own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature, that is to say, of his own life; and consequently, of doing any thing which, in his own judgment and reason, he shall conceive the aptest means thereunto. By liberty is understood, according to the proper signification of the word, the absence of external impediments; which impediments may oft take away part of a man's power to do what he would; but cannot hinder him from using the power left him, according as his judgment and reason shall dictate to him. A law of nature (lex naturalis) is a precept, or general rule, found out by reason, by which a man is forbidden to do that which is, destructive of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same; and to omit that by which he thinketh it may be best preserved. For though they that speak of this subject, use to confound jus and lex, right and law; yet they ought to be distinguished, because right consisteth in liberty to do, or to forbear; whereas law determineth and bindeth to one of them: so that law and right differ as much as obligation and liberty, which, in one and the same matter, are inconsistent. And because the condition of man (as hath been declared in the precedent chapter) is a condition of war of every one against every one, in which case every one is governed by his own reason; and there is took place the most unreserved and intimate communication. In 1637, he returned with his pupil to England; but, on the meeting of the long parlia ment, Nov. 3, 1640, to escape the turbulence and confusion which prevailed, he retired again to Paris, where he now associated familiarly with those learned men, who were encouraged and protected by the patronage of Cardinal Richlieu. On this occasion it was, that he was introduced by his friend Mersenne to Des Cartes, with whom he afterwards corresponded on mathematical subjects; as appears by the letters of Hobbes, published in the works of Des Cartes. Hobbes was also on terms of the most intimate friendship with Gassendi, and which was interrupted only by the death of the latter. In 1647, he became mathematical tutor to the prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II.; a situation he obtained in consequence of the reputation he had gained two years before, in having enlisted himself in the controversy about the quadrature of the circle. Charles, however, subsequently withdrew his countenance from him at the representations of the clergy, who were alarmed at the gigantic figure of the Le viathan, which appeared in 1550-1; but, on accidentally seeing him some years after, his majesty's regard for him returned, and he settled upon him a pension of one hundred pounds per annum from his privy purse. At this period, he commonly passed his summers at Chatsworth, the seat of the earl of Devonshire, in Derbyshire, and his winters in town, where he associated with most of the greatest men of the age, among whom may be mentioned Dr. Harvey, Selden, and Cowley. As an instance of the high consideration in which Hobbes was held by his cotemporaries, he was visited, in 1669, by Cosmo de Medicis, then prince, and afterwards grand duke of Tuscany, who, among other marks of esteem and admiration, received his picture, with a complete collection of his works, which he caused to be reposited in his library at Florence. He died in 1679, at the great age of ninety-two years. 1. The first work given by Hobbes to the public, was his " Translation of Thucydides," first published in 1628. This was undertaken with the laudable desire of preventing those disturbances which he already apprehended, by shewing the fatal consequences of intestine di took place the most unreserved and intimate communication. In 1637, he returned with his pupil to England; but, on the meeting of the long parlia ment, Nov. 3, 1640, to escape the turbulence and confusion which prevailed, he retired again to Paris, where he now associated familiarly with those learned men, who were encouraged and protected by the patronage of Cardinal Richlieu. On this occasion it was, that he was introduced by his friend Mersenne to Des Cartes, with whom he afterwards corresponded on mathematical subjects; as appears by the letters of Hobbes, published in the works of Des Cartes. Hobbes was also on terms of the most intimate friendship with Gassendi, and which was interrupted only by the death of the latter. In 1647, he became mathematical tutor to the prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II.; a situation he obtained in consequence of the reputation he had gained two years before, in having enlisted himself in the controversy about the quadrature of the circle. Charles, however, subsequently withdrew his countenance from him at the representations of the clergy, who were alarmed at the gigantic figure of the Le◄ viathan, which appeared in 1550-1; but, on accidentally seeing him some years after, his majesty's regard for him returned, and he settled upon him a pension of one hundred pounds per annum from his privy purse. At this period, he commonly passed his summers at Chatsworth, the seat of the earl of Devonshire, in Derbyshire, and his winters in town, where he associated with most of the greatest men of the age, among whom may be mentioned Dr. Harvey, Selden, and Cowley. As an instance of the high consideration in which Hobbes was held by his cotemporaries, he was visited, in 1669, by Cosmo de Medicis, then prince, and afterwards grand duke of Tuscany, who, among other marks of esteem and admiration, received his picture, with a complete collection of his works, which he caused to be reposited in his library at Florence. He died in 1679, at the great age of ninety-two years. 1. The first work given by Hobbes to the public, was his "Translation of Thucydides," first published in 1628. This was undertaken with the laudable desire of preventing those disturbances which he already apprehended, by shewing the fatal consequences of intestine di |