hat
his successor had the benefit of it.

When Mr. Cheever entered upon his work as head master of the Boston
Latin School, in 1670, he was fifty-seven years old; and he remained
master of this school until his death, thirty-seven years later. The
schoolhouse was, at this time, in School Street (it was not so named by
the town, however, until 1708) just behind King's Chapel, on a part of
the burying-ground. It has been said that the building was of two
stories to accommodate the teacher and his family. This seems probable
when we read that Mr. Cheever was to have a salary of sixty pounds a
year, and the "possession and use of y'e schoole house." But if he
lived in the building at all, it was not very long, for he is later
living in a house by himself; and in 1701 the selectmen voted that two
men should provide a house for him while his house was being built. The
agreement which the selectmen made with Captain John Barnet with
reference to this house is given in such curious detail in the old
records, and suggests so much, that it is well worth reading. It is as
follows:--

"That the said Barnet shall erect a House on the Land where Mr. Ezekiel
Cheever Lately dwelt, of forty foot Long Twenty foot wide and Twenty
foot stud with four foot Rise in the Roof, to make a cellar floor under
one half of S'd house and to build a Kitchen of Sixteen foot in
Length and twelve foot in breadth with a Chamber therein, and to Lay the
floors flush through out the maine house and to make three paire of
Stayers in y'e main house and one paire in the Kitchen and to Inclose
s'd house and to do and complete all carpenters worke and to find all
timber boards clapboards nayles glass and Glaziers worke and Iron worke
and to make one Cellar door and to finde one Lock for the Outer door of
said House, and also to make the Casements for S'd house, and perform
S'd worke and to finish S'd building by the first day of August
next. In consideration whereof the Selectmen do agree that the S'd
Capt. Barnet shall have the Old Timber boards Iron worke and glass of
the Old house now Standing on S'd Land and to pay unto him the Sum of
one hundred and thirty pounds money, that is to say forty pounds down in
hand and the rest as the worke goes on."

Then follows the agreement for the "masons' worke" in all its details.
Later on, in March, 1702, there is some discussion as to how far back
from the street the house should be