Therfore I thynk t[hat s]he hath other councell that avyseth her to labour to other than to you. I wuld not that [you be] to besy in no such maters [ty]ll the werd [_world_] were mor suer, and in any wyse that w[hile my] Lord the Chaunceller is in [occu]pation, labore to have an ende of your grete materes and ... macion, and abide not up [on] trost of an nother seson, for so shall ye be disseyved a[s ye hav]e ben befor this tyme. I have understand sith that ye departed that ther ... . .
mad to subplant you; therfore, for Goddes sake, in this onstabill werd [_world_] labore er[nestly your] maters that thei may have summe good conclusion, and that shall make y[our enemies] fere you, and elles thei shall . . kepe you low and in trobill. And if any mater ... . . be Act of Parlement and pro ... . . lete your bill be mad redy, and lese not your [ma]teres for other mennes; for if your elmyse [_enemies_] may profight now at this tyme, ye shall be [in] wers case than ever ye were befor. All the cou[ntry] wenyth that ye shuld now overcomyn all your trobill, which if ye do not ye shall fall o[ug]ht of conceyte. I write as well this to your brother as to you; therfore lete no diffaught be in you nowther.
Item, it was lete me to wete syth ye departed of such as were your frendes and were conversaunte with the toder parte that ther was mad labor and like to be concluded, that the eleccion of the knyghtes of the shire shuld be chaunged, and new certificat mad and John Jenney set there in; ther for do your devoir to understond the trought as sone as ye can, for the seid Jenney this day rideth up to London ward, and I suppo[se be]cause of the same. I pray you remembre your brother to send me the evydence and remembrance towchyng the maner of Gresham, which that I wrote to hym be Juddy, and send them be sum suer man.
Item, take hede to the labour of your unkyll, for he hath had right straunge langage of your brother of late to right wurchepfull persones; therfor werk wysely and bewar wham that ye lete know your councell.
Item, remembre Lomnors mater as ye may do therin, and send me werd in hast. Mayster Roos shall be at London the next weke; therfore ye shall not nede to make my Lord to write, but whan that he comyth, if my Lord can make hym to put it in indifferent and wurchepfull men, than that it pleasith my Lord to write to them that thei shuld take it upon them to set a rewle therin, with ought better advyse, me semyth it wer wele do.
The Holy Gost be your gyde and send yow good spede and councell, and delivere you ought of all trobill and disseas to his pleser.
Wretyn the Thursday next be for Sent Kateryn,[160-1] in hast.
Recomaund me to my Mastres Kateryn, and send me werd how ye don, &c.
Be your Moder.
Do my Lord[161-1] on Sonday send for the shereffes debute [_deputy_] to wete how thei be disposid for certificate of the knyghtes, and I shall understand if thei be eschaunged; for on Sonday at nyght, or on Monday, it shall be put in, and [if i]t is put in, ther is no remedy. Geney seth he wull attempt the law therin.
[Footnote 159-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] From the time of year and other circumstances, it seems probable that the election here referred to was that of the year 1472. A circumstance which confirms this date will be found noticed in a footnote. The original letter is mutilated in the middle by the decay of the paper, in more than one place.]
[Footnote 159-2: The words after 'Neverthelesse' originally stood 'her seid brother-in-law told me that tyme that he was with me,'
but are crossed out.]
[Footnote 160-1: St. Catherine's Day is the 25th of November.]
[Footnote 161-1: The Duke of Norfolk. It will be seen by the preceding letter that John Paston was going to Framlingham in the beginning of November 1472.]
[[Footnote 159-2 and body text: Nevertherlesse she sent me an nother massenger ...
The words after 'Neverthelesse' ...
_mismatched spelling unchanged_
... in this onstabill werd [_world_] labore _italic "d" misprinted as "a"_]]
815
SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[161-2]
_To Mestresse Margret Paston, or to John Paston, Esquier, or to Roose dwyllyng affor ther gate, to delyver to them._
[Sidenote: 1472 / NOV. 22]
Please it yow to weete that I have opteyned letterys from the Kynge to my Lorde off Norffolke, to my Lady of Norffolk, and to ther concell, whyche letter to ther concell is nott superscrybyd, for cawse we wyst nott serteyn whyche of the councell sholde be present when the massenger cowme. I therffor thynke that thoos namys most be somwhatt by yowr advyce; and for get nott Gornaye, nor yitt Brome, iff ye thynke so best, nor Sowthewelle. I trust to my cosyn Gornaye, and on to Brome and Barnard in cheffe; and as to Bernarde, brother, I praye yow to take hys advyce, for I hope he is my welwyller, as ye know, and iffe he do me perffyght ease in thys mater, I thynke verrely in tyme to come to gyff him xx. scutys, and yit a goode turne whan so ever it lythe in my power.
