Botoner to John Paston

372

BOTONER TO JOHN PASTON³

To my Maister Paston.

    SIR, as I went to my horsward by Lincoln Coke ys place,
        hyt fortuned that Wymondham and H. Fenne talked
        to gedre, and called me by my name, and both asked
how my maister⁴ fard, &c. Then Fen desyred me abyde to
see astate taked yn Lyncoln place by hym boght of Markham.
In the meene tyme the seyd Wymondham sent hys man to
speke with hym, and yede yn talkyng of Sir Thomas⁵ how he
ille help labour to an ende, and had spoke with Heydon
yersten efe for the seyd cause. I seyd the cruell amercie-
mentes by their labour, and the [they?] not beneficed, shewed
to grete a malice to undo a preest innocent yn such a cause,
&c. After my takyng leefe, he called me ageyn, and seyd
that he desyred Sir Thomas to be gode meene to my maister
to hafe affeccion to the chylde, &c. I aunsuerd, yff my
maister had before the maryage be laboured [i.e. if my master
had been applied to before the marriage], hyt had [been]
moche esyer to bryng aboute then now. And because hys
fadre was so maryed ayenst my maister wille, he nevere wold
hafe affeccion to hym all hys lyfe dayes. He seyd that
Thomas¹ was with hys modre ther she duellyth, and yff it
please my maister to sende for hym by Sir Thomas meene, &c.

     I ensure yow by my soule I brake no mater to hym but of
Sir Thomas undoyng, and hys adversaries nevere the better,
whych to my power wold help make it knowen to Lordes and
all othyrs of the cruell amerciementes, the cruell juge to be
knowen as he ys, for I am of hys contrey, and know hys
rysyng and maryages as well as hym sylfe. At ix. at clok to
hors bake. I pray yow breke my bille (?).

                                                   Your,                                   H. R.

       ³ [From MS. Phillipps, 9735, No. 249.] This letter clearly relates to the subject
of the preceding No.

     ⁴ Sir John Fastolf.                                         ⁵ Howes.

¹ Apparently Thomas Fastolf.