The Paston Letters
Chapter 230 : Item, me thynkyth that ye do evyll that ye go not th.o.r.ewgh with my Lady of Suffolk

Item, me thynkyth that ye do evyll that ye go not th.o.r.ewgh with my Lady of Suffolk for Heylysdon and Drayton; for ther shold growe mony to you, whyche wold qwyte yow ayenst R. T. and all other, and set yow befor for ever.

I prey yow for your ease, and all others to you ward, plye thes maters.

As for alle other thynges, I shall send yow an answer, when I com to Norwyche, whyche shall be on Thorsday, with G.o.des grace. I have teryd her at Framlyngham thys sevennyght, for [my] Lady took not hyr chambyr tyll yersterday. Adewe.

Wretyn on Seynt Kateryns Evyn.

J. P.

[166-1]I sye the pye, and herd it spek; and, be G.o.d, it is not worthe a crowe; it is fer wers then ye wend; be G.o.d, it wer shame to kep it in a cage.

[Footnote 165-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] At the foot of this letter is written, in a different but contemporary hand, 'A^o E.

iiij^ti xij^{o}.' The date is besides abundantly evident from other circ.u.mstances.]

[Footnote 166-1: This _P.S._ is written on the back of the letter.]

818

ABSTRACT[166-2]

[Sidenote: 1472 / NOV. 26]

'Soutwerk c.u.m membris,' No. 17a.--'Literae patentes concessae a Rege ad pet.i.tionem Domini Fundatoris pro ponte fiendo in vico vocato le Bermoseystret. Dat. 26 Novembris anno regni Regis Ed. IV. 12^{o}.'

[Footnote 166-2: [From MS. Index in Magd. Coll., Oxford.]]

819

JOHN OSBERN TO SIR JOHN PASTON[167-1]

_To the right worshepfull my master, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

A^o xij. E. R. quarti.

[Sidenote: 1472]

Please it your masterschep to knowe that Johon Shawe and I have goten a carpenter fro Walsyngham to Sporle to valewe your wod the[167-2] the wheche carpenter hese costis there Sondaye at nyght next before the a.s.sencion off owre Lord Jesu Cryst, Mondaye, Tewesdaye, Wednesdaye, a.s.sencion Daye, Frydaye and Saterdaye, and for hese labor iij_s._ iiij_d._ And upon the syte of your seid wode he hath valewid the launde wythin the d.y.k.es xij. fote inward fro the cop of the d.y.k.e and wythowte at liiij_li._ vij_s._ x_d._ And wythin the wode xij. fote wythin alle the d.y.k.es vj^xx._li._ vij_s._ viij_d._ the valewe of the d.y.k.es abowte the woode fro xij. fote fro wythin owtewardis arn prysid at x_li._ grete chepis the valew of the trees in the maner and in the closes azens the seid manor toward Swaffham xx. marc gret chepe; there off be ware and be not to hasty, &c., the cloos at the tow ... toward Pykenham not valewid nor not spoken of, &c. The summa totall ix^xx._li._ & xviij_li._ ij_s._ viij_d._

And if ze shuld selle all this wode togedyr for redy sylver never lesse in the summa paste v. marc, if ze woll sell the wode ... . . the lawnde wythin the d.y.k.es and the standardis thoo I shall wryte aftyr in this bille for to stande in any wyse less ... ... all the hole sum at the most paste x_li._ for who so ever shall by it he maye so leve and gete goode, &c.

The summa of your standardis for certeyn reconyd the Mondaye and the Tewsdaye whill I was at Sporle wyth in ... . . and xij. fote wythin the d.y.k.es in forme above rehersid xj^xx. And iche standarde a zard [_yard_] above the grownde ... . . abowte an . . lesser till we come xij. inche and viij. inche besyde all odyr smale that arn of lesse mesure ... ... growe the wheche arn many and resonabely sufficient, &c., the nowmber off the standardis wythin your ... . . cowntid and summe be estimacion of the mesures and formes above rehersid CCCC^ma x.x.xvj^ti.

As for your undyrwode I can not fynde the meane to valewid to your avayle, be cause it were necessary to knowe the purpose off your fellyng, where off beware, &c.

As for the fensyng of your d.y.k.es, and ze shuld felle your bordorys off your wode the Suthsyde, viz., toward Pykenham fro the Wonges to Walsyngham Weye is lx.x.x. rodde at leste, the price of the rodde iiij_d._, dyggyng, plashyng, and heggyng.

