The Paston Letters
Chapter 241 : SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[213-1]_To Mestresse Margrete Paston, or to Roose, d

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[213-1]

_To Mestresse Margrete Paston, or to Roose, dwellyng byffore hyr gate at Norwyche._

[Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 20]

Aftre dew recomendacion, my most tendre and kynde moodre, I beseche yow off yowr dayly blessyng. Please it yow to weete that I reseyvyd a lettre thhat come from yowe, wretyn the xxvj. daye of Octobre, none erst but[213-2] on Wednysday last past, wherby I conceyvyd that, at the wryghtyng off that letter, ye weer nott serteyn of the delyng betwyn Towneshende and me. It was so that, G.o.d thanke yow, I receyvyd the xx_li._ broght by Syme, and also the mony browght by my brother, with whyche mony, and with moor that I had my selff, I redemyd the maner of Sporle, and payed Towneshend bothe the CCCC. marke ther ffor, and also x_li._ that I owte hym besyde, and have off hym aqwytaunce off all bargaynes and off all other dettes. Neverthelesse, I a.s.sayed hym iff he wolde, iff nede hadde ben, gyvyn me a xij. monyth lenger respyght, whyche he grauntyd to do; but in conclusyon I can nott entrete hym, but that he woll have the uttremest of hys bargayn, and thys xx_li._ payeable at Candelmesse and Esterne. I kan entrete hym noon other wyse as yit; wherffor I thynke, iff I had pa.s.syd my daye, it had ben harde to have trustyd to hys cortesye, in so moche I ffynde hym also ryght loose in the tonge. For Bekham, he spekyth no thyng comfortably ther in; what he wyll doo, can I nott seye.

Item, as for Castre, it nedyth nott to spore nor prykke me to doo owghte ther in. I doo that I can with goode wyll, and somwhat I hope to doo hastely ther in that shall doo goode.

Item, as for the bokes that weer Syr James, G.o.d have hys sowle, whyche it lykethe yow that I shall have them, I beseche yow that I maye have them hyder by the next ma.s.senger, and iff I be goon, yit that they be delyveryd to myn ostesse at the George, at Powlys Wharffe, whyche wolle kepe them saffe, and that it lyke yow to wryght to me whatt my peyne or payment shall be for them.

Item, it lyked yow to weet of myn heelle. I thanke G.o.d nowe that I am nott greetly syke ner soore, but in myn heele, wherin alle men know nott whatt peyne I feele. And wher ye advysed me to hast me owt of thys towne, I wolde full fayne be hense. I spende dayly mor than I sholde doo, if I wer hense, and I am nott well purveyed.

Item, blessyd be Good, my grauntdam is amendyd by suche tyme as myn oncle W. come hyddre. But my yongest cosyn Margret, hys doghtre, is ded and beryed er he come home.

I am as moche afferde off thys londe that is in hys hande as I was off that that was in Towneshendes hande. I hope to wryght yow moor serteynte within iiij. or v. dayes. No more, &c.

Wretyn the xx. daye of Novembre, anno E. iiij. xiiij^{o}.

Yowr Sone,

J. PASTON, K.

[Footnote 213-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 213-2: No earlier than.]

[[I reseyvyd a lettre thhat come from yowe _spelling unchanged_]]

858

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[214-1]

_To John Paston, Esquyer, at Norwyche, or to Roose, dwellyng affor Mestresse Pastonys gate, in Norwych._

[Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 20]

Ryght wyrshypful and weell belovyd brother, I recomaunde me to yow, letyng yow weet that I have comonyd with yowr ffreende Dawnson, and have receyvyd yowr rynge off hym, and he hathe by myn advyce spoken with hyr[214-2] ij. tymes; he tellythe me off hyr delyng and answers, whyche iff they wer acordyng to hys seyng, a ffeynter lover than ye wolde, and weell aghte to, take therin greet comffort, so that he myght haply slepe the werse iij. nyghtys afftr. And suche delyng in parte as was bytwyen my Lady W. and yowr ffreende Danson he wrote me a bylle theroff, whyche I sende yow herwith; and that that longythe to me to doo therin, it [_I ?_] shall nott ffayle to leeve all other bysynesse a parte.

Neverthelesse within iij. dayes, I hope so to deele herin, that I suppose to sette yow in serteynte hoghe that ye shall fynde hyr ffor evyr her afftr. It is so, as I undrestande, that ye be as besy on yowr syde ffor yowr ffreende Dawnson, wheer as ye be, I praye G.o.d sende yow bothe goode spede in thees werkys, whyche iff they be browte abowte iche off yowe is moche beholden to other; yit were it pyte that suche crafty wowers, as ye be bothe, scholde speede weell, but iff ye love trewly.

