John Paston to Sir John Paston

801

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

To Mastyr Syr John Paston, Knyght, in hast.

SYR, I recomande me to yow, &c. W. Gorney and I ar
     apoyntyd that ther shall no mony be takyn at Saxthorp
     tyll thys terme be past, for he hathe promysyd me to
spek with yow and your consell, and that ye shall tak a wey
betwyx yow so that ye shall be bothe plesyd. He had warnyd
a coort at Saxthorp and to have be kep upon Holy Rood Day
last past, and ther he wold have gadyrd the half yere ferm, but
it fortunyd me to be there ere the coort was half done, and I
took syche a wey with hym that the qwest gave no verdyt, ner
they procedyd no ferther in ther cort, nor gadyrd no mony
ther, nor not shall do, tyll syche tym as ye spek to gedyr, and
[if] ye be at London thys term; but and ye be not at London,
I wold avyse yow to let Townysend tak a wey with hym, for
it lyeth not in my power to keep werre with hym; for and I
had not delt ryght corteysly up on Holy Rood Day I had
drownk to myn oystyrs, for yowng Heydon had reysyd as
many men as he kowd mak in harneys to have holp Gornay;
but when Heydon sye [saw] that we delt so corteysly as we
ded he withdrew hys men and mad hem to go hom a yen, not-
withstandyng they wer redy, and ned had be. And also my
Lord of Norffolks men wyll be with hym ayenst me I wet well
as yet, tyl bettyr pesse be.

     Item, as for myn ownkyll William, I have spook with
hym, and he seyth that he wyll make a byll in all hast of iche
percelle be twyxt yow and send yow word in wryghtyng how
that he wooll dyell with yow; but I can not se that he besyth
hym abowght it, notwithstandyng I calle upon hym dayly for
it. As for mony, I can none get, neyther at Snaylewell nor at
Sporle tyll mydsomer, thow I wold dryve all the catell they
have. I was bond to the shrevys for gren wax¹ and for a
fyeri facias that is awardyd owt of yowr lond, wyche drawyth
in alle bettyr than v. mark, and I am fayn to borow the mony
to pay it by that Lord I beleve on, for I cowd not gadyr a nobyll
of areragys syn I was with yow at London of alle the lyve-
lod ye have. As for John Maryot, he is payid of hys anuyte
in to a nobyll or xs. at the most, but as for all hys dettors
I can not pay hem tyll I can gadyr more mony, so God help me.
I pray yow send a byll to John Pampyng that he may ryed
with me ovyr all your lyvelood, and tak a clere reknyng what
is owyng and what that I have receyvyd, that ye may have a
cler reknyng of all that ye owe in thys contre, and what your
tenauntes owe yow. Item, I pray yow send me word as
hastyly as ye can, how the world goethe. No more, but
God lant yow lansmann,² and rather then to stand in dowght,
remembyr what peyn it is a man to loese lyberte. The Flet
is a fayir preson, but ye had but smale lyberte ther in,³ for ye
must nedys aper when ye wer callyd. Item, I have fownd
Jamys Greshamys oblygacyon. Item, he comyth to London-
ward thys day.

        Wretyn the xiiij. day of Maye.                                          J. P.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] What is here said of the attempt of Gurney to
collect the rents at Saxthorpe, seems to show that this letter is of the same year as
No. 796. Also the mention of Maryot’s annuity and the green wax agrees very well
with the previous allusion to these matters in No. 797.

¹ See p. 134., Note 2.

     ² So in MS. What does this mean? Compare similar expression at p. 133.

     ³ I have found no other mention of Sir John Paston having been imprisoned in
the Fleet.

1472
MAY 14

1472
MAY 14