to my office again to my business, and by and by in the afternoon walked
forth towards my father's, but it being church time, walked to St.
James's, to try if I could see the belle Butler, but could not; only saw
her sister, who indeed is pretty, with a fine Roman nose. Thence walked
through the ducking-pond fields; but they are so altered since my father
used to carry us to Islington, to the old man's, at the King's Head, to
eat cakes and ale (his name was Pitts) that I did not know which was the
ducking-pond nor where I was. So through F[l]ee[t] lane to my father's,
and there met Mr. Moore, and discoursed with him and my father about who
should administer for my brother Tom, and I find we shall have trouble
in it, but I will clear my hands of it, and what vexed me, my father
seemed troubled that I should seem to rely so wholly upon the advice of
Mr. Moore, and take nobody else, but I satisfied him, and so home; and
in Cheapside, both coming and going, it was full of apprentices, who
have been here all this day, and have done violence, I think, to the
master of the boys that were put in the pillory yesterday. But, Lord!
to see how the train-bands are raised upon this: the drums beating every
where as if an enemy were upon them; so much is this city subject to be
put into a disarray upon very small occasions. But it was pleasant to
hear the boys, and particularly one little one, that I demanded the
business. He told me that that had never been done in the city since it
was a city, two prentices put in the pillory, and that it ought not to
be so. So I walked home, and then it being fine moonshine with my wife
an houre in the garden, talking of her clothes against Easter and about
her mayds, Jane being to be gone, and the great dispute whether Besse,
whom we both love, should be raised to be chamber-mayde or no. We have
both a mind to it, but know not whether we should venture the making
her proud and so make a bad chamber-mayde of a very good natured and
sufficient cook-mayde. So to my office a little, and then to supper,
prayers and to bed.

28th. This is the first morning that I have begun, and I hope shall
continue to rise betimes in the morning, and so up and to my office,
and thence about 7 o'clock to T. Trice, and advised with him about our
administering to my brother Tom, and I went to my father and told him
what to do; which was to administer and to let my cozen Scott have a
letter of Atturny to follow the busines