fic verfion of Dara Shekoo, a fon of Sheh Jehan, Emperor of Hindoftan.

Upon the whole, while we exprefs our approbation of the Inftitutes of Timour, it is with pleafure as well as with juftice, that we hold out Major Davy and Profeffor White as highly intitled to the gratitude of the public, for the ability and induftry with which they have acted in their different departments in the publication of the prefent per

formance.

ART. II. Memoirs of George Berkely, D. D. late Bishop of Clyne in Ireland. The fecond Edition, with Improvements, 8vo. fewed 35. Faulder.

IN

N an age fo full of curiofity as the prefent, it is remarkable that fo little has been written concerning Bishop Berkeley. The performance before us though authentic, is not fo full as we could have wished, but as the facts it contains are interefting, we shall attempt to present our Readers with the most important of them.

Dr. Berkeley was born March 12, 1684, at Kilcrin, near Thomas-town; and at the age of fifteen was admitted a penfioner of Trinity College, Dublin. The first proof he exhibited of his abilities was Arithmetica abfque Algebra aut Euclide demonftrata; and in 1709, which was two years after, he published his Theory of Vifion. In the year 1710, he fent forth, his celebrated performance on the Principles of human Knowledge, in which he expreffed his entire difbelief of the existence of matter. Of this work he prefented copies to Dr. Clarke and Mr. Whifton. It was perufed by both of them with great care; and the latter paying a vifit to the former, intimated ftrongly his disapprobation, but acknowledging at the fame time his incapacity to refute the deep fubtleties of Berkeley, requested Dr. Clarke to engage in that task. Dr. Clarke declined, however, the undertaking proposed to him. He was yet uncommonly displeased with the conclufions of Berkeley; and many years after, these ingenious men were brought together by Mr. Addison, in order to have a conference on this fubject, but their dispute did not answer the expectations conceived from it. For Dr, Clarke it was imagined would have been able to overthrow the metaphyficks of Berkeley, whose opinions it was thought might militate against the chriftian religion; notwithstanding that the Author profeffed his fulleft conviction of its truth. The difputants were only confirmed the more in their particular tenets. Dr. Clarke treated Berkeley as incorrigible; and Berkeley declared himself diffatisfied with an an

tagonift

tagonist, who though he could not anfwer, had not candour enough to own himfelf convinced.

In the year 1712, Dr. Berkeley published the most exceptionable of all his works, his difcourfe on the Doctrine of paffive Obedience. This was foon followed by his Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous. Here he defended his fyftem of immaterialifm, and difplayed notonly the acutenefs of his parts, but the beauty and fertility of his imagi

nation.

The celebrated Earl of Peterborough being appointed about this time ambaffador to the king of Sicily, he chofe Dr. Berkeley to attend him in the quality of chaplain and fecretary. His time in this employment was paffed both profitably and agreeably; and upon his return to England he had the offer of accompanying Mr. Afh, the fon of the bishop of Clogher, upon a tour through Europe, His travels improved his converfation, and gave that urbanity to his behaviour which alone had been wanting to give the beft polish to his accomplishments.

In the courfe of his travels he met many fingular men; and at Paris he could not refift the curiofity of paying a vifit to Father Malebranche. He found this ingenious philofopher in his cell, cooking in a fmall pipkin, a medicine for a diforder with which he was then troubled, an inflammation on his lungs. Dr. Berkeley explained his fyftem to Malebranche; but that inquifitive father did not relish his doctrines he was more attached to his own opinions, and their difpute was long and ferious. But what is infinitely

to be regretted, this altercation proved fatal to Malebranche Giving way to the impetuofity of his temper, he raised his voice fo high, and was fo violently agitated, that he augmented the force of his diforder, and was carried off by it in a few days.

