Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

TO JOHN PASTON I 1449, 02, 15

To my rytȝ wurchipful mayster Jon Paston be þis delyueryd in hast.

Ryt wurchipful hosbond, I recommawnd me to ȝou, desyryng hertyly to heryn of ȝowr wele-fare, preyiremoveng ȝou to weten þat I commawndyd Herry Goneld to gon to Gunnore to have copys of þe pleyntys in þe hundrede. And Gunnore was not att hom, but þe seyd Herry spake wyth his clerk, and he told hym pleynly he wost wele his mayster wuld not late hym have no copys, þow he wer att hom, tyl þe nexst hundred; qher-for I send ȝou þat byl þat was wownd abowt þe relefys. Custans Mak and Kentyng wold a dysavowyd here swtys rytȝ fayn þe last hundred, as I herd sayn of rytȝ thryfty men; but þe Lord Moleynys men thrett hem þat bothe þey xuld ben betyn and lesen here hws and lond and all here goodys but if þey wold avow it. And after þat Osborn was gon, Hasard intretyd Kentyng and Mak to avow þe swtys after þat þey hadde disavowyd itt, and ȝave hem mony to ȝef to þe clerkys to entren aȝen þe pleyntys. But jf ȝe seke a remedy in hast for to remeve itt I sopose þey wyl distreyn for þe mersymentys er þe nexst hundred. As for Mak, he gate respyt þat he xuld

not sew tyl þe nexst hundred. As for Herry Goneld, he was dystreynyd ȝysterday for rent and ferm, and he must pay it to-morn, xxij s., or ell lesyn his dystresse.þey gadder money fast of all þe tenawntys. Al þe tenawntys ben chargyd to pay all here rent and ferm be Fastyngong Sonday. It ys told me þat þe Lord Moleynys xuld kepe his Fastyngong att Jon Wynterys plase. The seyd lordys men haddyn a letter on Thursday last past; qhat tydyngys þey hadde I wote nott, but on þe nexst mornnyng be tymys Thomas Bampton, a man of þe Lord Moleynys, rod wyth a letter to his lord, and þey þat ben att Gressam waytyn after an answere of þe letter in hast. Barow and Hegon and all þe Lord Moleynys men þat were att Gressam qhan ȝe departyd hens ben there styll, save Bampton, and in his stede is kom anothere, and i here sey þei xul abyd here styll tyl here lord kom ... to Barow as ȝe komawndyd me, to weten qhatt þe cawse was þat þei thrett men .... Goneld and other of ȝowr servawntys and wele-willerys to ȝow þe qheche were namyd to hym þat were thrett ...swore pleynly þatt þey were never thrett; but I know veryly þe contrary, for of his own felaschep lay. in awayt sondery dayis and nytys abowt Gunneldys, Purrys, and Bekkys plasys. And som of þem ȝedyn in-to Bekkys and Purrys hwsys, bothen in þe hallys and þe bernys, and askyd qher þei were; and þei were answeryd þat þey were owth, and þei seydyn aȝen þat þey xuld meten wyth hem anoþer tym. And be dyuers oþer thyngys I know if þei mytȝ a ben kawt oþer þey xuld a ben slayn or sore hurt. I sent Kateryn on þis forseyd masage, for I kowd geten no man to do it, and sent wyth here Jamys Halman and Herry Holt; and sche desyryd of Barow to have an anshere of here masage, and if þese forseyd men mytȝ levyn in pese for hem,and seyd þer xuld ell ben purveyd other remedy for hem. And he made here grett chere, and hem þat were þere wyth here, and seyd þat he desyryd for to speken wyth me if it xuld ben non displesans to me. And Kateryn seyd to hym þat sche supposyd þat I desyryd not to speken wyth hym. And he seyd he xuld com forby þis plase on huntyng after non, and þer xuld nomore com wyth hym but Hegon and on of his owyn men, and þan he wold bryng seche an answere as xuld plese me. And after none þey com hydder and sent in to me to weten if þei mytȝ speken wyth me, and praying þat þei mytȝ speken wyth me; and