Summa, xxvj_s._ viij_d._

The Est syde toward Neyghton and Sparham vij^xx. rodde at the leste, Summa, xl_s._

The Northende toward Dunham lx.x.x. rodde, Summa, xxvj_s._ viij_d._

The West syde toward Sporle be the Loyes vj^xx. rodde, Summa, xl_s._

Summa, vj_li._ xiij_s._ iiij_d._

Where off sum is repayrid, sum maye be sperid, but at the lest it woll coste yow a vj. marc, &c.

If it please yow to take myn symple avyse in your wode sale, selle non in gret, but make f.a.gottes and astell and lete alle your grete and goode tymber and trees stande, and ze shall make resonably mony to your worchep, and to your best avayle as John Shawe your servaunt shall telle yow, if I maye do zow any service in this c ... . ze shall ffynde me redy, so that ze sende sufficient warant be the grace off Jesu, Who haue y[ow in His] kepyng. Wrete in hast, at Walsyngham, the Sundaye next aftyr the feest off the a.s.sencion off owr [Lord] Jesu Cryste.

Be your

JOHN OSBERN.

I praye yow geff credens in alle these materes to Shawe, for he can telle yow more shortlyer then I shuld wryte, and I hold hym trewe to yow in hese menyng.

_Endorsed_--Per John Osbern, pro Sporl Wood.

[Footnote 167-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 167-2: _Sic_, _qu._ 'there'?]

820

RICHARD CALLE TO MARGARET PASTON[168-1]

_To the ryght reverent and wors.h.i.+pffull my mastres, Margaret Paston, in haste._

[Sidenote: 1472 / NOV. 27]

Plesith it you to wete that I have receyved your letter, wherin I conceyve ye wolde undrestonde how I do with the sale of Sporle Wode. It is so that I have begonne to felle a.s.she at the townes ende for to sette the contre on werke, and be that I shall undrestonde how the remnaunt wol doo. I have sette suche a cla.s.se [_gla.s.s_] before here ien [_their eyes_] ther, that they are madde upon it, so that I truste be Ester to make of money, what with the barke and with the a.s.she, at the leest l.

marke for to retayle the wode our selfe, and be Cristemas next after that, other l. marke, and so yerely l. marke at Cristemesse as longe as the wode lasteth, to the some that I tolde you, and I truste more; and to this I durste be bound. Nevertheles, I am a bowte to selle it all a grete and to brynge it to all moste to as goode proffe as thowe we retayled it oure silffe, for it is so that ther is a man of Carbroke, they calle hym Saunders, I may have of hym for all the wode and barke that is in Sporle xj^xx. marke, to paye at suche dayes a fore reherseyd, we to bere the costes of the fense and of the t.i.the; but we are not throw yet, nor nought shal be tille I have worde from you a yene, weche I must have be Sonday come sevenyte at the fertheste, for on the Wednesdaye nexte after that we shal mete a yene at Sporle. Wherfore I beseche you sende me your avice how ye thynke herein, and I shal doo that in me is be G.o.des grace; if I can do better with hym I shall. It shal be harde werke, but if I haunse hym som what, for ther is moche money be twix us, and therfore spare not to sende my master, Sir John, worde to take suche dayes of payment as is a bove wreten, for it shalbe performed what wey som ever we take be G.o.des grace.

Item, mastres, as for your write [_wright_] ye may not have hym tille after Cristemas, for he had taken an howse to make while I was with you, it wolbe this iij. wekes yet or then he make an ende, &c.

Item, I mette with Robert at Heythe of Matelaske at Norwiche, when I come from you. I felle on hande with hym for Matelaske Kerre, I myght have had of hym for that vij. marke and xx_d._ Dele nogh as ye thynke.

Item, as for money of the fermour of Sporle, he telles me he is bounde to Tounesende to pay hym at this Candelmesse. And he seythe if he may be discharged a yenst hym your money shalbe redy at hys daye, be G.o.des grace, Who have you in His blissed kepyng.

Wreten at Sporle, the Friday next after Seint Edmund the Kynge.

Your servaunt,

R. CALLE.

[Footnote 168-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It is evident that this letter must have been written some time after the preceding, but very probably in the same year.]