Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

TO JOHN PASTON I 1441, 12, 14

To my ryth reuerent and worscheful husbond John Paston.

Ryth reuerent and worscheful husbond, I recomavremovende me to yow, desyryng hertyly to here of yowre wylfare, thankyng yow for þe tokyn þat ye sent me be Edmunde Perys, preyng yow to wete þat my modyr sent to my fadyr to London for a govne cloth of mvstyrddevyllers to make of a govne for me; and he tolde my modyr and me wanne he was comme hom þat he cargeyt yow to bey it aftyr þat he were come ovte of London. I pre yow, yf it be not bowt, þat ye wyl wechesaf to by it and send yt hom as sone as ye may, for I haue no govne to werre þis wyntyr but my blake and my grene a Lyere, and þat ys so comerus þat I ham wery to wer yt.

As for þe gyrdyl þat my fadyr be-hestyt me, I spake to hym þer-of a lytyl be-fore he ȝede to London last, and he seyde to me þat þe favte was in yow þat ȝe wolde not thynke þer-vppe-on to do mak yt; but i sopose þat ys not so=he seyd yt but for a skevsacion. I pre yow, yf ye dor tak yt vppe-on yow, þat ye wyl weche-safe to do mak yt a-yens ye come hom; for I hadde neuer more nede þer-of þan I haue now, for I ham waxse so fetys þat I may not be gyrte in no barre of no gyrdyl þat I haue but of on. Elysabet Peverel hath leye seke xv or xvj wekys of þe seyetyka, but sche sent my modyr word be Kate þat sche xuld come hedyr wanne God sent tyme, þoov sche xuld be crod in a barwe. Jon of Dam was here, and my modyr dyskevwyrd me to hym, and he seyde be hys trovth þat he was not gladder of no thyng þat he harde thys towlmonyth þan he was þer-of. I may no leremovenger leve be my crafte, i am dysscevwyrd of alle men þat se me. Of alle odyr thyngys þat ye deseyreyd þat I xuld sende yow word of I haue sent yow word of in a letter þat I dede wryte on Ovwyr Ladyis Day laste was. þe Holy Trenyté haue yow in hese kepyng. Wretyn at Oxnede in ryth gret hast on þe Thrusday next be-fore Seynt Tomas Day. I pre yow þat ye wyl were þe reyng wyth þe emage of Seynt Margrete þat I sent yow for a rememravremovense tyl ye come hom. Ye haue lefte me sweche a rememravremovense þat makyth me to thynke vppe-on yow bothe day and nyth wanne I wold sclepe. Yowre ys, M. P.