on a false point long ago, than to begin to
commune and counsel upon it now.

VINCENT: In good faith, uncle, you say therein very truth, and
would God it had come sooner in my mind. But yet is it better late
than never. And I trust God shall yet give us respite and time. And
that we lose no part thereof, uncle, I pray you proceed now with
your good counsel therein.

ANTHONY: Very gladly, cousin, shall I now go forth in the fourth
temptation, which alone remaineth to be treated of, and properly
pertaineth wholly unto this present purpose.

II

The fourth temptation, cousin, that the prophet speaketh of in the
fore-remembered psalm is plain open persecution. And it is touched
in these words: _"Ab incursu et demonio meridiano."_

And of all his temptations, this is the most perilous, the most
bitter, the most sharp, and the most rigorous. For in other
temptations he useth either pleasant allectives unto sin, or other
secret sleights and snares; and cometh in the night and stealeth on
in the dark unaware; or in some other part of the day flieth and
passeth by like an arrow; so shaping himself sometimes in one
fashion, sometimes in another, and dissimulating himself and his
high mortal malice, that a man is thereby so blinded and beguiled
that he cannot sometimes perceive well what he is. But in this
temptation, this plain open persecution for the faith, he cometh
even in the very midday--that is, even upon those who have a high
light of faith shining in their hearts--and he openly suffereth
himself to be perceived so plainly, by his fierce malicious
persecution against the faithful Christians, for hatred of Christ's
true Catholic faith, that no man having faith can doubt what he is.
For in this temptation he showeth himself such as the prophet
nameth him, "the midday devil," so lightsomely can he be seen with
the eye of the faithful soul, by his fierce furious assault and
incursion. For therefore saith the prophet that the truth of God
shall compass that man round about who dwelleth in the faithful
hope of his help with a shield "from the incursion and the devil of
the midday," because this kind of persecution is not a wily
temptation but a furious force and a terrible incursion. In other
of his temptations, he stealeth on like a fox, but in this Turk's
persecution for the faith, he runneth on roaring with assault like
a ramping lion.

This temptation is, of all temptations, also the most perilous. For
in temp