_A Edmond Paston, Esquyer, a Caleys soyt donne._
[Sidenote: 1473 / JULY 5]
Brother Edmond, I grete yow weell, letyng yow weete that abowt thys daye
vij. nyght I sende yow a letter by Nycholas Bardeslee a sowdyer, whyche
is wont woute[189-3] to be at border [_brother_] Perauntys,[189-4] and
also an hoseclothe[189-5] off blak ffor yow. I wende that ye sholde have
hadde itt within ij. dayes, but I am afferde that he deseyved me.
Item, I lete yow weet that Plattyng is comen hyddr, and he seythe that
ye gaffe hym leve to ffetche hys geer and Pittys, and that is hys erande
hyddr and noon other, ner he thowt never to goo ffro me, ner he wyll
nott goo ffro me as he seythe, wherffor, I praye yow sende me worde off
hys condycions, and whyghe ye thynke that he sholde never do me
worshypp.
He seythe also that he and Pytte weer at the takyng off the Esterlyngs,
and that he was in the _Pakker_, and Pytte in the _Crystoffre_. I praye
yow sende me worde howe bothe he and Pytte quytte them, by the report
off some indyfferent trewe man that was ther, iff they quytte them
weell, I wolde love them the better, wherffor the next daye afftr the
syte of thys letter, I praye yow wryght ageyn, and sende it by the next
passage.
Item, I sende a lytell praty boxe herwith, whyche I wolde that Juddy
sholde delyver to the woman that he wetyth off, and praye hyr to take it
to the man that she wetyth off; that is to seye, as moche as ye knowe
all well i now, but ye maye nott make yow wyse in no wyse.
Item, I praye yow sende me worde as ye wer wont to do off heer wellffar,
and whether I weer owt and other inne or nott; and whether she shall
fforsake Caleys as sone as ye sende me worde off or nott.
By God I wolde be with yow as ffayne as yowr selff, and shall be in hast
with Godds grace.
Item, as ffor my brother John, I hope within thys monyth to see hym in
Caleys, ffor by lyklyhod to morowe or ellys the next daye he takyth
shyppe at Yarmothe, and goothe to Seynt James[190-1] warde, and he hathe
wretyn to me that he wyll come homwarde by Caleys.
Item, I suppose that James Songer shall come with me to Caleys, the
rather ffor yowr sake.
Item, Mestresse Elysabett ffareth well, but as yit Songer knoweth nott
so perffytly all that ye wolde weet, that he woll nott wryght to yow off
thees ij. dayes tyll he knowe moor, but iff she hadde ben bolde, and
durst have abydyn styll at hyr gate, and spoken with me, so God helpe
me, she had hadd thys same that I sende nowe wher ye woot off, whyche ye
shall see woryn heer afftr, itt is a praty ryban with praty
agletts[190-2] and goodlye.
Make yow not wyse to Juddy, nowther not that ye wolde weet any thynge,
ffor I maye sey to yowe at hys comyng ovr, he browt goodly geer
reasonablye.
Item, as ffor my byll[191-1] that is gylt, I wolde it weer taken head
too; ther is one in the town, that can glaser weell i nowe, as I herde
seye. Also, ther is on comythe every markett daye ffro Seynt Omerys to
Caleys and he bryngethe dagers, and ffetchyth also, he may have it with
hym, and brynge it ageyn the next markett daye ffor xij_d._ or xvj_d._
at the most, and ellys late it be weel oylyd and kepte tyll I come. No
more.
Wretyn at London the v. daye of Julle, Anno E. iiij^ti xiij^{o}.
[Footnote 189-2: [From Fenn, ii. 146.]]
[Footnote 189-3: So in Fenn.]
[Footnote 189-4: Fenn suggests a fanciful explanation of the
expression ‘border Perauntys,’ presuming the latter word not to be
a proper name; but see page 163.]
[[_page 163 = near end of Letter 815_]]
[Footnote 189-5: Cloth for hosen.]
[Footnote 190-1: _See_ page 186, Note 5.]
[Footnote 190-2: Pendant ornaments of metal, like tags or points,
etc.--F.]
[Footnote 191-1: A warlike instrument of offence.--F.]
[[Footnote 190-1
Note 5.
_text has “Note. 5.”_]]
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