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At home all day and busy… Dined on a piece of pork, batter pudding and greens. Sarah and Lucy Mott, Dame Martin and son drank tea with us. Paid Thomas Braizer’s daughter 21d for a fat goose weighing 6 lbs. My brother Moses here a little while in the afternoon.

At home all day. We dined on the remains of Tuesday’s dinner. Dame Cornwell, Thomas and Peter Cornwell drank tea with us. Robert Diggens and Thomas Chatfield called in the evening and smoked one pipe–both in liquor… Paid John Jenner of Hailsham in money and goods 1.8.0, being in full for hats received of him today…

At home all day. In the morning Dame Shoesmith and her daughter bought many things in the shop and went in and breakfasted with us. We dined on the remains of yesterday’s dinner… In the evening wrote out several bills.

Sent Francis Smith by Thomas Hemsley £6…which he… is to pay in London for me; see the next time we balance. Molly French dined with us on the fillet of that leg of veal bought on Saturday last, roasted in the oven, with a pudding under it. This day I entertained my scholars with the sight of a show which was at Jones’s; the man performed in my schoolroom. I think it a very good performance of the kind. He performed several very curious balances, ate fire and red-hot tobacco-pipes, brimstone etc. I gave him 12d. After schooltime I went down to Mr Jeremiah French’s to ask Mr Sam Virgoe whether it made any difference, or whether he insisted on my going out of his house at new Lady Day. He has given me leave to stay as long as I like, providing I will pay him 12d per week for rent. Stayed there till near 9 o’clock. When I came home, I found Mr Burgess, his wife and Mrs Virgoe in the shop a-buying of goods; [they] went in and stayed about 2 hours.

At home all day. Paid Thomas Burfield 21/- in full for 3 doz of beehives received by him today… We dined on the remains of yesterday’s dinner. My brother Moses and Molly French dined with us. After dinner my brother went to collect in some small debts, but could not get one farthing. My brother came back and drank tea with us. In the evening I read a sermon preached by the Rev Mr Nathaniel Torriano M.D., curate of Hooe and Ninfield in this county, on the 6th Feb., being the day appointed for a public fast and humiliation on account of the earthquake which happened at Lisbon on the 1st day of Nov. last, from the 20th verse, 34th chapter of Job: “In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.”

No churching here in the morning, Mr Porter being not well. Our maid went over to Framfield and stayed all day. We had for dinner a knuckle of the leg of veal bought yesterday, a piece of bacon, batter and light pudding, with greens. Churching in the afternoon. I was at home all day, but not at church. Oh, fie! no just reason for not being there.

At home all day. We dined on the remains of yesterday’s dinner. After dinner I made up my rags and sent them by Francis Smith’s man to Waldron in order to go next week by their team to be left at Forest Row in order to go to Mr Stedwell… Paid Joseph Fuller for a leg of veal…0.2.5½. Wrote out the parish’s and Mr John Vine’s bill. After supper read the 13th book of Homer’s Odyssey, wherein I think the soliloquy which Ulysses makes when he finds the Phaeacians have, in his sleep, left him on shore with all his treasure, and on his native shore of Ithaca (though not known to him), contains a very good lesson of morality, and is as under:

‘Ye gods’, (he cried,) ‘upon what barren coast, …

[lines 242-250 omitted]

Their faith, is mine; the rest belongs to Jove.

This day I found, by looking over my accounts, that when Mr French and I balanced accounts on the 8th day of January, he charged me with only 6 loads of wood in the year 1753, though I think I must inevitably have had in that year 8 loads, for I well remember I had both wood and faggots of Mr French in that year. Of Mr John Vine I am assured I bought 2 cords. Now Mr James Hutson fetched all my wood that year (for I bought it all in the place, [i.e., standing]), and he charges me for the carriage of 10 loads. When Mr Vine and I balanced, he had omitted the 2 cords of wood, but that I have since told him of. So as Mr French charged me with but 6 loads, I must consequently owe him for 2 loads more. For dinner we had a piece of bacon, prune pudding and potatoes. A great deal of rain fell in the night, and it continued raining all the morning. About 1 o’clock there fell a great deal of snow, and in remarkable large flakes, but did not continue long. At home all day…

We had for dinner a piece of pickled pork, light pudding and greens, with the remains of Sunday’s and Monday’s dinners. After dinner walked over to Framfield where I heard of the death of poor William Coyfe, who died the 16th instant about 6:30 in the morning at his brother Thomas’s. He resigned his life with great calmness and resignation to the will of the Supreme Being. After I stayed at Framfield about an hour, my brother Moses and I went down to Mr Peckham’s to advise with him about my mother’s leaving off trade, but he having company, could not get to consult him in the manner I wanted to do. But he has promised me to consider of it and that I shall hear from him again. There were, when we came into Mr Peckham’s, Mr Wharton and Mr Heaver of Uckfield; and soon after came in Francis Gibbs. We stayed and smoked 1 pipe. Mr Heaver went away soon, and Mr Wharton, my brother and myself came away together about 6:15, I coming for Hoathly and they going for Framfield. We left Francis Gibbs there. I called in at Robert Driver’s as I came home to tell him, at the request of Mr Heaver the miller, that he wanted to see him. There was at Master Driver’s Thomas Chatfield. I came to John Jones’s about 7:50, and there being a public vestry for the making a poor book, I went in and found there Jeremiah French, Joseph Fuller, Joseph Burgess, Joseph Durrant, William Piper, John Cayley, Robert Hook and John Watford Jr. But some or most of them being a little in liquor, they could not agree in some of their arguments; so we all broke up about 8:40.

At home all day. We had for dinner the remains of Sunday’s and Monday’s dinners. In the afternoon Mr Terry, tobacconist, called on me and drank tea with us. I gave him a bill on Messrs Margesson and Collison,… value 2.16.10…in full on account of Messrs Terry and Geak. I went down to Jones’s with Mr Terry and stayed until 2 o’clock; I spent 12d. Mr Terry I think to be a very pushing man in his trade; he is by birth a Yorkshireman, has been abroad in the merchant service in Virginia 1¼ years, and rode in the tobacco trade for Mr Alliston before he entered into trade for himself. I was a little in liquor.