1733, old style, in Grosvenor-street, Grosvenor-square. In his infancy he was removed with the family to Ireland, where he was instructed in the classics by his father only, the bishop taking that part of the education of his sons on himself. Instructed in every elegant and useful accomplishment, Mr. Berkeley was, at the age of nineteen, sent over to Oxford; his father leaving it to his own choice to enter a gentleman commoner, either at Christ church or St. John's college. But bishop Conybeare, then dean of Christ church, on his arrival offering him a studentship in that society, he accepted it, finding many of the students to be gentlemen of the first character for learning and rank in the kingdom. His first tutor was the late learned archbishop of York, Dr. Markham; on whose removal to Westminsterschool, he put himself under the tuition of Dr. Smallwell, afterwards bishop of Oxford. Having taken the degree of B. A. he served the office of collector in the university, and as he was allowed by his contemporaries to be an excellent Latin scholar, his collector's speech was universally admired and applauded. In 1758 he took a small living from his society, the vicarage of East Garston, Berks, from which he was removed, in 1759, by archbishop Secker, his sole patron, to the vicarage of Bray, Berks; of which he was only the fifth vicar since the reformation. In 1759, also, he took the degree of M. A.-The kindness of archbishop Secker (who testified the highest respect for bishop Berkeley's memory by his attention to his deserving son) did not rest here; he gave him also the chancellorship of Brecknock, the rectory of Acton, Middlesex, and the sixth prebendal stall in the church of Canterbury. In 1768 he had taken the degree of LL. D. for which he went out grand compounder, and soon afterwards resigned the rectory of Acton. Some time after he had obtained the chancellorship of Brecknock, he put himself to very considerable expence in order to render permanent two ten pounds per annum, issuing out of the estate, to two poor Welch curacies. The vicarage of Bray he exchanged for that of Cookham near Maidenhead, and had afterwards from the church of Canterbury the vicarage of East-Peckham, Kent, which he relinquished on obtaining the rectory of St. Clement's Danes; which with the vicarage of Tyshurst, Sussex (to which he was presented by the church of Canterbury in 1792, when he vacated Cookham), and with the chancellorship of Brecknock, he held till his death. His VOL. V.

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illness had been long and painful, but borne with exemplary resignation; and his death was so calm and easy that no pang was observed, no groan was heard, by his attending wife and relations. He died Jan. 6, 1795, and was interred in his father's vault in Christ church, Oxford. Not long before his death, he expressed his warmest gratitude to Mrs. Berkeley, of whose affection he was truly sensible, and of whom he took a most tender farewell. Dr. Berkeley's qualifications and attainments were such as occasioned his death to be lamented by many. He was the charitable divine, the affectionate and active friend, the elegant scholar, the accomplished gentleman. He possessed an exquisite sensibility. To alleviate the sufferings of the sick and needy, and to patronize the friendless, were employments in which his heart and his hand ever co-operated. In the pulpit his manner was animated, and his matter forcible. His conversation always enlivened the social meetings where he was present; for he was equalled by few in affability of temper and address, in the happy recital of agreeable anecdote, in the ingenious discussion of literary subjects, or in the brilliant display of a lively imagination.

Dr. Berkeley published two or three single sermons; one of which, preached on the anniversary of king Charles's martyrdom, 1785, entitled "The danger of violent innovations in the state, how specious soever the pretence, exemplified from the reigns of the two first Stuarts," has gone through six editions, the last in 1794; one on Good Friday 1787; one at Cookham on the king's accession, 1789. His Sermon on the consecration of bishop Horne was not published until after his death. In 1799, his widow published a volume of his Sermons with a biographical preface. He married, in 1761, Eliza, eldest daughter and coheiress of the rev. Henry Finsham, M. A. by Eliza, youngest daughter and one of the coheiresses of the truly pious and learned Francis Cherry, esq. of Shottesbrook-house in the county of Berks, by whom he had four children, now no more. The late bishop Horne, we may add, was one of Dr. Berkeley's earliest and most intimate friends, the loss of whom he severely felt, and of whom he was used to speak with the sincerest respect and the most affectionate regard.

This memoir, we have some reason to think, was drawn up for the preceding edition of this work, by his widow, a lady who claims some notice on her own account. She died

at Kensington, Nov. 4, 1800, leaving a character rather difficult to appreciate. In 1797, she published the "Poems" of her son George Monck Berkeley, esq. in a magnificent quarto volume, with a very long, rambling preface of anecdotes and remarks, amidst which she exhibits many traits of her own character. She was unquestionably a lady of considerable talents, but her fancy was exuberant, and her petty resentments were magnified into an importance visible perhaps only to herself. She had accumulated a stock of various knowledge, understood French perfectly and spoke it fluently. She likewise read Spanish and Hebrew, and always took her Spanish Prayer-book with her to church. This was but one of her peculiarities. In conversation, as in writing, she was extremely entertaining, except to those who wished also to entertain; and her stories and anecdotes, although given in correct and fluent language, lost much of their effect, sometimes from length, and sometimes from repetition. She had, however, a warm friendly heart, amidst all her oddities; and her very numerous contributions to the Gentleman's Magazine contain no small portion of entertainment and information. Her son, the above-mentioned George Monck Berkeley, published in 1789, an amusing volume of anecdote and biography, under the title of "Literary Relics."

