1801.] 
and in fuch a cafe, a weak argument fha)] 
pafs fora demonfration. 
In fum, I can hardly believe Mr. Hob- 
bes himfcit (nor perhaps any pretenders to 
it) was fo much an atheift, as he would 
fain have been, but did really dread a fu- 
7 ’ 
ture ftate; otherwife he would not have 
been fo dreadfully afraid of death, as the 
concurrent teftimony of thofe who knew 
him do reprefent bim. In particular, the 
Lady Ranelagh (or Mr. Boyle in her 
hou'e, T have torgotten whether) told me, 
divers years ago, that.a great lady, with 
whom the had Jately been, told her of a 
difcourle which had then lately happened, 
between Mr. Hobbes and that gfeat Lady. 
(I guefs it was the old Counte(s of Devon- 
five, but am not certain.) He told her, in 
commendation cf life, that if he were maf- 
ter of all the woild to difpole of, he would 
give it to live one day. She replied with 
wonder, that a perfon of his knowledge, 
who had fo many friends to oblige or gra- 
tily, would not deny himfelf one day’s 
content of living, if thereby he were able 
to gratify them with all the world. His 
anfwer was ‘f What fhall I be the better for 
that, when LTamdead? I fay again, if I 
had all the world to difpote of, I would 
give it to live one day,” or to that effect. 
The Lady perhaps may remember it better 
than I, and more things to the fame pur- 
pole. I am the more confirmed in this opt- 
‘ nion from what is related in the Sermon at 
the funeral.of the lace Earl of Rochefter, 
who covid talk atheifical things with as 
much brifkneis and as much wit as Mr. 
Hebbes, and with more of fenfe and reafon, 
yet could not ftrongly believe it, but was 
galled ceco vulnere, with a recoiling con- 
{cience which did at length fly in his face 
with fo much fury (I hope through God’s 
mercy to him) that he could bear it no 
longer. He complained, as is there re- 
Jated, amongtt other things, of the mifchief 
Mr, Hobbes’s principles had done him, 
and many others ruined by his principles, 
The great Selden alfo, I hear, was fenfible 
of i. Dr. Gerard Langbaine, then Pro- 
volt of Queen’s College, Oxon, a great 
friend of Mr. Seiden’s, and a good man, 
who was with him im his ficknefs and at 
his death, wrote me a letter on the occa. 
fion, containing divers ferious and.... 
things faid by Mr. Seiden to him in that 
fickne‘s ; and told me particularly, that 
Mr. Hobbes then coming to give Mr. 
Scldena vittt, Mr. Selden would, not ad- 
mit him, but anfwered, No Hobbes, no 
@tbei?; and of whom J hear that Mr. 
Hoboes’s cenftre was, that he'( Mr. Selden) 
lived like a wife man and died hkea fool. 
Extras from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 4:8 
The charactes I have had of Mr, 
Hobbes was, that he was morofe, fuperci- 
lious, highly opinionated of himielf, and 
impatient of contiadittion, which when 
he met with, it put him upon great paffion 
and very foul language. Much to that 
purpofe is mentioned in a piece publifhed 
by Dr. Ward, about the year 1564, but 
without his name, entitled Vindiaae Aca- 
demiarum, againft one Webiter; witn 
fome animadverfions on Mr. Hobbes. He 
had in his younger days fome little infigat 
in mathematics; and which at that time 
(when few had any) paffed fora great deal. 
On the credit of which he did much bear up 
himle!fas a great man,and having fomex hat 
fi gular,andhereupondefpiied divines asr ot 
being ph:lolophers, and philofopheis as not 
being mathematicians 3 without which he 
would have it thought impoffible to doany 
good in philofophy. De Corpsre, cap. vi. 
fect. vi. And folong as he did but talk and 
forbear to write, he did, by his own report, 
pats for a mathematician. But when once 
he began to write mathematics, he prefevit. 
ly fell inso thofe gros ablurdities, and 
difcovered in himfeli fuch an incapacity 
for it, as could not have been imagined of 
him, if he had fo:borae to write. And 
truly I look upon it as a great providence, 
that God fhould leave him to fo great a 
degree of infatuation in that, wherein ke 
did fo much pride himfe!f. For whereas 
in difcoutfes of other fubjects miltakes 
may be fliuffled over with a multitude of 
great words, in mathematics it-cannot be 
fo, “And hie reby he difcovered himfelf, 
without poffidility of paltiation, not to be 
that man of - reafun that ne would be 
thought tobe. Fer though a man may 
be rational, who is not a inaih nemalician, 
(and had he not pretended to it, his igno.. 
rance had been excuiable); but for fo great 
a pretender, and who had gloried in it tor 
fo long a time, and was acquainted with 
the principles of it, fiom fuch principles 
to infer fuch abfurd concluhons, mutt 
needs argue a want of logic, and an inca- 
pacity, not only to reafon well, but eves 
tounderftand reafon. AndI guels it was 
his affectation of fingularity (as much asany 
thing) which made him engage in atheilti- 
cal tenets; that he might icem to be a 
man of greater reach than ail the waild 
befid:s. 
I know not what to add more; but if 
this may contribute any thing to your 
bufinels, itis at your fervice. 
Youar’s, toferve you, 
jJOUN WALLIS. 
QUEEN 
