Margaret Paston to Sir John Paston

Add. 27445, f. 85

29 January 1475

Gairdner, Vol V, item 863; Fenn, Vol V, Edward IV item 18

LETTER XVIII.

To Ser John Paston
Knyght be thys delyu^ryd
in hast. A^o xiij^o

IHS

RYGHT welbelovyd son I gret yow well and send yow
godds blyssyng and myn letyng yow wete y^t I marveyle y^t
I have had no wrytyng from yow sethyn ye sent me y^e lettyr
y^t ye sent me befor the kyngs Comyng to Norwych in the
whyche lettyr ye wrot to me y^t ye shuld a wretyn azeyn to
me or ye shuld de part owt of london it is so y^t yowyr
Hunkyll Will’m hath do payd to my Cosyn Robard Clere
but iiij^xx li of the C li and he wol no mor pay but yf he hath
delyu^raunc of my plegg the wych was leyd to plegg for
xx^ti li the wych ben bettyr J wot well be cause of the good
well y^t he owyt to me as ye know he wold ben in possessyon
therof my Cosyn Robard Cler was her w^t me thys weke
and told me y^t yf he wold a delyu^ryd them he myth an had
ye seyd xx li but he seyd he wold nowt tyll he had spokyn
w^t me be my trowth I fynd hym ryght kyndly dysposyd to
yow and to me bothe and so I have desyryd hym to kepe
styll y^e plegg in hys possessyon tyll I have word from yow
how ye ar agreyd w^t yowyr hunkyll for the payment of the
seyd mony J wen veryly y^t ye have fownd hym swerte for
alle and yf ye have so do I wold ye shuld wryt to yowyr
hunkyl therfor y^t I myth have my plegg ageyn for I war
loth that they shuld Com in hys fyngy?rs. It’ as for Sporyl
Wood be for the Kyng’s comyng into Norff. I myth an had
xx
Chapmen to abowtyd a gret for xij mark and now ther wol
no man by yt a gret bycause of y^e gret good y^t the pepyll
ys leyd to for y^e Kyng Wherfor we ar a bowth to retaylyt
as well as we may and as well as yt can be browth too And
J send yow word how we shall do as astely as I may as for
yowyr Barly in this Cuntre y^t cannot be sold above x^d or
xj^d yt ys the gretest prys of Barly her And but y^t be at a
bettyr prys I purpose for to do yt malt And as for mony I
cowd not get yet of Pecok but iij li And he seth y^t be than
y^t y^e owt chargys be boryn and y^e repracion of y^e myll at
Wyntyrton We ar lyke to have but lytyll mor mony besyd
the Barly Malt ys sold her but for xiij^d And Whet ij^d or
xxvj^d at thys time And otys xij^d ther ys non owtlod suffyrd
to goo owth of thys cuntre as yet the Kyng hath
comaundyd y^t ther shuld non gon owth of thys lond I fer
me y^t we shall have ryth a straung warld god a men dyt
whan hys wyll ys I thank yow for the Flakons y^t ye sent me
they be ryght good and plesyth me ryght well I shall be as
good an Huswyf for yow as J can and as J wold be for my-
self send me word how ye doo of yowyr syknes y^t ye had
on yowyr hey and yowyr lege And yf god wol nowt suffyr
yow to have helth ¹thank hym therof and takyt pashently
and com hom a geyn to me and we shall lyve to geddyr as
god woll geve us grase to do And as J have send to yow
befor thys I wold ye war delyu^ryd of my mastres ²A. H.
And than J wold trost y^t ye shuld do the Bettyr.

As for the ³bokys that ye desyryd to have of Syr Jamys
the best of alle and the fayrest ys claymyd nor y^t ys not in
hys Jnventory I shall a say to get yt for yow And I may
the prys of y^e todyr Bokys besyd that ys xx^s vj^d the wych I
send yow a byll of yf ye lyk be y^e prys of them And ye wol
have them send me word And also I p’y yow send me an
answere of thys lettyr be cause I thynk long seth I hard
from yow God have yow God have yow in hys kepyng
Wretyn at Mawdby on the Sattyrday nex be forn the Pu-
rificacion of owyr lady the xiiij yer of Kyng Edward
the iiij^t.

Yowyr modyr.

11½ by 8½.

This Letter, amongst other curious circumstances, contains one very curious
one, arising from the granting benevolences to the King, and requires some
short explanation.

In 1474, Edward IV. in order to levy an army to invade France, went from
place to place to ask money; this he termed a Benevolence; and that it might
be the more lucrative, he went in person to those who, he was informed, were
the most opulent.

