an opportunity to the world (which has not much faith in clerical disinterestedness) to suspect him of mercenary views. When the Earl of Chesterfield sought out Bishop Berkeley, and pressed him to accept the vacant bishopric of Clogher, of much higher annual value, and where he was told he might immediately receive fines to the amount of ten thousand pounds, he consulted Mrs. Berkeley, and with her full approbation declined the valuable offer, as well as that which had accompanied it, of any other see which might become vacant during Lord Chesterfield's administration. The primacy was vacant before the expiration of that period, and he said, "I desire to add one more to the list of churchmen, who are evidently dead to ambition, and to avarice." He had long before that time given a decisive proof of this exalted feeling; for when before his departure for America, Queen Caroline had tempted him with the offer of an English mitre, he assured her majesty in reply, that he chose rather to be president of St. Paul's college in Bermuda, than primate of all England.
If indeed we may consider him as having any remark- able failing, it was a want of ambition, and too great a love of learned retirement, which prevented him from rising to a more eminent station, where he might have had more influence, and been of more service to mankind in the active duties of life. This induced him in 1752 to wish to retire to Oxford to superintend the education of his son: and having a clear sense of the impropriety of a bishop's non-residence in his diocese, he endeavoured to obtain an exchange of his see for some canonry or head- ship at Oxford. Failing in this, he actually wrote over to the secretary of state, for permission to resign his, bishopric, worth at that time about 1400. per annum. - So extraordinary a petition exciting the curiosity of his majesty, he made inquiry, who the man, was who had presented it, and finding it was his old acquaintance, Dr.
