THE choice of a profession having been finally determined, an interval of more than two years occurs in the Diary, embracing the remainder of his term of residence at Worcester. The following extracts, from the Autobiography, find their place here.

1757. [While I was at Worcester, three great personages from England passed through that town. Lord Loudon was one; he travelled in the winter from New York to Boston, and lodged at Worcester in his way. The relations we had of his manners and conduct on the road, gave us no great esteem of his lordship's qualifications1 to conduct the war, and excited gloomy apprehensions. The young Lord Howe, who passed from Boston to New York, was the very reverse, and spread everywhere the most sanguine hopes, which, however, were too soon disappointed by his melancholy but heroic death. The third was Sir Geoffrey Amherst, afterward Lord Amherst, and commander in chief of the English army. Amherst, who had arrived at Boston from the conquest of Louisburg, marched with his army of four thousand men across the country, and halted a few days at Worcester, having encamped his army on the hill behind the present court house. Here we had an opportunity of seeing him, his officers and army. The officers were very social, spent their evenings and took their suppers with such of the inhabitants as were able to invite them, and entertained us with their music and their dances. Many of them were Scotchmen in their plaids, and their music was delightful; even the bagpipe was not disagreeable. The General lodged with Colonel Chandler the elder, and was very inquisitive concerning his farm, insisting on rambling over the whole of it. The excellent order and discipline observed by these troops, revived the hopes of the country, which were ultimately fully satisfied by the entire con

1 "Yes," said Innis, "but he is like St George on the signs, always on horseback, and never rides on." Franklin's Works, i. p. 219. Grahame, iv. p. 3.

2 The Assembly of Massachusetts voted him a monument, which was placed in Westminster Abbey. Hutchinson, iii.

p. 71.

quest of Canada, with the help of the militia of the country, which were sent on to their assistance1 with great confidence.

At the time when Fort William Henry was besieged, there came down almost every day despatches from the General to the New England Colonies, urging for troops and assistance. Colonel Chandler the younger had sent so many expresses that he found it difficult to get persons to undertake the journeys. Complaining of this embarrassment one evening, in company, I told him I had so long led a sedentary life that my health began to fail me, and that I had an inclination to take a journey on horseback. The next morning, by daybreak, he was at my chamber door with despatches for the Governor of Rhode Island; he said a horse was ready. Without hesitation I arose and was soon mounted. Too much despatch was necessary for my comfort, and, I believe, for my health; for a journey so fatiguing, to a man who was not on horseback more than once a year on a short visit to his parents, I cannot think calculated to relieve a valetudinarian. Arrived at Providence I was informed that Mr. Greene was at Newport, with the General Assembly. I had then to ride through the Narraganset country, and to cross over Conanicut to Rhode Island. In the woods of Narraganset I met two gentlemen on horseback, of whom I took the liberty to inquire whether the Governor was still at Newport? One of them answered he was not; but the gentleman with him was the Governor. My despatches were delivered to him, and he broke the seals and read them on the spot. He said he believed the French were determined to have the country;2 asked many questions, gave me many polite invitations to return with him to his home, which, as he said he had no answer to return by me, and as I was determined to see Newport, I civilly declined. Pursuing my journey I found a great difficulty to get over the water, as the boats and men were gone upon their usual employment. One was found after a time very tedious to me, and I landed on the island and had a good opportunity to see the whole of it, as my road to Bristol lay through the whole length

1 The then small town of Worcester alone furnished, during the fifteen years that the war with the French continued, four hundred and fifty-three men. Lincoln's Worcester, p. 66.

2 "It is almost incredible that four or five thousand men, most of them Canadians and savages, should give such an alarm." Hutchinson, iii. p. 60.

of it. To me the whole island appeared a most beautiful garden, an ornamented farm; but hostile armies have since degarnished it of a principal embellishment, the noble rows and plantations of trees. Crossing over the ferry to Bristol, I spent a night with Colonel Green, whose lady was a Church, and sister to Mrs. John Chandler. Here I was happy, and felt myself at home. Next morning I pursued my journey to Worcester. The whole was accomplished in four days, one of which was Sunday. As I was obliged to ride all that day, I had an opportunity of observing the manners of Rhode Island;—much more gay and social than our Sundays in Massachusetts.

In 1758, my period with Mr. Putnam expired. Two gentlemen, by name Doolittle and Baldwin,1 visited me in the office, and invited me to settle in Worcester. They said, as there were two sides to a question, and two lawyers were always wanted where there was one, I might depend upon business in my profession; they were pleased to add that my character was fair, and well esteemed by all sorts of people in the town and through the county; that they wished to get me chosen at the next election, which was very near, Register of Deeds, which would procure me something handsome for the present, and insure me employment at the bar; that, as the Chandler family had engrossed almost all the public offices and employment in the town and county, they wished to select some person qualified to share with them in those honors and emoluments. My answer was, that as the Chandlers were worthy people, and discharged the duties of their offices very well, I envied not their felicity, and had no desire to set myself in opposition to them, and especially to Mr. Putnam, who had married a beautiful daughter of that family, and had treated me with civility and kindness. But there was one motive with me which was decisive. I was in very ill health; and the air of Worcester appeared to be unfriendly to me to such a degree that I panted for want of the breezes from the sea, and the pure zephyrs from the rocky mountains of my native town; that my father and mother invited me to live with them; and, as there never had been a lawyer in any country part of the then county of Suffolk,

1 Notices of these gentlemen, afterwards active in promoting the Revolution, will be found in Lincoln's History of Worcester, pp. 176, 281.

I was determined at least to look into it and see if there was any chance for me. They replied that the town of Boston was full of lawyers, and many of them of established characters for long experience, great abilities, and extensive fame, who might be jealous of such a novelty as a lawyer in the country part of their county, and might be induced to obstruct me. I returned, that I was not wholly unknown to some of the most celebrated of those gentlemen; that I believed they had too much candor and generosity to injure a young man; and, at all events, I could try the experiment, and if I should find no hope of success, I should then think of some other place or some other course.]

1758.

October 5. Braintree. Yesterday I arrived here from Worcester. I am this day about beginning Justinian's Institutions, with Arnold Vinnius's notes; I took it out of the library at college. It is intituled "D. Justiniani sacratissimi Principis Institutionum sive Elementorum Libri quatuor, Notis perpetuis multo, quam hucusque, diligentius illustrati, Cura et Studio Arnoldi Vinnii J. C. Editio novissima priori emendatior et Progressu Juris civilis Romani, Fragmentis XII. Tabularum et Rerum Nominumque Indice auctior, ut ex Præfatione nostra patet."

Now I shall have an opportunity of judging of a Dutch commentator, whom the dedicator calls, "Celeberrimus suâ ætate in hâc academiâ Doctor." Let me read with attention, deliberation, distinction. Let me admire with knowledge. It is low to admire a Dutch commentator merely because he uses Latin and Greek phraseology. Let me be able to draw the true character both of the text of Justinian and of the notes of his commentator, when I have finished the book. Few of my contemporary beginners in the study of the law have the resolution to aim at much knowledge in the civil law; let me, therefore, distinguish myself from them by the study of the civil law in its native languages, those of Greece and Rome. I shall gain the consideration, and perhaps favor, of Mr. Gridley and Mr. Pratt by this means. a stimulus let me insert in this place, Justinian's " adhortationem ad studium juris :- Summâ itaque ope et alacri studio has leges nostras accipite; et vosmetipsos sic eruditos ostendite, ut spes

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