When Dr. Berkeley returned to England, he was flattered with an unexpected piece of good fortune. Dean Swift had introduced him to the family of Mrs. Efther Vanhomrigh;* and he was able to draw to him the attention of this lady. Her tender attachment to Dean Swift is fufficiently known, and it was with a view to enjoy his company, that fire took up her refidence at Cell-bridge, a pleafant village in the neighbourhood of Dublin. But the Dean having formed a connection with Stella, was no longer difpofed to pay any homage to her; and her difappointment fo enraged her, that she altered a refolution fhe had formed of making him.

*The celebrated Veneffa.

her

her heir, and left nearly 4000l. to Dr. Berkeley. This was a most fortunate incident to a poor man; but the laws of gallantry forbid us to inquire whether the Doctor had fubverted the Dean, or whether the lady had made any actual transfer of her affections.

In the year 1724 Dr. Berkeley was promoted to the Deanry of Derry by the influence of the Duke of Grafton. He was now perfectly at his eafe, for the living brought him 1100l. per annum. The rich have a full title to be benevolent, Dr. Berkeley gave an example of this, by now forming a plan for converting the favage Americans to chriftianity by a college to be erected in the Summer Iflands, otherways called the Ifles of Bermuda. This chimerical project made a deep impreffion upon his mind, and he took many steps to promote it. But it was not deftined to be carried into execution.

Dr. Berkeley when eafy in his circumftances, thought of altering his condition, and married Anne, the eldest daughter of the Right Honourable John Forster, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. He relinquished not, however, his tafte for ftudy; and in the year 1732, he published the Minute Philofopher; a very mafterly work, in which he purfues the freethinker through the various characters of the atheift, libertine, enthufiaft, fcorner, critic, metaphyfician, fatalift, and sceptic. But although it is impoffible to doubt, that Dr. Berkeley was a serious and devout chriftian; yet it is remarkable that his works lead very pointedly to the fubverfion of this fyftem of faith; and that freethinkers may derive many arguments from them to fupport their tenets.

Queen Caroline having a tafte for literature, extended her patronage to several ingenious men. She was fond of converfing frequently with Doctors Clarke, Hoadley, Berkeley and Sherlock; and her admiration of them was fincere than that which they poffeffed for one another. Clarke and Berkeley often difputed in her prefence, but could never convince one another. Hoadley adhered to Clarke, and Sherlock to Berkeley.

In the year 1734, Dr. Berkeley was advanced to the bishoprick of Cloyne. He was now at the top of his am--bition; but he continued, notwithstanding, his ftudies, and gave fresh proofs of his attachment to our most holy religion. The infidelity of Dr. Garth was a matter of fincere forrow to Dr. Berkeley and Mr. Addison. During the laft illness of this eminent phyfician he was vifited by Mr. Addison, and earnestly exhorted to turn from the evil of his ways, and to truft in faith for his falvation. Surely Addison, said the dying man, I have good reason not to be

6

lieve

lieve thofe trifles, fince my friend Dr. Halley, who has dealt fo much in demonftration, has affured me, that the doctrines of chriftianity are incomprehenfible, and the religion itself an impofture.' Addifon departed with a pious, horror and amazement. The indignation of Berkeley was warm both againft Garth and Halley. He wrote and publifhed his Analyft, in which he maintains that myfteries in faith were unjustly objected to by mathematicians, who admitted much greater myfteries, and even falfehoods into fcience; of which he endeavoured to prove that the doctrine of fluxions furnished an eminent example. His book was read with avidity, and made a very confiderable noife. But it removed not the ftumbling block of infidelity; and poor Garth was content to die, relying more upon the goodness of his life, than the ftedfaftnefs of his belief.

The last performance of any value, in which Bishop Berkeley engaged, was entitled, Siris, a Chain of Philofophical Reflections and Enquiries concerning the Virtues of Tar-water. It was the fate of the Bishop to intermingle in all his writings a great deal of good fenfe with a trong mixture of whim. Upon this laft work he valued himfeif moft. From the phænomena of tar water he paffes to the depths of the antient philofophy, and then carries his reader to the fublimeft myfteries of the chriftian religion.