þey abedyn styl wyth-owtȝ þe ȝatys, and I kam owth to hem and spak wyth hem wyth-owt, and prayid hem þat þey wold hold me exkusyd þat I browth hem not in to þe plase. I seyd in as meche as þei were nott wele- wyllyng to þe godeman of þe plase I wold not take it up-on me to bryng hem in to þe jantylwoman.þey seyd I dede þe best, and þan we welk forthe and desyryd an answere of hem for þat I hadde sent to hem fore. þei sayd to me þei had browtȝ me seche an answere as þei hopyd xuld plese me, and told me how þei had comownd wyth all her felaschep of seche materis as i had sent to hem fore, and þat þei durst under-take þat þer xud no man ben hurt of hem þatt were rehersyd, nere noman þat longyth to ȝou noþer, for hem nere non of here felaschep; and þat þey inswryd me be here trowthis. Nevere lese I trest not to here promese in as meche as I fend hem on-trew in oþer thyngys. I conseyvyd wele be hem þat þey were wery of þat þei haden don. Barow swor to me be his trowth þat he had lever þan xl s. and xl þat his lord had not commawndyd hym to com to Gressam, and he seyd he was rytȝ sory hidderward in as meche as he had knowleche of ȝw be-fore; he was rytȝ sory of þat þat was don. I seyd to hym þat he xuld haue compascion on ȝou and oþer þat were dissesyd of her lyvelode, in as meche as he had ben dissesyd hym-self; and he seyd he was so, and told me þat he had sewyd to my lord of Suffolk dyuers tymys, and wold don tyl he may gete his gode aȝen. I seyd to hym þat ȝe had sewyd to my Lord Moleynys dyuers tymys for þe maner of Gressam syth ȝe wer dissesyd, and ȝe cowd neuer gete no resonabyl answere of hym, and þer-fore ȝe entred aȝen as ȝe hopid þat was for þe best. And he seyd he xuld neuer blame my lord of Suffolk for þe entré in his lyvelode, for he seyd my seyd lord was sett þer-up-on be þe informacion of a fals schrew. And I seyd to hym in lyke wyse is þe mater be-twyx þe Lord Moleynys and ȝou: I told hym I wost wele he sett neuer þer-vp-on be no tytyl of rytȝ þat he hadde to þe maner of Gressam, but only be þe informacion of a fals schrew. I rehersyd no name, but me thowt be hem þat þei wost ho I ment. Meche oþer langage we hadde qhyche xuld taken long leysyr in wrytyng, I rehersyd to hem þat it xuld a be seyd þatt I xuld not longe dwell so nere hem as I do, and þey for-swere it, as þei do oþer thyngys more, þat it was neuer seyd; and meche thyng þat I know veryly was seyd. I here seyn þat ȝe and Jon of Damme ben sore thrett alway, and seyn þow ȝe ben at London ȝe xul ben met wyth there as wele as þow ȝe were here; and þer-for I pray ȝou hertly beware hw ȝe walk þere and haue a

gode felaschep wyth ȝou qhan ȝe xul walk owtȝ. The Lord Moleynys hathe a cumpany of brothell wyth hym þat rekk not qhat þey don, and seche are most for to drede. þei þat ben at Gressam seyn þat þey haue not don so moche hurt to ȝou as þei were commawndyd to don. Rabert Laverawns is wele amendyd and I hope xall recure. He seyth pleynly he wyl compleyn of his hurt, and I suppose Bek wyl compleyn also, as he hath cause. Bek and Purry dare not abyd att hom tyl þei here oþer tydyngys. I wold not Jon of Damme xuld com hom tyl þe cuntré be storyd oþerwyse þan it is. I pray Godde grawnt þat it mot sone ben oþerwyse þan it is. I pray ȝou hertyly þat ȝe wil send me wurd how ȝe don and how ȝe spede in ȝowr materis, for be my trowth I kan not ben wel att ese in my hert, ner not xal ben, tyl I here tydyngys hw ȝe don. þe most part of ȝowr stuff þat was at Gressam is sold and ȝovyn away. Barow and his felaw spak to me in þe most plesawremovent wyse, and me semyth be hem þei wold fayn plese me. þei seyd þei wold do me servyse and plesans, if it lay in here powrys to don owth for me, save only in þat þat longyth to here lordys rytȝ. I seyd to hem, as for seche servys as þey hadde do to ȝow and to me I desyre nomore þat þei xuld do noþer to ȝow ner to me. þei seyd I myt an had of hem at Gressam qhat I hadde desyryd of hem, and had as moche as I desyryd. I seyd nay, if I mytȝ an had my desyre I xuld noþer a departid owth of þe place nere from þe stuff þat was þer-in. þei seyd as for þe stuff, it was but esy. I seyd ȝe wold not a ȝoven þe stuff þat was in þe place qhan þei com jn not for a c li. þei seyd þe stuff þat þei sey þere was skars wurth xx li. As for ȝowr moder and myn, sche faryth wel, blissid be God, and sche had no tydyngys but gode ȝett, blissid be God. The blissyd Trynyté have ȝou in his kepyng and send ȝou helt and gode spede in al ȝowr materys. Wretyn at Sustede on þe Satyrday nexst after Seynt Valentynys day. Here dare noman seyn a gode wurd for ȝou in þis cuntré, Godde amend it. ȝowrys, M. P.