of the moon he had espied and
perceived and seen them himself, coming on softly and soberly in a
long range, all in good order, not one farther forth than the
other in the forefront, but as even as a third, and in breadth
farther than he could see the length. His fellows, being examined,
said that he had somewhat pricked forth before them, and came back
so fast to tell it to them that they thought it rather time to
make haste and giving warning to the camp than to go nearer unt