though they be not quite delivered from the corruption, yet they are from the curse and condemnation, of sin; though by reason of their weakness they are not delivered from the mouth, yet they are from the teeth and sting, of death; though not from the earth of the grave, yet from the hell of the grave; though not from sin, yet from the strength and malediction of sin. The law, our adversary, must be strong, as well as ourselves weak, if he look for fear.

The corruption then of this passion, as it dependeth upon these causes, is when it ariseth out of too base a conceit of our own, or too high of another's strength; the one, proceeding from an error of humility, in undervaluing ourselves; the other, from an error of judgement, or suspicion, in mistaking of others. There are some men, who as the Orator speaks of despairing wits, De viribus suis pessime merentur,' who are too unfaithful unto nature in a slight esteem of the abilities she hath given them, and deserve that weakness which they unjustly complain of. The sight of whose judgement is not unlike that of perspective glasses, the two ends whereof have a double representation: the one, fuller and nearer the truth,-the other, smaller and at a far greater distance so it is with men of this temper, they look on themselves and others with a double prejudice; on themselves with a distrusting and despairing judgement, which presents every thing remote and small; on others with an overvaluing and admiring judgement, which contrariwise presents all perfections too perfect. And by this means between a self-dislike, and a too high estimation of others, truth ever falls to the ground, and for revenge of herself, leaves the party thus distempered, always timorous. For as error hath a property to produce and nourish any passion, according to the nature of the subject matter which it is conversant about, so principally this present passion; because error itself is a kind of Formido intellectus,' a fear of the understanding; and it is no great wonder for one fear to beget another. And therefore when Christ would take away the fear of his disciples, he first removes their prejudice: "Fear not those that can kill the body only, and can do no more;" where the overflowing of their fears seems to have been grounded on the over-judging of an adverse

power. Thus much for the root and essential cause of fear : these which follow, are more casual and upon occasion.

d

Whereof the first may be the suddenness of an evil, when it seizeth upon us (as it were) in the dark for all darkness is comfortless: and therefore the last terrible judgement is described unto us by the blackness and unexpectedness of it, by the darkness of night, and the suddenness of lightning. All unacquaintance then and ignorance of an approaching evil, must needs work amazement and terror: as contrarily a foresight thereof worketh patience to undergo, and boldness to encounter it: as f Tacitus speaks of Cæcina, "ambiguarum rerum sciens, eoque intrepidus;" that he was acquainted with difficulties, and therefore not fearful of them. And there is good reason for this; because, in a sudden daunt and onset of an unexpected evil, the spirits which were before orderly carried by their several due motions unto their natural works, are, upon this strange appearance and constant oppression of danger, so disordered, mixed, and stifled, that there is no power left either in the soul for counsel, or in the body for execution: for as it is in the wars of men, so of passions, those are more terrible, which are by way of invasion, than of battle, which set upon men unarmed and uncomposed, than those which find them prepared for resistance. And so the poet describes a lamentable overthrow by the suddenness of the one side, and the ignorance of the other:

"Invadunt urbem, somno vinoque sepultam."

They do invade a city all at rest,

Which riot had with sleep and wine opprest.

And this is one reason why men, inclinable to this passion, are commonly more fearful in the night than at other times: because then the imagination is presenting of objects not formerly thought on, when the spirits which should strengthen, are more retired, and reason less guarded.

And yet there are evils too, which, on the other side, more affright with their long expectation and train, than if

d Præ ceteris hostibus timentur repentini. Ammian. Marc. 1. 28. prævisa fiunt leviora. Cic. Tusc. Q. 1. 3.

Annal. 1. 1.

• Mala

• Dum

ca parte qua murus dirutus erat, stationes armatas opponunt, Quintius noctu ab ea parte, quæ minime suspecta erat, impetu facto, scalis cepit. Liv. 1. 32.

they were more contracted and speedy. Some set upon us by stealth, affrighting us like lightning with a sudden blaze others with a train and pomp like a comet, which is ushered in with a stream of fire; and like thunder, which hurts not only with its danger, but with its noise: and therefore Aristotle reckoneth σημεῖα τῶν φοβερῶν, the signs of an approaching evil, amongst the objects of fear.

Another cause of fear may be the nearness of an evil, when we perceive it to be within the reach of us, and now ready to set upon us. For as it is with objects of sense, in a distance of place, so it is with the objects of passion, in a distance of time: remotion in either, the greater it is, the less present it makes the object; and by consequence, the weaker is the impression therefrom upon the faculty. And this reason Aristotle gives, why death, which elsewhere he makes the most terrible evil unto nature, doth not yet with the conceit thereof, by reason that it is apprehended at an indefinite and remote distance, work such terror and amazement; nor so stifle reason and the spirits, as objects far less in themselves injurious to nature, but yet presented with a determined nearness. And the reason is plain, because no evil hurts us by a simple apprehension of its nature, but of its union and all propinquity is a degree of union: for although futurition be a necessary condition required in the object which must infer fear; yet all evil, the less it hath de futuro,' the more it hath de terribili;' which is the reason why that carnal security, which is opposed to the fear of God, is described in Scripture, by putting the evil day far from us;' viewing, as in a landscape and at a great distance, the terror of that day. And if here the atheist's argument be objected, "Let us eat and drink, for to-mor row we shall die;" where the propinquity of ruin is made an inducement unto riot;-we must answer, that an atheist is herein both right and vain, in that he conceiveth annihilation, or never more to be, the best close of a wicked life; and therefore most earnestly (though most vainly) desireth that it may be the issue of his epicurism and sensuality. And here briefly the corruption of fear in this particular is, when it takes advantage by the approach of evil, to swell so high

h Sen. Ep. 14.

