William Lucy
Encyclopedia
William Lucy was an English clergyman. He was bishop of St David's
after the English Restoration
of 1660.
, and in particular on Leviathan
(1651), using the pseudonym William Pyke, Christophilus, and circulated by Humphrey Robinson
. A later and expanded edition, of 1663, was under his real name, as Observations, Censures and Confutations of Notorious Errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan.
John Bowle
considers Lucy's views as representative of the common view. He attacked Hobbes's concept of the state of nature
, as inconsistent with the Biblical state. The popularity of the ideas he conceded, but he attributed it to neophilia. His attack has been called traditionalist and moralistic.
. He belonged to the Arminian party, and became rector of Burghclere
in 1619, Highclere
in 1621.
In the mid-1660s he clashed with William Nicholson
, bishop of Gloucester
, over Nicholson's visiting rights as archdeacon of Brecon. Lucy won the resulting court case.
His tomb and wall monument are at Christ College, Brecon
. He has rebuilt the church there, demolished in the Civil War period.
Bishop of St David's
The Bishop of St David's is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St David's.The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St David's in Pembrokeshire, founding St David's Cathedral. The current Bishop of St...
after the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of 1660.
Opponent of Hobbes
He published in 1657 an attack on the philosophy of Thomas HobbesThomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
, and in particular on Leviathan
Leviathan (book)
Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil — commonly called simply Leviathan — is a book written by Thomas Hobbes and published in 1651. Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan...
(1651), using the pseudonym William Pyke, Christophilus, and circulated by Humphrey Robinson
Humphrey Robinson
Humphrey Robinson was a prominent London publisher and bookseller of the middle seventeenth century.Robinson was the son of a Bernard Robinson, a clerk from Carlisle; other members of his family were important clergymen and church office-holders. Humphrey Robinson became a "freeman" of the ...
. A later and expanded edition, of 1663, was under his real name, as Observations, Censures and Confutations of Notorious Errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan.
John Bowle
John Edward Bowle
-Education:He was educated at Marlborough College. There his contemporaries included John Betjeman, who became a friend, and Anthony Blunt, about whom he was consistently negative. He was an undergraduate at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was counted as an Aesthete.-Career:After his education,...
considers Lucy's views as representative of the common view. He attacked Hobbes's concept of the state of nature
State of nature
State of nature is a term in political philosophy used in social contract theories to describe the hypothetical condition that preceded governments...
, as inconsistent with the Biblical state. The popularity of the ideas he conceded, but he attributed it to neophilia. His attack has been called traditionalist and moralistic.
Life
He was a student at Trinity College, OxfordTrinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
. He belonged to the Arminian party, and became rector of Burghclere
Burghclere
Burghclere is a village and civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,138...
in 1619, Highclere
Highclere
Highclere is a village and civil parish situated in the North Wessex Downs in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the northern part of the county, near the Berkshire border. It is most famous for being the location of Highclere Castle....
in 1621.
In the mid-1660s he clashed with William Nicholson
William Nicholson (bishop)
William Nicholson was an English clergyman, a member of the Westminster Assembly and Bishop of Gloucester.-Life:The son of Christopher Nicholson, a rich clothier, he was born at Stratford St. Mary, Suffolk, on 1 November 1591. He became a chorister of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1598, and...
, bishop of Gloucester
Bishop of Gloucester
The Bishop of Gloucester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire and has its see in the City of Gloucester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church...
, over Nicholson's visiting rights as archdeacon of Brecon. Lucy won the resulting court case.
His tomb and wall monument are at Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It caters for pupils from eleven to eighteen.Christ College was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII...
. He has rebuilt the church there, demolished in the Civil War period.