The Paston Letters
Chapter 246 : _To Mestresse Margret Paston, at Norwyche._ [Sidenote: 1475 / SEPT. 11]Ryght reverend

_To Mestresse Margret Paston, at Norwyche._

[Sidenote: 1475 / SEPT. 11]

Ryght reverend and my most tendre and kynde moodre, I recomaunde me to yow. Please it yow to weete that, blessyd be G.o.d, thys wyage of the Kynges is fynysshyd for thys tyme, and alle the Kynges ost is comen to Caleys as on Mondaye last past, that is to seye, the iiij. daye of Septembre; and at thys daye many of hys host be pa.s.syd the see in to Inglond ageyn, and in especiall my Lorde off Norffolk and my bretheryn.

Item, I was in goode hope to have hadde Caster ageyn. The Kynge spake to my Lorde off Norffolk for it, and it was full lyke to have comyn; but in conclusyon it is delayed tyll this next terme, by whyche tyme the Kynge hat comaundyd hym to take advyce off hys councell, and to be sywer that hys tytle be goode, or ellys the Kyng hathe a.s.serteynyd hym that for any favor he most do me ryght and justyce, &c.

And iff Caster hadde comen, by my feythe I had comyn streyhte home.

Notwithstondyng, iff I may do yow servyce or eese, as ye and I have comonyd heer to foor, aftre as I heer from yow, as G.o.d helpe me, I purpose to leeffe alle heer, and come home to yow, and be yowr hosbonde and balyff; wher in I spake to my brother John to telle yow myn advyce.

I also mysselyke somwhat the heyr heer; for by my trowte I was in goode heele whan I come hyddre, and all hooll, and to my wetyng I hadde never a better stomake in my lyffe, and now with in viij. dayes I am crasyd ageyn. I suppose that I most be at London at Mychelmesse, and ther to purveye for payment for myn oncle William, by whyche tyme I praye yow that I may heer from yow and off yowr advyce and helpe, iff any thynge be growyn off Sporle woode. For had nott yit that danger have been, I mygh yit have ben at home with yow at thys daye, or with in vij. dayes aftre. No more, but I beseche Jesus have yow in kepyng.

Wretyn at Caleys, the xj. daye of Septembre.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 237-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It is evident that this letter was written after the return of King Edward IV. from France in 1475.]

876

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[238-1]

_To the ryght worchepfull Sir John Paston, Knyght, lodgyd at the George, by Powlys Wherf, in London._

[Sidenote: 1475 / OCT. 10]

Ryght werchepfull sir, I recomand me to yow, sertyfying yow that I have comonyd with Barnard and other your wellwyllers with my Lord of Norffolk, whyche avise me that ye shold, for your nyghest meane to get Caster a yen, labore to get a lettre fro the Kyng dyrect to R.

Sothewell, Jamys Hubbard, and other of my lordys consayll being, and to iche of theym; and in the seyd letter to lete theym have knowlage that the Kyng mevyd to my lord of the seyd mater beyond the see, and hough my lord answerd the Kyng that at hys comyng in to Inglond he wold meve to hys seyd consayll of the seyd mater, and geve the Kyng an answer.

Wherfor the Kyng in the seyd lettyr must streyghtly charge theym, and iche of theym, to comon with my lord in the seyd mater in syche wyse that the Kyng may be sertyfyed of an answer fro my lord and theym at the ferthest by _crastino Animarum_;[238-2] for Suthewell nor Jamys Hubbard shall not be at London befor Halowma.s.s, and thys is the best wey that ye may take, as we thynke here.

My lady sweryth, and so dothe Barnard on hyr behalff, that she wold as fayne ye had it as eny body; notwithstandyng she seyd not so to me, sythe I cam hom, for I spak not with hyr but onys sythe I sye yow last.

Yet she lythe in Norwyche, and shall do tyll she be delyverd; but I have be seek ever sythe I cam on thys syd the see, but I trust hastyly to amend for all my seknesse that I had at Caleys, and sythe I cam over also, cam but of cold. But I was never so well armyd for the werre as I have now armyd me for cold; wherfor I avyse yow, take exampyll by me, if it happyn yow to be seek, as ye wer when I was at Caleys, in eny wyse kepe yow warme. I weene Herry Woodhous nor Jamys Arblaster ware never at onys so many cotys, hose, and botewx as I doo, or ellys by G.o.d we had gone therfor. What we shall yet I can not sey, but I bere me bold on ij.

dayes amendyng.

My modyr sendyth yow G.o.des blyssing and hers, and she wold fayne have yow at home with hyr; and if ye be onys mette, she tellyth me ye shall not lyghtly depart tyll dethe depart yow.

As I was wryghtyng thys lettyr, on told me that the Kyng shold be at Walsyngham thys next.[239-1] If it be so, it wer best for yow to awayte on the Kyng all the wey, and if ye have not men and horse i nowghe I shall send yow. Do as ye thynk best; and as ye wyll have me to do, send me your avyse, and I shall accomplyshe it to my power, with G.o.des grace, Who preserve yow.

Wretyn at Norwyche, the x. day of October, anno xv^o E. iiij^{ti}.

