The Paston Letters
Chapter 262 : I recomaunde me to yowe, and thanke yow off yowr labor that ye hadde at Heylesdon and

I recomaunde me to yowe, and thanke yow off yowr labor that ye hadde at Heylesdon and Drayton in seyng the woodys there. And it is soo heer that Ric. Ferore seyde, that he repentyd hym that evyr he dalte with any woode theer, and iff I hadde sente hym but the leest chylde that I hadde to have warnyd hym to leve he wolde notte have dalte therwyth; and he ffonde noe comfforte in the Chancery, but that he is lyke to contente me for the harmes and hurte that is doone, and moore ovyr he hathe an instrucyon that he shall ffelle noo moore.

Item, wheer as he desyryd me to be freendly to hym, I dalte so with hym, that I trowe he wylle reporte that I seyde and dalte moore cortesly with hym than he demyd that I wolde doo. Yitt for alle in convenyences that myght ffalle, I wolde be gladde to have a weell stomakyd felawe that wolde for my sake everye daye see the seyde woodes of Heylesdon and Drayton, and to knowe iff any weer fellyd heer afftre; and iffe there be any fellyd syns that Whetley was theer, and I can preve it by wytnesse, I sholde have better recompence for every tree than iiij. trees weer worthe.

Item, it is so that he hathe answeryd to my bille, wheryn he seythe that he never knywe byfor the subpena delyveryd hym that I hadde any clayme or entrest in the maner off Heylesdon, but that it was peasyble my Lordys off Suffolk. Wherffor I suppose that there be many men in Norwyche that comonyd with hym off the byenge off that woode ere evyr he made hys fulle bergayne, and per aventure some freendys off hys gave hym warnyng theroff, and off myn entrest. Iff any suche credyble mane that hadde hadde any suche langage to hym, or in hys companye, or than he bargayned, or any man that he laboryd to be halffe marchant or byer with hym, ar any man that refusyd to bye the seyd wood bycawse off myn entrest in the presence of Feror, any suche credyble man maye, iff he wyll, wytnesse ther in with me, or that dare avowe it, sholde be to me a remedy off alle that is fellyd. I praye yow, if ye can here any suche, that ye will in the presence off them make a bylle of remembraunce theroff, and off ther sayng, so that they maye her afftre wytnesse in the mater. Neverthelesse, trowthe it is that he hadde knowleche ther off i nowe, and soo hadde every man off hys havore [_substance_] in Norwych, I dowt nott; and as for hym, I am sure he hadde knowleche, for so moche as he desyryd at hys bargayn to have a sywerte to be savyd harmeles ageyn me, whyche was grawntyd hym b.u.t.t nott executyd. No mor, b.u.t.t I hope with G.o.ddys grace to have hastely goode remedy for the hole maner, and off Drayton therto, and alle the remenaunte.

Wretyn a London, the v. daye off Maye, anno E. iiij^ti xviij^{o}.

[Footnote 316-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

930

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[318-1]

_To my ryght worshypfull modre, Margret Paston, be thys delyvered._

[Sidenote: 1478 / MAY 13]

Please it yow to weete, that wher as I entendyd to have ben at home thys Mydsomer, and purposyd with yowr goode helpe to have bygonne uppon my ffadrys tombe, so that it myght have ben endyd thys somyr; it is soo, that ffor suche cawsys as ar nowe bygunne by twyen my Lorde off Suffolk and me, ffor the manerys off Heylesdon, Drayton, &c., for whyche materis I most nedys be heer thys nexte terme; therffor I deme it woll be afftr Mydsomer, er than I can see yow.

Please it yow also to weete that I comonyd with Master Pykenham to weete iff he wolde bye the clothe off golde, for soo moche as he desyryd ons to have bowte it, and he offryd me ons xx. marke therffor, neverthelesse it coste me xxiiij_li._; yit nowe, when that I spake to hym ther off, he refusyd to bye it, and seyde that he hadde nowe so many chargys that he maye nott. b.u.t.t it is soo that the Kynge dothe mak sertayne copys and vestymentys off like clothe, whyche he entendyth to gyve to the Coledge at Foodryngdre, wher my lorde hys ffadre is nowe buryed, and he byethe at a grete pryce.

