Margaret Paston to [John Paston]

761

MARGARET PASTON TO [JOHN PASTON]²

I GRETE you wele and send you Goddis blyssyng and
     myn, and I sende you be the berere herof all the sylver
     vessell that your graundam³ makyth so mych of, which
she seid I had of myn husband, and myn husband shuld have
had it of his fader. And wher as she seid that I shuld have
had a garneys, I had ner see never more than I send you, that
is to say, ij. plateris, vj. dysshes and vj. sawceris. The ij.
playteris weyn xliij. unces di., and the vj. dysshes weyn lxxiiij.
unces di. and the sawcers weyn xvij. unces j. quarter. And I
marvayll that ye sent me not word what an unce of sylver is
werth at London; for it had be lesse joparte to have sold it
here and have sent you the money than the plate. I myght
have sold it her for iijs. an unce, sum xxli. iiijs. iijd. Be ware
how that ye spend it, but in acquityng you ageyn such as ye
be in daunger to, or abought the good speed of your materis;
for, but if ye take odere heed to your expensis, ye shall do
your self and your frendis gret diswurchep and enpoveryssh
so them that non of us shall help other, to owr elmys [enemies’]
grete comfort. It is understand ryght now in this countre be
such as cleyme to be frendly to you in what grete daunger and
nede ye stande in, bothe to diverse of your frendis and to your
elmyse. And also it is noysed that I have departed so largely
with you that I may nowthere help yow, my self nor none of
my frendis; which is no wurchep, and causeth me to set the
lesse be us; and at this tyme it compellith me to breke up
howshold and to sogeorn; which I am right loth to have to
do if I myght otherwyse have chosyn; for it caused gret
clamour in this town¹ that I shall do so; and it shuld not
have neded if I had restreyned whan I myght. Therfore for
Goddis sake take hede here to, and be ware from hens forth;
for I have delivered and sent you bothyn my parte the dedis
and yowris, and not restreyned nowthere for my self nor the
dede. Where fore I thynk we spede and fare all the wers;
for it is a fowle slaunder that he was so wurchepful beried and
his qwethword not performed, and so litill do for hym sithen.
And now though I wold do for hym, I have right not [naught]
beside my lyffelode that I may make any chevysans with, with
ought grete slaunder; and my lyffelode encreasith evill, for I
am fayn to takyn Mautby in myn owyn hand, and to set up
husbandry ther; and how it shall profite me God knowyth.
The fermour owyth me lxxxli. and more. Whan I shall have
it I wete never. Therfore be never the bolder in your ex-
penses for any help ye trust to have of me. For I will fro
hens forth bryng my self ought of such daunger as I stand in
for your sakes, and do for the dede and for them that I have
my goodis of; for till I do so, I know for certeyn that I shall
fayll grace and displeas God, How [who] have you in His
kepyng. Wretyn on Sent Symondis day and Judes in hast.—
Be your Moder.

     Item, I send zow ij. sherte clothys, iche of iii. zardis of the
fynest that is in thys towne. I xuld a dohem mad here¹ but
that xuld a be to long here [ere] ze xuld a had hem. Zour
Awnte² or sum other good woman wule do her almes up on
zow for the makyng of them. I thank zow for the gowne
that ye gave me Halowmesse day I hope [I³] xole be wur-
shuped ther with. At reverence of God, be ware and take
hed to soche thynggis as is wretyn with ynne thys letter.
Telle your brother that the mony is not zet cownyd that I
xuld send hym for thersarsenet (sic) and damaske that I spake
to hym foor. As for the damaske that may be forebore tylle
the nexte terme, but as for the sarsenet I woold have yt and yt
mythe be, for I goo in my rentis. Late zour brothere⁴ see
thys letter. As fore your syster⁵ I can send zow no good
tydyngges of her, God make her a good wooman.

     ² [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 206.] This letter was written by Margaret Paston to one
of her two sons, Sir John or John, at a time when they were both together. That
was the case in October 1470, as appears by a letter of the younger brother, written on
the 12th (No. 759), to the postscript of which this seems to be an answer.

     ³ Agnes Paston, the judge’s widow.

¹ Norwich.

¹ ‘I xuld a dohem mad here’ =I should have got them made here.

     ² Elizabeth, widow of Robert Poynings.     ³ Omitted in MS.

     ⁴ Sir John Paston, if this letter be to the younger brother.

     ⁵ Margery Paston, now probably married to Richard Calle.

OCT. 28

1470
OCT. 28

1470
OCT. 28

LXXXIII

A.D. 1470, 28 Oct.