P. J.[239-2]

[Footnote 238-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 238-2: The Morrow of All Souls, _i.e._ 3rd November.]

[Footnote 239-1: So in MS. _Qu._, the word 'week' omitted?]

[Footnote 239-2: It is curious that John Paston has here reversed his initials.]

877

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[239-3]

_To Sir John Paston, Knyght, lodgyd at the George, by Powlys Wherff, in London._

[Sidenote: 1475 / OCT. 23]

Aftyr all dwtes of recomendacyon, please it yow to undyrstand that I have spoken with my lady[239-4] sythe I wrot to yow last; and she told me that the Kyng had no syche woordys to my lord for Caster, as ye told me; but she seyth that the Kyng axid my lord at hys departyng fro Caleys, how he wold deele with Caster, and my lord answerd nevyr a woord.

Sir W. Brandon[240-1] stood by, and the Kyng axid hym what my lord wold do in that mater; seying that he had comandyd hym befor tyme to meve my lord with that mater, and Sir W. Brandon gave the Kyng to answer that he had doone so; then the Kyng axid Sir W. B. what my lordys answer was to hym, and Sir W. B. told the Kyng that my lords answer was that the Kyng shold as soone have hys lyff as that place; and then the Kyng axid my lord whedyr he seyd so or nought, and my lord seyd, yee. And the Kyng seyd not a woord ayen, but tornyd hys bak, and went hys wey; but my lady told me, and the Kyng had spokyn any woord in the world aftyr that to my lord, my lord wold not have seyd hym nay. And I have gevyn my lady warnyng that I wyll do my lord no more serveys; but er we partyd, she mad me to make hyr promess that I shold let hyr have knowlege er I fastonyd myselff in eny other servysse; and so I departyd, and sye hyr not syness, nor nought purpose to doo, tyll I spek with yow.

I prey yow bryng home some hattys with yow, or and ye come not hastyly, send me on, &c., and I shall pay yow for it a comb otys[240-2] when ye come home.

My modyr wold fayn have yow at Mawtby; she rode thydyr ought of Norwyche on Sat.u.r.day last past, to purvey your lodgyng redy ayenst your comyng.

I have been ryght seek ayen sythe I wroote to yow last, and thys same day have I ben pessyng seek; it wyll not ought of my stomak by no mean.

I am undon. I may not ete halff i nough, when I have most hungyr, I am so well dyettyd, and yet it wyll not be. G.o.d send yow heele, for [I]

have non iij. dayes to gedyr, do the best I can.

Wretyn at Norwyche, the Monday next be for Seynt Simone and Jude,[240-3]

anno E. iiij. xv^{o}.

J. P.

[Footnote 239-3: [From Fenn, ii. 182.]]

[Footnote 239-4: The d.u.c.h.ess of Norfolk.]

[Footnote 240-1: Sir William Brandon was the grandfather of Henry VIII.'s favourite, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Footnote 2 on p. 156, taken from Fenn, is wrong. Charles Brandon's father, who was slain at Bosworth, was another Sir William, knighted by the Earl of Richmond before the battle.]

[Footnote 240-2: In 1475 a comb of oats sold for 11_d._; we have therefore the value of a hat in this reign.--F. In No. 871 the price of oats is given as 10_d._ a comb, but the markets are considered to be bad.]

[Footnote 240-3: 28th of October.]

878

JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[241-1]

[Sidenote: 1475]

Aftyr all dewtes of recomendacyon, in as humbyll wyse as I can, I beseche yow of your blyssyng. The cheff cause that I wryght to yow for at thys season is, for that I undyrstand that my lady[241-2] wold be ryght glad to have yow a bought hyr at hyr labore; in so myche that she hathe axyd the questyon of dyvers gentyllwomen whedyr they thought that ye wold awayte on hyr at that season or nought, and they answerd that they durst sey that ye wold, with ryght good wyll, awayte on hyr at that tyme, and at all other seasons that she wold comand yow. And so I thynk that my lady wyll send for yow; and if it wer your ease to be here, I wold be ryght glad that ye myght be here, for I thynk your being here shold do gret good to my brodyrs maters that he hathe to sped with hyr.

Wherfor, for G.o.des sake, have your horse and all your gere redy with yow, whersoever ye be, ought or at home, and as for men, ye shall nott need many, for I wyll come for yow, and awayte on yow my sylf, and on or ij. with me; but I had need to undyrstand wher to fynd yow, or ellys I shall happyly seeke yow at Mautby, when ye be at Freton, and my lady myght then fortune to be ferforthe on hyr jorney or ye cam, if she wer as swyfte as ye wer onys on Good Fryday.

And as for the mater in the latter end of my brodyr Sir Johnys lettyr, me thynk he takyth a wronge wey, if he go so to werk; for as for the peopyll here, I undyrstand non other but that all folkys here be ryght well dysposyd towardes that mater, fro the hyghest degre to the lowest, except Robart Brandon and John Colvyll; and it is a grete lyklyhod that the grettest body is well dysposyd towardes that mater, in as myche as they wold put yow to the labore above wretyn, and if they wer not, I thynk they wold not put yow to that labore.