Just as the map of the Thirty Years War (figure 5) reminds us of the literal presence of war in Hobbes’s life, so the 1648 painting of Malmesbury (figure 1) provides such a reminder. During the English Civil War, Malmesbury was under constant assault -- now held by parliamentary forces, now by the king’s forces -- changing hands (according to town records) either five or seven times.

Numbers and letters inscribed on the surface of the painting in some cases identify permanent features of the town, and in other cases identify features of the civil war fortifications: for example, P marks “The Gret platform over ye pouder mille.” Sometimes a permanent feature of the town contributes to its defense: for example, R marks places where the river is between 10 and 18 feet deep.

Press “Original” beneath Figure 1 to see more clearly the letters and numerals superimposed on the painting. The verbal descriptions on the bottom of the painting are transcribed here in Figure 6.

Sir John Da[n]vers, referred to in the inscription on the top of the painting, was Malmesbury’s representative to the House of Commons. History accords him the title of “Regicide,” since he is one of the members of Parliament who signed the order for the execution of Charles I.