Margaret Paston to John Paston

811

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON²

To John Paston, esquyer.

I GRETE you wele; letyng you wete that on Saterday last
     past within nyght the felesshep at Cayster tokyn ought of
     Mawtby Cloos xvj. shep of diverse mennes that were put
therein to pasture, and thei ledde them a wey, so that every
man ferith to put any bestis or catell therin, to my grete hurt
and discoragyng of my fermour that is now of late come theder.
And the seid evill disposed persones affraid my seid fermour as
he came from Yarmoth this weke and shotte at hym that if he
had not had a good hors he had belike to have ben in joparte
of his lyfe; so that be thes rewle I am like to lese the profite
of the lyfelode this yere but if there be purveyed the hastyere
remedy. Thei threte so my men I dar send non theder to
gader it. Thei stuffe and vetayll sore the place, and it is
reported here that my Lady of Norffolk seth she wull not leas
it in no wyse. And the Duchesse of Suffolkis men sey that she
wull not departe from Heylesdon ner Drayton,—she wuld
rather departe from money; but that shuld not be wurchepfull
for you; for men shull not than set be you. There for I will
avyse you to have rather the lyvelod than the money; ye shall
mown excuse you be the College which must contynue per-
petuall, and money is sone lost and spent whan that lyfelode
abideth. Item, I lete you wete that Hastyngis hath entred
ageyn in to his fee of the Constabyllshep of the Castell of
Norwich be the vertu of his patent that he had of Kyng
Harry; and I here sey he hath it graunted to hym and his
heyeris. There was at his entres your unkill William and
other jentilmen dwellyng in Norwich. This was do be fore
that ye sent me the letter be Pers I had forgetyn to have sent
you word ther of. God kepe you. Wretyn the Friday next
after Sent Luke.

                                                                     Be your moder.

     ² [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 108.] This letter was clearly written between the surrender
of Caister in 1469 and its recovery by Sir John Paston after the death of the Duke of
Norfolk in 1476. The year 1472 may be considered very probable from what
Margaret Paston writes in June of that year (No. 803).

1472 (?)
OCT. [23]

1472 (?)
OCT. [23]

LXXXVII

A.D. 1472? [23] Oct.

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 108]

     This letter, No. 1070 in Appendix, was clearly written between the
surrender of Caister in 1469 and its recovery by Sir John Paston after the
death of the Duke of Norfolk in 1476. The year 1472 may be considered
very probable from what Margaret Paston writes in June of that year
(No. 695).

To John Paston esquyer.

I GRETE you wele; letyng you wete that on
     Saterday last past within nyght the felesshep
     at Cayster tokyn ought of Mawtby Cloos
     xvj. shep of diverse mennes that were put
therein to pasture, and thei ledde them a wey, so that
every man ferith to put any bestis or catell therin,
to my grete hurt and discoragyng of my fermour that
is now of late come theder. And the seid evill dis-
posed persones affraid my seid fermour as he came
from Yarmoth this weke and shotte at hym that if
he had not had a good hors he had belike to have
ben in joparte of his lyfe; so that be thes rewle I
am like to lese the profite of the lyfelode this yere but
if there be purveyed the hastyere remedy. Thei
threte so my men I dar send non theder to gader it.
Thei stuffe and vetayll sore the place, and it is re-
ported here that my Lady of Norffolk seth she wull not
leas it in no wyse. And the Duchesse of Suffolkis
men sey that she wull not departe from Heylesdon ner
Drayton,—she wuld rather departe from money; but
that shuld not be wurchepfull for you; for men shull
not than set be you. There for I will avyse you to
have rather the lyvelod than the money; ye shall
mown excuse you be the College which must con-
tynue perpetuall, and money is sone lost and spent
whan that lyfelode abideth. Item, I lete you wete
that Hastyngis hath entred ageyn in to his fee of the
Constabyllshep of the Castell of Norwich be the
vertu of his patent that he had of Kyng Harry; and
I here sey he hath it graunted to hym and his heycris.
There was at his entres your unkill William and other
jentilmen dwellyng in Norwich. This was do be fore
that ye sent me the letter be Pers I had forgetyn
to have sent you word ther of. God kepe you.
Wretyn the Friday next after Sent Luke.—Be your
moder.