Thefe are the principal particulars concerning Bishop Berkeley which are detailed in this pamphlet. The account of his death and character we fhall now give as a fpecimen of the ability of its Author.

In July, 1752, he removed, though in a bad state of health*, with his lady and family, to Oxford, in order to fuperintend the education of one of his fons, then newly admitted a student at Chrift-church. He had taken a fixed refolution to spend the remainder

He was carried, from his landing on the English flore, in a horfe-litter, to Oxford.

This gentleman, George Berkeley, fecond fon of the Bishop, proceeded A. M. January 26, 1759, took holy orders, and, in Auguft following, was prefented to the vicarage of Bray in Berk flire. The late archbishop Secker, who had a high refpect for the father's character, honoured the fon with his patronage and friendfhip, both at the univerfity and afterwards. By his favour, Dr. Berkeley is now poffeffed of a canonry of Canterbury, the chancellor-fhip of the collegiate church of Brecknock, and (by exchange for the vicarage of Bray) of the vicarage of Cookham, Berks: to which was added lately, by the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, the vicarage of Eaft Peckham, Kent. He took the degree of LL. D. February 12, 1768. In the year 1760, he married the daughter of the Reverend

mainder of his days in this city, with a view of indulging the paffion for a learned retirement, which had ever ftrongly pofleffed his mind, and was one of the motives that led him to form his Bermuda project. But, as no body could be more fenfible than bis Lordflip of the impropriety of a bishop's non-refidence, he previoufly endeavoured to exchange his high preferment for fome canonry or headship at Oxford. Failing of fuccefs in this, he actu ally wrote over to the fecretary of flate, to request that he might have permition to refign his bifhopric, worth, at that time, at least 1400l. per annum. So uncommon a petition excited his majesty's curiofity to enquire who was the extraordinary man that preferred it. Being told that it was his old acquaintance, Dr. Berkeley, he declared that he fhould die a bishop, in fpite of himself; but gave him full liberty to refide where he pleased.

The Bishop's last act, before he left Cloyne, was to fign a leafe of the demefne lands in that neighbourhood, to be renewed yearly, at the rent of 200l. which fum he directed to be diftributed every year, until his return, among poor housekeepers of Cloyne, Youghal, and Aghadda.

At Oxford he lived highly refpected by the learned members of that great univerfity, till the hand of Providence unexpectedly deprived them of the pleafure and advantage derived from his refidence among them. On Sunday evening, January 14, 1753, as he was fitting in the midft of his family, liftening to a fermon of Dr. Sherlock's which his lady was reading to him, he was seized with what the physicians termed a palfy in the heart, and instantly expired. The accident was fo fudden, that his body was quite cold, and his joints ftiff, before it was difcovered, as the Bishop lay on a couch, and feemed to be afleep; till his daughter, on prefenting hĩm with a dish of tea, first perceived his infenfibility. His remains were interred at Chrift-church, Oxford, where there is an elegant marble monument erected to his memory, by his lady, who is ftill living; and had, during her marriage, brought him three fons and one daughter.

As to his perfon, he was a handfome man, with a countenance full of meaning and benignity, remarkable for great ftrength of limbs, and, till his fedentary lite impaired it, of a very robust conftitution. He was, however, often troubled with the hypochondria; and, latterly, with that nervous cholic mentioned above.

At Cloyne, he conftantly rofe between three and four o'clock in the morning, and fummoned his family to a leffon on the baseviol, from an Italian mafter he kept in the house, for the instruction of his children; though the Bishop himself had no ear for mufic. He spent the rest of the morning, and often a great part of the day, in ftudy: his favourite author, from whom many of his notions were borrowed, was Plato. He had a large and valuable collection of books and pictures, which are now the property of his fon, the reverend George Berkeley, LL. D.

The excellence of his moral character, if it were not fo conReverend Mr. Frinfliam, rector of White-Waltham, Berks; and by this lady hath had iffue two fons.

fpicuous