folio, first edition, first issue with 'head' ornament on title-page 1651
.
Hobbes's treatise was an attempt to reconcile his earlier royalist stance with the prevailing political situation in England during the Commonwealth. "It summarized Hobbes's general argument about the rational basis of political authority, pointing out that there was a reciprocal relationship between protection and obedience: Hobbes's point was that since the king (now Charles II) could not protect people in England, they were impelled by the dictates of self-preservation to transfer their obedience to the power that now ruled there" (Oxford DNB).
0 comments:
Post a Comment