Margaret Paston to John Paston

103

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my rytz wurchipful mayster, Jon Paston, be this delyvered
in hast.

       RYT wurchipful hosband, I recommawnd me to zu,
           desyryng hertyly to heryn of zour wele fare, preying
           zu to weten that I commawndyd Herry Goneld to
gon to Gunnore to have copys of the pleyntes in the hundrede,
and Gunnore was not at home; but the seyd Herry spake
with his clerk, and he told hym pleynly he wost wele his
mayster wuld not late hym have no copys, thow he wor at
home, tyl the nexst hundred; qher for I send zou that byl
that was wownd abowt the relefys. Custans, Mak, and
Kentyng wold adysavowyd here swtes rytz fayn the last
hundred, as I herd sayn of rytz thryfty men; but the Lord
Moleynys men thrett hem that bothe they xuld ben betyn and
lesen here hows and lond and alle here goods, but if [unless]
they wold avow it; and after that Osborn was gon, Hasard²
intretyd Kentyng and Mak to avow the swtys after that they
hadde disavowyd itt, and zave hem mony to zef to the clerkes
to entren azen the pleyntes. But if³ ze seke a remedy in hast
for to remeve itt, I soppose they wyl distreyn for the mersy-
mentes er the nexst hundred.

     As for Mak, he gate respyt that he xuld not sew tyl the
nexst hundred. As for Herry Goneld, he was dystreynyd
zysterday for rent and ferm, and he must pay it to morue,
xxijs., or elles lesyn his dystresse. They gadder mony fast

of all the tenawntes. All the tenawntes ben chargyd to pay al
her rent and ferm be Fastyngong Sonday.¹ It ys told me
that the Lord Moleynys xuld kepe his Fastyngong att Jon
Wynters plase.

     The seid Lordes men haddyn a letter on Thursday last
past; qhat tydyngs they hadde I wote nott; but on the nexst
moruenyng be tymys Thomas Bampton, a man of the Lord
Moleynys, rod with a letter to his lord, and they that ben at
Gressam waytyn after an answer of the letter in hast. Barow,
and Hegon, and all the Lord Moleynys men that wer at
Gressam qhan ze departyd hens bene there styll, save Bampton,
and in his stede is kom another; and I here sey thei xul abyd
here styll tyl her lord kom . . . .² to Barow as ze komawndyd
me to weten quhatt the cawse was that thei thrett men . . . .²
Goneld and other of zour servawnts and wele willers to zow,
the qheche wer namyd to hym that were thrett. . . . .²
[s]wore pleynly that they were never thrett; but I know
veryly the contrary, for of his owyn felaschep lay[d] in awayt
sondery dayis and nytis abowt Gunnelds, Purrys, and Bekks
plasis, and som of them zedyn in to Bekks and Purrys
[ho]usys, bothen in the hallys and the bernys, and askyd
qher thei were, and thei were answeryd that they were owth;
and thei seydyn azen that they xuld meten with hem another
tyme. And be dyvers other thyngs I know, if thei mytz aben
kawt, other [either] they xuld aben slayn or sor hurt.

     I sent Kateryn on this forseyd masage, for I kowd geten
no man to do it, and sent with her Jamys Halman and Herry
Holt; and sche desyryd of Barow to have an answer of her
masage, and if these forseyd men mytz levyn in pese for hem,
and seyd ther xuld elles ben purveyd other remedy for hem.
And he made her grett chere, and hem that wer ther with her,
and seyd that he desyryd for to spekyn with me, if it xuld ben
non displesans to me; and Kateryn seyd to hym that sche
supposyd that I desyryd not to speken with hym. And he
seyd he xuld com forby this plase on huntyng after non, and
ther xuld no mor com with hym but Hegon and on of his
owyn men; and than he wold bryng seche an answere as xuld
plese me. And after none they come hydder, and sent in to
me to weten if thei mytz speken with me, and praying that
thei mytz speken with me, and they abedyn styl with owtz
the zatys; and I kam owth to hem, and spak with hem with
owt, and prayid hem that thei wold hold me exkusyd that I
browth hem not in to the plase. I seyd in as meche as thei
wer nott wele wyllyng to the gode man of the plase, I wold
not take it up on me to bryng hem in to the jantylwoman.
They seyd I dede the best, and than we welk forthe, and
desyryd an answer of hem for that I hadde sent to hem for.
Thei sayd to me thei had browtz me seche an answer as thei
hopyd xuld plese me, and told me how thei had comownd
with all her felaschep of soche materis as I had sent to hem
fore, and that thei durst under take that ther xud no man ben
hurt of hem thatt wer rehersyd, ner no man that longeth to
zu, nother for hem ner non of her felaschep, and that they
answeryd me be her trowthis. Never lese I trest not to her
promese, in as meche as I fend hem ontrew in other thyngs.

