John Paston the Youngest to his father

586

JOHN PASTON THE YOUNGEST TO HIS FATHER¹

RYTH reverent and worchepfull fadyr, I recomand me on
          to yow, beschyng yow lowly of your blyssyng. Plesit
          yow to have knowlage how that I have be in Sowthe-
folk for syche materys as my cosyn Dawbeney took my modyr
a byll of, towchyng the materys be twyx yow and Jenney.
And of all the jentylmen that ye wold my modyr schold
send to for thys mater ther ar no more at home bot John
Alyngton; and I schewyd hym the byll of the namys of the
Inqwest and knew no more of hem all bot thes, John Depden,
Thomas Wodborne, John Donemowe, Herry Chesten, and
Adam Wrene. And to all them Alyngton sent a man of hys
for to fele hem how they wer dysposyd. Thys was the answer
of John Depden and Thomas Wodborne, they sayd the last
tyme they wer at London iche of ther costys stood hem on
xs., and they seyd they wold no mor come at London bot if²
they knew who schod pay for ther costis; but me thowt by
Alyngtonys man that they wold have had a brybe of yow be
syd the paying for ther costys for to have bedyn at home,
for they have non othyr levyng but brybys. As for John
Donemow and Herry Chesten, so that ther issuys may be
payd they wyll not come ther; nor in trowthe they scholl not
come ther. Wher for Alyngton prayith yow that ther issuys
may be payid. Adam Wrene was not spoke to, for he is
Jenneys baly or hys fermour. As for the quest they ar not
yet somoned to aper, and but if¹ they be somonyd ther scholl
non of hem all aper. The most part of the todyr dwell
a bowt Ippyswyche and they be Debnamys tenauntys and
Brewsys, and I knowd get no man to spek with hem but if¹
I schold have spok with hem my selve; and my spekyng
with hem schold rather aperyd [have impaired] the mater than
a mendyd it. And also I hyid me the faster home a geyn, for
I lay at my cosyn Lovedays on Corpus Christi Day at nyth;
and he told me that the Duches of Sofokys consell wold entre
in to Calcot Hall, and they wold kep it tyll the Duches knew
who schold be her tenaunt, owthyr ye or Debnam. Thus told
one of the men of the seyd cowncell to Loveday; whyche man
schold ryd thedyr with hem. And thys schold be do as to
morow at aftyr non; bot I trow they wole but tak a distres
for the servys of the maner, whych is dwe; but I have sent
word to Rysyng and to the tenauntis that they schold dryve a
wey ther catell. And as for the maner, my brodyr and I
scholl kepe it so that they schall not entyr as that daye, by the
grase of God, nor aftyr nowthyr and [i.e. if] we may knowe
of it, but if¹ ye send us othyr wys word. As for the namys
that ye wold have for to pase upon the mater betwyx yow and
Hogan, I spok to Alyngton and Loveday therof, and Love-
day seyd he knew non that wold pas up on ony inquest for
hym, for he medylyd with no syche men; and Alyngton seyd
that he kowd assyne me none men for serteyn, not tyll he had
spok with some, whyche he seyd wold aske gret leyser, for he
knew bot fewe in Sofolk; if it had be in Cambrygge schyre he
kowd have get you j now. My modyr spak with old Banyard
of Sibton Abbey for the same mater, and he knew none that
wold pase upon the mater at his desyer, but he asygnyd dyvers
men that love not Jeney, whyche he kowd thynk wold pase
upon it at yowr desyer if ye spok with hem your selve; or at
the lest iche of hem kowd get yow ij. or iij. men that wold
sey as they wold in cas ye spok with hem your selve, whoys
namys I send you in a byll by Loveday. Item, as for the
gape at Nakton Rychard Calle seyth that it was a thorn busche
was leyd in with owt a stake betwyx ij. thornys that grew; and
as for Jeneys netes, ther was not one lost her calfe that I can
inquer of. And I pray God farther yow in all youyr materys
to Hys plesans and to youer hertys desyir. Wretyn in hast at
Hallysworthe the Saterday next aftyr Trinite Sonday.

     My cosyn Hevenyngham is at London, and he kowd
asygne you men that wold say as he wold mor than Syr John
Wyngfeld, Alyngton, and all.—Your sone and lowly servant,

                                                           JOHN PASTON THE YONGEST.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 190.] This letter refers to the dispute with Jenney in
1464-5, and seems to belong to the latter year.

     ² ‘But if,’ the old familiar expression for ‘unless,’ occurs in this letter with
peculiar frequency.

    ¹ See footnote 2 on preceding page.

