_To my Maister Paston._
[Sidenote: 1457 / APRIL 20]
Please you to wete that, after dew recommendacion, hyt yt so that my
maister sendyth me to London for the mater of Rochestr, as for dyvers of
hys oune particuler maters which concern not the lawe, &c.; and I am
lyke to tarye till ye com, in case ye com wythynne iij. wekys.
Sir, at reverence of God, seth my maister ys fully yn wille to renew hys
fefment, that it may be do be tyme by the surest grounde that may be
had, for, be it nevyr so suerly don, hyt shall be thought lytille ynowgh
to kepe hys lond owte of trouble; and to spare for no councell ne cost
to make sure, for a peny yn seson spent wille safe a pounde. I comyned
with my broyder Spyrlyng, which seyth he wille do hys attendaunce, and
to kepe it ryzt close of the namys. Taryeng drawyth parell.
And ye meved a gode mater to the Parson and to me at your last beyng at
Castr, that my maister shud be lerned whate hys housold standyth uppon
yerlye, seth he kept it holye to ghedr at one place; and that don, then
to see by the revenues of hys yeerly lyfelode whate may be leyd and
assigned owte for that cause to meynteyn hys seyd housold, and over
that, whate may be assigned to beere owte hys plees, and also do pay for
hys foreyn chargs[115.2] and dedes of almes to a convenyent somme.
And seth the grettist ordynarye charge most be hys housold kepyng, hyt
were moste exspedyent that ye wold note well to remembre specially my
maister to do hys audyt[or]es cast up and make rollys of hys accompts
concernyng the seyd housold seth he came yn to Norffolk thys ij. yer and
half, whych was nevyr so long to doo thys xl. wynter as ye now. And it
ys pytee that hys audyt ys none ethyr wyse yn that entended; ye must
nedys, yff ye wille my maister know how hyt stand with hym yerly of hys
chargs, that thys be do fyrst, as it was allwey accustomed. My maister
wille acord it to be don, but it ys forgete throwgh negligence of men
yoven to sensualite, as Thomas Upton, me, and othyrs. My maister can not
know wheder he go backward or forward till thys be doon.
I can not elles, but ye wille not foryete thys that the audyt[or]es go
verraily aboute it to an ende. And Haylysdon accompts be behynde for ij.
yeer to [_too_] grete pite ys, and it wer yours or yn any wyseman
gouveraunce.
At Norwich hastly, the Wenstay in Ester weke.