In the final years of my life, I spent much of my time writing books called Behemoth: the history of the causes of the civil wars of England, an autobiography, and translations of the Odyssey and the Illiad. In this book, I analyzed the problems and troubles that caused the English Civil War. However, because of the uncertainty and rejection the book would possibly cause, Charles II advised me to not publish it. Even after it was published, the book was not widely read or reviewed by the rest of the audience. However, several ideas in the book are crucial to my belief system. In the book, I split the book into four parts. The first part emphasized the causes of the war and how the rejection of the idea of absolute monarchy by Parliament combined with the rebellious Scots lead to the English Civil War. In the second section, I focused on preparation for the war and the last few factors before the war. I also looked at Parliament’s Nineteen Propositions which the king had rejected because it would limit the king even further. In the third section, I analyzed the events during the war and Charles I’s beheading. Finally, in the last section of the book, I review why Oliver Cromwell and Parliament had failed and the rebirth of the Stuart line.
As I have been forced to stop writing about human conduct, I found it an efficient use of my time to translate Homer’s Odyssey and Illiad. I also translated Homer’s works because of my interest in Greek and Latin writings. Thus my waning years of my life were used to review history and ancient writings.
