o
them. For they were not so far off but what they had yet
themselves somewhat an imperfect sight of them, too. Thus stood we
on watch all the rest of the night, evermore hearkening when we
should hear them come, but "Hush, stand still! Methink I hear a
trampling," so that at last many of us thought we heard them
ourselves too. But when the day was sprung, and we saw no one, out
was our runner sent again, and some of our captains with him, to
show whereabout was the place in which he had perceived them. And
when they came thither, they found that the great fearful army of
the Turks, so soberly coming on, turned (God be thanked) into a
fair long hedge standing even stone-still.

And thus fareth it in the night's fear of tribulation, in which
the devil, to bear down and overwhelm with dread the faithful hope
that we should have in God, casteth in our imagination much more
fear than cause. For since there walk in that night not only the
lion's whelps but all the beasts of the wood beside, the beast
that we hear roar in the dark night of tribulation, and fear for a
lion, we sometimes find well afterward in the way that it was no
lion at all, but a silly rude roaring ass. And sometimes the thing
that on the sea seemeth a rock is indeed nothing else but a mist.
Howbeit, as the prophet saith, he that faithfully dwelleth in the
hope of God's help, the shield of his truth shall so fence him
round about that, be it an ass or a colt or a lion's whelp, or a
rock of stone or a mist, the night's fear thereof shall be nothing
to dread.

XIII

Therefore find I that in the night's fear one great part is the
fault of pusillanimity; that is, of faint and feeble stomach, by
which a man for faint heart is afraid where he needeth not. By
reason of this, he flieth oftentime for fear of something of
which, if he fled not, he should take no harm. And a man doth
sometimes by his fleeing make an enemy bold on him, who would, if
he fled not but dared abide, give over and fly from him.

This fault of pusillanimity maketh a man in his tribulation first,
for feeble heart, impatient. And afterward oftentimes it driveth
him by impatience into a contrary affection, making him frowardly
stubborn and angry against God, and thereby to fall into
blasphemy, as do the damned souls in hell. This fault of
pusillanimity and timorous mind hindereth a man also many times
from doing many good things which, if he took a good stomach to
him in the trust of