[John Paston] to Margaret Paston and Others

591

[JOHN PASTON] TO MARGARET PASTON
AND OTHERS²

To my cosyn Margret Paston and to John
Dawbeney and Richard Calle.

I RECOMANDE me to yow, and have received a letter
        from yow and a nother for Richard Calle be John
       Colman, and . . be Roos; and I have received of
Colman the plate and mony acording Richard Callis letteris.
Item, I con yow thonk ye send me word the prise of corn.
Item, as for yowr sone,¹ I lete yow wete I wold he dede wel,
but I understand in hym no disposicion of policy, ne of gover-
nans as man of the werle owt to do, but only levith and ever
hath as man disolut with owt any provision, ne that he besiith
hym nothinge to understand swhech materis as a man of lyve-
lode must nedis understond; ne I understond nothing of what
disposicion he porposith to be, but only I kan thynk he wold
dwell ayeyn in yowr hows and myn, and ther ete and drinke
and slepe.² Therfor I lete yow wete, I wold know hym or he
know myn entent, and how wel he hath ocupiid his tym now
he hath had leyser. Every pore man that hath browt up his
chylder to the age of xij. yer waytyth than to be holp and
profited be hes chylder, and every gentilman that hath discrecion
waytith that his ken and servantis that levith be hym and at
his coste shuld help hym forthward. As for yowr sone, ye
knowe well he never stode yow ne me in profite, ese or help,
to valew of on grote, savyng at Calkot Hall whane [he³] and
hes brothir keptid on day ayeyns Debenham, and yet was it at
iii. [times³] the coste that that ever Debenham sones put hym
to. For be her police [by their policy] they kepe Cotton at my
cost and with the⁴ profitis of the same. Wherfor geff hem no
favor tyle ye feel what he is and will be.

     Item, Calle sendith me word that Master Phylip⁵ hat entrid
in Drayton in my Lord of Suffolk’s name, and hat odir purpose
to entre in Heylisdon, and he askith my avyse; whech is
that ye confort my tenantis and help hem til I com hom,
and lete hem wet I shall not lese it, and that the Dowk of
Suffolk that last diid wold have bouth it of Fastolff, and, for
he mygth not have it so, he claymyd the maner, seying it was
on Polis [one Pole’s], and, for his name was Poole, he claymed
to be eyr. He was ansueryed that he com nothing of that
stok, and how somever⁶ wer kyn to the Polis that owth⁷ it it
hurt not, for it was laufully bowth and sold, and he never
kleymid it after. Item, I am in purpose to tak assise ageynse
hem at this tyme, and elles I wold have sent thedir streyt be a
letter of attorney to entre in my name; never the les ye be
a gentilwoman, and it is worshep for you to confort yowr
tennauntis; wherfor I wold ye myth ryd to Heylisdon and
Drayton and Sparham, and tari at Drayton and speke with
hem, and byd hem hold with ther old master til I com, and
that ye have sent me word but late, wherfore ye may have
none answer yet, and informe hem as I ha (sic) wrete to ye
within; and sey oupinly it is a shame that any man shuld set
anny lord on so ontrwe a mater, and speciall a preste; and
lete hem wete, as sone as I am com horn I shall see hem.
Item, that as for distreyn for rent of ferm, thow the Dewk had
tytill, as he hath not, he may non ask til the next rent day
after his entre, that is Michelmes, and seye that ye will be paiid
everi peni and asken hem it. And make mech of men of
Cossey, becawse they wer owr welwillers when we wer neyboris
ther; and lete hem wete that the begyningis of shech mater
had never worchip nor profite of me, ne shall, and desyr god
will of yowr neyboris, &c., and suyn all othir menes that ye
kan to plese the pepill. And lete yowr tenaunts wete that the
Dewke may never be lawe compel hem to torn from me; and
do all so well as ye can, and if any entyr be made in Heylisdon
shuff him owt and set sum man to kepe the place, if ned be,
not withstandyng it longith not to the manere. Item, I wold
fayn have sum man to be bayle of Heylisdon and Drayton, &c.,
that myth go amongis the tenauntis. And elles I wold han
Richard Chyllins (?) to go amond [q. among?] hem tyl I com
horn and also Richard Calle whan home. Item, he sent me
word that the tenauntis of Drayton wold not come to the
Dewkis cort and that they will be stefast to me and kepe hem
straunge and froward from the Dewkis cowncell; all this
mater shall turne to a jape and not hurt hem; ner, and if ye be
wavering it shall hurt hem. Item, I let yow wete this is do to
cause me to loose my labor ayens hym for Dedham, which I wil
not for it. God kepe yow. Wret the Thursday befor Sent
Petres day.

    Item, tel Richard Calle to have wittenses redy. I wol spede
this mater spirituall befor Estern.

    ² [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 9.] This letter, which is in the handwriting of John
Paston, refers to the proceedings of the Duke of Suffolk to enforce his claim to Dray-
ton and Hellesden, and was clearly written in the summer of 1465 on Thursday before
St. Peter’s Day, i.e. before the feast of SS. Peter and Paul (29th June).

    ¹ Sir John Paston.

    ² A later hand has here written in the margin: ‘Hic postea fuit Sir John Paston
senior, miles.’ But the postea is wrong.

    ³ These words omitted in MS.                           ⁴ the repeated in MS.

     ⁵ Philip Lipgate, the Duke of Suffolk’s bailiff.

     ⁶ ‘How somever’ for ‘whosomever,’ or ‘whoever.’

     ⁷ ‘Owth’ for ‘ought,’ i.e. owned.

