Morning chilly but fair weather. I went to Meeting all day, accompanied by my Wife in the morning. A certain Mr. Putnam preached,1 in the morning a Sermon full of Common Places upon the mutability of human affairs. Quite a Common place, and totally useless Sermon. He is a young Man, my Junior in College, without much ballast. His discourse in the afternoon was upon the use of the world, and encouraged decidedly the disposition of men to attend to temporal matters. This I thought also indiscreet, the human mind is always prone enough to be engrossed with the love of the things of this world, and needs no 413authorized stimulus from the sacred desk. Let the fact be as it may, the actual operation of such language from a Preacher as this young man used, is to make all who are avid of gain still more so, with the further encouragement which their conscience quieted gives them. The love of Money is not perfectly in unison, with Charity or any of the expensive Virtues. A young Man may do Mischief when he treads upon doubtful ground.

I finished and copied a long letter to my Father, which engrossed the whole day, being the longest I ever wrote.2 Evening finished the book upon Spain, and after my Wife retired, made progress in Middleton’s Life of Cicero, also read the Tatler.

Morning mild and clear. Went to the Office as usual, and from thence to a Meeting of the Directors of the Middlesex Canal at Mr. W. Sullivan’s Office. The question was upon the yearly Report of the Agent, and the Dividend. The Agent read his Report and the conclusion of it was that about six thousand four hundred dollars, remained in his hands, the Company being in debt something over seven thousand dollars to Mr. J. C. Jones.1 The Majority of the Board were in favour of paying off this sum and releasing the Company from debt, thus making no Dividend. This is rather severe, but it cannot be helped. So much for the Middlesex Canal.

Returned home after taking a walk, having passed upon the whole a pretty useless morning. After dinner I read the Oration for Q. Roscius, the Comedian. It is a mere trunk like the Hercules Torso without head, hands or legs, but is still an able specimen of reasoning skilfully. His object was to prove that Roscius had made an arrangement for himself and not the Partnership. And his evidence is some of it curious. The first part is difficult owing to the peculiar law which it embraces.

Evening, I read Middleton’s Life of Cicero which I finished. It does not say enough about his Works. Began the Port Royal Latin Grammar and read the Tatler.