The Paston Letters
Chapter 240 : THE VICAR OF PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON [Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 3]When my master Sir Joh

THE VICAR OF PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON

[Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 3]

When my master Sir John's baily was at Paston he scared your tenants, bidding them pay no rents to Mr. William Paston. On which Harry Warns wrote to Mr. William, who bade him warn them not to pay money to any one else; otherwise he would meet them at London 'as the law would,' or at some market or fair, and make them pay arrears to Midsummer. Beware of Warns, for he made Master William privy to all the examinations of the tenants by my master your son. He also charged the tenants not to sell as my master desired, else Master William would undo them. '_Ideo_, putte no trost in hym, _quia duobus dominis nemo potest servire_.'

Pastun, 3 Nov.

[This and the letter following both appear to have been written at the time of Sir John Paston's dispute with his uncle William, at the end of the year 1474.]

[Footnote 208-3: _Ibid._]

853

ABSTRACT[209-1]

[THE VICAR OF PASTON] TO MRS. [MARGARET PASTON]

[Sidenote: 1474]

John Qwale, farmer of Paston, is distressed by things that Herry Warns has done and said against him. Warns carried home 'an esse' [_ash_]

blown down by the wind, and says it is your will, because Master John Paston has given him power over all that he has in Paston. 'More awre he stondes in grete dowte to ery or to sawe' [_to harrow or to sow_], for John of Bactun says he shall have no land, unless he find surety, 'and it were no resun that he suld somerlay and compace hys londes to a noder mans hand.' Warns says if Qwale put out any cattle at the gates, he will take it for the grain that Master William delivered to him. He says Mrs.

Margaret Paston[209-2] has no rule there, and shall have none; also that John Qwale shall not have Gyns close nor the Chyrche close, as he has taken them to farm. 'Qwere fore, bott ze gyfe hym oderwas power, he wyll gefe up all.'

[Footnote 209-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 209-2: Mrs. Margaret Paston is here spoken of by name and in the third person, but the letter can hardly be addressed to any one else.]

854

[WILLIAM PASTON] TO SIR JOHN PASTON[209-3]

_[To] my right wors.h.i.+pfull neview [Sir J]ohn Paston, Knyghte, be [this]

lettre delivered in hast._

[Sidenote: About 1474(?)]

[Right] wors.h.i.+pful neview, I recommaund me to you. And, sir, I pray you ... ... ... ... ... . that ther was none obstacle ner lettinge that ye found in me to ... ... ... ... ... . save me harmeles; at whiche tyme it was thought aswel ... ... ... ... ... . .

... Johns by obligacioun was not inow to save me harm[eles] ... . .

... ... ... ... [i]n the meane seasoune; for as your reasoun will give ... ... ... ... . . ght fell of yow but goode. And if the caas so fill that ... ... ... ... ... . ys will take it on them, than I to bere the losse. Wherupp[on] ... ... ... ... . .

... . [b]ound to me to save me harmeles. And for as muche ... ...

... ... . m by obligacioun of statute merchaunt for you the ... .

... ... ... . . in myne oune kepinge for my discharge, and after a ... ... ... ... . . [r]estorid me ageyn at this Michelmas. And m ... ... ... ... ... ... . . shuld hange still till Candilmas, and me thinke it is by con ... ... . . obligacions paiable at ... . . [Candle]mas I did at the begynny[ng] ... . . will kepe still the ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . . or sufficient and that ... ... ... ... ... ... . as wold pay at th... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... with me than thus ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... indenture wherby ... .

... ... ... ... ... ... . . for be cause that ye w ... . .

... ... ... ... ... ... experyens.

Also I wold avyse you ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... my Lord of Norfolk.

Also, nevew, there is onne Fr ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

but hym silf and his wif and ... ... ... ... ... ... . .

wherfore I have writin to ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . in this matier; and I trust l ... ... ... ... ... ... . . And I pray yow that may ha ... ... ... ...

[Footnote 209-3: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] Of this letter only two fragments remain, giving, as will be seen, a very mutilated text.

Little more can be said about the contents than that they refer to money matters between William Paston and his nephew Sir John, which are probably those referred to in succeeding letters. The handwriting is that of William Paston. A mutilated endors.e.m.e.nt, apparently in the handwriting of John Paston the younger, shows merely the words ' ... . . to Sir J. P. for ... . .']

