Margaret Paston to John Paston

504

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my ryth worchepfull husbond, John Paston,
be thys delyveryd in hast.

RYTH worchepfull husbond, I recomand me to yow.
     Plesyt yow to wet that I sent yow a lettyr by my
     cosyn Barneys man of Wychyngham wyche was
wretyn on Seynt Thomas Day in Crystmas,² and I had no
tydyngys nor lettyr of yow sene the wek before Crystmas;
wher of I mervayle sore. I fere me it is not well with yow be
cawse ye came not home or sent er thys tyme. I hopyd verily
ye schold have ben at home by Twelthe at the ferthest. I pray
yow hertly that ye wole wychesave to send me word how ye
do as hastly as ye may, for my hert schall nevyr be in ese tyll
I have tydyngys fro yow. Pepyll of this contre begynyth to
wax wyld, and it is seyd her that my Lord of Clarans and the
Dwek of Suthfolk and serteyn jwgys with hem schold come
downe and syt on syche pepyll as be noysyd ryotous in thys
contre. And also it is seyd here, that there is retornyd a
newe rescwe up on that that was do at the scher. I suppose
swyche talkynge comyth of false schrewys that wold mak a
rwmor in this contre. The pepyll seyth here that they had
levyr go up hole to the Kynge and compleyne of siche false
screwys as they have be wrongyd by a fore, than they schold be
compleynyd of with owt cause and be hangyd at ther owne
dorys. In good feyth men fere sore here of a comone rysyng
but if [i.e. unless] a bettyr remedy may be had to a pese the
pepyll in hast, and that ther be sent swyche downe to tak a
rewyll as the pepyll hathe a fantsy in, that wole be indeferent.
They love not in no wyse the Dwke of Sowthfolk nor hys
modyr. They sey that all the tretourys and extorsyonerys
of thys contre be meynteynyd by them and by syche as they
get to them with her goodys, to that intent to meynten suche
extorsyon style as hathe be do by suche as hathe had the
rewyll undyr them be fore tyme. Men wene, and the Dwke
of Sowthfolk come ther scholl be a schrewd reuell but if [unless]
ther come odyr that be bettyr belovyd than he is here. The
pepyll feryth hem myche the more to be hurt, because that ye
and my cosyn Barney come not home; they sey they wot
welle it is not well with yow and if it be not well with yow,
they sey they wot well, they that wole do yow wronge wole
sone do them wronge, and that makyth them all most mad.
God for Hys holy mersy geve grace that ther may be set a
good rewyll and a sad in this contre in hast, for I herd nevyr
sey of so myche robry and manslawter in thys contre as is
now within a lytyll tyme. And as for gadyryng of mony, I
sey nevyr a werse seson, for Rychard Calle seyth he can get
but lytyll in substans of that is owyng, nowthyr of yowyr
lyvelod nor of Fastolfys th’eyr. And John Paston seyth,
they that may pay best they pay werst; they fare as thow
they hopyd to have a newe werd [world]. And the blyssyd
Trinite have yow in Hys kepyng and send us good tydyngys
of yow.

     Yelverton is a good thredbare frend for yow and for odyr
in thys contre, as it is told me.

     Wretyn in hast on the Thorsday nex aftyr Twelthe.

                     By yowyr                             MARGARET PASTON.

¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The contents of this letter clearly show that it was
written in January 1462, nine days after No. 497.

     ² See No. 497.

1462
JAN. 7

1462
JAN. 7

1462
JAN. 7