Life of the Duke 1 35 



by his own natural understanding and observation, 

 by which he hath found out many truths. 



To pass by several other instances, I'le but mention, 

 that when My Lord was at Paris, in his exile, it hap- 

 pened one time, that he discoursing with some of his 

 friends, amongst whom was also that learned philo- 

 sopher Hobbes, they began amongst the rest, to argue 

 upon this subject, namely. Whether it were possible 

 to make man hy art fly as birds do ; and when some of 

 the company had deUvered their opinion, viz. That 

 they thought it probable to be done by the help of 

 artificial wings: My Lord declared, that he deemed 

 it altogether impossible, and demonstrated it by this 

 following reason: man's armes, said he, are not set 

 on his shoulders in the same manner as bird's wings 

 are; for that part of the arm which joins to the 

 shoulder is in man placed inward, as towards the 

 breast, but in birds outward, as towards the back; 

 which different and contrary position or shape 

 hinders that man cannot have the same flying-action 

 with his armes, as birds have with their wings; which 

 argument Mr. Hobbes liked so well, that he was, 

 pleased to make use of it in one of his books called 

 Leviathan, if I remember well. 



Some other time they falling into a discourse con- 

 cerning witches, Mr. Hobbes said, that though he 

 could not rationally believe there were witches, yet 

 he could not be fully satisfied to believe there were 

 none, by reason they would themselves confess it, if 

 strictly examined. 



To which My Lord answered, that though for his 

 part he cared not whether there were witches or no ; 

 yet his opinion was, that the confession of witches, 

 and their suffering for it, proceeded from an erroneous 

 belief, viz. that they had made a contract with the 



