The Paston Letters Volume V Part 36

826

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[175-3]

_To John Paston, Esquyer, or to Mestresse Margret Paston, hys Modre be thys letter delyveryd._

[Sidenote: 1473 / FEB. 3]

Weell belovyd Brother.[175-4] ... ... ...

As ffor tydyngs heer, ther bee but fewe, saff that the Duke of Borgoyen[175-5] and my Lady, hys wyffe farethe well. I was with them on thorysdaye last past at Gawnt.[176-1] Peter Metteney ffarethe weell, and Mestresse Gretkyn bothe and Rabekyn recomend hyr to yow; she hathe ben verry seke, but it hathe doon hyr goode, ffor she is ffayrer and slenderer than she was, and she cowde make me no cheer but alwey my sawse was 'How ffaret Master John, yowr brother?' wher with I was wrothe, and spake a jalous worde or too, dysdeynyng that she sholde care so moche ffor yow, when that I was present.

Sende me worde to Hoxons in wrygtyng, what goode the Bysshop ded ffor me at Framynham, and howe my Lorde, my Ladye, and all the cort or [_are_]

dysposyd to me wards.

I here also seye that my Ladye and yowrs, Dame Margret Veer[176-2] is ded, G.o.d have hyr sowle; iff I weer not sorye ffor herr, I trowe ye have been.

No moor to yow at thys tyme, but All myghty Good have yow in kepyng.

Wretyn at Caleys the iij. daye of Februarye Anno R. R. E. iiij. xij^o.

J. P., K.

[Footnote 175-3: [From Fenn, ii. 120.]]

[Footnote 175-4: Here follows an account of letters sent to him from Calais--of farme barly in Fledge, and of olde stuffe at Norwich, etc.--F.]

[Footnote 175-5: Charles the Bold, and Margaret, sister to Edward IV.]

[Footnote 176-1: Ghent, in the Netherlands.]

[Footnote 176-2: Daughter and heir of Sir William Stafford, and wife to Sir George Vere. Their son, John Vere, was afterwards Earl of Oxford.--F.]

827

NOTE

[Sidenote: 1473 / FEB. 10]

In Blomefield's History of Norfolk, vol. xi. p. 208, it is stated that 'on February 10 in the 13th of Edward IV., an indenture was made between Sir William Yelverton, William Jenney, serjeant-at-law, and William Worcester, executors of Sir John [Fastolf] on one part, and Thomas Cager and Robert Kyrton on the other, whereby the said Robert was appointed surveyor of the lands and tenements in Southwark and other places in Surrey, late Sir John's, to perform his last will; and also receiver of rents; who was to have 6 marks _per ann._, and to be allowed besides all reasonable costs that he shall do in the defence and keeping out John Paston, Esq., and of all others claiming by him.'

828

ABSTRACT[177-1]

'J. P.' [JOHN PASTON] TO SIR JOHN PASTON

[Sidenote: 1473 / MARCH 8]

As I promised in the letter that Playter sent, Playter and I have been with my mother to get her to make chevesance for the 100, but she bade us send you word, you need look for no other comfort from her. Jwde can tell you Barker's answer. As for John Kook you promised him payment yourself and to Sir John Styll 5 marks in part payment. My mother has sold her barley for 14_d._ I never meet John Smyth but I speak of it to him. He keeps his courts here at Norwich all the week. As for Fastolf, I can only speak to Wymondham his father-in-law, which I do as often as I see him. Would be sorry the great matter which requires hasty answer 'lest the kok be in perayle' should be delayed by his negligence. Thinks Edmund Fastolf 'was a reasonable man to Robert of Lyne. Wherefore, let my brother Edmund sue for the same, for one wife may serve for us both till better peace be. So G.o.d help me ye may allege a plain excuse that these dyrk wars have so hindered me that her lyvelode and mine both should be too little to live at our ease till I were further before the hand than I could be this two year, and she found after her honor and my poor appet.i.te.' Would rather forbear what he would have than bring them in pain. 'Say better for me, for ye can and ye will. This matter must be honestly handled, for I wot well my young lady of Oxenforthe shall hear of it. We have here no tidings, but a few Frenchmen be whyrlyng on the coasts, so that there dare no fishers go out but under safe conducts.

I pray you, and ye have any more oranges than ye occupy, that poor men may have part for a great bellied lady.' First Monday of Clean Lent, 13 Edw. IV.

_Addressed_--'A Mys^r John Paston, schevaller, soyt done.'

_Endorsed_--'Mens' Marcii Anno xiij^{o}.'

[Footnote 177-1: [From MS. Phillipps 9735, No. 257.]]

829

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[177-2]

_To my Master, Sir John Paston, Knyght, be thys delyverd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1473 / MARCH 26]

As I was wryghtyng this bylle, Mastresse Jane Harsset comandyd me streyghtly that I shold recomand hyr to yow in hyr best wyse, and she sendyth yow word she wold be as fayne to here fro yow as an other poore body.

Syr, it is so that my cosyn John Blenerha.s.set[178-1] is enformyd that for verry serteyn he is chosyn to be on of the colectours of the taske in Norffolk, wher in verry trowthe he hathe not a foot of lond with in the shyer; wherfor I beseche yow that, as hastyly as ye may aftyr the syght of thys bylle, that it may please yow to take the labore to comon with Sir Rychard Harrecorte, and to let hym have knowlage that thys gentyllman hathe nowght with in the shyer, and that ye tweyne may fynd the meane to get hym owght of that thanklesse offyce, for I promyse yow it encomberthe hym evyll, and my mastresse hys wyffe, and alle us hys frendys here; and if so be that ye and Sir R. Harcorte may not fynd the meane betwyx yow, that then it may please yow to meve my Lord Chamberleyn with thys mater, and so Master Harsset prayithe yow, and Mastresse Jane, hys wyff also, for she lyekyth no thyng by the ofyce.

It is thowght her amonge us that Heydons be the causers that he was set in. I prey yow enqwer of Sir R. Harcort who was the cause, and that it may be wyst in the next byll that ye send me; for if they wer the causers, it lythe in my cosyn Ha.r.s.ettes power to qwytte theym.

We have no tydynges to send, but that our Frenshemen[178-2] whyche kepte our costs her ar home into France, for lake of vytayll, we saye.

Hogan[178-3] is put in the Gyld Halle in Norwyche, and shalbe browght up to London for reportyng of hys old talys. He varythe not. No more, but I prey G.o.d send yow the Holy Gost amonge yow in the Parlement Howse, and rather the Devyll, we sey, then ye shold grante eny more taskys.

Wretyn the day next aftyr our Lady Day, the Anuncyacyon, Anno xiij. E.

iiij^{ti}.

Yong Heydon laborythe alle that he can to mary on of hys doughtyr to yonge John Barney[179-1] by the mean of W. Calthorpp.

J. P.

[Footnote 177-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is endorsed with what appears to have been the date of its receipt--'xxviij^o die Marcii A^o xiij^o E. iiij^{ti}.']

[Footnote 178-1: John Blennerha.s.set, Bleverha.s.set, and (for shortness) often called Harsset, of Frens, married first Jane, daughter of Thomas Higham, Esq., and secondly Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Tindal of Hockwold, Knight. He died in 1510, aged 87.--F.]

[Footnote 178-2: The French vessels that infested the coast, as mentioned in the preceding letter.]

[Footnote 178-3: Hogan pretended to foretell commotions and rebellions, etc.--F.]

[Footnote 179-1: This marriage never took effect.--F.]

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