The Kynge hathe specially doon for me in thys case, and hathe pitte me, and so have the Lordys, in ryght greete comfort, that iff thys fayle, that I shalle have ondelayed justyce; and he hathe sente a man of worship and in greet favor with hym on thys massage, whyche hathe nott ofte ben seyne, whyche gentylman kan well do hys mastrys massage and brynge trywe reporte. I have gevyn hym v_li._ for hys costes: God sende hym and yow goode spede in thees werkes. I feer thatt he shall nott speke with my Lady, for that she hathe takyn hyr chambre. Iff she be my verry goode Ladye, as she hathe seyde hertoffor that she wolde be, I hope that she wolle speke with hym. Neverthelesse I praye yow by the meanes of Mestresse Jahne Rothen that [you][162-1] will have my Ladye mevyd for me, and wher that herr to fore I wolde have departyd with C.
marke to have hadde hyr goode helpe and to be restoryd to my place; whyche nott acceptyd, I tolde my seyde Lady that I feeryd that my power sholde natt be ther aftre to gyff so large a plesyr, for at that tyme I was in hope that the Bysshop of Wynchester sholde have payd it, thoghe it hadde drawen a C_li._ Yet for as moche as men may nott lure none hawkes with empty handys, I wolde yitt agre to gyffe my Lady xx_li._ for an horse and a sadell, so that I be restoryd to my place, and that doone, to have a relesse of my Lorde, and my gounes and bokes to be restoryd, iff it maye bee. Neverthelesse thys mony is nott yit redy with me. I remytte thys to yowr dyscressyons.
Item, iff it be soo that itt be thowte behovefull, I thynke that thoghe nowther Slyfelde, nor ye, brother John, maye come in to my Ladyes chambre, that my moodre, iff she weer at Norwyche, she myght speke with hyr, for that she is a woman and off worshyppe. I thynke that my moodre sholde meve my Lady moche. I thynke that ther most be some body for me, havyng auctoryte to conclude for me, or ellys knowyng myn entente, they myght make delaye, and seye they wolle at the Kynges enstance comon with me; never the lesse I was nott ther present. Wherffor, rather than fayle, yff neede be, I wolle with owte any abode, iff I heer from yow, come home; and Slyfelde is agreyd to tary the a vij. nyghte for my sake, so that the mater take effecte. I praye yow make hym goode cheer, and iff it be so that he tarye, I most remembre hys costes; therffor iff I shall be sent for, and he tery at Norwyche ther whylys, it wer best to sette hys horse at the Maydes Hedde, and I shalle content for ther expences.
Item, ye maye largely sey on my behalve for suche servyse that I sholde do to my Lorde and Lady hereaffter, whyche by my trowthe I thynke to doo; neverthelesse to sey that I woll be hys sworyn man, I was never yitt Lordys sworyn man, yit have I doone goode servyce, and nott leffte any at hys most neede ner for feer. But as Gode helpe me, I thynke my Lady shalle have my servyce above any lady erthely, wheche she scholde weell have knowyn, had I been in suche case as I hadde nott been alweye the werse welkome; for that on of my herandes alweye was undrestande that it was for Caster, wnyche was nott acceptable, and I evyr the werse welkome.
Item, brother, I ame concludyd with my Lorde for yow, that ye shalle be at Caleys if ye list, and have iij. men in wages undre yow, wheroff my Lorde seythe that William Lovedaye most be on, tyll tyme that he have purveyed other rome for hym. Iff ye be dysposyd to goo, as I tolde hym that ye weer, yett wer it nott best that ye lete it be knowe tyll thys mater be doone, and then ye maye acordyng to yowr promyse lete my Ladye have knowleche ther off. Never the lesse my Lorde shalle be here with in xx. dayes or ther abowt; iff ye come thys weye ye maye speke with hym; neverthelesse ye shall nott lose no tyme, iff ye weer at Caleys at thys owr, for my Lorde promysed me that he wolde wryght to Elkenhed the tresorer at Caleys for yow by the next massenger thatt went.
Item, ther hathe Perauntes wyffe wryte to me that Bernaye servyth hyr onkyndely. He owythe hyr xxxij_s._ and she is in noon hope that evyr he will come ther ageyn; sende me worde iff he wyll. He shall nott lyf so weell and trywly to geedre, I trowe, but iffe he goo thyddre.
