[Sidenote: 1471 / NOV. 5]
I grete you wele, and send you Goddes blyssyng and myn, letyng you wete
that myn Cosyn Clere hathe sent to me for the C. marc that I borwed of
her for your brother. It fortuned so that a frend of her of late hath
loste better than CCC. marc, and he sent to her for money, and she had
non that she myght comyn by, and ther for she sent to me for the seyd C.
marc; and I know not how to do therfor, for by my trowth I have it not,
nor I can not make shyft therfor, and I shuld go to preson; therfor
comune with your brother her of, and send me word how that he wull make
shyft ther for in hast. I must elles nedes sell all my woods, and that
shall dysse avayll him better than a CC. marc, and I dey; and if I shuld
selle them now, ther wull noman gewe so myche for them be ner an C. marc
as they be worth, be cause ther be so many wood sales in Norfolke at
thys tyme. Therfor lete hym make purvyaunce therfor in hast, as he wull
have my good wyll, and wull that I save hym the seyd woods to the better
a wayll, and send me word here of in hast if ye wull my welfare, for I
shall never be in quiete tille I k[n]owe an ende in thys, for she hath
therfor an obligacion of an C_li._ And it is not kepte cloos, ther be
many persones now k[n]owyn it, which me semyth a greet rebuke to me that
I departyd so largely with yowr brother that I reservyd not to pay that
I was endaungered for hym, and so have dyverse seyd to me which of late
have k[n]owyn it; and whan I remembre it, it is to myn hart a very
spere, consideryng that he never gave comforte therein, ner of all the
money that hath be reseyvyd wull never make shyft therfor. And he had
yet be for thys tyme have sent me l. marc thereof, yet I wuld have
thought that he had had summe consideracion of myn daungers that I have
put me in for hym. Remembre hym how that I have excusyd hym of xx_li._
that the Prior of Bromholm had, which shuld elles have be in that
daunger that it shuld have be to us a grete rebwke, with hought that he
myght a ben holpyn wyth shuch money as he shuld have had of your fadyrs
bequest; and I payd to the shereffe for hym also money. All thes shuld
have holpe me wele therto, be syde other thynges that I have bor thys
yeres that I speke not of; there fore lete hym helpe me now, or elles it
shall dysawayll hym better than the trebyll the money, wheder that I
leve or dey, with ought he hath better consideracion to the daungers
that I stond in. Also I wulde ye shuld meve hym to take John Pampyng to
hym, or elles to gete hym a servyce in the Chauncery, or in sume other
place where as he myth be preferryd, for it ys pety that he lesyth hys
tyme so her, and it is non a wayll to non of ws, and for diverse othyr
thyngs whesch ye shall knowe her after, I wolde that I war hens in
haste, for all maner of happys, constrw ye, &c. I can yw thanke for ywyr
lettyr that ye sente me, and that ye have inquiryd of shwch thynges as
ye thynk that shwld plese me. I send yow the boxe and the dedes that ye
sente to me for, but as for the key of the cofyr in the wtter chambyr I
can not fynd yt; yf the boxe had be ther in, ye cwdnat not have hadd yth
but yf [_unless_] I had broke wp the cofyr; ther for remembre yw wer ye
have do the key; I kep styll the key that ye sente me tyll that ye cwm
home.
As for the tydynges here, ywr cosyn Barney of Wychshynggham ys passyd to
Gode, hwm Gode asoyle. Veylys wife, and Lodonys wife, and Pycard the
bacar of Twmlond, ben gone also; all thys hwlsold and thys parych ys as
ye leftyd, blyssyd be Gode; we lewyn in fer, but we wut not qweder to
fle, for to be better than we ben here. I send yw demi a riale for to by
wyth swger[119-1] and dates for me. I pray yw do as wel as ye can, and
sende it me as hastely as ye may, and sende me word qwat price a _li._
of peppyr, clowys, masis, gingyr, and sinamun, almannys, ryse, ganyngal,
safrwn, reysonys of Corons, grenys,[120-1] of ych of these sende me the
pryce of ych of these,[120-2] and yf that it be bettir shepe at London
than it is here, I shal sende yw mony to bye wyth soch stwfe as I wull
have. Remember that I spake to yw to spek to ywyr brother for the seyd
C. marc wan ye departed hens. I trow ye had forgettyt, that ye sent me
non answer ther of in ony wys. Lete me have an answer ther of in hast,
and sende me woord how ywyr brother and ye spede in ywyr maters; and
Goddes blissyng and myn mut ye have both, and send yw good sped in all
ywyr maters.