Sentence:  Lucretius has remarked : `` The reason why all Mortals are so <WSD>gripped</WSD> by fear is that they see all sorts of things happening in the earth and sky with no discernable cause , and these they attribute to the will of God '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe