Morning clear but quite cold for so late in the season. I read in the morning the memoirs of the prince of Montbarey, one of the Noblesse of France at the time of the Revolution.1 Rather a sensible man, but with all the follies and the vices which brought on that whirlwind.

Attended divine service and heard Mr. Frothingham from 1. Chronicles 15. 36. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel and all the people said, Amen,” upon the part which the people should take in religious exercises. A question very sensibly discussed by him arriving at the conclusion that forms were not material where the spirit was present. I am myself rather inclined against our form as not requiring the participation of the individual. My feelings are always more involved when I am present at the reading of the Church Service. Mr. Walsh walked and dined with me. Exodus 20. 5 in the afternoon. “For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third or fourth generation of those that hate me.” An explanation of this terrifying text, and limitation to the Jews, and their discipline.

After my return home, I read a Sermon of Sterne’s. Ecclesiastes 7. 2.3. “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting.” He begins the discourse quaintly enough by a flat denial and 208then explains it in the only way of which it admits as applying to the state of feeling which adversity or prosperity respectively generate. Sterne writes very neatly, but his mind was not a devout one.

Evening, I walked up to the Boylston Hall with the view of hearing the Concert of the Handel and Hayden Society but the tickets being all sold, I returned and took my Wife with me down to Mr. Frothingham’s. There was a great deal of company. Mr. Wales and his family, Mrs. Foster and her son, and Mr. Beale and his daughter. Home at tea.

Morning fine. I went to the Office and began to make up the Arrears of my Diary which are again considerable, but I was not destined to do much with them today. Mr. Hallett came in and began to talk of matters here. I thought it a very good opportunity to have something of an explanation with him. I told him that my position was now such as to make it necessary not to be connected with the movements of the democratic party so far as to render me unable to resist any hostile action on their part towards my father. And I wished to know if he foresaw at all the possibility of being obliged by the course of Mr. Van Buren to aid in a project already agitated as I heard, of opposing my father in his district should he be a candidate for re-election. He said not, that he had no idea of any such thing, that my father would not embarrass him unless he should aid the Whigs at the next State Election. I said I did not expect that much, particularly as Mr. Webster had concluded to remain in public life, but that at present at least I wished to be free from all engagements.

A. H. Everett came in and the conversation turned upon the affairs here which are in a very bad state. Tomorrow is the day for the trial for the County organization in Suffolk, between the party holding Office and the Radicals. And Mr. Hallett has plunged into the contest. He seemed to be confident of victory and read us some resolutions which he proposed to offer. I thought well of them but doubted whether the abdication of the nominations to Office on the part of the County Committee would be acceptable to either party. It being in fact a struggle for power and nothing else. Mr. Hallett said he had assurances from the Radicals. The business is a wretched one and I am glad to have nothing to do with it.

Home late, so that I lost my Greek. Afternoon, Burnet whom I continued to read very constantly. He is tiresome notwithstanding. Evening at home. Read to my wife part of Moore’s Byron, and afterwards finished the first volume of Montbarey.