_To my rytz wurchipful mayster, Jon Paston, be this delyvered in hast._
[Sidenote: 1450 / FEB. 21]
Ryt wurchipful hosband, I recommawnd me to zu, desyryng hertyly to heryn
of zour wele fare, preying zu to weten that I commawndyd Herry Goneld to
gon to Gunnore to have copys of the pleyntes in the hundrede, and
Gunnore was not at home; but the seyd Herry spake with his clerk, and he
told hym pleynly he wost wele his mayster wuld not late hym have no
copys, thow he wor at home, tyl the nexst hundred; qher for I send zou
that byl that was wownd abowt the relefys. Custans, Mak, and Kentyng
wold adysavowyd here swtes rytz fayn the last hundred, as I herd sayn of
rytz thryfty men; but the Lord Moleynys men thrett hem that bothe they
xuld ben betyn and lesen here hows and lond and alle here goods, but if
[_unless_] they wold avow it; and after that Osborn was gon,
Hasard[130.2] intretyd Kentyng and Mak to avow the swtys after that they
hadde disavowyd itt, and zave hem mony to zef to the clerkes to entren
azen the pleyntes. But if[130.3] ze seke a remedy in hast for to remeve
itt, I soppose they wyl distreyn for the mersymentes er the nexst
hundred.
As for Mak, he gate respyt that he xuld not sew tyl the nexst hundred.
As for Herry Goneld, he was dystreynyd zysterday for rent and ferm, and
he must pay it to morue, xxij_s._, or elles lesyn his dystresse. They
gadder mony fast of all the tenawntes. All the tenawntes ben chargyd to
pay al her rent and ferm be Fastyngong Sonday.[131.1] It ys told me that
the Lord Moleynys xuld kepe his Fastyngong att Jon Wynters plase.
The seid Lordes men haddyn a letter on Thursday last past; qhat tydyngs
they hadde I wote nott; but on the nexst moruenyng be tymys Thomas
Bampton, a man of the Lord Moleynys, rod with a letter to his lord, and
they that ben at Gressam waytyn after an answer of the letter in hast.
Barow, and Hegon, and all the Lord Moleynys men that wer at Gressam qhan
ze departyd hens bene there styll, save Bampton, and in his stede is kom
another; and I here sey thei xul abyd here styll tyl her lord kom
. . . .[131.2] to Barow as ze komawndyd me to weten quhatt the cawse was
that thei thrett men . . . .[131.2] Goneld and other of zour servawnts
and wele willers to zow, the qheche wer namyd to hym that were
thrett. . . . .[131.2] [s]wore pleynly that they were never thrett; but
I know veryly the contrary, for of his owyn felaschep lay[d] in awayt
sondery dayis and nytis abowt Gunnelds, Purrys, and Bekks plasis, and
som of them zedyn in to Bekks and Purrys [ho]usys, bothen in the hallys
and the bernys, and askyd qher thei were, and thei were answeryd that
they were owth; and thei seydyn azen that they xuld meten with hem
another tyme. And be dyvers other thyngs I know, if thei mytz aben kawt,
other [_either_] they xuld aben slayn or sor hurt.
I sent Kateryn on this forseyd masage, for I kowd geten no man to do it,
and sent with her Jamys Halman and Herry Holt; and sche desyryd of Barow
to have an answer of her masage, and if these forseyd men mytz levyn in
pese for hem, and seyd ther xuld elles ben purveyd other remedy for hem.
And he made her grett chere, and hem that wer ther with her, and seyd
that he desyryd for to spekyn with me, if it xuld ben non displesans to
me; and Kateryn seyd to hym that sche supposyd that I desyryd not to
speken with hym. And he seyd he xuld com forby this plase on huntyng
after non, and ther xuld no mor com with hym but Hegon and on of his
owyn men; and than he wold bryng seche an answere as xuld plese me. And
after none they come hydder, and sent in to me to weten if thei mytz
speken with me, and praying that thei mytz speken with me, and they
abedyn styl with owtz the zatys; and I kam owth to hem, and spak with
hem with owt, and prayid hem that thei wold hold me exkusyd that I
browth hem not in to the plase. I seyd in as meche as thei wer nott wele
wyllyng to the gode man of the plase, I wold not take it up on me to
bryng hem in to the jantylwoman. They seyd I dede the best, and than we
welk forthe, and desyryd an answer of hem for that I hadde sent to hem
for. Thei sayd to me thei had browtz me seche an answer as thei hopyd
xuld plese me, and told me how thei had comownd with all her felaschep
of soche materis as I had sent to hem fore, and that thei durst under
take that ther xud no man ben hurt of hem thatt wer rehersyd, ner no man
that longeth to zu, nother for hem ner non of her felaschep, and that
they answeryd me be her trowthis. Never lese I trest not to her promese,
in as meche as I fend hem ontrew in other thyngs.