By this unjustifiable method he extorted money so plentifully, as to lower
the prices of most commodities, not leaving a sufficient quantity with his sub-
jects to pay for them, as they had done before.

He visited Norfolk and Norwich at this time on the above occasion; and it
seems, by what Margaret Paston here says, that he had been successful in
his plan, and amassed such sums of money, that chapmen were wanted for
her sale of wood, “bycause of the gret good that the pepyll ys leyd to for
the kyng.”

The prices of grain are here mentioned as being very low; and though the
quantity is not specified, yet it appears from Margaret Paston’s letter, dated
23d May, 1475, that the price of the Comb is meant.

¹ Submit, with thankfulness for other blessings, to his will,—seems to be
the meaning intended in this place.

² Sir John’s mysterious connexion with Mistress Anne Haulte here
appears again: it must relate to some contract between them.

³ The price of Sir James Glois’s book is ascertained, and seems low; but
we are unfortunately not informed of the title of the best and fairest.

This and the foregoing Letter, by their date, were both written on the
same day; the one at Maulteby, and the other at Norwich: Margaret Paston
must therefore have gone on that same day from the one place to the other;
the distance is about sixteen or eighteen miles.

LETTER XVIII.

To Sir John Paston, Knight, be this delivered in haste.

IHS

RIGHT well-beloved son, I greet you well, and send you
God’s blessing and mine, letting you weet that I marvel
that I have had no writing from you since ye sent me the
letter that ye sent me before the King’s coming to Nor-
wich; in the which letter ye wrote to me that ye should
have written again to me ere ye should depart out of
London.

It is so that your uncle William hath do paid [hath
paid] to my cousin Robert Clere but fourscore pounds
of the 100l. and he will no more pay, but if [unless] he hath
deliverance of my pledges, the which were laid to pledge
for 20l. the which be better. [worth more.] I wot well, be-
cause of the good will that he oweth to me, as ye know, he
would be in the possession thereof.

My cousin Robert Clere was here with me this week, and
told me, that if he would have delivered them, he might
have had the said 20l.; but he said he would not, till
he had spoken with me; by my troth I find him right kindly
disposed to you, and to me both; and so I have desired
him to keep still the pledges in his possession, till I have
word from you how ye are agreed with your uncle for the
payment of the said money: I ween verily that ye have
found him surety for all, and if ye have so done, I would ye
should write to your uncle therefore, that I might have my
pledges again, for I were loath that they should come in his
fingers.

Item, as for Sporle Wood, before the King’s coming into
Norfolk, I might have had Chapmen to have bought it a
gret [by the great] for twelve score marks (160l.), and now
there will no man buy it a gret, because of the great good
[large sums] that the people is laid to for the King; where-
fore we are about to retail it as well as we may, and as well as
it can be brought to; and send you word how we shall do,
as hastily as I may.

As for your barley in this country, it cannot be sold above
10d. or 11d. that is the greatest price of barley here, and
but [unless] it be at a better price, I purpose for to do it
malt [malt it]; and as for money, I could not get yet
of Peacock but 3l.; he saith that by then that the out-
charges be born, and the reparation of the mill at Winter-
ton, we are like to have but little more money beside the
barley. Malt is sold here but for 13d. and wheat 2s. or
26d. at this time, and oats 12d. There is none outload
suffered to go out of this country as yet; the King hath
commanded that there should none go out of this land. I
fear me that we shall have right a strange world; God amend
it, when his will is.

I thank you for the flaggons that ye sent me; they be
right good, and please me right well: I shall be as good an
housewife for you as I can, and as I would be for myself.
Send me word how ye do of your sickness that ye had on
your eye and your leg; and if God will not suffer you to
have health, thank him thereof, and take it patiently, and
come home again to me, and we shall live together, as God
will give us grace to do, and as I have said to you before this.
I would ye were delivered of my Mistress ²A. H. [Ann
Haulte,] and then I would trust that ye should do the
better.

As for the ³books that ye desired to have of Sir James’s,
the best of all and the fairest is claimed; nor it is not in his
inventory, I shall assay to get it for you, and [if] I may;
the price of these other books, beside that, is 20s. and 6d.
the which I send you a bill of. If ye like by the price of
them, and ye will have them, send me word. And also I
pray you send me an answer of this letter, because I think
long since I heard from you. God have you in his keeping.

Written at Norwich on the Saturday next before the
Purification of our Lady, the 14th year of King Edward
the Fourth.

Your mother,

MARGARET PASTON.

            Norwich,
     Saturday, 29th Jan.
          1474. 14 E. IV.