_To John Paston, Esquyer._
[Sidenote: 1472 / NOV. 19]
I grete you wele and send you Goddes blyssyng and myn, letyng you wete
that I have sent to Doctor Aleyn wyffe to have spoke with her as ye
desired me, and she was so syke that she myght not comyn; but she sent
her broder elaw to me, and I lete hym wete the cause why that I wuld
have spoke with her as ye desired me. And he told me that he shuld have
brought me wrytyng this day from her be vij. of the belle, how that she
wull that ye shuld have labored or do for her; but he came no mor at me.
Nevertherlesse she sent me an nother massenger, and lete me wete[159-2]
that her husband had sent her the same nyght from London that she shuld
come up as fast as she cowde to labor to the Lordes there in her propre
person; wherfor she myght geve me non answer, ner send you word how that
ye shuld do till [that] she had spokyn with her husband, or had other
writyng from hym.
Therfore I thynk t[hat s]he hath other councell that avyseth her to
labour to other than to you. I wuld not that [you be] to besy in no such
maters [ty]ll the werd [_world_] were mor suer, and in any wyse that
w[hile my] Lord the Chaunceller is in [occu]pation, labore to have an
ende of your grete materes and . . . macion, and abide not up [on] trost
of an nother seson, for so shall ye be disseyved a[s ye hav]e ben befor
this tyme. I have understand sith that ye departed that ther . . . . .
mad to subplant you; therfore, for Goddes sake, in this onstabill werd
[_world_] labore er[nestly your] maters that thei may have summe good
conclusion, and that shall make y[our enemies] fere you, and elles thei
shall . . kepe you low and in trobill. And if any mater . . . . . be Act
of Parlement and pro . . . . . lete your bill be mad redy, and lese not
your [ma]teres for other mennes; for if your elmyse [_enemies_] may
profight now at this tyme, ye shall be [in] wers case than ever ye were
befor. All the cou[ntry] wenyth that ye shuld now overcomyn all your
trobill, which if ye do not ye shall fall o[ug]ht of conceyte. I write
as well this to your brother as to you; therfore lete no diffaught be in
you nowther.
Item, it was lete me to wete syth ye departed of such as were your
frendes and were conversaunte with the toder parte that ther was mad
labor and like to be concluded, that the eleccion of the knyghtes of the
shire shuld be chaunged, and new certificat mad and John Jenney set
there in; ther for do your devoir to understond the trought as sone as
ye can, for the seid Jenney this day rideth up to London ward, and I
suppo[se be]cause of the same. I pray you remembre your brother to send
me the evydence and remembrance towchyng the maner of Gresham, which
that I wrote to hym be Juddy, and send them be sum suer man.
Item, take hede to the labour of your unkyll, for he hath had right
straunge langage of your brother of late to right wurchepfull persones;
therfor werk wysely and bewar wham that ye lete know your councell.
Item, remembre Lomnors mater as ye may do therin, and send me werd in
hast. Mayster Roos shall be at London the next weke; therfore ye shall
not nede to make my Lord to write, but whan that he comyth, if my Lord
can make hym to put it in indifferent and wurchepfull men, than that it
pleasith my Lord to write to them that thei shuld take it upon them to
set a rewle therin, with ought better advyse, me semyth it wer wele do.
The Holy Gost be your gyde and send yow good spede and councell, and
delivere you ought of all trobill and disseas to his pleser.
Wretyn the Thursday next be for Sent Kateryn,[160-1] in hast.
Recomaund me to my Mastres Kateryn, and send me werd how ye don, &c.
Be your Moder.
Do my Lord[161-1] on Sonday send for the shereffes debute [_deputy_] to
wete how thei be disposid for certificate of the knyghtes, and I shall
understand if thei be eschaunged; for on Sonday at nyght, or on Monday,
it shall be put in, and [if i]t is put in, ther is no remedy. Geney seth
he wull attempt the law therin.
[Footnote 159-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] From the time of year
and other circumstances, it seems probable that the election here
referred to was that of the year 1472. A circumstance which
confirms this date will be found noticed in a footnote. The
original letter is mutilated in the middle by the decay of the
paper, in more than one place.]
[Footnote 159-2: The words after ‘Neverthelesse’ originally stood
‘her seid brother-in-law told me that tyme that he was with me,’
but are crossed out.]
[Footnote 160-1: St. Catherine’s Day is the 25th of November.]
[Footnote 161-1: The Duke of Norfolk. It will be seen by the
preceding letter that John Paston was going to Framlingham in the
beginning of November 1472.]
[[Footnote 159-2 and body text:
Nevertherlesse she sent me an nother massenger ...
The words after ‘Neverthelesse’ ...
_mismatched spelling unchanged_
... in this onstabill werd [_world_] labore
_italic “d” misprinted as “a”_]]
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