_To John Paston, Esquier, be this delyverd in hast._
[Sidenote: 1471 / NOV. 29]
I grete zow welle, and send zow Goddes blyssyng and myn, letyng zow wete
that I have a letter from zour brother, wherby I undyrstand that he
cannot, ner may, make no porveyans for the C. mark; the wyche causythe
me to be rythgh hevy, and for other thynges that he wrytht to me of that
he is in dawnger. For remembering wat we have had befor thys and ho
symppylly yt hath be spente and to lytyl profythe to any of us, and now
arn in soche casse that non of us may welle helpe other with owte that
we schuld do that wer to gret a dysworschip for us to do, owther to
selle wood or lond or soche stuffe that were nessessary for us to have
in owr howsys; so mot I answer a for God, I wot not how to do for the
seyde money, and for other thyngges that I have to do of scharge, and my
worshup saved. Yt is a deth to me to thynk up on yt. Me thynkyth be zour
brothers wrythtyng, that he thynkyth that I am informed be sume that be
a bowthe me to do and to sey as I have be for thys, but be my trowthe he
demyth a mysse; yt nedyth me not to be informed of no soche thengges.
I construe in my owyn mend, and conseyve i now and to myche, and whan I
have brokyn my conseyte to sume that in happe he deniythe yt too, they
have put me in cownforth more than I kowde have be any imajynasyon in my
owyn conseythe. He wrythetyth to me also, that he hath spend thys terme
xl_li._ Yt is a gret thyng; me thynkyth be good dyscresyon ther mythe
myche ther of aben sparyd. Zour fadyr, God blysse hys sowle, hathe had
as gret maters to do as I trowe he hathe had thys terme, and hath not
spend halfe the mony up on them in so lytyl tyme, and hath do ryth well.
At the reverens of God, avyse hym zet to be war of hys expences and
gydyng that yt be no schame to us alle. Yt is a schame and a thyng that
is myche spokyn of in thys contre that zour faders graveston is not mad.
For Goddes love, late yt be remembyrd and porveyde for in hast. Ther
hathe be mych mor spend in waste than schuld have mad that, me thynkyth
be zour brother that he is wery to wrythe to me and there fore I wyl not
a kumbyr hym with wrythtyng to hym. Ze may telle hym as I wryth to zow.
Item, I woold ze schuld remembyr zour brother of Pekerngges mater, if he
cum not hom hastely, that ze and Townesend and Lumnor may examyn and
sette yt thorow. The pore man is almost on don ther by, and hys brother
suethe hym and trobylyth hym sor zet; and also for the plesur of my
koseyn Clere and the Lady Bolen, I woold yt were sette thorow.
As for my rowndlet of wyne, I schuld send zow mony there fore, but I dar
not put yt in joperte, ther be so many theves stereng. John Lovedayes
man was robbyd in to hys schyrte as he cam home ward. I trow, and ze
assaye Towneshend or Playter, or sum other good kuntery man of owrys to
lend yt zow for me tyl they cum hom, they wyl do so myche for me and I
schal contente them a geyn. Item, Jamys Gressham hath ben passyng sekke
and ys zet. Judy tellythe me that zour brother is avysed for to sue hym.
For Goddes sake, late non onkyndnesse be schewed to hym, for that woold
sone make an hend of hym. Remembyr ho keynd and true hartyd he hath ben
to us to hys powre; and he had nevere take that offyce upon hym that he
is in dawnger for, ne had be for owr sakkes. He hathe sold a gret parte
of hys lond there for, as I suppose ze have knowlache of. Late yt be
remembyrd, and ellys owr enmyes wyl rejoysyt, and ther wyl no wurshup be
ther in at long way.
I schuld wryth mor but I have no leyser at thys tyme. I trow ze wyl sone
kum hom, and there fore I wryth the lesse. God kepe zow and send zow
good speede, &c. Wretyn the Fryday, Sen Andrue Ev.
Be zour modyr.
_The following note is written on the back of the Letter in Sir John
Fenn’s hand_:--‘This letter was fastened by threads brought through with
a needle and made fast by the seal. The threads being cut on the
directed side, the letter is opened without breaking the seal.’
[Footnote 124-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] St. Andrew’s Eve, the
29th November, fell on a Friday in 1471. It will also be seen that
the beginning of this letter refers to the same subject as the
beginning of Letter 787.]
792