Margaret Paston to John Paston

LETTER XLIV.

        To my Ritht w^rchipfull
        Mayst^r John Paston be
        y^is delyv’yd ī hast.

RYTHT worchipfull hosbond I recōmawnd me to yow
     p’yīg yow to wete y^t I have spoke w^t Newman for his
¹ plase and I am thorow w^t hym y’for but he wold not lete it in
no wyse lesse than v marc I told hym y^t sekyrly ye shuld not
know but y^t I hyrid it of hym for iij li. I seyd as for y^e noble
I shuld payt of myn owyn purse y^t y^e shuld no knowlech have
y’of And y^is day I have had jnne ij Cartfull of hey and yo^r
stabyl shall be made I hope y^is next weke I kowd not gette no
grawnt of hym to have y^e Warehows he seyth if he may in any
wyse forber itt her aft^r ye shall have itt but he wull not grawnt
itt in no cōvawt he hath grawntyd me y^e hows be twix y^e vowte
and y^e warehows And y^t he seyd he grawntyd not yow And as
for y^e Cham’ y^t ye assygnyd to myn ² Vnkyl god hath p’veyd
for hym as hys will is he passyd to god on Monday last past at
xj of y^e clok befor none And S^r John Hevenygh’m passyd to
god on tewysday last past hois sowlys both god affoyle his seke-
nesse toke hym on tewysday at ix of y^e Clok befor none and be

                                                                                                              too
too aft^r none he was dedd I have begonne yo^r jnventar’ y^t shuld
have be made or y^is tym if I had ben well at ease I hope to
make an ende y’of and of oy^r thyngs boy y^is next weke and ben
in y^t oy^r place if god send me helth I must do p’vey for meche
³ stuff or I come ther for y^r is noy^r bords ne oy^r stuff y^t must neds
be had or we Come ther’ And Ric’ hath gadderid butt lytill
mony syth he come from yow I have sent Iohn Norwod y^is
day to Gresh’m Besigh’m and matelask to gete als meche mony
as he may the blissid t’nyte have yow in his kepīg Wr’tyn at
Norwych on y^{e 4} Utas day of Pet^r and Powll.

                                                                      Yowrs,

                                                                             ⁵ M. P.

             11 ½ by 6 ¾.

     Norwich,
           Friday, 6th of July,
           1453. 31 H. VI.

     Though this Letter, like many others in this Collection, contains no matter of conse-
quence, yet as it furnishes us with an instance of careful attention in the wife to her hus-
band’s affairs, and shews her anxious desire to have every thing in readiness against his
expected return, I think it will be agreeable to many of my readers.

     ² Newman’s Place must have been a house of some consequence in the City of Nor-

                                                                                                                                    wich

wich at this time, as the rent, then set upon it, was equivalent to a modern one of between
thirty and forty pounds a year; and there being, when she hired it, no stable ready fitted
up, shews how few horses were then kept in Cities, &c.

     ² Philip Berney, whole death was mentioned in the preceding Letter, was brother to
Margaret Maultby, the mother of Margaret Paston.

 ³ This must here mean Household Stuff, and I should suppose that the boards required
were those used for long Tables, Forms, &c.

 ⁴ The Octave, or eighth day following the festival.

     ⁵ Autograph. Pl. II. N^o 25.

LETTER XLIV.

To my right worshipful Master, John Paston, be this
delivered in haste.

RIGHT worshipful husband, I recommend me to you,
     praying you to weet that I have spoke with Newman for
his ¹ place, and I am thorough with him therefore, but he
would not let it in no wise less than five marks (3l. 6s. 8d.) I
told him that sekerly (certainly) ye should not know but that I
hired it of him for three pounds, I said as for the noble (6s. 8d.)
I should pay of mine own purse, that ye should no knowledge
have thereof; and this day I have had in two cartful of hay,
and your stable shall be made I hope this next week. I could
not get no grant of him to have the warehouse; he saith if he
may in any wise forbear it hereafter, ye shall have it, but he
will not grant it in no covenant. He hath granted me the house
betwixt the vowte (vault) and the warehouse, and that he said he
granted not you.

