DOWN THE ROAD 135 



dismounted it was seen that his rugs covered fetters, and 

 he was a malefactor in irons accompanied by a Bow 

 Street Officer. 



Prisoners were frequently conveyed from place to 

 place in coaches, and one of the entries in John Wesley's 

 diary runs: "Then I took coach for London, I was nobly 

 attended; behind the coach were ten convi6led felons, 

 loudly blaspheming and rattling their chains; by my side 

 sat a man with a loaded blunderbuss and another upon 

 the coach." 



Other passengers were more fortunate, and the 

 delightful and inquisitive Mr. Samuel Pepys when he 

 returned from Cambridge on May 26th, 1667, had an 

 adventure after his own heart. 



"Up by four o'clock; and by the time we were ready 

 and had eat, we were called to the coach, where about 

 six o'clock we set out, there being a man and two 

 women of one company, ordinary company and one 

 lady alone, that is tolerably handsome, and mighty well 

 spoken, whom I took great pleasure in talking to, and 

 did get her to read aloud in a book she was reading in the 

 coach, being the King's meditations; and then the boy 

 and I to sing, and about noon come to Bishop's Stortford, 

 to another house than that we were at the other day 

 and better used. And here I paid for the reckoning lis., 

 we dining together, and pretty merry; and then set out 

 again, sleeping most part of the way, and got to Bishops- 

 gate street before eight o'clock, the waters being now 

 most of them down, and we avoiding the bad way in the 

 forest by a privy way which brought us to Hodsden." 



Pepys considered his flirtation with the lady very 



