Discusses the translation of Hobbes's De cive, which was published in England in 1651 under the title Philosophicall Rudiments. A few surviving copies include a dedicatory epistle (addressed to Lady Fane) by the translator, signed ‘C. C.’ In this essay, evidence is presented for identifying this translator with the young poet Charles Cotton. His indirect connections with both Hobbes and Lady Fane are explored, and attention is paid to the way in which Hobbes's text was assimilated (by Cotton and his publisher) to a moral and political position that combined quasi-Stoic moralism with fervent Royalism.
Keywords: Charles Cotton, De cive, Anne Fane, Hobbes, Royalism