     I conseyvyd wele be hem that they wer wery of that thei
haden don. Barow swor to me be his trowth that he had
lever than xls., and xl. that his lord had not comawndyd hym
to com to Gressam; and he seyd he was rytz sory hidderward,
in as meche as he had knowleche of zw before, he was rytz
sory of that that was don. I seyd to hym that he xuld have
compascion on zu and other that wer disseysyd of her lyve-
lode, in as meche as he had ben dissesyd hym self; and he
seyd he was so, and told me that he had sewyd to my Lord of
Suffolk dyvers tymys, and wold don tyl he may gete his
gode azen. I seyd to hym that ze had sewyd to my Lord
Moleynys dyvers tymys for the maner of Gressam syth ze
wer dissesyd, and ze cowd never gete no resonabyl answer of
hym; and ther fore ze entred azen, as ye hopid that was for
the best. And he seyd he xuld never blame my Lord of
Suffolk for the entre in his lyvelode, for he seyd my seyd lord
was sett ther up on be the informacion of a fals schrew; and
I seyd to hym in lyke wyse is the matier be twyx the Lord

Moleynys and zu. I told hym I wost wele he sett never ther
upon be no tytyl of rytz that he hadde to the maner of
Gressam, but only be the informacion of a fals schrew.¹ I
rehersyd no name, but me thowt be hem that thei wost ho I
ment. Meche other langage we hadde, qhyche xuld taken
long leysyr in wrytyng. I rehersyd to hem that it xuld abe
seyd thatt I xuld not longe dwell so ner hem as I dewe and
they for swer it, as thei do other thyngs more that it was
never seyd, and meche thyngs that I know veryly was seyd.

     I here seyn that ze and Jon of Damme ben sore thrett
alway, and seyn thow ze ben at London, ze xul ben met with
ther as wele as thow ze were her; and ther for I pray zu
hertyly be ware how ze walk ther, and have a gode felaschep
with zu qhan ze xul walk owt. The Lord Moleynys hathe a
cumpany of brothell with hym that rekk not qhat they don,
and seche ar most for to drede. Thei that ben at Gressam
seyn that they have not don so moche hurte to zu as thei
were commawndyd to don. Rabert Lauerawns is wele
amendyd, and I hope xall recure. He seyth pleynly he
wyl compleyn of his hurt, and I soppose Bek wyl compleyn
also, as he hath cause. Bek and Purry dare not abyd att hom
tyl thei here other tydyngs. I wold not Jon of Damme xuld
com hom tyl the cuntre be storyd otherwyse than it is. I
pray Godde grawnt that it mot sone ben otherwyse than it is.
I pray zu hertyly that ze wil send me word how ze don, and
how ze spede in zour materis, for be my trowth I kan not ben
wel att ese in my hert, ner not xal ben tyl I here tydynges
how ze don. The most part of zour stuff that was at Gressam
is sold, and zovyn away. Barow and his felaw spak to me in
the most plesawnt wyse, and me semyth be hem thei wold fayn
plese me. Thei seyd thei wold do me servyse and plesans, if
it lay in her powres to don owth for me, save only in that
that longeth to her lordes rytz. I seyd to hem, as for seche
servys as they had do to zw and to me, I desyr no mor that
thei xuld do nother to zw ner to me. Thei seyd I myt an
had of them att Gressham qhat I hadde desyryd of hem, and

had as moche as I desyryd. I seyd, nay; if I mytz an had
my desyr, I xuld nother a departid owth of the place, ner
from the stuff that was ther in. Thei seyd, as for the stuff it
was but esy. I seyd ze wold not a zoven the stuff that was in
the place qhan thei com in, not for Cli. Thei seyd the stuff
that thei sey [saw] ther was skars worth xxli. As for zour
moder and myn, sche faryth wel, blissid be God, and she
had no tydynges but gode zett, blissid be God. The blissyd
Trynyte have zou in his kepyng, and send zou hele, and gode
spede in al your maters. Wretyn at Sustede,¹ on the Satyrday
next after Seynt Valentynys day.

     Here dare no man seyn a gode wurd for zu in this cuntre,
Godde amend it.

                                                        Yowres,                              M. P.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] From an allusion in the latter part of this letter,
it is evident that it was written in 1450, after Margaret had been driven out of
Gresham, as mentioned in John Paston’s petition, No. 102 preceding.

     ² William Hasard.—See Letter No. 88.                   ³ But if, i.e. unless.

    ¹ Fastyngong was a popular name for Shrovetide. Fastingong Sunday I believe
to have been the Sunday after Shrove Tuesday, which would be the 22nd of February
in 1450.                                                        ² Mutilated.

     ¹ John Heydon, Esq. of Baconsthorpe, appears to have been the person referred
to.—See No. 135 following.

      ¹ Sustead was John Damme’s place (see Blomefield, viii. 168). It is in the
immediate neighbourhood of Gresham.

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1450

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1450

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1450

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