The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-06
SEWALL
AND HIS DIARY
Massachusetts, Chief Justice Who
Kept a Diary Fifty Years During
the Colonial Period.

up. washed went to bed" dWindied
4. a weekly record to the same ef-
feet. then to a fOrtnightly entry ditto,
aud later died q natural death. Firm
az purpose is he that begins a diary
d4d keeps it up.
FOR this reason. If for no other,
samuel Sewall. Chief Justice Of Mass
arhu@ettS from 17iS to 1928, and
maker Of a diary which covered more
than fifty years. would be worth d
lItti,. Of any mans time; out it is
~ell to remember that he was a good
Gcti more than the writer Of a diary.
beginning as a minister. he went in
10 public life. becoming by turns
manager OF the COlonia Printing
Press. Assistant Governor. member IT
the Council. Judge of the Probate
Court. and Chief Justice Of the colony.
To one who remembers the high posi-
ton SeWall held in a colony as inter
eStinG as Massachusetts was in the
laws of the thcocracy. his ~unstudied.
everyday notes nave the value of
historical documents.
Commonplace and gOSSipy as this
diary certainly is. it is said to have
done more than any other book to-
ward a~cQudinting people with the
WAYS Of the early New IInglanders.
i is OF small interest to read how
the Chief Justice lost a tooth. or tip
PED ms ladN-lONe 5 servants, OF SANG
verses i to II of the Nineteenth
Psalm to the tune "LOW-Dutch,' or
how his milch COW was injured and
had to be killed: but many entries in
the diary are valuable for the light
thcy throw on history. We have, for
example. accounts Of discipline at
Harvard: of religious matters in the
colony: Of the Boston town watch,
which served as u sort of police, OF
the Boston militia, in which Sewall
was Il captain Of artillery; of thot
witchcraft delusion. during which
Sewali figured as Il Judge, cOnscien-
tiouS but misguided, as he afterwards
confessed with bitter regret. In fact.
the diary goes into all sorts of mat
impossible to formal history. and Il
natlralness which resulted from his
writing without any view TO the effect
OF his words upon Il possible circle of
readerT.
Not the least entertaining of Sew
ail's notes are those relating to three
courtShiDs which preceded his third
marriage. The first Of these ladies
whom one after another he asked to
help him fOrward and be helped for
ward on the Journey to Canaan-such
WAS the style Of his proposal on one
occasion-Was a certain d Win
throD. His addresses to her We're
conducted in a manner enthusiastic
Notwithstanding that he was
nearly seventy years old at the time
but rather strange to us people OF
modern days. There were presents
Of course. including "a piece Of Mr.
Hcichcr's cake and gingerbread wrap
ped up in a clean sheet Of paper
and about half a pound of sugar al
mondS which-aS he told Madam
Winthrop in answer to her inquiry
cost three shillingS a pound; but GER
tam other presents were Of a kinG
strange to l~OVe-makinG: q cOpy OF
Mr.. Homes'S Sermon a sermon BY
MAYHEM. and account of the state
Of thu Indians on Martha'S Vineyard
and Mr.. Wizards Fountain Opened,
with the little print and verses. say.
ing hoped if We did we'll read tina
book. We should meet together here
after. if we did not now" OF cOurst
II is to be remembered that the WoOel
VAS an old man. and that the time!
were more severe than happily the.
are noW.
one thing in this courtship which
lars upon a modern reader. in thi!
so-calied commercial age. is tn
money side Of this courtship. 1t ap
Bears that the Chief Justice Nigh
hay, won the hand Of Madam VIII
throp if she had not insisted on hay
ing A coach, while the Judge insisted
on saving the money it would cost. A
to other matters Of business. we fine
entries like the follOwing: "Spake o
Sivin- her L hundred pounds per an
nun il { died before her. Asked he
what sum she would give me if sh
should die first. Said I would civ
her time to consider OF it. She sal
she heard as il I had given all to m
children by deeds Of gift. | told he
twas q mistake.
The good mans addresses to MAZDA
winthrop did not go very smoothly
Besides asking for a coach in tn
event that she married the Judge. sh
insisted that he get a wig. and he in
sisted Just as strongly on wearing tn
hair that Nature had given him. l
must have been a matter Of principl
viii him. for he had said. Go
seems to have ordained our hair a
"A test to see whether we can brin
nlE minds 10 hn -nnnkQnt To ln Of hi