Edmund Paston to John Paston

  • Medieval Family Life
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Title
Edmund Paston to John Paston
Reference
Add. 34888, f. 22
Date
?[13 May] 1475
Library / Archive
  • The British Library
Transcript location(s) in printed volume(s)
Gairdner, Vol V, item 870; Fenn, Vol III, Henry VI item 107
Transcript from John Fenn, 'Original Letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III…. Volume III' (1st transcript)

LETTER CVII.

        To Iohn Paston esquyer.

SYR I recūmawnd me to zow please yt zow to wette yat my
     modyr hathe causyd me to putte Gr’gory owte of my srvyse
as god help I wrythe to zow the very Cause why yt happyd
h[SYM] to have A Knavys loste ī pleyn termes to swhyve A quene
and so dyd ī ye Konyneclosse yt fortunyd h[SYM] to be A spyed be ij
plowemē of my modyrs whyche werne as fayne as he of yat
mater and desyerd h[SYM] to have prte and as Kompany Requeryd
seyd not nay jn so myche yat ye ploweē had her alle A nythe
ī ther Stabylle and Gr’gory was clere delyvrd of her And as he
Swherys had not A do wt her wtin my modyrs place not wt
standdyng my modyr thynkks yat he was grownd of yat mater
wherfor ther is no r’medy but he moste a voyde And ī so myche
yat at ye laste tyme yat ze wer her desyerd h[SYM] of me yf yat he
schuld deprte from me I send zow ye very cawse of hys deprtyng
as my modyr sethe but I ā ī srteyn ye cōtrary is true yt is nomor
but yat he cā not plese alle prtys but yat Iantylmā is hys woords
lord he hathe seyd yat he woold lyfte them whom yat h[SYM] plese and
as yt scheweyt welle he lyftyd on xiiij myle ī a mornyng and nowe
he hathe ben caw sar of hys lyfte I wot not how far but yf yat
ze be hys bettr. mastr but and we A mong us geue not h[SYM] A lyfte
I pray god yat we nevr thryve and yat is hys ītente I trowe to
bryng us to Wherfor I r’quer zow yf yat yt plese zow to haue
h[SYM] yat zewylle be ye bettt mastr to h[SYM] for my sake for I ā he yat
js as sory to deprte from h[SYM] as any mā on lyve from hys srvāt
and be my trowthe as farforthe as I knowe he is as true as any
on lyve I troste my fort’ne schale be bettr yā evr to leve thus her
but yf I wer hens wards I ensuer zow I wold not schange for nō
yat I knowe he is p’fytabylle on dyu’s thynggs as ze knowe welle
ther has ben a gr’ br’ke be twyx calle and me as I schal enforme
zow at my comyng wyche schalle be on Wedynsday next be ye
grace of god who p’srve zow Wr’t[SYM] at Mawteby on Wyteson
eve

                                                                             Edmond Paston.

 

            12 by 6.
           Paper Mark,
     A Bull’s Head and Star.
            Pl. IX. No 12.

      Mawteby,
           Whitsun Eve.

 

     We have here an account of a low amour; but the reason why I have given this
letter, is to shew that E. Paston’s Mother was governed by some one in the house; who
took upon him to direct as he pleased, and for that reason a party seemed to be forming
against him by her children. The person here meant was, I believe, Gloir, a priest,
who resided in the house, and was a favourite with Agnes Paston.

 

As a Mistress of a family she was certainly doing her duty in discouraging improper
behaviour in her servants; but then, as now, we find, it would be sometimes prudent
to overlook improprieties in a domestic, who was in other respects a valuable one.

     Autograph. Pl. XX. No 30.
Transcript from John Fenn, 'Original Letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III…. Volume III' (2nd transcript)

LETTER CVII.

To John Paston, Esq.

SIR, I recommend me to you, please it you to weet that my
     Mother hath caused me to put Gregory out of my service, as
God help I write to you the very cause why; it happened him
to have a Knave’s lust, in plain terms to lie with a Quean, and
so did in the Coning Close; it fortuned him to be espied by two
plowmen of my mother’s, which were as fain (desirous) as he of
that matter, and desired him to have part, and as company re-
quired, said not nay, insomuch that the plowmen had her all
night in their stable, and Gregory was clean delivered of her,
and as he swears had not ado with her within my mother’s place;
notwithstanding my mother thinks that he was (the) ground of
that matter, wherefore there is no remedy but he must avoid;
and insomuch that at the last time that ye were here, (ye) de-
sired him of me, if that he should depart from me, I send you
the very cause of his departing, as my mother faith, but I am
in certain the contrary is true; it is no more but that he cannot
please all parties; but that Gentleman is his word’s Lord, he
hath said that he would lift them whom that him please, and as
it shewed well he lifted one 14 miles in a morning, and now
he hath been causer of his lift, I wot not how far, but if (unless)
that ye be his better master; but and we among us give not
him a lift, I pray God that we never thrive, and that is his
intent, I trow, to bring us to; wherefore I require you, if
that it please you to have him, that ye will be the better ma-
ster to him for my sake, for I am he that is as sorry to depart
from him, as any man alive from his servant, and by my truth,
as farforth as I know, he is as true as any alive.

