_To my Mayster, Jon Pastone, Esqwyer, be this letter presentid._
_Jesu mercy._
[Sidenote: 1459]
Ryte reverent mayster, &c., as sone as ze may goodly, comyth to Castre,
and Zelverton[144.3] with zow, and ze think it to be done; and sendyth
home zowr men and hors, tyl ze haf do here, &c. And by grace of God and
zour polityk wisdham, ze schal conclude more effectually in gret matyers
of substans, to my maysterys[144.4] and zour worschip and profyte. It is
hey tyme; he drawyt fast home ward, and is ryte lowe browt, and sore
weykid [_weakened_] and feblyd, &c. And ze must bryng with zow a forme
of a supplicacyon made at London in what maner wyse Mr. R. Popy,
a cunnyng and a crafty man, schal presentyn and purposyn to the Kyng for
the inmorteysing of Castre to Seynt Benet, &c., which he promittyd up
[_promised upon_] a certeyn mony, &c., and undirtoke it, &c., and fond
that tyme no bonys in the matere, &c. And now he seyth he wil labour and
ryde and do hise part, &c. And he wold haf me to help hym, &c., quod non
fiet, &c., or elles a man of credens of my masterys, &c., quod dubito
fieri, &c. God bryng zow sone hidyr, &c., for I am weri tyl ze come.
Sir Thomas the parson, zowr owne most trewe, &c., be myn trewthe, and I
zour bedeman and zowrs at zour comaundement, in zour letter haf no more
towchid of the mater, &c., to my mayster, &c. Every day this v. dayes he
seyth, ‘God send me sone my good cosyn Paston, for I holde hym a
feythful man, and ever on man.’ Cui ego, ‘That is soth,’ &c. Et ille,
‘Schew me not the mete, schew me the man.’ Hæc verba replicat sæpius cum
magno stomacho, &c. Colinus Gallicus dicit in Jernemuta et aliis locis
se esse executorem, &c. Dixit etiam heri coram pluribus, si semel fuerit
London’ nunquam vult videre Norfolchiam, &c. Dicit etiam, ubi executores
credunt se habituros claves, &c., post mortem alii habebunt claves, ita
bene sicut illi, &c. Falsissimus est, et ego bene dixi in partem suam
inter ipsum et me, &c. Propter Deum, faciatis Spirlyng venire juxta
promissum in f’cū [_factum ?_], &c. Gallicus ipse maxime odit rectorem
et vellet supplantare eum, &c. Item, valde desiderat suum, quietus est
quia absit, &c.
Henricus Todyham continue aspirat post mortem magistri cum mille habeat
oculos nocendi, &c., si quorum duos deperderit, nullus cæteros timeret,
&c.
[Footnote 144.2: [From Fenn, iii. 342.] No signature appears to
be attached to this letter as Fenn has printed it, but the style
is unmistakably that of Brackley, to whom he attributes it. The
original was endorsed in an ancient hand, according to Fenn,
‘Littera fratris Doctoris Brackley per quam patet Jo. Fastolf
valde desiderasse presentiam consanguinei sui Jo. Paston.’ The
date seems to be shortly before Sir John Fastolf’s death, which
happened on the 5th November 1459.]
[Footnote 144.3: William Yelverton.]
[Footnote 144.4: Sir John Fastolf.]
384