_To John Paston, Esquyer, be thys delyvered._
[Sidenote: 1473 / NOV. 22]
Ryght wyrshypfull and hertyly belovyd brother, I comand me to yow,
letyng you wet that I receyvyd a letter that come from yow, wretyn circa
viij. Mychaelys,[196-3] wherin ye leet me weet off the decesse off Syr
James, and that my moodre is in purpose to be at Norwyche, and I am
ryght glad that sche wyll now doo somwhat by yowr advyce; wherffor be
war fro hense forthe that noo suche felawe crepe in be twyen hyr and
yow, and iff ye lyst to take a lytell labore, ye may lyff ryght well,
and she pleasyd. It is as good that ye ryde with a cople off horse at
hyr cost as Syr James or Richard Calle.
Ye sende me worde also that she in noo wyse wyll purveye thyr C_li._ for
the redemyng off Sporle. Late it goo. As towchyng that mater, John
Osbern tolde me that he comonyd with yow at Sporle of that mater; ferr
he devysed that Kokett, or suche an other man, sholde, to have it the
better cheppe, leye owt the valewe off vj. yere for to have it vij.
yere, wherto I wolde agre; and for Goddys sake, if thatt maye be browt
abowt, late it be doon. As ye woot of, it is laten for xxij_li._ be
yere, yit the fermor graunt but xxj.; but to Kokett it wolde be worthe
xxv_li._, yea and better. Neverthelesse, if Kokett wyll delyver
vj^xx._li._, I wolde he had it for vij. yeer, with thys that my moodre
be agreable to the same, by cawse of th’entresse that she hathe for my
brother William, whyche shall nott be off age thys vij. yeer;
neverthelesse, as ye know myn olde entent, I purpose to purvey for hym
in an other plase better than theer; whyche graunte off my moodre I
praye yow to be my solycytor in, whyche [and] it be browt abowt, Sporle
shall be in as goode case as evyr he was.
John Osbern willyd me to make yow a sufficiaunt waraunt to selle and
felle wood at Sporle, whyche I remembre ye have in as ample forme as can
be; neverthelesse iff thys meane above wretyn off letyng to ferme maye
be hadde, it shall, I hope, nat nede to felle ner selle moche. But I
remytte that geer to yowr dyscrescion, but iff ye have suche comforte,
I praye yow sende me worde. I maye seye to yow, John Osbern flateryd me,
for he wolde have borowyd mony off me.
Item, in retaylyng of woode theer, it weer harde to tryst hym; he is
nedye. If Kokett, or whoo so evyr had that maner to ferme for vij. yere,
and payd therffor but vj^xx._li._, he sholde, to lete it ageyn, wynne
xxxvj_li._, whyche we[re] moche; wherffor, iff it myght bee, yt wer more
resenable vj^xx. vij_li._ to be reseyvyd, and yit is ther lost
xxix_li._, or ellys iff ye take lesse mony and fewer yerys, so it be
aftre the rate, so ther be purveyd C_li._ at the lest; send worde.
Item, ye wroot that lyke a trewe man ye sende me xviij_s._ by Richarde
Radle. Ye weer to trewe; but he semys to be a false shrewe, for he browt
me noon yitt. Whethyr he be owt of town or nott, kan I nott seye.
Ye prayed me also to sende yow tydynges how I spedde in my materis, and
in cheff of Mestresse Anne Hault. I have answer ageyn fro Roome that
there is the welle of grace and salve sufficiaunt for suche a soore, and
that I may be dyspencyd with; neverthelesse my proctore there axith a
m^l. docatys, as he demythe. But Master Lacy, another Rome renner heer,
whyche knowyth my seyde proctor theer, as he seythe, as weell as Bernard
knewe hys sheeld, seythe that he menyth but an C. docates or CC. at the
most; wherffor afftre thys comythe moor. He wrote to me also, _quod Papa
hoc facit hodiernis diebus multociens_.
Item, as towchyng Caster, I tryst to God that ye shall be in it to myn
use or Crystmesse be past.
Item, yowr ost Brygham recomand hym to yow, and when he and I rekenyd,
I gave hym ij. noblis for yowr borde, whyll ye weer theer in hys
absence; but in feythe he wolde, for nowth that I kowde doo, take j_d._
Wherffor ye most thanke hym or charge me to thanke hym on yowr behalve
in some nexte epystyll that ye wryght to me to Caleys. He leete me weet
that he wolde do moor for yow than soo.
Item, my Lady Bowgcher was almost deed, but she ys amendyd. I trowe they
come in to Norffolk.
Item, as for W. Berker, I heer no worde from hym. I praye yow comon with
Berney ther in, he knoweth myn conceyt; and also I praye yow hast Berney
ageyn. I wold not that he played the fooll, ner wastyd hys tyme ner hys
sylver.
Item, as for the brace of growndes [_greyhounds_], or one verry goode,
or in especiall the blak of Germynes, I can nott seye but ye be a trewe
man, but William Mylsent isse a false shrewe, so mote I thee, and I trow
hys master ys too.
Item, I most have myn instrumentes hydder, whyche are in the chyst in my
chambre at Norwyche, whyche I praye yow and Berney to gedre joyntly, but
natt severally, to trusse in a pedde,[199-1] and sende them me hyddre in
hast, and a byll ther in how many peces. Thys most be had to avoyde
idelnesse at Caleys.
Item, I preye yow take heed among thatt my stuffe take noon harme, ner
that myn evydence, wher ye wott of, be owt of joperte.
Item, I praye yow doo for Berneye as ye kan, so that he maye be in
sewerte for hys annywyte, and that it be nott costious fro hense forthe
to hym any mor to come, or sende for it. I pray yow wynne yowr sporys in
hys mater.
Item, I purposed to have sent heer with the testament off my fadre and
the scytacions to my moodre to yow and Arblaster; but they be nott redy.
Within ij. dayes aftre the comyng of thys, I suppose they shall be with
yow, and than I shall wryght mor to yow.
As for other tydynges, I trust to God thatt the ij. Dukes of Clarans and
Glowcester shall be sette att one by the adward off the Kyng.
Item, I hope by the means of the Duke of Glowcester that my Lord
Archebyshop[199-2] shall come home.
Item, as towchyng my sustre Anne,[199-3] I undrestand she hathe bene
passyng seek; but I wende that she had ben weddyd. As for Yelverton, he
seyde but late that he wold have hyr, iff she had hyr mony, and ellis
nott; wherffor me thynkyth that they be nott verry sewre. But, amonge
alle other thynges, I praye yow be ware that the olde love of Pampyng
renewe natt. He is nowe fro me; I wott nat what he woll doo.
No more. Wretyn at London, the xxij. daye of Novembre Anno R. R. E.
iiij^ti xiij^{o}.
JOHN PASTON, Kt.
[Footnote 196-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]
[Footnote 196-3: i.e. _circa octabas Michaelis_--about the Octaves
of Michaelmas, or 6th October.]
[Footnote 199-1: A kind of basket.]
[Footnote 199-2: George Neville, Archbishop of York, though
formerly pardoned, had been accused of holding correspondence with
the Earl of Oxford, for which he was imprisoned at Guines.]
[Footnote 199-3: Anne Paston married William Yelverton, grandson
of Sir William Yelverton, the Judge.]
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