The.xv. Chpter. An other kynd of the nightes feare, an other doughter of pusillanimitie, that is to vvete, tha

Vincent. VErelye good Uncle, you haue in my mynde, well declared these kyndes of the nights feare.

☞Antony. Sureli Cosin, but yet are there many moe than I can eyther remembre or find: howbeit, one yet commeth to my minde now, of which I before no thing thought[…] and which is yet in mine opinion, of all the other feares the most horrible: that is to witte Cosin, where the deuill tempteth a man to kil and destroy hymselfe.

Vincent. Undoubtedly this kinde of tribulacion is meruelouse and st[…]aunge, and the temptaciō is of such a sorte, that some men haue opinion that suche as fall once in that fantasye, can neuer after ful caste it of.

☞Anthony. Yes, yes Cosin, many a hundreth, and els god forbid: but the thing that maketh men so say, is because that of those which finally doe destroy themself, there is muche speache and much wondering, as it is well worthy, but many a good man, and many a good womā hath sometyme, yea diuers yeres eche after other, continually be tempted therto, & yet haue by grace and good counsaile, well and verteously withstand it, and bene in conclusiō clerely delyuered of it, and their tribulacion nothyng knowen abrode, and therfore nothing talked of: but surely Cosin, an horrible sore trouble it is to any man or woman that the deuill tempteth therewith: many haue I heard of, and with some haue I talked my selfe, that haue been sore encombred with that temptacion, and marked haue I not a litle the maner of them.

☞Vincent. I require you good vncle, shewe me somewhat of suche thinges as you perceiue therin, for fyrst where you call this kinde of temptacion the doughter of pusillanimitie, and therby so nere of sibbe vnto the nightes feare, me thinketh on the other side, that it is rather a thyng that commeth of a greate courage and boldnes, whan they dare their owne handes put them selfe to death, from which we see almoste euery man shrynke and flee, as that many suche as we knowe by good proofe and playne experyence for men of greate hearte and of an excedyng hardie courage.

☞Anthony. I sayde Cosyn Uyncent, of that pusillanymytie cometh this temptacion, and very trueth it is. y• in dede it so doeth, but yet I meynt it not that of onely faynt hearte and feare it cometh and groweth alwaye, for the deuil tempteth sundry folkes by sundry wayes: but the cause wherfore I spake of none other kynde of temptacion, than of onely that whiche is the daughter that the deuyll begetteth vpon pusyllanimitie, was for that, that those other kyndes of that temptaciō fall not vnder the nature of tribulaciō and feare, and therfore fal they farre out of our matter here, and are suche tēptaciōs as onely nede counsayle, and not coumforte or consolacion, for that the persones therwith tempted, be with that kynde of temptacion not troubled in theyr mynde, but verely well content, both in tempting and folowinge: for some hathe there bene Cosin suche, that they haue be tēpted therto by meane of a folishe pryde, & some by ye meane of anger, without any dreade at al, & very glad therto, to this I saye not naye. But where as you wene that none fal therto by feare, but that they haue all a stronge mightye stomake, that shall you see the contrarye, & that peraduen[…]ure in those of whom you woulde wene the stomake most stronge, and theyr hearte and courage most hardye.

Vincent. Yet is it maruayle Uncle to me y• it shoulde be as you saye it is, that this temptacion is vnto them that doe it for pryde or for angre, no trybulacion, nor yt they shoulde nede in so greate a dyst[…]esse & peryl bothe of bodye and soule to be loste, no maner of good ghostly comforte at al,

Anthony. Let vs therfore Cosin, cōsidre a sample or two, for therby shal we the better perceiue it. There was here in Buda in king Ladislaus dayes, a good pore honeste mans wyfe: this womā was so fiendyshe, that the Deuill perceyuinge her nature, put her in the mynde that she shoulde anger her husbande so sore, that she might geue him an occasion to kyll her, & than he should be hanged for her.

Vincent. This was a s[…]range temptacion in dede: what the Deuill shoulde she be the better than?

Anthony. Nothinge, but that it eased her shrewde stomake before, to thinke that her husband shoulde be hanged after. And peraduenture if you loke about the worlde and considre it well, you shall fynde moe suche stomakes thā a fewe. Haue you neuer heard no furious bodye saye playnly, that to see some suche man haue a myschy[…]fe, he woulde with good will be content to lye as longe in hell as God lyueth in heauen?

Vincent. Forsothe and some suche haue I hearde?

☞Anthony. This minde of his was not muche lesse mad then hers, but rather happely ye more mad of ye twayn, for the womā peraduenture dyd not cast so farre pe[…]ell therin. But to tell you nowe to what good passe her charytable purpose came: as her husbande (the man was a carpenter) stode hewynge with his chyppe axe vpō a piece of timbre, she beganne after her olde guise, so to reuile him, that the man waxed wrothe at last, and […]ade her get her in or he woulde laye ye helue of his axe aboute her back, & saied also, that it were lytle sinne euen with that axe head to choppe of that vnhappye head of hers, that caryed suche an vngraciouse tounge therin. At that worde the Deuyll toke his tyme, and whetted her tounge agaynst her teeth, and whē it was well sharped, she sware vnto him in very fierce anger. By ye masse horesō husbande I woulde thou wouldest, here lyeth my head loe, (& therwith down she layed her head vpon the same tymbre logge) if thou smyte it not of, I beshrewe thy horesons hearte. With yt, lykewyse as the Deuyll stode at her elbowe, so stode (as I hearde saye) his good aungell at his, and gaue him ghostly courage, and bade him be bolde and doe it. And so the good man vp with his chyppe axe, & at a choppe chopped of her head in dede. There were standynge other folke by, which had a good sporte to heare her chide, but litle they loked for this chaunce tyll it was doone ere they coulde let it: they saied they heard her tounge bable in her head, and call horeson[…] horeson[…] twyse after the head was frō the bodye. At leastewyse, afterwarde vnto the kynge, thus they reported all, except only one, & that was a woman, and she saied that she hearde it not.

