The Paston Letters Volume Vi Part 11

971

GEORGE, SERVANT TO WILLIAM PASTON, TO JOHN KYNG[41-1]

_To John Kyng of Therfeld, in Herdfordshire._

[Sidenote: Date uncertain]

Right trusty and welbeloved frende, I comaunde me to you. And, Ser, I tolde my maister that ye wolde have ben with him or this; for which cause he mervaileth ye kepe nat your promyse. Wherfore I avise you to come and bryng my maister his money afore this fest of Cristma.s.se.

And, also, ye ar yerly behynde of a boore or els ten shillinges after the price of oon bore. And where ye be owyng your boore for ij. yerys, I wolde avyse you to delyver unto Ser William Storer the seid dute, or els I counceile you to send my maister a resonable somme of money with thies boores afore Cristma.s.se for your thanke, consideryng his kynde dealyng, as well in sufferaunce of your money as in your owne matier.

Writen at London, the xvj^th day of Decembre.

Be your frende, GEORGE,

servaunte to Mr. W. PASTON.[41-2]

[Footnote 41-1: We place this letter after the last for convenience. Its date is unimportant.]

[Footnote 41-2: The subscription is in a different hand from the letter itself, which is in a clerk's hand, very well written.]

972

JOHN, PRIOR OF BROMHOLM, TO JOHN PASTON[41-3]

_To my right worchipful maister, John Paston, Sqwyer._

[Sidenote: 1480-7]

Right worchipful maister, I recomaunde me un to yow, desiryng to knowe of youre welfare and prosperyte, wheche Jesu maynteyne and encreese to His pleser after youre hertys desyre, thankyng yow ever of youre good maistership to me shewed at alle tymes withoute deserte on my behalve, prayng yow, and hirtely besechyng of youre goode contynuance. Please it yowre maistership, for as moche as it [is] moved on to the my good maisters, the counsell of the d.u.c.h.e of Lancastr, that they be weelw.i.l.l.yng to make laboure on to my Sovereyn Lady the Qween at youre good instaunce for certeyn tymber toward my dortour at Bromholm, in wheche myn specyall desyre is to have viij. princypall beemys, everych on in length xj. zerds. I am not expeert in makyng of any supplicacion, besechyng youre maistership to take it uppon you to do it make after your avyce, alegged all poverte, as youre worchipfull discrecion can moche better than I can enforme; and I remitte all to youre wysdam, ever besechyng you to calle this matyer to youre remembraunce. No more at this tyme, but the Holy Trinite mote have yow in His governaunce, and sende you longe lyf to endure to His pleser.

Wreten the xiiij^e day of Octobr.

Youre preest and chapeleyn,

JOHN, Priour of Bromholm.

[Footnote 41-3: [From Fenn, iii. 400.] On the date of this letter Fenn remarks as follows:--'John t.i.tleshale was prior of Bromholm from 1460 for about twenty years. This letter must have been written therefore either on the 14th October 1460, or on the same day in 1465, as Edward IV. married in that year, and J. Paston died in May 1466. If it was written in the former, the request [for timber] must have been to Queen Margaret; if in the latter, to Elizabeth, the Queen of Edward IV.' In these observations Fenn overlooks the possibility of the letter having been addressed to any other John Paston than the first of that name; and neither of the two years, which alone suit that supposition, has much internal probability. It is inconceivable that the letter could have been written in 1460, when Queen Margaret had retired into Wales after the battle of Northampton, and it is almost equally improbable that the date could have been 1465, when John Paston, the father, was in prison. We have very little doubt that the letter was addressed to John Paston the youngest, called of Gelston, long after his father's death, and after that of his brother Sir John also. John Tytleshale, who was Prior of Bromholm in 1460, was succeeded, at what date we are not informed, by John Macham; and after him John Underwood, Bishop of Chalcedon, suffragan of the Bishop of Norwich, was prior in 1509. The date of this letter, however, must lie between 1480 and 1487, in which latter year John Paston the youngest was created a knight for his services at the battle of Stoke.]

