Ryght wyrshypfull husbond, I recomaund me to you. Please it you to wyte that the cause that I wrote to you non er [earlier] than I dyde after the sessyons was by cause that Yelverton held sessyons at Dyrham and Walsyngham the next wyke after the assyses, and to have knowlech what labour that was made ther, and to have send yow werd therof. Ther was grete labours made by the bayly of Coshay and other for to have endytyd your men both at Dyrham and at Walsyngham, but I purvayd a mene that her [their] purpose was lettyd at thos ij. tymes.
Hugh a Fen ys in Flegge. Richard Call spake with hym thys wyke, and he sayd to Richard that he and his wyff wold be with me here thys wyke toward a place of hys that he hath purchasyd of Godehreds. Yf he come I shall make hym gode chyre, for it ys told me of dyvers folks that have spoke with hym sythen he com in to Norffolk as thay fele by hys sayng that he awyth you ryght gode wyle.
Item, as for my comyng to you, yf it please you that I come, y hope I shull purvey so for al thyngs or I com that it shull be sayff y nogh by the grace of God tyll I com ayen; but at the reverens of God, yf ye may purvey a mene that ye may com hom your sylf; for that shall be most profortabell to you, for men cut large thongs here of other mens lether. I shull wryte to you ayen as hastely as I may. God have you in Hys kypyng. Wryten in haste at Haylesdon, the Sonday next after the Assumpsyon of our Lady.
Item, my cosyn Elysabeth Clere ys at Ormesby and your moder purposyth to be at her place at Caster thys wyke, for the pestylens ys so fervent in Norwych that thay ther [dare ?] no lenger abyde ther, so God help; me thynkyth by my moder that she wold ryght fayn that ye dyde well and that ye myght spyde ryght well in your mater. And me thynkyth by my cosyn Clere that she wold fayn have youre gode wyll, and that she hath sworyn ryght faythfully to me that ther shall no defaute be founde in her, nor noght hath be yf the trogh myght be understond, as she hopyth it shull be herafter. She sayth ther ys no man a lyff that she hath put her truste in so moch as she hath doon in you. She sayth she wote well such langage as hath be reportyd to you of her other wyse then she hath deservyd causyth you to be other wyse to her then ye shuld be. She had to me thys langage wypyng, and told me of dyvers other thyngs the whych ye shall have knowlych of herafter.
As for the hygh shyrf [sheriff] he demenyd hym ryght well her to me, and he sayd to me, as for replevyns he wold aske counseyll of lernyd men what he mygt doo therin, and as largely as he mygt do ther in, or in any other mater touchyng you, savyng hymsylf harmlys, he wold doo for you and for yours that he mygt do.
Item, I have do layd in [caused to be laid in] the presentacyon of Drayton, and have presentyd Sir Thomas Hakon, parson of Felthorp, the whych is hold ryght a gode man and wel dysposyd, and the Duck of Suffolk hath layd in a nother; and ther shall be take an inquisicyon ther uppon, and Mr. Styven ys your a voked [your advocate] therin. Mr. John Estgade ys passyd to God on Thursday last passyd, whos sawle God assoyle! Wherof in gode feyth I am ryght sory, for I fynd hym ryght fayth full to you. They deyy ryght sore in Norwych.
John Rus sayth the profets that hath be take of the maner of Caister syn Sir John Fastolf deyd hath be take by Sir Thomas Howys and Jenney. By yours, M. P.
I mervayll that ye had no tythyngs from me at that tyme that your letter was wryten, for I send you a letter by Chytockys son that ys prenteys in London, and the seyd letter was of the demenyng at the assyes at Norwych and of divers other maters. I pray you send me word yf ye have it. As for the replevyns Richard Calle sayth he hath send you a awnswere of hem, and also the copys of them.
[179.1] [From Fenn, iii. 370.] That this letter was written in the year 1465 appears clearly by the reference to the Assizes held at Walsingham (see [No. 599]), and the intention which the writer intimates of visiting her husband in London. Moreover, the first sentence of the letter, and also the postscript, are evidently written in answer to her husband’s complaint in [No. 600], that she had not written to him what she had done at the Assizes.