The Paston Letters
Chapter 23 : [Footnote 106.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston's let

[Footnote 106.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston's letter of the 2nd April 1449 that William Paston was a student at Cambridge in that year, the date of this must be about the same period.]

[Footnote 106.2: Word omitted.]

[Footnote 106.3: So in MS.]

[Footnote 107.1: This is written 'sanyth' but there is a stroke through the _a_, which was perhaps intended to have been carried through the _s_ also.]

92

SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN PASTON[107.2]

_To the Worshypful Sir, and my ryght well beloved cosen, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1449(?) / JULY 10]

Worshypfull and ryghte welbelovyd cosyn, I comaund me to you. Please you to here that the Pryore and Convent of Norwyche have wythhalden certeyn rent for landes that they halden of me wythinne my maner of Haylysdon, and the ij. tapers of wax of ij. lbs. wyght, by the s.p.a.ce of xviij.

yere, that mountyth xxj_s._[107.3] valued in money. And the lordes of the seyd maner beyng before me, and y yn my tyme, have been seised and possessed of the seyd rent. Prayng you to speke wyth the Pryore, or comaundyng me unto hym. And that ye lyke to move hym to make me payment as his dewtee ys, so as y have no cause to gowe further, and to do as justice requyreth. He hahyth x.x.x. acres lande or more by the seyd rent, and whyht ought to pay me othyr rent more by myn evidense. More over y pray you, cosen, that I may speke with you or [_before_] y ryde, and that on Thursday by the ferthest; and then y shall tell you tydyngs off the Parlement, and that ye fayle not, as my trust ys yn you. I pray G.o.d have you in Hys guidance.

Wreten at Castor, the x. day off Julie 1449[108.1].

Your Cosen,

JOHN FASTOLFE.

[Footnote 107.2: [From Palmer's _Foundacion and Antiquitye of Great Yermouthe_, p. 61.]]

[Footnote 107.3: 'xxj.o,' as printed by Palmer, but the 'o' no doubt should be '_s._']

[Footnote 108.1: So the date is given in the book from which this letter is copied, but the year is certainly wrong, as the writer did not go to reside at Caister till 1454. The date indeed would have been suspicious apart from this, as the mode of dating is quite unusual in these letters. Probably in the original MS. (which the Editor has not seen) '1449' was inserted after 'Julie' in a later hand.]

93

AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[108.2]

_To John Paston be this letter delyveryd._

[Sidenote: Not after 1449]

Soon, I grete zow wel with G.o.ddis blyssyng and myn, and I latte zow wette that my cosyn Cler[108.3] wrytted to me that sche spake with Schrowpe[108.4] after that he had byen with me at Norwyche, and tolde her what cher that I had made hym, and he seyde to her he lyked wel by the cher I made hym.

He had swyche wordys to my cosyn Cler that lesse than ze made hym good cher, and zaf hym wordys of conforth at London, he wolde no mor speke of the matyr.

My cosyn Cler thynkyth that it were a foly to forsake hym lesse than ze knew of on owdyr as good or better; and I have a.s.sayde zowr suster,[108.5] and I fonde her never so wylly to noon as sche is to hym, zyf it be so that his londe stande cleer.

I sent zow a letter by Brawnton for sylke, and for this matyr befor my cosyn Cler wrote to me, the qwyche was wrytten on the Wednysday nexzt aftyr Mydsomer day.

Sir Harry Ynglows is ryzth besy a bowt Schrowpe for one of his dozthers.

I prey zow, for zette nozth to brynge me my mony fro Horwelbery, as ze com fro London, edyr all or a grete parte. The dew dette was at Crystemesse last paste, no thynge a lowyd, vij_li._ xiiij_s._ viij_d._, and at this Mydsomer it is v_li._ more; and thow I a low hym all his askyng, it is but xxvj_s._ vj_d._ less, but I am nozth so avysyth zytt.

As for the Frer,[109.1] he hath byen at Sent Benetts, and at Norwyche, and made grete bowste of the sewte that he hath azens me, and bowzthe many boxes, to what intent I wett never. It is wel doen to be war at London, in drede gyf he bryng ony syse at Sent Margarets tyme.

I kan no more, but Almyzty G.o.d be owr good lorde, who have zow ever in kepyng. Wryten at Oxnede in grete hast, on the Satyr next aftyr Mydsomer.

