Cold easterly wind. To town. Afternoon and evening at home. I went to town this morning accompanied by my father. Called at 280the Athenaeum to procure a book or two upon credit, a subject which I must begin to look up. Storch, Political Economy,1 I found instructive. The subject will bear working, I think. There were persons at the Office to see my father much of the time so that I had little opportunity for business.

Home as usual. It had been cold all the morning but set in to rain after dinner. I read twenty sections in the fourteenth book of Tacitus, and some of Grimm. In the evening I was at home, and read aloud to my Wife the first act of King Lear.

Cold and fog. At home all day. Evening visit to Mr. Appleton’s.

My occupation this morning was pretty steady. I finished the long letter which has taken me all the week. Read and reflected upon the material for a Lecture and a little of Menzel. This with a walk with my children into town consumed the whole morning. After dinner Tacitus book 14 of Annals, s 21 to 40, and Grimm, who is a kind of cold scoffer at whose selfsufficiency one is apt to become a little angry.

In the evening, the ladies went up to take tea with Mrs. Adams, and I walked up to pay a visit to Mr. Appleton. He has a large family of grown up children. Not particularly interesting.

Clearing off. Exercises as usual. Evening at the Mansion.

I went through the ordinary routine of exercises for this morning with my little girl and read also some of Tucker, but with slackened interest.

Attended divine service and heard Mr. Russel1 a gentleman now officiating at Hingham in the room of Charles Brooks preach in the morning from 1 John 4. 20, “For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” and in the afternoon from John 15. 4 “Without me ye can do nothing.” A good sensible preacher without making himself very interesting.

Read a discourse in the English Preacher from Titus 2. 10. “That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” A very excellent one by the Revd. Dr. Rogers upon the use of good practical morals as a support to the Christian profession. There is plain, downright sense and acute reasoning combined.

Le Comte, his Account of the curse of proselytism in China as practised by the Catholic missionaries is curious. A little of Grimm and evening at the house below. Can I let this day pass without remembering that I am thirty two.