     I trust my fortune shall be better than ever to live thus here;
but if I were hence wards I assure you I would not change for
none that I know; he is profitable on divers things as ye know
well.

     There has been a great break (breech) betwixt Calle and me,
as I shall inform you at my coming, which shall be on Wednes-
day next by the grace of God who preserve you.

     Written at Mawteby on Whitsun eve.

                                                                 EDMOND PASTON.

             12 by 6.
           Paper Mark,
     A Bull’s Head and Star.
            Pl. IX. No 12.

      Mawteby,
           Whitsun Eve.

 

     We have here an account of a low amour; but the reason why I have given this
letter, is to shew that E. Paston’s Mother was governed by some one in the house; who
took upon him to direct as he pleased, and for that reason a party seemed to be forming
against him by her children. The person here meant was, I believe, Gloir, a priest,
who resided in the house, and was a favourite with Agnes Paston.

 

As a Mistress of a family she was certainly doing her duty in discouraging improper
behaviour in her servants; but then, as now, we find, it would be sometimes prudent
to overlook improprieties in a domestic, who was in other respects a valuable one.

     Autograph. Pl. XX. No 30.

Transcript from James Gairdner, 'The Paston Letters, A.D., 1422-1509, New Complete Library Edition, Volume V'

870

 

EDMUND PASTON TO JOHN PASTON1

 

To John Paston, Esquyer.

 

SYR, I recummawnd me to zow. Please yt zow to wette
           that my modyr hathe causyd me to putte Gregory owte
           of my servyse, as, God help, I wrythe to zow the very
cause why. Yt happyd hym to have a knavys loste, in pleyn
termes to swhyve a queue, and so dyd in the Konyneclosse.
Yt fortunyd hym to be a spyed be ij. plowemen of my
modyrs, whyche werne as fayne as he of that mater, and
desyerd hym to have parte, and as kompany requeryd, seyd
not nay; in so myche that the plowemen had her alle a nythe
in ther stabylle, and Gregory was clere delyvered of her, and
as he swherys had not a do with her within my modyrs place.
Not with standdyng my modyr thynkks that he was grownd
of that matier; wherfor ther is no remedy but he moste
a voyde. And in so myche that at the laste tyme that ze wer
her, [ye] desyerd hym of me, yf that he schuld departe from
me, I send zow the very cawse of hys departyng, as my modyr
sethe; but I am in serteyn the contrary is true. Yt is nomor
but that he can not plese all partys. But that jantylman2 is
hys woords Lord, he hathe seyd that he woold lyfte them
whom that hym plese, and as that scheweyt welle, he lyftyd
on [one] xiiij. myle in a mornyng, and nowe he hath ben caw
sar of hys lyfte, I wot not how far, but yf that ze be hys better
master; but and we a mong us geve not hym a lyfte, I pray
God that we never thryve. And that is hys intente, I trowe,
to bryng us to; wherfor I requer zow, yf that yt plese zow to
have hym, that ze wylle be the better master to hym for my
sake, for I am he that is as sory to departe from hym as any
man on lyve from hys servant, and be my trowthe, as far-
forthe as I knowe, he is as true as any on lyve.

     I troste my fortune schale be better than ever to leve
thus her; but yf I wer hens wards, I ensuer zow I wold not
schange for none that I knowe. He is profytabylle on dyvers
thynggs as ze knowe welle.

     Ther has ben a gret breke be twyx Calle and me, as I
schal enforme zow at my coming, wyche schalle be on
Wedynsday next be the grace of God, who preserve zow.

     Wretyn at Mawteby, on Wyteson eve.

                                                                       EDMOND PASTON.

 

     1 [From Fenn, iii. 426.] This letter was wrongly attributed by Fenn to Edmund
Paston, son of the Judge. It is in the hand of the Judge’s grandson, also named
Edmund, and was written at a time when his mother Margaret was living at Mautby,
where he, the writer, was also at the time, though he expected to join his brother
John, to whom he writes, in the following week. These circumstances strongly
suggest that it was written in 1475, when Margaret Paston certainly was residing at
Mautby, as we find Edmund Paston with his brother John in London a month later
preparing to go over to Calais. See No. 873. Whitsun Eve in 1475 would be the
13th May.

     2 Fenn supposes the person alluded to to be the priest, James Gloys.

                                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

1475(?)
[MAY 13]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1475(?)
[MAY 13]