And seth the grettist ordynarye charge most be hys housold kepyng, hyt were moste exspedyent that ye wold note well to remembre specially my maister to do hys audyt[or]es cast up and make rollys of hys accompts concernyng the seyd housold seth he came yn to Norffolk thys ij. yer and half, whych was nevyr so long to doo thys xl. wynter as ye now. And it ys pytee that hys audyt ys none ethyr wyse yn that entended; ye must nedys, yff ye wille my maister know how hyt stand with hym yerly of hys chargs, that thys be do fyrst, as it was allwey accustomed. My maister wille acord it to be don, but it ys forgete throwgh negligence of men yoven to sensualite, as Thomas Upton, me, and othyrs. My maister can not know wheder he go backward or forward till thys be doon.
I can not elles, but ye wille not foryete thys that the audyt[or]es go verraily aboute it to an ende. And Haylysdon accompts be behynde for ij. yeer to [too] grete pite ys, and it wer yours or yn any wyseman gouveraunce.
At Norwich hastly, the Wenstay in Ester weke. Boto-H.R.-Ner.
[115.1] [From Fenn, iii. 294.] It appears from the contents of this letter that it was written two and a half years after Sir John Fastolf came to live in Norfolk, which he did in the autumn of 1454. The date therefore is certain.
[115.2] Charges not connected with his household accounts.—F.
[356]
BOTONER TO JOHN PASTON[116.1]
To the ryght worshypfull Sir, John Paston, Escuier, beyng in Norwych, yn haste.
1457
MAY 1
Ryght worshypfull Sir, aftyr dewe recommendacion, please yow to wete that I wrote a remembraunce to yow the day that I departed owte of Norwich, by Rychard, the Parson ys servaunt of Blofeld, concernyng certeyn maters to be remembred by your wysdom for my maister ys avaylle, whych your grete wysdom can well undrestand ys ryght nedefull, as one thyng yn especiall, that Shypdam and Spyrlyng ought to labour, fyrst of onye thyng that belongyth, to audyt the accompts of the resseyt and despense of my maister housold at Castr seth he came last in to Norffolk, whych aswell for the provisyons that ys had of hys oune grownyng as in money payd; for till the seyd accompts be made ordynatlye, whych be of a grete charge yeerlye, wete ye for certeyn my maister shall nevere know whethyr he goth bakward or forward. And manye othere accomptants that maken lyvere of provysyons of cornys and catell to the household by the resseyvour and by the bayllyfs can not approve theyr liberatz just tille the seyd housold bokes be made upp; and seth it hath be kept ordynarylye seth my maister begen to kepe house thys l. yeer almoste, and when he hath be absent beyond see, &c., hyt ought to be more redelyer be doon and made upp whyle he is present, and well the rathere that hys housold menye were not so hole to ghedr thys xl. yer as be now at Castr. Also hyz minustrs of accompts of hys chieff maner of Haylysdon for iij. yeer to make upp and to examyn; and I ensure yow full simplye approwed hys wollys and hys fermys.
And the iijd ys that so wold Jesus my maister audytors wold faythfully and playnlye enforme my maistr of the trouth of the yeerly grete damage he beryth in debursyng hys money aboute shyppes and botes, kepyng an house up at Jermuch [Yarmouth] to hys grete harme, and resseyvyth but chaffr and waare for hys cornys and wollys, &c. and then most abyde along day to make money; of such chaffr takyng he shall nevere[117.1] be monyed, ne be aunsuerd clerly of hys revenues yeerly but [unless] those thyngs abofeseyd be amended be tyme. Yn Lowys days xij. yeer to gheder my maister was wont to ley upp money yeerly at London and Castr, and now the contrarye—de malo in pejus.