The Paston Letters Volume V Part 48

867

RICHARD SOUTHWELL TO JOHN PASTON[227-2]

_To the right wors.h.i.+ppfull, and my right feithfull G.o.de cosin, John Paston, Esquier._

[Sidenote: 1475 / MARCH 26]

Right wors.h.i.+ppfull and my right feithfull G.o.de cosin, I recomaunde me unto you, and, as hertily as I can, thanke you of your right gentill and kynde remembraunce, that I consceyve well by your late writyng that ye have to me wardes, undeserved in dede, but not in will, so G.o.d helpe me, as ye shuld weell knowe, if my power might accorde with my will. And, cosin, in the mater that it liked you to remembre me in, bothe to my wors.h.i.+pp and pleaser, I feere me that nouther my pouere doughter nor pouere purs can nor may be to his pleaser; wold G.o.d outher might; and I shuld take me right neere to his pleaser, savyng myself, I ensure you by my trouth. And howe to understand his pleaser and disposicion therin, I see no mean as thus advised, but if [_unless_] it might please you by your wisdam to attempte it forther, as ye seme moste conveniente, and theruppon I to be guyded by your G.o.de advise, as the cas shall require; wherin ye shall bynde me herefter to do that may be to your pleaser to my power, and yette with no better will than I have had, so G.o.d help me, Who have you ever in His kepinge, and sende you your hertes desire to His pleaser; and if it pleas you to remembre further in the premisses, I trust ye shall leese no labour on my pouere parte; howe be it I fere me sore, as I be gan, bothe of my pouere doughter and purs.

Writon at Woderysyng, the morn efter Our Lady Day, in haste.

I require you this bill may be secrete.

By your trewe cosin,

RIC. SUTHWELL.

[Footnote 227-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] Fenn thinks the gentleman here referred to was John Berney of Reedham, Esquire, who married Alice, daughter of Richard Southwell, Esquire, of Wood Rising, the writer of this letter. He accordingly dates it about the year 1475, and I see no reason to question his opinion.]

868

JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[228-1]

_To my ryght worchepfull modyr, Margaret Paston, at Mawtby._

[Sidenote: 1475(?) / [MAR. 29]]

Ryght worchepfull modyr, aftyr all humbyll recomendacyons, as lowely as I can I beseche yow of your blyssyng. Pleasyt yow to wete that late yester nyght I cam to Norwyche, purposeing to have been as thys day with yow at Mawtby, but it is so that I may not hold my purpose, for he that shall pay me my quarter wagys for me and my retenew, is in Norwyche, and waytyth ourly when hys money shall com to hym. It is oon Edmund Bowen of the Cheker, a specyall frend of myn, and he avysyth me to tery tyll the money be com, lest that I be unpayed, for who comyth fyrst to the mylle, fyrst must grynd.

And as I was wryghtyng thys byll, on of the gromys of my lords chambyr cam to me, and told me, that my lady wyll be here in Norwyche to morow at nyght towards Walsyngham, whyche shall, I wot well, be a nother lett to me; but I had more need to be other wyse ocupyed then to awayte on ladyse, for ther is as yett, I trowe, no sperre that shall go over the see, so evyll horsyd as I am. But it is told me that Rychard Call hathe a good horse to sell, and on John Becher of Oxborough hathe an other; and if it myght please yow to geve Syme leve to ryd in to that contre at my cost, and in your name, seying that ye wyll geve on of your sonys an horse, desyryng hym that he wyll geve yow a penyworthe for a peny, and he shall, and the pryse be resonabyll, hold hym pleasyd with your payment ought of my purse, thow he knowe it not or hys horse depert fro hys lands. Modyr, I bese[che] yow, and it may please yow to geve Syme leve to ryde on thys message in your name, that he may be here with me to morow in the mornyng be tymys, for wer I onys horsyd, I trowe I wer as ferforthe redy as some of my neyghborows. I herd a lytyll word that ye purposeid to be here in Norwyche thys next week. I prey G.o.d it be thys week. Modyr, beseche yow that I may have an answer to morow at the ferthest of thys mater, and of eny other servyse that it please yow to comand me, whyche I wyll [be] at all seasons redy to acomplyshe with G.o.ds grace, Whom I beseche to preserve yow and yours.

