and irreligion of the times; and many other things afterwards of a smaller kind. In 1744 came forth his celebrated and curious book, entitled, "Siris; a chain of philosophical reflections and inquiries concerning the virtues of Tar Water:" a medicine which had been useful to himself in a case of nervous colic. This work, he has been heard to declare, cost him more time and pains than any other he had ever been engaged in. It underwent a second impression, with additions and emendations, in 1747; and was followed by "Farther thoughts on Tar Water," in 1752. In July, the same year, he removed with his lady and family to Oxford, partly to superintend the education of his son, the subject of the following article, but chiefly to indulge the passion for learned retirement, which had ever strongly possessed him, and was one of his motives to form the Bermuda project. But as none could be more sensible than his lordship of the impropriety of a bishop's nonresidence, he previously endeavoured to exchange his high preferment for some canonry or headship at Oxford. Failing of success in this, he actually wrote over to the secretary of state, to request that he might have permission to resign his bishopric, worth at that time at least 1400l. per аппит. So uncommon a petition excited his majesty's curiosity to inquire who was the extraordinary man that preferred it: being told that it was his old acquaintance Dr. Berkeley, he declared that he should die a bishop in spite of himself, but gave him full liberty to reside where he pleased. The bishop's last act before he left Cloyne was to sign a lease of the demesne lands in that neighbourhood, to be renewed yearly at the rent of 200l. which sum he directed to be distributed every year, until his return, among poor house-keepers of Cloyne, Youghal, and Ag. hadda. The author of his life in the Biog. Brit. magnifies his love for the beauties of Cloyne, but the fact was, that he had never any idea of Cloyne as a beautiful situation, and we are happy to draw from the same authority which corrects this error, some additional particulars of his disinterested spirit. He declared to Mrs. Berkeley, soon after he was advanced to the prelacy, that his resolution was never to change his see; because, as he afterwards confessed to the archbishop of Tuam, and the late earl of Shannon, he had very early in life got the world under his feet, and he hoped to trample on it to his latest moment. These two warm friends had been pressing him to think of a translation: but he did not love episcopal translations. He thought that they were sometimes really hurtful to individuals, and that they often gave, though unjustly, a handle to suspect of mean views, an order to which that holy and humble man was himself an honour, and to which it may be said, without adulation, that he would have been an honour in any age of the church. Humble and unaspiring as was the bishop of Cloyne, the earl of Chesterfield sought him out; and when, as a tribute to exalted merit, that nobleman offered to him the see of Clogher, where he was told he might immediately receive fines to the amount of ten thousand pounds, he consulted Mrs. Berkeley, as having a family, and, with her full approbation, not only declined the bishopric of Clogher, but the offer which accompanied that proposal, of any other translation which might become feasible during lord Chesterfield's administration. The primacy was vacated before the expiration of that period. On that occasion, the bishop said to Mrs. Berkeley, "I desire to add one more to the list of churchmen, who are evidently dead to ambition and avarice." Just before his embarkation for America, queen Caroline endeavoured to stagger his resolution, by the offer of an English mitre; but, in reply, he assured her majesty, that he chose rather to be president of St. Paul's college, than primate of all England. At Oxford he lived highly respected, and collected and printed the same year all his smaller pieces in 8vo; but he did not live long; for, on Sunday evening, Jan. 14, 1753, as he was in the midst of his family, listening to the lesson in the burial service which his lady was reading to him, he was seized with what was called a palsy in the heart, and instantly expired. The accident was so sudden, that his body was cold, and his joints stiff, before it was discovered: as he lay upon a couch, and seemed to be asleep, till his daughter, on presenting him with a dish of tea, first perperceived his insensibility. His remains were interred at Christ church, Oxford, and there is an elegant marble monument over him, with an inscription by Dr. Markham, then master of Westminster school and late archbishop of York. As to his person, he was handsome, with a countenance full of meaning and kindness, remarkable for great strength of limbs; and, till his sedentary life impaired it, of a very robust constitution. He was, however, often troubled with the hypochondria, and latterly with a nervous colic, from which he was greatly relieved by the virtues of his favourite tar-water, which he brought into extensive use. It was at one time a fashion to drink this medicine, to which more virtues were attached than the good