John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

8. IV. Monday.

The dry blow has been variegated last Night, with a little Rain, and rain again this Evening; but I spent the morning after breakfast in my Nursery. Finished planting the cross furrows East of the Alley, with the Chesnuts and Acorns from Washington; mixed with Juglans Amara and dulcis, Shagbarks, Apple seeds and Stranger berries. Added one furrow length ways, from the young Apple tree upwards to the young Peach trees— Found a large bough broken and hanging down from my Shagbark tree in the Garden, which I planted Octr. 1804 I took it off with my handsaw, and will use it for index Stakes— My two years old red Oak is stripp’d of all its leaves. Two still adhere to the yearling below; but the leaves of the English Oaks have not yet begun to fall— Half of them retain their colour still— The rest are turning yellow— I finished reading the Oration for Roscius of Ameria this morning, and thus complete the perusal of the existing works of Cicero, begun last December— I read also that part of the Dedication of Ernesti to Stigliz, which is missing in my Copy of Ernesti’s second Edition— It is worthy of more than one reperusal— Had I forty years ago duly read this Dedication, and perseveringly devoted the leisure of one year without interruption to the Study of Cicero in his own language, my time would have been better occupied than it was, and perhaps my life might have been more useful to my Country and my fellow creatures than it has been— I gave too much of my youth to written translations—from Phaedrus, Suetonius, Caesar, Virgil, Horace, Cicero, Cornelius Nepos, Tacitus, 30and Juvenal— Besides the still more unprofitable labour that I wasted upon German Translations—Wieland and Gentz—and Gellert— The Dedication to Stigliz is an argument in behalf of classical Literature, and embraces all that can be said in its favour— It treats with just contempt the idea that the eminent Greek and Latin authors are to be studied merely for the acquisition of the Languages— It considers the Classics as masters of morals; teachers of practical wisdom and virtue— It breathes the Spirit of Greece and Rome, and swells with the enthusiasm of Liberty and of intellectual Power— Of Cicero, I have more to say hereafter.