Margaret Paston to John Paston

LETTER III.

I GRETE you wele and send you godds blyssy˜g and myn
letyng you wete that myn Cosyn Clere hath sent to me for
the C m’rc y^t I borwed of her for your brother it fortuned
so that a frend of her of late hath loste bett^r than C C C m’rc
and he sent to her for money and she had non y^t she myght
comyn by and ther for she sent to me for y^e seyd C m’rc
and J know not how to do y^rfor for by my trowth J have it
not nor J can not make shyft y^rfor and J shuld go to p’son
y^rfor comune w^h your brother her of and send me word
how that he wul make shyft ther for in hast. J must ell
neds sell all my woods and that shall dysse avayll hym bett^r
than a C C m’rc and J dey and if J shuld selle them now
ther wull noman gewe so myche for them be ner an C m’rc
as they be worth be cause ther be so many wood sales in
Norfolke at thys tyme y^rfor lete hym make purvyaunce
y^rfor in hast as he wull haue my good wyll and wull that J
saue hym the seyd woods to y^e bett^r a wayll and send me
word her of in hast if ye wull my welfar for J shall neu^r be
i˜quiete tille J kowe an ende in thys for she hath y^rfor an
obligacon of an C li And it is not kepte cloos y^r be many
p^rsones now kowyn it which me semyth a greet rebuke to
me y^t J dep^rtyd so largely w^t your brother y^t I res^ruyd not
to pay y^t I was endaungered for hym and so haue dyu’se seyd
to me which of late haue kowyn it and whan J remembre
it it is to myn hart a very sper Consideryng that he neu^r
gaue comforte y’in ner of all y^e money y^t hath be reseyvyd
wull neu^r make shyft y^rfor and he had yet be for thys tyme
haue sent me l m’rc y^rof yet I wuld haue thought y^t he had
had sume c’sideracon of myn daungers y^t I haue put me in
for hym remembre hym how that I have excusyd hym of
XXli y^t y^e p’or of Bromholm had which shuld ell haue be in
that daunger y^t it shuld haue be to us a grete r’buke to
w^thought that he myght a ben holpyn w^t shuch money as he
shuld have had of your fadyrs bequest and I payd to y^e
shereffe for hym also money all this shuld haue holpe me
wele y^rto be syde other thyngs y^t I have bor thys yers y^t
I speke not of ther for lete hym helpe me now or ell it
shall dysawayll hym bett^r than y^e trebyll the money whed^r
that J leue or dey w^tought he hath bett^r c’sideracon to y^e
daungers y^t I stond in Also I wulde ye shuld meue hym
to take John Pampyng to hym or ell to gete hym a s^ruyce
in y^e Chauncery or in sume other place where as he myth
be p’feryd for it ys pety y^t he lesyth hys tyme so her and it
is non a wayll to non of ws and for d’urse othyr thyngs
whesch ye shall know her afte^r J wolde that he wer hens in
haste for all man^r of happys co˜strw ye &c. I can yw thanke
for your lett^r that ye sente me and that ye haue i˜q’ryd of
shwch thyngs as ye thynke that shale plese me J send yw
y^e boxe and y^e deds that ye sente to me for but as for y^e
key of y^e cofyr in y^e wtt^r chamb^r I can not fynd yt yf y^e box
had be ther in ye cwdnat haue hadd yth but yf I had broke

wp y^e cofyr ther for r’me˜b’ yw wer ye haue do y^e key I
kep styll y^e key that ye sente me tyll that ye cwm hom as
for ye tydyngs her ywr Cosyn ¹barney of Wychshyngg’m
ys passyd to gode hwm gode asoyle Weylys wyfe and
lodonys wyfe and pycard y^e bacar of twmlond ben ²gon
also all this howsold and this parych ys as ye leftyd
blyssyd be gode we lewyn in fer bwt we wut not qwed^r to
fle for to be bett^r then we ben her J send yw dm˜ a riale
for to by w^t swgr feg and dats for me J pray yw do as wel as
ye can and send it me as hastely as ye may and send me
word qwat p’ce a li of ³pep^r clowys masis gingyr and sina-
mon almanys rys ganyngall safrwn r’ysonys of Coriint
grenys and comfyts of ych of these send me y^e p’ce of a
li and yf y^t it be bett^r shepe at london than yt ys her I shal
send yw mony to by w^t soch stwfe as I wull haue r’me˜b^r
that J spake to yw to spek to ywyr brother for y^e seyd C
m’rc wan ye dep^rtyd hens I trow ye forgettyt that ye sent
me non answer ther of in ony wys lete me haue an answer
ther of in hast and send me word how ywyr brother and
ye sped in ywyr maters and godds blissy˜g and myn mot
ye haue both and send yw good sped in all ywyr maters
Wretyn in hast on Sent Leonards eve I warn you kepe
y^is lett^r clos and lese y^t not rather brenyt.

                                                                          by yowyr Mod^r.

              Paper mark,
        Bull’s head and Star.
             Pl. xxii. No. 15.

     This letter to many readers may not seem worthy of insertion, but as it lets
us into the history of the private affairs of the Pastons, and shows some foibles
in Sir John’s character, I thought it proper to lay it before them.