JUNE 27

1465
JUNE 27

1465
JUNE 27

1465
JUNE 27

LXI

A.D. 1465, 27 June

[JOHN PASTON] TO MARGARET PASTON AND OTHERS

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 9].

     This letter, which is in the handwriting of John Paston, refers to the
proceedings of the Duke of Suffolk to enforce his claim to Drayton and
Hellesden, and was clearly written in the summer of 1465. The abstract
of it, which has already appeared in the Appendix to Vol. III., No. 1003,
has been unfortunately dated 1464. The letter was written on Thursday
before St. Peter’s day, i.e. before the feast of SS. Peter and Paul (29 June).

To my cosyn Margret Paston and to John Dawbeney
and Richard Calle.

I RECOMANDE me to yow, and have re-
     ceived a letter from yow and a nother for
     Richard Calle be John Colman, and . . be
     Roos; and I have received of Colman the
plate and mony acording Richard Callis letteris.
Item, I con yow thonk ye send me word the prise
of corn. Item, as for yowr sone,¹ I lete yow wete I
wold he dede wel, but I understand in hym no dis-
posicion of policy, ne of governans as man of the
werle owt to do, but only levith and ever hath as
man disolut with owt any provision, ne that he
besiith hym nothinge to understand swhech materis
as a man of lyvelode must nedis understond; ne I
understond nothing of what disposicion he porposith
to be, but only I kan thynk he wold dwell ayeyn in
yowr hows and myn, and ther ete and drinke and
slepe.² Therfor I lete yow wete, I wold know hym
or he know myn entent, and how wel he hath
ocupiid his tym now he hath had leyser. Every pore
man that hath browt up his chylder to the age of xij.
yer waytyth than to be holp and profited be hes
chylder, and every gentilman that hath discrecion
waytith that his ken and servantis that levith be hym
and at his coste shuld help hym forthward. As for
yowr sone, ye knowe well he never stode yow ne
me in profite, ese or help, to valew of on grote,
savyng at Calkot Hall whane [he¹] and hes brothir
keptid on day ayeyns Debenham, and yet was it at
iii. [times¹] the coste that that ever Debenham sones
put hym to. For be her police [by their policy] they
kepe Cotton at my cost and with the² profitis of the
same. Wherfor geff hem no favor tyle ye feel what
he is and will be.

     Item, Calle sendith me word that Master Phylip³
hat entrid in Drayton in my Lord of Suffolk’s name,
and hat odir purpose to entre in Heylisdon, and
he askith my avyse; whech is that ye confort my
tenantis and help hem til I com hom, and let hem
wet I shall not lese it, and that the Dowk of Suffolk
that last diid wold have bouth it of Fastolff, and, for he
mygth not have it so, he claymyd the maner, seying it
was on Polis [one Pole’s], and, for his name was Poole,
he claymed to be eyr. He was ansueryed that he com
nothing of that stok, and how somever⁴ wer kyn to
the Polis that owth⁵ it it hurt not, for it was laufully
bowth and sold, and he never kleymid it after. Item,
I am in purpose to tak assise ageynse hem at this
tyme, and elles I wold have sent thedir streyt be a
letter of attorney to entre in my name; never the les
ye be a gentilwoman, and it is worshep for you to
confort yowr tennauntis; wherfor I wold ye myth ryd
to Heylisdon and Drayton and Sparham, and tari at
Drayton and speke with hem, and byd hem hold
with ther old master til I com, and that ye have sent
me word but late, wherfore ye may have none answer
yet, and informe hem as I ha (sic) wrete to ye within;
and sey oupinly it is a shame that any man shuld set
anny lord on so ontrwe a mater, and speciall a preste;
and lete hem wete, as sone as I am com hom I shall
see hem. Item, that as for distreyn for rent of ferm,
thow the Dewk had tytill, as he hath not, he may
non ask til the next rent day after his entre, that is
Michelmes, and seye that ye will be paiid everi pene
and asken hem it. And make mech of men of Cossey,
becawse they wer owr welwillers when we wer neyboris
ther; and lete hem wete that the begyningis of
shech mater had never worchip nor profite of me,
ne shall, and desyr god will of yowr neyboris, &c., and
suyn all othir menes that ye kan to plese the pepill.
And lete yowr tenaunts wete that the Dewke may
never be lawe compel hem to torn from me; and
do all so well as ye can, and if any entyr be made in
Heylisdon shuff him owt and set sum man to kepe
the place, if ned be, not withstandyng it longith not
to the manere. Item, I wold fayn have sum man to be
bayle of Heylisdon and Drayton, &c., that myth go
amongis the tenauntis. And elles I wold han Richard
Chyllins (?) to go amond [q. among?] hem tyl I com
hom and also Richard Calle whan home. Item, he sent
me word that the tenauntis of Drayton wold not come
to the Dewkis cort and that they will be stefast to
me and kepe hem straunge and froward from the
Dewkis cowncell; all this mater shall turne to a jape
and not hurt hem; ner, and if ye be wavering it
shall hurt hem. Item, I lete yow wete this is do to
cause me to loose my labor ayens hym for Dedham,
which I wil not for it. God kepe yow. Wret the
Thursday befor Sent Petres day.

     Item, tel Richard Calle to have wittenses redy. I
wol spede this mater spirituall befor Estern.

     ¹ Sir John Paston.

     ² A later hand has here written in the margin: ‘Hic postea fuit Sir John
Paston senior, miles.’ But the postea is wrong.

¹ These words omitted in MS.            ² the repeated in MS.

     ³ Philip Lipgate, the Duke of Suffolk’s bailiff.

     ⁴ ‘How somever’ for ‘whosomever,’ or ‘whoever.’

     ⁵ ‘Owth’ for ‘ought,’ i.e. owned.