Elizabeth Clere to John Paston

Add. 34888, f. 34

no later than 1449

Gairdner, Vol II, item 94; Fenn, Vol III, Henry VI item 50

LETTER L.

           To my Cosyn Iohn
           Paston be thys letter
           delyv’ed.

TRUSTY and weel be loved Cosyn I comaunde me to
zow desyryng to here of zowre weelfare and good spede
in zowre matere ye qwech I prey god send zow to his plesaunce
and to zoure hertys ease Cosyn I lete zow wete y^{t 1} Scrope hath
be in this Cuntre to se my Cosyn zoure sustyr and he hath
spoken w^t my Cosyn zoure moder and sche desyreth of hym y^t
he schuld schewe zow ye endentures mad be twen ye knyght y^t
hath his dowter and hym whethir y^t Skrop if he were maried
and fortuned to have children if tho childern schuld enheryte his
lond or his dowt^r. ye wheche is maried Cosyn for yis cause take
gode hede to his endentures for he is glad to schewe zow hem
or whom ze wol a sygne w^t zow and he seith to me he is ye last
in ye tayle of his lyflode ye qweche is CCCL marke and better
as Watkyn Shipd’m seith for he hath take a compt of his liflode
dyv’s tymes and Scrop seith to me if he be maried and have a
sone an eyre his dowt^r. yat is maried schal have of his liflode L
marke and no more and y’fore Cosyn me semeth he were good
for my Cosyn zowre sustyr w^t yat ye myght gete her a bettyr
and if ze can gete a bett^r. I wold avyse zow to labo^r. it in as
schort tyme as ze may goodly for sche was nev^r. in so gret sorow
as sche is now a dayes for sche may not speke wt. no man ho so
ev^r. come ne not may se ne speke w^t. my man ne w^t. s’vauntes
of hir moderys but y^t. sche bereth hire an hand oy’wyse yan
she menyth, and sche hath sen Esterne y^e most p^t. be betyn
onys in y^e weke or twyes and som tyme twyes on o day and hir
hed broken in to or thre places.—whefor Cosyn sche hath sent
to me be frere Newton in gret Counsell and preyeth me y^t. I
wold send to zow a lett^r. of hir hevynes and prey yow to be
hir good brothyr as hir trost is in zow and sche seith if ze may
se be his evydences y^t. his childern and hire may enheryten and
sche to have resonable joynture sche hath herd so mech of his
birth and his condicons y^t. and ze will sche will have hym
whethyr y^t. hir moder wil or wil not, not w^tstandyng it is tolde
hir his p’sone is symple for sche seyth men shull have ye more
deyute of hire if sche rewle hire to hym as sche awte to do Cosyn
it is told me y^r is a goodly man in yowre jnne of ye qweche ye
fadyr deyed litte and if ze thynk y^t. he were better for hir yan
Scroop it wold be laboured and yif Scroop a goodly answere y^t
he be not put of tyl ze be sure of a bettyr for he seid whan he
was w^t. me but if he have som Counfortable answer of zow he
wil no more laboure in this mater be cause he myght not se my
Cosyn zoure Sustyr and he seyth he myght a see hire and sche
had be bettyr yan she is and y^t. causeth hym to demyr y^t. hir
moder was not weel willyng and so have J sent my Cosyn zowre
moder word Wherfore Cosyn thynk on this mateer for sorow
oftyn tyme causeth women to be set hem oy’wyse yan yei schuld
do and if sche where in yat case j wot weel ze wold be sory
Cosyn I prey zow brenne yis letter y^t. zoure men ne non oy’
man se it for and my Cosyn zowre moder knew y^t j had sent
yow yis letter sche schuld nev^r love me No more j wrighte to
zow at yis tyme but holy gost have zow in kepyng Wretyn in
hast on Seynt Peterys day be candel lyght.

Be youre Cosyn,

² Elizabeth Clere.

            11 ? by 10 ?.
             Paper Maak,
     Part of a Bull?s Head and Star.
              Pl. VIII. N^o 2.

         St. Peter’s Day,
               Saturday 29th of June,
               1454. 32 H. VI.

In several Letters we have seen Agnes Paston in the character of an active woman,
attentive to her children, and her own private affairs, but in this she appears to no great
advantage as a mother, her treatment of a daughter, now a woman, seems harsh and
unseemly, even for the age in which it happened, though then the parental authority
was carried to very different lengths to what it is in these days.

