The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 06 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
_A._ This is not much; nor was Aristotle of such credit with them, but
that when his opinion was against theirs, they could slight him.
Whatsoever he says is impossible in nature, they can prove well enough
to be possible, from the Almighty power of God, who can make many bodies
to be in one and the self-same place, and one body to be in many places
at the same time, if the doctrine of transubstantiation require it,
though Aristotle deny it. I like not the design of drawing religion into
an art, whereas it ought to be a law; and though not the same in all
countries, yet in every country indisputable; nor that they teach it
not, as arts ought to be taught, by shewing first the meaning of their
terms, and then deriving from them the truth they would have us believe:
nor that their terms are for the most part unintelligible; though, to
make it seem rather want of learning in the reader, than want of fair
dealing in themselves, they are, for the most part, Latin and Greek
words, wryed a little at the point, towards the native language of the
several countries where they are used. But that which is most
intolerable is, that all clerks are forced to make as if they believed
them, if they mean to have any Church preferment, the keys whereof are
in the Pope’s hands; and the common people, whatsoever they believe of
those subtile doctrines, are never esteemed better sons of the Church
for their learning. There is but one way there to salvation; that is,
extraordinary devotion and liberality to the Church, and readiness for
the Church’s sake, if it be required, to fight against their natural and
lawful sovereigns.
_B._ I see what use they make of Aristotle’s logic, physics, and
metaphysics; but I see not yet how his politics can serve their turn.
_A._ Nor I. It has, I think, done them no good, though it has done us
here much hurt by accident. For men, grown weary at last of the
insolence of the priests, and examining the truth of these doctrines
that were put upon them, began to search the sense of the Scriptures, as
they are in the learned languages; and consequently studying Greek and
Latin, became acquainted with the democratical principles of Aristotle
and Cicero, and from the love of their eloquence fell in love with their
politics, and that more and more, till it grew into the rebellion we now
talk of, without any other advantage to the Roman Church but that it was
a weakening to us, whom, since we broke out of their net in the time of
Henry VIII, they have continually endeavoured to recover.
_B._ What have they gotten by the teaching of Aristotle’s ethics?