_To my ryth worchepful husbond, Jonhn Paston, be thys delyveryd in
hast._
[Sidenote: 1461 / DEC. 29]
Ryth worchepfull husbond, I recomande me to yow. Plesyt yow to wete that
I receyvyd the lettyr that ye sent me by a man of Seynt Mychell parysche
on Fryday next aftyr the Consepcion of owyr Ladi;[14.2] and anon as I
had it, I sent my modyr[14.3] the lettyr because of swyche materys as
longyd to hyr in that same lettyr. And sythyn that tyme I kowd gete no
massanger to London but if I wold have sent by the Scheryfys men; and I
knew nowthyr her mastyr nor them, not whedyr they wer well wyllyng to
yow or not; and therfor methowt it had be no sendyng of no lettyr by
hem.
And as for swyche materys as John Geney and Jamys Gresham spak to me,
I sped hem as well as I kowd; and they bothe told me that ye schold
veryly a ben at home before Crystmas, and that causyd me that I wrot not
to yow now non answer. For if I had know that ye schold not have ben at
home er thys tyme, I schold a sent some man to yow; for I thynk ryth
longe tyll I have some god tydyngys fro yow. I fer me that it is not
well with yow that ye be fro home at thys good tyme. And many of yowyr
contre men thynk the same; but they be hertty inow to yow-ward, and full
fayn wold her god tydyngys fro yow. The wer no byllys put to the
Scherryf[15.1] at hys beyng her, ner non opyn playnt mad that I
. . . . . of no persone, be cawse they had so lyttyll knowlage of hys
comeyng in to thys contre. He demenyd hym full . . . . . and
indeferently, as it was told me, and Yelverton mad a fayir sermone at
the Sesschyonys, and seyd . . . . . so that the Kyng was informyd that
ther was a ryotows felawschep in thys contre, wer for the Kyng was
gretly dysplesyd, and that the Kyng undyrstood well that it was not of
ther owne mosyon, boot of cownselyng of one or ij. that ben evyll
dysposyd folk. And also he seyd if ony man wold put up ony byllys of
compleynts of ony extorcion or brybery don be ony men of thys contre to
them, they wer redy to receyve them, and to make a-kord be twyx hem; and
if they cowd not mak the acord, that than the schold tak the byllys to
the Kyng, and he schold set hem thorow. And the Scheryfe seyd that he
wold he . . . . . . them that wold compleyne and dorste not for fer put
up ther byllys.
And Yelverton preyid the Scheryfe that if he had for get onythyng that
the Kyng seyd to hem at ther departtyng, that he wolde rehersyt
[_rehearse it_] ther. And than the Scheryf seyd that he had seyd all
that he remembryd, save only [that] the Kyng . . . . to hem ij.
personys, Syr Thomas Todenham and Heydon. And than Yelverton seyd, ‘A,
that is trowthe, as th . . . . . . . that J[ohn of] Dame told me that he
spak with the Scheryf aftyrward, and let hym h . . . . . . . the rewylle
[and] demenyng of thys contre, and what cawsyd the pepyll for to grwge
ayens swyche folkys as had the reuyll be fortyme; and he was pleyne to
hym in many thyngys, as he told me; and he fond the Scheryfe ryth pleyne
ayen to hym, and well dysposyd in that that myth growe to the welfar of
the schere. The Scheryfe seid he undyrstood by swyche informacion as he
had, syns he came into thys contre, that they had not all gydyd hem well
that had the rewyill of thys contre be for; and therfore he seyd
feythfully, and swore by gret othys that he wold nowthyr spar for good,
nor love, nor fer, but that he wold let the Kynge have knowlage of the
trowthe, and that he wold do asmyche for thys contre as he cowd or myth
do to the welfare therof, and seyd that he lekyd the contre ryth well.
And John of Dame seyd if the contre had had knowlage of hys comyng, he
schold have had byllys of compleyntes and knowlage of myche more thyng
than he myth have knowlage of that tyme, or myth have because of schort
abyng; and he seyd he wold not be longe owt of thys contre.
And also Yelverton seyd opynly in the Seschyons they to come downe for
the same cause to set a rewyll in the contre. And yet he seyd he woste
well that the Kynge myth full evyll have for bor ony of hem bothe; for
as for a knyth ther was none in the Kyngys howse that myth werse a be
for bore than the Scheryfe myth at that tyme. I have myche mor to wryt
to yow of than I may have leyser at thys tyme; but I troste to God that
ye schall be at home yowyr selfe in hast, and than ye schall knowe all.
And but if ye come home in haste, I schall send to yow; and I pray yow
hertly, but if ye come home, send me word in hast how ye do. And the
blyssyd Trinyte have yow in hys kepyng. Wretyn in hast on Seynt Thomas
day in Crystmas.[16.1]
By yowyr,