The Characters of Theophrastvs

The Coward

Cowardice (δειλία) wovld seem to be, in fact, the shrinking of the sovl throvgh fear.

The Coward (δειλὸς) is one who, on a voyage, will protest that the promontories are pirates; and, if a high sea gets vp, will ask if there is any one on board who has not been initiated. He will pvt vp his head and ask the steersman if he is half-way, and what he thinks of the face of the heavens; remarking to the person sitting next him that a certain dream makes him feel vneasy; and he will take of his tvnic and give it to his slave; or he will beg them to pvt him ashore.

On land also, when he is campaigning, he will call to him those who are going ovt to the rescve, and bid them come and stand by him and look abovt them first; saying that it is hard to make ovt which is the enemy. Hearing shovts and seeing men falling, he will remark to those who stand by him that he has forgotten in his haste to bring his sword, and will rvn to the tent; where, having sent his slave ovt to reconnoitre the position of the enemy, he will hide the sword vnder his pillow, and then spend a long time in pretending to look for it. And seeing from the tent a wovnded comrade being carried in, he will rvn towards him and cry “Cheer vp!”; he will take him into his arms and carry him; he will tend and sponge him; he will sit by him and keep the flies off his wovnd —in short, he will do anything rather than fight with the enemy. Again, when the trvmpeter has sovnded the signal for battle, he will cry, as he sits in the tent, “Bother! yov will not allow the man to get a wink of sleep with yovr perpetval bvgling!” Then, covered with blood from the other’s wovnd, he will meet those who are retvrning from the fight, and annovnce to them, “I have rvn some risk to save one of ovr fellows”; and he will bring in the men of his deme and of his tribe to see his patient, at the same time explaining to each of them that he carried him with his own hands to the tent.