Item, as ffor Stoctons doghtr, she shall be weddyd in haste to Skeerne, as she tolde hyrselffe to my sylke-mayde,[215-1] whyche makyth perte off suche as she shall weer, to whom she brake hyr harte, and tolde hyr that she sholde have hadde Master Paston, and my mayde wende it had been I that she speke off; and with moor that the same Mester Paston kome wher she was with xx. men, and wolde have taken hyr aweye. I tolde my mayde that she lyed off me, and that I never spake with hyr in my lyff, ner that I wolde not wedde hyr to have with hyr iij^ml. marke.

Item, as for Ebortons dowghtr, my brother Edmonde seythe, that he herde never moor speche theroff syns yowr departyng, and that ye wolde that he sholde nott breke, nor doo no thynge therin, but iff it come off theer begynnyng.

Item, I had answer ffrom my Lorde[215-2] that he is my speciall goode lorde, and that by wryghtyng; and as ffor Bernaye he sette hym in hys owne wages ffor my sake, and that whan so ever I come to Caleys, I shall ffynde all thyng ther as woll have it, and rather better than it was heretoffor.

Item, the Kyng come to this towne on Wednysdaye; as ffor the Frenshe Emba.s.sate that is heer, they come nott in the Kynges presence, by lykehod, ffor men seye that the chyeff off them is he that poysonyd bothe the Duke off Berry[216-1] and the Duke off Calabr.[216-2]

Item, ther was never mor lyklyhod that the Kyng shall goo ovyr thys next yer than was nowe.

I praye yow remembre that I maye have the pewter vessell heddr by the next karyer by the lattr ende off thys weke.

Item, I praye yow remembr so that I may have the bokys by the same tyme, whyche my moodr seyde she wolde sende me by the next carier.

Wretyn at London, the Sondaye the xx. daye off Novembr, anno E. iiij^ti xiiij^{o}.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 214-1: [From Fenn, ii. 164.]]

[Footnote 214-2: Apparently Lady Walgrave, hereafter referred to.

She was the widow of Sir Richard Walgrave, Knight.]

[Footnote 215-1: A person who made gowns of silk, etc., for both men and women, as appears from the manner in which she is here mentioned.--F.]

[Footnote 215-2: I am not certain whether the Duke of Norfolk is here meant, or Lord Hastyngs, the then Governor of Calais.--F.]

[Footnote 216-1: Charles, Duke of Berry and of Guienne, who was supposed to have been poisoned by order of his brother Lewis XI.

in May 1472.]

[Footnote 216-2: Nicholas of Anjou, Duke of Calabria and Lorraine, who died about the same time as the Duke of Guienne.]

[[dwellyng affor Mestresse Pastonys gate _italic "d" misprinted as "a"_

Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 20 _date supplied from body of letter_]]

859

ABSTRACT[216-3]

[Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 29]

Norfolk and Suffolk Deeds, No. 33. 'The agreement and accord between the Bishop of Winton and John Paston, Knight, touching the building of the College at Castre of seven priests and seven poor men, translated by dispensation of the Pope to seven priests and seven poor scholars in Magdalene College, and touching the lands of Sir John Fastolf. November 29, Edw. IV. 14.'

[Footnote 216-3: [From MS. Index in Magd. Coll., Oxford.]]

860

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[216-4]

_To John Paston, Esquier._

[Sidenote: 1474 / DEC. 11]

Brother, I recomaunde me to yow, letyng yow weete that I have, lyke as I promysyd yowe, I have doon my devoyr to know my Lady Walgraves stomacke, whyche, as G.o.d helpe me, and to be pleyn to yowe, I ffynde in hyr no mater nor cawse, that I myght tak comfort off. Sche will in nowyse receyve, ner kepe yowr rynge with hyr, and yit I tolde hyr that sche scholde not be any thynge bownde therby; but that I knew by yowr herte off olde that I wyst weel ye wolde be glad to fforber the lesvest [_dearest_] thynge that ye had in the worlde, whyche myght be dayly in her presence, that sholde cawse hyr onys on a daye to remembr yow, but itt wolde not be. She wolde nott therby, as she seyde, putte yow ner kepe yow in any comffort therby. And mor ovyr, she preyed me, that I sholde never take labor moor heer in, ffor she wolde holde hyr to suche answer as she hadd geven yow to ffoor, wherwith she thowght bothe ye and I wolde have holde us contente, had nott been the words off hyr suster Geneffyeff.