_To my ryth reverrend and worchepfull fadre, John Paston, be thys
delyveryd._
[Sidenote: 1465 / OCT. 3]
Aftyr all humbyll and most due recomendacion, as lowly as I can,
I beseche yow of your blyssyng. Plesyt yow to have knowlege that as on
Sonday next be for Myhelmas Day, as my modyr came fro London ward, sche
cam homward by Cotton, and sche sent for me to Heylysdon to come to hyr
thedyr, and so I have ben in the plase ever sethyn. And as sone as
Myhelmas Day was past, I begane to dystreyne the tenants, and gadryd
some syllvyr, as myche, I trowe, as wyll pay for our costs; and yet I
cepe here ryth a good felawschep, and mor wer promysyd me, whyche that
came not to me, wherby I was ner deseyvyd. For when Debnam herd sey how
that I began to gadyr sylvyr, he reysyd many men with in j. daye and an
halfe, to the nombyr of iij^c. men, as I was credebly assartaynyed by a
yeman of the chambyr of my Lordys[198.1] that owythe me good wyll, whech
yeman, as sone as he had sene ther felauschep, rod streyth to my Lord
and informyd hym of it; and also he informyd my Lord how that I had
gadryd a nothyr gret felashschep, whyche felawschep he namyd more than
we wer by j^c. and an halfe and yett more. And he seyd on to my Lord and
my Lady, and to their consell, that with owt that my Lord took a
dyrectyon in the mater, that ther wer leek to be do gret harme on bothe
oure pertyes, wheche wer a gret dysworchep to my Lord, consederyng how
that he takyth us bothe for hys men, and so we be knowyn well inow. Upon
whyche informacion, and dysworchep to my Lord, that tweyn of hys men
schold debat so ner hym, contrary to the Kyngs pese, consedryd of my
Lord and my Lady and ther cownsell, my Lord sent for me and Syr Gylberd
Debnam to come to hym to Framlyngham bothe, and as it fortunyd well my
modyr come to me to Cotton not half an owyr be for that the mesenger
came to me fro my Lord, wheche was late upon Twysday last past at nyth;
and the next day on the mornyng I rod to my Lord to Framlyngham, and so
ded Syr Gylberd also. And as sone as we wer come, we wer sent for to
come to my Lord, and when we come to my Lord, he desiyryd of us bothe
that we schold neythyrthyr gadyr no felawschep, but syche men as we had
gadryd that we schold send hem home a yen, and that the coort schold be
contenuyd in to the tyme that my Lord, or suche as he wold asyngne, had
spok bothe with yow and Yelverton and Jenney, and that on indeferent man
chosyn by us bothe schold be assynyd to kepe the plase in to the tyme
that ye and they wer spook with.
And then I answed my Lord, and seyd how that at that tyme I had my
maistyr within the maner of Cotton, whyche was my modyr, and in to the
tyme that I had spook with hyr I cowd geve none answer; and so my Lord
sent Rychord Fulmerston, berer hereof, to my modyr thys day for an
answer, whyche answer he schold bryng to my Lord to London, for my Lord
rod to Londons word as yesterday, and the soner be cause he trustyd to
have a good end of this mater and alle othyr be twyx yow, whyche he
takyth for a gret worchep to hym, and a gret avantage bothe, and he cowd
bryng this mater abowt, for then he wold trust to have your servyse,
alle whyche wer to hym gret tresour and avantage.
And this was the answer that my modyr and I gave hym, that at the
instans of my Lord and my Ladye we wold do thus myche as for to put the
coort in contenuans, and no more to receyve of the profyts of the maner
than we had, and had dystresid for tyll in to the tym that sche and I
had werd ayen fro my Lord and yow, if so wer that they wold neythyr mak
entreys nor dystreyn the tenantys, nor chepe no coort mor then we wold
do. And we told Rychord Fulmerston that thys my modyr and I ded at the
instans and gret request of my Lord, be cause my Lord intendyd pes,
whyche resonably we wold not be ayenst, and yet we seyd we knew well
that we schold have no thank of yow when ye knew of it, with owt it wer
be cause we ded it at my Lordys instans. But be for thys answer we had
receyvyd as myche sylvyr full ner as Rychord Calle sent us bokys of for
to gadyryt bye; and as for the possessyon of the plase, we told hym that
we wold kepe it, and Syr Gylberd agreyd, so that Yelverton and Jeney
would do the same; for it was tyme for hym to sey so, for my Lord told
hym that he wold hym fast by the feet ellys, to be suyr of hym, that he
schold make non insurreccions in to the tyme that my Lord came ayen fro
London.
I wene, and so dothe my modyr bothe, that thys appoyntment was mad in
good tyme; for I was deseyvyd of bettyr than an C. men and an halfe that
I had promyse of to have come to me when I sent for hem. Thys promes had
I befor that I sent to yow the last lettyr the daye aftyr Seynt Myhell.
Jenney herd seye that I cepyd Cotton, and he rod to Nacton, and ther
held a cort and receyvyd the profytys of the maner.
I beseche yow that I may have knowlage in hast fro yow ye wyll that I be
demenyd in thys mater and in al othyr, and I schal aplye me to fulfyll
your intent in them to my power by the grace of God, whom I beseche have
yow in guydyng, and sende yow yowyr herts desyir. Wretyn at Hemnalle
Halle, in Cotton, the Thursday next befor Seynt Feythe.
My modyr recomandyth her to yow, and preyith yow to hold hyr excusyd
that sche wrytyth not to yow at thys tyme, for sche may have no leyser.
The berer her of schall informe yow whedyr Jeney wyll agre to thys
appoyntment or not. I thynk he dar do non othyr wyse.
Your sone and lowly servaunt,