The Paston Letters Volume V Part 64

923

MARGERY PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[307-1]

_To my ryth reverent and worscheful husbond, Jon Paston._

[Sidenote: 1477 / DEC. 18]

Ryth reverent and worscheful husbond, I recomaunde me to yow, desyryng hertyly to here of yowr wylfare, thankyng yow for the tokyn that ye sent me be Edmunde Perys, preyng yow to wete that my modyr sent to my fadyr to London for a goune cloth of mustyrddevyllers[307-2] to make of a goune for me; and he tolde my modyr and me wanne he was comme home, that he cargeyt yow to beyit, aftyr that he were come oute of London.

I pre yow, yf it be not bowt, that ye wyl wechesaf to byit, and sendyt home as sone as ye may, for I have no goune to weyre this wyntyr but my blake and my grene a lyer,[307-3] and that is so comerus that I ham wery to weryt.

As for the gyrdyl that my fadyr be hestyt me, I spake to hym ther of a lytyl before he zede to London last, and he seyde to me that the faute was in yow, that ze wolde not thynk ther uppe on to do makyt [_to get it made_]; but I sopose that ys not so; he seydyt but for a skwsacion.

I pre yow, yf ye dor takyt uppe on yow, that ye wyl weche safe to do makyt a yens ye come home, for I hadde never more nede ther of than I have now, for I ham waxse so fetys[308-1] that I may not be gyrte in no barre of no gyrdyl that I have but of one. Elisabet Peverel hath leye sek xv. or xvj. wekys of the seyetyka, but sche sent my modyr word be Kate, that sche xuld come hedyr wanne G.o.d sent tyme, thoow sche xuld be crod [_wheeled_] in a barwe.

Jon of Damm was here, and my modyr dyskevwyrd me to hym, and he seyed, be hys trouth that he was not gladder of no thyng that he harde thys towlmonyth, than he was ther of.

I may no lenger leve be my crafte, I am dysscevwyrd of alle men that se me.

Of alle odyr thyngys that ye deseyreyd that I xuld sende yow word of, I have sent yow word of in a letter that I dede wryte on Ouwyr Ladyis Day[308-2] laste was. The Holy Trenyte have yow in Hese kepyng.

Wretyn at Oxnede, in ryth gret hast, on the Thrusday next be fore Seynt Tomas Day.[308-3]

I pre yow that ye wyl were the reyng with the emage of Seynt Margrete, that I sent yow for a rememraunse, tyl ye come home; ye have lefte me sweche a rememraunse, that makyth me to thynke uppe on yow bothe day and nyth wanne I wold sclepe.

Your ys,

M. P.

[Footnote 307-1: [From Fenn, ii. 256.] It is curious that after so much negotiation for the marriage of John Paston and Margery Brews, we have no record in these letters when it actually took place; but probably it was in August 1477, the last reference to it as an event not yet accomplished being on the 7th of that month (No. 916). In January 1478, John Paston talks of taking his wife to her father's house on account of her situation, and their first child was born in the course of the following summer. This letter seems to have been written in December. Fenn remarks that St. Thomas's Day might mean the Translation of St.

Thomas a Becket, 7th July 1478, and 'Our Lady's Day' might be the Visitation of the Virgin, 2nd July preceding. But this is simply impossible, because the letter is dated Thursday _before_ St. Thomas's Day, which would in that case be the very same date as the Visitation of Our Lady, viz. the 2nd July 1478. Besides, if the first child of John Paston and Margery was not actually born before July, the latter was certainly much nearer to her confinement then than this letter would imply.

_See_ No. 936 in vol. vi.

A facsimile of this letter was published in the _European Magazine_ for March 1787, and we have carefully compared the text with this facsimile.]

[Footnote 307-2: A kind of grey woollen cloth.]

[Footnote 307-3: Fenn suggests _Grenouilliere_ or frog-colour, but I find no authority for such a word; and I should suppose 'grene'

to be a separate word, though what 'a lyer' is I cannot say.]

