Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 5
1833-07-11
Fine day. Having been to Boston a great deal of late, I concluded I would try the comfort of a day or two in quiet and study. Remained at Quincy and returned to the whole series of my ancient occupations. Read an Ode or two of Horace, a Chapter of Neale and instead of continuing directly the life of James Otis, I compared about one half of the second volume of Minot’s History of Massachusetts with my Grandfather’s copy. My object was to copy the Marginal Notes which were after all of little importance. But he conveyed away from the family his books, and I thought I might at least retain in mine some symptoms of the action of his mind.1 The work itself is an exceedingly superficial one and very wordy.
In the afternoon I walked to Payne’s hill after my usual business of dunning the Tenants and with usual success. I then strolled over to Mount Wollaston and took a bath at the beach of that farm. It was charming. There are some Lime trees which are the relics of a former age. I sat in their shade some-time and mused. Then home pretty well fatigued. Evening quiet at home. Read a little and but little. My father’s birthday—66 years old.
JA’s copy, with marginal notes in his hand, of George Richards Minot’s Continuation of the History of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, from the year 1748 ... to 1765, 2 vols., Boston, 1798–1803, was among the books which JA had given to the town of Quincy, which remained in the “Office” at the Old House, and which are now in MB. The second volume of CFA’s set still in MQA, which bears the notes copied in CFA’s hand and identified as JA’s (vol. 3:334), reflects the action taken for the reasons he states.