Volume V Part 59 (1/2)

Take hit awaye therefore, y praye yow fayre, For hardyly my hert beryth hevy y nowh, For there is Sorow at rest as in hys chayre, Fixid so fast with hys prikks rowh, That in G.o.de feith I wote not whan I lowh,[281-3]

For, Master Paston, the thyng whereon my blisse Was holly sette, is all fordoone, I wysse.

By your JOHN PYMPE, thes beyng the vj. letter that I have send yow.

Alway prayyng yow to remembre the hors that I have in every letter wryten for; as thus, that hit wuld plese yow to undrestond who hath the gentyllest hors in trottyng and steryng that is in Calis, and if he be to sell, to send me word of hys pris, largenesse, and colour. Hytt is told me, that the Master Porter hath a coragiouse ronyd hors, and that he wuld putt hym away by cause he is daungerous in companye; and of that I force [_care_] not, so that he be not chorlissh at a spore, as plungyng; and also I sett not by hym, but if he trotte hye and gentilly.

No more, but G.o.d kepe yow.

JOHN PYMPE.

[Footnote 280-1: [From Fenn, ii. 234.] We may as well place this letter--the only remaining one of the series that has been preserved--immediately after the other two. John Pympe seems to have been a very industrious correspondent, and the art of writing, in prose or verse, came to him very easily.]

[Footnote 280-2: Destroyed.--F.]

[Footnote 281-1: A term in Falconry, signifying the adding a piece to a feather in a hawk's wing.--F.]

[Footnote 281-2: Expensive.]

[Footnote 281-3: Laughed? Fenn in his modern version reads 'when I love.']

909

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[282-1]

_To hys weell belovyd brother, John Paston, Esquyer._

[Sidenote: 1477]

I recomande me to yow, letyng yow weete that I receyvyd a letter of yowres by Edward Hensted ij. dayes aftre that Whetley was departyd from me, whyche he hadde forgetyn in hys caskett, as he seyde, wheroff I sholde have sent yow answer by Whetley, iff I had hadde it toffore he wente, notwithstandyng I am ryght lothe to wryghte in that mater offte; for for a conclusion I wrote to my moodre by Peerse Moody alle that I myght and wolde doo ther in. Ye have also nowe wretyn ageyn. Yow neede nott to praye me to doo that myght be to yowr profyght and wors.h.i.+p, that I myght doo ofter than ones, or to late me weete theroff; for to my power I wolde do for yow, and take as moche peyne for yowr weell, and remembre itt when per case ye sholde nott thynke on it yowr selffe.

I wolde be as gladde that one gaffe yow a maner of xx_li._ by yeer, as iff he gave it to my selff by my trowthe.

Item, wher ye thynke that I may with concience recompence it ageyn on to owr stokke off other londys that I have off that valywe in fee symple, it is so that Snaylwell, by my grauntefadres will ones, and by my fadris will sceconderely, is entaylyd to the issyw of my fadres body.

Item, as for Sporle xx_li._ by yeer, I hadde ther off b.u.t.t xx. marke by yere, whyche xx. marke by yeer and the x. marke ovyr, I have endangeryd, as ye weell knowe off that bargayne, whyche, iff itt be nott redemyd, I most recompence some other maner off myne to one off my bretheryn for the seyde x. marke, ovyr xx. marke that longyth to me; wherffor I kepe the maner off Runham. Than have I fe symple londe the maner of Wynterton with Bastwyk and Billys, whyche in alle is nott xx. marke by yeer, whyche is nott to the valywe off the maner off Sparham. And as for Castre, it weer noo convenyent londe to exchange for suche a thyng, nor it weer not polesy for me to sett that maner in suche case for alle maner of happis. I nede nott to make thys excuse to yowe, but that yowr mynde is troblyd. I praye yow rejoyse nott yowr sylffe to moche in hope to opteyne thynge that alle yowr freendys may nott ease yow off; for if my moodre were dysposyd to gyve me and any woman in Ingelande the best maner that she hathe, to have it to me and my wyffe, and to the heyres off our too bodyes begotyn, I wolde nott take it off hyr, by G.o.d.

Stablysshe your selffe uppon a goode grownde, and grace shall folowe.

Yowr mater is ferre spoken off, and blowyn wyde, and iff it preve noo better, I wolde that it had never be spoken off. Also that mater noysyth me that I am so onkynde that I lett alle togedre. I thynke notte a mater happy, nor weell handelyd, nor poletykly dalte with, when it can never be fynysshyd with owte an inconvenyence; and to any suche bargayne I kepe never to be condescentyng, ner of cowncell. Iffe I weer att the begynnyng of suche a mater, I wolde have hopyd to have made a better conclusyon, if they mokke yow notte. Thys mater is drevyn thus ferforthe with owte my cowncell, I praye yow make an ende with owte my cowncell.

Iffe it be weell, I wolde be glad; iff it be oderwyse, it is pite.

I praye yow troble me no moore in thys mater... .[283-1]

[Footnote 282-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is clearly written in answer to an application by John Paston to his brother to aid him in making arrangements with Sir Thomas Brews in the spring of 1477. Although the signature is lost, the handwriting is that of Sir John Paston.]

[Footnote 283-1: The lower part of this letter seems to have been cut off, and how much is lost does not appear.]

[[for for a conclusion I wrote to my moodre _text unchanged: probably not an error_]]

910