1466(?)
NOV. 13 (?)
I grete you wele and send you Goddis blissyng and myn; letyng you wete that I send you be the berer herof xlli. of Ryall which I have chevysshed and borwed for you, be cause I wuld not take that was leyd ought for you at Norwich; for, as I am enformed be Mayster John Smyth, the Chaunceller, and other that we ben all a cursed that we have thus mynystred the dedis godes with ought licence or auctorite, and I wene we spede all the wers there fore. At the reverence of God, gete you a licens of my Lord of Caunterbery in dyschargyng of my conscyens and yowris, to mynystre a certeyn summe of iij. or iiijc marcs, enfourmyng hym how that your lyffelod hath stond this ij. yer in such trobill that ye myght right nought have of it, ner yet can take of it with ought ye shuld hurt your tenauntis, thei have so ben vexid be on trew meanes before this tymes, And ye have many grete materis on hand and may not have to bere them ought, ner to save your ryght, withaught ye myght for a tyme takyn of your faderis godes. And this I hope shall discharge owr conscyens of that we have mynystred and spend be fore. For we have nomor to acquite this xlli. and bere all other charges but the xlviili. that your unkyll and ye is privy to, that was leyd up at Norwich. I wuld ye were ware of large theftis and rewardis gevyng, as otheris folkis avyse you to do, for though ye have nede thei wull not be right redy to help you of ther owyn; and that ye may understand be that that thei have taken a wey from you be for this tyme. I wuld not in no wyse ye shuld put your self in no daunger to hym but as litill as ye may; for if ye do, it shall be right wele remembred you her after. And be ware how ye ben bownd in any obligacion to any creature but if it be leyd in endifferent handis and trosty for yowr part. And remembre to gete the obligacion that ye mad to the Duchesse of Suffolk; for though it be in my Lord Chancelleris hande it is jepartows, be cause of perell of deth. Item, understand wele the poyntis that ben in my cosyn Arblasteris letter that arn wretyn in yowrs, and purvey redily ther for for your owyn a vayll. Item, send me home answeris of sueche materis as arn now sent you bethen (sic) mowth and wrytyng at this tyme as hastly as ye can, or ells it shall hurt yow mor than ye or I can yet understand. Item, me semyth, if ye shall not comyn home this Crystmesse, or if ye shuld be at my Lady of Suffolk, it [were[221.1]] necessary to have Playter there with you if ye shuld engroos any appoyntementis with here at that tyme. For she is sotill and hath sotill councell with here; and therfore it were wele do ye shuld have summe with you that shuld be of your councell. If John Paston be with you at London desire hym to take hede to yowris materis and in what case thei ben left at your departyng, that if nede be he may help you to labore for such causes as Wykes shall telle yow be mowth; and if he be not with yow, and ye wull I shall send hym to you. Item, spare of[221.2] the xlli. as mych as ye may that ye may perfourme by the mony that the Duchesse of Suffolk shuld have, in cas that it may not be gadered of the lyvelode. Send home Wykes a sone as ye can, and how ye will that I do in your materis and lyvelode at home. God have you in His kepyng. Wretyn the Thursday next Sent Martyn. Be your Moder.
[220.1] [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 99.] This letter was written before administration had been obtained of John Paston’s will; presumably therefore in the year in which he died, 1466. It may be observed, likewise, that in 1467 ‘my lord of Canterbury’ would probably have been called ‘my lord Cardinal.’
[221.1] Omitted in MS.
[221.2] of repeated in MS.
[630]
MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[222.1]
To my right wurchipfull husbond, John Paston, be this deliverd in hast.
Year uncertain
NOV.
Ryth worchepfull husbonde, I recomande me to yow. Plesyth yow to weet that Thomas Grene was with me as on Saterday last paste, and let me have knowlage that the scherre schold be as thys day at the Gyld Hall in Norwyche, and he desyiryd me that the swte that ye have ageyns Thomas Jeryng and othyr myth be sesyd as for thys schere; and I seyd that I durste do ryth not there in. And he tolde me that Thomas Jeryng was with yow in Flegge the laste tyme that ye wer ther, and ye seyd to hym that he scholde not be hurte by the swte. And Thomas Grene told me that if the seyd Jeryng and othyrs in the same wryte mad not an end with yow by the nexte schere, the whyche schall be thys day monyth, that he the seyd Thomas Grene wole purchese a new wryte of hys owne coste ayens that daye. I woste not that the scher shuld be so sone when I wrote to yow yowyr laste lettyr. And he remembyryd the trobulus werd [world] that is nowe, and also that they wer nowtye felawys that ye suyd, and ther fore he thowte that it war best to let it be respyte at thys tyme, and so they schall be respyth at thys tyme. I have sent to Jaferay Spyrlyng for the bokys that ye sent to me fore, and he seyth that he hathe none there of, for he seyth he lefte hem with yow when he was with yow in the Northe contre; for he seyth ye left hym behynd yow at Lynkcolne. He supposyth they be at Kaster.
Item, my cosyn Crane recomandyth hyr to yow, and prayith yow that ye wole wychesave to spek to Jamys Gresham for to swe ferthe the mater betwyx Dame Margaret Spurdans and hyr; and sche prayith yow at the reverens of God that ye wole tendyr that mater well, for all hyr troste is in yow.