War of Mantuan Succession (bottom center) added by the author with permission of West Point Military Academy.

Hobbes was in Geneva in 1630 hoping to travel with his student, Gervase Clifton, to Italy. His letters to the father of Gervase Clifton repeatedly state that nearby warfare is preventing them from traveling. This correspondence is one of many reminders that when Hobbes speaks about “war” and “peace,” he is talking about literal war and literal peace.