_To my rith wurchipfull brodir, Jon Paston, be this delyveryd._
[Sidenote: 1454 / SEPT. 6]
Ryth wurchyfull brodyr, I recomande me to zow, desiryng to her of zowr
willefar. Byllyng[1.2] the serjant hathe byn in his contre, and he come
to Lundon this weke; he sent for me and ast me how I fared; I tolde hym
her is pestelens, and sayd I fard the better he was in good hele, for it
was noysyd that he was ded. A toke me to him and ast how my suster dede,
and I answeryd wyll, never better. He seyd he was with the Lord
Gray,[1.3] and they talkyd of j. jantilman qweche is ward to my Lord--I
remember he sayd it was Harry Gray that thei talkyd of; and my Lord
sayd, ‘I was besy with jn this fewe days to a maryd hym to a
jantyllwoman jn Norfolke that schall have iiij. C. marc to hyr mariage,
and now a wyll not be me, for iiij. C. marc wulde do me hese; and now he
wulde have his mariage mony hymself, and therefore (quoth he) he schall
mary hym self for me.’
This wurds had my Lorde to Byllyng, as he tollde me, he understod that
my Lord laboryd for his owne a vayle, and consaylyd to byd her be wyse;
and I thankeyd hym for hys good consayll.
I sent zow an answer of zowr letter of Sir Jon Fastolf comyng hom, as he
told me hem self; neverthe lesse he bode longer than he sayd hymself he
schull a do.
He tolde me he schulde make j. [_one_] ende be twix Skroop[2.1] and my
suster wulle he is in Norfolke. Many wulde it schulde not prove, for
thei say it is an onlykkely mariage.
In casse Cressener be talkyd of ony mor, he is countyd a jantyllmanly
man and a wurshepfull. Ze knowe he is most wurchipfull better than I. At
the reverens of Good, drawe to sume conclusyn; it is time.
My Lord Chanseler[2.2] come not her sone I come to Lundon, nether my
Lord of Yorke.[2.3]
My Lord of Canterbury[2.4] hathe received hys crosse, and I was with hym
in the kynggs chamber qwan he mad hys homage. I tolde Harry Wylton the
demeanyng betwix the kyng and hym; it war to long to wrythe.
As for the prist that dede areste me, I can not understand that it is
the pryste that ze mene.
Her is gret pestelens. I purpose to fle in to the contre. My Lord of
Oxforthe is come azen fro the se, and he hath geth hym lytyll thank in
this countre. Much more thyng I wulde wrythe to zow, but I lak lysore.
Harry Wylton sey the Kyng. My Lord of Ely[2.5] hathe do hys fewthe [_his
fealty_]. God have zow in his blyssyd kepyng.
Wretyn at Lundon on the Fryday be for owr Ladys day, the Natyvite, in
gret hast. I pray recomand me to my suster, and cosyn Cler.
Be yowr broder,