1465
AUG. 7
I recomaund me to you. And as for the letter that I send yow touchyng John Russe, I will that ye and your counsell see it openly; and kepe this bille to your self or to some secret frend of yours. And I pray yow remembir ij. thynges; on, if ye fynd hym in any maner wise disposed to leve his bargeyn, take it at his offer, and take ayen the writyng that he hath of that bargeyn, or a writyng of his owne hand of relesyng his bargeyn to me; for peraventure at this tyme he woll be glad to leve his bargeyn, as I undirstand, and whanne he sethe that I have peas he wolle calle theron ayen. Wherfore I pray yow werk wisely herin, for he may in no maner wise aske the money of me and kepe his bargeyn, for he hathe divers tymes desired me to have take of hym more masse (?) therfore. Another, as sone as ye may, or ye breke this mater with John Russe, make due serche with the fermours at Akthorp what mony Russe hath reseyved ther in my tyme, that is to sey, for Mighelmes the first, the ij., iij., iiij. yeres of Kyng E., of whech he hath reseyved ij. payments, that is xijli. at the lest, or er the maner was trobelid by Jenney or Yelverton. And I deme that he hath reseyvid some sithen, but that he kepith counsell.
Item, for as moch as Sir Thomas Howes gaderid for the xxxix. yere of Kyng Herry, the seid John Russe woll, under colour of that surmytte, that he reseyvid in my tyme was therfore, wherfore ye must make a serche what he hath reseyvid sith Sir John Fastolff dyed, and what tyme; and therupon ye shall undirstand what he hath reseyvid for me, and what for hym; and in case he hathe reseyvid xiili., and Richard hath payd hym his dute as he promised, thanne growyth nat to John Russe past iiij. or vli.; notwithstanding fare fayre with hym and resonabilly, so that he leve his bargeyn, and lend hym the remnaunt of the xxli. upon suerte for xxli. He desireth to have outher his dewte or borowyng at this tyme.
Item, he that shall speke with the fermours of Akthorp, whos name is Langham, he must inquere generally what mony he hath payd to all men sith Sir John Fastolff dyed, and see his billes of payment, and take therof a titelyng. Ric. Calle hath a bille of parcellis of every mannes ferme, and he can serche this best, in case he be not to favorabill to John Russe, wherfore I remitte this to your discrecion; but I suppose John Russe woll telle yow what he hath reseyvid for hand bifore this tyme wretyn by his seying what he had reseyvid, and I suppose and he remembird that he seid to me, he wold not aske his mony in this forme; nevirthelesse it shall do good, so he leve his bargeyn by this meane.
I mervyll that I here no tidyngges from yow hough ye have do at the assisses. The berer of this letter is a comon carier, and was at Norwich on Satirday, and brought me lettirs from other men, but your servaunts inquere nat diligently after the comyng of cariers and other men. Wretyn at London the Wednesday next after Lammes day.
Ye shall have lettirs of me this weke. John Paston.
[173.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It is sufficiently clear from the reference to accounts of the 4th year of Edward IV., that this letter cannot be earlier than 1465, which is the last year of the writer’s life.
[601]
JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON AND OTHERS[174.1]
To my mastresse, Margret Paston, James Gresham and Ric. Calle.
I recomaund me to yow, and have reseyvid ij. lettirs from John Russe, wherin he remembirth me that I shuld owe hym xixli., or therupon, for divers parcelles whech he seith he shuld have deliverid in to myn hows, wherof he seith xiiijli. was deliverid in to myn howse ij. yere g[oon], and that I had a bille deliverid me therof, and the remnaunt sithen, and desireth of me payment of the seid xixli. Wherfore I certi[fye] yow as I undirstand in the mater; ye may lete John Russe come to yow and take such a direccion in the mater as reason and trought woll. I lete yow wete that abought ij. yer goo the seid John Russe deliverid me first a bille of the seid xiiij. [li.], and I examined the parcelles; and as I remembir xjli. was my dewte, wherof the certeyn somme is writen in my blak book of foreyn reseytes that yere, and the remnaunt was Ric. Calles dewte, wherof he was allowed, savyng apart was Elys dewte. And as for the seid xjli., I offerid the seid John Russe payment in hand at that tyme, and desired hym he shuld no more send in to myn howse, and warnyd yow and Richard that ye shuld no more stuffe take in to myn hows without ye peyd in hand, nowther of hym ner of non other. And the seid John Russe prayd me to remembir that I had grauntyd hym the maner of Akthorp in Leystoft, at a certeyn prise, as it apperyd by writyng undir my seall, and desired me that I wold take the seid somme in party of payment. And I told hym that as for such mony that shuld com from hym for that lond, I wold take it of hym and ley it up by the self, that I myght purchase other lond therwith, bicause I wold lesse Fastolffs lyvelode for the college, but I wold pay hym his dewte without any stoppage. And he thanne desired me to take that same xjli., and ley it up to the same use, seying to me that it was as good to do so as I for to take it hym, and he to take it me ayen. And thus he and I agreed, and departed, and thanne he prayd me to take more chafar of hym, whech I denyed. And nough I merveyll what shuld cause hym to aske mony for that dewte; neverthelesse I deme he supposith that he coud not opteyne his bargeyn by me, bicause of the trobill that it standyth in; and for that or for some other cause he repentyth his bargeyn and woll nomore of it. Wherfore send for hym, and take James Gresham or some of your frends and Richard Calle, and fele what he menyth; and if ye can fynd hym disposed to leve his bargeyn yet, though I myght kepe stille the seid mony I wold he shuld not lese therby. Nevirthelesse if he woll refuse his bargeyn, thanne take ayen the writyng that he hath of that bargeyn and a writyng of his hand that he dischargyth me of the graunt that I mad hym of that same bargeyn. And thanne loke that ye enquere what mony he hath reseyvid of the seid maner in my tyme, wherof the ferme is vjli. yerly whech I suffird hym to occupie to his owne use by fors of the seid bargeyn all my tyme; and aftir the parcellis cast what I have had of hym; abbate therof the mony that he hath reseyvid of the seid maner, and also as moch of the xiiijli. as the seid Ric. Calle and Elys owen, wher of he is alowid; and thanne see that the seid John Russe be content of the remnaunt of his parcellis that is dew by me, but loke ye pay non other mennes dewtes.