973

ABSTRACT[43-1]

[Sidenote: Not after 1481]

Appointment touching 'Ayeseldys wyff.' Her friends to labour for her acquittal of the felony, without letting of Wremmegey's wife, etc. 20 to be deposited 'in mene hand' by the friends of A's wife, to be delivered on her acquittal to Darby and other frends of W.'s wife. Also Master Yelverton shall have his 3 due to him from Ayseldys wife paid by both parties.

_Signed_--John Yelverton.

[I can find no other reference to the matter referred to in this paper, and cannot tell the date; but as John Yelverton, the son of the judge, died on the 9th July 1481 (Blomefield, x. 31), it cannot be later than that year.]

[Footnote 43-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

974

EDMUND PASTON TO WILLIAM PASTON[43-2]

_To my brother, Wylliam Paston, be this delyverd._

[Sidenote: About 1481(?)]

I hartely recomawnd me to zow. Here is lately fallyn a wydow in Woorstede, whyche was wyff to one Bolt, a worstede marchaunt, and worth a m^l._li._, and gaff to hys wyff a C. marke in mony, stuffe of howsold, and plate to the valew of an C. marke, and x_li._ be zere in land. She is callyd a fayer jantylwoman. I wyll for zour sake se her. She is ryght systyr, of fader and modyr, to Herry Ynglows. I purpose to speke with hym to gett hys good wyll. Thes jantylwoman is abowght x.x.x. zeres, and has but ij. chyldern, whyche shalbe at the dedes charge; she was hys wyff but v. zere. Yf she be eny better than I wryght for, take it in woothe I shew the leeste. Thus lete me have knowlache of zowr mynde as shortly as ze can, and whan ze shall moun be in this c.u.n.tre. And thus G.o.d send zow good helth and good aventure.

From Norwyche, the Saterday after xij^the day.

Your,

E. PASTON.

[Footnote 43-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] There is nothing to show the date of this letter, except the fact that William Paston did not come of age before the year 1481, so that it is not likely to be earlier. Perhaps it may be a few years later, in which case the widow would not have been very much his senior; but that circ.u.mstance was not likely, in those days, to have been greatly regarded in the matter.]

975

EDMUND PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[44-1]

_To my ryght wurchypfull and especiall good mother, Margaret Paston._

[Sidenote: Between 1481-4]

Ryght worchypfull and moste especialle good modyr, in my moste umble wyse, with alle my dute and servyse, I recomawnd me to yow, besechynge zow of zour blyssyng, whyche is to me moste joy of erthely thynge; and it plese zow to be so good and kynd modyr to me to forgeve me, and also my wyffe, of owr leude offence that we have not don ower dute, whyche was to have seyn and ave waytyd up on zow or now. My huswyffe trustythe to ley to zow her huswyferey for her excuse, wyche I muste beseche zow not to accepte, for in good faythe I deme her mynde hathe ben other weys ocapyed than as to huswyfery, whyche semyth welle by the latchesnes of the tylthe of her landdes. I beseche G.o.d for the forderawnce of them as now rewarde zow and the good parson of Mautby, and also Mastyer Baley, who I wende woold not have balkyd this pore loggeyng to Norwyche wardes.

I undyrstand by the bryngger here of that ze entende to ryde to Walsyngham; yf it please zow that I may wete the seayson, as my dute is, I shalle be redy to awayte up on zow.

Plese it zow that the brynggar here of cam to me for x_s._ viij_d._ whyche I shuld ow hys fadyr; trew it was at my laste departyng from hym, I owte hym somych, but sertaynly or I cam at Thetfford homewardes, I thowt of concyence he owte to have restoryd me as myche. I had my horsse with hym at lyvery, and amonge alle one of them was putte to gresse and to labur, so that he dyed of a laxe by the wey. I payed for hard mete ever to hym.

Plese it zow to delyver Kateryn v_s._, wyche I send zow in this bylle.

I am not a.s.sartaynd how she is purveyde of mony towardes her jornay. Yf her fadyr cowde not acleymed j_d._ of me, I woold not se her dysporveyd, yf I myght, nor the poreste chyld that is belonggyng to hys loggeyng.

Modyr, my wyffe is boold to send zow a tokyn. I beseche zow pardon alle thyngges not done acordyng to dute. I beseche G.o.d send zow the accomplyshment of zour moste and woorchypfull desyers.

At Owby, the Saterday next before Candylmes.

Zour umble son and servant,