Margaret Paston to John Paston

814

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To John Paston, Esquyer.

I GRETE you wele and send you Goddes blyssyng and
     myn, letyng you wete that I have sent to Doctor Aleyn
     wyffe to have spoke with her as ye desired me, and she
was so syke that she myght not comyn; but she sent her
broder elaw to me, and I lete hym wete the cause why that I
wuld have spoke with her as ye desired me. And he told me
that he shuld have brought me wrytyng this day from her be
vij. of the belle, how that she wull that ye shuld have labored
or do for her; but he came no mor at me. Nevertherlesse she
sent me an nother massenger, and lete me wete² that her
husband had sent her the same nyght from London that she
shuld come up as fast as she cowde to labor to the Lordes
there in her propre person; wherfor she myght geve me non
answer, ner send you word how that ye shuld do till [that]
she had spokyn with her husband, or had other writyng from
hym.

     Therfore I thynk t[hat s]he hath other councell that
avyseth her to labour to other than to you. I wuld not that
[you be] to besy in no such maters [ty]ll the werd [world]
were mor suer, and in any wyse that w[hile my] Lord the
Chaunceller is in [occu]pation, labore to have an ende of your
grete materes and . . . macion, and abide not up [on]
trost of an nother seson, for so shall ye be disseyved a[s ye
hav]e ben befor this tyme. I have understand sith that ye
departed that ther . . . . mad to subplant you; ther-
fore, for Goddes sake, in this onstabill werd [worla] labore
er[nestly your] maters that thei may have sum me good con-
clusion, and that shall make y[our enemies] fere you, and elles
thei shall . . kepe you low and in trobill. And if any
mater . . . . be Act of Parlement and pro . . . .
lete your bill be mad redy, and lese not your [ma]teres for
other mennes; for if your elmyse [enemies] may profight now
at this tyme, ye shall be [in] wers case than ever ye were
befor. All the cou[ntry] wenyth that ye shuld now over-
comyn all your trobill, which if ye do not ye shall fall o[ug]ht
of conceyte. I write as well this to your brother as to you;
therfore lete no diffaught be in you nowther.

     Item, it was lete me to wete syth ye departed of such as
were your frendes and were conversaunte with the toder parte
that ther was mad labor and like to be concluded, that the
eleccion of the knyghtes of the shire shuld be chaunged, and
new certificat mad and John Jenney set there in; ther for do
your devoir to understond the trought as sone as ye can, for
the seid Jenney this day rideth up to London ward, and I
suppo[se be]cause of the same. I pray you remembre your
brother to send me the evydence and remembrance towchyng
the maner of Gresham, which that I wrote to hym be Juddy,
and send them be sum suer man.

     Item, take hede to the labour of your unkyll, for he hath
had right straunge langage of your brother of late to right
wurchepfull persones; therfor werk wysely and bewar wham
that ye lete know your councell.

     Item, remembre Lomnors mater as ye may do therin, and
send me werd in hast. Mayster Roos shall be at London the
next weke; therfore ye shall not nede to make my Lord to
write, but whan that he comyth, if my Lord can make hym to
put it in indifferent and wurchepfull men, than that it pleasith
my Lord to write to them that thei shuld take it upon them to
set a rewle therin, with ought better advyse, me semyth it wer
wele do. The Holy Gost be your gyde and send yow good
spede and councell, and delivere you ought of all trobill and
disseas to his pleser.

     Wretyn the Thursday next be for Sent Kateryn,¹ in hast.

     Recomaund me to my Mastres Kateryn, and send me
werd how ye don, &c.

                                                                        Be your Moder.

     Do my Lord¹ on Sonday send for the shereffes debute
[deputy] to wete how thei be disposid for certificate of the
knyghtes, and I shall understand if thei be eschaunged; for
on Sonday at nyght, or on Monday, it shall be put in, and
[if i]t is put in, ther is no remedy. Geney seth he wull
attempt the law therin.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] From the time of year and other circumstances,
it seems probable that the election here referred to was that of the year 1472.
A circumstance which confirms this date will be found noticed in a footnote.
The original letter is mutilated in the middle by the decay of the paper, in more
than one place.

     ² The words after ‘Neverthelesse’ originally stood ‘her seid brother-in-law told
me that tyme that he was with me,’ but are crossed out.

¹ St. Catherine’s Day is the 25th of November.

     ¹ The Duke of Norfolk. It will be seen by the preceding letter that John Paston
was going to Framlingham in the beginning of November 1472.

1472
NOV. 19

1472
NOV. 19

1472
NOV. 19