Tuesday, February 25 1755

At home all day. Posted my day book. Mrs French here in the afternoon. Brewed and filled the old barrel, the new being filled about 12 weeks ago.

Read part of the 2nd volume of The Sports of the Muses. Memo:

Epigram by Prior:

“When Loveless married Lady Jenny
 
Whose beauty was — the ready penny
 
I chose her, says he, like old plate:
 
Not for the fashion, but the weight.”

An Epitaph on a Miser, by Shakespeare;

“Ten in the hundred lies here ingraved
 
‘Tis a hundred to ten his soul is not saved.
 
If any man ask who lies in this tomb
 
Oho! quoth the Devil, ‘tis my John a Combe.”

Wednesday, February 26 1755

In the morning Mr Withington, Bancroft and Nixon’s man, came to our house, and I went over to Framfield with him. I paid him in cash 0.19.0 and by bill on Messrs Margesson and Collison £15 which is in all 15.19.0, on my, Account £7 and for Thomas Fuller in full 8.19.0; remains due on my account £8.

N.B.: The bill abovementioned was drawn today and 30 days’ date. Came home in the evening. Paid Clymson the glover at Wannock 1.17.0 for goods as under (to wit):

 46 pairs men’s outseamed tan1.3.0
12 pairs boys’ ditto0.4.0
12 pairs men’s inseamed ditto0.10.0

Carried with me to Framfield:

24 pairs men’s outseamed0.12.0
6 pairs boys’ ditto0.6.0
5 pairs men’s inseamed ditto0.4.2
0.18.2

Received of my mother 0.19.0, of which sum 0.18.2 is for the above gloves and the remaining 10d I am debtor for. Paid Mr Plumer 3/- for two pounds powder.

Thursday, February 27 1755

At home all day; wrote out bills. In the Lewes newspaper of the 24th think the following worthy of a memorandum:

“York, Feb. 11. — At the adjournment of the Quarter Sessions for this city and county thereof, James Monkman of New Buildens, near Sutton-on-the-forest, yeoman, was convicted of regratings contrary to statutes 5th and 6th of King Edward VI. The fact was that he bought 6 chickens in open market in the city at 6d each and immediately after sold them again, the same manner at 7½d each; for which offense he forfeited the value of the goods, received sentence of 2 months’ imprisonment and was accordingly committed to the city gaol. By the abovementioned statute the punishment for 2nd offense of forestalling, engrossing or regrating is a forfeiture of double the value of the goods and six months’ imprisonment; and for the 3rd offense the offender loses all his goods, must stand in the pillory and be imprisoned during the King’s pleasure.”

In the evening at Master Durrant’s instructing Thomas. After supper read part of Tournefort’s Voyage into the Levant.

Friday, February 28 1755

Received of Dame Inkpin 0.7.6 in full. Had Braizer at work a-gardening. Settled with Mrs Atkins for Mrs Virgoe and paid Mrs Atkins 0.10.0 in full, which Mrs Virgoe has repaid me.

The following from The Sports of the Muses on Milton:

“Three poets in three distant ages born
Greece, Italy and England did adorn;
The first in loftiness of thoughts surpast,
The next in majesty; in both the last,
The force of nature could no farther go;
To make a third she joined the former two.”

[Dryden]

A cure for poetry from the same:

“Seven wealthy towns contend for Homer dead
Through which the living Homer begged his bread.”

In the evening at Master Durrant’s; otherwise at home all day.

Saturday, March 1 1755

In the morning sent Will to Framfield. Had Braizer at work a-gardening; paid him for two days’ work in goods 19d and money 5d. Paid Thomas Gooding for 7 dozen heath brooms 0.7.0. Paid Francis Smith 0.8.5, which sum he paid Messrs Crowder and Woodgate in London for me. Paid Mr John Clinch for a sparerib weight 9¼ lbs, 0.2.3¾.

Received of John Watford a roasting pig, weight 8 lbs at 3d. My wife and myself drank tea at Joseph Durant’s. Balanced accounts with him and there remains due to him 0.14.2 as under (to wit):

His bill on me2 6 2
My bill on him1.12.0

In the evening Mrs Virgoe and Mr Joseph Burgess came, and we balanced the account between Mrs Virgoe and myself, where-in I received 4.5.11½, being, the just balance and in full to this day.

My bill on Mrs Virgoe7.7.4½
Myself debtor for meat and ousehold goods bought at the sale of her late husband.                          3.1.5
4.5.11½

After supper read part of Hamlet Prince of Denmark; think Hamlet’s character extremely fine and on the whole think it a good play.

Sunday, March 2 1755

At home all day, but not at church. Mr Tucker came in the morning and dined with me on a roast pig. He went home in the evening.

In the evening read, part of The Whole Duty of Man.

Monday, March 3 1755

At home all day. Sent Messrs Margesson and Collison in a lemon basket £10 (by Smith). Rec’d of John Geal 0.4.1 in full. Rec’d of Elizabeth Babcock 0.4.11 in full. Received of Dame Pilbull 6¼d in full. Posted some London accounts. Rec’d a letter from Ridings’s man to inform me of his being at Lewes on the 4th evening. In the evening at Master Durrant’s instructing Thomas. After supper read part of The Tragedy of Cato, which I think extremely fine.

Tuesday, March 4 1755

At home all day. Borrowed of Mrs Virgoe £11 and gave her my note of hand for it. In the evening at Jones’s with Masfen’s rider. Paid for flour etc. 12d. Dame Piper died.

Wednesday, March 5 1755

Mr Thomas Thompsett died.

In the morning sent by Masfen’s rider to Mr Stephen Fletcher (Ridings’s rider) at Lewes in cash 10.18.0, and by a bill (enclosed in a letter) drawn on Messrs Margesson and Collison for £5, six weeks’ date, dated today, which makes 15.18.0 and is in full to December last.

Thomas Fuller killed my hog had of Jeremiah French. Weighed him in the evening; weight 19 stone 4 lbs. Paid Mr French for him 2.1.6. In the afternoon I went to Framfield for to get a sheet for Dame Piper. After supper finished The Tragedy of Cato.

Thursday, March 6 1755

Sent Will to Lewes in the morning. He paid Mr Thatcher, wine cooper, 2.1.4 in full to this day. Will spent 2d. At home all day. Paid for a basket 2d. In the evening Ned Smith here. After supper read part of the New Dispensatory.