I comonyd with the vestment maker ffor to helpe me fforthe with xij.

yerds, and he hathe grauntyd me to doo, as Whetleye can telle yow; wherffor, iff it please yow that it be bystowyd ffor to make a towmbe ffor my ffadre at Bromholme, iff ye lyke to sende it hyddr, iffe it be solde I undretake or Mychelmesse, that ther shalle be a tombe, and somwhatt ellys ovyr my ffadris grave, on whoys sowle G.o.d have mersye, that ther shall noone be lyke it in Norffolk; and as ye shalle be gladde herafftr to see it; and G.o.d sende me leyser that I maye come home, and iff I doo not, yit the monye shall be putte to noon other use, b.u.t.t kepyd by some that ye trust, tylle that it may be bystowyd acordyng as is above wretyn, and ellys I gyve yow cawse nevyr to truste me whylle ye and I lyve. When I was last with yow, ye grauntyd that the seyde clothe of golde sholde be bywaryd [_spent_] abowte thys werke, that is above wretyn, whyche iff ye wylle perfforme, I undretake that ther shalle be suche a towmbe as ye shalle be pleasyd at, thowgh it cost me xx. marke off myn owne purse besyde, iff I ons sette uppon it.

No mor, but I beseche Goode have yow in Hys kepyng.

Wretyn at London, the Wednysdaye in Whyghtsonweke, anno E. iiij^ti xviij^{o}.

Please it yow to sende me worde by Whatley off yowr plesyr her in.

By your Sone,

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 318-1: [From Fenn, ii. 260.]]

931

WALTER PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[319-1]

_To his worchypfull moder, Margaret Paston, dwellyng in Mawtby, be this letter delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1478 / MAY 19]

Rytgh reverent and worchypfull moder, I recomaund me on to yowr good moderchypp, besechyng yow to geve me yowr dayly benediccyon, desyeryng hartyly to heer of yowr prosperyte, whych G.o.d preserve to Hys plesure, and to yowr hartys desyyr, &c. I marvel soor that yow sent me noo word of the letter wych I sent to yow by Master Wylliam Brown at Ester.

I sent yow word that tym that I xold send yow myn exspenses partyculerly; but as at thys tym the berar her of had a letter sodenly that he xold come home, and there fore I kowd have no leysur to send them yow on that wys; and there fore I xall wryt to yow in thys letter the hool som of my exspenses sythyns I was with yow tyll Ester last paste, and also the reseytys, rekenyng the xx_s._ that I had of yow to Oxon wardys with the Buschopys fyndyng.

The hool some of reseytys ys v_li._ xvij_s._ vj_d._, and the holl some of exspenses ys vj_li._ v_s._ v_d._ ob. qua., and that comth over the reseytys in my exspenses I have borowd of Master Edmund, and yt drawyth to viij_s._ And yet I recone none exspenses sythyns Ester. But as for them, they be non grete; and therfor I besech yow to send me mony by Syr Richard Cotman, brynger of thys letter, or ellys by the next masenger that yow kan have to me.

I besech yow that he that I sent by thys letter to yow may have good scher, yf he brynge yt hym selfe, as he telth me that he woll, for he ys a good lover of myn. Master Edmund Alyard recomaund hym specyaly to yow, and to all my brodyrn and systyrs, and to all yowr howshold; and I besech yow that I may be recomaundyd to all them also, and specyaly to my brodyr John the yonger. No more to yow at thys tym, but Allmythy Jhesus have yow in Hys kepyng. Amen.

Wretyn at Oxonforth, on Seynt Dunstonys Day and the xix. day of May.

By your sonn and scoler,

WALTER PASTON.

[Footnote 319-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is printed in Fenn's fifth volume, and dated by him in 1478. I do not know on what evidence he a.s.signs this particular year to it, except that, as he tells us elsewhere, Walter Paston took a degree at Oxford, and died in 1479.]

[[Rytgh reverent and worchypfull moder _spelling unchanged_]]

932

J. WHETLEY TO SIR JOHN PASTON[320-1]

_To the ryght worsh[yp]full Sir John Paston, Knyght, loged at the sygne off the George at Powlys Wharff, in London, be thys delyvered in hast._

[Sidenote: 1478 / MAY 20]

Pleas it your meastershep to understond the dealyng of every thyng, the wych I was charged with at my departyng frome your measterchep.

Fyrst, your suppena to Denton was delyvered by me on Trenite Sondaye, in hys parych cherch, at Matens tyme, be ffor the substans of the parych; and as for Drayton wod, it is not all down yet, but it drawes fast toward. I have the names of all the mynestres off and in that wod, and more schall know or I come, yf ther be any more dealyng, &c.

