The Paston Letters
Chapter 18 : Small seal, on the paper, with a straw round it.[Footnote 81.1: [From MSS. in Magd. Col

Small seal, on the paper, with a straw round it.

[Footnote 81.1: [From MSS. in Magd. Coll., Oxf.]]

[[The empty brackets after "Hickling 104" are in the original.]]

73

ABSTRACT[82.1]

[Sidenote: 1447 / NOV. 29]

Indenture, dated St. Andrew's Eve, 26 Henry VI., between Agnes Paston and Waryn Baxter, the former agreeing that Baxter shall have, at the will of the lord of the manor of Knapton, the lands, &c. that were Richard Redys [Rede's], with reservations.

[Footnote 82.1: [Add. Charter 17,236, B.M. (Paston MSS.)]]

74

JAMES GRESHAM TO JOHN PASTON[83.1]

_To my right wors.h.i.+pfull mayster, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1448 / MARCH 11]

Worthy and wors.h.i.+pful sir, and my right good maister, I recomaund me to yow. And do yow wete that this nyght at soper I was with my maistresse your wyff at my maistresse Cleres, and blissed be G.o.d thei fare weel and hopyn that [you[83.2]] shall sende themme good tidyng of your matier, Whanne ye knowe the certeynte therof, &c. And my maistresse your modir come thedir and fareth well and sendeth yow G.o.ddis blissyng and heris, and she bad me write to yow that she hath verey knowelage by a trewe and trusty man, whos name she shall telle yow by mouthe atte your next metyng, that ther was purposed a gret meyne of a wondir gaderyng of s.h.i.+pmen abowte Conorhithe for to have come to Oxened, and putte me owt there in a wers wyse thanne ye were put owt at Gresham; and this was purposed for to have ben at Oxened and a ryfled and put in the preest[83.3] there, but this purpose helde not, for thei were countermandet, by what mene I can not knowe yeet. And[83.4] it is do hir to wete that thei be purposed to be at Ox[n]ede a bowt midlent, and I am promitted that I shall have ii. days warnyng by a good freend. And therfor she prayeth yow that ye aspie besily if the preest come into thir countre or noght. For if ought shall be doo I trowe the Frere wole be there atte doyng. And if ye can aspie that he come hider, send my maistresse word as hastily as ye may, and of your avyse and of all other thyngges as ye seme, &c. And G.o.d have yow in his kepyng. Wretyn at ix.

on the clokke at evyn the noneday (_sic_) nex to fore Sent Gregory day in hast.

My brother Bekke and his felaws.h.i.+p shall telle yow more by mowthe thanne I can telle yow now.

Your servaunt,

J. GRESHAM.

[Footnote 83.1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 178.] St. Gregory's Day is doubtless that of St. Gregory the Pope (12 March), and this letter may be referred with certainty to the year 1448, just after Paston's first expulsion from Gresham. The Monday before St. Gregory's Day in that year would be the very day preceding.]

[Footnote 83.2: Omitted in MS.]

[Footnote 83.3: Friar John Hawteyn.]

[Footnote 83.4: 'and' repeated in MS.]

75

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[84.1]

_To my ryth wyrchypful hwsbond, Jon Paston, be this lettyr delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1448 / APRIL]

Ryth wyrchypful hwsbond, I recomawnd me to zw, desyryng hertyly to heryn of zour wel fare, praying zw to wete that I was with my Lady Morley[84.2] on the Satyrday next after that ze departyd from hens, and told here qhat answer that ze had of Jon b.u.t.t, and sche toke it ryth straw[n]gely, and seyd that sche had told zw, and schewyd zw i now [_enough_], qher by ze myth have knowleche that the releve owt [_ought_]

to ben payd to her. And sche seyd sche wyst wel that ze delay it forthe, that sche xuld nowth have that longyth to her ryth. And sche told me hw it was payd in Thomas Chawmbers tym, qhan her dowther Hastyngs[84.3] was weddyd; and sche seyd sythyn that ze wyl make none end with her, sche wyl sew therfore as law wyl.

I conseyvyd be here that sche had cwnsel to labore azens zw therin withyn ryth schort tym. And than I prayd her that sche wuld vwche save nowth to labowr azens zw in this mater tyl ze kom hom; and sche seyd nay, be her feyth, sche wuld no more days zeve [_give_] zw therin. Sche seyd sche had sett zw so many days to a kord with her, and ze had broke them, that sche was ryth wery therof; and sche seyd sche was but a woman, sche must don be her cownseyl, and her cwnseyle had avysyd her, so sche seyd sche wyld do. Than I prayd her azyn that sche wuld teryn [_tarry_] tyl ze kom hom, and I seyd I trostyd veryly that ze wuld don qhan ze kom hom, as itt longeth to zw to don; and if ze myth have very knowleche that sche awyth of ryth for to have itt, I seyd I wyst wel that ze wuld pay it with ryth G.o.de wyl, and told her that ze had sergyd to a fownd wrytyng therof, and ze kwd non fynd in non wyse. And sche sayd sche wyst wele there was wrytyng therof inow, and sche hath wrytyng therof hw Syr Robert of Mawthby, and Sir Jon, and my grawnsyre, and dyverse other of myn awncesterys payd it, and seyd nevyre nay therto.

And in no wyse I kwd not geyn no grawnth of her to sesyn tyl ze kom hom; and sche bad me that I xuld don an erand to my moder, and qhan I kam hom, I dede myn erand to her. And sche axyd me if I had spokyn to my lady of this forseyd mater, and I told her hw I had do, and qhat answer I had; and sche seyd sche xuld gon to my Lady Morles on the nexst day, and sche xuld speken to her therof, and a say to getyn grawnt of her to sesyn of the forsayd mater tyl that ze kom hom. And truly my moder dede her dever ryth feythfully therin, as my cosyn Clare[85.1] xal tellyn zw qhan that he speketh with zow; and sche gete grawnt of my seyd lady that there xuld nowth ben don azens zw therin, and ze wold acordyn with her, and don as ze owyn to do be twyx this tym and Trinyte Sunday.