BERKELEY (GEORGE EARL OF) descended in a direct line from Robert Fitzharding, who was of the royal house of Denmark. He with his nephew, Charles Berkeley, had the principal management of the duke of York's family, and was one of the privy council in the reign of Charles II. James II. and William III. At the restoration he manifested great loyalty for Charles II. and was advanced to the dignity of viscount Dursley and earl of Berkeley in 1679. One of his most munificent acts was his bestowing on the public library of Sion college, a valuable collection of books formed by sir Robert Coke. He died Oct. 14, 1698, aged seventy-one, and was buried at Cranford in Middle

Lord Orford attributes to him, on good authority, a curious and scarce work of the religious cast, entitled "Historical applications and occasional meditations upon several subjects. Written by a person of honour," 1670, 12mo. In this book are several striking instances of the testimony which some men of eminence have borne to the

1 Dr. Berkeley's Sermons.-Gent. Mag. 1795, 1800, and 1793, p. 185.

importance of religious life, and the consolation to be received from it, especially at the approach of death. Fenton, in his observations on a short poem, prefixed to this work by Waller, says that his lordship was a person of strict virtue and piety, but of such undistinguishing affability to men of all ranks and parties, that Wycherley has been supposed to have drawn his character of "Lord Plausible," in the Plain Dealer, from him; a circumstance that cannot detract much from his lordship's reputation, for Wycherley was a poor judge of men of "strict virtue and piety." Besides the above work, of which a third edition. appeared in 1680, lord Berkeley published, the same year, "A speech to the Levant Company at their annual election, Feb. 9, 1680."1

BERKELEY (SIR ROBERT), one of the justices of the king's bench in the time of Charles I. was born in 1584, the second son of Rowland Berkeley, esq. of Spetchly in Worcestershire, where his descendants yet live; and was by the female line, descended from Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, who flourished in the reigns of Henry IV. and V. In the 12 James I. he served the office of high sheriff for the county of Worcester; in the 3d Charles I. was made king's serjeant, and in the 8th of the same reign, was made a justice of the court of king's bench. While in this office, he, with eleven of his brethren, gave his opinion in favour of ship-money; and if we may judge from the tenor of his conduct in private life, as well as upon the bench, from honest motives; but as he had been active on other occasions in what he seems to have thought his duty, and was a man of fortune, he was singled out by parliament as a proper object of their vengeance. He was accordingly impeached of high treason, and adjudged to pay a fine of 20,000l. to be deprived of his office of judge, and rendered incapable of holding any place, or receiving any honour in the state or commonwealth: he was also to be imprisoned in the Tower during the pleasure of the house of lords. Having made some "satisfaction" for his fine to the parliament, he was by their authority, discharged from the whole, and set at liberty, after he had been upwards of seven months in the Tower. But he afterwards suffered greatly by the plunderings and exactions

1 Park's edit, of the Royal and Noble Authors.-Collins's Peerage.—Granger, vol. III.

of the rebels, and a little before the battle of Worcester, the Presbyterians, though engaged in the king's service, retained their ancient animosity against him, and burnt his house at Spetchly to the ground. He afterwards converted the stables into a dwelling-house, and lived with content, and even dignity, upon the wreck of his fortune. He was a true son of the church of England, and suffered more from the seduction of his only son Thomas to the church of Rome, at Brussels, than from all the calamities of the civil war. He died Aug. 5, 1656.1

BERKELEY (SIR WILLIAM), a native of London, was the youngest son of sir Maurice Berkeley, and brother of John lord Berkeley of Stratton. He was elected probationer fellow of Merton college, Oxford, in 1625, and four years after was admitted M. A. In 1630, he set out on his travels, where he seems to have acquired that knowledge which fitted him for public business, and on his return, became gentleman of the privy-chamber to Charles I. In 1646, he went on some commission to Virginia, of which province he had afterwards the government. He invited many of the royalists to retire thither as a place of security, and hinted in a letter to king Charles I. that it would not be an unfit place as a retreat for his majesty; depending, perhaps, more upon the improbability of its being attacked, than on its means of defence. Virginia, however, was not long a place of safety; the parliament sent some ships with a small force, who took possession of the province without difficulty, and removed sir William Berkeley from the government, but suffered him to remain unmolested upon his private estate. In 1660, on the death of colonel Matthews, in consideration of his services, particularly in defending the English from being killed by the natives, and in destroying great numbers of the Indians without losing three of his own men, he was again made governor, and continued in that office until 1676, when he returned to England, after an absence of thirty years. He died the following year, and was buried July 13, in the parish church of Twickenham. His writings are, "The Lost Lady," a tragi-comedy, Lond. 1639, fol. and, as the editor of the Biog. Dram. thinks, another play called "Cornelia," 1662, not printed, but ascribed to a "sir William Bartley." He wrote also a

Granger's Biog, and Letters by Malcolm, p. 217, 253-261,-Peck's Desiderata, vol. II.-Lloyd's Memoirs, fol. p. 94, 95.