The Paston Letters
Chapter 223 : [Footnote 130-1: Omitted in MS.]795 SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[130-2]_To my mo

[Footnote 130-1: Omitted in MS.]

795

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[130-2]

_To my most honorabl and tendre modre, Margrete Paston, be thys letter delivered._

[Sidenote: 1472 / JAN. 8]

Most worschypfull and kynde moodre, I comande me to yow, and beseche yow off yowr dayly blyssyng and remembraunce. Please it yow to wete thatt I have my pardon,[130-3] as the berer heroff can informe yow, for comffort wheroffe I have been the marier thys Crystmesse, and have been parte theroff with Sir George Browen,[131-1] and with my Lady myn aunte, hys wyffe,[131-2] and be ffor Twelthe[131-3] I come to my Lorde Archebysshope,[131-4] wher I have hadde as greete cheer, and ben as welkom as I cowde devyse; and iff I hadde ben in sewerte that Castr weer hadde ageyn, I wolde have comen homewards thys daye.[131-5]

And I beseche yow to remembr my brother to doo hys deveyr thatt I maye have agayn my stuffe, my bookes and vestments, and my beddyng, how so evyr he doo, thoghe I scholde gyffe xx^ti scutes by hys advyse to my Lady Brandon, or some other goode felawe.

As for any tydynges ther be noon heer, saffe that the Kyng hath kept a ryall Crystmesse; and now they seye that hastelye he woll northe, and some seye that he woll into Walys, and some seye that he woll into the West Contre. As ffor Qween Margrett, I understond that sche is remevyd from Wyndesor to Walyngfforthe, nyghe to Ewhelme, my Lady of Suffolk Place in Oxenforthe schyre.

And men seye that the Lorde Ryverse schyppyd on Crystmesse evyn in to Portyngale warde; I am not serteyn.

Also the schalle be a convocacion off the Clergye in all haste, whyche men deeme will avayle the Kynge a dyme and an halffe, some seye.

I beseche G.o.d sende yow goode heele and greater joye in on year then ye have hadde thys vij.

Wretyn att the Moor the viij. daye off Janever, A^o E. iiij. xj.

By yowr soone,

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 130-2: [From Fenn, ii. 86.]]

[Footnote 130-3: His pardon pa.s.sed the Great Seal on the 21st December 1471. _Pardon Roll_ 11 Edward IV., m. 25.]

[Footnote 131-1: Sir George Browne, Knight, of Betchworth Castle, in Surrey.--F.]

[Footnote 131-2: Elizabeth Paston, formerly married to Robert Poynings.]

[Footnote 131-3: Twelfth day, 6th of January.--F.]

[Footnote 131-4: George Neville, Archbishop of York.--F.]

[Footnote 131-5: Here follow directions about Caister, and a hope that it might be had again by the latter end of the term, when he would come home, and put his lands and houses into order.--F.]

796

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[132-1]

_To my ryght worchepfull brodyr, Syr John Paston, Knyght, be thys delyveryd._

[Sidenote: 1472 / JAN. 23]

Ryght worchepfull syr, I recomand me to yow in my best wyse, lykeyth yow to wet[132-2] that I have thys day delyveryd yowr mantyll, yowr ray gowne,[132-3] and yowr crosbowys, wyth telers and wyndas, and yowr Normandy byll to Kerby to bryng wyth hym to London.

Item, in eny wyse, and [_if_] ye can axe the probate of my fadyrs wyll to be gevyn yow wyth the bargayn that ye make wyth my Lord of Canterbery, and I can thynk that ye may have it, and as soone as it is prevyd ye or I may have a lettyr of mynystracyon upon the same, and a qwetance of my Lord Cardinalle evyn foorthe wyth; and thys wer one of the best bargaynys that ye mad thys ij. yer I enswyr yow, and he may make yow aqwetance or get yow one of the Bysheop of Wynchestyr for Syr John Fastolfys goodes also, and in my reson thys wer lyght to be browght a bowght with the same bargayn. And ye purpose to bargayn with hym ye had need to hye yow, for it is tolde me that my Lord of Norffolk wyl entyr in to it hastyly, and if he so doo, it is the wers for yow, and it wyll cawse them to profyr the lesse sylvyr.

Item, I pray yow send me some secret tydyngs of the lyklyed of the world by the next messenger that comyth between, that I may be eyther myryer or ellys mor sory then I am, and also that I may gwyd me ther aftyr.

