[Sidenote: 1471]
I grete you wele; letyng you wete that ther was told me a thyng in your
absens that goth right nere myn hert, be a wurchepfull man and such an
as ye wuld beleve and geffe credence to, and that owyth you right good
wille; which if it had comyn to myn remembraunce at your departer I wuld
have spoke to you of it most specially befor all other materis; but I am
so trobilled in my mende with your materis that thei be so delayd and
take no better conclusion, and with the ontrowth that is in servantis
now a days but if the maysteris take better heed to ther handis, that
such thyngis as I wuld rathest remembre I sonest for gete. It was told
me that ye have sold Sporle wood of a right credebill and wurchepful
man, and that was right hevy that ye shuld be know of such disposicion,
consederyng how your fader, whos sowle God assoyl, cherysshed in every
manor his woodis. And for the more preffe that this shuld be trought,
the forseid person told me that it was told hym of on [_one_] that was
toward Sir William Yelverton, to whom Richard Calle shuld have seid in
thes termes, that Sporle Wood shuld be sold, and that it shuld comyn now
in to Cristen mennes handis. Which if it were knowyn shuld cause bothyn
your elmyse [_enemies_] and your frendis to thynk that ye dede it for
right gret nede, or ellis that ye shuld be a wastour and wuld wast your
lyvelod. If ye had do so in Sir John Fastolfes lyffelode, men shuld have
supposid that ye had do it of good pollice, be cause of the onsuerte
that it stoonit (?) in, to have takyn that ye had myght of it duryng
your possession, to have boryn ought the daungere of it with the same;
but for to do this of your owyn lyffelode, men shall thyng that ye do it
for pure nede. And in asmych as it is so nere your most elmyse ere, it
shall be to you the gretter vylney and shame to all your frendis, and
the grettest coragyng and plesere that can be to your elmyse. For if ye
be thus disposid ye shall make them and all othere certeyn of that that
befor this tyme thei haue ben in dought, and cause them to purpose the
more cruelly agayn you. Where fore, in eschewyng of the greet slaundre
and inconveniens that may grow ther of, I require you, and more over
charge you upon my blissyng and as ye wull have my good will, that if
any such sale or bargany be mad, be your assent or with ought, be Calle,
or any othere in your name, that ye restreyn it; for I wuld not for a
M^l marcs that it wer understond that ye were of that disposicion, ner
that ye were comyn to so gret nede which shuld cause [y]ou to do so; for
every [man[130-1]] shuld thynk that it were thurgh your owyn
mysgovernaunce. Therefore I charge you, if any such bargayn be mad, that
ye send a bill as hastly as ye can to Herry Halman, that he do all such
as have mad or takyn that bargayn seasse and felle non of the wood, upon
peyn that may falle ther of. And how [_who_] so ever wull councell you
the contrary, do as I advyse you in this behalffe, or ellis trost never
to have comfort of me; and if I may knowe ye be of such disposicion, and
I leve ij. yer it shall disavayll you in my liffelode ccc. marcs. There
fore, send me word be the berere here of wheder ye have assent to any
such thyng or nought, and how that ye be disposid to do ther in, for I
shall not be quiete in myn hert till I understand yow of the contrary
disposicion.
Be your more moder.
[Footnote 129-1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 116.] This letter would seem
to have been written about the end of the year 1471 or the
beginning of 1472, when we first hear of Sir John Paston’s design
to sell Sporle Wood. _See_ Nos. 793, 798.]
[Footnote 130-1: Omitted in MS.]
795