I hadde comen home, butt that I ame nott yitt verrely purveyd for payment for my oncle William the xxvj. daye of thys monythe, and he dothe me harme. He delythe so oncurteysly with Towneshende, for he wille nott yitt paye hym the C. marke, payable at Halowmesse, whyche he hadde a monythe affore; wherffor I feer that Towneshende wille nott do for me ageyn. I shall doo as I kan.
Wretyn on Sondaye next Seynt Clement.
JOHN PASTON, K.
[Footnote 161-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] In this letter, as in the last, allusion is made to the visit paid by John Paston to the Duchess of Norfolk in November 1472.]
[Footnote 162-1: Omitted in MS.]
[[Slyfelde is agreyd to tary the a vij. nyghte _text unchanged: error for "ther(e)"?_
Footnote 162-1: Omitted in MS.
_final . missing or invisible_]]
816
MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[164-1]
_To John Paston, Esquyer, be this delivered._
[Sidenote: 1472 / NOV. 23]
I grete you wele, letyng you wete that Doctor Aleyns wyffe hath be with me and desired me to write to you to desire you to be good mayster to her husband and to her in her materes, for she tellith me that her trost is full in you, and if she myght have walked she shuld have come to have spoke with you or than ye departed; therfor, I pray you do your devoir for her, for I conceyve that she feyneth not, notwithstandyng that I had her in suspecion as I have wretyn to you before, be cause that she came not, but I conceyve now the trought and that sikenesse caused thatt she absent her. Therfore I pray you help her, for, so God help me, I have right gret pete on her, and it is right grete almes to help her, and I trow she wull put her most trost and sewe specialle to you. Also I wuld ye shold desire your brother to be good mayster on to her, for I suppose be that tyme ye have herd her excuse in such materes as he shuld be displeased with her husband, ye shall hold you pleased. God kepe you and send you Hes blyssyng, with myn. Wretyn on Sent Clementes Day at nyght, in hast,
Be your Moder.
[Footnote 164-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It is evident that this letter was written in the same year as No. 814.]
817
JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[165-1]
_To Master Sir John Paston, Knyght._
[Sidenote: 1472 / NOV. 24]
Ryght worchepfull syr, I recomand me to yow, thankyng yow most hertly of your dylygence and cost whyche ye had in gettyng of the hawk, whyche ye sent me, for well I wot your labore and trowbyll in that mater was as myche as thow she had ben the best of the world; but, so God help me, as ferforthe as the most conyng estragers [_falconers_] that ever I spak with can imagyn, she shall never serve but to ley eggys, for she is bothe a mwer de haye, and also she hathe ben so brooseid with cariage of fewle that she is as good as lame in boothe hyr leggys, as every man may se at iee. Wherfor all syche folk as have seen hyr avyse me to cast hyr in to some wood, wher as I wyll have hyr to eyer [_lay eggs_]; but I wyll do ther in as ye wyll, whedyr ye wyll I send hyr yow ayen, or cast hyr in Thorpe wood and a tarsell with hyr, for I weit wher on is. But now I dar no more put yow to the cost of an hawke, but, for Godes sake, and ther be eny tersell or good chep goshawk that myght be gotyn, that the berer herof may have hyr to bryng me, and I ensuer yow be my trowthe ye shall have Dollys and Browne bonde to paye yow at Kandyllmas the pryse of the hawke. Now, and ye have as many ladyse as ye wer wont to have, I reqwere yow for hyr sake that ye best love of theym all, onys trowbyll yowr syllf for me in thys mater, and be owght of my clamor.
Item, as for the ryng, it is delyverd, but I had as gret peyn to make hyr take it as ever I had in syche a mater; but I have promyseid yow to be hyr knyght, and she hathe promyseid me to be more at your comandment then at eny knyghtes in Inglond, my Lord reservyd; and that ye shall well undyrstand, if ye have owght to do, wherin she may be an helper; for ther was never knyght dyd so myche cost on hyr as ye have doon.
I mervyall that I her no woord of the lettyrs that my Lord Chamberleyn shold send to my Lord and my Lady for Caster. It is best that my Lord Chamberleyn wryght to my Lady by som prevy tokyn betwyx theym, and let a man of hys com with the lettrys. My Lord Chamberleyn may speed with my Lady what maters he wyll, savyng the gret mater; and if ye inbyll me for a solysitor, I shal be _a vouster comandment a touz jours_.