The Paston Letters
Chapter 237 : Wyrshypfull and well belovyd brother, I comand me to yow, letyng yow weet that the wor

Wyrshypfull and well belovyd brother, I comand me to yow, letyng yow weet that the worlde semyth qweysye heer; ffor the most part that be abowt the Kyng have sende hyddr ffor ther harneys, and it [is] seyd ffor serteyn, that the Duke off Clarance makyth hym bygge in that he kan, schewyng as he wolde but dele with the Duke of Glowcester; but the Kyng ententyth, in eschyewying all inconvenyents, to be as bygge as they bothe, and to be a styffeler atweyn them; and som men thynke that undre thys ther sholde be som other thynge entendyd, and som treason conspyred; so what shall falle, can I nott seye.

Item, it is seyde that yisterdaye ij. pa.s.sagers off Dovr wer takyn; I ffer that iff Juddy had noon hasty pa.s.sage, so that iff he pa.s.syd nott on Sondaye or Mondaye, that he is taken, and som geer off myn, that I wolde not for xx_li._

I hope and purpose to goo to Caleys warde on Sondaye or Mondaye or nyghe bye, ffor I am nott accompanyed to do any servyse heer; wherffor it wer better ffor me to be owt off syght.[196-1]

Item, Sprynge, that wayten on my ffadre when he was in Jowel hous [_gaol house_], whom my ffadre at hys dyeng besett xl_s._ he cryethe evyr on me ffor it, and in weye off almess, and he wolde be easyd, thow it wer but xx_s._ or x_s._; wherffor he hathe wretyn to my modr, and most have an answer ageyn; I wolde that my moodr sende hym, as thoghe she lende hym som whatt, and he woll be pleasyd, and ellys he can seye as shrewdely as any man in Ingelonde.

Item, the Kynge hathe sent ffor hys Great Seall; some seye we shall have a newe Chauncelor, but som thynke that the Kynge dothe as he dyde at the last ffeldys, he wyll have the Seall with hym; but thys daye Doctor Morton, Master off the Rollys, rydethe to the Kynge, and berythe the Sease [_Seals_] with hym.

Item, I had never mor nede off mony than now; wherffor Fastolffes v.

mrks and the mony off Master John Smythe wolde make me holl, &c.

Wretyn on Seynt Lenards Daye, Anno R. R. E. iiij^ti xiij^{o}.

Item, sende me my vestment acordyng to the letter I sent yow by Symond Dam, in all hast.

J. P., K.

[Footnote 195-1: [From Fenn, ii. 126.] This letter is misdated in Fenn as of the 15th April. St. Leonard's Day is the 6th November.]

[Footnote 196-1: Here follow some money transactions relative to a Doctor Pykenham, his mother, and others.]

842

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[196-2]

_To John Paston, Esquyer, be thys delyvered._

[Sidenote: 1473 / NOV. 22]

Ryght wyrshypfull and hertyly belovyd brother, I comand me to yow, letyng you wet that I receyvyd a letter that come from yow, wretyn circa viij. Mychaelys,[196-3] wherin ye leet me weet off the decesse off Syr James, and that my moodre is in purpose to be at Norwyche, and I am ryght glad that sche wyll now doo somwhat by yowr advyce; wherffor be war fro hense forthe that noo suche felawe crepe in be twyen hyr and yow, and iff ye lyst to take a lytell labore, ye may lyff ryght well, and she pleasyd. It is as good that ye ryde with a cople off horse at hyr cost as Syr James or Richard Calle.

Ye sende me worde also that she in noo wyse wyll purveye thyr C_li._ for the redemyng off Sporle. Late it goo. As towchyng that mater, John Osbern tolde me that he comonyd with yow at Sporle of that mater; ferr he devysed that Kokett, or suche an other man, sholde, to have it the better cheppe, leye owt the valewe off vj. yere for to have it vij.

yere, wherto I wolde agre; and for G.o.ddys sake, if thatt maye be browt abowt, late it be doon. As ye woot of, it is laten for xxij_li._ be yere, yit the fermor graunt but xxj.; but to Kokett it wolde be worthe xxv_li._, yea and better. Neverthelesse, if Kokett wyll delyver vj^xx._li._, I wolde he had it for vij. yeer, with thys that my moodre be agreable to the same, by cawse of th'entresse that she hathe for my brother William, whyche shall nott be off age thys vij. yeer; neverthelesse, as ye know myn olde entent, I purpose to purvey for hym in an other plase better than theer; whyche graunte off my moodre I praye yow to be my solycytor in, whyche [and] it be browt abowt, Sporle shall be in as goode case as evyr he was.

John Osbern w.i.l.l.yd me to make yow a sufficiaunt waraunt to selle and felle wood at Sporle, whyche I remembre ye have in as ample forme as can be; neverthelesse iff thys meane above wretyn off letyng to ferme maye be hadde, it shall, I hope, nat nede to felle ner selle moche. But I remytte that geer to yowr dyscrescion, but iff ye have suche comforte, I praye yow sende me worde. I maye seye to yow, John Osbern flateryd me, for he wolde have borowyd mony off me.

Item, in retaylyng of woode theer, it weer harde to tryst hym; he is nedye. If Kokett, or whoo so evyr had that maner to ferme for vij. yere, and payd therffor but vj^xx._li._, he sholde, to lete it ageyn, wynne x.x.xvj_li._, whyche we[re] moche; wherffor, iff it myght bee, yt wer more resenable vj^xx. vij_li._ to be reseyvyd, and yit is ther lost xxix_li._, or ellys iff ye take lesse mony and fewer yerys, so it be aftre the rate, so ther be purveyd C_li._ at the lest; send worde.

