Elements of philosophy, the first section, concerning body / Written in Latine by Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury. And now translated into English. To which are added six lessons to the Professors of Mathematicks of the institution of Sr. Henry Savile, in the University of Oxford. [J. Wallis and S. Ward].

  • Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679.
Date:
1656
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elements of philosophy, the first section, concerning body / Written in Latine by Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury. And now translated into English. To which are added six lessons to the Professors of Mathematicks of the institution of Sr. Henry Savile, in the University of Oxford. [J. Wallis and S. Ward]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    betters, adorneth it the beft he can to make it the more acceptable ; he that thinks this to be OJtentatton, and [cLf-concei*, is little verfed in the common actions of humane life. And in the lame Epiitle where I fay of Civill Philofophy, it U no antienter then my Booh de Civc’s theie words are^dded, I jay it provoked, and that my detractors may fee they lo[e their labour„ Bat that which is truly faid, and upon provocation, is not boalting, but derence. A flibrt fum Ci that Book of mine, now publiquely in French, done’by a Gentleman I never faw, carrieth tru. Bitle ol Etbiqw s demonjtrated. The Book it lelf tranflated into French hath not onelv a great teftnnony from the Tranilator Serberius, but alfo from Gaffendu*, and Merfennus, who being noth of the Roman Religion hadnocaule topraife it, or the Divines of England! a/e no caufe to hnde fault with it.^ Behdes, yoa know that the Doctrine therein contained is °ene- raily received by ali but thole of the Clergy, who think their interelf concerned in bein' maue Uioordinate to the Civil Power, whole telfimonies therefore are invalide. Why there- lorv.il I commend it alio againlf them tiiat difpraife it publiqudy, do you call it boaftim* ? Ton have heard ('you lay) that I hadpromifed the Quadrature of the Circle, &c. You heard then that which was not true. I have been asked foinetimes, by fuchasfaw the Figure before me, what I was doing, and I was not afraid to lay I was feeking for the folution of^hat Pro- bicme, but not tiiat 1 had done it. And afterwards being asked of the fuccefs, I have faid , I thought it uone. This is not boafting ; and yet it was enough, when told again, to make a fool beueve twasboalfing. But you the Alfronomer in the Epiftle before your Philofcphicall Eiiay, lay you had a great expectation of my VhilofbphicaU, and Mathematical wor\s} be¬ fore t?c). rverepublijhcd. It maybe fo. Is that my fault ? can a man raife a great expe&ati- on ol himlelt by boaiting ? It he could, neither of you would be long before you railed it of your ldv cs 5 faving that what you have already publifhed, has made it now too late. For I verily believe there was never feen worfe reafoning then in that Philoiophicall Eiiay 5 which any judicious Reader would believe proceeded from a Prevaricator, rather then from a man that believed himlelt; ncr woile Principles, then thofe in your Books of Geometry. The ex¬ pectation of that which ihoula be wiitten by me, was raifed partly by the Cogitata Fhyfieo- Matbematnaof MerfcnnuS)^ wherein I am oiten named with honour; and partly by others witii whom I then con veiled in Pari*, without any olfentation. That no man has a great expectation ol any thing that fliall proceed from either of you two, lain content to let it be your praife. Another Argument of my felf-eonceit y you take from my contempt of the writers of Me- tapny K]ues and School-Divinity. Il that be a fign of felf-conceit, I tjiuft confefs I am guilty ; ana ll your Geometry had then been publifhed, I had contemned that as much. But yet I cannot ice the conlequence (unlels yon lend me your better Logique^ from defpifinainfignifi- cant and abfurd language to fclf-conceit. And again, in your Vindicia Academiarum, you put for boalfing, that in my Leviathan Pag. 180. I would have that Booh by entire Soveraignty impofed upon the Mnivcrfities 5 and in my Review Pag. 395. 1 hat I fay ol my Leviathan, I thinly it m y be profitably printed9 and more profitaol) taught inthelXniverfity. The cauie of my writing that Book, was the coniideration of what tire Miniflers before, and in the beginning of the Civill VVar, by their preaching and writing did contribute thereunto. Which I faw not onely to tend to the Abate¬ ment of the then Civil! Power, but alfo to the gaining of as much thereof as they could (as did ofttrwards more plainly appear) unto themfelves. I faw alfo that thoie Minifters, and many other Gentlemen who were ol tiieir Opinion, brought their Doctrines againft the Civill Power hom their Studies in the Universities. Seeing theierore that fo much as could be contributed to the Peace of our Country, and thefettlementoi Soveraign Power without any Army, muft proceed from Teaching; Ihadreafonto wifli, that Civill Doctrine were truly taught in the Uni verities. And if i had not thought that mine was fuch, I had never written it. °And ha¬ ving written it, il I hsd not recommended it to iuch as had the Power to caufe it to be taught, I