[733]
MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[57.2]
To Sir John Paston, in hast. A matre.
1469
SEPT. 23-30.
I grete zow wele, and send zow Godds blyssyng and myn, letyng zow wete that me thynke be the letter that ze sent me be Robeyn, that ze thynke that I xuld wryte to zow fabyls and ymagynacyons; but I do not soo. I have wrytyn as yt have be enformed me, and wulle do. It was told me that bothe Daubeney and Berney wer dedee, but for serten Daubeney is dede, God asoyle hys sowle; wher of I am rythe sery, and yt had plesyd God that yt mythe abe other wysse.
Remembyr zow, ze have had ij. gret lossys withyne thys towylemonth, of hym and of Sir Thomas.[57.3] God wysyth [visiteth] zow as yt plesythe Hym in sundery wyses; He woole ze xuld know Hym, and serve Hym better than ze have do be for thys tyme, and than He wull send zow the mor grace to do wele in ale other thynggs. And for Godds love, remembyr yt rythe welle, and take yt pacyentely, and thanke God of Hys vysitacyon; and yf ony thyng have be a mysse ony other wyse than yt howte to have ben befor thys, owther in pryde or in laves expences, or in eny other thyng that have offendyd God, amend yt, and pray Hym of Hys grace and helpe, and entende welle to God, and to zour neybors; and thow zour poor heraftyr be to aquyte hem of her maleys, zet be mersyfulle to hem, and God xale send zow the mor grace to have your entente in other thynggs.
I remembyr thys clawsys, be cause of the last letter that ze sent me. I have sent to Hary Halman of Sporylle to helpe to gete as ze desyerd me, and he canne not gette passyd v. or viij. at the most, and zet yt wule not be but yf [unless] he cume that ze trust upon that xuld cume, for they long a parte to hym. And Ryschard Sharman hathe asayed on hys parte, and he cane not gette passyd v.; for thoo that long to us, thei long also to our adversarys, and they have be desyerd be them, and they woold nowte do for hem, and ther for they thynke to have magery of the toder parte.
As for the jantylman that ye desyerd me to speke with, I spake with hys wyfe, and sche told me he was not in thys cuntre, ner nowte woost wan he xuld be her; and as for the toder man, he hath bowthe [bought] hym a livery in Bromeholme Pryery, and have geve upe the woord [world], &c.
Item, as for mony, I kowde getee but xli. upon pledges, and that is spent for zour maters her, for payeng of zour men that wern at Caster, and other thynggs, and I woot not wer to gette non, nowther for suerte ner for pleggs; and as for myn owyn lyvelod, I am so sympely payed ther of that I fer me I xale be fayn to borow for my sylfe, or ell[es] to breke up howsold or bothe.
As for the zeddyng [yielding] of the place at Caster, I trowe Wretyll hathe told of the pawntements [appointments] how ytts delyvered. I woold that [it] had be so her [ere] thys tyme, and zan [then] ther xuld not a ben do so mykyle herte as ther is in dyverse weyes; for many of our welewyllers arn putte to loosse for our saks, and I fer me that [it] xale be long her yt be recumpensyd ageyn, and that xale cause other to do the lesse for vus her aftyr.
I woold ze xuld [send] zour brother woord, and sum other that ze truste, to see to zour owyn lyelod to sette yt in a rule, and to gader ther of that may be had in haste, and also of Sir John Fastolf lyoeld that may be gadyrd in pesybyle wyse. For as for Ryschard Calle, he wulle no mor gadyr yt but yf ze comaund hym, and he woold fayn make hys . . acowntte, and have zour good maystyr schepe, as ytts told me, and delyvere the evydens of Bekkeham, and alle other thynggs that longyth to zow, that he trustythe that ze wylle be hys good mayster heraftyr. And he sethe he wylle not take non newe master tyle ze refuse hys servyse.