Wretyn at Norwyche, thys Wednysday in Estern Week.

By your sone and servaunt,

J. P.

[Footnote 228-1: [From Fenn, iv. 444.] This letter was evidently written in 1475, when John Paston and one or more of his younger brothers were about to go over to France with the King's army.--_See_ Letter 871. Margaret Paston was at that time continually resident at Mautby.]

869

WILLIAM PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[230-1]

_To my right worshupfull sistir, Margaret Paston._

[Sidenote: 1475 / APRIL 7]

Right worshupfull sustir, I recomaunde me to you, praying you to undirstonde, the priour of Bromeholme hath sent ayen to me for xx_li._; and my cosyn William Whyte desired me to wryte to you for the rewarde that was offird hym to his churche and xx_li._ of my brothirs goodys to be lent hym upon sufficient suertee, and by a yeeris ende payd ayen; he hath and may doo for you and for my nevewe, Sir John, in many thynges, and is his kynnesman, and it were a G.o.de frendely dede and no jopardy nor hurt. The Abbot of Wymondham hath sent to me too tymes. Frends.h.i.+p may not hang by the wynde, nor for faire eyne, but causis must be shewid; men wene that I hadd your coffers and my brothirs and maistir Fastolffes in myne awarde, and that ye wote wele, &c. Send your avise to my nevewe, Sir John, by the next messynger. Ye sent to me oonys for the same mater, but I may not leene my money to defende othir men is causis; your discrecion (?) thenkith that it were no reason. I have tolde them your saying; and as it is s[o] that ye may nat come to the coffers but all be togedir. Therfor ye must sende to my nevewe and to Arblastir how ye will have this answerd; for the Abbot will be heere on Monday at the sene, and labour must bee desired the next terme. Hit nedis nat to put you in remembrance of my mater touchyng my Fadirs soule, my modir and me, and G.o.d kepe you. Wreton at Norwich the vij^th day of Aprill.

I have tolde thes folkis, as ye have seid to me all weys, that your will is G.o.de, but that ye may not come theretoo withoute th'a.s.sent of all your felowes.

Item, I pray you remembre the obligacion that Wix hath, and that I may have my money of the parsone of Maudeby.

By your brothir,

WILLIAM PASTON.

[Footnote 230-1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 215.] As Margaret Paston, at the date of this letter, is not at Norwich and her son Sir John seems to be there, we may infer that it was written in the year 1475. _See_ No. 868 (preliminary note).]

870

EDMUND PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[231-1]

_To John Paston, Esquyer._

[Sidenote: 1475(?) / [MAY 13]]

Syr, I rec.u.mmawnd me to zow. Please yt zow to wette that my modyr hathe causyd me to putte Gregory owte of my servyse, as, G.o.d help, I wrythe to zow the very cause why. Yt happyd hym to have a knavys loste, in pleyn termes to swhyve a quene, and so dyd in the Konyneclosse. Yt fortunyd hym to be a spyed be ij. plowemen of my modyrs, whyche werne as fayne as he of that mater, and desyerd hym to have parte, and as kompany requeryd, seyd not nay; in so myche that the plowemen had her alle a nythe in ther stabylle, and Gregory was clere delyvered of her, and as he swherys had not a do with her within my modyrs place. Not with standdyng my modyr thynkks that he was grownd of that matier; wherfor ther is no remedy but he moste a voyde. And in so myche that at the laste tyme that ze wer her, [ye] desyerd hym of me, yf that he schuld departe from me, I send zow the very cawse of hys departyng, as my modyr sethe; but I am in serteyn the contrary is true. Yt is nomor but that he can not plese all partys. But that jantylman[231-2] is hys woords Lord, he hathe seyd that he woold lyfte them whom that hym plese, and as that scheweyt welle, he lyftyd on [_one_] xiiij. myle in a mornyng, and nowe he hath ben caw sar of hys lyfte, I wot not how far, but yf that ze be hys better master; but and we a mong us geve not hym a lyfte, I pray G.o.d that we never thryve. And that is hys intente, I trowe, to bryng us to; wherfor I requer zow, yf that yt plese zow to have hym, that ze wylle be the better master to hym for my sake, for I am he that is as sory to departe from hym as any man on lyve from hys servant, and be my trowthe, as farforthe as I knowe, he is as true as any on lyve.

