_To Sir John Paston._
[Sidenote: 1469 / APRIL 3]
I grete you wele, and send you Godds blissyng and myn, thankyng you for
my seall that ye sent me; but I am right sory that ye dede so grete cost
ther up on, for on of xl_d._ should have served me right wele. Send me
ward what it cost you, and I shall send you money therfor. I send you a
letter be a man of Yarmoth; send me word if ye have it, for I marveyll
ye sent me non answer ther of be Juddy.
I have non very knowleche of your ensuraunce [_engagement_], but if ye
be ensured I pray God send you joy and wurchep to geder, and so I trost
ye shull have, if it be as it is reported of her[15-1]; and a nemps God,
ye arn as gretly bownd to her as ye were maried, and therfor I charge
you up on my blissyng, that ye be as trew to her as she wer maried on to
you in all degrees, and ye shall have the mor grace and the better spede
in all other thyngs.
Also, I wuld that ye shuld not be to hasty to be maried til ye wer more
suer of your lyvelode, for ye must remembr what charge ye shall have,
and if ye have not to mayntene it, it wull be gret rebuke; and therfor
labour that ye may have releses of the londs, and be in more suerte of
your lond, or than ye be maried.
The Duchesse of Suffolk[15-2] is at Ewhelm, in Oxford shir, and it is
thought be your frends her that it is do that she myght be ferr and
ought of the wey, and the rather feyne excuse be cause of age or
sikenesse, and if that the Kyng wuld send for her for your maters.
Your elmyse [_enemies_] be as bold her as thei wer befor, wherfor I can
not thynk but that thei have sume comfort. I sent to Cayster that thei
shuld be war in kepyng of the place, as ye dede wright to me. Hast you
to spede your maters as spedily ye can, that ye may have lesse felesshep
at Cayster, for the expences and costs be grete, and ye have no nede
therof and [_if_] ye remembre you wele what charges ye have beside, and
how your liffelode is dispoyled and wasted by your adversaries.
Also I wuld ye shuld purvey for your suster[15-3] to be with my Lady of
Oxford,[16-1] or with my Lady of Bedford,[16-2] or in sume other
wurchepfull place, wher as ye thynk best, and I wull help to her
fyndyng, for we be eyther of us werye of other. I shall tell you more
whan I speke with you. I pray you do your devyr her in as ye wull my
comfort and welefar, and your wurchep, for diverse causes which ye shall
understand afterward, &c.
I spake with the Lord Skales at Norwich, and thanked hym for the good
lordshep that he had shewed to you, and desired his Lordship to be your
contynuall good lord; and he swore be his trought he wold do that he
myght do for you; and he told me that Yelverton the Justice had spoke to
hym in your maters, but he told me not what; but I trow, and ye desired
hym to telle you, he wuld. Ye ar be holdyng to my Lord of his good
report of you in this contre, for he reported better of you than I trow
ye deserve. I felt be hym that ther hath be profered hym large proferes
on your adversaries parte ageyn you.
Send me word as hastly as ye may after the begynnyng of the terme, how
ye have sped in all your maters, for I shall thynk right long till I her
sume good tidyngs.
Item, I pray you recomaund me to the good mayster[16-3] that ye gaffe to
the chapell of Cayster, and thank hym for the gret cost that he dede on
me at Norwych; and if I wer a grette lady he shuld understand that he
shuld far the better for me, for me semyth be his demenyng he shuld be
right a good man.
Item, I send you the nowche[16-4] with the dyamaunch, be the berer
herof. I pray yow forgate not to send me a kersche[16-5] of Cr’melle for
nekkerchys for your syster Anne, for I am schente of the good lady that
sche is with, be cawse she hathe non, and I can non gette in all thys
towne.
I xuld wrythe mor to yow but for lakke of leyser. God have yow in Hys
kepyng, and send yow good spede in alle your maters. Wryten in haste on
Eestern Munday.
Be your Moder.
[Footnote 14-1: [From Fenn, iv. 312.] Allusion is made in this and
the next letter to the expected visit of Edward IV. to Norfolk in
1469. Owing to the proposed marriage of Sir John Paston with his
kinswoman, Anne Haute, Lord Scales appears at this time to have
interested himself in Sir John’s behalf. On the back of this
letter, as Fenn tells us, is a note: ‘The L. Scales is now frend
to Sr. J. Paston.’ But the handwriting is not contemporaneous.]
[Footnote 15-1: The lady here referred to is Anne Haute.]
[Footnote 15-2: Alice, widow of William de la Pole, Duke of
Suffolk.]
[Footnote 15-3: This was most probably Margery Paston, with whom
the whole family were, very soon after the writing of this letter,
so much displeased for having without their consent contracted
herself in marriage to Richard Calle.--F.]
[Footnote 16-1: Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir John Howard,
Knight, and widow of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who was
beheaded in 1461-2.--F.]
[Footnote 16-2: _See_ vol. iv. p. 188, Note 3.]
[Footnote 16-3: Dr. John Yotton. _See_ No. 703.]
[Footnote 16-4: An ouch is a collar of gold, formerly worn by
women; a gold button, set with some jewel, is likewise so called,
and that most probably was the ornament here mentioned to be sent
to Sir John by his mother; we may suppose it was intended as a
present to his betrothed bride.--F.]
[Footnote 16-5: A kersche of Cr’melle, perhaps means a kerchief of
Cremell, crewel or worsted, to be made into neck-handkerchiefs for
her daughter Anne, who appears to have been for education and
board with some lady of consequence.--F.]
705