Everything we here enjoy changes, decays and comes to an end. The indulgence of harsh dispositions is the introduction of future misery.  Remember trout[?] Haman all availed him nothing w[cut off]: Disturb in mind and hoss[?] t[cut off] Ended.    Gentleness is in truth the great avenue to mutual enjoyment    24th 8th Month 1806. Although we have had a very fruitful [interline note above "Great said David"] season here in our parts vast plenty of apples, pears, cherries, fruit of every kind watermelons, cucumbers so plenty and cheap in market that they would not pay the expense of taking there and abundance thrown away a very mortifying time to the truck mongers or truck merchants the like was never known in such vast plenty I don't doubt but many wagon loads of watermelons and cucumbers will be thrown away. They are in such vast plenty in our Jersey land and a very good harvest for rye and wheat And the greatest prospect of a vast great crop of Indian corn and Buckwheat that ever was known Yet I am told by eye witnesses that a little below Salem they have had a pinching time of drought so that a few weeks ago they could rub the corn leaves to snuff and  a Friend who lately traveled thru New England Isaac C. Jones told me a great drought prevailed thro that part of the country East ward especially in province of Maine so called the drought is mentioned in the Newspapers very piercing indeed in the time of this dry weather the fire broke out the wind being very high and raged to a great Degree spread over and consumed a great part of the country Burnt up and destroyed, many settlements so that many Great famers who had lived in affluence and plenty were now by that means reduced to poverty and want being Burnt out of house and home.     See William Edmondson's Journal an account of a time of great scarcity which was soon succeeded a time of great plenty which was made known to him and he had to prophecy foretell and forewarn the people and told the people the Lord would lash them with his Judgment and dung the ground with the carcasses of men which shortly after soon came to pass and many died for want of bread and tuffs of rank green grass were seen on the common where carcasses of people had dunged the Ground and s[cut off] his prophecy was fulfilled    [Marginal note] 1807 John Hains traveling in New England this summer says they have had no harvest over a great part of that country the winter and Insects destroyed their wheat that they made bread without bottling their meal Bran and all together and would allow but 10 pound of hay a night for a horse"]

[Penciled "1806"]  see William Penn's No Cross, No Crown, page 120  LXII Heraclitus  I have overcome pleasure I have overcome riches I have overcome ambition I have mastered flattery fear hath nothing to object against me drunkenness hath nothing to charge upon me Anger is Afraid of me I have won the Garland in Fighting against these Enemies [i "the worse of a mans hourse"] --- And what is the Great Promises in scripture to the overcomers: he that overcometh will I give to Eat of the tree of life that stands in the midst of the paradise of God and of the hidden manna etc. etc.    sentiment  One act of triumph over the temper is worth a million of triumphs over our fellow creatures and the perfect dominion of our mind is more Advantageous and laudable than the dominion over provinces and Nations the one attaches merely our corporal part and is buried with us in the dust in the Grave the other follows our immortal part and passes with [crossed out "us"] it into Eternity   as said the poet    He is more a prince that rules himself  Than he whom Nations keeps in Awe,  Who yields to that which doth their souls convince  shall never need another law  He that ruleth his spirit is stronger than he  that taketh a city: he that ruleth not his  spirit is like to a city whose walls are broken  down and without strength: says Solomon