Astonishing how the weather holds on stormy. It was as bad today as it has been at any time. My Wife was confined to her bed all day. I attended divine service morning and Afternoon. Heard Mr. Brazer of Salem.1 He is a clear, finished Writer with a good though conceited delivery. I was pleased with his Sermons. One thing struck me as singular which was, that there was a paragraph almost precisely the same with one I had written in my Review, but which on correcting, I had struck out as too commonplace. Perhaps this is the greatest evidence of my correctness, yet it did not sound flat in his mouth. This may be true and still the same thing would not stand cool reading. Took a long walk also. My exercise has already gone far to correct my difficulty of which I complained.

In the afternoon I sat with my Wife and read partly aloud and partly to myself Drake’s Essays upon the composition of the Tatler, Spectator and the other periodical literature of that day.2 A book that is extremely necessary at this day to the reading and right understanding of those works. I received today much information which will carry me much more easily through my undertaking of these Essayists. I afterwards finished reviewing the fourth book of Paradise lost and read half of the fifth book, besides my usual number of Tatlers. I also omitted to record a little work upon my Catalogue.