[Footnote 308-1: This word commonly signifies neat or elegant, and seems to be used here ironically.]

[Footnote 308-2: Conception of Our Lady, 8th of December.--F.]

[Footnote 308-3: 21st December, the day of St. Thomas Apostle, or perhaps 29th December, the day of St. Thomas (a Becket) the Martyr.]

[[_To my ryth reverent and worscheful husbond, Jon Paston._ _text has "myryth" but words are separated in MS._

Footnote 307-3 what 'a lyer' is I cannot say _possibly Lier in Brabant_]]

924

ABSTRACT[309-1]

[Sidenote: 1478(?)]

Bill in Parliament confirming the statute of Marlborough [52 Hen. III.], with additions touching wardships, reliefs, etc., to take effect after Easter, 1480.

[The last Parliament before 1480 met on the 16th January 1478. This measure was probably introduced or intended for discussion at that period.]

[Footnote 309-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

925

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[309-2]

_To my ryght worchepfull broder, Syr John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1478 / JAN. 21]

Syr, aftyr all dutes of recomendacyon, lyeketh yow to undyrstand that I have comond with dyvers folkys of the Dwk of Suffolk now thys Crystmas and sythen, whyche let me in secret wyse have knowlage, lyek as I wrott on to yow, that he must mak a shefft for money, and that in all hast.

Wherfor, syr, at the reverence of G.o.d, let it not be lachesyd, but with effect aplyed now, whyll he is in London, and my lady hys wyff also; for I a.s.sarteyn yow that C. mark wyll do more now in ther neede then ye shall peraventure do with CC. marks in tyme comyng, and thys season be not takyn. And alweys fynd the meane that my Lady of Suffolk and Syr R.

Chamberleyn may be yowr gwydes in thys mater, for as for my lord, he nedyth not to be mevyd with it tyll it shold be as good as redy to the sealyng.

Syr, lyeketh yow also to remember that I told yow that Mastyr Yotton[309-3] had, as I cam last towardes London, desyred me, by a lettre of attorney wryttyn with hys owne hand, to se th'enprowment of syche profytes as ar growing of hys chapell in Caster that ye gave hym; and at syche season as I told yow of it, ye sayd on to me that ye wold asay to make a bargayn with hym, so that ye myght have a prest to syng in Caster. Syr, me thynkes ye can not have so good a season to meve hym with it as now thys Parlement tyme, for now I thynk he shalbe awaytyng on the Quene; and also if ye myght compone with hym or he wyst what the valew wer, it wer the better, and I have promysed hym to send hym woord thys terme of the verry valew of it, and also syche mony as I cowd gader of it. Wherfor, syr, I prey yow that by the next messenger that ye can get to Pekok that ye wyll send hym woord to paye me for the lond in x.x.x.

acres, as it hathe ben answerd before tym.

And as for tydynges here, we have none, but we wold fayne here of all your royalte at London, as of the maryage of my Lord of York,[310-1] and other Parlement mater; and so I prey yow that I may doo when ye have leyser.

Syr, I prey yow that Whetley may have knowlage that my broder Yelverton hathe promysed me to take hym xl_d._; he owyth me by reason of his fermore at Caster more then that.

And, syr, as for my huswyff, I am fayne to carry hyr to se hyr fadyr and hyr frendes now thys wynter, for I trow she wyll be ought of facyon in somer. And so in my progresse fro my fadyr Brews on to Mawtby, I took Master Playter in my wey, at whoys hows I wrot thys bylle, the xxj. day of January, anno E. iiij^ti xvij^{o}. And I beseche G.o.d to preserve yow and yours.

Yowr,

J. PASTON.

Endorsed by Sir John Paston, 'J. P., anno xvij^{o}.'

[Footnote 309-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 309-3: Dr. Yotton was the Queen's chaplain.--F.]

[Footnote 310-1: Richard, Duke of York, second son to King Edward IV., married Ann, daughter and heir of John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, 15th January 1477-78.--F.]

[[... second son to King Edward IV.

_corrected by author from "Henry IV."_]]