The Paston Letters
Chapter 187 : [Footnote 258.5: This must be one of the younger sons of John and Margaret Paston.][Fo

[Footnote 258.5: This must be one of the younger sons of John and Margaret Paston.]

[Footnote 258.6: William Paston, Justice.]

[Footnote 258.7: Margaret, wife of Thos. Owydale or Dovedale, of Tacolneston, daughter and heir of William Reeves.]

[Footnote 258.8: Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Philip Branch, and wife of John Clere, Esq. of Ormesby; after whose death she married again Sir John Rothenhale. _See_ No. 15 in vol. ii.]

655

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[259.1]

[Sidenote: 1466(?)]

Item, Arb[l]aster must mak a proctyr by yowr advyce, and iff he lyst to make the seyd Master John Halfnothe he maye, elles he must sende uppe an other; and he most also make a letter of waraunt to the seyde Master John Halfnothe undre hys selle by yowre advyce in thys forme:--

Master John, &c. I recomande me, &c., letyng yow weet that I have made yow my proctor towchyng the testement off John Paston, Esquier; wherffor I praye yow that ye on my behalve reffuce the admynystracion of hys seyde testamen, fur I woll nowt have ado ther with. Wherffo[r] loke that ye on my behalve reffuce all admynestracion, entresse or besynesse, that I myght have there by.

And thys shewys yow my wyll here in, and shall be to yow a dyscharge att any tyme. No moor, &c.

Yowr frend,

JAMES ARBLASTER.

I wolde nat that myn oncle William scholde cawse hym to take on hym as hys felawe, for iff myn oncle William doo thus moche in the corte I suppose it may here afftre doo ease. For as G.o.d helpe me I cannot sey verrely iff my fadre (G.o.d have hys sowle!) agreyd that he shold be one, but in my sowle he never thowt that he sholde be, for he never namyd no moor b.u.t.t my modre and me, and afftre, yow, whan I rehessyd myn oncle Clement, yow and Arblaster, and than he chase yow, seyng he thoght that ye were good and trewe. Kepe thys secrett. Iff myn oncle be noon executor, it maye happely brynge ageyn a trussyng coffre with CC. old peyse n.o.blis, whyche he toke from me as executor.

[Footnote 259.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. from which this letter is printed is a draft in the handwriting of Sir John Paston. There can be little doubt it was addressed to his brother John, and as it refers to the administration of their father's will, we place it in the year of his death.]

656

JOHN RUSSE TO MARGARET PASTON[260.1]

_To the worshypfull and my right honorabyll maistresse, Maistresse Marget Paston._

[Sidenote: After 1466]

Right wors.h.i.+pfull and myn right honourable and good maistresse, I recomaund me to you in my most humble wyse, besekynge youre maistresshyp to take no dyspleasure of the longe forberyng of youre mony, whiche is ix_li._ xvj_s._ viij_d._ now. Be my trouthe, Maister Fen had of me l. marke at hyse beyng here fore custum, wherof a gret part is owyng me tyl I may be leysere[260.2] gather it up. I thynke of every day a wyke tyl ye be content, and I thanke G.o.d I owe not al the world so myche as I do you. In as goodly haste as I can, youre maistress.h.i.+p shal have it with ever my servise and preyer, for ye do a meritory dede; it hathe savyd my pore honestie and gretly avayled me; wher as if it had leyn in youre coferys, as, I doute not, a M^{l}_li._ more dothe, no profit shuld have growe to any man; it is a meritory dede to helpe them that mene trewly, whiche, for G.o.dis sake, maistresse consedre. I truste I am of that substans that, what soever caswelte fortunyd, yourre maistress.h.i.+p shuld not lese on pene of yourre dute. Every ourre (?) may be distreynid of myn the value of C. marke in shyppis and literys, and owe not but to you C_s._, I dare afferme. Also, maystresse, ye have an obligacion of me of xl_li._ a byll of xx_li._, and abil of xx_li._, and a byll of x_li._; for G.o.dis sake, maistresse, spare me for a tyme, the rather for the affeccion that my maister[260.3] had to me, whos soule Jhesu a.s.soyle. Hyse maistirshyp grauntyd me many tymez to have lent me of the dedys goodis xl_li._, to have payd hym ageyn in v. yeer; and so I doute not but I shuld have had if hyse maistirshyp had levyd. I lost a gret losse of hese departyng; for hyse sake, maystresse, shewe me the more favour. I intende not to debarre you of oon peny, so Jhesu helpe me, but in as goodly haste as I can to contente you; be my trouthe, at thys seasun I have not in my pocession x. marke which is right litil, what casewelte that ever fortune. I am deseyvid of many men; be my trouthe there is owyng me in thys town xl. marke of iij. yeer pa.s.syd, that thow I shuld go to prison I knowe not to have xx_s._ of ony of hem.