☞Vincent. Forsothe this was a wonderfull worke, what became vncle of the man?

☞Anthony. The kynge gaue him his pardon.

☞Vincent. Uerely he might in concience doe no lesse.

☞Anthony. But than was i[…] farther at nother poynte, yt there shoulde haue been a statute made, yt in suche case, there should neuer after pardō be graunted, but ye truth beynge able to be proued, no husband shoulde nede any pardō, but shoulde haue leaue by the lawe to folowe the sample of the carpenter and doe the same.

Vincent. Howe happed it vncle, yt y• good lawe was lefte vnmade?

Antony. Howe happed it? as it happeth Cosin, yt many mo be left vnmade as well as it, and within a lytle as good as it to, bothe here & in other countreyes, & some tyme some worse made in theyr stede. But as they saie, ye let of yt law was ye Quenes grace, god forgeue her soule: it was y• greatest thinge I wene good Ladye that she had to answere for when she dyed, for surely saue for ye one thinge, she was a full blessed woman. But letting now that lawe passe, this temptaciō in procuringe her owne death was vnto this carpenters wyfe no tribulaciō at all, as farre as euer men coulde perceyue: for it lyked her well to thinke theron, and she euen longed therfore. And therfore, if she had before tolde you or me her mynde, and that she woulde brynge it so fayne to passe, we coulde haue had no occacion to comforte her as one that were in tribulacion, but mary counsayle her (as I tolde you before) we well might, to refrayne and amende that deuelyshe mynde of hyrs.

☞Vincent. Uerely that is trueth, but suche as are well wylling to doe any purpose that is so shamefull, wyll neuer tell theyr minde to no bodye for very shame.

☞Antony. Some will not in dede, & yet are theyr some agayn, that, be theyr entent neuer so shamefull, fynde some yet, whome theyr hearte serueth them to make of theyr counsayle therin. Some of my folke here can tel you, that no longer ago than euen yesterdaye, one that came out of Uienna shewed vs amonge other talking, that a riche widowe (but I forgot to aske him where it happed) hauing all her lyfe an high proude minde and a fell, as those two verteues are wonte alway to kepe cō pany together, was at debate with an other neighbour of hers in the towne, & on a time she made of her counsayle a poore neighbour of hers, whō she thought for money, she might enduce to folowe her mynde: with him secretly she brake, and offred him.x. Duccattes for his labour to doe so muche for her, as come in a morninge early to her house, & with an axe, vnknowen, pryuelye to stryke of her head: and when he had so done, than conuaye the blody axe, into the house of him with whom she was at debate, in some suche maner of wyse, as it might be thought that he had murdered her of malyce, & than she thought she shoulde be taken for a martyr. And yet had she farther deuysed, yt an other sūme of money should after be sent to Rome, and that there should be meanes made to ye Pope, that she might in all hast be canonyzed. This poore man promysed, but entended not to perfourme it, howebeit, when he deferred it, she prouyded ye axe her selfe, and he appoynted with her the morning when he shoulde come. But thā sette he suche other folke, as he would shoulde knowe her frantique fantasie, in such place appoynted as they might wel heare her and him talke together. And after that he had talked with her therof what he woulde, so muche as he thought was ynoughe, he made her lye downe, & toke vp the axe in his one hand, & with the other hande he felte the edge, and founde a faulte that it was not sharpe, and that therfore he woulde in no wise doe it, tyll that he had ground it sharper, he coulde not els he sayed for pietye, it would put her to so muche payne, & so full sore agaynst her wyll, for that tyme she kept her head styll: But because she woulde not suffer any moe to deceyue her so and fode her forthe with delayes, ere it was very long after, she hanged her selfe with her owne handes.

☞Vincent. Forsoothe here was a tragycall story, wherof I neuer heard the lyke.

☞Antony. Forsoothe the partye that tolde it me, sware that he knewe it for a trueth. And hym selfe is I promyse you suche, as I reckon for ryght honest, & of substancyall trueth. Nowe here she le[…]ted not as shameful a mind as she had, to make one of her counsaile yet, and yet as I remembre an other to, whom she trusted with the money that shoulde procure her canonyzacyō. And here I wote well that her temptacion came not of feare, but of high malyce & pryde. But than was she so glad in the pleasant deuise therof, yt as I shewed you, she toke it for no tribulacion, but for a maruelous mery mortall temptacion. And therfore, comfortinge of her coulde haue no place: but if men should any thing geue […]er tow[…]rd her helpe, it must haue bene (as I tolde you) good counsayle: and therfore as I sayde, this kynde of temptacion to a mannes owne destrucciō which reqireth counsayle, & is out of trybulacion, was out of our matter, that is to wete of comforte in trybulacion.