Elizabeth Poynings to Agnes Paston

LETTER LXXXI.

         To my Right worshypfull
         moder Agnes Paston.

RIGHT worshipfull and my most entierly belovde mod^r in
     the most louly man^r I recomaund me unto yo^re gode
moderhode besekeyng you dayly And myghtly of yo^r moderly
blissing Ev^rmor desiryng to her of yo^r welfare And p’sp^rite ye
which I p’y god to contynw And encresce to your herts desyre
And yf it lyked your gode moderhode to here of me And how
I do at the makyng of this l’re I was in gode hele of body tanked
be Ihu And as for my Mayst^r my best beloved that ye call
And I must nedes call hym so now for I fynde noon oy^r cause
And as I trust to Jhu non shall for he is full kynde unto me
And is as besy as he can to make me sur of my joyntor wherto
he is j bounde in a bonde of m^lli. to you moder and to my broy^r
Iohn and to my broy^r Will’m And to Edmund ¹Clere the which
neded no such bond Wherfore I beseke you gode moder as our
most syng’ler trost is yn your gode moderhode that my maistr my
best beloved fayle not of the C m’rc at the begynnyng of this
t’me the which ye p’mysed hym to his mariage w^t the Remanent
of the money of Faders wille. For I have p’mytted faithfully
to a gentilman called Bain that was oon of my best beloved
suertees And was bounde for hym in CC li. of which he Reher-
seth for to Ryseyve at the begynnyng of thys t’me Cxx li. And yf
he fayle y’of at this tyme he wille clayme the hool of us the
which were to us to grete an hurt And he con not make an ende
w^t noon of hys oy^r suertees w^toute this seyd sylv^r And that con
my broy^r Iohn telle yow wel j nough and it lusteth hym to
do soo And in all oy^r thyngs As to my lady Pool w^t hom I
soie^rned that ye wul be my tendr and gode moder that she
may be payde for all the costes doon to me before my mary-
age and to Xpofre Houson as ye wrote unto my broy^r Iohn
that it shuld have ben so. And yat it plese your gode moder-
hode to yeve credence to Will’m Worcestr And Jhu for his
grete m^rcy save yow Written at london the Wendysday the
iij day of Janyver.

                          By your humble Doughter,

                                                               ² Elizabeth Ponynggs.

        12 by 6 ?.

         Paper Mark,
      a Pair of Scales
       within a Circle.
       Plate XXII. N^o 14.

      London, Wednesday,
        3 January, 1458-9.
             37 H. VI.

     The dutiful Address of Elizabeth Poynings, daughter of Sir William and Agnes Pas-
ton, to her mother, and the handsome manner in which she speaks of her husband,
would do honour to a modern daughter and wife; and the anxiety she shews that her
husband might be able to discharge his sureties, is both pleasing and commendable.

     In 1457, when unmarried, she lived with Lady Pole, as appears from Letter
XXXV. vol. i. p. 143. She had been now lately married to Robert Ponyngs, or
Poynings, whom she survived, and afterwards married Sir George Browne, of Beech-
worth Castle, in Surrey, and was living in 1485.

     ¹ Edmund Clere, was the second son of John Clere, Esq. of Ormesby, and died
in 1463.

 ² Autograph. Pl. XX. N^o 26.

LETTER LXXXI.

To my right worshipful Mother Agnes Paston.

RIGHT worshipful and my most entirely beloved mother,
     in the most lowly manner I recommend me unto your
good motherhood, beseeching you daily and nightly of your
motherly blessing, evermore desiring to hear of your welfare
and prosperity, the which I pray God to continue and increase
to your heart’s desire; and if it liked your motherhood to hear
of me and how I do at the making of this letter, I was in good
hele (health) of body thanked be Jesu; and as for my master,
my best beloved that ye call, and I must needs call him so now,
for I find none other cause, and as I trust to Jesu never shall,
for he is full kind unto me, and is as busy as he can to make
me sure of my Jointure, whereto he is bound in a Bond of a
thousand pounds to you mother, and to my brother John, and
to my brother William, and to Edmund ¹ Clere, the which
needed no such bond; wherefore, I beseech you good mother,
as our most singular trust is in your good motherhood, that my
master, my best beloved, fail not of the hundred marks (66l.
13s. 4d.) at the beginning of this term, the which ye promised
him to his marriage, with the remanent of the money of my
father’s will; for I have promitted (promised) faithfully to a
Gentleman called Bain, that was one of my best beloved’s sure-
ties, and was bound for him in two hundred pounds, of which he
rehearseth for to receive at the beginning of this term one hun-
dred and twenty pounds, and if he fail thereof at this time,
he will claim the whole of us, the which were to us too great
an hurt; and he cannot make an end with none of his other
sureties without this said silver, and that can my brother John
tell you well enough and it lusteth (listeth) him to do so, and
in all other things. As to my Lady Pool, with whom I so-
journed, that ye will be my tender and good mother, that she
may be paid for all the costs done to me before my marriage,
and to Christopher Houson, as ye wrote unto my brother John,
that it should have been so; and that it please your good mo-
therhood to give credence to William Worcester; and Jesu for
his great mercy save you! Written at London, the Wednes-
day the 3 day of January.

