…In the evening went down to the vestry at Jones’s, where was Mr French, Joseph and Thomas Fuller, Mr Burgess, John Vine Jr, Joseph Durrant and Richard Page. There was no business of moment to transact, though oaths and imprecations seemed to resound from all sides of the room, and the sound of which seemed to be harsh and grating, so that I came home about 7:20. I believe [were…] the penalty paid (which is assigned by the legislature) by every person that swears, even supposing the persons to be only common laborers that constitute our vestries—there would need no tax to be levied to maintain our poor. For I think the fund arising from such forfeitures would be more than sufficient to defray all the expenses of the poor.