[1350]I then sent a letter to him in the countrey to advertise him of the Advent[1351] of his master the king and desired him by all meanes to be in London before his arrivall; and knowing[1352] his majestie was a great lover of good painting I must needs presume he could not but suddenly see Mr. Cowper's curious pieces, of whose fame he had so much heard abroad and seene some of his worke, and likewise that he would sitt to him for his picture, at which place and time he would have the best convenience[1353] of renewing his majestie's graces to him.[1354]He returned me thankes for my friendly intimation and came to London in May following.
It happened, about two or three dayes after his majestie's happy returne, that, as he was passing in his coach through the Strand, Mr. Hobbes was standing at Little Salisbury-house gate (where his lord then lived). The king espied him, putt of his hatt very kindly to him, and asked him how he did. About a weeke after he had[1355] orall conference with his majesty at[1356] Mr. S. Cowper's, where, as he sate for his picture, he was diverted[1357] by Mr. Hobbes's pleasant discourse[1358]. Here his majestie's favours were redintegrated to him, and order was given that he should have free accesse to his majesty, who was always much delighted in his witt and smart repartees.
The witts at Court were wont to bayte him. But he feared none of them[1359], and would make his part good. The king would call him the beare[CXIV.]: 'Here comes the beare to be bayted!'
[CXIV.] This is too low witt to be published.—MS. Aubr. 9, fol. 40v.
Repartees. He was marvellous happy and ready in his replies, and that without rancor (except provoked)—but now[1360] I speake of his readinesse in replies as to witt and drollery. He would say that he did not care to give, neither was he adroit[1361] at, a present answer to a serious quaere: he had as lieve they should have expected an[1362] extemporary solution to an arithmeticall probleme, for he turned and winded and compounded in philosophy, politiques, etc., as if he had been at analyticall[1363] worke. He alwayes avoided, as much as he could, to conclude hastily (Humane Nature, p. 2). Vide[1364] p. 15 b.
<Re-enters the household of the earl of Devonshire.>
[1365]Memorandum—from 1660 till the time[CXV.] he[1366] last went into Derbyshire, he spent most of his time in London at his lord's (viz. at Little Salisbury-howse; then, Queen Street; lastly, Newport-house), following his contemplation and study. ☞ He contemplated and invented (set downe a hint with a pencill or so) in the morning, but compiled[1367] in the afternoon.
[CXV.] Quaere when. Quaere W. Crooke de hoc. [You[1368] say somewhere[1369] that he went into Derbyshire, 1675. Here, while he was at London, he was much sought after and courted: taught and directed those that sought after him.]—MS. Aubr. 9, fol. 41v.
<His treatise De Legibus.>
1664. In[1370] 1664 I sayd to him 'Me thinkes 'tis pitty that you that have such a cleare reason and working[1371] head did never take into consideration the learning of the lawes'; and I endeavoured to perswade him to it. But he answered that[1372] he was not like to have life enough left to goe through with such a long and difficult taske. I then presented him the lord chancellor Bacon's Elements of the Lawe (a thin quarto), in order therunto and to drawe him on; which he was pleased to accept, and perused; and the next time I came to him he shewed me therin two cleare paralogismes in the 2nd page (one, I well remember, was in page [2]), which I am heartily sory are now out of my remembrance.[1373] I desponded, for his reasons, that he should make any tentamen[1374] towards this designe; but afterwards, it seemes, in the countrey he writt his treatise De Legibus[FU] (unprinted) of which Sir John Vaughan, Lord Chiefe Justice of the Common Pleas, had a transcript, and I doe affirme that he much admired it.