Pleasant day. Usual exercises. Evening at the Mansion.

I have not the opportunity for so much miscellaneous reading on this day of the week now as formerly. My time is taken up for an hour with my daughter and then I attend divine service.

Mr. Lunt preached in the morning from Matthew 28. 8. “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy.” I know not why but this discourse did not interest me as much as usual partly I suppose in itself and partly because I had heard it before. Mr. Whitney in the afternoon from John 16. 22.28 “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh from you,” &ca. I could not gather much of the discourse from Mr. Whitney’s failing voice.1 He has now passed service in the pulpit.

Read a discourse being the first one in the collection of Sermons called The English Preacher, the fifth volume, by Tillotson. Joshua 24. 15. “If it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, chuse you this day 295whom you will serve.” Service of the Lord or a religious life recommended.

I began today Herschel’s Treatise on Astronomy2 which I desire to know something of. But my desire for knowledge is so multifarious it makes me a tiro in all. Evening at my father’s.

Warm day. At home as usual. Afternoon ride to Brookline and evening at Mansion.

I devoted most of my morning to the prosecution of my Lecture upon credit which did not however get on so fast as heretofore. There is a necessity for cautious investigation.

In the Afternoon, I started with my Wife to return the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers at Brookline. The distance is very considerable and when we arrived there we found nobody at home, so we had our labour for our pains. Returning we passed by Jamaica Pond and the beautiful country around it. Evening for an hour at the house below.

Fog but became warm and clear. To town. Afternoon at home. Evening at Edmd. Quincy’s.

I went to town this morning, accompanied by Miss Julia DeWint whom I left at Mrs. S. A. Otis’. Then to the Office. Engaged with the Painter all day, showing him what I wanted done at my house. Nothing further of consequence. Return home where I read Tacitus b. 3. 60 to 82, having read ten sections yesterday which I did not minute down. This is now pretty much all I can do in an afternoon as they grow so short.

Evening, walk down to see Edmund Quincy, a visit I have owed for some time. There were Miss Sophia Quincy and Mr. Wright or Dwight, a gentleman whom I did not know. We got into a lively and spirited literary conversation which I enjoyed the more from it’s rarity with me. Home by ten.

Rain and damp but warm. At home. Evening at home.

My head was not entirely at ease this morning and I was apprehensive of a bad day but it passed off before evening entirely.

I devoted a large part of my morning to my Lecture which I brought to a close at last. But I fear it will not do. At any rate I now mean to lay it away for a month or two, in order to give myself the advantage of cool criticism. This is what I rarely have been able to bestow upon a work, and as this is not designed to be flashy I must try and make it up with substantial merit, although New York is not the precise sphere for that article.

A little but not much of Menzel. Mrs. T. B. Adams dined with us. Afternoon, Tacitus, finish book 3 and read 20 sections of book 4. Evening the family took tea with us and remained until nine o’clock. The children none of them very well, rather suffering under the change of season.