Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

TO JOHN PASTON I 1461, 08, 23

To my rythg reuerent and worchypfoll fadere John Paston, esquyere, dwellyng jn Heylysdon, be thys lettere delyueryd jn haste.

Most reuerent and worschepful fadyre, I rekomawnd me hertylye, and submytt me lowlely to yowre good faderhood, besechyng yow fore cheryté of yowre dayly blyssyng. I beseche yow to hold me ascewsyd that I sente to yowe none erste no wrythgtyng, fore I kowd not spede to myn jntent the materys that ye sent to me fore. I laboryd dayly my lord of Estsexe, treserere of Ynglond, to haue meuyd the Kyng bothe of the manere removeof Deddham and of the byll copye of the corte rolle euerye mornyng ore he went to the Kyng, and often tymys jnquieryd of hym and he had meuyd the Kyng in these materys. He answeryd me naye, seyyng it was no tyme, and seyd he wold it ware osse fayne spedd os I my-selfe; so offte tymys de-layeng me that jn trowthe I thowt ta haue send yowe word that I felyd by hym that he was not wyllyng to meue the Kyng there-in. Neuerthe-lesse I lawboryd to hym contynually and prayed Baronners, hys man, to remembyre hym of it. I told offten tymys to my seyd lord that I had a man teryyn jn town that I schuld a sente to yow fore othyre sundry materys, and he teryid fore no thyng but that I mythg send yowe by hym an answere of the seyd materys; othyre tymys besechyng hym to spede me in thoys materys fore thys cawse that ye schuld thynke no defawte jn me

fore rememberyng jn the seyd materys. And nowe of late I, rememberyng hym of the same mater, jnquiryd if he had meuyd the Kyngys hythgnes there-in; and he answeryd me þat he hadde felte and meuyd the Kyng there-in, rehersyng the Kyngys answere þer-in: how þat, when he had meuyd the Kyng in the seyd maner of Dedham, besechyng hym to be yowre good lord there-in, konsyderyng the seruyse and trewe hart that ye haue done and owthg to hym, and jn espesyal the rygth that ye haue there-to, he seyd he wold be yowre good lord therein as he wold be to the porest man jn Inglond. He wold hold wyth yowe jn yowre rygth; and as fore fauore, he wyll nogth he vndere-stand þat he schal schewe fauore more to one man then to anothyre, nowgth to on jn Inglond. And as fore the bille copye of the cort rolle, when he meuyd to hym of it he smylyd and seyd þat suche a bylle there was, seyyng þat ye wold an oppressyd syndrye of yowre contrémen of worchypfull men, and theremoverfore he kepyd it styll. Neuer the lesse he seyd he schuld loke it vppe in haste, and ye schuld haue it. Baronners vndertoke to me twyes ore thryes þat he scremovehuld so a remembrid hys lord and master þat I schuld an had it wythinne ij ore iij dayes. He is often tymys absent, and there-fore I haue it nowthg yyt. When I kan gete it I schall send it yowe, and of the Kyngys mowth hys name þat toke it hym. I scend yow home Pekok a-geyn; he is not fore me. God send grase þat he may do yow good seruyse, that be extymacion js not lykelye. Ye schall haue knowlyche aftyrward how he hathe demenyd hym here wyth me. I wold, sauyng yowre dyremovesplesure, that ye were delyueryd of hym, fore he schalle neuer do yow profyte nere worchyp. I suppose ye vnderstand þat the monye that I hadde of yowe att Lundon maye not jndure wyth me tyll that the Kyng goo in-to Walys an kome ageyn, fore I vndere-stand it schall be long ore he kome a-geyn. Where-fore I haue send to Londun to myn onkyl Clement to gete an c s. of Cristofyre Hansom yowre seruaunt, and send it me be my seyd seruaunt, and myn herneys wyth it whyche I lefte at Lundun to make klene. I beseche yowe not to be dysplesyd wyth it, fore I kowd make non othyre cheysaunce but I schuld a boruyd it of a strange man, sum of my felawys, wheremoveche I suppose schold not lyke yowe and ye herd of it a-nothyre tyme. I ame jn suerté where as I schall haue a-nothyre mann jn the stede of Pekoke. My lord of Estsexe seythe he wyll do as myche fore yowe as fore any esquyere in Inglond, and Beronners hys man tellyt me, seyyng 'Yowre

fadyre js myche be-holdyng to my lord, fore he louyth hym well.' Baruners meuyd me onys and seyd þat ye must nedys do sum-whate fore my lord and hys; and I seyd I wost well þat ye wold do fore hym þat laye jn yowre poware. And he seyd þat þer was a lytyl mony be-twyxe yowe and a jantylman of Estsexe callyd Dyrward, seyyng þat þer is as myche be-twejn my seyd lord and the seyd jantyilman, of the wyche mony he desieryth yowre part. It is talkyd here howe þat ye and Howard schuld a streuyn to-gyddyre on þe schere daye, and on of Howardys meremoven schuld a strekyn yow twyess wyth a dagere, and soo ye schuld a ben hurt but fore a good dobelet þat ye hadde on at that tyme. Blyssyd be God that ye hadde it on. No more I wryth to yowere good faderhod at thys tym, but Allmygthy God haue yowe in hys kepyng and send yowe vyttorye of yowre elmyse and worschyp jncressyng to yowre lyuys endyn. Wrytyn at Lewys on Seynt Bertylmweys Eue. Be yowre seruaunt and eldere sone John Paston