TO JOHN PASTON II: DRAFT 1478, 05, 27

I greet yow well and send yow Goddys blyssyng and myn, latyng yow wete þat I haue sent yow be Whetelé þe clothe of golde, chargyng yow þat it be not solde to non othere vse þan to þe performyng of yowyr fadyrs tovmbe, as ȝe send me worde in wrytyng. Yf ye sellyt to any othyr vse, by my trowthe I xall neuer trost yow wyll I leue. Remembyr þat yt coste me xxti marke þe pleggyng owte of yt, and yf I where nat glad to se þat made I wolde not departe from it. Remembyr yow what charge I haue had wyth yow of late, whyche wyl not be for my ease þis ij ȝere. Whan ȝe may better I trost ȝe whyll remembyr yt. My cosyn Clere dothe as meche coste at Bromhom as whylle drawe an c li. vpon þe deskys in þe quere and in othyr placys, and Heydon in lyke whyse; and yf þere xuld no thyng be don for ȝour fadyr, yt wolde be to gret a schame for vs alle, and in cheffe to se hym lye as he dothe. Also as I vnder-stond þat my cosyn Robert Clere thynkyth gret onkyndenesse in delyng wyth hym of Pecoke for certeyn pasture þat ȝe grawntyd hym to haue, and Pecok hath latyn it to othyr suche as he lyste to lete yt to. Not wyth-stondyng my cosyn hath leyd þe pasture wyth hys catell, and Pecok hathe strenyd them. I thynk þis delyng is not as yt xulde be. I wolde þat iche of yow xulde do for othere, and leue as kynnysmen and frendys; for suche seruawntys may make trobyll by-twyx yow, wheche where a-geynste cortesey, so nyhe newborys as ȝe be. He ys a man of substaunce and worchyp, and so wylle be takyn in thys schyre, and I were lothe þat ȝe xulde lese þe good wylle of suche as may do for yow. Page  381
Item, where as ȝe haue begonne your cleyme in Heylysdon and Drayton, I pray God send yow good sped and foderaunce in yt. ȝe haue as good a ceason as ȝe wulde wysche, consyderyng þat your aduersary standys not in best favyr wyth þe Kynge. Also ȝe haue þe voyse in þis contré þat ȝe may do as meche wyth þe Kyng as ony knygth þat ys longyng to þe Corte; yf yt be so, I pray God contynuyt. And also þat ȝe xuld mary ryght nygth of þe Qwenys blood. Qwat sche ys we are not as certeyn, but yf yt be so þat yowyr lond schuld come a-gayne by þe reason of your maryage, and to be sett in rest, at þe reuerence of God for-sake yt nowt yf ȝe can fynde in your harte to loue hyr, so þat sche be suche on as ȝe can thynk to haue jssv by; or ellys by my trowth I had rathere þat ȝe neuer maryd in your lyffe. Also yf yowyr matere take not now to good effecte, ȝe and all yowyr frendys may repent them þat ȝe be-gan your cleyme wyth-owte þat ȝe haue take suche a suyr wey as may be to your intent, for many inconuenyens þat may falle þere-of. God send yow good spede in all yowyr maters. Wretyn at Mawteby þe day after Seynt Austyn in May, þe xviij ȝere of Kyng Edward þe iiijte. Be yowyr modyr