Item, ye wroot that lyke a trewe man ye sende me xviij_s._ by Richarde Radle. Ye weer to trewe; but he semys to be a false shrewe, for he browt me noon yitt. Whethyr he be owt of town or nott, kan I nott seye.

Ye prayed me also to sende yow tydynges how I spedde in my materis, and in cheff of Mestresse Anne Hault. I have answer ageyn fro Roome that there is the welle of grace and salve sufficiaunt for suche a soore, and that I may be dyspencyd with; neverthelesse my proctore there axith a m^l. docatys, as he demythe. But Master Lacy, another Rome renner heer, whyche knowyth my seyde proctor theer, as he seythe, as weell as Bernard knewe hys sheeld, seythe that he menyth but an C. docates or CC. at the most; wherffor afftre thys comythe moor. He wrote to me also, _quod Papa hoc facit hodiernis diebus multociens_.

Item, as towchyng Caster, I tryst to G.o.d that ye shall be in it to myn use or Crystmesse be past.

Item, yowr ost Brygham recomand hym to yow, and when he and I rekenyd, I gave hym ij. n.o.blis for yowr borde, whyll ye weer theer in hys absence; but in feythe he wolde, for nowth that I kowde doo, take j_d._ Wherffor ye most thanke hym or charge me to thanke hym on yowr behalve in some nexte epystyll that ye wryght to me to Caleys. He leete me weet that he wolde do moor for yow than soo.

Item, my Lady Bowgcher was almost deed, but she ys amendyd. I trowe they come in to Norffolk.

Item, as for W. Berker, I heer no worde from hym. I praye yow comon with Berney ther in, he knoweth myn conceyt; and also I praye yow hast Berney ageyn. I wold not that he played the fooll, ner wastyd hys tyme ner hys sylver.

Item, as for the brace of growndes [_greyhounds_], or one verry goode, or in especiall the blak of Germynes, I can nott seye but ye be a trewe man, but William Mylsent isse a false shrewe, so mote I thee, and I trow hys master ys too.

Item, I most have myn instrumentes hydder, whyche are in the chyst in my chambre at Norwyche, whyche I praye yow and Berney to gedre joyntly, but natt severally, to trusse in a pedde,[199-1] and sende them me hyddre in hast, and a byll ther in how many peces. Thys most be had to avoyde idelnesse at Caleys.

Item, I preye yow take heed among thatt my stuffe take noon harme, ner that myn evydence, wher ye wott of, be owt of joperte.

Item, I praye yow doo for Berneye as ye kan, so that he maye be in sewerte for hys annywyte, and that it be nott costious fro hense forthe to hym any mor to come, or sende for it. I pray yow wynne yowr sporys in hys mater.

Item, I purposed to have sent heer with the testament off my fadre and the scytacions to my moodre to yow and Arblaster; but they be nott redy.

Within ij. dayes aftre the comyng of thys, I suppose they shall be with yow, and than I shall wryght mor to yow.

As for other tydynges, I trust to G.o.d thatt the ij. Dukes of Clarans and Glowcester shall be sette att one by the adward off the Kyng.

Item, I hope by the means of the Duke of Glowcester that my Lord Archebyshop[199-2] shall come home.

Item, as towchyng my sustre Anne,[199-3] I undrestand she hathe bene pa.s.syng seek; but I wende that she had ben weddyd. As for Yelverton, he seyde but late that he wold have hyr, iff she had hyr mony, and ellis nott; wherffor me thynkyth that they be nott verry sewre. But, amonge alle other thynges, I praye yow be ware that the olde love of Pampyng renewe natt. He is nowe fro me; I wott nat what he woll doo.

No more. Wretyn at London, the xxij. daye of Novembre Anno R. R. E.

iiij^ti xiij^{o}.

JOHN PASTON, Kt.

[Footnote 196-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 196-3: i.e. _circa octabas Michaelis_--about the Octaves of Michaelmas, or 6th October.]

[Footnote 199-1: A kind of basket.]

[Footnote 199-2: George Neville, Archbishop of York, though formerly pardoned, had been accused of holding correspondence with the Earl of Oxford, for which he was imprisoned at Guines.]

[Footnote 199-3: Anne Paston married William Yelverton, grandson of Sir William Yelverton, the Judge.]

843

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[200-1]

_To John Paston, Esquier._

[Sidenote: 1473 / NOV. 25]

Ryght wyrshypfull and well belovyd brother, I recomaund me to yow, letyng yow weet that I sende yow her with j. sitacion, where in ben my moodre and yee, wheroff I praye yow that I maye have hasty answeer. The effecte theroff is no moor, but ye bothe most sende answer, and make yow a proctor heer, and that most come hyddre ondre a notaryes syngne, affermyng that ye make suche a man, Master John Halsnothe, or ellis, yf ye will do the cost, to sende some other hyddre; yowr proctor to take admynystracion or to reffuse, and what so he dothe, ye to holde it for ferme and stable. Than most my moodre and ye wryght a lettre, undre my moodre seall and yowr syngne manuell, to me and Master John Halsnothe in thys forme:--'We gret yow well, letyng yow weet that we have made yow, Master John Halsnothe, our proctor in the testament of John Paston, husband and fadre to yow, wherin we wyll that on owr behalff ye refuse the admynestracion of the seyde testament. And thys wryghtyng is to yow warantt and dyscharge, and also the verry wyll of usse.' Thys most we have for owr dyscharge.

Item, I pray yow take good hedde to my soster Anne, lesse the old love atwyen hyr and Pampyng renewe.