We have before seen in the Articles under which the Earl of Warwick took charge
of the King’s person, that he required, and had granted, a power to chastise his royal
pupil.

This same Lady in her directions to Master Greenfield (in Letter XXXV. Vol. i.
p. 143.) prays him to belash her Son Clement well, “if he hath not done well, nor
will not amend.”

These manners of the age therefore being considered, we shall be the less surprised at
this now seemingly severe behaviour towards her Daughter. Elizabeth Clere’s reflec-
tions upon it do her credit, and assure us that she thought the young Lady’s treatment
from her Mother very improper, as tending to force her into measures which might
occasion much uneasiness to her family and friends.

¹ There was a noble family of this name at this time, but whether the gentleman
here mentioned was a branch of it or not, does not appear. He was probably the son of
Millicent, the wife of Sir John Fastolf.

² Elizabeth Clere was the daughter and heir of Thomas Uvedale, Esq. of Tacol-
neston, in Norfolk, and now the widow of Robert Clere, of Ormesby, Esq. She died
in 1492.

Autograph. Pl. XIX. N^o 14.

LETTER L.

To my Cousin John Paston be this Letter delivered.

TRUSTY and well beloved Cousin, I commend me to you,
desiring to hear of your welfare and good speed in your
matters, the which I pray God send you to his plesaunce (plea-
sure) and to your heart’s ease.

Cousin, I let you weet that ¹ Scroope hath been in this Coun-
try to see my Cousin your Sister, and he hath spoken with my
Cousin your Mother, and she desireth of him that he should
shew you the Indentures made between the Knight that hath
his Daughter and him, whether that Scroope, if he were
married and fortuned to have children, if those children should
inherit his land, or his Daughter, the which is married.

Cousin, for this cause take good heed to his Indentures, for he
is glad to shew you them, or whom ye will assign with you;
and he saith to me he is the last in the tayle (entail) of his
livelihood, the which is 350 marks (233l. 6s. 8d.) and better, as
Watkin Shipdham saith, for he hath taken a compt (an account)
of his livelihood divers times; and Scroope saith to me if he be
married and have a Son, an heir, his Daughter that is married
shall have of his livelihood 50 marks (33l. 6s. 8d.) and no more;
and therefore Cousin me seemeth he were good for my Cousin
your Sister with that (without that) ye might get her a better;
and if ye can get a better I would advise you to labour it in as
short time as ye may goodly, for she was never in so great for-
row as she is now a days, for she may not speak with no man,
whosoever come, ne not (neither) may see nor speak with my
man, nor with servants of her Mother’s, but that she beareth
her an hand otherwise than she meaneth; and she hath since
Easter the most part been beaten once in the week or twice, and
sometimes twice on a day, and her head broken in two or three
places. Wherefore, Cousin, she hath sent to me by Fryar Newton
in great counsel, and prayeth me that I would send to you a Let-
ter of her heaviness, and pray you to be her good brother, as her
trust is in you; and she saith if ye may see by his Evidences
that his childern and hers may inherit, and she to have reasonable
jointure, she hath heard so much of his birth and his conditions,
that and (if) ye will she will have him, whether that her mother
will or will not, notwithstanding it is told her (that) his person
is simple (plain), for she saith men shall have the more dainty
of her, if she rule her to him as she ought to do.

Cousin, it is told me there is a goodly man in your Inn, of
the which the father died lately, and if ye think that he were
better for her than Scroope, it would be laboured, and give
Scroope a goodly answer, that he be not put off till ye be sure
of a better; for he said when he was with me but if (unless) he
have some comfortable answer of you, he will no more labour
in this matter, because he might not see my Cousin your Sister,
and he faith he might have seen her and (if) she had been
better than she is; and that causeth him to deem that her mother
was not well willing; and so have I sent my Cousin your mother
word; wherefore, Cousin, think on this matter, for sorrow often
time causeth women to beset them otherwise than they should do,
and if she were in that case, I wot well ye would be sorry:
Cousin, I pray you burn this Letter, that your men nor none
other men see it; for and (if) my Cousin your Mother knew
that I had sent you this Letter, she should never love me. No
more I write to you at this time, but Holy Ghost have you in
keeping. Written in haste, on Saint Peter’s day, by candle
light.

By your Cousin,

² ELIZABETH CLERE.