Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
1781-07-01
This morning Pappa and brother Charles and I went to church; din'd at home, Mr. Cook, Mr. Jennings, and another 87Gentleman din'd with us; brother Charles and I went again to church. After Church Mr. Sigourney, Mr. Ingraham, Mr. Bromfield and Mr. Merrick came here but did not stay here long.
From Dr Garths' works. Epilogue to the Tragedy of Cato. Chapter 9th.1
The forty-line Epilogue, containing several transcription errors, follows on the next two
pages in the Diary (Samuel Garth, Works, Dublin, 1769, p.
117–118). On this day JQA also copied, on two and one-half pages in the Diary
as Chapter 10, the fifty-line “Epilogue to Mr. Rowe's Jane Shore,” with several slight
irregularities (Pope, Works, Balfour edn., 1:160–161).
1781-07-02
This morning Major Jackson came here; I went to Mr. Crajenschot's for the Politique Hollandois. At about ten o'clock Pappa set out upon a journey for Paris; We all din'd at home; after dinner, I went to Mr. Sigourney and Ingraham's but did not Stay there long. I went to Madam Chabanel's; but found no body but the old lady at home; Mr. Le Roi and young Mr. Chabanel came home. At about half past nine I got home.
The Universal Prayer. (From Pope's works) Deo. Opt. Max. Chap: 11th.1
The thirteen four-line stanzas fill three and one-half pages of the Diary (same, 2:67–69).
1781-07-03
Din'd at home, after dinner Mr. Searle and Major Jackson came here. At about nine o'clock a thunder Storm came up, and lasted till about eleven, it Struck a Windmill, and burnt it to the ground, and would probably have communicated itself to another which was near it, if a very heavy shower of rain had not hinder'd it.
From Waller's works. Chap. 12th. Of The Fear of God. In two Cantoes.1
Here follows, on three and one-half pages in the Diary, the first canto (64 lines) from
Edmund Waller's poem, “Of the Fear of God. In Two Cantoes.” Possibly JQA
transcribed it from his own copy of Works of Edmund Waller, Esq. in
Verse and Prose . . ., London, 1772, p. 147–149, which, according to his bookplate,
he purchased sometime in 1781 (MQA).