Right worshypfull and my right honourable maistresse, I beseke Almyghti Jhesu, ever preserve you from adversite. Maistresse, for the servise that to my pore powyr I aught my maister youre husbonde I am the werse by xx_li._ and more sylvir; for G.o.dis sake therfor, maistresse, yit favour me a season; I aske not ellys.

Yourre bedeman and servaunt,

JOHN RUSSE.

[Footnote 260.1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 226.] This letter must have been written some time after John Paston's death, but probably not many years later. Compare No. 651.]

[Footnote 260.2: _Sic._]

[Footnote 260.3: John Paston.]

657

J. STRANGE TO SIR JOHN PASTON[261.1]

_To my rith worchipfull and good master, Ser John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: Between 1467-9]

Ryth worchupful ser, after dewe recomendacion, plesyt zow to understond the cause of my wrytyng ys for a maryage for my Masterys Nargery, zowr suster. For my nevyewe, John Straunge, wold make her sur of xl_li._ joynture and CC. marke be zer of inherytaunce; and yf zee and zour frendes wole agreve herto, I trost to G.o.d that xall take a conclusion to the plesur of G.o.d, and worchup to both partyes.

Moreover, and yt plesyth zow to wete, I am sore troblyd with Bedston, as wele be the wey of tachements owte of the Chauncer as oderwyse. I must beseche zow of zowr good mastershepe and help in secrete maner as the Ser Thomas Lynes, the brynger of thys, shall enforme zow. I xall be att London in the begynnyng of thys terme, be the grace of G.o.d, qwych preserve zowe.

Wretyn att Norwych in hast, the Monday after Twelthe Day.

By yowr,

J. STRANGE.

[Footnote 261.1: [From Fenn, iv. 286.] This letter being addressed to Sir John Paston touching a proposal of marriage for his sister, must have been after the death of his father in 1466, and, of course, before the actual marriage of Margery Paston to Richard Call, which seems to have taken place towards the close of 1469.]

[[Masterys Nargery _text unchanged_]]

658

SIR JOHN AND LADY HOWARD[262.1]

[Sidenote: 1467 / JAN. 22]

This wrytenge made at London the vj^te yer of Kynge Edward the iiij. and the xxij. day of Jenever wytnesseth what stoffe my master Sir John Howard hath delyverd to my Lady his wyfe in this monyth of Jenever.

Ferst ij. rynges of goolde set with good dyamawntes, the wyche the quene yaff my master.

Item, a rynge of goolde with a fyne rubye.

Item, a nowche of goolde set with a fyne safyre, a grete balyse and v.

perles.

Item, my master yaff here a fyne pece of holand clothe as good as Reynes conteynenge in length xl. yerdes, the yerde was wele worth iiij_s._

Item, my master gaff her a noder pece of holand clothe, corser, conteynenge in lengthe more than xl. yerdes, the yerde was worthe ij_s._ iiij_d._

Item, my master gaff her a longe gowne of fyne cremysen velvet furred with menyver and purfeled with ermynes.

Item, my master gaff her a longe gowne of fyne grene velvet furred with menyver and purfeled with ermynes.

Item, my master gaff her vij^xx scynnes of fyne ermynes.