An examination of the political part of Mr. Hobbs his Leviathan.: By George Lawson, rector of More in the county of Salop.
About this Item
- Title
- An examination of the political part of Mr. Hobbs his Leviathan.: By George Lawson, rector of More in the county of Salop.
- Author
- Lawson, George, d. 1678.
- Publication
- London :: Printed by R. White, for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleet-street, near the Inner-Temple Gate,
- anno Dom. 1657.
- Rights/Permissions
-
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- Subject terms
- Hobbes, Thomas, -- 1588-1679. -- Leviathan
- Cite this Item
-
"An examination of the political part of Mr. Hobbs his Leviathan.: By George Lawson, rector of More in the county of Salop." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A88829.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 20, 2024.
Pages
Page [unnumbered]
The Epistle to the Reader.
TO glorifie God, and bene∣fit man, both by doing good, and preventing and removing evil, should be the endea∣vour, as its the duty, of every Chri∣stian in his station. Upon this ac∣count I have undertaken this exami∣nation of Mr. Hobbs: I was indeed at the first unwilling, though sollicited, to do any such thing; because upon the perusal of the Political part of his Leviathan, I conceived, that as little good was to be expected, so little harm was to be feared from that book. Yet after that I understood by divers learned and judicious friends, that it
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took much with many Gentlemen and young Students in the Universi∣ties, and that it was judged to be a ra∣tional piece, I wondered; for though I knew the distemper of the times to be great, yet by this I found it to be far greater then I formerly suspected. And upon which considerations I judged it profitable and convenient, if not necessary, to say something to the Gentleman; and did so. After that I had communicated my pains unto divers worthy and learned friends, they pressed me to give way to the Printing of them, which I did, if they after serious perusal should think them worthy the Press. They were at length approved, and again by some desired to be publick; yet by others thought too brief, and I was desired to enlarge. But this I refused to do,
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both because there is very little, if any thing material at all in Mr. Hobbs his Civil and Ecclesiastical Politicks, omitted by me and not examined; and also because I had formerly fini∣shed a Treatise of Civil and Ecclesia∣stical Government, which if it had not been lost by some negligence, after an Imprimatur was put upon it, might have prevented and made void the Political part of Mr. Hobbs: and though one Copy be lost, yet there is another, which may become publick hereafter. When thou hast read this brief Examination, thou maist, if ju∣dicious and impartial, easily judge, whether there be any thing in Mr. Hobbs which is either excellent or ex∣traordinary: and whether there be not many things inconsistent, not only with the sacred Scriptures, but with
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the rules of right reason. But not wil∣ling to prepossess thee, I commit thee to God, and remain,
Thine in the Lord, Geo. Lawson.