d, and beneath is the remarkable
inscription,--

"AUT EGO INSANIO SOLUS: AUT EGO SOLUS NON INSANIO."

It represents the philosopher at an advanced age, and is conformable in
every respect to the following description of his person:

"In his old age he was very bald, yet within dore he used to study and
sit bareheaded, and said he never tooke cold in his head, but that the
greatest trouble was to keepe off the flies from pitching on the
baldness. His head was of a mallet forme, approved by the physiologers.
His face not very great, ample forehead, yellowish-red whiskers, which
naturally turned up; belowe he was shaved close, except a little tip
under his lip; not but that nature would have afforded him a venerable
beard, but being mostly of a cheerful and pleasant humour, he affected
not at all austerity and gravity, and to look severe. He considered
gravity and heavinesse of countenance not so good marks of assurance of
God's favour, as a cheerful charitable, and upright behaviour, which
are better signes of religions than the zealous maintaining of
controverted doctrines. He had a good eie, and that of a hazel colour,
which was full of life and spirit, even to his last; when he was in
discourse, there shone (as it were) a bright live coale within it. He
had two kinds of looks; when he laught, was witty, and in a merry
humour, one could scarce see his eies; by and by, when he was serious
and earnest, he opened his eies round his eie-lids: he had middling
eies, not very big nor very little. He was six foote high and something
better, and went indifferently erect, or rather, considering his great
age, very erect."

Aubrey was one of the patrons of Hollar, of whom he has also given us some
brief but interesting particulars. The two following letters, which were
transcribed by Malone when he contemplated a publication of the Aubrey
papers, deserve preservation; indeed, one of them relates immediately to
the subject of this notice:

"Sir,

"I have now done the picture of Mr. Hobbes, and have showed it to some
of his acquaintance, who say it to be very like; but Stent has deceived
me, and maketh demurr to have it of me; as that at this present my
labour seemeth to be lost, for it lyeth dead by me. However, I returne
you many thankes for lending mee the Principall, and I have halve a
dozen copies for you, a