By yowr Modyr,

A. P.

[Footnote 108.2: [From Fenn, iii. 202.] This letter is dated by Fenn 1454, with some others relating to matches proposed for Elizabeth Paston; but the date of this cannot be later than 1451, as Sir Harry Inglos died that year. Moreover, it cannot be either 1451 or 1450, as 'the Sat.u.r.day next after Midsummer' when this letter is dated, preceded 'the Wednesday next after Midsummer day' in both these years. Thus 1449 is the latest possible date.]

[Footnote 108.3: Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby, Esq.]

[Footnote 108.4: Stephen Scrope, a son of Sir John Fastolf's wife by a former husband.]

[Footnote 108.5: Elizabeth Paston.]

[Footnote 109.1: John Hawteyn. --_See_ Nos. 46, 50, and 63.]

94

ELIZABETH CLERE TO JOHN PASTON[109.2]

_To my Cosyn, John Paston, be thys letter delivered._

[Sidenote: Not after 1449]

Trusty and weel be loved cosyn, I comaunde me to zow, desyryng to here of zowre weelfare and good spede in zowre matere, the qwech I prey G.o.d send zow to his plesaunce and to zoure hertys ease.

Cosyn, I lete zow wete that Scrope[109.3] hath be in this c.u.n.tre to se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he hath spoken with my cosyn zoure moder, and sche desyreth of hym that he schuld schewe zow the endentures mad be twen the knyght that hath his dowter and hym, whethir that Skrop, if he were maried and fortuned to have children, if tho children schuld enheryte his lond, or his dowter, the wheche is maried.

Cosyn, for this cause take G.o.de hede to his endentures, for he is glad to schewe zow hem, or whom ze wol a sygne with zow; and he seith to me he is the last in the tayle of his lyflode, the qweche is CCCL. marke and better, as Watkyn s.h.i.+pdam seith, for he hath take a compt of his liflode dyvers tymes; and Scrop seith to me if he be maried, and have a sone an eyre, his dowter that is maried schal have of his liflode L.

marke and no more; and therfore, cosyn, me semeth he were good for my cosyn zowre sustyr, with[out] that ye myght gete her a bettyr. And if ze can gete a better, I wold avyse zow to labour it in as schort tyme as ze may goodly, for sche was never in so gret sorow as sche is now a dayes, for sche may not speke with no man, ho so ever come, ne not may se ne speke with my man, ne with servauntes of hir moderys but that sche bereth hire an hand[110.1] otherwyse than she menyth. And sche hath sen Esterne the most part be betyn onys in the weke or twyes, and som tyme twyes on o day, and hir hed broken in to or thre places. Wherfor, cosyn, sche hath sent to me by Frere Newton in gret counsell, and preyeth me that I wold send to zow a letter of hir hevynes, and prey yow to be hir good brothyr, as hir trost is in zow; and sche seith, if ze may se be his evydences that his childern and hire may enheryten, and sche to have resonable joynture, sche hath herd so mech of his birth and his condicions, that and ze will sche will have hym, whethyr that hir moder wil or wil not, not withstandyng it is tolde hir his persone is symple, for sche seyth men shull have the more deyute of hire if sche rewle hire to hym as sche awte to do.

Cosyn, it is told me ther is a goodly man in yowre Inne, of the qweche the fadyr deyed litte, and if ze thynk that he were better for hir than Scroop, it wold be laboured, and yif Scroop a goodly answere that he be not put of tyl ze be sure of a bettyr; for he seid whan he was with me, but if [_i.e._ unless] he have som counfortable answer of zow, he wil no more laboure in this mater, be cause he myght not se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he seyth he myght a see hire and sche had be bettyr than she is; and that causeth hym to demyr that hir moder was not weel w.i.l.l.yng, and so have I sent my cosyn zowre moder word. Wherfore, cosyn, thynk on this mateer, for sorow oftyn tyme causeth women to be set hem otherwyse than thei schuld do, and if sche where in that case, I wot weel ze wold be sory. Cosyn, I prey zow brenne this letter, that zoure men ne non other man se it; for and my cosyn zowre moder knew that I had sent yow this letter, sche shuld never love me. No more I wrighte to zow at this tyme, but Holy Gost have zow in kepyng. Wretyn in hast, on Seynt Peterys day,[111.1] be candel lyght.

Be youre Cosyn,

ELIZABETH CLERE.

[Footnote 109.2: [From Fenn, iii. 204.] This letter appears from the contents to be of the same year as the preceding.]

[Footnote 109.3: Stephen Scrope. --_See_ p. 108, Note 4.]

[Footnote 110.1: To bear one on hand, means to a.s.sert or insinuate something to a person.]

[Footnote 111.1: June 29.]