The Paston Letters
Chapter 269 : Be your servaunt, R. C.[Footnote 20-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is not add

Be your servaunt, R. C.

[Footnote 20-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is not addressed, but seems to have been intended for Margaret Paston.

The date is not very material, but as it mentions Sir John Paston, it cannot be later than 1479, the year in which he died. Perhaps it is about the year 1472. _See_ Nos. 819, 820.]

[Footnote 20-2: Barkers, or tanners to whom the bark of the woods had been sold.]

956

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[21-1]

_To the ryght worshypfull mestresse, Margret Paston, be thys delyveryd._

[Sidenote: 1479 / OCT. 29]

Please it yow to weet, that I have ben heer at London a xiiij. nyght, wheroff the ffyrst iiij. dayes I was in suche ffeer off the syknesse, and also ffownde my chambr and stuffe nott so clene as I demyd, whyche troblyd me soor; and as I tolde yow at my departyng, I was nott weell monyed, ffor I hadde nott paste x. marke, wheroff I departyd xl_s._ to be delyveryd off my olde bedfelawe; and then I rode be yonde Donstaple, and ther spake with on off my cheffe witnessis, whyche promysed me to take labor, and to gete me wryghtyngs towchyng thys mater bytwyen me and the Duke of Suffolk,[21-2] and I rewardyd hym xx_s._; and then, as I informyd yow, I payed v. marke incontynent uppon my comyng hyddr to replegge owte my gowne off velwett and other geer.

And then I hopyd to have borowyd some off Townesend, and he hath ffoodyd me[21-3] fforthe evyrsynys, and in effecte I cowde have at the most, and at the sonest yisterdaye xx_s._ wherffor I beseche yow to purveye me C_s._ and also to wryght to Pekok, that he purveye me as moche, C_s._ whyche I supose that he hathe gaddryd at Paston and other places, by thys tyme; ffor with owte I have thys x_li._, as G.o.d helpe me, I ffer I shalle doo b.u.t.t litell goode in noo mater, nor yitt I woote nott howe to come home, but iff I have it.

This geer hathe troblyd me so, that itt hathe made me moor than halffe seke, as G.o.d helpe me.

Item, I undrestande that myn oncle William hathe made labor to th'

Exchetor, and that he hathe bothe a wrytte off _essend._ clowsyth extr.; and also a _supercedeas_. I have wretyn to the Exchetor ther in off myn entent, iff myn oncle hadde hys wyll in that, yitt sholde he be never the nerre the londe, b.u.t.t in effecte he shold have thys advantage, whyche is behovefull ffor a weyke mater to have a colour, or a clooke, or a botrase.

But on Tywesdaye I was with the Bysshop off Hely,[22-1] whyche shewyth hymselffe goode and worshypfull; and he seyde that he sholde sende to myn oncle William, that he sholde nott procede in no suche mater, till that he speke with hym; and moor ovyr that he sholde cawse hym to be heer hastelye; in whyche mater is no remedy as nowe, but iff it wer soo, that the Exchetor, iff he be entretyd to sytte by myn oncle William, whyche percase he shall nott, that iff my brother John and Lomnor have knowleche off the daye, and they myght be ther; Lomnor can geve evydence i now in that mater with owte the boke; and mor ovyr that they see bothe the letter and the other noote, that I sente to the Exchetor, and with helpe off the Exchetor all myght be as beste is; and iff my brother and Lomnor take labor her in, I shal recompence ther costs.

Wretyn in haste with schort advis.e.m.e.nt on the Frydaye next Seynt Symonds and Jude, anno E. iiij^ti xix^o.

Late my brother John se thys bille, for he knoweth mor off thys mater.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 21-1: [From Fenn, ii. 276.]]

[Footnote 21-2: John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk.--F.]

[Footnote 21-3: Fenn reads 'ffoodyd ne,' and in the modern copy 'fooded not forth,' of which some fanciful explanations are suggested in a footnote. The true reading ought certainly to be 'me' and not 'ne,' the meaning evidently being 'he has put me off ever since.' 'To fode out with words' is an expression which, as Halliwell informs us, occurs in Skelton, Harrington, etc.]

