Reincarnation makes them feel superior to you superior Centaurans.

Face not me. Thou hast braved many men; brave not me. I will neither be faced nor braved. addressed to a tailor; first use in sense of adorn, second and third uses in sense of confront

It is very much to be doubted if Mervyn Hogarth had ever in his life given more than a passing thought to any black art or occult science. Certainly he was innocent of prolonged interest in, let alone any practice of, diabolism, witchcraft, demonism, or such cult.

That’s it! I’m officially outraged.