Morning warm but weather changed. At home, bath. Evening at my father’s. Mr. Ward.

I spent the greater part of the morning in budding trees, it being a favorable time for it, warm but cloudy and threatening rain. At noon went down to Mount Wollaston with my two boys and took a bath. The water was fine but a change of wind to the eastward made the air cold.

A little of Texier. After dinner Tacitus, book 13 of the Annals twenty sections. The beginning of Nero. No time for any thing else.

Tea at my father’s after which there came a man from New York calling himself Ward, with a letter from Mr. Hunt, and whose object was to procure a Lecture for the Mercantile Library Association during the next winter.1 Against the whole system of lecturing I have strong and serious objections, and my participation in it is not a matter of much selfcongratulation, whenever I do it. But my duty seems to be to contend against the obstacles which have been raised against my progress in every way that I can, and here is an opportunity presented in a foreign city which has been rather sedulously denied to me at home. Shall I seize it? My only doubt arises from the difficulty of hitting upon a good topic. I did not answer positively tonight, but requested a short time for reflection.

Cloudy morning with light showers but it afterwards cleared. To town. Afternoon at home.

Rode to town where my time was very much taken up with visits to tenants and business in general. I was not very successful in my applications, but succeeded in letting my house, and also a part of my Office rather as a favor than otherwise. This relieves my mind a little although I have been at great expense for the first in repairing it. Nothing particularly new.

Home in a cloud of dust. My father dined with me, so that I read only ten sections of Tacitus. Evening at the Mansion. Depression of spirits today.