Morning cloudy, but on the whole tolerably warm. I passed my morning in reading Demosthenes in the latter part of the second Olynthiac. It is wonderful how clear his argument always is. He has no dimness in his conceptions. This is the very first requisite of a powerful Orator. He must know his subject so fully as to have not the least hesitation in unfolding it. And then he must take care not to entangle himself with irrelevant matter. I also read some numbers of the Federalist. Half an hour spent in the garden for exercise, in which I set a bed of Strawberries from the Keen’s seedling roots purchased in the Summer. I found the original Plants in pretty poor condition, but there had grown several very healthy ones from the Runners. T. B. Adams Jr. dined with us.

Afternoon the letters to Atticus. But I feel heated after dinner, probably from eating too much, and I am not able to pursue the study so fully as I might. Besides, the want of Notes is a terrible thing. It takes away all the interest of a Book to understand it but partially. I read Bacon’s Essay “Of Riches,” which is very good. A large part of the Evening was passed with my Wife who seemed a good deal discouraged by her little trials. The rest with the Ladies, and reading the Affairs of 1830 as well as the Spectator.