Morning very warm and sultry. I awoke feeling excessively heated and feverish, and this settled into a nervous head ach for the day. At my Office in the morning where I continued to read Bradford whose book I finished, at least so far as is necessary to me at this time. It is highly improbable that I shall ever touch it again.

Looked over my Accounts, balanced my books and then endeavoured to better myself by taking a walk. But the attempt did not succeed. Since my return to town I have felt excessively languid, probably caused by the season of the year and my change of life. This particular kind of dog-day heat is also a very unpleasant thing to the feeling.

Afternoon, continued Hutchinson though not with much vigor. Read all his complaints and did not much wonder at them. To struggle with popular feeling, hard as it is every where, becomes twenty times harder in a Community in which there is so rigid a compliance ex-174pected with public opinion. My Grandfather and my father have done it all their lives. The consequences have reflected upon me, who am myself exactly such another in disposition although not in talent. I have the spirit to be independent without the capacity to keep myself above water. I am therefore doubly unfortunate. Quiet evening.

Another excessively sultry day. I felt better however. Morning at the Office. Read all the State Papers previous to the famous Message of Jany. 6. 1773.1 They relate principally to the place of Session of the General Court.

I was about to continue when Mr. T. K. Davis came in and discussed political affairs. The dissension in the National Republican party is very great. Mr. Webster has expressed his opinion in favor of coming in to my father’s nomination, Mr. Gorham the reverse. The Masons are of course not merely hostile but furious. And the National Republicans are in their nature so supine a party as to be easily led by the nose by half a dozen active individuals. What is this thing called the National Republican party? A matter of threads and patches.

After dinner I remained at home very quietly and read the rest of Hutchinson’s volume. I have taken this time an impression from it, different from any preceding one. There is more malice in it than I thought, more of the disposition to complain, yet after all, much allowance must be made for the poor man’s situation.

My mother and brother’s Wife came in to take tea, and remained here until after a shower. They left a little before nine o’clock in the evening. At eleven we had far the most severe thunder storm I have experienced this season.

Morning cloudy but much cooler. I went to the Office and passed my time in reading the controversial papers which took place between Hutchinson and the Legislature. I accomplished the Message of the Governor and the reply of the Council. The first appears to me an ingenious argument, but it wants bottom—The bottom of sound principle. My time passed so rapidly that the number of pages accom-175plished was very small. I look upon the labour bestowed upon these points as the substance of my proposed article.

In the afternoon, as my Wife seemed anxious to know how the ladies got through their trip yesterday evening, I rode to Quincy. Found them safe and sound at home, they just escaped the storm. My father had gone to Randolph to look after some land, which has been sold for taxes. A Note which I brought to my Mother from my Wife was so pressing,1 that she concluded to come in with me, so that we returned and got home by seven o’clock. Quiet evening at home. I read the remainder of the first Georgic.