Morning rainy and weather appearing much as it has done for some time back, Previous to my going to the Office I called upon Mrs. Lewis in the House at the Corner of Common Street to ascertain her determination with respect to it as her Lease expires shortly. She begged for time until the Spring to move, provided I would make a reduction of one third in her rent, which I did not feel myself authorized to do, so that after some talk, I found to my regret that this House was also to be upon my hands. I therefore quitted her, to go to my Office and write some advertisements for the Patriot and Daily Advertiser which I carried down myself to those Newspapers.1 I have now two 66houses which become empty on the opening of the year and my Father will lose two hundred and sixty dollars a quarter until they are filled, which is something of a loss. And I am to have the trouble of directing the repairs which must infallibly be considerable. The rest of the morning was passed quietly at my Office, and I read Marshall pleasantly enough, and made some further arrangements in my Accounts by which I hope to be able to form a tolerable estimate of the profits of my Father’s real Estate. After dinner I read Aeschines as usual and accomplished more in my short allowance of time than I had previously done on any single day. My preparatory reading has been such as materially to assist me in my labour. But it is nonetheless not at all a slight undertaking for me, more particularly the part of translation. In the evening, I read a portion of Clarissa Harlowe to my Wife who was suffering from a head ache, and afterwards continued La Harpe whose account of the two Plinies is interesting, and with them I finish the second part of his book relating to Orators.