Mrs. Prescott has an ox whose visage bears a strong resemblance to Daniel Webster, a majestic brute.

(Editor's note: the passages above were likely recorded between 19 December 1850 and 12 February 1851, the date of his next entry in the American Note-books.)

An article on newspaper advertisements, -- a country newspaper, methinks, rather than a city one.

An eating-house, where all the dishes served out, even to the bread and salt, shall be poisoned with the adulterations that are said to be practised. Perhaps Death himself might be the cook.

Personify the century, -- talk of its present middleage, of its youth, and its adventures and prospects.

An uneducated countryman, supposing he had a live frog in his stomach, applied himself to the study of medicine in order to find a cure for this disease; and he became a profound physician. Thus misfortune, physical or moral, may be the means of educating and elevating us.

Mather's Mandnction and Ministerium, or -- "Directions for a candidate" for the ministry, with the autographs of four successive clergymen in it, all of them, at one time or another, residents of the old Manse, Daniel Bliss, 1734; William Emerson, 1770; Ezra Ripley, 1781 ; and Samuel Ripley, son of the preceding. The book, according to a Latin memorandum, was sold to Daniel Bliss by Daniel Bremer, who, I suppose, was another student of divinity. Printed at Boston "for Thomas Hancock, and sold at his shop in Ann St. near the Draw Bridge, 1726." William Emerson was son-in-law of Daniel Bliss. Ezra Ripley married the widow of said William Emerson, and Samuel Ripley was their son.

Mrs. Prescott has an ox whose visage bears a strong resemblance to Daniel Webster, a majestic brute.

The spells of witches have the power of producing meats and viands* that have the appearance of asumptuous feast, which the Devil furnishes. But a Divine Providence seldom permits the meat to be good, but it has generally some bad taste or smell, mostly wants salt, and the feast is often without bread.

An article on cemeteries, with fantastic ideas of monuments; for instance, a sun-dial; -- a large, wide carved stone chair, with some such motto as "Rest and Think," and others, facetious or serious.

"Mamma, I see a part of your smile," -- a child to her mother, whose mouth was partly covered by her hand.

"The syrup of my bosom," -- an improvisation of a little girl, addressed to an imaginary child.

"The wind-turn," -- the "lightning-catch," -- a child's phrases for weathercock and lightning-rod.

"Where's the man-mountain of these Lilliputs?" cried a little boy, as he looked at a small engraving of the Greeks getting into the wooden horse.

When the sun shines brightly on the new snow, we discover ranges of hills, miles away towards the south, which we have never seen before.

To have the North Pole for a fishing-pole, and the Equinoctial Line for a fishing-line.

If we consider the lives of the lower animals, we shall see in them a close parallelism to those of mortals; toil, struggle, danger, privation, mingled with glimpses of peace and ease; enmity, affection, a continual hope of bettering themselves, although their objects lie at less distance before them than ours can do. Thus, no argument for the imperfect character of our existence and its delusory promises, and its apparent injustice, can be drawn in reference to our immortality, without, in a degree, being applicable to our brute brethren.

*articles or dishes of food, now usually of a choice or delicate kind.