_To my rygth worchepful husbond, John Paston, dwellyng in the Inner
Temple at London, in hast._
[Sidenote: 1443 / SEPT. 28]
Ryth worchipful hosbon, I recomande me to yow, desyryng hertely to her
of yowr wilfar, thanckyng God of yowr a mendyng of the grete dysese that
ye have hade; and I thancke yow for the letter that ye sent me, for be
my trowthe my moder and I wer nowth in hertys es fro the tyme that we
woste of yowr sekenesse, tyl we woste verely of your a mendyng. My moder
be hestyd a nodyr ymmage of wax of the weytte of yow to oyer Lady of
Walsyngham, and sche sent iiij. nobelys to the iiij. Orderys of Frerys
at Norweche to pray for yow, and I have be hestyd to gon on pylgreymmays
to Walsingham, and to Sent Levenardys[55.2] for yow; be my trowth I had
never so hevy a sesyn as I had from the tyme that I woste of yowr
sekenesse tyl I woste of yowr a mendyng, and zyth myn hert is in no
grete esse, ne nowth xal be, tyl I wott that ze ben very hal. Your
fader[56.1] and myn was dysday sevenyth [_this day se’nnight_] at
Bekelys for a matyr of the Pryor of Bromholme, and he lay at Gerlyston
that nyth, and was ther tyl it was ix. of the cloke, and the toder day.
And I sentte thedyr for a goune, and my moder seyde that I xulde have
dan [_then_], tyl I had be ther a non, and so thei cowde non gete.
My fader Garneyss[56.2] senttee me worde that he xulde ben her the nexch
weke, and my emme [_uncle_] also, and pleyn hem her with herr hawkys,
and thei xulde have me hom with hem; and so God help me, I xal exscusse
me of myn goyng dedyr yf I may, for I sopose that I xal redelyer have
tydyngys from yow herr dan I xulde have ther. I xal sende my modyr a
tokyn that sche toke me, for I sopose the time is cum that I xulde
sendeth her, yf I kepe the be hest that I have made; I sopose I have
tolde yow wat it was. I pray yow hertely that [ye] wol wochesaf to sende
me a letter as hastely as ze may, yf wryhyn be non dysesse to yow, and
that ye wollen wochesaf to sende me worde quowe your sor dott. Yf I
mythe have had my wylle, I xulde a seyne yow er dystyme; I wolde ye wern
at hom, yf it wer your ese, and your sor myth ben as wyl lokyth to her
as it tys ther ze ben, now lever dan a goune zow [_though_] it wer of
scarlette. I pray yow yf your sor be hol, and so that ze may indur to
ryde, wan my fader com to London, that ze wol askyn leve, and com hom
wan the hors xul be sentte hom a zeyn, for I hope ze xulde be kepte as
tenderly herr as ze ben at London. I may non leyser have to do wrytyn
half a quarter so meche as I xulde sey [_say_] to yow yf I myth speke
with yow. I xall sende yow a nothyr letter as hastely as I may. I thanke
yow that ze wolde wochesaffe to remember my gyrdyl, and that ze wolde
wryte to me at the tyme, for I sopose that wrytyng was non esse for yow.
All myth God have yow in his kepyn, and sende yow helth. Wretyn at
Oxenede, in ryth grete hast, on Sent Mikyllys Evyn.
Yorys,