The Paston Letters
Chapter 59 : M. PASTON.[Footnote 284.1: [From Fenn, i. 68.] According to Blomefield (_Hist. of Norf.

M. PASTON.

[Footnote 284.1: [From Fenn, i. 68.] According to Blomefield (_Hist. of Norf._ iii. 158), Margaret of Anjou, Queen of Henry VI., visited Norwich in the spring of 1452; but by the same authority, it would appear that she had returned to Westminster before the 17th of March in that year, which would not suit the date of this letter. Besides, John Paston was at Norwich in April 1452, and dates a letter at Norwich on St.

George's day, complaining of the a.s.sault made upon him at the door of Norwich Cathedral on Monday before Easter. It is impossible, therefore, that Margaret Paston could have written to him from Norwich two days before St. George's day in that year. From an undated entry in the Norwich city records, which bears internal evidence of having been made in the year 1453, it would appear that the King's half-brothers, Edmund, Earl of Richmond, and Jasper, Earl of Pembroke, visited Norwich in that year.--(_See_ fol. 19 of a volume, ent.i.tled _An Old Free Book_, in the Norwich city archives.) As to the Queen's visit I find no direct evidence, but I think it possible she may have come with _one_ of the King's brothers, and that the other may have come a little later.]

[Footnote 284.2: Here (says Fenn) follows some account of money received, etc.]

[Footnote 284.3: Margaret of Anjou.]

[Footnote 284.4: Widow of Robert Clere, Esq. of Ormesby, who died in 1446. Fenn says his daughter, but no notice is found of a daughter of that name, while the widow occurs frequently in this correspondence.]

[Footnote 285.1: Bailiff.]

[Footnote 285.2: Either Edmund Tudor, who was created Earl of Richmond about November 1452, or Jasper, who was created Earl of Pembroke at the same time. They were half-brothers to the King, being sons of his mother, Catherine, Queen of Henry V., by her subsequent marriage to Sir Owen Tudor.]

227

AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[285.3]

_To my welbelovyd Son, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1453 / JULY 6]

Sone I grete yow well and send you G.o.dys blessyng and myn, and lete you wete that Robert Hyll cam homward by Horwelle bery, and Gurney tellyd hym he had byn at London for mony and kowd nat spedyng, and behestyd Robert that he shuld send me mony be you. I pray for getyt not as ze com homward, and speke sadly for i. nothyr fermor.

And as for tydyngs, Phylyppe Berney[286.1] is pa.s.syd to G.o.d on Munday[286.2] last past wyt the grettes peyn that evyr I sey man; and on Tuysday Ser Jon Henyngham zede to hys chyrche and herd iij. ma.s.sys, and cam hom agayn nevyr meryer, and seyd to hese wyf that he wuld go sey a lytyll devocion in hese gardeyn and than he wuld dyne; and forthwyth he felt a feyntyng in hese legge and syyd don. This was at ix. of the clok, and he was ded or none.

Myn cosyn Cler[286.3] preyt you that ze lete no man se her letter, wheche is in selyd undir my selle. I pray you that ze wyl pay your brothir William for iiij. unces and j. half of sylke as he payd, wheche he sende me by William Tavyrner, and bryng wyt yow j. quarter of j. unce evyn leke of the same that I send you closyd in thys letter; and sey your brothyr William that hese hors hath j. fa.r.s.eyn and grete rennyng sorys in hese leggis. G.o.d have you in kepyng. Wretyn at Norwyche on Sent Thomas evyn in grete hast.[286.4]

Be your modyr,

A. PASTON.

[Footnote 285.3: [From Fenn, iii. 182.] Sir John Heveningham, whose death is mentioned in this letter, was found, by an inquisition taken on the 29th September 32 Henry VI., to have died on the 3rd of July preceding, which was in the year 1453.--(Inquis. _post mortem_, 31 Hen. VI., No. 7.) He left a son named John, over twenty-three years old, who was afterwards knighted.]

[Footnote 286.1: Third son of John Berney, Esq. of Reedham, who was the father of Margaret Paston's mother.]

[Footnote 286.2: July 2.]

[Footnote 286.3: Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere, Esq. of Ormesby.]

[Footnote 286.4: The Translation of St. Thomas the Martyr (Becket) was celebrated on the 7th July.]

228

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[286.5]

_To my ritht worchipfull Mayster John Paston, be this deliveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1453 / JULY 6]

Rytht worchipfull hosbond, I recommawnd me to yow, praying yow to wete that I have spoke with Newman for his place, and I am thorow with hym therfor, but he wold not lete it in no wyse lesse than v. marc. I told hym that sekyrly ye shuld not know but that I hyrid it of hym for iij_li._ I seyd as for the n.o.ble,[287.1] I shuld payt of myn owyn purse, that ye shuld no knowlech have therof. And this day I have had inne ij.

cartfull of hey, and your stabyl shall be made I hope this next weke.

I kowd not gette no grawnt of hym to have the warehows; he seyth if he may in any wyse forber itt her after, ye shall have itt, but he wull not grawnt itt in no convawt [_covenant_]. He hath grawntyd me the hows be twix the vowte and the warehows, and that he seyd he grawntyd not yow.

And as for the chamer that ye a.s.sygnyd to myn unkyl,[287.2] G.o.d hath purveyd for hym as hys will is; he pa.s.syd to G.o.d on Monday last past, at xj. of the clok befor none, and Sir John Hevenyngham pa.s.syd to G.o.d on Tewysday last past; hois sowlys both G.o.d a.s.soyle. His sekenesse toke hym on Tewysday, at ix. of the clok befor none, and be too after none he was dedd.

