Margaret Paston to Sir John Paston

701

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

To Sir John Paston, knyght, be this delivered in hast.

I GRETE you wele and send you Goddes blyssyng and
     myn, desiryng you to recomaund me to my brother
     William, and to comune with hym and your councell
in such materis as I wryght to you, that ther may be purveyd
be some writyng fro the Kyng that my Lord of Norffolk and
his councell seas [cease] of the wast that thei done in your
lordsheps, and in especiall at Heynford; for thei have felled
all the wood, and this weke thei wull carie it a wey, and lete
renne the wateris and take all the fyssh. And Sir William
Yelverton and his sone William, John Grey and Burgeys,
William Yelvertons men, have ben at Guton and takyn dis-
tresses, and with ought that [unless] thei wull pay them thei
shall not set ought no plow to till there lande; thei byd them
lete there land lye on tilled but if [unless] thei pay them. So
that if the tenauntes have no remedy that thei may pesibily,
with ought assaught or distresse takyng, be the seid Yelverton
or his men, or of any other in there names, at there liberte
herye there landis, with in this vij. days there tylth in the
feldis be lost for all this yere and thei shall be on doon; and
though ye shuld kepe it here after pesibilly ye shuld lese the
ferme of this yere, for thei may not pay you but if [unless] thei
may occupie there landis; thei set not so sone a plow ought
at ther gatis but ther is a felesship redy to take it. And thei
ride with speris and launyegays, like men of werre, so that the
seid tenauntis arn a ferd to kepe there owyn howses. Ther-
fore purvey an redy remedy, or ellis ye lese the tenauntis
hertis and ye gretly hurt; for it is gret pety to here the
swemefull² and petowse compleyntis of the pore tenauntis
that come to me for comfort and socour sometime vi. or vij.
to geder. Therfore, for Goddis love, se that thei ben helpyn,
and desire my brothere William to geve you good concell
here.

     Also it is told me that my Lady of Suffolk hath promysed
you here good will, if your bargayn of the mariage¹ holdyth,
to do as largely as she shall be disired, or largelyer if there be
any appoyntment takyn a twix you for any materes a twyx
her and you. And [i.e. if] thei wuld avyse you to geve any
money to here to make here refuse or disclayme here titill, me
semyth ye may wele excuse you be the money that she had
last, and be the wrongis that were don be here and here men
in fellyng of wood and pullyng doune of your place and logge
at Heylesdon, and takyn a wey of the shep and your faderis
goodis, which were takyn a wey at the pullyn don of the seid
place; wheche wele considered, she were wurthy to recom-
pense you. And [if] the Kyng and the lordis were wele
enformed thei wuld considere the redilyer your hurtis. It
semyth this Sir William Yelverton hath comfort that he is so
bold, for [he²] hath ryght prowde and fowle langage and
ryght slaundrows to the tenauntis, as thei have reported to
me. Therfor be ryght ware that ye bynde not your self nor
mak non ensurance till ye be suer of a pesibill possession of
your lande; for oftyn tyme rape rueth, and whan a man hath
made such a covenante he must kepith it, he may not chese;
there[fore²] be not to hasty till your londe be clere. And
labore hastly a remedy for thes premysses, or ellis Sir John
Fastolffis lyvelode, though ye entre it pesibilly, shall not be
worth to ye a grote this yere with ought ye wull on do your
tenauntis. I pray you remembre a kerchye of Cremyll for
your suster Anne. Remembre to labore some remedy for your
faderis will whill my Lord of Caunterbury³ lyvyth, for he is
an old man and he is now frendly to you and if he happed to
dye, how [who] shuld come after hym ye wote never; and if
he wer a nedy man, in asmych as your fader was noysed of so
greet valew he wull be the mor straunge to entrete. And lete
this be not for gete; for [if] ther were on [one] that aught us
no good wyll he myght calle us up to make accounte of his
goodis, and if we had not for to showe for us where by we
have occupied, he myght send doun assentence to curse us in
all the diosyse and to make us to delivere his goodis; which
were to us a gret shame, and a rebuke. There fore purvey
hastly and wyssely therfore whill he lyvyth, and do not as ye
dede whill my Lord of York¹ was Chanceller make delays, for
if ye had labored in his tyme as ye have do sith, ye had be
thurgh in your materis; be ware be that, and lete slauth
nomor take you in such diffaught; thynk of after clappes and
have provysion in all your work, and ye shall do the better.
God kepe you. Wretyn on Myd Lent Sonday in hast.

     Be your moder,                                                              M. P.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 202.] This letter must have been written in 1469, after
the Duke of Norfolk and Sir William Yelverton had taken possession of Fastolf’s
lands.                                                   ² swemeful, sorrowful.—Halliwell.

     ¹ With Anne Haute.     ² Omitted in MS.     ³ Cardinal Bourchier.

     ¹ George Nevill, Archbishop of York. He surrendered the Great Seal on the 8th
June 1467.

1469
MARCH 12

1469
MARCH 12