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Lucy Mepham breakfasted with us, and after breakfast I went over to Framfield where I hayed all day and carried 3 loads. Dined at my mother’s on some pork, mutton, peas and cold plum pudding… I came home about 9:30. Our hayers were E. Wood, B. Hammond, Mr. Elphick, Mr. Turner and myself. John Elphick carried it. As I went in the morning, I called at Mr French’s, but he was not at home.

My wife and I at church in the morning… Bett Fuller dined with us on a piece of bacon and pork with green peas, a venison pie and batter pudding. After dinner our maid went over to Framfield. My wife and I at church in the afternoon… After churchtime my wife and I went up to Mr Joseph Burgess’s and drank tea there and stayed till between 9 and 10. But I think I never saw children humored more to their ruin than theirs, Mrs Virgoe’s excepted. I this day heard of the loss of Fort St Philip and the whole Island of Minorca after being possessed by the English nation 47 years and after being defended 10 weeks and 1 day (to wit, from the 18^th of April to the 28th of June) by that truly brave and heroic man General Blakeney. At last he was obliged to surrender for want of provision and ammunition. No man, I think, can deserve a brighter character in the annals of fame than this. But, oh, he was, as one may justly say, abandoned by his country, who never sent him any succor! Never did the English nation suffer a greater blot than in this affair, nor, I doubt, a greater blow. Oh, my country, my country! Oh, Albion, Albion! I doubt thou art tottering on the brink of ruin and desolation.

This day Thomas Roase and Catherine Clarke were out asked.

In the morning after breakfast went down to Mr French’s to get him to bring me from Lewes ½ oz cauliflower seed, and when I came there, I found Mr French, his servants and Thomas Fuller a-catching of rats; so I stayed and assisted them about 3 hours, and we caught nearly 20. The method of catching them was by pouring of water into their burrows, which occasioned them immediately to come out, when either the dogs took them or we killed them with our sticks. Just as we had done, Mr John Vine came in. We stayed about ½ an hour and came all away together, Mr Vine and T. Fuller coming, round by our house and only for the sake of a dram.

What a surprising thing it is that a man of Mr Vine’s sense and capacity should so much give way to the unruly dictates of a sensual appetite! Mr Vine, as we came along from Mr French’s, was making several observations with regard to good economy in husbandry. We said that man who went the road a-timber-carrying etc. never hurt his horses if he did not overload them, and he very plainly demonstrated that going with a light load turned out most to the master’s advantage in time; therefore he must of consequence get more money by light loading than heavy. He also observed that the only way to eradicate the weed vulgarly called “kilk” out of the ground was by pulling it up, for was it once permitted to stand to seed, it would be difficult to get it out of the ground because every time it was plowed, and the seed turned up to the surface of the ground, it would then grow. He said he had been credibly informed by gardeners that the seed would lie in the ground 50 years, which he in some respect confirmed by the following instance of his own observation: he sowed a border in one part of his garden with lettuce, some of which he let stand and seed. But he never tilled the border nor did anything to it for 3 years, nor all the time had he any appearance of any young lettuces, as might justly have been expected to spring from the seed that must consequently have shed itself. But at the expiration of 3 years, when they came to till the border again, they had as fine a crop of lettuces as if the border had that year been sown with new seed. He also observed that ground designed to sow wheat on, if it be laid up fallow and exposed to the summer sun and well stirred, it will mend more than a coat of lime and the beat method that can be taken to destroy weeds…

After dinner I went down to Messrs Merrick’s and Rothfield’s for some scythes which were brought from Lewes and left there for me.

In the morning received a letter which came by the post yesterday and which contained Waite’s bill on me, drawn payable to Mr George Kemp of Lewes, and for which Mr Thomas Scrase paid the 6.15.0 I gave him yesterday. This is in full of all accounts due to Mr Waite.

About 9 o’clock I walked over to Framfield and dined at my mother’s on a boiled leg of mutton and a piece of pork. After dinner I went and hope [helped] ‘em hay and sold to Edward Wood the hay or grass in the little field, together with the brushing round the great field, all as it stands, for 4/-. The rain coming on that we could not hay long, my mother and I balanced accounts remains due to me, for which sum my mother gave me her note of hand dated from the 24th of June last and payable on demand, with interest for the same at 4 percent per annum. And also there remains still due to me the money for that parcel of cheese sent her the 3lst of January last, that not being put in this account, which amounted with carriage to 10.2.10. Stayed and drank tea and rode home in the evening… Our hayers were Edward Wood, M. Turner, M. Elphick and myself.

