"Sir Charles Scarborough, M.D., Physician to his Royal Highness the
Duke of York, much loved the conversation of Hobbes, and hath a picture
of him (drawne about 1655), under which is this distich:
'Si quaeris de me, mores inquire, sed ille
Qui quaerit de me, forsitan alter erit.'"
"In their meeting (_i. e._ the Royal Society) at Gresham College is his
picture drawne by the life, 1663, by a good hand, which they much
esteeme, and several copies have been taken of it."
In a note Aubrey says:
"He did me the honour to sit for his picture to Jo. Baptist Caspars, an
excellent painter, and 'tis a good piece. I presented it to the Society
twelve years since."
In other places he tells us:
"Amongst other of his acquaintance I must not forget Mr. Samuel Cowper
(Cooper), the prince of limners of this last age, who drew his picture
as like as art could afford, and one of the best pieces that ever he
did which his Majesty, at his returne, bought of him, and conserves as
one of his greatest rarities in his closet at Whitehall."
In a note he adds:
"This picture I intend to be borrowed of his Majesty for Mr. Loggan to
engrave an accurate piece by, which will sell well both at home and
abroad."
Again he says:
"Mr. S. Cowper (at whose house Hobbes and Sir William Petty often met)
drew his picture twice: the first the King has; the other is yet in the
custody of his (Cooper's) widowe; but he (Cowper) gave it indeed to me
(and I promised I would give it to the archives at Oxon), but I, like a
fool, did not take possession of it, for something of the garment was
not quite finished, and he died, I being then in the country."
{369}
This picture is, I believe, now in my possession. It is a small half-length
oil painting, measuring about twelve inches by nine. Hobbes is represented
at an open arch or window, with his book, the Leviathan, open before him;
the dress is, as Aubrey states, unfinished, and beneath is the remarkable
inscription,--
"AUT EGO INSANIO SOLUS: AUT EGO SOLUS NON INSANIO."
It represents the philosopher at an advanced age, and is conformable in
every respect to the following description of his person:
"In his old age he was very bald, yet within dore he used to study and
sit bareheaded, and said he never tooke cold in his head, but that the
greatest trouble was to keepe off the flies from pitching on the
baldness. His head was of a mallet forme, approved by the physiologers.
His face not very great, ample forehead, yellowish-red whiskers, which
naturally turned up; belowe he was shaved close, except a little tip
under his lip; not but that nature would have afforded him a venerable
beard, but being mostly of a cheerful and pleasant humour, he affected
not at all austerity and gravity, and to look severe. He considered
gravity and heavinesse of countenance not so good marks of assurance of
God's favour, as a cheerful charitable, and upright behaviour, which
are better signes of religions than the zealous maintaining of
controverted doctrines. He had a good eie, and that of a hazel colour,
which was full of life and spirit, even to his last; when he was in
discourse, there shone (as it were) a bright live coale within it. He
had two kinds of looks; when he laught, was witty, and in a merry
humour, one could scarce see his eies; by and by, when he was serious
and earnest, he opened his eies round his eie-lids: he had middling
eies, not very big nor very little. He was six foote high and something
better, and went indifferently erect, or rather, considering his great
age, very erect."
Aubrey was one of the patrons of Hollar, of whom he has also given us some
brief but interesting particulars. The two following letters, which were
transcribed by Malone when he contemplated a publication of the Aubrey
papers, deserve preservation; indeed, one of them relates immediately to
the subject of this notice:
"Sir,
"I have now done the picture of Mr. Hobbes, and have showed it to some
of his acquaintance, who say it to be very like; but Stent has deceived
me, and maketh demurr to have it of me; as that at this present my
labour seemeth to be lost, for it lyeth dead by me. However, I returne
you many thankes for lending mee the Principall, and I have halve a
dozen copies for you, and the painting I have delivered to your
Messenger who brought it to mee before.
"Your humble servant,
"W. HOLLAR.
"The 1st of August, 1661."
"[For Mr. Aubrey.]
"Sir,
"I have beene told this morning that you are in Town, and that you
desire to speak with mee, so I did presently repaire to your Lodging,
but they told mee that you went out at 6 o'clock that morning, and it
was past 7 then. If I could know certaine time when to finde you I
would waite on you. My selve doe lodge without St. Clement's Inne back
doore; as soon as you come up the steps and out of that doore is the
first house and doore on the left hand, two paire of staires into a
little passage right before you; but I am much abroad, and yet enough
at home too.
"Your most humble servant,
W. HOLLAR.
"If you had occasion to aske for mee of the people of the house, then
you must say the Frenchman Limmner, for they know not my name
perfectly, for reasons sake, otherwise you may goe up directly."
This minute localising of one of the humble workshops of this admirable
artist may not be unacceptable to MR. PETER CUNNINGHAM for some future
edition of his very interesting _Handbook of London_. It may not be amiss
to add that Hollar died on the 25th of March 1677, in the seventieth year
of his age and that he was buried in St. Margaret's churchyard,
Westminster, near the north-west corner of the tower, but without stone to
mark the spot.