as to sink reason, and to grow bigger than the evil which it is afraid of:

-" Propiusque periclo

It timor, et major Martis jam apparet imago." i

There Fear gets closer than the thing it fears;
War's image bigger than itself appears.

For as it is a sign of distemper in the body, when the unequal distribution of nourishment and humours causeth some parts to exceed their due proportion of greatness; so is it likewise in the faculties of the mind, when the inferior grow high and strong; if reason raise not itself to such a proportion, as still to maintain and manage its authority and government over them. But this is to be observed only of the rising and strength, not of the humility and descent, of reason for though it be fit for the power of reason to keep itself up above rebellion, yet it is not necessary, that it should stoop and sink according to the lowness or sordidness of any passion. As in the body, though we would have parts increase alike; yet if one part by distemper grow weak, we require in the rest a fellow-feeling, not a fellowlanguishing yea, indeed in both cases, where the inferior part is weaker, it is the course of nature and art to fortify the higher; because in a superior there is required as well a power to quicken and raise that which droopeth, as to suppress and keep under that which rebelleth.

Another cause of fear may be newness of evil :* when it is such, wherewith neither the mind itself hath had any preceding encounter, whereby to judge of its own strength; nor any example of some other man's prosperous issue, to confirm its hopes in the like success. For, as before I noted out of the Philosopher', experience is instead of armour, and is a kind of fortitude, enabling both to judge and to bear troubles for there are some things which he elegantly calleth Tà xevà xivduvwv, empty dangers: Epictetus callethTM the

Æneid. 8.—In bello plura et majora videntur unentibus: in metu et periculo cum credantur facilius, tum finguntur impunius. Cic. de Divinat. 1. 2. 58. Ne fama aut rem in majus extolleret, aut militum animos rerum novitate terreset. Justin. 1. 14. Εκπληξις φοβὸς ἐκ φαντασίας ἀσυνήθους, ἢ ἐπ' ἀπροσδοκητῷ φαν Tavia. Clem. Ale: Strom. 1. 2. Eth. 1. 3. c. 7. Artian. Epict. 1. 2.. c. 1.

Μορμολύκεια καὶ Προσωπεία scarecrows, and vizards, which m children fear only out of ignorance: as soon as they are known, they cease to be terrible. As the log of timber which was cast into the pond, did with the first noise exceedingly affright the frogs; which afterwards, when it lay quietly, they securely swam about. And this ignorance and inexperience is the cause, that a man can set no bounds to his fear. I grieve for so much evil as hath befallen me, but I fear so much as may befal me; and the more strong and working my fancy, the greater my fear: because what I cannot measure by knowledge, I measure by imagination. The figments of fancy do usually exceed truth. "

And from this ignorance likewise it is, that timorous men are usually inquisitive, as the philosopher notes; and so the prophet expresseth the fear of the Idumeans in war, "Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night" Fear usually doubleth the same questions, as grief doth the same complaints. Therefore men in an af fright and amazement, look one another in the face; one man's countenance, as it were, asking counsel of another. And once more, from hence grow the irresolutions of timorous men', because they know not what to do, nor which way to fly the things they fear in which respect they are said to fly from an enemy 'seven ways',' as ever suspecting they are in the worst. Pavidis semper consilia in incerto,' they never can have fixed and composed counsels': and it is the usual voice of men in their fears, I know not what to do; I know not which way to turn myself.' Trembling of heart, and failing of eyes", blindness and astonishment, ignorance and fear, do thus usually accompany each other. And therefore the stoicks make oxvos and Sópufos a slug. gish affection of mind, whereby a man shrinks back, and declineth business, because of difficulty or danger which he observeth in it; and a tumultuary and distracted frame of

Nam veluti pueri trepidant atque omnia cæcis In tenebris metuunt ; ita nos in luce timemus. Lucr. Plin. 1. 8. ep. 18. Vereor omnia; imaginor omnia; quæque natura metuentium est, ea maxime mihi, quæ maxime abominor, fingo, Plin. 1. 6. ep. 4.-Vid. Sen, ep. 13 -Prob. sect. 14. q. 15. Isai. xiii. 8. xxi. 11. P Jer. li. 31. 4 Gen. xlii. 1. r M εὑρίσκοντες λύσιν, ἄνω καὶ κάτω φέρονται, πλανώμενοι ὑπ' ἀπορίας, Schol. in Soph. Deut. xxviti. 25. In magnis difficultatibus semper præsentia fugimus, "Deut. xxviii. 28, 65.

tanquam maxime periculosa. Plut. in Mario. * Laert. in Zenon. lib. 7.