Item, as for Sir R. Wyngfeld, I can get no x. _li._ of hym, but he seyth that I shall have the fayirest harneys that I can bye in London for sylvyr, but money can I non get. I can not yet make my pesse wyth my Lord of Norffolk nor my Lady by no meane, yet every man tellyth me that my Lady seyth pa.s.syngly well of me allweys notwithstandyng. I trowe that they wyll swe the apell[133-1] thys term, yet ther is no man of us indytyd but if it wer doon a for the crowners er then we cam owt of the plase; ther is now but iij. men in it, and the brygges alwey drawyn. No mor, but G.o.d lant yow myn her.[133-2]

Wretyn the Twysday next aftyr Seynt Agnet the fyrst.[133-3]

J. P.

Item, yestyrday W. Gornay entryd in to Saxthorp and ther was he kepyng of a coort, and had the tenaunts attou[r]nyd to him, but er the coort was all doon, I cam thedyr with a man with me and no more, and ther, befor hym and all hys feluwschep, Gayne, Bomsted, &c., I chargyd the tenaunts that they shold proced no ferther in ther coort upon peyn that myght folle of it, and they lettyd for a seasen. But they sye that I was not abyll to make my partye good, and so they procedyd ferther; and I sye that, and set me downe by the stward and blottyd hys book wyth my fyngyr as he wrot, so that all tenaunts afermyd that the coort was enterupte by me as in yowr ryght, and I reqwered them to record that ther was no pesybyll coort kept, and so they seyd they wold.

[Footnote 132-1: [From Fenn, iv. 420.] It appears by a letter of the 17th February following (No. 798), that at the beginning of the year 1472 the Pastons were endeavouring to come to an understanding with the Duke of Norfolk by the intercession of the d.u.c.h.ess. For further evidence of date, see the next letter.]

[Footnote 132-2: A blank occurs here in Fenn's left-hand, or literal copy, which is not explained.]

[Footnote 132-3: This means a gown made of cloth that was never either coloured or dyed.--F. But according to Halliwell 'ray'

means striped cloth.]

[Footnote 133-1: This must be the appeal of the two widows, though one of them is said to have married again. _See_ No. 783.]

[Footnote 133-2: This sentence I wish to have explained.--F.]

[Footnote 133-3: The festival of St. Agnes, the first (and the most noted of the two), was kept on the 21st of January; her second festival was on the 28th of the same month, which it is to be observed was not the octave of the former, but a distinct feast upon a different occasion, and it is sometimes written 'Agnetis Nativitas'; but it was on account of a miracle wrought at her tomb that this second feast was inst.i.tuted.--F.]

[[I can get no x. _li._ _anomalous s.p.a.cing unchanged_

Footnote 132-2 and body text: _In the printed book, the blank takes up the final one-third of its line._]]

797

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[134-1]

_To John Paston, Esquyer, be thys delivered._

[Sidenote: 1472 / FEB. 5]

I grete you wele, and send you G.o.dds blyssyng and myn, letyng you wete that the woman that sewyth the appell ageyn your brother and his men is comyn to London to call ther up on. And whan that she shuld come to London ther was delivered her C. _s._ for to sewe with, so that be that I here in this countre she wull not leve it, but that she shall calle ther up on such tyme as shall be to your most rebuke, but if [_unless_]

ye ley the better wetch. She hath evill councell, and that wull see you gretely uttered, and that ye may understand be the money that was take her whan she came up, and ye shuld fynd it, I knowe it wele, if ther myght have you at avauntage; ther for, for G.o.dds sake make diligent serge be the advyce of your councell, that ther be no necglicens in you in this mater ner other for diffaught of labour, and call upon your brother, and telle hym that I send hym G.o.dds blyssyng and myn, and desire hym that he wull now a while, whill he hath the Lords at his entent, that he seke the meanes to make an ende of his maters, for his elmyses arn gretly coraged now of late; what is the cause I knowe not.

Also, I pray you speke to Playter that ther may be fownd a meane that the shereffe or the gaderer of grene wax[134-2] may be discharged of certeyn issues that renne up on Fastolf for Mariotts mater, for the balyfe was at hym this weke, and shuld have streyned hym, but that he promysed hym that he shuld with in this viij. days labore the meanes that he shuld be discharged or ell[es] he must content hym, &c. Also, I send you be the berer her of, closed in this letter, v. _s._ of gold, and pray you to bey me a suger loyfe, and dates, and almaunds, and send it me hame, and if ye bewar [_lay out_] any mor money, whan ye came hame I shall pait you ageyn. The Holy Gost kepe you bothyn, and deliver you of your elmyse [_enemies_]. Wretyn on Sent Agas Day, in hast.

Item, I pray you speke to Mayster Roger[135-1] for my sorepe, for I had never mor nede therof, and send it me as hastly as ye can.

Be