_To my Cosyn, John Paston, be thys letter delivered._
[Sidenote: Not after 1449]
Trusty and weel be loved cosyn, I comaunde me to zow, desyryng to here
of zowre weelfare and good spede in zowre matere, the qwech I prey God
send zow to his plesaunce and to zoure hertys ease.
Cosyn, I lete zow wete that Scrope[109.3] hath be in this cuntre to se
my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he hath spoken with my cosyn zoure moder, and
sche desyreth of hym that he schuld schewe zow the endentures mad be
twen the knyght that hath his dowter and hym, whethir that Skrop, if he
were maried and fortuned to have children, if tho children schuld
enheryte his lond, or his dowter, the wheche is maried.
Cosyn, for this cause take gode hede to his endentures, for he is glad
to schewe zow hem, or whom ze wol a sygne with zow; and he seith to me
he is the last in the tayle of his lyflode, the qweche is CCCL. marke
and better, as Watkyn Shipdam seith, for he hath take a compt of his
liflode dyvers tymes; and Scrop seith to me if he be maried, and have a
sone an eyre, his dowter that is maried schal have of his liflode L.
marke and no more; and therfore, cosyn, me semeth he were good for my
cosyn zowre sustyr, with[out] that ye myght gete her a bettyr. And if ze
can gete a better, I wold avyse zow to labour it in as schort tyme as ze
may goodly, for sche was never in so gret sorow as sche is now a dayes,
for sche may not speke with no man, ho so ever come, ne not may se ne
speke with my man, ne with servauntes of hir moderys but that sche
bereth hire an hand[110.1] otherwyse than she menyth. And sche hath sen
Esterne the most part be betyn onys in the weke or twyes, and som tyme
twyes on o day, and hir hed broken in to or thre places. Wherfor, cosyn,
sche hath sent to me by Frere Newton in gret counsell, and preyeth me
that I wold send to zow a letter of hir hevynes, and prey yow to be hir
good brothyr, as hir trost is in zow; and sche seith, if ze may se be
his evydences that his childern and hire may enheryten, and sche to have
resonable joynture, sche hath herd so mech of his birth and his
condicions, that and ze will sche will have hym, whethyr that hir moder
wil or wil not, not withstandyng it is tolde hir his persone is symple,
for sche seyth men shull have the more deyute of hire if sche rewle hire
to hym as sche awte to do.
Cosyn, it is told me ther is a goodly man in yowre Inne, of the qweche
the fadyr deyed litte, and if ze thynk that he were better for hir than
Scroop, it wold be laboured, and yif Scroop a goodly answere that he be
not put of tyl ze be sure of a bettyr; for he seid whan he was with me,
but if [_i.e._ unless] he have som counfortable answer of zow, he wil no
more laboure in this mater, be cause he myght not se my cosyn zoure
sustyr, and he seyth he myght a see hire and sche had be bettyr than she
is; and that causeth hym to demyr that hir moder was not weel willyng,
and so have I sent my cosyn zowre moder word. Wherfore, cosyn, thynk on
this mateer, for sorow oftyn tyme causeth women to be set hem otherwyse
than thei schuld do, and if sche where in that case, I wot weel ze wold
be sory. Cosyn, I prey zow brenne this letter, that zoure men ne non
other man se it; for and my cosyn zowre moder knew that I had sent yow
this letter, sche shuld never love me. No more I wrighte to zow at this
tyme, but Holy Gost have zow in kepyng. Wretyn in hast, on Seynt Peterys
day,[111.1] be candel lyght.
Be youre Cosyn,