Margaret Paston to Sir John Paston

629

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

      I GRETE you wele and send you Goddis blissyng and
          myn; letyng you wete that I send you be the berer
         herof xlli. of Ryall which I have chevysshed and borwed
for you, be cause I wuld not take that was leyd ought for you
at Norwich; for, as I am enformed be Mayster John Smyth,
the Chaunceller, and other that we ben all a cursed that we
have thus mynystred the dedis godes with ought licence or
auctorite, and I wene we spede all the wers there fore. At
the reverence of God, gete you a licens of my Lord of Caunter-
bery in dyschargyng of my conscyens and yowris, to mynystre
a certeyn summe of iij. or iiij^c marcs, enfourmyng hym how
that your lyffelod hath stond this ij. yer in such trobill that ye
myght right nought have of it, ner yet can take of it with
ought ye shuld hurt your tenauntis, thei have so ben vexid be
on trew meanes before this tymes, And ye have many grete
materis on hand and may not have to bere them ought, ner to
save your ryght, withaught ye myght for a tyme takyn of your
faderis godes. And this I hope shall discharge owr conscyens
of that we have mynystred and spend be fore. For we have
nomor to acquite this xlli. and bere all other charges but the
xlviili. that your unkyll and ye is privy to, that was leyd up
at Norwich. I wuld ye were ware of large theftis and rewardis
gevyng, as otheris folkis avyse you to do, for though ye have
nede thei wull not be right redy to help you of ther owyn;
and that ye may understand be that that thei have taken a wey
from you be for this tyme. I wuld not in no wyse ye shuld
put your self in no daunger to hym but as litill as ye may;
for if ye do, it shall be right wele remembred you her after.
And be ware how ye ben bownd in any obligacion to any
creature but if it be leyd in endifferent handis and trosty for
yowr part. And remembre to gete the obligacion that ye mad
to the Duchesse of Suffolk; for though it be in my Lord
Chancelleris hande it is jepartows, be cause of perell of deth.
Item, understand wele the poyntis that ben in my cosyn
Arblasteris letter that arn wretyn in yowrs, and purvey redily
ther for for your owyn a vayll. Item, send me home answeris
of sueche materis as arn now sent you bethen (sic) mowth and
wrytyng at this tyme as hastly as ye can, or ells it shall hurt
yow mor than ye or I can yet understand. Item, me semyth,
if ye shall not comyn home this Crystmesse, or if ye shuld be
at my Lady of Suffolk, it [were¹] necessary to have Playter
there with you if ye shuld engroos any appoyntementis with
here at that tyme. For she is sotill and hath sotill councell
with here; and therfore it were wele do ye shuld have summe
with you that shuld be of your councell. If John Paston be
with you at London desire hym to take hede to yowris materis
and in what case thei ben left at your departyng, that if nede
be he may help you to labore for such causes as Wykes shall
telle yow be mowth; and if he be not with yow, and ye wull
I shall send hym to you. Item, spare of² the xlli. as mych as
ye may that ye may perfourme by the mony that the Duchesse
of Suffolk shuld have, in cas that it may not be gadered of the
lyvelode. Send home Wykes a sone as ye can, and how ye
will that I do in your materis and lyvelode at home. God
have you in His kepyng. Wretyn the Thursday next Sent
Martyn.                                                          Be your Moder.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 99.] This letter was written before administration had
been obtained of John Paston’s will; presumably therefore in the year in which he
died, 1466. It may be observed, likewise, that in 1467 ‘my lord of Canterbury’
would probably have been called ‘ my lord Cardinal.’

              ¹ Omitted in MS.                     ² of repeated in MS.

1466(?)
NOV. 13(?)

1466(?)
NOV. 13(?)

1466(?)
NOV. 13(?)

LXVII

A.D. 1466?, 13 (?) Nov.

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 99]

     This letter, noticed as No. 1068 in Appendix, was written before ad-
ministration had been obtained of John Paston’s will; presumably there-
fore in the year in which he died, 1466. It may be observed, likewise,
that in 1467 ‘my lord of Canterbury’ would probably have been called
’my lord Cardinal.’

I GRETE you wele and send you Goddis
     blissyng and myn; letyng you wete that I
     send you be the berer herof xlli. of Ryall
     which I have chevysshed and borwed for
you, be cause I wuld not take that was leyd ought for
you at Norwich; for, as I am enformed be Mayster
John Smyth, the Chaunceller, and other that we ben
all a cursed that we have thus mynystred the dedis
godes with ought licence or auctorite, and I wene we
spede all the wers there fore. At the reverence of
God, gete you a licens of my Lord of Caunterbery
in dyschargyng of my conscyens and yowris, to
mynystre a certeyn summe of iij. or iiij^c marcs, en-
fourmyng hym how that your lyffelod hath stond
this ij. yer in such trobill that ye myght right nought
have of it, ner yet can take of it with ought ye shuld
hurt your tenauntis, thei have so ben vexid be on
trew meanes before this tymes, And ye have many
grete materis on hand and may not have to bere
them ought, ner to save your ryght, withaught ye
myght for a tyme takyn of your faderis godes. And
this I hope shall discharge owr conscyens of that we
have mynystred and spend be fore. For we have
nomor to acquite this xlli. and bere all other charges
but the xlviili. that your unkyll and ye is privy to,
that was leyd up at Norwich. I wuld ye were ware of
large theftis and rewardis gevyng, as otheris folkis
avyse you to do, for though ye have nede thei wull
not be right redy to help you of ther owyn; and that
ye may understand be that that thei have taken a wey
from you be for this tyme. I wuld not in no wyse ye
shuld put your self in no daunger to hym but as
litill as ye may; for if ye do, it shall be right wele
remembred you her after. And be ware how ye ben
bownd in any obligacion to any creature but if it be
leyd in endifferent handis and trosty for yowr part.
And remembre to gete the obligacion that ye mad to
the Duchesse of Suffolk; for though it be in my
Lord Chancelleris hande it is jepartows, be cause of
perell of deth. Item, understand wele the poyntis
that ben in my cosyn Arblasteris letter that arn
wretyn in yowrs, and purvey redily ther for for your
owyn a vayll. Item, send me home answeris of
sueche materis as arn now sent you bethen (sic)
mowth and wrytyng at this tyme as hastly as ye can,
or ells it shall hurt yow mor than ye or I can yet
understand. Item, me semyth, if ye shall not comyn
home this Crystmesse, or if ye shuld be at my Lady
of Suffolk, it [were¹] necessary to have Playter there
with you if ye shuld engroos any appoyntementis
with here at that tyme. For she is sotill and hath
sotill councell with here; and therfore it were wele do
ye shuld have summe with you that shuld be of your
councell. If John Paston be with you at London
desire hym to take hede to yowris materis and in
what case thei ben left at your departyng, that if nede
be he may help you to labore for such causes as
Wykes shall telle yow be mowth; and if he be not
with yow, and ye wull I shall send hym to you.
Item, spare of² the xlli. as mych as ye may that ye
may perfourme by the mony that the Duchesse of
Suffolk shuld have, in cas that it may not be gadered
of the lyvelode. Send home Wykes a sone as ye can,
and how ye will that I do in your materis and lyve-
lode at home. God have you in His kepyng.
Wretyn the Thursday next Sent Martyn.

                                                            Be your Moder.

           ¹ Omitted in MS.                ² of repeated in MS.