His first political essay was a small tract, which was not riot printed, but circulated in manuscript in the year 1640, during the sitting of the parliament in April, which was dissolved the following May, when the parliament and Charles I. differed so widely on the subject of the royal prerogative. This tract strongly asserted the pretensions of royalty, and condemned those of the parliament and the people as unjust encroachments. It occasioned a consider able sensation, and would have involved Hobbes in immi nent danger, if that parliament bad not been dissolved. This was the harbinger of the noted political works which he subsequently published, his book De Cive, and his Le viathan. Alainwaring, bishop of St David's, was sent to the Tower for preaching the doctrine of Hobbes ; and the latter made a timely retreat to Paris, to prosecute his stu dies in the enjoyment of personal security. Here he re turned to the society of Mersenne and Gassendi, to which was added that of Descartes. Afterwards, however, Hob bes controverted the doctrines of the latter on the subject of innate ideas, which terminated all their friendly inter course.
In 1642, he published, while at Paris, a few copies of his book De Cive. He became acquainted with Sir Charles Cavendish, brother to the Duke of Newcastle, who admir ed his mathematical talents, and attached himself warmly to him as a friend and patron. In 1647, his fame in mathe matics procured for him a recommendation to instruct the Prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II., in this branch of science. His fidelity and care in the execution of his trust secured to him the esteem of that prince, which continued ever after, though on some occasions prevented from being manifested by the obnoxiousness of his principles. In this year, a more complete addition of his work De Cive, was published in Holland under the care of Dr Sorbiere, to which two recommendatory letters were prefixed, one by Father Mersenne, and another by Gassendi.
In 1650, his book De Homine was published in London, containing a development of his doctines of sensation, par ticularly as illustrated by the mechanism of vision, with a dissertation on human speech, intellect, appetite, passion, action, and character : also another work, entitled De Cor pore Politico, or " Elements of Law." In this and the year 1651, he published in London his Leviathan, a work in which his opinions on moral and political subjects were more completely embodied. After the publication of this work, he returned to England, though Cromwell was now at the head of the government, and lived at the Earl of De vonshire's country seat in Derbyshire. It is remarked that he lived in communion with a congregation belonging to the church of England, and regularly resorted to their place of worship. His assertion of the royal prerogative was not now construed to his disadvantage, as he had prudently intimated that his doctrine was applicable to any individual possessed of supreme power.
In 1654, he published his letter on " Liberty and Neces sity," which occasioned a long controversy with Dr Bram . hall, afterwards lord primate of Ireland. He advocated the doctrine of necessity. He sometimes says, he could not help being astonished that those who argue that men can act without constraint, forget that the determination of their actions depends on their will, and that it is not to the ac tions as separated from the will, but to the laws of the will itself, that our inquiries must be directed. He must be allowed to have added some precision to the nature of the arguments embraced in this controversy. He now began a dispute, on his part not creditable, with Dr Wallis of Oxford, which involved the greater part of mathematical science. Not content with attacking the doctrines of his adversary, he exposes with grovelling minuteness the inac curacies of his language ; and, though afterwards repeat edly refuted, to the satisfaction of all the mathematicians of &moth, of the publication of which, however, his friend Chat les 11. who saw it in manuscript, did not approve.
His mental powers continued vigorous till his last ill ness, and his great delight consisted in exercising them. In his 85th year, he wrote an account of his own life in Latin verse, which evinced considerable activity of mind, though the execution of his task afforded no bright dis play of literary taste. In the following quaint conceit, for example, he depicts the circumstances of his birth : the age, he persevered with unaccountable obstinacy in asserting his first opinions.
At the restoration of Charles 1660, Hobbes re moved to London, where he now reckoned himself safe. In the country, he was possessed of every advantage that books could supply, by the ample library of his pa tron, which was always enriched with every additional work that he chose to recommend ; but he wished to en joy the advantages of the conversation of the learned, which he tumid necessary to his habits of enjoyment, and to the full activity of his talents. Soon after he came to London, the king observed him from his carriage, and renewed his acquaintance with him : He fondly cherished his conver sation, and settled on him an annual pension of 100/. But the personal favour of Charles was not sufficient to screen Hoboes from the censure of the parliament, which, in 16b6, w‘is publicly pronounced againn his book De Cive and the Leviathan. This prince, though fond of absolute power, was a tool of the high church party, to which that con trout on the part of the sovereign over ecclesitistical af faits, which Hobbes recommended, was extremely obnox ious. They professed the strictest attachment to heredi tary monarchy, but certainly exacted it as a condition, that the king should maintain their hierarchy and forms as the established religion of the state ; and, if we may judge from subsequent events, would have entertained but fee ble objections to any prince capable of being seated firmly on the thrum., who would spew himself most cheerful in assenting to this indispensable condition. Hobbes main tained, that the natural ferocity of man renders it necessary to vest the absolute power in one person, to whom the church and the consciences of the people ought to be sub jectk.•d. Thus, he made the radical truth of any religious system a natter of little importance. To admit this, would be to acknowledge the church to be wholly a plastic muta ble engine of government, and to compromise the dignity which she always asserts, of having her principles found ed in immutable truth. A bill was also brought into par liament to punish atheism and profaneness, which he con sidered as aimed at him ; for, though neither atheism nor the denial of Christianity were tenets maintained by him, he knew himself to be accused of them by the general voice, and therefore was somewhat uneasy. On this occa sion, apprehending that his house would be searched, and his papers seized, he burned some of them, and particu Lai ly one which was the most obnoxious of all, a Latin poem on the encroacnments of the Romish and reformed clergy on the civil power. The king was now obliged to with draw from him all public expressions of his personal re gard. He continued, however, to live in London unmo lested; was held in high esteem among the learned ; and was honoured by the visits of ambassadors and other illustrious foreigners, among whom was Cosine de Medi cis, then prince, and afterwards Duke of Tuscany, who procured his picture for his cabinet, and a eollection of his writings for his magnificent library at Florence. Hobbes had it in contemplation to publisn an elegant edition of his Latin works ; but finding it impracticable in London, he had an inferior one executed at Amsterdam in 1668. In 1675, he published his English translation of the Iliad and Out ssey.