[843]
SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[200.1]
To John Paston, Esquier.
1473
NOV. 25
Ryght wyrshypfull and well belovyd brother, I recomaund me to yow, letyng yow weet that I sende yow her with j. sitacion, where in ben my moodre and yee, wheroff I praye yow that I maye have hasty answeer. The effecte theroff is no moor, but ye bothe most sende answer, and make yow a proctor heer, and that most come hyddre ondre a notaryes syngne, affermyng that ye make suche a man, Master John Halsnothe, or ellis, yf ye will do the cost, to sende some other hyddre; yowr proctor to take admynystracion or to reffuse, and what so he dothe, ye to holde it for ferme and stable. Than most my moodre and ye wryght a lettre, undre my moodre seall and yowr syngne manuell, to me and Master John Halsnothe in thys forme:—‘We gret yow well, letyng yow weet that we have made yow, Master John Halsnothe, our proctor in the testament of John Paston, husband and fadre to yow, wherin we wyll that on owr behalff ye refuse the admynestracion of the seyde testament. And thys wryghtyng is to yow warantt and dyscharge, and also the verry wyll of usse.’ Thys most we have for owr dyscharge.
Item, I pray yow take good hedde to my soster Anne, lesse the old love atwyen hyr and Pampyng renewe.
Item, I pray yow sende me worde howe my moodre is dysposyd to hyr wardes, and iffe so weer that a good mariage myght be had, what she wolde depart with.
Item, I praye yow that ye remembre hyr for the tombe off my fadr at Bromholme, and also the chapell at Mauteby, and sende me worde how she is dysposyd her in.
Item, iff I have Caster ageyn, whethyr she wolle dwelle ther or nott, and I wyll fynde hyr a prest towardes at my charge, and geve hyr the dovehowse and other comodytes ther; and if any horsekeper on myn lye ther, I wolle paye for hys borde also, as weell as for the prestes.
Item, iff my modre sholde have a new prest, I thynk that my brother Syr J. Goos weer a metly man to be ther. He wolde also doo, as ye wolde have hym nowe, ber the cuppe evyn, as What-calle-ye-hym
seyde to Aslake.