Myself and maid both at church in the morning… There was a brief read for the parish church of Stoke in the county of Salop to which I gave nothing by reason I had neither silver nor halfpence in my pocket. Mr Francis Elless dined with us on a hog’s cheek boiled, turnips, parsnips, a plain butter pond pudding and pea broth. Myself and maid at church in the afternoon. My wife not at church all day, she being very ill and lame. The text in I Timothy, 2:1: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men”, from which words we had in my opinion a very good sermon, showing how necessary the duty of public prayer is to our salvation, and, at the same time, that we should not neglect the advantage of prayer also in private, both of which duties were delivered to us in a very plain and moving manner.
After churchtime paid the poor as under:
| To Dame Trill | 0.5.0 |
| To Ed Babcock | 0.4.0 |
| To Ann Wood | 0.4.0 |
| To the Widow Pilfold | 0.6.0 |
| To John Streeter for house rent etc. for do. | 0.3.0 |
| total | 1.2.0 |
Today in reading of some of Tillotson’s sermons I find the following citation: He says it is an excellent rule that Phythagoras gave to his scholars, pitch upon the best course of life and custom will soon render it easy. In the evening and in the day read the 5th, 6th and 7th of Tillotson’s sermons.