[220.2] This is the customary contraction of the name Jesus, which was frequently written at the head of a letter.
to have hard from hym ar [ere] thys tyme
printed without space between “ar” and brackets
[863]
MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[221.1]
To Ser John Paston, Knyght, be thys delyveryd in hast.
Jh’s.[221.2]
1475
Ryght welbelovyd son, I gret yow well, and send yow Goddes blyssyng and myn, letyng yow wete that I marveyle that I have had no wrytyng from yow sethyn ye sent me the lettyr that ye sent me be for the Kynges comyng to Norwych; in the whyche lettyr ye wrot to me that ye shuld a wretyn azeyn to me or ye shuld de part owt of London. It ys so that yowyr hunkyll William hath do payd to my cosyn Robard Clere but iiijxx.li. of the Cli. and he wol no mor pay but yf [unless] he hath delyveraunc of my plegges, the wych was leyd to plegg for xxtili.; the wych ben bettyr. I wot well, be cause of the good well that he owyt to me, as ye know, he wold ben in possessyon therof. My cosyn, Robard Cler, was her with me thys weke, and told me, that yf he wold a delyveryd them, he myth an had the seyd xxli.; but he seyd he wold nowt, tyll he had spokyn with me; be my trowth I fynd hym ryght kyndly dysposyd to yow, and to me bothe; and so I have desyryd hym to kepe styll the plegge in hys possessyon, tyll I have word from yow how ye ar agreyd with yowyr hunkyll for the payment of the seyd mony: I wen veryly that ye have fownd hym swerte for alle, and yff ye have soo do, I wold ye shuld wryt to yowyr hunkyll therfor, that I myth have my plegges ageyn, for I war loth that they shuld com in hys fyngyers.
Item, as for Sporyl wood, be ffor the Kynges comyng into Norffolk, I myth an had chapmen to abowtyd [have bought it] a gret [in whole] for xijxx. [twelve score] mark, and now ther wol no man by yt a gret, bycause of the gret good that the pepyll ys leyd to for the Kyng; werfor we ar a bowth to retaylyt as well as we may, and as well as yt can be browth too; and I send yow word how we shall do as astely as I may. As for yowyr barly in thys cuntre, yt cannot be sold above xd. or xjd.; that ys the gretest prys of barly her, and but yt be at a bettyr prys, I purpose for to do yt malt. And as for mony, I cowd not get yet of Pecok but iijli.; and he seth that be than that the owt chargys be boryn, and the repracion of the myll at Wyntyrton, we ar lyke to have but lytyll mor mony besyd the barly. Malt ys sold her but for xiijd. and whet ijs. or xxvjd. at thys time, and otys xijd. Ther ys non owtlod suffyrd to goo owth of thys cuntre as yet; the Kyng hath comaundyd that ther shuld non gon owth of thys lond. I fer me that we shall have ryth a straung ward [world]; God a mendyd, whan Hys wyll ys. I thank yow for the flakons that ye sent me; they be ryght good, and plesyth me ryght well: I shall be as good an huswyff for yow as I can, and as I wold be for myselff. Send me word how ye doo of yowyr syknes that ye had on yowyr hey [eye] and yowyr lege; and yff God wol nowt suffyr yow to have helth, thank Hym therof, and takyt passhently, and com hom a geyn to me, and we shall lyve to geddyr, as God woll geve us grase to do; and as I have seyd to yow beffor thys, I wold ye war delyveryd of my mastres A. H.,[223.1] and than I wold trost that ye shuld do the bettyr.
As for the bokys that ye desyryd to have of Syr Jamys,[223.2] the best of alle and the fayrest ys cleymyd; ner yt ys not in hys inventory. I shall a say to get yt for yow, and I may; the prys of the todyr bokys, besyd that, ys xxs. vjd. the wych I send yow a byll of. Yf ye lyk be the prys of them, and ye wol have them, send me word. And also I pray yow send me an ansswere of thys lettyr, be cause I thynk long seth I hard from yow. God have yow in Hys kepyng.
Wretyn at Mawdby, on the Sattyrday nex be forn the Purificacion of owyr Lady, the xiiij. yer of Kyng Edward the iiijt. Yowyr Modyr.