Fragment of a letter from Edmund Paston to John Paston

789

EDMUND PASTON TO JOHN PASTON²

Tho my rytgh wurshepfull brother John Paston, in hast.

RYGH wurshipful brother, I recumawnd me to zow,
     prayeng zow hartely that ze wyl remembyr soche
     maters as I wryth to zow. I send zow now be the
brynggar her of mony, wycche mony I pray zow that [ye³]
be stowe yt as I wryth to zow. I wend a don yt my sylf but
consyderyng costis and other dyvers thyngis I may not bryng
yt abowthe. Wher for I pray zow hartely to take the labour
up on zow, and I trust to deservyt. I pray zow be stow thys
mony thus: to Christofyr Hanyngton vs.: to the prynspall
of Stapylin⁴ vs. in parte of payment. Also I pray zow to bye
me iij. zerddis of porpyl schamlet, price the zerd iiijs., a bonet
of depe murry, pryce ijs. iiijd., an hose clothe of zelow carsey
of an ellyn, I trow yt wyl cost ijs.; a gyrdyl of plunkket
ryban, price vjd.; iiij. lacis of sylke ij. of one color and ij. of
ane other, price viijd.; iij. doseyn poynttis wythe red and
zelow, price vjd.; iij. peyer of pateyns. I pray zow late
Wylliam Mylsant purvey for them. I was wonte to pay but
ijd. ob, for a payer, but I pray zow late them not be lefte
behyng thow I pay mor; they must be lowe pateyns; late
them be long inow and brode up on the hele. Among all
other I pray zow recumawnd me to Mastres Elyzabet
Hygons. I may sey poverte partes feleschepe. Yf that I
had ben so well purveyde as I wend I trowst to have ben
with zow her thys; also I pray zow recumawnd me to my
brother Sir John. I fer lasse he wyl take a dysplesur with
me that I send hym no mony. I pray zow excuse me as ze
can. I trust to send hym sum a bowth Candylmesse. I had
a promyse of Masteres Elyzabeth of a typet of welvet; but
and I myth have a hatlase I woold thynk me well. I pray
zow sey thus myche on zour owyn hed, and yf ze can not
sped of the hatlase I pray zow bye me one of xijd. or xvjd.
Also Sir I send Parkar hys mony be the brynggar har of and
I have desyered hym to lend me a gown of puke, and I have
send hym a typet of welvet to boredyr yt [round.¹] a bowthe;
and I pray zow be at schesyng there of; and yf that he wyl
not be cryst calkestowe over hys hed that is schoryle in
Englysche, yt is a terme newe browthe up with my mars-
chandis of Norwych. Sir John Pampyng recummawnd hym
to zow and pray zow that ze wyl remembyr hys harnes, and
yf that ze can get the mony he pray zow to delyver Parkar
xs. that he howyth hym. Also, sir, my modyr gretis zow
wel and send zow Goddis blyssyng and heres, and prays zow
that ze wyl bye her a runlet of Malmesey owthe of the galey;
and yf ze have no mony sche byd that ze schuld borow of my
brother Sir John, or of sum other frend of zowers, and send
[he]r ¹ woord as hastily as ze have it, and sche schale send zow
mony; and yf that ze send it home sche byd that yt schuld be
woond in a canivasse for brochyng of the caryars, for sche
sethe that sche hath knowyn men served soo befor. Also I
pray zow, if ze speke with Master Roger, tell hym that yf he
cum in to thys cuntre thys crystemas, he schal have hys xs.,
and yf that he cum not I schal send yt hym be xij. day
[Twelfth Day] at the fardest. I pray zow, hartely remembyr
my gere, and that ze wyl desyere Wylliam Mylsant on my be
halve to purvey for the caryage in as hasty wyse as yt can.
Also I pray zow that the welvet that levyt of my typet may
be send hom a geyn, for I woold strype a dobelet ther with.
As for Masteres Blakenye, I trowe sche in zour quarters. I
woold I had the same entyrpryce up on hyr that John
Bramppton of Atylborowe had up on master Byrston. Alle
the Coorte recommawndes hem tow zow. I pray zow, and
ze can get me any profytable servyce, a saye. My brother
Sir John was meved of my hawnt Ponyngges to have ben
with here. I woold have rytgh an hesy servyse tyl I were
owthe of detis. God have zow in Hys kepyng. Wretyn at
Norwyche, the Monday nex be fore Sen Edmond the Kyng.

                                                                           EDMOND PASTON.

On the back of the letter are the following memoranda:—

         ² [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 130, and Add. MS. 27, 445, f. 52.] The MS. of this letter
is in two fragments, from which it is now printed entire. The year in which it was
written is shown by Margaret Paston’s letter to the writer’s brother John Paston, on
the 29th November 1471 (No. 791), in which she apologises for not sending him
money for a runlet of wine she had desired him to purchase for her, on account of the
number of thieves stirring. It will be seen that she made the request by means of her
son Edmund in this letter.

     ³ Omitted in MS.

     ⁴ Staple Inn.

¹ Mutilated.

NOV. 18
 

1471
NOV. 18

1471
NOV. 18