The Paston Letters
Chapter 233 : SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[179-2]_A son trescher & bon ame Freer, John de Paston,

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[179-2]

_A son trescher & bon ame Freer, John de Paston, Esquier._

[Sidenote: 1473 / APRIL 2]

Weell belovyd brother, I recomand me to yow, letyng yow wete that at the request of Mestresse Jane Ha.s.sett and yow, I have laboryd the knyghtys off the sheer off Norffolk, and the knyghtys off the shyre of Suffolk.

I understond ther had ben made labor that suche a thing shulde have ben as ye wrotte to me off, but now it is saff.

Raff Blaundreha.s.set wer a name to styrte an hare. I warrant ther shall come no suche name in owr bokys, ner in owr house; it myght per case styrt xx^ti harys at onys; ware that j_d._ perse.[179-3] I redde ther in the bille off Norffolk, off one John Tendall, Esquier, but I suppose it be not ment by owr Tendall, and iff it be, he shall not rest theer, iffe I maye helpe it.

As for tydyngs, the werst that I herde was that my moodre wyll not doo so moche ffor me as she put me in comffort off.

Other tydyngs, I herd sey ffor serteyn that the Lady Fitzwater is ded, and that Master Fytzwater shall have CCCC. mrke a yer more than he had.

I am not sory therffor.

As ffor the worlde I woot nott what it menyth, men seye heer, as weell as Hogan, that we shall have adoo in hast; I know no lyklyhod but that suche a rumor ther is.

Men sey the Qwyen with the Prynce shall come owt off Walys, and kepe thys Esterne with the Kyng at Leycetr, and some seye nowther off them shall com ther.

Item, off beyond the see, it is seyd that the Frense Kyngs host hathe kyllyd the Erle of Armenak[180-1] and all hys myry mene; some seye undre appoyntment, and some seye they wer besegyd, and gotyn by pleyn a.s.sault.

Ferthermoor men seye that the Frenshe Kynge is with hys ost uppon the water off Some a lx. myle froo Caleys; I leve them wheer I ffond them.

I made yowr answer to the ffrends off Mestresse Jane G.o.dnoston accordyng to yowr instrucions. As for me, I am nott serteyn whether I shall to Caleys, to Leysetr, or come home into Norffolk, but I shall hastely send yow worde, &c.

Wretyn the ij. daye of Aprill, Anno E. iiij. xiij^{o}.

[Footnote 179-2: [From Fenn, ii. 122.]]

[Footnote 179-3: 'Ware that penny purse'--_qu._ that penurious fellow?]

[Footnote 180-1: John, Count of Armagnac, a.s.sa.s.sinated on the 6th March 1473.]

831

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[180-2]

_To John Paston, Esquier._

[Sidenote: 1473 / APRIL 12]

Best belovyd brother, I recomend me on to yow, letyng yow weet that I receyvyd on Wednysday last past yow angery lettre towchyng the troble that Sandre Kok is in, wherein I have largely comonyd with John Russe, and advysed hym to take a curteys weye with Sandre, for yowre sake and myn. He seythe he wold not dysplease yow by hys wyll, and that he purposythe to entrete yow and wolde deserve it to yowe. He undrestod that ye had large langage to the jurye that pa.s.syd again Saundre. I lete hym weete that ye weer wrothe, and that he shall nowther please yowe ner me, but iff he dele curteyslye with Saundre. I tolde hym as for the condempnacion uppon the accion off trespa.s.se I thoght it nowther good ner worshypfull. Also I have wretyn to the person of Maultby to dele curteyslye with Saundre, iff he woll please yow or me.

Item, I sende yow herwythe the _supercedyas_ for Saundre; so that iff ye fynde any meane for the condempnacions that than ye maye ease therwith the suerte off pease. John Russe, as I suppose, is att home thys daye.

Item, as for tydynges heer, the Kynge rydeth fresselye thys daye to Northamton warde, there to be thys Esterne, and after Esterne he purposythe to be moche at Leysettre, and in Leysettre shyre. Every man seythe that we shall have a doo or Maye pa.s.se. Hogan the prophet is in the Tower; he wolde fayne speke with the Kyng, but the Kynge seythe he shall not avaunt that evyr he spake with hym.

Item, as for me, I most nedys to Caleyse warde to morowe. I shall be heer ageyn, if I maye, thys next terme. John Myryell, Thyrston, and W.

Woode be goon from me, I shrewe them.

