and we are
faine to shoe ourselves thus; and these," says he, "will make the stones
fly till they sing before me." I did give the poor man something, for
which he was mighty thankful, and I tried to cast stones with his horne
crooke. He values his dog mightily, that would turn a sheep any way
which he would have him, 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 f