                 By your humble Daughter,

                                                      ² ELIZABETH PONYNGGS.

      12 by 6 ?.

         Paper Mark,
      a Pair of Scales
       within a Circle.
       Plate XXII. N^o 14.

      London, Wednesday,
        3 January, 1458-9.
             37 H. VI.

     The dutiful Address of Elizabeth Poynings, daughter of Sir William and Agnes Pas-
ton, to her mother, and the handsome manner in which she speaks of her husband,
would do honour to a modern daughter and wife; and the anxiety she shews that her
husband might be able to discharge his sureties, is both pleasing and commendable.

     In 1457, when unmarried, she lived with Lady Pole, as appears from Letter
XXXV. vol. i. p. 143. She had been now lately married to Robert Ponyngs, or
Poynings, whom she survived, and afterwards married Sir George Browne, of Beech-
worth Castle, in Surrey, and was living in 1485.

     ¹ Edmund Clere, was the second son of John Clere, Esq. of Ormesby, and died
in 1463.

 ² Autograph. Pl. XX. N^o 26.

374

ELIZABETH POYNINGS TO AGNES PASTON¹

To my right worshypfull moder, Agnes Paston.

      RIGHT worshipfull and my most entierly belovde moder,
           in the most louly maner I recomaund me unto youre
           gode moderhode, besekeyng you dayly and nyghtly of
your moderly blissing, evermore desiryng to her of your wel-
fare and prosperite, the which I pray God to contynw and
encresce to your herts desyre. And yf it lyked your gode
moderhode to here of me and how I do, at the makyng of this
lettre I was in gode hele of body tanked be Jesu. And as for
my mayster, my best beloved that ye call, and I must nedes
call hym so now, for I fynde noon other cause, and as I trust
to Jesu non shall; for he is full kynde unto me, and is as besy
as he can to make me sur of my joyntor, wherto he is ibounde
in a bonde of m^lli. to you mother, and to my brother John,
and to my brother William, and to Edmund Clere,¹ the which
neded no such bond. Wherfore I beseke you, gode moder,
as our most synguler trost is yn your gode moderhode, that
my maistr, my best beloved, fayle not of the C. marc at the
begynnyng of this terme, the which ye promysed hym to his
mariage, with the remanent of the money of faders wille; for
I have promytted faithfully to a gentilman, called Bain, that
was oon of my best beloved suertees, and was bounde for hym
in CCli., of which he reherseth for to ryseyve at the begynnyng
of thys terme Cxxli., and yf he fayle therof at this tyme, he
wille clayme the hool of us, the which were to us to grete an
hurt; and he con not make an ende with noon of hys other
suertees withoute this seyd sylver, and that con my brother
John telle yow wel i nough, and it lusteth hym to do soo, and
in all other thyngs. As to my Lady Pool,² with whom I
sojerned, that ye wul be my tendr and gode moder that she
may be payde for all the costes doon to me before my mary-
age, and to Christofre Houson, as ye wrote unto my brother
John that I shuld have ben so; and that it plese your gode
moderhode to yeve credence to William Worcestr. And
Jesu for his grete mercy save yow.

     Written at London, the Wendysday the iij. day of
Janyver.

                        By your humble doughter,

                                                         ELYZABETH PONYNGGS.

     ¹ [From Fenn, iii. 328.] The writer of this letter is Agnes Paston’s daughter
Elizabeth, for whose marriage, as we have seen, there had been a good deal of negotiat-
ing in past years (see Nos. 93, 94, 236, 250, 252), and who has now become the wife
of Robert Poynings. As the 3rd of January, the day on which this letter is dated, was
a Wednesday, the year must be 1459. The 3rd of January did not fall on a Wednes-
day again till 1470, by which time Elizabeth Paston and Robert Poynings must have
been married several years, as will be seen by No. 126 preceding (vol. ii. p. 154,
Note 3).

  ¹ Edmund Clere was the second son of John Clere, Esq. of Ormesby, and died in
1463.

   ² See p. 123.

1459

JAN 3

1459

JAN 3