At home all day. Sent Francis Smith by his servant. T. Hemsley, in cash 4.2.0… which he is to pay in London for me. This day my brother came over to have their horse home and dined with us on a knuckle of bacon and a chick pudding. This day died Elizabeth Elless, and immediately after she was dead, Mr Adams told me Mr French and I would be fined on account of her death. The reason was because we carried her before a justice and asked her to swear the father.

At home all the morning and very busy. My brother went home as soon as we had breakfasted. In the morning Mr French and Mr Piper came for the land and window tax books. As Mr French has so often favored me with a horse, I could not expect any gratuity from him. But as to poor old Piper, who never conferred a favor on me, he sneaked away with, “Sir, I thank you,” but forgot either to pay for the paper, which was 2d, or so much as to say he should be glad to have an opportunity that he might have it in his power to serve me as far. Oh, thou black fiend, ingratitude! But what can one expect from a wretch who sets his whole delight in nothing but money and knows not the real use of it farther than it is conducive to the adding of store to store? This day Nicholas Divol and his wife were here. I balanced and received of him in cash 13/9, and there remains 10/- more due to me as under:

Dame Divol drank tea at our house. About 5 o’clock my brother came over to inform me Mr Rideout was over at Framfield. Accordingly I got up behind my brother and rode over to Framfield in order to ask his advice about the shop at Cuckfield. But when we came to Framfield, Mr Rideout was gone home. I stayed there about 2 hours and came home about 9 o’clock. This day we dined on a piece of pork and carrots. Paid for a chick 6d.

In the morning my brother and I got up and took a ride about mile on the Tunbridge road when he went to Thomas Coyfe’s and I returned back to the Wells and breakfasted with my brother. After breakfast my brother and I took a walk out in the fields to see his ponds. I came back and dined at my brother’s on a roasted shoulder of veal, a piece of bacon, cabbage and bread pudding.

After dinner, as my brother and I were taking a walk, we met with Mr Hargrave, who had us to the Angel and treated us with a bottle of wine and 1 pint of porter and 1 pint of mild beer. As we sat a-drinking, my brother came back to us from T. Coyfe’s. We drank tea at my brother’s and set out for home about 6:30. I brought my brother’s son in my lap as far as my mother’s. We called at my aunt Ovendean’s, but did not stay, neither to get off nor to drink. I came around by Framfield on account of my wife’s being there, for she and T. Davy walked over to Framfield in the morning and went to church there in the morning and dined with my mother. I stayed there no longer than putting the pillion on my horse. We left the little boy at Framfield and came home about 10:30, my brother coming along with us to lead the horse back again. My brother stayed with us all night… We spent about 2/1 apiece as under:

At home all the morning. Mr French and I went with Gilbert the bell-hanger up in the steeple to see what was the matter with the great bell. We found the gudgeon broken. We accordingly agreed to give him for mending it 7/6 and to pay Joseph Durrant for his work besides. It must ensue as 4 natural consequence for Mr French to go into Jones’s, which we did. We spent 5d and had most of the liquor to himself…

My brother came to call me to go to Tunbridge Wells. Accordingly about 4:30 we set out, he upon Mr French’s little horse and I upon my own. We called at, my aunt Ovendean’s at Boarshead and stayed about 30 minutes. We got to my brother’s at the Wells about 7:30 and stayed and chatted with my brother until past ten, when we adjourned to the Angel and stayed there. We broke up past 2, but all very sober. We should not have stayed so late had it not been for a little diversion we were partakers of, occasioned by some words happening between the gentleman of the house and his barkeeper, or whore, or, I am pretty well assured, both. But what a surprising thing it is to think a man should suffer himself to be used in such a manner by an almost common jilt. My brother paid the whole reckoning. Moses and I lay at the Angel and Crown. I bought of Mr Edmund Baker the 1^st volume of The Tatler for T. Davy, which cost me 18d, and also Ainsworth’s Dictionary for Mr Francis Elless, which cost me 12/-.