John Paston to his Mother

673

JOHN PASTON TO HIS MOTHER¹

RYGHT worchepfull modyr, I recomand me onto you,
     lowly besechyng yow of your blyssyng. Plesyt yow
     to we [sic] that my brodyr and I be in good hele,
blyssyd be God, and all our felawshep; and as for me I tryst
to God to . . . yow by Halowmes or within iiij. dayes aftyr
at the ferthest; at whyche tyme I tryst to fynd the menys
. . . dyscharge yow of syche folk as ye kepe of my brodyrs,
and that must I do by myn owne menys; for as for my
brodyr, by my trowthe he is not of power to do it; for this I
ensure yow, so God help me, he hathe at thys season not a
peny in hys purs, nor wotys not wher to get eny. And as for
Bekham I warant, and ye wyll send the plate whych ye and I
comond of for to helpe to paye hys dettis, and for to swe
forthe for hys jwgement thys terme, it sholl neythyr be mor-
gagyd nor sold. Wherfor, modyr, I and he bothe beseche
yow that ye wyll send hym the plate by Jwde; or ellys, so
God help me, I wot not how he shall do; for by the feythe
that I ow to God he lokyth every day to be arestyd, and so I
wene he sholl, so God helpe me. Jwde had ned to be sped
hastyly lest syche arestys falle in the tyme. And as for my
Lord of Norffolk, it is promysed me to have hys good lord-
shep, but I must tery a whylle, as my Lady told yow, for the
maners sake. And as for tydynges her, so God help, neythyr
the Kyng nor the Lordis can as yet undyrstand no serteynte,
whedyr they shall go togedyr ayen by the werre or not.
When I here the serteynte I shall send yow word. Ye may
send mony by Jwde for my sustyr Annys hood and for the
tepet of sersenet, viijs. a yerd of damask and vs. for sarsenet;
hyr hood wyll take iij. quarters. No mor for lak of leyser,
but I pray God send yow your hertis desyir and othyr pore
folys thers.—Your sone and humbyll servant,

                                                                                        J. PASTON.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 196.] The date of this letter is difficult to fix, but from
the two brothers being together (which was rather a rare occurrence), and both in
good health, the summer of 1467 seems not improbable. (See No. 671.) The date
must at least be earlier than Nov. 1469, when Sir John Paston, as we shall hereafter
find, actually executed an indenture for the sale of East Beckham. It seems quite
impossible, moreover, that this letter can be of the year 1469.

1467(?)

1467(?)

LXXIV

A.D. 1467?

JOHN PASTON TO HIS MOTHER

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 196]

     This letter is No. 1061 in the Inventory. Its date is difficult to fix, but
from the two brothers being together (which was rather a rare occurrence)
and both in good health, the summer of 1467 seems not improbable. (See
No. 576.) The date must at least be earlier than Nov. 1469 (see No. 634),
and that year seems quite impossible. The margin of the MS. is a little
mutilated.

RYGHT worchepfull modyr, I recomand me
     onto you, lowly besechyng yow of your
     blyssyng. Plesyt yow to we [sic] that my
     brodyr and I be in good hele, blyssyd
be God, and all our felawshep; and as for me I
tryst to God to . . . yow by Halowmes or within
iiij. dayes aftyr at the ferthest; at whyche tyme I
tryst to fynd the menys . . . dyscharge yow of syche
folk as ye kepe of my brodyrs, and that must I do
by myn owne menys; for as for my brodyr, by my
trowthe he is not of power to do it; for this I ensure
yow, so God help me, he hathe at thys season not a
peny in hys purs, nor wotys not wher to get eny.
And as for Bekham I warant, and ye wyll send the
plate whych ye and I comond of for to helpe to
paye hys dettis, and for to swe forthe for hys jwge-
ment thys terme, it sholl neythyr be morgagyd nor
sold. Wherfor, modyr, I and he bothe beseche yow
that ye wyll send hym the plate by Jwde; or ellys,
so God help me, I wot not how he shall do; for by
the feythe that I ow to God he lokyth every day to
be arestyd, and so I wene he sholl, so God helpe
me. Jwde had ned to be sped hastyly lest syche
arestys falle in the tyme. And as for my Lord of
Norffolk, it is promysed me to have hys good lord-
shep, but I must tery a whylle, as my Lady told
yow, for the maners sake. And as for tydynges her,
so God help, neythyr the Kyng nor the Lordis can
as yet undyrstand no serteynte, whedyr they shall go
togedyr ayen by the werre or not. When I here the
serteynte I shall send yow word. Ye may send
mony by Jwde for my sustyr Annys hood and for
the tepet of sersenet, viijs. a yerd of damask and
vs. for sarsenet; hyr hood wyll take iij. quarters.
No mor for lak of leyser, but I pray God send yow
your hertis desyir and othyr pore folys thers.—Your
sone and humbyll servant,                           J. PASTON.