[Sidenote: 1460 / FEB. 7]
A very frende at nede experience will schewe be deede, as wele as be
autorite of Aristotle in the Etiques that he made of moralite. Also by
the famous Reamayn Tullius in his litell booke _De Amicicia_; thangyng
you for olde contynued frendschip stidffastely grounded, as I wele
[_qu._ feel?] be your letter of a goode disposicion made, as it
appereth. Where as it schewith to the understandyng of suche as you
write uppon that I schulde, be crafty councell of some men sodenly have
departed in to these parties, &c., and that I straunched me from sertein
persones to moche, &c.; as for the furste, it schalbe to openly knowe
that I departed not hedre be councell of suche persons as they ymagyne,
for in trowthe no creature levyng, when I departed from Norwich, knewe
of it, saffe one that hath and evermore schal be next of my knowlege in
viagis makyng, alle be it I will not alwey disclose the cause. I herde
sey sith I come to London theye weche ye dempte to be of my councell
thanne where at Wolsyngham or Thepala (?) when I departed. I have wrete
the cauce to hym that of nature schulde be my beste frende, that for as
much I had labored as weele as W. Paston do my maister frendes,
chevised, and leyd money content out of his purse to the some of C_li._,
and more for cloothe and other thynges for my seide maister entencion,
promyttyng payment be fore Cristemesse, or right soone aftir, or to be
at London, and acquytyng me that I put me my dever. And be cause my
maister attorneys in that parties toke not to herte to make the
payementes here so hastely as they ded there, I had no comffortable
answere of spedyng the seid paymentes here. And also I was not put in
truste a mong the seid attorneys there to yeve on peny for my maister
sowle, but I paid it of myn owne purse befoore; nother in trust ne
favour to geve an almesse gowne, but that I praid for it as a straunger
schulde doo, alle be it myn autorite is as grete as theris, and rather
more as I tolde you. And also my Lorde of Canturebury and Maister John
Stookes, his juge, had geve autorite to ministre to a certein somme till
the testament were proved. And these preseidents consedred wolde
discorage any man to a bide but a litel amonges hem that so straunged
hem self from me and mistrusted me, be thut any cauce ye knowe wele how
that my maister man servauntes were put in gretter truste and
familiarite to handell, geve, and telle out of the bagghes my maister
money bothe at Seint Benetts and in Norwich in divers places by grete
summes and litell. And ye as other my maister servauntes and I that
helped gete my maister goode and brynge it togedre were straunged, and
as it semyd by there demenyng mistrusted to oure grete vilanye and
rebuke, wheche muste be answerd the causes why, and we declared [i.e.
_exculpated_], and so shal I make it for my pore person, and for my
maister sowle heele. It is not soilied (?) knowen that I was one of the
cheeffe that kepte bothe my Maister Paston and myn oncle[206.1] in my
maister favour and truste, and if I wolde have labored the contrary, by
my sowle--that is the grettest othe that I may swere of my silff--they
had never be nygh my maister in that case they stonde nowe. And if they
woll labour to damage or hendre me, all the worlde woll mysreporte of
hem and litel truste hem, nowther they schal not have wurschip nor
profight bi it. I wolde be to them as lowyng and as wele willyng as I
gan, so I fynde cause, and other I wolnot be to my fadre, and he weere a
liffe. I requere you a[n]swere for me as I wolde and have do for you
whan som of hem have seid ful nakedly of you, and suche as ye deeme hafe
mysereported causeles of me, I pray you that they see my letter as weele
as my frendes. My maister also (God yelded is sowle) graunted to me a
liffelode accordyng to my degre, that I, my wiffe, and my childre,
schulde have cause to prey for hym. My wiffes uncle[207.1] was present
in his chapell at Castre as wele as my wiffe, and comaunded her oncle to
chese the londe. This is trowthe be the blissed Sacrament that I
receyved at Pasch [_i.e._ Easter]. And because I demaunded my right and
dwte of my Maister Paston, he is not plesed. I have lost more thanne x.
mark worthe londe in my maister servyce, by God, and not [_unless_] I be
releved, alle the worlde schal knowe it elles that I have to gret wrong.
Wolde God I kowde plese bothe Maister Paston and my oncle in reson, who
preserve you.
Wrete hastely the vij. day of Feveryere.
Your,
W. BOTONER, _dit_ Wurcester.
[Footnote 205.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. of this letter
is not an original, but a copy in the handwriting of John
Paston. It appears to be written on the cover of a letter from
his wife, addressed on the back, ‘To my ryght wurschipfull
husbond, John Paston, be this delyvered in haste.’ The date must
be 1460, as it is clearly not long after the death of Sir John
Fastolf; and as the writer speaks of having recently left
Norwich, it was probably not many days or weeks after No. 399.]
[Footnote 206.1: Botoner’s wife, whose Christian name was
Margaret, was a niece of Thomas Howes, parson of Blofield. He
therefore calls Howes his uncle.]
[Footnote 207.1: _See_ Note on last page.]
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