     The nature of bonds is here likewise pointed out; as we find that to an
obligation of £100, the condition annexed is for the payment of 100 marks,
or £66. 13s. 4d., which is only one-third less than the sum expressed in the
bond: the usual method now is to make the bond for double the sum men-
tioned in the condition.

     ¹ He married Joan, daughter of Sir Robert Allington, and died in 1471.

     ² There was a sickness this year in Norwich, which, by what is mentioned
above, prevailed generally.

     ³ The spices, &c. in family use are here enumerated.

LETTER III.

Margaret Paston to John Paston.

I GREET you well, and send you God’s blessing and mine,
letting you weet that mine Cousin Clere hath sent to me
for the C marks [66l. 13s. 4d.] that I borrowed of her for
your brother; it fortuned so that a friend of hers lately
hath lost better than C C C marks [200l.] and he sent to
her for money, and she had none that she might come by,
and therefore she sent to me for the said C marks, and I
know not how to do therefore by my troth, for I have it not,
nor I cannot make shift therefore, and [if] I should go to
prison, therefore commune with your brother hereof, and
send me word how that he will make shift therefore in haste,
I must else needs sell all my woods, and that shall disavail
him better than a C C marks [133l. 6s. 8d.] and [if] I die;
and if I should sell them now, there will noman give so
much for them by near an C marks as they be worth, be-
cause there be so many wood sales in Norfolk at this time;
therefore let him make purveyance therefore in haste, as he
will have my good-will, and will that I save him the said
woods to the better avail, and send me word hereof in haste
if ye will my avail, for I shall never be in quiet till I know an
end in this, for she hath therefore an obligation of an Cl.
and it is not kept close, there be many person now knows it,
which me seemeth a great rebuke to me that I departed so
largely with your brother [gave your brother so liberally] that
I reserved not to pay that I was endangered for him [was
engaged to pay for him], and so have divers said to me which
of late have known it; and when I remember it, it is to my
heart a very spear, considering that he never gave me
comfort therein, nor of all the money that hath been re-
ceived will never make shift, therefore and [if] he had yet
before this time have sent me L marks thereof, yet I would
have thought that he had had some consideration of mine
danger that I have put me in for him. Remember him
how that I have excused him of XXl. that the Prior of
Bronholm had, which should else have been in that danger,
that it should have been to us a great rebuke, without that
he might have been holpen with such money as he should
have had of your father’s bequest; and I paid to the
Sheriff for him also money; all these should have helped
well thereto, beside other things that I have borne this
year that I speak not of; therefore let him help me now, or
else it shall disavail him better than the treble the money,
whether that I live or die, without he hath better conside-
ration to the danger that I stand in. Also I would ye
should move him to take John Pampyng to him, or else to
get him a service in the Chancery or some other place
where he might be preferred, for it is pity that he loseth
his time so here, and it is none avail to none of us; and for
divers other things which ye shall know hereafter, I would
that he were hence in haste, for all manner of haps, con-
strue ye, &c. I con you thank for your letter that ye sent
me, and that ye have inquired of such things as ye think
that shall please me. I send you the box, and the deeds
that ye sent to me for, but as for the key of the coffer in
the utter [outward] chamber I cannot find it, if the box had
been therein ye could not have had it, but if [unless] I had
broke up the coffer, therefore remember you where ye have
done the key; I keep still the key that ye sent me, till that
ye come home.

     As for tidings here, your Cousin ¹Berney of Witchingham
is passed to God, whom God assoil! Weyley’s wife, and
London’s wife, and Pycard, the baker of Tomblond, been
²gone also; all this household and this parish is as ye
left it, blessed be God; we live in fear, but we wut
[know] not whither to flee, for to be better than we be here.
I send you half a rial [5s.] for to buy with sugar, figs, and
dates, for me, I pray ye do as well as ye can, and send it
me as hastily as ye may, and send me word what price a
pound of ³pepper, cloves, mace, ginger, cinnamon, almonds,
rice, galangal, saffron, raisins of Corinth, [currants,]
greynes, and comfits, of each of these send me the price of
a pound, and if it be better cheap at London than it is
here, I shall send you money to buy with such as I will
have. Remember that I spake to you to speak to your
brother for the said C marks, when ye departed hence; I
trow you forgot it, that ye sent me none answer thereof in
any wise. Let me have an answer thereof in haste, and send
me word how your brother and ye speed in your matters,
and God’s blessing and mine may ye have both and send
you good speed in all your matters. Written in haste on
Saint Leonard’s even. I warn you keep this letter close
and lose it not, rather burn it.

                                                             By your Mother,

                                                             MARGARET PASTON.

              Norwich,
       Tuesday, 5th Nov.
            1471. 11 E. iv.

     This letter to many readers may not seem worthy of insertion, but as it lets
us into the history of the private affairs of the Pastons, and shows some foibles
in Sir John’s character, I thought it proper to lay it before them.

     The nature of bonds is here likewise pointed out; as we find that to an
obligation of £100, the condition annexed is for the payment of 100 marks,
or £66. 13s. 4d., which is only one-third less than the sum expressed in the
bond: the usual method now is to make the bond for double the sum men-
tioned in the condition.

     ¹ He married Joan, daughter of Sir Robert Allington, and died in 1471.

     ² There was a sickness this year in Norwich, which, by what is mentioned
above, prevailed generally.

     ³ The spices, &c. in family use are here enumerated.