bishop had ever thought of. When at Cloyne, he spent the morning, and often a great part of the day, in study; and Plato, from whom many of his notions were borrowed, was his favourite author. The excellence of his moral character is conspicuous in his writings: he was certainly a very amiable as well as a very great man. Atterbury once declared that he did not think so much understanding, so much knowledge, so much innocence, and so much humility, had been the portion of any but angels, until he saw Mr. Berkeley. Dr. Berkeley has not been very fortunate in his biographers. An account of him was drawn up by his brother, the Rev. Dr. Robert Berkeley, vicar-general of Cloyne, who died in 1787. This was first inserted in the Biog. Britannica, and many mistakes pointed out, and additions. made to it in a subsequent volume of that work. Previously to this, in 1776, an "Account of his Life" was published in a thin octavo volume, at London, which probably was drawn up from family information. Of this a second edition was published in 1784, professedly "with improvements," but the errors both of the first edition and of the Biog. Brit. which had then appeared, are retained. In 1784 a new edition of the bishop's entire works was published at Dublin and London, 2 vols. 4to, with the octavo life prefixed. The third vol. of the Biog. Brit. contains some important information from the bishop's widow (who died 1786) and which we have endeavoured to incorporate. It remains only to be noticed that the romance called the "Adventures of Signor Gaudentio di Lucca," often attributed to our author, was certainly not his production.1 BERKELEY (GEORGE, LL. D. prebendary of Canterbury,) second son of the preceding, by Anne, eldest daughter of the right hon. John Forster, a privy-counsellor and speaker of the Irish house of commons, by Anne, daughter to the right hon. John Monck, brother to the duke of Albemarle, was born on the 28th of September 1 Biog. Brit.-Life, 8vo. 1784.-Gent. Mag. See Index.-Reid, Beattie, and Mr. Dugald Stewart in his late Essays (1810) have treated of Dr. Berkeley's Metaphysics,-British Essayists, Preface to the Guardian. 1733, old style, in Grosven-tree Gwer-se n his infancy he was removed win the fo where he was instructed in the classics ye the bishop taking that part of the extation himself. Instructed in ever ecTAL ALL 1er. plishment, Mr. Berkele over to Oxford; his father wig IIS 17 = that society, be acce e fine at the the kingdom. His first de BOK ZIE of York, Dr. Marktam. as he was allowed by a consensores Latin scholar, s autori ne va m his society, the rickigt via an rest here; be guide and taken the degree of 1L5 fr compounder, and s Acton Some ne ate le at war pence in re annum, mg of the I cies. The catage of re Cookham ver Matened - the hypochondria, and latterly with a nervous colic, from which he was greatly relieved by the virtues of his favourite tar-water, which he brought into extensive use. It was at one time a fashion to drink this medicine, to which more virtues were attached than the good bishop had ever thought of. When at Cloyne, he spent the morning, and often a great part of the day, in study; and Plato, from whom many of his notions were borrowed, was his favourite author. The excellence of his moral character is conspicuous in his writings: he was certainly a very amiable as well as a very great man. Atterbury once declared that he did not think so much understanding, so much knowledge, so much innocence, and so much humility, had been the portion of any but angels, until he saw Mr. Berkeley. Dr. Berkeley has not been very fortunate in his biographers. An account of him was drawn up by his brother, the Rev. Dr. Robert Berkeley, vicar-general of Cloyne, who died in 1787. This was first inserted in the Biog. Britannica, and many mistakes pointed out, and additions made to it in a subsequent volume of that work. Previously to this, in 1776, an "Account of his Life" was published in a thin octavo volume, at London, which probably was drawn up from family information. Of this a second edition was published in 1784, professedly" with improvements," but the errors both of the first edition and of the Biog. Brit. which had then appeared, are retained. In 1784 a new edition of the bishop's entire works was published at Dublin and London, 2 vols. 4to, with the octavo life prefixed. The third vol. of the Biog. Brit. contains some important information from the bishop's widow (who died 1786) and which we have endeavoured to incorporate. It remains only to be noticed that the romance called the "Adventures of Signor Gaudentio di Lucca," often attributed to our author, was certainly not his production.1 BERKELEY (GEORGE, LL. D. prebendary of Canterbury,) second son of the preceding, by Anne, eldest daughter of the right hon. John Forster, a privy-counsellor and speaker of the Irish house of commons, by Anne, daughter to the right hon. John Monck, brother to the duke of Albemarle, was born on the 28th of September 1 Biog. Brit.-Life, 8vo. 1784.-Gent. Mag. See Index.-Reid, Beattie, and Mr. Dugald Stewart in his late Essays (1810) have treated of Dr. Berkeley's Metaphysics.-British Essayists, Preface to the Guardian. |