354128th. (Adams Papers)
Writing all the forenoon. In the afternoon I went out, with my brother Tom, upon a shooting party: indifferent sport. Somewhat fatigued in the evening. I sit down every day to write journal, but here events in general are so trifling, that a relation of them is not worth committing to paper: and as to sentiment, there is nothing here to raise it in the mind; if I had a brain as fertile as that...
354229th. (Adams Papers)
Attended parson Wibird the whole day. He recommended very highly humility, or spiritual poverty; his sermons were I thought, better than usual. Miss Sarah Taylor, a young lady between 60 and 70 years old dined here this day. I have seen, when I was a child in books of fairy tales, figures very much like this lady, astride upon a broomstick riding Jehu-like through the air. This is a sufficient...
354330th. (Adams Papers)
Writing all day. Dr. Tufts was over here in the afternoon. Weather very cold; a fire in dog-days seems quite unnatural; but is very comfortable at present.
3544[August 1787] (Adams Papers)
A cold north-east storm. Reading and writing all day. Wrote a letter to my mother, and one to my Sister. Read some pages in Bolingbroke’s philosophical works: the stile and matter both inferior to his political writings. JQA to AA , 1 Aug. ( Adams Papers ); his letter to AA2 has not been found. Tom set out this morning for Haverhill. I expected to be there before now; but one thing and another...
354531st. (Adams Papers)
A cold north-east storm. Reading and writing all day. Wrote a letter to my mother, and one to my Sister. Read some pages in Bolingbroke’s philosophical works: the stile and matter both inferior to his political writings. JQA to AA , 1 Aug. ( Adams Papers ); his letter to AA2 has not been found.
3546Wednesday August 1st. 1787. (Adams Papers)
Tom set out this morning for Haverhill. I expected to be there before now; but one thing and another has prevented me from going, and I suppose I shall be kept here as much as a week longer. I wrote a short essay this forenoon, but was not pleased with it, when I had done. Ben. Beale, was here in the afternoon, and drank tea with us; I proposed to him to go with me to Haverhill next week, but...
35472d. (Adams Papers)
One of the Miss Greenleaf’s and a married sister of her’s dined here, and withal Miss Taylor, the amiable lass that I mentioned, two or three days ago. She is an original character, with a good deal of natural sense, but a brain, which has been some how out of order, and does not at present appear to be wholly right: she is an incessant talker and like most other persons who bear that...
35483d. (Adams Papers)
I went over to Milton this forenoon, and dined at General Warren’s. I found my Class-mate Sever there, and his mamma. They left Milton at about 4 in the afternoon, and proceeded to Boston. Soon after they were gone Mrs. Scott, and Miss H. Otis, (a sister to Mrs. Warren,) Mrs. Parsons and Miss Nancy Russell of Plymouth, came in, and drank tea. I had never before seen either of these ladies,...
35494th. (Adams Papers)
The weather was extremely warm, all the forenoon. Rambled about, upon Mr. Cranch’s farm with my cousin. In the afternoon, I went into the water with him: towards evening the weather began to grow more comfortable: a letter was brought me, from Mr. Belknap in Boston. Terminal punctuation has been supplied. On this letter and JQA ’s reply of the 6th, see entry for 18 July, note 9 (above).
35505th. (Adams Papers)
Mr. Wibird preach’d this day, upon two different subjects which for him, was something very extraordinary. In the forenoon the subject was the shortness, the uncertainty and instability, of human life; occasioned by the death of one of the parishioners in the course of the last week: but in the afternoon he spoke with much animation, with great judgment, and sound reasoning, upon the...