Botoner to John Paston

346

BOTONER TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my Maister Paston.

PLEASE yow to wete that I hafe remembred of the lan-
     gage that I hafe late lerned W. Barker had to yow and
     othyrs of his accomptes apposyng,² and of that they be
not hole bethyn [between] ws, but yn division, &c. Sir, as I
may sey yow, hyt was nevere othyrwyse, ne nevere ys lyke to
be; for now they hafe do with Lowys, he that ys next shall
be yn the same as he was yn gelosye; for when my maister
comaundyth such as of force, by reson of her occupacion,
most be nere hym, to do a message to hys felow, or question
of hym, hyt shall be ymagyned amonges our felyshyp that he
doth make maters to my maister. And so it ys ymagyned of
me when I wryte lettres to London, to Bokkyng or Barker,
that yn such maters as please hem not, then it ys my doyng;
yff it take well to theyr entent, then it ys her [their] doyng.
And yn gode feyth, so it was ymagyned of me and othyrs that
wrote, by my maister comaundment, to Castre, to the parson
of Blofeld, Geffrey Spyrlyng, and othyrs, that of such maters
as was lykyng to hem and coude be sped by help of my
maister frendes as by theyr solicytyng, then it was seyd that
it was theyr avice, labour, and doyng. And yff the maters
went not to my maister entent, ne that they coude not bryng
aboute the mater, then it was imagyned and jangled that it
was my wrytyng and doyng. I bare nevere my maister purs,
ne condyt nevere chargeable mater alone of hys yn lawe, for
my discrecion ne connyng know not whate such maters menyth.
I knew nevere of oyer ne terminer, ne rad nevere patent
before, ne my maister knew nevere the condyt of such
thynges; and when he wrote of hys grevonse to hys frendys,
he commaunded no man to be endyted, for he wyst not whate
belonged to such thynges, ne the parson neyther, but remitted
it to his councell lerned. There was no man gretter at hert
with hym, as Andreus wyth Heydon, because of castyng
Bradwell and Tychewell yn the Kynges handes, and toke
awey the waarde. And I came nevere at the oyer and terminer.

     By God, my maister lost c. marc by a seute of Margyt
Bryg upon a defence of atteynt, because a quest passed ayenst
hyr of xij. penyworth lond by yeer; and I dar sey and prefe
it, my maister never spake of hyr, ne knew hyr not, ne wrote
to sew hyr at the oyer and terminer, as I am remembred.
Yhyt yt was well deffended, at my maister grete cost and
labour, and myne pore labour also. Yhyt ought not I, ne
none such yn my stede, beer the wyte [blame] wyth Sir
Thomas, ne none othyr; he that takyth the tolle most take
the charge, hyt ys hys negligence that wille take the labour
more then he may awey. I wold the parson ys wellfare
asmoch as man lyvyng, to my wreched power; and yff, or
when, ye hyre onye froward ymagynacions, I pray yow gefe
no credence tille ye hyre it aunsuerd. I am eased of my
spyrytes now that I hafe expressed my leude [ignorant]
menyng, because of my felow Barker, as of such othyr
berkers ayenst the mone, to make wysemen laugh at her
foyle. Our Lord kepe yow.

     Wryt at Castre the xij. day of October.

                                    Your                                      W. BOTONER.

     I hafe and do purchasse malgre to remembre of evidenses
lakkyng by negligence, &c. And therfor I most be muet and
suffre gretter losses but [unless] it be othyrwyse concydered.
I sende yow the copie of your patentes,¹ in parchement, and I
hafe remembred as well as I can both the stuard and Bertilmeu
Elys for execucion ayenst the pleggs of your seyntuarye, car-
penter (?) Snow, that evere ys disposed to breke promysses.
Foryefe me of my leude lettre wrytyng, and I pray yow laugh
at it.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is uncertain, but must be
between the years 1454 and 1459, when Botoner was at Caister. Bocking and Barker
seem to have been in London at the time, which we know was the case in February
1456; and as we have evidence that Bocking at least was still there in October, we
may perhaps attribute this letter to the October of 1456.

     ² The apposing of accounts was the charging of an accountant with the balance
due by him to his employer.

     ¹ Probably the patent of 6th June 1454, granting the wardship of Thomas Fastolf to
John Paston and Thomas Howes.—See No. 248 (in vol. ii.), also the letter following.

1456(?)
OCT. 12

1456(?)
OCT. 12

1456(?)
OCT. 12