VINCENT: Forsooth, uncle, if we feared not further, beside
imprisonment, the terrible dart of shameful and painful death, I
would verily trust that, as for imprisonment, remembering these
things which I have here heard from you (our Lord reward you for
them!) rather than that I should forsake the faith of our Saviour,
I would with help of grace never shrink at it.
But now are we come, uncle, with much work at last unto the last
and uttermost point of the dread that maketh this incursion of this
midday devil--this open invasion of the Turk and his persecution
against the faith--seem so terrible unto men's minds. Although the
respect of God vanquish all the rest of the trouble that we have
hitherto perused (as loss of goods, lands, and liberty), yet, when
we remember the terror of shameful and painful death, that point
suddenly putteth us in oblivion of all that should be our comfort.
And we feel (all men, I fear me, for the most part) the fervour of
our faith wax so cold and our hearts so faint that we find
ourselves at the point of falling even for fear.
ANTHONY: I deny not, cousin, that indeed in this point is the sore
pinch. And yet you see, for all this, that even this point too
taketh increase or diminishment of dread according to the
difference of the affections that are beforehand fixed and rooted
in the mind--so much so, that you may see a man set so much by his
worldly substance that he feareth less the loss of his life than
the loss of lands. Yea, you may see a man abide deadly torment,
such as some other man had rather die than endure, rather than to
bring out the money that he hath hid. And I doubt not but that you
have heard by right authentic stories of many men who (some for one
cause, some for another) have not hesitated willingly to suffer
death, divers in divers kinds, and some both with despiteful rebuke
and painful torment too. And therefore, as I say, we may see that
the affection of the mind toward the increase or decrease of dread
maketh much of the matter.
Now the affections of men's minds are imprinted by divers means.
One way is by means of the bodily senses, moved by such things,
pleasant or unpleasant, as are outwardly offered unto them through
sensible worldly things. And this manner of receiving the
impression of affections is common unto men and beasts. Another
manner of receiving affections is by means of reason, which both
ordinately tempereth those affections that the five bodily senses
imprint, and also disposeth a man many times to some spiritual
virtues very contrary to those affections that are fleshly and
sensual. And those reasonable dispositions are spiritual
affections, and proper to the nature of man, and above the nature
of beasts. Now, as our ghostly enemy the devil enforceth himself to
make us lean to the sensual affections and beastly, so doth
almighty God of his goodness by his Holy Spirit inspire us good
motions, with the aid and help of his grace, toward the other
spiritual affections. And by sundry means he instructeth our reason
to lean to them, and not only to receive them as engendered and
planted in our soul, but also in such wise to water them with the
wise advertisement of godly counsel and continual prayer, that they
may become habitually radicated and surely take deep root therein.
And according as the one kind of affection or the other beareth the
strength in our heart, so are we stronger or feebler against the
terror of death in this cause.
And therefore, cousin, will we essay to consider what things there
are for which we have cause in reason to master the fearful
affection and sensual. And though we cannot clean avoid it and put
it away, yet will we essay in such wise to bridle it at least that
it run not out so far like a headstrong horse that, in spite of our
teeth, it carry us out unto the devil.
Let us therefore now consider and well weigh this thing that we
dread so sore--that is, shameful and painful death.