Margery Paston to John Paston

Add. 43490, f. 34

18 December 1477

Gairdner, Vol V, item 923; Fenn, Vol II, Edward IV item 82

LETTER LXXXII.

To my ryth reu’ent and worscheful husband Jon Paston.

RYTH reu’ent and worscheful husbond I recomaūde me to
yow desyryng hertyly to her’ of yowr wylfar thankyng
yow for y^e tokyn ye sent me be Edmūde Perys preyng yow
to wete y^t my modyr sent to my fadyr to London for a Goune
cloth of ¹ Mustyrddevyllers to make of a Goune for me and
he tolde my modyr and me wanne he was comme hom’ y^t
he cargeyt yow to beyit aftyr y^t he was come oute of London.

I pre yow if it be not bowt y^t ye wyl wechesaf to byit and
sendyt hom’ as sone as ye may for I have no Goune to werr yis
wyntyr but my blak and my grene a lyer and y^t is so comerus
y^t I ham wery to weryt.

As for y^e Gyrdyl y^t my fadyr be hestyt me I spake to hym
yer of a lytyl befor he yede to London last and he seyde to
me y^t y^e faute was in yow y^t ye wolde not thynk yer uppe
on to do makyt but I sopose yt ys not so he seydyt but for a
skeusacion. I pre yow yf ye der takyt uppe on yow y^t ye
wyl weche saf to do makyt a yens ye come hom’ for I hadde
neu’ mor nede yer of yan I have now for I ham waxse so
fetys y^t I may not be gyrte in no barre of no Gyrdyl, y^t I
have but of on’ Elizabet Peverel hath leye sek xv or xvj wekys
of y^e Seyetyka but sche sent my modyr word be Kate yat sche
shuld come hedyr wanne God sent tyme yoow sche shuld be crod
in a barow.

Jon of Dam’ was her’ and my modyr dyskevwyrd me to hym
and he seyed be hys trouth y^t he was not gladder of no thyng
y^t he harde thys towlmonyth yan he was yer of.

I may no lēger leve be my crafte I am dyssceawyrd of alle
men y^t se me.

Of alle odyr thyngys y^t ye deseyreyd yat I shuld sende yow
word of I have sent yow word of in a lett’ y^t I dede wryte on
ouwyr ² Ladyis day laste was.

Wretyn at Oxnede in ryth gret hast on y^e thrusday next
before Seynt Tomas day.

I pre yow y^t ye wyl wer y^{e 3} reyng w^t y^e emage of Seynt.
Margrete y^t I sent yow for a rememrause tyl ye come hom^e
ye have lefte me sweche a rememrause y^t makyth me to thynk
uppe on yow bothe day and nyth wanne I wold sclepe.

Yours,

Margery Paston.

            Paper Mark,
            Cross Keys.
           Pl. XII. N^o 19.

Oxnead,
Thursday, 18th of December
1477, 17 E. IV.

¹ This word occurs more than once in these Letters, but the meaning of it I cannot
ascertain to my own satisfaction.

² Conception of our Lady, 8th of December.

³ This Ring, bearing the Image of her favourite Saint, being worn by her husband
as a remembrance, might be looked upon as a Guardian to her in her then situation, and
be a means of preserving her from any disagreeable Accident.

Query? Was not this Letter written in the beginning of July, 1478, the Translation
of St. Thomas being on the 7th, and the Visitation of our Lady on the 2d of July.

It will thus accord with Letter LXXXV.

Autograph. Pl. VII. N^o 7.

LETTER LXXXII.

To my right reverend and worshipful Husband, John Paston.

RIGHT reverend and worshipful Husband, I recommend
me to you, desiring heartily to hear of your welfare,
thanking you for the Token that ye sent me by Edmund Perys,
praying you to weet that my Mother sent to my father to Lon-
don for a Gown cloth of ¹ Mustyrddevyllers to make of a Gown
for me; and he told my Mother and me when he came home,
that he charged you to buy it, after that he was come out of
London.

I pray you, if it be not bought, that you will vouchsafe to buy
it, and send it home as soon as ye may, for I have no gown to
wear this winter but my black and my green a lyer, and that is
so cumberous that I am weary to wear it.

As for the Girdle that my father behested (promised) me, I
speak to him thereof a little before he yed (went) to London
last, and he said to me that the fault was in you, that ye would
not think thereupon to do make it (to have it made,) but I
suppose that it is not so, he said it but for a skeusacion (an excuse.)
I pray you, if ye dare take it upon you, that ye will vouchsafe
to do make it (to have it made) against ye come home, for I had
never more need thereof than I have now, for I have waxed so
fetys (prettily) that I may not be girded in no bar of no girdle,
that I have but one. Elizabeth Peverel hath been sick fifteen or
sixteen weeks of the Sciatica, but she sent my Mother word by
Kate, that she should come hither when God sent time, though
she should be crowd (wheeled) in a barrow.

John of Dam was here, and my Mother discovered me to him,
and he said by his truth, that he was not gladder of nothing that
he heard this twelvemonth, than he was thereof.

I may no longer live by my craft (cunning), I am discovered
of all men that see me.

Of all other things that ye desired that I should send you word
of, I have sent you word of in a letter that I did write on ² Our
Lady’s day last was; the Holy Trinity have you in his keeping.

