Margaret Paston to John Paston

553

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my ryth worchepfull husbond, Jon Paston,
be thys lettyr delyveryd in haste.

     RYTH worchepfull husbond, I recomand me to yow.
        Plesyth it yow to wet that Jon Jeney was here with
        me thys daye and told me that ye desyiryd that I
shold do make a dyche at Heylysdon, and the seson is not for
to do make no new dechys, nor to repare non old tyll it be
aftyr Crystmas, as it is told me, and so I sent yow word in a
lettyr more thane a monythe goo; I wot not whedyr ye had
the lettyr or not, for I had non answer ther of fro yow.
Jone Dyngayne recomandyth hyr to yow, and prayith yow for
Goddys sake that ye wole be hyr good mastyr, and that ye
wole wychesave to spek to Hwe of Fen for hyr, for it is so
that serteyn lyvelod whyche hyr husbond had in Engham was
cast in the kyngys hand in hyr husbandys lyve, and, as she
undyrstandyth, it was do in hys fadyrys lyve; of the whyche
hyr husband spok to Hwe of Fen ther of in hys lyve to
helpe that he myth be dyschargyd ther of, and Hwe of Fen
promysyd hym verily that he had mad an ende ther in and
dyschargyd hym, and that he shold never be hurt nor trublyd
ther for; and now the laste wek Barnard the undyr scheryfe
sent downe a warant to sese the lond for the Kynge, and so,
but [unless] he have xxs. for a fyne within shorte tyme he wol
not suffyr her to have the avayle of the londys. Wher fore
she prayith yow, for Goddys sak, that ye wole purvey a mene
that Hwe of Fen may save hyr harmles, in as myche as he
promysyd hyr husbond to purvey ther fore in hys lyve; and
if it plese not yow to spek to hym ther of, that it plese yow
to do John Paston or Thomas Playter or sume othyr, that ye
thynk that cane undyrstande the mater, for to spek to the
seyd Hwe of Fen ther of in hyr name, and to serge the
kyngys bokys ther fore, if ye thynk that it be for to do,
and sche woll ber the cost ther of. As for the mater that ze
wold I schold spek to Wylliam Worcester of towchyng the
false forgyd evydens, I can not spek with hym yet; hys wyfe
seyth allwe that he is oute when that I send for hym. Yowyr
fermore of Sweynysthorpe hathe fownde suerte for yowyr dute,
as Rychard Calle tellyth me, so that ye scholl be plesyd when
ye come home. And the blyssyd Trinite have yow in Hys
kepyng. Wretyn in hast on the Monday next aftyr Seynt
Andrew.—By yowyr,                                                  M. P.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 198.] This letter must lie between the years 1459, when
Sir John Fastolf died (as Hellesden belonged to him), and 1465, as John Paston died
in May 1466. The most probable year is either 1462 or 1463, for it is mentioned
here that Paston’s farmer at Swainsthorpe had found security for the payment of his
rent, and Richard Calle had levied four marks rent of him in February 1464. See
No. 558.

1462-3
DEC.

1462-3
DEC.

LII

A.D. 1462-3, Dec.

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON

[Add MS. 34,889, f. 198]

     This letter, No. 1063 in the Inventory, must lie between the years 1459
when Sir John Fastolf died (as Hellesden belonged to him) and 1465, as
John Paston died in May 1466. The most probable year is either 1462 or
1463, for it is mentioned here that Paston?s farmer at Swainsthorpe had
found security for the payment of his rent, and Richard Calle had levied
four marks rent of him in February 1464. See No. 484.

To my ryth worchepfull husbond, Jon Paston, be thys
lettyr delyveryd in haste.

RYTH worchepfull husbond, I recomand me
     to yow. Plesyth it yow to wet that Jon
     Jeney was here with me thys daye and
     told me that ye desyiryd that I shold do
make a dyche at Heylysdon, and the seson is not
for to do make no new dechys, nor to repare non
old tyll it be aftyr Crystmas, as it is told me, and so
I sent yow word in a lettyr more thane a monythe
goo; I wot not whedyr ye had the lettyr or not, for
I had non answer ther of fro yow. Jone Dyngayne
recomandyth hyr to yow, and prayith yow for Goddys
sake that ye wole be hyr good mastyr, and that ye
wole wychesave to spek to Hwe of Fen for hyr, for
it is so that serteyn lyvelod whyche hyr husbond had
in Engham was cast in the kyngys hand in hyr
husbandys lyve, and, as she undyrstandyth, it was
do in hys fadyrys lyve; of the whyche hyr husband
spok to Hwe of Fen ther of in hys lyve to helpe that
he myth be dyschargyd ther of, and Hwe of Fen
promysyd hym verily that he had mad an ende ther
in and dyschargyd hym, and that he shold never be
hurt nor trublyd ther for; and now the laste wek
Barnard the undyr scheryfe sent downe a warant to
sese the lond for the Kynge, and so, but [unless] he
have xxs. for a fyne within shorte tyme he wol not
suffyr her to have the avayle of the londys. Wher
fore she prayith yow, for Goddys sak, that ye wole
purvey a mene that Hwe of Fen may save hyr
harmles, in as myche as he promysyd hyr husbond
to purvey ther fore in hys lyve; and if it plese not
yow to spek to hym ther of, that it plese yow to do
John Paston or Thomas Playter or sume othyr, that
ye thynk that cane undyrstande the mater, for to spek
to the seyd Hwe of Fen ther of in hyr name, and to
serge the kyngys bokys ther fore, if ye thynk that it
be for to do, and sche woll ber the cost ther of. As
for the mater that ze wold I schold spek to Wylliam
Worcester of towchyng the false forgyd evydens, I
can not spek with hym yet; hys wyfe seyth allwe
that he is oute when that I send for hym. Yowyr
fermore of Sweynysthorpe hathe fownde suerte for
yowyr dute, as Rychard Calle tellyth me, so that ye
scholl be plesyd when ye come home. And the
blyssyd Trinite have yow in Hys kepyng. Wretyn
in hast on the Monday next aftyr Seynt Andrew.—
By yowyr,                                                                     M. P.