[117.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.]
[787]
MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[118.1]
1471
NOV. 5
I grete you wele, and send you Goddes blyssyng and myn, letyng you wete that myn Cosyn Clere hathe sent to me for the C. marc that I borwed of her for your brother. It fortuned so that a frend of her of late hath loste better than CCC. marc, and he sent to her for money, and she had non that she myght comyn by, and ther for she sent to me for the seyd C. marc; and I know not how to do therfor, for by my trowth I have it not, nor I can not make shyft therfor, and I shuld go to preson; therfor comune with your brother her of, and send me word how that he wull make shyft ther for in hast. I must elles nedes sell all my woods, and that shall dysse avayll him better than a CC. marc, and I dey; and if I shuld selle them now, ther wull noman gewe so myche for them be ner an C. marc as they be worth, be cause ther be so many wood sales in Norfolke at thys tyme. Therfor lete hym make purvyaunce therfor in hast, as he wull have my good wyll, and wull that I save hym the seyd woods to the better a wayll, and send me word here of in hast if ye wull my welfare, for I shall never be in quiete tille I k[n]owe an ende in thys, for she hath therfor an obligacion of an Cli. And it is not kepte cloos, ther be many persones now k[n]owyn it, which me semyth a greet rebuke to me that I departyd so largely with yowr brother that I reservyd not to pay that I was endaungered for hym, and so have dyverse seyd to me which of late have k[n]owyn it; and whan I remembre it, it is to myn hart a very spere, consideryng that he never gave comforte therein, ner of all the money that hath be reseyvyd wull never make shyft therfor. And he had yet be for thys tyme have sent me l. marc thereof, yet I wuld have thought that he had had summe consideracion of myn daungers that I have put me in for hym. Remembre hym how that I have excusyd hym of xxli. that the Prior of Bromholm had, which shuld elles have be in that daunger that it shuld have be to us a grete rebwke, with hought that he myght a ben holpyn wyth shuch money as he shuld have had of your fadyrs bequest; and I payd to the shereffe for hym also money. All thes shuld have holpe me wele therto, be syde other thynges that I have bor thys yeres that I speke not of; there fore lete hym helpe me now, or elles it shall dysawayll hym better than the trebyll the money, wheder that I leve or dey, with ought he hath better consideracion to the daungers that I stond in. Also I wulde ye shuld meve hym to take John Pampyng to hym, or elles to gete hym a servyce in the Chauncery, or in sume other place where as he myth be preferryd, for it ys pety that he lesyth hys tyme so her, and it is non a wayll to non of ws, and for diverse othyr thyngs whesch ye shall knowe her after, I wolde that I war hens in haste, for all maner of happys, constrw ye, &c. I can yw thanke for ywyr lettyr that ye sente me, and that ye have inquiryd of shwch thynges as ye thynk that shwld plese me. I send yow the boxe and the dedes that ye sente to me for, but as for the key of the cofyr in the wtter chambyr I can not fynd yt; yf the boxe had be ther in, ye cwdnat not have hadd yth but yf [unless] I had broke wp the cofyr; ther for remembre yw wer ye have do the key; I kep styll the key that ye sente me tyll that ye cwm home.
As for the tydynges here, ywr cosyn Barney of Wychshynggham ys passyd to Gode, hwm Gode asoyle. Veylys wife, and Lodonys wife, and Pycard the bacar of Twmlond, ben gone also; all thys hwlsold and thys parych ys as ye leftyd, blyssyd be Gode; we lewyn in fer, but we wut not qweder to fle, for to be better than we ben here. I send yw demi a riale for to by wyth swger[119.1] and dates for me. I pray yw do as wel as ye can, and sende it me as hastely as ye may, and sende me word qwat price a li. of peppyr, clowys, masis, gingyr, and sinamun, almannys, ryse, ganyngal, safrwn, reysonys of Corons, grenys,[120.1] of ych of these sende me the pryce of ych of these,[120.2] and yf that it be bettir shepe at London than it is here, I shal sende yw mony to bye wyth soch stwfe as I wull have. Remember that I spake to yw to spek to ywyr brother for the seyd C. marc wan ye departed hens. I trow ye had forgettyt, that ye sent me non answer ther of in ony wys. Lete me have an answer ther of in hast, and sende me woord how ywyr brother and ye spede in ywyr maters; and Goddes blissyng and myn mut ye have both, and send yw good sped in all ywyr maters.
Wretyn in hast on Sent Levnards Eve.[120.3] By ywyr Moder.
[118.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is not addressed, and the MS. is in fact only a corrected draft, of which a fair copy has since been found. The fair copy is not addressed either. The letter was evidently written to John Paston in answer to [No. 784]. The date is ascertained by the fact that John Berney of Witchingham died in the year 1471.
[119.1] In Fenn’s edition this is printed ‘swgar, feg, and dats.’ The word ‘feg’ is not in the MS. It seems to be a misreading of ‘swg’’ (sugar), which the transcriber forgot to cancel.
[120.1] F. adds ‘and comfyts,’ but the words are not in the MS.
[120.2] F. reads ‘the price of a li.,’ but this is not in the MS.