48 THE PEPYS OF SOUTH DORSET. 



his dogs killed and himself soundly banged. Whereupon he 

 packt away in hast and promised to come yt way no more." 

 Then again : " 24 Oct. 1699. Wm Sampson of East Knighton 

 in the parish of Winfrith, taylor, came hither (in co. of old 

 Trent) to ask pardon for having been a-ferretting in Warmwell 

 heath last Michmas Eve with John Stevenson of Fossell and 

 Edwd Dunning of Winfrith, these 3 having been decoyed there 

 by Edmund White of Fossell a notorious rabbit-stealer whose 

 ferrett and pursenetts they had." 



It will be observed that when Mr. Richards found a man 

 poaching on his land, he threatened to " bang " him, not to send 

 him to gaol, and that William Sampson was forgiven on his 

 confessing his wrong-doings. 



A man cut and carried away some brushwood ; the diarist calls 

 it by a good Anglo-Saxon word, " frith," (A. S. wridan to 

 wreathe). * 



But there was another trouble : Mr. Richards' neighbour, 

 Farmer Tibbs, kept a large number of pigs, which developed 

 decided migratory tendencies, much to the annoyance of Mr. 

 Richards, who had a prime " patch" of beans, nearing maturity. 

 One day fourteen of neighbour Tibbs' pigs attacked the beans, 

 but, as they did not destroy the whole crop, the good-natured 

 Squire passed it over lightly ; however, some days later, the pigs 

 made another onslaught, which brought them and their owner 

 into evil plight : " Friday night the 24 Sept., 1 697. 9 of Farmer 

 Tibbs' pigs were found in Furzey Close and brought to poun, 

 having eaten up the remainder of my beans which his 14 pigs 

 left the other day." To the credit of Mr. Tibbs, be it said, that 

 he called on Mr. Richards soon afterwards and made reparation. 



The Squire and his neighbours had good sport in coursing, 

 although facilities for preventing poaching were not so great 

 then as now. Where can we find a more graphic account than 



* "In town, in feld, in frith, and fen;" Poem by Laurence Miiiot, line 29, 

 circa. 1339-40, in " Political Poems and Songs relating to English History"; 

 Yol. I., edited by Thos. Wright, M. A,, London, 1859, 



