Margaret Paston to John Paston

630

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my right wurchipfull husbond, John Paston, be this
deliverd in hast.

      RYTH worchepfull husbonde, I recomande me to yow.
          Plesyth yow to weet that Thomas Grene was with me
         as on Saterday last paste, and let me have knowlage
that the scherre schold be as thys day at the Gyld Hall in
Norwyche, and be desyiryd me that the swte that ye have
ageyns Thomas Jeryng and othyr myth be sesyd as for thys
schere; and I seyd that I durste do ryth not there in. And
he tolde me that Thomas Jeryng was with yow in Flegge the
laste tyme that ye wer ther, and ye seyd to hym that he
scholde not be hurte by the swte. And Thomas Grene told
me that if the seyd Jeryng and othyrs in the same wryte mad
not an end with yow by the nexte schere, the whyche schall
be thys day monyth, that he the seyd Thomas Grene wole
purchese a new wryte of hys owne coste ayens that daye. I
woste not that the scher shuld be so sone when I wrote to yow
yowyr laste lettyr. And he remembyryd the trobulus werd
[world] that is nowe, and also that they wer nowtye felawys
that ye suyd, and ther fore he thowte that it war best to let it
be respyte at thys tyme, and so they schall be respyth at thys
tyme. I have sent to Jaferay Spyrlyng for the bokys that ye
sent to me fore, and he seyth that he hathe none there of, for
he seyth he lefte hem with yow when he was with yow in the
Northe contre; for he seyth ye left hym behynd yow at
Lynkcolne. He supposyth they be at Kaster.

     Item, my cosyn Crane recomandyth hyr to yow, and
prayith yow that ye wole wychesave to spek to Jamys Gresham
for to swe ferthe the mater betwyx Dame Margaret Spurdans
and hyr; and sche prayith yow at the reverens of God that ye
wole tendyr that mater well, for all hyr troste is in yow.

     Item, the tenauntys at Sweynysthorp prayid me for to
wryte to yow for to pray yow for Goddys sake that ye wole
help for to get hem a good baly of the hundyryd that they be
in; for they sey that they have be gretly hurte by swyche
offyserys as they have had ther be fore tyme. Folk wold
fayne in thys contre that Heydon scholde be purveyd for, that
he goo not so at large as he dothe, for he is in thys towne nere
every wek, and hathe be ever syne ye yd hens. And also it
is seyd in thys towne that ye have be good maister thys terme
to Yatys, and many be ryth sory ther of, and that he dothe
so well as it [is] seyd here that he dothe. It is seyd that he
is scapyd all dangerys, and he hathe tak new accionys ageyns
hys neyborys, as it is seyd. Othyr tydyngys have we none
here but that ye have more pleynly there. And the Blyssyd
Trinyte have yow in Hys kepyng, and send yow good sped in
all yowyr materys. Wretyn in haste at Norwyche the Monday
next be fore Seynt Edmunde the Kynge.

                                             Be yowyr,                                 M. P.

     My modyr wold ryth fayne know how that ye and my
brodyr Wyllam wer acordyd, sche wold ryth fayne that all
wer well betwene yow.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] I find no very satisfactory evidence touching the
date of this letter. Allusion is made to John Paston having been at Lincoln. The
occasion referred to might have been in 1458, when, as we know by No. 373, he went
into the North as far as Doncaster; or it may have been in the spring of 1461. (See
Nos. 452 and 458.) It is not probable, however, that this letter was earlier than the
latter date, as there is no appearance at that time of any dispute having arisen between
John Paston and his brother William. On the contrary, William Paston is in corre-
spondence with his brother in April 1461 (No. 450). On the other hand, if the
occasion referred to when John Paston was at Lincoln was in the spring of 1461, this
letter could hardly have been written in the same year; for it cannot be supposed that
he left books at Caister on his return south, when Caister was in the possession of the
Duke of Norfolk. The date, however, being so uncertain, I prefer to place this letter
at the end of John Paston’s correspondence rather than assign it doubtfully to any
particular year.

Year
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NOV.

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