I conseyvyd wele be hem that they wer wery of that thei haden don. Barow
swor to me be his trowth that he had lever than xl_s._, and xl. that his
lord had not comawndyd hym to com to Gressam; and he seyd he was rytz
sory hidderward, in as meche as he had knowleche of zw before, he was
rytz sory of that that was don. I seyd to hym that he xuld have
compascion on zu and other that wer disseysyd of her lyvelode, in as
meche as he had ben dissesyd hym self; and he seyd he was so, and told
me that he had sewyd to my Lord of Suffolk dyvers tymys, and wold don
tyl he may gete his gode azen. I seyd to hym that ze had sewyd to my
Lord Moleynys dyvers tymys for the maner of Gressam syth ze wer
dissesyd, and ze cowd never gete no resonabyl answer of hym; and ther
fore ze entred azen, as ye hopid that was for the best. And he seyd he
xuld never blame my Lord of Suffolk for the entre in his lyvelode, for
he seyd my seyd lord was sett ther up on be the informacion of a fals
schrew; and I seyd to hym in lyke wyse is the matier be twyx the Lord
Moleynys and zu. I told hym I wost wele he sett never ther upon be no
tytyl of rytz that he hadde to the maner of Gressam, but only be the
informacion of a fals schrew.[133.1] I rehersyd no name, but me thowt be
hem that thei wost ho I ment. Meche other langage we hadde, qhyche xuld
taken long leysyr in wrytyng. I rehersyd to hem that it xuld abe seyd
thatt I xuld not longe dwell so ner hem as I dewe and they for swer it,
as thei do other thyngs more that it was never seyd, and meche thyngs
that I know veryly was seyd.
I here seyn that ze and Jon of Damme ben sore thrett alway, and seyn
thow ze ben at London, ze xul ben met with ther as wele as thow ze were
her; and ther for I pray zu hertyly be ware how ze walk ther, and have a
gode felaschep with zu qhan ze xul walk owt. The Lord Moleynys hathe a
cumpany of brothell with hym that rekk not qhat they don, and seche ar
most for to drede. Thei that ben at Gressam seyn that they have not don
so moche hurte to zu as thei were commawndyd to don. Rabert Lauerawns is
wele amendyd, and I hope xall recure. He seyth pleynly he wyl compleyn
of his hurt, and I soppose Bek wyl compleyn also, as he hath cause. Bek
and Purry dare not abyd att hom tyl thei here other tydyngs. I wold not
Jon of Damme xuld com hom tyl the cuntre be storyd otherwyse than it is.
I pray Godde grawnt that it mot sone ben otherwyse than it is. I pray zu
hertyly that ze wil send me word how ze don, and how ze spede in zour
materis, for be my trowth I kan not ben wel att ese in my hert, ner not
xal ben tyl I here tydynges how ze don. The most part of zour stuff that
was at Gressam is sold, and zovyn away. Barow and his felaw spak to me
in the most plesawnt wyse, and me semyth be hem thei wold fayn plese me.
Thei seyd thei wold do me servyse and plesans, if it lay in her powres
to don owth for me, save only in that that longeth to her lordes rytz.
I seyd to hem, as for seche servys as they had do to zw and to me,
I desyr no mor that thei xuld do nother to zw ner to me. Thei seyd I myt
an had of them att Gressham qhat I hadde desyryd of hem, and had as
moche as I desyryd. I seyd, nay; if I mytz an had my desyr, I xuld
nother a departid owth of the place, ner from the stuff that was ther
in. Thei seyd, as for the stuff it was but esy. I seyd ze wold not a
zoven the stuff that was in the place qhan thei com in, not for C_li._
Thei seyd the stuff that thei sey [saw] ther was skars worth xx_li._ As
for zour moder and myn, sche faryth wel, blissid be God, and she had no
tydynges but gode zett, blissid be God. The blissyd Trynyte have zou in
his kepyng, and send zou hele, and gode spede in al your maters. Wretyn
at Sustede,[134.1] on the Satyrday next after Seynt Valentynys day.
Here dare no man seyn a gode wurd for zu in this cuntre, Godde amend it.
Yowres,