I have you all in remembrance both day and nyght;
besechynge you, gentyll cosyn, to tender my writynge. I take God to my wyttnesse, I wold as fayn do that myght be un to your honor, worsschippe, and profit as any herthly man can thynke.
Worfor now late deyde the Abbot of our Monastery, and lefte us in grete ded [debt]; the brynger heroff is my speciall frende: the holdyst brother in our place never hard nor saw our chirche in that mysere that is now; we have cast the perellys amongys us, and there is nowne other helpe, butt every brother that hath any worsschipfull kynne or frendys, every man to do his part to the well fare, socour, and releve of our monasteri; therfor, worsschipfull cosyn, I, a brother of that worsschipfull monastery, wer inne begoon the feyth of all thys lond, mekely besechyth you in the reverence of Allmygty God to render help, and socour us in our grete necessite; for in London lyth to wedde many ryche jowells of ouris, with other grete detts, wych my brother wyll enforme you of.
Plesyth your goodnesse, for Godys sake, and all the Seyntts of evyn, and att my sympyll request, to have compassion upon us, ye havynge dooe swerte [due surety] both in obligacions and pleggs; in the reverens of All myghti God, do your allmesse and charite; hitt schall cause you to be prayed for, and all your kynne as long as the chirche stantt; and be this menys, I trust to All myghty God, to se my cosyn William, or Clement, to be stward of our londys, and so to have an intresse in Kentt, to the worsschippe of God and you all, wych ever have you in His kepynge. Amen.
Writyn at Caunterbiry in hast the xxviijti day of Januare.
Also I beseche you, schew the brynger of this letter sum humanite and worsschipe, that when he comyth home, he may reporte as he fyndeth.
[91.1][This is the cause every wele thi putt my kynne in my berd, seyinge, I am come of lordys, knygtes, and ladys. I wold they wer in your daunger a ml. merke, that they mygte know you, &c.] Be your cosyn and bedman, Henry Berry.
[89.5] [From Fenn, i. 278.] By the mention of Sir John Paston it is evident that this letter was written after 1463, but of course the date cannot be later than 1466, in which year John Paston the father died, to whom the letter is addressed. It appears also to have been written shortly after the death of James Sevenoke, Abbot of St. Augustine’s, Canterbury, which Fenn, I know not on what authority, says occurred in 1463. Even the new edition of Dugdale does not give the date; but Fenn’s date is in all probability right.
[91.1] This last paragraph is crossed out in the original MS.