The Paston Letters
Chapter 256 : 912 SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[287-1]_To John Paston, Esquyer._ [Sidenote: 1477 /

912

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[287-1]

_To John Paston, Esquyer._

[Sidenote: 1477 / APRIL 14]

Ryght worshypfull and hertely belovyd brother, I recomaunde me to yow, letyng yow weete, that as by Pyrse Moody, when he was heer, I hadde no leyser to sende answer in wryghtyng to yow, and to my cosyne Gurnaye, off yowr letteris; b.u.t.t ffor a conclusion ye shalle ffynde me to yow as kynde as I maye be, my conciense and worshyp savyd, whiche, when I speke with yow and them, ye bothe shall weell undrestande. And I praye G.o.d sende yow as goode speede in that mater as I wolde ye hadde, and as I hope ye shall have er thys letter come to yow; and I praye G.o.d sende yow yssywe betwyne yow, that maye be as honorable as ever was any off your ancestris and theris, wheroff I wolde be as gladde in maner as off myn owne. Wherffor I praye yow sende me worde how ye doo, and iff G.o.dde ffortune me to doo weell, and be off any power, I woll be to Sir Thomas Brewse, and my lady hys wyffe, a verry sone in lawe ffor yowr sake, and take them as ye doo, and doo ffor them as iff I weer in case like with them as ye bee. No moor, but Jesus have yow in kepyng.

Wretyn at Caleys, the xiiij. daye off Aprill, anno E. iiij. xvij^{o}.

As ffor tydyngs her, the Frenshe Kynge hathe gothen many off the towns off the Duk of Burgoyne, as Seynt Quyntyns, Abevyle, Motrell; and now off late he hathe goten Betoyne and Hedynge with the castell ther, whyche is one off the ryallest castells off the worlde; and on Sonday at evyn the Ameralle off Fraunce leyde seege at Boloyne; and thys daye it is seyde, that the Frenshe Kynge shalle come thyddr; and thys nyght it is seyde, that ther was a vysion seyne abowte the walls of Boloyne, as it hadde ben a woman with a mervylowse lyght; men deme that Owr Lady ther will shewe hyrselff a lover to that towne. G.o.d fforfende that it weer Frenshe, it weer worthe xl.m^l._li._ [40,000] that it wer Englyshe.

J. PASTON, K.

[Footnote 287-1: [From Fenn, ii. 244.]]

913

MARGARET PASTON TO DAME ELIZABETH BREWS[288-1]

_To the ryght wurchypfull and my verry good [lady and cosyn, Dame Elyzabet][288-2] Brews._

[Sidenote: 1477 / JUNE 11]

Ryght wurchepful and my cheff lady and cosyn, as hertly as I can, I recomaunde me to yow. Madam, lyeketh yow to undyrstand that the cheff cause of my wrytyng to yow at thys season ys thys: I wot well yt ys not unremembred with yow the large comunycacyon that dyvers tymes hathe ben had towchyng the maryage of my cosyn Margery, yowyr dowghter, and my son John; of whyche I have ben as glad, and now late wardes as sory, as evyr I was for eny maryage in myn lyve. And wher or in whom the defawte of the breche ys, I can have no perfyte knowlage; but, madam, yf yt be in me or eny of myn, I prey yow a.s.sygne a day when my cosyn yowyr husbond and ye thynk to be at Norwych to wardes Salle, and I wyll com theder to yow; and I thynk or ye and I departe, that the defawte schall be knowe where yt ys, and also that, with yowyr advyse and helpe and myn to gedyrs, we schall take some wey that yt schal not breke; for yf yt dyd, yt wer non honoure to neyther partyes, and in cheff to them in whom the defawte ys, consyderyng that it ys so ferre spokun.

And, madam, I prey yow that I may have perfyte knowlage be my son Yelverton,[288-3] berar here of, when thys metyng schall be, yf ye thynk it expedyent, and the soner the better, in eschewyng of worsse; for, madam, I know well, yf yt be not concludyd in ryght schort tyme, that as for my son he entendyth to doo ryght well by my cosyn Margery, and not so well by hym sylf, and that schuld be to me, nor I trust to yow no gret plesur, yf yt so fortunyd, as G.o.d deffend, Whom I beseche to send yow your levest desyers.

Madam, I besech yow that I may be recomawndyd by this bylle to my cosyn yowr husbond, and to my cosyn Margery, to whom I supposyd to have gevyn an othyr name or thys tyme.

Wretyn at Mawteby, on Seynt Barnaby is Day.

By your,

MARGARET PASTON.

[Footnote 288-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is another letter relative to the negotiations for the marriage of John Paston and Margery Brews, which took place in 1477.]

[Footnote 288-2: The words bracketed are indistinct, but we follow Fenn's reading.]

[Footnote 288-3: William Yelverton, grandson of Judge Yelverton, now married to Anne Paston, one of Margaret's daughters.]

914

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[289-1]

_To John Paston, Esquyer._

[Sidenote: 1477 / JUNE 23]

I recomand me to yow, letyng yow weete that I have spoken to Herry Colett,[289-2] and entretyd hym in my best wyse ffor yow, soo that at the last he is agreyd to a resonable respyght ffor the xv_li._ that ye sholde have payd hym at Mydsomer, as he seyth, and is gladde to do yow ease or plesyr in all that he maye; and I tolde hym that ye wolde, as I supposyd, be heer at London, herr nott long to, and than he lokyth afftr that ye sholde come see hym, ffor he is sheryff, and hathe a goodely hows.

