_To my ryght worchepfull brodyr, Sir John Paston, Knyght._
[Sidenote: 1472 / SEPT. 21]
Ryght worchepfull sir, I recomand me to yow, letyng yow wet that your
desyer as for the Knyghts of the Shyer was an impossoybyl to be browght
abowght; ffor my Lord of Norffolk and my Lord of Suffolk wer agreid i
mor then a fortnyght go to have Sir Robert Wyngfeld, and Sir Rychard
Harcort, and that knew I not tyll it was Fryday last past. I had sent or
I rod to Framlynham, to warne as many of your frends to be at Norwyche
as thys Monday, to serve your entent as I koud; but when I cam to
Framlynham, and knew the apoyntment that was taken for the ij. knyghts,
I sent warnyng ayen to as many I myght to tery at hom; and yet ther cam
to Norwyche thys day as many as ther costs dreave to ix_s._ i_d._ ob.,
payid and reknyd by Pekok and R. Capron, and yet they dyd but brak ther
fest and depertyd. And I thankyd hem in your name, and told them that ye
wold have noo voyse as thys day, for ye supposyd not to be in Inglond
when the Perlement shold be, and so they cam not at the sherhous
[_shire-house_]; for if they had, it was thought by syche as be your
frends here, that your adversarys wold have reportyd that ye had mad
labor to have ben one, and that ye koud not bryng your purpose abowght.
I sent to Yermowthe, and they have promysyd also to Doctor Aleyn and
John Russe to be mor then iij. wekys goo.
Jamys Arblaster hathe wretyn a lettyr to the Bayle of Maldon, in Essex,
to have yow a bergeys ther; howe Jwde shall sped, let hym tell yow, when
ye spek to gedyr.
Syr, I have ben twyis at Framlyngham sythe your departyng, but now, the
last time the consayll was ther, I sye [_saw_] yow lettyr whyche was
bettyr then well endyghtyd. R. C.[150-1] was not at Framlyngham when the
consayll was ther, but I took myn owne avyse, and delyvered it to the
consayll with a propocysion ther with, as well as I kowd spek it, and my
wordys wer well takyn, but your lett[yr] a thousand fold bettyr. When
they had red it, they shewd it to my Lady.[150-2] Aftyr that my Lady had
sen it, I spok with my Lady offryng to my Lord and her your servyse, and
besyd that, ye to do my Lord a plesur[150-3] and hyr a bettyr, so as ye
myght depert wyth ought eny some specyfyid. She wold not tell in that
mater, but remyttyd me ayen to the consayll, for she seyd, and she speke
in it, tyll my Lord and the consayll wer agreed, they wold ley the wyght
[_blame_] of all the mater on hyr, whyche shold be reportyd to hyr
shame; but thys she promyseid to be helpyng, so it wer fyrst mevyd by
the consayll. Then I went to the consayll, and offyrd befor them your
servyse to my Lord, and to do hym a plesure, for the haveing ayen of
your place and londys in Caster, xl_li._ not spekyng of your stuff nor
thyng ellys. So they answerd me your offyr was more then resonabyll; and
if the mater wer thers, they seyd, they wyst what conscyence wold dryve
hem to. They seyd they wold meve my Lord with it, and so they dyd, but
then the tempest aros, and he gave hem syche an answer that non of hem
all wold tell it me; but when I axid an answer of them, they seyd, and
[_if_] som Lordys or gretter men mevyd my Lord with it, the mater wer
your (kepe consaile), and with thys answer I depertyd. But Syr W.
Brandon, Sothewell, Tymperley, Herry Wentworthe, W. Gornay, and all
other of consayll, undyrstand that ye have wronge, insomyche that they
mevyd me that ye shold take a recompence of other lond to the valew; but
they wold not avowe the offyr, for I anserd hem that if they had ryght
they wold have ofred no recompence. Dyscovyr not thys, but in my reason,
and [_i.e._ if] my Lord Chamberleyn[151-1] wold send my Lady a letter
with some privy tokyn betwyx theym, and allso to meve my Lord of
Norffolk when he comyth to the Parlement, serteynly Caster is yours.
If ye mysse to be burgeys of Maldon, and my Lord Chamberleyn wyll, ye
may be in a nother plase; ther be a doseyn townys in Inglond that chesse
no bergeys, whyche ought to do, and ye may be set in for one of those
townys, and ye be frendyd. Also in no wyse forget not in all hast to get
some goodly ryng, pryse of xx_s._, or som praty flowyr of the same
pryse, and not undyr, to geve to Jane Rodon, for she hathe ben the most
specyall laborer in your mater, and hathe promysyd hyr good wyll
foorthe, and she doeth all with hyr mastresse. And my Lord Chamberleyn
wyll, he may cause my Lord of Norffolk to com up soner to the Parlement
then he shold do, and then he may apoynt with hym for yow, or the ferm
corn[151-2] be gadryd. I profyrd but xl_li._, and if my Lord Chamberleyn
profyr my Lady the remenaunt, I can thynk it shall be taken. My Lady
must have somwhat to bye hyr kovercheff[151-3] besyd my Lord. A soper
that I payd for, wher all the consayll was at Framlyngham, ij_s._
iij_d._, and my costs at Framlyngham twyis lying ther by viii. dayis,
with ix_s._ i_d._ ob., for costs of the contre at Norwyche drawyth
abowght xx_s._, I trowe more: by our Lady, if it be lesse, stand to
your harmys, and _sic remanet_ v_li._ xiij_s._ iii_d._
I axe no more gods of you for all the servyse that I shall do yow whyll
the world standyth, but a gosshawke,[152-1] if eny of my Lord
Chamberleyns men or yours goo to Kaleys, or if eny be to get in London;
that is, a mewyd hawk, for she may make yow sporte when ye com into
Inglond a doseyn yer hens, and to call upon yow owyrly, nyghtly, dayly,
dyner, soper, for thys hawk. I pray noo more but my brother E.,
J. Pampyng, Thyrston, J. Myryel, W. Pytte, T. Plattyng Jwde, lityll Jak,
Mastyr Botoner, and W. Wood to boote, to whyche persons I prey yow to
comand me; and if all thes lyst to spek to yow of thys mater when Sir
George Browne, W. Knyvett, R. Hyd, or eny folk of worchepp and of my
aqweyntanse be in your compeny, so that they may helpe forthe, for all
is lytyll i nowe, and ye be not very well wyllyng, I shall so pervey for
hem, and ever ye com to Norwyche, and they with yow, that they shall
have as deynte vytayll and as gret plente therof for i_d._ as they shall
have of the tresorer of Caleys for xv_d._, and ye, peraventure, a pye of
Wymondham to boote. Now thynk on me, good Lord, for if I have not an
hawke, I shall wax fatt for default of labor, and ded for default of
company by my trowthe. No more, but I pray God send you all your desyrs,
and me my mwyd gosshawk in hast, or rather then fayle, a sowyr hawke.
Ther is a grosser dwellyng ryght over ayenst the well with ij. boketts a
lytyll fro Seynt Elens, hathe evyr hawkys to sell.
Wretyn at Norwyche the xxj. day of September, Anno E. iiij^ti xij^o.