Laueraw[n]ce Rede of Mawthhy recommawndeth hym to zu, and prayt zw that ze wyl vwchesave to leten hym byn [_buy_] of zw the ferm barly that ze xuld have of hym, and if ze wyl laten hym have it to a resonabyl pris, he wyl have it with ryth a G.o.de wyl; and he prayit zw if ze wyl that he have it, that ze wyl owche save [_vouchsafe_] to send hym word at qhat pris he xuld have the kowmb as hastyly as ze may, and ellys he must be purvayd in other plase.

As twchyng other tydyngs, I sopose Jon of Dam xal send zw word in a letter. As it is told me veryly, Heydon xal not kom at London this term.

It is seyd in this contre that Danyell[86.1] is owth of the Kyngs G.o.de grase, and he xal dwn and all hys mene, and all that ben hys wele wyllers; there xal no man ben so hardy to don nether seyn azens my Lord of Sowthfolk,[86.2] nere non that longeth to hym; and all that have don and seyd azens hym, they xul sore repent hem. Kateryn Walsam xal be weddyd on the Munday nexst after Trinyte Sonday, as it is told me, to the galaunte with the grete chene; and there is purvayd for her meche G.o.de aray of gwnys, gyrdelys, and atyrys, and meche other G.o.de aray, and he hathe purcheysyd a gret purcheys of v. mark be zer to zevyn her to her joynture.

I am aferd that Jon of Sparham is so schyttyl wyttyd, that he wyl sett hys G.o.de to morgage to Heydon, or to sum other of ywre G.o.de frendys, but if [_i.e._ unless] I can hold hym inne the better, ere ze kom hom. He hath ben arestyd sythyn that ye went, and hath had moche sorw at the sewte of mayster Joh Stoks of London for x. mark that Sparham owt to hym; and in G.o.de feyth he hath had so moche sorow and hevynesse that he wyst nowth qhat he myth don. I fell hym so disposyd that he wold asold and asett to morgage all that he hath, he had nowth rowth to qhom, so that he myth an had mony to an holpyn hym self wyth; and I entretyd hym so, thatt I sopose he wyll nother sellyn ner sett to morgage, nother catel ner other G.o.de of hese, tyl he speke with zw. He soposeth that al that is don to hym is att the request of the Parson of Sparham and Knatylsale. I sopose it is almas to comfort hym, for in G.o.de feyth he is ryth hevy, and hys wyf al so. He is nowth nw under arest, he hath payd hys feys, and goth at large; he was arestyd att Sparham, of on of Knatysales men.

Hodge Feke told me thatt Sym Schepherd is styl with Wylly,[86.3] and if ze wyl I xal purvey that he xal be browth hom er ze kom hom. It is told me that he that kept zour schep was owth lawyd on Munday at the swth of Sir Thomas Todynham, and if it be so, ze arn nowth lyk to kepe hym longe. And as twchyng that that ze badeyn me spekyn for to Bakton, he seyth he is wel avysyd that sche seyd sche wuld never have to don with all, ner he kan not pek that sche seyd sche hath non ryth to have it, and he wyl say lyche as he hath herd her seyd; and if sche speke to hym therof, he wyll rather hold with zw than with her. I pray ye that ze wyl vwche save to send me word hw ze spede in zour matter twchyng Gressam, and hw Danyel is in grace. Harry Goneld hath browth to me xl_s._ of Gressam syn ze zede, and he seyth I xal have more or Qhythson tyd, if he may pyk it up.

I sopose Jamys Gressam hath told zw of other thyngs that I have sped syn ze zedyn hens. If I her any strawnge tydyngs in this contre, I xall send zw word. I pray zw that I may ben recommawndyd to my Lord Danyel.

The Holy Trynyte have zw in hys kepyng, and send zw helth and G.o.de spede in al zour maters twchyng zour ryth.

Wretyn at Norwyche, on the Wedenys day nexst after thatt ze partyd hens.

Yors,

MARGARETE PASTON.

[Footnote 84.1: [From Fenn, iii. 54.] The date of this letter is fixed by an endors.e.m.e.nt in these words, 'Literae termino Paschae anno xxvj.,' showing that it was written in Easter term, in the 26th year of Henry VI. Easter term in that year lasted from the 10th of April to the 6th of May.]

[Footnote 84.2: Isabel, widow of Thomas, Lord Morley, who died in 1435. She was the daughter of Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk. Fenn confounds her with the widow of the Lord Morley who died in 1417, who was a daughter of Edward, Lord Dispencer, and had previously married Sir Hugh Hastings. But this lady died about 1426 (Blomefield, ii. 440), and cannot be the lady mentioned in the text.]

[Footnote 84.3: Ann, married to John Hastyngs. --_See_ Blomefield, ii. 430.]

[Footnote 85.1: Probably William, eldest son of Robert Clere of Ormesby, who died in 1446. --_See_ Blomefield, vi. 336.]

[Footnote 86.1: Thomas Daniel.]

[Footnote 86.2: _See_ p. 80, note 2.]

[Footnote 86.3: William Paston, son of the Judge (?).]

[[Laueraw[n]ce Rede of Mawthhy _text unchanged: error for "Mawthby"?_]]

[[mayster Joh Stoks of London _text unchanged: error for "Joh." or "Jon"?_]]

76