Morning clear and pleasant. At the Office as usual. Occupied in my Occupations of account and in settling some outstanding demands, until eleven o’clock, when I took up one of my books purchased at the sale yesterday. It is a work upon diplomatic style by one Meisel and so far as I have read contains some very good precepts indeed.1 I was pleased with the simplicity of his advice and its aptness. A man in writing about a thing should always exemplify his advice as much as possible by his practice.

Returned home and passed the Afternoon in reading over the second book of Cicero de Inventione. I do not think more of it on a reperusal. It is on the whole a dry production. Useful to such as myself who are examining the subject with attention but totally without interest to people in general. It wants clearness, its allusions are intricate, its advice too multiplied. The mind cannot embrace at once so rapid a variety of points.

In the evening I attended a Ward Meeting of the friends of Mr. 345Appleton to organize the system of voting, and returned home to read a little of Mr. Todd’s Account of Milton,2 which I do not like so well as that of Dr. Symmons. Two numbers of the Tatler.

Morning clear and cool. Went to the Office and was busy all the morning at it, reading Mr. Meisel on a proper diplomatic style. He illustrates as he goes by examples from public papers of various kinds. Most of them are a little of the driest. It has been for some time past a matter of bitter reflection to me that I mispend my morning’s time, and I am reflecting upon the proper method to cure it. Two acquisitions may be made either of which would be valuable—That of the German Language, or some knowledge of the Civil Law. I am now balancing between them as to which to take and waiting to get the necessary assistance from Quincy.

At half past one according to agreement I went out of town with Mr. Brooks to stay at Medford for a day or two. Found there Gorham B. and his Wife who is very dull owing to the loss of her child. I sincerely pity her. Living as she does so lonely in the Country makes it infinitely worse. P. C. Brooks Jr. was also there. Gorham is a kind of individual of a character so unpleasant to me that I never feel at ease in his presence. Sensible that he was averse to my introduction to the family and never treated me with common civility while I was single, I feel no desire to make those advances for acquaintance which I should be willing to do in most cases.1 Evening quiet. Took up a new Number of the Edinburgh Review and was much interested by an Article on Mr. Jefferson’s Works.2

Morning clear but showing the advances of Winter upon us. The Country looks bleak and cheerless, and I feel no disposition to seek it. 346Attended Divine Service all day and heard a certain Mr. Abbot1 a young man preach two uninteresting and commonplace Sermons. This matter of preaching is rather a poor business in most cases—Particularly when young men undertake it. Yet young men must practise to become good. I continued my Number in the Edinburgh Review which I found uncommonly interesting. The Life of Bentley, the Roman History of Niebuhr and the Political Article are all good.2 The spirit of the second I liked more particularly as it discourages the strong spirit of the age to doubt. My own ideas have always turned against the doctrine that makes every thing in the world unstable. Afternoon, a visit from Mr. Willm. G. Brooks and his brother from Maine.3 They stayed an hour, after which I read Walter Scott’s Dramatic Pieces, lately published. They have no great merit. Some pretty poetry, great ease, but no higher qualities and a total deficiency of Plot except that poorest of all which takes its rise from supernatural incidents—A quality which is visible in all the works of Scott and shows an inherent weakness in his mind.