Volume Vi Part 5 (1/2)
Be your servaunt, R. C.
[Footnote 20-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is not addressed, but seems to have been intended for Margaret Paston.
The date is not very material, but as it mentions Sir John Paston, it cannot be later than 1479, the year in which he died. Perhaps it is about the year 1472. _See_ Nos. 819, 820.]
[Footnote 20-2: Barkers, or tanners to whom the bark of the woods had been sold.]
956
SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[21-1]
_To the ryght worshypfull mestresse, Margret Paston, be thys delyveryd._
[Sidenote: 1479 / OCT. 29]
Please it yow to weet, that I have ben heer at London a xiiij. nyght, wheroff the ffyrst iiij. dayes I was in suche ffeer off the syknesse, and also ffownde my chambr and stuffe nott so clene as I demyd, whyche troblyd me soor; and as I tolde yow at my departyng, I was nott weell monyed, ffor I hadde nott paste x. marke, wheroff I departyd xl_s._ to be delyveryd off my olde bedfelawe; and then I rode be yonde Donstaple, and ther spake with on off my cheffe witnessis, whyche promysed me to take labor, and to gete me wryghtyngs towchyng thys mater bytwyen me and the Duke of Suffolk,[21-2] and I rewardyd hym xx_s._; and then, as I informyd yow, I payed v. marke incontynent uppon my comyng hyddr to replegge owte my gowne off velwett and other geer.
And then I hopyd to have borowyd some off Townesend, and he hath ffoodyd me[21-3] fforthe evyrsynys, and in effecte I cowde have at the most, and at the sonest yisterdaye xx_s._ wherffor I beseche yow to purveye me C_s._ and also to wryght to Pekok, that he purveye me as moche, C_s._ whyche I supose that he hathe gaddryd at Paston and other places, by thys tyme; ffor with owte I have thys x_li._, as G.o.d helpe me, I ffer I shalle doo b.u.t.t litell goode in noo mater, nor yitt I woote nott howe to come home, but iff I have it.
This geer hathe troblyd me so, that itt hathe made me moor than halffe seke, as G.o.d helpe me.
Item, I undrestande that myn oncle William hathe made labor to th'
Exchetor, and that he hathe bothe a wrytte off _essend._ clowsyth extr.; and also a _supercedeas_. I have wretyn to the Exchetor ther in off myn entent, iff myn oncle hadde hys wyll in that, yitt sholde he be never the nerre the londe, b.u.t.t in effecte he shold have thys advantage, whyche is behovefull ffor a weyke mater to have a colour, or a clooke, or a botrase.
But on Tywesdaye I was with the Bysshop off Hely,[22-1] whyche shewyth hymselffe goode and worshypfull; and he seyde that he sholde sende to myn oncle William, that he sholde nott procede in no suche mater, till that he speke with hym; and moor ovyr that he sholde cawse hym to be heer hastelye; in whyche mater is no remedy as nowe, but iff it wer soo, that the Exchetor, iff he be entretyd to sytte by myn oncle William, whyche percase he shall nott, that iff my brother John and Lomnor have knowleche off the daye, and they myght be ther; Lomnor can geve evydence i now in that mater with owte the boke; and mor ovyr that they see bothe the letter and the other noote, that I sente to the Exchetor, and with helpe off the Exchetor all myght be as beste is; and iff my brother and Lomnor take labor her in, I shal recompence ther costs.
Wretyn in haste with schort advis.e.m.e.nt on the Frydaye next Seynt Symonds and Jude, anno E. iiij^ti xix^o.
Late my brother John se thys bille, for he knoweth mor off thys mater.
JOHN PASTON, K.
[Footnote 21-1: [From Fenn, ii. 276.]]
[Footnote 21-2: John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk.--F.]
[Footnote 21-3: Fenn reads 'ffoodyd ne,' and in the modern copy 'fooded not forth,' of which some fanciful explanations are suggested in a footnote. The true reading ought certainly to be 'me' and not 'ne,' the meaning evidently being 'he has put me off ever since.' 'To fode out with words' is an expression which, as Halliwell informs us, occurs in Skelton, Harrington, etc.]
[Footnote 22-1: John Morton, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and Cardinal.]
957
JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[23-1]
_To Syr John Paston, Knyght._
[Sidenote: 1479 / NOV. 6]
Syr, aftyr all dwtes of recomendacyon, pleasyt to undyrstand, that, acordyng to your lettre sent me by Wyllson, Lomnore and I mett at Norwyche and drew ought a formable bylle ought of your, and send it ayen to th'Exchetore Palmer by my brodyr Edmund, whyche had an other erand in to that contre to spek with H. Spylman, to get hys good wyll towardes the bargayn lyek to be fynyshed hastyly betwyx Mastres Clyppysby and hym. And, syr, at the delyvere of the bylle of inquisicyon to th'Exchetour, my brodyr Edmund told hym that accordyng to your wryghtyng to me, I spak with myn oncle William, and told hym that I undyrstood by yow that my Lord of Elye had aswell desyred hym in wryghtyng as you by mouthe, that non of you shold swe to have the inquisycion fond aftyr your intentys tyll other weyes of pese wer takyn betwyx you; wherfor my brodyr Edmund desyred hym that with ought myn oncle labord to have it fond for hym, ellys that he shold not procede for yow; but th'Exchetour answerd hym that he wold fynd it for you, aftyr your byll, of hys owne autorite; and so it was fond. But, syr, ye must remembre that my Lord of Ely desyred myn oncle as well as you to surcease, as I put myn oncle in knowlage, and myn oncle at the fyrst agreid that he wold make no more sute a bought it, in trust that ye wold do the same, acordyng to my Lord of Elys desyer; wherfor ye had ned to be ware that th'Exchetor skyppe not from you, when he comyth to London, and sertyfye it, or ye spek with hym. Th'Exchetor shalbe at London by Twysdaye or Wednysday next comyng, at John Leeis house, for he shall ryd forwardys as on Monday next comyng be tymys, &c.