If feare and weaknesse of the sight and of other senses méete togither, then men fall into strange and maruellous imaginations, beléeuing things vtterly false, to be verie true: Neither will they be brought from their owne opinions by any meanes or reason.
We reade that not only perticular and priuate men, but also whole armies of souldiers generally haue bene so deceiued, that they haue verily thought their enemies hard at their héeles, when as no man followed. And hereof haue procéeded many horrible flightes in battaile.
Cominæus.
Cominæus, a knight and diligent writer of histories, in the ende of his first booke of the Acts of Lewes the II. King of Fraunce, writeth, that when Charles Duke of Burgundie, with other Princes, had remooued their armie to Paris, they vnderstood by their espials, that the next day the king had determined to set on them with all his power of men. Wherefore the next day Charles sent out certaine horsemen to view his enemies: who comming foorth, by reason that the element was somewhat darke, supposed they sawe a huge number of pikes and speares, but when they had passed a little further and that the aire was a little clearer, they vnderstood the same place wherein they iudged the king to be with all his armie, to be planted and ouergrowne with many high thistles, which a far off shewed as it had bene long speares. For the night beguileth mens eyes. And therefore none ought to maruell, if trauellers towardes night or at midnight, mistake stones, trées, stubbes, or such like, to be sprites or elues. We reade in the last booke of the kings the 3.chap. that after the death King.4. of king Achab, the Moabites reuolted from Ioram his sonne, wherefore he desired Iosaphat to aide him, and with all his power he determined to make warre on the Moabites, to reduce them to obedience, and subiection. Which thing when the Moabites heard, they prepared to defend themselues, so many as were able to beare armour. But when they had set foreward verie earely in the morning against their enemies, supposing in the rising of the Sunne, the waters which God had miraculously brought out to be redde, they said amongst themselues: Surely the two Kings haue encountred togither, and eache haue destroyed other, wherevppon they running on heapes without order, to spoile the Israelites Tents, were by them vanquished and slaine: here you sée all the Armie mistooke water in stead of bloud.
CHAP. V.
Many are so feared by other men, that they suppose they
haue heard or seene Spirits.
