215 
HOB 
from one defire to another The diverfity of human cha* 
rafters arifes from the different ways in which men purfue 
happinefs. The defire of inveftigating caufes leads to the 
knowledge and belief of a firft caufe, the one eternal Deity, 
although the divine nature is incomprehenfible. From 
mens’ ignorance of true caufes arife anxiety, fear, fu- 
perftition. Nature has formed all men equal; whence 
arifes the univerlal hope of acquiring by violence what¬ 
ever vve defire, and the univerfal apprehenfion of fuffering 
violence from others. The neceflary confequence is, that 
a Hate of nature is a ftate of perpetual hoftility, in which 
no individual has any other means of fafety than his own 
ftrength or ingenuity, and in which there is no room for 
induitry, becaufe no fecure enjoyment of its fruits. In 
this ftate every one has a right to ufe his own faculties at 
pleafure for his prefervation, and of doing whatever he 
judges to be conducive to this end ; and, fince there is no 
property, there can be no injuftice. For the fake of peace 
and fecurity, it is neceflary that each individual recedefrom 
a part of his natural right, and be contented with fuch a 
fh a re of liberty, or freedom from reftraint, as he is wil¬ 
ling to allow to others. This refignation of natural rights 
may either be a Ample renunciation, ora transfer of them 
to an individual or body, by mutual confent, for the com¬ 
mon good. The multitude, thus brought out of a ftate 
of nature, becomes one perfon, which is called the repub¬ 
lic or ftate, in which the common power and will are ex- 
ercifed for the common defence. The ruling power can¬ 
not be taken from thofe to whom it has been committed, 
nor can they be punifhed for mal-adminiftration. If the 
fupreme magiftrate inflicts any penalty upon the innocent, 
he fins againft God, but does not aft unjuftly. The in¬ 
terpretation of the laws is to be fought, not from precep¬ 
tors nor philofophers, but from the authority of the ftate ; 
for it is not truth, but authority, that makes law •. never- 
thelefs, the king ought to interpret the law according to 
his own natural reafon and confidence. Punilhment is an 
evil inflifted upon the tranfgreffor of the law, to this end, 
that the apprehenfion of it may bend the will of the citi- 
zen? tofubmiflion. The public law is to be inftead of con- 
fcience to every individual; it is therefore falle that every 
violation of confcience in a citizen is a fin. The oftices 
of the fupreme governors are to be regulated by thofe ends 
which comprehend the fecurity of the people.” 
The lingular obftinacy of Hobbes was proverbial even 
in his own time; for, though he was evidently wrong in 
all his propofitions, he could not be perfuaded to retraft a 
Angle one. This is faid to be the reafon why his friends 
denied him his laft requeft, which was, to place on his 
tomb-ftone, “ This is the philefopher’s ftonethey 
would not ereft a monument to deception. 
To HOB'BLE, v. n. [to hop , to hopple, to hobble. ] To 
walk lamely or aukwardly upon one leg more than the 
other; to hitch; to walk with unequal and incumbered 
fteps.—The friar was hobbling the fame way too. Dryden .— 
To move roughly or unevenly. Feet being aferibed to 
verfes, whatever is done with feet is likewile aferibed to 
them: 
While you Pindaric truths rehearfe. 
She hobbles in alternate verfe. Prior. 
HOB'BLE, f. Uneven auk ward gait.—One of his heels 
is higher than the other, which gives him a hobbk in his 
gait. Gulliver's Trav is. 
HOB'BLER,/ [from hobby.~\ —For twenty kobblersvirmeA, 
iTilhmen fo called becaufe they ferved on hobbies, he paid 
fix-pence a-piece per diem. Davies. 
HOB'BLING, f. The aft of moving unevenly. 
HOB'BLINGLY, adv. Clumfily; aukwardly; with 
halting gait. 
HOBBY, f. [hobereau, Fr.] A fpecies of hawk. Seethe 
article Falco, vol. vii. p, 195. —The people will chop like 
trouts at an artificial fly, and dare like larks under the 
awe of a painted hobby. L'EJlrange. —[ Hoppe, Goth, a horfe, 
hobin, Fr. a pacing horfe.] An Irifh or Scottilh horfe ; a 
pacing horfe 5 a garran. 
HOC 
KOB'BY-HORSE, f. A ftick on which boys get aftride 
and ride.—Thofe grave contenders about opinionative 
trifles look like aged Socrates upon his boy’s hobby-horfe. 
