Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton

123 Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton, 19 March 1496/7          (No.
        190, p. 125)

In my most humble wise I recomend me vnto your good mastership &
to my specyall good lady. Sir, I sent a letter this last weke to you by
James Colton, seruant to Master Gascoyne, to shew to your mastership
my fortune at this tyme, if your mastership be – as I dout no other in
my mynd, nor with my words to noble men of worship, but that ye
be - my good master, the which hath & euer shalbe to your honour &
profitt. Though I haue afore this been chargable <to> you, now, I
trust in God as true & as profitable to be, as euer I was, & much
more, & [. . .]^a <able> to restore & amends make of all cost done to
me afore tyme.¹ Sir, I besech you, after your most discret mynd &
wysdome, to answere this messenger þat shall come to you for this
iointer of xx marke, both in words & in your wrytting, so þat yt be to
your honor & my poore honestie & truth & making in this world; for
vppon þat answere lyeth my great wele, & if yt were otherwyse, my
vtter vndoing for euer, the which God forbyde.^b Yt shall cost your
mastership no penny more, nor charge to you, for if your mastership
say to him þat ye are content, & wold grant & make to him this
ioynture incontinent after our marriage, when we two shall come to
you, & shew yt louingly to þe sayd messenger, & in your wrytting to
them agayne, & then all is done; for when I am maryed to hir thes
men þat now are counsellers shall bere but little roome, & therfore this
is a matter of no charg, & to me great promoton all manner of wayes.

     She is amyable & good, with great wysdome & womanhood, &
worth in land yerly xx marke & more to you at hir wyll, the which, I
trust in God, shalbe loving for you & yours in tyme to come for euer.
Also in gold & [. . .]^c siluer, coyned & vncoyned, Dli, I thinke verily, as
I perceyue by hir. Beside hir lands, in all she is worth Xli marke &
more. She hath refused for my sake many worshipfull men & of great
lands, some of them hath offered to hir xlli ioynter within London.
Notwithstanding, she is to me singuler good mystres, as after this your
mastership shall know. This same day she gaue to [p. 126] me a chayne
of gold with a crosse set with a ruby & pearles, worth xxli & more; &
because þat [. . .]^d <ther> messinger shall bryng my letter with him
<þat they se, for I clossed yt> afore to shew your mastership my mynd,
I besech your mastership to cause him þat shall come with these letters
from my mystres & hir counsellors, to haue good chere, þat I trust to
deserue, & to send to me <a bill> by the same, as yt shall please you.

     Sir, I haue sent to you iiij yerds of whit damaske for a cowrenet, as
good as I cold bye any, & I wold haue sent much more things, saue
only my business is great. Also I haue payd your fyne in the excheker,
but I take not out a discharge vnto the next terme because I purpose
to get a grant more. Also I besech your mastership to shew þe sayd
messinger þat ye had no word from me this vj weeke, & no man in
your place to know from whence this berer come, lest þat ther messinger
shold vnderstand of my sending. Please yt your mastership to giue
credence vnto this beror & let him departe or the other man come
with the letters; & all such service as yt pleaseth you to comand me, yt
shalbe done, with Gods grace, who euermore preserue you & yours in
health & honor. Wrytten in Furnyualls Inne, the [. . .]^e <19> day of
March 1496.

     I humbly pray your mastership to cause the messinger to speake
with my lady, & if hir ladyship wold send by him a token^f to my master,
yt shall avale hir another of xx tymes the valor. Now, & my good lady
wold of hir great gentlenes and noble myne send a token as is within
wrytten, [p. 127] I cold neuer deserue yt to hir, for yt shold be to me
great honesty & the greatest þat euer I had, for by your mastership &
hir I am put to more worship than euer I shold haue comyn to. Sir,
<as I wrote in,> I was purposed to haue sent a fellow of myne to your
mastership, but now I send this my wrytting by Preston, seruant with
my Master Gascoigne. Pleaseth your mastership to kepe this byll; &
whatsoeuer you doe for me in word, cost & wrytting, yt shalbe mine,
when we be maryed, to relesse & vnbind; & so I will. Sir, I besech you
pray my lady to make þe messinger that shall come from my mistres
good chere. I know not at yet what shall come, but as I am informed,
a gent of Clementts Inne. I besech your mastership & good lady both,
to take no displeasure with my simple wrytting this tyme, for my mynd
is set so much otherwise þat I cannot perfictly do my duty.² Our Lord
preserue you.

Your seruant             Edw: Plompton^g

Endorsed (p. 125): To my singuler good master Sir Robt Plom Plompton
kt

     ^a about deleted.

     ^b Marginal note: Edward Plo: is to be married what [. . .].

     ^c Misspelling deleted.

