Margaret Paston to Sir John Paston

794

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

I GRETE you wele; letyng you wete that ther was told me
     a thyng in your absens that goth right nere myn hert, be
     a wurchepfull man and such an as ye wuld beleve and
geffe credence to, and that owyth you right good wille; which
if it had comyn to myn remembraunce at your departer I wuld
have spoke to you of it most specially befor all other materis;
but I am so trobilled in my mende with your materis that thei
be so delayd and take no better conclusion, and with the
ontrowth that is in servantis now a days but if the maysteris
take better heed to ther handis, that such thyngis as I wuld
rathest remembre I sonest for gete. It was told me that ye
have sold Sporle wood of a right credebill and wurchepful
man, and that was right hevy that ye shuld be know of such
disposicion, consederyng how your fader, whos sowle God
assoyl, cherysshed in every manor his woodis. And for the
more preffe that this shuld be trought, the forseid person told
me that it was told hym of on [one] that was toward Sir
William Yelverton, to whom Richard Calle shuld have seid in
thes termes, that Sporle Wood shuld be sold, and that it shuld
comyn now in to Cristen mennes handis. Which if it were
knowyn shuld cause bothyn your elmyse [enemies] and your
frendis to thynk that ye dede it for right gret nede, or ellis
that ye shuld be a wastour and wuld wast your lyvelod. If ye
had do so in Sir John Fastolfes lyffelode, men shuld have
supposid that ye had do it of good pollice, be cause of the
onsuerte that it stoonit (?) in, to have takyn that ye had myght
of it duryng your possession, to have boryn ought the daungere
of it with the same; but for to do this of your owyn lyffelode,
men shall thyng that ye do it for pure nede. And in asmych
as it is so nere your most elmyse ere, it shall be to you the
gretter vylney and shame to all your frendis, and the grettest
coragyng and plesere that can be to your elmyse. For if ye
be thus disposid ye shall make them and all othere certeyn of
that that befor this tyme thei haue ben in dought, and cause
them to purpose the more cruelly agayn you. Where fore, in
eschewyng of the greet slaundre and inconveniens that may
grow ther of, I require you, and more over charge you upon
my blissyng and as ye wull have my good will, that if any such
sale or bargany be mad, be your assent or with ought, be Calle,
or any othere in your name, that ye restreyn it; for I wuld
not for a M^l marcs that it wer understond that ye were of that
disposicion, ner that ye were comyn to so gret nede which
shuld cause [y]ou to do so; for every [man¹] shuld thynk that
it were thurgh your owyn mysgovernaunce. Therefore I
charge you, if any such bargayn be mad, that ye send a bill as
hastly as ye can to Herry Halman, that he do all such as have
mad or takyn that bargayn seasse and felle non of the wood,
upon peyn that may falle ther of. And how [who] so ever wull
councell you the contrary, do as I advyse you in this behalffe,
or ellis trost never to have comfort of me; and if I may knowe
ye be of such disposicion, and I leve ij. yer it shall disavayll you
in my liffelode ccc. marcs. There fore, send me word be the
berere here of wheder ye have assent to any such thyng or
nought, and how that ye be disposid to do ther in, for I shall
not be quiete in myn hert till I understand yow of the contrary
disposicion.

                                                                         Be your more moder.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 116.] This letter would seem to have been written about
the end of the year 1471 or the beginning of 1472, when we first hear of Sir John
Paston’s design to sell Sporle Wood. See Nos. 793, 798.

¹ Omitted in MS.    

1471

1471

LXXXIV

A.D. 1471

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 116]

     This letter, No. 1065 in Appendix, would seem to have been written
about the beginning of the year 1471, when we first hear of Sir John
Paston’s design to sell Sporle Wood. See Vol. III. pp. 31, 38.

I GRETE you wele; letyng you wete that
     ther was told me a thyng in your absens
     that goth right nere myn hert, be a wurchep-
     full man and such an as ye wuld beleve
and geffe credence to, and that owyth you right
good wille; which if it had comyn to myn remem-
braunce at your departer I wuld have spoke to you
of it most specially befor all other materis; but I am
so trobilled in my mende with your materis that
thei be so delayd and take no better conclusion,
and with the ontrowth that is in servantis now a
days but if the maysteris take better heed to ther
handis, that such thyngis as I wuld rathest re-
membre I sonest for gete. It was told me that ye
have sold Sporle wood of a right credebill and
wurchepful man, and that was right hevy that ye
shuld be know of such disposicion, consederyng how
your fader, whos sowle God assoyl, cherysshed in
every manor his woodis. And for the more preffe
that this shuld be trought, the forseid person told
me that it was told hym of on [one] that was toward
Sir William Yelverton, to whom Richard Calle shuld
have seid in thes termes, that Sporle Wood shuld
be sold, and that it shuld comyn now in to Cristen
mennes handis. Which if it were knowyn shuld
cause bothyn your elmyse [enemies] and your frendis
to thynk that ye dede it for right gret nede, or ellis
that ye shuld be a wastour and wuld wast your lyve-
lod. If ye had do so in Sir John Fastolfes lyffelode,
men shuld have supposid that ye had do it of good
pollice, be cause of the onsuerte that it stoonit (?) in,
to have takyn that ye had myght of it duryng your
possession, to have boryn ought the daungere of it
with the same; but for to do this of your owyn
lyffelode, men shall thyng that ye do it for pure
nede. And in asmych as it is so nere your most
elmyse ere, it shall be to you the gretter vylney and
shame to all your frendis, and the grettest coragyng
and plesere that can be to your elmyse. For if ye
be thus disposid ye shall make them and all othere
certeyn of that that befor this tyme thei haue ben in
dought, and cause them to purpose the more cruelly
agayn you. Where fore, in eschewyng of the greet
slaundre and inconveniens that may grow ther of, I
require you, and more over charge you upon my
blissyng and as ye wull have my good will, that if
any such sale or bargany be mad, be your assent or
with ought, be Calle, or any othere in your name,
that ye restreyn it; for I wuld not for a M¹ marcs
that it wer understond that ye were of that disposicion,
ner that ye were comyn to so gret nede which shuld
cause [y]ou to do so; for every [man¹] shuld thynk
that it were thurgh your owyn mysgovernaunce.
Therefore I charge you, if any such bargayn be mad,
that ye send a bill as hastly as ye can to Herry
Halman, that he do all such as have mad or takyn
that bargayn seasse and felle non of the wood, upon
peyn that may falle ther of. And how [who] so
ever wull councell you the contrary, do as I advyse
you in this behalffe, or ellis trost never to have com-
fort of me; and if I may knowe ye be of such dis-
posicion, and I leve ij. yer it shall disavayll you in my
liffelode ccc. marcs. There fore, send me word be
the berere here of wheder ye have assent to any such
thyng or nought, and how that ye be disposid to do
ther in, for I shall not be quiete in myn hert till I
understand yow of the contrary disposicion.—Be
your more moder.

¹ Omitted in MS.