* Item, I wyll and ordeyne that John Paston and Thomas Howys, clerk, geve and dispose.
* [Item, I will, I ordeyne, and I hertely desyre, sethe that every mortall creature is soget to the lymitez or merkys of mutabelyte and chaungeableness, and mannys levynge in frelte and condecion is caduke and casewell, therfor on the behalve of Almyghty God, and be the weye of entyer charyte, I exhorte, beseche, and preye all myn executorys, in the vertwe of oure Lord Jesu Cryst, and in the vertwe of the aspercion of Hise holy blood, shed out graciously for the savacion of all man kende, that for the more hasty delyveraunce of my soule from the peynefull flawmes of the fyre of Purgatory, on suche maner and wise they dele and departe my goodes feithfully be here discrecion and prudence and polytik,] * the yeer of my buryeng, in exspence of myn entyrement and othyr almesse, the same yeer, and dedys of pyete (?) for the holsum estat of my soule amonges pore peple and nedy to [be p]artyd and distributid plenteuously and hastely, * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of the salis of my londes and my goodes be my will . . sygnid to be sold, be fully disposid for the well of my soule in almessefull dedes [and] charitable werkes with all goodly possibelite. the sum of mll marke * [. . . . . . . . the space of v. or vij. yeer immediatly folwyng by yeer Dxxxiijli. vjs. viijd. in almessefull deds and charitable wirkys, with all goodly possibelyte that they shall soo dispose my goodes in effecte feithefully that my soule, vexid in peynefull angwyshis, with holy Job, be not compellyd to sey with gret lementacion and mornyng, Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, namely yee that my frendes shuld bee, for the hande of Goddes punysshynge hathe grevously touchyd me. These be the articlys, xxxj. be noumbre, concernith the intent and purpose of my last will be the handes of myn executores, whiche I charge hem streytly, prey hem, and beseche hem enterly feithefully to execute, as they will have helpe of God and of hise holy Gospell. And soo I requyre hem as wysdam, justice, and concience to doo for me as they wolde I shuld doo for hem in cas lyche. In tokene and witnesse whereof, to this my last will I, Sir John Fastolf, above[160.1] . . . . . . . . . . .] *
[The following new clause at the end.]
Item, I will and ordeyne that the seyd John Paston, for the payment of iiij. mll. marke forseid, shal bere and paye to the seyd Thomas Howys, clerk, or to suche as shall aftyr them have the mynistracion of my my goodes, the seid sum [of] viijc. marke iche othyr yeer of the forseyd yeerrys in whiche that sum is ordeynid to be distributid til he . . . . . be tho paymentes born and payd the seyd sum of iiijml markes, and that soo paid to be disposed be the seyd [John Pa]ston and Thomas Howys, or be hem that shal aftyr them have the mynistracion of my goods in executyng [my] will in awmesse full dedes in fourme afore seyd soo that my mevable goodes be mean of that . . . . . . . shall the lenger indure in dedis of almesse.
[147.2] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This document is printed from the original draft, in which a great part of the text has been crossed out, and other paragraphs substituted in the margin. The passages thus cancelled are enclosed within brackets with asterisks. Those substituted for them or inserted in a later hand are printed in a parallel column on the right. The passages bracketed without asterisks, and also the dotted spaces, are lost by mutilation.
[147.3] The date was originally ‘the xiiij. day of the moneth of June.’
[152.1] Or the more part of them.—These words are crossed out. The words ‘before namyd’ are an interlineation substituted for them by the second hand.
[152.2] Interlineation by second hand.
[152.3] ‘fermors’ inserted in a different hand.
[152.4] Interlined by second hand.