9th.--Got up at eight. The night before I had finished the drawing of the sketch. About ten I began to draw a tracing of the sketch, to make it in oil; muddled and worked and muddled till half-past three. Went out, half inclined to work no more. Came back, dined. Mr. and Mrs. Lucy came in to see me; good excuse; I went home with them, and stopped till one!... 11th.--Got up about eight. Set to painting by ten; painted till half-past three at the figures of Wiclif, Chaucer, and Gower, and that side of it.... Did little good (eight hours’ work). 12th, Sunday.--Got up at eight, set to work before ten. Painted till three at the figure of John of Gaunt, etc.; went out and dined, and spent the evening with Lucy (three hours’ work). 13th.--... Called on Lucy. Buss[25] has been bothering him about the Free Exhibition. Went with him to Rowney’s: came back, dined, and set to work about six. Wasted one and a half hours cleaning a damned pipe. Worked till eleven (five hours’ work).... 16th.--... Set to work about twelve; worked till three, chalking-in the figures on the canvas. Went out for a model, unsuccessful; got Smith coming to-morrow. Set to work about quarter past six; left off for want of chalk. Am writing this, and going to write damned letters for money, etc. Can do no more work for want of chalk: have been as far as Oxford Street, but can get none. Drew a little at the ornamental part of the design (four hours). 27th.--Came up to London [from Gravesend]; did nothing all day. Called on the Lucys in the evening. On coming home to my studio at past twelve, found a drunken man groaning in one of the workshops with a candle amid the shavings. Fetched a policeman and the master; got him safe out. 28th.--Tried to work: did nothing all day but arrange the lay figure for Wiclif, and superintend the making of a gown for Chaucer; I am sadly idle!... 1848--1st January.--Came back to London and dined at Lucy’s. In the evening Thomas came in, and we settled to illustrate Pope’s _Essay on Man_ between us; I proposed the subject.[26] Came to bed by one.... 3rd.--... Worked till eleven at the outline of the painting; afterwards fiddled at a piece of poetry till quarter to one (eight hours’ work).... 10th.--Got up at half-past eight and to work by half-past nine; drew my two hands in the glass for Gower’s.... I afterwards drew a little at one of my hands for Wiclif, when that devil Miss Chamberlayne called. Walked round Regent’s Park, dined. Thomas came in, and with Lucy we went to Dickinson’s Academy, Maddox Street: saw Foley there, and Paris and Salter[27] (five hours’ work).... 12th.--Breakfasted in bed; drew all day at the canvas. Lucy came in to go to Dickinson’s with me: found I was making my figures of Chaucer and Gower too short--quite took me aback. Went and began a pencil drawing at Dickinson’s. Walked home with Lucy, came back; bought a bottle of whisky to drown care with (eight hours’ work).