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