Warm and cloudy. At home. Occupied as usual. Evening at the Mansion.

I continued my occupations all the morning and finished a very considerable part of my Lecture. It pleases me well while I write it, but my feeling is never one of much confidence. So much is there in repu-292tation that my late efforts have been attended with twice the success that I had from earlier and much more laboured ones. Read some of Menzel too.

Afternoon, Tacitus, finishing the second book of the history. I like it better than the Annals. A little work and evening, an hour’s visit to my father’s. Nothing new.

Fine day. To town, thence to Medford. Mr. Brooks’ and Gorham’s.

Mr. Brooks has for some time past been urging my Wife and myself to go to Medford. We accepted the invitation and fixed today. Accordingly we started, my Wife in the Carriage and my father to Boston with me. I spent the morning in town in business of various kinds, and at one started with my Wife and I with our boy John.

We got to Mr. Brooks’ house to dinner. And passed the afternoon and evening there with the exception of a short visit to Gorham Brooks’, where were Mrs. Edward and Sidney Brooks and Edward paying a visit. The sensation to me here was one of loneliness which I have not before felt and know hardly how to account for. The place looks pretty but cold. During our stay at Gorham’s there came up Mr. Cushing and Hodgkinson. The former much as I had heard of him, I had never seen before. A coarse looking man. The latter gentlemanly and handsome but very English farmerlike. Retire early from positive want of occupation.

Fine day. To town, back to Medford, dine at Gorham Brooks. Evening at house.

I went to town this morning accompanied by Mr. Brooks. Found upon arriving that the Great Western had arrived and brought news not decisive of any thing. I attended during a great part of the morning a sale of the books of T. Lyman who is going to Europe. I had expected to find a library of much value, but infer from what I saw that he sold only what he considered superfluous. I was under no temptation to buy much, and left the place with a feeling of misspent time.

Mr. Brooks returned with me and we all dined with Gorham and his Wife. He lives in very handsome style with all his luxuries about him.

I left there to take a stroll to the grove which used to be my favorite 293resort in my young days when I was a lover. And never since the death of Mrs. Brooks did the sense of contrast so forcibly present itself.1 Then this house was always full and always regarded as the centre of family union. Now it is secondary to all the rest. This is not the fault of Mr. Brooks senior who feels very evidently the deficiency of his own position, but he is in a manner obliged to submit from a dislike to making any difficulties in his family. And in other respects he is made comfortable enough. Nature however has not changed in the interval though man has, and no one more so than myself. How much of my earthly career has passed and how hope has changed into posession! I pray God, I may become wiser and better. The evening was short and dull.