And as for Haylysdon, my Lord of Suffolk was ther on Wedensday in Whytson Weke, and ther dined, and drew a stew and toke gret plente of fych; yet hath he left you a pyke or ij., agayn ye come, the wych wold be gret comford to all your frendes, and dyscomford to your enmys; for at hys beyng ther that daye ther was never no man that playd Herrod in Corpus Crysty[321-1] play better and more agreable to hys pageaunt then he dud. But ye schall understond that it was after none, and the weder hot, and he so feble for sekenes that hys legges wold not bere hyme, but ther was ij. men had gret payn to kepe hym on hys fete; and ther ye were juged. Som sayd 'Sley;' some sayd 'Put hym in preson.' And forth com my lord, and he wold met you with a spere, and have none other mendes for the troble at ye have put hym to but your hart blod, and that will be gayt with hys owen handes; for and ye have Haylesdon and Dreton, ye schall have hys lyff with it. And so he comford your enmys with that word that thay have dealed and dealeth with the wod, and most pryncepall nowe is Nycolesse Ovye. For as for Ferrer,[321-2] the Meare, he delys not with owt it be under covert; for it is sayd that he be soght my lord that he myght have other sygnementes for hys money that he had payd, for playnly he wold deall no mor with the wod. And so my lord hath set in the Bayly of Cossay, and all is doon in hys name; and as for hys servauntes, thay dayly thret my measter your brother and me to slay for comyng of ther lordes ground, and thay say that we made an entre; and thay beth answerd as ye comaunded me, for many a gret chalaunge make thay to Mester John, both Measter Wodhowse, Wysman, with other dyveres that I know not ther names; but he holdeth hys own that thay gayt no grownd of hym. And thys he lettes thaym knowe that if thay bete hym or any of hys, thay schall aby vj. for on, and so thay deall not but with ther tonges; and as yet, syth Ferrer was at London, there pa.s.ses not iij. acres of wod down but thay cary fast for fere of rayn, &c.

Also, sir, I trust to bryng or send hastely the cloth off gold, for it hath ben largely tempted; but as yet I have none playn answer, but put in hope. Also I have spoken with Popy for your money, and delyvered hym your letter, the wych, as he sayth, is a straunge thyng to hym, for, as I understond, he that owght thys deute was uncle to thys yong man, and he sayth that hys fader was never exsecutor to hym, nor never mynestred; and I told hym howe that hys fader was bound for the same deute, in so mech and my measter wold have forgevyn part of the same deute, he wold have payed it; and so he will be at London thys terme, and speke with you, and thys is hys answer.

Morover Wyllyam Worsestre, mevyd unto me of onne Sir Wylliam Bokkyng, exsecutor and brother to John Bokkyng, the whych was one of Sir John Fastolf hys clerkes, the whych mater I knewe not, nor had no comaundement be you to deall therin, and so I told hym. Never the lesse he sayd that ye promysed hym to have sent your will to have bene done in that mater by me, and so he troweth that it was owt of your mynd at my departyng. Yff so be that ye will any thyng to be doon by me or I come to yow in that mater, let me have knowlege schortly, for I thynk to be with yow in the weke folowyng aftyr thys wryten, with owt I may have more comford of money then I have yet.

And as for my meastres, your moder hath ben gretly deseased and so seke that she wened to have dyed, and hath made her wyll,[322-1] the wyche ye shall understond more when I come, for ther is every man for hym selff.

I know not the sercomstance of every thyng as yet, and therfor I writ no more to you therin, but I am promysed to know or I depart from thens.

Also I spake with William Barker, and he sayth that I shall have the stuff or I depart, or els the monye agayn that he hade of Wylliam Pec.o.ke.

Also, sir, as for your lond be syd Bromholm that ye had of Bakton, it hath layn un ocupyed syth ye were ther.

Moreover, my Lord of Suffolk[323-1] is remevyd in to Suffolk the morow after that he had bene at Haylesdon, and my lady purposed to remeff after on thys day, Corpus Crysty Evyn, by the grace of Jesu, Who preserve yow ever in worchep.

Wryten at Norwych, on Wedensday Corpus Crysty Evyn, anno E. iiij^ti xviij^{o}.

Item, as for the knowleg that Ferror denyed by hys othe that he knew never no tytle nor entrest that ye had in and to Haylsdon and Dreton, as yet we can not know; but thys thay will record all that were at the delyveraunce of the wryt that he sayd my lord had promysed to save hym harmles, in so mech that Wysman was bownd to Ferrour to save hym harmeles, and he had for bryngyng that mater about, that Ferrour shuld have the wod, xx_s._

Your servaunt,