[Footnote 22-1: John Morton, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and Cardinal.]

957

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[23-1]

_To Syr John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1479 / NOV. 6]

Syr, aftyr all dwtes of recomendacyon, pleasyt to undyrstand, that, acordyng to your lettre sent me by Wyllson, Lomnore and I mett at Norwyche and drew ought a formable bylle ought of your, and send it ayen to th'Exchetore Palmer by my brodyr Edmund, whyche had an other erand in to that contre to spek with H. Spylman, to get hys good wyll towardes the bargayn lyek to be fynyshed hastyly betwyx Mastres Clyppysby and hym. And, syr, at the delyvere of the bylle of inquisicyon to th'Exchetour, my brodyr Edmund told hym that accordyng to your wryghtyng to me, I spak with myn oncle William, and told hym that I undyrstood by yow that my Lord of Elye had aswell desyred hym in wryghtyng as you by mouthe, that non of you shold swe to have the inquisycion fond aftyr your intentys tyll other weyes of pese wer takyn betwyx you; wherfor my brodyr Edmund desyred hym that with ought myn oncle labord to have it fond for hym, ellys that he shold not procede for yow; but th'Exchetour answerd hym that he wold fynd it for you, aftyr your byll, of hys owne autorite; and so it was fond. But, syr, ye must remembre that my Lord of Ely desyred myn oncle as well as you to surcease, as I put myn oncle in knowlage, and myn oncle at the fyrst agreid that he wold make no more sute a bought it, in trust that ye wold do the same, acordyng to my Lord of Elys desyer; wherfor ye had ned to be ware that th'Exchetor skyppe not from you, when he comyth to London, and sertyfye it, or ye spek with hym. Th'Exchetor shalbe at London by Twysdaye or Wednysday next comyng, at John Leeis house, for he shall ryd forwardys as on Monday next comyng be tymys, &c.

Syr, your tenauntes at Crowmer sey that they know not who shalbe ther lord; they marvayll that ye nor no man for yow hathe not yet ben there.

Also, when I was with myn oncle, I had a longe pystyll of hym, that ye had sent Pekok to Paston, and comandyd the tenauntes ther that they shold pay non areragys to hym, but if [_unless_] they wer bond to hym by obligacyon for the same; myn oncle seythe it was other wyse apoyntyd be for the arbytrorys; they thought, he seythe, as well my Mastyr Fytzwalter as other, that he shold receyve that as it myght be gadryd; but now he seythe, that he wottyth well some shall renne away, and some shall wast it, so that it is nevyr lyek to be gadryd, but lost, and so I trow it is lyek to be of some of the dettors, what for casuelte of dethe and thes other causes befor rehersyd; wherfor me thynkyth if it were apoyntyd befor the arbytrors that he shold receyve theym, as he seythe, it wer not for you to brek it, or ellys if he be pleyn executor to my grauntdam, then also he ought to have it. I spek lyek a blynd man, do ye as ye thynk, for I was at no syche apoyntment befor th'arbytrors, nor I know not whethyr he is executor to my grauntdam or not, but by hys seying.

Also, syr, ye must of ryght, consyderyng my brodyr Edmundys diligence in your maters, sythe your departyng, helpe hym forwardys to myn oncle Syr George Brown, as my brodyr Edmund preyid yow in hys lettyr that he sent on to yow by Mondys sone of Norwyche, dwellyng with Thomas Jenney, that myn oncle Syr George may gett to my brodyr Edmund of the Kyng the wardshepp of John Clyppysby, son and heyer to John Clyppysby,[24-1] late of Owby, in the conte of Norffolk, Sqwyr, dwryng the nonnage of my Lord and Lady of York,[24-2] thow it cost iiij. or v. mark the swte. Let myn oncle Syr George be clerk of the haniper, and kepe the patent, if it be grantyd, tyll he have hys mone, and that shall not be longe to.

