John Osbbern to Sir John Paston

819

JOHN OSBERN TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

To the right worshepfull my master, Sir John Paston, Knyght.

A^o xij. E. R. quarti.

     Please it your masterschep to knowe that Johon Shawe and I have goten a
carpenter fro Walsyngham to Sporle to valewe your wod the² the wheche car-
penter hese costis there Sondaye at nyght next before the Assencion off owre
Lord Jesu Cryst, Mondaye, Tewesdaye, Wednesdaye, Assencion Daye, Fry-
daye and Saterdaye, and for hese labor iijs. iiijd. And upon the syte of your
seid wode he hath valewid the launde wythin the dykes xij. fote inward fro the
cop of the dyke and wythowte at liiijli. vijs. xd. And wythin the wode xij.
fote wythin alle the dykes vj^xx.li. vijs. viijd. the valewe of the dykes abowte
the woode fro xij. fote fro wythin owtewardis arn prysid at xli. grete chepis the
valew of the trees in the maner and in the closes azens the seid manor toward
Swaffham xx. marc gret chepe; there off be ware and be not to hasty, &c.,
the cloos at the tow . . . toward Pykenham not valewid nor not spoken
of, &c. The summa totall ix^xx.li. & xviijli. ijs. viijd.

     And if ze shuld selle all this wode togedyr for redy sylver never lesse in the
summa paste v. marc, if ze woll sell the wode . . . . the lawnde wythin
the dykes and the standardis thoo I shall wryte aftyr in this bille for to stande
in any wyse less . . . . . . all the hole sum at the most paste xli. for
who so ever shall by it he maye so leve and gete goode, &c.

     The summa of your standardis for certeyn reconyd the Mondaye and the
Tewsdaye whill I was at Sporle wyth in . . . . and xij. fote wythin
the dykes in forme above rehersid xj^xx. And iche standarde a zard [yard]
above the grownde . . . . . abowte an . . lesser till we come xij.
inche and viij. inche besyde all odyr smale that arn of lesse mesure . . . .
. . growe the wheche arn many and resonabely sufficient, &c., the nowmber
off the standardis wythin your . . . . . cowntid and summe be estima-
cion of the mesures and formes above rehersid CCCC^ma xxxvj^ti.

     As for your undyrwode I can not fynde the meane to valewid to your
avayle, be cause it were necessary to knowe the purpose off your fellyng, where
off beware, &c.

     As for the fensyng of your dykes, and ze shuld felle your bordorys off your
wode the Suthsyde, viz., toward Pykenham fro the Wonges to Walsyngham
Weye is lxxx. rodde at leste, the price of the rodde iiijd., dyggyng, plashyng,
and heggyng.            .          .           .             . Summa, xxvjs. viijd.

     The Est syde toward Neyghton and
Sparham vij^xx. rodde at the leste,                                   Summa, xls.

     Where off sum is repayrid, sum maye be sperid, but at the lest it woll coste
yow a vj. marc, &c.

     If it please yow to take myn symple avyse in your wode sale, selle non in
gret, but make fagottes and astell and lete alle your grete and goode tymber and
trees stande, and ze shall make resonably mony to your worchep, and to your
best avayle as John Shawe your servaunt shall telle yow, if I maye do zow any
service in this c . . . . ze shall ffynde me redy, so that ze sende sufficient
warant be the grace off Jesu, Who haue y[ow in His] kepyng. Wrete in hast,
at Walsyngham, the Sundaye next aftyr the feest off the Assencion off owr
[Lord] Jesu Cryste.

                                                                  Be your                           JOHN OSBERN.

     I praye yow geff credens in alle these materes to Shawe, for he can telle
yow more shortlyer then I shuld wryte, and I hold hym trewe to yow in hese
menyng.

Endorsed—Per John Osbern, pro Sporl Wood.

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                                                ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.]

                                                ² Sic, qu. ‘there’?

1472

1472