They frequently use the same word to signify indifferently the modes of astonishment or admiration and those of terror.

[Greek: Thambos] is in Greek either fear or wonder; [Greek: deinos] is terrible or respectable; [Greek: ahideo], to reverence or to fear.

_Vereor_ in Latin is what [Greek: ahideo] is in Greek.

The Romans used the verb _stupeo_, a term which strongly marks the state of an astonished mind, to express the effect either of simple fear, or of astonishment; the word _attonitus_ (thunderstruck) is equally expressive of the alliance of these ideas; and do not the French _etonnement_, and the English _astonishment_ and _amazement_, point out as clearly the kindred emotions which attend fear and wonder?
They who have a more general knowledge of languages, could produce, I make no doubt, many other and equally striking examples.
SECTION III.
OBSCURITY.
To make anything very terrible, obscurity[13] seems in general to be necessary.

When we know the full extent of any danger, when we can accustom our eyes to it, a great deal of the apprehension vanishes.
Every one will be sensible of this, who considers how greatly night adds to our dread, in all cases of danger, and how much the notions of ghosts and goblins, of which none can form clear ideas, affect minds which give credit to the popular tales concerning such sorts of beings.