Theological Origins of Modernity

214 chapter seven
the dissolution of society perhaps appealed to him because of what his earliest
biographer Aubrey called his melancholic disposition. 12 His studies
followed a generally humanist path with a focus on languages and ancient
authors, but with a Greek rather than a Latin focus.
In 1603 Hobbes went to Magdalen Hall, earlier a center of Puritanism,
whose rector was John Wilkinson, a staunch Calvinist who emphasized
the sinfulness of human nature. 13 Hobbes studied logic and Aristotelian
physics, although he was not interested in either, and actually spent most
of his time reading about astronomy and the New World. While the curriculum
was probably scholastic, it is not clear whether it was realist or
nominalist. 14 Some believe that the humanistic reforms of the mid-sixteenth
century had brought a rhetorical element to the curriculum that remained
strong even with the revival of Aristotelianism, and that Hobbes’
education was more humanistic than most scholars assume. 15
Completing his degree in 1608, Hobbes became the tutor for William
Cavendish on the recommendation of Wilkinson. Th e Cavendishes were
one of the great royalist families of Stuart England, and through them
Hobbes entered the highest echelons of society and participated in discussions
of the great political, theological, and intellectual issues of the day. 16
With only a few interruptions he stayed with them for the rest of his life.
Hobbes benefi ted from the family’s extensive library, reading broadly
in the humanist and Christian traditions, focusing more on Greek history
and poetry than philosophy, and less on Roman moral and political
thought than had earlier humanists. 17 He apparently had no interest in Platonism
or Neoplatonism, and little sympathy for civic republicanism, but
showed a keen interest in the Hermetic tradition. 18
While many scholars treat the young Hobbes as a humanist, his concerns
were distant from those of earlier humanists, who sought to reconcile
Christian doctrine and Roman moral thought within a Platonic
horizon. Hobbes insisted that Roman moral and political philosophy was
pernicious and that Platonism was demonic and anti-Christian. In this
respect, he was closer to Luther than to Petrarch and Ficino, or even to
Erasmus and More.
William Cavendish was only slightly younger than Hobbes, and, as a
result, Hobbes was more companion than tutor. Th ey toured the continent
from 1614 to 1615. During this trip, Hobbes saw Catholicism at fi rst
hand, and he became convinced that it had been corrupted by paganism.
In one of his earliest essays, he argued that the ambition of the bishops of
Rome had subverted the empire and that their sumptuousness and pride
continued to corrupt Catholic doctrine and practice. 19 During this time in