was late; and so I home and to bed by day-light. This day was kept a
holy-day through the town; and it pleased me to see the little boys walk
up and down in procession with their broom-staffs in their hands, as I had
myself long ago gone.

[Pepys here refers to the perambulation of parishes on Holy
Thursday, still observed. This ceremony was sometimes enlivened by
whipping the boys, for the better impressing on their minds the
remembrance of the day, and the boundaries of the parish, instead of
beating houses or stones. But this would not have harmonized well
with the excellent Hooker's practice on this day, when he "always
dropped some loving and facetious observations, to be remembered
against the next year, especially by the boys and young people."
Amongst Dorsetshire customs, it seems that, in perambulating a manor
or parish, a boy is tossed into a stream, if that be the boundary;
if a hedge, a sapling from it is applied for the purpose of
flagellation.--B.]

24th. At home all the morning making up my private accounts, and this is
the first time that I do find myself to be clearly worth L500 in money,
besides all my goods in my house, &c. In the afternoon at the office
late, and then I went to the Wardrobe, where I found my Lord at supper,
and therefore I walked a good while till he had done, and I went in to
him, and there he looked over my accounts. And they were committed to Mr.
Moore to see me paid what remained due to me. Then down to the kitchen to
eat a bit of bread and butter, which I did, and there I took one of the
maids by the chin, thinking her to be Susan, but it proved to be her
sister, who is very like her. From thence home.

25th. All the morning at home about business. At noon to the Temple,