Volume V Part 66 (1/2)

I recomaunde me to yowe, and thanke yow off yowr labor that ye hadde at Heylesdon and Drayton in seyng the woodys there. And it is soo heer that Ric. Ferore seyde, that he repentyd hym that evyr he dalte with any woode theer, and iff I hadde sente hym but the leest chylde that I hadde to have warnyd hym to leve he wolde notte have dalte therwyth; and he ffonde noe comfforte in the Chancery, but that he is lyke to contente me for the harmes and hurte that is doone, and moore ovyr he hathe an instrucyon that he shall ffelle noo moore.

Item, wheer as he desyryd me to be freendly to hym, I dalte so with hym, that I trowe he wylle reporte that I seyde and dalte moore cortesly with hym than he demyd that I wolde doo. Yitt for alle in convenyences that myght ffalle, I wolde be gladde to have a weell stomakyd felawe that wolde for my sake everye daye see the seyde woodes of Heylesdon and Drayton, and to knowe iff any weer fellyd heer afftre; and iffe there be any fellyd syns that Whetley was theer, and I can preve it by wytnesse, I sholde have better recompence for every tree than iiij. trees weer worthe.

Item, it is so that he hathe answeryd to my bille, wheryn he seythe that he never knywe byfor the subpena delyveryd hym that I hadde any clayme or entrest in the maner off Heylesdon, but that it was peasyble my Lordys off Suffolk. Wherffor I suppose that there be many men in Norwyche that comonyd with hym off the byenge off that woode ere evyr he made hys fulle bergayne, and per aventure some freendys off hys gave hym warnyng theroff, and off myn entrest. Iff any suche credyble mane that hadde hadde any suche langage to hym, or in hys companye, or than he bargayned, or any man that he laboryd to be halffe marchant or byer with hym, ar any man that refusyd to bye the seyd wood bycawse off myn entrest in the presence of Feror, any suche credyble man maye, iff he wyll, wytnesse ther in with me, or that dare avowe it, sholde be to me a remedy off alle that is fellyd. I praye yow, if ye can here any suche, that ye will in the presence off them make a bylle of remembraunce theroff, and off ther sayng, so that they maye her afftre wytnesse in the mater. Neverthelesse, trowthe it is that he hadde knowleche ther off i nowe, and soo hadde every man off hys havore [_substance_] in Norwych, I dowt nott; and as for hym, I am sure he hadde knowleche, for so moche as he desyryd at hys bargayn to have a sywerte to be savyd harmeles ageyn me, whyche was grawntyd hym b.u.t.t nott executyd. No mor, b.u.t.t I hope with G.o.ddys grace to have hastely goode remedy for the hole maner, and off Drayton therto, and alle the remenaunte.

Wretyn a London, the v. daye off Maye, anno E. iiij^ti xviij^{o}.

[Footnote 316-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

930

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[318-1]

_To my ryght worshypfull modre, Margret Paston, be thys delyvered._

[Sidenote: 1478 / MAY 13]

Please it yow to weete, that wher as I entendyd to have ben at home thys Mydsomer, and purposyd with yowr goode helpe to have bygonne uppon my ffadrys tombe, so that it myght have ben endyd thys somyr; it is soo, that ffor suche cawsys as ar nowe bygunne by twyen my Lorde off Suffolk and me, ffor the manerys off Heylesdon, Drayton, &c., for whyche materis I most nedys be heer thys nexte terme; therffor I deme it woll be afftr Mydsomer, er than I can see yow.

Please it yow also to weete that I comonyd with Master Pykenham to weete iff he wolde bye the clothe off golde, for soo moche as he desyryd ons to have bowte it, and he offryd me ons xx. marke therffor, neverthelesse it coste me xxiiij_li._; yit nowe, when that I spake to hym ther off, he refusyd to bye it, and seyde that he hadde nowe so many chargys that he maye nott. b.u.t.t it is soo that the Kynge dothe mak sertayne copys and vestymentys off like clothe, whyche he entendyth to gyve to the Coledge at Foodryngdre, wher my lorde hys ffadre is nowe buryed, and he byethe at a grete pryce.

I comonyd with the vestment maker ffor to helpe me fforthe with xij.

yerds, and he hathe grauntyd me to doo, as Whetleye can telle yow; wherffor, iff it please yow that it be bystowyd ffor to make a towmbe ffor my ffadre at Bromholme, iff ye lyke to sende it hyddr, iffe it be solde I undretake or Mychelmesse, that ther shalle be a tombe, and somwhatt ellys ovyr my ffadris grave, on whoys sowle G.o.d have mersye, that ther shall noone be lyke it in Norffolk; and as ye shalle be gladde herafftr to see it; and G.o.d sende me leyser that I maye come home, and iff I doo not, yit the monye shall be putte to noon other use, b.u.t.t kepyd by some that ye trust, tylle that it may be bystowyd acordyng as is above wretyn, and ellys I gyve yow cawse nevyr to truste me whylle ye and I lyve. When I was last with yow, ye grauntyd that the seyde clothe of golde sholde be bywaryd [_spent_] abowte thys werke, that is above wretyn, whyche iff ye wylle perfforme, I undretake that ther shalle be suche a towmbe as ye shalle be pleasyd at, thowgh it cost me xx. marke off myn owne purse besyde, iff I ons sette uppon it.

No mor, but I beseche Goode have yow in Hys kepyng.

Wretyn at London, the Wednysdaye in Whyghtsonweke, anno E. iiij^ti xviij^{o}.

Please it yow to sende me worde by Whatley off yowr plesyr her in.

By your Sone,

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 318-1: [From Fenn, ii. 260.]]

931

WALTER PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[319-1]

_To his worchypfull moder, Margaret Paston, dwellyng in Mawtby, be this letter delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1478 / MAY 19]

Rytgh reverent and worchypfull moder, I recomaund me on to yowr good moderchypp, besechyng yow to geve me yowr dayly benediccyon, desyeryng hartyly to heer of yowr prosperyte, whych G.o.d preserve to Hys plesure, and to yowr hartys desyyr, &c. I marvel soor that yow sent me noo word of the letter wych I sent to yow by Master Wylliam Brown at Ester.

I sent yow word that tym that I xold send yow myn exspenses partyculerly; but as at thys tym the berar her of had a letter sodenly that he xold come home, and there fore I kowd have no leysur to send them yow on that wys; and there fore I xall wryt to yow in thys letter the hool som of my exspenses sythyns I was with yow tyll Ester last paste, and also the reseytys, rekenyng the xx_s._ that I had of yow to Oxon wardys with the Buschopys fyndyng.