Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton

121 Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton, 2 March [1496/7] (No.
        194, p. 120)

In my right humble & most hartyest wyse I recomend me vnto your
good mastership & to my singuler goode lady. Sir, yt is so þat certaine
lovers & frinds of myne in London hath brought me vnto the sight of
a [p. 131] gentlewoman, a wedow of xl yeres & more,^a & of good
substance. First, she is goodly & beautyfull, womanly and wyse, as euer
I knew any, none other dispraysed, of a good stocke & worshipfull; hir
name is Agnes. She hath in charge but one gentlewoman to her
daughter, of xij yer age. She hath xx mark of good land within iij myle
of London, & a ryall¹ maner buyld [. . .]^b thervpon, to giue or sell at
hir pleasure. She hath in coyne in old nobles cl, in ryalls – cl,² in debts
xlli, in plate cxli, with other goods of great valour; she is called worth
iijli beside her land.

     Sir, I am bold vpon yor good mastership, as I haue euer bene, & if
yt please God & you þat this matter take effect, I shalbe able to deserue
althings done & past. She & I are agreed in onn mynd & all one, but
her frinds þat she is ruled by desireth of me xx marke iointor more
than my lands come to, & thus I answeered them, saying þat your
mastership is so good master to me þat ye gaue to my other wyfe xij
marke for hir ioyntor, in Studley Roger,³ & now, þat it wyll please your
sayd mastership to indue this woman in some lordship of yours of xx
marke duryng her life, such as they shalbe pleased with; & for this, my
sayd frinds offer to be bonden in Mli. Sir, vpon this they intend to
know your pleasure and mynd preuely, I not knowing. Wherfore I
humbly besech your <good mastership>, as my especiall trust is & euer
hath bene aboue all earthly creators, now, for my great promotion &
harts desire, to answere to your pleasure & [. . .]^c my well & poore
honesty; & I trust, or yt come to pass, to put you suertie to be discharged
without any charg. For now your good and discret answere may be
my making, for & she & I fortune, by God & your meanes, togyther
our too goods & substance wyll make me able to doe you good service,
the which good seruice & I, now & at all tymes, is & shalbe yours, to
ioperde my life & them both. Sir, I besech your good mastership [p.
131] to wryte to me an answere in all hast possible, and after þat ye
shall here more, with Gods grace, who preserue you & yours in
prosperous felicyte long tyme to endure. Wrytten in Furnywall Inne in
Oldborn, the ij day of March 1496.

Your humble seruant          Ed: Plompton^d

Endorsed (p. 130): To my master Sir Robt Plompton kt

     ^a Marginal note: Ed: Plo: is to be married to a weadow.

     ^b dig deleted.

     ^c hart deleted.

     ^d Appended: Copied the 7 of May 1613.

     ¹ Sufficient.

     ² The ryall, first minted in 1463, was valued at 10s. It replaced the noble, valued at 6s
8d, Three Fifteenth-Century Chronicles, 80.

     ³ On 10 Dec. 1483 Edward Plumpton entered into a bond to release a rent out of
Nether Studley granted to him and his first wife, Agnes, CB, 728.

LETTER XCVI.

To my master, Sir Robart Plompton, kt.

    In my humble and most hartyest wyse I recomend me unto
your good mastership and to my singuler good lady. Sir, yt is
so that certaine lovers and frinds of myne in London hath
brought me unto the sight of a gentlewoman, a wedow of the ege
of xl yeres and more, and of good substance; first, she is goodly
and beautyfull, womanly and wyse, as ever I knew any, none other
dispraysed: of a good stocke and worshipful. Hir name is Agnes.
She hath in charg but one gentlewoman to his daughter, of xii yer
age. She hath xx marc of good land within iij myle of London,
and a ryall maner buylded therupon, to give or sell at hir pleasure.
She hath in coyne in old nobles, cli?in ryalls, cli?in debts, xlli?
in plate, cxli, with other goods of great valour; she is called worth
mli beside hir land. Sir, I am bold upon you good mastership, as
I have ever bene; and if yt please God and you that this matter
take effect, I shalbe able to deserve althings done and past. She
and I are agreed in our mynd and all one; but hir friends that
she is ruled by, desireth of me xx marke jointor more then my
my lands come too; and thus I answered them, saying, "that
your mastership is so good master to me, that ye gave to my other
wyfe xii marke for hir joyntor in Stodley Roger, and now, that it
wyll please your sayd mastership to indue this woman in some
lordship of yours of xx marke duryng hir lyfe, such as they shalbe
pleased with: and for this my sayd frinds offer to be bounden in
mli". Sir, uppon this they intend to know your pleasure and
mynd prevely, I not knowing; wherfore, I humbly besech your
good mastership, as my especyall trust is and ever hath bene
above all earthly creatures, now for my great promotion and harts
desire, to answer to your pleasure, and my wele and poore honesty;
and I trust, or yt come to pase, to put you suertie to be dis-
charged without any charg: for now, your good and discret an-
swere may be my making. For, and she and I fortune by God and
your meanes togyther, our too goods and substance wyll make me
able to doe you good service, the which good service and I, now
and at all tymes, is and shalbe yours, to joperde my life and them
both. Sir, I besech your good mastership to wryte to me an an-
swere in all hast possible, and after that ye shall here more, with
Gods, grace, who preserve you and yours in prosperous felicyte
longtyme to endure. Wrytten in Furnywall Inne in Olborn, the
ij day of March 1496.

                Your humble servant,
    (2 March 1496-7.)                ED. PLOMPTON.