_To my ryth worchepfull husbond, John Paston, be thys delyveryd in
hast._
[Sidenote: 1462 / JAN. 7]
Ryth worchepfull husbond, I recomand me to yow. Plesyt yow to wet that I
sent yow a lettyr by my cosyn Barneys man of Wychyngham wyche was wretyn
on Seynt Thomas Day in Crystmas,[24.2] and I had no tydyngys nor lettyr
of yow sene the wek before Crystmas; wher of I mervayle sore. I fere me
it is not well with yow be cawse ye came not home or sent er thys tyme.
I hopyd verily ye schold have ben at home by Twelthe at the ferthest.
I pray yow hertly that ye wole wychesave to send me word how ye do as
hastly as ye may, for my hert schall nevyr be in ese tyll I have
tydyngys fro yow. Pepyll of this contre begynyth to wax wyld, and it is
seyd her that my Lord of Clarans and the Dwek of Suthfolk and serteyn
jwgys with hem schold come downe and syt on syche pepyll as be noysyd
ryotous in thys contre. And also it is seyd here, that there is retornyd
a newe rescwe up on that that was do at the scher. I suppose swyche
talkynge comyth of false schrewys that wold mak a rwmor in this contre.
The pepyll seyth here that they had levyr go up hole to the Kynge and
compleyne of siche false screwys as they have be wrongyd by a fore, than
they schold be compleynyd of with owt cause and be hangyd at ther owne
dorys. In good feyth men fere sore here of a comone rysyng but if
[_i.e._ unless] a bettyr remedy may be had to a pese the pepyll in hast,
and that ther be sent swyche downe to tak a rewyll as the pepyll hathe a
fantsy in, that wole be indeferent. They love not in no wyse the Dwke of
Sowthfolk nor hys modyr. They sey that all the tretourys and
extorsyonerys of thys contre be meynteynyd by them and by syche as they
get to them with her goodys, to that intent to meynten suche extorsyon
style as hathe be do by suche as hathe had the rewyll undyr them be fore
tyme. Men wene, and the Dwke of Sowthfolk come ther scholl be a schrewd
reuell but if [_unless_] ther come odyr that be bettyr belovyd than he
is here. The pepyll feryth hem myche the more to be hurt, because that
ye and my cosyn Barney come not home; they sey they wot welle it is not
well with yow and if it be not well with yow, they sey they wot well,
they that wole do yow wronge wole sone do them wronge, and that makyth
them all most mad. God for Hys holy mersy geve grace that ther may be
set a good rewyll and a sad in this contre in hast, for I herd nevyr sey
of so myche robry and manslawter in thys contre as is now within a
lytyll tyme. And as for gadyryng of mony, I sey nevyr a werse seson, for
Rychard Calle seyth he can get but lytyll in substans of that is owyng,
nowthyr of yowyr lyvelod nor of Fastolfys th’eyr. And John Paston seyth,
they that may pay best they pay werst; they fare as thow they hopyd to
have a newe werd [_world_]. And the blyssyd Trinite have yow in Hys
kepyng and send us good tydyngys of yow.
Yelverton is a good thredbare frend for yow and for odyr in thys contre,
as it is told me.
Wretyn in hast on the Thorsday nex aftyr Twelthe.