Myn oncle Syr George may enforme the Kyng for trowthe, that the chyld shall have no lond duryng hys yong modyrs lyff, and ther is no man her that wyll mary with hym withought they have some lond with hym, and so the gyft shall not be gret that the Kyng shold geve hym; and yet I trow he shold get the modyr by that meane, and in my conseyt the Kyng dothe but ryght if he graunt my brodyr Edmund Clyppysbys son in recompense for takyng my brodyr Edmundes son, otherwyse callyd Dyxsons, the chyldys fadyr being alyve. Dyxson is ded, G.o.d have hys sowle, Whom I beseche to send you your most desyred joye.

Wretyn at Norwyche, on Seynt Leonardes Day.

J. PASTON.

Syr, it is told me that Nycolas Barlee, the Scyuer, hathe takyn an axion of dett ayenst me thys terme. I prey yow let Whetley or some body spek with hym, and lete hym wet that if he swe me softly thys terme, that he shall be payed or the nexte terme be at an end. It is a bought vj_li._, and in feythe he shold have had it or thys tyme, and our threshers of Sweynsthorp had not dyed upp; and if I myght have payed it hym a yer ago, as well as I trust I shall sone aftyr Crystma.s.s, I wold not for xij_li._ have brokyn hym so many promessys as I have.

Also, syr, I prey yow send me by the next man that comyth fro London ij.

pottys of tryacle of Jenne,--they shall cost xvj_d._,--for I have spent ought that I had with my yong wyf, and my yong folkys, and my sylff, and I shall pay hym that shall bryng hem to me, and for hys caryage. I pray you lett it be sped.

The pepyll dyeth sore in Norwyche, and specyally abought my house, but my wyff and my women come not ought, and fle ferther we can not; for at Sweynsthorpe, sythe my departyng thens, they have dyed, and ben syke nye in every house of the towne.

[Footnote 23-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It will be seen from the contents that this letter must have been written after the receipt of the last, or of one to the same effect addressed to John Paston.]

[Footnote 24-1: The writer probably intended to say 'son and heir to William Clippesby,' who died about this time. His widow Catherine, the daughter of John Spelman, Esq., of Stow Bekerton, soon afterwards married Edmund Paston.]

[Footnote 24-2: Richard, Duke of York, son of Edward IV., at this time a child of seven years old, and Anne Mowbray, daughter of the late Duke of Norfolk, to whom he was married in 1478.]

958

WILLIAM PASTON TO ROBERT WALSH[26-1]

[Sidenote: 1479 / NOV. 22]

Yet wold I tary, all be yt I have taryd your comyg this halff yer, for I deme her suche men as schall well undyrstond myn t.i.till good; yff any man have good tytyll I am suyr that myn is G.o.de. I dar well juperde to take a dystres, wedyr they come or nat, and so I wyll ze know. Wer for, in so much as I left myn distress for iowr dysyr, so that I be answerid off myn mony acordyng to myn ryth, ar else send me answer, one ar oder [_one or other_], and lett me take the avantage that the Kynge lawys will zeff me be dystress qweche I have delayed, me thynk to long, for any thank that I have.

Wretyn at Norwich, the xxij. Novembre.

[Footnote 26-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter or fragment of a letter is a corrected draft in William Paston's hand, and is endorsed by him:--'A letter to Roberd Walsche of Colby, the ---- day off Novembre, anno xix.']

959

JULLYE TO HIS FATHER[26-2]

[Sidenote: 1479 / NOV.]

Well beloved fader, my master prayed you that ye will sende knowlach be my broder as sone as these men be come to Knapton, and that ye may laye a weche to knowe ho sone they be come, and sende me be your sone ar else be some other trusty man; and I have take your son a grote for his laubour. And do this in hast; for wheder they com or nat I wille take a distresse ther, and thatt will abide[26-3] till I knowe the dealing of them this ij. ar iij. dayes for to know wheder they wille come or nat, and ther after shall I be demeaned.

_Endorsed in William Paston's hand_--A letter fro ----[26-4] Jullye, clark of Sent Edmundes, to his fadyr, to North Walsham, the ----[26-4]