     ^d my deleted.

     ^e xx deleted.

     ^f MS taken.

     ^g Appended: copied the 6 of May 1613.

     ¹ 38n.

     ² Edward and Agnes were married but their union was to be short. Less than four
years later she appealed one Robert Tykhull of the murder of her husband, CPR, 1496–
1509, 233.

LETTER XCVIII.

To my singuler good master, Sir Robart Plompton, Kt.

    In my most humble wise I recomend me unto your good mas-
tership, and to my especyall good lady. Sir, I sent a letter this last
weke to you by James Colton, servant to Master Gascoyne, to
shew to your mastership my fortune at this tyme. If your master-
ship be, (as I doubt no other in my mynd, nor with my words to
noble men of worship, but that ye be,) my good master, the which
hath, and ever shalbe, to your honour and profitt, though I have
afore this bene chargable to you, now, I trust in God, as true and
profitable to be, as ever I was, and much more, and able to restore
and amends make of all cost done to me afore tyme. Sir, I
besech you after your most discret mynd and wysdome to answere
this messenger, that shall com to you for this jointor of xx marke,
both in words and in your wrytting, so that yt be to your honour,
my poor honestie, and truth, and making in this world; for uppon
that answere lyeth my great wele, and if yt were otherwyse, my
utter undoing for ever, the which God forbyde. Yt shall cost
your mastership no peny more, nor charge to you; for if your
mastership say to him that ye are content, and will grant and
make to him this joyntor incontinent after our marriage, when we
two shall come to you, and so shew yt lovingly to the sayd mes-
senger, and in your wrytting to them agayne, then all is done: for
when I am maryed to her, thes men that now are counsellers
shall bere but litle rome. And therfore, this is a matter of no
charg, and to me great promotion all maner of wayes. She is
amyable and good, with great wysdome and womanhead, and worth
in land yerly xx marke and more, to you at hir wyll, the which, I
trust in God, shalbe loving for you and yours in tyme to come for
ever. Also in gold and silver, coyned and uncoyned, Dli, I thinke
veryly, as I perceyve by hir. Beside hir lands, in all she is worth
mli marke and more. She hath refused for my sake many wor-
shipfull men and of great lands; some of them hath offered to
hir xlli joyntor within London: notwithstanding, she is to me sin-
guler good mystres, as after this your mastership shall know. This
same day she gave to me a chayne of gold, with a crosse set with a
ruby and pearles, worth xxli and more. And because that ther
messinger shall bryng my letter with him they se, for I
clossed yt afore, to show your mastership my mynd, I besech your
mastership to cause him that shall come with these letters from
my mystres and hir counselors, to have good chere, [and that I
trust to deserve,] and to send to me a bill by the same, as yt shall
please you. Sir, I have sent to you iij yerds of whit dameske for
a cowrenet, as good as I cold bye any, and I wold have sent much
more things, save only my businesse is great. Also I have payd
your fyne in the Excheker, but I take not out a discharge unto the
next terme, because I purpose to get a grant more. Also I besech
your mastership to shew that sayd messinger, that ye had no word
from me this vi weke, and no man in your place to know from
whence this berer come, lest that ther messinger shold understand
of my sending. Please yt your mastership to give credence unto
this berer, and let him departe or the other man come with the
letters; and all such service as yt pleseth you to comand me, yt
shalbe done, with Gods grace, who evermore preserve you and
yours in health and honor. Wrytten in Furnywalls Inne, the 19
day of March, 1496. I humbly pray your mastership to cause the
messinger to speake with my Lady, and if hir ladyship wold
send by him a token to my master, yt shall avale hir another of
xx tymes the valor. Now, and my good lady wold of hir great
gentlenes and noble mynd send a token, as is within wrytten, I
cold never deserve yt to hir, for yt shold be to me great honesty,
and the greatest that ever I had; for by your mastership and hir,
I am put to more worship than ever I shold have comyn to. Sir,
as I wrote in, I was purposed to have sent a fellow of myne of
your mastership, but now I send this my wrytting by Preston,
servant with my master Gascoyne. Pleaseth your mastership to
kepe this byll, and whatsoever you doe for me in word, cost, and
wrytting, yt shalbe mine, when we be maryed, to relesse and un-
bynd; and so I will. Sir, I besech you, pray my lady to make the
messinger that shall come from my mysters good chere. I know
not as yet what shall come, but as I am infirmed, a gentilman of
Clementts Inne. I besech your mastership, and my good lady both,
to take no displeasure with my simple wrytting this tyme, for my
mynd is set so much otherwyse, that I cannot perfictly do my
duty. Our Lord preserve your.

                Your servant,
    (19 March 1496-7.)             EDW. PLOMPTON.