Glanville .—A itupid fellow.—I have ftudied eight or nine 
wife words to fpeak to you, which thefe hobby-horjes muft 
not hear. Skakejpeare. —The perfon, thing, or occupation, 
that pleafes one moft.—Give it your hobby-horfe. Shalcefpeare. 
HOBEI'RA, aftrong fortrefs and town of Aliatic Tur¬ 
key, in the Arabian Irak : feventy miles fouth of Bagdad. 
KOBGOB LIN,/ [according to Skinner for Robgobhns, 
from Robin Goodfellow, Hob being the nickname of Robins 
but more probably, according to Wallis and Junius, hop- 
goblins, becaufe they do not move their feet: whence, fays 
Wallis, came the boys’ play of fox in the hole, the fox al¬ 
ways hopping on one ,leg.] A frightful fairy : 
Fairies, black, grey, green, and white, 
Attend your office and your* quality; 
Crier hobgoblin, make the fairy o-yes. Shahefpeart. 
HO'BIT, f. \haubitzen, Teut.] A fort of fmall mortar 
ufed in annoying the enemy at a diftance with fmall 
bombs. 
HOB'LERS, or Hob'ilers,/ \J10belarii, Lat.] In our 
ancient cuftoms, men who, by their tenure, were obliged 
to maintain a light horfe, or hobby, for the certifying of 
any invafion, were fo denominated.—The name was alfo 
ufed for certain Irifh knights, who ufed to ferve as light- 
horfemen upon hobbies. 
HOB'NAIL, f. A nail ufed in fhoeing a hobby or little 
horfe ; a nail with a thick ftrong head.—We fhali buy 
maidens as they buy hobnails, by the hundred. Shahefpeare. 
HOB'NAILED, adj. Set with hobnails: 
Would’ft thou, friend, who haft two legs alone, 
Would’ft thou, to run the gauntlet, thefe expofe 
To a whole company of hobnail'd (hoes?“ Dry den- 
HOB'OKEN, a diftrift belonging to the American 
States, in Bergen county, New Jerfey, fituated on the welt 
bank of the Hudfon, in the mountainous country between 
the town of Bergen and Fort Lee, about feven miles above 
New-York city. 
HOB'ROE, a town of Denmark, in North Jutland, and 
diocefe of Wiborg : fixteen miles north-eaft of Wiborg. 
HO'BY, a town of Sweden, in the province of Suder- 
manland : fifteen miles north-weft of Nykioping. 
HO'CA,/ A particular game at cards. Phillips. 
HOC'CUS,/ in doomfday-book, a hole, a fmall pit. 
HOCH-ER'LIZ, a town of Bohemia, in Konigingratz 
eight miles from Gayerfberg. 
HOCH'AUS, a town of Germany, in the empire of 
Aultria : nine miles fouth-fouth-well of Aigen. 
HOCH'BERG, a marquifate of Germany, in Swabia, 
annexed to the margraviate of Baden Durlach, which 
takes its name from an ancient caftle, fituated two miles 
north-eaft from Emendingen, which is the principal tqwn. 
HOCHELA'GA, the ancient name of the river St.. 
Lawrence, in Canada. 
HOCHENAU', a town of Germany, in the empire of 
Auftria: nine miles eaft-north-eaft of Zifterftorff. 
HOCH'ENEG, a town of Germany, in the duchy of 
Stiria: fix miles fouth-weft of Pettau. 
HOCHFEL'DEN, a town of France, in the department 
of the Lower Rhine, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftrift of Haguenaua four leagues north-weft of Straf- 
burg, and three weft-fouth-weft of Haguenau. 
HOCHKIR'CHEN, a town of.Lufiitia, near which the 
king of Pruflia was defeated in the year 1758: fix miles 
fouth-eaft of Budiflen. 
HOCH'SCHEID, a town of Germany, on the Upper 
Rhine, and county of Sponheim: leven miles fouth-eaft 
of Traarbach. 
HOCHST, a town of Germany, in Franconia, and 
county of Wertheim: eleven miles north of Erbach. 
HOCHST, a town of Germany, on the Lower Rhine, 
and eleftorate of Mentz, fituated on the Maine: fix miles 
weft of Frankfort, and fourteen ealt of Mentz. 
HOCH'STADTj. 