MARGARET PASTON TO [JOHN PASTON]

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 206]

     This letter, No. 1067 of the Inventory, was written by Margaret Paston
to one of her two sons, Sir John or John, at a time when they were both
together. That was the case in October 1470 as appears by a letter of the
younger brother, written on the 12th (No. 654), to the postscript of which
this seems to be an answer.

I GRETE you wele and send you Goddis blyss-
     yng and myn, and I sende you be the berere
     herof all the sylver vessell that your graun-
     dam¹ makyth so mych of, which she seid I
had of myn husband, and myn husband shuld have
had it of his fader. And wher as she seid that I
shuld have had a garneys, I had ner see never more
than I send you, that is to say, ij. plateris, vj. dysshes
and vj. sawceris. The ij. playteris weyn xliij. unces
di., and the vj. dysshes weyn lxxiiij. unces di. and the
sawcers weyn xvij. unces j. quarter. And I marvayll
that ye sent me not word what an unce of sylver is
werth at London; for it had be lesse joparte to
have sold it here and have sent you the money than
the plate. I myght have sold it her for iijs. an unce,
sum xxli. iiijs. iijd. Be ware how that ye spend it, but
in acquityng you ageyn such as ye be in daunger
to, or abought the good speed of your materis;
for, but if ye take odere heed to your expensis, ye
shall do your self and your frendis gret diswurchep
and enpoveryssh so them that non of us shall help
other, to owr elmys [enemies’] grete comfort. It is
understand ryght now in this countre be such as
cleyme to be frendly to you in what grete daunger
and nede ye stande in, bothe to diverse of your
frendis and to your elmyse. And also it is noysed
that I have departed so largely with you that I may
nowthere help yow, my self nor none of my frendis;
which is no wurchep, and causeth me to set the
lesse be us; and at this tyme it compellith me to
breke up howshold and to sogeorn; which I am
right loth to have to do if I myght otherwyse have
chosyn; for it caused gret clamour in this town¹
that I shall do so; and it shuld not have neded if I
had restreyned whan I myght. Therfore for Goddis
sake take hede here to, and be ware from hens forth;
for I have delivered and sent you bothyn my parte
the dedis and yowris, and not restreyned nowthere
for my self nor the dede. Where fore I thynk we
spede and fare all the wers; for it is a fowle slaunder
that he was so wurchepful beried and his qweth-
word not performed, and so litill do for hym sithen.
And now though I wold do for hym, I have right not
[naught] beside my lyffelode that I may make any
chevysans with, with ought grete slaunder; and my
lyffelode encreasith evil, for I am fayn to takyn
Mautby in myn owyn hand, and to set up husbandry
ther; and how it shall profite me God knowyth.
The fermour owyth me lxxxli. and more. Whan I
shall have it I wete never. Therfore be never the
bolder in your expenses for any help ye trust to have
of me. For I will fro hens forth bryng my self
ought of such daunger as I stand in for your sakes,
and do for the dede and for them that I have my
goodis of; for till I do so, I know for certeyn that
I shall fayll grace and displeas God, How [who]
have you in His kepyng. Wretyn on Sent Symondis
day and Judes in hast.—Be your Moder.

     Item, I send zow ij. sherte clothys, iche of iii. zardis
of the fynest that is in thys towne. I xuld a dohem
mad here¹ but that xuld a be to long here [ere] ze xuld
a had hem. Zour Awnte² or sum other good woman
wule do her almes up on zow for the makyng of
them. I thank zow for the gowne that ye gave me
Halowmesse day I hope [I³] xole be wurshuped ther
with. At reverence of God, be ware and take hed
to soche thynggis as is wretyn with ynne thys letter.
Telle your brother that the monyis not zet cownyd that
I xuld send hym for thersarsenet (sic) and damaske
that I spake to hym foor. As for the damaske that
may be forebore tylle the nexte terme, but as for the
sarsenet I woold have yt and yt mythe be, for I goo
in my rentis. Late zour brothere⁴ see thys letter.
As fore your syster⁵ I can send zow no good tyd-
yngges of her, God make her a good wooman.

¹ Agnes Paston, the judge’s widow.

¹ Norwich.

     ¹ ‘I xuld a dohem mad here’ = I should have got them made here.

     ² Elizabeth, widow of Robert Poynings.                     ³ Omitted in MS.

     ⁴ Sir John Paston, if this letter be to the younger brother.

     ⁵ Margery Paston, now probably married to Richard Calle.