_To John Paston, Esquyer._
[Sidenote: 1477 / APRIL 14]
Ryght worshypfull and hertely belovyd brother, I recomaunde me to yow,
letyng yow weete, that as by Pyrse Moody, when he was heer, I hadde no
leyser to sende answer in wryghtyng to yow, and to my cosyne Gurnaye,
off yowr letteris; butt ffor a conclusion ye shalle ffynde me to yow as
kynde as I maye be, my conciense and worshyp savyd, whiche, when I speke
with yow and them, ye bothe shall weell undrestande. And I praye God
sende yow as goode speede in that mater as I wolde ye hadde, and as I
hope ye shall have er thys letter come to yow; and I praye God sende yow
yssywe betwyne yow, that maye be as honorable as ever was any off your
ancestris and theris, wheroff I wolde be as gladde in maner as off myn
owne. Wherffor I praye yow sende me worde how ye doo, and iff Godde
ffortune me to doo weell, and be off any power, I woll be to Sir Thomas
Brewse, and my lady hys wyffe, a verry sone in lawe ffor yowr sake, and
take them as ye doo, and doo ffor them as iff I weer in case like with
them as ye bee. No moor, but Jesus have yow in kepyng.
Wretyn at Caleys, the xiiij. daye off Aprill, anno E. iiij. xvij^{o}.
As ffor tydyngs her, the Frenshe Kynge hathe gothen many off the towns
off the Duk of Burgoyne, as Seynt Quyntyns, Abevyle, Motrell; and now
off late he hathe goten Betoyne and Hedynge with the castell ther,
whyche is one off the ryallest castells off the worlde; and on Sonday at
evyn the Ameralle off Fraunce leyde seege at Boloyne; and thys daye it
is seyde, that the Frenshe Kynge shalle come thyddr; and thys nyght it
is seyde, that ther was a vysion seyne abowte the walls of Boloyne, as
it hadde ben a woman with a mervylowse lyght; men deme that Owr Lady
ther will shewe hyrselff a lover to that towne. God fforfende that it
weer Frenshe, it weer worthe xl.m^l._li._ [£40,000] that it wer
Englyshe.