Item, my Lady off Oxenfforth[289-3] lokyth afftr yow and Arblaster bothe.

My Lord off Oxenfford[289-4] is nott comen in to Inglonde that I can perceyve, and so the goode lady hathe nede off helpe and cowncell howe that she shall doo.

No moor at thys tyme, b.u.t.t G.o.d have yow in kepyng.

Wretyn att London on Seynt Awdryes Daye, anno E. iiij^ti xvij^{o}.

Tydyngs b.u.t.t that yisterdaye my Lady Marqueys off Dorset,[290-1] whych is my Lady Hastyngs dowtr, hadyd chylde a sone.

Item, my Lord Chamberleyn is comyn hyddr ffro Caleys, and redyn with the Kynge to Wyndeshor, and the Kyng will be here ageyn on Mondaye.

J. P., K.

[Footnote 289-1: [From Fenn, ii. 248.]]

[Footnote 289-2: Sir Henry Colet was Lord Mayor of London in 1486.--F.]

[Footnote 289-3: Margaret, daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury; she was, during the imprisonment of her lord, in great distress.--F.]

[Footnote 289-4: John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, was at this time a prisoner in the Castle of Hammes, in Picardy; what expectation there was of his coming into England at this time I know not.--F.]

[Footnote 290-1: Cecily, wife of Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, was great grand-daughter and heir of William Bonvile, Lord Bonvile, who was beheaded by order of Margaret of Anjou, after the second battle of St. Albans in 1461.]

915

JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[290-2]

[Sidenote: 1477 / JUNE 29]

Ryght worchepfull and my most good and kynd moder. Moder, in as humbyll wyse as I can or may, I recomand me to yow, and beseche yow of your dayly blyssyng. Moder, please it yow to undyrstond that tyll thys day Dame Elyzabeth Brews hathe ben so syke that she myght nevyr, sythe she cam to Salle, have leyser to comon of my mater with Master Brews tyll thys day; and thys day with gret peyn, I thynk the rather because Heydon[290-3] was ther, the mater was comond, but other answer than she hathe sent yow in hyr lettre closed her in can she not have of hyr husbond. Wherfor, modyr, if it please yow, myn advyse is to send hyr answer ayen in thys forme folowing, of some other manys hand.

[_Margaret Paston to Dame Elyzabeth Brews._]

'Ryght worchepfull and my verry good lady and cosyn, as hertly as I can, I recomand me to yow. And, madam, I am ryght sory, if it myght be otherwyse, of the dysease, as I undyrstand by the berer herof, that my cosyn your husbond and ye also have had a season, whyche I prey G.o.d soone to redresse to your bothe easeis. And, madam, I thank yow hertly that ye have remembred the mater to my cosyn your husbond, that I spak with you of at syche tyme as I was last with you at Norwyche, to my gret comfort. And I wyse, madam, I am ryght sory that John Paston is no more fortunate then he is in that mater; for, as I undyrstand by your lettyr, my cosyn your husbond wyll geve but an C_li._, whyche is no money lyek for syche a joyntore as is desyred of my son, thow hys possybylyte wer ryght easy. But, madam, when I mad that large grant in the maner of Sperham that I have mad to hym and my cosyn your doughter, he told me of an other some that he shold have with hyr then of an C_li._ He hathe befor thys be wont to tell me none untrowthe; and what I shall deme in thys mater, I can not sey, for me thynkyth if more then an C_li._ wer promysyd on to hym by my cosyn your husbond and yow, that ye wold not lett to geve it hym, with ought so wer that I or he abryggyd eny thyng of our promess, whyche I wot well neyther I or he intend to do, if I may undyrstand that hys seying to me was trowthe, and that it may be performyd; but wyst I that he told me otherwyse then my cosyn yowr husbond and ye promysed hym, to deseyve me of Sparham, by my trowthe, thow he have it, he shall lese as myche for it, iff I leve, and that shall he well undyrstand the next tyme I se hym.

'And, madam, I pray G.o.d send us good of thys mater, for as for hys broder Sir John also, I sent ones to hym for it to have mad good the same graunt that I grauntyd yow with hys a.s.sent, to them and to ther issu of ther ij. bodyes lawfully comyng, and he dyd not ther in as I desyred hym. And ther for I prey yow pardon me for sendyng on to hym eny more; for, madam, he is my sone, and I can not fynd in my hert to becom a dayly petycyoner of hys, sythe he hathe denyed me onys myn axing.

Peraventure he had ben better to have performyd my desyer; and what hys answer was on to me, John Paston can tell yow as well as I. But, madam, ye ar a moder as well as I, wher I prey tak it non other wyse bot well, that I may not do by John Paston, as ye wyll have me to do; for, madam, thow I wold he dyd well, I have to purvey for more of my chylder then hym, of whyche some be of that age, that they can tell me well inow that I dele not evenly with theym to geve John Paston so large, and theym so lytyll; and, madam, for syche grwgys and other causys, I am ryght sory that the graunte is knowyn that I have mad, with ought it myght take effect. And therfor, madam, fro hensforthe I remyght all thyng to yowr dyscressyon, besechyng yow, the rather for my sake, to be my son Johnis good lady; and I prey G.o.d preserve yow to Hys plesure, send yow hastyly yowr hele ayen, and my cosyn yowr husbond also, to whom I prey yow that I may hertly be recomandyd, and to my cosyns Margery and Margaret Byllyngforthe.

'Wretyn at Mawtby, on Seynt Petrys Day.