Thomas hobbes was born near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, on April 5, 1588. His mother gave birth to him prematurely, as the story was told, because she took fright at the approach of the Spanish Armada to the English coast. He commented, late in life, on the circumstances Of his birth in the words: she brought forth twins — myself and fear. His remark has at least some purport. It reflects the realization of an old man of more than eighty years of age, that he had sought through a long life to make himself secure amidst the tur moils of civil war and violent shifts of political power. It also indicates a fundamental theme Of his political philosophy, namely, that the prime need of man, a need which must be satisfied before any other consequent goods may be Obtained, is peace under a stable government.