To Mastyr Syr John Paston, Knyght, in hast.
1472
MAY 14
Syr, I recomande me to yow, &c. W. Gorney and I ar apoyntyd that ther shall no mony be takyn at Saxthorp tyll thys terme be past, for he hathe promysyd me to spek with yow and your consell, and that ye shall tak a wey betwyx yow so that ye shall be bothe plesyd. He had warnyd a coort at Saxthorp and to have be kep upon Holy Rood Day last past, and ther he wold have gadyrd the half yere ferm, but it fortunyd me to be there ere the coort was half done, and I took syche a wey with hym that the qwest gave no verdyt, ner they procedyd no ferther in ther cort, nor gadyrd no mony ther, nor not shall do, tyll syche tym as ye spek to gedyr, and [if] ye be at London thys term; but and ye be not at London, I wold avyse yow to let Townysend tak a wey with hym, for it lyeth not in my power to keep werre with hym; for and I had not delt ryght corteysly up on Holy Rood Day I had drownk to myn oystyrs, for yowng Heydon had reysyd as many men as he kowd mak in harneys to have holp Gornay; but when Heydon sye [saw] that we delt so corteysly as we ded he withdrew hys men and mad hem to go hom a yen, notwithstandyng they wer redy, and ned had be. And also my Lord of Norffolks men wyll be with hym ayenst me I wet well as yet, tyl bettyr pesse be.
Item, as for myn ownkyll William, I have spook with hym, and he seyth that he wyll make a byll in all hast of iche percelle be twyxt yow and send yow word in wryghtyng how that he wooll dyell with yow; but I can not se that he besyth hym abowght it, notwithstandyng I calle upon hym dayly for it. As for mony, I can none get, neyther at Snaylewell nor at Sporle tyll mydsomer, thow I wold dryve all the catell they have. I was bond to the shrevys for gren wax[139.1] and for a fyeri facias that is awardyd owt of yowr lond, wyche drawyth in alle bettyr than v. mark, and I am fayn to borow the mony to pay it by that Lord I beleve on, for I cowd not gadyr a nobyll of areragys syn I was with yow at London of alle the lyvelod ye have. As for John Maryot, he is payid of hys anuyte in to a nobyll or xs. at the most, but as for all hys dettors I can not pay hem tyll I can gadyr more mony, so God help me. I pray yow send a byll to John Pampyng that he may ryed with me ovyr all your lyvelood, and tak a clere reknyng what is owyng and what that I have receyvyd, that ye may have a cler reknyng of all that ye owe in thys contre, and what your tenauntes owe yow. Item, I pray yow send me word as hastyly as ye can, how the world goethe. No more, but God lant yow lansmann,[139.2] and rather then to stand in dowght, remembyr what peyn it is a man to loese lyberte. The Flet is a fayir preson, but ye had but smale lyberte ther in,[139.3] for ye must nedys aper when ye wer callyd. Item, I have fownd Jamys Greshamys oblygacyon. Item, he comyth to Londonward thys day.
Wretyn the xiiij. day of Maye. J. P.
[138.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] What is here said of the attempt of Gurney to collect the rents at Saxthorpe, seems to show that this letter is of the same year as [No. 796]. Also the mention of Maryot’s annuity and the green wax agrees very well with the previous allusion to these matters in [No. 797].
[139.1] See [p. 134, Note 2].
[139.2] So in MS. What does this mean? Compare similar expression at [p. 133].
[139.3] I have found no other mention of Sir John Paston having been imprisoned in the Fleet.