I was born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England on April 5, 1588. My father, the vicar of Charlton and Westport, was forced to leave the town, abandoning me and my two siblings to the care of an older brother Francis. I was educated at Westport church from the age of four, passed to the Malmesbury school and then to a private school kept by a young man named Robert Latimer, a graduate from Oxford University. I was a good pupil, and around 1603 I was sent to Oxford and entered at Magdalen Hall (see Hertford College). The principal of Magdalen was the aggressive Puritan John Wilkinson, and he had some influence on me.
Being a rebel, I naturally didn't like the normal process of learning. This is why I did not complete my degree until a late part of my life. However, my former teacher, Wilkinson, recommended me to tutor the son of William Cavendish, and I grew tight with that family from then on.
To study further, I took my student on a grand tour to study ways of thinking out of England, especially Greek and Latin studies. However, it was not until 1629 that I began studying philosophy, and it was not until 1637 until I considered myself as a philosopher.
It is philosophy, however, that I am most known for. It is my beliefs that moved this world along the most:
My beliefs center around the modern natural right. This is a form of human rights. Liberty and right to choose one's own path in life is very important. This may sould similar to Life, Liberty and the Persuit of Happiness.
Some men may be stronger or more intelligent, but essentially all men fear death. And because this, and the fact that death can be imposed by other men, is true, all men are at a constant war with all other men.
The sovereign has authority to assert power over matters of faith and doctrine, and that not to do so is a recipe for discord. I have my own views on religion, but would gladly give them all up if the government found them incorrect.
