m to the well, and there
filled some bottles of water to carry home with me. Here W. Hewer's
horse broke loose, and we had the sport to see him taken again. Then I
carried them to see my cousin Pepys's house, and 'light, and walked
round about it, and they like it, as indeed it deserves, very well, and
is a pretty place; and then I walked them to the wood hard by, and
there got them in the thickets till they had lost themselves, and I
could not find the way into any of the walks in the wood, which indeed
are very pleasant, if I could have found them. At last got out of the
wood again; and I, by leaping down the little bank, coming out of {44}
the wood, did sprain my right foot, which brought me great present
pain, but presently, with walking, it went away for the present, and so
the women and W. Hewer and I walked upon the Downs, where a flock of
sheep was; and the most pleasant and innocent sight that ever I saw in
my life--we find a shepherd and his little boy reading, far from any
houses or sight of people, the Bible to him; so I made the boy read to
me, which he did, with the forced tone that children do usually read,
that was mighty pretty, and then I did give him something, and went to
the father, and talked with him; and I find he had been a servant in my
cousin Pepys's house, and told me what was become of their old
servants. He did content himself mightily in my liking his boy's
reading, and did bless God for him, the most like one of the old
patriarchs that ever I saw in my life, and it brought those thoughts of
the old age of the world in my mind for two or three days after. We
took notice of his woollen knit stockings of two colours mixed, and of
his shoes shod with iron shoes, both at the toe and heels, and with
great nails in the soles of his feet, which was mighty pretty: and,
taking notice of them, "Why," says the poor man, "the downs, you see,
are full of stones, and we are fain 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 horn crook. 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 score sheep in his
flock, and that he hath four shillings {45} a week the year round for
keeping them: so we posted thence with mighty pleasure in the discourse
we had