JUNE 15

1465
JUNE 15

1465
JUNE 15

LX

A.D. 1465, 15 June

JOHN PASTON THE YOUNGEST TO HIS FATHER

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 190]

     This letter, No. 1059 in the Inventory, refers to the dispute with Jenney
in 1464-5, and seems to belong to the latter year.

RYTH reverent and worchepfull fadyr, I re-
     comand me on to yow, beschyng yow
     lowly of your blyssyng. Plesit yow to
     have knowlage how that I have be in
Sowthefolk for syche materys as my cosyn Daw-
beney took my modyr a byll of, towchyng the
materys be twyx yow and Jenney. And of all the
jentylmen that ye wold my modyr schold send to for
thys mater ther ar no more at home bot John
Alyngton; and I schewyd hym the byll of the namys
of the Inqwest and knew no more of hem all bot
thes, John Depden, Thomas Wodborne, John Done-
mowe, Herry Chesten, and Adam Wrene. And to
all them Alyngton sent a man of hys for to fele
hem how they wer dysposyd. Thys was the answer
of John Depden and Thomas Wodborne, they sayd
the last tyme they wer at London iche of ther costys
stood hem on xs., and they seyd they wold no mor
come at London bot if¹ they knew who schod pay
for ther costis; but me thowt by Alyngtonys man
that they wold have had a brybe of yow be syd the
paying for ther costys for to have bedyn at home,
for they have non othyr levyng but brybys. As for
John Donemow and Herry Chesten, so that ther
issuys may be payd they wyll not come ther; nor
in trowthe they scholl not come ther. Wher for
Alyngton prayith yow that ther issuys may be payid.
Adam Wrene was not spoke to, for he is Jenneys
baly or hys fermour. As for the quest they ar not
yet somoned to aper, and but if¹ they be somonyd
ther scholl non of hem all aper. The most part of
the todyr dwell a bowt Ippyswyche and they be
Debnamys tenauntys and Brewsys, and I knowd get
no man to spek with hem but if¹ I schold have spok
with hem my selve; and my spekyng with hem
schold rather aperyd [have impaired] the mater than
a mendyd it. And also I hyid me the faster home
a geyn, for I lay at my cosyn Lovedays on Corpus
Christi Day at nyth; and he told me that the
Duches of Sofokys consell wold entre in to Calcot
Hall, and they wold kep it tyll the Duches knew
who schold be her tenaunt, owthyr ye or Debnam.
Thus told one of the men of the seyd cowncell to
Loveday; whyche man schold ryd thedyr with hem.
And thys schold be do as to morow at aftyr non;
bot I trow they wole but tak a distres for the servys
of the maner, whych is dwe; but I have sent word
to Rysyng and to the tenauntis that they schold
dryve a wey ther catell. And as for the maner, my
brodyr and I scholl kepe it so that they schall not
entyr as that daye, by the grase of God, nor aftyr
nowthyr and [i.e. if] we may knowe of it, but if¹ ye
send us othyr wys word. As for the namys that ye
wold have for to pase upon the mater betwyx yow
and Hogan, I spok to Alyngton and Loveday therof,
and Loveday seyd he knew non that wold pas up on
ony inquest for hym, for he medylyd with no syche
men; and Alyngton seyd that he kowd assyne me
none men for serteyn, not tyll he had spok with some,
whyche he seyd wold aske gret leyser, for he knew
bot fewe in Sofolk; if it had be in Cambrygge
schyre he kowd have get you j now. My modyr
spak with old Banyard of Sibton Abbey for the same
mater, and he knew none that wold pase upon the
mater at his desyer, but he asygnyd dyvers men that
love not Jeney, whyche he kowd thynk wold pase
upon it at yowr desyer if ye spok with hem your
selve; or at the lest iche of hem kowd get yow ij. or
iij. men that wold sey as they wold in cas ye spok
with hem your selve, whoys namys I send you in a
byll by Loveday. Item, as for the gape at Nakton
Rychard Calle seyth that it was a thorn busche was
leyd in with owt a stake betwyx ij. thornys that grew;
and as for Jeneys netes, ther was not one lost her
calfe that I can inquer of. And I pray God farther
yow in all youyr materys to Hys plesans and to
youer hertys desyir. Wretyn in hast at Hallysworthe
the Saterday next aftyr Trinite Sonday.

     My cosyn Hevenyngham is at London, and he
kowd asygne you men that wold say as he wold mor
than Syr John Wyngfeld, Alyngton, and all.—Your
sone and lowly servant,

                                     JOHN PASTON THE YOUNGEST.

       ¹ ‘But if,’ the old familiar expression for ‘unless,’ occurs in this letter
with peculiar frequency.

¹ See footnote on preceding page.