Page images
PDF
EPUB

mited to those who had the ecclefiaftical power,' and never fince dogmatically maintained by him either in writing or difcourfe; and it is much to be fufpected, as Dr. Kennet observes, that upon this occafion, he began to make a more open fhew of religion and church communion. He now frequented the chapel, joined in the fervice, and was generally a partaker of the facrament; and when any ftrangers ufed to call in question his belief, he always appealed to his conformity in divine service, and referred them to the chaplain for a teftimony of it. Others thought it a meer compliance with the orders of the family; and obferved, he never went to any parish church, and even in the chapel upon fundays he went out after prayers, and would not condefcend to hear the fermon, and when any friend asked the reafon of it, he gave no other anfwer but this, that preachers could tell him nothing but what he knew. He did not conceal his hatred to the clergy; but it was vifible his averfion proceeded from the dread of their civil power and interest. He had often a jealoufy that the bifhops would burn him; and of all the bench he was moft afraid of Dr. Seth Ward, bishop of Sarum, because he had moft offended him. Dr. Kennet further obferves, that his whole life was governed by his fears.

In the firft Parliament of 1640, while it seemed to favour the meafures of the court, he wrote a little tract in English wherein he demonstrated as himself tells us, that all the power and rights neceffary for the peace of the kingdom, were infeparably annexed to the fovereignty of the King's perfon. But in the fecond parliament of that year, when they proceeded fiercely against thofe who had written or preached in defence of the regal power; he was the first that fled, went over into France, and there continued eleven years. Whether from

the

the dread of affaffination, or as fome have thought, from the notion of ghofts and fpirits, is uncertain, but he could not endure to be left in an empty houfe; whenever the earl of Devonshire removed, he would accompany him; even in his laft ftage from Chatsworth to Hardwick, when in a weak condition, he dared not be left behind, but made his way upon a feather bed in a coach, tho' he furvived the journey but a few days. He could not bear any difcourfe of death, and feemed to caft off all thoughts of it; he delighted to reckon upon longer life. The winter before he died he had a warm coat made him, which he faid muft laft him three years, and then he would have fuch another. A few days after his removal to Hardwick, Wood fays that he was ftruck with a dead palfy, which stupified his right fide from head to foot, depriving him of his fpeech and reafon at the fame time; but this circumftance is not fo probable, fince Dr. Kennet has told us, that in his laft fickness he frequently enquired, whether his disease was curable; and when it was told him that he might have ease but no remedy, he used thefe expreffions. I fhall be glad then to find a hole to creep out of the world at ;' which are reported to be his last fenfible words, and his lying fome days followin a ftate of ftupefaction, feemed to be owing to his mind, more than to his body. The only thought of death which he appeared to entertain in time of health, was to take care of fome infcription on his grave; he would fuffer fome friends to dictate an epitaph, amongft which he was best pleased with these words:

"This is the true Philofopher's Stone."

He died at Hardwick, as above-mentioned, on the 4th of Dec. 1679. Notwithstanding his great age,

for

for he exceeded go at his death, he retained his judgment in great vigour till his laft fickness.

Some writers of his life maintain, that he had very orthodox notions concerning the nature of God and of all the moral virtues; notwithstanding the general notion of his being a downright atheift; that he was affable, kind, communicative of what he knew, a good friend, a good relation, charitable to the poor, a lover of juftice, and a despiser of money. This laft quality is a favourable circumstance in his life, for there is no vice at once more despicable and the fource of more base defigns than avarice. His warmest votaries allow, that when he was young he was addicted to the fafhionable libertinifm of wine and women, and that he kept himself unmarried left wedlock fhould interrupt him in the study of philofophy.

