=3. George Berkeley (1685–1753).= Born in Ireland, Berkeley was educated at Dublin, where he distinguished himself in mathematics. Taking holy orders, he went to London (1713), and became acquainted with Swift and other wits. He was a man of noble and charitable mind, and interested himself in many worthy schemes. He was appointed a dean, and then was made Bishop of Cloyne in 1734. He was a man of great and enterprising mind, and wrote with much charm on a diversity of scientific, philosophical, and metaphysical subjects. Among his books are _The Principles of Human Knowledge_, a notable effort in the study of the human mind that appeared in 1710, _Dialogues of Hylas and Philonous_ (1713), and _Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher_ (1733). He is among the first, both in time and in quality, of the English philosophers who have dressed their ideas in language of literary distinction. He writes with delightful ease, disdaining ornament or affectation, and his command of gentle irony is capable and sure. =4. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762).= This lady, famous in her day for her masculine force of character, was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Kingston. In 1712 she married Edward Wortley Montagu, and moved in the highest literary and social circles. In 1716 her husband was appointed ambassador at Constantinople, and while she was in the East she corresponded regularly with many friends, both literary and personal. She is the precursor of the great letter-writers of the later portion of the century. Her _Letters_ are written shrewdly and sensibly, often with a frankness that is a little staggering. She had a vivid interest in her world, and to a certain extent she can communicate her interest to her reader. =5. Earl of Shaftesbury (1671–1713).= Anthony Ashley Cooper, third Earl of Shaftesbury, is another example of the aristocratic _dilettante_ man of letters. He had little taste for the politics of the time, and aspired to be famous as a great writer. He traveled much, and died at Naples in 1713. His books are written with great care and exactitude, and are pleasant and lucid without being particularly striking. His _Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, and Times_ (1716), though it contains nothing very original or profound, suited the taste of the time and was widely popular. Pope drew upon it for much of his matter in his _Essay on Man_. ALEXANDER POPE (1688–1744)