I troste my fortune schale be better than ever to leve thus her; but yf I wer hens wards, I ensuer zow I wold not schange for none that I knowe.

He is profytabylle on dyvers thynggs as ze knowe welle.

Ther has ben a gret breke be twyx Calle and me, as I schal enforme zow at my coming, wyche schalle be on Wedynsday next be the grace of G.o.d, who preserve zow.

Wretyn at Mawteby, on Wyteson eve.

EDMOND PASTON.

[Footnote 231-1: [From Fenn, iii. 426.] This letter was wrongly attributed by Fenn to Edmund Paston, son of the Judge. It is in the hand of the Judge's grandson, also named Edmund, and was written at a time when his mother Margaret was living at Mautby, where he, the writer, was also at the time, though he expected to join his brother John, to whom he writes, in the following week.

These circ.u.mstances strongly suggest that it was written in 1475, when Margaret Paston certainly was residing at Mautby, as we find Edmund Paston with his brother John in London a month later preparing to go over to Calais. _See_ No. 873. Whitsun Eve in 1475 would be the 13th May.]

[Footnote 231-2: Fenn supposes the person alluded to to be the priest, James Gloys.]

871

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[232-1]

_Un to Syr John Paston, be this delyvered in hast._

[Sidenote: 1475 / MAY 23]

Ryght welbelovyd son, I grete you well, and send you Cristes blissyng and myne, desyringe to know how ye faire. I mervaile that I have herd no tydynges from you sythe ye sent me the lettyr of an answere of the xx_li._ the which I have layde pleages for to my cosyn Cleere, the which letter was wryten the xxij^ty day of Februar; and as for that money, I can not gete no lenger day therof than Mydsomer, or fourte nyght after; and towardys that money, and the xx^ty_li._ that I send yow by syde to London by Sym, I have receyved no mor money of yowres, but as moch as I send yow wryten in this letter. And as for any discharge that I promysed at the boroeng off the xx^ti_li._ when I leyde the pleages ther fore, I thought not but that your uncle shuld a boroed them owte, and I to have had my pleages, as well as he his; never the less I shall be the warer how I shall dele here aftyr. By my trowth, I wote not how to do ther fore; the Kyng goth so nere us in this c.u.n.tre, both to pooer and ryche, that I wote not how we shall lyff, but yff [_unless_] the world amend. G.o.d amend it, whan His wyll is. We[233-1] can nother sell corne ner catell to no good preve. Malt is here but at x_d._ a comb; wheete, a comb xxviij_d._; ootes, a comb x_d._; and ther of is but lytell to geet here at thys tyme. William Pec.o.k shall send you a byll what he hath payde for yow for ij. taskes at this tyme; and how he hath purveyde for the remnaunte of your corne; and also off other thynges that be necessary that shuld be purveyd for in your absence. Send me word also whome ye wyll desyre to do for yow in this contre, or ellys where in your absence; and wryte to them to do for yow, and they wyll be the better wylled to do for yow; and I wyll do my devyr for yow also, as well as I can.

The somma off money that I have receyvyd off Wylliam Pec.o.k:--First, xl_s._ off Runnham. Item, off Bastwyk, xx_s._ Item, off Runnham, xx_s._ Item, off him for barly at Runnham, xx_s._ Item, off the fyschynge at Bastwyke, xiij_s._ iiij_d._ Item, for barely sold at Runnham, viij_s._ Summa totalis, vj_li._ xvj_d._