weet and charming a
character. Atterbury wrote of him, "So much understanding, knowledge,
innocence, and humility I should have thought confined to angels, had I
never seen this gentleman." Swift said, "He is an absolute philosopher
with regard to money, title, and power." Pope let drop a tribute which
can never die, when he said,

"To Berkeley every virtue under Heaven."

Such a person was naturally a seer.

He is compendiously called an Irish prelate and philosopher; he was born
in Kilkenny, 1684, and died in Oxford, 1753. He began as a philosopher.
While still young, he wrote his famous treatise on "The Principles of
Human Knowledge," in which he denies the existence of matter, insisting
that it is only an impression produced on the mind by Divine power.
After travel for several years on the Continent, and fellowship with the
witty and learned at home, among whom were Addison, Swift, Pope, Garth,
and Arbuthnot, he conceived the project of educating the aborigines of
America, which was set forth in a tract, published in 1725, entitled,
"Scheme for Converting the Savage Americans to Christianity by a College
to be erected in the Summer Islands, otherwise called the Isles of
Bermuda." Persuaded by his benevolence, the ministers promised twenty
thousand pounds, and there were several private subscriptions to promote
what was called by the king "so pious an undertaking." Berkeley
possessed already a deanery in Ireland, with one thousand pounds a year.
Turning away from this residence, and refusing to be tempted by an
English mitre, offered by the queen, he set sail for Rhode Island,
"which lay nearest Bermuda," where, after a tedious passage of five
months, he arrived, 23d January, 1729. Here he lived on a farm back of
Newport, having been, according to his own report, "at great expense
for land and stock." In familiar letters he has given his impression of
this place, famous since for fashion. "The climate," he says, "is like
that of Italy, and not at all colder in the winter than I have known it
everywhere north of Rome. This island is pleasantly laid out in hills
and vales and rising grounds, hath plenty of excellent springs and fine
rivulets and many delightful landscapes of rocks and promontories and
adjacent lands. The town of Newport contains about six thousand souls,
and is the most thriving, flourishing place in all America for its
bigness. It is very pretty and pleasantly situated. I was never more
agreea