“It was in the nature of those who had long dreamt of Pacific empire to stress the optimism with which George Berkeley opened his quatrain. Few pondered the line with which he closed it: Westward the course of empire takes its way; The first four acts already past. A fifth shall close the drama with the day: Time's noblest offspring is its last.” TimeHistoryBerkeleyGeorge BerkeleyPacific EmpireUrban Studies Book:Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin Source: Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin