[Sidenote: 1477 / JUNE 29]
Ryght worchepfull and my most good and kynd moder. Moder, in as humbyll
wyse as I can or may, I recomand me to yow, and beseche yow of your
dayly blyssyng. Moder, please it yow to undyrstond that tyll thys day
Dame Elyzabeth Brews hathe ben so syke that she myght nevyr, sythe she
cam to Salle, have leyser to comon of my mater with Master Brews tyll
thys day; and thys day with gret peyn, I thynk the rather because
Heydon[290-3] was ther, the mater was comond, but other answer than she
hathe sent yow in hyr lettre closed her in can she not have of hyr
husbond. Wherfor, modyr, if it please yow, myn advyse is to send hyr
answer ayen in thys forme folowing, of some other manys hand.
[_Margaret Paston to Dame Elyzabeth Brews._]
‘Ryght worchepfull and my verry good lady and cosyn, as hertly as I can,
I recomand me to yow. And, madam, I am ryght sory, if it myght be
otherwyse, of the dysease, as I undyrstand by the berer herof, that my
cosyn your husbond and ye also have had a season, whyche I prey God
soone to redresse to your bothe easeis. And, madam, I thank yow hertly
that ye have remembred the mater to my cosyn your husbond, that I spak
with you of at syche tyme as I was last with you at Norwyche, to my gret
comfort. And I wyse, madam, I am ryght sory that John Paston is no more
fortunate then he is in that mater; for, as I undyrstand by your lettyr,
my cosyn your husbond wyll geve but an C_li._, whyche is no money lyek
for syche a joyntore as is desyred of my son, thow hys possybylyte wer
ryght easy. But, madam, when I mad that large grant in the maner of
Sperham that I have mad to hym and my cosyn your doughter, he told me of
an other some that he shold have with hyr then of an C_li._ He hathe
befor thys be wont to tell me none untrowthe; and what I shall deme in
thys mater, I can not sey, for me thynkyth if more then an C_li._ wer
promysyd on to hym by my cosyn your husbond and yow, that ye wold not
lett to geve it hym, with ought so wer that I or he abryggyd eny thyng
of our promess, whyche I wot well neyther I or he intend to do, if I may
undyrstand that hys seying to me was trowthe, and that it may be
performyd; but wyst I that he told me otherwyse then my cosyn yowr
husbond and ye promysed hym, to deseyve me of Sparham, by my trowthe,
thow he have it, he shall lese as myche for it, iff I leve, and that
shall he well undyrstand the next tyme I se hym.
‘And, madam, I pray God send us good of thys mater, for as for hys
broder Sir John also, I sent ones to hym for it to have mad good the
same graunt that I grauntyd yow with hys assent, to them and to ther
issu of ther ij. bodyes lawfully comyng, and he dyd not ther in as I
desyred hym. And ther for I prey yow pardon me for sendyng on to hym eny
more; for, madam, he is my sone, and I can not fynd in my hert to becom
a dayly petycyoner of hys, sythe he hathe denyed me onys myn axing.
Peraventure he had ben better to have performyd my desyer; and what hys
answer was on to me, John Paston can tell yow as well as I. But, madam,
ye ar a moder as well as I, wher I prey tak it non other wyse bot well,
that I may not do by John Paston, as ye wyll have me to do; for, madam,
thow I wold he dyd well, I have to purvey for more of my chylder then
hym, of whyche some be of that age, that they can tell me well inow that
I dele not evenly with theym to geve John Paston so large, and theym so
lytyll; and, madam, for syche grwgys and other causys, I am ryght sory
that the graunte is knowyn that I have mad, with ought it myght take
effect. And therfor, madam, fro hensforthe I remyght all thyng to yowr
dyscressyon, besechyng yow, the rather for my sake, to be my son Johnis
good lady; and I prey God preserve yow to Hys plesure, send yow hastyly
yowr hele ayen, and my cosyn yowr husbond also, to whom I prey yow that
I may hertly be recomandyd, and to my cosyns Margery and Margaret
Byllyngforthe.
‘Wretyn at Mawtby, on Seynt Petrys Day.
‘Yowr,
‘MARGARET PASTON.’
_‘An other lettyr to me that I may shewe._
‘I gret yow well, and send you Godes blessyng and myn, letyng yow wet
that I undyrstand well by my cosyn, Dame Elyzabeth Brewsys lettyr,
whyche I sende yow her with, wherby ye may undyrstand the same, that
they intend not to performe thos proferys that ye told me they promysyd
yow, trustyng that ye told me none other wyse then was promysed yow.
Wherfor I charge yow on my blyssyng that ye be well ware how ye bestow
your mynd with ought ye have a substance wher upon to leve; for I wold
be sory to wet yow myscary; for if ye do, in your defawt looke never
aftyr helpe of me. And also I wold be as sory for hyr as for eny
gentywoman leveing, in good feythe; wherfor I warne yow, be ware in eny
wyse; and look ye be at Mawtby with me as hastyly as ye can, and then I
shall tell yow more. And God kepe yow.
‘Wretyn at Mawtby, on Seynt Petrys Day.
‘Your modyr,
‘M. P.’
[Footnote 290-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter, with the
two subjoined, are drafts written on the same paper in John
Paston’s hand. They must belong to the year 1477, being on the
same subject, already so often referred to, of the negotiations
for John Paston’s marriage. Fenn had added addresses to all these
letters, and a signature to the first, which are not in the
original MS.]
[Footnote 290-3: John Heydon of Baconsthorpe, who died on the 27th
September 1479.--Inquisition p.m., 19 Edw. IV., No. 72.]
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