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 unto 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 God’s help, he would be well able to do.  But the devil casteth him in a cowardice and maketh him take it for humility to think himself unfit and unable to do them.  And therefore he leaveth undone the good thing of which God offereth him occasion and to which he had made him fit.