Volume V Part 50 (2/2)
[Footnote 239-2: It is curious that John Paston has here reversed his initials.]
877
JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[239-3]
_To Sir John Paston, Knyght, lodgyd at the George, by Powlys Wherff, in London._
[Sidenote: 1475 / OCT. 23]
Aftyr all dwtes of recomendacyon, please it yow to undyrstand that I have spoken with my lady[239-4] sythe I wrot to yow last; and she told me that the Kyng had no syche woordys to my lord for Caster, as ye told me; but she seyth that the Kyng axid my lord at hys departyng fro Caleys, how he wold deele with Caster, and my lord answerd nevyr a woord.
Sir W. Brandon[240-1] stood by, and the Kyng axid hym what my lord wold do in that mater; seying that he had comandyd hym befor tyme to meve my lord with that mater, and Sir W. Brandon gave the Kyng to answer that he had doone so; then the Kyng axid Sir W. B. what my lordys answer was to hym, and Sir W. B. told the Kyng that my lords answer was that the Kyng shold as soone have hys lyff as that place; and then the Kyng axid my lord whedyr he seyd so or nought, and my lord seyd, yee. And the Kyng seyd not a woord ayen, but tornyd hys bak, and went hys wey; but my lady told me, and the Kyng had spokyn any woord in the world aftyr that to my lord, my lord wold not have seyd hym nay. And I have gevyn my lady warnyng that I wyll do my lord no more serveys; but er we partyd, she mad me to make hyr promess that I shold let hyr have knowlege er I fastonyd myselff in eny other servysse; and so I departyd, and sye hyr not syness, nor nought purpose to doo, tyll I spek with yow.
I prey yow bryng home some hattys with yow, or and ye come not hastyly, send me on, &c., and I shall pay yow for it a comb otys[240-2] when ye come home.
My modyr wold fayn have yow at Mawtby; she rode thydyr ought of Norwyche on Sat.u.r.day last past, to purvey your lodgyng redy ayenst your comyng.
I have been ryght seek ayen sythe I wroote to yow last, and thys same day have I ben pessyng seek; it wyll not ought of my stomak by no mean.
I am undon. I may not ete halff i nough, when I have most hungyr, I am so well dyettyd, and yet it wyll not be. G.o.d send yow heele, for [I]
have non iij. dayes to gedyr, do the best I can.
Wretyn at Norwyche, the Monday next be for Seynt Simone and Jude,[240-3]
anno E. iiij. xv^{o}.
J. P.
[Footnote 239-3: [From Fenn, ii. 182.]]
[Footnote 239-4: The d.u.c.h.ess of Norfolk.]
[Footnote 240-1: Sir William Brandon was the grandfather of Henry VIII.'s favourite, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Footnote 2 on p. 156, taken from Fenn, is wrong. Charles Brandon's father, who was slain at Bosworth, was another Sir William, knighted by the Earl of Richmond before the battle.]
[Footnote 240-2: In 1475 a comb of oats sold for 11_d._; we have therefore the value of a hat in this reign.--F. In No. 871 the price of oats is given as 10_d._ a comb, but the markets are considered to be bad.]
[Footnote 240-3: 28th of October.]
878
JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[241-1]
[Sidenote: 1475]
Aftyr all dewtes of recomendacyon, in as humbyll wyse as I can, I beseche yow of your blyssyng. The cheff cause that I wryght to yow for at thys season is, for that I undyrstand that my lady[241-2] wold be ryght glad to have yow a bought hyr at hyr labore; in so myche that she hathe axyd the questyon of dyvers gentyllwomen whedyr they thought that ye wold awayte on hyr at that season or nought, and they answerd that they durst sey that ye wold, with ryght good wyll, awayte on hyr at that tyme, and at all other seasons that she wold comand yow. And so I thynk that my lady wyll send for yow; and if it wer your ease to be here, I wold be ryght glad that ye myght be here, for I thynk your being here shold do gret good to my brodyrs maters that he hathe to sped with hyr.
Wherfor, for G.o.des sake, have your horse and all your gere redy with yow, whersoever ye be, ought or at home, and as for men, ye shall nott need many, for I wyll come for yow, and awayte on yow my sylf, and on or ij. with me; but I had need to undyrstand wher to fynd yow, or ellys I shall happyly seeke yow at Mautby, when ye be at Freton, and my lady myght then fortune to be ferforthe on hyr jorney or ye cam, if she wer as swyfte as ye wer onys on Good Fryday.
And as for the mater in the latter end of my brodyr Sir Johnys lettyr, me thynk he takyth a wronge wey, if he go so to werk; for as for the peopyll here, I undyrstand non other but that all folkys here be ryght well dysposyd towardes that mater, fro the hyghest degre to the lowest, except Robart Brandon and John Colvyll; and it is a grete lyklyhod that the grettest body is well dysposyd towardes that mater, in as myche as they wold put yow to the labore above wretyn, and if they wer not, I thynk they wold not put yow to that labore.
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