when he goes to fold them: told me there was
about eighteen scoare sheep in his flock, and that
he hath four shillings a week the year round for keeping
of them: so we posted thence with mighty pleasure
in the discourse we had with this poor man, and Mrs.
Turner, in the common fields here, did gather one of
the prettiest nosegays that ever I saw in my life.
So to our coach, and through Mr. Minnes’s wood,
and looked upon Mr. Evelyn’s house; and so over
the common, and through Epsum towne to our inne, in
the way stopping a poor woman with her milk-pail,
and in one of my gilt tumblers did drink our bellyfulls
of milk, better than any creame; and so to our inne,
and there had a dish of creame, but it was sour, and
so had no pleasure in it; and so paid our reckoning,
and took coach, it being about seven at night, and
passed and saw the people walking with their wives
and children to take the ayre, and we set out for
home, the sun by and by going down, and we in the cool
of the evening all the way with much pleasure home,
talking and pleasing ourselves with the pleasure of
this day’s work, Mrs. Turner mightily pleased
with my resolution, which, I tell her, is never to
keep a country-house, but to keep a coach, and with
my wife on the Saturday to go sometimes for a day
to this place, and then quit to another place; and
there is more variety and as little charge, and no
trouble, as there is in a country-house. Anon
it grew dark, and as it grew dark we had the pleasure
to see several glow-wormes, which was mighty pretty,
but my foot begins more and more to pain me, which
Mrs. Turner, by keeping her warm hand upon it, did
much ease; but so that when we come home, which was
just at eleven at night, I was not able to walk from
the lane’s end to my house without being helped,
which did trouble me, and therefore to bed presently,
but, thanks be to God, found that I had not been missed,
nor any business happened in my absence. So
to bed, and there had a cerecloth laid to my foot
and leg alone, but in great pain all night long.
15th. So as I was not able to go to-day to wait
on the Duke of York with my fellows, but was forced
in bed to write the particulars for their discourse
there, and kept my bed all day, and anon comes Mrs.
Turner, and new-dressed my foot, and did it so, that
I was at much ease presently, and so continued all
day, so as I slept much and well in the daytime, and
in the evening rose and eat something, where our poor
Jane very sad for the death of her poor brother, who
hath left a wife and two small children. I did
give her 20s. in money, and what wine she needed, for
the burying him. This evening come to see me
Pelling, and we did sing together, and he sings well
indeed, and after supper I was willing to go to bed
to ease my foot again, which I did, and slept well
all night.