_To my cosyn, Margaret Paston._
[Sidenote: 1465 / JULY 13]
I recummand me to yow, I thank of yow of yowr labour and besynes with
the unruly felechep that cam befor yow on Monday last past, wherof I
herd report be John Hobbis. And in god feyth ye aquyt yow rygth wel and
discretly and hertyly to yowr wurchep and myn, and to the shame of your
adversarijs, and I am wel content that ye avowid that ye kept possession
at Drayton and so wold doo. Wherfor I pray yow, make yowr word god if ye
may, and at the lest, let myn adversarijs not have it in pees if ye may.
Jon Hobbys tellith me that ye be seekly, whech me lekith not to here;
praying yow hartyly that ye take what may do yowr eese and spar not, and
in any wyse take no thowth no to moch labor for thes maters, ne set it
not so to yowr hert that ye fare the wers for it. And as for the mater,
so they overcome yow not with fors ne bosting, I shall have the maner
sewrlyer to me and myn, than the Dewk shall have Cossey, dowt ye not.
And in cas I come not home within thre wekis, I pray you com to me, and
Wykes hath promisid to kepe the plase in yowr absens. Nevertheles whan
ye come set it in seche rewle as ye seme best and most suer, bothe for
Castre and Heylisdon if the werr hold. In cas ye have pees send me word.
As for that it is desyrid I shuld show my tytill and evydens to the
Dewk, me thynkyth he had evyll cowncell to entre in opon me, trusting I
shuld shew hym evydens. And [_if_] ye seme it may do yow god or eese,
lete my Lord of Norwich wet that the maner of Drayton was a marchants of
London callid Jon Heylisdon longe er any of the Polis that the seyd Dewk
comyth of wer borne to any lond in Norfolk or Suffolk; and if they wer
at that tyme born to no lond, how may the seyd Dewk klaym Drayton be
that pedegre? As for the seyd John Heylisdon, he was a por man born, and
from hym the seyd maner dessended to Alice his dowtyr, hos estat I have,
and I soppose the seyd Dewk comyth not of hem.
Item, as for the pedegre of the seyd Dewk, he is sone to William Pool,
Dewk of Suffolk, sone to Mychell Pool, Erl of Suffolk, sone to Mychel
Pool, the furst Erl of Suffolk of the Polis, mad be King Richard seth my
fader was born; and the seyd furst Mychell was sone to on William Pool
of Hull, whech was a wurchepfull man grow be fortwne of the werld. And
he was furst a marchant, and after a knygth, and after he was mad
baneret; and if any of thees hadde the maner of Drayton I will los
C_li._ so that any persone for the Dewk will be bond in as moch to prove
the contrary; and I wot weel the seyd Dewkis Cowncell wil not claym the
seyd maner be the tytill of the fader of the seyd William Pool. And what
the fader of the seyd William was, as be the pedegre mad in the seyd
last Dewkis fadirs daijs I know rygt weell; wherof I informyd Herry
Boteler to tell my old Lady of Suffolk, becawse he is of her cowncell;
and more will I not tell in thes mater, but if [_unless_] I be desyrid
or compellid.
Item, let my Lord of Norwich wete that it is not profitabe ner the comen
well of gentilmen that any jentilman shuld be compellid be an entre of a
lord to shew his evidens or tytill to his lond, ner I wil not begine
that example ne thralldam of gentilmen ner of other; it is god a lord
take sad cowncell, or he begyne any sech mater.
And as for the Pools that owth Drayton, if ther wer C. of hem levyng, as
ther is non, yet have they no tytill to the seyd maner. God kepe yow.
Wret the Satirday, &c.
Yowr JON PASTON.