Another hot day. I passed the morning reading Puckler Muskau whose Style amuses me very much. His modes of thinking are curious, but he does think. Nor does he confine himself like the Duck of Saxe Weimar to follow the bill of fare of every Table d’hote he finds. The Germans are a singular people. Without much solidity in their opinions they indulge in a considerable range of thought, and combine with 350it a sense of refined enjoyment of the essence of beauty in the world both moral and physical which makes them as writers generally pleasing, sometimes unintelligible.

Attended divine service in the morning but not in the afternoon, Mr. Muzzy of Cambridge, a young man in College with me.1 He hit upon the same Text with Mr. Stetson’s on the 6th July: Acts 20. 35. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The present was a theoretical view of charity. Mr. Stetson’s was a coarsely practical one. Neither of them touched upon the sources which make Charity the greatest of three with faith and hope. Neither of them considered the moral duty in its operation both on others and on one’s self. It was too warm to listen well today.

Read A Sermon of Atterbury’s. Psalm 57. 7 and 8. “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory! Awake psaltery and harp! I myself will awake right early.” It was upon the usefulness of Church music, by fixing the attention and producing a proper state of feeling. One head was upon the superior adaptation of the music of the Church of England. And it closed with an exhortation. I once heard Dr. Kirkland2 preach upon the same subject but his was a historical sketch of sacred music. I am much of a believer in its efficacy. Read Madame de Maintenon’s Letters. And in the evening Mr. Hall and Dr. Swan were here. Conversation tedious.

The morning was cool and clouds came up from the Eastward which soon produced a strong contrast to the yesterdays temperature. I went to town alone, and was occupied all the morning, first in a visit to my House where I put away my Certificates &ca. and then in copying for my father and writing for myself.

At noon I went to Quincy. Found my father at dinner, not expecting me much. He seemed in better spirits than he was. Conversation. In the afternoon, I finished the third volume of Jefferson. A change and a very bad change came over his spirit in 1794. His letters are after that period very full of bad passions. Read Madame de Maintenon and a little of Ovid very superficially. Two visitors were here to see 351my father but I did not go down. A. H. Everett and B. F. Hallett. Quiet evening.