I have begonne your inventare that shuld have be made or this tym, if I had ben well at ease. I hope to make an ende therof, and of other thyngs both this next weke, and ben in that other place, if G.o.d send me helth.

I must do purvey for meche stuff or I come ther, for ther is nother bords ne other stuff that must neds be had or we come there. And Richard hath gadderid b.u.t.t lytill mony syth he come from yow. I have sent John Norwod this day to Gresham, Besigham, and Matelask to gete als meche mony as he may. The blissid Trinyte have yow in his keping. Wretyn at Norwych, on the Utas day of Peter and Powll.[287.3]

Yowrs,

M. P.

[Footnote 286.5: [From Fenn, iii. 186.] This letter chronicles the same two deaths as the preceding, and is therefore of the same date.]

[Footnote 287.1: A n.o.ble was a coin of the value of 6s. 8d.

A mark was 13s. 4d. Five marks therefore were equal to 3, 6s.

8d.; but Margaret said she would pay the odd n.o.ble, or 6s. 8d., out of her own purse, and not let Paston know but that he had the place for 3. A little artifice for accepting terms which she had doubtless told Newman her husband could never agree to.]

[Footnote 287.2: Philip Berney. --_See_ p. 251, Note 1.]

[Footnote 287.3: The day of St. Peter and Paul is the 29th of June. The _utas_ or octave of a feast is the eighth day of the feast--that is to say, the seventh day after, which in this case is the 6th of July.]

229

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[288.1]

[Sidenote: 1453 / SEPT. (?)]

Ryth worchepfull howsbonde, I recomende me on to yow. Plesyt yow to wete that I sent Tomas Bon to Edwarde Coteler to have one ansuer of the mater that ye spak to hym of, and he sent me worde that he hade spok to hys man therof, and he tolde hym that he hade no wrytynge nor evidens of no swyche thyng as ye spak to hym of, ner not wyst were he scholde have cnowlage of no swyche thyng, save that he tolde hym that he receyvyd onys j.c._s._ [100_s._] of the same rent; but and he may have cnowlage of ony man that havyth ony wrytyng or ony thyng that may out prevayle, he schal late yow have cnoulage therof.

As for Wylliam Yellverton, he come here never syn ye yede. As for my Lady Stapullton, att the wrytyng of thys letter sche was not come home.

Wyndhamys[288.2] erand to my Lady of Southefolk[288.3] was to desiyr hyr G.o.de Ladychep and to beseche hyr that sche wold spek to my cosyn Evenyngham[288.4] that he myt have hys G.o.de wyll, for he levith in hope to have hys modyr, and he hath made menys to have her by John Gros and hys wyf, and by Bokynham and by odyr dyvers, and profuryth hyr to find suerte to acquitt hyr housbondys dettes, the qwyche is CCC. marc, and to payit doune on j. day. And by thys mene, as he seyth, he hathe bargeynid with j. marchande of London, and hath solde to hym the manage of hys son, for the qwyche he scal have vij. C. [700] marc, and of that the iij. C. [300] marc schoulde be payd for the forseyd dettes; and also he proforyth to yeve hyr the maner of Felbryg to hyr joyntour, and odyr la[r]ge profors as ye schal here eraffter. As for the good wyll of my cosyn Hevenyngham, he seyth Wyndh[am][289.1] he schall never have hytt, nott for to have hyr G.o.de konyth he [abydyth][289.2] hys soull hevy therof, for he is aferde that and if the large profors may be perfor[m]yd, that sche wyll have hym. My seyd cosyn preyith yow, att the reverens of G.o.de, that ye wyll do yowyr [devoir][289.3] therin to brec it and ye can. He schall be here ayen on Mychaell mas evyn. He was full sory that ye wer outt att this tyme, for he hopyd that ye schoulde have do myche goode att this tyme. He hathe seyde as myche ther ageyns as he dar do to have hyr G.o.de modyrchep. My Lady of Southfolce sent j. letter to hyr yesterday by Stanle, the qwyche is callyd j. well cherysyd man with my seyd Lady, and desyiryng hyr in the letter that sche wolde owe hyr G.o.dde wyll and favor to Wyndham in that that he desyiryd of hyr, and of more matterys that ye schall here er after, for I suppose sche wyll schew yow the same letter and mak yow of hyr counsel in many thyngys, and I schall do my part as feythfully as I can to lett Wyndhamys porpose tyl ye come home. I pray yow sende me a copy of hys petygre, that I may schew to hyr how worchepphull it is, for in goode feythe sche is informyd bi hyr gentyll son Gros and Bokenham that he is mor worcheppfull in berthe and in lyvelode therto than they or ony odyr can preve, as I suppose. I pray yow lett nott thys mater be discuyryd tyl ye her more therof or after, for my cosyn Hevenyngham tolde myche here of in secret wyse, and of odyr thyngis qwyche ye schall have cnoulage of qwan ye come home, &c.

In hast, all in hast.

[Footnote 288.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] There is neither signature nor address to this letter, but it is undoubtedly from Margaret Paston to her husband. The handwriting is the same as that of her other letters. The date seems to be after the death of Sir John Heveningham in 1453, and is not likely to have been a later year, as the d.u.c.h.ess of Suffolk's influence must have been diminished when the Duke of York came into power, though it may possibly have been powerful again in 1456.]

[Footnote 288.2: John Wyndham, Esq. of Felbrigg.]

[Footnote 288.3: Alice, widow of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk.]

[Footnote 288.4: John, son of Sir John Heveningham. --_See_ p.

227, Note 3.] [[_error for p. 285, n. 3 (Letter 227)_]]