My modre dothe me moor harme than good; I wende she wolde have doon for me. Playter wroot to me that she wolde have leyde owt for me C_li._, and receyvyd it ageyn in v. yer of the maner of Sporle, wherto I trustyd, whyche if she had performyd, I had nott ben in no juperte of the maner of Sporle. Neverthelesse I shall do whatt I kan yitt. I preye yow calle uppon hyr for the same, remembre hyr of that promyse.

Item, I preye yow remembre hyr for my fadrys tombe at Bromholme. She dothe ryght nott [_naught_]; I am afferde of hyr that she shall nott doo weell. Bedyngfelde shall mary Sir John Skottes doghtre, as I suppose.

Item, Janore Lovedaye shall be weddyd to one Denyse, a ffuattyd (?) gentylman, with Sir G. Brown, nowther to weell ner to ylle.

Item, as for me, iff I had hadd vj. dayes leyser more than I hadd, and other also, I wolde have hopyd to have ben delyveryd of Mestresse Anne Hault. Hyr frendes, the Quyen and Attclif agreyd to comon and conclude with me, if I can fynde the meanes to dyscharge hyr concyence, whyche I trust to G.o.d to doo.

i. Item, I praye yow that ye take a leyser thys Estern halydayes to ryde to Sporle and sende for John Osberne, and I wolde ye sholde conclude a bergayn with one Bocher, a woode byer, whyche Mendham that was my fermor ther can fecche hym to yow.

ii. And thys is myn entent. I wolde have the d.y.k.es to stonde stylle, acordyng as John Osberne and I comonyd, I trow xij. foothe with in the d.y.k.e.

iij. Item, that the standardes off suche mesur as he and I comonyd off maye also be reservyd. I suppose it was x.x.x. inche, abowt a yerde from the grownde.

iiij. Item, that it be surely fencyd at the cost off the woode byer in any wyse with a sure hedge, bothe hyghe and stronge.

v. Item, that ther be a weye taken with the fermores for the undrewood, so that I lesse not the ferme therffore yerly. Item, John Osbern can telle yow the meanys howe to entrete the fermores, for Herry Halman hath pleyed the false shrowe and fellyd my woode uppon a tenement off myn to the valew off xx. marke, as it is tolde me. I praye yow enquire that matre and sende me worde and dele with hym ther afftre.

vj. Item, iff the seyde wood clere above alle charges excep as is above, be made any better than CC. marke, I wolle seye that ye be a good huswyff. John Osberne seythe that he woll do me a frendes turne ther in and yitt gete hym self an hakeneye.

vij. Memorandum, that he have nott past iij. or iiij. yere off untraunce at the ferthest.

viij. Item, thatt I have payement off the holl as shortly as ye kan, halffe in hande, the remenaunt at halffe yeer, or ellys at ij. tymes with in one yere at the ferthest by mydsomer xij. monyth.

ix. And that ye make no ferther bergayn than Sporle woode and the lawnde, not delyng with noon other woode, nowther in the maner, nor ellys wher in none other tenement.

x. Item, that ye have sufficient sewerte for the monye, with penaltes iff nede be, some other men bonden with hym for the payement.

xj. Item, I wolle well be bownde to waraunt it to hym.

Item, I sende yow herwith a warant to yow and John Osberne joyntlye to bergayn. Comone and conclude that bergayn.

xij. Item, I suppose he woll, iff he conclude with yow, desyre to felle thys Maye, and I to have mony soon afftre. I reke not thowe he fellyd not tyll thys wynter; but iff he woll nedes begyn thys Maye, therffor I wryght yow thus hastely entrete hym, iff ye can, that he felle not tyll wynter.

xiij. Item, be ware how ye bergeyn, so that he felle nott b.u.t.t in sesonable tyme and sesonable wood, for he maye felle no undrewood thys Maye, as I trowe.

Item, as for yowr costes late th . . . . . . . newe fynde yow mete, and I woll allow it there, or ellys make me a bylle what it dra[weth to] . . . . . . . . yow.

Item, I praye yow iff ye g . . . . . for me as ye can. I made my Lady heer but easy cheer, neverthelesse I gaff hyr . . . . . ys.

I promysed hyr to purveye hyr . . . . weselys, but I was deseyvyd; yit I wend to have had one.

My Lord of Norffolk hathe ben mevyd for Caster by my Lord Cardenall and the Bysshop of Wynchester, but it woll take non effecte . . . my Lady come. G.o.d gyff grace that she brynge auctoryte when she comythe thys next terme to common ther in and conclude, and so I prey yow advyse hyr. Itt may haply paye for hyr costes.

No mor to yow, but wretyn at London, the xij. daye of Apryll, Anno E.

iiij^ti xiij^{o}.