Written at Oxnead, in right great haste on the Thursday next
before Saint Thomas’s day.

I pray you that ye will wear the ³ Ring with the Image of
Saint Margaret, that I sent you for a remembrance, till ye
come home, ye have left me such a remembrance, that maketh
me to think upon you both day and night when I would sleep.

Yours,

MARGERY PASTON.

   Paper Mark,
            Cross Keys.
           Pl. XII. N^o 19.

Oxnead,
Thursday, 18th of December
1477, 17 E. IV.

¹ This word occurs more than once in these Letters, but the meaning of it I cannot
ascertain to my own satisfaction.

² Conception of our Lady, 8th of December.

³ This Ring, bearing the Image of her favourite Saint, being worn by her husband
as a remembrance, might be looked upon as a Guardian to her in her then situation, and
be a means of preserving her from any disagreeable Accident.

Query? Was not this Letter written in the beginning of July, 1478, the Translation
of St. Thomas being on the 7th, and the Visitation of our Lady on the 2d of July.

It will thus accord with Letter LXXXV.

Autograph. Pl. VII. N^o 7.

923

MARGERY PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To myryth reverent and worscheful husbond, Jon Paston.

      RYTH reverent and worscheful husbond, I recomaunde
         me to yow, desyryng hertyly to here of yowr wylfare,
         thankyng yow for the tokyn that ye sent me be
Edmunde Perys, preyng yow to wete that my modyr sent to
my fadyr to London for a goune cloth of mustyrddevyllers²
to make of a goune for me; and he tolde my modyr and me
wanne he was comme home, that he cargeyt yow to beyit,
aftyr that he were come oute of London.

I pre yow, yf it be not bowt, that ye wyl wechesaf to byit,
and sendyt home as sone as ye may, for I have no goune to
weyre this wyntyr but my blake and my grene a lyer,³ and
that is so comerus that I ham wery to weryt.

As for the gyrdyl that my fadyr be hestyt me, I spake to
hym ther of a lytyl before he zede to London last, and he
seyde to me that the faute was in yow, that ze wolde not
thynk ther uppe on to do makyt [to get it made]; but I
sopose that ys not so; he seydyt but for a skwsacion. I pre
yow, yf ye dor takyt uppe on yow, that ye wyl weche safe to
do makyt a yens ye come home, for I hadde never more nede
ther of than I have now, for I ham waxse so fetys¹ that I may
not be gyrte in no barre of no gyrdyl that I have but of one.
Elisabet Peverel hath leye sek xv. or xvj. wekys of the seye-
tyka, but sche sent my modyr word be Kate, that sche xuld
come hedyr wanne God sent tyme, thoow sche xuld be crod
[wheeled] in a barwe.

Jon of Damm was here, and my modyr dyskevwyrd me
to hym, and he seyed, be hys trouth that he was not gladder
of no thyng that he harde thys towlmonyth, than he was
ther of.

I may no lenger leve be my crafte, I am dysscevwyrd of
alle men that se me.

Of alle odyr thyngys that ye deseyreyd that I xuld sende
yow word of, I have sent yow word of in a letter that I dede
wryte on Ouwyr Ladyis Day² laste was. The Holy Trenyte
have yow in Hese kepyng.

Wretyn at Oxnede, in ryth gret hast, on the Thrusday
next be fore Seynt Tomas Day.³

I pre yow that ye wyl were the reyng with the emage of
Seynt Margrete, that I sent yow for a rememraunse, tyl ye
come home; ye have lefte me sweche a rememraunse, that
makyth me to thynke uppe on yow bothe day and nyth wanne
I wold sclepe.

Your ys, M. P.

¹ This word commonly signifies neat or elegant, and seems to be used here
ironically.

² Conception of Our Lady, 8th of December.—F.

³ 21st December, the day of St. Thomas Apostle, or perhaps 29th December, the
day of St. Thomas (à Becket) the Martyr.

¹ [From Fenn, ii. 256.] It is curious that after so much negotiation for the
marriage of John Paston and Margery Brews, we have no record in these letters when
it actually took place; but probably it was in August 1477, the last reference to it as
an event not yet accomplished being on the 7th of that month (No. 916). In Janu-
ary 1478, John Paston talks of taking his wife to her father’s house on account of her
situation, and their first child was born in the course of the following summer. This
letter seems to have been written in December. Fenn remarks that St. Thomas’s Day
might mean the Translation of St. Thomas à Becket, 7th July 1478, and ‘Our Lady’s
Day’ might be the Visitation of the Virgin, 2nd July preceding. But this is simply
impossible, because the letter is dated Thursday before St. Thomas’s Day, which
would in that case be the very same date as the Visitation of Our Lady, viz. the 2nd
July 1478. Besides, if the first child of John Paston and Margery was not actually
born before July, the latter was certainly much nearer to her confinement then than
this letter would imply. See No. 936 in vol. vi.

A facsimile of this letter was published in the European Magazine for March
1787, and we have carefully compared the text with this facsimile.

² A kind of grey woollen cloth.

³ Fenn suggests Grenouilliere or frog-colour, but I find no authority for such
a word; and I should suppose ‘grene’ to be a separate word, though what ‘a lyer’
is I cannot say.

DEC. 18

1477

DEC. 18