Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 4
1831-12-03
Morning cloudy with slight snow. I went to the Office as usual. Nothing of material consequence took place. I was engaged in writing 191up my Journal and began to read the Speech of Burke upon the Nabob of Arcot’s debts.1 This Speech is very celebrated and Mr. Moore speaks so highly of it, I think I must look it over again. It takes more than one reading to judge of a Speech upon a subject of so little interest to us. Took a walk to the Athenaeum and round High Street home. My purpose was to see the Address to the Public from Mr. Bailey which involves a charge against my father.2 I could not however find it. The Free Press is left at the Athenaeum but is not in estimation enough to be preserved long. Returned home.
Afternoon, finished the reading of the Tusculans and began the Essay, “De natura Deorum.” But I made no great progress. My Afternoons pass like my Mornings without proper profit.
Evening, reading to my Wife—After which, the third Book of Pope’s Homer, and the Spectator.
The speech, delivered on 28 Feb. 1785 and published separately in the same year, is in vol. 2 of the edition of Edmund Burke’s Works at MQA, published at London in 1792 in 3 volumes.
The alleged attack on JQA by John Bailey of the Antimasonry party was later denounced by Bailey as fraudulent and an outright falsehood (JQA to CFA, 13 Dec., Adams Papers).
1831-12-04
I have not escaped a violent cold which has troubled me yesterday and today. The Snow had been falling all night and was so deep on the ground, besides the increase momentarily going on, that I thought it advisable not to attend Church today. I remained quietly installed in my Chair and instead read a Sermon of Isaac Barrow’s and one of Massillon’s. The first was from the well known text “And her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths of peace.” Upon the pleasantness of Religion. A sound though not to me a remarkable Sermon. That of Massillon was from Matthew 12. 45. “And the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Upon the dangers of relapse. He considered first its enormity, then its danger. The leading idea was the loss of that freshness of soul which is never to be recovered, that first spring of piety which once defiled can never regain its purity. On the whole a very good Sermon. Read an Essay or two of old Montagne who has had great reputation for thought.1 I want to find it. My time was not all used to the best advantage.
Evening. Read to my Wife a portion of the Bible especially the beautiful Chapter in Corinthians upon Charity. Also a part of Byron’s Deformed Transformed.2 Afterwards, Pope and the Spectator.
Of the three editions of Montaigne’s Les essais at MQA, that published at Rouen in 1619 has CFA’s bookplate.
On the editions of Byron at MQA, 192see above, vol. 3:185. The order in which CFA read the poems during the next several days suggests that he was using the edition which had belonged to GWA, in which the poems appeared in the same order.