LEON Y CASTILLO 5,
TELDE,
GRAN CANARIA.
_6 Dec. 1903._
I fear that I must not carry my good wishes beyond the point of hoping
that the improvement that I saw last time I visited you has gone
further and that at any rate you are easy and free from pain. I have
just had a week in this island. Part of it I spent foolishly in bed but
now I am in a delightful atmosphere and have been thoroughly enjoying
your Hobbes. It is worthy of you, and you know what I mean when I say
that. I have been all through it once and have corrected most of the
typists errors. A few little points must stand over until I can command
the whole of the "Works" (I only brought two volumes with me) but they
are not of such a kind as would prevent the copy going to the printers,
and I propose to send it to them very soon, for they will let me keep
the stuff in type until I am again in England. The difficulties to
which I refer are words occurring in your quotations from Hobbes--just
here and there your writing beats me, but a few minutes with Molesworth
will settle the matter....
I think I told you that in my estimate you have written, more rather
than less, your due tale of words. I shall add nothing save some tag
which will serve as a substitute for the missing end of the final
paragraph (said tag I may be able to submit to you) and I shall omit
nothing save trifles unless the publishers insist.
I have been speculating as to what T. H. would have said had he lived
until 1688. If it becomes clear that your "sovereign" is going to
acknowledge the pope's claims, this of course is no breach of any
contract between ruler and ruled (for there is no such contract)
but is there not an abdication? Putting theory out of the question,
which would the old gentleman have disliked most, Revolution against
Leviathan, or a Leviathan with the Roman fisherman's hook in his nose?
Well he was a delightful old person and deserved the expositor whom he
has found.