Paid for 2 lbs tripe 4d. In the forenoon walked down to Whyly to borrow some quart bottles. We dined on the remains of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday’s dinners with the addition of some boiled tripe. In the afternoon (or rather the evening) my brother came over and brought me one bill on Mr John Thomson, hop-factor in Southwark, value £20… My brother stayed and drank tea with us, and I sent by him to the Rev Mr Wharton in cash £10… I paid Mr Sam Beckett in full for the sum he paid in London for me this week; [including]… to searching Hazard’s lottery office for my four lottery tickets 0.1.6
At home all day except as before. In the evening read 2 of Tillotson’s sermons. In reading the Gazette for the 22nd instant I find the King of Prussia, with about 20,000, has beat the combined forces of the empire and France, which were 60,000; he
[page torn out, possibly by T.T.]
having totally routed them and taken almost, or quite all their cannon, baggage etc., taking and killing in the field of battle and the pursuit 10,000 men. Oh, could England boast of such a warlike P—– and to have such a true heroic courage diffused through all its martial men (as must evidently appear to have been in this small host)! But how can we expect to find such courage in the poor degenerated people of England, when it is virtue, and that alone, that constitutes the true hero and inspires courage into the breast of the warrior (which at this time seems almost to be extinguished in the British nation). For dissoluteness of manners, a spirit of effeminacy and self-interest, together with an intolerable share of pride and luxury, seem almost to over-spread the whole face of this kingdom. And I presume when such are the vices of a nation, they must inevitably be ruined without a speedy reformation.