     And as for the chamber that ye assigned to mine ² uncle, God
hath purveyed (provided) for him as his will is; he passed to
God on Monday last past, at eleven of the clock before noon,
and Sir John Heveningham passed to God on Tuesday last past,
whose souls both God assoil! his sickness took him on Tuesday at
nine of the clock before noon, and by two afternoon he was dead.
I have begun your Inventory that should have been made ere
this time, if I had been well at ease; I hope to make an end
thereof, and of other things both this next week, and be in
that other place, if God send me health. I must do purvey
for much ³ stuff ere I come there, for there is neither boards nor
other stuff that must needs be had ere we come there; and
Richard hath gathered but little money since he came from you.
I have sent John Norwood this day to Gresham, Besingham, and
Matlaske, to get as much money as he may. The blessed
Trinity have you in his keeping. Written at Norwich, on the
⁴ Utas day of Peter and Paul.

                                                        Yours,

                                                               ⁵ MARGARET PASTON.

            11 ? by 6 ?.

      Norwich,
           Friday, 6th of July,
           1453. 31 H. VI.

     Though this Letter, like many others in this Collection, contains no matter of conse-
quence, yet as it furnishes us with an instance of careful attention in the wife to her hus-
band’s affairs, and shews her anxious desire to have every thing in readiness against his
expected return, I think it will be agreeable to many of my readers.

     ² Newman’s Place must have been a house of some consequence in the City of Nor-

                                                                                                                                    wich

wich at this time, as the rent, then set upon it, was equivalent to a modern one of between
thirty and forty pounds a year; and there being, when she hired it, no stable ready fitted
up, shews how few horses were then kept in Cities, &c.

     ² Philip Berney, whole death was mentioned in the preceding Letter, was brother to
Margaret Maultby, the mother of Margaret Paston.

 ³ This must here mean Household Stuff, and I should suppose that the boards required
were those used for long Tables, Forms, &c.

 ⁴ The Octave, or eighth day following the festival.

     ⁵ Autograph. Pl. II. N^o 25.

228

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON⁵

To my ritht worchipfull Mayster John Paston,
be this delyveryd in hast.

RYTHT worchipfull hosbond, I recommawnd me to yow,
     praying yow to wete that I have spoke with Newman
     for his place, and I am thorow with hym therfor, but
he wold not lete it in no wyse lesse than V. marc. I told hym
that sekyrly ye shuld not know but that I hyrid it of hym for
iijli. I seyd as for the noble,¹ I shuld payt of myn owyn
purse, that ye shuld no knowlech have therof. And this day
I have had inne ij. cartfull of hey, and your stabyl shall be
made I hope this next weke. I kowd not gette no grawnt of
hym to have the warehows; he seyth if he may in any wyse
forber itt her after, ye shall have itt, but he wull not grawnt
itt in no convawt [covenant]. He hath grawntyd me the hows
be twix the vowte and the warehows, and that he seyd he
grawntyd not yow.

     And as for the chamer that ye assygnyd to myn unkyl,²
God hath purveyd for hym as hys will is; he passyd to God
on Monday last past, at xj. of the clok befor none, and Sir
John Hevenyngham passyd to God on Tewysday last past;
hois sowlys both God assoyle. His sekenesse toke hym on
Tewysday, at ix. of the clok befor none, and be too after
none he was dedd.

     I have begonne your inventare that shuld have be made or
this tym, if I had ben well at ease. I hope to make an ende
therof, and of other thyngs both this next weke, and ben in
that other place, if God send me helth. I must do purvey for
meche stuff or I come ther, for ther is nother bords ne other
stuff that must neds be had or we come there. And Richard
hath gadderid butt lytill mony syth he come from yow. I
have sent John Norwod this day to Gresham, Besigham, and
Matelask to gete als meche mony as he may. The blissid
Trinyte have yow in his keping. Wretyn at Norwych, on
the Utas day of Peter and Powll.³

                                                              Yowrs,                    M. P.

     ⁵ [From Fenn, iii. 186.] This letter chronicles the same two deaths as the pre-
ceding, and is therefore of the same date.

     ¹ A noble was a coin of the value of 6s. 8d. A mark was 13s. 4d. Five marks
therefore were equal to £3, 6s. 8d.; but Margaret said she would pay the odd noble,
or 6s. 8d., out of her own purse, and not let Paston know but that he had the place
for £3. A little artifice for accepting terms which she had doubtless told Newman
her husband could never agree to.

     ² Philip Berney.—See p. 251, Note 1.

     ³ The day of St. Peter and Paul is the 29th of June. The utas or octave of
a feast is the eighth day of the feast—that is to say, the seventh day after, which in
this case is the 6th of July.

1453
JULY 6