In the catalogue of his faults, meannefs of fpirit and cowardice may be juftly imputed to him. Whether he was convinced of the truth of his philofophy, no man can determine; but it is certain, that he had no refolution, to fupport and maintain his notions: had his doctrines been of ever fo much confequence to the world, Hobbs would have abjured them all, rather than have fuffered a moment's pain on their account. Such a man may be admired for his invention, and the planning of new fyftems, but the world would never have been much illuminated, if all the difcoverers of truth, like the philofopher of Malmsbury, had had no fpirit to affert it against oppofition. In a piece called the Creed of Mr. Hobbs examined, in a feigned Conference between him and a Student of Divinity, London 1670, written by Dr. Tenifon, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, the Dr. charges Mr. Hobbs with affirming, that God is a bodily fubftance, though moft refined, and 'forceth evil upon the very wills of men; fram⚫ed a model of government pernicious in its con* fequences

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

fequences to all nations; fubjected the canon of fcripture to the civil powers, and taught them the way of turning the Alcoran into the Gospel ; declared it lawful, not only to diffemble, but firmly to renounce faith in Chrift, in order to ⚫ avoid perfecution, and even managed a quarrel against the very elements of Euclid.' Hobbs's Leviathan met with many answers, immediately after the restoration, especially one by the earl of Clarendon, in a piece called a Brief View and Survey of the dangerous and pernicious Errors to Church and State, in Mr. Hobbs's Book entitled Leviathan, Oxon. 1676. The univerfity of Oxford condemned his Leviathan, and his Book de Cive, by a decree paffed on the 21ft of July 1638, and ordered them to be publickly burnt, with feveral other treatifes excepted againft.

The following is a catalogue of his works, with as full an account of them as confifts with our plan.

He tranflated into English the Hiftory of the Grecian War by Thucydides, London 1628, and 1676 in fol. and fince reprinted in two volumes in octavo.

De Mirabilibus Pecci, a Latin Poem, printed at London 1636; it was tranflated into English by a perfon of quality, and the tranflation was published with the original at London 1678.

Elementa Philofophica, feu Politica de Cive, id eft, de Vita civili & politicâ prudenter inftituendâ, Paris 1642 in 4to. Mr. Hobbs printed but a few copies of this book, and revifed it afterwards, and made feveral additions to it, with which improvements it was printed at Amfterdam, under the direction of Monfieur Forbier, who published a French translation of it. Dr. John Bramhall, bishop of Derry in Ireland, in the Preface to his Book entitled a Defence of true Li

berty,

[ocr errors]

po.

berty, from an antecedent and extrinfical Neceffity, tells us, 'that ten years before he had given Mr. Hobbs about fixty exceptions, one half litical, and the other half theological to that book, and every exception juftified by a number of reasons, to which he never yet vouchfafed any anfwer.' Gaffendus, in a letter to Sorbiere, tells us, that our author's Book de Cive, deserves to be read by all who would have a deep infight into the fubject. Puffendorf observes, that he had been much obliged to Mr. Hobbs, whofe hypothefis in this book, though it favours a little of irreli gion, is in other respects fufficiently ingenious and found.

An Answer to Sir William Davenant's Epiftle or Preface to Gondibert, Paris 1650, 12mo. and af terwards printed with Gondibert. See Davenant.

Human Nature, or the Fundamental Elements of Policy, being a Discovery of the Faculties, Acts, and Paffions of the Soul of Man, from their original Caufes, according to fuch philofophical Principles as are not commonly known or afferted.

De Corpore Politico, or the Elements of Law, London 1650.

Leviathan, or the Matter, Power, and Form of a Commonwealth, London 1651 in fol. reprinted again in fol. 1680; a Latin Verfion was published at Amfterdam 1666 in 4to; it was likewife tranflated into Low Dutch, and printed at Amfterdam 1678 in 4to. To the English editions is fubjoined a Review of the Leviathan.

A Compendium of Ariftotle's Rhetoric and Rhamus's Logic.

A Letter about Liberty and Neceffity, London 1654 in 12mo. to this piece feveral anfwers were given, especially by Dr. Bernard Laney, and Dr. Bramhall, bishop of Derry, London 1656 in 4to. Elementorum

« PreviousContinue »