De Cive
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De Cive (‘On the citizen’) is one of Hobbes’ major works.
It was Hobbes’s intention to write on human knowledge; when this project was realised, it consisted of three works: De Corpore (‘On the body’), De Homine (‘On man’), and De Cive. Because of the political turmoil in Hobbes’s time, he set out to start with the work which would systematically come last: De Cive. This work comprises three parts: Libertas (liberty), Imperium (dominion), and Religio (religion). In the first part, he describes man’s natural condition, dealing with the natural laws; in the second, the necessity of establishing a stable government is indicated. Finally, in the third part, the most important statements are backed up theologically.
The book was published in Latin in 1642; a revised edition appeared in 1647. It was translated into English, entitled Philosophicall Rudiments Concerning Government and Society (published in 1651). John Aubrey testifies that Hobbes translated part of the work into English himself with such success that an intended translator would rather leave Hobbes to do the job (Brief Lives 1669-1696, ed. A. Clark, vol. II, p. 277), although it’s still not certain whether this has indeed been the case.
The edition of the work by H. Warrender (Latin and English versions) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983) is at present the best one available.
