_To John Paston, Esquyer, at Norwyche, or to Roose, dwellyng affor
Mestresse Pastonys gate, in Norwych._
[Sidenote: 1474 / NOV. 20]
Ryght wyrshypful and weell belovyd brother, I recomaunde me to yow,
letyng yow weet that I have comonyd with yowr ffreende Dawnson, and have
receyvyd yowr rynge off hym, and he hathe by myn advyce spoken with
hyr[214-2] ij. tymes; he tellythe me off hyr delyng and answers, whyche
iff they wer acordyng to hys seyng, a ffeynter lover than ye wolde, and
weell aghte to, take therin greet comffort, so that he myght haply slepe
the werse iij. nyghtys afftr. And suche delyng in parte as was bytwyen
my Lady W. and yowr ffreende Danson he wrote me a bylle theroff, whyche
I sende yow herwith; and that that longythe to me to doo therin, it
[_I ?_] shall nott ffayle to leeve all other bysynesse a parte.
Neverthelesse within iij. dayes, I hope so to deele herin, that I
suppose to sette yow in serteynte hoghe that ye shall fynde hyr ffor
evyr her afftr. It is so, as I undrestande, that ye be as besy on yowr
syde ffor yowr ffreende Dawnson, wheer as ye be, I praye God sende yow
bothe goode spede in thees werkys, whyche iff they be browte abowte iche
off yowe is moche beholden to other; yit were it pyte that suche crafty
wowers, as ye be bothe, scholde speede weell, but iff ye love trewly.
Item, as ffor Stoctons doghtr, she shall be weddyd in haste to Skeerne,
as she tolde hyrselffe to my sylke-mayde,[215-1] whyche makyth perte off
suche as she shall weer, to whom she brake hyr harte, and tolde hyr that
she sholde have hadde Master Paston, and my mayde wende it had been I
that she speke off; and with moor that the same Mester Paston kome wher
she was with xx. men, and wolde have taken hyr aweye. I tolde my mayde
that she lyed off me, and that I never spake with hyr in my lyff, ner
that I wolde not wedde hyr to have with hyr iij^ml. marke.
Item, as for Ebortons dowghtr, my brother Edmonde seythe, that he herde
never moor speche theroff syns yowr departyng, and that ye wolde that he
sholde nott breke, nor doo no thynge therin, but iff it come off theer
begynnyng.
Item, I had answer ffrom my Lorde[215-2] that he is my speciall goode
lorde, and that by wryghtyng; and as ffor Bernaye he sette hym in hys
owne wages ffor my sake, and that whan so ever I come to Caleys, I shall
ffynde all thyng ther as woll have it, and rather better than it was
heretoffor.
Item, the Kyng come to this towne on Wednysdaye; as ffor the Frenshe
Embassate that is heer, they come nott in the Kynges presence, by
lykehod, ffor men seye that the chyeff off them is he that poysonyd
bothe the Duke off Berry[216-1] and the Duke off Calabr.[216-2]
Item, ther was never mor lyklyhod that the Kyng shall goo ovyr thys next
yer than was nowe.
I praye yow remembre that I maye have the pewter vessell heddr by the
next karyer by the lattr ende off thys weke.
Item, I praye yow remembr so that I may have the bokys by the same tyme,
whyche my moodr seyde she wolde sende me by the next carier.
Wretyn at London, the Sondaye the xx. daye off Novembr, anno E. iiij^ti
xiiij^{o}.