Sir John Paston to John Paston

655

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

ITEM, Arb[l]aster must mak a proctyr by yowr advyce, and
     iff he lyst to make the seyd Master John Halfnothe he
     maye, elles he must sende uppe an other; and he most
also make a letter of waraunt to the seyde Master John Half-
nothe undre hys selle by yowre advyce in thys forme:—

     Master John, &c. I recomande me, &c., letyng yow weet that I have
made yow my proctor towchyng the testement off John Paston, Esquier; wher-
ffor I praye yow that ye on my behalve reffuce the admynystracion of hys seyde
testamen, fur I woll nowt have ado ther with. Wherffo[r] loke that ye on my
behalve reffuce all admynestracion, entresse or besynesse, that I myght have
there by. And thys shewys yow my wyll here in, and shall be to yow a dys-
charge att any tyme. No moor, &c.

                                                            Yowr frend,                    JAMES ARBLASTER.

     I wolde nat that myn oncle William scholde cawse hym to
take on hym as hys felawe, for iff myn oncle William doo thus
moche in the corte I suppose it may here afftre doo ease. For
as God helpe me I cannot sey verrely iff my fadre (God have
hys sowle !) agreyd that he shold be one, but in my sowle he
never thowt that he sholde be, for he never namyd no moor
butt my modre and me, and afftre, yow, whan I rehessyd myn
oncle Clement, yow and Arblaster, and than he chase yow,
seyng he thoght that ye were good and trewe. Kepe thys
secrett. Iff myn oncle be noon executor, it maye happely
brynge ageyn a trussyng coffre with CC. old peyse noblis,
whyche he toke from me as executor.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. from which this letter is printed is a draft
in the handwriting of Sir John Paston. There can be little doubt it was addressed to
his brother John, and as it refers to the administration of their father’s will, we place
it in the year of his death.

1466(?)