855

ABSTRACT[210-1]

[Sidenote: Date uncertain]

Fragment of a draft deed by which Sir John Paston and John Paston, Esq., mortgage certain premises not named to the use of Master John Morton, William Paston, Thomas Playter, and Thomas Lovell, for 114.

[Nothing is clear about the date of this doc.u.ment, but we place it here, as bearing, like the last, on money matters between Sir John Paston and his uncle William.]

[Footnote 210-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

856

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[211-1]

_To Mestresse Margrett Paston at Norwyche, or to J. Paston in hyr absence._

[Sidenote: 1474]

Ryght wyrshypfull and my moste kynde and tendre moodre, I recomaund me to yow, thankyng yow off the grete cost and off the greet chere that ye dyd to me and myn at my last beyng wyth yowe; whyche cheer also hath made me perfyghtly hooll, I thanke G.o.d and yow, in so moche that where as I feeryd me that for weykenesse, and so green recuveryd off my syknesse, that I scholde have apeyryd by the weye; but, G.o.d thanke yow, I toke so my crommys whyls I was wyth yow, that I felyd my sylfe by the weye that G.o.d and ye had made me stronger than I wenyd that I had ben, in so myche that I feell my selffe every daye holler than other.

It was soo that I mett wyth myn onkle William by the weye, and there in the felde I payed hym the iiij_li._ whyche I had borowyd off hym; and he was pa.s.syng inquisytyff howe that I was purveyd for recompensyng off Towneshend. I tolde hym I hopyd weell; he tolde me that he undrestood that I had the C_li._ of the Bysshopys executores, and he had herde seye that I had also borowyd another C_li._ of a marchaunt, and so I lakyd but an C. marke. I deme he herde thys of T. Lovell, for I tolde hym that I was in hope to fynde suche a freende that wolde lende me C_li._ He axed me, who was that? I answeryd hym, an olde marchaunt, a freende of myn, but myn oncle thowte that shold be by weye of chevyshanse [_usury_], and to myn horte; wherffor I was pleyne to hym, and tolde hym that ye wer sewerte therffor, and purveyed it off suche as wolde doo for yowe. And as for the forte [_fourth_] C. mark, he seyde to me that as for that he wolde, rather than joperte sholde be, purvey it by weye off chevyshaunce at London, in so moche that, er he come fro London, he had for my sake leyde v. C. markes worthe of plate with Hewghe Fenne. The place at Warwykes Inne is large, and my grawntdame is agyd; it had ben jopertous to leve moche plate wyth hyr, thoghe halffe were hyr owne. But if I maye do other wyse, I purpose nott to chevyshe any mony by hys meane.

Item, I have delyveryd yowre botell to Courbye the caryer thys same daye, and he promysed me to be with yow on Mondaye nyghte, or ellys on Touesday tymely. He hathe also xl_d._ to paye for the thryd hyryd horse, and he bryngythe the iij. horse wyth hym, and is contente for hys labor and for the mete largely. They be delyveryd hym in as good, and rather better plyght, than whan I had them forthe, and not gallyd nor hurte. He hate also ij. sadelys, one of my brotheres, and one other hyred, as ye woot off.

Item, he hathe a peyre botys off Edmond Reedes, the shomaker, whyche Saundre borowyd off hym. I beseche yowe that William Mylsent or Symme maye se that every man have hys owne.

Item, as for my brother Edmond, blyssyd be G.o.d, he is weell amendyd.

Item, as for Hankyn owr dogge, I am a fferde never to see hym, but if [_unless_] yowr good helpe bee.

Item, as for the bookes that weer Sir James, iff it lyke yow that I maye have them, I ame not able to by them; but somwhat wolde I gyffe, and the remenaunt with a goode devowte herte, by my trowthe, I wyll prey for hys sowle. Wherffor iff it lyke yow by the next messenger or karyer to sende hem in a daye, I shall have them dressyd heer; and iff any off them be claymyd here aftre, in feythe I wyll restoor it.

Wretyn on Saterdaye.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 211-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It is evident from the contents that this letter must have been written shortly before that which follows.]

857