Thence, after the play, stayed till Harris was undressed (there being acted The Tempest) and so he withal, all by coaches hom, where we find my house with good fires and candles ready, and our office the like, and the two Mercers, and Betty Turner, Pendleton, and W. Batelier; and so with much pleasure we into the [office] and there fell to dancing, having extraordinary music, two violins and a bass viallin and theorbo (four hands), the Duke of Buckingham’s musique, the best in towne, sent me by Greeting; and there we set in to dancing. By and by to my house to a very good supper, and mighty merry and good music playing; and after supper to dancing and singing till about 12 at night; and then we had a good sack-posset for them and an excellent cake, cost me near 20s of our Jane’s making, which was cut into twenty pieces, there being by this time so many of our company by the coming in of young Goodyer and some others of our neighbours, young men that could dance, hearing of our dancing and anon comes in Mrs Turner the mother and brings with her Mrs Hollworthy, which pleased me mightily; and so to dancing again and singing with extraordinary great pleasure, till about 2 in the morning; and then broke up, and Mrs Pierce and her family and Harris and Knip by coach home, as late as it was; and they gone, I took Mrs Truner and Hollworthy home to my house and there gave them wine and sweetmeats. They being gone, I paid the fiddler 3l among the four, and so away to bed, weary and mightily pleased; and have the happiness to reflect upon it as I do sometimes on other things, as going to a play or the like, to be the greatest real comforts that I am to expect in the world, and that it is that that we do really labour in the hopes of; and so I do really enjoy myself, and understand that if I do not do it now, I shall not hereafter, it may be, be able to pay for it or have health to take pleasure in it, and so fool myself with vain expectation of pleasure and go without it.

Samuel Pepys, Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1669